Lưu trữ cho từ khóa: #DeFi

DeFi

Hong Kong police arrest 27 in $46m deepfake crypto romance scam

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Hong Kong police have dismantled a deepfake romance scam that swindled men out of $46 million through fake cryptocurrency investments.

According to a local report, law enforcement in Hong Kong cracked down on a multinational crypto romance scam, which targeted victims from Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China, and other regions, and was run by a fraud syndicate using advanced deepfake technology. 

Police arrested 27 people, including university graduates and suspected Sun Yee On triad members, who helped run the scheme and set up fake trading platforms that tricked victims into investing in bogus cryptocurrency investments.

Romance scams, sometimes called pig butchering scams, involve scammers posing as love interests to gain someone’s trust. They eventually convince their victims to invest in fake cryptocurrency investments promising lucrative returns, then vanish with the money.

The inner workings of the scam

The syndicate used AI-generated photos of attractive women to initiate online romantic relationships with unsuspecting men. The victims were later persuaded to invest in what they believed to be legitimate cryptocurrency platforms, only to find out later that they could not withdraw any funds.

Senior Superintendent Fang Chi-kin, who heads the New Territories South regional crime unit, said that the syndicate’s victims were tricked even during video calls, as deepfake technology was used to replace the scammers’ appearances and voices with those of attractive women.

Victims were then persuaded into making investments in cryptocurrency via the fake trading platforms and were even shown fake transaction records that claimed to show profits on their investments.

“They even discussed future plans with the victims, creating a false sense of happiness to encourage them to continue investing,” Fang added.

The fraudsters divided their operations into various roles, including scam operations, technical support, and accounting, police said. Recruits, often university graduates, were hired to manage English-speaking or Mandarin-speaking victims and were given training manuals outlining how to build trust with victims, particularly in the area of investment.

Per the report, each fraudster involved in the syndicate could earn tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars per month, with some earning over HK$100,000. The police are continuing investigations and have not ruled out further arrests.

The scammers had been operating since October 2023 and managed to defraud victims out of HK$360 million (roughly $46 million.)

Romance scams on the rise

Cryptocurrency scammers are getting more sophisticated with their techniques, and romance scams are just one of their tactics. The rise of AI is adding to the challenge, helping scammers pull off more convincing schemes.

Over the years, agencies like the United States Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have warned of the rise in romance scams, particularly those involving cryptocurrency. 

A study led by University of Texas finance professor John Griffin revealed that romance scams caused over $75 billion in losses from January 2020 to February 2024, with many of the scammers operating out of Southeast Asia. In a recent case, a U.S. citizen filed a lawsuit after losing $2.1 million in Bitcoin to one of these pig butchering scams run by a crime syndicate in the region.

Meanwhile, in April, the Virtual Currency Unit within the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office uncovered a similar scheme targeting victims all across the U.S.

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Theo Crypto News

DeFi

Spot Bitcoin ETFs record largest single-day inflow in over four months

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Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds In the United States have experienced their largest inflow in over four months, reflecting a surge of investor interest in Bitcoin as the cryptocurrency market rebounds.

Data from SoSoValue shows that on Oct. 14, net inflows across 12 Bitcoin ETFs amounted to $555.86 million, more than double the $253.54 million recorded on the previous trading day.

Among the 12 ETFs, Farside’s FBTC led with an impressive inflow of $239.25 million, marking its largest since June 4 and continuing its second consecutive inflow day. Bitwise’s BITB fund also saw strong inflows of $100.2 million, while BlackRock’s IBIT recorded $79.51 million in new investments after a brief pause in activity.

Other notable funds, including ARK Invest and 21Shares’ ARKB, registered inflows of $69.8 million, and Grayscale’s GBTC recorded its first inflow since Sept. 27, with $37.77 million entering the fund. Grayscale’s GBTC has faced challenges, however, with cumulative outflows of $20.15 billion since its launch, despite the recent positive momentum.

Smaller funds such as HODL, EZBC, BTCO, the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust, and Valkyrie’s BRRR collectively contributed an additional $29.34 million in inflows.

