Mar 17, 2025: Our weekly Institutional Insights explores the latest market developments — market performance, industry news, exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows, trending topics, upcoming events and token unlocks — to help you supercharge your crypto trading.

 explores the latest market developments — market performance, industry news, exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows, trending topics, upcoming events and token unlocks — to help you supercharge your crypto trading.

Weekly highlight — consumer sentiment falls

US consumer sentiment has fallen to its lowest level in over two years, reflecting growing concerns about the economic impact of tariffs. According to data from the University of Michigan, the preliminary sentiment index for March 2025 dropped to 57.9 from 64.7 in February, the lowest level since November 2022. This decline was worse than expected by a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Inflation expectations surged, with consumers anticipating a 3.9% annual price increase over the next five to ten years, the highest rate over three decades. Additionally, consumers expect prices to rise by 4.9% over the next year from 4.3%, marking the steepest rise since 2022.

As US president Donald Trump’s tariff policies expand, consumers across the political spectrum increasingly worry that these extra duties will lead to higher costs. Despite recent inflation cooling, ongoing price pressures could lead households to reduce discretionary spending.

The survey also indicated a record low in consumer expectations regarding personal finances, with respondents estimating only a 48.7% chance of stock market gains in the coming year. Joanne Hsu, 

 the University of Michigan, emphasized that uncertainty surrounding economic policies complicates financial planning.

Some analysts warned that declining consumer confidence poses a significant threat to spending, as fears of an economic downturn may deter purchases of major items. Overall, the current conditions gauge and the expectations index fell to their lowest levels in several months, showcasing widespread consumer apprehension.

Weekly crypto highlight — Bitcoin see slight life in the past weekend

Bitcoin rebounded from a four-month low earlier this week alongside other risky assets recovering from recent market turmoil. Economic uncertainties driven by a wave of tariffs from President Trump and the threat of a government shutdown have led to significant sell-offs across various asset classes, including cryptocurrencies.

“As we conclude a week of widespread selling, markets are experiencing a relief rally from oversold conditions,” stated Ravi Doshi, Co-Head of Markets at FalconX. The avoidance of a US government funding shutdown has eased market uncertainty.

On Friday, Bitcoin rose by as much as 6.2%, reaching $85,301, while smaller digital assets surged even more: Solana gained over 9%, Chainlink increased by 13% and XRP rose nearly 8%. Earlier in the week, Bitcoin had dropped to around $77,000, a significant decline from its all-time high of $109,000 in January 2025.

This slump triggered record outflows from Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, and large liquidations in crypto derivatives markets. Crypto markets are bouncing back as macro-driven liquidations seem to be pausing. Analysts suggest that ongoing macroeconomic stability may support crypto prices.

Advanced

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Weekly Institutional Insights: Consumer sentiment falls as crypto recovers from 4-month low

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.

The ongoing sell-off in risk-on assets has intensified bearish signals in derivatives markets for crypto assets. Funding rates indicate a demand for short exposure, futures prices are trading below spot prices and volatility smiles are showing a strong skew toward OTM puts as traders hedge against further declines. The at-the-money (ATM) volatility term structure has inverted again after a lack of clarity around Trump’s proposed strategic digital asset reserve caused short-dated volatility to fall briefly before last weekend.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

Choppy spot price movements have had an impact on funding rates, with BTC and altcoin rates reacting primarily to spot fluctuations, rather than long-term market views. ETH has sold off more sharply during declines, and hasn’t participated as strongly in relief rallies, resulting in the worst YTD performance among the five tokens in Trump’s proposed digital asset stockpile. This is reflected in funding rates, with ETH perpetual swaps showing strong demand for leveraged short exposure to further downside risk.

Investors continue to protect against further decline

Despite higher realized volatility increasing both short- and long-tenor implied volatility, options trade volumes remain low. Last Friday’s expiration of significant open interest was mostly for downside protection against a deepening sell-off. However, the options market has reverted to an inverted term structure, which had dissipated during last Friday’s White House crypto summit, with strong relative demand for short-dated put contracts.

Open interest in Solana (SOL) options declined at the end of February, with over $5M in calls and more than $3M in puts expiring and most positions not rolled over. Despite SOL trading 44% below its January ATH, most new positions are in calls. However, this new positioning is disappointingly weak, given SOL's inclusion in Trump’s crypto reserve announcement alongside BTC, ETH, XRP and ADA.

