MOODENG surged significantly following a donation from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who adopted Moo Deng, a pygmy hippopotamus, and contributed a substantial amount to support wildlife conservation. 

The S&P 500 dropped 0.04%, halting a potential "Santa Claus rally." It has risen 26% in 2024, with attention now turning to the Fed's 2025 policy and geopolitical risks. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 3.15%, with Bitcoin and Ether dropping by 3.65% and 3.81%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is ME, which surged 13.9% following the launching of 'Mooz' by Cool Cows on the Magic Eden Launchpad.

Magic Eden (ME), launched in September 2021, is the largest NFT marketplace on the Solana blockchain, allowing users to buy, sell, mint, and manage tokens. Cool Cows announced the launch of "

" on Magic Eden Launchpad on December 27th. They encourage joining their Discord for a chance at WL or OG spots before launch day.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

MOODENG surged significantly following a 

 from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who adopted Moo Deng, a pygmy hippopotamus, and contributed a substantial amount to support wildlife conservation. Despite the explosive price increase, analysts warn that the gains may be temporary due to broader market volatility and overbought conditions. Trading volumes spiked, but technical indicators suggest potential corrections. Overall, market sentiment remains cautious, with predictions of possible price dips before stabilization.

Yesterday, the total flow for BTC Spot ETFs was 418.7 million, with 442.9 million in non-GBTC and a -24.2 million flow in GBTC.

 is scheduled for January, with draft criteria revealed during an AMA. Participants can earn JUP tokens based on their swapping volume, starting at $800 for 50 JUP. Higher volumes can earn up to 20,000 JUP. Additional allocations are available for users of Jupiter's Perps, DCA, Limit Orders, or VA features, as well as JUP stakers and governance participants. These criteria are draft and may change.

Beginner

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MOODENG Soars After Vitalik Buterin's Wildlife Donation

Ripple USD (RLUSD) is a stablecoin designed to provide efficient, low-cost solutions for cross-border payments and DeFi, backed by U.S. dollar reserves.

 are the key to solving major financial challenges such as cross-border payments, and may soon replace many traditional fiat uses. 

 (RLUSD) aims to play a central role in this shift, offering stability and efficiency for global transactions and 

 (DeFi). This article will dive into what Ripple USD is, how it works, its main features, use cases and its potential impact on the broader stablecoin market.

Ripple USD is a stablecoin from Ripple Network, designed to maintain a 1:1 peg with the U.S. dollar for stability. This stability is achieved through a collateralization mechanism supported by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term government treasuries, and other cash-equivalent assets, offering a secure and reliable digital currency.

Ripple USD is designed to provide a reliable digital currency for everyday use and to solve several challenges in the crypto and financial worlds:

Ripple introduced RLUSD in June 2024 primarily to streamline cross-border transactions for institutional players. The stablecoin has been in beta testing since August on XRP Ledger and the Ethereum blockchain, and achieved a significant milestone in December 2024 when it received approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). This regulatory nod highlights RLUSD's commitment to meeting stringent standards, strengthening its credibility and earning trust from users and investors alike.

With the NYDFS approval in place, RLUSD is set to launch on both the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ethereum’s blockchain. Ripple will follow up with listings on exchanges including Uphold, Bitstamp, Bitso, MoonPay, Independent Reserve, CoinMENA and Bullish, with plans to expand its presence across other platforms and DeFi protocols in the future. Given Ripple's strong reputation for collaborating with financial institutions, RLUSD is poised to give established stablecoins like 

The Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin is built for efficient and reliable cross-border transactions. Each RLUSD is fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. Treasuries and cash equivalents, ensuring it maintains a 1:1 peg to the U.S. dollar. This backing provides the stability users need for secure and predictable transactions.

