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

Blockchain

web3

Proof of Stake is different from Proof of Work in its mining mechanism, safety & energy consumption. Find out more about their key differences here.

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Privacy and security have always been a ground for debates in the crypto industry. Hence, the foundation of a consensus mechanism in the

So, to help you understand the differences between Proof of Stake and Proof of Work better, we’ll be highlighting the dissimilarities. That includes the mining mechanism, transaction verifications, safety, and more.

 is an upgraded consensus algorithm primarily to solve problems the current Proof-of-Work is facing, including high electricity costs and security issues. Though both of these algorithms strive to solve the same problem, the process of reaching the goal is relatively different. 

The introduction of PoS is to eradicate the 

. As compared to Bitcoin’s PoW consensus, the PoS aims to stray away from the dependency on computer power to form a well-defined sequence of blocks. So, instead of miners competing against each other to complete a transaction on the network, there won’t be any competition to cherry-pick a person to add blocks.

Ultimately, PoS replace miners with validators to lock up a stake within a crypto ecosystem. Hence, these blocks are referred to as minted rather than mined.

 (DPoS) is a contemporary consensus mechanism to improve scalability without compromising the incentive structure built on the blockchain. Unlike the conventional PoS mechanism, DPoS allows users to earn rewards and rights for validating a transaction, putting blocks together, through coins staking.

So, if a user fails to verify a transaction, the block will be missed, and the reward is then accumulated for the next witness. In the end, the DPoS strives to boost the overall mechanism’s efficiency and build a more coherent ecosystem. 

The PoS algorithm is conceptualized based on the arbitrary election processes to select a node as a validator for the next block. Unlike PoW, there won’t be any mathematical puzzles to solve to validate a block in exchange for rewards. Hence, mitigating the energy-intensive mining process.

On the contrary, the PoS system rewards the validators through a transaction fee. So, a user who participates in the forging process by staking a certain amount of coins into the network may get a chance to be picked for forging the next block. For example, if one participant staked five coins while someone else staked 50 coins; naturally, the chosen next block validator is always those with a higher total value staked. In the end, the more you stake, the higher chances you’ll be selected to be the next validator. 

However, the PoS consensus is criticized for its favoritism towards the wealthy. The most affluent will likely be selected by the system, whereas the poor will be discriminated against. Of course, this methodology 

 concerning the partiality led by an unjust system. Hence, the randomized block selection, a coin age selection, and fisherman system came into play to circumvent the flaws.

Here’s the breakdown of these unique integrations:

This methodology offers a sophisticated logic by combining the lowest hash value on a node with the largest stake size. The randomization helps regulate a healthy ecosystem within the PoS consensus and protect valuable block-forger that appends blockchain blocks.

On the other hand, this selection method relies on the period of the cryptocurrency has been staked. This methodology aims to provide an impartial PoS consensus and prevent the domination of larger staked nodes on the blockchain. That means whenever a node forges a block, the coin age will reset to zero, and there will be a cool-down period to forge a block again. 

Here’s how you calculate the coin age cool-down time:

For example, if you’ve staked only one coin for 20 days, the coin age is 20, and it’ll reset to zero until you can forge another block again.

The rules are different depending on each of the cryptocurrency using the Proof of Stake algorithm. Well, the fisherman approach is here to mitigate malicious activities against the validators. When a validator possessed a threat to the network, the validators could risk losing their funds. Besides, the validator can also be blacklisted from being a validator ever again.

However, if nodes decide to stop being a forger, they can withdraw all of the rewards and stakes. That means all of the blocks must be verified and confirm no engagement in any fraudulent activities.

This consensus mechanism was introduced by Satoshi Nakamoto alongside Bitcoin in a 

 back in 2008. As a fault-tolerance solution, PoW is used as a cryptocurrency protocol for generating new blocks while maintaining the network through the mining process. In exchange for rewards, miners need to maintain the network by solving intricate cryptographic problems. 

The implementation of PoW aims to decentralize transactions and to eradicate the possibility of double spend aka 51% attack. However, the occurrence remains inevitable. In fact, the attack has happened to 

multiple times. On top of that, the use of PoW is rather energy-consuming. To add on, the mining hardware for mining is relatively expensive to maintain the system. Hence, the scalability of this setup is questionable. 

Miners use the PoW protocol in the mining process. So, when someone send a Bitcoin from one to another, a block with a timestamp on the decentralized network will record the transaction. To validate the transaction, miners need to deploy computing power (

) to solve complex mathematical puzzles. To uphold the consensus, the majority of nodes have to agree that the problems have been solved. 

Proof of Stake vs. Proof of Work: The Differences

Today, blockchain technology is revered for being secure. But it doesn’t happen without the significant functions of the consensus mechanism. While both PoS and PoW are devised to tackle the blockchain hacks and frauds, they deviate from one another.

Here’s an overview of its differences: 

The Proof of Stake system is more efficient when comparing it with the PoW mining system. That’s because PoS does not require mining while miners require a colossal of energy to mine a PoW based cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.

