In this article, we explore liquid staking protocol StakeStone's key features, the STO token launch, tokenomics and how to trade STO on Bybit.

StakeStone (STO) is a next-gen omnichain liquidity infrastructure protocol designed to optimize yield and cross-chain liquidity. Its introduction of liquid yield-bearing versions of ETH and BTC — STONE and STONEBTC — enables users to earn sustainable yield while enhancing capital efficiency. This article explores StakeStone’s architecture, core assets, founding team, tokenomics and recent market performance.

 is a decentralized liquidity infrastructure protocol that issues liquid, 

-bearing assets like STONE (Ethereum) and STONEBTC (Bitcoin). Designed for omnichain integration, it empowers users and protocols with composable 

 solutions and efficient cross-chain liquidity.

Launched in 2024, StakeStone was built to address the fragmented and capital-inefficient nature of ETH and BTC staking by introducing secure, flexible and modular primitives. StakeStone’s mission is to maximize on-chain yield while ensuring deep liquidity across ecosystems.

StakeStone was founded in 2023 by a team of DeFi-native builders led by Charles K, a crypto veteran with over 10 years of experience in centralized exchanges (CEXs), hardware wallets and DeFi infrastructure The core team includes Rose Li, Chief Strategy Officer, and Ivan K, Chief Marketing Officer.

The project has secured funding from notable crypto funds, including Polychain Capital, Binance Labs, OKX Ventures, Amber Group, HashKey Capital and Bankless Ventures. These backers not only provide capital but also strategic ecosystem access — positioning StakeStone as a serious player in omnichain liquidity and yield infrastructure.

StakeStone converts ETH and BTC into liquid, yield-bearing assets — STONE (ETH) and STONEBTC (respectively) — through a modular and omnichain framework. When ETH is staked, it flows into the StakeStone Vault and is allocated to the Strategy Pool, and STONE is minted via the Minter.

Yield is generated through strategies such as:

Users can deploy STONE across chains via the 

 (LP) rewards, with optional LP locking for enhanced returns. SBTC is the liquid BTC asset mirroring Bitcoin’s value, with STONEBTC adding a yield layer to BTC and unlocking passive income without sacrificing liquidity.

StakeStone implements key security measures, including the following:

STONE (ETH): Omnichain yield-bearing asset

 derivative. It’s minted when users stake ETH, and is backed by underlying yield from stETH, EigenLayer restaking and additional DeFi strategies.

STONE supports seamless cross-chain bridging, enabling deployment across supported networks and STONE-Fi Pools for additional rewards. Users benefit from passive yield, cross-chain utility, governance participation and on-demand liquidity.

SBTC is a liquid Bitcoin asset that mirrors BTC’s value and enables seamless use within EVM-compatible chains. STONEBTC, on the other hand, enhances SBTC by adding a yield layer, empowering users to earn yield from BTC-based strategies while preserving liquidity.

 utility by unlocking native BTC liquidity and enabling new use cases, such as cross-chain lending and borrowing, LP participation in BTC-based DeFi pools and composable integration across multichain DeFi protocols.

Together, SBTC and STONEBTC aim to position Bitcoin as an active capital layer across Ethereum and beyond.

 of StakeStone, with a total supply of 1 billion. It underpins protocol governance via OPAP proposals, voting-escrowed STO (veSTO) staking and 

Emissions are set to taper gradually until 2031, aligning incentives with long-term ecosystem growth.

According to CoinGecko, as of Apr 24, 2025, 

with a market cap of over $25 million. The token has recently shown strong momentum, rallying 85.4% over the past two weeks. Furthermore, StakeStone’s value could benefit from various catalysts, such as the rise in demand for 

 the STOUSDT Perpetual futures contract in the Innovation Zone, with up to 20x leverage.

 a Bybit account, complete identity verification and fund your 

 using crypto deposits or fiat currencies. 

Intermediate

StakeStone STO.png

StakeStone (STO): Cross-chain liquid staking protocol

The MANTRA (OM) token’s wild crash on Apr 13, 2025, shocked the crypto world. Discover the causes, fallout, and what’s next in MANTRA’s road to recovery.

