Our weekly crypto derivatives analytics report delves into macro events; the current state of crypto and trading signals from spot trading volume; and futures, options and perpetual contracts.

In the past week, cryptocurrencies have surged as optimism grows that the US-China trade war may be easing. Following two days of talks, the US announced a 90-day tariff reduction on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%. ETH has been the biggest winner among the top 10 tokens, rising 40% in a week, though this has led to significant changes in implied volatility. BTC regained $100K for the first time since early February, with positive bias in OTM call skews, but its volatility market remains weak compared to ETH.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

Open interest for ETH surged by $900M over the past week, coinciding with a 40% rise in its spot price. This increase followed US-China trade negotiations, leading to a temporary 30% tariff reduction on Chinese goods. On May 12, 2025, after US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent confirmed the agreement, open interest and perpetual trading volumes hit monthly highs of $9B and $23B, respectively. While open interest has stabilized, trading volumes declined after peaking during a brief pause in the crypto rally between May 11 and 12, 2025.

BTC volatility smiles suggest risk-on sentiment

Despite low short-term volatility expectations, BTC's short-tenor smiles indicate a continued risk-on sentiment, with a 5% skew toward out-of-the-money calls. Early in the week, put option volume surpassed $200M, outpacing $140M for calls, while open interest remains higher for puts than calls.

ETH has outperformed BTC for the second consecutive week, achieving a remarkable 59% return over the past month. This rally came with volatility: ETH's front-end volatility briefly doubled BTC’s 7-day tenor, leading to an inverted term structure. By Monday, ETH had pulled back some gains, causing front-end volatility to drop swiftly, a faster resolution than seen in previous inversions.

However, another rise in spot price toward $2.6K reignited volatility expectations. Open interest and options trading for ETH remain skewed toward calls, with volumes exceeding $150M on May 13, 2025, coinciding with a second price surge after a brief retreat on May 12, 2025.

Advanced

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Bybit X Block Scholes crypto derivatives analytics report (May 14, 2025): BTC volatility remains weak relative to ETH

Strategic Bitcoin reserve (SBR): Established on March 6, 2025, integrating Bitcoin into national reserves

Strategic Bitcoin reserve hopes are all the rage

On March 6, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish the nation's first strategic Bitcoin reserve (SBR). This pivotal initiative positions Bitcoin alongside traditional reserves like gold and oil, signaling a significant endorsement of digital assets by the federal government. The SBR aims to centralize and manage all Bitcoin acquired through legal forfeitures, ensuring these assets serve as long-term strategic holdings rather than being sold off.

The creation of the SBR reflects Trump's broader vision of making the US a global leader in cryptocurrency. By integrating Bitcoin into national reserves, the administration seeks to harness the benefits of digital currencies while providing a hedge against economic turbulence. This strategic move has also spurred state-level policies, as seen in New Hampshire, where legislation was recently passed allowing state investments in cryptocurrencies and precious metals. Such developments indicate a growing trend of governmental adoption of digital assets, reinforcing the legitimacy of cryptocurrencies in the financial landscape.

Institutional accumulation drives down Bitcoin availability

In the private sector, institutional investors are increasingly accumulating Bitcoin. Companies like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) have expanded their holdings significantly, purchasing an additional 13,390 BTC for $1.34 billion, which brings their total to 568,840 BTC. Similarly, Metaplanet Inc. invested $126 million to acquire 1,241 BTC, surpassing the national Bitcoin holdings of some countries. This trend highlights a shift in Bitcoin ownership, with retail investors often taking profits during market rallies, leading to a redistribution of Bitcoin toward institutional entities.

As of May 13, 2025, over 19.86 million BTC have been mined. Wallets holding at least 100 BTC account for 60.84% of the total supply, while those with 10 or more BTC control 82.51%. With Bitcoin's price once again having surpassed $100K, it becomes evident that only about 17.5% of Bitcoin is held by wallets with less than $1 million in BTC. This concentration of ownership raises concerns about market accessibility for smaller investors.

The 10–100 BTC tier is primarily composed of small institutional investors, while wallets with over 100 BTC are predominantly held by institutions and liquidity providers. This oligarchic trend suggests that as cryptocurrency market caps rise, retail traders may feel pressured to sell during downturns, further consolidating wealth among larger holders. Notably, the increasing costs associated with 

, such as electricity and equipment, compel many miners — often retail investors — to sell portions of their holdings to cover expenses, exacerbating this trend.

