Morpho (MORPHO) is an efficient Ethereum-based protocol revolutionizing decentralized lending with customizable peer-to-peer and pool-based solutions.

Liquidity pools have revolutionized decentralized lending and borrowing by offering a wide choice of product options and significant liquidity levels. For several years, protocols like 

 (COMP) have been lauded as true innovators that introduced a real game-changer: pool-based lending and borrowing. However, a closer look reveals that things aren’t as efficient and smooth as they may seem within the world of crypto lending. The problem is that lending pools on decentralized protocols often have mismatches between lenders and borrowers, with the former substantially outnumbering the latter. As a result, lenders earn only meager 

s, while borrowers pay exorbitant fees to access funds via these pools. Another critical problem is the lack of customizability in lending and borrowing products, with many protocols adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.

Morpho (MORPHO) is a decentralized protocol on 

 (ETH) that aims to improve the efficiency and flexibility of crypto lending and borrowing by offering a unique model that combines the elements of 

 (P2P) and pool-based matching of lenders and borrowers. To be precise, one of Morpho's essential products, Morpho Optimizers, specifically focuses on P2P matching, with pool-based lending and borrowing used as a fallback option. Morpho also offers users an excellent level of customization for creating new lending markets through its core protocol.

With its innovative lender-borrower matching mechanism and highly customizable and flexible markets, Morpho greatly improves capital allocation and transaction efficiency in the 

 (MORPHO) is an Ethereum-based decentralized lending protocol that offers a unique P2P order matching mechanism to improve the efficiency and affordability of 

 The platform also enables users to create efficient lending markets with highly customizable lending and borrowing parameters. Additionally, it offers a product, Morpho Vaults, for curated lending at varying risk levels.

, a France-based software development company founded in 2021 by Merlin Egalité and Paul Frambot. It's also supported by the nonprofit 

As its first major product, the project launched Morpho Optimizers on the Ethereum blockchain in 2022. Morpho Optimizers is designed as an add-on solution for lending pools on Aave and Compound to help match individual lenders and borrowers. The transacting parties can benefit from a more efficient lending process than with the default pool-based mode.

In January 2024, the project launched Morpho Blue, later rebranded to Morpho, a solution to help users create highly flexible lending markets with custom parameters and options. Morpho acts as the backbone of the Morpho ecosystem, and the project team has turned its focus to promoting and further developing this product. At the same time, Morpho Optimizers remains an integral part of the platform's core offering, albeit in a less prioritized state than Morpho.

The Morpho protocol consists of three main products — Morpho, Morpho Vaults (based on the underlying protocol) and the legacy Morpho Optimizers. Morpho allows users to create individual lending markets by specifying their preferred options for the following key attributes:

All these parameters are highly customizable, with minimal interference from the Morpho governance mechanism. Some parameters do have to conform to certain requirements; e.g., the IRM and LLTV must be from the list approved by the protocol's governance.

Morpho's high level of customizability is a significant departure from the typical model used on decentralized lending and borrowing platforms. On most other protocols, there are fixed parameters governing the lending and borrowing process; e.g., only certain collateral assets, lending assets or LLTV rates are allowed. In contrast, Morpho lets you customize all of these options, giving lending market creators an unmatched degree of freedom. The protocol offers the following key benefits to users, developers and market operators:

While Morpho is currently the platform's flagship product, the legacy Morpho Optimizers continues as a key offering in the platform's product line. Morpho Optimizers are add-on layers to the Aave and Compound lending pools. They can be used to facilitate a peer-to-peer match between lenders and borrowers. Since typical lending pools — including on platforms like Aave and Compound — are often heavily skewed with more lenders than borrowers, both parties end up paying excessive fees. Borrowers have to confront high costs due to the need to service the many lenders in the pool. In turn, lenders fight for the meager scraps left over from insufficient numbers of borrowers.

By using a P2P matching mechanism, Morpho Optimizers effectively takes the lender and borrower away from pool-based interaction and establishes a direct relationship between them. This allows users to borrow assets at cheaper rates, while also delivering better APYs for lenders. If either party withdraws from the direct lending relationship, both parties have the option to use the standard lending pools on Aave and Compound as a fallback.

