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  • These Cryptos Could Outperform in the Next Alt Season

    • Bitcoin’s growth has sucked all the liquidity from the markets which also has corporate money unlike altcoins.
    • Stablecoin markets, too, have swelled up riding on cross-border payments.
    • The Alt Season has already ended its current cycle, and markets are consolidating for the next.
    • The upcoming alt cycle focuses on revenue, active users, and addressable market size.
    • Cryptos like Ethereum, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, and Ton could outperform others in the future.

    Why did Bitcoin grow but Ethereum didn’t?

    So far, Bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency with significant financial investment, thanks to the success of ETFs, corporate investors, and whales holding their investments without booking substantial profits.

    Ethereum could not achieve a similar success because Ethereum ETFs currently do not allow staking, which reduces annual profits by as much as 4%. As a result, Ethereum ETFs failed to gain traction in the last 1 year of their existence (since July 2024).

    Bitcoin had no staking component attached to its ETFs (it is a PoW Blockchain) and hence, people investing in Bitcoin are getting similar gains as those who are directly holding Bitcoin. In addition, ETF holders do not have to worry about securing their Bitcoin, which adds a whole other dimension of benefits.

    Uncertainty in Stablecoin Markets

    Stablecoins are the liquidity on which crypto markets run. Without them, there would be no way for investors to reap profits and retain them.

    Furthermore, allocating 15 to 20% of your portfolio to stablecoins acts as a shock absorber. Without them, your profits in one cryptocurrency could be erased soon due to market volatility.

    Currently, stablecoin markets have been witnessing massive policy changes. The US’s Genius Act, the European Union’s MiCA framework, and other ongoing legislations are attempting to regulate them in a manner that better addresses these issues.

    We need more uniform stablecoin policy across the world to see a new era of growth in the crypto markets.

    Will an Alt Season Ever Arrive?

    The altcoin corresponding to the 2024 market rally has already arrived and faded away. This rally did not seem significant because, unlike previous alt seasons, Altcoin prices grew in tandem with the season; this alt season, the market size increased. This increase was evident in the changes to the Altcoin market cap between January 2024 and June 2025.

    The largest gainers of this alt season were AI coins and memecoins. However, these gains failed to solidify because there was no utility driving them. In the case of AI coins, the rally was fueled by the hope of a future AI revolution. For the memecoins, however, they were simply based on unrealistic hype, followed by market saturation caused by the Solana memecoins.

    When Will the Next Altcoin Season Arrive?

    The next Altcoin season appears to be driven by utility, with a focus on tangible factors such as protocol revenue, real-world utility, addressable market size, and other critical aspects.

    A few coins that could outperform others are Ethereum, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, and Toncoin.

    Ethereum

    Ethereum remains the second-largest crypto for a reason despite all its challenges. It powers the DeFi markets across multiple chains via its EVM and supports hundreds of protocols and dApps that utilize its Layer-1 chain for security.

    Suggested Reading: Data Proves Ethereum Is The Real Market Leader

    Ethereum’s current series of upgrades (Pectra, Dencun, Sharding) aims to make the Blockchain more decentralized through improved staking guidelines, reduced validator maintenance costs, lower downtime penalties, increased scalability, and enhanced security.

    In its most developed form, Ethereum would be highly cost-effective, allowing validators to run nodes with just 1 ETH and scale up to 100,000 transactions per second.

    XRP

    XRP has been making great strides in the Payment and Tokenization markets. Its Blockchain is optimized to finalize transactions within a few seconds. Furthermore, transactions on XRP cost a fraction of what they cost on Bitcoin and offer significantly greater security.

    XRP has been utilized for cross-border transactions, banking, and other finance-related applications.

    Solana

    Solana remains a top choice for dApps because of its reliable and low-cost Blockchain. The chain is also ready for RWA applications, which are believed to be one of the largest upcoming fields in crypto.

    Chainlink has become a top utility coin due to its success in the Oracle market, cross-chain solutions (CCIP), and its enterprise adoption.

    In terms of revenue, the project is doing extremely well. The annual estimated revenue for 2025 stands at $30 million for Chainlink.

    Toncoin

    TON benefits from its integration into the vast Telegram ecosystem, enabling dApps and DeFi protocols to operate at the lowest cost.

