Diversification reduce reliance on any single market, ensuring stability during downturns. Here are the top 5 ways to diversify your portfolio.

Imagine watching the market crash while your portfolio stays steady — not because you predicted the dip, but because you built a strong defense against it. 

 is a time-tested financial safeguard in unpredictable markets. By balancing various assets, such as crypto, commodities, 

 and international stocks, investors can weather 

 and seize opportunities. So, how do you diversify effectively without overcomplicating things? This article explores the top expert strategies, and some common pitfalls to avoid.

 strategy that spreads investments across different asset classes, sectors or countries to reduce exposure to any single asset or risk. This approach aims to stabilize returns by cushioning the impact of market volatility on your overall portfolio.

Why is portfolio diversification important?

The age-old advice not to “put all your eggs in one basket” holds true when it comes to investing, and it’s a simple but powerful way to protect your wealth. Diversification helps safeguard your capital by spreading your investments across different assets so that when one underperforms, others may help offset the loss. This strategy is especially important for people nearing retirement, or for anyone who values financial stability.

By investing across various asset classes — such as stocks, bonds and real estate, as well as different industries and geographic regions — you build a portfolio that’s more resilient to economic ups and downs. But beyond just reducing risk, diversification often leads to better risk-adjusted returns and less day-to-day volatility, for an investment experience that’s less stressful overall. Moreover, because not all investments will dip at the same time, investors don’t continually have to monitor everything in their portfolios.

Diversification can also help guard against inflation, thanks to assets that tend to perform well when prices rise. At the same time, it opens the door to opportunities in growing markets, all while keeping your investment approach balanced and aligned with your long-term financial goals.

Top 5 tips for diversifying your portfolio

Here are five smart ways to diversify your investments and protect your future returns.

Tip 1: Spread investments across asset classes

Spreading your investments across different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, cryptocurrencies and commodities, helps ensure your portfolio isn’t overly exposed to the risks of any single market segment. This makes your investments more resilient. Different assets often react differently to market conditions, so when one asset underperforms, others may perform better, balancing your overall returns (as well as your risks).

Assuming you invest solely in stocks, and the stock market declines, your entire portfolio may suffer. However, if you also hold bonds, which often perform well when stocks decline, any blow to your portfolio can be softened.​

Don’t just buy one type of stock or bond. Within each asset class, invest in a mix of sectors (such as technology, healthcare and energy), company sizes (large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap) and styles (growth, value and dividend). This approach further reduces the risk that poor performance in one area or industry will drag down your entire portfolio.

If you invest heavily in the technology sector and it experiences a downturn, your portfolio could suffer accordingly. Diversifying into other sectors like healthcare or consumer goods can help balance your investments’ performance.​

Tip 3: Low-cost index funds and ETFs for instant diversification

 (ETFs) offer a ready-made way to achieve diversification. They provide exposure to a broad range of assets or sectors, often at a lower cost than actively managed funds. This approach simplifies diversification, and can be more accessible for individual investors, especially beginners. It's an efficient way to diversify quickly and easily, as each fund typically holds dozens or even hundreds of underlying securities.

For instance, investing in an S&P 500 index fund gives you exposure to 500 large US companies, providing instant diversification across various industries.​

​Expanding your portfolio to include international assets can enhance diversification and provide exposure to growth opportunities beyond your home country. Investing globally can help mitigate risks associated with domestic economic downturns, as different regions may experience varying economic cycles.​

 their US counterparts in the first quarter of 2025. This outperformance was attributed to strong corporate earnings, increased defense and infrastructure spending in Europe, and the absence of direct US tariffs targeting European goods. Despite initial skepticism, European stocks rose by 10–12%, even as US markets declined somewhat, thus helping to stabilize global portfolio returns for investors with international diversification

However, investors must be mindful of currency exchange risks. Fluctuations in exchange rates can impact the value of international investments. For instance, if you invest in a European company and the euro depreciates against the US dollar, the value of your investment in dollar terms may decrease even if the company's performance remains strong.