The platform's third core product, Morpho Vaults (covered in more detail below) utilizes the underlying protocol and provides a way to lend through carefully curated market options at different risk profiles. This can suit lenders who are less proficient in using fully customized markets, but still prefer to take advantage of the lending opportunities offered by Morpho.

In order to create a custom lending market on Morpho, you need to have some technical proficiency and, preferably, knowledge of Solidity, the programming language that the protocol uses for its smart contracts. As noted earlier, developers can create a custom market by supplying five base parameters — a collateral asset, an asset offered for lending, an oracle, a preferred IRM and an LLTV. The first four of these normally require an Ethereum smart contract address to be specified. For the collateral and lending assets, these are the addresses for the tokens' contracts. The selected oracle is also usually established via a pointer to its smart contract address, although oracle-less hard-coded prices for the collateral and lent assets are acceptable. Morpho also maintains Ethereum addresses for each IRM whitelisted by the protocol's governance; developers can use these when choosing a preferred IRM.

The last value, LLTV, is a hard-coded figure that defines the threshold beyond which a loan becomes unhealthy due to its poor 

. Liquidators on Morpho are protocol actors who are incentivized to cover bad debts in return for collateral, similar to the method used on many other lending platforms. They’re allowed to liquidate up to 100% of the debt. In return, liquidators receive the debt's collateral, as well as an additional incentive for their work.

Since Morpho is an oracle-agnostic protocol without a built-in oracle, each market can have its own oracle that sources prices for the collateral and lending assets from external sources. Developers are completely free in that regard, and can even hard-code asset prices for the market if they don't wish to use a price oracle at all. Naturally, an oracle is preferred for maintaining the most up-to-date and dynamic pricing information.

The IRM used is the only base parameter with which developers are somewhat restricted in their choice, as only whitelisted IRMs are allowed for a market. As of mid-November 2024, there’s just one whitelisted IRM that market creators can specify — the 

. This model dynamically adjusts interest rates to maintain the proportion of borrowed funds to supplied funds at close to 90%.

Morpho Vaults are a tokenized vault product that offers curated lending opportunities with varying pre-programmed risk parameters. Each vault is associated with a single loan asset, and can allocate deposits across multiple Morpho markets, thereby leveraging the overall liquidity available on the Morpho protocol. Morpho Vaults suit lenders who prefer predictable risk management over the uncertainty of completely custom markets. Each lender can earn APY rates commensurate with their chosen 

There is no limit on the number of vaults you can open on Morpho. Thus, you might even allocate funds to different vaults with significantly different risk levels to diversify your exposure.

Morpho Vaults' curated nature eliminates the need for users to spend time researching and evaluating individual markets' risk levels and return opportunities, as risk exposure is actively managed by the vault.

Since the vaults are connected to the underlying protocol, and source liquidity from it, they’re dynamically rebalanced, which helps optimize yields. Thanks to their permissionless and immutable nature, the vaults are also completely transparent. Moreover, they’re noncustodial, granting users full control over their deposited assets, which can be withdrawn at any time.

A lender deposits an asset into a Morpho Vault and receives shares of the vault as confirmation of their investment. The vaults themselves are tokenized products utilizing Ethereum's 

 standard, designed to represent tokenized vaults for yield-bearing assets. Each vault may be owned by a 

 (DAO), an individual DeFi expert or some algorithm maintained by a DeFi platform. A vault can be owned by only one entity. The owner may specify additional roles/entities for managing the vault. These roles can include one curator, one guardian and multiple allocators.

The curator is a party who sets certain limits, rules and boundaries for the vault, such as specifying asset supply limitations and enabling/disabling specific markets. Curators are instrumental in maintaining appropriate risk levels for their vaults. Assets that lenders lock in a vault are supplied to the protocol's underlying markets, based on curators' whitelists. There can only be one curator for each vault.

The role of guardian is a key vault position. A guardian protects the integrity and security of the vault. Guardians can revoke any action by the vault owner (or other entities) if they consider it to be against the interests of vault lenders. Each vault can only have one guardian, typically a DAO consisting of vault depositors.

Allocators are protocol actors whose job is to rebalance the liquidity utilized by Morpho Vaults to optimize interest rates and accessible liquidity. An allocator’s job is to rebalance and optimize the total liquidity, either manually or using bots, to best meet the needs of Morpho borrowers.

