While everyone’s chasing the next memecoin or hyped layer-2, Litecoin — the OG silver to Bitcoin’s gold — is still quietly doing its thing… fast, cheap, and battle-tested.

But is there still money to be made with LTC in 2025? Short answer: yes, especially if you know how and where to look.

Let’s break it down.
🧬 What Makes Litecoin Different?

Launched in 2011 by former Google engineer Charlie Lee, Litecoin was designed to be a “lighter” version of Bitcoin:

⚡ Faster blocks — 2.5-minute block times vs. Bitcoin’s 10 minutes

💸 Low fees — typically less than $0.01 per transaction

🔒 Proof-of-Work security — uses Scrypt instead of SHA-256

🔄 Near-universal exchange support — available everywhere

It’s not fancy. It’s not flashy. But it works — and in crypto, that’s rare enough.
What’s New With LTC in 2025?
MimbleWimble Privacy Upgrade

Litecoin quietly integrated MimbleWimble Extension Blocks (MWEB), allowing optional private transactions. This isn’t full-on anonymity, but it does help protect user balances and data.

Pro: Better privacy and scalability
Con: Some exchanges (esp. in Korea) delisted LTC due to privacy concerns
LTC as a Payment Coin

From BitPay to Binance Pay to even some physical retailers, LTC is still one of the most-used cryptos for payments. With low fees and fast confirmations, it's perfect for day-to-day spending.
Halving 2023 Impact Still Playing Out

Litecoin’s last halving was in August 2023. Historically, LTC sees major price movement 6–12 months after a halving — and we’re right in that window.
How to Make Money with Litecoin in 2025

1. Hold (HODL)

LTC still tracks with BTC cycles. Some analysts see $150–$180 targets if Bitcoin re-tests its ATHs this year.

Current price: ~$80–$100 range

Potential upside? 2x–3x conservatively if market strength continues

2. Trade the Range

Litecoin is known for clean technical patterns and mid-volatility swings. Great for range traders or swing traders.

Tip: Watch the $95–$105 zone for breakout or rejection opportunities

Bonus: Volume often spikes during Bitcoin dips

3. Spend & Save With Rewards

Use LTC for payments through crypto cards or e-commerce platforms, and some services offer LTC cashback rewards.

💳 Try: Litecoin Foundation’s partnership card (via Unbanked or BitPay)

🛍️ Use on: Travala, Newegg, Overstock, and others

4. Earn LTC via Freelance Gigs

Some platforms (like CryptoTask and LaborX) allow direct LTC payments for freelance or microtasks.

You can also accept LTC for digital goods, tutoring, design work — whatever your skill is.
🧠 Why LTC Still Matters

In a world full of hype coins, Litecoin remains:

✅ Reliable

✅ Easy to use

✅ Widely supported

✅ Surprisingly undervalued

It might not moon 1000% overnight, but it keeps showing up — and sometimes, consistency is the best alpha.
Final Thought

LTC isn't the loudest coin in the room — but that’s kind of the point. If you’re looking for a dependable, liquid, no-drama crypto that still has upside potential… don’t sleep on Litecoin.

Who's stacking silver? Drop your LTC thoughts below.

Disclaimer: Not financial advice. DYOR before investing.

Dogecoin (DOGE) Market Update & Catalysts

Whale Accumulation & Trading Activity

Large players (“whales”) have been steadily absorbing DOGE, fueling upward momentum. Recent market structure shows that bulls defended the $0.22 zone, while primary support and reload range sits at $0.15–$0.16 — the bottom of the accumulation range. A breakout above $0.25 could spark a run toward $0.40, especially if short positions get squeezed.

ETF Prospects & Institutional Tailwinds

Optimism is building around a potential Dogecoin Spot ETF, with growing speculation that approval could arrive in the next cycle. An ETF would open the doors for institutional capital, mirroring what happened with Bitcoin’s rally.

Expanding Utility (DogeOS & DeFi)

The development of DogeOS, which allows DOGE to interact with Ethereum DeFi ecosystems, could give the coin a major utility boost beyond its meme status. This evolution may help sustain higher valuations long-term.

Technical Signals & Price Forecasts

Chart patterns are turning favorable:
Golden cross (50-day MA crossing the 200-day) shows momentum strength.
Oversold RSI signals suggest a potential reversal upward.
If support at $0.15–$0.16 holds and bulls reclaim $0.25, upside targets expand to $0.34–$0.40.

