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

Bybit Learn

Bitcoin

Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions help with scaling by selecting the information they pass back and forth. Learn more about them here.

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Bitcoin's position as the most popular cryptocurrency can be both an advantage and a problem for it. The Bitcoin ecosystem is one of the most secure and dependable options available, but having so many people rely on the Bitcoin network can also lead to congestion. During busy times of day, transaction speeds slow and 

. One potential solution to this problem lies in Bitcoin Layer 2 technologies. Keep reading to find out how these scaling solutions work, and to discover the best current Bitcoin Layer 2 options.

A Bitcoin Layer 2 solution is a protocol that runs alongside the main Bitcoin chain. It improves Bitcoin's scalability, so the network can handle large amounts of transactions without a reduction in transaction speed or an increase in transaction prices.

How Does a Bitcoin Layer 2 Solution Work?

Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions are essentially independent blockchains that contain Bitcoin-compatible 

 and software. They have the ability to process transactions, just as the Bitcoin network does. A Layer 2 accepts and manages a variety of transactions, such as payments, trades and data storage. With Bitcoin, the Layer 2 system is connected to the main Bitcoin chain, so it passes the record of these transactions to Bitcoin and can pull data from Bitcoin when necessary. It runs alongside Bitcoin, and is constantly updating to stay in step with the main chain.

Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions help with scaling by being selective about the information they pass back and forth. Instead of processing every single transaction on Bitcoin, one at a time, a Bitcoin Layer 2 processes transactions off-chain and only sends essential information to the main Bitcoin chain. For example, a Bitcoin Layer 2 that handles payments might only store payment confirmations on Bitcoin, instead of using the network for every step of requesting, transferring and receiving the payment.

Some Layer 2s make transactions even more efficient by bundling together information and posting it on Bitcoin as a single block, as opposed to several individual statements. Others use special algorithms to encrypt and compress information into smaller transactions. These sorts of features reduce the computing power needed for multiple transactions, making the whole blockchain ecosystem more efficient.

Pros and Cons of Bitcoin Layer 2 Solutions

Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions are just one of many scaling options. Here's what you need to know about the pros and cons of Bitcoin Layer 2 designs.

Bitcoin Layer 2 networks come with the following advantages:

Bitcoin Layer 2 networks do have some potential downsides to be aware of, as follows:

As one of the earliest blockchains, Bitcoin is one of the networks that needs Layer 2s the most. The base Bitcoin chain is missing a lot of the functionality found in other systems, such as Ethereum or Solana. Many users believe that Layer 2s are one of the best ways of modernizing Bitcoin and expanding its utility. They add additional programming options and features that users need for modern web3 systems. This ensures that Bitcoin can maintain its position as the premier blockchain, instead of being ousted by other chains capable of running modern trends, such as 

The most obvious impact Bitcoin Layer 2 systems have on the main chain is their ability to handle congestion. Every time a Bitcoin Layer 2 goes online, it helps tackle some of the unnecessary transactions that Bitcoin would otherwise have to handle. This results in lower transaction fees and higher transaction speeds for everyone who still uses the main chain. Research estimates that Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions can 

To better understand what a Layer 2 has to offer the Bitcoin ecosystem, it's useful to take a look at some examples. Here are a few of the most popular current Bitcoin Layer 2 options in the blockchain ecosystem.

 is one of the most popular Bitcoin scaling solutions. It uses a method called channels to more efficiently process transactions off-chain. This strategy lets users communicate with each other through an individual connection. Each channel lets a person send as many transactions as they'd like, back and forth, with only the final results recorded on the main chain.

Lightning Network's ability to increase transaction throughput is a benefit that’s mostly utilized for payments. Therefore, security is essential. It uses 

 (HTLCs) and multi-signature transactions to help users transfer funds and process payments without running into security issues.

The design of Lightning Network has proven to be efficient, with a processing speed of around 1 million transactions per second (

), while Bitcoin only has a TPS of around 10. Furthermore, the transaction cost for users working on the Lightning Network is usually just $0.001. Especially during the Bitcoin price surge of late Feb 2024, Lightning Network's services have been extremely valuable. Since Bitcoin has recently reported over 100,000 extra transactions per day, Lightning Network's scaling solutions have saved users a lot of time and money.

, which runs on the Rootstock chain, is another popular option. Rootstock is inspired by Ethereum virtual machine (

) scaling solutions. It's a sidechain that uses a proof of work (

 to simultaneously mine both Bitcoin and Rootstock (RSK). As transactions are validated, Rootstock bundles them and sends them to Bitcoin to merge the two chains' histories.

Rootstock is only slightly faster than the main Bitcoin chain. Its bundling methods allow some scaling, but the PoW mining method still slows it down. It tends to have a TPS rate of around 20 to 300, which at times is just twice the speed of Bitcoin. The main benefit of Rootstock outside of slightly increased transaction speed is its in-depth set of smart contracts. Developers can use Rootstock and the Rootstock Infrastructure Framework for a variety of storage, payment and naming solutions. It also offers a variety of helpful integrated features, including a rollup service and a wallet for users.

The current interest in Bitcoin has led to a lot of opportunities for Rootstock. Though most people don't rely on it for fast transaction processing, Rootstock's system has attracted the attention of traders who like using DApps to handle their Bitcoin. 

Bitcoin's price spike has also been promising for Rootstock's native token, which is called Rootstock Smart Bitcoin (RBTC). When BTC prices began to climb on Feb 25, 2024, RBTC prices also took off. The coin is designed to match Bitcoin’s price one-to-one, so its price always mirrors that of BTC. For those who help to maintain Rootstock’s network security by mining RBTC, this price spike has been quite favorable.

Liquid Network is a Bitcoin sidechain. It operates in parallel with Bitcoin and aims to increase scalability by sharing the computing power load with Bitcoin. Liquid’s native token, Liquid Bitcoin (L-BTC), corresponds to Bitcoin in price and helps to back the network’s transactions with reliable collateral. Users swap their Bitcoin for Liquid Bitcoin, conduct as many transactions as they desire on the sidechain and then turn it back into regular Bitcoin.

Liquid Network specializes in secure, private transactions. Unlike some other Layer 2 systems, Liquid has special protocols in place to ensure users' transactions are confidential and entirely safe. It also has smart contract capabilities with features such as trustless 

 between users. Many people choose Liquid when they're working with large amounts of crypto or a high volume of transactions.

Liquid Network's scalability has been useful for investors during Bitcoin's price spike. Its network has a TPS roughly double that of Bitcoin, but its real value is in the size of the transactions it can handle. Since it posts far more blocks per hour than Bitcoin, Liquid can handle vast sums of data. Up to 

 can be processed at a time, while Bitcoin can only handle around 450 vbytes per transaction. This makes Liquid ideal for busy times, when traders are buying and selling every few minutes to take advantage of minute price shifts, but don't want to pay pricey transaction costs.

 is a type of blockchain technology that relies on participation from community members known as Stackers, STX token holders who validate and approve blocks. The system’s proof of stake (

) system requires less computing power while still ensuring each block on the Stacks chain is valid. Stacks further scales Bitcoin by adding extra protocols to its blockchain. These smart contracts help to manage complex transactions off-chain, so less data needs to be transmitted to Bitcoin’s network.

Stacks is one of the Bitcoin Layer 2 systems that aims to mimic the design of the Ethereum blockchain, which includes the ability to design projects that wouldn't be operable on Bitcoin. People can design web3 products with ease on Stacks, and the Layer 2 then translates the more complex language into simple transactions that Bitcoin's base chain can handle.

STX's recent price movements provide a unique look at how Bitcoin's prices affect related chains. The token doesn’t match Bitcoin's price one-to-one, but it still follows the same general price patterns as Bitcoin. After sitting at around $2.50 for a year, STX soared to $3.34 when Bitcoin's prices started trending upward in February 2024.

This community-driven project aims to tackle several Bitcoin issues at once. By running an additional layer of smart contracts alongside the Bitcoin blockchain, 

 can process transactions off-chain, which speeds up the main Bitcoin chain by moving several essential types of transactions off-chain. Conflux uses a 

 that provides PoW and PoS systems to obtain a transaction processing speed of 3,000 TPS.

Conflux is one of the most versatile Bitcoin Layer 2 networks. Its system is fully EVM-integrated, so it can handle a broad range of assets. In addition to using Conflux to scale Bitcoin, you can also use it for transferring assets between chains and minting a variety of 

 and ARC-20 tokens. This makes Conflux ideal for users who want to run 

 (DeFi) projects or work with complicated smart contracts.

Since the February 2024 price surge, Conflux has been able to support a lot of DApps running on Bitcoin. People who rely on the blockchain for assistance with daily tasks, such as running a DeFi app, often struggle with crypto trends randomly bogging down transaction throughput. Companies that choose to rely on Conflux's decentralized finance services have found they can keep running smoothly, no matter how high Bitcoin's price goes.

, which means it's a blockchain that started out identical to Bitcoin and then gradually differentiated as its creators added more features. To help with scalability, Drivechain has multiple large-block sidechains. These chains process larger blocks of data, so they can handle larger transactions than the main chain can. The system also uses a type of security mechanism called a 

 escrow, which allows users to maintain token value as they move between the mainchain and the Layer 2 network.

Drivechain was created by LayerTwo Labs with the mission of improving user experience (UX) and reducing public reliance on non-Bitcoin tokens. The focus is on adding extra functionality that makes the main network more straightforward to use. Drivechain's mission also involves more experimentation: the LayerTwo Labs team believes that Bitcoin has stagnated, and wants its forks to become a testing ground for new innovations.

The Drivechain design offers several benefits for users during Bitcoins' price spike. It features payment channels that boast instant transactions without high fees. These fast transaction speeds are ideal for users who are rushing to purchase Bitcoin at the optimal moment. Furthermore, Drivechain offers some additional privacy features that are helpful for users who want to take advantage of BTC prices without compromising their identities.

Omni Layer is an open-source asset platform created by 

. It functions as a meta-layer of software that runs on top of Bitcoin. Its smart contract capabilities allow users to access a variety of DApps on Bitcoin. Omni Layer can leverage Bitcoin's security and processing power while also expanding Bitcoin's utility. One of the most unique methods it employs is altering Bitcoin transaction metadata. After processing transactions on the Omni Layer, the system takes bundles of transaction data and adds them to Bitcoin transaction metadata. This allows information to be stored on the main chain without needing to actually validate every transaction on Bitcoin’s network.

Omni Layer has many potential uses in the Bitcoin community. Originally, it was used primarily for trading and creating cryptocurrencies. Users can create 

 and then trade them with other members. Since Omni Layer is connected to Tether, its most popular coin is the USDT stablecoin. Because this Bitcoin Layer 2 has both scaling and programming capabilities, it's popular with users who want to extend Bitcoin's functionality as a tradeable coin.

 for Omni Layer. However, due to the market demand for USDT, Omni Layer has still played an important role in the Bitcoin price surge of 2024. Users can continue to redeem coins on Omni Layer until August 2024. While the network was stagnating, the impressive BTC price boost has encouraged many users to rush to Omni Layer and make sure they redeem their assets before the deadline.

Rollkit is a Layer 2 that uses a special type of scaling solution called a 

, sovereign rollups don't involve processing all transactions off-chain. Instead, Rollkit uses a blend of both the Bitcoin main chain and its own proprietary software to bundle rollups. This provides better security than some types of zero-knowledge proofs, while also ensuring that transactions are processed at a faster rate.

The Rollkit scaling solution is relatively new to Bitcoin. It was initially a Layer 2 designed for the 

 blockchain. However, its ability to take multiple transactions and bundle them into a single, compressed transaction has also attracted attention from the Bitcoin chain. Therefore, its developers decided to retrofit their technology and create a version that could leverage Bitcoin's security for processing transactions and extend Bitcoin's functionality.

Rollkit's services have attracted some attention in the wake of the Bitcoin price surge. As one of the only services offering sovereign rollups on Bitcoin’s blockchain, Rollkit is uniquely positioned to help developers. People looking for a faster and more efficient way of designing DApps may turn to Rollkit as the solution to their problem.

The Dovi Layer 2 network relies on the EVM for scaling, using the flexible design and smart contract capabilities of Ethereum to process Bitcoin transactions while lowering transaction costs. Dovi incorporates 

 to further improve security. These multi-signature authentications are ideal for confirming transactions in an efficient manner. Moreover, by optimizing block space, Dovi can process transactions more efficiently and speed up transaction processing times.

While Dovi does make the Bitcoin transaction process more efficient, its main aim is to improve the network's capabilities. Dovi contains a variety of flexible smart contracts that developers can use to create projects. It supports cross-chain communications and has an interoperable design that lets it run on multiple systems. This allows people to explore all of Bitcoin's classic services while also using more modern blockchain functionalities.

Dovi is still a fairly new Layer 2, so it hasn't had many chances to show what it can do yet. However, the recent pump in BTC prices has greatly motivated the Dovi community. Even though this Layer 2 hasn't assisted with many transactions during the price surge, its value has gone up a lot. Interest in BTC resulted in positive attention that gave the project's native token a chance to grow. DOVI tokens that were retailing for around $0.40 in mid-February are now worth around $0.60 as of early March 2024.

Many crypto enthusiasts believe that the 

 is increased programmability and functionality. There is a real need for Layer 2s that address Bitcoin's unique design instead of simply copying the scaling Layer 2s found on Ethereum. By offering more smart contract capabilities and programming options, Layer 2s could potentially allow developers to build more projects on Bitcoin. Potentially, the new Bitcoin Layer 2 explosion could help Bitcoin move beyond investing and payment processing and begin to focus on software and games instead.

Layer 2s on Bitcoin are also likely to lead to more integration with other projects in the future. 

 is a major focus for the web3 community right now, and the right Bitcoin Layer 2 project could make the network much more compatible with other systems. Not only can they work with web3 games, social media and exchanges, but Layer 2s can also make it easier to integrate Bitcoin into traditional financial systems. These implications could provide even more positive benefits beyond the scaling that Layer 2 systems currently provide.

Another trend to watch for in Bitcoin Layer 2 networks is a focus on user experience. Many developers are currently working on ways to make blockchain networks more accessible to the average user. Existing blockchains can feel overwhelming or confusing to people who aren't technologically proficient, but Layer 2s can help. By adding a cleanly designed user interface on top of the main Bitcoin chain, these technologies make it more straightforward to transfer funds or make payments. The most successful Layer 2s in the future may be the ones that do a good job of enhancing user experiences.

Ultimately, Bitcoin Layer 2 networks are an essential part of modern web3 development. If Bitcoin wants to maintain its position as one of the leading blockchain networks, it needs a way to process transactions quickly and affordably. Fortunately, many developers have decided to tackle Bitcoin's scaling challenge, so there are a lot of different Bitcoin Layer 2s for people to choose from when they want to reduce transaction fees and extend Bitcoin's functionality.

The Best Bitcoin Layer 2 Projects Fueling Bitcoin's Growth

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The Best Bitcoin Layer 2 Projects Fueling Bitcoin's Growth

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Compete for 2,500 USDT USDT Every Week

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