Из жизни альткоинов

After several days of online speculation, blockchain investigator ZachXBT has published the findings of a probe he first alluded to earlier this week, detailing what he describes as insider trading and internal data abuse at Axiom Exchange.

In a series of posts, ZachXBT identified Broox Bauer, known on X as @WheresBroox, as a central figure in the alleged scheme. Bauer is described as a senior business development employee at Axiom based in New York. 

Alleged Wallet Lookups And Insider Trading Scheme

According to the investigation, Bauer and others exploited insufficient access controls on internal tools to retrieve sensitive user information and track private wallet activity, allegedly using that data to inform trades as far back as early 2025.

Audio clips shared as part of the report appear to show Bauer explaining how he could monitor any Axiom user through referral codes, wallet addresses or internal user IDs. In one recording, he claims he can “find out anything to do with that person.” 

He also describes starting by reviewing 10 to 20 wallets and gradually expanding the scope over time “so it does not look that suspicious.” In another excerpt from the same private group call, Bauer outlines procedures for requesting wallet lookups and says he would provide a full list of tracked addresses. 

The investigation cites specific instances of alleged misuse of internal dashboards. In April 2025, Bauer reportedly shared a screenshot from an Axiom internal interface showing private wallet information for a trader identified as “Jerry.” 

In August 2025, he allegedly circulated another image displaying registration data and linked wallets for a trader known as “Monix.” That same month, he is said to have discussed conducting lookups on Axiom users who had traded the meme coin AURA.

According to the findings, the group compiled wallet addresses of multiple key opinion leaders (KOLs) into a Google Sheet. The document mapped out addresses gathered from Axiom’s internal dashboard. 

Several KOLs named in the sheet or visible in leaked screenshots were contacted and independently confirmed that the wallet data attributed to them was accurate.

Axiom Case May Fall Under SDNY Jurisdiction

The report raises broader concerns about internal oversight at the exchange. It claims there was little to no effective monitoring or restriction on employee access to sensitive user data, regardless of whether senior figures identified as Cal or Mist were aware of the activity. 

Given that Bauer is based in New York City, ZachXBT suggested the matter could fall within the jurisdiction of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). 

He stated that, regardless of whether criminal charges are ultimately pursued, Axiom’s co-founders should conduct a thorough internal review and consider legal action against any employees found to have abused their access.

Adding to the controversy, separate reports indicate that roughly three hours before ZachXBT publicly disclosed the alleged insider trading activity, a suspected insider placed bets totaling $59,800 using two newly created wallets. 

Those trades reportedly generated nearly $109,000 in profit, further fueling concerns about the potential misuse of privileged information.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Ethereum is getting a makeover — a big one. Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of the world’s second-largest blockchain network, has shared his thoughts on a newly published four-year upgrade plan that aims to make Ethereum both faster and safer from the growing threat of quantum computing.

The plan, called “Strawmap,” was put out by the Ethereum Foundation’s Protocol team and lays out a series of changes expected to roll out over the next four years through seven scheduled hard forks, roughly one every six months.

Ethereum: Cutting Block Time From 12 Seconds To 2

Right now, Ethereum produces a new block every 12 seconds. That may sound quick, but for a network that wants to power payments, apps, and financial tools at a global scale, it is not fast enough.

A very important document. Let’s walk through this one “goal” at a time. We’ll start with fast slots and fast finality.

I expect that we’ll reduce slot time in an incremental fashion, eg. I like the “sqrt(2) at a time” formula (12 -> 8 -> 6 -> 4 -> 3 -> 2, though the last two… https://t.co/ni9wIF2BgJ

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 25, 2026

According to Buterin, the plan is to bring that number down to just two seconds — but not all at once. Reports say the reduction will happen in stages, following a rough pattern from 12 seconds down to eight, then six, then four, and finally two.

Buterin also pointed out that improving how nodes on the network share information with each other — passing along new blocks without sending the same data repeatedly — can make shorter block times safe without creating new security risks.

“Fast slots are off in their own lane at the top of the roadmap,” Buterin wrote, adding that this part of the plan operates mostly on its own, separate from the other upgrades.

Two hard forks are already locked in for this year. Glamsterdam and Hegotá are both confirmed and expected to arrive in the months ahead, marking the first concrete steps in the timeline.

