In this article, we explore liquid staking protocol StakeStone's key features, the STO token launch, tokenomics and how to trade STO on Bybit.

StakeStone (STO) is a next-gen omnichain liquidity infrastructure protocol designed to optimize yield and cross-chain liquidity. Its introduction of liquid yield-bearing versions of ETH and BTC — STONE and STONEBTC — enables users to earn sustainable yield while enhancing capital efficiency. This article explores StakeStone’s architecture, core assets, founding team, tokenomics and recent market performance.

 is a decentralized liquidity infrastructure protocol that issues liquid, 

-bearing assets like STONE (Ethereum) and STONEBTC (Bitcoin). Designed for omnichain integration, it empowers users and protocols with composable 

 solutions and efficient cross-chain liquidity.

Launched in 2024, StakeStone was built to address the fragmented and capital-inefficient nature of ETH and BTC staking by introducing secure, flexible and modular primitives. StakeStone’s mission is to maximize on-chain yield while ensuring deep liquidity across ecosystems.

StakeStone was founded in 2023 by a team of DeFi-native builders led by Charles K, a crypto veteran with over 10 years of experience in centralized exchanges (CEXs), hardware wallets and DeFi infrastructure The core team includes Rose Li, Chief Strategy Officer, and Ivan K, Chief Marketing Officer.

The project has secured funding from notable crypto funds, including Polychain Capital, Binance Labs, OKX Ventures, Amber Group, HashKey Capital and Bankless Ventures. These backers not only provide capital but also strategic ecosystem access — positioning StakeStone as a serious player in omnichain liquidity and yield infrastructure.

StakeStone converts ETH and BTC into liquid, yield-bearing assets — STONE (ETH) and STONEBTC (respectively) — through a modular and omnichain framework. When ETH is staked, it flows into the StakeStone Vault and is allocated to the Strategy Pool, and STONE is minted via the Minter.

Yield is generated through strategies such as:

Users can deploy STONE across chains via the 

 (LP) rewards, with optional LP locking for enhanced returns. SBTC is the liquid BTC asset mirroring Bitcoin’s value, with STONEBTC adding a yield layer to BTC and unlocking passive income without sacrificing liquidity.

StakeStone implements key security measures, including the following:

STONE (ETH): Omnichain yield-bearing asset

 derivative. It’s minted when users stake ETH, and is backed by underlying yield from stETH, EigenLayer restaking and additional DeFi strategies.

STONE supports seamless cross-chain bridging, enabling deployment across supported networks and STONE-Fi Pools for additional rewards. Users benefit from passive yield, cross-chain utility, governance participation and on-demand liquidity.

SBTC is a liquid Bitcoin asset that mirrors BTC’s value and enables seamless use within EVM-compatible chains. STONEBTC, on the other hand, enhances SBTC by adding a yield layer, empowering users to earn yield from BTC-based strategies while preserving liquidity.

 utility by unlocking native BTC liquidity and enabling new use cases, such as cross-chain lending and borrowing, LP participation in BTC-based DeFi pools and composable integration across multichain DeFi protocols.

Together, SBTC and STONEBTC aim to position Bitcoin as an active capital layer across Ethereum and beyond.

 of StakeStone, with a total supply of 1 billion. It underpins protocol governance via OPAP proposals, voting-escrowed STO (veSTO) staking and 

Emissions are set to taper gradually until 2031, aligning incentives with long-term ecosystem growth.

According to CoinGecko, as of Apr 24, 2025, 

with a market cap of over $25 million. The token has recently shown strong momentum, rallying 85.4% over the past two weeks. Furthermore, StakeStone’s value could benefit from various catalysts, such as the rise in demand for 

 the STOUSDT Perpetual futures contract in the Innovation Zone, with up to 20x leverage.

 a Bybit account, complete identity verification and fund your 

 using crypto deposits or fiat currencies. 

Intermediate

StakeStone STO.png

StakeStone (STO): Cross-chain liquid staking protocol

The MANTRA (OM) token’s wild crash on Apr 13, 2025, shocked the crypto world. Discover the causes, fallout, and what’s next in MANTRA’s road to recovery.