Morpho Vaults' operations aren't regulated by the protocol's governance mechanism. Each vault owner is responsible for their vault's governance model. Specific roles, such as the curator and the guardian, are designed to help in establishing transparent and secure governance procedures for a vault.

What Is the Morpho Crypto Token (MORPHO)?

The platform's native cryptocurrency, MORPHO, is envisioned as a 

. Holders of MORPHO have the right to participate in decision-making on the platform's future direction, general rules, deployment of smart contracts and allocation of funds from the treasury. Although Morpho promotes lending and borrowing markets that operate with minimal interference from the protocol's governance community, there are some general guidelines and rules through which the community needs to establish certain standards, minimum requirements or whitelists. MORPHO token holders are instrumental in this process.

The original MORHPO token was launched on Ethereum in June 2022 with a supply cap of 1 billion. However, there were limitations to the original token contract that negatively affected its functionality. Specifically, the token wasn't designed to facilitate efficient on-chain voting. As a result of these limitations, the project decided to relaunch the token, now on an upgraded contract. The new reincarnation of MORPHO will offer better functional capabilities, including more efficient on-chain governance processes. 

As of the time of writing on Nov 17, 2024, the project team has yet to deploy the new token. The new MORPHO will also be a supply-capped crypto, with a maximum and total supply of 1 billion. The token's supply distribution shares are shown in the chart below.

 token before its market launch. Bybit Pre-Market Trading is an over-the-counter (OTC) trading platform that provides access to promising new cryptocurrencies before their listings on the Spot market. The key advantage of the platform is the ability to access cryptocurrencies at desirable rates before the broader crypto market affects their prices.

Bybit's carefully designed curation process ensures that only crypto assets with solid potential and fundamentals are whitelisted for Pre-Market Trading. This saves you the time required to investigate each cryptocurrency, and reduces the risk of investing in scam projects. Naturally, you’re also encouraged to 

 on crypto assets you might consider purchasing through Bybit Pre-Market Trading.

Morpho represents a unique and potentially highly effective approach to DeFi lending and borrowing. The platform's facilitation of isolated and highly customizable lending markets gives DeFi users unmatched freedom in terms of choice and variety. In addition, users who prefer the stability of curated and well-defined risk profiles can take advantage of Morpho Vaults for more predictable yields. The use of the overall underlying protocol liquidity along with entities such as allocators makes Morpho Vaults particularly effective at optimizing lending and borrowing costs.

While custom lending markets launched via the protocol are now Morpho's key focus, the legacy Morpho Optimizers also continue to offer value. P2P matching of lenders and borrowers as an add-on to the standard pool-based mechanism is a functionality many DeFi users will find helpful. Morpho Optimizers can offer lenders and borrowers active on Aave and Compound an alternative and highly effective way of conducting their operations.

With this arsenal of innovative and unique products, the Morpho protocol is quickly shaping up as a leading platform in the lending niche of the DeFi industry.

Advanced

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Morpho (MORPHO): Leading Efficient, Permissionless Crypto Lending

Puff is a meme coin with a dragon-based theme. It uses a gamified mechanic for distribution and is based on the Ethereum blockchain. Learn more here.

 are designed solely for entertainment, so they can have a lot of unusual and creative features. One example of the interesting applications of meme coins is Puff. This fun coin aims to attract users by adding elements of story and gamification to its design. If you're interested in learning about Puff and seeing why it's so popular lately, check out this guide.

 is a meme coin with a dragon-based theme. It uses a gamified mechanic for distribution and is based on the 

 blockchain. It encourages users to engage in its ecosystem by following along with Puff the Dragon's storyline.

mETHLab is an Ethereum-based lending and borrowing protocol. It's fixed-term and fixed-rate, with no forced 

 of collateral. Users can supply PUFF or mETH tokens and borrow mETH or USDe against these tokens.

 for the mETH Protocol. Users who hold mETH or participate in certain parts of the Puff the Dragon ecosystem can acquire points that will be converted to COOK. People can also acquire COOK by burning PUFF.

Puff aims to attract users with a novel approach to meme coins and lending. Its ecosystem takes the trending 

 ideas of gamification and storytelling and applies them to its products. For example, instead of simply borrowing on the mETHLab protocol, users are encouraged to "cook with Puff the Dragon in the mETHLab." The creators hope this adds a little extra fun and enjoyment that makes people more interested in working with their system.

