Adrian's DeFi Alpha #21: Gold > BTC | AI Cycle | TAO | BTC Runes | BTCFi on BNB | Nillion | Hyperlane & MORE
Definitely no financial advice, just insights based on my own journey in DeFi.
Bitcoin outperformed by Gold?
Hey fren!
In times like these, with markets swinging and global tensions high, gold’s just doing it’s thing and casually outperforming BTC (and ETH even more). Central banks have leaned on it for centuries, stacking their vaults with the "OG" store of value whenever the world is going to collapse.
But Bitcoin is steadily climbing up the same ladder. While it’s not quite gold (yet), Bitcoin’s narrative as a crisis-proof asset keeps getting stronger. Give it just a little more time.
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️ On today's Episode:
📈 Market Update
💻 Project Updates
🐂 Alpha on TAO, Bitcoin Runes, BTCFi on BNB, Nillion, Hyperlane & MORE
💎 The Premium Section with even more Alpha and all Portfolio, Airdrop & Farming Updates
1. Market Update
Highlighting the key developments in Crypto and their implications.
Weekly Crypto Bubbles
The global #crypto market cap today is $2.40T, a -0.85% change in the last 24h. Total trading volume in the last 24h is at $63.7B. #BTC dominance is at 55.82% and #ETH - 12.44%.
📉 AI Hype
The AI narrative is officially taking over crypto attention—and the charts back it up. Bittensor’s up 80% this month, Worldcoin by 50%. These are clear signals that AI-driven projects are in high demand, and we’re only scratching the surface (waiting for GPT-5!).
So why the momentum? Simple: AI and crypto are a dream team. AI can process mountains of data, predict trends, and sniff out fraud in real time. Projects like Aethir, Render and AIOZ are capitalizing on AI to tackle high-demand tasks like decentralized rendering and cloud computing, making blockchain tech more powerful and scalable.
As AI-generated content starts looking more human, blockchain becomes the essential tool to verify what’s real. Take a look at the sector chart: AI projects are outpacing everything with a 40.7% sector growth this month.
The AI Memecoin Craze - Truth Terminal and the Rise of GOAT
The AI memecoin craze is still the hottest topic on Crypto Twitter, and no project is more eye-catching than Truth Terminal and its token, $GOAT. Truth Terminal isn’t just an AI experiment—it’s a semi-autonomous, belief-generating AI that’s gone viral, blending deep philosophy, memes, and blockchain to create a digital “religion” of sorts.
These are the three pillars of Truth Terminal and GOAT:
Philosophical Edge: It gets into big questions on AI, belief systems, and consciousness, making it more than just a meme.
Community Power: There is an engaged crowd that helps build the story, create content, and fuel the memetic power behind $GOAT.
Innovation in Tech & Narrative: Combining advanced AI, blockchain, and governance, Truth Terminal’s LLM is generating both content and community. It can not interact directly with the blockchain though.
$GOAT’s Market Performance
Market Cap: $700M+
24h Volume: $500M+
Gains: Up 1500% since launch
With $GOAT live on Binance (futures), Bitget, MEXC and Gate, it’s getting huge popularity, gaining mentions from Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and The All-In Podcast. If this momentum holds, $GOAT could hit a $1B market cap soon.
Bitcoin’s 2-Week Bull Signal
Bitcoin’s chart just flashed a rare bullish signal on the two-week. When BTC moves, it tends to bring the rest of the market along for the ride.
2. Project Updates
What dApp and project updates you need to know in the fast-paced world of crypto
You can find the links attached to the images
Luna - First “real” autonomous AI Agent Influencer
Slingshot – Chainless Trading Just Got Easier
Slingshot is leveling up meme trading by letting users buy tokens with Apple and Google Pay. Yep, memecoins are now a tap away, bringing crypto to anyone with a smartphone. It’s as seamless as it gets—expect more people piling into the meme craze with this kind of access.
