COINOTAG reports on April 2nd that cryptocurrency analyst @ali_charts has provided a significant chart analysis highlighting a noteworthy trend in the Ethereum market. Since February 25th, there has been a
The ongoing legal developments between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the crypto exchange Gemini have significant implications for the future of cryptocurrency regulations. Gemini’s request for a
Fraudulent tech workers with ties to North Korea are expanding their infiltration operations to blockchain firms outside the US after increased scrutiny from authorities, with some having worked their way into UK crypto projects, Google says. Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) adviser Jamie Collier said in an April 2 report that while the US is still a key target, increased awareness and right-to-work verification challenges have forced North Korean IT workers to find roles at non-US companies. “In response to heightened awareness of the threat within the United States, they’ve established a global ecosystem of fraudulent personas to enhance operational agility,” Collier said. “Coupled with the discovery of facilitators in the UK, this suggests the rapid formation of a global infrastructure and support network that empowers their continued operations,” he added. Google's Threat Intelligence Group says North Korea's tech workers expanded their reach amid a US crackdown. Source: Google The North Korea-linked workers are infiltrating projects spanning traditional web development and advanced blockchain applications, such as projects involving Solana and Anchor smart contract development , according to Collier. Another project building a blockchain job marketplace and an artificial intelligence web application leveraging blockchain technologies was also found to have North Korean workers. “These individuals pose as legitimate remote workers to infiltrate companies and generate revenue for the regime,” Collier said. “This places organizations that hire DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] IT workers at risk of espionage, data theft, and disruption.” North Korea looking to Europe for tech jobs Along with the UK, Collier says the GTIG identified a notable focus on Europe, with one worker using at least 12 personas across Europe and others using resumes listing degrees from Belgrade University in Serbia and residences in Slovakia. Separate GTIG investigations found personas seeking employment in Germany and Portugal, login credentials for user accounts of European job websites, instructions for navigating European job sites, and a broker specializing in false passports. At the same time, since late October, the North Korean workers have increased the volume of extortion attempts and gone after larger organizations, which the GTIG speculates is the workers feeling pressure to maintain revenue streams amid a crackdown in the US. “In these incidents, recently fired IT workers threatened to release their former employers’ sensitive data or to provide it to a competitor. This data included proprietary data and source code for internal projects,” Collier said. Related: North Korean crypto attacks rising in sophistication, actors — Paradigm In January, the US Justice Department indicted two North Korean nationals for their involvement in a fraudulent IT work scheme involving at least 64 US companies from April 2018 to August 2024. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also sanctioned companies it accused of being fronts for North Korea that generated revenue via remote IT work schemes. Crypto founders have also been reporting an increase in activity from North Korean hackers, with at least three founders reporting on March 13 that they foiled attempts to steal sensitive data through fake Zoom calls. Having audio issues on your Zoom call? That's not a VC, it's North Korean hackers. Fortunately, this founder realized what was going on. The call starts with a few "VCs" on the call. They send messages in the chat saying they can't hear your audio, or suggesting there's an… pic.twitter.com/ZnW8Mtof4F — Nick Bax.eth (@bax1337) March 11, 2025 In August, blockchain investigator ZachXBT claimed to have uncovered a sophisticated network of North Korean developers earning $500,000 a month working for “established” crypto projects. Magazine: Lazarus Group’s favorite exploit revealed — Crypto hacks analysis
Metaplanet Inc. added 696 BTC in Q1 2025, using options to lower acquisition costs. The firm’s total Bitcoin holdings reached 4,046 BTC. Japan’s Metaplanet Grows Bitcoin War Chest to 4,046 BTC Japan’s publicly listed bitcoin treasury company, Metaplanet Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 3350 / OTCQX: MTPLF), announced on April 1 that it had increased its
COINOTAG News reports that Synthetix founder Kain has raised concerns regarding the economic pressures facing the Ethereum mainnet. According to Kain, these pressures stem from diminished Gas fees and reduced
