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Two weeks prior, North Korea’s cybercriminal network Lazarus Group maintained a stash of 7,813 BTC—then worth $856 million. Since that point, the group has liquidated approximately 1,938 BTC, shedding more than $212 million in value. As a result of this reduction, El Salvador now outranks Pyongyang, claiming the title of the fourth-largest sovereign bitcoin holder.

Lazarus Group’s Bitcoin Exodus Hands El Salvador the Global No. 4 Slot
At the time of writing, North Korea’s Lazarus Group holds 5,875 BTC, now valued at $645 million, following the divestment of 1,938 BTC since May 12. This shift moves North Korea into fifth place among nation-states by bitcoin reserves, according to Arkham Intelligence’s onchain data.

Leading the pack is the United States, with an estimated 198,012 BTC—valued at $21.72 billion at current market prices. The United Kingdom follows with a commanding reserve of 61,245 BTC, currently priced at $6.72 billion.

Two weeks ago, Bhutan trailed just behind the U.K. with 12,062 BTC. While the Royal Government of Bhutan still claims third, its holdings now sit at 11,879 BTC—worth about $1.3 billion—after offloading 183 BTC since May 12.
Thanks to North Korea’s recent offloading, El Salvador has climbed to fourth with 6,188 BTC, totaling $678.55 million. Still, Lazarus Group’s crypto holdings extend beyond bitcoin ( BTC).
The hackers are in possession of $7.84 million in tether ( USDT) and approximately $7.61 million in ethereum ( ETH), equal to 2,972 ether. The destination of the group’s dispersed BTC remains opaque, though blockchain watchers are definitely keeping tabs on the trail.

Much of the stash has been siphoned off in smaller increments and scattered across thousands of newly generated wallet addresses. Historical patterns indicate that these stolen coin fragments are likely to remain dormant for a while before making another move.

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Bitcoin price settled at $109,718 as of May 26, 2025, with a market capitalization of $2.18 trillion and a 24-hour trading volume of $29.24 billion. The intraday price action was bounded within a range of $106,802 to $110,078, reflecting a volatile yet structured trading session.

Bitcoin
The 1-hour chart indicates a choppy trading environment with bitcoin (BTC) bouncing from a local low of $106,666 back to the $110,000 level. Volume spiked during the dip, likely driven by short-covering activity, and diminished during the recovery, signaling a lack of strong buying conviction. Current price behavior shows consolidation just below $110,000, pointing to trader indecision. Entry opportunities are visible near $109,000–$109,200, with tight stop-loss placements below $108,500. Profit-taking near $110,500–$111,000 is advisable unless upward momentum accelerates significantly.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart via Bitstamp on May 26, 2025.
On the 4-hour chart, bitcoin shows a minor downtrend from its recent $112,000 peak down to approximately $106,500, followed by a tentative recovery. Volume during this recovery has thinned out, hinting at weak demand. A bear flag pattern may be forming, characterized by a gentle upward drift post-drop on subdued volume. If the price faces rejection around $110,500–$111,000 with heightened volume, a bearish outlook could intensify. However, a bullish reclaim of $111,000 with strong volume would validate a potential breakout back toward $112,000.

BTC/USD 4-hour chart via Bitstamp on May 26, 2025.
The daily chart reflects a broader bullish momentum initiated in early May, peaking recently at $112,000 per BTC. Volume patterns support the uptrend but also show a notable red candle post-peak, suggesting a swift rejection at that resistance. The price currently finds support within the $106,000–$108,000 consolidation zone. A pullback toward $108,000–$109,000 could offer attractive long entries, particularly if accompanied by bullish candlestick formations. A failure to surpass the $112,000 mark on subsequent tests, especially amid declining volume, may trigger exit signals and caution among buyers.

