Michael Saylor is signaling another aggressive Bitcoin accumulation for Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy).

This signals that the firm is down on its high-stakes treasury strategy even as its MSTR stock falters.

Why Saylor is Teasing a New Bitcoin Buy for Strategy

On December 21, Saylor posted a cryptic image to X captioned “Green Dots ₿eget Orange Dots,” referencing the company’s “SaylorTracker” portfolio visualization.

Green Dots ₿eget Orange Dots. pic.twitter.com/aLdvPe4YuG

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) December 21, 2025

The post continues a year-long pattern Saylor has used to hint at a new BTC purchase. Notably, such a weekend teaser is usually followed by a Monday morning SEC filing confirming a significant acquisition.

Meanwhile, a new purchase would add to an already staggering hoard.

As of press time, Strategy held 671,268 BTC—valued at roughly $50.3 billion—representing 3.2% of the total Bitcoin supply.

However, the market has punished the stock in 2025. MSTR shares have collapsed 43% year-to-date to trade around $165, mirroring Bitcoin’s 30% retreat from its October peak of $126,000.

While the company touts a “BTC Yield” of 24.9%—a proprietary metric measuring the accretion of Bitcoin per share—institutional investors are increasingly focused on the looming external risks rather than internal yield metrics.

However, the most immediate threat to Saylor’s strategy is not Bitcoin’s price, but a potential regulatory reclassification.

MSCI is considering removing Strategy Inc. from its global indices during its February review. The index provider has flagged concerns that the firm now functions more like an investment vehicle than an operating company.

Market analysts have pointed out that the financial implications of such a move are severe.

JPMorgan estimates that an exclusion would trigger approximately $11.6 billion in forced selling as passive ETFs and index-tracking funds liquidate their MSTR positions.

This mechanical selling pressure could decouple the stock from its Bitcoin holdings, creating a liquidity spiral.

In response, Strategy has launched a vigorous defense.

The firm called the MSCI proposal “arbitrary, discriminatory, and unworkable,” arguing that it unfairly targets digital asset companies while ignoring other holding-heavy conglomerates.

“The proposal improperly injects policy considerations into indexing. The proposal conflicts with U.S. policy and would stifle innovation,” it argued.

So, Saylor’s potential new purchase serves a dual purpose: it lowers the company’s average cost basis during a market correction, but more importantly, it signals to the market that despite the MSCI threat and the stock’s poor performance, the “all-in” strategy remains unchanged.

The post MicroStrategy’s Saylor Signals Imminent Bitcoin Buy Amid MSTR Stock YTD Decline appeared first on BeInCrypto.

BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is set to close 2025 as a top-tier force in the US financial landscape. The fund achieved a rare feat in asset management by raising billions of dollars while losing money for its investors.

Data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence confirms that IBIT secured the sixth spot on the US ETF leaderboard by net inflows.

Institutional ‘Dip Buying’ Drives $25 Billion into IBIT Despite Negative Returns

The fund attracted $25.4 billion in fresh capital throughout the year, outpacing traditional heavyweights such as the Invesco QQQ Trust and the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD).

This capital flood occurred despite a stark divergence in asset performance.

$IBIT is the only ETF on the 2025 Flow Leaderboard with a negative return for the year. CT's knee-jerk reaction is to whine about the return but the real takeaway is that is was 6th place DESPITE the negative return (Boomers putting on a HODL clinic). Even took in more than $GLD… pic.twitter.com/68uq3HFRuO

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) December 19, 2025

While gold surged nearly 65% in 2025—driven by central bank buying and geopolitical hedging—IBIT posted a year-to-date loss of 9.59%.

The fund’s performance suffered as Bitcoin retreated approximately 30% from its October record high of $126,173, trading near $88,000.

Typically, negative returns trigger capital flight.

However, IBIT’s ability to attract $25 billion during a correction signals a fundamental shift in investor behavior. It shows that institutional allocators are systematically buying the dip rather than panic-selling volatility.

Considering this, Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas characterized the inflows as a definitive bullish signal for the asset’s long-term trajectory.

“IBIT is the only ETF on the 2025 Flow Leaderboard with a negative return for the year,” Balchunas stated.

Meanwhile, James Thorne, Chief Market Strategist at Wellington-Altus, argues that these flows validate the “financialization” of Bitcoin.

According to him, the digital asset now behaves less like a speculative tech stock and more like a mature macro commodity.

“Watching how Bitcoin now trades, the market microstructure and narrative management increasingly resemble the way gold behaved for decades under heavy institutional influence, with price action reflecting not just fundamental demand, but also positioning, product design, and the preferences of large financial intermediaries,” he added.

For the broader market, BlackRock IBIT’s 2025 performance proves that the Bitcoin ETF is not a fad. It has successfully entrenched itself in institutional portfolios, flipping gold as the preferred “alternative” allocation even when the precious metal vastly outperforms on price.

As the year ends with Bitcoin trading at a discount to its highs, the smart money is betting that the infrastructure BlackRock built will drive the next leg up.

The post BlackRock’s IBIT Defies Bitcoin Slump to Beat Gold in 2025 ETF Flows appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Tether is pushing beyond its role as a backend stablecoin issuer and moving directly to the end user.

On December 20, Paolo Ardoino, the firm’s CEO, disclosed that he was hiring a Lead Software Engineer to build a self-custodial mobile wallet that integrates the company’s massive liquidity with its nascent artificial intelligence division.

Tether’s Planned Mobile Crypto Wallet

The recruitment posting offers the most specific look yet at Tether’s consumer strategy.

Ardoino envisions a “100% self-custodial” mobile application designed to serve as a fortress for a strict asset basket.

Unlike general-purpose wallets that support thousands of speculative tokens, Tether’s product will support only four assets. These include Bitcoin (BTC) via the Lightning Network, Tether (USDT), the gold-pegged XAUT, and USAT, the firm’s new US-compliant stablecoin.

Imagine a wallet that supports only BTC (also via LN), USDT, USAT, XAUT.
And will have local private AI integration via QVAC. https://t.co/BCyqjob1Sh

— Paolo Ardoino 🤖 (@paoloardoino) December 20, 2025

This restricted asset list signals a clear strategic intent. Tether is building a “hard money” payment rail, ignoring the broader decentralized finance (DeFi) casino in favor of pure payments and store-of-value assets.

Meanwhile, the announcement confirms the wallet will be powered by two proprietary technologies, including the Wallet Development Kit (WDK) and QVAC.

While WDK handles the non-custodial financial architecture, the integration of QVAC (Tether’s local AI computing platform) is the key differentiator.

Ardoino detailed a vision in which the wallet features a “local private AI integration,” allowing users to run advanced automated tasks directly on their devices.

By processing data locally with QVAC rather than routing it to the cloud, Tether aims to deliver the functionality of an AI-powered financial assistant.

The approach is designed to avoid the privacy trade-offs typically associated with Big Tech platforms.

Moreover, the move underscores Tether’s shift from an infrastructure provider to a consumer-facing tech giant. It builds on last week’s launch of PearPass, a peer-to-peer password manager designed to eliminate reliance on cloud storage.

Indeed, these product lines demonstrate that the company is aggressively verticalizing its stack.

Tether would control the wallet interface, the underlying stablecoins USDT and USAT, the security layer via PearPass, and the intelligence stack via QVAC.

This structure reduces reliance on third-party platforms and strengthens the company’s operational autonomy.

The post Tether Hiring Push Reveals Plans for AI-Integrated Self-Custodial Crypto Wallet appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Michael Saylor menandakan aksi akumulasi Bitcoin besar-besaran lagi untuk Strategy (sebelumnya MicroStrategy).

Ini menunjukkan perusahaan tersebut tetap berpegang pada strategi treasury berisiko tinggi walau saham MSTR sedang melemah.

