Canary Capital has filed with the SEC to launch a U.S. Tron (TRX) ETF that would include staking benefits, allowing investors to earn extra yield. 

The S&P 500 futures fall 1.5% amid US-China trade concerns and Fed warning; over 100 companies will report earnings this week. Gold hit a record ~$3,375, up 1.43%, on safe-haven demand amid tariff and geopolitical worries. Fed hawkishness may cap gains. CoinDesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, rose 1.80% in the past 24 hours, while Bitcoin and Ether gained 2.70% and 3.41%, respectively. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is STX, up 9.4%, following the announcement of Stacks gaining institutional support with major exchange listings and custodian backing.

Stacks (STX), founded in 2013, is a cryptocurrency project that enhances the Bitcoin blockchain by enabling decentralized apps (DApps) and smart contracts without altering Bitcoin's features. It operates as a Bitcoin Layer 2 (L2) blockchain, ensuring security through Bitcoin while allowing developers to build modular applications on top of the network. 

 with its listing on top 15 exchanges, the launch of the Grayscale STX Trust, and support from top-tier custodians like BitGo, Copper, and Figment.

Check out the latest prices, charts, and data of 

Canary Capital has filed with the SEC to launch a U.S. Tron (TRX) ETF that would include staking benefits, allowing investors to earn extra yield. This proposal is part of a broader trend, with Canary also seeking approval for ETFs based on assets like XRP, Solana, and Sui. The fund would aim to provide exposure to Tron’s price, but the SEC has yet to approve staking in crypto ETFs. This move follows the success of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, which have attracted significant institutional interest.

During the week of April 14–18, 2025, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded a modest net inflow of $13.7 million, entirely from non-GBTC products, as GBTC saw no activity. Since inception, total net inflows have reached $35.5 billion, with non-GBTC ETFs contributing $58.3 billion and GBTC experiencing $22.8 billion in outflows.

Orochi Network airdrop participants can now 

 their earned $ON tokens on the Monad Testnet to increase their Bonus Level and earn rewards faster. A minimum of 50 ON is required for the first claim, and subsequent claims have no minimum. New users can still join by signing up and starting the Prover. Daily check-ins open at 6 AM UTC and fill up quickly.

Beginner

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Canary Capital files for SEC approval of Tron ETF with staking benefits

There are a total of five ways you can buy USDC on Bybit: via Bybit P2P, Bybit One-Click Buy, Auto-Invest, Bybit Card and Bybit Convert. Learn more here.

 that maintains a 1:1 value with the US dollar through full reserves held in regulated financial institutions. This stability makes USDC an attractive option for traders looking to participate in the crypto market with reduced price volatility.

In this guide, we’ll explore the multiple ways to buy USDC on Bybit, detailing five distinct purchasing methods tailored to different preferences. You'll also discover practical applications for your USDC holdings, from trading opportunities to payment solutions and investment strategies.

Whether you prefer trading directly with other users or making quick purchases with a credit card, there's an option for you. Let's examine each method in detail.

 allows individuals and businesses to buy and sell USDC via peer-to-peer mode without intermediaries. You simply transact with another trader to purchase or sell your crypto with zero fees.

There are two main parties on the P2P platform — makers and takers. Makers place ads for buying or selling cryptocurrency, while takers are the users who place orders through the existing ads created by makers. Neither makers nor takers pay any fees on completed orders.

If you decide to go the P2P route to buy your USDC, you can either place a buy ad as a maker, or select an existing offer as a taker. Placing ads is completely free, although specific trading activity requirements exist. If you're a beginning trader on the platform, and want the easiest way to purchase USDC, selecting an offer from an existing ad as a taker is probably the preferred route.

If you need to trade USDC in large volumes (typically tens or hundreds of thousands of USDC per transaction), you may also choose to consider 

, which offers high order limits — up to $200,000 per order — as well as expedited transaction processing.

 feature to complete your USDC order efficiently. HotSwap combines offers from P2P traders with liquidity options from third parties, potentially delivering more choices and options.