A 16-Minute Wait For Finality Is Also On The Chopping Block

Speed is only half the story. The other major change targets something called finality — the point at which a completed transaction is mathematically locked in and cannot be reversed. On Ethereum today, that takes around 16 minutes.

The goal is to slash that window down to somewhere between six and 16 seconds by replacing the current confirmation process with a simpler, cleaner system. That new system would also be built to resist attacks from quantum computers, which are widely expected to eventually break the kind of encryption that blockchains currently depend on.

“The goal is to decouple slots and finality, to allow us to reason about both separately,” Buterin said.

He described the planned changes as “a very invasive set of changes,” which is why the team plans to bundle the most significant steps with a switch to what are known as post-quantum hash-based signatures — a type of cryptography designed to hold up even against powerful quantum machines.

Featured image from Cyber Security 360, chart from TradingView 

Morgan Stanley is preparing to expand its Bitcoin and crypto offering beyond simple access, with plans that span spot trading on E*TRADE, a longer-term move toward native custody and an internal exchange stack, and early-stage exploration of yield and lending services backed by Bitcoin.

The roadmap was outlined onstage at Strategy World 2026 in Las Vegas by Amy Oldenburg, Morgan Stanley’s head of digital asset strategy, during a discussion with Strategy President and CEO Phong Le at the Bitcoin for Corporations conference.

From ‘Renting’ Bitcoin Rails To Building Them

Oldenburg framed Morgan Stanley’s near-term step as enabling E*TRADE clients to “buy and sell crypto, spot crypto,” via a partnership, before potentially moving to “a native custody and exchange solution” over the next year. She suggested that would put Morgan Stanley in position to be “the first major bank” to offer that combination in-house.

Oldenburg asked why the custody-and-exchange layer matters strategically. The answer, she said, comes down to control, trust, and liability. “It’s a natural. We really need to build this out internally. We can’t just primarily rent the technology to do this,” she said. “People expect Morgan Stanley, they trust our brand, to be no-fail. And when you sit in that position, you have a significant responsibility to your clients to make sure that you’re delivering that in any level of technology.”

For Morgan Stanley, custody is not just another feature in the product checklist, it changes the bank’s role and responsibility. “It’s a totally different environment to know that you are custodying your assets,” Oldenburg continued. “You have legal custody with Morgan Stanley, and Morgan Stanley is overseeing those assets for you. There’s always those that are going to want to self-custody. That’s a natural part of this space, especially in the Bitcoin space.”

Oldenburg also positioned the push as a response to client behavior: crypto wealth exists, but not necessarily where Morgan Stanley can serve it. With “$8 trillion in assets on platform,” Le pressed the commercial logic that “people have crypto assets off platform.” Oldenburg agreed and characterized the pool as material, saying it is “a considerable number” of “current clients.”

Oldenburg linked her thinking on adoption back to her prior career running Morgan Stanley’s emerging markets investing business, arguing she has watched Bitcoin and crypto usage develop up close for years. “This has been a very, very long journey for me, being on the ground with many of these companies and investors and users of cryptocurrencies early on,” she said, adding that the goal now is to provide services as crypto “continues to mainstream and institutionalize.”

Morgan Stanley’s new Head of Digital Asset Strategy confirms the bank is building out Bitcoin trading, lending, yield, and custody services. pic.twitter.com/v1qrS2MQ4t

— TFTC (@TFTC21) February 25, 2026

Oldenburg confirmed that yield and lending against Bitcoin are not theoretical topics inside the firm. Asked directly whether Morgan Stanley might offer “yield and lending services against that Bitcoin,” she replied: “Absolutely. That’s part of the discussion and the exploration. It’s a natural part of the roadmap to continue to explore.”

She added that the bank is still early in designing those products, while noting renewed activity in onchain credit markets. “I think we’re in a very early journey on that, just in terms of the number of products that are out in the market,” she said. “I think we’ve seen, even this year, a little bit surprised at how much momentum there is around DeFi lending.”

In October last year, Morgan Stanley classified Bitcoin as “digital gold,” citing its fixed supply, decentralized architecture, and perceived role as a hedge against macroeconomic instability. The firm also recommended a 2%–4% allocation to digital assets.

At press time, Bitcoin traded at $68,138.