Kenapa Saylor Mengisyaratkan Pembelian Bitcoin Baru untuk Strategi

Pada 21 Desember, Saylor membagikan gambar misterius di X dengan keterangan “Green Dots ₿eget Orange Dots,” yang mengacu pada visualisasi portofolio “SaylorTracker” milik perusahaannya.

Green Dots ₿eget Orange Dots. pic.twitter.com/aLdvPe4YuG

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) December 21, 2025

Postingan ini melanjutkan pola selama setahun terakhir yang digunakan Saylor untuk memberi sinyal adanya pembelian BTC baru. Menariknya, biasanya teaser di akhir pekan seperti ini akan diikuti dengan pengumuman resmi ke SEC pada Senin pagi yang mengonfirmasi akuisisi besar.

Pembelian baru ini nantinya bakal menambah tumpukan yang sudah sangat besar.

Pada saat berita ini diterbitkan, Strategy memegang 671.268 BTC—senilai kurang lebih US$50,3 miliar—atau sekitar 3,2% dari total suplai Bitcoin.

tetapi pasar memberi tekanan pada sahamnya di tahun 2025. Harga saham MSTR anjlok 43% sepanjang tahun dan kini diperdagangkan di sekitar US$165, mengikuti koreksi Bitcoin 30% dari puncak US$126.000 pada Oktober.

Walau perusahaan mengklaim punya “BTC Yield” sebesar 24,9%—ukuran eksklusif tentang pertumbuhan Bitcoin per saham—investor institusi kini lebih fokus pada berbagai risiko eksternal yang membayangi dibandingkan metrik hasil internal.

tapi, ancaman paling nyata bagi strategi Saylor saat ini bukanlah harga Bitcoin, melainkan kemungkinan perubahan regulasi terhadap kategori perusahaan.

MSCI sedang mempertimbangkan untuk mengeluarkan Strategy Inc. dari indeks globalnya pada evaluasi bulan Februari. Penyedia indeks tersebut menyoroti kekhawatiran karena perusahaan itu kini lebih mirip vehicle investasi daripada perusahaan operasional.

Analis pasar menegaskan bahwa dampak keuangan dari langkah itu sangat serius.

JPMorgan memperkirakan jika Strategy benar-benar dikeluarkan, sekitar US$11,6 miliar akan terkena forced selling karena ETF pasif dan dana indeks harus melikuidasi posisi mereka di MSTR.

Tekanan jual secara mekanis ini bisa saja membuat harga saham terlepas dari nilai kepemilikan Bitcoinnya, dan berujung pada spiral likuiditas.

Untuk menanggapinya, Strategy meluncurkan pembelaan yang sangat kuat.

Perusahaan menyebut proposal MSCI itu “arbitrary, discriminatory, and unworkable,” dan menilai kebijakan ini tidak adil karena menargetkan perusahaan aset digital saja dan mengabaikan konglomerat lain yang juga dominan dalam kepemilikan.

“The proposal improperly injects policy considerations into indexing. The proposal conflicts with U.S. policy and would stifle innovation,” terang mereka.

Jadi, potensi pembelian baru dari Saylor ini punya dua tujuan: menurunkan rata-rata harga beli perusahaan selama pasar sedang terkoreksi, dan yang paling penting, memberi sinyal kepada pasar bahwa meski dihadapkan pada ancaman MSCI serta performa saham yang buruk, strategi “all-in” mereka tetap tak berubah.

BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) diprediksi akan menutup tahun 2025 sebagai kekuatan papan atas di dunia keuangan Amerika Serikat. Dana ini berhasil mencetak prestasi langka di manajemen aset dengan menghimpun dana miliaran US$ meskipun mengalami kerugian bagi investornya.

Data yang dihimpun Bloomberg Intelligence mengonfirmasi bahwa IBIT menempati posisi keenam dalam daftar exchange-traded fund (ETF) AS dengan arus masuk dana bersih terbesar.

Pembelian Dip oleh Institusi Dorong US$25 Miliar Masuk ke IBIT Meski Return Negatif

Sepanjang tahun ini, dana IBIT menarik modal segar sebesar US$25,4 miliar, mengalahkan pemain besar seperti Invesco QQQ Trust dan SPDR Gold Trust (GLD).

Banjir modal ini terjadi walaupun terjadi perbedaan besar pada performa asetnya.

$IBIT is the only ETF on the 2025 Flow Leaderboard with a negative return for the year. CT's knee-jerk reaction is to whine about the return but the real takeaway is that is was 6th place DESPITE the negative return (Boomers putting on a HODL clinic). Even took in more than $GLD… pic.twitter.com/68uq3HFRuO

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) December 19, 2025

Di sisi lain, harga emas melonjak hampir 65% di 2025 — didorong pembelian oleh bank sentral dan aksi lindung nilai geopolitik — sementara IBIT justru mencatat kerugian sebesar 9,59% secara year-to-date.

Kinerja dana ini terpukul karena Bitcoin terkoreksi sekitar 30% dari rekor tertingginya pada Oktober di US$126.173, kini diperdagangkan dekat US$88.000.

Biasanya, hasil negatif akan menyebabkan dana keluar dari produk tersebut.

namun, kemampuan IBIT menghimpun US$25 miliar saat terjadi koreksi menunjukkan adanya perubahan mendasar pada perilaku investor. Ini membuktikan bahwa pelaku institusi kini memilih membeli saat harga turun, bukan panik jual akibat volatilitas.

Menanggapi hal ini, Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst Bloomberg, menggambarkan arus masuk modal tersebut sebagai sinyal bullish dan menandakan peluang jangka panjang bagi aset ini.

“IBIT adalah satu-satunya ETF di Flow Leaderboard 2025 yang mencatatkan return negatif sepanjang tahun,” ujar Balchunas.

Di sisi lain, James Thorne, Chief Market Strategist Wellington-Altus, berpendapat bahwa arus ini menjadi bukti “financialization” Bitcoin.

Menurut dia, kini aset digital ini semakin berperilaku seperti komoditas ekonomi makro yang matang, bukan saham teknologi spekulatif.

“Melihat bagaimana Bitcoin diperdagangkan saat ini, struktur mikro pasar dan pengelolaan narasinya makin mirip dengan cara emas bergerak selama puluhan tahun di bawah pengaruh institusi besar, di mana aksi harga bukan hanya mencerminkan permintaan fundamental, tapi juga posisi, desain produk, dan preferensi perantara keuangan besar,” papar dia menambahkan.

Bagi pasar yang lebih luas, kinerja IBIT BlackRock pada 2025 membuktikan bahwa exchange-traded fund (ETF) Bitcoin bukan tren sesaat. Produk ini kini sudah kokoh dalam portofolio institusi, bahkan mulai menggantikan emas sebagai alokasi “alternatif” pilihan, meski harga logam mulia itu tahun ini masih jauh lebih unggul.

Di akhir tahun, ketika harga Bitcoin masih di bawah puncak tertingginya, investor cerdas optimistis bahwa infrastruktur yang dibangun BlackRock akan mendorong reli selanjutnya.

Tether kini bergerak melampaui perannya sebagai penerbit stablecoin di belakang layar dan mulai menyasar langsung ke pengguna akhir.

Pada 20 Desember, Paolo Ardoino, CEO perusahaan tersebut, mengungkapkan bahwa dirinya sedang merekrut Lead Software Engineer untuk membangun mobile wallet self-custodial yang akan mengintegrasikan likuiditas besar milik perusahaan dengan divisi artificial intelligence yang sedang berkembang.

Rencana Dompet Crypto Mobile dari Tether

Pengumuman rekrutmen ini memberikan gambaran paling spesifik sejauh ini tentang strategi Tether untuk konsumen.

Ardoino membayangkan sebuah aplikasi mobile “100% self-custodial” yang didesain sebagai benteng untuk sejumlah aset terpilih yang ketat.

