Stripe is testing a new US dollar-backed stablecoin product for businesses outside the U.S., U.K., and Europe, aiming to expand the dollar's global footprint.

Daily top performer — Pudgy Penguins (PENGU)

S&P 500 futures dipped as over 180 S&P companies prepare to report earnings this week, following a 4.59% gain last week amid easing US-China trade tensions. Gold prices dipped to around $3,310 as easing US-China trade tensions reduced safe-haven demand, though recession fears may limit further losses ahead of key US economic data releases. Fed hawkishness may cap gains. CoinDesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, fell 0.72% in the past 24 hours, while Bitcoin and Ether dropped 0.19% and 1.07%, respectively. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is PENGU, rising by 27.5%, following Pudgy Penguins' recent expansion into multiple industries and their celebration of World Penguin Day.

Pudgy Penguins (PENGU), launched in July 2021, is a popular NFT collection known for its cute artwork. It has expanded into physical products like toys, generating over $10 million in sales, and the collection now holds a market cap of over $1.19 billion. Pudgy Penguins and $PENGU were recently 

 as a fitspo in Wisdom Kaye's content, marking a major milestone for their influence across industries. Additionally, last Saturday, the brand celebrated 

, highlighting its continued growth and impact beyond the NFT space. This showcases Pudgy Penguins' expanding presence and reach in multiple sectors.

Check out the latest prices, charts, and data of 

 a new US dollar-backed stablecoin product for businesses outside the U.S., U.K., and Europe, aiming to expand the dollar's global footprint. This follows Stripe's acquisition of Bridge, a stablecoin payment network, which competes with the SWIFT system. Stripe has a history with crypto and recently introduced stablecoin payments in over 70 countries. The company sees this new product as a decade-long ambition, with the stablecoin market growing significantly in 2025.

BTC spot ETFs saw $3.06B of net inflows for the week ending 25 April 2025, with $2.97B from non-GBTC products and $94M from GBTC. Since inception, ETFs have accumulated $38.4B in net flows, with non-GBTC products contributing $61.1B and GBTC seeing $22.7B of outflows.

GiveRep, a decentralized reputation protocol on Sui, has 

 a points program where users can earn Reputation Points by tweeting about GiveRep and its Loyalty projects to qualify for an upcoming airdrop. A minimum of 100 X (Twitter) followers is required, and participants may also earn bonus airdrops from partner projects.

Beginner

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Stripe launches testing for global stablecoin payments after Bridge acquisition

Initia is a blockchain ecosystem that unifies Layer 1 security with customizable Layer 2 rollups through its Interwoven Stack architecture. Learn more here.

 ecosystem forces developers to choose between security and customization, while fragmenting liquidity across isolated chains. Enter Initia (INIT), a groundbreaking protocol that reimagines blockchain architecture by seamlessly integrating 

This article examines Initia's Interwoven Stack architecture, its innovative economic features and the INIT token's utility and distribution, and considers whether this ambitious ecosystem redesign represents a promising investment opportunity following its recent mainnet launch.

 is a blockchain ecosystem that unifies Layer 1 security with customizable Layer 2 rollups through its Interwoven Stack architecture, enabling developers to build specialized application chains without sacrificing interoperability or liquidity or requiring deep infrastructure expertise.

Initia emerged in 2022 when Stanford Liu and Ezaan "Zon" Mangalji left Terraform Labs to tackle blockchain's fragmentation challenges. They later added ecosystem lead OmniscientAsian from Sino Global Capital to help create a more streamlined blockchain infrastructure.

The project quickly gained investor backing, starting with Binance Labs' pre-seed funding in October 2023. This was followed by a $7.5 million seed round led by Delphi Digital and Hack VC, then a $2.5 million community round and a $14 million Series A that valued Initia at $350 million by late 2024.

