Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

North Korean agents have infiltrated 15–20% of crypto firms, according to SEAL member Pablo Sabbatella of audit firm Opsek. He reports that 30–40% of job applications may originate from Pyongyang’s network, recruited through freelance platforms in Ukraine and the Philippines. These operatives split earnings 80/20, demand account credentials or remote access, and implant malware to mask their presence with U.S. IP addresses. Their disciplined performance helps them evade detection. Weak crypto security practices and founders’ susceptibility to social engineering compound the threat. This cyber espionage endangers network security, user funds, and regulatory compliance across the crypto sector. Traders should enhance crypto security measures, tighten due diligence, vet candidates on North Korea’s leadership to spot infiltrators, and monitor operational security to mitigate risks.

Digitap $TAP presale has opened a whitelist, positioning itself as the world’s largest crypto banking ICO. The omnibanking platform unifies fiat and crypto in a single app. It offers multi-currency IBANs, instant global transfers, offshore accounts and integrated debit/credit cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Users also benefit from a built-in crypto exchange and a secure multi-chain wallet. At the core is the $TAP token with a fixed two-billion supply. Digitap commits 50% of revenue to token buybacks and burns, reducing supply and supporting long-term value. Early investors saw up to 336% gains; the current presale stage is priced at $0.0313 with a confirmed launch price of $0.14, offering potential upside of around 370%. Digitap $TAP presale also features staking rewards of up to 124% APR during the event and 100% APR after launch. Over $1.84 million has been raised and 80% of tokens are sold. By targeting the $250 trillion cross-border payment market and the $860 billion remittance sector, this crypto banking ICO delivers real utility and diversification for traders amid market volatility.

Bitcoin death cross confirmed as the 50-day MA fell below the 200-day, spurring over 15% weekly and 22% monthly losses. The Bitcoin death cross follows historical patterns preceding 64%–71% declines, reinforcing bearish market structure as BTC trades between $83,000 and $88,000, below the 50-week and 100-week MAs, with a bearish weekly SuperTrend. Onchain data show $800M+ in realized losses driven by short-term holders. Traders eye $83,500 support; a bounce could target $112,700, while a break may risk a drop to the April low near $74,500 or the $69,000 support, with outsized volatility on liquidation pressure.

Avalanche price has plunged from a November high of $36 to trade below key support at $15. After falling under the 21- and 50-day moving averages, AVAX hit a low near $13. Weekly charts signal oversold conditions that may lure buyers. On the 4-hour chart, downward-sloping SMAs indicate sustained bearish momentum, with rallies capped at the 21-day average. A decisive break below $12.50 could drive Avalanche price toward its recent low of $8.62, while holding above $15 might spark a short-term rebound. Traders should monitor support at $15 and $12.50, resistance at $20 and $30, and trading volume for signs of a trend reversal.

The traditional Bitcoin cycle has lost its predictable post-halving momentum in the 2024–25 bull run. Despite a peak near $125,000 in October 2025 and on-chain indicators like MVRV and SOPR still reflecting cyclical patterns, returns have been muted—just 2× since the halving—and a swift 25% pullback dragged prices below $90,000. Institutional spot Bitcoin ETFs have introduced “slow money,” smoothing volatility with net outflows exceeding $20 billion. Narrative fragmentation across DeFi, NFTs, AI and InfoFi, along with reflexive trading ahead of halving peaks, has further disrupted the Bitcoin cycle. Experts remain divided: some argue institutional ETF flows have made the four-year Bitcoin cycle obsolete, while others believe halving supply logic still underpins long-term value. Retail traders should move beyond calendar-based bets and instead monitor ETF flows and on-chain indicators, preserve capital during defensive phases, and use data-driven strategies to identify true entry points.

US real estate firm Cardone Capital, led by Grant Cardone, bought 185 Bitcoin (BTC) for about $15.3 million at an average price of $82,700 each amid a recent Bitcoin market dip. This institutional investment underscores growing confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term outlook despite macroeconomic pressures and regulatory uncertainty. Traders may view the purchase as a bullish signal, highlighting buying opportunities during price dips and potentially bolstering Bitcoin’s price stability and trading activity.