Berbeda dengan wallet umum yang mendukung ribuan token spekulatif, produk Tether hanya akan mendukung empat aset. Aset tersebut adalah Bitcoin (BTC) melalui Lightning Network, Tether (USDT), XAUT yang dipatok ke emas, serta USAT, stablecoin baru perusahaan yang sudah sesuai regulasi AS.

Imagine a wallet that supports only BTC (also via LN), USDT, USAT, XAUT.
And will have local private AI integration via QVAC. https://t.co/BCyqjob1Sh

— Paolo Ardoino 🤖 (@paoloardoino) December 20, 2025

Daftar aset yang terbatas ini menunjukkan niat strategis yang jelas. Tether sedang membangun jalur pembayaran “hard money”, mengabaikan ranah decentralized finance (DeFi) yang lebih luas demi fokus ke pembayaran murni dan aset penyimpan nilai.

Sementara itu, pengumuman ini juga memastikan wallet akan didukung oleh dua teknologi milik perusahaan, yakni Wallet Development Kit (WDK) dan QVAC.

Saat WDK menangani arsitektur keuangan non-custodial, integrasi QVAC (platform AI lokal milik Tether) menjadi pembeda utamanya.

Ardoino menjabarkan sebuah visi di mana wallet memiliki fitur “integrasi AI pribadi lokal”, sehingga pengguna bisa menjalankan tugas otomatis canggih langsung di perangkat mereka.

Dengan memproses data secara lokal lewat QVAC, bukan mengirimkannya ke cloud, Tether ingin menghadirkan kemampuan asisten keuangan berbasis AI.

Pendekatan ini dirancang agar pengguna dapat menghindari risiko privasi yang umumnya terjadi di platform Big Tech.

Selain itu, langkah ini juga menegaskan perubahan Tether dari penyedia infrastruktur menjadi raksasa teknologi yang berhadapan langsung dengan konsumen. Langkah ini melanjutkan rilis PearPass minggu lalu, yaitu pengelola password peer-to-peer yang menghilangkan kebutuhan penyimpanan cloud.

Faktanya, lini produk terbaru ini menunjukkan bahwa perusahaan sedang agresif dalam memperkuat kendali di seluruh stack layanannya.

Tether bakal mengendalikan antarmuka wallet, stablecoin USDT dan USAT sebagai fondasinya, lapisan keamanan melalui PearPass, serta tumpukan kecerdasan lewat QVAC.

Struktur seperti ini akan mengurangi ketergantungan pada platform pihak ketiga, serta memperkuat kemandirian operasional perusahaan.

A coalition of more than 125 cryptocurrency companies and advocacy groups has launched a coordinated offensive against US banking lobbyists. The group includes major crypto firms such as Coinbase, Gemini, and Kraken.

The move escalates a high-stakes battle over who has the right to pay interest on stablecoin deposits.

Why Banks Are Lobbying to Tweak the GENIUS Act

The main bone of contention is that the GENIUS Act explicitly prohibits stablecoin issuers like Tether from paying dividends.

However, there is currently a loophole that allows third-party platforms, such as crypto exchanges, to pass this stablecoin yield on to users.

As a result, traditional banking groups are aggressively lobbying to close this avenue, arguing that it constitutes regulatory arbitrage.

The banking lobby contends that if unregulated fintech platforms are allowed to offer high yields on cash-equivalent tokens, it poses a systemic risk to the traditional financial architecture.

In briefings with Capitol Hill, they warned that preserving the current rules could trigger a massive capital flight. They estimated potential deposit outflows of up to $6.6 trillion from commercial banks to digital asset platforms.

Such a shift, they argue, would hollow out the capital base that banks use to underwrite mortgages and business loans. That erosion would force lenders to shrink capacity and raise borrowing costs for American households.

Crypto Coalition Fights Back

In a December 18 letter to the US Senate Committee on Banking, the crypto coalition urged lawmakers to reject attempts to expand the scope of the recently enacted GENIUS Act.

“Reopening this issue before the GENIUS Act’s implementation would weaken the certainty that defines Congressional-enacted regulatory frameworks and introduce unnecessary risk into the broader market structure effort. It would signal that even recently enacted compromises remain subject to almost immediate renegotiation, undermining the predictability that markets, consumers, and innovators rely on,” the group argued.

The crypto coalition also dismissed the banks’ concerns about stability as a protectionist effort to maintain a monopoly on low-interest deposits.

The signatories argued that banks are merely trying to protect their profit margins by preventing consumers from accessing the 4% yields currently available in the Treasury market.

“Stablecoins rewards programs enable platforms to share value directly with users, helping households benefit from higher-rate environments rather than absorbing losses to inflation,” the crypto firms argued.

The Banksters are trying to prohibit platforms like @Gemini, @coinbase, and @krakenfx from offering stablecoin rewards to you. The GENIUS Act already settled this issue with an elegant compromise — stablecoin issuers cannot offer rewards, but intermediary platforms like Gemini,… https://t.co/QpdiQfaD0X

— Tyler Winklevoss (@tyler) December 19, 2025

Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of Gemini, also publicly slammed the banking lobby’s maneuver, characterizing it as an attempt to “relitigate a settled legislative issue.”

The post Hundreds of Crypto Firms Slam US Bank’s Lobby to Prohibit Stablecoin Yields  appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Ethereum core developers have revealed plans to execute two major network upgrades in 2026, codenamed “Glamsterdam” and “Hegota.”

This decision marks the blockchain network’s continued strategic pivot toward a faster release cadence. The move is intended to establish a predictable biannual upgrade schedule and strengthen its competitive position against high-throughput rivals.

Ethereum Shifts to Biannual Upgrades to Fend Off High-Speed Rivals

The roadmap positions “Glamsterdam” for release in the first half of 2026, arriving fast on the heels of the recent “Fusaka” hard fork.

According to developers, Glamsterdam will focus on immediate scalability and efficiency fixes, primarily through gas optimizations and “Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation” (ePBS).

This technical upgrade aims to separate the roles of block builders and block proposers at the protocol level. It reduces censorship risks and further decentralizes the network.

Meanwhile, the developers intend to finalize the full feature list for Glamsterdam immediately following the holiday break.

On the other hand, the second phase of the 2026 sprint, “Hegota,” targets the latter half of the year.

The upgrade’s name reflects its dual nature, combining the “Bogota” execution-layer update with the “Heze” consensus-layer update.

Christine Kim, a former Vice President at Galaxy Digital who now closely tracks protocol governance, noted that scoping discussions for Hegota will commence on the January 8 All Core Developers call.

These sessions will determine the fork’s “headliner” features, with a finalized scope expected by late February.

Other Planned Updates

Parallel to these structural changes, the Ethereum Foundation is aggressively reorienting its long-term research toward security hardening.

Researcher George Kadianakis confirmed that the network aims to achieve “128-bit provable security” by year-end 2026. The cryptographic standard is considered essential for institutional-grade financial applications.

“For zkEVMs, this isn’t academic. A soundness issue is not like other security issues. If an attacker can forge a proof, they can forge anything: mint tokens from nothing, rewrite state, steal funds. For an L1 zkEVM securing hundreds of billions of dollars, the security margin is not negotiable,” he stated.

The Foundation has linked this initiative to specific milestones, including a “soundcalc” integration in February and full alignment with the Glamsterdam hard fork in May.

Meanwhile, these efforts aim to remove the technical friction that currently limits Ethereum’s mass adoption.

To bridge this gap, developers are implementing a strategy to lower entry barriers and match the intuitive simplicity of mainstream consumer applications.

The post Ethereum Developers Plan ‘Glamsterdam’ and ‘Hegota’ Upgrades for 2026 appeared first on BeInCrypto.

A cryptocurrency trader lost $50 million in Tether’s USDT after falling victim to a sophisticated “address poisoning” attack.

