Market
9% Surge Recaptures Key Level, Records 160% TVL Growth In Q1

Decentralized application (dApp) platform Near Protocol exhibited notable growth in key metrics during the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, driving its native token NEAR to reclaim a crucial key level and paving the way for a potential retest of its all-time high (ATH) from January 2022.
According to a recent report by Messari, NEAR experienced significant increases in market capitalization, revenue, active addresses, and Total Value Locked (TVL), solidifying its position among the top players in the cryptocurrency market.
NEAR Outperforms Bitcoin And Ethereum
In Q1 2024, NEAR’s circulating market cap surged to $7.2 billion, marking a 94% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) increase. The fully diluted market cap also witnessed substantial growth, reaching $8.2 billion, representing a 91% QoQ increase. These numbers propelled NEAR to secure a spot among the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Notably, NEAR outperformed Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), which recorded QoQ growth rates of 69% and 53%, respectively. Additionally, NEAR’s revenue, derived from network transaction fees, witnessed an 82% QoQ increase, reaching $1.9 million.
NEAR continued its address growth trend in Q1 2024, with average daily active addresses reaching 1.2 million, representing a robust 42% QoQ increase.
The network also witnessed a surge in daily new addresses, totaling 236,000 (a 37% QoQ increase), and surpassed the milestone of 100 million total accounts.
According to Messari, contributions from established protocols like KAIKAINOW, Sweat, and Playember and the adoption of HOT Wallet, averaging over 350,000 daily active addresses in March and nearly 3 million total wallets, drove this expansion.
Stablecoin Market Cap Soars In Q1
Per the report, the protocol experienced a sustained increase in transaction activity throughout Q1 2024, with daily transactions reaching 4.3 million, representing a 78% QoQ increase and a 538% increase over the last six months.
Similarly, NEAR’s TVL witnessed substantial growth, ending the quarter at $335 million, a 163% increase from the previous quarter and a 547% increase over the last six months.

Furthermore, NEAR’s decentralized exchange (DEX) volume experienced a notable surge, with an average daily volume of $8 million, representing a 95% QoQ increase. Ref Finance emerged as the leading DEX on the protocol, with $6 million daily volume, surpassing Orderly Network.
Lastly, NEAR observed a significant increase in its stablecoin market cap during Q1 2024, soaring 176% QoQ to $214 million. Notably, USDT experienced a significant surge, with its market cap increasing by 1,155% QoQ, reaching $88 million.
Outperforming Top 20 Cryptocurrencies
Regarding price action, NEAR Protocol’s native token has exhibited strong performance, surpassing the top 20 cryptocurrencies in the market with a 9.4% uptrend in the past seven days. Meanwhile, Bitcoin has experienced a minor 1.5% price correction over the past 24 hours.
This positive trend has enabled NEAR to reclaim the significant $7.40 price level, which is important for bullish investors.
Looking ahead, the $7.60 mark may present a potential resistance level for the token, serving as a crucial barrier to monitoring. It could pave the way for a retest of the $8 mark, signaling further upward momentum if successfully breached.
Conversely, the $6.80 mark has demonstrated its significance as a key support level. It was previously tested over the weekend and effectively prevented a more significant price decline.
Despite the optimistic outlook, it is important to note that the token remains down by over 64% from its all-time high of $20.4, reached in 2022.
Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com
Disclaimer: The article is provided for educational purposes only. It does not represent the opinions of NewsBTC on whether to buy, sell or hold any investments and naturally investing carries risks. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use information provided on this website entirely at your own risk.
Market
Top Crypto Airdrops to Watch in the First Week of April

As traders and investors anticipate the beginning of April and the onset of the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, crypto airdrops present an opportunity to join promising communities while they are still on the ground floor.
This week, three notable crypto airdrops stand out as worth watching.
Walrus
Walrus (WAL), a decentralized storage protocol on the Sui blockchain, launched its mainnet and token generation event (TGE) on March 27. The event coincided with South Korea’s Upbit exchange listing WAL.
The TGE saw Walrus distribute 4% of its 5 billion token supply via an airdrop. Eligible participants, including early Sui ecosystem users and testnet contributors, received Soulbound NFTs redeemable for WAL tokens. As April commences, 6% of Walrus tokens are reserved for future community rewards.
“At the moment 4% of the 10% tokens allocated for the airdrop have been distributed, so Walrus still has tokens to reward users,” Cryptorank.io noted.
WAL powers storage payments, staking, and governance, with listings on exchanges like Crypto.com and MEXC offering prize pools. The project’s airdrop comes after raising $140 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Standard Crypto, Electric Capital, and Comma3 Ventures, among others.
Meanwhile, Walrus’s market cap exceeds $573 million, reflecting strong adoption potential. Data on CoinGecko shows it was trading for $0.45 as of this writing.