Diversification isn’t a one-time task. Over time, some investments may grow faster than others, skewing your original allocation. Regularly reviewing and rebalancing your portfolio ensures it stays aligned with your 

 and investment goals, maintaining the benefits of diversification while improving long-term performance.

Let’s say your target allocation is 60% stocks and 40% bonds, but stocks perform well and grow to 70% of your portfolio. In this case, rebalancing would involve selling some stocks and buying bonds to return to your original allocation.​

Common portfolio diversification mistakes to avoid

Avoiding these common diversification mistakes can help you build a stronger, more resilient portfolio:

How to diversify your portfolio with Bybit

Bybit is a leading crypto exchange that offers a wide range of products designed to help you diversify across cryptocurrencies, traditional assets and innovative financial instruments. Following are some of the many products and services that Bybit offers.

Portfolio diversification is a key strategy for reducing risk by spreading investments across different asset classes, sectors and regions. Achieving this goal, however, requires a balanced and disciplined approach to ensure resilience and long-term growth. Bybit helps simplify this process with powerful tools like MT5 trading, Copy Trading and Structured Products. These tools allow investors to diversify their portfolios more effectively, providing access to diverse markets and strategies while also minimizing risk. 

Beginner

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Top 5 tips to diversify your portfolio

Obol Collective (OBOL) enhances Ethereum staking with distributed validators, reducing risk, slashing penalties, and entry barriers for smaller stakers.

The Ethereum blockchain has crashed!" — This is a news piece that has never been reported and will, hopefully, never see the light of day. Although several other blockchain networks have experienced significant outages or total breakdowns, a network failure of any appreciable proportions has never occurred in the history of 

 (ETH). A large part of the blockchain's stellar security record is due to its global and well-decentralized network of validator 

However, despite boasting excellent decentralization properties, Ethereum does have areas to improve upon in its validation and 

 mechanisms. First, running a full validator node on the network is financially prohibitive for smaller individuals and entities, as the blockchain requires a stake of 32 ETH (around $84,500 as of May 14, 2025) per each full validator. Secondly, there’s always a risk of individual validators, even the largest ones, being hacked. Finally, technical failures may lead to slashing penalties for validators, and too many instances of such slashing can undermine trust in the blockchain’s security model.

Obol Collective (OBOL) is a decentralized platform based on 

 (DVT), which aims to solve the vulnerabilities of Ethereum validation and staking. Leveraging DVT, Obol lets multiple nodes run as a single validator, splitting both the processing load and slashing risks. By distributing responsibility across numerous participants, Obol effectively eliminates single points of failure and enhances the overall resilience of Ethereum’s staking infrastructure. Importantly, Obol’s use of DVT reduces entry barriers to Ethereum staking for smaller entities — individuals or small organizations — as they can team up and pool their resources to act as a single validator.

 (OBOL), a provider of decentralized infrastructure, enables multiple parties to jointly run Ethereum validators in a secure and fault-tolerant fashion. 

At the core of Obol’s product offering is DVT — a technology that splits all the functionalities of a single validator on a 

 (PoS) network between multiple (potentially many) individual nodes. These nodes share not only processing responsibilities, but also risks and rewards.

Obol’s infrastructure project is most typically used by 

 (RPL), to support their operations. While these protocols handle user funds and front-end functionality, Obol provides its DVT-based validator set to help support their Ethereum-based liquid staking.

Obol offers numerous benefits to liquid staking protocols and validator entities. It creates access to Ethereum staking for smaller, aspiring validators. Such entities often struggle with the financial requirement of staking no fewer than 32 ETH to run a validator. By joining an Obol cluster, which lets multiple nodes act as a single validator, these smaller players can participate in Ethereum staking by splitting the 32 ETH requirement between them.

Additionally, Obol’s DVT-based node splitting for validators provides better protection against the risk of slashing, which results in financial penalties or even suspension for the offending node. Slashing occurs on Ethereum and other PoS chains when a validator fails to fulfill their responsibilities on the network. It may happen due to willful misbehavior, or it could often be the result of honest mistakes or misconfigurations. For instance, a failed internet connection may keep a validator node offline for too long, resulting in slashing. Thanks to Obol's DVT, the other nodes can still keep the cluster functioning if one node fails.