Initia aims to eliminate the traditional security/customization trade-off in blockchain by creating a unified ecosystem that allows both to coexist. By establishing a central hub for all rollups, the project combines the advantages of monolithic security with the flexibility of modularity, thereby eliminating the fragmentation that currently plagues blockchain systems.

The platform's integrated stack simplifies blockchain development with pre-built solutions that work together seamlessly. Users benefit from Initia's Universal Accounts system, which provides a consistent experience across all connected chains, eliminating the need for multiple wallets or managing different tokens for gas fees.

By introducing economic alignment mechanisms such as the 

, Initia creates an environment in which developers can focus solely on innovation in their applications. This shift away from infrastructure concerns toward product development aims to enhance capital efficiency and drive broader adoption of blockchain.

Initia fuses Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) technologies into a unified architecture with three distinct components. The foundation is Initia L1, built on Cosmos SDK, which functions as the orchestration layer. This base provides security, governance and interoperability.

Above this foundation, Interwoven Rollups (Minitias) provide developers with customizable Layer 2 environments, allowing them to select their preferred virtual machine (

, Move or Wasm), define unique gas token systems and implement specialized transaction ordering mechanisms. 

Binding everything together is the Interwoven Stack, a comprehensive framework that provides all necessary tools for building and deploying rollups without requiring developers to source and integrate disparate components.

The system leverages optimistic rollups through the OPinit Stack to achieve remarkable transaction speeds (up to 10,000 

) while maintaining security. Transactions processed via L2 rollups are submitted to Initia’s L1 for finalization, with data availability secured through 

Initia provides the following core features that work together to simplify development and unify the blockchain ecosystem.

Initia L1 serves as the foundational layer and central coordination hub for the entire ecosystem. Built on the Cosmos SDK with CometBFT and MoveVM, it provides essential services, including network security, governance mechanisms and liquidity solutions through InitiaDEX.

 (also known as Minitias) are flexible Layer 2 blockchains built on top of Initia L1. These rollups rely on the orchestration layer for security and data settlement, operating without native 

 while enabling advanced rollup functionalities.

Developers can customize their rollups by selecting from multiple virtual machines and defining their own gas token and fee structure. This flexibility enables application-specific optimizations and economic models, at the same time maintaining seamless interoperability within the broader Initia ecosystem.

The Interwoven Stack is Initia's comprehensive, all-in-one solution, designed to empower developers in building and deploying rollups with unmatched ease. Instead of requiring developers to research and piece together numerous components — such as wallets, explorers and 

 — the Stack provides everything needed right out of the box.

At the core of this framework is OPinit Stack, designed exclusively for optimistic rollups within the Cosmos ecosystem. It includes mechanisms for fraudproofs and rollback capabilities and supports multiple virtual machines, which allows developers to focus solely on building their applications, rather than configuring complex infrastructure.

The Vested Interest Program (VIP) is Initia's novel incentive alignment mechanism that’s designed to address common issues in multi-rollup ecosystems. It addresses the misalignment of incentives for high-activity 

 (DApps), the economic underutilization of the native token and the inefficient distribution of protocol-level incentives.

VIP programmatically rewards valuable economic activities by allocating INIT tokens to rollups that create innovative applications, and to users who perform beneficial actions. This approach ensures that rollup teams, users and token holders all share aligned interests in the ecosystem's long-term success.

 (DEX) built on the Initia L1, functioning as the central liquidity hub for all Interwoven Rollups. It features Balancer-style weighted pools for diverse asset pairs, and 

 pools for assets with closely correlated prices, ensuring an optimal trading experience.

Enshrined Liquidity is Initia's solution to the traditional dilemma in 

 (PoS) systems, whereby token holders must choose between either staking for security or providing liquidity. It allows governance-whitelisted InitiaDEX liquidity positions (INIT-TOKEN pairs) to function as staking assets alongside the native INIT token.

Users can earn both staking rewards and trading fees from a single position, dramatically improving capital efficiency. To qualify, LP tokens must include INIT as part of the pair (with at least 50% weight for Balancer pools) and receive 

 approval, which also determines reward weight distribution among all whitelisted tokens.