Weekly GitHub data reveals growing altcoin developer activity across top projects. Ethereum led with 377 commits, followed by Cardano with 322 and Hedera with 167. Flow developers boosted contributions by over 50% month-over-month. Other notable projects include Internet Computer, Chainlink, Stellar, Polkadot, Gnosis, Avalanche, Decentraland, Cosmos, Mina, Audius and Ripple. While Cardano and Chainlink saw slight commit declines, rising GitHub data signals active protocol enhancements and upcoming network upgrades. Traders can use this altcoin developer activity to gauge ecosystem health and long-term project resilience. Although code commits don’t directly move prices, sustained developer interest often precedes feature rollouts and can support bullish momentum.

The Maple Finance injunction granted by the Cayman Court bars Maple Finance from launching its competing syrupBTC product and transacting CORE tokens without Core Foundation’s written consent. Core Foundation sued Maple Finance for breaching a 24-month exclusivity clause tied to their joint lstBTC liquid staking project and misusing proprietary research and engineering resources. This Maple Finance injunction highlights the importance of exclusivity agreements in protecting intellectual property. Justice Jalil Asif KC ruled that damages alone would not remedy the misuse of confidential data. In response, Maple Finance denies wrongdoing, defends lender rights and plans legal challenges. Traders should watch for volatility in CORE token liquidity, lstBTC yields and the broader tokenized Bitcoin market as the arbitration unfolds.

Coinbase has agreed to acquire Vector, a Solana-based on-chain trading platform that scans and indexes new tokens in real time and tracks early liquidity across Solana DEXs. Expected to close by year-end subject to customary conditions, the deal will embed Vector’s indexing and routing technology directly into Coinbase, retiring Vector’s standalone apps while its team joins the exchange. Building on prior acquisitions like Deribit and Liquifi, this move deepens Coinbase’s on-chain trading capabilities and advances its “everything exchange” vision. With Solana DEXs surpassing $1 trillion in trading volume this year, Vector’s rapid token discovery and liquidity routing will enable faster listings and more efficient trades, enhancing market access and efficiency for crypto traders. Coinbase will keep Tensor independent, focusing solely on integrating Vector’s on-chain asset discovery and routing features.

The US Department of Homeland Security has opened a months-long probe, Operation Red Sunset, into Chinese crypto-mining leader Bitmain. Agents are detaining Bitcoin mining machines at US ports and disassembling chips and firmware to uncover hardware vulnerabilities or hidden backdoors that could enable remote manipulation or sabotage of critical infrastructure. This investigation follows reports of Bitmain devices operating near a Wyoming military missile base and a 2025 Senate Intelligence Committee report flagging “disturbing vulnerabilities” in the company’s equipment. Authorities are also reviewing potential tariff and import-duty violations linked to Bitmain hardware. Bitmain denies any security flaws or knowledge of Operation Red Sunset, insisting its products comply with US laws. Traders should watch for regulatory updates and possible import restrictions, as increased scrutiny may tighten Bitcoin mining hardware supply chains and influence mining sector sentiment.

Bitcoin Greed & Fear Index has plunged into extreme fear at levels below 5. This drop in the Bitcoin Greed & Fear Index’s 21-day moving average to 10% historically marks market bottoms and tactical lows. Bitcoin briefly dipped to $80,880 before rebounding to $84,800, leaving it down 10% for the week and 23% for the month. Analysts like Markus Thielen of 10x Research warn that the overall downtrend may persist but could moderate, potentially triggering a swift 10% bounce as seen in March. Traders may view the current extreme fear reading as a buy signal for a potential short-term rebound.

Two on-chain crypto whales recently funneled over $5.4 million in USDC into HyperLiquid, a decentralized margin protocol, to open high-leverage longs on Bitcoin and Ethereum. The first whale deposited $3.72 million USDC and took 15× leveraged positions on $27.7 million of BTC and $20.3 million of ETH, highlighting growing institutional appetite for decentralized perpetuals trading. A second wallet added $1.7 million USDC and opened a 20× leveraged BTC long amid current market consolidation, after realizing a $705,000 profit on a prior trade. These sizeable USDC inflows and aggressive leverage increases underscore bullish whale sentiment and may amplify BTC volatility through rapid liquidations. Traders should monitor HyperLiquid activity for potential margin-driven swings in price.

Kalshi, a US CFTC-regulated prediction market platform, secured $1 billion in its latest funding round led by Apollo Global Management, Blackstone Growth and Salesforce Ventures, boosting its valuation to $11 billion. The fresh capital will accelerate product development, expand its crypto-price prediction markets and bolster liquidity and trading volume through strategic hiring and marketing. Since launch, Kalshi has processed over $2 billion in notional trading and launched dozens of markets, including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) price events. Strong investor backing underscores growing demand for regulated event derivatives and diversified risk management tools among crypto traders.

