Riding the Crypto Bull: Past, Present, and Future Insights

GM, Anon! Bitcoin is continuously breaking all-time highs, and it seems Ethereum will soon follow suit. Today, we'll take you on a trip down memory lane of previous bull markets and then guide you through the major narratives driving this current bull market in 2024 and beyond and present you with options for more upcoming airdrop opportunities.

While the market is more complex and mature compared to its previous iterations, the fundamental drivers of price movements remain the same: the desire to make significant gains. Let's dive in!

Today, we'll delve into:

• The 2017 bull market

• The 2021 bull market 

• Narratives shaping the present and how you can profit from them

Bull Markets – Then vs Now

Let's take a moment to look back at the 2017 and 2021 bull runs. Things were different in the crypto world back then compared to what we see today. 

2017 Bull Market

It’s December 17, 2017, and Bitcoin has dropped from $20,000. How many of these coins do you recognize from the top 10? BTC and ETH remain the top 2 coins. But did you notice something?

• No stablecoins

• Three coins were forked from the Bitcoin protocol (Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Dash)

• Bitcoin is at a market cap of $320M, far short of the current $1.4T

The ICO narrative

The 2017 bull market saw a massive proliferation of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) – a revolutionary fundraising mechanism wherein projects issued blockchain-based tokens to the general public in exchange for funds. In 2017, projects raised $5.5B through ICOs, while in 2018, they raised a staggering $14B. Here are the top 5 ICOs:

There were several reasons why ICOs became such a rage, of course. The minimal legal and regulatory red tape allowed projects to easily raise funds and users to participate with minimal hassle.

Unfortunately, this lack of regulatory oversight meant malicious parties could easily scam users for millions. How can we ever forget the infamous BitConnect, which turned out to be one of the largest Ponzi schemes in crypto history, defrauding investors of billions of dollars.

How did the 2017 bull market end?

As you can imagine, regulators soon clamped down on the ICO market. The actual body blow came when China banned ICOs altogether. Back in the day, China was the hotbed of crypto activity and ICOs. Following the ban, the market bubble burst as we entered the 2018-2020 crypto winter.

2021 Bull Market

COVID-19 and Institutional investors barge in

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed the 2021 crypto bull market. Fears of government intervention in traditional markets pushed investors towards cryptos for their accessibility and potential to hedge against political risks. Simultaneously, significant institutional investments, exemplified by MicroStrategy's and Tesla's substantial bitcoin purchases, reinforced confidence in the crypto space. 

DeFI Summer of 2020
The summer of 2020 marked a transformative period for decentralized finance (DeFi), witnessing explosive growth in total value locked (TVL), which soared from less than $1B to $15B. Key developments included Compound issuing governance tokens, Uniswap's significant trade volumes, and the introduction of unique financial experiments such as rebase tokens.

2021's NFT Boom

The NFT boom of 2021, often dubbed the "NFT Revolution," saw the non-fungible token market explode with over $23 billion in trading volume, propelled by high-profile collections like Cryptopunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club and expanded by innovations in the metaverse and GameFi sectors. 

All of this culminated in a spectacular run with many expecting Bitcoin to break $100k. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and this snapshot is from November 15, 2021 – around the peak of the second bull market. 

Alright, we might have bent the rules a tad. But we had to extend the top 10 to “top 12” to include Terra. Here are some observations:

• We have 2 stablecoins in the top 10 – USDT and USDC

• We have two memecoins in the top 11 - DOGE and SHIB

• We have a host of “Ethereum Killers” in the top 10 – Binance coin, Solana, Cadano, Polkadot and Terra

How did the 2021 bull market end?

The market became oversaturated and overpriced, leading to a series of catastrophic events that fueled the 2021-2023 crypto winter. Key incidents included the Terra Crash, the bankruptcy of Three Arrows Capital, a widespread "crypto contagion," and, ultimately, the collapse of FTX. However, it must be noted that even before the Terra crash, the price was on a steady downward slump.

2024-2025 Bull Market

Let’s delve into the trends shaping this bull market and explore some opportunities you can leverage. With a plethora of developing narratives and unreleased tokens on the horizon, there is still time for you to participate and earn thousands.

Firstly, let's examine the top 10 coins to get a sense of the prevailing trends. 

Interestingly, many of 2021's top performers are still among the top 10, including SOL, XRP, BNB, and Doge. However, we're witnessing the emergence of a new major player in the form of Lido Staked ETH, and Avalanche making strides toward the top 10 as well.

Crypto narratives are the prevailing ideas, beliefs, and stories that drive the perception and valuation of cryptos. These narratives can influence market trends, investment sentiment, and the broader adoption of blockchain technologies. 

It's frequently the narrative that propels a project's evaluation and token price to new heights, rather than its tokenomics or even the presence of a functioning product, as evidenced by numerous memecoins. 

In 2024, several key crypto narratives are shaping the landscape and will likely remain the dominant narratives well into 2025.

Liquid Restaking Tokens (Eigenlayer) & Liquid Staking Derivatives 

LRTs, led by Eigenlayer, and LSDs mark significant advancements in the crypto sphere, focusing on boosting capital efficiency and network security. 

• Liquid staking innovations enable tokens to be restaked across multiple networks, optimizing capital allocation and enhancing network security. 

• LSDs increase liquidity by allowing staked assets to be leveraged in DeFi activities, unlocking the potential of immobilized assets and driving efficiency within the DeFi ecosystem.