Staking opportunities with validators like Mysten Labs or Nansen enhance rewards, but high commissions (up to 60%) apply. One of Walrus and Sui’s founders recently announced that users could stake WAL tokens to get airdrops. As this could mean airdrops from Walrus and projects from the Sui ecosystem, engaging with Sui dApps and testnets remains key for future allocations.
Nansen
The project has raised up to $88.2 million from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase Ventures, Accel, and Mechanism Capital, among others. Coupled with the fundraiser, Nansen has a valuation of $750 million.
Nansen, a leading blockchain analytics platform, confirmed an airdrop, drawing excitement due to its prominence and past reward patterns. The project launched a staking program and announced a point system in 2025.
“We’re excited to announce that we have acquired Stakewithus (SWU)! SWU is a non-custodial staking service provider with $80m+ staked by 30k+ users & supports 20+ chains You can now analyze data, monitor your portfolio, and stake assets in one place with Nansen,” read the announcement.
Users can stake assets (STRK and TRX), and points are expected to be credited retrospectively. Nansen also mentions the NSG token, so participants will most likely receive an airdrop for points.
Market participants should monitor Nansen’s social channels and partnerships for updates, as airdrops typically reward active users or data contributors.
With no token launched yet, any potential airdrop might tie into a future native token, likely incentivizing early adopters or premium subscribers. Given Nansen’s influence in the crypto space, tracking wallet activity and on-chain data, its airdrop could attract significant attention.
Participants should engage with its tools and stake in supported ecosystems to position themselves for unannounced opportunities.
OG Labs
This modular AI chain combines Layer-1 blockchain with decentralized AI, focusing on scalable Data Availability for AI applications.
The status of OG Labs airdrop stands confirmed, bringing forth an emerging player in the crypto space. This makes it a speculative target for market participants. It boasts up to $325 million in funds raised from investors such as Delphi Ventures, Hack VC, Animoca Brands, and OKX Ventures, among others.
The airdrop is potentially tied to Web3 innovation or NFT ecosystems (given the “OG” moniker). It follows models like Walrus, rewarding early testers or community members.
“There are new activities on the OG test network – we can request test tokens and make swaps,” Cryptorank.io noted.
The OG Labs airdrop requires no investment. Users can engage through OG Labs’ Newton Testnet, which tests-core functionalities like decentralized storage, consensus, and data availability services. Participants must complete at least 20 transactions, stay active for three days, and interact with features like swaps, storage scans, and NFT minting.
“Interact with the OG Labs Testnet and Become Eligible for the Airdrop,” crypto researcher Guatamgg stated.
Additionally, users can boost eligibility by taking Discord roles such as OGurus or OG Role. These activities involve community contributions and verification steps. This airdrop targets active ecosystem participants, aligning with OG Labs’ emphasis on community-driven development.
Disclaimer
In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
Market
Strategic Move for Trump Family in Crypto

