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Introducing World Computer Hacker League: Four-Month Global Competition to Build Next-Gen Apps
Developers worldwide will embark on an unparalleled journey with direct mentorship from blockchain pioneers, global community support, and pathways to funding.
Global [23 Jun 2025] – Following announcements made at the World Computer Summit 2025, the DFINITY Foundation, the main contributor to the research and development of the Internet Computer, and the ICP HUBS Network – the global community driving the Internet Computer adoption – are launching the World Computer Hacker League 2025 (WCHL25): a four-month global hackathon challenging developers to build production-ready applications on the Internet Computer technology.
The competition, running July through October with registrations now open, is primed to offer an unparalleled experience for builders by granting access to all valuable resources and incentives necessary to accelerate their journey.
Participants will receive weekly mentorship and feedback from technical experts and experienced builders, ensuring continuous growth and guidance throughout the hackathon. Comprehensive technical support is available through workshops, office hours, and in-depth explorations of the ICP tech stack. Developers also benefit from the exposure to a well established global network of stakeholders, alongside opportunities to pitch their projects to leading Web3 venture capitalists and angel investors.
Unlike traditional hackathons, WCHL provides four months for teams to focus, develop, test, and deploy fully functional applications on the Internet Computer blockchain. The extended timeline enables developers to create more genuine products rather than proof-of-concepts, addressing the industry’s well known challenge of translating hackathon projects into sustainable ventures.
Learn more about the Live Caffeine demonstration rounds out a landmark day at the 2025 World Computer Summit.
“WCHL gives developers what they’ve been asking for: real time to focus and build, real support from experts, and real pathways to growth,” said Emilio Canessa, Director of Global Adoption at DFINITY Foundation. “We’re not just running a hackathon, we’re creating the environment developers need to succeed. Most importantly, we want this event to be an unforgettable experience for tens of thousands of builders around the World.”
In addition to a globally open track, the hackathon leverages a consolidated audience of developers from the ICP HUBS Network – which spans across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia and revolves around four stages:
Participants will be challenged to build fully functional applications that run on the Internet Computer blockchain and will go through 4 rounds of selections. The Qualification Round, where teams submit their ideas and qualify to participate; the National Round, where 30% of the teams will be selected; the Regional Round, which brings together top teams on a Continental level; and the Global Grand Finale, where the best projects will compete for top prizes and honors on a global stage.
A panel of judges including prominent members of the ICP ecosystem and industry experts will be evaluating projects based on technical execution, user experience, and real-world applicability.
Registration opens today at DoraHacks. Join now, and become a pioneer in shaping the future of the internet.
About the Internet Computer
The Internet Computer (ICP) represents a fully decentralized web3 cloud platform, enabling developers to deploy code directly onto the blockchain without relying on servers or centralized infrastructure. This fast, cost-efficient, and highly scalable protocol redefines the operational paradigm of a decentralized web3 platform. ICP offers the same functionalities as centralized clouds but with economically efficient computation, heightened security, and rapid processing speeds intrinsic to decentralized technology.
For more information, please visit:https://internetcomputer.org/https://wchl25.worldcomputer.com/
Introducing World Computer Hacker League: Four-Month Global Competition to Build Next-Gen Apps
Developers worldwide will embark on an unparalleled journey with direct mentorship from blockchain pioneers, global community support, and pathways to funding.
Global [23 Jun 2025] – Following announcements made at the World Computer Summit 2025, the DFINITY Foundation, the main contributor to the research and development of the Internet Computer, and the ICP HUBS Network – the global community driving the Internet Computer adoption – are launching the World Computer Hacker League 2025 (WCHL25): a four-month global hackathon challenging developers to build production-ready applications on the Internet Computer technology.
The competition, running July through October with registrations now open, is primed to offer an unparalleled experience for builders by granting access to all valuable resources and incentives necessary to accelerate their journey.
Participants will receive weekly mentorship and feedback from technical experts and experienced builders, ensuring continuous growth and guidance throughout the hackathon. Comprehensive technical support is available through workshops, office hours, and in-depth explorations of the ICP tech stack. Developers also benefit from the exposure to a well established global network of stakeholders, alongside opportunities to pitch their projects to leading Web3 venture capitalists and angel investors.
Unlike traditional hackathons, WCHL provides four months for teams to focus, develop, test, and deploy fully functional applications on the Internet Computer blockchain. The extended timeline enables developers to create more genuine products rather than proof-of-concepts, addressing the industry’s well known challenge of translating hackathon projects into sustainable ventures.
Learn more about the Live Caffeine demonstration rounds out a landmark day at the 2025 World Computer Summit.
“WCHL gives developers what they’ve been asking for: real time to focus and build, real support from experts, and real pathways to growth,” said Emilio Canessa, Director of Global Adoption at DFINITY Foundation. “We’re not just running a hackathon, we’re creating the environment developers need to succeed. Most importantly, we want this event to be an unforgettable experience for tens of thousands of builders around the World.”
In addition to a globally open track, the hackathon leverages a consolidated audience of developers from the ICP HUBS Network – which spans across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia and revolves around four stages:
Participants will be challenged to build fully functional applications that run on the Internet Computer blockchain and will go through 4 rounds of selections. The Qualification Round, where teams submit their ideas and qualify to participate; the National Round, where 30% of the teams will be selected; the Regional Round, which brings together top teams on a Continental level; and the Global Grand Finale, where the best projects will compete for top prizes and honors on a global stage.
A panel of judges including prominent members of the ICP ecosystem and industry experts will be evaluating projects based on technical execution, user experience, and real-world applicability.
Registration opens today at DoraHacks. Join now, and become a pioneer in shaping the future of the internet.
About the Internet Computer
The Internet Computer (ICP) represents a fully decentralized web3 cloud platform, enabling developers to deploy code directly onto the blockchain without relying on servers or centralized infrastructure. This fast, cost-efficient, and highly scalable protocol redefines the operational paradigm of a decentralized web3 platform. ICP offers the same functionalities as centralized clouds but with economically efficient computation, heightened security, and rapid processing speeds intrinsic to decentralized technology.
For more information, please visit: https://internetcomputer.org/ https://wchl25.worldcomputer.com/
PayFi could soon develop into a major industry given its potential to accelerate the adoption of Web3 through the creation of better financial architecture than what powers Web2.
This financial architecture includes payment gateways, monetizing current Web2 assets which are beyond RWAs, settling cross-border payments faster than ever, and utilising cryptocurrency for payments regarding almost anything that you need in your day to day life.
In this article we will explore 9 such interesting use cases where PayFi could create sustainable and resilient infrastructure for Web3.
Meet Shardeum, one of the pioneers in PayFi.
Retail Shopping
A major section of people working in the Web3 industry are nowadays getting paid in exclusively cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, there is also a large section of people who are buying and holding cryptocurrencies and are just a step away from using them for their daily purchases.
With the recent developments in PayFi in the last couple of years, there are more than 280 crypto-based payment companies that could bridge this gap.
1) Fun fact: there are ~280 payment companies today building on cryptorails (!)I've written a piece explaining the current financial system, major use cases for cryptorails, adoption challenges they're facing, and what the future might look like.https://t.co/KrWyVBQ7CT pic.twitter.com/JVxTmn4fSf
— Dmitriy Berenzon (@dberenzon) February 12, 2025
Please note that the term PayFi is new but the concept has been around since quite a time.
P2P Transfers
P2P transfers were the primary need of developing blockchain technology and was the reason for the creation of Bitcoin. Sixteen years down the line, there has not been much development in terms of a proper P2P payment solution that could replace traditional apps like PayPal.
PayFi could not only help send and receive such P2P payments but also help you track finances, set reminders, split bills, contribute towards house payments, and several other things that traditional finance apps do.
Polygon recently saw a rise of 81% in P2P payments in the last six months post Trump’s win, indicating a growing confidence in crypto.
Online Shopping
There are millions of people who want to directly spend in crypto but are unable to do so because most online shopping platforms do not accept crypto payments. A proper crypto-based payment gateway that provides end-to-end crypto transfer solutions from customer to vendor is the need of the hour.
PayFi could help bridge a gap between these customers and vendors who are ready to adopt crypto but have been unable to do so because of lack of proper infrastructure.
Are you curious about Crypto Debit Cards? Check out how they work.
RWA Purchases
At this stage the entire Web3 industry is quite certain that Real World Assets (RWAs) are going to be the future of traditional finance. However, there has been no RWA-based trading, investing or portfolio managing service for the retail sector.
PayFi dApps could not only help in the trading and settlement of RWA assets, they could also provide custody solutions (both self and via a custodian).
With large players entering the market, crypto custody would be better positioned to help new Web3 users.
JUST IN: $870 billion asset manager Standard Chartered to offer Bitcoin & crypto custody services in Europe.
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) January 9, 2025
Financing Account Receivables
Account receivables are payments which are about to be made to a certain business or individual. In terms of accounting, they are considered as good as money. In traditional finance, these account receivables can be used as collateral to receive ultra-short term loans till the vendor receives the payment.
RWA with the help of PayFi can revolutionize these account receivables by integrating them with DeFi and by acting as an instant monetization service. Since receivables are as good as cash, they can be collateralized to lend crypto loans. Also because these loans are very short term (say 14 days), they are a quick way to earn money.
Cross-Border Settlements
Cross border settlements were one of the first applications of cryptocurrency. Now they are a $600 billion market.
$600B in cross-border crypto payments highlights speculative dominance but also growing use in remittances. Bitcoin and stablecoins are now key alternatives to traditional money transfers, especially in regions with high inflation. Crypto’s interconnectedness with traditional… pic.twitter.com/JHXNJQOu9G
— Unreal Capital (@unrealcapitalvc) May 14, 2025
However, till date there has been no definite solution that could send and receive crypto like a payment app such as PayPal or Stripe would do.
Even though wallets can do pretty much everything you need on regular basis such as sending and receiving crypto, yet they cannot keep a track of payments, generate invoices, collect automatic payments, put reminders and perform a lot of other tasks like a traditional payment app would do.
Buy Now, Pay Never
Buy Now and Pay Never is an interesting concept in PayFi where your rewards collected from multiple sources are used to pay for your needs, from shopping to medical bills.
Though the scale of its potential success is unknown, it could still in principle provide a major support to your financial needs.
Check out our latest article on Buy Now, pay Never.
Financial Inclusion
PayFi being built on Web3, does not require complex financial documents to achieve financial inclusion in areas where the income rate is too low. In such areas, there is a dire need to provide services rather than comply with globally set rules.
A PayFi app could not only help people get paid on time, process faster and cheaper payments, but also help them save in times of abundance and borrow in times of need.
There were some solutions in Africa like Machankura but those applications heavily relied on traditional financial institutions. Web3 being decentralized could help make financial inclusion easier by building peer to peer connections, eliminating middlemen.
Did you know?There's a farm in rural Kenya where people are buying veggies with sats, using a lightning wallet that doesn't need Internet.https://t.co/UwfLOC3kqWDamn. I love Bitcoin.@Machankura8333 @Bitcoinchama pic.twitter.com/xt8w6lJdUX
— Bitcoin Ekasi (@BitcoinEkasi) June 8, 2025
User Data Monetization
For those willing to send their user activity online in exchange for rewards, PayFi could easily help them monetize that data. Common examples would include browser data, shopping data, surveys, and opinions on products or services.
Though there are individual applications like Brave Browser in this field, these are mostly working in silos and there is no single platform which rewards a user by monetizing multiple channels.
Therefore there is a need for one unified application which helps you collate your monetization rewards from different platforms or different channels.
Here’s how you can monetize your knowledge on Web3.
PayFi could soon develop into a major industry given its potential to accelerate the adoption of Web3 through the creation of better financial architecture than what powers Web2.