    The Blockchain has a theoretical speed of 100,000 transactions per second. For Blockchain projects, Toncoin remains a cheap and scalable solution. It also provides its users access to over a billion Telegram users, as users do not need to install additional dApps for TON if they have Telegram.

  • Is PYUSD’s Launch on Stellar a Game-Changer for PayPal?

    • PayPal introduces PYUSD on Stellar Blockchain.
    • Could be mutually beneficial as PayPal gains tech in exchange for offering users to Stellar.
    • PayPal could then develop its own DeFi marketplace on Stellar.

    With PYUSD’s introduction to the Stellar blockchain PayPal aims to take benefits of the blockchain’s fast and low cost transactions which was not possible in Ethereum (where PYUSD was first launched). Ethereum is lot more expensive and too much slower than Stellar.

    PYUSD’s Unique Roadblock

    Just after its launch PayPal PYUSD stablecoin met a significant roadblock due to its centralization. This was complicated further by Ethereum’s lack of adoption its high transaction fees and slower transaction times. Ethereum was falling way behind Solana, Stellar and other major blockchains even though it had the Dencun Upgrade on 13 March 2024.

    PYUSD needed a blockchain which could not ensure faster transactions but could also cost a lot less in terms of blockchain fees. Stellar was probably chosen as a stopgap measure, or until Ethereum completely implemented its Sharding Protocol and scale its blockchain to the targeted 100,000 transactions per second.

    Why Stellar?

    Stellar as a blockchain was chosen because it closely resembled XRPL’s architecture. Both Stellar and XRPL are both money-transfer oriented blockchains and are meant to transfer funds from one part of the world to another quickly and cheaply.

    What’s in Store for DeFi?

    PayPal integrating Stellar with its platform means that it will grant more strength to the people ecosystem rather than being the other way round. If PayPal had joined the XRPL ledger instead of Stellar it would be one among many stablecoins on that chain. However, on Stellar, it could emerge as the dominant partner with its 400 million users.

    The current setup it could make Stellar a monopsony of PayPal, which then could emerge as one of the largest DeFi services provider among TradFi companies.

    PayPal could then introduce services like staking, lending, borrowing, liquidity pools, restaking and lot other tasks on it’s own platform. The end benefit would be reaped by PayPal and its 400 million users. However, Stellar would also gain access to PayPal’s huge userbase in the process.

  • El Salvador Needs $1.4bn From Trump to Kick Out IMF

    • El Salvador might receive a $1.4 billion credit line from the USA.
    • The country has an IMF bailout following a Balance of Payment Crisis.
    • El Salvador’s Bitcoin policy has been under attack as a result of its 40-month-long IMF plan.

    Donald Trump has met El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, one of the most pro-crypto world leaders who pioneered state-funded Bitcoin purchase back in 2022.

    The agenda of the meeting might have included a possible credit line from the USA which could help El Salvador end its reliance on the IMF and follow a pro-crypto policy. The IMF had previously asked El Salvador to stop buying Bitcoins in exchange for $1.4 billion worth of loans. IMF had previously tried this anti-crypto agenda with Argentina.

    El Salvador needs the money to support its government’s finances as the country has been seeing some tough times since 2024.

    At present, El Salvador is expected to own roughly 6000 Bitcoins valued at approximately $5.1 billion at the current market price ($85k) and is one of the largest Bitcoin holders.

    Please note that officially no demand for a loan has been raised.

    Bukele in Financial Crisis

    El Salvador needs money to reform its government structure and to make it efficient.

    Last year, the Latin American country reached an agreement with the IMF that it would receive a loan of $1.4 billion over a period of 40 months to strengthen the balance of payment crisis in the country which is a way of saying that the country needs US Dollars for external trade, mostly imports.

    The two parties reached an agreement on 15 Dec 2024 and a joint press statement was issued on 18 Dec 2024 that El Salvador will agree to the guidelines of IMF and strengthen its economy.

    IMF’s Anti-Crypto Deal with El Salvador After Argentina

    For the IMF, however, strengthening the economy means moving away from crypto investments. It had warned El Salvador to stop its Bitcoin purchases and has gone to the extent of demanding the country stop buying Bitcoin via any method.