The Obol project was conceptualized and developed by Obol Labs, an Illinois (US)–based company founded in 2021 by Oisín Kyne and Collin Myers, and the platform is supported by the nonprofit Obol Association. The first distributed validator on Ethereum was launched by the project in late 2022. As of this writing in May 2025, Obol Collective has established itself as the largest provider of DVT services in the blockchain industry.

Using Obol, developers and operators can create distributed validator (DV) clusters, each one acting as a single full validator on Ethereum. There are two options for creating clusters within Obol Collective: 

When one operator creates a cluster, they can assign multiple nodes to it, creating a distributed setup that avoids a single point of failure. It's recommended that the cluster nodes be hosted on different machines, although it's also permissible to use a single machine for all of the nodes. Using one machine for all cluster nodes creates a significant vulnerability, due to centralization of resources.

To automate and manage proper splitting of validator rewards and staking allocations, Obol uses a set of 

. These are noncustodial and normally immutable, meaning that the share allocations rewarded to nodes within a DV cannot be changed after the cluster’s deployment. However, one specific type of Splits contract, a 

 splitter contract, does have the functionality to update split percentages at a post-deployment stage. 

Obol Splits technology has been integrated into some of the leading liquid staking and restaking protocols — Lido and 

 (EIGEN) — to help DV operators service these platforms.

Charon is middleware developed by Obol to allow any Ethereum validator to operate as part of a DV. It acts as the main layer, allowing the platform to offer DVT-based services. Using Charon, operators can create a Byzantine fault tolerant (BFT) cluster and coordinate their work on the network as a single entity. Byzantine fault tolerance allows Obol clusters to operate and process Ethereum blocks even if some of the nodes within the cluster behave maliciously, or fail due to technical issues.

Obol also offers a staking-as-a-service (StaaS) product that lets users access staking opportunities without having to run the actual node hardware, further reducing barriers to end users for entry to Ethereum staking.

Obol’s DV Launchpad lets users configure and launch their clusters. Step by step, the launchpad walks users through all of the procedures required to create their own DV together with their peers. For less technically minded users, the launchpad is an ideal way to set up clusters using its graphical interface.

The platform's native token, OBOL, is an 

 asset issued on the Ethereum blockchain. OBOL was launched in January 2025, more than two years after Obol began offering its DV services. Upon launch, OBOL tokens remained locked, i.e., non-transferable. On May 7, 2025, this restriction was removed, making OBOL publicly available and freely tradable. Due to the lockup period, many online sources report May 7 as the token's actual launch date.

The OBOL token has several key functions on Obol Collective. One of these is 

, as OBOL token holders can delegate their voting power to designated delegates who participate in votes in the Token House, a governance platform where proposals regarding Obol Collective's direction and rules are introduced, considered and voted on.

Delegates also vote on funding allocations to support ecosystem growth under Obol’s Retroactive Funding (RAF) program. As such, OBOL holders may participate in funding decisions through their chosen delegates.

Another utility function of the token is that of staking. You can earn OBOL rewards through OBOL Incentives, a community incentives program that lets you stake your ETH on DVs. In 2025, 12.5 million OBOL are being distributed as staking rewards under this program.

The OBOL token may also be used for various DeFi use cases, e.g., within lending protocols and restaking platforms, as well as for increasing liquidity on DeFi protocols by contributing to their liquidity pools.

OBOL's total and maximum supply is 500 million, with just over 98.7 million tokens in circulation. Of the total supply amount, 7.5% was distributed via a retroactive 

 that rewarded certain ecosystem community members, such as developers and users who contributed to testnet and Alpha and Beta Mainnet operations.

The chart below shows the allocation shares of the token’s total supply.

The OBOL token is available on Bybit both as a 

. You can also take advantage of the Bybit event dedicated to the OBOL token to grab a share of the 

To join the event, deposit or trade OBOL on Bybit's Spot market, and stake between 200 and 1,000 OBOL using Bybit’s 15-day Fixed Savings plan to earn a 25% APR. Also, VIP users can enjoy staking limits of 2,000 OBOL and an exclusive 50% APR, while new users can access up to 200% APR via a booster voucher. The event is valid till Jun 7, 2025, 12PM UTC.