RLUSD will run on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchains as an 

 token to maximize compatibility with a wide range of wallets and DeFi applications. Transactions are processed via Ripple’s decentralized network, which uses a unique 

 to achieve near-instant settlement times — typically within three to six seconds. Unlike traditional blockchain systems, this process doesn’t rely on energy-intensive mining, making it faster and more eco-friendly.

 integration adds another layer of functionality, enabling RLUSD to power automated financial operations. This opens the door to innovative DeFi products and services, from lending and borrowing to yield farming. Currently in beta testing with enterprise partners, RLUSD is undergoing rigorous testing to meet high standards of security and efficiency before its official launch.

Ripple emphasizes transparency, with third-party audits of RLUSD’s reserve assets and regular progress updates. This commitment positions RLUSD as a trustworthy and versatile player in the growing stablecoin market.

Ripple USD (RLUSD) offers strong liquidity for key trading pairs on select 

 (CEXs). This feature ensures that users can buy and sell RLUSD with ease without causing major price fluctuations, resulting in a smooth and efficient trading experience.

RLUSD is issued on both the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchain, giving it broad compatibility across multiple ecosystems. This dual issuance ensures that RLUSD can easily be integrated into various platforms and applications, increasing its accessibility and usability across different networks.

With RLUSD, transactions can be settled almost instantly and at minimal cost, no matter where you are in the world. It reduces fees and speeds up cross-border payments and makes the process faster and more cost-effective by cutting out traditional banking intermediaries.

Integrating RLUSD into smart contracts enables automated financial operations, which are more efficient and accessible. This enhanced accessibility empowers users to easily buy, on-ramp, trade and engage in other activities within the DeFi ecosystem. RLUSD thus simplifies financial transaction management to create a more user-friendly DeFi experience.

, a trusted platform for securely managing digital assets, is already widely used by financial institutions and innovators. It combines institutional-grade security with 24/7 real-time execution, ensuring assets are safe while also easily accessible for fast transactions. Ripple Custody’s advanced governance framework streamlines operations, integrates seamlessly into existing technology systems and offers valuable additional services.

Designed for efficiency, Ripple Custody automates manual tasks and simplifies back-office operations, making asset management smoother and faster. The platform also supports flexible deployment options — Software as a service (SaaS), customer-hosted or hybrid models — so organizations can customize it to their needs. Whether for tokenization, stablecoin issuance or overall asset management, Ripple Custody is a key tool for building a strong digital asset strategy.

Ripple Custody plays an essential role in managing the security and integrity of Ripple USD (RLUSD). It ensures the underlying assets — such as U.S. dollar deposits, short-term Treasury bonds and other cash equivalents — are securely held and transparently managed, providing the stability needed for RLUSD to function effectively.

Ripple USD is designed to streamline various financial applications within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Following are some of the key use cases for RLUSD.

Ripple USD has received final approval from NYDFS and is expected to launch soon. Initially planned for a Dec 4, 2024 release, the launch was delayed due to regulatory processes, but is now anticipated to occur before the end of 2024, as 

Ripple USD is a stablecoin designed to offer a reliable, low-cost solution for cross-border payments and DeFi. Backed by U.S. dollar reserves, it ensures stability while offering quick transactions and broad blockchain compatibility. With regulatory approval and strong institutional backing, RLUSD is positioned to challenge established stablecoins. However, its success will depend upon widespread adoption and effective integration into Ripple's ecosystem, making it a promising yet competitive investment.

Intermediate

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Ripple USD (RLUSD): A Stablecoin Built for Payments

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how you can complete a series of tasks in Suilend for Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade.

Task: Complete Suilend Bybit Wallet Check-In for Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade

button in the top right corner of the page, and connect your 

: Stake at least 10 SUI to deposit sSUI in Suilend, click on 

 to confirm the transaction request in your Bybit Wallet.

: Once the deposit is completed, you’ll receive a confirmation message. 

10 SUI is now staked as sSUI via Suilend. Please navigate back to the Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade campaign page to check your completion status and earn your reward.