On December 20, blockchain security firm Scam Sniffer reported that the attack began after the victim sent a small $50 test transaction to his own address.

How The Address Poisoning Scheme Unfolded

Notably, traders use this standard precaution to confirm that they are sending funds to the correct address.

However, that activity alerted an automated script controlled by the attacker, which immediately generated a “spoofed” wallet address.

🚨💔 A victim lost ~$50M after copying the wrong address from contaminated transfer history. https://t.co/ur4SJ0cvN0 pic.twitter.com/6K5ftJzC1G

— Scam Sniffer | Web3 Anti-Scam (@realScamSniffer) December 20, 2025

The fake address is designed to match the intended recipient’s address at the beginning and end of the alphanumeric string. The differences appear only in the middle characters, making the fraud difficult to detect at a glance.

The attacker then sent a negligible amount of cryptocurrency from the spoofed address to the victim’s wallet.

That transaction effectively placed the fraudulent address into the victim’s recent transaction history, where many wallet interfaces display only truncated address details.

Relying on that visual shorthand, the victim copied the address from their transaction history without checking the full string. So, instead of transferring funds to a secure personal wallet, the trader sent 49,999,950 USDT directly to the attacker.

After receiving the funds, the malicious attacker quickly moved to limit the risk of asset seizure, according to on-chain records. The attacker immediately swapped the stolen USDT, which its issuer can freeze, for the DAI stablecoin using MetaMask Swap.

The attacker then converted the funds into roughly 16,680 ETH.

To further obscure the transaction trail, the attacker deposited the ETH into Tornado Cash. The decentralized mixing service is designed to sever the visible link between sending and receiving addresses.

Victim Offers $1 Million Bounty

In an attempt to recover the assets, the victim sent an on-chain message offering a $1 million white-hat bounty in return for 98% of the stolen funds.

“We have officially filed a criminal case. With the assistance of law enforcement, cybersecurity agencies, and multiple blockchain protocols, we have already gathered substantial and actionable intelligence regarding your activities,” the message stated.

The message warned that the victim would pursue “relentless” legal action if the attacker failed to comply within 48 hours.

“If you fail to comply: We will escalate the matter through legal and international law enforcement channels. Your identity will be uncovered and shared with the appropriate authorities. We will relentlessly pursue criminal and civil action until full justice is served. This is not a request. You are being given one final chance to avoid irreversible consequences,” the victim stated.

The incident underscores a persistent vulnerability in how digital wallets display transaction information and how attackers exploit user behavior rather than flaws in blockchain code.

Security analysts have repeatedly warned that wallet providers’ practice of abbreviating long address strings for usability and design reasons creates a persistent risk.

If this problem is not solved, attackers are likely to continue exploiting users’ tendency to verify only the first and last few characters of an address.

The post Crypto Trader Suffers $50 million Loss Following Address Poisoning Attack appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Senator Cynthia Lummis, the US Senate’s most prominent cryptocurrency advocate, announced on December 19 that she will not seek reelection in 2026.

The decision sets a definitive deadline on her legislative agenda, creating a two-year sprint to enshrine digital asset regulations before she leaves office in January 2027.

Lummis’ Impending Retirement Adds Pressure to Codify Crypto Laws

Lummis cited the “exhausting” pace of recent sessions as the primary driver for her exit. “I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon,” she wrote, admitting she lacks the energy reserves for another six-year term.

Thank you, Wyoming! Serving our state has been the honor of my life. – Cynthia Lummis pic.twitter.com/FoRTlHaHxI

— Cynthia Lummis 🦬 (@CynthiaMLummis) December 19, 2025

Her impending departure adds immediate urgency to the crypto legislative calendar.

Lummis has been a major player behind several pivotal crypto bills, including the crypto market structure bill and the US National Bitcoin Strategic Reserve (SBR). Her efforts also stood against the SEC’s “regulation by enforcement” approach under Gensler.

While the Trump administration has reversed several anti-crypto measures and advanced pro-crypto goals through executive action, Sen. Lummis has welcomed those steps.

She has consistently argued, however, that durable progress requires legislative codification rather than policy set by executive order alone.

So, her final term will focus on bridging the gap between temporary executive orders and permanent congressional law to protect the industry from future political reversals.

“I look forward to throwing all my energy into bringing important legislation to [Trump’s] desk in 2026 and into retaining commonsense Republican control of the US Senate,” Lummis said.

Meanwhile, the announcement triggered immediate accolades from industry heavyweights. Some argued that her exit would leave a crypto leadership vacuum in Washington.

Collin McCune, Head of Government Affairs at a16z, highlighted her national impact and noted her role in advancing crypto legislation.

“Senator Lummis fought for Wyoming every day for many years. Beyond that, her leadership created space for innovators and builders across the country. Crypto would not be where it is today without her fight in the Congress,” he added.

Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of crypto exchange Kraken, offered a detailed retrospective on Lummis’s legacy, crediting her with making Wyoming the first jurisdiction to take a “technically informed approach” to digital assets.

Sethi praised Lummis for championing frameworks that aligned with “technical reality” rather than legacy assumptions. He said the approach helped create operating certainty across markets, from Bitcoin to emerging “memetic assets.”

“Senator Lummis advocacy for Bitcoin and digital assets has been grounded, patient, and long term. Not performative. Not reactive. Focused on competitiveness, resilience, and ensuring the United States remains a place where open systems can be built and operated responsibly,” Sethi said.

The post Pro-Crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis Won’t Run for Re-Election appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Sebuah koalisi yang terdiri dari lebih dari 125 perusahaan aset kripto dan kelompok advokasi telah meluncurkan serangan terkoordinasi terhadap pelobi perbankan AS. Grup ini mencakup perusahaan kripto besar seperti Coinbase, Gemini, dan Kraken.

Langkah ini meningkatkan pertarungan besar mengenai siapa yang berhak untuk membayar bunga atas simpanan stablecoin.

Mengapa bank berupaya melobi agar GENIUS Act diubah

Permasalahan utama adalah GENIUS Act secara tegas melarang penerbit stablecoin seperti Tether untuk membayar dividen.

namun, saat ini ada celah yang memungkinkan platform pihak ketiga, seperti exchange aset kripto, untuk menyalurkan hasil dari stablecoin ini kepada pengguna.

Akibatnya, kelompok perbankan tradisional secara agresif melobi untuk menutup jalan ini, karena mereka menyatakan bahwa hal ini adalah arbitrase regulasi.

Lobi perbankan berpendapat jika platform fintech yang tidak teregulasi diizinkan menawarkan hasil tinggi pada token setara kas, maka hal tersebut bisa menimbulkan risiko sistemik bagi arsitektur keuangan tradisional.

Di dalam pemaparan bersama Capitol Hill, mereka memperingatkan bahwa mempertahankan aturan saat ini dapat memicu arus keluar modal besar-besaran. Mereka memperkirakan potensi arus keluar simpanan hingga US$6,6 triliun dari bank komersial ke platform aset digital.

Pergeseran sebesar itu, ujar mereka, akan mengikis basis modal yang digunakan bank untuk mendukung kredit hipotek dan pinjaman bisnis. Akibatnya, bank harus mengurangi penyaluran kredit dan menaikkan biaya pinjaman bagi rumah tangga Amerika.

Koalisi Crypto Melawan Balik

Pada surat tertanggal 18 Desember kepada Komite Perbankan Senat AS, koalisi kripto mendesak para legislator untuk menolak upaya memperluas cakupan GENIUS Act yang baru disahkan.

