Crypto Cryptocurrency

A US$245 million bitcoin social‑engineering scam allegedly run by teenager Veer Chetal — who is accused of tricking a Washington man into handing over 4,100 BTC — led to a brutal kidnapping plot against his parents.

A plaintiff using the alias “Noah Doe” has filed a 901‑page lawsuit in New York Supreme Court seeking rights to around 3.7 million dormant bitcoin, worth roughly US$285 billion, spread across 39,069 wallets including some linked to Satoshi Nakamoto and the Mt. Gox hacker.

BitGo Europe, a BaFin-regulated entity, said its Crypto-as-a-Service platform offers crypto companies a way to comply with Europe's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation.

Citigroup said the market for tokenised real-world assets could reach US$8.2 trillion by 2030 under its bullish forecast, with a base-case estimate of US$5.5 trillion.

Hyperliquid (CRYPTO:HYPE) climbed to a new all-time high of US$76.70 after ETF-related purchases, increasing platform activity and short liquidations boosted demand for the token.

Bitcoin rose about 2% to roughly US$66,000 after the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, sending the token to its highest level in weeks.

Elon Musk’s net worth briefly hit about US$1.4 trillion, momentarily exceeding bitcoin’s roughly US$1.31 trillion market value after SpaceX shares jumped 67% above their IPO price.

South Korean police charged 23 people accused of laundering funds linked to a Cambodia-based phishing operation that allegedly moved US$11.1 million through cryptocurrency transactions.

Abhay Agarwal, founder of GetBit, said India may revisit its cryptocurrency tax framework within two to four years as regulators gain greater visibility into the sector.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a budget bill introducing a 0.2% tax on cryptocurrency transactions involving state residents as part of a US$55.9 billion fiscal 2027 budget.

Russia's Finance Ministry said USD Coin will be added to the country's approved cryptocurrency list alongside Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC), Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) and Tether.

South Korea's retail cryptocurrency trading volume fell 28% year-on-year to US$69 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from TRM Labs.