In the morning and daytime hours of Apr 13, 2025, the MANTRA blockchain's native token, OM, sat at a respectable market cap of $6 billion, making it the third-highest-ranked cryptocurrency in the 

 (RWA) category, the area the platform specializes in. Everything seemed like smooth sailing for the token.

Then, just after 6 PM UTC, the price of the OM token suddenly began to free-fall, declining from nearly $6 to about $0.50 in the space of just two hours.

A project that started the day as one of the top players in the RWA field was now worth 90% less as the evening approached. OM's abrupt, sharp crash immediately caught the market's attention, with speculation of a 

However, MANTRA's CEO, John Patrick Mullin, immediately sprang into action for PR damage control on social media, reassuring the public that the team members weren’t dumping OM tokens at all. Instead, MANTRA's founder and CEO alleged that deliberate actions of some 

 (CEXs) had caused the catastrophic plunge.

As of our coverage date of Apr 23, 2025, this is a developing story. In this article, we’ll establish what actually happened, who's involved and what awaits the OM token in the foreseeable future.

 decentralized network dedicated to RWA tokenization and utilization in compliance with real-world regulatory requirements.

 It features high scalability and low transaction fees. The project is one of the earliest initiatives dedicated to RWA use via blockchain technology. Originally, MANTRA debuted as a 

 (ETH) in August 2020. In October 2024, the project migrated to its own dedicated Layer 1 platform, the MANTRA Chain. The MANTRA blockchain is based on the Cosmos SDK framework, and is part of the wider 

The MANTRA ecosystem's main products include MANTRA DEX, a 

 (DEX); a digital identity (DID) management tool; a compliant token development and management solution; and a comprehensive compliance and permissioning system. MANTRA has also partnered with global powerhouses like Google Cloud, and with DAMAC Properties, one of Dubai's most prominent developers, to propel innovative solutions for 

Starting in late 2024, right after its own dedicated mainnet launch, MANTRA had become a significant player in the RWA corner of 

 (DeFi). By late February 2025, the platform’s native OM token had climbed to a value of nearly $9, with its market cap peaking at around $8.2 billion. Before the fateful events of Apr 13, 2025, OM was the third-highest-capped crypto in the RWA category, trading at $6.27, with a market cap of slightly over $6 billion, according to the CoinGecko portal.

In the evening hours (UTC time) of Apr 13, 2025, OM began to lose its value precipitously, dive-bombing from over $6 to about $0.52 in the space of two hours. The token’s market cap fell to slightly under half a billion dollars — a loss of more than 90%.

CEO John Mullin was quickly online, reassuring the crypto community that no team member had sold their OM holdings, and that this wasn’t a case of the bad ol’ rug pull. Instead, Mullin alluded that after OM tokens were moved to two leading CEXs (Binance and OKX) to use as collateral, the exchanges initiated a cascade of 

 of positions backed by the token. Both exchanges refuted the allegations, and connected OM’s price collapse to its recent unusually high price 

, and significant tokenomics changes made to OM in October 2024 that greatly undermined its value.

As a chain of liquidations took place, the token’s price started to plummet, causing significant panic that quickly led to further price drops. The situation only stabilized closer to the end of the day, with OM’s price remaining under $1. As of Apr 23, it’s trading at $0.5543 — a far cry from its rate of over $6 just two weeks ago.

After investigating, crypto analytics firm Lookonchain concluded that 17 wallets had deposited 43.6 million OM tokens (4.5% of the token's circulating supply) into the implicated exchanges. Two of these wallets are believed to belong to Laser Digital, one of MANTRA's investors. Another investor in the project, Shorooq Partners, is also suspected to be among the 17 wallets. Both Shorooq and Laser Digital have denied the allegations.

Although the price plunge was immediately compared to the 2022 collapse of the 

 (LUNA) blockchain, many analysts point out that the two crashes are fundamentally different. Terra's crash resulted from structural abnormalities in the 

 regulating UST, the project's stablecoin. In contrast, OM's fiasco is suspected to be the direct result of market-driven manipulation by 

, and possibly exchanges. No security breach, disruption to services or data, or other adverse structural events have occurred on the platform.

