After more than two years under regulatory scrutiny, Yuga Labs announced that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially closed its investigation into the company without taking enforcement action.
While the agency has not disclosed the specific reasoning behind its decision, the move aligns with a broader shift in the SEC’s approach to cryptocurrency regulation.
NFTs Not Securities
The inquiry began in October 2022 and sought to determine whether Yuga Labs’ NFT offerings, including the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection and the distribution of ApeCoin, violated federal securities laws.
The SEC’s decision not to pursue charges more than two years later marks a significant milestone for the NFT space. In a statement on X, Yuga Labs called it a “huge

There has been growing uncertainty and frustration among cryptocurrency traders following Bitcoin’s steep 10% drop within 24 hours. The sudden decline sparked widespread panic and anger across crypto-focused social media channels and has prompted concerns about a potential repeat of the 2022 bear market, according to Santiment’s latest insight.
However, optimism briefly resurfaced over the weekend after US President Donald Trump announced the creation of a US Crypto Strategic Reserve, which aims to strengthen the country’s digital finance.
The reserve is part of an initiative stemming from an executive order signed in January 2025, which established a task force to develop national cryptocurrency regulations within six months. The market initially responded positively,

The crypto market suffered a dramatic crash after what seemed like a short-lived recovery following US President Donald Trump’s strategic crypto reserve announcement. While Bitcoin is down by over 10% on Tuesday, the rest of the crypto market cap has slid below $2.8 trillion.
Arthur Hayes, former CEO of BitMEX, argues that Trump’s economic strategy could have a significant impact on Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency market.
Debt-Fueled Policies Could Ignite a Bitcoin Rally
In his latest blog post, Hayes said that Trump’s approach to financing his “America First” policies will involve extensive debt issuance, which would require the Federal Reserve to increase money supply and lower interest rates. He noted that such conditions have been historically favorable for

A violent crime in Jeju City, South Korea, has highlighted the dangers of cryptocurrency transactions conducted in unregulated settings. A Chinese man in his 30s was found dead in a luxury hotel room on February 24 after suffering multiple stab wounds.
Authorities believe the murder was linked to a crypto transaction gone wrong.
Four Arrested After Deadly Hotel Attack
According to a report by the Korean news agency, The Chosun Daily, the victim had gone to the hotel to complete a deal involving digital currency but was instead attacked and robbed of 85 million won, which is worth approximately $63,000, in cash.
Following an investigation, the Jeju West Police Station arrested four Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in the crime. Among them are two men, one in his

US authorities have made significant progress in combating cryptocurrency-related crime by seizing approximately $31 million linked to the 2021 Uranium Finance hack.
The announcement was made by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Diego this week, nearly four years after the attack.
Uranium Hack Seizure
The hack, which occurred on April 28, 2021, exploited a critical vulnerability in Uranium Finance’s smart contracts during its transition to the V2.1 protocol. The flaw in its pair contracts allowed the attacker to withdraw nearly all available assets.
This resulted in a theft of roughly $50 million in various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Binance Coin (BNB),

The Tron network’s stablecoin market is witnessing a clear leader. USDT has established itself as the primary asset for value transfers and trading.
In fact, CryptoQuant’s latest analysis revealed the overwhelming dominance of USDT on the Tron network, which accounts for 98.5% of the total stablecoin supply.
USDT’s Market Share on Tron
With a circulating supply of $62.76 billion out of nearly $64 billion in stablecoins on the network, USDT has established itself as the cornerstone of Tron’s stablecoin ecosystem. Competing stablecoins hold only marginal shares, with USDC representing 0.06%, USDD at 1.15%, TUSD at 0.26%, and USDJ making up just 0.01% of the supply, as per the on-chain analytic platform’s findings.
Notably, the supply of other stablecoins has remained

Thorchain, the interoperability-focused decentralized exchange protocol, is losing key developers as internal disagreements escalate over how to handle illicit funds flowing through the network.
The issue gained urgency after reports confirmed that North Korea’s Lazarus Group has been using the protocol to launder Ethereum (ETH) stolen in the recent Bybit hack.
Developers Look to Quit Over Failure to Block Illicit Funds
Pluto, a core Thorchain developer, announced his resignation on February 27th, citing frustration over the network’s inability to block sanctioned transactions. Another developer, known as TCB, has also indicated he may step away unless immediate action is taken to prevent North Korean hackers from using the platform.
A temporary vote to halt ETH trading

Ethereum co-founder and CEO of Consensys – Joseph Lubin – announced that Consensys and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have reached an agreement in principle to dismiss the securities enforcement case concerning MetaMask.
The case, which targeted Consensys’ popular cryptocurrency wallet, is expected to be formally closed pending approval by the agency.
SEC Ends MetaMask Probe
Lubin took to X to express satisfaction with the outcome and stated that while Consensys was prepared to fight the lawsuit to its conclusion, the resolution marks a positive development for blockchain software developers.
The announcement follows a series of similar moves by the SEC in recent weeks. The agency has dropped its lawsuit against Coinbase and closed investigations into