Minitswap eliminates the days-long waiting periods typically required by optimistic bridges when moving assets from rollups to Layer 1s. Users can instantly swap their rollup tokens for L1 assets through liquid trading pairs, creating a frictionless experience for asset transfers throughout the Initia ecosystem.

 offers a unified interface for managing assets across multiple rollups, thereby facilitating cross-chain transfers and accessing DApps. By abstracting multichain complexity into a single interface, users can navigate the entire Initia ecosystem without confronting technical barriers or fragmented experiences.

Initia's bridge technology enables secure token transfers between Initia L1 and rollups using an optimistic bridge model. The OPinit Bridge leverages Cosmos SDK modules, and operates through two key components that work in tandem to ensure system integrity.

The Executor handles token movements, output submissions and data relay, while the Challenger monitors for invalid proposals and provides security oversight. This balanced architecture delivers verifiable cross-chain communication that maintains the integrity of both L1 and L2 chains while enabling reliable asset transfers throughout the Initia ecosystem.

Initia reached a major milestone with its successful mainnet launch on Apr 24, 2025. Before then, the project had completed several critical developments, including the MiniEVM and MiniMove frameworks, the deployment of InitiaDEX and the implementation of the innovative Vested Interest Program.

The immediate post-launch phase is focusing on expanding the ecosystem by onboarding strategic partner projects across 

 and enterprise sectors. This expansion demonstrates Initia's versatility as it builds a network of interconnected Interwoven Rollups that leverage the platform's unified infrastructure.

The INIT airdrop will distribute 50 million tokens, representing 5% of the total supply, to early supporters and community members. This allocation is strategically divided across three main categories: testnet participants (89.46%), social contributors (6.04%) and Interwoven Stack partners (4.50%).

The largest portion (44.7 million INIT) is being designated for the 194,294 users who participated in Initia's public testnet campaigns, particularly those who engaged with interactive 

 activities. Additional allocations target users from partner ecosystems, including LayerZero, IBC and milkTIA holders.

Following the mainnet launch on Apr 24, 2025, eligible participants will have a 30-day claim window to secure their tokens. This airdrop serves as both a community-building initiative and a strategic token distribution to those most likely to contribute to the ecosystem's growth.

INIT is the native token of the Initia ecosystem, with a fixed total supply of 1 billion. Initial circulating supply at launch was 148.75 million INIT, representing 14.88% of the total supply. The token’s distribution is strategically designed to ensure long-term sustainability and broad community engagement.

INIT enables staking to secure the network, powers governance decisions for protocol changes, facilitates cross-rollup operations between different Minitias and provides liquidity through InitiaDEX. This utility-driven model ties INIT's value directly to ecosystem activity and adoption.

Looking to trade Initia tokens? Bybit now offers the INITUSDT Perpetual contract following the recent mainnet launch. To get started, you'll need to create a Bybit account, fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

While Initia represents a groundbreaking approach to blockchain scalability through its interwoven architecture and unified liquidity model, investors must carefully weigh its significant growth potential against relevant risk factors.

Initia shows promising potential with its comprehensive ecosystem approach and significant financial backing. In addition, growing demand for scalable blockchain infrastructure that doesn't sacrifice security or customization provides a favorable market environment. However, potential investors should 

 and consider their individual risk tolerance.

Initia revolutionizes blockchain architecture by creating a multichain environment in which thousands of appchains can coexist harmoniously through modularity and orchestration. With established financial backing and over 16 appchains already onboarded at mainnet launch, Initia could transform the way blockchain applications are built, deployed and interconnected.

Intermediate

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Initia (INIT): The Interwoven Stack behind scalable rollups

Apr 28, 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 — US-Sino trade conflicts cool down

China is considering suspending its 125% tariff on certain US imports, including medical equipment and industrial chemicals like ethane, due to the economic impact of the trade war. Discussions are also underway to waive tariffs on aircraft leases, which are financially burdensome for airlines.