As of May 14, 2025, the OBOL token has been on the market only for a week. It’s currently trading at $0.2347, 38.3% lower than its ATH of $0.3801 on May 7, 2025, and 2.1% higher than its ATL of $0.2298, registered on May 13, 2025.

Long-term price forecasts for OBOL are mostly bullish. DigitalCoinPrice 

 of $0.79 in 2027 and $1.17 in 2030, while CoinCodex 

 at around $ 0.25 in 2027 and rise to $0.86 in 2030.

Given the token's minimal market history, future price determination for OBOL is a tentative exercise at the moment. Various market forces and industry developments can influence the token's price in the future, so always conduct your 

 before deciding to invest in OBOL or any other crypto token.

As the leading provider of a decentralized operator ecosystem, Obol stands out as one of the most essential decentralized infrastructure networks in the Ethereum ecosystem, offering a truly next-gen staking and validation system and contributing to better blockchain security. Obol's DVT-based model offers slashing-resistant nodes, and helps further decentralize Ethereum’s validator system.

Distributed validators are crucial not just for decentralization, but also for better performance and security. Unlike traditional validators, they democratize access to Ethereum staking by supporting restaking-based finance applications and smaller players in the niche. Among Layer 1 blockchains, Ethereum features some of the most onerous financial requirements in order to run a full validator node. Obol Collective solves this problem using its DV model, a true innovation within the world of Ethereum.

Advanced

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Obol Collective (OBOL): Coordinating trust through collective staking

This article explores Lorenzo Protocol, how its core technology works, the utility of its native BANK token and how you can trade it on Bybit.

Bitcoin, the world’s most successful original cryptocurrency, holds the largest crypto market capitalization. However, much of its vast liquidity remains separate from the diverse yield opportunities in 

. Lorenzo Protocol is designed to bridge this gap, aiming to transform BTC from a passive store of value into a productive, yield-generating asset for both institutional and retail users.

This article explores Lorenzo Protocol, its recent evolution into an institutional-grade asset management platform, how its core technology works, the utility of its native BANK token and how you can trade it on Bybit.

 is a decentralized asset management platform that’s building an institutional-grade financial layer for Bitcoin, aiming to unlock its vast liquidity for the DeFi ecosystem. Initially focused on helping BTC holders access yield through 

 its infrastructure with the introduction of its Financial Abstraction Layer. This strategic shift positions Lorenzo Protocol as an on-chain asset management platform that’s dedicated to tokenizing financial products and delivering sustainable, real yield.

The protocol's core mission is to advance a borderless global economy by enabling Bitcoin holders and other capital providers to earn yield without sacrificing their assets’ liquidity. It seeks to connect idle capital with diverse yield strategies, including staking and sophisticated trading opportunities, making these opportunities accessible through standardized, tokenized financial products.

Who are Lorenzo Protocol's founders and investors?

Lorenzo Protocol was co-founded by a team with strong backgrounds in finance and technology. Co-founders Matt Ye, Fan Sang and Toby Yu serve (respectively) as CEO, CTO and CFO. Their collective expertise guides the protocol's development and strategic vision.

The project has garnered support from a range of prominent investors. Key backers include YZi Labs, BNB Chain, Geekcartel, NGC Ventures, HTX Ventures, ArkStream Capital, Animoca Brands and Sats Ventures. As of May 12, 2025, Lorenzo Protocol has a DeFi 

Two core components power Lorenzo Protocol’s mission to bring institutional-grade financial products on-chain: the 

The Financial Abstraction Layer is Lorenzo's core infrastructure. It tokenizes centralized finance (CeFi) strategies and makes them usable within DeFi. The FAL packages complex operations, such as custody, lending and trading, into simple, tokenized products accessible via standardized vaults and modular APIs. This allows financial access platforms (like neobanks or PayFi apps) to integrate verifiable yield modules without building complex financial logic themselves. 