Fanatics has partnered with Crypto.com to launch a crypto prediction market platform in the coming weeks. The new crypto prediction market will let users place crypto-based bets on real-world events, from sports outcomes to elections. CEO Michael Rubin highlighted Fanatics’ entry into Web3 and Crypto.com’s push to broaden its services. Specific features, scope and geographical coverage remain under wraps. Fanatics holds regulatory licenses in 23 US states and is seeking approval in the remaining 27. The initial focus is expected to be on sports prediction markets, leveraging Fanatics’ expertise. This move positions Fanatics against incumbents like Kalshi and Polymarket. Traders should monitor further announcements on product features and launch dates.

OpenAI has globally launched its ChatGPT group chat feature, allowing up to 20 users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans to collaborate in a single AI-powered thread. This group chat update lets participants tag ChatGPT for tasks such as summarizing discussions, planning projects, or drafting documents. Sessions are isolated from personal histories to preserve privacy, with parental controls and content restrictions when minors join. The rollout follows successful pilots in Asia and the Pacific. Simultaneously, OpenAI released GPT-5.1 featuring new “Instant” and “Thinking” modes, and introduced Sora, a text-to-video app. Crypto traders can leverage these AI enhancements for team-based strategy development, real-time market analysis, and automated report generation. The integrated tools streamline collaboration and content creation, potentially boosting efficiency without directly impacting cryptocurrency prices.

MEXC has partnered with blockchain security expert Hacken to introduce monthly Proof of Reserves audits, reinforcing its crypto exchange transparency framework. By publishing public reports based on cryptographic Merkle Tree data and detailed third-party reviews, the initiative ensures that MEXC’s asset reserves exceed 100% of customer balances. These monthly audits reduce counterparty risk by providing real-time transparency and enabling rapid identification of any discrepancies. Hacken’s Web3 certifications and expertise guarantee independent and accurate reserve verification. Traders can access up-to-date Proof of Reserves data online, while Hacken will release comprehensive reports regularly. This move addresses growing demand for stronger accountability across the industry and may prompt other exchanges to adopt similar transparency measures. Overall, MEXC’s monthly Proof of Reserves audits aim to build long-term market trust and safeguard user funds.

Bitmine has aggressively expanded its Ethereum (ETH) holdings, adding 110,288 ETH through OTC trading desks and a further 17,242 ETH—totaling approximately 3.5 million ETH (about 5% of circulating supply) valued at over $10 billion. Funded by equity raises, cash reserves and staking rewards, Bitmine viewed the ETH price drop from October highs above $4,000 to mid-November lows under $3,000 as a buying opportunity. In a November 20 CNBC interview, Chairman Tom Lee warned that market maker liquidity remains constrained after the October 10 crash triggered $20 billion in forced liquidations. He compared the current squeeze to an eight-week liquidity event in 2022, expecting relief in the coming weeks. Bitmine’s continued accumulation underscores growing institutional conviction in Ethereum’s long-term outlook.

On November 21, 2025, singer and crypto investor Huang Licheng (Machi) faced partial ETH liquidation on a 25x leveraged Ethereum long position tracked by Onchain Lens. Amid ongoing market volatility, Machi incurred a cumulative loss of over $20.18 million and proactively reduced his ETH exposure. This ETH liquidation underscores the risks of high leverage in the crypto market and highlights the importance of robust risk management for traders.

The Bitcoin for America Act, reintroduced by Rep. Warren Davidson, would let US taxpayers pay federal income, estate, gift, and excise taxes in Bitcoin (BTC). Under the bill, the IRS converts BTC payments at par into 20-year Treasury securities for a new Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, with no capital gains or losses triggered. Managed by the Treasury with secure custody measures like cold storage and geographically distributed facilities, the reserve aims to hedge fiat devaluation, strengthen the US balance sheet, and reduce debt reliance. A companion Senate bill and strong industry support underscore growing regulatory acceptance of digital assets. However, passage remains uncertain amid concerns over implementation complexity, price volatility, and compliance costs. If enacted, the Bitcoin for America Act could boost BTC utility for retail and institutional investors and potentially trigger a bullish market response similar to past crypto tax reform rallies.

