Author: Tristan Lodenberg

Crypto use in human trafficking networks rose sharply in 2025, with inflows to suspected operations increasing by 85% year over year, according to a report by Chainalysis. The firm noted that total transaction volumes to these networks, primarily based in Southeast Asia, reached hundreds of millions of dollars across identified services. Types of Trafficking and Payment Methods The report highlighted that crypto facilitated a range of illicit activities, including international escort services on Telegram, forced labor placements at scam compounds, prostitution networks, and vendors distributing child sexual abuse material. Stablecoins were the dominant payment method for escort and prostitution networks,…

Prediction marketplace Kalshi has expanded into institutional sports risk management through a new partnership with Game Point Capital, a broker specializing in sports performance bonus insurance. The agreement allows professional teams to hedge potential bonus payouts tied to milestones such as playoff appearances and championship runs. CEO Tarek Mansour said onX; The move follows a record-breaking Super Bowl Sunday, during which Kalshi processed more than $1 billion in trading volume. The company also reported $9.6 billion in total trading activity in January, representing a 45% increase from December. Game Point Capital, which issues hundreds of millions of dollars in sports…

South Korean authorities have launched an investigation after 22 seized Bitcoin vanished from a cold wallet stored at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul. The missing cryptocurrency, currently valued at approximately $1.5 million, was discovered during a nationwide audit of digital asset custody procedures, according to local media reports. Officials stated that the Bitcoin had been transferred externally, although the physical cold wallet itself was not stolen. The assets were originally submitted voluntarily to authorities in November 2021 during an investigation that has since been suspended following the disappearance. The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency is now examining how the…

A U.S. federal court has sentenced the chief executive of Praetorian Group International to 20 years in prison for orchestrating a $200 million bitcoin Ponzi scheme that impacted tens of thousands of investors across the globe. $200 Million Bitcoin Fraud Targeted 90,000 Investors According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ramil Ventura Palafox operated the firm between December 2019 and October 2021, promoting it as a high-frequency bitcoin trading platform. He claimed the company could generate daily returns ranging from 0.5% to 3%, assurances that later proved to be false. Investigators found that the business did not conduct trading at…

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood believes bitcoin is positioned to benefit not only from inflationary pressures but also from a powerful wave of deflation sparked by rapid technological progress. Speaking at a major bitcoin conference in New York, Wood argued that artificial intelligence, robotics, and other exponential technologies are driving costs lower at unprecedented speeds. According to industry data she cited, AI training expenses have been declining by roughly 75% annually, while inference costs — the computing power required to generate AI outputs — have dropped by as much as 98% per year. These steep cost reductions are boosting productivity…

Ark Invest, led by Cathie Wood, added to its positions in several crypto-related companies on Thursday, signaling continued confidence despite recent market weakness. The firm purchased 212,314 shares of Bitmine, an Ethereum treasury-focused company, across three of its exchange-traded funds. Based on the latest closing price, the acquisition was valued at approximately $4.2 million. Bitmine shares closed at $19.74, rising 1.4% on the day, though the stock remains down 36.7% over the past month. Ark also bought 74,323 shares of crypto exchange operator Bullish worth roughly $2.4 million. Bullish ended the session at $31.71, down 0.5% for the day and…

A Connecticut man, Elmin Redzepagic, has been charged with multiple counts of crypto-related fraud after allegedly losing nearly $1 million of investor funds on the offshore gambling site Stake.com. Authorities say Redzepagic posed as a cryptocurrency investor offering high returns while diverting funds to the gambling platform between May 2021 and March 2025. Federal Charges and Potential Penalties Redzepagic faces a 21-count indictment, including three counts of making false statements to IRS Criminal Investigation agents, seven counts of wire fraud, and 11 counts of international money laundering. Wire fraud and international money laundering charges carry up to 20 years in…

US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $410.4 million in net outflows on Thursday, marking one of the largest single-day withdrawals in recent weeks. According to data from SoSoValue, total weekly outflows have reached $375.1 million, putting the funds on track for a fourth consecutive week of losses. Assets under management have fallen from nearly $170 billion in October 2025 to around $80 billion. All 11 listed Bitcoin ETF products reported negative flows. The largest withdrawals came from BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund, which saw $157.6 million and $104.1 million in outflows, respectively. Standard Chartered…

The Decibel Foundation, an initiative incubated by Aptos Labs, is preparing to introduce a protocol-native stablecoin ahead of the mainnet launch of its decentralized derivatives exchange on Aptos. The dollar-backed token, USDCBL, will function as the primary collateral asset for onchain perpetual futures trading. Instead of relying on external issuers, the platform aims to internalize the economics tied to reserve management, keeping yield generated from backing assets within the ecosystem. Decibel’s exchange is designed as a fully onchain perpetual futures venue operating with a single cross-margin account system. During its December test phase, the platform reported more than 650,000 unique…

Aave Labs has submitted a proposal to transfer all revenue from Aave-branded products to the Aave DAO treasury while moving intellectual property to a newly formed Aave Foundation. The plan, called the Aave Will Win Framework, aims to recenter token holders as the primary beneficiaries of the decentralized lending protocol and secure funding for Labs’ ongoing operations. Details of the Proposal The proposal covers revenue from Aave v3 and upcoming v4 protocols, aave.com front-end earnings, and future business lines such as the Aave Card and AAVE ETF. In exchange for relinquishing revenue and brand assets, Aave Labs requests $25 million…