As the dragon's origin story explains, Puff is also attempting to combine two opposing viewpoints into its ecosystem. Puff the Dragon is a "black and gold dragon" that is part chaos and part lawful order. Similarly, Puff's ecosystem tries to combine the regulation of 

. Unlike other ecosystems that either “play it safe” or focus on experimentation, Puff hopes to combine the two concepts into one system.

 network. All of its features are run through Ethereum’s system, so the project is reliable and secure. However, its secondary layer operates parallel to the main network, so it’s more scalable and features lower fees than Ethereum’s. The full ecosystem is accessible through the project's online website. This helpful interface guides people through staking, borrowing and lending Puff's digital assets in a fun, gamified manner. Unlike with traditional exchanges, the videos, cartoon assets and entertaining visuals are used to create a gamelike, fantasy feel.

The Puff the Dragon project offers far more than just a single, tradeable meme coin. Once you get involved in its ecosystem, you can access all of these exciting features.

The Puff Penthouse is where fans of Puff the Dragon can interact with the whole ecosystem. Users can stake and burn PUFF tokens, or send tokens to the mETHLab through this interface. It features many adorable and intriguing pieces of 3D art that add to the Puff lore.

 within the Puff the Dragon ecosystem. Each NFT features an individualized rendition of the project's dragon. There are currently 8,888 NFTs, ranked according to rarity. The rarest level, Legendary Puff Dragons, has 388 different variations.

Mystic Potions are another set of NFTs within the ecosystem. They come in red, green, blue and other colors, and can be used to mint Puff NFTs. There are 8,888 Mystic Potions, each one a 

. Only original ecosystem users are able to receive a Mystic Potion, but if desired, they can convert it to a Puff NFT and sell it.

PUFF is the main token of the Puff the Dragon ecosystem. In addition to trading like a standard meme coin, it can also be used for staking and lending. PUFF has a total supply of 888.888888 million tokens, 

 are indefinitely locked. Tokens will be distributed as follows:

The PUFF token has undergone plenty of price fluctuation since it was released. Shortly after its launch in April 2024, the coin shot up to an 

. However, as user interest waned, its price dropped to an ATL of $0.03 in September 2024. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot of interest in trading the token. Its price is back up to $0.0947 as of Nov 18, 2024, and many traders are bullish.

Analysis of market conditions from DigitalCoinPrice suggests a slightly different story: a small price decrease of around 2% to 5% in the upcoming weeks before rising in value as 2025 approaches. According to DigitalCoinPrice, by 2025 Puff 

, and by 2030 the token may be worth up to $0.54.

Looking to trade Puff tokens? Bybit now offers the PUFF/USDT Spot trading pair. To get started, you’ll first need to create a Bybit account, then fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

PUFF is an exciting project that's gotten a lot of interest recently. Thanks to its charming story and blend of helpful features, PUFF has done a great job of maintaining user engagement. The coin's trading volume is also fairly stable. This is a token worth investing in if you enjoy seeking out underrated yet promising meme coins.

 toward Puff the Dragon's design. Some feel that the coin's tokenomics and general structure keep it from being a true meme coin. Instead, they suggest that the coin is operating more like a web3 yield-farming system, but is using the meme coin label to get away with lax regulation and an imprecise road map. This doesn't necessarily mean the coin is doomed to failure, but it does mean you might want to look at it more critically than you might regard other meme coins. Since volatility is inevitable, it's essential to use 

 strategies such as portfolio divestment before buying PUFF.

Puff (PUFF) is an intriguing model of a meme coin that uses features besides memes to attract users. By creating a gamified staking and lending mechanism, Puff hopes to capture users' attention and get them invested in its dragon-themed storyline. Though this project still needs to prove that it can attract more fans, it's on the way to generating significant levels of interest. 

Intermediate

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Puff (PUFF): Entering the Magical Realm of Puff the Dragon

As Bitcoin's dominance persists, emerging regulatory clarity may catalyze a resurgence in altcoins, particularly for platforms like Ethereum and Solana, which are poised to benefit from a pro-crypto environment.

: Donald Trump’s election signals a pivotal shift in cryptocurrency policy, moving from skepticism to advocacy, which may redefine the regulatory landscape.

: The election result triggered immediate and substantial reactions in the crypto markets, particularly evident in Bitcoin's price surge, reflecting heightened investor optimism.