While this development is unprecedented for the project, MANTRA has been embroiled in other controversies throughout its history. One of these was its 

, first announced in August 2024 and then delayed multiple times. Around 50% of the wallets believed to be bots were cut off from the airdrop list. However, many considered the bot-culling process to have been conducted without much proof.

There have also been reports of vote rigging in the project's governance system in a bid to obscure MANTRA’s centralized model of profit allocation. Additionally, some analysts have accused the project of "forced bridging" to manipulate the market price. Platform users had to migrate their Ethereum-based OM tokens to MANTRA's native OM tokens via 

, which would increase gas fees and allow the project team to control the token's circulation pace.

How is MANTRA (OM) headed toward recovery?

MANTRA’s CEO rapidly reassured users that the team is now working hard to jump-start the token’s recovery. On Apr 14, 2025, Mullin unveiled plans to initiate a buyback scheme, along with the intent to burn all OM tokens held by the project team. The team's supply totals 300 million tokens, representing about 17% of the total supply.

He also denied factually incorrect assertions circulating online that the team effectively controls 90% of OM's supply. Mullin further assured the public that no large-scale selling events by investors have occurred.

As OM’s value has stayed firmly under $1, it remains to be seen how these PR efforts — as well as the planned buyback and burn — will affect the token’s future.

 as a swap pair with USDT, or on the Derivatives market as the 

Naturally, given the ongoing situation with the OM token, buying OM is at your own discretion, as right now the token is truly for the adventurous and brave at heart.

As of Apr 23, 2025, the OM token is trading at $0.5543, 93.8% lower than its ATH of $8.99 on Feb 23, 2025, and 3,138.8% higher than its ATL of $0.01726 on Oct 12, 2023.

Curiously, most crypto price prediction portals are optimistic about the OM token's long-term prospects. DigitalCoinPrice 

 of $1.81 in 2027 and $2.82 in 2030, whilePricePrediction 

It's hard to verify all the allegations flying around regarding the involvement of exchanges and key investors in the MANTRA OM incident. What matters at this stage is that the project team has been quick and proactive in injecting transparency and clarity into the situation.

The free fall in the token's price seems to be over by now. In fact, OM’s decline was over within hours of the incident. Moreover, unlike Terra's LUNA and UST coins, OM hasn't become worthless. All these factors point to potential stabilization and recovery ahead. The question now is: Will the pace and magnitude of the recovery be enough to save the project in the long term? At this early stage after the collapse, few people could answer the question with confidence. We'll eagerly await the developments over the next few weeks to see if MANTRA finds its way out of the woods. 

mantra om crypto.png

MANTRA (OM): Understanding its wild ride and road to recovery

In this article, we explore WalletConnect's features, its native token (WCT) and how you can trade WCT on Bybit Spot and Futures.​

WalletConnect is an open source bridging protocol that facilitates secure connections between digital wallets and 

 (DApps). With over 38 million unique active wallets and 57,000 supported apps, it’s getting noticed by the crypto community. In this article, we explore WalletConnect's features, its native token (WCT) and how you can trade WCT on Bybit.​

 protocol that allows users to connect their mobile wallets to DApps via QR code. This eliminates the need for browser extensions, and enhances security by keeping 

The protocol supports a wide range of wallets and DApps, making it a versatile tool for users navigating DeFi and web3.

 is essentially a decentralized infrastructure that facilitates a uniformed way for users to easily connect their crypto wallets with thousands of DApps. It operates through a network of

 that relay messages, ensuring reliable and secure connections. The network's design emphasizes scalability and resilience, catering to the growing demands of DeFi. 

When a user initiates a connection between their wallet and a DApp, WalletConnect establishes a secure session through a relay server that enables encrypted communication, allowing users to interact with DApps directly from their wallets. 

The network's architecture ensures that messages are transmitted efficiently, maintaining a seamless user experience.​

The WalletConnect ecosystem comprises various stakeholders, including node operators, wallet providers and DApp developers. Node operators play a crucial role by maintaining the network's infrastructure and relaying messages. 

To incentivize participation, the network implements a rewards mechanism whereby node operators earn WCT tokens, based on their performance and contribution. Prominent organizations like Consensys, Ledger and Figment are among the network's node operators, underscoring its robustness and reliability.​

 is the native utility and governance token of the WalletConnect network. It has a total supply of 1 billion, 

Initially, WCT is nontransferable to ensure that tokens remain within the WalletConnect ecosystem, supporting its focus on network functionality and development. Based on discussions within the community, transfers will be enabled based on community consensus and future governance decisions.