In the morning and daytime hours of Apr 13, 2025, the MANTRA blockchain's native token, OM, sat at a respectable market cap of $6 billion, making it the third-highest-ranked cryptocurrency in the 

 (RWA) category, the area the platform specializes in. Everything seemed like smooth sailing for the token.

Then, just after 6 PM UTC, the price of the OM token suddenly began to free-fall, declining from nearly $6 to about $0.50 in the space of just two hours.

A project that started the day as one of the top players in the RWA field was now worth 90% less as the evening approached. OM's abrupt, sharp crash immediately caught the market's attention, with speculation of a 

However, MANTRA's CEO, John Patrick Mullin, immediately sprang into action for PR damage control on social media, reassuring the public that the team members weren’t dumping OM tokens at all. Instead, MANTRA's founder and CEO alleged that deliberate actions of some 

 (CEXs) had caused the catastrophic plunge.

As of our coverage date of Apr 23, 2025, this is a developing story. In this article, we’ll establish what actually happened, who's involved and what awaits the OM token in the foreseeable future.

 decentralized network dedicated to RWA tokenization and utilization in compliance with real-world regulatory requirements.

 It features high scalability and low transaction fees. The project is one of the earliest initiatives dedicated to RWA use via blockchain technology. Originally, MANTRA debuted as a 

 (ETH) in August 2020. In October 2024, the project migrated to its own dedicated Layer 1 platform, the MANTRA Chain. The MANTRA blockchain is based on the Cosmos SDK framework, and is part of the wider 

The MANTRA ecosystem's main products include MANTRA DEX, a 

 (DEX); a digital identity (DID) management tool; a compliant token development and management solution; and a comprehensive compliance and permissioning system. MANTRA has also partnered with global powerhouses like Google Cloud, and with DAMAC Properties, one of Dubai's most prominent developers, to propel innovative solutions for 

Starting in late 2024, right after its own dedicated mainnet launch, MANTRA had become a significant player in the RWA corner of 

 (DeFi). By late February 2025, the platform’s native OM token had climbed to a value of nearly $9, with its market cap peaking at around $8.2 billion. Before the fateful events of Apr 13, 2025, OM was the third-highest-capped crypto in the RWA category, trading at $6.27, with a market cap of slightly over $6 billion, according to the CoinGecko portal.

In the evening hours (UTC time) of Apr 13, 2025, OM began to lose its value precipitously, dive-bombing from over $6 to about $0.52 in the space of two hours. The token’s market cap fell to slightly under half a billion dollars — a loss of more than 90%.

CEO John Mullin was quickly online, reassuring the crypto community that no team member had sold their OM holdings, and that this wasn’t a case of the bad ol’ rug pull. Instead, Mullin alluded that after OM tokens were moved to two leading CEXs (Binance and OKX) to use as collateral, the exchanges initiated a cascade of 

 of positions backed by the token. Both exchanges refuted the allegations, and connected OM’s price collapse to its recent unusually high price 

, and significant tokenomics changes made to OM in October 2024 that greatly undermined its value.

As a chain of liquidations took place, the token’s price started to plummet, causing significant panic that quickly led to further price drops. The situation only stabilized closer to the end of the day, with OM’s price remaining under $1. As of Apr 23, it’s trading at $0.5543 — a far cry from its rate of over $6 just two weeks ago.

After investigating, crypto analytics firm Lookonchain concluded that 17 wallets had deposited 43.6 million OM tokens (4.5% of the token's circulating supply) into the implicated exchanges. Two of these wallets are believed to belong to Laser Digital, one of MANTRA's investors. Another investor in the project, Shorooq Partners, is also suspected to be among the 17 wallets. Both Shorooq and Laser Digital have denied the allegations.

Although the price plunge was immediately compared to the 2022 collapse of the 

 (LUNA) blockchain, many analysts point out that the two crashes are fundamentally different. Terra's crash resulted from structural abnormalities in the 

 regulating UST, the project's stablecoin. In contrast, OM's fiasco is suspected to be the direct result of market-driven manipulation by 

, and possibly exchanges. No security breach, disruption to services or data, or other adverse structural events have occurred on the platform.