This financial architecture includes payment gateways, monetizing current Web2 assets which are beyond RWAs, settling cross-border payments faster than ever, and utilising cryptocurrency for payments regarding almost anything that you need in your day to day life.
In this article we will explore 9 such interesting use cases where PayFi could create sustainable and resilient infrastructure for Web3.
Meet Shardeum, one of the pioneers in PayFi.
Retail Shopping
A major section of people working in the Web3 industry are nowadays getting paid in exclusively cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, there is also a large section of people who are buying and holding cryptocurrencies and are just a step away from using them for their daily purchases.
With the recent developments in PayFi in the last couple of years, there are more than 280 crypto-based payment companies that could bridge this gap.
1) Fun fact: there are ~280 payment companies today building on cryptorails (!)
I've written a piece explaining the current financial system, major use cases for cryptorails, adoption challenges they're facing, and what the future might look like.https://t.co/KrWyVBQ7CT pic.twitter.com/JVxTmn4fSf
— Dmitriy Berenzon (@dberenzon) February 12, 2025
Please note that the term PayFi is new but the concept has been around since quite a time.
P2P Transfers
P2P transfers were the primary need of developing blockchain technology and was the reason for the creation of Bitcoin. Sixteen years down the line, there has not been much development in terms of a proper P2P payment solution that could replace traditional apps like PayPal.
PayFi could not only help send and receive such P2P payments but also help you track finances, set reminders, split bills, contribute towards house payments, and several other things that traditional finance apps do.
Polygon recently saw a rise of 81% in P2P payments in the last six months post Trump’s win, indicating a growing confidence in crypto.
Online Shopping
There are millions of people who want to directly spend in crypto but are unable to do so because most online shopping platforms do not accept crypto payments. A proper crypto-based payment gateway that provides end-to-end crypto transfer solutions from customer to vendor is the need of the hour.
PayFi could help bridge a gap between these customers and vendors who are ready to adopt crypto but have been unable to do so because of lack of proper infrastructure.
Are you curious about Crypto Debit Cards? Check out how they work.
RWA Purchases
At this stage the entire Web3 industry is quite certain that Real World Assets (RWAs) are going to be the future of traditional finance. However, there has been no RWA-based trading, investing or portfolio managing service for the retail sector.
PayFi dApps could not only help in the trading and settlement of RWA assets, they could also provide custody solutions (both self and via a custodian).
With large players entering the market, crypto custody would be better positioned to help new Web3 users.
JUST IN: $870 billion asset manager Standard Chartered to offer Bitcoin & crypto custody services in Europe.
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) January 9, 2025
Financing Account Receivables
Account receivables are payments which are about to be made to a certain business or individual. In terms of accounting, they are considered as good as money. In traditional finance, these account receivables can be used as collateral to receive ultra-short term loans till the vendor receives the payment.
RWA with the help of PayFi can revolutionize these account receivables by integrating them with DeFi and by acting as an instant monetization service. Since receivables are as good as cash, they can be collateralized to lend crypto loans. Also because these loans are very short term (say 14 days), they are a quick way to earn money.
Cross-Border Settlements
Cross border settlements were one of the first applications of cryptocurrency. Now they are a $600 billion market.
$600B in cross-border crypto payments highlights speculative dominance but also growing use in remittances.
Bitcoin and stablecoins are now key alternatives to traditional money transfers, especially in regions with high inflation.
Crypto’s interconnectedness with traditional… pic.twitter.com/JHXNJQOu9G
— Unreal Capital (@unrealcapitalvc) May 14, 2025
However, till date there has been no definite solution that could send and receive crypto like a payment app such as PayPal or Stripe would do.
Even though wallets can do pretty much everything you need on regular basis such as sending and receiving crypto, yet they cannot keep a track of payments, generate invoices, collect automatic payments, put reminders and perform a lot of other tasks like a traditional payment app would do.
Buy Now, Pay Never
Buy Now and Pay Never is an interesting concept in PayFi where your rewards collected from multiple sources are used to pay for your needs, from shopping to medical bills.
Though the scale of its potential success is unknown, it could still in principle provide a major support to your financial needs.
Check out our latest article on Buy Now, pay Never.
Financial Inclusion
PayFi being built on Web3, does not require complex financial documents to achieve financial inclusion in areas where the income rate is too low. In such areas, there is a dire need to provide services rather than comply with globally set rules.
A PayFi app could not only help people get paid on time, process faster and cheaper payments, but also help them save in times of abundance and borrow in times of need.
There were some solutions in Africa like Machankura but those applications heavily relied on traditional financial institutions. Web3 being decentralized could help make financial inclusion easier by building peer to peer connections, eliminating middlemen.
Did you know?
There's a farm in rural Kenya where people are buying veggies with sats, using a lightning wallet that doesn't need Internet.https://t.co/UwfLOC3kqW
Damn. I love Bitcoin.@Machankura8333 @Bitcoinchama pic.twitter.com/xt8w6lJdUX
— Bitcoin Ekasi (@BitcoinEkasi) June 8, 2025
User Data Monetization
For those willing to send their user activity online in exchange for rewards, PayFi could easily help them monetize that data. Common examples would include browser data, shopping data, surveys, and opinions on products or services.
Though there are individual applications like Brave Browser in this field, these are mostly working in silos and there is no single platform which rewards a user by monetizing multiple channels.
Therefore there is a need for one unified application which helps you collate your monetization rewards from different platforms or different channels.
Here’s how you can monetize your knowledge on Web3.
Mantra(OM), one of the key supposed players in the RWA space went off crashing in March 2025 after several of its large token holders dumped their crypto large token holders and dumped their $OM on the market currencies on the market, crashing the price below $1 from $8.7.
Although there is no way of perfectly knowing which crypto bill and which not yet there are many checks and balances which could limit your exposure to such cryptocurrencies. This article explores five such precautions that we learnt through our years of experience working in the crypto markets.
How to minimize your risk exposure in DeFi? Exposing DeFi’s Red Flags
Read The White Paper in Detail
Every blockchain project that is genuine releases a detailed white paper where everything about the project from the technology to the way users are supposed to use it is mentioned.
Crypto buyers who are interested in investing in any project may be at a pre ICO stage or at a post launch stage should refer to the White Paper in as depth as possible and try to understand it with every jargon that is mentioned in it.
In the case of mantra a large part of the token holding was allegedly allotted to internal members. As high as 12.5% of the tokens were in the control of a single wallet, and 52% of the token supply was being controlled by just 10 wallets.
Top 10 Wallets Have 52% Token Concentration in $OM
As soon as the project reached a certain price approximately to $8.4 (from $1, within 6 months), several token owners dumped the $OM tokens. The crypto markets termed it as a pump and dump operation.
Explore Socials
Though it is very cheap and easy to create a perfect set of social media pages for any crypto project, yet many fake ones do not have even those. These projects can be detected through bad social media visuals, non professional posting and reply behaviour, and amateur grade captions or texts.
Do you know, there are several airdrop scams targeting users like you?
A perfect social media is not the certificate of genuinity for any project but it tells you a lot about projects that are trying to cheat you. Even a brief overlook can manytimes save you from investing in junk grade cryptocurrencies.
Understand Project Viability
Understanding project viability is the key to succeed in crypto investing especially if you’re operating in pre launch project markets. Many projects which look cool but do not have a viability often carry the risk of failure. Even the smallest periods of bear markets could easily wipe out those projects.
One of the biggest examples of this is the fate of the NFT markets. Though they looked cool to own and were a multi-billion dollar market in the 2021 bull run, yet a couple of years later, NFT markets are virtually non-existent despite Bitcoin rallying 200% from its 2021 highs. NFTs never came out of the bear markets.
NFT Market Activity Between 2016 and 2025
A certain way of defending your crypto capital is by avoiding FOMO traps.
Smart Contract Audit To Check For Loops
Every project has a smart contract on which its token platform decks or exchange is created. It is necessary for project owners to get their smart contracts examined by an independent expert only after which they are allowed for listings. Certik is the most common smart contract auditor in the crypto world.
Auditors check for loops, backdoors, token minting algorithms and many other loopholes to see if the owners are really creating a project as per the white paper or have manipulated some part of the code to suit their best interests.
When PYUSD was launched by PayPal, netizens found an uncommon freeze and erase function in PYUSD’s smart contract wherein it was possible for PayPal to freeze or confiscate any wallet.
PayPal users beware. This is the opposite of why Crypto was invented Function:– Freeze: They have the ability to halt your assets and not allow you to move or use them– Wipe Frozen Address: They have the ability to destroy the coins inside your frozen address in one… pic.twitter.com/HpiFJRSWl0
— KatieePCrypto.pls (@KatieePCrypto) August 8, 2023
Seek Expert Opinion
Although it is impossible for anyone to tell whether a project will be a hit or flop based on their current vitals, yet many experts do have a hunch that a certain project might not survive a bear market or maybe it could just be a ultra short trend.
One such example is the existence of memecoin markets. Despite having no real life utility, coins rallied much for the year 2024 with some gaining up to 10,000% in growth.
Here is Marty Bent, Managing Partner of Ten31 Funds, commenting on the survivability of memecoins and expressing doubt on their future even before the memecoin rally of late 2024 and early 2025.
Prediction: people riding the memecoin wave are going to be severely disappointed. The flows from bitcoin to broader crypto this cycle will be significantly reduced due to most new entrants gaining exposure via ETFs.Individual memecoins will rise and die like news headlines.
Mantra(OM), one of the key supposed players in the RWA space went off crashing in March 2025 after several of its large token holders dumped their crypto large token holders and dumped their $OM on the market currencies on the market, crashing the price below $1 from $8.7.
Although there is no way of perfectly knowing which crypto bill and which not yet there are many checks and balances which could limit your exposure to such cryptocurrencies. This article explores five such precautions that we learnt through our years of experience working in the crypto markets.
How to minimize your risk exposure in DeFi? Exposing DeFi’s Red Flags
Read The White Paper in Detail
Every blockchain project that is genuine releases a detailed white paper where everything about the project from the technology to the way users are supposed to use it is mentioned.
Crypto buyers who are interested in investing in any project may be at a pre ICO stage or at a post launch stage should refer to the White Paper in as depth as possible and try to understand it with every jargon that is mentioned in it.
In the case of mantra a large part of the token holding was allegedly allotted to internal members. As high as 12.5% of the tokens were in the control of a single wallet, and 52% of the token supply was being controlled by just 10 wallets.
Top 10 Wallets Have 52% Token Concentration in $OM
As soon as the project reached a certain price approximately to $8.4 (from $1, within 6 months), several token owners dumped the $OM tokens. The crypto markets termed it as a pump and dump operation.
Explore Socials
Though it is very cheap and easy to create a perfect set of social media pages for any crypto project, yet many fake ones do not have even those. These projects can be detected through bad social media visuals, non professional posting and reply behaviour, and amateur grade captions or texts.
Do you know, there are several airdrop scams targeting users like you?
A perfect social media is not the certificate of genuinity for any project but it tells you a lot about projects that are trying to cheat you. Even a brief overlook can manytimes save you from investing in junk grade cryptocurrencies.
Understand Project Viability
Understanding project viability is the key to succeed in crypto investing especially if you’re operating in pre launch project markets. Many projects which look cool but do not have a viability often carry the risk of failure. Even the smallest periods of bear markets could easily wipe out those projects.
One of the biggest examples of this is the fate of the NFT markets. Though they looked cool to own and were a multi-billion dollar market in the 2021 bull run, yet a couple of years later, NFT markets are virtually non-existent despite Bitcoin rallying 200% from its 2021 highs. NFTs never came out of the bear markets.
NFT Market Activity Between 2016 and 2025
A certain way of defending your crypto capital is by avoiding FOMO traps.
Smart Contract Audit To Check For Loops
Every project has a smart contract on which its token platform decks or exchange is created. It is necessary for project owners to get their smart contracts examined by an independent expert only after which they are allowed for listings. Certik is the most common smart contract auditor in the crypto world.