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How to Complete Suilend Tasks for Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade

Smart contract platforms serve as decentralized frameworks that enable self-executing contracts, with terms directly embedded in code

Smart contract platforms serve as decentralized frameworks that enable self-executing contracts, with terms directly embedded in code. This functionality is crucial for the operation of numerous on-chain applications, including 

, facilitating transactions without intermediaries. The landscape is divided into Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) networks.

L1 blockchains, such as Ethereum and Solana, provide the foundational infrastructure for 

 (DApps), while L2 networks like Arbitrum and Optimism enhance the capabilities of L1s by improving scalability and efficiency. 

Heading into 2025, Ethereum remains the dominant L1, holding a 70% share of total TVL within DeFi. However, the market is evolving, with new entrants like 

The competitive L2 space is also transforming, with 

 leading the pack, boasting a market cap exceeding $5 billion. Newcomers such as 

 are reshaping the landscape, demonstrating a trend toward diversification and innovation in blockchain technology.

Several emerging platforms are redefining the smart contract landscape through unique technological innovations and community engagement. 

, derived from Meta's Diem project, utilizes the Move programming language to enhance security and scalability. With over 200 projects in its ecosystem, Aptos has seen a 13.5x increase in TVL, reflecting strong growth.

Sui, which shares a similar heritage, focuses on scalability through its object-centric model and unique consensus mechanism that allow for individual transaction confirmation. This innovative approach has led to a remarkable 14.9x increase in TVL, signaling Sui’s potential as a formidable player in the market.

 introduces a modular blockchain architecture that bridges Move and 

 (EVM) ecosystems, aiming to enhance DeFi 

 and NFTs. Launched in late 2024, Movement emphasizes community building through hackathons and developer engagement, while its unique features appeal to a diverse user base.

 technologies with Telegram's vast user base, and 

, an L1 solution designed for high throughput and low latency. Finally, Berachain introduces a Proof-of-Liquidity consensus mechanism that focuses on aligning liquidity and security within its DeFi-centric ecosystem.

As the landscape of smart contract platforms continues to evolve, several challenges must be addressed. Security vulnerabilities remain a significant concern, as smart contracts are prone to bugs that can be exploited. Continuous auditing and robust security practices are essential to mitigating these risks.

Market saturation poses another challenge, as the influx of new platforms intensifies competition for developers and users. To stand out, new entrants are forming strategic partnerships and focusing on niche markets to differentiate themselves from established players. 

Centralization is also a critical issue, and governance structures and validator reliance must be scrutinized in order to ensure long-term viability.

Looking ahead, the outlook for smart contract platforms remains promising. Innovations in modular architectures and interoperability are improving user experience within web3, while increasing institutional interest could bring additional resources and innovation to the space. As the ecosystem continues to mature, these platforms are likely to play a pivotal role in redefining interactions with digital assets, driving demand within DeFi and beyond.

Advanced

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Smart Contract Platforms Report: Up-and-Coming Challengers to Ethereum and Solana

Altcoins

Shitcoins have never made a good impression, but Doge and Shiba Inu coin surprise us in all kinds of ways. So what's a good or lousy shitcoin? Here's what you must know.

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In the last year alone, cryptocurrency investors have lost almost 

 at the hands of exit scammers through various projects promoting their shitcoins. During and after the recent bull run of 2020–21, the cryptocurrency market has matured to attract institutional investors across the board. But the shitcoin saga hasn’t slowed down a bit. 

If cryptocurrency’s history has taught us one thing, it’s that every 

 brings along a shitcoin season with various pump-and-dump schemes, exit scams, rug pulls and get-rich-quick cons that deprive investors of their hard-earned money. 

However, some shitcoins manage to produce phenomenal short-term returns. Perhaps the most famous example is the memecoins like 

, a Twitter-fueled shitcoin that rallied over 

 this year. This guide will discuss shitcoins and their history, ways to identify them, and whether or not they are worth your investment. 

Shitcoins are technically altcoins but become worthless over time, due to their flawed fundamentals. The coins have little to no value and do not serve any apparent purpose. They rely heavily on misleading marketing, mainly through a network of micro-influencers on social media. 