As Bitcoin’s (BTC) price reached a two-week high on Oct. 14, climbing from $62,500 to an intraday peak of $66,500, trading volumes across Bitcoin ETFs also surged. Total volume across the 12 Bitcoin ETFs soared to $2.61 billion, reflecting renewed optimism in the market.

By press time, Bitcoin was trading at $65,268, with ETF Store President Nate Geraci describing the day as a “monster day” for spot Bitcoin ETFs.

Over the past ten months, Bitcoin ETFs have attracted a staggering $19.36 billion in net inflows, with analysts forecasting further growth.

In an Oct. 14 X post, Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas compared Bitcoin ETFs to gold-based products, noting that Bitcoin funds have hit an all-time high five times since their January launch.

In contrast, gold ETFs have seen only $1.4 billion in net inflows this year, despite gold hitting record highs 30 times in 2024.

Ethereum ETFs struggle to match Bitcoin’s performance

While Bitcoin ETFs enjoyed a significant inflow day, Ethereum ETFs saw a comparatively muted response. Total net inflows for Ethereum-focused funds on Oct. 14 amounted to just $17.07 million, with BlackRock’s ETHA fund leading the pack at $14.31 million.

Fidelity’s FETH, Invesco’s QETH, and 21Shares’ CETH recorded smaller inflows of $1.31 million, $1.05 million, and $393.69K respectively, while other spot Ethereum ETFs saw no new inflows.

Despite the modest inflows, Ethereum ETF trading volumes did increase, reaching $210.4 million on Oct. 14, up from $143.54 million the day prior. Since their July launch, however, Ethereum ETFs have faced net outflows totaling $541.82 million. At the same time, Ethereum’s (ETH) price showed signs of recovery, climbing 2.8% to $2,594 at press time.

Tổng hợp và chỉnh sửa: ThS Phạm Mạnh Cường
Theo Crypto News

DeFi

PUFFER soars after token launch and claims open

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Puffer Finance’s native token saw its price spike sharply on Oct. 14 after the liquid restaking protocol announced that token claims were now open.

The PUFFER token, which has received support from several top crypto exchanges, including Kraken, Bybit, and Bitget, rose to highs of 49 cents.

This represented a spike of more than 55% for the token just after Puffer announced the opening of token claims. Puffer Finance experienced congestion that ‘overwhelmed’ the website as rising numbers of users attempted to reclaim PUFFER tokens.

What is Puffer Finance?

PUFFER is the native governance token of Puffer Finance, a decentralized finance protocol offering yield farming and staking for its users.

The token’s role in the Puffer and UniFi, a based rollup, includes use in liquid restaking and support of actively managed services. Its integration into Puffer’s liquid restaking technology and UniFi’s AVS allows holders to earn yield and participate in the decentralized governance that manages the protocol’s treasury rewards.

Holders can stake or use PUFFER in the governance of the restaking protocol through the vePUFFER staking service.

Puffer Finance’s liquid restaking platform on Ethereum (ETH) laces it among the top protocols in terms of total value locked, with ecosystem giants such as Ether.Fi and EigenLayer leading. According to DeFiLlama data, Puffer has a TVL of over $1.4 billion.

The protocol raised $18 million during its Series A funding round in April 2024. Brevan Howard Digital and Electric Capital co-led the round, which also attracted backing from Coinbase Ventures, Lemniscap, and Franklin Templeton.

In an earlier round in August 2023, Puffer secured $5.5 million. Lemniscap and Lightspeed Faction co-led that round.

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Theo Crypto News

Altcoin

Hyperliquid announces native token HYPE ahead of mainnet launch

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Hyperliquid has introduced its native token, HYPE, as part of its upcoming HyperEVM mainnet launch.

Eligible users can claim HYPE and a commemorative Hypurr non-fungible token during the Genesis Event by accepting the terms before Nov. 11. The Hyper Foundation, recently established to support Hyperliquid’s ecosystem, confirmed this development.

Hyperliquid is a decentralized exchange offering deep liquidity for a variety of assets. Liquidity refers to how easily assets can be traded without affecting prices.

The Hyper Foundation, established to support the growth of the Hyperliquid ecosystem, focuses on building a decentralized financial infrastructure, including the development of Hyperliquid’s blockchain and applications. 