Auditors check for loops, backdoors, token minting algorithms and many other loopholes to see if the owners are really creating a project as per the white paper or have manipulated some part of the code to suit their best interests.
When PYUSD was launched by PayPal, netizens found an uncommon freeze and erase function in PYUSD’s smart contract wherein it was possible for PayPal to freeze or confiscate any wallet.
PayPal users beware. This is the opposite of why Crypto was invented
Function:
– Freeze: They have the ability to halt your assets and not allow you to move or use them
– Wipe Frozen Address: They have the ability to destroy the coins inside your frozen address in one… pic.twitter.com/HpiFJRSWl0
— KatieePCrypto.pls (@KatieePCrypto) August 8, 2023
Seek Expert Opinion
Although it is impossible for anyone to tell whether a project will be a hit or flop based on their current vitals, yet many experts do have a hunch that a certain project might not survive a bear market or maybe it could just be a ultra short trend.
One such example is the existence of memecoin markets. Despite having no real life utility, coins rallied much for the year 2024 with some gaining up to 10,000% in growth.
Here is Marty Bent, Managing Partner of Ten31 Funds, commenting on the survivability of memecoins and expressing doubt on their future even before the memecoin rally of late 2024 and early 2025.
Prediction: people riding the memecoin wave are going to be severely disappointed. The flows from bitcoin to broader crypto this cycle will be significantly reduced due to most new entrants gaining exposure via ETFs.
Individual memecoins will rise and die like news headlines.
Explaining BNB’s Latest Pascal and Lorentz Hard Forks
BNB has been doing a lot of hard work to ensure it beats both Ethereum and Solana in the layer-1 blockchain race. The latest Pascal (March 2025) and Lorentz (April 2025) series of upgrades aim at making it at par with Ethereum’s latest Pectra Upgrade while the next Maxwell upgrade would reduce BNB’s block time to less than 1 second (0.75 seconds target).
In this article, we will discuss the technical details of the two upgrades i.e., Pascal and Lorentz that have already been implemented in the blockchain. Later articles in this series will be focused on the Maxwell upgrade.
Did you know, BNB was one of the pioneering blockchains to feature an autoburn mechanism?
Technical Details of the Pascal and Lorentz Hard Fork
BNB has undergone two key upgrades in March and April 2025 namely Pascal and Lorentz. Pascal introduced smart wallet features while Lorentz helped BNB Chain reduce transaction processing time. Further, both these upgrades added security features that make the chain more resistant to several kinds of attacks.
The upgrade has been developed in accordance with Ethereum’s ERC-7702 standard which is a part of the Pectra Upgrade. The Pectra Upgrade allows Ethereum wallets to act as smart wallets with the help of their very own smart contracts. It makes 11 new major code changes including Verkle Trees for better cryptographic security of the blockchain.
Both of these upgrades were critically important since the BNB Chain functions on Ethereum’s Virtual Machine.
Thinking of investing in BNB? Here are the top wallets to secure your tokens.
Pascal Upgrade
The Pascal Upgrade is a key hard fork in BNB which allows crypto wallets on the BNB chain to have their own smart contracts. As a result, users would be able to recover their wallets, schedule transactions based on certain conditions, gas sponsorship, and access other smart wallet features.
The Pascal Upgrade was tested in February 2025 and was implemented the next month.
Lorentz Upgrade
The Lorentz Upgrade allows a 1.5 second block time. Previous to this upgrade, the BNB Chain had a block time of 3 seconds.
Further, the Lorentz Upgrade also helps BNB Chain achieve validator synchronization. This means each validator in the network is better connected to others, helping avoid any forceful (such as the 51% Attack) or deceitful (such as Bybit hack) takeover of the chain.
Benefits of Implementing the Hard Forks
There are multiple benefits of implementing the three hard forks in 2025.
The Pascal hard fork helped implement account abstraction features like smart addresses and gas sponsorships.
The Lorentz hard fork reduced the block time from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds. It also helped BNB align well with Ethereum which itself went under the Pectra Upgrade.
Finally, the Maxwell hard fork aims to achieve sub-second (0.75s) block time, increasing the network throughput by 100%.
Maxwell introduces three major upgrades:
1️⃣ BEP-524: Reduce block time to 0.75s 2️⃣ BEP-563: Enhanced Validator Network messaging 3️⃣ BEP-564: Smarter block-fetching logic
Together, these changes deliver faster confirmations and stronger consensus at scale:…
— BNB Chain (@BNBCHAIN) May 20, 2025
Stay tuned with DroomDroom for a new article on Maxwell Upgrade very soon.
Risks Arising Out of The Hard Forks
No hard fork is completely without its due risks. For the above two discussed ones, there is a risk of users getting phished similar to what happened in the ByBit Hack.
In that hack, the smart contract wallet’s user interface was hacked and the users of the wallet were tricked into entering their private keys into a fake UI created by the hackers. As a result, $1.4 billion worth of Ethereum and ETH-equivalent tokens were lost.
Here are the top exchange hacks and the lessons that we learn from them?
What are Hard Forks?
Hard Forks are permanent changes in a blockchain after which the prefork version of the chain is no longer compatible with the post-fork version of the chain. The need for a hard fork arises when minor changes in the blockchain are unable to keep up with the requirements of the future.
Ethereum too had to go through the Pectra hard fork in the recent past due to the same reasons. Since BNB is based on the EVM blockchain and its technology is Ethereum-compatible, similar changes become mandatory for BNB too.
Here, in the case of BNB, these changes are related to account abstraction, smart contract wallet addresses and validator synchronization.
Future Potential
The next major upgrade for BNB is the Maxwell Upgrade which seeks to reduce block time to 0.75 seconds from 1.5 seconds. Sub-second block times would mean a faster transaction processing time, which is then expected to enhance BNB chain’s adoption rate.
Explaining BNB’s Latest Pascal and Lorentz Hard Forks
BNB has been doing a lot of hard work to ensure it beats both Ethereum and Solana in the layer-1 blockchain race. The latest Pascal (March 2025) and Lorentz (April 2025) series of upgrades aim at making it at par with Ethereum’s latest Pectra Upgrade while the next Maxwell upgrade would reduce BNB’s block time to less than 1 second (0.75 seconds target).
In this article, we will discuss the technical details of the two upgrades i.e., Pascal and Lorentz that have already been implemented in the blockchain. Later articles in this series will be focused on the Maxwell upgrade.
Did you know, BNB was one of the pioneering blockchains to feature an autoburn mechanism?
Technical Details of the Pascal and Lorentz Hard Fork
BNB has undergone two key upgrades in March and April 2025 namely Pascal and Lorentz. Pascal introduced smart wallet features while Lorentz helped BNB Chain reduce transaction processing time. Further, both these upgrades added security features that make the chain more resistant to several kinds of attacks.
The upgrade has been developed in accordance with Ethereum’s ERC-7702 standard which is a part of the Pectra Upgrade. The Pectra Upgrade allows Ethereum wallets to act as smart wallets with the help of their very own smart contracts. It makes 11 new major code changes including Verkle Trees for better cryptographic security of the blockchain.
Both of these upgrades were critically important since the BNB Chain functions on Ethereum’s Virtual Machine.
Thinking of investing in BNB? Here are the top wallets to secure your tokens.
Pascal Upgrade
The Pascal Upgrade is a key hard fork in BNB which allows crypto wallets on the BNB chain to have their own smart contracts. As a result, users would be able to recover their wallets, schedule transactions based on certain conditions, gas sponsorship, and access other smart wallet features.
The Pascal Upgrade was tested in February 2025 and was implemented the next month.
Lorentz Upgrade
The Lorentz Upgrade allows a 1.5 second block time. Previous to this upgrade, the BNB Chain had a block time of 3 seconds.
Further, the Lorentz Upgrade also helps BNB Chain achieve validator synchronization. This means each validator in the network is better connected to others, helping avoid any forceful (such as the 51% Attack) or deceitful (such as Bybit hack) takeover of the chain.
Benefits of Implementing the Hard Forks
There are multiple benefits of implementing the three hard forks in 2025.
The Pascal hard fork helped implement account abstraction features like smart addresses and gas sponsorships.
The Lorentz hard fork reduced the block time from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds. It also helped BNB align well with Ethereum which itself went under the Pectra Upgrade.
Finally, the Maxwell hard fork aims to achieve sub-second (0.75s) block time, increasing the network throughput by 100%.
Maxwell introduces three major upgrades:1️⃣ BEP-524: Reduce block time to 0.75s2️⃣ BEP-563: Enhanced Validator Network messaging3️⃣ BEP-564: Smarter block-fetching logicTogether, these changes deliver faster confirmations and stronger consensus at scale:…
— BNB Chain (@BNBCHAIN) May 20, 2025
Stay tuned with DroomDroom for a new article on Maxwell Upgrade very soon.
Risks Arising Out of The Hard Forks
No hard fork is completely without its due risks. For the above two discussed ones, there is a risk of users getting phished similar to what happened in the ByBit Hack.
In that hack, the smart contract wallet’s user interface was hacked and the users of the wallet were tricked into entering their private keys into a fake UI created by the hackers. As a result, $1.4 billion worth of Ethereum and ETH-equivalent tokens were lost.
Here are the top exchange hacks and the lessons that we learn from them?
What are Hard Forks?
Hard Forks are permanent changes in a blockchain after which the prefork version of the chain is no longer compatible with the post-fork version of the chain. The need for a hard fork arises when minor changes in the blockchain are unable to keep up with the requirements of the future.
Ethereum too had to go through the Pectra hard fork in the recent past due to the same reasons. Since BNB is based on the EVM blockchain and its technology is Ethereum-compatible, similar changes become mandatory for BNB too.
Here, in the case of BNB, these changes are related to account abstraction, smart contract wallet addresses and validator synchronization.
Future Potential
The next major upgrade for BNB is the Maxwell Upgrade which seeks to reduce block time to 0.75 seconds from 1.5 seconds. Sub-second block times would mean a faster transaction processing time, which is then expected to enhance BNB chain’s adoption rate.