Steps for buying USDC via the standard P2P option

2. How to buy USDC via Bybit One-Click Buy

The One-Click Buy service lets you quickly purchase crypto using several supported payment modes: P2P, bank card payments, third-party payments and your account's fiat balance. You can use a credit or debit card (including the Mastercard-powered 

), bank transfers, Apple Pay, Google Pay and other payment methods.

 is another way to purchase USDC on Bybit. The Auto-Invest option allows you to automatically buy crypto at regular intervals using the popular 

Bybit Card is a Mastercard crypto debit card that allows you to make online payments. The card is available to users in specific regions — EEA and CH, AIFC, Australia, Brazil and Argentina — with more locations to be added in the future. It's accepted by more than 90 million merchants within the Mastercard network. Upon successfully applying for your Bybit Card, you may proceed to 

 while you order and wait for your physical card to arrive. 

It's easy to buy USDC using the Bybit Card, as you enjoy reward features like loyalty points and cashback for USDC transactions. The steps for buying USDC using the Bybit Card are nearly the same as shown above in the One-Click Buy section, the only difference being that you'll need to specify your Bybit Card as the preferred payment method.

 lets you easily swap crypto assets without directly trading through the P2P route or other channels. Using Bybit's order books, the platform matches your order with current suitable orders and executes the requested swap. By leveraging Bybit's vast trading volumes and activity, Bybit Convert enables swift and efficient swaps.

If you have non-USDC crypto funds in your account, you can take advantage of the 

 function to buy the stablecoin as follows:

Steps to for buying USDC via Bybit Convert

USDC is more than just a stablecoin for trading; it offers various applications within and beyond the Bybit ecosystem.

USDC serves as a reliable base currency for trading various cryptocurrencies on Bybit.

Trading with USDC helps mitigate volatility risks between trades, as its value remains stable at approximately $1, allowing traders to preserve capital during market downturns.

USDC has emerged as a popular payment method due to its stability and wide acceptance.

Platforms on which users can make USDC payments include Travala for travel bookings, Newegg for electronics, and various crypto-friendly merchants via payment processors, such as BitPay and Coinbase Commerce.

USDC offers various investment opportunities on Bybit and beyond.

The benefit of investing with USDC is that your principal amount remains stable while generating returns, which is particularly attractive in volatile market conditions.

USDC combines dollar stability with digital efficiency on the Bybit platform. This guide has detailed five ways to purchase USDC, and explored its versatile applications for trading, payments and investing. Armed with this knowledge, you can confidently navigate Bybit's ecosystem and make the most of what USDC has to offer.

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A complete guide on how to buy USDC on Bybit

Apr 21, 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 — Trump wants to fire Powell? 

US president Donald Trump is actively considering firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, following Trump's public criticism of Powell for not moving quickly enough to reduce interest rates. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett confirmed that the administration is examining this option, suggesting that Powell's actions have politically favored Democrats. Hassett argued that the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates shortly after Trump took office was intended to undermine the economic impact of the tax cuts implemented during his administration, which were deemed inflationary. He further criticized the Fed for not addressing inflation concerns stemming from federal spending under President Biden, implying a lack of accountability.

During a recent press conference, Trump conveyed his dissatisfaction with Powell, asserting that if he wanted to remove him, it could happen "real fast." While he did not explicitly state his intention to dismiss Powell, his remarks highlighted the growing tensions between the White House and the Federal Reserve regarding monetary policy. Hassett defended Trump's frustrations, advocating for a focus on economic policy rather than interpersonal conflicts. This situation underscores the complex dynamics between the executive branch and the central bank, as Trump navigates economic challenges leading up to the next election.

Weekly crypto highlight — XRP ETF coming

HashKey Capital has officially launched the HashKey XRP Tracker Fund, marking the first investment fund in Asia designed specifically to track the performance of XRP, the digital asset integral to Ripple's global payment ecosystem. This fund is aimed at professional investors and offers a unique opportunity to gain exposure to XRP without the complexities of direct asset management. Investors can subscribe through cash and in-kind options, with the fund providing monthly liquidity.

Ripple, as an early backer of the fund, is looking to enhance its strategic partnership with HashKey Capital, which already manages Hong Kong–listed spot ETFs for Bitcoin and Ethereum. This collaboration not only solidifies Ripple's presence in the Asian market, but also opens avenues for future financial products, such as the potential tokenization of a money market fund on the XRP Ledger. Fiona Murray, Ripple's Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific region, highlighted that this partnership is part of a broader strategy to introduce more regulated cryptocurrency products for institutional investors in the region, aiming to foster a more robust crypto landscape in Asia.