Not necessarily as some of them are backed by a strong community. Think of 

, which started as a Bitcoin parody and wasn’t meant to serve any real-world utility. However, a strong community of Twitter warriors and influencers like Elon Musk pumped it to new 

 levels during the 2020–21 bull run. 

On the flip side, shitcoins do have its unethical side. Since the last bull run of 2017, when we witnessed the ICO boom, many things have changed in the cryptocurrency ecosystem as it has matured. This also means that the ways shitcoin projects steal money from investors have evolved. 

Any shitcoin project today can be classified in either one of the following two categories: 

In the aptly named rug pull, a cryptocurrency team abandons a project after raising a significant amount of funds from the investors, leaving them with worthless tokens. Rug pulls often happen on 

) allow developers to launch and list their tokens without necessary audits or a vetting process. Malicious developers are able to list their tokens on a DEX (like 

) and pair them with ETH or any other leading cryptocurrency. They also provide liquidity and lock a small amount of funds to gain investor confidence. 

Now, this is where a rug pull comes in. Once a large number of investors swap their ETH tokens for the listed token, the developers then pull out all the liquidity (ETH), leaving investors with worthless tokens.

The listed tokens skyrocket in value during this process, up to 50X or even 100X within a few hours. This sudden rise in value creates a fear of missing out (FOMO) effect, bringing new investors. Once the value hits the ceiling, the team pulls out all the liquidity.

Exit scams are similar to rug pulls, but they don’t involve pulling out any liquidity because they don’t usually occur on a DEX. Instead, the team launches a project with a coin which is usually a fork, may it a 

 of an already established project. They launch the project, sell the coins and then disappear.

 were run in 2017, at the peak of the ICO boom. In a classic exit scam, the developers clone a leading project, make some changes and rebrand it, offering the coins through their platform in exchange for ETH, BTC, or any other leading cryptocurrency. 

Once they accumulate enough coins, they abandon the project and let it run on autopilot. In both exit scams and rug pulls, big marketing budgets are involved in promoting the shitcoin. The marketing brings in new and naive investors, who are primarily driven by FOMO. These investors get rich on paper, seeing a massive appreciation in value; but in reality, they can’t cash out. 

Let’s talk about the “good” shitcoins now. Even though these shitcoins can’t be compared to some of the leading cryptocurrency projects, they are favorable in terms of their perceived value.

A subset of shitcoins is dubbed “memecoins,” inspired by viral internet memes. Memecoins are promoted heavily on social platforms like TikTok by micro-influencers. They have been recognized as a separate category among some of the leading aggregators like CoinMarketCap. Dogecoin is a memecoin inspired by the 

 which became a viral internet sensation back in 2013, dubbed the “meme of the internet.” 

Most crypto terminologies like HODL and 

 came from conversations over the famous 

, and the term ”shitcoin” is no different. It was coined (no pun intended) by a Bitcointalk forum member in a thread initiated by Gavin Andresen (once known as the face of Bitcoin) on November 8, 2010. 

You might be surprised to learn that some of the leading cryptocurrencies like 

. Charlie Lee, the creator of Litecoin, once said in an interview and on his twitter (with a touch of sarcasm) that Litecoin is the best shitcoin out there!  


The history of shitcoins can be traced back to Bitcoin in which many small cryptocurrency projects were launched to deviate from Bitcoin but didn’t get to the mainstream, becoming worthless over time. 

However, the shitcoin saga came after the launch of an Ethereum platform that allowed anyone to launch their tokens with just a few lines of code. As a result, people began launching a plethora of tokens with no utility or real-world use case.

” resulted in so many shitcoins being launched that they crashed the whole crypto market at the end of the 

Shitcoins see a significant surge in price when they’re launched, but over time, it’s all too often a flat line chart with no pulse.

Let’s look at two such examples: SALT and PPT.

