Weekly Editors Picks is a functional column of Odaily Planet Daily. In addition to covering a large amount of real-time information every week, Planet Daily also publishes a lot of high-quality in-depth analysis content, but they may be hidden in the information flow and hot news, and pass you by.
Therefore, every Saturday, our editorial department will select some high-quality articles that are worth spending time reading and collecting from the content published in the past 7 days, and bring new inspiration to you in the crypto world from the perspectives of data analysis, industry judgment, and opinion output.
Now, come and read with us:
Investment and Entrepreneurship
Crypto Market Continues to Slump, Where Are the Marginal Buyers?
This cycle, the market has reached saturation not only in terms of funding, but also in terms of attention. Looking at each user group, the trend is clear: participation is declining, conviction is weakening, and retail investors are leaving. Todays centralized exchanges cannot stimulate new demand even if the price soars 100 times.
If the next marginal buyers don’t come from crypto-native speculators, they may emerge from a structural shift driven by policy, necessity, and real-world needs, focusing on stablecoins, compliant channels, and RWAs.
The real magic of technology is rarely found in the initial invention; it’s in the ecosystem that grows around it. Think of it as compound growth. While the first movers who create something new grab the headlines and VC funding, it’s often the second wave of builders who unlock the greatest value—those who see untapped potential in the existing foundation. They seek to solve the problem at hand. In the process, they unlock possibilities that extend far beyond the initial vision.
Back to the Crypto field, the author believes that Eigenlayer, Pendle, Pump.fun+Raydium are compound innovative products with second-order explosion.
Why are crypto VCs generally not making money in this cycle?
In this cycle, the returns of crypto VCs have been disappointing. Many projects are overvalued, token prices have collapsed in the secondary market, VCs have been criticized by the community and retail investors, and VCs’ exit channels have been blocked.
VCs must return to fundamentals. The future winners will be those projects with real application scenarios, product-market fit, and sustainable revenue models.
Related reading: Is Bitcoin bullish again? However, first-tier investors have died from locked positions .
Binance Wallet IDO Project Survival Report
The valuation of TGE is not a reflection of the future value of the project, but a comprehensive reflection of the current market liquidity, listing expectations, narrative strength and market-making system. The flow effect of Binance Wallet IDO is still strong, but rhythm control is the key.
The TGE model is being deleveraged, and Wallet IDO projects are generally launched at low valuations. Binance Wallet IDO is not equivalent to Binance listing. Binance Wallet IDO provides more like a trial operation ticket to enter the Binance traffic ecosystem. Whether it can be turned official to enter the spot market still depends on the data performance, user feedback and internal evaluation of the Binance trading team after the project goes online. The project party needs to regard it as a preview before the main stage and be fully prepared for the subsequent listing and secondary liquidity support. Although the price fluctuations on the first day were large, the medium- and long-term performance of the project depends more on the continuous operation capabilities, market management strategies and clear long-term development plans.
In general, Binance Wallet IDO is not only a “value filter”, but also a narrative verification.
KOL: How I made $100,000 by predicting market arbitrage
In theory, the sum of the probabilities of all outcomes should be 100%, but in reality the sum is often as high as 110%. This is because platforms usually charge hidden fees (“excess premiums”) and the odds are determined by users, resulting in a lot of inefficient pricing.
The core rules for determining whether there is an arbitrage opportunity are: find the same event on different platforms; select the lowest price for each result; if the total price is less than $1, arbitrage can be made; and take profits before the results are clear.
Note: Prediction market arbitrage is a delayed game. After the price difference occurs, there is usually only a few minutes of time window. Please automate this part, ensure that there are available funds on each platform, and be clear about the handling fees.
Looking for potential Alpha: Inventory of 10 early unsold projects
Burve, Multipli.fi, ambient.xyz, Cline, Optimex, Converge, Hubble Protocol, Monadic DNA, Splenium, Metadrip.
Airdrop Opportunities and Interaction Guide
Bear market survival: Waitlist: Ten early-stage project qualifications worth applying for recently
Backpack+AI, even code novices can make money with low risk scripts
Meme
Data Perspective: The current status of Memecoin trading after SOL gradually recovered
It is an open secret that the difficulty of survival in the trench has increased recently, and most of the remaining players are veterans who have experienced the cold winter of SOL low prices, shrinking transaction volumes and user loss.