Bitcoin concentration leaves smaller investors at disadvantage

The establishment of the SBR represents a critical milestone in the integration of digital assets into national financial strategies, positioning the US at the forefront of the cryptocurrency revolution. As of mid-May 2025, Bitcoin's price has fluctuated between $102K and $105K, maintaining an optimistic long-term outlook despite short-term volatility. Continued institutional interest, bolstered by supportive governmental policies, enhances the legitimacy and stability of Bitcoin as an asset class.

However, as smaller investors continue to sell during market rallies, larger wallets are increasingly accumulating supply, tightening their grip on the market. Currently, over 80% of Bitcoin's supply is held in wallets containing $1 million or more in BTC. This trend suggests that while individual portfolios may grow, retail investors could find themselves at a disadvantage in an increasingly concentrated market.

In conclusion, the strategic Bitcoin reserve and the surge in institutional investments signal a positive shift for Bitcoin's legitimacy and its role in the global financial system. However, the growing disparity in Bitcoin ownership underscores the need for retail investors to navigate the market carefully. As these dynamics evolve, awareness of trends in institutional accumulation and wealth concentration will be crucial for all participants in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

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Bybit x Santiment social sentiment report: Bitcoin reserve hopes leave Bitcoin holdings more concentrated

The Smart Copy Mode is a simple-to-use copy trading feature on Bybit that lets you reap profits from the crypto market even without prior trading experience.

Trading cryptocurrencies can be a lucrative way to earn from the ever-volatile crypto market. However, most people shy away from it due to the intense 

Thankfully, the world of trading now has helpful tools that have simplified crypto trading and made it easier even for beginners to make money from price movements.

First launched as part of a major upgrade in early 2023, Smart Copy Mode offers a simplified way to follow experienced traders known as Master Traders and automatically mirror their strategies. Today, it's one of the easiest and most intuitive ways for anyone, even beginning traders, to tap into the expertise of top-performing traders on Bybit and earn profits.

In this article, we’ll explore how Bybit Smart Copy Mode works and how you can safely make profits as a 

Smart Copy Mode is a simple-to-use copy trading feature on Bybit that lets you reap profits from the crypto market even without prior trading experience.

 Smart Copy Mode is part of the three major upgrades to the Bybit Copy Trading platform 

As of 2025, it remains one of the simplest and safest ways for users to realize returns from automatically mimicking successful Master Traders on the platform.

The Smart Copy Mode requires only three steps to follow a 

 and start earning. All you’ll need to do is enter an investment amount (minimum 100 USDT), select a Bybit account to transfer the funds from and click the 

The entire process is optimized for ease and risk control, making it ideal for anyone looking to trade without micromanaging their positions.

Here are some key features of the Bybit Smart Copy Mode that make it easier to trade while minimizing risks:

Rather than blindly copying a Master Trader’s full position size, Smart Copy Mode calculates a ratio based on both your balance and the Master Trader’s, helping you manage exposure proportionally.

Case in point: Let’s say a Master Trader has 10 BTC in their account but they enter a long position with only 1 BTC. In typical copy trading, a Follower who has 1 BTC in their account will automatically copy the trade with the whole 1 BTC, which exposes their entire portfolio.

However, with the Smart Copy Mode, a ratio calculated based on the available balances in the Follower’s and the Master Trader’s accounts will be exposed for copy trading. In this case, if the ratio is calculated to be 10%, the Follower’s copy trade amount will be 0.1 BTC instead of their full balance of 1 BTC. 

This proportional sizing is especially useful for beginners who may not want to expose their entire portfolio to a single trade.

Another amazing feature of the Smart Copy Mode is the Bybit CopyGuard which is designed to limit losses by adding an extra layer of protection for Followers. While most Master Traders strive to consistently implement successful trading strategies, it’s not uncommon to find some trades that will incur losses.

In such instances as a copy trader, you will incur losses similar to the Master Trader. That’s where the Bybit CopyGuard feature comes in handy.

With CopyGuard turned on, all of the Follower’s trades are optimized in the sense that the entry will always be at an optimal price not worse than that of the Master Trader. If an optimal price is not attained, the trade won’t be copied. However, note that at the point of trade execution, 

 may occur, causing small price discrepancies. However, CopyGuard filters out major price differences that could lead to instant losses. 

To give Followers even greater control over their risk exposure, Bybit now offers a Trailing Stop feature within Smart Copy Mode.

This tool automatically adjusts your exit point based on your account’s highest recorded equity. You simply set a retracement percentage (e.g., 20%), and if your equity drops by that percentage from its peak, all positions will be closed, locking in profits and limiting potential losses. 