    El Salvador has been a Bitcoin pioneer among countries buying Bitcoin since March 2022 when it bought Bitcoin during the crypto winter. The Bitcoin purchases total roughly 6000 BTC worth around $550 million at the current price (i.e., $85k at press time). Despite warnings from the IMF, El Salvador purchased 12 Bitcoins in the first week of February with a sum of roughly $1.1 million.

    The IMF had previously asked the Argentinian government to curb its pro-crypto policies in exchange for sanctioning a $20 billion loan.

    Will Trump Save the Day?

    Clearly, the IMF has been discouraging multiple countries from purchasing Bitcoin which then undermines Donald Trump’s pro-Bitcoin efforts.

    Further, the sum of $1.4 billion is not a big amount for the US and if Donald Trump signs up with the deal, it could discourage the IMF from taking unnecessary anti-crypto steps.

    Previously, the IMF had gone soft on Bitcoin, calling it an “asset” following Donald Trump’s announcement of Bitcoin Reserves and the White House Crypto Summit.

  • Why did The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index Went from 18 to 45 in 4 Days?

    • Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index went from 18 to 45 within 4 days (April 9 to 13).
    • Lowering of tariffs, corporate buying, upcoming rate cuts, and recovery in BTC derivative markets, act as key factors.
    • Going ahead, we expect the Fear and Greed Index to reach 70 by the first week of May 2025.

    Stellar Recovery in Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index

    The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index made a stellar recovery from April 9 to April 13 starting at an extremely fair level of 18, then proceeding to a level of 25 (on April 11th) and finally today on April 13th, it is at a neutral zone of 45. These developments indicate that the mood of the markets is turning very bullish very fast.

    Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index on April 9, 2025
    April 9, 2025
    Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index on April 11, 2025
    April 11, 2025
    Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index on April 13, 2025
    April 13, 2025

    This steller recovery has not only surprised the markets but has also lifted the sentiments in it. The markets that were very bearish 4 days ago, are now moderately bullish.

    Before April 9th, we could see several market participants fearing a crash to $70k. However, these sentiments have turned green today and even crypto market experts have indicated that a recovery rally towards $100k could be imminent.

    Since Bitcoin dominates 62% of the crypto market cap, we expect a recovery in Bitcoin could easily trigger a recovery in altcoins.

    4 Factors Contributing to Market Recovery

    Lowering of Tariffs

    The US Government imposed very strict tariffs earlier last month on several key trading partners of the US like Europe, China, India, Japan, and many other nations citing that these countries have been unfair in taxing US goods and services.

    The tariffs wreaked havoc in the markets leading to a crypto and stock market crash in March.

    However, Trump later revised those tariffs to a net of 10% except for China where the USA has imposed a 125% tariff (except on a few goods like electronics). This relief brought a sigh to the markets leading to slight recoveries.

    Corporate and Whale Accumulation

    Several corporate Bitcoin buyers like Strategy and Crypto Whales have been accumulating Bitcoin since the crash in February. These whales (both corporate and crypto-native) have used the dip to accumulate decent reserves.

    As a result, the demand for Bitcoin has gone up in the current markets.

    Expectations of Rate Cuts

    The US Fed’s comments on its last FOMC meeting indicated it would go dovish in April (i.e., start increasing money in the market) and based on this, there is a very strong possibility of at least a 0.25% rate cut. Fed’s hawkish policy (of raising interest rates) had sucked the liquidity out of the markets, causing cryptos and stocks to tumble.

    Besides liquidity worries, the high interest rates have also slowed down home-ownership rates, cut spending, investments, and a lot more things within the US economy.

    Improvement in Derivative Markets Data

    Bitcoin derivatives markets have seen a surge in open interest data

    Future Estimates

    In the next few weeks, the markets might continue to rise further. Bitcoin is expected to cross $95k by the end of April and possibly $100k by the second week of May.

    Therefore, expect the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index to cross 70 by the end of the US FOMC meeting scheduled on May 6-7.

    Understanding the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index

    The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index is a multi-factorial crypto market sentiment analyzer that helps gage user sentiments about Bitcoin which is the most dominant cryptocurrency.