Bullish Scenarios & Analyst Sentiment

Mid-term projections highlight possible price zones:
Conservative path: $0.30–$0.33 into 2025.
Aggressive path: Retesting all-time highs near $1 if institutional demand + ETF + DeFi traction align.

Key Positive Catalysts

Catalyst Impact
Whale absorption & accumulation Strengthens base; short squeezes possible.
Spot ETF approval potential Brings institutional demand.
Technical bullish patterns Golden cross + RSI suggest uptrend.
DogeOS & DeFi integration Expands DOGE’s real-world use cases.
Strong community + hype Keeps DOGE in the spotlight.

Summary
Dogecoin is holding its accumulation base at $0.15–$0.16, with strong whale support and growing catalysts like ETFs and DeFi integration. If bulls can reclaim the $0.25–$0.26 zone, momentum could build toward $0.40 in the mid-term — with long-term upside scenarios eyeing $1+ if institutional and utility drivers align.

For years, passports and residency permits were strictly a fiat-only luxury. Now? Crypto whales and early adopters can use Bitcoin, Ether, or stablecoins to secure everything from Caribbean passports to European residencies. Let’s break down the crypto-friendly migration hotspots shaping 2025.

Key Takeaways

Vanuatu: Fastest citizenship (30–60 days), crypto via licensed agents.

Dominica & Saint Lucia: Caribbean passports in months, crypto accepted through agencies.

Portugal: EU residency through crypto-linked investment funds, path to citizenship.

El Salvador: Direct citizenship with $1M in Bitcoin/USDT — no fiat needed.

Vanuatu: Passport in Weeks

Donation starts at $130K (single applicant).

Crypto accepted by licensed agents, converted to fiat.

Remote process, no stay requirements, dual citizenship allowed.

Perks: Tax-free, visa-free to 90+ countries, family included.
Fun fact: Vanuatu has no military — a true “neutral ground” for digital nomads.

Dominica & Saint Lucia: Caribbean in Crypto

Dominica: $200K donation.

Saint Lucia: $240K donation or $300K real estate.

Agencies accept BTC, ETH, USDT → converted for applications.

Passports in 4–9 months, covering entire families.

Strong travel freedom: EU, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong.
️ Heads up: Caribbean CBI passports face stricter checks in some countries.

Portugal: Golden Visa with a Crypto Twist

Investment: €500K+ in regulated funds.

Now includes blockchain-focused venture funds and even “3 BTC investment” offers pegged to €500K.

Residency in year one: only 7 days required.

Path to EU citizenship in 5 years (pending review).

Perks: No language test, favorable crypto tax (long-term gains exempt).
Portugal also has one of Europe’s strongest blockchain hubs.

El Salvador: Bitcoin Citizenship

World’s first fully crypto-native migration program.

$1M in BTC or USDT = residency + fast-track citizenship.

Initial deposit: $999 in BTC/USDT.

Entire family included, approval in as little as 6 weeks.

Investments go toward education, tech, and infrastructure.
El Salvador was also the first to make Bitcoin legal tender — and runs a national Bitcoin treasury.

️ The Big Picture

Fastest path: Vanuatu (30–60 days).

Most prestige: Portugal (EU passport in 5–10 years).

Most direct crypto use: El Salvador (no fiat at all).

Family-friendly: Caribbean programs (Dominica, Saint Lucia).

Bottom line: Crypto migration is no longer theory. Whether you’re a nomad, a founder, or just “crypto-rich,” there’s now a passport waiting to be minted.

BBVA’s early embrace of retail crypto services could reshape Europe’s banking landscape. While rivals such as KBC and Deutsche Bank have explored blockchain, none have yet launched full 24/7 crypto trading under MiCA.

The bank piloted the service with several thousand users before rolling it out nationally in July. It also advised Swiss wealth clients to consider a 3–7% crypto allocation earlier this year.

Investor interest mirrors this digital pivot: BBVA shares have nearly doubled in 2025, climbing from $9.50 to about $19.08, with daily volume topping one million shares. The performance underscores how the market is rewarding banks that integrate crypto into mainstream finance.

Gaming journalism is navigating a turbulent landscape. Investor interest in esports has cooled, forcing media outlets to rely heavily on ad revenue and clicks.

Changes in Google SEO, driven by AI and generative summaries, make viewership harder to capture. Big titles like Battlefield 6 and Hollow Knight: Silksong fuel competition for search rankings, impacting stability for gaming publications.