Coinbase will list Aster (ASTER) for spot trading across Coinbase.com, the Coinbase App, Coinbase Advanced and Coinbase Exchange for institutions starting November 20–21, pending liquidity requirements. Aster is a next-generation multi-chain DEX that unifies spot and perpetual trading in a single liquidity hub. After its launch on MEXC, ASTER’s price surged 1,650% and daily volume topped $760 million. With a market cap of $3.1 billion and strategic partnerships (YziLabs, PancakeSwap, CMC Labs), Aster has gained momentum in the DEX sector. Traders can now buy, sell, convert, send, receive and store ASTER, broadening asset diversification. Past Coinbase listings often drive spikes in liquidity and trading volume; ASTER is likely to see increased market activity and volatility. Monitor price movements and order-book depth to capitalize on potential opportunities. The listing underscores Coinbase’s strategy to support emerging blockchain projects and may accelerate Aster adoption and market confidence.

Cloud mining is emerging in 2025 as a hardware-free way to earn Bitcoin (BTC) without buying ASICs or managing heat and electricity. Five leading platforms stand out by combining transparency, renewable-energy sourcing and flexible contracts. DeepHash tops the list with a $100 free trial, instant BTC withdrawals and clean-energy farms in Iceland, Norway, Canada and Paraguay, offering 1–5 day contracts. ECOS, regulated in Armenia, provides long-term 180–360 day BTC plans with clear cost breakdowns. NiceHash operates a pay-as-you-go hashrate marketplace for BTC, ETH and LTC rentals, featuring real-time profitability charts for strategy testing. ViaBTC Cloud delivers pool-backed contracts with daily, verifiable BTC payouts. Bitdeer offers enterprise-grade cloud mining with full disclosure of ASIC specs and data-center operations. Binance Mining remains a one-click option within Binance’s exchange ecosystem. These zero-hardware solutions lower entry barriers and enable traders to track real-time BTC earnings with minimal risk.

Litecoin price prediction outlines three scenarios for LTC’s value by 2025, 2026 and 2030, assessing if it can surge to $1,000. In the conservative case, LTC could trade at $180–$250 in 2025, rising to $220–$350 in 2026 and $400–$600 by 2030. Moderate and optimistic forecasts push the upper range to $400–$600 in 2025, $350–$550 in 2026 and up to $900–$1,200 by 2030. Key drivers include network upgrades—such as MimbleWimble privacy features and Lightning Network integration—broader merchant adoption, regulatory clarity and positive market sentiment. Achieving a 10× gain hinges on sustained bullish conditions, mass usage, successful protocol improvements and supportive macro trends. Risks involve competition from newer blockchains, regulatory setbacks, macroeconomic volatility and potential security issues. Traders should diversify portfolios, monitor regulatory developments and blend short-term strategies with long-term holding. Overall, the Litecoin price prediction remains cautiously optimistic. While short-term volatility is expected, LTC’s established infrastructure, active development and correlation with Bitcoin underpin a bullish long-term outlook for crypto traders.

U.S. District Court has sentenced Samourai Wallet co-founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill to four and five years in prison, respectively, for operating an unlicensed money transmission business through their non-custodial CoinJoin mixer, Whirlpool. Prosecutors argued that Samourai Wallet’s service routed and coordinated ‘Ricochet’ mixes via its servers without FinCEN registration, facilitating money laundering. This ruling reinforces the DOJ’s position that non-custodial models alone do not exempt operators from money-transmitter regulations, echoing the earlier Tornado Cash cases. Since Samourai’s shutdown in September 2024, developers have launched Ashigaru, an open-source mixer aiming for full decentralization to avoid similar legal risks. Traders should note that intensifying DOJ enforcement on privacy tools could heighten regulatory scrutiny across the sector, potentially impacting liquidity and market sentiment around privacy coins and mixer services.

El Salvador made a record Bitcoin purchase on November 18, acquiring 1,090 BTC for about $100 million as prices dipped below $90,000. This Bitcoin purchase boosts the nation’s reserves from 5,968 to 7,475 BTC, now valued at roughly $683 million. The move marks the largest single-day acquisition since President Nayib Bukele launched daily buys in November 2022. It occurs under a $1.4 billion IMF agreement that restricts public sector Bitcoin acquisitions. While the IMF suggests recent reserve gains may reflect internal transfers, El Salvador’s Bitcoin Office insists the added coins were bought on the open market using non-fiscal funds. Supporters view the strategy as a long-term hedge, but critics warn of volatility and transparency concerns.