Introducing QSafe: The First Quantum-Secure Multi-Chain Crypto Wallet built for the Post-Quantum Era
Dubai & Switzerland - 11 June, 2025 – Quranium, the pioneer behind the first quantum-secure blockchain infrastructure, has today launched QSafe Quantum Secure Crypto Wallet (‘QSafe Wallet’), a next-generation crypto wallet designed from the ground up to protect digital assets in the quantum era. Built with SLHDSA and ML-KEM, two of the leading post-quantum cryptographic algorithms selected by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), QSafe offers quantum-resilient signatures and encrypted backups by default. It supports Bitcoin, Solana, EVM chains, and Quranium’s native Layer 1, delivering a seamless, secure, and cross-chain experience for both newcomers and advanced users. "In 2024, over $2.2 billion was lost to cryptocurrency hacks and scams, with approximately $964 million to $1.86 billion attributed to wallet vulnerabilities such as private key compromises and access control failures, primarily driven by phishing, misconfigured multisig wallets, and system breaches, rather than outdated encryption,” said CEO & Co-founder of Quranium, Kapil Dhiman. “That’s why QSafe exists because users deserve a wallet that evolves with threats; a wallet that gives you full control, clarity, and confidence no matter what chain or token you’re using.” Key Features of QSafe Wallet Quantum-safe signatures - Every transaction is signed using SLH-DSA to ensure resilient against quantum attacks.Seamless crypto ↔ fiat access – Buy and sell crypto directly in any national currency, with full KYC integration for secure compliance.Encrypted backup protection - Wallet recovery data is encrypted using ML-LEM to keep it safe, even decades from now.True cross-chain compatibility - Manage assets across Bitcoin, Solana, Ethereum, Quranium, and more with a single wallet.User-friendly experience - Simple, intuitive UX built for everyone; from first-time users to experienced crypto traders.Self-custody first - You hold your keys, your assets, and your future. No intermediaries.Uncrackable by design - QSafe is built to withstand not just today’s risks but tomorrow’s supercomputers. Getting Started is Fast and Simple Available as a browser extension on Chrome, Firefox, Windows, macOS, and Linux, users can set up QSafe in minutes. Users can easily get started by creating or restoring a wallet, setting a secure password, generating SLHDSA and ML-KEM keys, and sending their first quantum-secure transaction on the Quranium Chain, all in just a few simple steps. Why QSafe, Why Now? Most crypto wallets today still rely on classical encryption standards like ECDSA and SHA-256. These standards, while robust against classical computing threats, are vulnerable to the emerging capabilities of quantum computing. As of the end of 2024, Bitcoin's market dominance stood at approximately 53.6%, while Ethereum's market share had declined to around 11.8%, according to CoinGecko's Annual Crypto Industry Report. Combined, these two cryptocurrencies represent a significant portion of the $3.91 trillion total crypto market capitalization. The threat posed by quantum computing is not merely theoretical. According to Deloitte, nearly 25% of Bitcoin addresses are already exposed, making them a potential jackpot for any quantum system capable of reverse-engineering private keys. This vulnerability underscores the pressing need for quantum-resistant solutions in the crypto space. Moreover, quantum computing advancements are accelerating. While current quantum computers have around 100 qubits, breaking ECDSA encryption would require approximately 1,500 logical qubits. Though this threshold hasn't been reached yet, projections suggest that such capabilities could emerge within the next decade, emphasizing the urgency for proactive security measures. QSafe addresses these challenges head-on by integrating post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, giving users the confidence that their digital assets remain secure in the face of evolving technological threats. "QSafe isn’t just reacting to the quantum threat, it’s architected to withstand it,” added Dhiman, “You don’t hire a security guard after the theft has happened. You hire one to prevent it. QSafe is designed to protect your assets before quantum threats ever reach your keys.” While timelines for cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) range from 2030 to 2040, the window for proactive defense is now. And that’s exactly what QSafe delivers: post-quantum signatures, encrypted backups, and full control before the risks become real. Explore QSafe Today QSafe is now available for download via qsafewallet.com. For developers and researchers interested in the cryptography behind QSafe, visit docs.qsafewallet.com for a full technical breakdown. For further information, please contact: Claire Cairns, Head of Brand Strategy Email: [email protected] About Quranium Quranium is a Layer 1 blockchain protocol optimized for post-quantum security, AI integration, and EVM compatibility. It uses quantum-resistant encryption, supports intelligent automation at the protocol level, and enables seamless interoperability with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. The protocol is designed for high-throughput execution, deterministic consensus, and long-term resilience against both classical and quantum computational attacks. Launched in 2024 by a team of Web3 pioneers, Quranium has grown into a global organization with more than 50 team members. It is headquartered in Switzerland, and has offices in DMCC (UAE), and Singapore. Quranium’s 2025 roadmap includes the recent rollout of its Proof-of-Stake Convergence Layer, an AI-native gaming environment, and QSafe Wallet, a quantum-secure multi-chain crypto wallet. Quranium provides foundational infrastructure for mission-critical systems and digital sovereignty in a converging technological landscape. Key facts and initiatives: Backed by Animoca BrandsStrategic GTM partner: PwCPartnerships with MetaSig, MatterID, Hacken, Galaxe, LumaGames, etc.Sponsored by Bybit, and Winner of DMCC’s Best Web3 Startup 2024 Thought leadership via Quantum Minds podcast and monthly virtual webinar, The Uncrackable Conversation. Join the uncrackable community: Website: https://quranium.org/LinkedIn: QuraniumX (formerly Twitter): @quranium_orgTelegram: Quranium CommunityDiscord: Join Us
Live Caffeine demonstration rounds out a landmark day at the 2025 World Computer Summit
On June 3rd 2025, DFINITY Foundation hosted a market-leading selection of international technologists, developers, policy makers, community members, builders, and pioneers in Zürich for the second World Computer Summit (WCS) – a one-day event dedicated to the future of the open internet. The event focused on several themes, all critical to the realisation of the World Computer vision. These included the topics of decentralised compute, sovereign cloud and data infrastructure, tamperproof and autonomous infrastructure, the role and need for AI on chain, the investment and regulatory landscape, and the many efforts DFINITY is undertaking to help make digital landscapes safer, more productive, and more interconnected than ever before. The diverse range of influential speakers spanned companies and institutions such as Animoca Brands, UNDP, Cisco, Heidrick & Struggles, ETH Zurich, 21Shares, Boston Consulting Group, Credit Agricole Italia, and many more, who all shared a similar message: decentralization and AI adoption are no longer abstract concepts or nice to haves – but an urgent, achievable reality. With more than 1,000 attendees welcomed for a Main Stage program of keynotes, panels, firesides, demos, the most notable moment of the day came just before the event’s close, as DFINITY Foundation’s Founder and Chief Scientist, Dominic Williams, unveiled a new paradigm for the Self-Writing Internet. As Dom delivered the world’s first, live, onstage demo of DFINITY’s hotly anticipated Caffeine AI tool, it was clear for all those in attendance that this secure, customisable, end-to-end, app builder has the potential to radically transform the lives of anyone with internet access - all through its easy-to-use natural language prompt and highly intuitive user interface. He also announced the opening of the hotly anticipated waitlist for alpha access, with sign ups now accessible via the dedicated microsite join.caffeine.ai. Caffeine is the world’s first self-writing apps platform, and represents a milestone development for DFINITY Foundation.
Community engagement and developer activations One of the most notable aspects of WCS25 was the strength and enthusiasm of the ICP builder and holder community, with an entire section of the event staged to platform, engage, and demonstrate ICP’s exceptional capabilities to builders of all levels of growth. From early-stage developers to established dapp teams and infrastructure providers, this part of the event highlighted the diversity and momentum of the ICP ecosystem. Pitches and Panels in this section included notable ICP projects, such as KongSwap, Liquidium, PiggyCell, Omnity Network, and more. Throughout the day, the Ecosystem Stage played host to an engaging array of demonstrations, project pitches, use cases and builder tools, spanning DeFi, Agentic AI, RWA, and more. DFINITY’s expert teams also delivered critical project milestone updates and capability demonstrations for OISY Wallet and Chain Fusion technologies, to name just a few. A new era of Internet Computer 2.0 As the Summit drew to a close, it was clear that the movement for an open, decentralized Internet focusing on accessibility, data sovereignty and ownership is growing - and will be fueled by a combination of developer ambition and AI capabilities. The DFINITY Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to pushing forward to make this vision a reality, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and contributing to the development of breakthrough, real-world, applications. Speaking on the demonstration, Dominic Williams said, “We are proud to announce the advent of Internet Computer 2.0. The network now provides a unique cloud computing environment that enables AI to build solo. Today we demonstrated an incredible alpha version of the platform, which will be followed by a beta in about a month that will be released to the public. We are targeting a future where everyone in the world can create online functionality just by talking.” Catch up on a recording of the live demonstration here. Check out more information about DFINITY and ICP’s vision here.
Explaining the Concept of Buy Now Pay Never in PayFi
In the world of DeFi and TradFi, the concept of buying now and paying later has seen quite a bit of success. Following this concept, comes a new one in PayFi, which allows users to buy a product and allows them to never pay with real cash or crypto.
Check this ever growing list of countries that have established Bitcoin Reserves.
Buy Now and Pay Never is a new concept in PayFi (which itself a new concept in the world of DeFi), where a user pays for his purchases with pooled rewards from various PayFi platforms. This concept is much similar to the cashback you receive after spending on your credit card, however, in this case, the rewards are in cryptocurrencies.
In this article, we will go into the depth of this concept and understand its use cases, potentials, drawbacks and also answer a few miscellaneous questions.
What is Buy Now Pay Never?
Buy Now and Pay Never has emerged as a new concept in financing your daily necessities from the rewards earned via PayFi platforms like DeFi protocols, crypto payment gateways, liquidity pools, peer to peer dApps and many others.
Here the idea is to generate enough rewards that will help you buy goods with no extra money. All the finances will be paid with your passive income from PayFi.
The concept took a concrete shape last year when Solana Foundation President Lily Liu had discussed the potential of PayFi in helping you make fast, cheap and rewarding payments with blockchain technology. Liu had a strong opinion that PayFi as a whole would soon overtake DeFi, a multi-billion industry in itself.
The growth in the DeFi markets bring high hope for the success of PayFi. In May 2025, DeFi TVL grew by 13%, highest in the 2024-25 bull cycle.
TVL growth by blockchain in May 2025Total DeFi TVL rose by 13% in May 2025, driven by the growth of major assets (ETH, SOL, BNB, etc.).Top 5 blockchains: Ethereum: $62B (+17%) Solana: $8.8B (+12% BNB Chain: $6.3B (+6%) Bitcoin: $6.1B (+1.7%) Tron: $4.8B… pic.twitter.com/X7r4ck3iH3
— OAK Research (@OAK_Res_EN) June 5, 2025
However, experts still doubt the degree of success this concept might see. Rewards might not finance one’s financial needs, not even a small fraction, unless the person has millions of dollars worth of DeFi portfolio.
Potential Applications
Should PayFi see decent success in the future, the best application for Buy Now and Pay Never seems to arise from the retail shopping industry where loyalty benefits (as cashback or coupons) could be rewarded via crypto. This would not only help them make their finances more efficient but also save them a lot in transaction costs.
Are you wondering about the best way to buy and sell crypto in bulk? Try OnRamps and OffRamps.
Benefits
The concept could improve the adoption of crypto in the traditional retail markets where TradFi has been the most dominant player.
Further, as the ability to self-custody of rewards rises, people would be incentivised to shop more, increasing footfalls in stores.
Drawbacks
However, there are a few drawbacks as well.
Buy Now and Pay Never might make the customers more reward-hungry and drive user traffic towards discount heavy or reward heavy brands. This could lead to another deep-discount battle where only large corporations would win, eliminating smaller competition. Such a scenario has already happened during the onset of the window-shopping era.
What is PayFi?
PayFi is an acronym for Payment Finance, a new form of blockchain-based finance system that leverages the power of blockchain technology to bridge the gap between traditional payment platforms (like PayPal) and crypto payments.
PayFi is expected to ensure a better integration of blockchain technology in our daily lives resulting in faster payments, transparent transactions and resilient payment infrastructure.
Did you know that Shardeum was one of the pioneers of PayFi?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Buy Now, Pay Never affect your credit score?
No, since in Buy Now and Pay Never, you are simply pooling your rewards to pay for you needs, there is no involvement of any lending or borrowing and hence it would not impact your credit score.
Explaining The Concept of Buy Now Pay Never in PayFi
In the world of DeFi and TradFi, the concept of buying now and paying later has seen quite a bit of success. Following this concept, comes a new one in PayFi, which allows users to buy a product and allows them to never pay with real cash or crypto.
Check this ever growing list of countries that have established Bitcoin Reserves.
Buy Now and Pay Never is a new concept in PayFi (which itself a new concept in the world of DeFi), where a user pays for his purchases with pooled rewards from various PayFi platforms. This concept is much similar to the cashback you receive after spending on your credit card, however, in this case, the rewards are in cryptocurrencies.
In this article, we will go into the depth of this concept and understand its use cases, potentials, drawbacks and also answer a few miscellaneous questions.
What is Buy Now Pay Never?
Buy Now and Pay Never has emerged as a new concept in financing your daily necessities from the rewards earned via PayFi platforms like DeFi protocols, crypto payment gateways, liquidity pools, peer to peer dApps and many others.
Here the idea is to generate enough rewards that will help you buy goods with no extra money. All the finances will be paid with your passive income from PayFi.