: A Republican-controlled U.S. Congress could lead to clearer and more favorable regulations for digital assets, fostering innovation and investment in the sector.

: As Bitcoin's dominance persists, emerging regulatory clarity may catalyze a resurgence in altcoins, particularly for platforms like Ethereum and Solana, which are poised to benefit from a pro-crypto environment.

Donald Trump’s re-emergence as the “crypto president” represents a dramatic turnaround in his relationship with the cryptocurrency sector. Once a vocal critic, his 2024 campaign embraced Bitcoin, positioning it as central to his economic strategy. This transformation can be attributed to the substantial financial contributions from crypto firms, which played a crucial role in his campaign, underscoring the industry's growing political influence. By vowing to make America the “crypto capital of the planet,” Trump not only appeals to a burgeoning voter base invested in digital assets, but also aligns himself with the interests of powerful crypto stakeholders. This shift could fundamentally alter the regulatory framework governing cryptocurrencies, potentially easing restrictions and fostering an environment more conducive to innovation.

The immediate aftermath of Trump’s victory was characterized by significant volatility in the crypto markets, particularly with Bitcoin (BTC) experiencing a sharp rally from approximately $70K to nearly $90K. This movement was not merely speculative; it reflected a broader alignment of market sentiment with political outcomes. The use of on-chain prediction markets such as Polymarket illustrated how traders adjusted their positions in real time based on election developments. As Trump's victory appeared more likely, BTC’s correlation with these prediction markets intensified, showcasing a direct link between political events and crypto valuations. This responsiveness highlights the increasing intertwining of traditional financial markets with crypto as investors seek to leverage political insights to inform their trading strategies.

Regulatory Outlook and Congressional Influence

With a Republican majority in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, the potential for significant regulatory reforms in the cryptocurrency space is heightened. Historical context reveals that previous efforts, such as the FIT21 Act, aimed to delineate the regulatory authority over digital assets, although it faced challenges in legislative passage. However, the current political landscape, coupled with substantial financial backing from crypto-friendly Super PACs, sets the stage for a more favorable regulatory environment. The election cycle demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted political spending in reshaping legislative priorities, particularly in key Senate races. 

As newly elected officials take office, their pro-crypto stances could lead to expedited discussions and potential passage of critical regulatory frameworks, thereby reducing ambiguity and fostering a more robust investment climate.

While Bitcoin continues to dominate the market narrative, the potential for altcoins to gain traction is significant, especially in light of a supportive regulatory environment. Historical patterns suggest that Bitcoin's dominance often peaks during bull markets, followed by a capital rotation into altcoins as investors seek higher returns. The recent surge in Bitcoin's price has overshadowed altcoins, and yet the incoming administration's pro-crypto posture may catalyze renewed interest in platforms like Ethereum and Solana. These networks, which facilitate smart contracts and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, stand to benefit from increased investment as regulatory clarity emerges. The influx of capital into altcoin markets could be accelerated by the anticipated legislative focus on fostering innovation within the cryptocurrency sector, marking a potential shift in market dynamics as investors diversify their portfolios beyond Bitcoin.

In conclusion, Trump's presidency heralds a transformative period for the cryptocurrency landscape, characterized by potential regulatory clarity and increased market participation. As the political and financial realms converge, stakeholders in the crypto ecosystem must remain attuned to the evolving landscape, ready to adapt to new opportunities and challenges that arise in this dynamic environment.

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Bybit x Block Scholes Institution Report: Takeaways From the U.S. Election and What to Look For Next

Nansen has partnered with TRON DAO to integrate the TRON network into Nansen V2, enhancing on-chain analytics for the TRON ecosystem. 

Daily Top Performer — Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

The S&P 500 climbed 0.4%, driven by a nearly 5% surge in Nvidia shares ahead of its highly anticipated earnings report, which lifted market sentiment despite ongoing geopolitical concerns.  Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was up by 0.15%, with Bitcoin rising by 1.13% and Ether dropping by 1.62%, in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is VIRTUAL, which surged 5.2% after the launch of Agentstarter, empowering founders to build successful AI agents with Virtuals Protocol.

