The hottest Blockchain Substack posts right now

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Understanding Staking Yields and Economics on Ethereum & Solana

Coin Metrics' State of the Network • 0 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Staking Economics Finance Technology
  1. Ethereum has about 34.4 million ETH staked, making up 28% of its total supply, while Solana has a higher staking ratio at 51% with 297 million SOL staked. This shows that more people are willing to stake their SOL due to easier entry requirements.
  2. Ethereum has more validators, about 1.07 million, compared to Solana's 5,048 validators. However, Solana engages over 1.21 million delegators, showing a lot of participation despite fewer validators.
  3. The staking yields differ significantly: Ethereum offers around 3.08% yield, while Solana offers a much higher yield of 11.5%. The differences come from their inflation models and reward structures for validators versus delegators.

Use bad standards

CodeFaster • 0 implied HN points • 28 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Blockchain Software APIs Development Standards
  1. ChainId is a confusing standard in crypto, but it is universal, which makes it easier to use across different applications. Instead of creating custom names for chains, sticking with chainId saves development time.
  2. Creating custom standards can complicate things, as you might have to map your data to fit different APIs. This can lead to a lot of extra work for developers.
  3. Even if a standard seems bad, if everyone else uses it, it often makes more sense to stick with that standard to avoid unnecessary complications.

Welcome to the stablecoin boom

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
🔮 Crypto Stablecoins Blockchain Digital Currency Investment Regulation
  1. Stablecoins are becoming more popular, especially as Tether faces troubles in Europe. This situation opens the market for other stablecoins that follow regulations.
  2. Companies making stablecoins can earn money by investing the dollars customers give them in low-risk options. As interest rates rise, these investments become even more profitable.
  3. Banks are looking to join the stablecoin market, simply because there’s money to be made. In 2025, we might see big moves like stablecoin IPOs and more investments in the sector.

Is Crypto Ready for Some U.S. Regulation?

Reverie by Daniel Cawrey • 0 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
🔮 Crypto Regulation Investments Blockchain Market Trends Legislation
  1. 2025 looks promising for cryptocurrency with many politicians showing support for it. The new government might create a better environment for crypto than previous administrations.
  2. Getting new regulations passed is tough, even if there is strong interest. It requires a lot of cooperation in Congress, which can be hard due to slim majorities.
  3. Some people in the crypto world actually prefer no regulations at all. They may resist rules that impact their trading habits.

Coin Metrics’ 2025 Crypto Outlook

Coin Metrics' State of the Network • 0 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🔮 Crypto Digital Assets Market Trends Blockchain Investments Regulations
  1. Bitcoin is expected to reach between $140K and $170K in 2025. This growth will come from more people adopting it and from ETF purchases.
  2. Ethereum is predicted to perform better, aiming for a price of $7,500 to $10,000 due to rising demand and new technologies being developed.
  3. Stablecoins are set to grow a lot in 2025, potentially doubling in size. People will use more of them for payments and trading as they become more accepted.
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Bitcoin’s 16th Birthday

Coin Metrics' State of the Network • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Investment Finance Technology Market Trends
  1. Bitcoin is 16 years old, and it has changed how we think about money. It started as a small idea and now is seen as a reliable alternative to regular money.
  2. Unlike traditional currencies, Bitcoin is not controlled by governments. This makes it appealing to people who want more control over their own finances.
  3. Over the years, Bitcoin has become more stable, making it a more credible investment option. Developments like Bitcoin ETFs have helped it gain trust in the financial world.

With a Memecoin President, The Coming Cryptofication of America

Reverie by Daniel Cawrey • 0 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Memecoins Regulation AI Innovation Entrepreneurship
  1. Trump's new memecoin has sparked a trend, leading many others to create their own coins. While most of these won't succeed, the excitement around memecoins could create a huge market.
  2. Combining cryptocurrency and AI is becoming popular. This mixture can help new projects grow quickly, despite some likely being poor ideas or scams.
  3. The new administration is likely to adopt a relaxed approach towards cryptocurrency, allowing for more innovation. This could make America a leader in new crypto developments and attract more businesses.

AI Needs Crypto and Crypto Needs AI

Reverie by Daniel Cawrey • 0 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Cryptocurrency Decentralization Fintech Artificial Intelligence
  1. AI and crypto are becoming closely linked, creating new ways for them to work together. This new relationship is called decentralized AI, which uses crypto for incentives.
  2. Blockchains provide useful features for AI and can help reduce costs and improve payments. This means AI can become more efficient with lower fees and without borders.
  3. As AI evolves, it will likely rely more on crypto for resources, like paying for data sharing or using marketplaces. This could lead to big changes in how we use AI in the future.

Precog and Bittensor: Redefining Crypto Market Intelligence

Coin Metrics' State of the Network • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Market Trends Decentralization Data Analytics
  1. Bittensor is a decentralized network that rewards users for solving AI tasks. This way, the best performers get recognized and compensated for their work.
  2. Precog, built on Bittensor's infrastructure, allows users to compete in predicting crypto prices. Those who make accurate forecasts can earn rewards, making the process both competitive and engaging.
  3. The entire system uses blockchain technology to ensure fairness and transparency. This way, everyone involved can trust that rewards are distributed based on performance.

What The Hell Happened to Ethereum?

Reverie by Daniel Cawrey • 0 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Ethereum Decentralization Smart Contracts Cryptocurrency
  1. Ethereum has lost its leading position in the crypto space and is now struggling to keep up with faster, more centralized platforms like Solana.
  2. The focus on decentralization has led to scaling issues, making transactions slow and expensive, which frustrates users who just want a simple experience.
  3. Ethereum might end up being a decentralized settlement layer rather than a scalable platform, as users seem to prefer the speed and low fees offered by centralized options.

Tether (USDT) Analyst Report

Coin Metrics' State of the Network • 0 implied HN points • 10 Jun 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Stablecoins Market Analysis Digital Assets Investment Trends
  1. USDT is great for fast and cheap cross-border payments, making it useful for people in countries where getting US dollars is tough.
  2. It's easily available on many platforms, helping it become popular quickly as people use it more for trading and blockchain activities.
  3. Institutions like USDT too because it's stable and makes transactions simpler, showing that it's not just for everyday users.

Tokenized Bitcoin: Extending Bitcoin’s Utility

Coin Metrics' State of the Network • 0 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
🔮 Crypto Bitcoin Blockchain DeFi Tokens Market Trends
  1. Tokenized Bitcoin like WBTC and cbBTC makes Bitcoin useful across different blockchain networks. This helps people use Bitcoin in various ways, not just as a store of value.
  2. WBTC is the biggest wrapped Bitcoin option, but cbBTC is quickly gaining popularity, especially on platforms like Base and Solana. Together, they have significant activity in decentralized finance (DeFi).
  3. These tokenized Bitcoins allow users to engage in trading and lending without selling their actual Bitcoin. They open up new financial opportunities while also involving some risks related to how they are managed.

The After-Effects of Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade

Coin Metrics' State of the Network • 0 implied HN points • 27 May 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Ethereum Staking Layer 2 DeFi
  1. The Pectra upgrade for Ethereum increased the maximum balance a validator can hold, allowing for better rewards and encouraging the consolidation of multiple validators into one.
  2. The upgrade also doubled the available blob space, which improves how Layer-2 solutions can operate, making transactions cheaper and faster for users.
  3. Early results show that more blobs are being used, and transaction counts have significantly increased, but there's still potential for even more growth in usage.