The concept took a concrete shape last year when Solana Foundation President Lily Liu had discussed the potential of PayFi in helping you make fast, cheap and rewarding payments with blockchain technology. Liu had a strong opinion that PayFi as a whole would soon overtake DeFi, a multi-billion industry in itself.
The growth in the DeFi markets bring high hope for the success of PayFi. In May 2025, DeFi TVL grew by 13%, highest in the 2024-25 bull cycle.
TVL growth by blockchain in May 2025
Total DeFi TVL rose by 13% in May 2025, driven by the growth of major assets (ETH, SOL, BNB, etc.).
However, experts still doubt the degree of success this concept might see. Rewards might not finance one’s financial needs, not even a small fraction, unless the person has millions of dollars worth of DeFi portfolio.
Potential Applications
Should PayFi see decent success in the future, the best application for Buy Now and Pay Never seems to arise from the retail shopping industry where loyalty benefits (as cashback or coupons) could be rewarded via crypto. This would not only help them make their finances more efficient but also save them a lot in transaction costs.
Are you wondering about the best way to buy and sell crypto in bulk? Try OnRamps and OffRamps.
Benefits
The concept could improve the adoption of crypto in the traditional retail markets where TradFi has been the most dominant player.
Further, as the ability to self-custody of rewards rises, people would be incentivised to shop more, increasing footfalls in stores.
Drawbacks
However, there are a few drawbacks as well.
Buy Now and Pay Never might make the customers more reward-hungry and drive user traffic towards discount heavy or reward heavy brands. This could lead to another deep-discount battle where only large corporations would win, eliminating smaller competition. Such a scenario has already happened during the onset of the window-shopping era.
What is PayFi?
PayFi is an acronym for Payment Finance, a new form of blockchain-based finance system that leverages the power of blockchain technology to bridge the gap between traditional payment platforms (like PayPal) and crypto payments.
PayFi is expected to ensure a better integration of blockchain technology in our daily lives resulting in faster payments, transparent transactions and resilient payment infrastructure.
Did you know that Shardeum was one of the pioneers of PayFi?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Buy Now, Pay Never affect your credit score?
No, since in Buy Now and Pay Never, you are simply pooling your rewards to pay for you needs, there is no involvement of any lending or borrowing and hence it would not impact your credit score.
Will Memecoins Make a Comeback If Altcoin Season Begins?
Memecoins and altcoins have been going through their worst phases since the bearish markets in January. These two sectors were the worst hit, even when Bitcoin recovered above $100k in early May 2025.
Now, after a new ATH in Bitcoin, the altcoin season index is still below 20, and the memecoins are still close to their bear market price. The question now arises: Will the markets see a recovery in memecoins and altcoins, or will these sectors fade into the past just like NFTs?
Bitcoin is making major inroads into DeFi markets with this Trustless Bridge.
State of the Memecoin Markets in 2025
Memecoins have seen their worst phase in January 2025 due to a number of reasons.
First, Pump Fun helped create thousands of memecoins, and due to such high rates of proliferation, most of these memecoins turned out to be dead within a few weeks. Among them, TikTok coin and Libra coin were well-known coins supported by large public figures like Argentine President Javier Milei. Thousands of such memecoins turned out to be scams within a month of their launch. This disheartened new buyers who felt cheated.
Do you know about this strategy that maximizes profit, irrespective of market conditions?
Further, the launch of $TRUMP and $MELANIA also saw widespread criticism due to skewed tokenomics. Despite seeing a bumper sale on the day of launch, i.e., Jan 18, 2025, these coins failed to sustain even above their launch price. Many doubted that the first couple made millions at the expense of the retail investor, who got bull trapped.
Among these, the most critical factor was the liquidity crisis. Since memecoins are not serious investments like Bitcoin and Ethereum, they faced the first brunt of a liquidity shortage. As investors pulled back their money, these coins suffered the most.
However, memecoin markets have seen a slight recovery in May 2025 due to the recovery in the wider markets. Still, most of these recoveries are due to a general sense of bullishness in the markets and not due to any intrinsic factor.
Much of this recovery is based on Altcoin Recovery, which as of now has started at a very slow pace.
Is There the Possibility of a Recovery in 2025?
It is natural to doubt a memecoin market recovery after multiple scam tokens, a steep crash in prices, and general waryness in the market, yet, there are several reasons why the memecoins have the potential to outshine other sectors in the near future.
First, the US SEC has classified memecoins as “mere collectibles” and not securities. This means that any transaction related to memecoins would be governed in the same way as a baseball card.
Secondly, memecoins are very close to having their own ETF, starting with Dogecoin. There are rumors surrounding Shiba Inu ETFs as well. If this comes true, the top memecoins might see their own ETFs before the next Bitcoin halving cycle in 2028.
Looking for other top projects to invest in? Here are the top utility coins for 2025.
Memecoins That Have Real-World Utility
To avoid blind buying, we have brought you memecoins that have utility at their core and have survived several ups and downs in the market.
Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin remains the top choice for crypto investors for several reasons, such as ETF, high whale investment, and Elon Musk’s involvement. All these reasons are further supplemented by technical analysts like Ali Martinez, who think Dogecoin could cross $1 in the next few months.
#Dogecoin $DOGE prepares to rebound as the TD Sequential flashes a buy signal on the hourly chart! pic.twitter.com/RRNTDasYZd
— Ali (@ali_charts) May 28, 2025
Shiba Inu (SHIB)
Shiba Inu is the most mature project among memecoins with its own independent chain, a mature DeFi ecosystem, and multiple ecosystem tokens (SHIB, BONE, and LEASH). The cryptocurrency is also one of the most actively traded and dearly held by top crypto investors.
1/ We found a Shiba Inu whale holding $2.5 billion in $SHIB He owns 10% of the supply across 150 addressesHere's his story ↓ pic.twitter.com/nH1AfDm3Pw
— Bubblemaps (@bubblemaps) November 19, 2024
Floki Inu (FLOKI)
Floki Inu has a well-crafted metaverse ecosystem, which could drive users to adopt the coin. A revival of Metaverse businesses could make Floki Inu rise in the future.
Official Trump (TRUMP)
As long as Donald Trump remains the US President, Trumpcoin could continue to see its value rise, despite fluctuations. Further, as the current tenure of Donald Trump seems to be his last one, there is a possibility that he leaves some legacy for the future. Such a legacy would definitely propel the value of the TRUMP memecoin.
Interested in TRUMP? Here’s an easy way to own it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What memecoin will hit 1000x?
There is a very small chance that any memecoin will hit 1000x in the near future, except those that are actively manipulated. However, to increase your chances of buying such a memecoin, keep your eyes on new launches and find unique projects.
What is the danger of memecoin investing?
There are two major risks of memecoin trading: volatility and scams. Volatility can easily kill your portfolio in weeks. Scams, on the other hand, could crash your holdings anytime.
Building the Internet’s Payment Layer: Shardeum’s PayFi Vision
The internet has revolutionized nearly every aspect of modern life, connecting billions of people and scaling communication, commerce, and information exchange to unprecedented levels. Yet, in one fundamental area, it remains largely unfinished: payments. While the internet facilitates borderless digital interactions, the underlying payment systems often rely on outdated, expensive, and geographically constrained infrastructure. The initial vision for cryptocurrency, as embodied by Satoshi Nakamoto's launch of Bitcoin, was to enable peer-to-peer payments. However, Bitcoin primarily evolved into a store of value, leaving the goal of a decentralized payment system at scale largely incomplete. Explore how Shardeum’s mainnet launch is reshaping blockchain scalability with dynamic state sharding and autoscaling. Existing traditional finance systems involve middlemen, causing delays and high fees for transactions like cross-border remittances and online payments. Even within the blockchain space, many early smart contract platforms faced scalability issues, leading to high transaction fees and slow confirmation times, which limited their broader adoption for everyday transactions. While newer platforms achieved higher throughput, many sacrificed decentralization or security, or were not designed for true, sustained scaling. As these networks approach their maximum capacity, they risk encountering the same issues of escalating gas fees and slow processing times. The Need for Native Internet Payments A truly evolved internet requires a native payment layer that is fast, low-cost, and borderless. Such a system must be able to handle not just large "macro" payments but also tiny "micro" payments that are currently economically unfeasible due to transaction fees. The rise of AI agents, requiring autonomous transactions for pay-per-use services, highlights the urgent need for such infrastructure. Imagine paying just cents for an AI-generated image or streaming content charged per second in real-time – use cases impossible when transaction costs are high. Explore how Shardeum is redefining decentralization at scale through dynamic validator participation and energy-efficient design. Addressing this gap is crucial for unlocking Web3 for billions and enabling mass adoption of decentralized applications beyond the niche focus on DeFi. Payments are universal; everyone interacts with them. Future generations, who value privacy, speed, and global access, may increasingly turn away from traditional banking towards crypto-native payment systems. Shardeum's Approach: Autoscaling PayFi Shardeum is being built to bring the vision of a decentralized payment system at scale to life. It aims to be the world’s first auto-scaling Layer-1 blockchain. Its core design goal is to ensure sustainably low transaction fees (as low as $0.01 ) even as the network grows and adoption increases. The platform achieves this through several key technological innovations inherited from the protocol: Dynamic State Sharding: Instead of requiring every node to process every transaction, the network is broken into multiple "tabs" or shards. Each validator node is only responsible for a subset of the data. This allows for parallel processing of transactions. The number of shards can dynamically adjust based on transaction volume, enabling the network to scale in and out automatically.Linear Scalability: Adding more validator nodes to the network directly increases its transaction processing capacity (TPS) proportionally. This ensures that transaction costs remain stable because the network's capacity can match demand.Blockless Architecture: Shardeum's design allows for the parallel processing and finalization of individual transactions, rather than waiting for entire blocks to be processed. This leads to faster transaction speeds and near-instant finality.Transaction-Level Consensus: Consensus is reached on individual transactions, providing faster finality compared to block-based approaches.Decentralization: Shardeum prioritizes decentralization by having a low entry barrier for running a validator node. Validator nodes require minimal hardware and resources, making it accessible for almost anyone globally to participate in securing the network. This community-driven validator network helps prevent centralization tradeoffs seen in some other Layer 1 networks.EVM Compatibility: By being compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, Shardeum can easily integrate with the large existing developer community and tools within the Ethereum ecosystem, simplifying the transition for EVM smart contract functionality coming in Q3. Unlike most EVM chains focusing primarily on DeFi, Shardeum is specifically targeting PayFi, a sector with immense real-world applicability and scale. While others have worked in payments, they have often focused on B2B solutions and lack EVM compatibility, which limits developer adoption. Shardeum aims to fill this gap with a consumer-first approach. Shardeum's testnet achieved a record-breaking 171,000+ validators, setting a new standard for Layer 1 blockchain participation. Learn how this milestone paves the way for its mainnet launch Enabling New Use Cases Shardeum's ability to provide sustainably low gas fees opens the door for a wide range of applications that were previously impractical or impossible on other platforms. These include macro payment use cases such as: Remittances and cross-border transfersE-commerce paymentsPayroll for global teamsInstitutional settlementsTrade financeReal-world asset tokenization and transferCrowdfunding and donations Crucially, it also enables numerous micro payment use cases: AI-to-AI transactionsSplitting bills and peer-to-peer paymentsDirect tipping for creatorsPay-per-use applications and micro billingIoT device transactionsPer-second streaming payments These applications are currently underserved because existing systems, including many blockchains, cannot support such frequent, low-value transactions at scale without becoming prohibitively expensive or congested. The Path Forward Shardeum's vision is to become the payment layer of the open internet. By focusing on solving payments with a scalable, decentralized, and low-cost architecture, Shardeum is carving out a unique path aimed at unlocking mass adoption and fulfilling the original vision of a decentralized peer-to-peer payment system at scale. The network launched its mainnet on May 5th, 2025, with a phased rollout of EVM smart contract functionality and continued community-driven development. The SHM token, designed with a dynamic supply model that balances issuance and burning, is intended to be a medium of exchange with low transaction fees, rather than primarily a store of value. Running a node requires minimal hardware, reinforcing the network's commitment to decentralization. The potential to create a secure, decentralized, and scalable blockchain with low transaction costs could enable a whole army of developers to build innovative products that haven't even been conceived yet, ultimately impacting the Web3 landscape far beyond just payments. By solving the internet's unfinished business in payments, Shardeum aims to make decentralization truly accessible to everyone.
Building the Internet’s Payment Layer: Shardeum’s PayFi Vision
The internet has revolutionized nearly every aspect of modern life, connecting billions of people and scaling communication, commerce, and information exchange to unprecedented levels. Yet, in one fundamental area, it remains largely unfinished: payments. While the internet facilitates borderless digital interactions, the underlying payment systems often rely on outdated, expensive, and geographically constrained infrastructure.
The initial vision for cryptocurrency, as embodied by Satoshi Nakamoto’s launch of Bitcoin, was to enable peer-to-peer payments. However, Bitcoin primarily evolved into a store of value, leaving the goal of a decentralized payment system at scale largely incomplete.
Explore how Shardeum’s mainnet launch is reshaping blockchain scalability with dynamic state sharding and autoscaling.
Existing traditional finance systems involve middlemen, causing delays and high fees for transactions like cross-border remittances and online payments. Even within the blockchain space, many early smart contract platforms faced scalability issues, leading to high transaction fees and slow confirmation times, which limited their broader adoption for everyday transactions. While newer platforms achieved higher throughput, many sacrificed decentralization or security, or were not designed for true, sustained scaling. As these networks approach their maximum capacity, they risk encountering the same issues of escalating gas fees and slow processing times.
The Need for Native Internet Payments
A truly evolved internet requires a native payment layer that is fast, low-cost, and borderless. Such a system must be able to handle not just large “macro” payments but also tiny “micro” payments that are currently economically unfeasible due to transaction fees. The rise of AI agents, requiring autonomous transactions for pay-per-use services, highlights the urgent need for such infrastructure. Imagine paying just cents for an AI-generated image or streaming content charged per second in real-time – use cases impossible when transaction costs are high.
Explore how Shardeum is redefining decentralization at scale through dynamic validator participation and energy-efficient design.
Addressing this gap is crucial for unlocking Web3 for billions and enabling mass adoption of decentralized applications beyond the niche focus on DeFi. Payments are universal; everyone interacts with them. Future generations, who value privacy, speed, and global access, may increasingly turn away from traditional banking towards crypto-native payment systems.
Shardeum’s Approach: Autoscaling PayFi
Shardeum is being built to bring the vision of a decentralized payment system at scale to life. It aims to be the world’s first auto-scaling Layer-1 blockchain. Its core design goal is to ensure sustainably low transaction fees (as low as $0.01 ) even as the network grows and adoption increases.
The platform achieves this through several key technological innovations inherited from the protocol:
Dynamic State Sharding: Instead of requiring every node to process every transaction, the network is broken into multiple “tabs” or shards. Each validator node is only responsible for a subset of the data. This allows for parallel processing of transactions. The number of shards can dynamically adjust based on transaction volume, enabling the network to scale in and out automatically.
Linear Scalability: Adding more validator nodes to the network directly increases its transaction processing capacity (TPS) proportionally. This ensures that transaction costs remain stable because the network’s capacity can match demand.
Blockless Architecture: Shardeum’s design allows for the parallel processing and finalization of individual transactions, rather than waiting for entire blocks to be processed. This leads to faster transaction speeds and near-instant finality.
Transaction-Level Consensus: Consensus is reached on individual transactions, providing faster finality compared to block-based approaches.
Decentralization: Shardeum prioritizes decentralization by having a low entry barrier for running a validator node. Validator nodes require minimal hardware and resources, making it accessible for almost anyone globally to participate in securing the network. This community-driven validator network helps prevent centralization tradeoffs seen in some other Layer 1 networks.
EVM Compatibility: By being compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, Shardeum can easily integrate with the large existing developer community and tools within the Ethereum ecosystem, simplifying the transition for EVM smart contract functionality coming in Q3.
Unlike most EVM chains focusing primarily on DeFi, Shardeum is specifically targeting PayFi, a sector with immense real-world applicability and scale. While others have worked in payments, they have often focused on B2B solutions and lack EVM compatibility, which limits developer adoption. Shardeum aims to fill this gap with a consumer-first approach.
Shardeum’s testnet achieved a record-breaking 171,000+ validators, setting a new standard for Layer 1 blockchain participation. Learn how this milestone paves the way for its mainnet launch
Enabling New Use Cases
Shardeum’s ability to provide sustainably low gas fees opens the door for a wide range of applications that were previously impractical or impossible on other platforms. These include macro payment use cases such as:
Remittances and cross-border transfers
E-commerce payments
Payroll for global teams
Institutional settlements
Trade finance
Real-world asset tokenization and transfer
Crowdfunding and donations
Crucially, it also enables numerous micro payment use cases:
AI-to-AI transactions
Splitting bills and peer-to-peer payments
Direct tipping for creators
Pay-per-use applications and micro billing
IoT device transactions
Per-second streaming payments
These applications are currently underserved because existing systems, including many blockchains, cannot support such frequent, low-value transactions at scale without becoming prohibitively expensive or congested.
The Path Forward
Shardeum’s vision is to become the payment layer of the open internet. By focusing on solving payments with a scalable, decentralized, and low-cost architecture, Shardeum is carving out a unique path aimed at unlocking mass adoption and fulfilling the original vision of a decentralized peer-to-peer payment system at scale.
The network launched its mainnet on May 5th, 2025, with a phased rollout of EVM smart contract functionality and continued community-driven development. The SHM token, designed with a dynamic supply model that balances issuance and burning, is intended to be a medium of exchange with low transaction fees, rather than primarily a store of value. Running a node requires minimal hardware, reinforcing the network’s commitment to decentralization.
The potential to create a secure, decentralized, and scalable blockchain with low transaction costs could enable a whole army of developers to build innovative products that haven’t even been conceived yet, ultimately impacting the Web3 landscape far beyond just payments. By solving the internet’s unfinished business in payments, Shardeum aims to make decentralization truly accessible to everyone.
Matador Technologies Enters Binding LOI to Partner with Indian Digital Asset Product Strategy Firm
Matador Technologies Inc. (“Matador” or the “Company”) (TSXV: MATA, OTCQB: MATAF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding letter of intent ("LOI") to invest in a publicly traded Indian technology company, tentatively named HODL Systems (“HODL”), that implements a treasury strategy which includes investing into digital assets. Under the terms of the LOI, Matador will commit to invest up to USD$3,200,000 (“Investment Amount”) in a share warrant structure that would provide Matador up to 24.95% ownership stake in HODL, assuming full exercise of the warrants. This investment aligns with Matador’s strategy to increase its exposure to the global digital asset ecosystem. As part of the transaction, Matador also expects to enter into a licensing agreement with HODL in due course to distribute its proprietary digital gold product and other Ordinals technology in the Indian market. The agreement is intended to support Matador’s expansion into new markets within the digital asset sector. Both the LOI and the licensing agreement remain subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “Exchange”), and the investment is subject to Exchange acceptance of the Change of Business. The first tranche of the aforesaid warrant investment is expected to close on or before July 10, 2025, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals. Key Highlights & Strategic Rationale Expansion into the Indian Market: India is a large and growing market for technology and digital assets. This investment allows Matador to establish a foothold in this dynamic region.Balance Sheet Strategy: HODL’s business model aligns with Matador’s broader investment thesis around the adoption of digital assets and the integration of decentralized financial assets.Licensing Agreement for Digital Gold & Ordinals Technology: By bringing its proprietary digital gold product and Ordinals technology to India through HODL, Matador aims to broaden access to its blockchain-based products through this partnership.Capturing a Digitally Native Gold Market: India is the largest private gold-owning country in the world, with households holding more than 25,000 tonnes of gold (World Gold Council). At the same time, over 65% of India’s population is under the age of 35, with a growing middle class increasingly adopting mobile-first, digital investment platforms (UNDP India). Matador and HODL plan to offer blockchain-based investment products tailored to younger, tech-savvy investors in India.Potential for Long-Term Value Creation: Through this investment and licensing arrangement, Matador may participate in HODL’s future growth and expansion into digital asset markets. Additional Information from the Letter of Intent Date of Agreement: May 29, 2025 (“Effective Date”)Investment Timelines: 25% of the Investment Amount on or before July 10, 2025, and the remaining 75% of the Investment Amount on or before 18 months from the date of allotment of the share warrants.Valuation Report: HODL will obtain a valuation report from an independent registered valuer, acceptable to Matador, to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and provide transparency in the transaction.Conversion Terms of Share Warrants: The Share Warrants are convertible into equity shares of HODL at a 1:1 ratio at any time within 18 months from the date of allotment, at Matador’s discretion.Conditions of Offer:The board of directors of HODL are expected to accept the LOI as of the Effective Date.As a pre-requisite to the proposed transaction, shareholders of HODL must approve the proposed subscription.The share warrants must be issued and allotted to Matador in dematerialized form within 15 days of shareholders’ approval, which time period may be extended for receipt of regulatory approvals as permitted under law.The post-issue shareholding of Matador will not exceed 24.95% on a fully diluted basis unless waived in writing. Deven Soni, CEO of Matador Technologies Inc., commented: "This strategic investment in HODL underscores our commitment to expanding our footprint in high-growth markets and advancing the adoption of digital asset-centric financial strategies. By partnering with HODL, we are poised to deliver innovative digital asset solutions to the Indian market, aligning with our mission to drive global financial inclusion through decentralized technologies." Mark Moss, Chief Visionary Officer of Matador Technologies Inc., commented: “At Matador, we believe the next wave of global financial infrastructure will be built on digital assets. By aligning with HODL, we’re not just expanding geographically—we’re expanding the reach of the digital assets’ ecosystem into a key innovation hub.” For additional information, please contact: Media Contact: Sunny Ray President Email: [email protected] Phone: 647-496-6282
About Matador Technologies Inc. Matador Technologies Inc. is a publicly traded Bitcoin ecosystem company that holds Bitcoin as its primary treasury asset and builds products to enhance the Bitcoin network. Through a self-reinforcing model that combines strategic Bitcoin accumulation, Bitcoin-native product development, and participation in digital asset infrastructure, Matador aims to grow long-term shareholder value without dilution. The Company’s flagship offering, the Digital Gold Platform, allows users to buy, sell, and trade 1-gram gold units inscribed as Bitcoin Ordinals—bridging traditional value with decentralized technology. With a Bitcoin-first strategy, a debt-free balance sheet, and a clear focus on innovation, Matador is helping shape the future of financial infrastructure on Bitcoin. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. Forward Looking Statements – Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the implementation of the Company's treasury management strategy, risks relating to whether the transaction with HODL will be concluded as currently proposed or at all, risks relating to the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the launch of the Company's mobile application as currently proposed or at all. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including with respect to the potential acquisition of digital assets and/or US dollars, the pricing of such acquisitions and the timing of future operations. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
Syscoin Hashrate Spikes Following Announcement of Trustless Bitcoin Bridge
Bitcoin is no longer locked out of Web3. Miners are responding. Syscoin has unveiled a game-changing breakthrough in blockchain interoperability: a fully trustless Bitcoin bridge designed for the modular era. Built from first principles, it removes the need for centralized custody, trusted relayers, or risky multisig systems. Instead, it enables verifiable BTC movement across chains using cryptographic enforcement, zero-knowledge fraud proofs, and native miner alignment. Shortly after the announcement, Syscoin’s merged mining hashrate spiked to 316.08 EH/s, approaching all-time highs. This surge wasn’t just a metric—it was a signal. Bitcoin miners are paying attention. A shift is underway. The Final Ledger: Forging the Future & Fortune of Web3 on Syscoin We didn’t build this to compete with other bridges. We built it to eliminate trust assumptions entirely. Bitcoin deserves a path into Web3 that honors its trustless design, and Syscoin is delivering that. — Jagdeep Sidhu, President, Syscoin Foundation and Lead Core Developer What Was Just Revealed: A New Model for Cross-Chain Bitcoin Utility Syscoin’s Bitcoin bridge introduces a modular, verifiable architecture for BTC interoperability—designed to minimize trust, maximize decentralization and permissionlessness, and align with Bitcoin miners.. 1-of-N Honest Actor Security The system remains trustless and secure—even if nearly everyone tries to cheat. As long as a single honest participant exists, fraud is detected and stopped. No multisigs (multi-party wallets requiring collective approval), no federations, no validator committees. Just pure cryptographic accountability.
