Weekly Alpha #46 – The 2025 playbook for Airdrop 🚁
Latest DeFi Alphas Delivered in a Concise Newsletter.
Welcome back to Weekly Alpha — your curated edge in DeFi, tokenomics, and macro shifts before they go mainstream.
In this edition of The Weekly Alpha:
📚 This Week's Intel
🎧 Podcast Picks
🔓 Vesting Watch
🚁 The 2025 playbook for Airdrop (Teaser)
--- 💎 PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS 💎---
🚁 The 2025 playbook for Airdrop (Full Analysis)
🧐 Onchain Analytics 🔒
🎯 Airdrop Alpha 🔒 (NEW)
📊 Token Watch 🔒 (NEW)
🔥 Want to earn yield and front-run a potential airdrop?
Try infiniFi early with my referral link
Your click supports this newsletter and gets you direct access to the protocol before it breaks out.
This Week's Intel 📚
The signal from the noise, this week's developments that actually matter for your DeFi positioning.
I've filtered through the endless stream of headlines, hot takes, and crypto Twitter drama to bring you the stories moving the ecosystem forward. These aren't just news updates; they're intelligence briefings on where capital is flowing, which narratives are gaining traction, and what regulatory shifts could reshape your strategy.
Skip the timeline doom-scrolling. This is your weekly intel drop.
Saylor’s Strategy started buying Bitcoin 5 years ago. It's now up 2,600%
My Personal Take:
Strategy's execution has been brilliant. Five years ago, they started their Bitcoin accumulation strategy, which has helped their share price surge nearly 2,600% since 2020 and revived the company from a 20-year lull. What makes this even more impressive is that early Strategy investors actually outperformed Bitcoin itself during this period—a leveraged play that paid off spectacularly.
The timing couldn't have been better. Strategy's share price had been stuck mostly floating around $10 to $20 for two decades after their accounting scandal in 2000. Bitcoin gave them a second life, and they executed flawlessly.
Now we're seeing the same playbook emerging with Ethereum. Companies like Sharplink and Bitmine are building ETH treasuries, potentially setting up similar opportunities. While there are no guarantees, I believe the risk-reward profile is compelling enough to warrant strategic positioning in these ETH treasury plays.
The thesis is simple: As ETH prices rise, these leveraged corporate holdings should amplify returns. But the downside risk is equally real—if crypto enters a prolonged bear market, these stocks could get crushed.
My position: I'm willing to take calculated risks on this emerging trend, but investors need to understand they're essentially buying leveraged crypto exposure through traditional stocks.
Read the full Cointelegraph article here
Etherex on Linea Crosses $120 Million TVL Mark Through (3,3) Mechanism
Etherex, the recently launched V(3,3) DEX, has achieved significant traction since its token launch, surpassing $120M in Total Value Locked (TVL) and establishing itself as the most-used DApp on Linea. This milestone reinforces the continued strength of the V(3,3) model, which has proven successful across multiple chains—most notably with Aerodrome dominating Base and Velodrome leading on Optimism.
Token Metrics:
Current price: $0.41
Fully diluted valuation: $147.9M
Max supply: 353.5M REX tokens
For investors seeking exposure to the Linea ecosystem, REX presents an intriguing opportunity—assuming the protocol maintains its growth trajectory. The investment thesis extends beyond the protocol itself to include a bet on Linea's broader adoption.
Market Context: To put this in perspective, Aerodrome Finance currently holds $599.54M in TVL, suggesting significant upside potential if Etherex can capture a similar market position within the Linea ecosystem. This makes REX both a protocol play and a strategic bet on Linea's continued development as a Layer 2 solution.
Read the full The Defiant article here
Abstract mining game Bigcoin plots comeback after BIG crash
Bigcoin, an Abstract-based crypto “mining” game that boomed and then busted earlier this year, is making a comeback under new community-led management. Originally launched by an anonymous creator known as “Bigtoshi,” the game let players buy virtual rooms, install quirky pixelated rigs, and mine the in-game token, BIG. After an April surge to nearly 70,000 users, activity and token prices crashed — down 93% from the peak — amid Ponzi accusations. Now, led by prominent community member “BoredElon” and others, Bigcoin 2.0 has turned its rigs into 29,000 NFTs on OpenSea to fund development and improve liquidity. Over half of mined BIG has been burned, and early buyers of the new NFTs suggest some renewed faith in the project’s “fair token launcher” vision. Whether this revival will stick remains to be seen.
Read the full Blockworks article here
Lost your crypto password or seed phrase? Here’s what actually works in 2025
In 2025, losing access to your crypto wallet remains a common and sometimes costly problem, but recovery options depend heavily on the wallet type. Custodial wallets from exchanges like Coinbase or Binance can often be restored through password resets and ID verification, while non-custodial wallets like MetaMask or Ledger require the seed phrase for recovery. Without both the password and seed phrase, regaining access is usually impossible. The article warns against scams from fake recovery firms, advising users to seek services with no upfront fees, transparent processes, and verified track records. For high-value cases, advanced methods like brute-force tools, blockchain forensics, or legal action may be worth considering, though success is never guaranteed.
Read the full Cointelegraph article here
Podcast Picks 🎧
This week's audio alpha—handpicked conversations that shaped my thinking and could shift yours too.
I sift through hours of DeFi content so you don't have to. These are the episodes worth your commute, the insights that made me pause and rewind, and the perspectives that are moving markets before they hit mainstream media.
Queue these up and stay ahead of the narrative.
The Rollup: We Asked an RWA Expert About Asset Tokenization. - listen
Bankless: Vitalik Buterin: How Ethereum Becomes The World Ledger - listen
Forward Guidance: Markets Are Underestimating the Risk of a 10–15% Correction - listen
Bell Curve: The Best of Bell Curve - listen
The Chopping Block: Circle’s Arc & Stripe’s Tempo Chains; Monero 51% Attacked - listen
Vesting Watch 🔓
Token unlocks to watch this week. Expect potential volatility around these dates as new supply hits the market.
KAITO (10.85% of released Supply) - August 20
MURA (1.09% of released supply) - August 23
VELO (0.83% of released supply) - August 25
VENOM (2.28% of released supply) - August 25
The 2025 playbook for Airdrop 🔗
Airdrops aren't dead—they're just getting selective.
While crypto Twitter debates the "death of airdrops," I'm quietly positioning for the next wave. Projects like Hyperliquid prove that quality airdrops still reward early, genuine users with life-changing amounts.
I've been fortunate to catch major airdrops including Uniswap ($12k+), dYdX ($15k+), PENGU, 1INCH, Paraswap, and dozens of smaller wins. The difference? I focus on authentic usage patterns rather than mechanical farming.
In this section, I'm sharing my complete 2025 airdrop methodology—from identifying promising protocols early to building the exact onchain footprint that gets rewarded.
Building Onchain Credibility
The key to future airdrops isn't transaction volume—it's building legitimate onchain reputation. While others chase quick farming strategies, I'm focused on creating the behavioral patterns that protocols actually reward.
Smart airdrop hunters are already adapting their approach. Here are the specific methods I'm using to maximize credibility for the next wave of quality airdrops:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Yannis' DeFi Digest to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.