This potential move has boosted investor optimism, with Asian shares rising and the yuan recovering losses. Analysts view this as a step toward de-escalation, although significant differences between the US and China remain.

The proposed exemptions align with recent US tariff exclusions on electronics, highlighting the intertwined nature of the two economies. Chinese companies reliant on US goods, such as advanced medical equipment and ethane, have reported some shipments arriving without tariffs.

While the list of potential exemptions is still being finalized, authorities have requested companies submit customs codes for necessary goods. Reports suggest China may also waive tariffs on at least eight semiconductor-related products, excluding memory chips, which could impact companies such as Micron Technology.

Overall, while investor interest grows, relations between the two nations still face challenges, with China demanding the US revoke unilateral tariffs before resuming trade talks.

Traders have heavily invested in Cantor Equity Partners Inc, a blank-check company merging with Twenty One Capital Inc., which is backed by Tether, Bitfinex and SoftBank. Since the April 22 merger announcement, Cantor's stock has surged 197%, closing at $31.50 on Friday.

The merger includes a convertible debt offering, potentially leading to a market capitalization of about $12 billion that would far exceed the estimated $4 billion value of the Bitcoin it’s expected to hold. This would reflect strong demand for crypto-related investments.

Analysts note that investing in such vehicles is akin to betting on Bitcoin's growth. Public special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) shareholders are projected to own 2.7% of the new company, while major stakeholders like Tether and SoftBank will have substantial shares. Overall, the market is optimistic about this collaboration in the digital asset space.

Advanced

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Weekly Institutional Insights: Trade conflicts cool down as crypto SPAC sees popularity

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.

At the start of the week, Bitcoin showed signs of decoupling from US equities. However, US president Trump's positive remarks about the US-China trade war (which had included a 145% tariff on Chinese goods) triggered a relief rally across markets. As a result, BTC has resumed moving up with US equities. 

This rally has led to a rise in short-tenor implied volatility and a recovery in BTC’s put-call skew, indicating that traders are seeking upside exposure.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

Perp open interest rises across the board

Perpetual open interest increased significantly this week across various tokens, especially ETH. Perpetual trading volumes also rose. Notably, Ap 7, 2025 recorded the highest trade volume of the month, following Trump's comment, "Forget markets for a second, we have all the advantages."

BTC option open interest shows a mixed picture; put-call skew in short tenor sends positive signals

President Trump’s recent willingness to negotiate a trade deal with China’s President Xi triggered a relief rally across asset classes, including crypto. Bitcoin had already risen 7% since Apr 21, 2025, prior to Trump's comments. Despite this rally, open interest in puts has outpaced calls, with options volume remaining relatively balanced. 

It's unclear if the demand for puts reflects a hedge against downside risks, or a bet against the upward movement. Meanwhile, perpetual funding rates are providing limited insight into sentiment. However, the recovery of the put-call skew at short tenors indicates that traders are seeking upside exposure to the rally — and are willing to pay for it.

ETH unexpectedly outperforms BTC in this relief rally

ETH's response to the recent crypto market recovery has diverged from previous trends: it outperformed BTC in spot prices, a rarity in past rallies, and open interest in calls exceeds that in puts — opposite to BTC's trend. In addition, ETH call open interest is nearly double that of puts, with calls dominating options volumes. This suggests traders anticipate ETH will reduce its significant underperformance against both BTC and other “ETH killers” like SUI and SOL. Additionally, the spot rally has led to another term structure inversion for ETH.

