CFA Report Pegs US Crypto Fraud Losses at $80.7B

Microsoft has warned of a malware spreading through USB drives targeting crypto wallets since February. The malware, dubbed "crypto clipper," steals wallet information and replaces recipient addresses to divert funds to attackers. It also infects clean USB drives by replacing files with malicious shortcuts.

Bitcoin traders are actively purchasing put options on Deribit, with expirations ranging from June 22 to July 31, to hedge against potential market downturns. The surge in bearish sentiment is driven by factors such as a strengthening U.S. dollar and pressure on Strategy's bitcoin accumulation strategy.

The CFTC has permanently banned Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky from trading in regulated markets due to securities and commodities fraud. Mashinsky's actions led to Celsius filing for bankruptcy, causing customers to lose over $5 billion. He also faces civil lawsuits from the SEC and FTC.

The Algorand Foundation plans to make its blockchain quantum-resistant by the end of 2027, upgrading user accounts and network infrastructure. This initiative is in response to the potential threat of quantum-computing attacks on blockchain security.

Hsiao-Wei Wang, co-director at the Ethereum Foundation, announced her immediate departure, following a sabbatical and the exit of her fellow co-director, Tomasz Stańczak. This comes amid a series of high-profile departures, raising concerns about the Foundation's future direction.

The European crypto industry is facing a shakeout as the transition period for MiCA regulation ends on July 1, requiring firms to hold a MiCA license to operate in the EU. The low number of firms with full CASP authorization indicates challenges in the application process.

HIVE Digital Technologies secured a $220 million GPU cloud contract with Bell Canada and Cohere, involving 2,304 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs for AI model training. The deal signifies HIVE's transition from Bitcoin mining to AI infrastructure, aligning with Canada's Sovereign AI Compute Strategy.

Strategy's flagship preferred stock, Stretch (STRC), experienced a dip to an all-time low but showed a partial recovery. The stock's performance is cyclical, with dips typically following its ex-dividend date. Despite recent challenges, analysts expect Strategy to hike the dividend in July.

Bitcoin and Ethereum traders are growing more pessimistic about future price movements due to a recent hawkish tone from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. Traders now anticipate a rate hike by the end of the year, with odds of Bitcoin and Ethereum dipping significantly in the short term.

Emery Redenius, a retired technician, invested over $400,000 in STRC and SATA preferred stocks, attracted by their tax-deferred distributions. Despite STRC's recent price drop, Strategy has raised billions through new share offerings.