An example of a product powered by FAL is the On-Chain Traded Fund (OTF), which tokenizes yield strategies (fixed yield, principal protection, etc.) into a single tradable ticker, similar to traditional 

The Bitcoin Liquidity Layer specifically focuses on integrating BTC into DeFi. Recognizing that a vast amount of Bitcoin sits idle, this layer provides infrastructure for issuing various BTC-native derivative tokens. These include stBTC, a liquid staking token representing Bitcoin staked via 

 (WBTC) standard designed for seamless use across Lorenzo's ecosystem and DeFi. This layer aims to turn passive BTC into active capital for 

BANK is the native governance and utility token of the Lorenzo Protocol. It plays a crucial role in the ecosystem's operation and long-term alignment. The key use cases of BANK include:

As of May 12, 2025, according to CoinGecko data, 

The initial circulating supply was 20.25% of the total, with 8% of the total supply reserved for an initial community 

. BANK’s token unlock schedule is designed for long-term alignment, with no token unlocks for the team, investors, advisors or treasury in the first year post-

Bybit has recently expanded its offerings on its user-friendly and intuitive cryptocurrency exchange by 

. This allows traders to gain exposure to BANK's price movements with leverage.

The BANKUSDT Perpetual contract is featured in Bybit's Innovation Zone, which provides access to new and innovative token pairs. Users can trade this contract with up to 50x leverage.

You can trade the BANKUSDT Perpetual contract on Bybit once you have a verified account with deposited funds. Here's how to get started, in four simple steps:

Intermediate

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Lorenzo Protocol (BANK): Unlocking institutional Bitcoin liquidity and yield

In this article, we’ll dive into the Pundi X ecosystem and learn how each product works, examine the PUNDIX token and share how to trade PUNDIX on Bybit.

Pundi X, founded in 2017 by Zac Cheah and Pitt Huang, is a blockchain-based payment solution designed to simplify cryptocurrency transactions, making them as seamless as traditional retail payments.

With an ecosystem of tools like the XPOS point-of-sale device, XWallet mobile app and XPASS virtual card, Pundi X aims to bridge the gap between the digital and physical.

Pundi X is a blockchain-based payment solution aimed at making cryptocurrency transactions as straightforward as traditional retail payments. Founded in 2017, it bridges the gap between digital assets and retail, enabling consumers to buy, sell and spend crypto in physical stores.

The project initially launched with the NPXS token in 2018, later rebranding to PUNDIX in 2021 via a 1000:1 token swap intended to reduce supply and strengthen its brand identity.

Pundi X was co-founded in 2017 by Zac Cheah and Pitt Huang.

The project is backed by a mix of institutional investors and blockchain pioneers, supporting its mission to make crypto payments mainstream.

The Pundi X ecosystem is designed to make crypto transactions as seamless as traditional payments, bridging the gap between blockchain and retail. 

Pundi X Chain is a multichain blockchain network designed for high-speed, low-cost retail transactions. It’s optimized to support the Pundi X ecosystem, including XPOS, XWallet and XPASS, providing a scalable infrastructure for global merchants looking to integrate blockchain technology.

PUNDIX is the native utility token of the Pundi X ecosystem. It supports transactions, rewards and network security. Initially launched as NPXS in 2018, it rebranded to PUNDIX in 2021 with a 1000:1 token swap.

PUNDIX is available for trading on multiple leading exchanges, including Bybit, which recently listed the PUNDIX/USDT Perpetual contract with up to 25x leverage. This listing provides traders with enhanced flexibility for leveraged trading.

Trading PUNDIX on Bybit is straightforward. Simply use the following step-by-step guide:

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Pundi X (PUNDIX): AI-powered web3 payment ecosystem

Crypto

Blockchain

Bitcoin

Blockchain transaction fees are implemented to expedite a transaction validation process and to keep the network fluid. But why do the fees fluctuate? Find out more.