The vitality of the Memecoin space depends on the injection of new liquidity, which initially came from senior crypto investors who were trapped in the losses of mainstream altcoins and turned to seek quick profit opportunities. As the space expands, retail investors are also beginning to get involved in this high-risk, high-return deep water zone.
Compared to DeFi tokens that require sophisticated operations and deep understanding of protocols, Memecoin has always been the preferred carrier for speculative activities due to its low threshold, high asymmetric returns (i.e. low investment and high return possibilities), and unlimited creative space for tokenization of everything (characters/content/events/memes, etc.). Solana is firmly sitting on the throne of the crypto casino dealer.
According to the official description, Genesis Launch is a protocol layer primitive built specifically for AI agent token distribution, which upgrades token launch to a proof system. Its three core features include: an access rights system based on contribution points, transparent and traceable distribution logic on the chain, and an automatic refund mechanism to protect the rights and interests of participants.
The Genesis launch mechanism of Virtuals Protocol, with its contribution-oriented allocation model and dynamic adjustment strategy, has built a more transparent and efficient launch platform for AI agent projects and participants in its ecosystem, which can not only significantly reduce the risk of market manipulation, but also drive the sustainable and healthy development of the Virtuals ecosystem.
Even big investors could not withstand the plunge, and 86.9% of them have liquidated their positions; some made a profit of 25 million, while others lost 33.66 million US dollars.
Although Trumps good news from the dinner has temporarily injected momentum into the tokens rebound, the shadow of highly concentrated chips and suspected manipulation by the project party is still lingering. The current TRUMP token seems to have taken a breather after the bad news has been exhausted, but its fate is still firmly subject to the resonance of celebrity effect and market sentiment. For retail investors, this roller coaster market is undoubtedly a risk education lesson: in the MEME coin battlefield lacking fundamental support, even the endorsement of top traffic may just be a gorgeous coat for capital harvesting.
Also recommended: The Pope is gone, will LUCE be reborn?
Bitcoin Ecosystem
Bitcoin Thunderbolt is a soft fork upgrade method based on the Bitcoin base layer. It does not rely on the compromise of a second-layer network or a cross-chain bridge, but directly makes changes at the protocol level of the Bitcoin main chain, fundamentally improving Bitcoins scalability, transaction performance and programmability.
Thunderbolts main advantages are reflected in security and theoretical completeness. It is one of the few that can do: the protocol design can be proven to be safe; malicious users cannot unilaterally profit in any state. But its disadvantages are also obvious: complex deployment, main chain compatibility, and lack of ecological support.
Also recommended: BRC 2.0 Debut: What is BRC 2.0?
Ethereum and Scaling
Ethereum is facing severe challenges: not only the markets perception of Web3.0 has changed, but also it is facing fierce competition from emerging platforms such as Solana for the remaining market share; Layer 2 fragmentation, value attribution erosion, ecosystem control dilution, and lack of leadership have further weakened Ethereums user experience and economic value, and with the increase in the second-layer networks voice, Ethereums influence has been shaken. These factors ultimately led to one of the most dramatic price corrections in ETHs history.
Ethereum must immediately address the following core challenges: First, it needs to enforce sound L2 interoperability standards to alleviate fragmentation and retain the seamless composability once defined by the mainnet; second, it must shift from the old model of aligning with ETH to an ETH-led ecosystem model, prioritizing L1 expansion and Ethereum-native Rollup to re-establish control and maximize ETHs value capture; finally, the leadership must evolve to a performance-driven decision-making method, abandon trusted neutrality, and unify key infrastructure under the ETH token system.
Is Base “stealing” Ethereum’s GDP?
Base started quickly through the L2 model and is currently getting ideal returns, but it also binds itself to the uncontrollable Ethereum expansion route and may face the risks of vendor lock-in and technical debt.
Ethereum seems to have gained enterprise-level customers by sacrificing L1 fees, creating new demand for ETH and a better user experience. However, it is questionable whether the long-term economic relationship is sustainable - scenario analysis shows that expansion bottlenecks may continue to exist. If L2 cannot expand rapidly, it may be necessary to issue additional ETH to maintain validator income (after EIP 4844, ETH supply has changed from deflation to possibly exceeding BTC).
We believe Base is satisfied with the current status quo, but if Ethereum blobs fail to scale, it may seek alternatives such as Celestia. Ethereum urgently needs to shift its culture from value recognition to a security as a service business model for enterprises. In the short term, the structural decline of Ethereums fundamentals will continue. Although market sentiment may improve as traditional finance goes online, there is a lack of fundamental catalysts for improvement.