Let’s say your account equity fluctuates as follows: 500, 450, 600, 900, 800, 1,000, 800. With a 20% retracement rate, the trailing exit equity adjusts accordingly: 400, 400, 480, 720, 720, 800, 800. When your actual equity drops to 800, the trailing stop triggers and your copy trading positions are automatically closed. 

, the final equity upon exit may differ slightly from the calculated exit equity.

The Trailing Stop feature is especially useful for volatile markets, helping you secure gains without manually monitoring every trade.

Together, Bybit’s copy by ratio, CopyGuard and Trailing Stop features work together to ensure that Followers have an extra layer of protection against losses when engaging in copy trading. 

Smart Copy Mode vs. Advanced Copy Mode: Which is better?

 allow you to choose between the Smart Copy Mode or the Advanced Copy Mode. While both provide an avenue for you to successfully copy a Master Trader’s strategy, there are several differences between the two that may make you opt for one over another. They are:

From the above comparison, it’s highly recommended to go for the Smart Copy Mode if you are a beginner to crypto or copy trading since it provides you with loss-limiting features before you learn your way around the field. For advanced traders, you can go for the Bybit Advanced Copy Mode or stick to the Smart Copy Mode.

Smart Copy Mode has made it easier to realize gains from copy trading.

 Regardless of your status as a beginning or advanced trader, you can have the assurance of a safe trading experience even with margin trading as all the risks are mitigated for you through the Smart Copy Mode.

Compared to the Advanced Copy Mode, the copy by ratio, CopyGuard 

 features within Smart Copy Mode help limit losses through reduced risk exposure. The enhanced automated settings on Smart Copy Mode are sure ways to successfully copy Master Traders without fear of wiping out your account. So, 

Beginner

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Bybit Smart Copy Mode: The way to secure copy trading profits

Invest like a VC with just $20. Common Wealth (WLTH) opens access to early-stage crypto projects through a transparent, community-driven platform.

The traditional venture capitalist (VC) investing model is often elitist and out of reach for many retail investors. While this is particularly the case in the world of traditional finance (TradFi), access to promising early-stage crypto assets is also frequently reserved for larger entities, namely institutional investors and 

. When we hear about a wildly successful crypto project and its token, we often find that its early backers are well-known investment funds or cashed-up VCs. These early investors are the ones who benefit the most from the token’s meteoric rise on the market.

 chain that aims to democratize the way VC investment works in the crypto industry. By using a community-driven approach to sourcing and investing in promising projects, the Common Wealth platform reduces barriers to entry to VC activities. Smaller-scale retail investors, both casual and experienced, are the primary beneficiaries of Common Wealth's unique approach to crypto investment.

Common Wealth has partnered with a network of notable crypto investors who refer high-potential projects to the platform, where these projects are carefully evaluated and qualified to be included in the investment products available to the user community. The entire evaluation process is also driven by community governance procedures, making it transparent and secure. Thanks to Common Wealth, investing in high-potential early-stage crypto opportunities is now open to anyone — even investors who want to start with as little as $20.

 (WLTH) is a decentralized platform that allows anyone to become a crypto VC by using a vetting-based, democratized, community-driven approach to selecting promising cryptocurrency investment opportunities.

The core idea behind the project is to tear down barriers to entry for crypto investment, particularly concerning early-stage promising ventures. Common Wealth has partnered with a group of prominent, savvy crypto investors (referred to as “Oracles”) who refer high-potential crypto investment opportunities to the platform. All the referrals are based on projects or assets that at least one so-called Oracle has personally invested in. As of May 2025, the platform works with ten Oracles, all of whom are notable investors with solid track records and standing in the crypto investment world.

The platform's governance community scrutinizes each referred project via “Oracle Ask Me Anything” (AMA) sessions, proposal workshops and analytics. Community investors then vote to decide on the projects' final eligibility. Any Common Wealth user can invest in qualified projects for as little as $20.

There are two main types of investors on the platform: casual and community members. The former typically invest smaller amounts, and pay with fiat currency using credit or debit cards, greatly simplifying access to the selected projects for users without an affinity for cryptocurrency transactions. Casual investors are normally those who adopt a hands-off approach to crypto investing and tend to start with smaller investment amounts.

Members of the second group, community members, invest larger amounts, or actively participate in the decision-making process for project selection. They’re the core of the governance community on Common Wealth. These investors use cryptocurrency to invest, paying with the 

The Common Wealth project was launched in February 2024 on the Base Layer 2 chain. In May 2025, it debuted its native token, WLTH.

All investment opportunities offered on Common Wealth are in the form of funds that provide exposure to promising projects and assets. For instance, the platform’s Priceless Fund invests in 14 high-potential 

 startup projects, while the Alpha Fund is based on early-stage projects in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), the 

 (RWAs), decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePINs) and gaming.

