CFA Report Pegs US Crypto Fraud Losses at $80.7B

Despite Nepal's ban on crypto transactions in 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported a significant increase in crypto adoption in the country, urging authorities to closely monitor the sector for financial stability and illicit flows. The IMF highlighted the growth of stablecoins and unbacked crypto assets in Nepal, emphasizing the need for regulatory frameworks aligned with international standards.

Bithumb CEO Lee Jae-won has been booked by South Korean police for allegedly hiring the relative of a local lawmaker in a bribery scheme. The investigation, part of a broader corruption probe, involves National Assembly member Kim Byung-ki and his alleged exploitation of his legislative position.

Japan's House of Representatives passed a bill shifting crypto regulation to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, treating cryptocurrencies as financial investments. The move aims to improve user protection and promote innovation in response to the growing popularity of crypto assets.

BlackRock is preparing to launch the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, which will generate income by selling call options on shares of its $47 billion spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT. The fund's sponsor's fee is set at 0.65%, lower than competitors YBTC and BTCI.

Binance is attempting to enter the Philippines market with a local partner, but the country's central bank has stated that neither Binance nor its partner holds the necessary license to operate as a virtual asset service provider (VASP) in the country. The license is crucial for facilitating crypto payments and transactions.

DBS Bank plans to introduce tokenized gold trading for retail customers in the second half of 2026. The bank will manage the physical gold tokens in-house, each backed by 1 gram of gold stored in a vault in Singapore. This move aligns with the trend of blockchain-based real-world asset tokenization.

An exploit on Raydium's deprecated liquidity pools resulted in over $1.34 million in stolen funds, affecting SOL, USDC, and RAY. The attacker bypassed validation logic to mint new tokens, prompting repayment from the firm's treasury.

Tether, the company behind USDT, invested up to $1.4 billion in NEURA Robotics, a German humanoid robotics firm, alongside other major investors like Nvidia and Amazon. NEURA Robotics focuses on developing various robotic systems for different industries, aiming to revolutionize the future of AI and robotics.

Privacy in crypto transactions was overshadowed by scaling and regulatory concerns, but a new Ethereum proposal, pERC-20, aims to bring back attention to private token transfers. Unlike traditional ERC-20 tokens, pERC-20 keeps sensitive details private, sparking discussions on privacy in public blockchains.

Botanix announced the shutdown of its Bitcoin-based layer-2 network, citing low user engagement and competition. Despite securing $8.5 million in funding, the project failed to gain traction due to users preferring Ethereum-based networks for leveraging Bitcoin holdings.