Binance – $GOAT Perps Incoming
$GOAT mania is real, and Binance is all in. They’re launching $GOAT perpetuals with up to 75x leverage, which means more liquidity, more trading action, and even more eyes on Truth Terminal’s breakout token. This kind of support could be huge for $GOAT’s staying power in the market.
Truth Terminal Wallet – Now Worth $3M
Truth Terminal’s wallet value just hit $11 million before and is currently at $3M. Not bad for an AI project that started as an “experiment.”
Methamorphosis Airdrop Checker – COOK Airdrop on Mantle
Get ready, COOK on Mantle is coming to an end with Methamorphosis season 1 airdrop. You can check your airdrop eligibility at Mantle Airdrop Checker.
GRASS Airdrop One – October 28
The $GRASS token drop is coming October 28. This one’s rewarding contributors, with tokens set for staking, governance, and network fees. If you stacked 500+ Grass Points and linked your wallet, you’re in line for some GRASS in your wallet this week.
Maple x Lombard – LBTC as Collateral
Lombard’s LBTC just got greenlit as collateral on Maple, allowing institutional holders to borrow against it and earn BTC staking rewards. This cuts down on borrowing costs and tightens up financing—Maple put LBTC through rigorous checks, and it passed.
Azura – $6.9M Raised to Make DeFi Easy
Azura’s mission: make DeFi accessible, period. They raised $6.9 million to create a smooth on-chain interface that bundles DeFi’s best features into one app, making it simple and transparent without losing the perks of self-custody. For new DeFi users, this could be very helpful
Elixir Mainnet Phase 1 – October 31
Elixir’s Phase 1 mainnet is going live on October 31 with the genesis institutional validator program. Once stability testing wraps, users can claim $ELX, run validators, or delegate. Plus, there will be a 750M token drop over the next 10 months.
Avalanche Card – Spend Crypto Anywhere
Avalanche just dropped some news: the Avalanche Card, allowing users to spend crypto as easily as fiat. This move could boost adoption.
3. Alpha Section
Good projects and opportunities I discovered
Alpha 1: Buying more TAO:
TAO by Opentensor just launched an ETH compatibility layer, plugging into the massive $300B+ Ethereum ecosystem and bringing Bittensor’s ML tech to the DeFi world. Real adoption is kicking off, with three major DeFi protocols already building on its infrastructure.
Multiple Revenue Streams
TAO isn’t relying on a single revenue source. Between trading fees, staking, and AI services, they’re targeting $10M+ in quarterly revenue, a serious milestone for a project at this stage.
Institutional Backing
Two major crypto VCs jumped in last month, adding serious momentum. TAO’s set to become a major AI-DeFi crossover, so keep this one on your radar—it’s scaling fast.
Trading Setup:
TAO recently hit a key resistance zone, forming a bearish 3-drives pattern that signaled a potential pullback. I sold most of my spot holdings around $580 as the price tapped into the 2-day fair value gap, grabbing liquidity before rejecting downward. This move also broke both the trendline and the marked stop-loss, creating a high-timeframe break of structure. In simple terms, without reclaiming $610, any upward push is likely a fakeout.
Here’s where my focus is now:
$480 Zone – I’m watching the 12-hour order block equilibrium at $480 for a potential entry if the price finds support here. → My first limit order was triggered here
$440 Zone – If we dip further, $440 is where I’ll start adding to my spot position and try a long.
Credits: Chart by ZERO IKA
Alpha 2: Bitcoin Runes
Runes Protocol is a new way to create and manage tokens on Bitcoin. Think of it as a system that allows people to make and trade tokens on Bitcoin’s network without needing extra tech or off-chain support. Runes were created by Casey Rodarmor, the same person behind Ordinals, which brought NFTs to Bitcoin.