With the XRP price still struggling to reclaim $1.5, it comes as no surprise that sentiment has plunged toward the negative. Naturally, this has led to major sell-offs across the board, causing a downward cascade. Amid this sell-off, a pundit has warned that XRP investors could be making a grave mistake by panic-selling. Instead, he has proposed a way that XRP investors could use their coins without having to offload them on the market.

Selling XRP To Take Profits Is Not The Way

Max Avery, a staunch XRP supporter, went to the X platform to warn investors of an expensive mistake they could be making. According to the pundit, selling off XRP coins right now in a bid to “take profit” could turn out to be a very expensive mistake for investors.

According to Avery, by selling their coins, XRP investors are not just risking losing their coins, but also getting themselves on the hook for taxes. Explaining further, Avery said that the sell-off could trigger a 15-37%, depending on the jurisdiction.

After doing this, to get back into the digital asset, investors are now burdened with trying to time the market and figuring out the best time to re-enter the altcoin. Essentially, trying to call the bottom, something that has been historically near impossible to do.

Instead, the pundit tells investors that rather than selling off their their coins, it is better to borrow against the asset. This way, investors are able to get cash to spend when needed, while also maintaining their token holdings. Additionally, this triggers no tax event, making it easier to spend.

How XRP Is Faring

Some interesting developments surrounding XRP during this time include the fact that its open interest has seen a major crash, data from Coinglass shows. It went from a peak of over $10.8 billion to sitting below $3 billion at the time of writing. Since open interest is the total of the contracts open on the cryptocurrency, it means that participation among traders has waned for the digital asset.

In the same vein, daily trading volume has also seen a notable decline. In the last few months, XRP’s daily trading volume has trended below $10 billion, a stark contrast compared to the $78 billion that was recorded in late 2024.

These trends suggest that XRP is now in a bear market, especially as investors begin to take profits from the market. However, times like these have often helped to mark a bottom in the past, and if that is the case here, the altcoin may be gearing up for a rebound soon.

Группа трейдеров обвинила крупную американскую торговую компанию Jane Street в том, что она несколько месяцев подряд каждый день в определенное время продавала биткоины. Критики считают, что компания намеренно пытается снизить стоимость криптоактива, чтобы потом скупать по выгодной цене.

The White House is expected to host another round of talks this Friday between representatives of the crypto industry and major banking institutions, as both sides race to meet a March 1 deadline aimed at advancing the long-delayed crypto market structure bill (CLARITY Act). 

The renewed discussions come after weeks of negotiations in Washington, D.C., where participants have been attempting to bridge a key divide over the treatment of stablecoins.

SEC Safe Harbor And Strategic Crypto Reserve

The dispute has centred on whether stablecoin issuers should be permitted to offer interest on unused token balances. However, as Bitcoinist reported earlier this week, the prospect of paying interest-like returns on dormant stablecoin holdings — a priority for many crypto-native firms — has effectively been ruled out. 

The conversation has instead shifted toward a narrower question: whether companies may provide rewards tied to specific user actions or engagement, rather than simply compensating users for holding balances.

Despite signs that at least one contentious issue may be cooling, expectations for Friday’s meeting remain high. Market expert Paul Barron has suggested the gathering could produce several significant developments. 

In a recent post on X, Barron predicted a potential truce between banks and stablecoin issuers. He also floated the possibility of formal Treasury protocols governing a proposed strategic reserve, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and XRP.

In addition, Barron suggested that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could introduce “safe harbor” guidelines designed to reduce enforcement actions and provide clearer regulatory pathways for crypto projects.

However, reporting from Eleanor Terrett of Crypto In America indicates that a breakthrough may not yet be imminent. 

DeFi And Ethics Issues Might Resurface

Citing sources on both sides of the negotiations, Terrett noted that no decisive “eureka” moment has emerged since draft legislative language was circulated following last week’s meeting, which participants described as constructive. 

That session marked the third formal attempt by industry and banking representatives to find common ground. It remains uncertain whether an agreement will be finalized by the White House’s March 1 target date or whether negotiators will settle on a compromise that prompts a public announcement.

Attention is now expected to return to other unresolved matters within the broader market structure framework. Concerns surrounding decentralized finance (DeFi) and ethical considerations are likely to resurface, particularly during a Senate Democratic member meeting on market structure scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. 

With the deadline fast approaching, the upcoming White House session may prove pivotal in determining whether months of negotiations translate into legislative progress or whether further delays await the CLARITY Act.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced the four firms chosen to test stablecoin services in its regulatory sandbox program.