Teranode, a next-generation SV Node implementation developed by the BSV Association, is now live in global test trials, processing over one million transactions per second and demonstrating true on-chain scalability for Bitcoin SV. Its modular, microservices-based design, specialized P2P layer and HTTP-based sub-tree block assembly split block building tasks across machines, reducing bottlenecks at the 5–6 million TPS threshold. App developers can interact via lightweight overlay nodes for stable, unlimited transaction capacity, while miners retain existing workflows and benefit from IPv6 multicast for faster transaction propagation. Maintaining Bitcoin SV’s protocol consistency and SPV-style verification, Teranode poses no new security risks. After 2.5 years of development and six months of optimizations, Teranode now runs alongside SV Node with open-source code available for peer review, preceding a phased mainnet rollout supported by the BSV Association’s technical outreach. This upgrade unlocks enterprise-grade performance, enabling tokenization and multiple digital currencies on a single ledger for industries from finance to IoT.

According to Zero Hash’s US survey of 500 high-income investors aged 18–40 earning $100k–$1m, 35% have dropped financial advisors that lack crypto services. Among those earning over $500k, the rate rises to 50%, with $250k–$1m withdrawn from firms without digital asset exposure. Confidence in digital assets is strengthening as institutions like BlackRock, Fidelity and Morgan Stanley expand crypto services. BlackRock’s application for an ETH staking ETF underscores mainstream adoption. 84% of respondents plan to increase crypto holdings within a year, and 92% demand access to multiple tokens beyond BTC and ETH within insured, regulated frameworks, rather than speculative exchanges. To retain clients and protect fee pipelines, financial advisors must integrate compliant crypto services—such as altcoin-linked ETPs, staking, direct token custody, third-party solutions and unified trading dashboards—as blockchain becomes standard in wealth management.

HSBC will offer its Tokenized Deposit Service to corporate clients in the US and UAE by mid-2026. The blockchain banking solution is already live in Singapore, Hong Kong, the UK and Luxembourg. It converts traditional deposits into digital tokens backed by HSBC’s balance sheet and accrues interest. The service supports euros, pounds, US dollars, Hong Kong dollars and Singapore dollars, with UAE dirhams to be added. Tokenized deposits enable 24/7 instant domestic and cross-border payments. They also lay the groundwork for treasury automation, programmable payments and AI-driven autonomous treasuries. Unlike stablecoins, HSBC’s deposit tokens operate within the banking system. HSBC is exploring stablecoin reserve management with issuers and may issue its own digital currency, pending regulatory clarity under laws like the US GENIUS Act. This move aligns with similar initiatives by Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Banco Santander. For crypto traders, increasing institutional adoption of blockchain banking can boost on-chain liquidity. Tokenized deposits pose new competition for non-bank stablecoins. Monitor developments in treasury automation and programmable payments for trading opportunities.

Interpretive Letter 1186 from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), issued on Nov. 19 under Comptroller Jonathan Gould, clarifies that national banks may buy, hold, and deploy cryptocurrency to cover blockchain network (gas) fees. Referencing the GENIUS Act, the guidance permits institutions to maintain reasonable crypto balances when there’s a “reasonably foreseeable need” to pay fees for permissible activities. Using Ethereum (ETH) as an example, the OCC noted that settling transactions with native tokens avoids higher costs and operational risks tied to spot purchases or third-party fee services. Banks may also retain crypto for testing on proprietary or third-party platforms, provided all activities comply with existing regulations and risk management standards. This landmark shift from earlier prudential warnings highlights a more accommodating stance on blockchain integration, streamlining bank operations in DeFi and stablecoin services while upholding safeguards.

Japan Exchange Group is reviewing new oversight measures for listed companies that hold significant cryptocurrency reserves. Japan Exchange Group may require additional audits and apply existing backdoor-listing safeguards to firms shifting toward crypto treasury strategies. This follows warnings that three listed entities paused digital asset purchases after JPX cautioned heavy crypto accumulation could restrict fundraising capacity. The review targets Bitcoin treasury holders like Metaplanet, the world’s fourth-largest public corporate Bitcoin holder with 30,823 BTC. No formal decisions have been made yet. Traders should watch for updates on cryptocurrency regulation, as enhanced crypto audits and governance rules may influence corporate strategies and investor confidence in the digital asset market.