While this development is unprecedented for the project, MANTRA has been embroiled in other controversies throughout its history. One of these was its 

, first announced in August 2024 and then delayed multiple times. Around 50% of the wallets believed to be bots were cut off from the airdrop list. However, many considered the bot-culling process to have been conducted without much proof.

There have also been reports of vote rigging in the project's governance system in a bid to obscure MANTRA’s centralized model of profit allocation. Additionally, some analysts have accused the project of "forced bridging" to manipulate the market price. Platform users had to migrate their Ethereum-based OM tokens to MANTRA's native OM tokens via 

, which would increase gas fees and allow the project team to control the token's circulation pace.

How is MANTRA (OM) headed toward recovery?

MANTRA’s CEO rapidly reassured users that the team is now working hard to jump-start the token’s recovery. On Apr 14, 2025, Mullin unveiled plans to initiate a buyback scheme, along with the intent to burn all OM tokens held by the project team. The team's supply totals 300 million tokens, representing about 17% of the total supply.

He also denied factually incorrect assertions circulating online that the team effectively controls 90% of OM's supply. Mullin further assured the public that no large-scale selling events by investors have occurred.

As OM’s value has stayed firmly under $1, it remains to be seen how these PR efforts — as well as the planned buyback and burn — will affect the token’s future.

 as a swap pair with USDT, or on the Derivatives market as the 

Naturally, given the ongoing situation with the OM token, buying OM is at your own discretion, as right now the token is truly for the adventurous and brave at heart.

As of Apr 23, 2025, the OM token is trading at $0.5543, 93.8% lower than its ATH of $8.99 on Feb 23, 2025, and 3,138.8% higher than its ATL of $0.01726 on Oct 12, 2023.

Curiously, most crypto price prediction portals are optimistic about the OM token's long-term prospects. DigitalCoinPrice 

 of $1.81 in 2027 and $2.82 in 2030, whilePricePrediction 

It's hard to verify all the allegations flying around regarding the involvement of exchanges and key investors in the MANTRA OM incident. What matters at this stage is that the project team has been quick and proactive in injecting transparency and clarity into the situation.

The free fall in the token's price seems to be over by now. In fact, OM’s decline was over within hours of the incident. Moreover, unlike Terra's LUNA and UST coins, OM hasn't become worthless. All these factors point to potential stabilization and recovery ahead. The question now is: Will the pace and magnitude of the recovery be enough to save the project in the long term? At this early stage after the collapse, few people could answer the question with confidence. We'll eagerly await the developments over the next few weeks to see if MANTRA finds its way out of the woods. 

mantra om crypto.png

MANTRA (OM): Understanding its wild ride and road to recovery

In this article, we explore WalletConnect's features, its native token (WCT) and how you can trade WCT on Bybit Spot and Futures.​

WalletConnect is an open source bridging protocol that facilitates secure connections between digital wallets and 

 (DApps). With over 38 million unique active wallets and 57,000 supported apps, it’s getting noticed by the crypto community. In this article, we explore WalletConnect's features, its native token (WCT) and how you can trade WCT on Bybit.​

 protocol that allows users to connect their mobile wallets to DApps via QR code. This eliminates the need for browser extensions, and enhances security by keeping 

The protocol supports a wide range of wallets and DApps, making it a versatile tool for users navigating DeFi and web3.

 is essentially a decentralized infrastructure that facilitates a uniformed way for users to easily connect their crypto wallets with thousands of DApps. It operates through a network of

 that relay messages, ensuring reliable and secure connections. The network's design emphasizes scalability and resilience, catering to the growing demands of DeFi. 

When a user initiates a connection between their wallet and a DApp, WalletConnect establishes a secure session through a relay server that enables encrypted communication, allowing users to interact with DApps directly from their wallets. 

The network's architecture ensures that messages are transmitted efficiently, maintaining a seamless user experience.​

The WalletConnect ecosystem comprises various stakeholders, including node operators, wallet providers and DApp developers. Node operators play a crucial role by maintaining the network's infrastructure and relaying messages. 

To incentivize participation, the network implements a rewards mechanism whereby node operators earn WCT tokens, based on their performance and contribution. Prominent organizations like Consensys, Ledger and Figment are among the network's node operators, underscoring its robustness and reliability.​

 is the native utility and governance token of the WalletConnect network. It has a total supply of 1 billion, 

Initially, WCT is nontransferable to ensure that tokens remain within the WalletConnect ecosystem, supporting its focus on network functionality and development. Based on discussions within the community, transfers will be enabled based on community consensus and future governance decisions.