FCA’s Sandbox Will Shape UK’s Stablecoin Rules Later In 2026

In a new announcement, the FCA has revealed the four companies that are part of the regulator’s stablecoin sandbox program. This sandbox will trial stablecoin-related products in a safe environment under proposed regulatory rules.

The FCA first launched a special cohort called the “stablecoins cohort” for its regulatory sandbox back in November 2025. “The stablecoins cohort is part of our commitment to supporting growth and innovation in UK financial services,” noted the statement.

The UK regulator took applications from companies between November 26th and January 18th to become members of the cohort. 20 firms applied and now, the FCA has announced the results.

Monee Financial Technologies, ReStabilise, Revolut, and VVTX are the four companies selected by the regulator to test how their services and products would work with proposed regulation. “It will help the FCA assess its proposed policy in a live environment and ensure future rules are clear, effective and support responsible innovation,” explained the FCA.

The proposals of the four firms cover a range of stablecoin use cases, including payments, wholesale settlement, and trading, but FCA’s sandbox will mainly focus on the issuance of these fiat-tied tokens. “We are supporting UK stablecoin issuers to ensure they can be trusted for payments, settlement and trading,” said Matthew Long, director of payments and digital assets at the FCA.

According to the announcement, UK’s sandbox testing will begin in the first quarter of 2026, with the findings helping mold the country’s final stablecoin rules later in the year.

The UK isn’t the only country that has been making progress on regulation related to this class of cryptocurrencies. Last year, President Donald Trump signed on the GENIUS Act, providing a regulatory framework for stablecoins in the United States.

Over in Asia, Hong Kong put into legislation its stablecoin bill in August, while South Korea’s bill is pending debut as policymakers debate issuance models, with the country’s central bank advocating for bank-only won tokens.

The legislative momentum around the world has meant that fiat-pegged digital assets have been gaining more adoption. Japan observed the launch of its first yen token last year. Meanwhile, in Europe, twelve major banks have come together to form a consortium aimed at launching a euro-tied stablecoin in the second half of 2026. Currently, the sector is heavily dominated by USD coins, so the consortium plans to challenge the hegemony with a real European alternative.

Bitcoin Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is floating around $69,500, up 4% in the last seven days.

Платформа AllUnity крупнейшего по размеру активов немецкого банка Deutsche Bank запустила стейблкоин с привязкой к швейцарскому франку. Токен CHFAU работает на блокчейне Эфириума.

Председатель Объединенного комитета по стратегии национальной безопасности Великобритании Мэтт Вестерн (Matt Western) предложил ввести временный мораторий на криптовалютные пожертвования политическим партиям.

Bitcoin has recently become the least correlated to the stock market since the FTX crash back in 2022, according to analytics firm Santiment.

Bitcoin Has Broken Away From S&P 500

In a new post on X, Santiment has discussed how Bitcoin has moved relative to the stock market recently. The number one digital asset has faced a downtrend alongside the rest of the cryptocurrency sector in the last few months that has taken its price below $70,000. Compared to six months ago, BTC is today down 43%.

Historically, the asset has generally shown some degree of correlation with the stocks. “For years, Bitcoin has often moved in the same direction as the stock market, particularly the S&P 500,” noted Santiment. Lately, however, this trend has broken. While BTC has gone down, the S&P 500 is up 7% in the past six months. Below is a chart that shows how the price trajectories of the two assets have compared.

According to Santiment, this is the weakest correlation that Bitcoin has shown to the stocks since November 2022. Back then, the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX induced a price crash for the asset that caused it to diverge from the S&P 500.

This previous breakaway for the cryptocurrency was different from the current one, however, as it lasted only briefly. The latest one, on the other hand, has been rather persistent. “Instead of moving alongside equities, Bitcoin has sharply underperformed while traditional markets have remained stable and gold has thrived,” said the analytics firm.

Now, will the decoupling that Bitcoin has experienced from the S&P 500 last? If the past is anything to go by, the answer may lean toward no. “Historically, when an asset that is usually correlated breaks away in this dramatic fashion, it typically does not stay disconnected forever,” explained Santiment.

The S&P 500 isn’t the only traditional asset that Bitcoin has diverged from; Gold has also charted a different path from BTC recently, despite the latter being popularly considered the former’s digital analogue.

