Justin Sun launches USDD 2.0 with 20% APY, claiming it&#8217;s &#8220;simply because we have plenty of money&#8221; to back it. The post Justin Sun unveils USDD 2.0 with 20% APY, stating, &#8220;Simply because we have plenty of money&#8221; appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Justin Sun unveils USDD 2.0 with 20% APY, stating, “Simply because we have plenty of money”

Ripple has reportedly made a strategic acquisition attempt targeting 
competitor Circle Internet Group, offering between $4 billion and $5 billion. 
However, insiders revealed the offer was dismissed for undervaluing Circle. 
Despite Ripple&#8217;s continued interest, a follow-up bid remains uncertain. 
Meanwhile, Circle is pushing ahead with plans for an initial public offering 
filed earlier this month. […]

Ripple’s $5B Bid to Acquire Circle Gets Rejected: Report

The first decentralized finance (DeFi) company to launch a user-friendly suite 
of products on Bitcoin will &#8220;win the entire market&#8221; of the blockchain&#8217;s 300 
million users, one crypto founder says.
Alexei Zamyatin, the co-founder of the Bitcoin layer 2 Build on Bitcoin, told 
Cointelegraph at TOKEN2049 in Dubai that &#8220;the advantage of Bitcoin DeFi is 
that the market is much bigger, you have a much bigger retail user base that 
you can tap into.&#8221;
&gt; &#8220;It&#8217;s not easy to convert it, but if you manage to win in Bitcoin DeFi, you 
&gt; win the entire market.&#8221;
Zamyatin said the 300 million Bitcoin users**** would mean DeFi services on 
the blockchain would &#8220;outgrow everything we&#8217;ve seen so far in Ethereum and 
Solana.&#8221;
Build on Bitcoin is one of the firms looking to win market share, offering a 
hybrid layer 2 solution that combines Bitcoin&#8217;s security with Ethereum DeFi 
capabilities via BitVM, a platform that processes Turing-complete Bitcoin 
contracts.
Zamyatin argued that Bitcoin-native bridges are necessary for DeFi on Bitcoin 
as the blockchain&#8217;s security is strong, but it lacks the human talent, tools 
and network effects of Ethereum.
_Alexei Zamyatin speaking with Cointelegraph &#8216;s Ezra Reguerra at Token2049. 
Source: Cointelegraph_
Zamyatin said Bitcoin (BTC) yield and stablecoin products are driving strong 
demand for Bitcoin-based DeFi.
&gt; &#8220;A lot of institutions that are buying Bitcoin now usually have to find 
&gt; yield on the assets they hold. So Bitcoin yield is becoming a very hot and 
&gt; highly sought-after thing.&#8221;
Demand for Bitcoin-backed stablecoins is also skyrocketing because Bitcoin is 
the &#8220;best collateral,&#8221; Zamyatin added.
&gt; What if we tokenized the Bitcoin ETF so institutions could get access to 
&gt; DeFi yields? pic.twitter.com/2HCpwbCZDS 
&gt; 
&gt; &#8212; alexei (@alexeiZamyatin) April 10, 2025
Bitcoin staking has become the main DeFi use case outside of payments, which 
involves Bitcoin holders locking their coins in self-custodial vaults or 
extractable one-time signatures to earn staking rewards on proof-of-stake 
blockchains like Ethereum.
The Babylon Protocol is currently leading this market with $4.64 billion worth 
of value locked, representing nearly 80% of all value locked on Bitcoin, 
DefiLlama data shows.
Bitcoin&#8217;s DeFi TVL is still a fraction of the $54.6 billion worth of value 
locked on Ethereum.
## Bridging solutions a controversial topic
Zamyatin acknowledged the numerous hacks on blockchain bridges, but argued 
most of those incidents resulted from teams failing to manage their private 
keys, rather than from smart contract vulnerabilities.
While competition in the retail market is wide open, Zamyatin noted that many 
institutions still hesitate to use bridges, that allow users to move value 
between incompatible blockchains.
_**Related:**__**Bitcoin NFTs, layer-2 and restaking hype &#8216;completely 
gon**_**e &#8216;**
Efforts have been made to increase the number of bridge signers from five to 
50 in some cases, Zamyatin noted.
However, institutions have been reluctant to adopt these solutions because 
they often don&#8217;t know who&#8217;s signing the transactions.
For example, the Ren Protocol&#8217;s RenBTC operates via a decentralized network of 
nodes called Darknodes, which sign transactions to lock BTC and mint RenBTC to 
use on other chains.
However, institutions continue to avoid these protocols due to the degree of 
anonymity involved and instead opt to use trusted custodians like BitGo and 
Coinbase Custody for such activities.
_**Magazine:**__**ZK-proofs unlock trillions in Bitcoin for DeFi &#8212; BitcoinOS 
and Starknet**_
Additional reporting by Ezra Reguerra.