Where to buy the WalletConnect token (WCT)

 on Bybit Spot, and as a Perpetual contract with up to 75x 

. Bybit provides a secure and user-friendly platform for buying and selling WCT, allowing users to participate in the WalletConnect ecosystem. 

How to trade the WalletConnect token (WCT) on Bybit

Bybit's platform ensures efficient execution and provides various tools to assist users in their trading journey with ease.​ 

walletconnect wct.png

WalletConnect (WCT): Bridging web3 beyond wallets and DApps

Circle has launched the Circle Payments Network (CPN), a global payment solution designed to streamline cross-border transactions using stablecoins like USDC and EURC for real-time settlement. 

The S&P 500 rose 2.51% as investor confidence improved following President Trump’s support for Fed Chair Powell and hints of easing U.S.-China trade tensions, despite tempered optimism and Tesla’s earnings miss. Gold rebounds toward $3,400 as the US Dollar weakens and investor caution lingers over US-China trade and Fed concerns. Technicals suggest a possible pullback, with focus shifting to upcoming S&P Global PMI data. The Coindesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, rose 7.46%, with Bitcoin and Ether up 4.68% and 7.70%, respectively, in the past 24 hours. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is DEEP, up 122.1%, following the launch of DeepBook v3.1 on Sui, which unlocks permissionless pools, enhanced balance management, and cost-efficiency for DeFi.

DeepBook (DEEP), launched on July 12, 2023,  is Sui’s native liquidity layer, using a central limit order book to enable high-throughput, low-slippage, and low-fee trading. 

, introduces several key upgrades: permissionless pools, revamped fee mechanics, and enhanced balance management. These changes make DeepBook more accessible, composable, and cost-efficient for DeFi users. Permissionless pools allow anyone to create custom trading pairs, while the enhanced balance manager supports third-party liquidations and improves protocol stability and user experience.

Check out the latest prices, charts, and data of 

, a global payment solution designed to streamline cross-border transactions using stablecoins like USDC and EURC for real-time settlement. CPN offers faster, programmable, secure, and always-available money movement for financial institutions. It supports services like invoice payments, remittances, treasury services, and payroll payouts. Over 20 design partners, including dLocal, WorldRemit, and BVNK, are contributing to building a more efficient global payments infrastructure.

Yesterday, Bitcoin spot ETFs saw $719.2M in total inflows, with $654.1M from non-GBTC funds and $65.1M from GBTC.

 its incentivized testnet, allowing users to earn $SO tokens by testing its cross-chain lending platform. By supplying and borrowing assets across chains and completing quests, participants earn "Seeds," which will convert to $SO at TGE. Powered by LayerZero, Soul aims to unify liquidity across blockchains.

Beginner

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Circle launches Circle Payments Network for faster, secure global transactions using stablecoins

Bybit Learn

Live ICYMI

In our latest Learn 101 livestream session, we gathered an esteemed panel of crypto experts to share insights on Bitcoin Runes. Learn more here.

, we delved into the transformative world of 

, a new development that promises to enrich the 

 ecosystem by enabling the creation of fungible tokens directly on Bitcoin's blockchain. This session arrived at a critical time — shortly after the recent 

, a pivotal event in the cryptocurrency world that has set the stage for significant changes within the Bitcoin network.

 livestreams, providing you with comprehensive expertise and insights from leading figures in the crypto industry in case you miss the livestream.

Joining the livestream on May 16, 2024 were two distinguished guests: 

, the Marketing Lead from Uncharted.gg, and 

, CEO and founder of Altcoin Buzz. Under the moderation of Sabrina Chua, Crypto Evangelist and SEO Editor at Bybit, this episode explores the functionality, impact and future of Bitcoin Runes in the cryptocurrency landscape.