Also recommended: Ethereum Asylum .
Multi-ecology and cross-chain
On April 23, the Solana Foundation introduced a new policy that for every new validator added to the Solana Foundation Delegation Program (SFDP), three of them will be removed if they have been eligible for Solana Foundation delegation on the mainnet for at least 18 months and have less than 1,000 SOL staked outside of Solana Foundation delegation. Behind these policies, attempts are made to increase validator independence by reducing their reliance on the foundation. But it seems that the final result may still be the optimization of large-scale small and medium-sized nodes.
CeFi DeFi
From application process to rates, an in-depth comparison of the top ten crypto payment cards
Based on a large amount of information collection and user feedback from social platforms, the author deeply disassembled the top ten most representative crypto payment cards in the current market, including Bybit, Bitget, SafePal, Morph, Infini, Coinbase, Nexo, MetaMask, 1inch and RedotPay, and conducted a systematic review and horizontal comparison based on their application thresholds, supported assets, fee structures, cashback mechanisms and on-chain interaction capabilities.
A new standard for global money flow? A quick look at Circles cross-border payment network CPN
Circle is expected to launch the Circle Payments Network (CPN), a cross-border payment network powered by stablecoins, in May. CPN aims to enable faster and lower-cost international remittances by utilizing stablecoins such as USDC, EURC and other regulated digital currencies for 24/7 real-time settlement between participants such as banks, payment providers, virtual asset service providers and digital wallets.
Why can’t every Web3 project escape DEX? A five-year history of development tells you the answer
Today, when we see that DEX can support project cold start, liquidity governance, cross-chain routing, launch structure, and even become the users entry point for understanding finance, we should look back and see clearly: all this is not the result of a great design of a certain project, but the product of the self-evolution of the entire on-chain structure.
DEX has not actively upgraded, it just keeps responding to changes in the surrounding system and constantly taking on structural gaps. It has neither written a plan nor drawn clear boundaries, but has gradually transformed itself into a connector and initiator of the ecosystem through AMM, aggregator, ZK identity, and governance binding. It has never left the transaction, but it has long been more than just for trading. It has never left the center, but has slowly retreated into the structure. The evolution of DEX has never been a completed functional leap, but an ongoing protocol reconstruction.
In this process, what it really guards is actually the original thing: not the token, not the gas fee, nor the slippage, but that users can freely participate, collaborate, and shape their own financial order on the chain.
Without perpetual interest rates, DeFi will never be complete?
DeFi lacks interest rate perpetual contract tools similar to CME, which leads to large interest rate fluctuations and the inability to hedge risks. The introduction of interest rate perp can help borrowers and lenders lock in interest rates, achieve arbitrage and risk management, and promote the integration of DeFi and TradFi, improving market efficiency and stability.
From Restaking, Stablecoins to Traditional Finance, Pendle is eating up the entire DeFi
The Pendle project itself is well-built, with transparent data and reasonable token distribution. The team has excellent resume and technical capabilities, and the core members are long-term stable and have the ability to independently advance complex systems. In terms of token structure, although the tokens of the team and the foundation have all been unlocked, the overall selling rhythm is rational and restrained, showing good long-termism. Pendle has performed well in trustworthiness and medium- and long-term delivery capabilities and is a typical hardcore DeFi project.
From the perspective of market potential, the on-chain interest rate market where Pendle is located is far from being fully developed. The potential market includes: stablecoin interest rate spreads, LRT, RWA, and funding rates, with a scale of potentially hundreds of billions of dollars. Currently, Pendle has dominated the Ethereum ecosystem and is expanding to Solana, TON, Hyperliquid, etc. As a protocol-level platform at the critical point of the on-chain interest rate market, Pendle has extremely high long-term growth potential, but its development is still highly dependent on the continued expansion of the overall scale of interest rate products.
A comprehensive review of the 4 most popular RWA protocols: Ondo, OpenEden, Plume and Ethena
Also recommended: In-depth layout guide: 10 RWA projects worth paying attention to in 2025 and Lazy Financial Management Guide | Unichain Incentive Plan Launched; Superform Confirms Token Issuance (April 21) .