Where to buy the WalletConnect token (WCT)

 on Bybit Spot, and as a Perpetual contract with up to 75x 

. Bybit provides a secure and user-friendly platform for buying and selling WCT, allowing users to participate in the WalletConnect ecosystem. 

How to trade the WalletConnect token (WCT) on Bybit

Bybit's platform ensures efficient execution and provides various tools to assist users in their trading journey with ease.​ 

walletconnect wct.png

WalletConnect (WCT): Bridging web3 beyond wallets and DApps

Circle has launched the Circle Payments Network (CPN), a global payment solution designed to streamline cross-border transactions using stablecoins like USDC and EURC for real-time settlement. 

The S&P 500 rose 2.51% as investor confidence improved following President Trump’s support for Fed Chair Powell and hints of easing U.S.-China trade tensions, despite tempered optimism and Tesla’s earnings miss. Gold rebounds toward $3,400 as the US Dollar weakens and investor caution lingers over US-China trade and Fed concerns. Technicals suggest a possible pullback, with focus shifting to upcoming S&P Global PMI data. The Coindesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, rose 7.46%, with Bitcoin and Ether up 4.68% and 7.70%, respectively, in the past 24 hours. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is DEEP, up 122.1%, following the launch of DeepBook v3.1 on Sui, which unlocks permissionless pools, enhanced balance management, and cost-efficiency for DeFi.

DeepBook (DEEP), launched on July 12, 2023,  is Sui’s native liquidity layer, using a central limit order book to enable high-throughput, low-slippage, and low-fee trading. 

, introduces several key upgrades: permissionless pools, revamped fee mechanics, and enhanced balance management. These changes make DeepBook more accessible, composable, and cost-efficient for DeFi users. Permissionless pools allow anyone to create custom trading pairs, while the enhanced balance manager supports third-party liquidations and improves protocol stability and user experience.

Check out the latest prices, charts, and data of 

, a global payment solution designed to streamline cross-border transactions using stablecoins like USDC and EURC for real-time settlement. CPN offers faster, programmable, secure, and always-available money movement for financial institutions. It supports services like invoice payments, remittances, treasury services, and payroll payouts. Over 20 design partners, including dLocal, WorldRemit, and BVNK, are contributing to building a more efficient global payments infrastructure.

Yesterday, Bitcoin spot ETFs saw $719.2M in total inflows, with $654.1M from non-GBTC funds and $65.1M from GBTC.

 its incentivized testnet, allowing users to earn $SO tokens by testing its cross-chain lending platform. By supplying and borrowing assets across chains and completing quests, participants earn "Seeds," which will convert to $SO at TGE. Powered by LayerZero, Soul aims to unify liquidity across blockchains.

Beginner

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Circle launches Circle Payments Network for faster, secure global transactions using stablecoins

Candlestick

Trading

A Doji candlestick forms when the market opens and bullish traders push the prices up. It signifies the indecision of the bulls & bears market. Read on to find out more.

Doji-Candlestick-chart-pattern.jpeg

The Doji candle, referred to as the Doji star, signifies the indecision between the bulls and bears of the financial or crypto market. This candlestick chart pattern forms specifically when a market’s close and open prices are almost the same. There are plenty of Doji patterns, including dragonfly Doji, gravestone Doji, and long-legged Doji.

Doji candlestick is mainly used to indicate indecision since the high, low, open, and close in which these four prices are the same.

Still, not all of these Doji variations are used the same way. In fact, Doji can also be used to indicate the slowing momentum of an existing trend. That is why you must understand the differences and interpret the differences of these formations to minimize risks and earn a consistent profit.

A Doji candle is a candlestick formation that shows up when the open and close price appears relatively at the same level, while the shadows are relatively long. The wick is made up of a vertical line of the Doji pattern, while the body is referred to as the horizontal line.

Doji candlestick typically forms when the market opens, and bullish traders push the prices up. While the price pushes down when the bearish traders attempt to reject the higher price. The differences in the opening and closing price of an asset are reflected through the body of the Doji candle. Whereas the top wick represents the highest price and the bottom represents the low.