. Within a month, it reached its peak with an ATH value of $16. That’s a nice 100% return, but what happened next? 

The team abandoned the project, leaving it with no discernible pulse, valued at just over $0.30 at time of writing.

. It traded at $1.90 at launch and surprisingly reached an ATH value of $74.85 within two months. That’s a lot of return, with a show of future promise. 

However, here’s what happened next: the 

 and it careened downhill from there, ending up with a flat line chart. PPT is still around and, at the time of writing, is valued at just over $2.50.

However, some shitcoins manage to defy death, reviving with the backing of a robust and vibrant community. The famous Dogecoin was taken as a joke,  worth a small fraction of a penny at launch in 2013. However, at the start of the 2020 bull run, celebrities and influencers picked up Dogecoin and created massive hype around it. Dogecoin rallied over 12,000% in just a matter of months. 

DOGE has become a Twitter sensation. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has announced the launch of the “DOGE-1” satellite which will literally go 

. Not only is the name itself intriguing, but the entire satellite project was paid for in DOGE coin. Who would have thought a memecoin that started as a joke would go to the moon?

Many of the shitcoins coming up these days follow the memecoin mania because of Dogecoin’s unfathomable success. Unlike other established cryptocurrencies such as BTC and ETH, these memecoins generate a massive return in a very short period of time. But most of them have little to no liquidity, so there is no way you can cash them out. 

There is a concept in traditional finance called “

,” which means that with an increased amount of risk, the chance of potential return rises. Investing in shitcoins is a high-risk/high-return proposition. You can make a lot overnight — or lose a big chunk of your investment pretty quickly. 

There are shitcoin projects like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu that managed to generate 

 in a very short period of time, but there are also projects which became worthless a week after their over-hyped launch. The returns can be enormous, but the risk is always there to consider.

All the shitcoins in the ecosystem have one common trait: they have flawed fundamentals. Therefore, the underlying technology or 

 doesn’t really matter. You have to rely on strong 

, using various indicators to figure out buy and sell signals. The shitcoin market is so volatile that people often use bots, which can perform multitudes of trades in split seconds. 

Aside from a strong technical analysis, there is one important metric that you need to consider: 

Shitcoin projects that manage to produce significant returns are fueled by the underlying community. This means supporters, celebrities, and influencers who pump up the value. Those shitcoin projects that are relatively new find it very hard to build a strong community. Older projects — with some legacy or a story attached to them — have an edge in community building. For this reason, they can be worth trying out. 

Scammers and shitcoiners are getting more and more sophisticated in their strategies. Their coins can closely mimic legit coins in order to gain investor confidence. Here are some of the characteristics you can look at to spot a shitcoin: 

The biggest differentiating factor between a shitcoin and a legit coin is the team behind it. Before investing in any project, you should look at its team, and at their backgrounds and work histories. Shitcoin projects often have shady team members with no work histories, and perhaps phony social profiles that are created just for their project. 

Compared to legit coins, shitcoin projects don’t have proper documentation (like white paper). Their statements are vague, with false promises for a better future.

Legit coin ventures focus a lot on documentation and they don’t talk about token price. Instead, they talk mostly about the underlying technology — and particularly how they aim to improve it over time to increase the adoption of their products. Shitcoins have very little documentation, instead of focusing entirely on token price. 

Every legit coin has a strong and vibrant community. Substantial shitcoins like DOGE are also backed by a community, whereas the proprietors of bad shitcoins don’t focus much on their community building. There is always the possibility they may attempt a rug pull as soon as they can in order to steal funds from investors. 

The shitcoin mania isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. Before investing in a shitcoin project, perform your proper due diligence to identify the good players from the bad ones. Some shitcoins are created as a joke, but they may still aim to build a strong community. Others are specifically engineered to steal investors’ funds. 

Shitcoins have a very high risk/return tradeoff, so invest wisely to avoid losing a big chunk of your hard-earned money. 

How to Know if a Shitcoin Is Good or Bad

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards