May 5, 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 — Robust economic data might support June rate cut

Things are becoming increasingly complicated for the Federal Reserve as it prepares for its upcoming meeting. With inflation in focus, officials are likely to maintain interest rates. Yet, concerns about an economic slowdown are growing, exacerbated by calls from President Trump for a rate cut.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell may find some reassurance in recent labor data, which reported a robust increase of 177,000 jobs in April 2025. This solid job market provides a rationale for the Fed to hold rates steady. Additionally, the Fed's preferred inflation measure indicates a slight easing of price pressures. However, rising tariffs on imports threaten to undermine this progress.

Uncertainty looms globally over major central banks, as the White House seeks trade deals that could significantly alter economic forecasts. Economists suggest Powell will emphasize the importance of price stability, especially as inflation expectations appear to be shifting.

Meanwhile, the European Central Bank continues to lower rates in anticipation of disinflation and weaker growth due to US tariffs, and the Bank of Canada has diverged from its usual practice of issuing a standard forecast, opting instead for two contrasting scenarios based on the tariff situation with the US.

Looking ahead, the US economic calendar is sparse, with upcoming data on service sector activity and jobless claims expected to provide insights into labor market trends. Globally, monetary policy decisions are anticipated in several countries, highlighting the widespread impact of trade tensions.

As central banks navigate these turbulent waters, the interplay of tariffs and inflation will be critical in shaping future economic policies.

Weekly crypto highlight — Strategy sees no pause in Bitcoin purchase

Michael Saylor's company, Strategy, has doubled its capital raising plan to $84 billion following a record $4.2 billion first-quarter loss. This loss was attributed to a new accounting rule mandating that the firm value its substantial Bitcoin holdings at market prices. On Thursday, Strategy registered to sell an additional $21 billion in common shares, having exhausted a previously authorized equity program.

Additionally, the company has increased its planned debt purchase program from $21 billion to $42 billion, with $14.6 billion remaining. This shift reflects a growing awareness among corporate Bitcoin buyers of the unrealized earnings fluctuations that can occur, such as in Strategy's dramatic quarterly loss. The company holds approximately $53 billion in Bitcoin.

Prior to this accounting change, Strategy classified its Bitcoin as intangible assets, which limited its ability to recognize gains unless the assets were sold. This resulted in permanent markdowns whenever Bitcoin prices fell.

Over the past five years, Saylor has transformed Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy Inc., into the largest leveraged Bitcoin proxy globally. However, revenue from its software division fell 3.6% to $111.1 million in the first quarter of 2025.

Saylor's advocacy has significantly contributed to Bitcoin’s mainstream acceptance, inspiring numerous companies to follow suit by purchasing Bitcoin for their balance sheets. Analysts suggest that as more firms adopt this strategy, demand for Bitcoin will rise, potentially benefiting Strategy further.

Despite the stock's remarkable 3,000% increase since Saylor began buying Bitcoin in 2020, concerns remain about the sustainability of this approach. New competitors are emerging, including well-funded entities like Twenty One Capital Inc., increasing the pressure on Strategy. Nonetheless, Saylor shows no signs of slowing down, and is continuing to expand Bitcoin acquisitions aggressively.

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Weekly Institutional Insights: Robust US economic data sends stocks higher; Strategy sees no pause in Bitcoin purchase

Bybit showcased its innovative crypto solutions at Web Summit Rio 2025, emphasizing its role in integrating crypto into traditional payments. 

Daily top performer — Zebec Network (ZBCN)

The S&P 500 extended its rally with a nine-day winning streak, its longest since 2004, as optimism over potential trade deals and upcoming Fed and earnings updates lifted sentiment. Gold rose to $3,245 on trade uncertainty and Fed rate cut hopes. CoinDesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, fell 1.50% in the past 24 hours, while Bitcoin and Ether dropped 0.10% and 0.51%, respectively. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is ZBCN, which surged 19.5% after Zebec Network joined the Circle Alliance, aiming to make USDC the default stablecoin for real-world payments.

Zebec Network (ZBCN), founded in 2021, is a Solana-based DeFi protocol enabling real-time payroll and payments, with products like Zebec Card, Safes, and Web3 Banking, all governed by ZBC token holders. 

, with Circle Ventures being an early backer. USDC powers Zebec's products, including Zebec Cards and payroll services. With Circle holding a significant amount of ZBCN, Zebec aims to establish USDC as the default stablecoin for real-world payments.

Check out the latest prices, charts, and data of 

 its innovative crypto solutions at Web Summit Rio 2025, emphasizing its role in integrating crypto into traditional payments. The exchange launched Bybit Pay in Brazil, offering a seamless crypto-to-fiat experience with features like QR code payments, multi-currency support, and secure blockchain transactions. Bybit also highlighted its strategic partnerships, including with Tomorrowland Brasil, and introduced its rewarding Bybit Card. The event showcased Bybit’s commitment to empowering the LATAM crypto community and making crypto accessible in everyday life.

BTC spot ETFs saw $1.8B net inflows last week, driven by $1.86B into non-GBTC ETFs despite a $58.7M GBTC outflow. Since inception, total net inflows stand at $40.2B.

GiveRep is experiencing heavy traffic, causing site loading issues, but the team is actively working on 

 V1 soon. In the meantime, users can continue earning rewards as all tweets about GiveRep are still being indexed. A confirmed ATTN token airdrop will reward those who rank higher on the leaderboard, so continued engagement is encouraged.

Beginner

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Bybit showcases crypto payment solutions at Web Summit Rio 2025 with Bybit Pay launch in Brazil

Crypto portfolio diversification is the practice of spreading investments across different asset classes, industries or geographies in order to reduce risk.

In the whirlwind cryptocurrency space, the secret to keeping your profits lies not in predicting the next moonshot, but in mastering portfolio diversification: the art of turning market chaos into a calculated advantage. From blending rock-solid 

, this article reveals how strategically spreading your investments can shield your portfolio from meltdowns and position you to profit — no matter which way the crypto winds blow.

Portfolio diversification is the practice of spreading investments across different asset classes, industries or geographies in order to reduce risk.

This strategy aims to mitigate the impact of poor performance in one area by balancing it with gains or stability in others.

Portfolio diversification entails spreading investments across different asset classes in order to minimize risk. By holding a mix of stocks, bonds, real estate and commodities, you avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. When one asset class takes a hit, others may remain stable or even perform better, helping to reduce the overall risk to your portfolio.

In the crypto market, diversification works in a similar way, but with an extra layer of complexity. Cryptocurrencies 

, so diversifying within this market is essential. A well-diversified crypto portfolio often starts with well-established coins like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). These major assets are the foundation of many portfolios, due to their market dominance and liquidity. Then, in order to add growth potential (though with higher risk), investors might include mid-to-small cap coins like 

You can also diversify by sector, investing in different use cases, such as 

, AI or non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This can involve a mix of altcoins and newer tokens that are part of various blockchain ecosystems — such as 

 (DOT) — to reduce dependency on a single blockchain's performance.

For those looking to minimize volatility, diversifying into stablecoins like 

 can be a good option. These assets are pegged to traditional currencies such as the US dollar, making them more stable while still allowing you to gain exposure to the crypto market.

 (ETFs) or index funds can help simplify crypto diversification. These options give investors access to a basket of cryptocurrencies, reducing the need to manage each asset individually and providing a more hands-off approach to diversification.

Diversifying your cryptocurrency portfolio is a strategic approach to managing risk and enhancing potential returns in the volatile crypto market. By spreading investments across various digital assets, sectors and regions, investors can mitigate the impact of adverse movements in any single asset as follows.

Different types of portfolio diversification

Diversifying your crypto portfolio is essential for managing risk and capturing growth across varying market conditions. Below are some key methods to consider.

Infrastructure tokens like Ethereum (ETH) and Cardano (ADA) are vital for running blockchain networks, while 

) give holders a voice in project decisions. Meanwhile, 

), though speculative, can offer short-term gains, due to community hype and viral momentum.

Diversification is a powerful strategy to manage risk and optimize returns, but it requires careful planning and ongoing monitoring. Following are some key considerations before diversifying your crypto portfolio.

Assess your risk tolerance and investment goals

 and investment objectives. If stability is your priority, consider focusing on well-established assets like BTC, ETH and stablecoins like USDC and USDT. These assets tend to offer lower volatility and more predictable returns. However, if you're comfortable with higher risk for potentially higher rewards, you might allocate a portion of your portfolio to emerging sectors, such as DeFi tokens or gaming coins. Additionally, your time horizon matters — since short-term investors may prefer liquid, low-volatility assets (such as stablecoins), while long-term holders may opt for high-potential assets, such as NFTs or blockchain infrastructure (e.g., mining operations or tokenized real estate).

When diversifying, balance large-cap cryptocurrencies (e.g., BTC or ETH) with smaller, high-growth altcoins. Large-cap assets are generally more stable, and provide a solid foundation for your portfolio. Meanwhile, smaller-cap coins can offer higher growth potential, but they come with more risk. 

Spread your investments across different sectors, such as DeFi, 

 platforms, in order to reduce overexposure to any one area. Consider geopolitical factors and the regulatory environment, as these factors can affect markets differently in various regions, making geographical diversification important.

A balanced portfolio is key to effective diversification. For example, you could allocate 40% to Bitcoin and Ethereum, 30% to stablecoins for liquidity and risk mitigation and the remaining 30% to altcoins or alternative investments, such as blockchain startups. Another strategy is that of 

 (DCA), whereby you invest a fixed amount periodically, regardless of market fluctuations. This helps to reduce the impact of market timing and smooth out crypto market volatility.

While diversification has its advantages, over-diversifying can dilute your returns because your gains may be spread thin across many assets. Frequent trading and rebalancing can also lead to higher transaction fees that can into your profits. Additionally, managing a diverse portfolio requires time, expertise and constant attention, which might not be feasible for every investor.

To further reduce exposure to crypto volatility, think about including traditional assets, such as stocks, ETFs or blockchain infrastructure investments. These can act as a stabilizing force during crypto market downturns, offering balance to your portfolio.

Ultimately, a well-diversified portfolio can help investors navigate market volatility with more confidence. Diversifying your portfolio is a vital strategy for managing risk and optimizing returns, particularly in the volatile crypto market. By spreading investments across various asset types, market caps, sectors and investment vehicles, investors can cushion the impact of market fluctuations and potentially capture better returns. While diversification offers many benefits, it requires careful planning, constant monitoring and a balanced approach in order to avoid over-diversification and excessive trading costs.

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Portfolio diversification: The key to efficiently navigating market volatility

Ethereum R1 is a new donation-funded, tokenless Layer 2 rollup designed to offer a decentralized, censorship-resistant, and governance-minimized scaling solution for Ethereum

The S&P 500 rose 0.63% Thursday, boosted by strong Meta and Microsoft earnings, but futures slipped Friday as investors awaited the April jobs report and weighed Apple and Amazon tariff concerns. Gold fell to $3,235 as easing trade tensions cut safe-haven demand; markets await US jobs data for rate cut signals. The Coindesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, rose 2.19%, with Bitcoin and Ether up 2.57% and 2.60%, respectively in the past 24 hours. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is AR, which gained 16.8% following CloneX's successful migration to Arweave, sponsored by ArDrive.

Arweave (AR), founded in 2017, is a decentralized network for permanent data storage, using blockweave and Proof of Access to ensure long-term accessibility. It offers 200-year storage for a one-time fee, incentivized by AR tokens for miners. The system connects blocks efficiently to preserve and retrieve data, aiming to create a lasting digital knowledge repository. CloneX has successfully 

 to Arweave for permanent storage, with the support of ArDrive, which sponsored the migration of 100 GB of data. The process is nearly complete, with only Animus remaining to undergo decentralization.

 is a new donation-funded, tokenless Layer 2 rollup designed to offer a decentralized, censorship-resistant, and governance-minimized scaling solution for Ethereum. Built on open-source code and the Nethermind Surge stack, it emphasizes credible neutrality, public good funding (with all fees burned after 2030), and infrastructure that remains free from VC control or centralized dependencies.

Yesterday, BTC spot ETFs saw $71.1M in total inflows, with $16M from GBTC and $55.1M from other ETFs.

 $BOOP tokens to active Solana memecoin traders and creators who promote memecoins or Solana dapps on X. To claim, users must connect their Solana wallet or X account and launch a free token. The airdrop arrives in 30 days, but growing the token’s market cap can accelerate the reward.

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Ethereum R1 offers a decentralized rollup solution for Ethereum

DeFi

PolkaBridge is a decentralized financial application platform powered by the Polkadot blockchain that connects Polkadot with multiple blockchains.

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If you’re interested in making transactions across multiple blockchains, then prepare to deal with different exchanges and third-party tools, which can get hectic.

But there’s a platform designed to make this process easier for you. It’s called PolkaBridge, and it’s quickly gaining popularity due to its unique offerings. 

Don’t know much about it? Then you’re in the right place because we’re going to explain everything about how PolkaBridge works, the products in its ecosystem and whether its token is worth buying or not. 

PolkaBridge is a decentralized financial application platform powered by the 

In simple terms, it’s a metaphorical bridge that connects Polkadot to multiple blockchains. 

It aims to unify various blockchains so that you can perform transactions, farm, yield, invest in NFTs and more, all on a single platform. The purpose is to reduce the need for centralized organizations and third-party services that you currently need if you want to make transactions across multiple blockchains. 

On top of that, the PolkaBridge team has created an entire ecosystem to fulfill its goal of making multi-chain and cross-chain transfers easier for users. 

PBR is PolkaBridge’s native token. It’s an 

 blockchain. You need PBR tokens to pay fees while making transactions on the PolkaBridge platform, for staking, participating in launchpad IDO (more on this later), etc. It’s also used for governance, whereby PBR token holders can vote for changes in the PolkaBridge ecosystem.

the same day, and now you can buy it on quite a few different exchanges. 

The PolkaBridge ecosystem has many products that link Polkadot with other blockchains. Here are some of those that are either already launched or coming soon. 

Here, you can automatically trade or swap assets, such as tokens and coins, through 

 instead of offering, bidding, or buying from sellers. 