Then, a cross shape is formed when the price open and close price of an asset is more or less at the same level. The cross shape appears in a form where the candle’s body will either be very small or almost non-existent, while the upper and the lower wicks are at equal length.

A Doji refers as “dо̄ji” in Japanese, is a name in which the candlestick has an open and close that are equal and often the components in patterns. When translated in Japanese, Doji means blunder or mistake, where it refers to the rarity of an exact match of a closing and opening price.

Ultimately, it is a transitional candlestick that primarily defines the equality and indecision of the bull and bears in the financial market.

Since most traders rely on historical data and real-time price action for the buy or sell signals, the Doji candle proves to be invaluable to evaluate the market condition. For example, if Doji appears during a bullish trend, it signals that the market has entered a state of indecision and neutrality. This can end up with the continuation of the trend or with its reversal.

However, these signals are insufficient to conclude your decision to exit a position. So using a 

 can further confirm what Doji suggests.

Assuming Bitcoin’s price opens at $55,903, the buyer demand is higher, causing the price to move on an uptrend reaching a high at $57,135. Then sellers tried to push the price lower to a low of $54,715. However, the day ends with a closing and opening price at $55,903, forming a long-legged Doji, as shown in the photo. It means the buyers and sellers have come to indecision, referring no directional bias occurs for that day.

A neutral Doji candle forms when the market opens, and bullish traders push the prices up and vice versa for bearish traders. However, it’ll find strong resistance or support at some point and goes in the opposite direction, the same level of counteraction is found. In the end, it closes at relatively the same level where it opened, which suggests a moment of indecision.

For example, the market can open higher, after which bears reject the ascension and push the price back down to a certain level. As a result, the market tries to balance the situation by returning near its open. This kind of Doji is regarded as a trend continuation signal, but sometimes it can lead to a reversal.

It’s worth noting that the Doji pattern doesn’t necessarily mean reversal or continuation but simply indecision. Such candles can often be seen during periods of resting following strong uptrends or downtrends. The market may continue its way after resting.

However, it can also suggest that the existing trend is losing strength. It’s challenging to confirm the Doji signals without confirmation from the technical indicators, still, it suggests a substantial indication of both 

As mentioned, the Doji candlestick pattern can differ depending on the position and length of the shadows. Here are the most popular variations:

The neutral Doji consists of an almost invisible body positioned in the middle of the candle, i.e., the upper and lower shadows have similar lengths. This pattern shows up when both the bullish and bearish sentiments are balanced.

However, it doesn’t provide any specific signal when used separately. Usually, traders consider it a trend continuation pattern, but reversals might also occur quite often after it. If the neutral Doji comes after a strong bullish candle, investors will interpret it as a buy signal.

Also, if a bullish candlestick shows up above Doji’s high and has a higher low than the Doji’s low, it can be interpreted as a buy signal. Vice versa is valid for the bearish signal.

Long-legged Doji has longer shadows. It suggests that both buyers and sellers tried hard to take control over the 

 at some point during the period covered by the candle, though there was no winner in the end.

When traders spot this formation, the closing price concerning the whole candle’s mid-point should be monitored closely. If the close price is below the mid-point, it signals bearish, especially near resistance levels. If the close is above the mid-point, it is indicating a buy signal, as the formation resembles a bullish pin bar.

On the contrary, if the closing price is right in the middle, it can be considered a trend continuation pattern. Hence, so you should always check the previous candles.

 has a long lower shadow and a non-existent upper shadow. It means that the open, close, and high are all at the same level. Thus, resulting in a T-shaped candle.

If such a pattern shows up at the bottom of a downtrend, it can be regarded as a buy signal. However, if the price action breaks above the high, traders can open a long position. However, if the Dragonfly Doji forms near the resistance level, traders can exit positions as it is considered a reversal pattern.

As opposed to Dragonfly Doji, Gravestone Doji’s open and close prices coincide with the low. Thus, we get an inverted ‘T’. It suggests that the bulls may push the price up but ultimately failed to sustain the bullish momentum.

 shows up during an uptrend, it can be regarded as a reversal pattern, especially when seen near a relevant resistance level. Alternatively, it can act as a bullish reversal signal when it appears during a downtrend near a support level.