Blockchain-Transaction-Fees.jpg

In 1998, Chinese engineer Wei Dai first introduced the concept of “

.” Unlike conventional currency, digital currency only exists online. Users can exchange cryptocurrency online after purchasing tokens using “real” — i.e., traditional or fiat — currency. Cryptocurrency eliminates the need for a central controlling authority, such as a financial institution or government office, and instead creates a fast, easy and effective way for people around the world to exchange money.

About a decade after the idea of cryptocurrency was first described, an innovator using the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto” 

 the concept behind Bitcoin. Today, Bitcoin (or BTC) is one of the most popular forms of cryptocurrency. While Bitcoin has eliminated the need for a central authority, it hasn’t removed the costs associated with the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies. Knowing how this technology works can help you better understand transaction fees — and how to minimize your costs when using cryptocurrencies.

All verified Bitcoin transactions are stored via 

, a type of database which stores data electronically. The primary difference is that databases use tables to structure their data, while blockchains store data in blocks. When a block is filled, it’s added, time-stamped and “chained” to the previous one. This creates a record with readily accessible data and an immutable timeline.

Like databases, blockchains require multiple computers to manage and store data. However, databases use servers, which tend to be owned by a specific person or entity, whereas blockchains store data on multiple computers owned by numerous people or entities.

Bitcoin’s network includes thousands of computers called 

, all working together to verify transactions, fill blocks and keep the system functioning.

For a blockchain to function at its best, it must be secure, decentralized and scalable. The blockchain trilemma, a concept introduced by a programmer (and Ethereum founder) 

, refers to the idea that blockchain projects struggle to meet all three ideals. 

Blockchain developers are using the concept of the trilemma to further refine networks and create tools to achieve optimal functionality.

Blockchain is designed to be democratic and immutable. The blockchain security is maintained through coding, as well as consensus algorithms which dictate the number of network nodes required to confirm transactions before finalization. And since the blockchain is made up of a series of blocks that record the data in hash functions with timestamps, it has proven its resilience against data tampering and hacks. 

One of the jobs of central institutions is to prevent

 and similar issues. However, they’re vulnerable to 

 and other security issues. The idea of a decentralized blockchain network is deciphered as an environment where no one needs to know anyone since each node is passed on with the same information on a distributed ledger. 

Decentralized systems such as Bitcoin are essentially invulnerable to these issues, and consensus algorithms or mechanisms provide further system security while preventing double-spending and enforcing peer equality. Shall anyone attempt to alter or corrupt the ledger, the majority of network participants need to reach a consensus to do so.

During periods of heavy use, traffic jams can occur, slowing transaction processing and driving up costs for users. A scalable blockchain is essential to maintaining a competitive edge with centralized networks.

To overcome and address the blockchain trilemma, some developers recommend making direct modifications to the network — layer-1 solutions, such as Ethereum. Others have suggested developing secondary networks, or 

, designed to run alongside the blockchain, such as 

 on Bitcoin or Litecoin. It’s important to note that blockchain technology is still in its infancy, and as it evolves, so will potential solutions to the blockchain trilemma.

In Bitcoin’s early days, miners worked quickly to validate transactions. As the digital currency has exploded in popularity, transactions have become more numerous and complicated. The 

 was initiated to speed Bitcoin transaction validation.

Fees are tied to the size of the transaction and input age. In other words, a transaction that comprises more bytes that take up more block data will have higher transaction fees. Additional fees can speed the transaction through the system, essentially placing it in a priority queue. In other words, you can pay more to have transactions validated faster.

Collected fees go to the miners, who validate and record the Bitcoin transactions and help keep the system fluid and functional by:

In other words, Bitcoin transaction fees protect and preserve the integrity of the Bitcoin network.

Conceptually, Bitcoin transaction fees represent the speed with which a user wants their transaction validated on the blockchain. Although the decentralized nature of Bitcoin makes it easy for anyone to 

— which means verifying and recording transactions to form a block and are joined by a chain. However, the process of mining Bitcoin, or BTC, is both complex and expensive. Mining rigs are expensive and often times consume massive amounts of electricity, while the block subsidy and transaction fees help offset these costs and incentivize miners whenever a new block has been validated. 