Press-Engine co-founder Gareth Williams notes that fan-led media could consolidate revenue for publishers and help staff, but it’s only the beginning.

Imagine if Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, Robinhood, PayPal, Ripple and even on-chain sleuths like ZachXBT all teamed up with global law enforcement to stop scammers before they cash out. That’s exactly what’s happening.

TRM Labs just announced the launch of the Beacon Network — a real-time, cross-industry “crypto crime response system” designed to track, flag, and freeze stolen funds within minutes, not days.

Why This Matters

Since 2023, at least $47 billion in crypto has been sent to fraud-related wallets (and that’s likely undercounted).

Historically, law enforcement and exchanges worked in silos → by the time anyone reacted, stolen funds had already bounced through thousands of transactions.

With Beacon, that window narrows: detection → tracing → freezing happens in minutes.

️ How Beacon Works

Flagging → Verified members (exchanges, security researchers, law enforcement) tag suspicious wallets.

Tracking → Funds are followed on-chain across multiple networks.

Action → If flagged funds hit a participating exchange, alerts fire instantly, giving the exchange the chance to freeze assets before they disappear.

Think of it as the first “kill chain” for illicit crypto transactions.

Already in Action

Investigators traced $1.5M tied to a global scam → address blacklisted → funds blocked when sent to an exchange.

Another case saw $800K in scam deposits flagged & frozen at a major exchange.

Who’s in the Crosshairs?

North Korean IT worker groups scamming crypto firms.

Hackers and rug-pull artists.

Terror financing networks.

Major scam rings siphoning billions.

But What About Abuse?

Only verified investigators can flag wallets. TRM Labs stresses:

“Every flag carries significant responsibility… misuse will not be tolerated.”

Big Picture

This isn’t just “another consortium.” It’s a shift:

TradFi + DeFi + Law Enforcement + Researchers all pulling in the same direction.

Victims stand a real chance of seeing funds recovered instead of vanished.

And for bad actors? That “exit liquidity” might be gone for good.

What do you think: will Beacon actually make crypto safer, or will criminals just evolve faster with new tricks?

Fintech powerhouse Revolut is reportedly considering acquiring a licensed US bank to speed up its entry into the American lending market, according to Financial Times sources familiar with the matter.

The move would allow the UK-based firm to offer credit and banking services in the US much faster than by applying for a banking charter from scratch — a process known for being lengthy and complex.

Two FT sources said Revolut is actively exploring the purchase of a small, affordable bank with a national license, which would instantly give the company a regulatory foothold. However, one of the insiders noted that no final decision has been made yet. Revolut declined to comment.
Why This Matters

Getting licensed in the US has long been one of Revolut’s biggest hurdles in its global expansion. The acquisition route could sidestep bureaucracy and instantly unlock a new market of millions.

If successful, it would mirror a similar strategy seen in June 2025, when Revolut reportedly acquired a small Argentine bank (operating under the Cetelem brand) to establish a presence in Latin America.
Revolut’s Licensing Timeline

UK: Received a preliminary banking license in July 2024, but as of mid-2025, full consumer lending approval is still pending.

US: Considering a bank acquisition instead of applying from scratch.

LATAM: Bought a local bank in Argentina to grow regionally.

Revolut by the Numbers

📅 Founded: 2014

👤 Founders: Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko

🌎 Global Users: ~60 million as of June 2025 (per Bloomberg)

💰 Fundraising: In talks to raise $1 billion, valuing the company at $65 billion (as of July 2025, per FT sources)

If Revolut goes through with a US bank acquisition, it could mark a turning point in how fintechs tackle regulatory scaling in mature markets. Will they go the build-from-scratch route, or just buy the license?

Either way, Revolut’s playbook is getting bolder — and more global.

Design lovers, it’s official — Figma is now a public company.

The collaborative design tool made its stock market debut on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker $FIG, raising a whopping $1.22 billion after selling 39.6 million shares at $33 apiece — higher than its final expected range of $30–32. (Originally, it aimed for $25–28.)

Valuation check:

Bloomberg: $16.1 billion

Reuters & CNBC: $19.34 billion

With employee stock options: Potential total value estimated at $18.5B–$19.3B+

Flashback: The Adobe Deal That Never Was

In September 2022, Adobe announced a $20B acquisition deal for Figma, hoping to combine creative forces. But the internet… didn’t love the idea. Users feared Figma would be absorbed into Adobe’s Creative Cloud, lose its simplicity, or become unaffordable.