Beginner

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Bybit X Block Scholes crypto derivatives analytics report (Mar 14, 2025): Investors hedge further declines

BinaryX has rebranded to Four, uniting GameFi, IGOs, and MemeFi under one ecosystem. With BNX now FORM, Four continues to innovate in blockchain gaming."

Having launched in May 2021, BinaryX, which started out as a 

 (DeFi) platform, has continued to evolve and adapt to the rapidly changing blockchain landscape. However, in the spirit of adaptability and innovation, the platform switched to 

, focusing its attention on play-to-earn (P2E) games.

As a GameFi platform, BinaryX has also created an 

 (IGO) launchpad from which developers can launch GameFi projects.

Now, BinaryX has rebranded to Four in order to align with the mission of its 

 product, a launch platform for the meme coin ecosystem.

Let's learn more about BinaryX and the way it continues to shape the crypto market with innovative products and adaptable business models.

 hub for the development of GameFi projects, includes an IGO launchpad to facilitate developers in launching games. 

BinaryX began in 2021 as a decentralized derivative trading system that featured the use of 

. But in 2022, the BinaryX team gradually evolved its project into a GameFi platform in order to adapt to the increased demand for P2E games. Its aim is to make web3 games more accessible and approachable to the vast community of gamers.

BinaryX also developed an IGO launchpad to serve as a comprehensive hub for gaming developers to launch their GameFi projects, and for investors to receive early access to promising new play-to-earn games. Furthermore, the BinaryX team announced the incorporation of a 

 (DAO) into its GameFi ecosystem so that its community of token holders could participate in voting on governance matters.

In February 2025, BinaryX rebranded to Four in order to align with its latest product, Four.meme, which was launched in July 2024. Following the rebrand, its native token, BNX, would now become FORM to reflect the project's commitment to innovation and adaptability.

As one of the top web3 platforms on BNB Chain, BinaryX has continued to innovate and experiment with different business models to adapt to the blockchain landscape's fast-paced nature. To this end, BinaryX has the following diverse products under its wing.

BinaryX launched its Initial Game Offering (IGO) launchpad in May 2022 as a dedicated platform to support blockchain gaming projects. The launchpad helps game developers secure funding for decentralized video games. They also get a platform on which to build communities and accelerate their web3 game development.

By leveraging BinaryX’s expertise in GameFi and its existing user base, projects gain exposure to a vast community of crypto gamers. The platform offers early access to promising blockchain games, allowing investors to participate in token sales and 

 presales. BNX holders can use their tokens to vote for games' listings on the BinaryX platform, and they also receive rewards, such as game tokens and NFT 

Some notable games launched on the BinaryX IGO launchpad include 

. These games showcase BinaryX’s commitment to innovation in GameFi, integrating play-to-earn mechanics, NFTs and decentralized governance to help create immersive gaming ecosystems.

BinaryX's GameFi trading platform is a marketplace designed for seamlessly trading blockchain gaming assets, including NFTs, in-game tokens and virtual items. Launched to support the growing GameFi ecosystem, the platform enables gamers and investors to buy, sell, trade and auction assets from BinaryX-powered games in a secure and efficient manner.

 and DeFi principles, BinaryX ensures transparent transactions with minimal fees, and enhances liquidity for in-game assets while empowering players to maximize their earnings.

The BinaryX GameFi trading platform supports transactions involving 

In January 2022, BinaryX launched the BinaryX DAO, a first for a GameFi project, through which BNX token holders can participate in the project's community governance, determine airdrop and dividend ratios, and submit proposals on how to improve the BinaryX ecosystem.

Case in point: BinaryX's community participated in voting for/against the platform's rebranding to Four during a community vote that was held from Sep 21–23, 2024.

The BinaryX Treasury serves as the financial backbone of the BinaryX ecosystem, supporting the development and sustainability of its GameFi projects. Some sources of assets used to fund the treasury include initial capital injection by the BNX team, income from gaming activities, income from the IGO launchpad and profit from external investment.

Profits in the BinaryX Treasury are used to reward BNX stakers, incentivize BinaryX sidechain node providers and finance strategic investments in third-party projects.

BNX is the native token for the BinaryX platform. Its original maximum supply of 2.1 billion tokens was adjusted to 580 million after a community vote in late July 2024.