Understanding Bitcoin Runes and Its Challenges

The session kicked off with a comprehensive overview of 

, its inception following the Bitcoin halving and its role in adding a new layer of functionality to the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin Runes aims to offer a more resource-efficient way of token creation, as compared to predecessors like 

, focusing on minimizing the blockchain's load and integrating smoothly with the existing 

V dove deep into the technical essence of Bitcoin Runes: "Bitcoin Runes utilizes the UTXO model as well as the OP_RETURN output to insert arbitrary data into transactions.” This facilitates the creation of tokens without bloating the network, a critical improvement over previous standards like BRC-20, which contributed to unnecessary UTXO proliferation. He also commented on what excites him about Runes — namely, that it’s “one sign of all the innovation that’s happening on Bitcoin at the moment. So it shows what’s coming and what is going to become possible in the near future.”

Addressing potential challenges, such as whether Bitcoin Runes will provide sustainable revenue for miners, Shash shared that miners tend to know what they’re getting into before they spend money buying equipment to run the network. However, “[A]dding more miners and making sure that the network stays decentralized is very important.” He shared that Runes does generate more mining fees on UTXO, and it “allows for the miners to be able to sell Bitcoin if they have to at a lower price,” although they do “congest the network sometimes” as well. He offered the possible solution of scaling to a Layer 2 or a centralized system.

V agreed with this, stating that Bitcoin Runes does provide “significant incentives for miners.” Touching on the high transaction fees, he shared that he was one of the first people to mint Runes, just “five minutes after it launched,” and spent “$3,000 minting 61 runes.” While the “fees were insane,” this incident demonstrated to him that the “demand is there for chain bloat to occur” — and he doesn’t think that demand will go away. 

Market Impact and Current Adoption of Bitcoin Runes

In the next segment of the livestream, the panel addressed the efficiency and broader market implications of Bitcoin Runes, comparing it to other token standards such as BRC-20. 

Shash highlighted the differences between Bitcoin Runes and BRC-20: "Bitcoin Runes launched in April 2024 represent a new fungible token issuance system that uses a ‘one transaction per transfer’ model over the Bitcoin network. They’re working on making it compatible with the 

, which would be a huge advantage. In contrast, BRC-20, launched in March 2023, is a less efficient system, and not compatible with Lightning."

Expanding on the conversation, Shash mentioned other relevant developments: "

 assets by Lightning Labs are also significant as they share many similarities with Bitcoin Runes, but focus on a better indexer system and Lightning integration. This shows a trend toward enhancing the functionality and efficiency of tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain."

Shash then elaborated on the benefits that Bitcoin Runes brings to the Bitcoin blockchain: "Bitcoin remains decentralized and immutable. As an open-source network, if people can build on it and use it for various applications, it will continue to grow. Bitcoin Runes makes the network more interesting and exciting, and the technology is built to survive chaos. We must be observant, understand and stay curious before jumping to conclusions."

Vtook the opportunity to discuss new opportunities emerging from Bitcoin Runes, particularly focusing on how Bitcoin Runes offers “an additional way we can have fun on the chain and experiment with different airdrops or payment systems.” 

He explained the concept of pre-Runes and Runes: "Pre-Runes are essentially Rune miners that were airdropped to 

 holders of certain communities or projects, with counters attached, tallying how many Runes would be airdropped once the Runes protocol launched. For instance, RSIC Metaprotocol was the first pre-Rune miner launched, involving a gamified airdrop that included some level of randomization, which not everyone felt was fair."

Expanding further, he shared details about subsequent initiatives that aimed to improve fairness in distribution: "As a response to RSIC, Leonidas launched Runestones [NFTs], which were basically supposed to be a fairdrop.”

The discussion underscored the transformative potential of Bitcoin Runes, not just for the mining community but also for end users, by providing new ways to interact with the Bitcoin ecosystem and enhancing the network's commercial and social utility.

 livestream has not only illuminated the technical and economic aspects of Bitcoin Runes, but has also sparked conversations about the future trajectory of Bitcoin in the evolving digital asset landscape. For those interested in deeper dives and more technical discussions, you can also check out 

 that offers you a chance to participate in our pop quiz and earn a share of a 100,000 BOME prize pool. The event period is through May 23, 2024, 12PM UTC.

Stay tuned for more discussions on the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies — and don't miss our next session on Jun 6, 2024, 8AM UTC, where we delve into trading meme coins!

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