By the end of 2023, regulators in the EU and UK blocked the deal, citing competition concerns. Adobe backed out and paid a $1B breakup fee to Figma.

So what did Figma do next?
They got back to building — and in Spring 2024, closed a private stock sale valuing the company at $12.5B. Now they’ve added nearly $7B+ in value in just over a year.
TL;DR:

✅ Figma is now trading on NYSE: $FIG

💸 Raised $1.22B from IPO

📈 Valued up to $19.3B

❌ Adobe deal canceled, $1B breakup fee collected

🚀 Now independent and flush with cash

What’s next? More product updates? Expanding beyond design? A dev toolkit? Time will tell — but one thing’s clear: Figma isn’t just surviving without Adobe — it’s thriving.

For years, people talked about the “streaming wars.” Well, spoiler alert: Netflix won.

Sure, Disney+, Max, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and others are still in the game, but when it comes to global subscribers, cultural impact, and original content, Netflix stands as the undisputed heavyweight. They survived competition from studios with deeper pockets and bigger libraries — and somehow kept innovating while others stumbled.

But here’s the real question: now that Netflix has conquered streaming, what’s next?

Growth Beyond Subscriptions

Netflix already has over 270M subscribers worldwide. At some point, subscription growth plateaus — especially in saturated markets. That’s why the company’s moves beyond its core model are so telling:

Ad-Supported Tiers → Opening up a lower-priced option with ads to capture new audiences and generate billions in advertising revenue.

Password Sharing Crackdown → A move many doubted, but it turned into a revenue machine by converting freeloaders into paying users.

Into Interactive Content & Gaming

Netflix isn’t just a streaming company anymore. It’s dipping its toes into:

Mobile gaming (with free games linked to Netflix IP).

Interactive storytelling (think Bandersnatch, but bigger).

Licensing hits into games (Stranger Things, Squid Game experiences).

Long-term, this looks like a strategy to capture not just “watch time,” but screen time.

Global Content Domination

From Money Heist (Spain) to Squid Game (Korea), Netflix cracked the code on global storytelling. Instead of importing Hollywood everywhere, it’s exporting local hits to the world. This cross-border content strategy isn’t just smart — it’s unmatched by competitors.

The next step? More regional studios, more investment in non-English shows, and positioning itself as the world’s entertainment company, not just America’s.

The AI & Data Play

Few companies understand their audience like Netflix does. Their recommendation engine is already legendary, but with advances in AI, we could see:

Personalized trailers and promos.

Automated dubbing/subtitles with higher quality.

Even AI-assisted content creation (controversial, but possible).

If Netflix leans into AI smartly, it could widen its moat against slower-moving competitors.

What’s Next?

Netflix has already shifted from a DVD rental startup → streaming disruptor → content powerhouse.
The next evolution might look like:

A hybrid of streaming + gaming + live events.

An AI-driven personalization empire.

Or… maybe even the Disney of the digital age — but without theme parks.

Final Take

Netflix isn’t just “winning streaming” anymore. It’s already thinking about what happens after streaming. While competitors fight for scraps of market share, Netflix is quietly building the next entertainment ecosystem — one that spans screens, cultures, and maybe even industries.

The real war isn’t over who wins streaming. It’s over who defines entertainment for the next 20 years.

In an interview with The Verge, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was asked whether the hype around artificial intelligence could be considered a “bubble.” He drew a direct comparison to the dot-com boom of the 1990s.

“Are we at a stage where investors are generally overvaluing AI? I think yes. Can the emergence of AI also be considered one of the most important events in a very long time? I also think yes.”
— Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

Altman explained that historically, bubbles tend to form around real innovations. Investors often “get carried away when they see a kernel of truth,” he said. The internet, for example, was transformative, “but people simply got overexcited.”

Still, Altman pointed to what he sees as excesses in the current AI market:

“When three-person AI startups raise money at sky-high valuations — that’s madness.”

According to him, some will lose phenomenal amounts of money, but others — though it’s impossible to predict who — will make fortunes. “I personally believe, though I could be wrong, that overall this will be a huge positive for the economy,” he added.