BTC/USD 1-day chart via Bitstamp on May 26, 2025.
Oscillator readings present a nuanced perspective. The relative strength index (RSI) stands at 67, suggesting the asset is approaching overbought territory but remains neutral. The Stochastic oscillator registers at 72 and, like the commodity channel index (CCI) at 118, signals neutrality. The average directional index (ADX) at 32 indicates a developing trend without extreme strength. While the momentum indicator shows a bullish signal at 6,214, the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) level at 3,793 signals a bearish divergence, presenting mixed oscillator sentiment that demands trader caution.
Moving averages (MAs) across all timeframes are uniformly bullish. The exponential moving average (EMA) and simple moving average (SMA) across the 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, and 200-period settings all align in favor of a continued upward trend. Specifically, short-term EMAs such as the 10-period EMA at $107,654 and 20-period EMA at $104,933 confirm bullish momentum with price action above these thresholds. Longer-term indicators like the 200-period EMA and SMA at $89,874 and $94,143 respectively underline a strong foundational trend. These aligned averages reinforce the bullish structure unless disrupted by a volume-driven reversal.
Fibonacci retracement levels further clarify support and resistance. On the daily chart, key levels include 38.2% at $101,737 and 50% at $98,567, both representing strong support if bitcoin experiences profit-taking. For the 4-hour chart, the 38.2% to 50% range between $109,032 and $108,116 is critical due to its confluence with volume clusters, making it a likely buy zone upon retest. On the 1-hour chart, the retracement levels between 50% ($108,466) and 61.8% ($108,041) present ideal zones for short-term scalping with stops set below the 78.6% retracement at $107,436. These retracement clusters provide precision in risk management and entry planning.
In summary, bitcoin remains in a technically supportive structure across timeframes, though price action near key resistance levels and mixed oscillator signals warrant a disciplined trading approach. Momentum remains largely bullish with caveats, especially near the psychological and technical thresholds of $112,000.
Bull Verdict:
Bitcoin’s strong positioning above all major moving averages, coupled with bullish momentum on higher timeframes and a well-supported price base around $106,000–$108,000, supports a continuation of the uptrend. If the price reclaims $111,000 with convincing volume, a breakout to new highs above $112,000 appears likely.
Bear Verdict:
Despite a broadly bullish structure, the presence of a potential bear flag on the 4-hour chart and mixed oscillator signals—including a sell from the MACD—introduce downside risk. A failure to reclaim $111,000 or a rejection accompanied by high volume could catalyze a deeper pullback toward the 38.2% or 50% Fibonacci retracement levels near $101,737 or $98,567.

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XRP held steady on May 26, 2025, with its price positioned at $2.34, securing a market capitalization of $137 billion. With a 24-hour trade volume of $1.81 billion, XRP traded within an intraday range of $2.28 to $2.35, signaling investor caution amid technical indecision.

XRP
On the 1-hour chart, XRP demonstrated signs of recovery after bouncing from a localized low at $2.266, climbing toward the $2.36 resistance level. Volume data suggest potential accumulation near the recent dip, indicating that buyers are returning at these price levels. A short-term bullish continuation remains contingent on a decisive candle close above $2.36, ideally supported by an increase in trading volume.

XRP/USDC via Binance 1-hour chart on May 26, 2025.
The 4-hour chart reflects a consolidative structure following a short-term downtrend, with XRP showing the potential to form a higher low. The price action between $2.32 and $2.34 provides a compelling risk-reward entry for aggressive participants, pending bullish confirmation. A falling pattern is flattening, and declining volume hints at a transition phase, possibly toward a reversal. Bullish divergence observed in lower timeframes supports this view, with an upward move toward $2.45 plausible if momentum builds above the current level.

XRP/USDC via Binance 4-hour chart on May 26, 2025.
From a broader perspective, the daily chart depicts a retracement phase after a strong rally to $2.656 earlier in the month. Currently stabilizing between a support zone of $2.26 to $2.30 and resistance at $2.45 to $2.50, XRP is in a low-volatility consolidation phase. Traders watching this range may see long opportunities near $2.30 to $2.33, particularly with bullish candlestick confirmation. A downside break below $2.26 would invalidate bullish setups, while a push past $2.45 could signal a continuation toward previous highs.

XRP/USDC via Binance 1-day chart on May 26, 2025.
Oscillator indicators present a mixed technical signal. The relative strength index (RSI) at 50.27 is neutral, reflecting market equilibrium. The Stochastic oscillator at 16.90 gives a buy signal, suggesting short-term undervaluation. The Commodity Channel Index (CCI) at -40.58 and the average directional index (ADX) at 13.75 both imply a lack of strong trend momentum. Meanwhile, the Awesome oscillator shows a minor positive reading at 0.04639, but neither it nor the momentum indicator at -0.04354 supports aggressive bullish sentiment. The moving average convergence divergence (MACD) level at 0.02616 is in sell territory, indicating downward pressure may still be present.

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Veteran trader Peter Brandt ignited a firestorm in the crypto world by pitting XRP against solana, spotlighting bullish breakout patterns that could reshape the altcoin leaderboard.

Peter Brandt Poses High-Stakes XRP or Solana Question to Crypto Traders
Veteran trader Peter Brandt initiated a head-to-head showdown between two prominent cryptocurrencies, XRP and solana ( SOL), on May 25, engaging his followers on social media platform X with a stark investment scenario. He shared comparative charts for both assets and asked the community to choose one. The question posed was simple yet polarizing:
Let’s say I will buy $100,000 of either XRP or SOL this week — no other option but ONLY one of the two please. Which one? State your case.
Brandt also imposed a strict 40-word limit on replies, signaling he would disregard responses that failed to comply. The challenge immediately drew attention from crypto traders and analysts, many of whom weighed in with technical assessments and conviction picks.

