Nearly every segment of the crypto sector underwent explosive growth in 2021. The steady inflow of institutional funds could possibly be interpreted as a signal that the best is yet to come. For new users, figuring out how to obtain cryptocurrency can be a tedious task, and the challenge of securing the assets off exchanges is another hurdle some investors find difficult to overcome. Here’s a rundown of some of the most used cryptocurrency soft wallets that support a wide swath of tokens and offer users access to decentralized finance (DeFi), nonfungible tokens (NFTs), staking opportunities and airdrops. MetaMask MetaMask …

The characteristically volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market is back in full force on Dec. 2 after the optimism of the past couple of days has transformed into fear and Bitcoin price slid back below $57,000. Despite the pressure being exerted on many of the top cryptocurrencies, several altcoins have managed to buck the trend and post double-digit gains on Thursday. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the biggest gainers over the past 24-hours were WazirX (WRX), Presearch (PRE) and Komodo (KMD). WazirX benefits from listing new tokens WazirX is a India-based cryptocurrency exchange based in India …

The revolutionary world of decentralized finance comes with its own set of harsh realities. One of them being, the unpredictable nature of yields on lending platforms that are often reliant on real-time market demand and supply dynamics. To offset the risk involved in permissionless lending, DeFi lending platforms typically require collateral that even exceeds the borrowed amount. Not only does this create an “artificial limit” on demand for loans, but it also leads to low yields that are exceeded by those offered on centralized platforms. Moreover, while the premise of decentralized lending was meant to eliminate middlemen that benefit from …

Layer-two (L2) solutions for the Ethereum network have become a popular topic of discussion and speculation on their associated tokens backed the massive rally seen in many of the protocols this year. The parabolic growth of the decentralized finance (DeFi) and nonfungible token (NFT) sector also led to a surge in the cost carrying out simple transfers and this prompted developers and investors to migrate to L2-supportive platforms. One L2 solution that saw its token price rise to new highs earlier in the year and now looks poised to make another breakout higher is Polygon (MATIC), a proof-of-stake blockchain protocol …

For many, the concept of digitization has now become a part of pop culture, with some of the world’s most well-known memes like “Grumpy Cat,” artist creations or memorabilia from today’s celebrities taking on a new form as a nonfungible token (NFT). While many are on board with this new way of appreciating modern culture, others are confused by the hype. This is a reaction to be expected, as the same weight still holds true when considering priceless art like the Mona Lisa. While many would not pay the billion dollars or more the asset is worth and may be …

Decentralized automated market maker (AMM) Bancor is set to launch new staking pools and an upgrade to its impermanent loss protection mechanism as part of its long-awaited Bancor 3 update. Bancor was founded in 2017 and was the first DeFi protocol to introduce AMMs to the blockchain. The Ethereum-based exchange and lending platform also allows users to earn staking rewards via various liquidity pools. In a Nov. 30 blog post introducing the upcoming Bancor 3 update, the platform announced several new features and upgrades including the Omnipool, Infinity pools, and “Instant Impermanent Loss Protection.” Introducing Bancor 3 pic.twitter.com/TuIyUnN13U — Bancor …

Sentiment in the cryptocurrency market is back on the rise on Nov. 29 as the recent dip down into the “extreme fear” zone on the Crypto Fear and Greed Index slightly improved after Bitcoin (BTC) recovered above the $57,000 support, lifting the index higher into the “fear" zone. Despite the overall “fear” and “extreme fear” sentiments that have been dominating the market since the index began to decrease on Nov. 16, several sub-sectors of the cryptocurrency market including Metaverse-related projects and gaming protocols have seen breakouts to new all-time highs. The rapid gains seen in these projects has led to …

The world is filled with financial problems. This is partly why so many turn to decentralized finance (DeFi), a solution where no intermediary exists and users have complete control over their assets. The uses for this technology are many, including the ability to trade, invest or earn. Many projects have since attempted to showcase this wide breadth of offerings with their own decentralized exchange (DEX) operations.However, they have yet to be successful due to the lack of liquidity, a problem that will continue to exist when blockchains operate in isolation. For this reason, cross-chain swaps become essential to bringing multiple …

In a statement released to customers on Tuesday, Israeli cryptocurrency exchange eToro announced it would delist Cardano (ADA) and Tro (TRX) for U.S. customers by the end of the year. After Dec. 31, U.S. users will no longer be able to open new positions in the tokens nor stake ADA and TRX. In addition, wallets will be effectively in withdraw-only mode until the first quarter of 2022, where selling will also become limited. In making the decision, eToro cited regulatory concerns surrounding both assets. The move came as a surprise to some as ADA has not been traditionally associated with …

If the words “derivatives trading” conjures up images of men in suits with disheveled white sleeves rolled up to the elbows and exacerbated expressions on their faces — like something out of The Big Short — then the word decentralized exchanges (DEXs) must conjure up, well, nothing. There are no offices, no floor traders waving papers and certainly no men in suits. DEXs are managed automatically or semi-automatically with the involvement of platform participants in the process of making mission-critical decisions. DEXs are a bulb of a system that is sprouting groundbreaking opportunities for many, but they are not yet …

Jack Dorsey, co-founder, and CEO of both Square and Twitter, released a white paper Friday detailing plans for Square's decentralized Bitcoin (BTC) exchange tbDEX. Unlike most decentralized exchanges, or DEXs, tbDEX will not utilize a trustless model, and therefore will not feature its own governance token. Instead, it is a message protocol designed to facilitate trust relationships without relying on a federation to control access. The tbDEX also intends to include many features that make it far less decentralized than a DEX in the truest sense of the word. For starters, the protocol requires that all participants to pass background …

The fortitude of Bitcoin (BTC) holders continues to be tested on Nov. 17 as a number of attempts to push the price to $59,000 and below grow. This level has been well defended by bulls but analysts are still watching for the $63,000 level to be reclaimed as support before saying the "dip" has ended. While much of the recent focus has been on Bitcoin and matters related to exchange-traded funds (ETF), the altcoin market has been providing some relief to and a hand full of tokens rallied toward new all-time highs on Wednesday. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and …