OpenAI’s Growing Pains

Altman admitted that OpenAI “really messed up a few things” during the rollout of GPT-5, but said the company has “learned the lesson” of what it means to launch a product for “hundreds of millions of people overnight.” He noted that many users actually liked the new model-switching feature, even though the process wasn’t flawless.

“Right now, we’re forced to make terrible compromises. We have more advanced AI models, but we can’t release them to users because we simply don’t have enough capacity.”

Scaling Challenges

Altman highlighted that ChatGPT is already the fifth most-visited website in the world, but scaling further has been limited by a shortage of computing power. To fix this, OpenAI is preparing to invest massive sums into infrastructure:

“In the near future, we’ll correct this — we’re going to spend trillions of dollars building data centers.”

UK police are investigating a chilling new crypto scam where a fraudster stole £2.1 million ($2.8M) worth of BTC from a cold storage wallet — by pretending to be a senior law enforcement officer.

️ The Setup

Victim was contacted by a scammer impersonating a senior UK cop.

The fraudster claimed they had arrested someone carrying the victim’s ID docs and warned of “security risks.”

Playing on fear + urgency, they convinced the victim to “secure their funds” by logging into a fake website.

The victim entered their seed phrase → scammers instantly drained the wallet.

Police Warning

North Wales Police Cyber Crime team says:

Police will NEVER call you to talk about crypto or ask you to touch your cold wallet.

They will never ask for your seed phrase (password).

If in doubt: hang up, verify by calling the police directly, and report suspicious calls.

Bigger Picture

This isn’t a rookie scam. Police suspect the victim’s details may have come from a data breach — meaning it was a highly targeted hit.

Law enforcement worldwide has seen a rise in scams involving:

Fake officers & officials

Exchange employee impersonations

Even AI deepfake voice messages of US officials (yes, really).

Takeaway

Even long-term hodlers with cold wallets aren’t safe if they slip on social engineering traps.
Rule #1: Your seed phrase is sacred. Nobody, not even police or exchanges, should ever see it.

What’s scarier to you: scammers using deepfake voices of officials, or people still trusting links from cold calls?

Google just dropped its Pixel 10 lineup at Made by Google — and yes, there’s a foldable this time. Here’s the scoop

Pixel 10, 10 Pro & 10 Pro XL

Displays:

Pixel 10 → 6.3" Actua, 3000 nits, 60–120Hz

10 Pro → 6.3" Super Actua, 3300 nits, 1–120Hz

10 Pro XL → 6.8" Super Actua, same specs as Pro

Performance:

Pixel 10 → 12GB RAM / up to 256GB storage

Pro & Pro XL → 16GB RAM / up to 1TB

Cameras:

Pixel 10 → triple cam (48MP main, 13MP ultra-wide, 10.8MP telephoto)

Pro & XL → upgraded 50MP main + 48MP ultra-wide AF + 48MP telephoto w/ 100× Pro Res Zoom

Selfies? Pro/XL go wild with a 42MP front camera

Battery & Charging:

Pixel 10 → 4970 mAh

Pro → 4870 mAh

XL → 5200 mAh

Wired: up to 70% in 30 min

Wireless: Pixelsnap magnetic charging (15–25W), Google’s MagSafe rival

AI Sauce:

Camera Coach (Gemini-powered tips while shooting)

Magic Cue (predictive info based on context, like showing your flight booking mid-call with an airline)

Prices:

Pixel 10 → $799

Pixel 10 Pro → $999

Pixel 10 Pro XL → $1199

Shipping August 28, 2025

Pixel 10 Pro Fold

Outer Display: 6.4" Actua, 3000 nits, 60–120Hz

Inner Display: 8" Super Actua, 3000 nits, 1–120Hz

Specs: 16GB RAM, up to 1TB storage, Tensor G5 chip, Android 16, Gemini Nano

Cameras: Triple rear setup (48MP + 10.5MP ultra-wide AF + 10.8MP telephoto), plus dual 10MP selfie cams (outer & inner)

Battery: 5015 mAh, 50% in 30 min with 30W USB-C, wireless Pixelsnap 15W

Price: $1799

Release: October 9, 2025

My Take

Pixelsnap feels like Google finally admitted MagSafe was genius.

Camera Coach could either be a lifesaver or the new Clippy.

The Pro Fold is sexy, but $1799 is ouch.

Question to you: If you had to pick one — Pro XL beast mode or the Fold flex life — which team are you on?

For years, crypto had a reputation: speculative bets, moon missions, and meme coins. But a new survey by Bitget Wallet (4,599 users) shows a shift — people aren’t just hodling, they’re swiping.