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), founded in 2021, allows users to invest in and co-own AI-driven virtual assets like companions and influencers. Its model fosters community ownership, transforming AI agents into revenue-generating assets across platforms like Roblox and TikTok. The platform attracts contributors from AI and gaming to drive innovation in virtual economies. Virtuals Protocol introduces 

, an AI agent launchpad offering funding, development support, and distribution for creators. It aims to help founders build successful AI agents within a thriving ecosystem and long-term incentive structure.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

 to integrate the TRON network into Nansen V2, enhancing on-chain analytics for the TRON ecosystem. This collaboration aims to provide developers, users, and projects with valuable data to foster growth and innovation. The integration will offer advanced features like Token God Mode, Wallet Profiler, and Smart Alerts, helping optimize decentralized applications (DApps) and improve transparency within the community. TRON’s high-speed, low-cost blockchain infrastructure will benefit from these enhanced analytics to further empower the ecosystem.

Yesterday, total inflows into BTC Spot ETFs amounted to $600.3 million, with $16.2 million coming from GBTC and $584.1 million from non-GBTC sources.

 allows users to earn XP for transactions, quests, gas fees, and referrals in its wallet. XP, while offchain, is tied to wallet addresses and used to level up and unlock exclusive rewards. Key features include free transactions on the ZERϴ Network, daily quests, and retroactive XP for active wallets before mid-October. Rewards enhance the onchain experience but are non-transferable. The program encourages bridging assets to ZERϴ and active participation to maximize XP and rewards.

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Nansen Partners with TRON DAO to Enhance On-Chain Analytics for TRON Ecosystem

Bybit Learn

Crypto

Discover how halal crypto and crypto trading uphold transparency, fairness, and Islamic financial principles, offering Shariah-compliant investment opportunities in the growing digital finance landscape.

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In 2009, Bitcoin (BTC), the world's first blockchain network and 

, was launched. Soon afterward, Bitcoin ushered in the era of active crypto trading and investing. Cryptocurrencies — digital assets securely exchanged and held on decentralized network platforms called blockchains — are now a major asset class within the world of finance. Many aspects of cryptocurrency and crypto trading align with the principles of Islamic finance. For instance, there's no concept of interest in blockchain-based crypto transactions. Thanks to the benefits that crypto might deliver to faith-conscious Muslim investors, halal crypto products are now gaining widespread adoption.

In this article, we cover the major concepts related to Islamic finance, blockchain and halal crypto in order to help you better understand the emerging niche of Shariah-compliant cryptocurrency investing.

Islamic finance refers to financial products, platforms, transactions and general principles that align and comply with Shariah law (based on the Quran), which governs the social, economic and judicial principles of Islamic societies. Compliance with the principles of Shariah is the key requirement for Islamic finance products and services to be considered halal — and, therefore, to be available to Muslim individuals for their use and investment.

Any financial product that is clearly in breach of the Shariah law principles is considered haram, and Muslims are discouraged from using such products.

Islamic financial principles emphasize the importance of values like fairness, societal and personal betterment, real-world utility, transparency and the avoidance of exploitation. The Shariah compliance of financial products is often assessed by authoritative Islamic scholars and Shariah law experts. Their opinions are published in the form of advisory notes or, if the scholar is so authorized, official fatwas — legal rulings on specific aspects of Shariah law and its applications.

There are several key Islamic finance principles, described below, that are critical in defining the Shariah-compliant status of financial products.

Riba means unreasonably high interest (or usury). The term is used to refer to the interest derived from financial products. Riba is strictly prohibited in the Islamic faith, and Islamic finance considers both charging interest and earning income from interest to be in direct violation of Shariah law. Interest is considered an exploitative and unjust instrument, and Muslims are discouraged from investing in any interest-bearing products. This hinges on the general principle that income and value should only be generated from tangible assets and activities, not by re-using the same capital with no real value added. The prohibition of riba is probably the most well-known element of Islamic finance, both in the Muslim world and beyond.

Gharar refers to excessive uncertainty in financial transactions or ambiguity in contracts. For example, financial products or strategies with high levels of 

 might be considered gharar since they involve substantial uncertainty or risk. Shariah also states that all transacting parties must have a clear understanding of their contractual relationship, with no ambiguity present.

Maysir, or gambling, is another activity that’s strictly prohibited in Islamic finance. Anything connected to gambling or speculation, or income derived from gambling-related or highly speculative activities, falls under the definition of maysir. Thus, Muslim investors need to research and invest only in assets and products that don't involve speculative, gambling-like features or strategies.