Energy infrastructure platform Hut 8 Corp has partnered with US President Donald Trump’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., to launch American Bitcoin Corp.
The company is dedicated to industrial-scale Bitcoin mining and developing a strategic reserve.
All You Need to Know about American Bitcoin
American Bitcoin’s leadership team includes Mike Ho as executive chair, Matt Prusak as CEO, and Eric Trump as CSO. The Board of Directors comprises Mike Ho, Asher Genoot (also Hut 8 CEO), Justin Mateen, and Michael Broukhim.
According to the announcement, Hut 8 holds an 80% ownership stake in American Bitcoin. This follows the contribution of its ASIC miners to American Data Centers Inc., a company formed by investors including the Trump brothers.
Subsequently, they renamed and relaunched the entity as American Bitcoin. As a new subsidiary focused on industrial-scale Bitcoin mining, this move aims for an efficiency of 50+ EH/s (exahashes per second). Meanwhile, Hut 8 remains the key infrastructure partner, consolidating financials under its brand.
Eric Trump, co-founder and chief strategy officer of American Bitcoin, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration. He also emphasized the synergy between Hut 8’s operational excellence and shared passion for decentralized finance (DeFi) as a foundation for significant future growth.
“…By combining Hut 8’s proven operational excellence in data centers with our shared passion for Bitcoin and decentralized finance, we are poised to strengthen our foundation and drive significant future growth,” an excerpt in the announcement read, citing Eric Trump.
Donald Trump Jr. highlighted their longstanding commitment to Bitcoin, noting their conviction in Bitcoin personally and through their businesses. He reiterated the opportunity presented by mining Bitcoin under favorable economics and the potential for investors to participate in Bitcoin’s growth through this new platform.
Similarly, Genoot described the launch of American Bitcoin as a pivotal evolution in their platform strategy. By establishing a standalone entity for mining operations, Hut 8 aims to align each business segment with its respective cost of capital. Specifically, they would create two focused yet complementary companies.
Meanwhile, this venture is part of the Trump family’s broader engagement in the crypto industry. World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture linked to the Trump family, recently launched USD1. US treasuries, dollars, and cash equivalents back the stablecoin. The venture aims to facilitate secure cross-border transactions for investors and institutions.
Furthermore, reports indicate that the Trump family is discussing acquiring a stake in Binance.US. This is the American arm of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. Given the family’s growing involvement in the sector, such an investment could significantly influence the crypto market.
These initiatives reflect the Trump family’s commitment to positioning the US at the forefront of the crypto industry. It also aligns with President Donald Trump’s ambition to establish the US as a global leader in digital assets.
“While people are worrying about the daily price action, President Trump and Eric Trump are building the infrastructure to take crypto to the next level,” crypto investor Gordon noted.

BeInCrypto data shows BTC was trading for $82,199 as of this writing. It is down by over 1.13% in the last 24 hours, unmoved by news of American Bitcoin. However, this could change once US markets open.
Disclaimer
In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
Market
Don’t Fall for These Common Crypto Scams

ZachXBT, a well-known blockchain investigator, recently shared two key “minimum checks” on Telegram to avoid crypto scams.
He emphasized that users must accept full financial responsibility if they take risks in these situations and added that recovering lost funds would be extremely difficult.
Evaluating a Project’s Credibility is Crucial
ZachXBT highlighted two critical scenarios: depositing funds into forked DeFi protocols on newly launched EVM chains and getting scammed by projects with few smart followers on Kaito.
“If you make either of these decisions, it is your own personal choice to risk funds, and I will NOT help you,” ZachXBT stressed.
Many newly launched DeFi protocols on EVM chains are replicas of existing ones. Their teams often do not create original code but instead, fork from established protocols. This process requires minimal technical skills yet introduces significant security risks.
A recent incident highlighted the risks in the DeFi space. The DeFi protocol SIR.trading was reportedly hacked, leading to an estimated loss of $350,000. Despite the project’s documentation promoting it as a “new DeFi protocol for safer leveraged trading,” it acknowledged the risks related to smart contract vulnerabilities.
This case illustrates how new DeFi protocols often become targets for hackers. Additionally, in late March, the DeFi lending protocol Abracadabra suffered a loss of approximately $13 million due to an exploit involving collateralized tokens.
The second situation ZachXBT warned about involves getting “rugged” (falling victim to a rug pull) by projects with few smart followers on Kaito. Kaito is an AI-powered analysis tool that measures real community interest. He advised that checking followers’ numbers and quality is a basic step to avoid falling for projects that use fake engagement or empty marketing hype.
Investor Xero agreed with ZachXBT, stating that Kaito can be a credibility assessment tool.
“Kaito has become an amazing security and reputation tool that I value over others. It can help you identify an impersonator or a new rug project fast. If a 40k+ follower project isn’t connecting with real smart followers, it’s not legit,” Investor Xero commented.
Other Emerging Crypto Scams
In addition to ZachXBT’s warnings, several new scam tactics have recently been flagged.
Investor Jerome warned about a scheme that exploits browsers’ automatic download function to trick users into downloading malicious software.
Another method involves scammers creating and sending small transactions. They would be often as little as 0.001 tokens—using fake wallet addresses that closely resemble legitimate ones. Their goal is to deceive users into copying and pasting the fraudulent address when making future transactions.
Additionally, Microsoft has identified StilachiRAT, a new remote access trojan specifically designed to target cryptocurrency wallets and login credentials.
According to a Chainalysis report, from 2021 to 2024, decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms have been the primary targets of crypto hacks.

The report explains that DeFi platforms may be more vulnerable because developers prioritize rapid growth and launch over security measures. This lack of security focus makes them prime targets for hackers.
Disclaimer
In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
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