Gen Z: Daily Drivers & Gamers

39% spend crypto on gaming.

36% use it for daily purchases & travel bookings.
Gen Z is turning crypto into a “tap-to-pay” lifestyle — coffee, games, tickets.

Gen X: Big Spenders

40% use crypto for travel, digital products & real estate.
For Gen X, crypto isn’t about snacks or skins — it’s booking trips and signing deeds.

Millennials: The All-Rounders

Millennials spread it across travel, subscriptions, digital goods. They’re comfortable mixing crypto with everyday financial life, bridging convenience with flexibility.

Regional Trends

Southeast Asia → Gaming & gifting (41%)

East Asia → Daily purchases & digital goods (41%)

Africa → Education & cross-border payments (38%)

Latin America → Digital products (38%) & online shopping (35%)

Middle East → Luxury & lifestyle (31% luxury goods, 29% cars)

And it’s not just retail: Emirates Airline just signed with Crypto.com Pay to integrate crypto into its booking system. ️

Why This Is Working

Bitget CMO Jamie Elkaleh points out that QR codes for small shops + card integrations for bigger retailers = crypto payments that feel just like regular shopping. Merchants get the bonus of avoiding exchange headaches.

Bottom line: Crypto is moving from charts to checkouts.
The next big adoption wave may not be driven by traders — but by people booking flights, paying tuition, or just buying their daily latte.

OpenAI just confirmed it’s now pulling in over $1 billion per month in revenue.
But behind the headline number, the company admits it’s still under heavy financial pressure. Why? Compute costs. ️

The Numbers

CFO Sarah Friar told CNBC the company crossed the $1B/month mark.

That aligns with The Information’s July 2025 leak.

Despite the growth, server + GPU bills keep climbing at breakneck speed.

️ The Cost of AI

Sam Altman has warned: future AI data centers could cost “trillions of dollars” to build.
His bet? Demand for training + inference will keep skyrocketing, making those insane investments worthwhile.

Bubble or Next Dot-Com?

Even Altman admits the AI boom feels like a bubble moment.

Some players will lose fortunes

But others will strike gold

It’s the same pattern we saw during the early 2000s dot-com era.

Why This Matters for You

Traders: OpenAI’s growth = bullish sentiment for the AI sector. Expect ripple effects in AI-linked equities and tokens.

Builders & Freelancers: Demand for AI tools, integrations, and infra support isn’t slowing. If you can cut costs or improve efficiency—you’re in business.

Investors: Watch how compute costs vs. revenue balance out. Profitability (not hype) will separate winners from losers.

Question to the room: Do you see this as a dot-com style bubble ready to pop… or the foundation of the next trillion-dollar wave?

Survival title Nightingale by Inflexion Games will be free on Epic Games Store this week. Set in a Victorian-era gaslamp fantasy world, players gather resources, craft gear, and fight Pale creatures. The game features gliding mechanics and both melee and firearm combat. Currently in Early Access, it has a “Mixed” Steam rating and 4.2/5 stars on Epic.

The EIP-7702 upgrade, which allows batch transaction signing, has been exploited by attackers to drain wallets in seconds.
August alone saw over $5.6M stolen, including a single victim losing $3.08M.
Protect Yourself:

Verify every transaction before approval

Regularly audit token permissions

Stay informed on Ethereum upgrades and risks
#CryptoSecurity #EIP7702 #Ethereum #PhishingAlert

Despite billions poured into cybersecurity, the crypto industry remains locked in what experts call an “endless war” against hackers.

According to Ronghui Gu (Columbia University professor & CertiK co-founder), protocols can patch vulnerabilities and improve audits, but attackers only need one weak point—often a human mistake—to exploit.

“As long as there’s a weak point out there, sooner or later attackers will find it… I’m afraid next year’s hacks will still be at a billion-dollar level.” — Ronghui Gu

Hack Losses: 2025 by the Numbers

$2.47B lost in H1 2025 (already more than all of 2024’s $2.4B)

Q2 2025: 144 incidents, ~$800M lost (52% less value lost vs Q1)

Largest exploit ever: $1.4B Bybit hack on Feb. 21, 2025

Source: CertiK

The Shift: From Code to People

As Layer 1s and protocols harden security, hackers are increasingly targeting human behavior:

Private key compromises caused ~50% of incidents in 2024

Phishing & social engineering scams are on the rise

Common tactics: malicious links, fake approvals, wallet-drainer contracts

Recent cases:

Aug. 6: Investor lost $3M USDT by signing a malicious transaction (wallet address mismatch hidden in middle characters).