“Membuka kembali isu ini sebelum GENIUS Act diimplementasi akan melemahkan kepastian yang menjadi ciri kerangka regulasi hasil keputusan Kongres dan membawa risiko tidak perlu terhadap upaya penguatan struktur pasar secara luas. Ini juga akan mengisyaratkan bahwa kompromi yang baru saja disahkan pun tetap bisa segera dinegosiasi ulang, sehingga mencederai prediktabilitas yang diandalkan pasar, konsumen, dan inovator,” terang koalisi tersebut.

Koalisi kripto juga menepis kekhawatiran bank soal stabilitas dan menilainya hanya sebagai upaya protektif agar tetap memonopoli simpanan berbunga rendah.

Para penandatangan surat itu menjelaskan bahwa bank hanya ingin melindungi margin keuntungan mereka dengan mencegah konsumen mengakses imbal hasil 4% yang sekarang tersedia di pasar Treasury.

“Program rewards stablecoin memungkinkan platform berbagi nilai langsung kepada pengguna, sehingga rumah tangga bisa menikmati manfaat dari lingkungan suku bunga tinggi alih-alih menanggung kerugian akibat inflasi,” papar perusahaan kripto tersebut.

The Banksters are trying to prohibit platforms like @Gemini, @coinbase, and @krakenfx from offering stablecoin rewards to you. The GENIUS Act already settled this issue with an elegant compromise — stablecoin issuers cannot offer rewards, but intermediary platforms like Gemini,… https://t.co/QpdiQfaD0X

— Tyler Winklevoss (@tyler) December 19, 2025

Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder Gemini, juga secara terbuka mengkritisi manuver lobi bank dengan menyebutnya sebagai upaya untuk “memperdebatkan kembali isu legislatif yang sudah selesai.”

Para pengembang inti Ethereum telah mengungkapkan rencana untuk melakukan dua upgrade besar jaringan pada tahun 2026, dengan kode nama “Glamsterdam” dan “Hegota”.

Keputusan ini menandai langkah strategis berkelanjutan jaringan blockchain tersebut untuk mempercepat jadwal perilisan upgrade. Langkah ini bertujuan agar ada jadwal upgrade dua kali setahun secara teratur dan membuat posisi Ethereum lebih kompetitif melawan sejumlah rival berkapasitas transaksi tinggi.

Ethereum lakukan upgrade dua kali setahun agar bisa bersaing dengan rival berkecepatan tinggi

Roadmap menargetkan “Glamsterdam” akan dirilis pada paruh pertama 2026, tidak lama setelah hard fork “Fusaka” yang baru-baru ini terjadi.

Menurut para pengembang, Glamsterdam akan berfokus pada perbaikan skalabilitas dan efisiensi secara langsung, terutama lewat optimasi gas dan penerapan “Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation” (ePBS).

Upgrade teknis ini bertujuan memisahkan peran builder blok dan proposer blok di tingkat protokol. Hal ini mengurangi risiko sensor dan makin mendesentralisasikan jaringan.

Sementara itu, para pengembang juga berencana untuk segera merampungkan daftar fitur penuh Glamsterdam setelah libur akhir tahun.

Di sisi lain, tahap kedua dari sprint 2026, yaitu “Hegota”, menyasar paruh kedua tahun tersebut.

Nama upgrade ini mencerminkan dua gabungan pembaruan, yaitu pembaruan layer eksekusi “Bogota” dengan pembaruan layer konsensus “Heze”.

Christine Kim, mantan Wakil Presiden di Galaxy Digital yang kini aktif memantau tata kelola protokol, menuturkan bahwa diskusi lingkup pembaruan Hegota akan dimulai pada panggilan All Core Developers tanggal 8 Januari.

Sesi-sesi ini akan menentukan fitur utama dari hard fork tersebut, dengan lingkup resmi yang diperkirakan rampung di akhir Februari.

Update Lain yang Sudah Direncanakan

Bersamaan dengan perubahan struktural ini, Ethereum Foundation secara agresif tengah mengarahkan ulang riset jangka panjangnya demi memperkuat keamanan jaringan.

Peneliti George Kadianakis mengonfirmasi bahwa tujuan jaringan ini ingin mencapai “keamanan terbukti 128-bit” di akhir tahun 2026. Standar kriptografi tersebut dianggap sangat penting untuk aplikasi finansial tingkat institusi.

“For zkEVMs, this isn’t academic. A soundness issue is not like other security issues. If an attacker can forge a proof, they can forge anything: mint tokens from nothing, rewrite state, steal funds. For an L1 zkEVM securing hundreds of billions of dollars, the security margin is not negotiable,” ucapnya .

Foundation tersebut mengaitkan inisiatif ini dengan sejumlah target khusus, termasuk integrasi “soundcalc” di bulan Februari lalu sinkronisasi penuh dengan hard fork Glamsterdam di bulan Mei.

Upaya ini bertujuan untuk menghilangkan hambatan teknis yang saat ini masih membatasi adopsi massal Ethereum.

Untuk menjembatani hal ini, para pengembang pun menerapkan strategi guna menurunkan hambatan masuk dan menyesuaikan kemudahan aplikasi Ethereum layaknya aplikasi konsumen arus utama.

Seorang trader aset kripto kehilangan US$50 juta dalam USDT milik Tether setelah menjadi korban serangan “address poisoning” yang sangat canggih.

Pada 20 Desember, perusahaan keamanan blockchain Scam Sniffer melaporkan bahwa serangan ini bermula setelah korban mengirim transaksi uji coba kecil senilai US$50 ke alamat wallet miliknya sendiri.

Bagaimana skema address poisoning terjadi

Trader memang biasa menggunakan langkah pencegahan standar seperti ini untuk memastikan mereka mengirim dana ke alamat yang benar.

Namun, aktivitas itu justru memicu skrip otomatis milik penyerang, yang langsung membuat sebuah alamat wallet “spoofing”.

🚨💔 A victim lost ~$50M after copying the wrong address from contaminated transfer history. https://t.co/ur4SJ0cvN0 pic.twitter.com/6K5ftJzC1G

— Scam Sniffer | Web3 Anti-Scam (@realScamSniffer) December 20, 2025

Alamat palsu ini dirancang agar cocok dengan alamat tujuan di awal dan akhir deretan karakter alfanumerik. Perbedaan terletak hanya di bagian tengah, sehingga sangat sulit dideteksi sekilas.

Penyerang lalu mengirim sejumlah aset kripto yang sangat kecil dari alamat spoofing tersebut ke wallet korban.

Transaksi tersebut secara efektif menempatkan alamat palsu tadi ke dalam riwayat transaksi terbaru korban, di mana banyak tampilan wallet hanya memperlihatkan bagian alamat yang telah dipersingkat.

Mengandalkan tampilan singkat itu, korban menyalin alamat tersebut dari riwayat transaksi tanpa mengecek seluruh deretan karakter. Alhasil, alih-alih mengirim dana ke wallet pribadi yang aman, trader tersebut justru mengirim langsung 49.999.950 USDT ke penyerang.

Setelah menerima dana tersebut, penyerang jahat tersebut langsung bergerak untuk mengurangi risiko aset disita, menurut catatan on-chain. Penyerang pun segera menukar USDT hasil curian, yang dapat dibekukan oleh pihak penerbit, menjadi stablecoin DAI melalui MetaMask Swap.

Penyerang kemudian mengonversi dana tersebut menjadi sekitar 16.680 ETH.

Untuk semakin menyamarkan jejak transaksi, pelaku kemudian mendepositkan ETH ke Tornado Cash. Layanan mixing terdesentralisasi ini memang dirancang agar hubungan alamat pengirim dan penerima menjadi sulit dilacak.

Korban tawarkan bounty US$1.000.000

Dalam upaya memulihkan aset, korban mengirim pesan on-chain yang menawarkan bounty white-hat senilai US$1 juta jika penyerang mengembalikan 98% dana yang dicuri.

“We have officially filed a criminal case. With the assistance of law enforcement, cybersecurity agencies, and multiple blockchain protocols, we have already gathered substantial and actionable intelligence regarding your activities,” ujar pesan tersebut .