Miners are granted transaction fees and block subsidies as a “block reward” whenever they successfully added a block to the blockchain. The block subsidy is fixed with each Bitcoin mining and was reduced by half (

) which will happen every four years or every 210,000 blocks. Looking back at 2009 a mined Bitcoin would earn you 50 BTC and in 2012, but as the years passes by, the rewards were halved, and the latest halving in 2020 set the rewards at 6.25 BTC.

 to fall, thus increases the computation power and energy required to mine new blocks. However, the rising transaction fees help incentivize miners to maintain network security and sanity. The transaction fees are determined based on a few factors:

The last point is under the user’s control. If you need your Bitcoin transaction to be processed urgently, you can opt to pay a higher fee to prioritize it. If your transaction is less urgent, you can opt for a lower fee. In this case, the transaction will remain in the memory pool (or mempool) until the traffic slows.

The mempool can be thought of as a queue. When you initiate a transaction, it goes to the mempool. Transactions which are waiting remain in the mempool until a miner confirms and adds them to the block. When the mempool fills, miners choose Bitcoin transactions with higher fees first.

This system can keep transactions moving more smoothly, but it can also lead to a kind of bidding war. Many people using cryptocurrencies are willing to pay a premium to ensure their transactions are completed first. However, this tactic can backfire, especially during periods of heavy use. Some users end up overpaying fees, which forces other miners to also increase their fees.

The biggest names in cryptocurrency are Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) and understanding how fees are calculated can ensure you’re paying a fair amount to complete your transaction, without getting caught up in a bidding war or unnecessarily stagnating in the mempool.

To calculate bitcoin fees, you have a couple of options. With some wallets, you can automate the process, which allows you to choose how quickly you want your transaction completed and pay accordingly.

 and then multiply based on the size of your transaction. Bitcoins are divided into Satoshis, which are one hundred-millionth (or 0.00000001) BTC. If your transaction is 225 bytes and you choose the rate of 100 Satoshis per byte, then you can expect to pay about 22,500 Satoshis in fees, since 100 x 225 = 22,500. That currently translates to just over $14, considering ​​

Until 2021, everything on Ethereum’s network was based on “gas.” Gas is the unit linked to the amount of computing power necessary to complete a specific transaction. Aptly named, gas refers to the energy used to keep the Ethereum network moving.

Under this payment system, everything has been associated with gas. A simple addition problem might require just 5 gas units, while completing an actual transaction may have a cost of 20,000. To determine the transaction fee, a user would need to know the gas price, which is measured in 

, or the equivalent of 0.000000001 (one-billionth) ETH.

To calculate, you’ll need to multiply the gas cost by the gas price. For example, you may have a transaction that will cost 20,000 gas units, and the price of gas is 100 

. Your total cost for that transaction will be two million gwei, because 20,000 x 100 = 2 million. That translates to just slightly above $7, assuming 

,” which referred to your spending limit, or how much gas you wanted to use for a specific transaction. Complex transactions required more work, so their gas limits would necessarily be higher than for simpler transactions.

This system proved to be cumbersome, however, and many users were underpaying, which could lead to the rejection of their transaction or the necessity of overpaying. (Think of it as putting too many stamps on an envelope you want to mail, instead of risking having the letter returned for insufficient postage.) The 

 changed the way users pay for transactions. ETH users instead would pay a base fee for specific transactions. Part of each collected fee is “burned,” which removes coins from circulation, and the rest goes to the miners. ETH users also have an option to “tip” miners, which can speed the processing and recording of their transactions.

Transaction fees are a necessary cost of performing financial transactions in the 21st century, and cryptocurrency transactions are no exception. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum link the cost of the transaction with its size, and users can pay more to speed the process. The average bitcoin transaction fee fluctuates from day to day, depending on the amount of traffic and other factors. The same applies to the Ethereum network.

 are between $2 and $5, which translates to between 3,700 and 9,170 Satoshi. The 

 ranges from $2 to $7, or 0.00056 to 0.002 ETH.

BTC and ETH networks are flourishing, with myriad transactions being completed and verified every day. On the Bitcoin network, 

 are completed daily. Ethereum, on the other hand, completes over 

Completing your transactions on a day when traffic is light can lower your transaction rate without forcing you to compromise on verification speed.