    A score too low i.e., less than 25, denotes that the markets are in extreme fear and might sell at even slightly bad news while a score close to 100 shows that the markets are extremely bullish and extremely positive about upcoming rallies shortly. A score in the middle shows that the markets are cautiously optimistic (between 55 and 70) or cautiously pessimist (between 25 and 50).

    The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index Explained
    The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index Explained

    We at Blockchain Lab use the score to align investment decisions. We typically use three components of research, i.e., fundamental (on-chain, market data, metrics), technical (chart patterns), and sentimental (fear and greed index), and an investment decision is only made when all 3 of them indicate the same thing (bearish or bullish).

  • List of All Dogecoin ETFs Globally

    Dogecoin has been a top cryptocurrency despite the end of the memecoin supercycle in Q1 of 2025. Being a top crypto with millions of holders across the globe lends it decent credibility as an asset. Further, the deregulation of memecoins by the US SEC adds to its popularity.

    All of these factors are enough to let Dogecoin have its own ETF in the financial markets alongside XRP, Solana, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin.

    Also, take a look: List of Businesses Accepting Dogecoin.

    Note: Despite Dogecoin enjoying the status of a “deregulated crypto”, its ETF would still be a security because the ETF Trust Shares are securities irrespective of the assets they hold.

    US Dogecoin ETFs

    The United States has several top ETF issuers lined up with their Dogecoin ETF applications at the US SEC.

    Last year, a Dogecoin ETF would have been a nightmare but this year, they might become a reality soon. The US SEC has seen the approval of the new SEC Chairman Paul Atkins from the US Senate. From Trump’s swearing-in to April 10, 2025, the SEC relied on Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda.

    Now that a full-time Chairman has assumed the position, the markets could witness the approval of XRP, Solana, Litecoin, and possibly Dogecoin ETFs too. At present, Dogecoin ETFs have been delayed till May 2025.

    Do you know? The US Federal Reserve has a FOMC meeting scheduled on May 6-7, 2025 where it is expected to cut interest rates by 0.25% to 0.5%.

    Must Read: Will Trump Announce a Zero Crypto Tax Policy in 2025?

    21Shares Dogecoin ETF

    21Shares has applied for a Dogecoin ETF application on April 10, 2025. The S-1 application by 21Shares would join a list of two other “colleagues/competitors” for approval.

    Grayscale Dogecoin ETF

    Grayscale was another major ETF issuer to apply for a Dogecoin ETF in February 2025. Previously Grayscale launched the Dogecoin Trust on 31 Jan 2025.

    The SEC accepted its application on Feb 14, 2025.

    Bitwise Dogecoin ETF

    Bitwise was one of the pioneers of a Dogecoin ETF, having applied for a trust on January 23, 2025, and an SEC application on March 12, 2025.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is the Dogecoin ETF so important?

    Dogecoin ETFs are expected to provide liquidity to DOGE in the crypto markets and provide its holders a safe way to buy and hold DOGE without having to worry about the complexity of crypto custody.

    How many Dogecoin ETFs are there?

    As of April 10, 2025, there are 3 Dogecoin applications with the US SEC. The SEC has acknowledged 2 of them while the 21Shares ETF is at the S-1 application stage.

    When will Dogecoin ETFs be approved?

    The US SEC has delayed Dogecoin ETF approval to May 2025, most probably because of the change in the SEC’s Chair.

  • US Federal Reserve FOMC Meeting Schedule, Members and Outcomes in 2025

    The United States Federal Reserve holds Federal Open Market Committee meetings 8 times every year to decide the base policy rate at which the US Fed lends money to various banks and financial institutions in the United States.

    The meeting plays a critical role in establishing the US Monetary Policy because it controls the supply of money entering the US economy which then impacts job creation, inflation, economic production and public debt.

    As a result, the rates are decided on the basis of how all these factors would react to them. Primarily, the concern of the meeting is to keep inflation in check (below 2%) while ensuring there is a consistent increase in the number of jobs in the US economy.

    Members in the Meeting

    The meeting is headed by 11 members including the Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Vice Chair who is the President of the New York Federal Reserve, four Federal Reserve Presidents (out of 11) who serve on year wise rotating basis and five Federal Reserve Board Members.