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Weekly Institutional Insights: Trump’s desire to fire Powell might induce volatility; XRP ETF coming

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has approved a new Ethereum ETF with staking capabilities, allowing institutional investors to earn staking rewards.

Daily top performer — Pyth Network (PYTH)

The S&P 500 dropped 1.5% to 5,282.70 this week, down 5.9% in April and 10% year-to-date, led by tech losses. Real estate and energy outperformed, while political pressure on Fed Chair Powell and inflation concerns weighed on sentiment. Gold dipped 0.6% to $3,319 after a record high, as Powell’s stagflation warning tempered its rally. Despite the pullback, the uptrend remains intact. The Coindesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, are up by 0.77%, with Bitcoin and Ether rising 0.64% and 0.72%, respectively, over the past 24 hours. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is PYTH, up 10.1%, following the launch of Pyth Entropy for secure on-chain random number generation by Soneium.

Pyth Network (PYTH),  is a blockchain oracle system that delivers real-time crypto price data to blockchains, enabling smart contracts to react to market changes. Soneium 

 Pyth Entropy, a tool for securely generating random numbers on-chain. Two apps, HandsNFT AI and 2p2e, are already utilizing Pyth Entropy to create unpredictable and engaging experiences.

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has approved a new Ethereum ETF with staking capabilities, allowing institutional investors to earn staking rewards. This approval follows recent changes to local laws, with China Asset Management (ChinaAMC) partnering with OSL Digital Securities to launch the ETF by May 15. The ETF will offer exposure to Ethereum staking, transforming it from a passive investment into an active participant in the Ethereum network. The staking process is powered by Kiln, with OSL providing custody and insurance services. The rewards will contribute to the ETF's net asset value, benefiting shareholders.

Yesterday, Bitcoin spot ETFs saw $25.9M in inflows, all from non-GBTC funds, while GBTC recorded no flow.

" and a points campaign called Drops, where users can earn points—potentially leading to an airdrop—by engaging with Linera content on X. To join, sign up on 

, complete tasks like joining Discord and interacting on X, then enter the campaign. Keep engaging to earn more points, but avoid spamming.

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Hong Kong approves Ethereum ETF with staking rewards, boosting institutional participation

web3

Altcoins

Explainers

Steem (STEEM) is a blockchain platform designed specifically for decentralized social media apps. Its most popular app is Steemit, a microblogging social network that rewards users for by posting and liking content.

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Blockchain-based social media is one of the most promising yet underutilized niches within the crypto industry. Faced with competition from Web 2.0 social giants like Facebook, X, Reddit and Instagram, SocialFi (Social Finance) and other 

 have maintained a low profile during the decade-plus social media revolution. Recent developments in the niche, however, have led to growing interest in the decentralized social media concept. Among the old-time leaders of this promising category is Steem, a blockchain platform built purposely for decentralized social applications.

 is a blockchain designed to host and power the growth of decentralized social media apps. 

Developers can build and launch Steem-based decentralized applications (

) that help users monetize their social content. Steem accounts can earn crypto rewards by producing content and even by upvoting (i.e., “liking”) it.

Steem offers near-instant transaction processing and features zero gas fees. The fee-free nature of the platform is designed to encourage greater involvement of social media users, both on the consumer and content developer sides. Steem was launched in 2016 and is the oldest among the leading decentralized social platforms.

The Steem blockchain is based on a variation of the proof of stake (

) transaction validation model, delegated proof of stake (

, whereby users who stake funds on the platform delegate block validation responsibility to a select number of 

. Staking rewards generated by the validation process are allocated to the Steem rewards pool, a key feature used in the blockchain’s functional mechanism.

The platform’s rewards pool is central to the idea of rewarding social media users for their activity. Only 10% of the staking rewards in the pool are given to block validators, called Witnesses on Steem. In contrast, on most other blockchains, validators receive all or at least a significant proportion of the rewards.

Nearly two-thirds of the staking rewards (65%) go to social media users who engage in on-platform activity. Half of this amount (32.5%) is allotted to Authors, users who produce and publish content on Steem-based DApps. The other 32.5% is set aside for Curators, who upvote content produced by Authors.

Another 15% of the reward pool’s funds go to the holders of the SP token, which we’ll cover in a later section. In essence, this token gives additional upvoting power to its holders.