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Bybit X Block Scholes crypto derivatives analytics report (Apr 24, 2025): Put-call skew recovers at short tenors, showing reviving sentiment

Memes

Altcoins

Floki Inu is a dog-themed crypto that runs on both the Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain (BSC) blockchains. While it started as a meme, it has evolved into a whole ecosystem.

floki-ecosystem.png

In June 2021, Elon Musk tweeted that he would be naming his pet Shiba Inu “Floki.” This led to the birth of the Floki Inu coin. Floki Inu, now known simply as Floki, may have had its beginnings as a dog-memed currency, much like 

, but a closer look reveals that it’s so much more than that. 

 in giving utility and even charitability to its ecosystem. Its creators see it as a movement, rather than just a meme coin. Floki’s vision of building schools in less developed countries has already led to the construction of several schools in Laos and Nigeria. Additionally, Floki continuously strives to expand its ecosystem and spread its influence, 

 as one of the top meme coins to buy in 2023.

FLOKI is the utility token that drives the entire community-owned 

 compliant token, FLOKI is a multi-chain coin that runs on both the 

 and BNB Smart Chain (BSC) blockchains. Users can easily perform a 1:1 FLOKI swap between the two chains via top centralized exchanges such as Bybit. 

FLOKI is a hyperdeflationary coin with an auto-burn mechanism. Its liquidity is locked in both the Ethereum and BSC blockchains for 265 years each. FLOKI’s maximum supply is set at 10 trillion tokens. ​​However, 5.1 trillion non-circulating tokens were burned on the main Floki cross-chain bridge in February 2023, with the bridge closed to prevent it from DeFi attacks. 

Interestingly, there’s a tax on buying and selling FLOKI, although it doesn’t apply to the bridging of the token between the two networks. Floki Inu asserts that the tax goes to the Floki Inu treasury. The treasury funds are used to develop the ecosystem, and to promote FLOKI for wider adoption. In February 2023, the tax was lowered from 3% to 0.3% through a unanimous vote by the Floki DAO.

Floki’s first project is a NFT metaverse game called 

 (the “heaven” for Vikings when they die), created in 2021 when the NFT gaming metaverse was all the rage. 

 is a play-to-earn game with rewards distributed based on participation, and gamers have full ownership of the FLOKI tokens earned in the game. FLOKI tokens serve as the in-game currency, and can be used to purchase assets in the game. 

FlokiFi is Floki’s DeFi service. The inaugural offering in its suite of financial products, FlokiFi Locker, allows users to securely lock and vest not only tokens but also NFTs, thanks to its robust ERC-1155 multi-token standard. Notably, it’s the only locker in the market that empowers users to lock multiple assets within a single transaction. FlokiFi supports 12 EVM-compatible chains, including Arbitrum, Dogechain and Evmos.

Floki Inu has three NFT collections — Flokitars, Diamond Hands Genesis and Floki Gemstone — with varying attributes, though Flokitars and Diamond Hands are primarily used for Floki’s 

 game. The Gemstone NFT use cases are more varied, and can be applied in various Floki Inu products, such as FlokiFi and the prepaid Floki Card.

 with an NFT and merchandise marketplace. The FlokiPlaces NFT & Merchandise Marketplace will foster the sale of NFTs and other Floki-themed merchandise. Beyond entering the NFT space, this move looks to establish FLOKI as a payment alternative to 

, Dogecoin — and even the U.S. dollar. 

The prepaid Floki Card is a Visa/Mastercard debit card that offers FLOKI holders the ability to offload their FLOKI tokens and other popular cryptocurrencies onto the card. They can then use the funded card to pay for goods and services at millions of merchants worldwide. Of each transaction, 1% goes to buying and burning FLOKI tokens, adding to the hyperdeflationary effect of the token.

Floki Inu also aims to educate the ever-growing audience on crypto through its uniquely constructed metaverse university, while boosting awareness of the Floki Inu ecosystem. While most of the curriculum will be free to all to drive the learning of crypto worldwide, certain specialty courses might require the use of FLOKI tokens. 

Most meme coins have no real use cases, as they’re highly speculative in nature. FLOKI stands apart from other meme coins with its numerous use cases. First, within the Floki Inu ecosystem itself, NFTs and metaverse gaming are a high-potential opportunity for the token. Its FlokiFi release in July 2022 and prepaid card in April 2023 have also boosted its utility. Originally created to exist only within the Floki Inu ecosystem, FLOKI may now offer real-world utility. 