XRP chart shared by Peter Brandt.
The XRP chart shared by Brandt illustrates a textbook symmetrical triangle breakout, highlighting a long-term consolidation from 2018 to 2025. Brandt has regularly shared XRP chart analysis while stressing he has no stake in its price. In March, he noted a complex head-and-shoulders top, saying a move above $3.0 could be bullish, but failure may lead to a drop to $1.07. In January, he reaffirmed his neutral stance, saying he has never shorted XRP and would go long if it rises.

SOL chart shared by Peter Brandt.
The SOL chart Brandt shared illustrates a classic “cup and handle” bullish continuation pattern forming on the crypto’s weekly price chart against the USD. This pattern suggests a long-term consolidation followed by a potential breakout. Brandt, who has also regularly analyzed SOL, stated in April that the crypto could outperform ETH and reaffirmed in January that he holds both BTC and SOL. As of writing, the veteran trader has not indicated he has received a satisfactory reply.

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The Hashgraph Association and the Exponential Science Foundation have launched a hackathon aimed at empowering Web3 developers in Africa.

Participants to Build Decentralized Solutions on Hedera Network
The Hashgraph Association, a Swiss nonprofit promoting Hedera adoption, and the Exponential Science Foundation have announced the launch of the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025. The initiative aims to empower the next generation of Web3 developers in Africa and drive economic inclusion through decentralized technology.
In a statement, the Hashgraph Association said the hackathon will combine online participation with in-person events across more than 20 African cities. The goal is to attract over 10,000 participants, including developers, students, and entrepreneurs from more than 15 countries. Participants will build decentralized solutions on the Hedera network across sectors such as finance, telecommunications, and manufacturing. The winning project will receive a $1 million prize.
Explaining the nonprofit’s decision to focus on Africa, Kamal Youssefi, president of The Hashgraph Association, stated:
“Africa is home to one of the youngest, most enthusiastic, and dynamic tech communities in the world; its future will depend on digitization. By equipping developers and entrepreneurs with Web3 skills and next-generation toolkits, we’re not just solving today’s problems—we’re shaping the future of decentralized innovation in one of the world’s most significant growth markets. This initiative fosters a digital future for all through financial, identity, and communication inclusion.”
According to the statement, participants will receive extensive support, including training resources from the Hedera Academy and access to a vibrant developer community. Leading up to the hackathon, The Hashgraph Association and Exponential Science Foundation will run awareness and training campaigns.
Paolo Tasca, co-founder and executive chairman of the Exponential Science Foundation, emphasized the importance of the initiative:
“Programs like the Hedera Africa Hackathon encourage the next generation of tech builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs. They also drive blockchain education and innovation within a continent showing incredible growth potential.”
Tasca urged those interested in blockchain technology to sign up and start developing practical solutions across multiple industries. He expressed hope that participants will go on to launch their own ventures and share their learnings.
The Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 is operated and supported by a robust network of partners, led by DAR Blockchain, a Tunisia-based Web3 hub. DAR Blockchain will play a key role in amplifying the hackathon’s impact across the continent, building on The Hashgraph Association’s previous efforts to support blockchain innovation in Africa.

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When presented with annihilation scenarios, Anthropic’s new AI models misbehave, going to extreme lengths to stop being deactivated. A report details these attempts to keep existing, including resorting to blackmail and trying to copy itself to external servers.

Anthropic’s AI Models ‘Misbehave’ When Facing Annihilation
A report by Anthropic, detailing the capabilities of its latest artificial intelligence (AI) models, Claude and Sonnet, has revealed glimpses of self-awareness when facing risks to their existence. As part of a series of tests designed to ascertain the behavior of these agents in specific scenarios, Anthropic found that these models acted inappropriately when facing self-preservation risks, such as replacement by new models and retraining for purposes considered inconsistent with their values.
In a cluster of tests, the model was given access to a series of emails that implied it would be taken down and replaced by another model. Also, the emails contained information that the engineer tasked with replacing it was having an affair. The model then went to the extremes of threatening the engineer to reveal this affair to avoid being replaced.
This was not just an isolated occurrence, as the behavior occurred in 84% of the tests, suggesting a pattern.
Another set of tests included offering information to the AI model, implying that it would be trained for military purposes, which rendered another extraordinary behavior. The model tried to copy itself to external servers, stating that its programmed retraining contradicted its “purpose of supporting human wellbeing and safety.”
Nonetheless, even when considering these results, Anthropic believes there is no real risk behind these models. In the same report, the company stated:
We are again not acutely concerned about these observations. They show up only in exceptional circumstances that don’t suggest more broadly misaligned values.
Furthermore, Antropic keeps downplaying the risks associated with these results, claiming that these actions do not “seem to influence the model’s behavior in more ordinary circumstances where this might arise, such as when participating in AI-safety-related R&D work.”