• Position yourself to profit from the upcoming Eigenlayer airdrop by getting involved with some of the largest LRT projects by using these referral codes for:

  • KelpDAO

  • EtherFi

  • Renzo

  • Eigenpie

  • Puffer Finance

  • Claystack 

  • Swell

DeFi Levels Up

DeFi builders have continued to refine products, transforming the crypto landscape. Once, liquidity across chains was fractured, and transitioning between ecosystems was unthinkable. Now, users can bridge across different ecosystems and L2s at a fraction of the cost and previously unthinkable speeds. 

• Wormhole and Polyhedra recently announced their airdrop and there’s still time to explore tokenless bridges such as:

  • Jumper Exchange

  • Orbiter

  • Bungee

  • deBridge Finance

• Additionally, advanced DeFi products have emerged, including Aevo, a high-performance options and perpetual trading platform, and Hyperliquid, a specialized DEX focusing on perpetuals. Use this link to get involved with Aevo.

• Another newcomer, Ethena, backed by substantial industry capital, has introduced its stablecoin backed by native yield generated by complex mechanisms involving staked ETH. Use this referral link to get started with Ethena.

• Moreover, DeFi has expanded on chains like Solana, where impressive products like MarginFi and Kamino are being rolled out. Try out this referral link to explore more.

One of the latest advancements in the field of DeFi is the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs). 

• This innovation enables individuals to purchase shares of high-value assets like real estate, gold, and art through digital tokens on the blockchain. 

• Traditional finance firms are investing in gold and U.S. Treasury bonds, embracing the tokenization of RWAs. 

• Experts predict that the tokenized assets market will reach $16T by 2030, indicating significant growth potential in the future.

Artificial Intelligence 

Crypto projects that focus on AI have made significant progress, with the emergence of functional products accompanied by intricate ecosystems in the market. Some examples include:

• Bittensor (TAO) offers self-contained economic markets called subnets, incentivizing task completion with TAO tokens. Built on Subtensor using Polkadot's Substrate SDK.

• Fetch.ai (FET) provides scalable blockchain infrastructure utilizing machine learning and smart contracts across industries like logistics, energy, and finance.

• Ocean Protocol (OCEAN) enables decentralized data sharing for AI, supporting applications in predictive analytics, image recognition, and natural language processing.

• SingularityNET (AGIX) operates a marketplace for AI services, promoting decentralized AI development and data privacy.

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) 

DePin pioneers blockchain's expansion into physical infrastructure, offering decentralized solutions to real-world challenges. By leveraging blockchain's transparency and security, DePin projects streamline logistics and energy distribution. 

• Grass, a Wynd Network initiative, exemplifies DePin's potential, allowing individuals to sell unused internet bandwidth to corporations, creating a symbiotic digital ecosystem.

• Get involved with Grass using this link. 

Blockchain Modularity

The shift towards modular blockchain designs represents a significant evolution in the technology's architecture, aimed at enhancing both scalability and flexibility. 

• By compartmentalizing various elements of the blockchain into separate, distinct components, this approach allows for more targeted improvements and upgrades, thereby addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by traditional blockchain systems. 

• In regards to modular blockchains, the recent standouts are Celestia and Dymension, which have seen impressive developments and price action.

Alternative Ecosystems

The emergence of alternative ecosystems has been a notable feature of this bull market.

• After years of development, numerous L1s and L2s have experienced significant technological advancements, specialization, and the influx of liquidity into their ecosystems.

• The rise of other L1s such as Sui, NEAR, Aptos, Sei, Injective, Solana, and BNB has led to a substantial increase in user engagement. These platforms are witnessing the development of various applications spanning gaming, DeFi, gambling, NFTs, RWAs, and more.

• L2 solutions like Optimism, Blast, Arbitrum, and Base have witnessed a surge in applications and user activity. Many of these ecosystems have incentivized users with airdrops and rewards.

NFTs & Gaming

A notable development in the NFT world this cycle has been the emergence of NFTs on alternative blockchains like Solana, seen in collections such as Mad Lads, and on Bitcoin with ordinal collections like NodeMonkes.

• These collections have gained significant volume and traction, surpassing most major Ethereum collections.

• On Ethereum, standout collections include Azukis and Pudgy Penguins.

• In the gaming sector, the rise of Pixels on Ronin and Heroes of Mavia has been remarkable.

• A redemption story of this cycle seems to be Pixelmon, which has undergone a complete turnaround from its disaster launch during the previous cycle. Use the code: M6Labs for bonus rewards

Other Major Trends

Other major trends that have emerged include the rise of SocialFi. Protocols such as Friend.tech, Farcaster, and Lens are experimenting with technologies that fuse crypto and social media to benefit creators and users. Use this referral link to get involved with Farcaster.

Another significant development is the rise of Telegram trading bots like Maestro, Unibot, and the beloved Banana Gun Bot, favored by traders for features enabling early entries and ease of use. 

Memecoins are here to stay and are increasingly gaining unimagined momentum. Coins like Pepe, Bonk, and Dogwifhat have significantly influenced the crypto landscape. The upcoming Berachain, built from the ground up with high-level memetics, reflects the increasing significance of memecoins in the crypto space.

Additionally, GambleFi is another noteworthy development—decentralized gambling platforms built on blockchains, offering transparent and secure betting experiences through smart contracts for fair outcomes and efficient transactions. If GambleFi interests you, use this referral link to get involved with Shuffle.

How to capitalize on these narratives? Explore one or two deeply, then transition into projects you believe have potential as the bull market unfolds.