Floki Inu has partnered with NOWPayments, a cryptocurrency payment gateway that allows businesses to seamlessly accept FLOKI on their websites. You can also use FLOKI to buy physical goods in not just one but two digital marketplaces, CryptoCart and Curate (XCUR).

As of Oct 25, 2023, FLOKI is priced at $0.000025, 92.44% lower than its ATH of 

$0.0003 on Nov 4, 2021, but a whopping 30,000% above its lowest price of $0.00000008, recorded on Jul 6, 2021. 

Despite an incredible jump from July 2021 to its current price, it’s highly improbable that Floki Inu will ever reach $0.01, much less $1, due to the tremendous supply of FLOKI. 

However, as a hyperdeflationary coin, its demand may rise as its supply falls. Floki has been actively adding perpetual deflationary mechanisms to its token, such as its FlokiFi product, in which 25% of each transaction goes to buying and burning FLOKI. Floki’s latest offering, the prepaid Floki Card, also contributes 1% of its 3.75% top-up fee to FLOKI buyback and burns. Additionally, Floki has just permanently burned 5.1 trillion of its non-circulating token supply in February 2023. Following this burn, among the largest in the crypto scene, Floki’s price temporarily spiked to $0.000056, though it’s since retreated to the $0.00002 level.

Price analysts are conservatively bullish on FLOKI, with DigitalCoinPrice 

, PricePrediction holds a less favorable outlook, with a maximum price prediction of $0.00002 in 2025 and $0.00013 in 2030.

Adept traders in the market understand that meme coins are highly volatile, so they stay as far away from them as possible. The reason isn’t far-fetched: Meme coins are driven by the community, with no real use cases. Hence, their value can plunge if the community disperses. Floki Inu, however, has proved itself to be more than just a meme coin, with growing uses within its ecosystem and even in the real world.

Furthermore, its community has only been growing, and Floki is constantly building robust utility and partnerships. Its partners include blockchain security giant CertiK and leading crypto market maker Wintermute. It’s also launched a television campaign in the U.S. and Turkey, as well as partnering with Formula 1 team Alfa Romeo, bolstering its exposure to millions. With such strong strategic allegiances and invested efforts in branding, Floki Inu's potential as an investment could be much higher than that of typical meme coins. Its trajectory points toward a future where it transcends its origins.

While volatility remains a factor, the foundation laid by Floki Inu's team suggests potential for sustained growth and stability, making FLOKI an intriguing prospect for investors with an appetite for calculated risk. That said, it’s always imperative to 

 before choosing to invest in altcoins. 

Both the Floki and Shiba Inu tokens were born from Dogecoin. Alongside other Shiba Inu-inspired tokens, Shiba Inu was created to mirror the successes of Doge while killing off Dogecoin. Very little has been achieved in this regard — but let’s take a look at how the two most popular Shiba Inu tokens compare.

There are three ways to purchase the FLOKI token. You can buy it from a centralized exchange such as Bybit, purchase it through a credit card or buy it on DEXs such as 

. To buy FLOKI on Bybit, you’ll first need to sign up for an account and fund it with USDT. Then, you can purchase FLOKI as a Spot pair (

Floki Inu has proven time and again that it’s more than just a meme coin. As a token, FLOKI can already be used not just within the Floki Inu ecosystem, but even out in the real world. Its charitable movement, strong partnerships with leading crypto firms and markets, and extraordinary marketing efforts all accentuate its determination to be a household currency all around the world. As its projects mature and FLOKI’s utility continues to grow, Floki may just have the potential to outshine all the other dog-themed coins on the market.

What Is Floki Inu: More Than a Musk-Inspired Meme Coin

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What Is Floki Inu: More Than a Musk-Inspired Meme Coin

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