It’s not about trusting the group. It’s about not needing to.
Merged Mining with AuxPoW Tags Bitcoin miners include auxiliary data—called AuxPoW tags—into their coinbase transactions. This allows Syscoin to anchor its chain directly to Bitcoin, detect competing forks, and ensure alignment with Bitcoin’s canonical chain.BitVM2 with zk-Light Clients Fraud detection and challenge-response protocols enable Bitcoin to verify sidechain activity directly—without relying on relayers or third-party validators. This preserves decentralization and minimizes trust assumptions across chains.
Adaptor Signature Atomic Swaps Syscoin enables trustless, peer-to-peer swaps between BTC and Syscoin assets—without middlemen, wrapped tokens, or risky smart contracts. These swaps are powered by a cryptographic method called adaptor signatures, which work like a digital handshake: both sides must agree simultaneously, or nothing happens. There’s no way to cheat, stall, or front-run the other party. Unlike older systems that rely on time delays and special codes (known as HTLCs), adaptor signatures finalize instantly when both parties are ready—delivering greater privacy and security. And because these swaps happen directly on the UTXO chain, they avoid vulnerabilities like miner manipulation, transaction reordering, or custody risk. Why This Matters for Builders Modular development has never had this much clarity. For the first time, builders can plug into native Bitcoin security and liquidity without being forced to wrap assets, depend on intermediaries, or sacrifice decentralization for scale. This is the foundational infrastructure Web3 has been waiting for. Launch zkRollups, DeFi protocols, or cross-chain agents anchored to BitcoinTap into native BTC liquidity secured by its gold standard proof-of-work, not synthetic assetsAvoid reliance on wrapped tokens, centralized bridge providers, or third-party validatorsDeploy sovereign Edgechains or app-specific rollups with full customization for tokens and execution environmentsBenefit from upcoming incentive programs designed for aligned builders Why This Matters for Bitcoin Holders The long-standing tradeoff between security and utility is coming to an end. Bitcoin holders have been excluded from much of Web3 because existing solutions demanded trust. Syscoin’s trustless bridge changes that. Now you can use your BTC while maintaining full control over it — just as Satoshi intended. Use BTC in DeFi, governance, and dApps without wrapping or rehypothecationMaintain full custody through peer-to-peer atomic swapsExit freely at any time without permission or validator approvalJoin a modular Web3 ecosystem without compromising Bitcoin’s core ethosEngage without exposure to synthetic assets, bridge hacks, or centralized risk Syscoin Since 2014 Syscoin didn’t emerge from hype. Since 2014, it has quietly built some of the most advanced infrastructure in blockchain—long before “modular” became a trend. Milestones include: Merge-mining with BitcoinDeployment of NEVM for Ethereum compatibilityBitcoinDA for scalable, enshrined data availability—Syscoin’s native solution that anchors data availability into the base chain itself, eliminating reliance on external services and inheriting Bitcoin's security through merge-miningImplementation of MQCL (Multi-Quorum Chainlocks), a system that finalizes blocks using multiple layers of validator consensus to prevent reorgs and protect against 51% attacks—even during high network volatilityPioneering Edgechains and zkRollup infrastructure Now, as the modular era begins in earnest, Syscoin is one of the few platforms already equipped to lead it. What’s Next The blueprint is live. What follows is the launch of a new era for Bitcoin utility and modular Web3 architecture. Syscoin is preparing: Public testnet of the trustless Bitcoin bridgeEarly integrations on zkSYSFirst wave of Edgechain deploymentsTargeted incentive programs for aligned technical contributors The door is open—whether you’re a builder, miner, founder, or holder. The foundation is already here. What you build on it is next. Learn More and Join the Ecosystem Whitepaper and announcement: https://syscoin.org/news/-syscoins-trustless-bitcoin-bridgeTwitter updates: https://twitter.com/syscoinCommunity and developer chat: https://discord.gg/syscoinLatest news for Syscoin 5 Upgrade: Bitcoin Transforming Web3 Syscoin has just completed its Syscoin 5 upgrade and is now entering the final integration and launch phase of zkSYS. These components will complete the foundation for activating the Bitcoin Bridge and the modular ecosystem it enables.
ICP HUB Canada & US Wraps Up High-Impact Week Across Canada Crypto Week 2025
ICP HUB Canada & US concluded a landmark presence at Canada Crypto Week 2025, participating in four premier events that brought together global Web3 leaders, family offices, venture capitalists, and the broader crypto community. From mainstage panels to exclusive investor gatherings, the Hub amplified the vision of the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) across North America’s most influential blockchain week.
“Canada Crypto Week 2025 was a catalyst for deeper collaboration, sharper ideas, and broader exposure for the Internet Computer ecosystem in North America,” said Javier Arroyo Ferrer, HUB Lead of ICP Canada & US. “From founders to funders, the conversations were meaningful, the connections genuine, and the momentum undeniable. We’re proud to be building in this community—and this is just the beginning.”
May 13 – Blockchain Futurist Conference
ICP HUB Canada & US kicked off the week at the Blockchain Futurist Conference, where Hub Lead Javier Arroyo Ferrer joined industry leaders Tamara J.N. Haasen (Input Output), Simon Kubbinga (Superteam Canada), J.D. Seraphine (Raiinmaker) and moderated by Ty Smith (Coinbound) for a compelling panel on “The Future of Web3.” The discussion explored the next wave of decentralized infrastructure, user ownership, and scalable ecosystems.
May 14 – Family Office Investor Summit
In partnership with Quantum Leap Labs, BipQuantum, and RhinoSpider, ICP HUB Canada & US co-hosted the Family Office Investor Summit, bringing together a curated group of family offices and venture capitalists. The event fostered meaningful discussions on staking strategies, tokenized asset models, and innovative approaches to unlocking capital efficiency in Web3 investing.
May 14 – Consensus 2025 by CoinDesk
As an official Community Partner, ICP HUB Canada & US had a strong presence at Consensus 2025, facilitating real-world connections and highlighting the Internet Computer’s role in advancing secure, decentralized applications. The team engaged with developers, investors, and ecosystem builders across Consensus’ global stage.
May 15 – ICP & NOLCHA @ Consensus: Crypto, Capital, Art & Cocktails
The week concluded with a powerful event at the historic Charles Puma Art Gallery, a beautifully restored 1915 heritage building in Toronto. Co-organized by ICP HUB Canada & US, Nolcha Shows, and Quantum Leap Labs, the curated Consensus gathering featured thought-provoking panels and a keynote by Javier Arroyo Ferrer, who spoke about the journey of building ICP HUB Canada & US and Quantum Leap Labs. The evening brought together innovators, creators, and leaders from across the Web3 space in a unique and inspiring setting.
Highlights from Thought Leadership Panels:
“From Tokens to Trust: Rethinking Venture Capital in a Decentralized World” Featuring: Michael Terpin, Tess Hau, Colin Sinclair, Orion ParrottModerated by: H.S. Bourgi (Cointelegraph)
“Building Web3: Why Blockchain Ecosystems Are Poised to Win” Featuring: Erai Beckmann, Leonarda Rajeckytė, Megan Klimen, Ritvick PaliwalModerated by: Wendy Huang (RBC Global Asset Management)
About Internet Computer
The Internet Computer (ICP) allows Web3 services to run 100% on-chain, being the only protocol on top of which developers can build and users can enjoy fully decentralized applications. ICP ditches corporate cloud, insecure bridges and expensive oracles.
The Internet Computer enables people to build Web3 services and enterprise systems directly on a public decentralized network, which scales even to hosting social networks and media streaming and is a cost effective system to displace the traditional internet. Hosted services are tamperproof, don’t need firewalls, support Web3 functionality, and can trustlessly interact with the outside world.
About ICP HUB Canada & US
ICP HUB Canada & US is one of the official regional HUBS for the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) across North America, dedicated to accelerating the adoption and growth of decentralized technologies. As a core driver of the ICP ecosystem, the HUB leads initiatives focused on education, community building, ecosystem expansion, and direct support for developers and entrepreneurs.
Through a vibrant network of university partnerships, government collaborations, and enterprise outreach, ICP HUB Canada & US organizes workshops, hackathons, demo days, and technical bootcamps that empower the next generation of Web3 builders. The HUB also plays a key role in identifying high-potential projects and guiding them through incubation and acceleration via Quantum Leap Labs, its official incubator and accelerator program.
ICP HUB Canada & US Wraps Up High-Impact Week Across Canada Crypto Week 2025
ICP HUB Canada & US concluded a landmark presence at Canada Crypto Week 2025, participating in four premier events that brought together global Web3 leaders, family offices, venture capitalists, and the broader crypto community. From mainstage panels to exclusive investor gatherings, the Hub amplified the vision of the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) across North America’s most influential blockchain week. “Canada Crypto Week 2025 was a catalyst for deeper collaboration, sharper ideas, and broader exposure for the Internet Computer ecosystem in North America,” said Javier Arroyo Ferrer, HUB Lead of ICP Canada & US. “From founders to funders, the conversations were meaningful, the connections genuine, and the momentum undeniable. We’re proud to be building in this community—and this is just the beginning.” May 13 – Blockchain Futurist Conference ICP HUB Canada & US kicked off the week at the Blockchain Futurist Conference, where Hub Lead Javier Arroyo Ferrer joined industry leaders Tamara J.N. Haasen (Input Output), Simon Kubbinga (Superteam Canada), J.D. Seraphine (Raiinmaker) and moderated by Ty Smith (Coinbound) for a compelling panel on “The Future of Web3.” The discussion explored the next wave of decentralized infrastructure, user ownership, and scalable ecosystems.
May 14 – Family Office Investor Summit In partnership with Quantum Leap Labs, BipQuantum, and RhinoSpider, ICP HUB Canada & US co-hosted the Family Office Investor Summit, bringing together a curated group of family offices and venture capitalists. The event fostered meaningful discussions on staking strategies, tokenized asset models, and innovative approaches to unlocking capital efficiency in Web3 investing.