Pesan itu juga memperingatkan bahwa korban akan melakukan tindakan hukum “tanpa henti” jika penyerang tidak menggubris dalam waktu 48 jam.

“If you fail to comply: We will escalate the matter through legal and international law enforcement channels. Your identity will be uncovered and shared with the appropriate authorities. We will relentlessly pursue criminal and civil action until full justice is served. This is not a request. You are being given one final chance to avoid irreversible consequences,” terang korban.

Insiden ini menegaskan adanya kerentanan yang terus berulang pada sistem wallet digital yang menampilkan informasi transaksi — dan bagaimana penyerang mengeksploitasi perilaku pengguna, bukan celah di kode blockchain.

Analis keamanan telah berulang kali memperingatkan bahwa praktik penyedia wallet yang memangkas panjang alamat demi kepraktisan dan desain antarmuka justru menciptakan risiko besar yang berkelanjutan.

Jika masalah ini tidak segera diatasi, para penyerang hampir pasti akan terus memanfaatkan kebiasaan pengguna yang hanya mengecek beberapa karakter awal dan akhir dari sebuah alamat.

Senator Cynthia Lummis, politisi Senat AS yang paling dikenal mendukung aset kripto, mengumumkan pada 19 Desember bahwa ia tidak akan mencalonkan diri lagi pada 2026.

Keputusan ini menjadi tenggat yang pasti untuk agenda legislasinya, sehingga menciptakan dua tahun terakhir untuk memperjuangkan regulasi aset digital sebelum ia meninggalkan jabatannya pada Januari 2027.

Rencana Pensiun Lummis Menambah Tekanan untuk Mengatur Hukum Aset Kripto

Lummis menyebut bahwa ritme kerja yang “melelahkan” dalam beberapa sidang terakhir menjadi alasan utama keputusannya. “Saya adalah legislator yang taat, namun saya merasa seperti pelari jarak pendek di dalam maraton,” tulisnya, sambil mengakui bahwa ia tidak memiliki stamina lagi untuk masa jabatan enam tahun berikutnya.

Thank you, Wyoming! Serving our state has been the honor of my life. – Cynthia Lummis pic.twitter.com/FoRTlHaHxI

— Cynthia Lummis 🦬 (@CynthiaMLummis) December 19, 2025

Kepergiannya dalam waktu dekat membuat agenda regulasi kripto di parlemen menjadi lebih mendesak.

Lummis punya peran penting di sejumlah RUU kripto utama, seperti RUU struktur pasar aset kripto dan Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) nasional AS. Ia juga menentang pendekatan “regulasi melalui penegakan hukum” yang dilakukan SEC di bawah kepemimpinan Gensler.

Walaupun pemerintahan Trump telah membalikkan sejumlah kebijakan anti-kripto serta mendorong tujuan pro-kripto lewat aksi eksekutif, Senator Lummis menyambut langkah-langkah tersebut.

Namun ia juga selalu menegaskan, kemajuan yang bertahan lama harus lewat aturan yang dilembagakan oleh legislatif, bukan sekadar kebijakan dari keputusan eksekutif semata.

Karena itu, masa jabatannya terakhir ini akan fokus menjembatani celah antara perintah eksekutif yang bersifat sementara dengan hukum kongres yang bersifat tetap demi melindungi industri dari potensi pembalikan politik di masa depan.

“I look forward to throwing all my energy into bringing important legislation to [Trump’s] desk in 2026 and into retaining commonsense Republican control of the US Senate,” ujar Lummis.

Sementara itu, pengumuman ini langsung mendapat pujian dari para tokoh besar industri. Sebagian berpendapat kepergian Lummis akan meninggalkan kekosongan kepemimpinan kripto di Washington.

Collin McCune, Kepala Urusan Pemerintahan di a16z, menyoroti pengaruh Lummis secara nasional dan perannya mendorong legislasi kripto.

“Senator Lummis memperjuangkan Wyoming setiap hari selama bertahun-tahun. Selain itu, kepemimpinannya membuka ruang bagi inovator dan builder di seluruh negeri. Dunia kripto tidak mungkin seperti saat ini tanpa perjuangannya di Kongres,” tambahnya.

Arjun Sethi, co-CEO crypto exchange Kraken, memberikan ulasan mendalam terkait warisan Lummis, dan menyebut dirinya berjasa menjadikan Wyoming sebagai yurisdiksi pertama yang menerapkan pendekatan “berbasis pengetahuan teknis” pada aset digital.

Sethi memuji Lummis karena mengedepankan kerangka kerja yang sejalan dengan “realitas teknis” daripada asumsi lama. Ia mengatakan bahwa pendekatan ini membantu menciptakan kepastian operasional di berbagai pasar, baik pada Bitcoin sampai “aset memetik” yang baru muncul.

“Senator Lummis advocacy for Bitcoin and digital assets has been grounded, patient, and long term. Not performative. Not reactive. Focused on competitiveness, resilience, and ensuring the United States remains a place where open systems can be built and operated responsibly,” papar Sethi .

Kriminal siber Korea Utara melakukan perubahan strategi dalam kampanye rekayasa sosial mereka. Mereka telah mencuri lebih dari US$300 juta dengan menyamar sebagai tokoh industri terpercaya dalam pertemuan video palsu.

Peringatan yang diuraikan oleh peneliti keamanan MetaMask, Taylor Monahan (dikenal sebagai Tayvano), menjelaskan adanya “long-con” canggih yang menargetkan eksekutif aset kripto.

Bagaimana Rapat Palsu dari Korea Utara Menguras Wallet Aset Kripto

Menurut Monahan, kampanye ini berbeda dari serangan belakangan yang mengandalkan AI deepfake.

Sebaliknya, pelaku menggunakan cara yang lebih sederhana dengan memanfaatkan akun Telegram yang dibajak dan rekaman video loop dari wawancara asli.

🚨 WARNING (AGAIN)

DPRK threat actors are still rekting way too many of you via their fake Zoom / fake Teams meets.

They're taking over your Telegrams -> using them to rekt all your friends.

They've stolen over $300m via this method already.

Read this. Stop the cycle. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/tJTo9lkq0v

— Tay 💖 (@tayvano_) December 13, 2025

Serangan biasanya diawali setelah peretas mengambil alih akun Telegram yang dipercaya, sering kali milik seorang venture capitalist atau seseorang yang pernah ditemui korban di konferensi.

Lalu, pelaku jahat ini memanfaatkan riwayat percakapan untuk terlihat sah, lalu membujuk korban menuju panggilan video Zoom atau Microsoft Teams lewat tautan Calendly yang disamarkan.

Begitu pertemuan dimulai, korban melihat apa yang nampaknya merupakan video langsung dari kontak mereka. Padahal, itu sering kali hanyalah rekaman ulang dari podcast atau penampilan publik.

Biasanya, momen penentu terjadi setelah muncul masalah teknis yang sengaja diciptakan.

Setelah menyebutkan ada gangguan audio atau video, pelaku akan mendesak korban agar memperbaiki koneksi dengan mengunduh skrip tertentu atau memperbarui software development kit (SDK). File yang dikirim saat itu berisi malware berbahaya.

Begitu malware terpasang—biasanya berjenis Remote Access Trojan (RAT)—pelaku bisa memperoleh kendali penuh.

Malware ini menguras wallet aset kripto dan mencuri data sensitif, termasuk protokol keamanan internal serta token sesi Telegram, yang kemudian digunakan untuk menargetkan korban berikutnya dalam jaringan.

Berkaca pada hal ini, Monahan memperingatkan bahwa vektor serangan khusus ini memanfaatkan kesopanan profesional.

Para peretas mengandalkan tekanan psikologis dari “pertemuan bisnis” untuk membuat korban lengah, sehingga permintaan bantuan teknis rutin bisa berubah menjadi pelanggaran keamanan yang fatal.