    1. Federal Reserve Board of Governors Chairman – Jerome Powell
    2. Vice Chairman – President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York – John C. Williams
    3. Board of Governors
      • Michael S Barr
      • Michelle W Bowman
      • Lisa D Cook
      • Phillip N Jefferson
      • Adriana D Kugler
    4. President of Federal Reserve Bank (currently Boston) – Susan M Collins
    5. President of Federal Reserve Bank (currently Chicago) – Austin D Goolsbee
    6. President of Federal Reserve Bank (currently St Louis) – Alberto G Musalem
    7. President of Federal Reserve Bank (currently Kansas City) – Jeffery R Schmid

    Meeting Schedule in 2025

    1. Jan 28-29

    Outcome

    The interest rates were kept constant because inflation for the month of December was high at 2.9%, much above Fed’s mandate to keep it below 2%. Further, there were no significant changes in US Job openings.

    Minutes

    The Fed also guided that the US Federal Funds Rate (interest rates) has a very low room for a cut based on expectations of high inflation (around 3% est.) throughout 2025. This decision led to a panic sell in the crypto markets after Trump became the US President. By the first week of Feb, markets were already around $3 trillion after losing $800 billion in market cap.

    2. March 18-19

    Outcome

    Fed Minutes (Guidance)

    3. May 6-7

    4. June 17-18

    5. July 29-30

    6. September 16-17

    9. October 28-29

    8. December 9-10

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the current range of the FOMC interest rate?

    At present (March 2025) the US Federal Reserve interest rate is at 4.25% to 4.5%, which is known as the window of interest rate with repo rate at 4.5% and reverse repo rate at 4.25%.

    Who Controls the Federal Reserve?

    A board of 6 Governors control The US Federal Reserve System, which is an independent body composed of 12 Federal Reserve Banks in
    1. Boston
    2. New York
    3. Philadelphia
    4. Cleveland
    5. Richmond
    6. Atlanta
    7. Chicago
    8. Louis
    9. Minneapolis
    10. Kansas City
    11. Dallas
    12. Francisco

  • List of Businesses Accepting Dogecoin Globally

    Several business throughout the world accept Dogecoin as a mode of payment whether directly or through a third party. We have curated a list of all such businesses along with the industry they operate in so that you can easily choose where you want to spend your DOGE.

    Please, do note that acceptance of Dogecoin can change over time, so it’s always a good idea to verify with the business directly before making a purchase.

    Automobiles

    Tesla

    Location: Globally

    Tesla accepts Dogecoin Payments for accessories.

    Post Oak Motor Cars

    Location: USA

    New and used car dealership in Houston, Texas, USA.

    Bit Cars

    Location: Europe

    Crypto-only marketplace specializing in premium cars.

    AutoCoin Cars

    Location: Canada

    Car retail marketplace in Canada.

    Electronics

    Digital Privacy Shop

    Location: Global

    Privacy friendly, and de-Googled electronics devices supplier.

    Software

    PSB Hosting

    Location: EU

    PSB hosting is a cloud hosting company in the Europe.

    Microsoft

    Location: Global

    Users can buy Microsoft products with Bitrefill cards which can be bought with Dogecoin.

    Das AI

    Location: Global

    Das AI

    Das AI Offers direct Dogecoin payments for services like AI agents, AI Chatbots, AI GPTs, and AI-based research.

    NetCat

    Location: Australia

    Web design and support service based out of Australia.

    Retail and Shopping

    Bitpay

    Location: USA

    Bitpay offers global shopping cards for retailers like Microsoft, Target and others.

    Leisure and Entertainment

    Twitch

    Location: Globally

    Twitch Logo

    Web streaming and monetization platform mostly used for gaming streams.

    Kind Seed Co.

    Locations: USA, Canada, Spain

    The company sells Canabis seeds which is used for its CBD oil.

    MetaWin

    Locations: Global

    MetaWin is an online Web3 Casino.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    1. How can I accept Dogecoin payments for my business?

    You can easily accept Dogecoin payments via two methods.

    • Direct payments via a Web3 wallet like Trust Wallet or Phantom Wallet.
    • Indirect payment providers like Coinbase Commerce.

    2. Are there any businesses accepting Shiba Inu payments?

    Yes, Das Marketing accepts all crypto payments including Shiba Inu for content and SEO services.

  • Does Ledger Wallet Support Shibarium?

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