KEYTAKEAWAYS
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DEXs reached 25% of global spot trading in May 2025, hitting $410.2B, driven by volatility and DeFi growth.
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Meta shareholders rejected a proposal to add Bitcoin reserves, citing its volatility despite rising inflation concerns.
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Arbitrum launched ArbiFuel to sponsor gas fees, supporting early-stage developers and boosting Ethereum Layer 2 adoption.
CONTENT
DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGES REACH RECORD 25% OF GLOBAL SPOT TRADING VOLUME IN MAY
In May 2025, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) accounted for 25% of global spot trading volume, setting a new all-time high.
The total monthly trading volume reached $410.2 billion, with PancakeSwap leading at $171.6 billion, followed closely by Aerodrome and PumpSwap, each recording nearly $15 billion in volume.
Analysis:
DEXs operate through smart contracts and automated market maker (AMM) models, allowing users to trade peer-to-peer directly from their wallets without intermediaries. This provides higher transparency, security, and greater control over user assets.
The surge in May 2025 may have been driven by multiple factors, including price volatility in major assets like Bitcoin, the continued growth of the DeFi ecosystem, and improvements in blockchain efficiency and cost.
These dynamics have prompted more traders to shift toward decentralized platforms.
META SHAREHOLDERS OVERWHELMINGLY REJECT BITCOIN RESERVE PROPOSAL
At its annual meeting this week, Meta Platforms (META.O) shareholders voted overwhelmingly against a proposal to add Bitcoin to the company’s reserves. More than 4.9 billion shares voted against the motion, with only 3.92 million shares in favor.
After Microsoft’s recent exploration of Bitcoin adoption, Meta became the latest tech giant to consider pressure from shareholders to incorporate Bitcoin into its treasury strategy.
Like Microsoft, however, Meta’s shareholders rejected the proposal, citing concerns over Bitcoin’s volatility.
The proposal was submitted by Ethan Peck, representing the National Center for Public Policy Research, who suggested that Meta explore converting part of its cash and bond holdings into Bitcoin as a way to protect shareholder value.
Analysis:
In recent years, companies like MicroStrategy have sparked widespread discussion by adopting Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation.
Ethan Peck’s proposal reflects the views of some investors who see Bitcoin as a tool to defend against currency debasement, especially under mounting inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty in 2025.
However, Bitcoin’s extreme volatility—having surged past $100,000 earlier this year before retreating to around $76,000—has made more risk-averse shareholders wary, believing the risks may outweigh potential rewards.
ARBITRUM LAUNCHES ‘ARBFUEL’ GAS FEE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
Arbitrum, the Ethereum Layer 2 network, has officially announced the launch of its gas fee sponsorship program called “ArbiFuel.” The initiative aims to help early-stage teams deploy faster, test more freely, and avoid the burden of gas costs.
The initial phase of ArbiFuel will run from May 30 to August 30, 2025, and is open to qualified development teams building on Arbitrum.
Analysis:
Arbitrum is an Ethereum Layer 2 solution based on Optimistic Rollups, which significantly lowers transaction costs and increases throughput by moving most computation and data off-chain, while maintaining Ethereum-level security.
Gas fees remain a major pain point in the Ethereum ecosystem—especially for early-stage projects—where high testing and deployment costs can hinder innovation.
The ArbiFuel program is backed by the Arbitrum Foundation, with initial support from Pimlico’s ERC-20 Paymasters. In the future, the program may expand to include other Paymasters as well.
This effort shows Arbitrum’s commitment to nurturing its ecosystem and attracting developers to build more user-friendly decentralized applications.