May 14 – Consensus 2025 by CoinDesk As an official Community Partner, ICP HUB Canada & US had a strong presence at Consensus 2025, facilitating real-world connections and highlighting the Internet Computer's role in advancing secure, decentralized applications. The team engaged with developers, investors, and ecosystem builders across Consensus’ global stage. May 15 – ICP & NOLCHA @ Consensus: Crypto, Capital, Art & Cocktails The week concluded with a powerful event at the historic Charles Puma Art Gallery, a beautifully restored 1915 heritage building in Toronto. Co-organized by ICP HUB Canada & US, Nolcha Shows, and Quantum Leap Labs, the curated Consensus gathering featured thought-provoking panels and a keynote by Javier Arroyo Ferrer, who spoke about the journey of building ICP HUB Canada & US and Quantum Leap Labs. The evening brought together innovators, creators, and leaders from across the Web3 space in a unique and inspiring setting. Highlights from Thought Leadership Panels: “From Tokens to Trust: Rethinking Venture Capital in a Decentralized World” Featuring: Michael Terpin, Tess Hau, Colin Sinclair, Orion Parrott Moderated by: H.S. Bourgi (Cointelegraph)“Building Web3: Why Blockchain Ecosystems Are Poised to Win” Featuring: Erai Beckmann, Leonarda Rajeckytė, Megan Klimen, Ritvick Paliwal Moderated by: Wendy Huang (RBC Global Asset Management)
About Internet Computer The Internet Computer (ICP) allows Web3 services to run 100% on-chain, being the only protocol on top of which developers can build and users can enjoy fully decentralized applications. ICP ditches corporate cloud, insecure bridges and expensive oracles. The Internet Computer enables people to build Web3 services and enterprise systems directly on a public decentralized network, which scales even to hosting social networks and media streaming and is a cost effective system to displace the traditional internet. Hosted services are tamperproof, don’t need firewalls, support Web3 functionality, and can trustlessly interact with the outside world. About ICP HUB Canada & US ICP HUB Canada & US is one of the official regional HUBS for the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) across North America, dedicated to accelerating the adoption and growth of decentralized technologies. As a core driver of the ICP ecosystem, the HUB leads initiatives focused on education, community building, ecosystem expansion, and direct support for developers and entrepreneurs. Through a vibrant network of university partnerships, government collaborations, and enterprise outreach, ICP HUB Canada & US organizes workshops, hackathons, demo days, and technical bootcamps that empower the next generation of Web3 builders. The HUB also plays a key role in identifying high-potential projects and guiding them through incubation and acceleration via Quantum Leap Labs, its official incubator and accelerator program.
The Final Ledger: Forging the Future & Fortune of Web3 on Syscoin
Imagine a digital world built to last, where your creations and participation don't just survive, they thrive for generations. This isn't a distant dream; it's the future Syscoin is forging with "The Final Ledger"—and it’s an invitation to build and benefit from Web3's most enduring infrastructure. The digital frontier, once bright with promise, has too often led to dead ends: fleeting projects, broken vows, and user disillusionment. But what if the foundation for true, lasting digital economies – offering substantial opportunities for developers and real value for users – has been under construction, and gathering strength since 2014? Enter Syscoin. This isn't another fleeting name in the crypto space. Syscoin is a resilient force, a granite obelisk in a landscape of shifting sands. Forged with Bitcoin’s own Proof-of-Work and merged-mined with its unparalleled security, Syscoin didn't chase fleeting hype. It meticulously built the bedrock for what’s next: The Final Ledger. This is where stability meets opportunity, offering a secure platform where innovation can flourish and long-term value can be confidently built. Enduring Strength: Syscoin, Bitcoin, and "The Final Ledger" – A New Era for Value What, then, is "The Final Ledger"? It represents Syscoin's core vision for a trustworthy Web3, offering unprecedented security and potential. It is conceived as a highly secure, globally accessible foundation where the records of all blockchains and digital activities can achieve ultimate integrity and permanence. Syscoin aims to be the fundamental framework, the essential "zeros and ones," for blockchain development. This means any project, on any chain, can leverage parts of Syscoin's infrastructure, unlocking new potentials for their ventures by ensuring unmatched data security and truth. Think of Bitcoin as digital gold, renowned for holding value. Syscoin partners with Bitcoin to extend this value, making it more usable and active for a wide array of applications that can generate new revenue streams and user engagement. It acts as a supremely secure vault that also unlocks new potentials for these digital assets, turning stored value into active, programmable wealth, becoming a store of utility. Syscoin achieves this deep security by directly linking with Bitcoin's proven Proof-of-Work system through merged mining. This creates a powerful synergy, leveraging the world's most secure computing network. Prominent Bitcoin mining groups such as F2Pool, Antpool, and many others contribute to this, enhancing Syscoin’s decentralization and solidifying it as a platform built for the ages – a platform where developers can build with confidence and users can trust in the longevity of their assets and applications. Further strengthening this, Syscoin incorporates innovations like BitcoinDA (Bitcoin Data Availability). This technology ensures that projects building on or integrating with Syscoin can achieve lasting data security, backed by Bitcoin itself – a critical factor for any application handling significant value or sensitive information. The architecture allows any project to develop its own specialized blockchain (an Edgechain) on Syscoin, or for any existing blockchain to connect to Syscoin's Bitcoin-anchored system. This can be done while preserving their own blockchain's specific features and independence. It’s a design that offers both flexibility and unwavering data integrity, opening doors for complex, high-value applications across the Web3 space. If you are interested to know more about ZK-Rollups do read this article where experts have explained the importance of scalability and how syscoins achieves it. Syscoin's role is comparable to vital, long-standing infrastructure that has served humanity for centuries – systems that provide essential services, often unseen but crucial for progress and stability. Syscoin is being developed as this type of fundamental layer for the digital era. While not always in the spotlight, it is designed to be essential for the security, health, and long-term success of the broader Web3 ecosystem. Syscoins vision is to be an integral part of our digital world now, and far into the future, continually building and reinforcing its foundations, supporting countless thriving projects. To see how Bitcoin’s security is becoming the profit-generating foundation for Web3’s most robust infrastructure, view the Cointelegraph Spotlight zkSYS and Edgechains: A New Horizon for Development, Forged with ZK-Power & Bitcoin Security The landscape of opportunity for developers and entrepreneurs transforms dramatically with zkSYS, Syscoin's flagship Edgechain. This represents far more than a simple upgrade; it's a fundamentally new launchpad, built on the robust power of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) technology, designed for the next generation of high-value decentralized applications. Learning from the evolution of scaling solutions and moving beyond the limitations of earlier approaches, zkSYS offers a distinct path forward. If Syscoin is the bedrock, zkSYS is the first bustling metropolis built upon it. It showcases how advanced modular execution layers, powered by ZK-proofs, can deliver exceptional speed and dramatically lower costs—all while inheriting the formidable security of Bitcoin. For developers, this shift to ZK-technology within the Edgechain framework means a more secure, efficient, and capital-friendly environment. Unlike systems that require lengthy challenge periods or operate on probabilistic finality, the ZK-powered zkSYS architecture ensures transactions are verified upfront with mathematical certainty. This eliminates waiting games and unlocks near-instant finality, creating a superior user experience and allowing developers to build with greater confidence. It translates to less time grappling with potential vulnerabilities or network inefficiencies, and more time focused on creating compelling, scalable applications that can attract significant user bases and investment. What does this unlock for you? Build Groundbreaking Applications: Imagine deploying complex DeFi protocols, high-volume NFT and RWA marketplaces, or expansive GameFi worlds that operate seamlessly, without the crippling gas fees or security vulnerabilities that plague other platforms. This is the developer advantage Edgechains provide.Achieve True Sovereignty: For projects aiming for ultimate control and customization, Edgechains offer the power to launch "your chain, your rules." This allows for tailored economic models, governance structures, and unique functionalities, all while benefiting from Syscoin’s underlying security – a recipe for creating distinct and defensible value propositions.Tap into Unprecedented Speed and Efficiency: zkRollup technology powers these Edgechains, enabling near-instant transaction finality. This speed is crucial for applications requiring real-time interaction and can dramatically improve user experience, leading to higher adoption and retention rates. This framework is designed for those who see the current limitations of Web3 not as barriers, but as opportunities to build better, faster, and more secure solutions that can capture significant market share. [See how Syscoin’s innovative infrastructure is empowering developers to build the future: https://syscoin.org/news/roadmap-preview] The Future is Inclusive: Your Chance to Participate, Bridge, and Build with The Final Ledger "The Final Ledger" isn't just a concept for elite developers; it's an expanding ecosystem we are designing for broad participation, creating new pathways for users, builders, and even Bitcoin holders to engage and unlock significant opportunities. At Syscoin, we are actively fostering a community where contributing value and participating in our innovative infrastructure translates into tangible benefits. To more about this modular infrastructure and how it makes syscoin the most scalable blockchain, read this article from experts at DroomDroom. Here’s a glimpse of what’s on the horizon, designed to empower you: Unlocking Bitcoin's Full Potential: The Trustless Syscoin Bitcoin Bridge. For too long, billions in Bitcoin have been sidelined from the vibrant DeFi and dApp ecosystems of Web3, often reliant on centralized bridges that carry inherent risks. We are engineering a groundbreaking, trustless Bitcoin Bridge designed to change this paradigm. This upcoming bridge aims to create a permissionless and secure pathway for BTC to flow directly into zkSYS and the broader Edgechain ecosystem. Imagine fueling next-generation DeFi protocols, minting Bitcoin-backed NFTs, or powering sovereign chains with Bitcoin's unparalleled liquidity – all without custodial risks or centralized points of failure. This bridge is not just infrastructure; it's a fundamental component to empower Bitcoin within the modular future we are building, bringing its strength directly to your fingertips.Accessible Network Participation: Fractional Sentry Nodes. The prospect of fractional Sentry Nodes is generating excitement. This development aims to democratize network security, allowing more individuals like you to contribute directly to the network's integrity and potentially earn rewards for your role, opening up new avenues for accessible participation and passive income.Rewarding Engagement: The "Foundry" and Dynamic Rewards. Get ready for dynamic points and rewards campaigns. Visualize a digital "Foundry," where your active involvement—your contributions to zkSYS, your engagement with the ecosystem, and your participation in bridging liquidity—allows you to forge your stake and be recognized for the value you bring. We believe in turning activity into assets through immediate rewards, not time-driven, speculative incentives.A New Paradigm of Value Creation: Proof-of-Participation. There is considerable anticipation for a unique proof-of-participation token. This isn't just another coin; it's envisioned as an innovative reward system for meaningful on-chain activity. The goal is to create a vibrant economy that rewards users and developers who strengthen and enrich the ecosystem – from securing the network to utilizing the bridge and building innovative dApps. This new value stream is being designed to complement the core utility of $SYS and support the long-term growth and vitality of the entire Syscoin ecosystem. This is about building a system where your engagement truly matters, where developers are equipped with unparalleled tools including direct access to Bitcoin's power, and where users can directly benefit from the growth and security of a lasting digital economy. Want to be the first to know about these opportunities, including updates on the Bitcoin Bridge, and discuss them with the community? Join the official Syscoin Discord at https://discord.gg/Syscoin and follow the latest updates on X (Twitter) at https://x.com/syscoin! A Call to the Builders of Forever: The Time for Enduring Value and Vision is Now The history of technology is filled with fleeting trends. But true revolutions are built on foundations that last. Syscoin, with its decade of unwavering development, its Bitcoin-anchored security, and its forward-looking architecture like zkSYS and Edgechains, offers a distinct and compelling alternative to the very nature of much of the crypto space. It presents the promise of The Final Ledger – a permanent, secure, and immensely scalable foundation poised to underpin the future of Web3, creating countless opportunities along the way. To build on Syscoin is to invest your time and resources in an infrastructure designed for eternity. It’s a chance to create applications and systems that are not just for this market cycle, or the next, but for the long-term historical record of digital innovation. Are you tired of building on shifting sands? Are you ready for a platform that matches your ambition with enduring strength and boundless potential? The Final Ledger is open. The opportunity to engage, build, and benefit is here. Discover Syscoin, explore zkSYS, and join the movement creating the permanent, value-driven foundation for Web3.
Stay connected with our vibrant community, ask questions, and get real-time updates by following Syscoin on X (Twitter) at https://x.com/syscoin and becoming an active member of our Discord server at https://discord.gg/Syscoin. The future is being built now – be part of the conversation! Learn how your vision can be immortalized, and explore Syscoin’s global expansion and the power of Edgechains: https://cointelegraph.com/news/here-s-how-bitcoin-is-transforming-into-web3-s-backbone