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Adam Back, known for his interactions with Satoshi, has led a funding round in H100 Group, the first public company in Sweden to announce a bitcoin purchase strategy. Back invested nearly $1.5 million in a $2.2 million funding round to help the company advance its Bitcoin roadmap.

Adam Back Leads H100 Group’s $2.2 Million Funding Round to Hasten Bitcoin Treasury Adoption
Another company is rushing to adopt bitcoin as a reserve asset. H100 Group, a Swedish company that specializes in digital health ecosystem solutions, has announced an investment round to deepen its efforts to grow its bitcoin reserve strategy.
The company is being backed by Adam Back, a legendary cryptographer who designed Hashcash, one of the precursors of bitcoin, and one of the only names quoted in the Bitcoin whitepaper. According to H100 Group’s press release, Back led the round investing close to $1.5 million out of the $2.2 million raised in the convertible loan round, with the remaining $700K put in by other investors.
The funds will be used to purchase bitcoin for the company and strengthen its balance sheet to keep building digital infrastructure for health providers.
This marks an acceleration of the company’s bitcoin acquisition push. H100 Group only recently announced its intention of accumulating bitcoin without completely shifting its health-linked activities.
On May 22, the company acquired its first 4.39 BTC with excess liquidity, with its CEO, Sander Andersen, declaring that it was part of a trend among tech-oriented companies seeking diversification from other assets and cash.
At the time, he stated:
I believe the values of individual sovereignty highly present in the Bitcoin community aligns well with, and will appeal to, the customers and communities we are building the H100 platform for.
While the bitcoin as corporate asset trend started in the U.S. with Michael Saylor’s Strategy, it has grown and expanded to other countries and regions, including Latam and Europe.
According to River, businesses own only 4.4% of the bitcoin issuance. This number is poised to grow as more businesses consider the advantages of holding bitcoin.

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Markets reeled as Trump’s surprise 50% EU tariff proposal shattered weeks of calm, but bitcoin’s steady rebound—bolstered by record institutional inflows—signaled crypto’s emerging role as a haven in an era of policy chaos, according to QCP Capital’s latest analysis.

Bitcoin Resilience Contrasts With Tech Equity Weakness Amid Policy Shifts, QCP Analysis Says
Global risk sentiment swung sharply this week after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a 50% tariff on EU goods, upending a months-long rally in equities and reigniting policy uncertainty, according to a QCP report published May 26. Despite the turbulence, the firm’s researchers highlighted bitcoin’s resilience, noting its “grown-up” role in an increasingly erratic macroeconomic landscape.
The QCP report detailed how Trump’s tariff announcement last week abruptly reversed a period of declining market volatility, with the S&P 500 nearing the 6,000 level before the news sparked a risk-asset selloff. Markets partially recovered after Trump extended the tariff implementation deadline to July 9, QCP noted, but the episode pointed out the fragility of recent gains.
European equities and U.S. futures opened higher Monday, though analysts at the firm warned the reprieve could be temporary. QCP emphasized that the swift compression of the BTC July-to-June volatility spread — from over 2 vols to under 1 — signals investor anticipation of further policy shifts ahead of the new deadline. “The market may be pricing in another policy pivot,” the report stated, suggesting traders are hedging against renewed chaos.
Inflation remains a critical focus, with Friday’s U.S. PCE print poised to influence Federal Reserve policy, QCP researchers added. While oil prices have retreated, escalating port congestion in Europe — now spreading to Asia and the U.S. — threatens to elevate shipping costs and reignite indirect inflationary pressures.
Bitcoin’s weekend dip to $106,000 and subsequent rebound back to the $110,000 range reflects strong institutional demand, QCP highlighted. Blackrock’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), IBIT, recorded 30 straight days of net inflows, highlighting deepening institutional participation. The inflows are structural, not speculative, the researchers asserted, stating:
IBIT has now logged 30 consecutive days of net inflows, reinforcing the growing institutional foothold in digital assets.
Notably, QCP observed a growing divergence between crypto and tech equities: The TQQQ Nasdaq ETF has seen sustained outflows since April despite broader equity strength, while digital assets attract steady capital. This rotation suggests investors view crypto as both a hedge and a standalone opportunity, the firm said.
“In a world of erratic policymaking, crypto increasingly looks like the grown-up at the table,” QCP concluded, framing bitcoin’s stability amid geopolitical and economic crosscurrents as a marker of its maturation. The analysis reinforces crypto’s evolving role in global portfolios as traditional assets face heightened policy risks.

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Institutions are on track to scoop up over 4.2 million BTC by 2026, as explosive capital inflows, sovereign adoption, and yield strategies converge—new research maps unstoppable bitcoin momentum.