In an X post, CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju has shared the data of an indicator that tracks the 90-day correlation between Bitcoin and Gold.

As displayed in the above graph, BTC mostly observed a positive degree of correlation to Gold between 2022 and the first three quarters of 2025. Since the last quarter of 2025, however, the correlation metric has plummeted into the negative zone for the assets.

A negative correlation implies that while the two assets exhibit a relationship, it’s of the negative kind. In other words, it means the assets are moving in opposite directions. “Bitcoin is in a “not digital gold” period,” said Young Ju.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $66,000, down 2% over the last week.

Во второй половине года ключевая ставка Федеральной резервной системы США (ФРС) может снизиться три раза, что ускорит рост биткоина и альткоинов, считают аналитики ончейн-платформы Santiment.

Крупный трейдер попытался искусственно поднять цену утилитарного токена ARC на децентрализованной платформе для торговли деривативами Lighter, однако стратегия привела к ликвидациям и убыткам свыше $8 млн.

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is once again facing scrutiny in the United States, this time following a formal inquiry launched by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. 

Senate Demands Records From Binance

In a letter dated February 24 and addressed to Binance co-CEO Richard Teng, Blumenthal cited reports suggesting the company enabled “large-scale violations” of US and international sanctions against Iran. 

He wrote that the cryptocurrency exchange appears to have disregarded warnings and recommendations designed to prevent Iranian money laundering schemes, allowing approximately $1.7 billion in transfers connected to Iran. 

According to the letter, these transactions allegedly supported Iranian-linked terrorist organizations and helped facilitate illicit Russian oil sales conducted through a so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers.

Blumenthal is seeking extensive documentation from Binance as part of a preliminary inquiry by the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI). 

The requests include records related to Binance’s role in potential Iranian money laundering, its handling of sanctioned entities, and its compliance practices. The Subcommittee has asked the company to provide materials by March 6, 2026.

Alleged Findings Of Internal Review

The investigation draws on reporting from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Fortune. According to those reports, Binance’s internal compliance staff discovered that two partners—Hexa Whale and Blessed Trust—allegedly acted as intermediaries to launder funds and enable trade with Iranian government-linked entities. 

Internal reviews reportedly identified roughly 2,000 accounts associated with Iranian entities on the exchange, despite US banking restrictions and Binance’s public claims that it prohibits Iranian users.

Documents obtained by the media outlets further suggest that Binance was warned that Hexa Whale may have been financing terrorist groups such as Yemen’s Houthi movement. 

Internal investigators also reportedly identified cryptocurrency transfers to wallets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and payments to crew members operating vessels in Russia’s sanctions-evading oil fleet.

Blumenthal’s letter alleges that Binance failed to act decisively despite these warning signs. Investigators within the company reportedly recommended stronger “know your customer” controls and suggested banning sailors tied to Russia’s shadow fleet. 

However, according to the senator, those efforts were rejected. Binance allegedly granted VIP status to Hexa Whale even though the firm was suspected of using falsified documentation and its staff were said to have been directly involved in Blessed Trust’s questionable trading activity. 

No Evidence Of Violations? 

Binance has firmly rejected the allegations even ahead of Blumenthal’s inquiry. In a February 22 statement, the company said it conducted an internal review and found “no evidence of violations of applicable sanctions laws.” It also denied terminating investigators for raising concerns about sanctions-related activity.

The exchange emphasized that it has significantly strengthened its compliance systems since its 2023 settlement. According to Binance, sanctions-related exposure—measured as a share of overall trading volume—declined from 0.284% in January 2024 to 0.009% by July 2025, representing a 96.8% reduction. 

The company also reported that transaction volume involving four major Iranian crypto exchanges fell from $4.19 million in January 2024 to $1.1 million by January 2026. Binance added that approximately one-quarter of its global workforce is now dedicated to anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance functions.

At the time of writing, the exchange’s native token, BNB, traded at $616, representing a surge of 5% in the 24-hour time frame amid a slight rebound seen in the broader crypto market on Wednesday. 

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Криптовалютный проект World Liberty Financial (WLFI), связанный с семьей президента США Дональда Трампа, представил систему стейкинга и управления платформой, предусматривающую вознаграждения для держателей токенов.

Инвестиционный директор управляющей криптоактивами компании Bitwise Мэтт Хоуган (Matt Hougan) заявил, что «эффект привязки» мешает многим инвесторам объективно оценить потенциал крипторынка.