The HyperEVM, an Ethereum (ETH) compatible blockchain, will allow any application built on Hyperliquid to leverage this liquidity and financial tools, making decentralized finance more accessible.

The launch of HYPE is also crucial for the network’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which requires users to hold tokens to validate transactions and secure the network.

Tổng hợp và chỉnh sửa: ThS Phạm Mạnh Cường
Theo Crypto News

DeFi

Solv Protocol secures $11m strategic funding to drive BTC staking

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Binance Labs-backed Solv Protocol has completed an $11 million raise in a strategic funding round as it looks to bring Bitcoin staking to more investors.

The funding round, which attracted a host of venture capital firms including Nomura’s Laser Digital and Blockchain Capital, brings the total funding for the Bitcoin (BTC) staking platform to $25 million. Other participants included gumi Cryptos Capital, OKX Ventures, and CMT Digital.

Solv Protocol said in its announcement on Oct. 14 that the new fundraising was at a $200 million valuation.

Bitcoin’s growing DeFi market

Solv Protocol plans to use the capital injection to support further adoption of Bitcoin staking through the Staking Abstraction Layer. With SAL, Bitcoin holders can stake their coins on multiple protocols and chains to tap into various staking opportunities in the growing decentralized finance market.

Despite the rise in Bitcoin staking and the emergence of platforms such as Solv Protocol and Babylon, the Bitcoin staking market significantly lags that of Ethereum (ETH). The dominance of the Ethereum network in the staking ecosystem is driven by the massive traction of Lido and EigenLayer, among other platforms.

However, Solv Protocol is eyeing new momentum in bringing Bitcoin staking opportunities to holders of the top digital asset, which currently boasts a market cap of more than $1.3 trillion.

“Bitcoin’s staking rate is currently much lower than Ethereum’s 28%. If we can unlock similar levels of participation, Bitcoin staking could unlock $330 billion in value. We believe BTCFi will drive the next wave of innovation in the blockchain space.”

Ryan Chow, co-founder and chief executive officer of Solv Protocol

Currently, SolvBTC has attracted over 20,000 Bitcoin, worth more than $1.3 billion in total value locked. This value is staked on 10 blockchain networks, Solv Protocol said in the announcement.

In September, Solv Protocol expanded its Bitcoin staking service to Base, the Ethereum layer-2 chain launched by Coinbase. The platform offered Base users the chance to participate in Bitcoin DeFi via the wrapped token cbBTC, which Coinbase unveiled that month.

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Theo Crypto News

DeFi

RBI governor touts CBDC to enhance cross-border payments and safeguard against crypto risks

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India has the potential to facilitate efficient cross-border payments using Central Bank Digital Currency according to the Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das.

According to a local report, during his keynote address at the conference on Central Banking at Crossroads, Das reaffirmed his support for CBDCs to improve international money transfers, as a part of ongoing efforts to cut the time and cost of overseas remittances.

Das highlighted that India is one of the few large economies operating a 24×7 real-time gross settlement system, adding that expanding the RTGS system to settle trades in global currencies such as the US Dollar, Euro, and British Pound is currently under review. 

This, according to Das, could be achieved through bilateral or multilateral arrangements to simplify global transactions, with CBDCs potentially integrated into this expansion.

He added that India’s CBDC pilot programs are currently testing programmability and interoperability with existing infrastructures like the Unified Payments Interface, a platform that facilitates near-instant settlements between banks.

Additionally, the pilot program is working to develop offline solutions for “remote areas and underserved communities,” according to the RBI governor. 

The RBI initially announced these features in September 2023, noting that it was collaborating with major financial institutions to introduce them as part of efforts to popularize CBDC.

Das also reiterated his skepticism around cryptocurrencies, pointing to the uncertain landscape they create. According to him, CBDCs offer a controlled and stable digital currency, in contrast to the volatility of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. 

The governor acknowledged the challenges related to developing a universal CBDC framework and called for the creation of a standardized and interoperable CBDC framework, that would allow nations to build their own systems that fit into a global network.