The multi-chain AMM is PolkaBridge’s main product, with a similar interface to Uniswap’s. It allows you to trade tokens on multiple blockchains simultaneously from the same platform. You’ll have to pay a 0.2% fee per swap, whereby 20% of the fees will be used for AMM “buyback and burn” to burn some PBR tokens monthly.

The multi-chain AMM currently supports Ethereum, 

This is an AMM extension, with a cross-swap function, that’s set to launch in the near future. It aims to remove the extra steps you have to go through to swap an asset of one blockchain with that of another. 

PolkaBridge plans on making cross-chain swaps possible by running two smart contracts simultaneously on both blockchains. 

For example, with the multi-chain AMM, you can convert your 

 to PBR on the BNB Chain and swap your Ether (ETH) to PBR on the Ethereum blockchain in a single platform. But you won’t be able to swap BNB for ETH, as they run on different blockchains. However, when the cross-chain AMM launches, you’ll be able to switch BNB with ETH, and vice versa. 

Do you see? This feature, which hasn’t yet launched, has the potential to act as a true bridge between multiple blockchains, and make these transactions a lot faster and smoother for users. 

, you can only stake a specific blockchain-based token in their own blockchain liquidity pools. But PolkaBridge provides multi-chain staking, which gives you the freedom to 

 on different blockchain pools for more rewards. 

PolkaBridge’s deflationary farming mechanism is ideal for ensuring that the supply of PBR decreases over time while its value increases. 

from each on-chain PBR transaction, and distributes 90% of it among the liquidity providers or “farmers” who’ve staked their coins or tokens in the pool, instead of rewarding them with more PBR tokens. 

PolkaBridge Launchpad, also called IDO launchpad, allows PBR token holders to join lucrative crypto projects deployed on multiple blockchain platforms at the very beginning. 

A great feature of this launchpad is that each project listed here is vetted by its team, so all you have to do is choose the one you like and invest in it, instead of manually looking at its dev team and authenticity. 

 is a way for you to support NFT artists and fund their projects. It links artists and enterprises directly with their supporters, and allows them to form communities around their NFT projects and interact with their audiences.

The INO operates through individual NFT pools, which offer packages containing limited edition NFTs available only for a limited period. You’ll first need to stake 1,000 PBR to buy the NFT package, and can only buy up to five packages, individually.

More Features Expected to Be Added to the PolkaBridge Ecosystem

The PolkaBridge blockchain plans on being the go-to place for all crypto transactions, swaps, NFT projects and more. 

Here are a few more projects they’re planning on launching in the future:

The PBR token has a market cap of around $$4,302,921 as of Aug. 28, 2022. Its max supply is 100 million PBR, with a total supply of nearly 76,264,425 PBR. The circulating supply is around 64,263,324 PBR at the time of writing of this article (Sept. 2, 2022). The token is burned monthly through the AMM “buyback and burn” strategy, and features like PolkaBridge’s deflationary farming aid in constantly reducing the token supply. 

One PBR is currently priced at around $0.067, while its 24-hour trading volume is close to $687,335 ( as of Sept. 2, 2022). 

If you look at PBR’s price history, you’ll notice that it’s been relatively steady since its launch, except for a marked price hike between November 2021 to December of the same year. 

PolkaBridge Price Prediction: Is PBR Coin a Good Investment?

All cryptocurrencies are risky. There have been some concerns about this project being a 

 scam, causing certain experts to paint a gloomy future for PBR. However, other experts anticipate a price hike for this coin because of its multi-chain capabilities, which will attract more adoption from other blockchains.

Experts at DigitalCoinPrice predict the PolkaBridge price to 

TechNewsLeader is also bullish about PBR tokens, predicting an increase in value from the current price of around $0.0747 to about $0.30 in 2025.

However, according to WalletInvestor analysis, the PBR price will

 within a year (Aug. 2023). By 2025, they predict the price will be just slightly higher at 

PBR Coin is currently listed on only a few cryptocurrency exchanges, such as 

. You can also buy PBR tokens by swapping them for coins of other blockchains on the 

As of August 2022, you can’t buy PBR directly with fiat currencies such as the Hong Kong dollar and U.S. dollar. Therefore, you must first convert those currencies into ETH, 

, etc., on any centralized or decentralized exchange. Then, transfer them to your wallet and import the crypto coins later to the PolkaBridge DEX to buy PolkaBridge tokens.

So far, the PolkaBridge platform shows a lot of promise with its unique products and utilities for its token. However, since some of its features haven’t been launched yet, we’ll have to wait and see if it can become a genuinely unified decentralized platform for multiple blockchains and offer its users all of the benefits it promises.

PolkaBridge: Bridging Polkadot to Other Chains

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PolkaBridge: Bridging Polkadot to Other Chains

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