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Independent · No paid placements · No price predictions

Independent crypto news, explained — and the services, rated

Every story comes with the mechanism behind it and the rating it bears on. Read the news, understand it, then choose.

Evernorth’s XRPN Hits Nasdaq as Bitcoin Holds Near $83,500 Before Key U.S. Inflation Data
Markets

Evernorth’s XRPN Hits Nasdaq as Bitcoin Holds Near $83,500 Before Key U.S. Inflation Data

Nadia Okoro · 12 Oct
Bitcoin ETFs Bleed $244 Million as $1.19 Billion Liquidation Wave Shakes the Market
Markets

Bitcoin ETFs Bleed $244 Million as $1.19 Billion Liquidation Wave Shakes the Market

Selin Aydin · 9 Oct

LATEST CRYPTO NEWS

All news →
7 Oct
Markets

Bitcoin Slips Below $83,000 as Yields Surge, While Robinhood Adds $25M in BTC

Dario Fenn
5 Oct
Regulation

OKX and ICE Move to Bring Tokenized Stocks to the US as Bitcoin Holds Above $86,000

Nadia Okoro
2 Oct
Regulation

SEC Opens Door to Crypto Self-Custody as Weak Jobs Data Lifts Bitcoin Toward $87,000

Nadia Okoro
1 Oct
Regulation

Illinois Delays Crypto Tax to 2027 as Open USD Stablecoin Goes Live

Nadia Okoro
29 Sept
Markets

SEC Eases Token Buyback Concerns as Surging Treasury Yields Weigh on Bitcoin

Dario Fenn
28 Sept
Markets

Bitcoin ETFs Pull in $2.4 Billion in a Week as SEC Delays Crypto Options Ruling

Nadia Okoro
26 Sept
Markets

Bitget Hack Drains $351.6M as Bitcoin Holds Steady Near $84,000

Nadia Okoro

From headline to decision

How the ratings work →

Each of today’s stories, the explainer that makes sense of it, and the rating it bears on.

1 · The news

Bitcoin ETFs Bleed $65.4M as Hawkish Fed Talk Puts CPI in Focus

Selin Aydin · 13 Oct2 · Understand it

Crypto Taxes 101: What Every Beginner Needs to Know

Beginner · 9 min3 · Choose

Best Crypto Exchanges

Kraken8.415 compared
1 · The news

Evernorth’s XRPN Hits Nasdaq as Bitcoin Holds Near $83,500 Before Key U.S. Inflation Data

Nadia Okoro · 12 Oct2 · Understand it

How to Read On-Chain Metrics Like a Crypto Analyst

Intermediate · 13 min3 · Choose

Best Crypto Exchanges

Kraken8.415 compared
1 · The news

Aave v4 Launches With Unified Liquidity Layer Across Chains

Dario Fenn · 17 Aug2 · Understand it

How Automated Market Makers (AMMs) Work Under the Hood

Intermediate · 10 min3 · Choose

Best DeFi Protocols

Aave Protocol9.215 compared

Start from what you need

All guides →

I'm new to crypto

ReadWhat Is a Crypto Wallet? Hot vs. Cold Storage ExplainedCompareBest Crypto Exchanges — #1 Kraken 8.4

I want to store it safely

ReadHow to Set Up a Hardware Wallet Step by StepCompareBest Hardware Wallets — #1 BitBox02 8.9

I want to earn a yield

ReadHow Crypto Staking Works: Earning Rewards by Securing a NetworkCompareBest Staking Providers — #1 Chorus One 8.6

I want to use DeFi

ReadWhat Is DeFi? A Beginner's Guide to Decentralized FinanceCompareBest DeFi Protocols — #1 Aave Protocol 9.2

I want to move it between chains

ReadHow Cross-Chain Bridges Work (and Why They're Risky)CompareBest Cross-Chain Bridges — #1 IBC 8.9

I think my wallet is compromised

ReadRecovering From a Compromised Wallet: The First HourCompareBest Self-Custody Wallets — #1 Rabby 9.1