India launched its CBDC pilot for the digital rupee in December 2022, covering both retail and wholesale segments. However, adoption has been slow, with the digital rupee reaching 1 million retail transactions by late June 2023 only after local banks introduced incentives and partially paid salaries in digital currency to drive usage, raising doubts about actual user adoption moving forward.

As of the latest update, the CBDC platform surpassed 5 million users in August, with Das advocating for a phased rollout, stressing the importance of understanding its impact on users, monetary policy, and the broader financial system.

Meanwhile, the RBI has remained firm in its opposition to cryptocurrencies, pointing to the potential risks they pose to the country’s economic stability. Back in 2022, Das expressed concerns about the lack of intrinsic value in cryptocurrencies.

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Theo Crypto News

DeFi

TAO up 106% in 30 days, analysts expect rally to continue

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Bittensor, an artificial intelligence-focused token, ranked as the third top gainer among the top 100 cryptocurrencies in the past 30 days, following Neiro and Sui.

Bittensor (TAO) rose by 106.8% over the last 30 days. TAO is up 181% from its lowest point in September., bringing its market cap to over $4.79 billion. The altcoin was exchanging hands at $649 at press time

TAO’s climb can be partially credited to Nvidia Corp’s stock rallying 15.4% in the last 30 days, closing at $134.80 on Oct. 13. This surge pushed Nvidia’s market cap to a whopping $3.31 trillion, according to MarketWatch.

With Nvidia stocks up 179.8% so far this year, the momentum has lifted TAO and other AI-focused cryptocurrencies along with it, pushing the AI-crypto market cap up by 1.6% in the last 24 hours. According to CoinGecko, the total market cap for AI tokens now stands at $29.8 billion.

Institutional interest has also played a significant role in TAO’s rise. Grayscale, a major digital asset manager, recently introduced a Bittensor-focused fund, attracting $4.9 million in assets under management. Grayscale’s decision to increase Bittensor’s allocation in its AI fund from 2% to 31% has further fueled investor confidence, driving more adoption and investment into TAO.

Bittensor’s demand in the futures market has also surged, reaching a record high of $220 million on Oct. 14, up from September’s low of $46.8 million. Soaring open interest is a sign of increased demand among traders and investors.

On-chain metrics indicate that the Bittensor network has also witnessed an uptick in activity, with active accounts rising to 134,000 from 127,000 seen at the end of September while the total TAO Staked by holders has surpassed 5.9 million tokens.

According to some analysts, TAO’s rally is expected to continue. In a post on X, one analyst predicted a short-term target of $1,000 and a mid-term target of $3,330 for the token, citing strong technical indicators.

Meanwhile, pseudonymous trader XO observed that TAO was trading within an upward channel and noted that if it continues to follow this path, a breakout could occur around the $768 – $780 resistance zone. However, the analyst warned that the $650 mid-level serves as an important support; if the price falls below this point, it could invalidate the bullish setup, signaling a potential downward shift in momentum.

TAO price, 50-day EMA and RSI chart — Oct. 14 | Source: crypto.news

On the 1-day price chart, TAO is currently positioned above the 50-day Moving Average indicating a bullish trend and potential continuation of upward momentum. The Relative Strength Index has recently pulled back from overbought levels but remains steady above 60, indicating that bulls are still in control of the price action. Currently, at 65, the RSI suggests there is room for further gains in the short term before approaching overbought territory again, which could potentially lead to a trend reversal.

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Theo Crypto News

DeFi

Trader loses $1.28m in PEPE and other altcoins to Inferno Drainer-linked wallet

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A trader lost over $1.28 million worth of cryptocurrencies after signing a malicious permit transaction.

According to blockchain security firm PeckShieldAlert, on Oct. 14, a cryptocurrency investor lost 108 billion PEPE, 73.8 million APU, and 165,000 MSTR tokens after getting tricked into signing a phishing permit signature transaction.

This is called an approval phishing attack which transfers control of a victim’s wallet to the attacker, allowing scammers to drain the stored assets.

In this case, the victim’s wallet, identified by “0xb0b..40c7,” lost roughly $1.2 million worth of cryptocurrencies across six transactions within a few minutes, with the stolen assets distributed across multiple addresses controlled by the attackers.