Bagi pelaku industri, semua permintaan untuk mengunduh perangkat lunak saat panggilan kini dianggap sebagai sinyal serangan yang aktif.

Sementara itu, strategi “pertemuan palsu” ini merupakan bagian dari serangan yang lebih luas oleh aktor dari Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Mereka telah mencuri sekitar US$2 miliar dari sektor ini selama setahun terakhir, termasuk peretasan Bybit.

Cosmos Labs sedang melakukan pencarian mendesak untuk ekonom eksternal guna merancang ulang token ATOM di tengah harga aset kripto ini yang terus mengalami tekanan.

Menurut perusahaan tersebut, Cosmos SDK kini menjadi framework yang banyak digunakan untuk meluncurkan jaringan blockchain. Hal ini mencakup proyek-proyek yang terkait dengan perusahaan besar dan inisiatif pemerintah yang sering dijadikan bukti adanya minat dari “Fortune 500”.

Mengapa Cosmos ingin mengubah desain ATOM

Namun, karena perangkat lunak ini bersifat open source, para pengguna bisa meluncurkan chain independen dan berdaulat tanpa harus membayar biaya ataupun royalti ke Cosmos Hub.

Alhasil, para builder institusi bisa memakai teknologi inti jaringan tersebut tanpa harus menjadi holder atau berinteraksi dengan ATOM.

Request for Proposals: ATOM Tokenomics Research ⚛️

A tokenomics RFP invites qualified research firms to submit proposals to provide data-driven research supporting a redesign of ATOM’s economic model.

Applications are due January 15. Read more: https://t.co/96lGdAyCAI

— Cosmos Hub ⚛️ (@cosmoshub) December 12, 2025

Perusahaan pengembang blockchain ini ingin mengubah situasi tersebut dengan memperkenalkan “model berbasis pendapatan” yang baru. Pendekatan ini akan memonetisasi penggunaan, baik di dalam chain maupun di luar chain.

“Tujuan riset ini bukan merancang model tokenomik baru dari nol, tapi menyediakan dukungan riset sekaligus desain untuk model berbasis pendapatan yang dapat mensinergikan beragam sumber potensi pendapatan ATOM dengan update pada dinamika suplai dan jadwal inflasi ATOM. Pada akhirnya, utilitas ATOM akan ditentukan oleh biaya-biaya ini, baik dalam bentuk buyback ATOM, reward staking ATOM, mekanisme lain, atau kombinasi dari beberapa hal tersebut,” demikian ujar mereka.

Di sisi lain, langkah ini juga menandai perubahan strategi bagi ekosistem Cosmos.

Cosmos Labs mengakui bahwa Interchain Security, framework keamanan bersama yang pernah dipromosikan sebagai penopang nilai utama ATOM, “gagal menemukan market fit produk.”

“Interchain Security sedang dalam proses dihentikan, dan arsitektur ekonomi Hub masih relatif terlepas dari aktivitas utama ekosistem Cosmos. Hingga saat ini, belum ada model biaya komprehensif di luar biaya transaksi yang terjadi di jaringan,” terang perusahaan itu.

Maka dari itu, upaya perombakan ini mengarah pada model ekonomi yang lebih menyerupai software enterprise, termasuk model biaya berbasis pemakaian, bukan sekadar sewa keamanan.

Meski begitu, pengimplementasian proposal apapun akan menghadapi batasan politik yang signifikan. Setiap perubahan substansial harus mendapatkan persetujuan dari Cosmos Hub DAO, yang dalam sejarahnya selalu menolak langkah-langkah yang dianggap sentralistik.

Cosmos Labs juga menyinggung proposal sebelumnya untuk menurunkan inflasi, yang lolos dengan selisih tipis hanya 3%. Keputusan itu pun memicu penarikan aset staking secara besar-besaran, menandakan betapa sensitifnya ekonomi token di komunitas ini.

Dengan memperhitungkan hal tersebut, perusahaan mengatakan bahwa setiap proposal yang sukses wajib memaparkan jalur pendapatan potensial, menganalisis batasan sisi suplai, dan memberikan panduan praktis yang selaras dengan kepentingan para pemangku kepentingan. Pengajuan proposal akan ditutup pada 15 Januari.

Di saat yang sama, langkah ini datang ketika ATOM anjlok hampir 76% sepanjang tahun ini hingga mencapai titik terendah lima tahun di sekitar US$2,1.

Kinerja harga tersebut mencerminkan tekanan mendalam di seluruh ekosistem, walau tumpukan perangkat lunak Cosmos justru makin banyak diminati pengembang blockchain dan berbagai pilot institusi.

---

Klien konsensus Ethereum, Prysm, mengungkapkan bahwa para validator kehilangan 382 ETH, setara dengan lebih dari US$1.000.000, setelah bug perangkat lunak memicu gangguan pada jaringan tak lama setelah upgrade Fusaka terbaru.

Kejadian ini, yang dijelaskan dalam laporan pasca insiden berjudul “Fusaka Mainnet Prysm incident,” berawal dari kejadian kehabisan sumber daya yang memengaruhi hampir semua node Prysm dan menyebabkan blok serta attestation terlewat.

Apa Penyebab Gangguan pada Prysm?

Menurut Offchain Labs, pengembang di balik Prysm, masalah tersebut muncul pada 4 Desember saat bug yang sudah pernah ada sebelumnya menyebabkan keterlambatan permintaan validator.

Keterlambatan itu menyebabkan blok dan attestation terlewat di seluruh jaringan.

“Node beacon Prysm menerima attestation dari node yang mungkin tidak sinkron dengan jaringan. Attestation ini merujuk pada block root dari epoch sebelumnya,” terang proyek tersebut.

Gangguan ini menyebabkan 41 epoch terlewat, dengan 248 blok hilang dari 1.344 slot yang tersedia. Itu setara dengan rasio slot terlewat sebesar 18,5% dan menurunkan partisipasi jaringan menjadi 75% selama kejadian tersebut.

Offchain Labs mengungkapkan bahwa bug yang jadi penyebab perilaku ini sudah dimasukkan dan digunakan di testnet sekitar sebulan sebelumnya, sebelum akhirnya terjadi di mainnet setelah upgrade Fusaka.

Walaupun mitigasi sementara berhasil mengurangi dampak langsungnya, Prysm menuturkan bahwa mereka kini sudah melakukan perubahan permanen pada logika validasi attestation demi mencegah kejadian serupa terulang.

Keragaman Client Ethereum

Bersamaan dengan itu, gangguan ini kembali menarik perhatian pada konsentrasi klien Ethereum dan risiko dari ketergantungan pada satu jenis perangkat lunak.

Offchain Labs menjelaskan bahwa gangguan tersebut bisa menyebabkan dampak yang jauh lebih parah bila Prysm menguasai porsi lebih besar dari basis validator Ethereum. Mereka menunjukkan bahwa keragaman klien di Ethereum adalah faktor penting yang mencegah kegagalan jaringan lebih luas.

“Klien dengan lebih dari 1/3 bagian jaringan akan menyebabkan kehilangan finalitas sementara dan lebih banyak blok yang terlewat. Kalau bug ada pada klien yang menguasai lebih dari 2/3 jaringan, ini bisa memfinalisasi chain yang tidak valid,” papar mereka.

Meski demikian, insiden ini semakin menguatkan seruan agar klien lebih beragam.

Data dari Miga Labs menunjukkan bahwa Lighthouse masih menjadi klien konsensus Ethereum yang paling dominan, dengan persentase 51,39% validator. Prysm mewakili 19,06%, diikuti Teku 13,71%, lalu Nimbus pada 9,25%.

Porsi Lighthouse menempatkannya sekitar 15 poin persentase dari ambang batas yang dinilai sebagian peneliti sebagai risiko sistemik.