Bitcoin DeFi will have 300M users, beating Ethereum and Solana: Exec

Dogecoin started a fresh decline from the $0.1900 zone against the US Dollar. 
DOGE is now correcting losses and might find face hurdles near $0.1750. DOGE 
price failed to clear $0.200 and corrected gains. The price is trading below 
the $0.180 level and the 100-hourly simple moving average. There is a key 
bearish trend line forming with resistance at $0.1740 on the hourly chart of 
the DOGE/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The price could start a fresh 
increase if it clears the $0.1800 resistance zone. Dogecoin Price Eyes 
Recovery Dogecoin price started a fresh increase above the $0.1650 resistance, 
like Bitcoin and Ethereum. DOGE climbed above the $0.1720 and $0.1750 
resistance levels before the bears appeared. A high was formed at $0.1920 and 
the price started a fresh decline. There was a move below the $0.180 and 
$0.1750 levels. A low was formed at $0.1671 and the price is now attempting a 
recovery wave. It surpassed the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move 
from the $0.1807 swing high to the $0.1671 low. Dogecoin price is now trading 
below the $0.180 level and the 100-hourly simple moving average. Immediate 
resistance on the upside is near the $0.1750 level. There is also a key 
bearish trend line forming with resistance at $0.1740 on the hourly chart of 
the DOGE/USD pair. The trend line is near the 61.8% Fib retracement level of 
the downward move from the $0.1807 swing high to the $0.1671 low. The first 
major resistance for the bulls could be near the $0.1840 level. The next major 
resistance is near the $0.1850 level. A close above the $0.1850 resistance 
might send the price toward the $0.1920 resistance. Any more gains might send 
the price toward the $0.1980 level. The next major stop for the bulls might be 
$0.200. Another Decline In DOGE? If DOGE’s price fails to climb above the 
$0.1750 level, it could start another decline. Initial support on the downside 
is near the $0.170 level. The next major support is near the $0.1680 level. 
The main support sits at $0.1600. If there is a downside break below the 
$0.160 support, the price could decline further. In the stated case, the price 
might decline toward the $0.1550 level or even $0.1450 in the near term. 
Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for DOGE/USD is now losing 
momentum in the bearish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI 
for DOGE/USD is now above the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $0.1700 and 
$0.1680. Major Resistance Levels – $0.1750 and $0.1840.

Dogecoin (DOGE) Fights to Stay Afloat — Major Hurdles Remain

The North Carolina House has recently approved two significant bills that aim 
to transform the management of the state&#8217;s pension fund, allowing for a 
modernized investment strategy that includes cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin 
(BTC). This legislative move comes in response to a $16 billion deficit in the 
pension system and a need for improved investment returns compared to other 
states. NC&#8217;s Investment Authority Could Allocate 5% Of Portfolio To Bitcoin 
House Bill 506 proposes the establishment of a five-member board, the North 
Carolina Investment Authority, which will oversee the state&#8217;s $127 billion 
investment portfolio. This board will be composed of the State Treasurer, who 
currently holds final authority over state investments, along with four other 
appointees. The appointments will be made by key state leaders, including the 
Speaker of the House, the Senate President Pro Tem, and the governor. Each 
appointee must possess substantial expertise in investments and have a minimum 
of ten years of successful management experience in pensions, endowments, or 
similar fields. Related Reading: Bitcoin Raging Bull Indicator Turns Back On, 
But This Level Holds The Key In conjunction with this restructuring, House 
Bill 92 allows the Investment Authority to allocate up to 5% of the state’s 
portfolio to cryptocurrency and Bitcoin investments. This provision is 
designed to limit investments to mutual fund equivalents of cryptocurrencies 
rather than direct purchases of specific currencies, ensuring a more cautious 
approach to this volatile market. Supporters of the legislation, including 
State Treasurer Brad Briner, believe that diversifying investments into 
cryptocurrencies represents a proactive strategy to enhance the fund&#8217;s 
performance. Democrats Raise Concerns Over Crypto Risks Briner, a Republican 
elected in November, has expressed a desire to modernize the investment 
approach, contrasting with the more conservative strategies employed by his 
predecessor, Dale Folwell. “We need to spread the allocation around,” said 
Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort), emphasizing the importance of diversification 
in investment strategies. The bills are seen as a step toward utilizing 
emerging market opportunities to benefit state employees and retirees. 
However, the measures have drawn criticism from some Democrats who caution 
against the inherent risks associated with cryptocurrency investments. Rep. 
Maria Cervania (D-Wake) expressed her reservations, stating, “I still have a 
lot of questions about this investment strategy and the level of commitment 
we’re making to it.” Related Reading: Code Wars: Cardano Claims The Crown From 
Ethereum In Core Development Concerns about the volatility of cryptocurrencies 
have prompted calls for a more cautious approach to integrating them into the 
pension fund. The legislation has sparked varied reactions outside the General 
Assembly. Governor Josh Stein has voiced his support for the bills, endorsing 
the expansion of the Treasurer&#8217;s authority over state investments. Conversely, 
representatives from the State Employees Association of North Carolina have 
expressed opposition, highlighting potential risks for state workers’ 
pensions. Following their passage in the House—with House Bill 506 receiving a 
vote of 110-3 and House Bill 92 passing 71-44—both bills now advance to the 
Senate for further consideration. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from 
TradingView.com

North Carolina Passes Bill To Integrate Bitcoin Into $127 Billion Pension Fund

After weeks of sideways movement, Hyperliquid has reclaimed the $20 level, 
suggesting a possible shift in momentum. A distinct bounce above the middle 
Bollinger Band can be seen on the daily chart, with the price now testing the 
upper band.…