With PoS, the mining power is distributed proportionally to the coins a miner holds. It is thereby limiting the mining percentage of a transaction through the ownership of a miner’s stake. So, let’s say a miner staked 10% of Bitcoin, the maximum blocks can be mined is capped at 10%. 

Bitcoin has always been the center of attention, including the energy it consumed. With Bitcoin’s PoW system using almost 0.21% of the world’s energy supply, Bitcoin mining is the least environmentally friendly digital asset. Besides, the competitive nature of Bitcoin mining means more computing power is required to sustain the ecosystem.

With the PoS system’s implementation, mining can be replaced with a minimal amount of energy to maintain the system. The upshot? The environment is restored, and the scalability is upheld via community involvement. 

The risk of centralization is one of the biggest concerns with the Proof of Work consensus algorithm. Since the PoW mining system is much more reserved for the majorities, this system’s transparency is obscured for the community. When PoW relies only on the majority, it’s moving towards the idea of centralization by granting the possibility of a network or transaction manipulation. 

Proof of Stake, on the other hand, provides a fairer solution through the distribution of authority within the holders and stakers. That means the network control is proportional to how much a participant invests. For example, participant A in PoS invests in 20 coins, and he’ll receive the same amount of power.

However, the same participant invests in 20 coins more than participant B; he’ll be receiving more computation power. As a result, PoS is more transparent since the network is more rigid as compared to PoW.

Proof of work on Bitcoin may be resilient to a specific attack. But it is vulnerable to potential security risks, including a 51% attack and system instability due to forking.

When a fork happens on a blockchain, the 

. Let’s say a blockchain is forked; miners would need to direct their mining power to the old and newly forked blockchain. Of course, hard-fork means to bring goods rather than harm. Still, splitting the mining power reduces a miner’s crypto mining rate.

However, Proof of Stake is more resilient towards a 51% attack. That’s because it’s even more expensive to execute this malicious attack on the PoS. Though it’s not entirely impossible, as long as the attackers can bear the drastically increased crypto price and gather enough power in a short amount of time.

Both the PoW and PoS reward cryptocurrency to the participants who can propose a valid block. However, the PoS system’s reward is proportional to how much a participant stake as collateral to verify a transaction. Still, the size and how long the crypto has been staked play a role in determining who gets to verify a transaction first.

Proof of Stake vs. Proof of Work: The Benefits 

Both of these consensus mechanisms are essential for blockchain. Still, the benefits are different, especially since both of these mechanisms serve another purpose. 

The PoS mechanism is beneficial for the environment as it is less reliant on electricity. Higher collateral requirements and heavier punishments towards a faulty block on PoS also result in a healthier ecosystem, and it’s more sustainable in the long-term. It also offers a fairer mining system with scalable transactions as compared with the PoW. Best of all? PoS steers away from the centralization idea by focusing on an individual’s coin ownership for control delegation.

Proof of Stake vs. Proof of Work: The Risks

Many cryptos are still using the Proof of Work consensus, including the titan Bitcoin and Ethereum. However, the Proof of Stake algorithm appears to be safer. That is because it’ll be even more costly to attack a transaction on PoS when comparing to PoW.

In fact, Ethereum 2.0 will be ready to launch with the Proof of Stake model wherein miners are referred to as block validators. Hence, providing a safe blockchain ecosystem for miners and investors. 

The majority of cryptocurrencies today are still using the Proof of Work algorithm, including Bitcoin. However, many cryptocurrencies are transitioning to the Proof of Stake algorithm. That gives different economic benefits to HODLers to run a master node or staking coins in exchange for rewards. Here are some of the cryptocurrencies that are using the PoS mechanism:

: The first Chinese open-source blockchain project allows more than one crypto-token to stake in NEO wallet. Participants earn rewards in the form of NeoGAS with approximately a 2% to 3% annual return rate.

: Staking STRAT in a Stratis wallet can earn you rewards with around 0.5% to 1% annual return rate. 

: It is a crypto coin that uses minimal hardware equipment to earn stake rewards. It doesn’t depend on the coin age concept used by other PoS crypto and is much resilient to stake attacks. The annual return rate is around 1.26%.

: Engaging the stakeholders in the network changes through a voting system. Tezos strives to fix governance issues, and stakeholders get staking rewards to keep the system running. The reward returns are around 6% annually. 

: Tron took off with its decentralized applications and the purchase of BitTorrent and Steemit. Earning passive income from TRX through staking will keep you with around 4% yearly interest. 

: The staking rewards are the highest, with approximately 8% annual return with Cosmos. Cosmos grew exponentially with over 100 projects worldwide, and even Binance uses their technology to build Binance Chain. 

What Is The Future of Blockchain’s Consensus? 

Though the Proof of Work has been a standard consensus algorithm for many cryptocurrency networks, the PoS consensus is here to revolutionize the existing protocol. The circulation of hybrid PoS and PoW may seem to be an excellent upgrade to compliment each other for their flaws. The adoption of the hybrid mechanism remains unknown. As technology continues to evolve, the blockchain would too. 

Proof of Stake vs. Proof of Work: Differences & Functions

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