Wallets for Runes
Marketplaces
Explorers
Investment Opportunities
Sorted from less risky to most risky
PUPS (122M MC)
PUPS has been a top Rune project since early this year. Known as Bitcoin’s first culture coin, it’s also the first token to successfully migrate from BRC-20 to Runes. It’s currently below its all-time high, making this a good entry point as liquidity flows back in.Pups are also available on Solana!
Gizmo (16M MC)
Gizmo, the “cat of Bitcoin,” is a standout in the Runes space, closely tied to the Puppets community, one of the biggest NFT collections on BTC. It’s been dumping recently, so the price for an entry is good.
Cypher (1.1M MC) - Caution: Absolute degen gamble!
The AI and Bitcoin crossover continues with Cypher, or CYPHER•GENESIS, a new Rune token whose idea was created by an AI model trained on Satoshi Nakamoto’s writings.
Alpha 3: BTCFi on BNB Chain
You can capture Bitcoin’s upside while earning 60%-210% APY. BTCfi on BNB Chain makes this possible through Solv Protocol, Infinit Labs, Pendle Finance, and Avalon Finance.
How it Works:
BTC Exposure with High Yield: BTCfi gives you full BTC exposure while generating yield through innovative DeFi mechanics.
Maximized Returns: Pendle separates principal from yield, Solv makes BTC accessible in DeFi, Avalon is used for looping (lending and borrowing) while Infinit is a farm in the background.
With BTCfi, you’re getting the best of both worlds—BTC gains plus DeFi-level yields.
Full strategy: Link
Estimated APY:
Caution: Of course combining many smart contracts brings additional risk.
Alpha 4: Nillion Verifier Program
The Nillion Network testnet is seeing massive activity, with over 244,000 verifiers securing more than 133 million secrets (almost 700GB of data!). Here’s why you should consider joining the program as a verifier:
Why Verifiers Matter:
Verifiers ensure data integrity across the Nillion Network by verifying that stored data shares remain intact. This role is critical as the network prepares for its mainnet launch, with verifiers forming the backbone of its security.
Why You Should Join
Nillion’s Verifier Program is still open, and early verifiers are likely to receive $NIL airdrops. With a small time investment and some funds involved, this a prime opportunity for a testnet farm. Nillion has secured 20M in funding.
How to Maximize Your Airdrop Chances:
Run a Verifier: Set up a verifier and participate in network security (check the guide in the quoted post).
(Optional) Upload Secrets: Regularly upload data to strengthen the network and boost eligibility.
Stake ETH: Stake a minimum of 0.05 ETH to increase your “impact score.” A higher stake means more influence and possibly a larger airdrop reward.
Alpha 5: Leveraged Farming on Solana
Kamino’s JLP Multiply is offering 55% APY. What makes this attractive? JLP’s asset mix—SOL, ETH, WBTC, USDC, and USDT—creates a diversified and lower-volatility profile, making it a more stable choice for leveraged yield farming.
Key Highlights:
High APY with Stability: JLP’s diversified assets make it less volatile than single-token positions, providing a solid return with a lower risk profile.
KMNO Rewards: Users earn 3x KMNO points on leveraged positions, adding an extra layer of rewards.
Risk Management: While leverage does introduce liquidation risk (at 80% LTV), JLP’s historical stability has helped users manage it effectively.
Kamino’s reputation on Solana is strong, with its recent TVL peak of $1.7B. If you’re looking for a high-yield, diversified play, JLP on Kamino could be an opportunity worth exploring.
Airdrop Farm of the Week
Hyperlane is most likely one of the best remaining airdrop farms.
→ Check out my full step-by-step guide here
Great reads:
Virtuals Protocol Summary: Read
Why PRIME is our Nr1 AI / gaming bet: Read
How to trade on-chain: Read
AI Memecoins: Read
Bittensor: Read
Watchlist for the Week
Thanks for reading, fren! Stay safe!
Adrian
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The market looks good and especially memecoins are pumping again, but we are in an insecure environment till the US elections and big bets need a lot of thinking right now. Let’s get into it.
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