The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance released a statement clarifying its views on the application of federal securities laws to meme coins.
In a statement this week, the division stated that it does not view meme coins as securities but more like collectibles.
Meme Coins Are Not Securities
According to the SEC’s latest guidance, transactions involving meme coins do not constitute the offer and sale of securities under the Securities Act of 1933. As a result, those offering or selling meme coins are not required to register their transactions with the SEC or seek exemptions from registration. This means that federal securities law protections do not apply to meme coin purchasers or holders.
The division’s position is based on the

Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss announced that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had officially closed its investigation into the cryptocurrency exchange and would not be pursuing enforcement action.
This decision comes nearly two years after the probe began and over nine months after Gemini received a Wells Notice.
SEC Closes Gemini Case
In his latest tweet, Winklevoss described the SEC’s decision as a milestone in what he called “the end of the war on crypto,” pointing to similar recent developments, such as the SEC’s withdrawal of its lawsuit against Coinbase and the closure of investigations into OpenSea, Robinhood, and Uniswap.
However, he argued that these outcomes do little to compensate for the financial and reputational damage inflicted on the

Bitcoin’s price plunged below $90,000 immediately after US President Donald Trump announced his planned 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. During periods of high volatility, investors tend to liquidate crypto assets first to cut down on their overall financial risk.
Amidst increasing concerns of a steeper decline, the latest data depicts a notable shift in Bitcoin whale and shark activity.
Investors Dump Millions in BTC
According to the data shared by Santiment, wallets holding 10 or more BTC have collectively offloaded approximately 6,813 BTC over the past week, representing the largest drop in holdings since July. This also coincided with a 16% decline in Bitcoin’s price, which was observed in the last seven days.
The on-chain platform found a direct correlation between

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially closed its investigation into Uniswap Labs without taking any enforcement action.
The decision to drop the investigation solidifies a shift in the SEC’s approach under its current leadership, which has been reassessing enforcement actions across the crypto industry.
SEC Ends Uniswap Probe
During Gary Gensler’s tenure as SEC chair, the agency took a hardline stance against crypto and asserted that most tokens qualified as securities. The Biden-appointed former Goldman Sachs executive led multiple legal actions against crypto firms, accusing them of selling unregistered securities. Since his resignation on January 20, the SEC has rapidly abandoned many of these lawsuits.
Uniswap Labs welcomed the latest

A disturbing trend emerges in the demographic profile of pig butchering scam victims. While older adults have historically been the main targets of financial fraud, these scams now focus on younger, tech-literate individuals.
The latest data reveals that those aged 30 to 49 represent the majority of reported cases.
Pig Butchering Scams
A 2024 study by Cyvers analyzed 150 major crypto platforms, including exchanges, payment service providers, and banks, with a focus on the Ethereum blockchain. The research uncovered over 200,000 cases of Pig Butchering scams, which resulted in more than $5.5 billion stolen across 1.15 million fraudulent transactions.
The impact of these scams varied significantly among platforms. While some exchanges and service providers saw extensive

Rosseti Group, Russia’s power grid company, reported losses exceeding 1.3 billion rubles – which is worth around $14.2 million – in 2024 due to unauthorized cryptocurrency mining operations, also known as “black” mining firms.
As per a report by state-owned news agency TASS, damages were widespread across the company’s electrical networks.
Illegal Mining Strains Russia’s Energy Grid
The most significant impact was recorded in the North Caucasus region, which amounted to over 600 million rubles. The Novosibirsk grid suffered losses of 400 million rubles, while the Center and Volga region suffered damages amounting to 120 million rubles.
The company highlighted the largest individual case in Novosibirsk, where an operator ran approximately 3,200 mining devices, illegally

The use of cryptocurrency for payments has seen significant growth, as evidenced by Binance Pay’s expanding user base and transaction volume in 2024.
According to data provided by Binance and analyzed by CryptoQuant, the number of Binance Pay users tripled from the previous year, reaching 41.7 million. This rapid adoption highlights the increasing role of crypto in everyday transactions.
Stablecoins Lead the Charge
The total transaction volume processed through Binance Pay in 2024 stood at $72.4 billion, the report found. This is a notable rise from $2.5 billion in 2021.
Stablecoins, particularly Tether (USDT), dominated Binance Pay transactions as it accounted for 80% of the total payment volume, which equated to $57 billion. Top crypto assets such as Bitcoin (BTC),