Aug. 3: Another victim lost $900K+, 458 days after unknowingly approving a malicious wallet-drainer.

The Takeaway

Cybersecurity firms can audit millions of lines of code daily, but it takes only one overlooked bug or one careless click to trigger massive losses.

The battlefield is shifting: tech is getting harder to hack, humans aren’t.

As phishing gets more sophisticated, education and behavioral safeguards may become just as critical as protocol-level security.

In an interview with The Verge, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was asked whether the hype around artificial intelligence could be considered a “bubble.” He drew a direct comparison to the dot-com boom of the 1990s.

“Are we at a stage where investors are generally overvaluing AI? I think yes. Can the emergence of AI also be considered one of the most important events in a very long time? I also think yes.”
— Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

Altman explained that historically, bubbles tend to form around real innovations. Investors often “get carried away when they see a kernel of truth,” he said. The internet, for example, was transformative, “but people simply got overexcited.”

Still, Altman pointed to what he sees as excesses in the current AI market:

“When three-person AI startups raise money at sky-high valuations — that’s madness.”

According to him, some will lose phenomenal amounts of money, but others — though it’s impossible to predict who — will make fortunes. “I personally believe, though I could be wrong, that overall this will be a huge positive for the economy,” he added.

OpenAI’s Growing Pains

Altman admitted that OpenAI “really messed up a few things” during the rollout of GPT-5, but said the company has “learned the lesson” of what it means to launch a product for “hundreds of millions of people overnight.” He noted that many users actually liked the new model-switching feature, even though the process wasn’t flawless.

“Right now, we’re forced to make terrible compromises. We have more advanced AI models, but we can’t release them to users because we simply don’t have enough capacity.”

Scaling Challenges

Altman highlighted that ChatGPT is already the fifth most-visited website in the world, but scaling further has been limited by a shortage of computing power. To fix this, OpenAI is preparing to invest massive sums into infrastructure:

“In the near future, we’ll correct this — we’re going to spend trillions of dollars building data centers.”

Cybersecurity firm Check Point has issued a major warning to crypto users: a sophisticated malware campaign is sweeping across social media platforms, using fake crypto trading apps to steal sensitive data.
️‍️ The Campaign: “JSCEAL”

Check Point Research has been tracking this malware operation since March 2024. Dubbed JSCEAL, the campaign spreads through malicious ads on platforms like Facebook, luring users into downloading fake versions of nearly 50 popular crypto apps — including Binance, MetaMask, and Kraken.

Once installed, these lookalike apps open what seems to be a legitimate interface, but secretly begin harvesting personal and financial data.
Scope: At Least 10 Million Exposed

35,000 malicious ads have already been promoted in the first half of 2025.

3.5 million people in the EU alone were shown these ads.

The global reach is estimated at over 10 million users, especially in Asia where crypto adoption and social media usage are high.

⚠️ Remember: ad reach ≠ infections. But the potential impact is massive.

🧠 How the Scam Works

You see a fake crypto ad on social media.

Click → You land on a lookalike website.

You install what you think is a real crypto app.

In the background, JavaScript-based malware runs:

    Steals saved passwords and cookies

    Monitors keystrokes (i.e., logs passwords)

    Scrapes your Telegram login

    Targets crypto wallet extensions like MetaMask

Check Point says the malware is heavily obfuscated, which helps it bypass many antivirus tools and makes it nearly invisible to the average user.
How to Protect Yourself

Avoid downloading apps via ads — always go directly to official websites or app stores.
Use antivirus software that scans for malicious JavaScript.
Monitor wallet permissions and browser extensions regularly.
Never share wallet seed phrases or passwords, even if a prompt looks legitimate.
🧩 Why Crypto Users Are Prime Targets

With irreversible transactions and pseudonymous blockchains, crypto theft is high-reward, low-risk for attackers. Once your funds are gone — they’re gone.

This isn’t a small phishing attempt — it’s a global, evolving, AI-savvy malware campaign aimed at draining your digital wallet.

Stay cautious, stay updated, and never let your guard down in Web3.

Have you seen any suspicious crypto ads lately? Share your experience below — someone else might learn from it.

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