Distribution of the 580 million BNX tokens is as follows:

Following BinaryX's rebranding to Four, BNX will change to FORM, and holders will be allowed to exchange to the new token at a ratio of 1:1 (details to follow at a later date).

BinaryX has integrated a multi-token model. Apart from BNX, the other two tokens associated with the platform are as follows:

BinaryX officially rebranded to Four on Feb 21, 2025, following an overwhelming vote via its DAO, marking a significant transformation in its vision for GameFi and DeFi innovation. This shift comes with a revamped website, which will serve as a hub for the GameFi platform, IGO launchpad and Four.meme, a new addition to Four’s expanding ecosystem.

Following the rebranding, a 1:1 token migration from BNX to FORM is necessary in order to enhance the token's identity and align with the project's new direction. FORM remains on the BNB Chain, ensuring smooth compatibility with existing infrastructure.

 (CEXs) won’t need to do anything — the token swap to FORM will take place automatically. BinaryX will liaise with these exchanges to switch from the BNX contract address to the one for FORM.

 (DEXs), cold wallets and self-custody wallets will need to carry out a manual token swap based on a converter provided by BinaryX. To carry out this token swap, you’ll need to do the following:

 landing page (link will be provided at a later date).

4. Sign to authenticate your transaction to receive the FORM tokens.

5. Add the new FORM contract address into your wallet to see the new tokens.

You can buy BNX as a USDT Perpetual contract (

) on the Bybit trading platform. However, the BNXUSDT contract will be delisted on Mar 17, 2025, 9AM UTC, so make sure to close your open positions and cancel your active orders for BNXUSDT as soon as possible.

Over the years, BinaryX has consistently demonstrated strong performance. The rebranding of BinaryX to Four marks a bold step forward in its mission to impact the web3 space. This transformation reflects the project’s commitment to expanding its ecosystem, enhancing token identity and integrating innovative elements, such as Four.meme, alongside its GameFi platform and IGO launchpad.

By adapting to the evolving crypto landscape, Four is positioning itself as a comprehensive hub for web3 and gaming enthusiasts so that it can offer a seamless experience for gamers, investors and meme culture participants. The introduction of the FORM token ensures a more cohesive and recognizable branding, reinforcing Four’s long-term vision. Thanks to the smooth migration process from BNX to FORM, users can continue participating in the ecosystem while benefiting from enhanced liquidity and utility.

Four remains dedicated to GameFi innovation, supporting successful blockchain games such as 

, all of which feature play-to-earn mechanics, NFTs and decentralized governance. The revamped platform is designed to foster a dynamic gaming economy, support new game launches and provide a secure environment for trading digital assets. With its rebranding and expanded offerings, Four is set to lead the next wave of blockchain gaming and DeFi innovation, uniting gamers, developers and investors in a vibrant web3 ecosystem.

Intermediate

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From BinaryX to Four: A unified hub for GameFi, IGOs and MemeFi

Learn about the benefits of using Bybit Pay and the step-by-step instructions to get started with Bybit Pay now.

Traditional financial systems and blockchain-based ecosystems have long operated in silos, creating friction for users and businesses alike. 

 is a new payment solution that’s been designed from the ground up to solve this issue to make cryptocurrency transactions seamless for any users.

With the aim of mainstreaming crypto payment options, Bybit Pay has already begun partnering with traditional payment solution providers, enabling users to transact with cryptocurrencies through existing infrastructure. For example, with its recent 

, Brazilian users can now shop by using cryptocurrencies in a quick and effortless manner. 

In this article, we’ll explain the benefits of using Bybit Pay and provide step-by-step instructions for new users who want to get started with the platform.

With more than 60 million users on the Bybit platform, Bybit Pay empowers merchants with access to the global network of its vast user base. Meanwhile, users benefit from a seamless integration with web3 wallets that makes paying with crypto as easy as paying with fiat currency. The platform also offers collateralized payment tools that allow users to borrow against their NFT and crypto holdings. 

Through these innovative features, Bybit Pay blends the ease of traditional finance with the flexibility of cryptocurrencies, creating an ecosystem that benefits both users and merchants.

Bybit Pay can be accessed using the Bybit App on mobile and desktop. 

While filling in the form, make sure that the information you enter matches the information you’ve already provided during 

: As of now, only verified users in Brazil can make transactions using a Pix QR code.