Ho Kai Xin, a former payroll processing staff member at WeChain Fintech Singapore, has been sentenced to nine years and 11 months in jail for embezzling over $5.7 million.
WeChain Fintech Singapore, which was contracted to manage payroll for Bybit Fintech, employed Ho as a payroll processing staff member. Ho, who was responsible for processing salaries for approximately 900 ByBit employees, exploited her position by manipulating Microsoft Excel files to divert company funds into her own accounts.
Bybit Payroll Scandal
According to a report from ‘The Straits Times,’ her fraudulent activities began in May 2022 when she altered payroll data to reflect unauthorized payments. She initially stole over $117,000 from WeChain. Encouraged by the absence of detection, she escalated

Sam Bankman-Fried, the once crypto wunderkind turned convicted fraudster, appears to have found a new investment thesis – hitching his legal fate to the political winds.
After years of playing the role of a prolific Democratic donor, the former FTX CEO is now parroting grievances against the Department of Justice, the judiciary, and the very system that held him accountable for one of the most spectacular financial implosions in recent history.
Despite being sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 28, 2024, speaking to the New York Sun, Bankman-Fried offered a novel legal defense – denial. “I don’t think anyone was guilty,” he said, in what might be his boldest (or most delusional) bet yet – that simply wishing away a verdict would somehow erase the billions in customer

Altvest Capital Limited has become the first publicly traded company in Africa to adopt Bitcoin as a strategic treasury asset.
The company announced its initial investment in Bitcoin (BTC) as part of a broader treasury management strategy, which aims to strengthen financial resilience, preserve shareholder value, and gain direct exposure to the world’s largest crypto asset.
Bitcoin as Treasury Asset
The company cited Bitcoin’s characteristics as its motive behind the announcement. This includes its scarcity – capped at 21 million BTC – which positions it as a hedge against inflation and currency debasement, particularly relevant given the depreciation risks associated with the South African Rand.
Additionally, Bitcoin’s decentralization and censorship-resistant nature

Ethereum Layer 2 platform, Abstract, has released an initial post-mortem on a security incident that resulted in the compromise of approximately $400,000 worth of ETH across 9,000 wallets interacting with Cardex, a blockchain-based game on its network.
The report clarified that the breach stemmed from vulnerabilities in Cardex’s frontend code rather than an issue with Abstract’s core infrastructure or session key validation contracts.
Cardex Wallet Compromise
The incident revolved around the misuse of session keys, a mechanism in the Abstract Global Wallet (AGW) that allows for temporary, scoped permissions to improve user experience.
While session keys themselves are a well-audited security feature, Cardex made a critical error by using a shared session signer wallet for

Chainlink’s (LINK) sharp 40% decline over the past month now raises questions about a potential rebound. The downturn coincides with a network contraction, indicating reduced activity.
The token is currently trading at a little over $18. However, certain factors signal that a rebound might just be on the horizon.
Comeback For LINK
According to the latest findings by popular crypto analyst Ali Martinez, the MVRV Ratio, which measures trader profitability, reveals that those who purchased LINK in the last 30 days are at an average loss of 16%, a level historically linked to selling exhaustion. Additionally, whales are showing confidence despite the dip.
In fact, these entities accumulated over $20 million worth of LINK tokens in the past 24 hours alone, which demonstrated

Bubblemaps, in collaboration with popular YouTuber Stephen Findeisen a.k.a. Coffeezilla, has identified pseudonymous crypto trader Naseem as the likely account that profited over $100 million trading the official TRUMP meme coin.
While the research does not definitively prove Naseem is behind the trading activity, Bubblemaps stated that there are “too many connections to ignore.”
Blockchain Clues or Insider Edge?
According to Bubblemaps’ update, an address labeled 6QSc2 executed an early trade on January 18, 2025, which sniped TRUMP at launch for $1.09 million before distributing the funds across multiple wallets. This move eventually netted a whopping $109 million in profits.
On-chain data revealed that after the initial acquisition, the tokens from 6QSc2 were transferred

Last week saw $308 million in inflows into digital asset investment products, although this was overshadowed by a major outflow of $576 million on December 19th. The last two days of the week saw total outflows of $1 billion.
The recent price declines led to a $17.7 billion drop in the total assets under management (AuM) for Digital Asset ETPs, which is likely influenced by the hawkish stance of the Federal Reserve’s dot plot published on Wednesday.
Bitcoin Posts Strong Inflows
While these outflows are significant, it is also important to note that the figures represent only 0.37% of total AuM and rank as the 13th largest single-day outflow in history, according to the latest edition of CoinShares’ Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly Report.
In comparison, the largest