Finally, the remaining 10% is reserved for the Steem Proposals System, which is used via the Steem DAO to facilitate governance voting for various platform improvements and changes.

Smart Media Tokens (SMTs) are custom tokens that developers and content producers will be able to issue on Steem to power their specific apps or communities. Steem’s primary native coin is STEEM; we’ll cover more on this cryptocurrency later on. While STEEM can be used to enable most transactions on the network, SMTs can act as application-specific or community-specific assets. This is similar to the manner in which Ether (ETH) and DApp-specific

 tokens coexist on the Ethereum blockchain. 

While ETH, akin to STEEM, powers overall network activity, individual ERC-20 tokens, much like SMT tokens, serve as the main currencies within respective DApps.

SMTs are still at the stage of conceptual proposal and have yet to be implemented on Steem.

Blockchain developers with a focus in the social media domain are major beneficiaries of Steem’s functional model. The platform gives them the ability to develop DApps with built-in revenue-sharing models. Since Authors and Curators earn crypto rewards from their activity, a share of the revenue generated goes to the DApp developer, based on a preprogrammed distribution model.

Steem also makes DApp development easy thanks to the supported popular programming languages, as Steem DApps can be programmed using JavaScript and Python, two of the most widely used languages in the world of software development.

For ordinary social media users who don’t boast extensive armies of followers, Steem is a true gem: in addition to producing your own content, you can earn crypto rewards simply by upvoting. On the vast majority of other social media platforms, monetization opportunities are primarily limited to influencers who boast thousands or even millions of followers.

Entrepreneurs can also leverage Steem to grow their social communities and monetize content. Steem’s monetization scheme, which offers rewards for followers and not merely for influencers or content producers, fosters more active user base participation within Steem communities. A more engaged user base spells better opportunities to grow your brand via social media community management.

Monetizing your content is a breeze on Steem. While many brands often have to run paid ads on other social media networks to promote their content, Steem pays you crypto rewards for quality content.

Steemit is Steem blockchain’s primary social media DApp. It’s a blogging-style platform that publishers can use to monetize their content as it gets upvoted and rises in the rankings. Being the first and most popular app on the platform, Steemit is often confused with the Steem blockchain itself.

At some point, Steemit grew to be the SocialFi world’s most popular app. However, over the past few years, its popularity has declined somewhat. The arrival of new decentralized social platforms, including the recent surge of platforms like 

, New Bitcoin City and Stars Arena, has turned SocialFi into a much more competitive space.

Despite coming off its past popularity highs, Steemit remains one of the most prominent blockchain-based social media DApps, enjoying exceptionally high usage rates in South Korea.

eSteem (formerly Steem Mobile) is another long-timer on the Steem network. Launched in 2016, eSteem is a mobile app that lets users post content in the form of blogs and messages, and monetize it via Steem’s typical upvoting mechanism. While Steemit’s focus is on the desktop environment, eSteem is adapted toward mobile-friendly content and interaction.

DTube is Steem’s primary video content platform. Users can post video content and upvote other users’ content to earn crypto rewards. DTube’s overall functionality and user interface are near replicas of YouTube, the video giant of the Web 2.0 social media world. However, since DTube is blockchain-based, it has significant underlying differences from its much larger rival.

For starters, censorship on DTube is dependent upon its users' votes, while YouTube has been accused of some heavy-handed ideological censorship. Moreover, DTube has no ads, since no corporate entity owns the platform. In contrast, YouTube’s owner, Google Inc., is ubiquitously known for its voracious ad dollars appetite.

Utopian.io is a Steem DApp that lets software developers earn crypto rewards by contributing to an open-source project. Developers can contribute to open-source projects listed on Utopian.io by improving code, fixing bugs, creating useful libraries and more. What Steemit is to bloggers and DTube is to video publishers, Utopian.io is to software development enthusiasts.

Steem Monsters is a trading card game with elements of an RPG (role-playing game). As of early November 2023, the game is in development. Many of the in-game assets in Steem Monsters are based on 

. So far, this is the only Steem DApp, either launched or in development, that uses the NFT concept.

The Steem blockchain is powered by three cryptocurrencies: STEEM, Steem Power (SP) and Steem Dollar (SBD).

As already noted, STEEM is the platform’s main cryptocurrency and can be traded on exchanges. Users earn STEEM via content publishing and upvoting.