Since the Pix integration, Brazilian users can use Bybit Pay wherever Pix is accepted. This opens up a vast network of offline establishments in the country, since Pix is Brazil’s leading instant payment system provider. 

In addition to offline establishments, Bybit Pay can also be used with a number of e-commerce providers for online shopping using cryptocurrencies. Bybit Pay will be available to users from other regions soon.

With the launch of Bybit Pay, Bybit is integrating crypto payments with traditional payment services providers — and vastly expanding the number of places where cryptocurrencies can be used.

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How to use Bybit Pay for effortless payments

Crypto

Investing

Tokens are all the rage now in crypto, but how do you decide whether to invest in one? In this article, we look at the different factors to consider.

Before investing in a cryptocurrency, it’s recommended you make an analysis of it in order to manage the risk of your investment. Such analysis requires scrutiny of that cryptocurrency’s main aspects. However, investors are not limited to investing only in cryptocurrency coins but also in tokens. These tokens have value, too. When you conduct an analysis into whether or not you should invest in a token, that’s 

Tokenomics elides the words “token” and “economics.” It means analyzing why a token has value, and why it’s reached the price that it has. By looking at various factors which define the world of cryptocurrencies, tokenomics provides an answer to the economizing problems of tokens and their functionality in blockchain technology. But before diving into the world of tokenomics, let’s briefly explain tokens.

Tokens are units that are used for a specific purpose and have a value based on their characteristics. Tokens are usually considered as valuable assets that serve more than just a currency. For instance, football tickets can be considered as tokens, because they can either be used to go watch a football match, or traded for something else.

In the same sense, tokens can be found in cryptocurrencies as well. These tokens can have various functions within a network besides being used only as trading assets. The concept of tokens in cryptocurrencies grew larger with the creation of Ethereum. The Ethereum network was the first blockchain technology that offered more decentralized services to people, rather than just transactions. Just as transactions require money in order to be completed, these decentralized services in the Ethereum network require tokens. In the Ethereum network, these are known as ERC-20 tokens.

Tokens can be categorized into two main types: Layer 1 and Layer 2.

Layer 1 tokens are native to a particular blockchain, and can be used for fueling every service within it. Two examples of Layer 1 token in cryptocurrencies would be Ether (ETH) on the Ethereum network and BNB in the Binance chain.

Layer 2 tokens are used for decentralized applications within a network. For instance, OMG tokens are Layer 2 because they’re used for OmiseGO, which is a decentralized project within the Ethereum network.

Another way of classifying tokens is based on their usage. There are two types of tokens: security and utility tokens

Security tokens are considered investment contracts. To be considered as investment contracts, these tokens need to entail a money investment, profitability and common enterprise — and to come from the computational efforts of others. This process of contract verification 

 the Howey Test. Hence, tokens that pass the Howey Test are considered security tokens. An example of a security token would be the way Siafunds (SF) work on the Sia network.

Utility tokens are those tokens that ensure the financing of a network. Usually, utility tokens are given out through 

 initial coin offering (ICO) in order to fund development of the project. For instance, the Basic Attention Token (BAT) is a utility token that was initially distributed through an ICO. It can now be used in decentralized advertising on the Brave browser, running on the Ethereum network.

Tokens can also be categorized as fungible or non-fungible.

Fungible tokens have the same value, and can be replicated. Since fungible tokens are the same for everyone, you can replace one ETH with another because they have the same value.

However, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) do not have the same value because each NFT is unique. NFTs are usually tokenized assets such as pictures, artworks, collectibles and real estate, etc. Since NFTs are unique they cannot be replicated. This can make their value higher than that of fungible tokens.

So, what are the similarities and differences between coins and tokens in the world of cryptocurrencies?

Tokenomics is the study of tokens, how they work, what purpose(s) they have and what factors need to be considered before investing in cryptocurrencies. This is where it derives its name.

More generally, tokenomics is anything that can influence the value of a token — including the token itself.

Which Tokenomics Factors to Consider When Investing

There are many factors which can determine the price of a token and a cryptocurrency. However, several of these factors are quite important to keep in mind if you want to invest.

When looking at a cryptocurrency, it’s important to look at the total supply of coins. Usually, cryptocurrencies that have a limited total supply may have an increasing value in the future. This happens because scarcity causes a shortage in the market. Shortage requires an increase in price in order to reach an equilibrium. 