Corporate Bitcoin investor MicroStrategy has announced a Special Meeting of Shareholders to address proposals that aim to advance its Bitcoin-focused 21/21 Plan while simultaneously streamlining capital-raising efforts.
In a letter from the Executive Chairman, the company outlined three major agenda items to be decided during the meeting, which will be conducted virtually.
MicroStrategy’s New Proposals
The first proposal seeks to amend the company’s Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized Class A shares from 330 million to 10.33 billion. This would facilitate potential future capital-raising activities.
The second involves increasing authorized preferred shares from 5 million to 1.005 billion and offering expanded financing options

Litecoin has had an impressive rally this year, surging by almost 50%. The latest market crash, however, briefly dragged the altcoin below $87. The selling pressure has since subsided as Litecoin currently trades above $107.
Underpinning its price trajectory is the strong network growth.
Litecoin Network Engagement Soars
Litecoin’s network activity has witnessed a notable surge. In fact, data compiled by IntoTheBlock revealed that the average daily active addresses rose to 401,000 compared to 366,000 in 2023. Meanwhile, network activity peaked in early January, reaching an impressive 1.37 million active addresses in a single day – surpassing the daily activity of both Bitcoin and Ethereum at the time.
This spike demonstrated the protocol’s growing utility and user

After a 9.8% drop in Bitcoin’s value over the past week, investors are showing signs of caution, worried about the potential for further declines. Despite this, Japan-based Metaplanet has reaffirmed its confidence by buying nearly 620 BTC.
Interestingly, the latest acquisition marks its largest Bitcoin purchase to date.
Metaplanet’s Largest Single BTC Acquisition
According to the company’s official press release, the acquisition, executed as part of its Bitcoin Treasury Operations, involved the purchase of 619.7 BTC, worth around $60.6 million. This latest transaction brings Metaplanet’s total Bitcoin holdings to 1,761.98 BTC, which is valued at almost $168 million.
Over the past six months, Metaplanet has leveraged multiple capital market activities, including stock

The growing speculation surrounding a potential presidential pardon for Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has been fueled by high-profile figures and shifting political tides.
A major Trump ally, Elon Musk, for one, will be “shocked” if US President Joe Biden does not grant an early pardon to the disgraced former CEO of FTX.
Crypto, Politics, and Pardons
Bankman-Fried, who was convicted in November 2023 on seven charges, including fraud and embezzlement, is currently serving a 25-year sentence for his role in the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange. However, rumors of a pardon have gained traction, partly due to his significant political connections.
As one of the largest donors to the Democratic Party, Bankman-Fried’s ties to key political figures, particularly Biden, have led

Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, 35, from Springfield, Virginia, was convicted on December 13, 2024, for providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Nations and others.
The charges stemmed from his actions between October 2019 and October 2022, during which he raised funds to assist female ISIS members in Syria.
Guilty of Financing ISIS Operations
In an official press release, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Chhipa’s efforts included financing the escape of women from prison camps and supporting ISIS fighters. He also collected funds through various online social media accounts, receiving electronic transfers, and physically gathering money by traveling

Kim Nam-guk, a former South Korean lawmaker from the Democratic Party, is under legal scrutiny for allegedly concealing substantial cryptocurrency holdings in his 2021 and 2022 asset declarations.
He is accused of omitting millions in crypto profits and transferring assets to bank accounts.
Hidden Crypto Profits
A local news outlet, Donga, prosecutors have requested a six-month prison sentence for Kim, claiming he concealed 9.9 billion won, worth approximately $6.8 million, in crypto assets. The accusations include deliberate omissions of key financial details, such as crypto profits of 1.2 billion won in 2021 and 990 million won in 2022, valued at $835,000 and $689,000, respectively.
To cover up these discrepancies, Kim is accused of transferring some of his crypto

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned two individuals and one entity involved in a network laundering millions of dollars in illicit funds for North Korea.
Lu Huaying and Zhang Jian, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), used a UAE-based front company to facilitate money laundering and cryptocurrency conversion, funneling the proceeds back to Pyongyang.
OFAC Imposes Sanctions
In its official press release on December 17th, the OFAC stated that North Korea continues to rely on agents and proxies to access the global financial system for illicit activities. The agency added these operations are part of the country’s broader efforts to destabilize international security, now extending to Europe with increasing military

After agreeing to curtail its ambitious Bitcoin initiatives, El Salvador has reached a $1.4 billion loan arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The agreement, which needs the approval of the IMF Executive Board, aims to support El Salvador’s reform agenda, boost fiscal and external sustainability, and create conditions for stronger, inclusive growth.
IMF Loan Agreement with El Salvador
According to the official press release, the program is expected to catalyze additional financial support from the World Bank and regional development banks, bringing the total financing package to over $3.5 billion during the program period.
As part of El Salvador’s $1.4 billion deal with the IMF, the government has agreed to scale back its ambitious Bitcoin policies to