One of the addresses, labeled as “Fake_Phishing442846”, was involved in a separate attack two weeks ago with the affected wallet losing over $32 million worth of spWETH tokens after signing a similar malicious transaction.

At the time, blockchain intelligence firm Arkham reported that the attack was executed using Inferno Drainer, a multi-chain cryptocurrency scam service provider. As such, it is likely that the bad actors behind the recent attack also employed the scam toolkit.

For those unaware, Inferno Drainer is a subscription-based phishing-as-a-service tool that allows criminals to create malicious websites and applications to trick users into signing over control of their wallets. The developers charge scammers 30% for making phishing websites and another 20% for each successful attack.

To date, Inferno Drainer has targeted several crypto-related projects, managing to steal $237,775,036 from over 200,000 victims per Dune analytics data. On Nov. 26, 2023, the developers announced plans to sunset the service indefinitely. However, the toolkit resurfaced in May 2024, driven by renewed demand from its “customers.”

Phishing attacks have become a growing threat in the cryptocurrency space, with one of the leading reasons behind victims’ losses being approval phishing attacks. According to an August report by Chainalysis, these attacks have siphoned off over $2.7 billion since 2021.

Last week, a wallet reportedly linked to a venture capital fund lost over $35 million worth of fwDETH tokens after signing a dubious permit signature.

In its Q3 report, blockchain security firm CertiK labeled phishing as the most damaging attack vector for the quarter, with losses amounting to $343.1 million across 65 incidents.

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Theo Crypto News

Công nghệ

BOME hits 2-month high as altcoin market signals “up-only season”

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BOME, the third-largest meme coin, rose sharply on Oct. 14 as Bitcoin recovered back to levels seen at the beginning of last week.

The Book of Meme (BOME), a Solana-based meme coin, rose sharply by over 25% in the last 24 hours to $0.008841, its highest level in 2 months, according to crypto.news data.

BOME price chart – Oct. 14 | Source: crypto.news

BOME‘s price surge propelled its market cap to $610 million, positioning it as the 131st-largest digital asset. Daily trading volume spiked by over 195%, reaching $928 million, with most activity concentrated on Binance, followed by Gate.io and Bitget.

Simultaneously, futures open interest experienced a significant increase. Data from CoinGlass shows open interest in BOME futures hit a record $131.12 million, more than doubling from last week’s low of $57 million.

The rally coincided with a broader market upswing, as Bitcoin (BTC) and other altcoins saw sharp price increases. The global crypto market grew by 2.6%, rising from $2.27 trillion to $2.33 trillion.

According to CoinGlass, this surge led to $167.2 million in liquidations, with $101.6 million coming from short traders. This suggests many investors were caught off guard by the bullish momentum, having bet against the rising prices.

The sudden surge in liquidations likely contributed to the upward pressure on prices as short positions were forced to close, further fueling the market’s rally.

Community sentiment around BOME has been bullish, with 71% of 3,792 traders on CoinMarketCap expecting short-term price gains. Similarly, sentiment on X has also turned positive, with several analysts and traders predicting strong upward momentum for altcoins.

According to pseudo-anonymous trader Bluntz, BOME had successfully broken through a key daily resistance level of $0.0085, which it had struggled to overcome since Aug. 24. He anticipates further upward movement for the meme coin, supported by a significant increase in daily trading volume and Bitcoin’s recent upward momentum.

Another trader noted that BOME had broken out of a falling wedge on the 1-day chart, a bullish indicator, adding that the meme coin could potentially retest 80%-120% above its current price levels.

BOME’s rally coincided with a surge in the global meme coin market, which increased by 1.4% over the last 24 hours. According to CoinGecko, the combined market cap of all tracked meme tokens now exceeds $57.6 billion.

In an Oct. 11 post on X, analyst Moustache predicted that the altcoin market is nearing an “up-only season, ” citing the Altcoin Season Index, which has been developing an Inverse Head and Shoulders pattern—one of the most bullish formations in technical analysis—over the last 3.5 years.

This often precedes a major breakout, suggesting altcoins may soon enter a sustained rally, reversing years of stagnation and downward pressure.

Tổng hợp và chỉnh sửa: ThS Phạm Mạnh Cường
Theo Crypto News