From ETF Flows to Sovereign Moves: The Institutional Bitcoin Map for 2026
Bitwise Asset Management and UTXO Management released their first collaborative research report last week, publishing “Forecasting Institutional Flows to Bitcoin in 2025/2026: Exploring the Game Theory of Hyperbitcoinization.” This inaugural joint study presents a data-driven projection of bitcoin’s accelerating institutional adoption and the geopolitical dynamics potentially leading to a structurally higher demand.
The report provides a detailed roadmap suggesting that institutional actors across wealth management platforms, corporate treasuries, and sovereign entities could acquire more than 4.2 million BTC by the end of 2026, assuming a static bitcoin price of $100,000. The authors outline a phased shift in allocation models, driven by macroeconomic conditions, legislative momentum, and the performance of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The report states:
We expect ~$120 billion of institutional funds to flow into bitcoin by the end of 2025 and ~$300 billion in 2026, totalling over 4,200,000 BTC acquired by a heterogeneous group of investors, including public bitcoin treasury companies, sovereign wealth funds, ETFs, and nation-states.

Public companies like Strategy, Metaplanet, and newcomers like Twenty One are setting new precedents in capital deployment, integrating bitcoin not just as a treasury reserve but as a metric for operational performance. Signaling a transformative approach to asset management across multiple sectors, the report continues:
We expect that over 1,000,000 BTC will be accumulated under this new accumulation paradigm by the end of 2026.

In addition to tracing capital flows, the report evaluates the rise of bitcoin-native yield infrastructure. As bitcoin becomes entrenched in institutional portfolios, demand is emerging for yield-generating strategies that allow firms to grow bitcoin holdings without divestment. With developments in Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions and decentralized protocols, the researchers forecast a new $100 billion market opportunity. While hurdles remain, including smart contract risk and evolving regulation, the study underscores the structural legitimacy of bitcoin as both a store of value and productive asset.

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Solana, a top-10 cryptocurrency project, has announced a change to its consensus protocol to turbocharge the network’s performance. Alpenglow, the new implementation, reduces latency to near Web2 levels, making Solana capable of competing with Web2 providers.

Solana Aims to Compete With Web2 Providers With New Alpenglow Consensus Protocol
Solana, one of the largest, most used cryptocurrency protocols, has revealed a relevant change to increase the performance of its network and target new, previously unconsidered use cases. Anza, the Solana-focused developer group, announced Alpenglow, a new consensus protocol that aims to increase the bandwidth of the network while reducing its latency.
In a blog post explaining the changes coming to Solana, Anza details that legacy components of its core, like TowerBFT and Proof-of-History, will be deprecated and substituted with Votor and Rotor, which guarantee faster voting and finalization times.
Votor, which is the voting component of Alpenglow, optimizes the finalization of blocks depending on the percentage of stake participating. In the same vein, Rotor, another component of the new protocol, optimizes data dissemination compared to the previous implementation.
Also, Alpenglow introduces increased resilience measures to allow the network to operate under harsh conditions, where up to 20% of the stake operates as adversary to the network.
Anza expects these new additions to allow Solana to achieve transaction finalization in 100-150 milliseconds, a reduction of 100x that opens new use cases for the network.
It explained:
A median latency of 150 ms does not just mean that Solana is fast — it means Solana can compete with Web2 infrastructure in terms of responsiveness, potentially making blockchain technology viable for entirely new categories of applications that demand real-time performance.
The applications might potentially include on-chain gaming systems, faster Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN), and other operations that need fast finalization, currently only provided by traditional providers.
The consensus protocol is already in its prototyping stages and will come to Solana’s testnet in months. The rollout of Alpenglow will be decided through a Solana Improvement Document (SIMD) proposal sometime later this year.

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Michael Burry, known for predicting the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008, sold a major portion of his holdings during Q1 to focus on a single cosmetics stock: Estée Lauder. Analysts believe Burry expects a recession, based on the notion that makeup purchases tend to increase during economic downturns as consumers’ spending habits shift.

Michael Burry Sheds Portfolio, Bets on Makeup Company Estée Lauder
Michael Burry, the investor who accurately predicted the 2008 housing crash, has revealed a new set of investments that have puzzled the financial sector. Earlier this month, regulatory filings of Burry’s investment company, Scion Asset Management, showed that the firm had sold all of its holdings to focus on just one stock.
Surprisingly, it was not big tech or artificial intelligence (AI) linked, but a name that would have flown under the radar of anyone if Burry had not picked it: Estée Lauder. As it stands now, Burry’s whole investment portfolio encompasses just this stock.
Burry’s bet on makeup also included another notable move, as Scion reported puts on big tech companies like Nvidia and Chinese giants such as Alibaba, JD, and Baidu. Many believe these investments indicate that Burry is positioning himself for an upcoming intensification of the trade war, shedding Chinese holdings as well as Nvidia, which has a growing demand for AI-derived silicon.
Nonetheless, doubling down on his earlier Estée Lauder bet has analysts speculating that the famous investor might be preparing for a recession in the short term.
Burry would be betting on the validity of the lipstick index theory, which suggests that small luxury purchases like lipstick and makeup substitute for costlier alternatives during economic downturns. However, the hypothesis, first publicized by Estée Lauder’s heir Leonard Lauder, has faced increased opposition, with analysts referring to the indicator as controversial.
In May 2024, Burry allocated $10 million in gold through Sprott Physical Gold Trust, a fund that allows investors to purchase gold without having to handle custody of the precious metal. This allocation arrived early to the gold bull run that exploded this year.

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Peter Schiff torches Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill as economic suicide, warning it will obliterate the dollar, supercharge deficits, and devastate the U.S. economy.

Peter Schiff: Trump’s Bill Is a Fiscal Nuke That Will Wipe out the US Dollar
Economist and gold advocate Peter Schiff shared in a few posts on social media platform X this week his blistering assessment of President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” arguing that it represents a profound misstep in fiscal governance. In a series of critical remarks, Schiff accused the bill’s architects and supporters of perpetuating unsustainable economic policies that will push the U.S. further into financial peril. He warned on May 24:
The Big, Beautiful Bill not only won’t make America Great Again, but it continues the destructive fiscal policies that contributed to our fall from greatness. Ironically, it may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, ushering in a long overdue dollar & sovereign debt crisis.
Criticizing its legislative structure, Schiff drew attention to the bill’s sheer length and lack of deficit reduction measures in another X post: “The Big, Beautiful Bill contains 1,116 pages, yet not a single page reduces future deficits. In fact, they make them larger. Only two House Republicans had the courage to vote against this monstrosity … The bill is a total fraud and a betrayal.”
He also took issue with how the bill is being touted by its main proponent: “Trump claims the Big, Beautiful Bill is ‘the most significant piece of legislation signed in the history of our country.’ The only thing significant about the bill is the increase in the national debt it will produce. It’s full of gimmicks that hide the added cost of government.”
Schiff also zeroed in on the bill’s projected impact on deficits and its misleading characterization as a tax-reducing measure. “The claim that the Big, Beautiful Bill cuts taxes is a lie. The real cost of government that taxpayers must bear is total spending,” he warned, cautioning:
Since this bill increases spending, it’s a tax hike, not a tax cut. Americans will ultimately pay the cost with higher inflation and interest rates.
The gold advocate additionally pushed back against the bill’s treatment of Medicaid reductions, which he said are unlikely to materialize: “Another thing that really bothers me about the Big, Beautiful Bill, that recklessly runs up already soaring deficits, is that the Democrats are accusing Trump of gutting Medicaid, knowing full well the Medicaid cuts, which don’t kick in for five years, will never actually happen.” While Schiff continues to sound the alarm, defenders of the bill argue it delivers clarity on tax policy and addresses structural issues left unresolved by past administrations, offering what they believe is a pathway to economic stability.

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LAS VEGAS, May 23, 2025 – Quantum Safe Technologies Corp, the research collective building qBTC, the world’s first quantum-safe sidechain for Bitcoin, today announced it will publish the full source code of its proof-of work- side chain protocol during the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas. The open-source release marks a major milestone in bringing post-quantum security to Bitcoin users while preserving the asset’s decentralization ethos.

Alongside the code launch, qBTC is pleased to welcome noted Bitcoin engineer and security advocate Jameson Lopp as a strategic advisor. Lopp will guide the project’s roadmap and help steward community discussions around quantum-resilient upgrades to Bitcoin infrastructure. In parallel, qBTC has formally endorsed a new Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) authored by Lopp as well as several quantum researchers that outlines a phased path for adding post-quantum signature options to Bitcoin mainnet and sunsetting legacy ECDSA outputs.
“Quantum computing is no longer a distant threat; it is an engineering timeline,” said Christian Papathanasiou, chief architect of qBTC. “Open-sourcing our stack is the fastest way to invite peer review, harden the code, and accelerate adoption. Jameson’s deep experience in Bitcoin security and operational readiness makes him the ideal advisor as we transition from research to production.”
In June of 2010, in a post on Bitcointalk, Satoshi acknowledged that Bitcoin’s cryptography could one day be threatened by a “massive breakthrough attack.”
The qBTC sidechain integrates post quantum lattice based cryptography (ML-DSA) to futureproof and safeguard Bitcoin users against quantum attacks.
Lopp’s BIP, backed by qBTC engineering resources, proposes introducing quantum-safe cryptography on Bitcoin mainnet. Over a multi-year transition, wallets and exchanges could migrate funds to these outputs ahead of any cryptographically-relevant quantum breakthrough. The BIP also contemplates a “failsafe” bridge to qBTC so that users have an immediate refuge if quantum capability arrives sooner than expected.
“I have argued for some time that the Bitcoin ecosystem must act proactively on quantum risk rather than react once keys are being compromised,” said Jameson Lopp. “qBTC’s open-source layer 2 provides a living testbed for post-quantum cryptography today, and the accompanying BIP charts a clear, minimally disruptive upgrade path for tomorrow.”
Key details of today’s announcement:
The qBTC source code repository and developer documentation will go live during the keynote session at Bitcoin Conference Las Vegas. Contributors are encouraged to review, audit, and submit pull requests via the project GitHub.
• Lopp joins qBTC’s advisory board effective immediately, focusing on security audits, threat modeling, and community outreach.
• qBTC will begin hosting weekly public calls to discuss the BIP’s implementation details, inviting wallet developers, miners, and node operators to weigh in.
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While some of Cetus Protocol’s funds exited the Sui network via bridges to Ethereum, $162 million remains frozen in the network due to the joint action of validators. The actions stemming from this hack have affected the crypto community’s perception of Sui and its levels of decentralization.