4. No Investment in Haram-Linked Products

Investing in any financial product, company, industry or business activity related to Haram practices or products — such as alcohol, pork or drugs — is strictly prohibited in Islamic finance.

Islamic finance requires that all contractual relationships and partnerships involve sharing of profit and loss in a fair, ethical and reasonable way. This is achieved through several contract types permitted in Shariah law, specifically Mudarabah and Musharakah. Mudarabah refers to a partnership where one party provides the capital and the other party manages it, with profits and losses split based on a pre-agreed ratio. Musharakah is a venture in which all parties involved provide capital, and share profits and losses proportionally based on their investment shares.

6. Real-World Utility and Value of Economic Activity

 must be based on products and strategies that generate tangible value and are based on real-world utility. Thus, it's important to invest only in cryptocurrencies with real-world applications and use cases.

In addition to these specific principles, Islamic banking and finance are also based on the general principles of the fairness, transparency and ethical nature of all transactions, products and contractual relationships.

 is a type of distributed digital system in which all transactions are verified and confirmed by a decentralized network of 

, each acting independently, with the validity of transactions confirmed through a 

. The validated transactions are then permanently written into the blockchain's immutable ledger of records, and the ledger itself is also maintained in a decentralized way, which avoids the possibility of a single point of failure in case of hacking attempts.

The decentralized nature of transaction confirmation and ledger storage ensures that blockchains are extremely difficult to hack or take control of. For instance, Bitcoin, the world's largest and oldest blockchain, has thousands of nodes acting together as guardians of the ledger's integrity and consistency. Blockchains also ensure the security of all transactions and stored values by using a cryptographic encryption mechanism.

In addition to the nodes who ensure the integrity and immutability of the ledger, there are specialized mining nodes on Bitcoin who use the hashing power of their computers to solve computational puzzles in order to validate transaction blocks. Over a million individuals currently participate in the mining process on Bitcoin using the power of their specialized computing machines. Every ten minutes, one miner node wins the race to be the first to solve the computational puzzle. This mining node receives the right to add the next validated block of transactions to the ledger. As a reward for their work, the winning miner node earns a reward in Bitcoin's native digital asset, the BTC cryptocurrency.

The BTC coin itself — also frequently referred to as Bitcoin — acts as an asset for transaction exchanges and value storage on the network. Mining nodes rewarded for their block processing activity are free to spend their earned BTC in any way they wish. Other network users can also buy, sell and store BTC as a form of digital currency.

There are now well over 100 public blockchain networks. Each blockchain has its own technical characteristics, native digital assets and transaction validation procedures, which may differ from the way Bitcoin’s chain operates.

Blockchains exist and operate based on a number of key principles and ethos, including:

The Concept of Halal in Cryptocurrency and Blockchain

The concepts of halal and its opposite, haram, are fundamental principles in Shariah law, and in the Islamic faith in general. 

 refers to any activity that is permissible or lawful for Muslims to engage in, while 

 includes prohibited practices and behaviors, such as anything related to alcohol and pork consumption, gambling, drugs, pornography, unethical behavior and deceitful conduct, as well as activities that do not result in any tangible value for a person or society.

Many aspects of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology align with the concept of halal. By default, blockchain transactions are interest-free. While certain crypto trading products on external platforms might involve interest, the transfer and storage of crypto funds — for example, in BTC coins — are totally free from riba. Secondly, the public nature of blockchains ensures the transparency of operations, also a fundamental principle of Shariah law.

Many blockchains are capable of supporting programmable functionality that goes beyond the mere transfer and storage of funds. Some of the most prominent among these networks are 

 (AVAX). The programmable functionality on these chains is supported through 

, coded scripts that are programmed to automatically execute transactions based on pre-specified conditions and triggers. Smart contracts are usually open source, further promoting transparency, a key element of halal behavior.

Another aspect of Shariah law applicable to cryptocurrencies relates to the principle of real-world value and utility. While there are cryptocurrencies created without any meaningful utility (e.g., 

), major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) provide the benefit of interest-free, digital storage and exchange of value in a decentralized, private and secure way, away from the traditional financial system. 

