Malware-Based Attacks Have Already Stolen More Than $300 Million Cybersecurity experts are warning that fake Zoom meeting scams linked to North Korean hacking groups have escalated into a daily threat for crypto users, founders, and investors. These attacks rely on social engineering rather than technical exploits, making them especially effective against experienced industry participants. The scam typically begins with a message from a compromised Telegram account belonging to someone the victim already knows. After a brief conversation, the attacker suggests a Zoom call and shares a link that appears legitimate. During the call, pre-recorded videos of real people are used…
Author: Blockto Team
Risk-off sentiment, profit-taking, and technical rejection push BTC lower Bitcoin slipped to the $88,000 level, extending its recent pullback after failing to reclaim key resistance zones. The move reflects growing caution across risk assets, with traders responding to macro uncertainty, equity market weakness, and visible technical exhaustion following earlier highs. From a market structure perspective, Bitcoin encountered strong overhead resistance near the $92,000–$94,000 range, where multiple prior supply zones were concentrated. Repeated failures to sustain momentum above this area triggered sell side liquidity resulting in a sharp move lower. The breakdown confirms a short term bearish bias marked by lower…
Rising Yen and Shifting Global Liquidity Add Risk to Crypto Assets The Bank of Japan is widely expected to raise its benchmark interest rate to 0.75%, marking the highest level in roughly three decades. The move would represent a 25-basis-point increase from the current 0.50% rate and signal a continued shift away from Japan’s long-standing ultra-loose monetary policy. Historically, changes in Japanese interest rates have had meaningful ripple effects across global markets, including cryptocurrencies. A stronger Japanese yen has often coincided with downward pressure on bitcoin prices, as tighter financial conditions reduce global risk appetite. The yen has already strengthened…
SOL consolidates around $130 as weekly structure remains range-bound Solana is trading with limited weekly volatility, posting a modest gain of around 0.36% as price holds near $132.7. After a strong multi-month recovery earlier in the cycle, the asset has entered a consolidation phase, with buyers and sellers closely contesting control around a well-defined support area. Weekly Price Structure Reflects Consolidation Phase On the higher timeframe, SOL remains above a critical demand zone between $110 and $125, an area that has consistently attracted buying interest since early 2024 resistance before flipping into structural support, reinforcing its importance for trend continuation.…
Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Counts Raise Potential Sentence to Decades Rodney Burton, a crypto promoter widely known online as “Bitcoin Rodney”, is facing a significant escalation in federal charges tied to the collapse of the HyperFund cryptocurrency investment scheme, a case involving alleged investor losses of approximately $1.8 billion. Federal prosecutors have filed a superseding indictment adding wire fraud conspiracy and substantive wire fraud charges to an existing case that already included allegations of money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. In total, Burton now faces 11 federal counts, dramatically increasing his potential prison exposure to several…
Analyst Says Elections and Central Bank Policy Have Replaced the Halving as Key Triggers Bitcoin’s long-observed four-year market cycle is still intact, but the forces shaping it have evolved, according to recent market analysis. Rather than being driven primarily by Bitcoin’s halving events, the cycle is now increasingly influenced by political timelines, global liquidity, and monetary policy. Historical price peaks in 2013 2017 and 2021 all occurred in the fourth quarter, a pattern that aligns more closely with U.S. presidential election cycles than with the shifting calendar dates of Bitcoin halvings. Election years tend to introduce policy uncertainty, changes in…
Social Media Optimism Grows While Institutional Demand Remains Strong Market sentiment around XRP is shifting in favor of bulls, with social media data showing rising optimism as institutional inflows continue throough exchange-traded funds. The token has remained resilient near the psychological $2 price level reflecting a balance between retail confidence and steady capital allocation from larger investors. According to social analytics tracking major crypto discussion channels, XRP recorded one of its highest weekly counts of bullish commentary this year. Traders have remained optimistic even as the asset traded within a narrow range between $1.99 and $2.17 over the past seven…
Global Bank and Crypto Exchange Target Secure Trading, Custody, and Financing Solutions Standard Chartered and Coinbase have deepened their strategic partnership to develop institutional-grade crypto infrastructure, signaling growing confidence in digital assets among traditional financial institutions. The expanded alliance focuses on building a comprehensive suite of services designed for institutional investors seeking secure and compliant access to crypto markets. Under the agreement, the two companies will explore offerings across crypto trading, prime brokerage services, custody, staking, and lending. The collaboration combines Standard Chartered’s global banking, cross-border payments, and custody expertise with Coinbase’s institutional crypto platform and market infrastructure, aiming to…
Crypto Market Sentiment Remains Under Pressure as Index Falls to 21 The cryptocurrency market continues to struggle with weak sentiment as the Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index dropped to 21 on December 14, down from 23 a day earlier. The decline keeps the market firmly in the “extreme fear” zone, reflecting persistent uncertainty among investors despite recent price stabilization in major digital assets. Today’s reading of 21 highlights growing anxiety, suggesting traders remain hesitant to re-enter the market in a meaningful way. According to index : Together, these factors point to a market lacking strong momentum. Periods of extreme fear…
This week’s crypto market reflected ongoing macro pressures and subdued investor risk appetite. Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana showed range bound price action amid broader liquidity tightening concerns and slowing trading volumes. In parallel gold prices climmbed modestly driven by global rate cut expectations from the U.S. Federal Reserve. Bitcoin traded near the low-$90,000 range, with data showing BTC around $90,270 , price that has remained relatively flat but volatile over the week. Despite occasional intraday spikes, Bitcoin failed to break decisively above key resistance zones, indicating a market lacking strong bullish conviction. Lower spot trading volumes have contributed to…