Everything web3, crypto, defi, degen
In brief Travis Chen, a quantitative trader who worked for the brothers’ company, testified about a December 2022 meeting where they outlined the alleged scheme. Chen agreed to forfeit $2.4 million, his cut from the operation, under a nonprosecution agreement with the government. Notes from the planning meeting showed the brothers reportedly anticipated making $6…
China has moved to block private stablecoin ambitions in Hong Kong, in what could be interpreted as an effort to reaffirm its state authority over monetary policy.Two of China’s largest technology companies, Alibaba-backed Ant Group and JD.com, an e-commerce group, have been instructed to suspend their stablecoin plans in Hong Kong.That follows guidance from the…
In brief Experts believe that some crypto traders are selling as they are following the classic four-year cycle rulebook. Historically, Bitcoin has followed a four-year cycle (with altcoins following suit), and believers are fearful a crash is looming. However, many analysts believe that the classic four-year cycle will be broken due to institutional adoption and…
In brief Market makers Wintermute and LO:TECH momentarily stopped trading amid last week’s $19 billion liquidation cascade. The pause came because their predefined trading rules were broken and they were forced to regroup, the market makers said. Wintermute told Decrypt that if the firm can “make markets in a safe, delta neutral way,” it will—but…
In brief Mt. Gox’s 2011 hack caused Bitcoin’s worst crash ever, plummeting 99.9% after hackers dumped stolen BTC for pennies. Major crashes stemmed from China bans, COVID-19 panic, and crypto platform collapses like Celsius and FTX. Trump’s October 2025 China tariff threat triggered a 13% drop and $19 billion in liquidated positions—but didn’t make the…
In brief Whales are dumping SOL, AAVE, and ASTER, moving over $120M in assets to exchanges. The sell-off contributed to the crypto market cap dropping by over 5% as altcoins posted losses on the day. One entity took a $5M loss on ASTER, signaling a rush to exit rather than hold through volatility. Whales are…
In brief The deal raises roughly $231 million payable in BTC or SolvBTC, issued by Solv Protocol. Zeta says the transaction enhances its balance sheet and reflects confidence in Bitcoin’s fundamentals. The group touts the deal as a way to fuse Bitcoin’s scarcity with sustainable yield. Nasdaq-listed fintech firm Zeta Network Group has entered into…
In brief Ripple has bought corporate treasury management firm GTreasury for $1 billion. It’s Ripple’s third major acquisition this year after buying primer brokerage Hidden Road and stablecoin platform Rail. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the deal would reduce friction and costs of “outdated payments systems.” Fintech Ripple announced Thursday that it bought software firm…
Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. Subscribe to the Morning Minute on Substack.GM!Today’s top news: Crypto majors red again as Trump confirms trade war; Bitcoin at $111,200 Paxos accidentally mints $300T PYUSD onchain before burning Erebor Bank…
In brief The channel was briefly compromised late Wednesday, promoting a Solana-based token. An hour later, the PGL YouTube channel, run by the Romanian esports organizer behind Valve-sanctioned tournaments, was also reportedly hijacked to stream a fake Bitcoin giveaway. Decrypt independently verified screenshots of the compromised Dota 2 channel before the content was removed. The…