The 4 Price Doji is a unique pattern that can be observed rarely, especially during low-volume trading or on smaller timeframes. It resembles a minus-like line, which suggests that all the four price indicators, including high, low, open, and close, were at the same level in a given period. 

In other words, the market didn’t move at all during the covered period. This type of Doji is not a reliable pattern and can be ignored. It merely shows a moment of market indecision.

A single Doji is regarded as a good signal of indecision. However, two consecutive Dojis represent an even greater pattern that can lead to a strong breakout. There is a simple Double Doji strategy that aims to benefit from this more prolonged indecision.

After the two Dojis, traders can wait for the price to move higher or lower. Then enter the market in the breakout direction. While the take profit targets can be set near a recent 

. Alternatively, you can place a trailing stop, as the new move might continue even beyond the current support or resistance.

Doji Candle vs. Hammer Candle: The Differences

Doji and hammer candle might look similar because they both run into the shadows and short bodies. However, a hammer candle is with a long lower shadow that is almost twice the size of a real body.

A hammer candlestick usually appears after a price decline, signaling a potential upcoming reversal. It signals a bullish reversal of a 

 that usually appears at the bottom of downtrends. The hammer candle comes in handy to help traders visualize where the support and demand are and signaling traders when the downtrend could possibly be over.

While Doji can be seen at any point. The same is true about the difference between Doji and the Shooting Star, which is an 

Given that there are several types of Doji candlesticks, there are different ways to trade them. However, in most cases, you should use additional indicators, such as momentum indicators to confirm the suggestions Doji is signaling.

Here is an example of a trade using a neutral Doji:

As you can see, the Doji candlestick formed after a temporary correction within a newly formed uptrend. The question is — will the upward movement continue, or will the price turn bearish? To obtain a more accurate picture, we checked the Stochastic. It indicates that there’s more room for growth, as the price action is not even close to the overbought level. Indeed, the price eventually maintained a general uptrend.

So, when you see that the Doji candlestick forms at the bottom of a downtrend or near an uptrend’s resistance, you should always check the Stochastic or the RSI indicator to get a better signal.

Ultimately, the best way to trade the Doji is to wait for the next candlestick to break above its high or below its low. Assess the indications, then only make a final decision about opening a position or closing one.

Trading With Dragonfly and Gravestone Doji

Besides the neutral Dojis, you can look for Dragonfly and Gravestone Dojis, which can provide signals independently. However, additional technical indicators are recommended anyway. Dragonfly and Gravestone Dojis are very similar to the Hammer and Shooting Star patterns, and the types of signals are similar as well. 

Here is an example of a trade based on the Dragonfly Doji:

In the image above, the Dragonfly Doji formed after a steep bearish decline. This type of Doji anticipates a trend reversal, and this happened in our example as well. Moreover, the Stochastic reached the oversold level after the bearish candle, which suggested that the Dragonfly was even more relevant. Eventually, the price started to move upwards very slowly, and then the pace increased.

When the price moves higher for a while, the chart can form a Gravestone pattern. Which is an inverted Dragonfly Doji that precedes the reversal of an uptrend.

Relying on Doji alone is not a good idea because this type of candle is relatively neutral in most cases. Plus, a trader might risk missing out on crucial information before making a trade. That’s mainly because the Doji candlestick pattern relates only to the price information it provides.

Moreover, finding a Doji candle is not that easy, as these formations don’t appear quite frequently. Even when they show up, you should combine them with technical analysis and indicators to get a more accurate signal because Doji alone doesn’t provide strong signals.

In conclusion, the Doji candlestick is not the best pattern to provide strong buy and sell signals. But it does a great job at finding moments of indecision among bulls and bears, which highlights the open positions or potential opportunities.

It is more suitable for intermediate and professional crypto traders since they can easily spot them and interpret their signals.

Candlestick Patterns Professional Traders Use

 – A curated list of candlestick patterns most frequently used by traders

 – Learn the basics of candlestick patterns

 (Chart basics: trend, neckline, wedges)

What Is a Doji Candle & How to Trade With it?

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What Is a Doji Candle & How to Trade With it?

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