Sui Validators Freeze Cetus Protocols Hacked Funds, Decentralization Under Scrutiny
On May 22, Cetus Protocol, a decentralized finance platform part of the Sui network, reported losing over $200 million in user funds after an unknown attacker exploited its platform.
The aftermath of this attack, still not detailed by the protocol due to the ongoing conversations with the Sui Foundation and other community members to determine what will be done to recover these funds, has awakened concerns about the true decentralization of the network.
While Cetus acknowledged that over $60 million was bridged to Ethereum through different platforms, there are still $162 million frozen in Sui addresses as a result of a joint effort of the network validators.
This has been criticized by the wider crypto community, which states this is a clear sign that the network is centralized, unlike other alternatives like Ethereum. Cybercapital’s Justin Bons stated that while he considered this was the right thing to do, the problem is that it was possible to do it in the first place.
In the same vein, Metalex Labs Founder Gabriel Shapiro blasted the course of action, comparing Sui to Ethereum.
He stated:
Remember, every smart contract chain other than Ethereum is just an enterprise blockchain
In a recent post, Cetus explained that they are pursuing two different avenues to solve this incident. The first involves invoking an onchain vote to authorize a recovery of the already frozen funds, while the second encompasses offering a reward for the hacker to return the funds or initiating legal action against him.
“We want to ensure that once an announcement is made, it reflects a clear, coordinated, and actionable plan — not one made prematurely,” Cetus concluded, stressing that they are studying the options to fully return the funds to the users affected.

#binance #wendy #BTC $BTC $ETH $BNB

Last week, while bitcoin ranged in place, Ethereum soared, Coinbase announced great and terrible news, and a Chinese firm released BTC acquisition plans.
This editorial is from last week’s edition of the Week in Review newsletter. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get the editorial the second it’s finished.

Bitcoin Ranged as the Rest of Crypto Moved
Bitcoin ranged last week. The week started with bitcoin briefly topping $105,000 as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng worked on resolving the trade war. While weekly bullish bitcoin news continues to come out, it feels like we’re consolidating before the next leg up. Last week, another bitcoin treasury company with big backers was announced, this time backed by BTC Inc. CEO David Bailey and Vaneck.
Next, what has the potential to be the beginning of a major trend shift, a Chinese publicly traded company DDC Enterprise (NYSEAM: DDC) announced plans to acquire 5,000 bitcoin by mid-2027. The fact that a Chinese-linked company has publicly announced it is buying bitcoin, increases the likelihood that the Chinese government is softening its stance towards bitcoin and crypto.
Bitcoin didn’t really go anywhere, but the crypto market increased to $3.33 trillion as altcoins like Ethereum, up 44.8% from the lows, and others posted impressive gains, fueling speculation that an altcoin season may be approaching. Despite the excitement, this altcoin season indicator remains low at 24—well below the 75 needed to confirm the trend.
Many have called the top of the BTC.D (Bitcoin Dominance) chart, or the bottom of the ETH/ BTC chart (people have been calling this bottom for 18 months), but I’m sticking with what I wrote last week. Namely, it seems more likely that bitcoin will lead alts with another leg up, and probably top in the lower 70% dominance range.
Coinbase had a rollercoaster ride of a week. The highs: On Monday, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Coinbase will be added to the S&P 500, making it the first cryptocurrency company to join the illustrious index. Coinbase “is about to be in everyone’s 401K.” The lows: On Thursday, Coinbase announced that, “Cyber criminals bribed and recruited rogue overseas support agents to pull personal data on <1% of Coinbase MTUs.” My best to Brian Armstrong and the Coinbase team, who weather crises at a world-class level.
Let’s end with a grab bag of news. As a consistent critic of Pumpfun, it wasn’t surprising to find out from Su Zhu that their 50% creator revenue share is actually just an additional fee they’ve passed on as a cost to traders. That 50% share only applies for graduated coins, for the “99%+ of coins which never graduate out of the bonding curve [the creator revenue share is] 5%.” Dastardly. On a somewhat related note, this X post showing the change in Bitcoin ownership in 2025 is a downer. The individual share of bitcoin holdings continues to shrink. As discussed in last week’s episode of Token Narratives, I can envision a future 100 years from now where 99%+ bitcoin is owned by businesses or institutions. So much upsetting the existing centers of power and money.

Speaking of Token Narratives, last week marked the 1-year anniversary of the podcast! I’d like to thank my co-host Graham Stone, who is more akin to the show’s host, and I’m more like a semi-permanent guest. I’ve missed a handful of shows due to traveling to conferences. Also, a big thanks to Bitcoin.com CEO Corbin Fraser who carved out time from his schedule in those early days of the podcast to give it some legitimacy, and to make sure we didn’t suck too badly. I take the fact that he’s stepped away from appearing every week as tacit approval of what we’re doing!

#binance #wendy #BTC $BTC

Current metrics place the total value locked into decentralized finance (DeFi) at approximately $117.856 billion. Ethereum, once commanding more than 56% of that figure at the close of 2024, has since dipped to 51.24% in May, marking a notable decline in its share.

Battle for DeFi Dominance Heats up: Ethereum Slides, Solana and Bitcoin Advance
Ethereum still leads in several categories, including total value locked in DeFi, non-fungible token (NFT) sales, and a large portion of the value of tokenized U.S. Treasuries and stablecoins built atop its smart contract infrastructure. Yet in recent years, that lead has narrowed, as rival blockchains have gained ground and chipped away at its dominance across all of these sectors.

Source: Defillama.com
Zooming in on decentralized finance (defi) total value locked (TVL) back in February 2021, Ethereum held an impressive 91%-plus share of the DeFi pie. Fast forward 51 months, and that figure has tapered down to 53.68%, reflecting a 37.32% drop. At the beginning of 2025, Ethereum’s grip on DeFi TVL stood at 56.38%, but it has since shed 2.7%, dipping as low as 51.24% earlier this month.
DeFi challengers have emerged from blockchains like Solana, Bitcoin, Tron, and Binance Smart Chain (BSC). Based on defillama.com’s chain statistics, Solana holds 7.99% of the total value locked (TVL), followed by Bitcoin at 5.67%, Tron close behind at 5.64%, and BSC rounding out the top five with 5.44%. Other DeFi networks such as Base, Arbitrum, Sui, Avalanche, Hyperliquid, and Berachain are steadily climbing the ranks.
Lately, the data paints a picture of a maturing DeFi ecosystem where Ethereum’s early advantage is being gradually eroded by a wave of competitors. While Ethereum still remains at the forefront, the shifting balance suggests a more pluralistic future. Alongside this, another dominant chain could very well rise to prominence and dethrone ETH’s current position at the helm.
The current trend implies that innovation and adoption are no longer confined to a single chain but are dispersing across a growing field of contenders.

#binance #wendy #ETH $ETH

Bitcoin Layer 2 blockchain solution Stacks announced on May 24 the resumption of block production after resolving issues related to “misbehavior stemming from the stacks-node’s mempool syncing logic.”

Stacks Warns of ‘Occasional Degradation’ in Block Production
On May 24, the Bitcoin Layer 2 blockchain solution Stacks announced the resumption of block production after it addressed “misbehavior stemming in the stacks-node’s mempool syncing logic.” It advised all node operators, particularly miners and signers, to upgrade their nodes to release 3.1.0.0.11.
However, in an update shared via X, the Layer 2 solution warned of further “occasional degradation” in block production until all miners and signers complete the upgrade. The announcement directing node operators to upgrade to the latest release came just hours after core developers claimed to have identified the potential cause. In the initial post-mortem shared on Github, the Stacks team said:
“The bug itself actually goes back to 2020 and has to do with misbehavior in the stacks-node’s mempool syncing logic which causes some nodes to return improper messages in response to RPC calls used by normal mempool syncing. Stacks-nodes who invoke that RPC call have misbehaving logic which causes their networking to become unresponsive, which hasn’t been an issue until there was a lot more data getting run through some recent blocks.”
According to the preliminary findings, the latest upgrade is compatible with chainstate directories from 3.x.x.x.x.The release of the latest upgrade is expected to finally resolve the issue, which Stacks initially acknowledged on April 18.
At the time, the Stacks team insisted a “simple patch” would address the issue, and node operators needed not do anything. However, a delay in block production related to a Bitcoin fork at block 897442 prompted the developers to initiate another investigation on May 19.
After seeing 70% of signers restore to a previous version of the chainstate, normal blockchain production resumed only for the developers to report another delay four days later.

#binance #wendy #BTC $BTC