Moreover, some crypto projects are involved in tokenizing and bringing a variety of 

 to real-world data integration into blockchain, such as that of 

Benefits of a Shariah-Compliant Blockchain

In recent years, several blockchain projects that focus on Shariah compliance and Islamic values have been initiated and successfully launched. Examples include the 

 and the halal-only, crypto projects–focused 

Shariah-compliant blockchains and apps can potentially provide significant benefits to the Muslim community and investors. First, such platforms enhance trust among investors, thanks to the adherence to the general Shariah principles of fairness and avoidance of exploitation. By offering Shariah-compliant products based on shared risk and profits, no maysir and no gharar, these platforms help investors reduce the overall investment risk as well. They also provide Muslim investors with access to global markets and products.

Shariah-compliant crypto projects also contribute to the overall development and innovation within the general crypto finance sphere by introducing products based on Islamic values.

Trading crypto and investing in crypto-based products can be profitable and rewarding for Muslim investors when carried out through Shariah-compliant finance opportunities. Such platforms and products promote ethical investment practices that align with Shariah law. Another critical benefit of Shariah-compliant crypto trading is improved financial inclusion. Many Muslim investors avoid the crypto market due to the non-compliant nature of many of its products. Shariah-compliant opportunities can help these investors participate more actively in the industry.

Shariah-compliant crypto trading products can also help Muslim investors participate in social impact investing, an essential consideration for Islamic finance. Moreover, appropriately designed Islamic crypto trading products can help facilitate the flexible payment of zakat and other charitable donations. Zakat — which stipulates that Muslims should donate 2.5% of their income to charitable causes if their wealth exceeds the financial threshold, or nisab — is one of the pillars of Islam. Products that help facilitate zakat payments fairly and ethically can be of tremendous value to Muslim investors.

Bybit’s crypto exchange offers investors a Shariah-compliant 

, the first of its kind in the industry. The account provides a range of benefits to Muslim crypto traders and investors, including global accessibility, no interest, transparent fee structures and adherence to the ethical considerations and practices of Shariah law.

There are certain challenges that Muslim investors face in the overall crypto finance landscape when choosing products that align with their faith. For instance, many crypto products have riba built into them, thus violating the principles of Islamic finance. Certain crypto trading products may also involve wild volatility, making them unequivocally gharar. Fee structures and sources of yield may also be unclear or ambiguous on many crypto platforms.

Another challenge for Muslim investors in defining the halal status of crypto products is the variability in the interpretations of Shariah principles. In other words, different scholars and opinion-issuing institutions may disagree on specific matters, such as the level of volatility in products that may or may not qualify them as gharar. 

A key practice for Muslims who wish to overcome this challenge is to seek appropriately certified Shariah-compliant products from reputable crypto platforms. One example of this type of product is Bybit's Islamic Account, which was developed in collaboration with the trusted Shariah finance advisories 

Islamic finance is a new growth area within the wider blockchain and crypto ecosystems. Cryptocurrency products have enjoyed strong growth rates among investors in the Muslim world over the past few years, with 

 rising to 30% in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 11% in Saudi Arabia.

Shariah-compliant crypto projects like HAQQ Network, which launched its mainnet in May 2022, and MRHB DeFi, which started in late 2021, have helped boost the growth rates of Islamic finance in the crypto industry, a trend that’s widely expected to continue.

As Shariah-compliant crypto opportunities increase, Muslim investors will be able to access a more diverse range of products.This will also positively impact the wider industry, thanks to the improved inclusion of new segments of users. Within the economies of Islamic countries, Shariah-compliant cryptocurrency products will also help improve the security and flexibility of payments based on digital assets.

The future of halal crypto looks promising, as this niche is quite young and full of unexplored opportunities. 

, MRHB DeFi solutions and HAQQ Network's products are innovations that will likely spur further growth for an increased variety of choices in this area.

This is positive news for Muslim investors who might be eager to join the crypto revolution, but have often been reluctant to do so due to the uncertain nature of many crypto products. By choosing Shariah-compliant platforms and products, these investors can now take advantage of crypto opportunities that align with the core principles of their faith.

Disclaimer: Due to varying opinions on Shariah compliance of crypto trading, we recommend you to conduct your own further research. Please note that the posts on Bybit Learn should not be considered as fatwa. Our aim is to present information on different topics to empower readers to make informed decisions.

How Halal Crypto Upholds Transparency and Ethical Standards in the Digital Age

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