Besides acting as the platform’s main content monetization coin, STEEM is also used for 

. In order to participate in the block validation process, users need to stake their funds in STEEM, and staking rewards are also generated in STEEM. However, the actual rewards paid out from the Steem rewards pool for participating in content creation and curation involve two other crypto tokens, Steem Power (SP) and Steem Dollar (SBD).

STEEM is currently the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by 

Steem Power (SP) is a crypto token that can be used to increase your voting power on the Steem platform. It cannot be traded directly on exchanges. However, you can swap SP for STEEM, and vice versa.

The votes of SP token holders carry greater weight than the votes of other users on the blockchain. The more SP tokens you hold, the higher your upvoting weight. For instance, when an SP token holder upvotes a post on Steemit, the content piece has a higher chance of climbing in the overall rankings, which translates to higher visibility on the platform. The post’s author also receives more STEEM rewards because of the valuable vote from an SP holder.

Steem Power holders also receive 15% of the annual STEEM block rewards, another incentive engineered to encourage users to purchase these tokens.

 pegged to the U.S. dollar at a 1:1 ratio. While the market value of the STEEM coin fluctuates, SBD’s supply mechanism ensures that the USD peg is tightly maintained. This is achieved via a combination of STEEM and SBD printing and burning when the peg starts to deviate from the 1:1 ratio. As such, SBD is a classic example of an algorithmically maintained stablecoin. SBD is designed for Steem users who prefer a high degree of stability for the crypto assets they maintain on the platform.

The STEEM reward system for creators and curators may seem a tad confusing, so we’ll break it down here. Although STEEM is used as a common unit to calculate rewards on the platform, the actual crypto rewards are disbursed to users in a combination of SP and SBD. Users can choose to receive their rewards in one of two ways, either 50% in SP/50% in SBD or 100% in SP. It should be noted that STEEM operates an internal swap market where all three cryptos — STEEM, SP and SBD — can be traded with each other. Thus, after receiving your SP and SBD rewards, you can transfer them into the asset of your choice.

As of Nov 10, 2023, STEEM is trading at $0.31, a 96.23% decline from its all-time high of $8.19 on Jan 3, 2018 and a 329.98% increase from its all-time low of $0.072 on Mar 11, 2017.

Long-term price forecasts for STEEM are largely bullish.DigitalCoinPrice 

 to trade at $1.12 by 2025 and $3.23 by 2030, whilePricePrediction 

 to reach $0.55 by 2025 and $3.80 by 2030.

STEEM’s outlook is mostly positive, though some factors may pose challenges to the coin's growth trajectory. Factors that are likely to work in favor of the token include the following:

1. Steem has a unique social blockchain model, whereby ordinary social media users (and not only influencers or brands with the financial muscle to run ads) can monetize activities. This should encourage a broader base of social media users to utilize the platform.

2. Steem’s proposed Smart Media Tokens (SMTs) can potentially add great flexibility and value for users and influencers in the Steem ecosystem. It’s great to earn rewards in STEEM tokens, but earning rewards in your own branded token is so much sweeter! The added flexibility and opportunities for brand development are poised to further boost interest in the platform.

At the same time, it should be noted that Steem operates in the exhaustively opportunistic social media industry. Competition from resourceful Web 2/0 giants such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X and Reddit will always be a challenge that Steem has to confront.

The STEEM cryptocurrency can be purchased on Bybit via a 

 contract. If you don’t yet have an account with Bybit, you can seamlessly 

. A Bybit account lets you access crypto products and services, as well as Spot and Derivatives markets for hundreds of cryptocurrencies.

Steem’s blockchain-based network has unique features that let you earn crypto rewards through content publishing and upvoting. Such features are largely absent on other social media platforms. This reality has helped Steem survive the numerous crypto winters and market downturns since the platform was launched back in 2016.

The STEEM coin has been thoroughly time-tested and remains the fourth-largest cryptocurrency in the SocialFi niche. The proposed Smart Media Tokens have the potential to further solidify the platform’s standing within the niche. When social media users start looking for alternatives to the large Web 2.0 networks, Steem is — and very likely will remain — one of the first platforms they’ll consider. Without exaggeration, Steem is web3’s X, YouTube and Reddit, all in one.

Steem (STEEM): A New Era of Social Engagement

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