Kentucky’s finance watchdog has dismissed its lawsuit against Coinbase over the exchange’s staking rewards program, following its peers in Vermont and South Carolina. Kentucky’s Department of Financial Institutions filed the stipulation to dismiss jointly with Coinbase on April 1, ending the state’s legal action against the exchange first filed along with 10 other state regulators in June 2023. Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal posted to X on April 1, calling for Congress “to end this litigation-driven, state-by-state approach with a federal market structure law.” Source: Paul Grewal Financial regulators from 10 states launched similar suits against Coinbase in June 2023, on the same day the Securities and Exchange Commission sued the exchange — a lawsuit the SEC dropped last month. Seven suits against Coinbase still active Alabama, California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin are the seven states that are still continuing with their lawsuits, which all allege Coinbase breached securities laws with its staking rewards program. Vermont was the first state to end its suit against Coinbase, with its Department of Financial Regulation filing an order to rescind the action on March 13, noting the SEC’s Feb. 27 decision to drop its action against the exchange and the likelihood of changes in the federal regulator’s guidance. The South Carolina Attorney General’s securities division followed Vermont days later, dismissing its lawsuit in a joint stipulation with Coinbase on March 27. Related: South Carolina dismisses its staking lawsuit against Coinbase, joining Vermont Kentucky’s decision to drop its case against Coinbase follows just days after the state’s governor, Andy Beshear, signed a “Bitcoin Rights” bill into law on March 24 that establishes protections for crypto self-custody and exempts crypto mining from money transmitting and securities laws. The axed state-level lawsuits come amid a stark policy change at the SEC, which has dropped or delayed multiple lawsuits against crypto companies that it filed under the Biden administration. The federal securities watchdog has also created a Crypto Task Force that is engaging with the industry on how it should approach cryptocurrencies. Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered
Once a hotbed of digital speculation, the NFT space continues to unravel as major platforms back away, including Bybit.
In a significant development within the cryptocurrency landscape, Grayscale Investments has submitted an S-3 registration form to transition its Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund into an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF). This
According to COINOTAG News
According to a recent CryptoQuant Quicktake post, short-term Bitcoin (BTC) holders are choosing to retain their digital assets despite incurring unrealized losses. CryptoQuant contributor Onchained explained that short-term BTC holders have recorded significantly lower realized losses compared to their unrealized losses. Short-Term Bitcoin Holders Expecting A Price Rally? The first quarter of 2025 has been marked by high price volatility in the cryptocurrency market, including Bitcoin. BTC has dropped from approximately $97,000 on January 1 to around $83,000 at the time of writing, reflecting a decline of more than 15%. Related Reading: Bitcoin Whales Make Big Moves As Bullish Momentum Resurfaces Despite this price pullback, short-term BTC holders continue to hold onto their assets instead of selling at a loss. CryptoQuant contributor Onchained analyzed the Short-Term Holder Net Realized PNL to Exchanges, highlighting a shift in selling behavior. According to the analyst, BTC holders who have owned their coins for one to three months have been the most active sellers in recent days, even at the cost of realizing losses. This is unusual, as short-term investors holding BTC for less than a week are typically the most reactive sellers. However, recent data shows a significant decline in selling pressure to cryptocurrency exchanges. This suggests that BTC holders who purchased their coins in the last six months are opting to hold onto their assets rather than panic sell. This shift in selling behavior among short-term holders could have multiple implications. A decline in selling pressure may indicate a change in investor sentiment, with holders willing to endure short-term losses in anticipation of long-term gains. While the analyst cautioned that this data does not predict future price movements, it does provide valuable insights into market psychology. The analysis states: Are short-term holders finally holding the line? If so, this could reduce downside volatility and set the stage for stabilization, or even a reversal. Onchained concluded that short-term holders currently control 28% of BTC’s circulating supply. If a significant portion of these holdings transitions to long-term holders, it could pave the way for Bitcoin’s price to surge beyond $150,000. Is BTC About To Stage A Comeback? Alongside the decline in short-term BTC selling pressure, several other exchange-related metrics suggest the possibility of an upcoming price surge for the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Related Reading: Bitcoin Breaks Daily RSI Downtrend, But Analyst Warns Of Strong Resistance Ahead Recently, crypto entrepreneur and market commentator Arthur Hayes claimed that BTC “probably” hit this market cycle’s bottom during its plunge to $77,000 on March 10. However, Hayes noted that the stock market could still experience further pullbacks. While Bitcoin has been in a downtrend for the past few months, gold has surged to multiple new all-time highs (ATHs) due to ongoing global macroeconomic uncertainty. BTC’s poor performance against the precious metal is likely to continue as the US trade tariff threat looms. At press time, BTC trades at $83,953, up 2.2% in the past 24 hours. Featured image from Unsplash, charts from CryptoQuant and TradingView.com