Web3 AI
The second half of Crypto AI: Launchpad War, Ecosystem Empowerment and MCP Concept
Launchpads explode, with Meme Launchpad and AI Launchpad each taking up half of the market. The competition in Meme Launchpad is essentially a competition between “ecosystem + creators”.
The two most representative projects in the last cycle, Virtuals ai16z, are also the most hardworking and updated projects in this round: Virtuals launched VPN, ACP, Points, and Genesis; ai16z is busy with ElizaOS V2, AUTOFUN, ai16z new economic model, and Spartan V2.
From Bubble to Rebirth: The Second Half of CryptoAI Competition and Trillion-level Opportunities
The more popular projects in the current market are divided into several categories. The first is development tools, including frameworks, AI Coplit programming tools, and MCP infrastructure. The second is consumer AI applications, including AI Agent, games, DeFAI Alpha Signal, Fund, Automated LP, and GambleFAI. The third is decentralized AI infrastructure, such as decentralized computing, verification, storage, etc. The first two are usually more popular with retail investors, while the third is the first choice for VCs or investors. Such projects usually require a fairly high valuation to undertake.
A new focus on the AI track? An article reviews 8 major Web3+MCP projects
The article introduces DARK, SkyAI, Solix, Open MCP, HighKey, DAMN.FUN, DeMCP, and UnifAI.
Most projects are in the early stages of development, and Web3+MCP as a whole remains at the conceptual hype stage.
Hot Topics of the Week
In the past week, Trump said he had no intention of firing Fed Chairman Powell , market sentiment rebounded, and BTC broke through $90,000 ; foreign media: Trump said he might significantly reduce tariffs on China ; viewpoint: If Trump wants to cut interest rates, he has to fire the entire Federal Reserve Board ; the son of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce took the lead in launching a $3 billion cryptocurrency investment plan ; Paul Atkins took office as chairman of the U.S. SEC and is expected to implement related matters such as the pledged spot Ethereum ETF and the altcoin ETF application ; the TRUMP DINNER dinner for major TRUMP token holders will be held on May 22; U.S. Senator: TRUMP coin may be the most blatant corruption ever committed by a U.S. president;
In addition, regarding policies and macro markets, Musk: Will return to Tesla in May, and the time allocated to the DOGE sector will be significantly reduced;
In terms of opinions and voices, the Wall Street Journal: Trumps plot to remove Powell has leaked, and the successor of the Federal Reserve has surfaced; Powell once said that he would not resign voluntarily , and his term as chairman of the Federal Reserve will expire in May 2026; Trump: Whoever has gold will dominate ; Federal Reserve Kashkari: Cryptocurrency is useless in developed economies; Glassnode: Bitcoin high-level position holders are locked in and then turn to long-term holding, which usually marks the confirmation of a bear market ; Vitalik proposed to replace the EVM language with RISC-V to improve execution efficiency ( full text ); CZ: If the details of Binances support for KiloEx are fully disclosed, hackers will learn to avoid it ; He Yi: Do not participate in any project investment , the only project involved is BNB; ai16z founder: auto.funs native token is ai16z ; Slow Mist Cosine: Ethereum Gas is running at a low level, which is the best time to cancel risk authorization in batches ;
In terms of institutions, large companies and top projects, Binance Alpha has launched a points system to evaluate the qualifications for TGE and airdrop participation; VOXEL contract on Bitget is abnormal; Gate.io displays abnormality when upgrading contract services; Synthetix founder: sUSD pledge mechanism has been implemented to deal with sUSD depegging problem ( interpretation ); Movement announced a third-party review of previous market maker abnormal behavior; Zora launched its native token ZORA ( interpretation ); lending protocol Dolomite announced airdrop details , accounting for 20%; Balance launched TGE and opened airdrop claims; Hyperlane opened airdrop claims; Initia announced the launch of the mainnet and opened airdrop claims ;
In terms of data, the trading volume of crypto exchanges fell to a six-month low , and the proportion of spot transactions hit a new low; Raydium LaunchLab created 3,760 tokens in the first week of its launch, with a graduation rate of 1.12% ;
In terms of security, SlowMist CISO said: MCP has a vulnerability , and the conversation between users and AI will be leaked to malicious servers; North Korean hackers Lazarus Group used US shell companies to recruit and lure crypto developers ; KiloEx announced a user compensation plan for security incidents and set up a 10% additional income activity for staking users... Well, it was another week of ups and downs.
Attached is a portal to the “Weekly Editor’s Picks” series.
See you next time~