Unlike traditional investment funds, Common Wealth funds are completely permissionless and noncustodial, operating through blockchain smart contracts. As such, no central entity can influence fund management, thus ensuring transparency and discouraging vested interests.

Some funds are based on contributions from the wider user community, and are typically capped funds. There are also perpetual funds, which are funded by the investor community that participates in on-platform governance.

Bundles are Common Wealth funds based on a dynamic mix of assets satisfying certain criteria, e.g., a specific crypto niche. The platform has launched three such bundled products: 

Since the bundles are dynamic, the top five assets may switch according to market sentiment. All allocations within the bundles are equally split between their five assets. For instance, if you invest $100 in a bundle, each of the five assets in it will be allocated $20 of your investment.

The Common Wealth platform charges three types of fees:

When you invest in a Common Wealth fund, you’re issued a 

 (Slice NFT) that denotes your share of capital in the fund. Slice NFTs are freely tradable on the market, investors can quickly access liquidity by selling their Slices. Since these NFTs are fractionalized, you can sell a part of your Slice or the whole of it, per your preference.

Distributed Autonomous Operating System (DAOS)

The Common Wealth Distributed Autonomous Operating System (DAOS) is based on a set of 

 that automate the entire workflow of the platform’s governance processes. Project considerations, analytics related to candidate projects, vote management and other functions related to decentralized governance are handled by the DAOS.

 (DAO) consists of a set of rules and an on-chain community, the Common Wealth DAOS is an entire permissionless system of interoperable autonomous nodes that automates and powers all the platform’s governance elements and procedures.

What is the Common Wealth crypto token (WLTH)?

 asset issued on the Base Layer 2 chain. The token has a wide range of functions on the platform. While investments in Common Wealth are based on the USDC stablecoin, all other key functionalities are enabled via WLTH. These include:

WLTH is a capped asset with a maximum supply of 1 billion. As of mid-May 2025, its total supply stands at around 984 million. The chart below shows the token's supply allocation shares and vesting periods upon its launch in May 2024.

As of May 16, 2025, the WLTH token is trading at $0.003877, which is 98.2% lower than its ATH of $0.2148 on Jul 22, 2024 and 82.8% higher than its ATL of $0.002121 on Apr 18, 2025.

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

 of $0.0129 in 2027 and $0.0192 in 2030, whileCoinCodex 

 at around $0.0042 in 2027 but rise to $0.014 in 2030.

VC investment in financial markets remains an exclusive club that isn’t easily accessible to everyday retail investors. In most cases, this applies to the crypto market as well. Common Wealth's value to the broader crypto community lies in designing a system that makes investment in promising web3 initiatives accessible to everyone. The platform's novel model creates an opportunity to involve millions of individuals in the VC game. This could lead to significant growth in overall web3-based VC funding, and positively affect the entire crypto investment landscape over the coming years. Finding a future star in the crypto market with as little as $20 has never been easier — thanks to Common Wealth and the VC tools it provides!

Intermediate

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Common Wealth (WLTH): Invest like a VC — without being one

Glossary

Zero-knowledge rollups are a type of smart contract frequently used in Ethereum transfers. They’re popular because they let you quickly and cheaply validate a block.

) are a type of scalability solution. They combine multiple transfer proofs into a single transaction that can be instantly verified on multiple 

 levels. Zero-knowledge rollups are still a fairly new concept, but they can already be found on platforms like 

A zero-knowledge rollup interacts with multiple levels of a blockchain. The majority of ZK-rollups run on Ethereum, so let's use that as an example. The main Ethereum chain has its benefits, but they often come with high transaction fees and low speeds. Ethereum 

 blockchains use the security of the main chain, while adding additional speed and affordability.

ZK-rollups allow you to create a transaction that works for both layers. Any given ZK- rollup is a transaction that contains multiple zero-knowledge proofs in one bundle. This transaction is a 

 that can maintain its state on both Layer 2 and Layer 1 of the blockchain. Without getting too deep into details, this essentially means a ZK-rollup verifies information for multiple transactions in multiple places, so it saves time and money.

To understand how a zero-knowledge rollup works, we first have to take a look at the concept of 

, which are a cryptographic mechanism that lets you prove you have certain information — without actually revealing that information. 

For example, you could prove that you have the password for an account by showing you're logged into the account, instead of listing the actual password. When it comes to crypto, zero-knowledge proofs provide the necessary documentation for transactions. Users can show they have all of the necessary data and authorizations without actually giving that information to other viewers.