Hefty Bitcoin transaction fees are attractive to miners, but might not be as popular with users. The fee structure can be such that some users are paying the equivalent of their transaction amount in fees, particularly when it comes to smaller transactions.

Transaction fees aren’t the only issue dogging Bitcoin. Scalability is also proving to be something of an Achilles’ heel. The Bitcoin protocol clearly defines the block size and generation, which restricts Bitcoin to about seven 

, or TPS. This has led to Bitcoin branching off into additional forks, such as Bitcoin Gold (BTG) and 

 (BCH). Ethereum, on the other hand, has larger blockchains and can process about 20 TPS and the 

 is paying the way for a more scalable solution.

To change the Bitcoin protocol, its users must all agree on and choose a specific software. Lightning Network offers an alternative that’s designed as a Layer 2 payment protocol, which means it‘s layered on top of the blockchain. With Lightning Network, you can complete numerous transactions before closing the payment channel and settling the final transaction with the blockchain.

The Lightning Network is an off-chain solution that sits on top of a blockchain not exclusively on Bitcoin’s network primarily helps to process blockchain payments quickly and securely without potentially lengthy block confirmation times. It even allows users to complete cross-chain atomic swaps instantly without relying on third parties. 

One of the key highlights of the Lightning Network includes its ability to allow for small payments, even less than a Satoshi. The process is more private, allowing for multiple individual transactions to occur without being broadcast via the blockchain. As its name suggests, the Lightning Network is fast too, with virtually no limits on TPS. Settlement times are equally fast, with the average transaction settling in about a minute or less. Fees are lower as well.

For those in search of privacy, speed and affordability, Lightning Network offers an excellent alternative.

A consensus mechanism or algorithm refers to a specific protocol designed to ensure that networks of computers can work together efficiently while maintaining security. The algorithm is often used to ensure the crypto network can function effectively and prevent certain types of system attacks.

If Bitcoin’s primary weakness is its scalability, a more scalable consensus mechanism may help lower costs. Currently, Bitcoin runs on a 

, which requires each node to solve complex mathematical problems to validate a transaction. The first to complete the problem can add the next block to the chain. The block is then verified, with the data entered into the blockchain.

 is both more scalable and sustainable than PoW. PoS links mining power to ownership stake. Miners don’t need to expend energy solving mathematical problems but are instead limited to mining a specific number of transactions linked to their ownership stake. A miner with a one percent ownership stake would then be able to mine one percent of the blocks.

PoS systems are also less vulnerable to a certain type of economic attack. A miner would have to own more than half of the digital coins on a network to launch a system attack, which would be disadvantageous to their interests.

Ultimately, a PoS system is more scalable, energy-efficient and secure than PoW systems.

Much as a traffic jam causes congestion, a greater number of transactions waiting on a network results in slower movement and higher fees. Ergo, fees tend to increase during times of peak use.

If your Bitcoin transaction isn’t urgent, you can “camp out” and wait for an opening, much as you might choose to leave a little later in the day to avoid rush-hour traffic. The blockchain tends to have predictable peaks and valleys, due to businesses completing larger transactions. Waiting until the weekend to complete yours could mean less traffic, faster clearing transactions and smaller fees. That’s one of the advantages of markets that never close.

While custom fees are possible, still, miners prioritize and process transactions based on several factors, including the size of the fee. Your larger transactions might take a little longer to complete, but they will be added to the blockchain, usually when the traffic slows.

Higher or lower fees can significantly cut your profits and affect your capital gains and losses. While these fees are a necessary part of transacting in a digital asset, you can take steps to lower your overall costs and reduce the risk of overpaying, whether that means opting for an alternative system for smaller transactions, such as Lightning Network, or waiting until the ideal time to process your transactions. Researching your options and finding the best one for your needs can help you save on both the prices of your transactions and the cost of doing business.

Blockchain Transaction Fees: Why Do They Matter?

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Blockchain Transaction Fees: Why Do They Matter?

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