On the other hand, if the supply is unlimited, the future price may not increase as much as it could if the supply were limited. 

The supply of a cryptocurrency has a strong correlation to 

. Market cap is the total amount of the 

 times the current price of one token. The fully diluted market cap is a hypothetical estimate of the market capitalization if the total supply of a cryptocurrency is in circulation.

Even if one cryptocurrency has a larger supply than another, it doesn’t mean that the market supply is necessarily bigger. The same can be said about the price of a cryptocurrency. A higher price doesn’t necessarily mean that the market cap of a cryptocurrency is larger than that of other ones.

Market cap is an important factor to consider before you invest. A lower market cap might mean that the cryptocurrency has more potential to grow. This is the case with small-cap cryptocurrencies (less than $1 billion worth of market cap). Large-cap cryptocurrencies (more than $10 billion worth of market cap) might be a safer investment, but their growth potential tends to be smaller.

Before a cryptocurrency is launched, the allocation of the tokens can be done by either fair launch or premining. 

Fair launch is the allocation of a cryptocurrency in an organized way after it is released. The tokens are allocated through mining, and the amount of mining usually depends on the computational power of the nodes in the blockchain.

Premining, on the other hand, is the allocation of a cryptocurrency before it is launched. This is done through an ICO, which secures funding for the development of the cryptocurrency.

These two models have a huge impact on how tokens are distributed.

If a cryptocurrency is fair-launched, then the distribution is more focused on nodes with higher computational powers, since they can mine more tokens. It is considered “fair” because in this way, those who invest more in mining are rewarded more than those who invest less.

If a cryptocurrency is premined, the tokens sold through ICO are usually sold to institutional investors and the team behind the cryptocurrency, rather than retail investors. Hence, token distribution is not well-balanced when institutional investors own a larger share of the total supply. Therefore, such investors can drastically change the price of a cryptocurrency by selling the tokens at once.

When a cryptocurrency is premined, people running the cryptocurrency can decide to lock up the circulating supply and release the tokens gradually over time. This assures retail investors that institutional investors won’t get a hold of all their tokens at once, and cause an unbalanced market. However, it is important that the release of tokens is logical, meaning that the distribution is done at low amounts throughout the years.

Inflation refers to the change in the value of the existing tokens after the release of many tokens at one time. If many tokens would be in supply, there would be a surplus. And whenever there’s a surplus, a decrease in price follows. Deflation, on the other hand, is the opposite of inflation, where the possibility that the existing supply may decrease causes an increase in the price of the tokens in circulation.

Staking is the process of locking tokens for a specific period of time (depending on the cryptocurrency) in order to receive a passive income or reward from the network. The problem with staking is that the staked tokens cannot be moved until the staking period is finished. If a large number of tokens are staked, then the supply will be more limited during the staking period. This can have an effect on a cryptocurrency’s price. There are some cryptocurrencies that have a lower staking time, or no staking time at all. Because of this, big price increases or reductions might not occur because the tokens can easily be bought or sold by the users.

Utility refers to the usage of the tokens. In simple terms, the utility of a token is what makes people buy more tokens and, as a result, increase the price of a cryptocurrency.

The team behind a cryptocurrency is another factor worth considering. For instance, one of the reasons why BAT (Basic Attention Token) has been a success is the team that runs it. Academically credible people — such as Brendan Eich 

 Brian Bondy — induced trust in the BAT project before it was even released. 

The community is also an important factor. At the end of the day, without the people that are going to buy tokens, a cryptocurrency is worth nothing. So the team behind the cryptocurrency needs to make sure that they establish a good relationship with the community, as well as try and expand that community.

Bitcoin and Ethereum are the two biggest cryptocurrencies, based on their market capitalization. Let’s look at the Tokenomics of these two and see their differences.

BTC market cap, fully diluted market cap, circulating supply. Source: CoinMarketCap

ETH market cap, fully diluted market cap, circulating supply. Source: CoinMarketCap

To conclude, Tokenomics is everything related to a token in cryptocurrencies. Each Tokenomics factor should be carefully analyzed before investing in cryptocurrencies.

Tokenomics is a relatively new field of study, but it can become one of the future’s biggest economic subfields.

So, with the new found knowledge in crypto, why not sign up to Bybit?

A Beginner’s Guide: What Is Tokenomics?

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