Oleh karena itu, para pengembang dan partisipan ekosistem kembali meminta agar validator mempertimbangkan beralih ke klien alternatif supaya kemungkinan satu bug perangkat lunak mengganggu operasi utama blockchain bisa diminimalisir.

North Korea cybercriminals have executed a strategic pivot in their social engineering campaigns. They have stolen more than $300 million by impersonating trusted industry figures in fake video meetings.

The warning, detailed by MetaMask security researcher Taylor Monahan (known as Tayvano), outlines a sophisticated “long-con” targeting crypto executives.

How North Korea’s Fake Meetings Are Draining Crypto Wallets

According to Monahan, the campaign departs from recent attacks that relied on AI deepfakes.

Instead, it uses a more straightforward approach built on hijacked Telegram accounts and looped footage from real interviews.

🚨 WARNING (AGAIN)

DPRK threat actors are still rekting way too many of you via their fake Zoom / fake Teams meets.

They're taking over your Telegrams -> using them to rekt all your friends.

They've stolen over $300m via this method already.

Read this. Stop the cycle. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/tJTo9lkq0v

— Tay 💖 (@tayvano_) December 13, 2025

The attack typically starts after hackers seize control of a trusted Telegram account, often belonging to a venture capitalist or someone the victim previously met at a conference.

Then, the malicious attackers exploit prior chat history to appear legitimate, guiding the victim to a Zoom or Microsoft Teams video call via a disguised Calendly link.

Once the meeting starts, the victim sees what appears to be a live video feed of their contact. In reality, it is often a recycled recording from a podcast or public appearance.

The decisive moment typically follows a manufactured technical issue.

After citing audio or video problems, the attacker urges the victim to restore the connection by downloading a specific script or updating a software development kit, or SDK. The file delivered at that point contains the malicious payload.

Once installed, the malware—often a Remote Access Trojan (RAT)—grants the attacker total control.

It drains cryptocurrency wallets and exfiltrates sensitive data, including internal security protocols and Telegram session tokens, which are then used to target the next victim in the network.

Considering this, Monahan warned that this specific vector weaponizes professional courtesy.

The hackers rely on the psychological pressure of a “business meeting” to force a lapse in judgment, turning a routine troubleshooting request into a fatal security breach.

For industry participants, any request to download software during a call is now considered an active attack signal.

Meanwhile, this “fake meeting” strategy is part of a broader offensive by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) actors. They have stolen an estimated $2 billion from the sector over the past year, including the Bybit breach.

The post North Korea Hackers Steal $300 Million via Fake Zoom Meetings appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Cosmos Labs has opened an urgent search for external economists to redesign the ATOM token amid the digital asset’s price struggles.

According to the firm, the Cosmos SDK has become a widely used framework for launching blockchain networks. This includes projects tied to major enterprises and government initiatives often cited as evidence of “Fortune 500” interest.

Why Cosmos Wants to Overhaul ATOM’s Design

However, because the software is open source, those users can deploy independent, sovereign chains without paying fees or royalties to the Cosmos Hub.

As a result, these institutional builders can use the network’s core technology without holding or interacting with ATOM.

Request for Proposals: ATOM Tokenomics Research ⚛️

A tokenomics RFP invites qualified research firms to submit proposals to provide data-driven research supporting a redesign of ATOM’s economic model.

Applications are due January 15. Read more: https://t.co/96lGdAyCAI

— Cosmos Hub ⚛️ (@cosmoshub) December 12, 2025

The blockchain development firm wants to change this by promoting a new “revenue-driven model.” This approach would monetize both on-chain and off-chain usage.

“The goal of this research effort is not to design a new tokenomic model from first-principles, but rather to provide research and design support for a revenue-driven model that synergizes various sources of potential ATOM revenue with updates to ATOM’s supply dynamics and inflation schedule. Ultimately, ATOM’s utility will be driven by these fees, either in the form of ATOM buybacks, ATOM staking rewards, other mechanisms, or some combination thereof,” it stated.

Meanwhile, the initiative also marks a strategic pivot for the Cosmos ecosystem.

Cosmos Labs acknowledged that Interchain Security, the shared security framework once promoted as ATOM’s primary value driver, “failed to find product market fit.”

“Interchain Security is in the process of being deprecated, and the Hub’s economic architecture remains relatively detached from the broader activity of the Cosmos ecosystem. It lacks a comprehensive fee model today, outside of transaction fees occurring on the network,” the firm explained.

Consequently, this redesign effort points toward economic models closer to enterprise software norms, including consumption-based fees tied to usage rather than security rent.

However, implementing any proposal would face significant political constraints. Any material changes must be approved by the Cosmos Hub DAO, which has historically resisted measures viewed as centralizing.

Cosmos Labs referenced a previous proposal to reduce inflation that passed by a narrow 3% margin. The decision triggered a sharp withdrawal of staked assets, illustrating how sensitive token economics remain within the community.

Considering this, the firm stated that any successful proposal outlines potential revenue pathways, analyzes supply-side constraints, and offers practical guidance aligned with stakeholder interests. The RFP closes Jan. 15.

Meanwhile, this move comes as ATOM has fallen nearly 76% this year to a five-year low of around $2.1.

This price performance reflects a deep stress across the ecosystem, even as the Cosmos software stack has gained wider traction among blockchain developers and institutional pilots.

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The post Cosmos Eyes ATOM Radical Redesign Amid Price Struggles appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Ethereum consensus client Prysm said validators missed out on 382 ETH, equivalent to more than $1 million, after a software bug triggered network disruptions shortly after the recent Fusaka upgrade.

The incident, detailed in a post-mortem titled “Fusaka Mainnet Prysm incident,” stemmed from a resource exhaustion event that affected nearly all Prysm nodes and led to missed blocks and attestations.

What Caused Prysm’s Outage?

According to Offchain Labs, the developer behind Prysm, the problem emerged on December 4 when a previously introduced bug caused delays in validator requests.

Those delays resulted in missed blocks and attestations across the network.

“Prysm beacon nodes received attestations from nodes that were possibly out of sync with the network. These attestations referenced a block root from the previous epoch,” the project explained.

The disruption led to 41 missed epochs, with 248 blocks missing out of 1,344 available slots. That represented an 18.5% missed slot rate and pushed overall network participation down to 75% during the incident.

Offchain Labs said the bug responsible for the behavior was introduced and deployed to testnets about a month earlier, before being triggered on mainnet following the Fusaka upgrade.

While a temporary mitigation reduced the immediate impact, Prysm said it has since implemented permanent changes to its attestation validation logic to prevent a recurrence.

Ethereum’s Client Diversity

Meanwhile, the outage has renewed scrutiny around Ethereum’s client concentration and the risks posed by software monocultures.

Offchain Labs said the outage could have had more severe consequences if Prysm had accounted for a larger share of Ethereum’s validator base. The firm pointed to Ethereum’s client diversity as a key factor in preventing a wider network failure.

“A client with more than 1/3rd of the network would have caused a temporary loss in finality and more missed blocks. A bug client with more than 2/3rd could finalize an invalid chain,” it stated.

Despite that mitigation, the incident has intensified calls for greater client diversity.

Data from Miga Labs show that Lighthouse remains the dominant Ethereum consensus client, accounting for 51.39% of validators. Prysm represents 19.06%, followed by Teku at 13.71% and Nimbus at 9.25%.

Lighthouse’s share places it roughly 15% points away from a threshold that some researchers view as a systemic risk.

As a result, developers and ecosystem participants have again urged validators to consider switching to alternative clients to reduce the likelihood that a single software flaw could disrupt the blockchain’s core operations.

The post Prysm Bug Cost Ethereum Validators Over $1 Million After Fusaka Upgrade appeared first on BeInCrypto.