Another essential part of the zero-knowledge rollup process is the 

, a type of mathematical structure that lets blockchains prevent the storage of false data. ZK-rollups have two Merkle trees in their smart contracts. One of the trees stores account data, while the other one stores balances. This allows the rollup to essentially store all necessary information on Layer 1 while storing additional backup information on Layer 2. This reduces the amount of processing power the blockchain needs to handle because the main layer only has to manage a few essential bits of information.

Essentially, when you send a zero-knowledge rollup, you’re bundling multiple Layer 2 proofs into a single transaction, which is then published onto the main blockchain. Instead of having to mine multiple individual transactions, the main chain only has to deal with one validity proof. Verifying the single rollup on Layer 1 allows you to simultaneously verify all the different transactions on Layer 2. The rollup works by only managing small amounts of information on the main chain, while still providing access to verification information on the second layer.

Zero-knowledge Rollups vs. Optimistic Rollups

Keep in mind that a ZK-rollup is a little different from an optimistic rollup. 

 are another type of scalable and convenient transaction, so they frequently get confused for zero-knowledge rollups. However, from a computational perspective, they’re processed a little differently. Optimistic rollups are also bundles of transactions which are processed on Layer 2 and published on the main chain.

However, they’re not actually proven before publishing. As the name implies, optimistic rollups are optimistically assumed to be valid — unless they’re proven false. The rollup features a dispute period in which users can dispute any possibly invalid transactions. The transactions aren't documented on the main chain until the dispute period is over.

Optimistic rollups do have some uses, but the lack of definitive proof means they aren't as secure as zero-knowledge rollups. A ZK-rollup also tends to be faster than an optimistic rollup. When using an optimistic rollup, you have to wait for the dispute period to pass.

Zero-knowledge bundles are becoming quite popular because they have several helpful advantages.

One of the big perks of a ZK-rollup is that

. All the transactions are first completed on Layer 2, which is quicker than the main chain. Since these transactions are supported with proofs, they’re verified instantly (once they reach the main chain). These faster times are more convenient for users, and they make Layer 2 scaling a lot more attainable. Especially when dealing with large numbers of transactions, a ZK-rollup is one of your quickest options.

Unlike some other bundling systems, zero-knowledge is fairly secure. Since the transactions are confirmed with zero-knowledge proofs, information is validated at multiple stages. This helps keep transactions from being vulnerable to economic attacks.

The data that you need to recover your state of transfer is all stored on the main blockchain, so you get maximum decentralization. Especially when working with a blockchain like Ethereum, you can be confident that your transaction is fairly decentralized. This provides additional security when completing your transaction.

The speed and simplicity of processing on Layer 2 of a blockchain results in major savings for users. This is especially true when working on Ethereum and other blockchains, which increase their transaction fees during peak times. A zero-knowledge rollup allows you to handle multiple transactions for only a single fee. Therefore, when working with large chunks of data, you can save a lot of money.

ZK-rollups won't work well in every situation, and there are some potential issues associated with using rollups in certain circumstances.

 (EVM) support. This isn't necessarily an issue for certain types of blockchains, but it can cause problems for others. You'll need to take the time to research your blockchain closely before deciding to use ZK-rollups.

The main reason that some people go with (unproven) optimistic rollups is because their mechanism has lower computational requirements. ZK-rollups are more secure, but creating so many zero-knowledge proofs comes at a computational cost. All the extra effort might not be worth it for an application that doesn't have much on-chain activity.

The process of creating a zero-knowledge rollup does allow the operator to have some influence over the smart contract. They can alter the order of the transactions which may cause potential issues for some users. This is why it is very important to only use trusted providers when working with any type of zero-knowledge rollup.

Though rollups have applications for a lot of blockchains, the majority of zero-knowledge rollups are used when working with Ethereum. ZK-rollups have some specific applications for Ethereum. Though Ethereum is popular for its flexibility, its network can become congested, slow and expensive. ZK-rollups make it easier to expand projects. They allow for more scalability, while still permitting users to access the Ethereum network’s benefits.

There are a variety of projects which focus on applying ZK-rollups to Ethereum. One of the largest is 

 (Polygon's zkEVM). This open-source project has invested $1 billion into rollup provider technology. Other popular implementations include 

. These projects can all be integrated into your 

 (DApps) to add more functionality and speed to Ethereum-based projects.

Ultimately, zero-knowledge rollups have a lot of exciting applications for Ethereum and beyond. Their ability to make transactions faster helps solve some scalability issues with blockchains. Though they still aren't very well-known, you’re likely to see more of them in the future.

Zero-Knowledge Rollups

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Zero-Knowledge Rollups

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