The newsroom

About the editors →
Dario Fenn

Dario Fenn

DeFi & Markets Lead

DeFi protocols, yield, market structure and on-chain data

11 recent stories →
Nadia Okoro

Nadia Okoro

Policy & Consumer Editor

Regulation, tax, stablecoins and the products retail users hold

26 recent stories →
Selin Aydin

Selin Aydin

Security Editor

Crypto security, custody, exploits and smart-contract risk

13 recent stories →

The ratings board

All 19 categories →
CategoryTop ratedScoreComparedChecked
Crypto ExchangesKraken8.415August 2026
Decentralised ExchangesUniswap8.915August 2026
Perpetual DEXsHyperliquid8.515August 2026
Instant Crypto ExchangersTrocador7.415August 2026
Crypto Trading ToolsDefiLlama9.215August 2026
Hardware WalletsBitBox028.915August 2026
Self-Custody WalletsRabby9.115August 2026
Staking ProvidersChorus One8.615August 2026
Liquid Staking ProtocolsRocket Pool8.715August 2026
Liquid Restaking Protocolsether.fi7.915August 2026
Yield AggregatorsPendle8.615August 2026
Crypto Lending PlatformsAave9.015August 2026
DeFi ProtocolsAave Protocol9.215August 2026
Cross-Chain BridgesIBC8.915August 2026
StablecoinsPax Dollar9.015August 2026
NFT MarketplacesMagic Eden8.115August 2026
NFT & AI ToolsCryptoSlam8.615August 2026
Crypto CardsCoinbase Card7.715August 2026
DeFi Strategy & Protocol Economics AdvisorsGauntlet8.61522 September 2026

Learn it in order

All 71 guides →

Beginner

27 guides
  1. What Is a Crypto Wallet? Hot vs. Cold Storage Explained9m
  2. Custodial vs. Non-Custodial Wallets: Who Really Controls Your Crypto?10m
  3. How to Store Your Seed Phrase Safely (Without Losing It)10m
  4. How Crypto Staking Works: Earning Rewards by Securing a Network9m
Then compareCrypto Exchanges →Hardware Wallets →

Intermediate

33 guides
  1. How Automated Market Makers (AMMs) Work Under the Hood10m
  2. Impermanent Loss Explained: The Hidden Risk of Providing Liquidity11m
  3. Liquid Staking Explained: Earning Yield Without Losing Liquidity11m
  4. Optimistic vs. ZK Rollups: How Layer 2 Scaling Actually Works13m
Then compareStaking Providers →DeFi Protocols →

Advanced

11 guides
  1. What Is MEV? How Bots Extract Value from Blockchain Transactions11m
  2. What Is Restaking? How EigenLayer and Shared Security Work12m
  3. Why Reported Volume Lies: Wash Trading and How to Spot It10m
  4. Crypto Options Explained: Greeks, Implied Volatility, and Strategies15m
Then compareLiquid Restaking Protocols →Perpetual DEXs →

Browse by topic

All topics →
Markets36Regulation5Security & Exploits2ETFs & Institutions2DeFi1AI x Crypto1Layer-2 scaling1Mining & Staking1Macro1

About OBOL

OBOL is an independent crypto publication. The newsroom reports what happened in markets, regulation, DeFi and security, and every story links to the explainer that sets out the mechanism behind it. For readers choosing a service, the ratings score 285 exchanges, wallets, staking providers, bridges and protocols against a published rubric.

Everything is written by three named editors, under an editorial policy that covers corrections and commercial disclosure. We do not publish price predictions, and nothing here is financial advice.

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Common questions

What is OBOL?
OBOL is an independent crypto publication. It reports the news, explains the mechanism behind each story in plain-English guides, and rates crypto services against a published, weighted rubric — so a reader can go from a headline to understanding it to choosing a service without leaving the site.
Who writes OBOL?
Three named editors, each on a beat: DeFi and markets, policy and consumer products, and security. Every story and guide carries its author's byline, and each editor has a page listing what they have written.
How are the ratings scored?
Every category has a published rubric of weighted criteria. Each service is marked against each criterion and the overall score is calculated from those marks rather than assigned by hand. The full method, including what we deliberately do not score, is on the methodology page.
Are the ratings paid placements?
No. Position in a rating is determined by the rubric score alone. Where a link is commercial it is identified as such, and a commercial relationship does not change a score or a ranking.
Does OBOL publish price predictions?
No. We do not publish price predictions or trading signals, and nothing on the site is financial advice. News explains what happened and why the mechanism matters, not where a price goes next.