Dutch financial authorities have revealed that the reform bill to tax unrealized gains on crypto, stocks, and other investments will be revised following criticism from lawmakers and local investors.

Dutch Finance Minister To Revise Tax Overhaul

On Wednesday, the Minister of Finance of the Netherlands, Eelco Heinen, announced that the recently passed bill to tax unrealized gains on crypto and other assets will be reviewed and amended to address multiple concerns brought by the Senate and crypto investors.

“I don’t think the law can go through as it stands,” Heinen told local news outlet RTL Nieuws. “I think something has simply gone wrong here, and the current law needs to be amended.”

The Netherlands plans to overhaul its tax system on January 1, 2028. The proposed system, known as the Actual Return in Box 3 Act, is set to tax investors 36% on the change in value of their crypto and other assets each year, even if these have not been sold.

According to the report, the Dutch finance minister noted that there’s still time to amend the controversial tax overhaul, as it will not be enacted until 2028.

Moreover, he revealed that he has already discussed the bill’s upcoming revision with his state secretary, adding that they are set to examine the legislation and potential amendments with lawmakers.

“We have agreed that we will go back to the drawing board, engage in discussions with the House of Representatives and the Senate, and see how we can amend the law,” he stated.

Heinen also opened the door to a complete rewrite of the crypto tax bill if amendments in certain areas don’t suffice to address the concerns. Nonetheless, he shared that he doesn’t yet know which option will be necessary as they are “just going to have the conversation.”

The Unrealized Crypto, Stock Gains Tax Debate

The new system has been heavily criticized by local investors, who have expressed concerns about being unfairly taxed on their crypto and other assets. Some have argued that the legislation could push wealth out of the country, as crypto investors and other high-net-worth individuals could consider relocating to other jurisdictions with friendlier tax frameworks.

Under the new Box 3 system, the government will calculate tax by comparing the value of an asset at the beginning and end of the year, and the income earned during this period. As a result, both realized and unrealized gains on cryptocurrencies, stocks, bonds, and similar investments will be included.

Only real estate and shares in startups will be exempt from the new system, as they will be taxed when profit is made. Meanwhile, income from these assets will continue to be taxed in the year it is received.

For context, the old Box 3 system taxed investors based on the assumed returns of assets, a practice the Supreme Court ruled unfair and unsustainable after the Dutch state lost several court cases, with every year of delay costing the treasury hundreds of millions, RTL Nieuws detailed.

Since then, lawmakers have been developing the proposed new model that they consider more accurate. However, some reports noted that the government ignored previous concerns and still decided to advance the bill with some adjustments.

Notably, the Dutch House of Representatives passed the legislation two weeks ago, advancing it to the Senate for consideration. RTL Nieuws highlighted that the Dutch Senate, which has yet to discuss the reform plan, also shares similar concerns as investors.

Управление по финансовому надзору Великобритании (FCA) выбрало четыре компании для тестирования продуктов на базе стейблкоинов в рамках регуляторной песочницы. Из 20 претендентов отобраны Monee Financial Technologies, ReStabilise, VVTX и британский цифровой банк Revolut.

Главный аналитик компании K33 Research Ветле Лунде (Vetle Lunde) заявил, что биткоин-резерв США может сократиться примерно на 30% после завершения судебного разбирательства, связанного со взломом биржи Bitfinex.

The crypto market in Seoul may get a little clearer about who’s talking and why. According to recent reports, lawmakers in South Korea are drafting rules that would force people who give investment tips on social media to show what they own and what they are paid to promote.

Influencer Crypto Holdings Must Be Public

Reports say the measure would cover anyone who repeatedly recommends stocks or crypto on livestreams, short videos, blogs or broadcasts, and would require disclosure of asset types, quantities and any payments tied to a promotion. That includes both token holdings and publicly listed shares.

The proposal is being led by Kim Seung-won, who has pushed amendments to the Capital Markets Act and the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, according to multiple outlets. Rules like these aim to flag conflicts of interest where someone might hype an asset and then sell into the resulting price spike.

Who Would Face Penalties

Reports note that penalties for breaches could mirror existing sanctions for unfair trading, which means fines and possible criminal charges for the worst cases. That legal weight is seen as a way to deter pump-and-dump style promotions that can harm small investors.

Many observers point out that public officials in the country already disclose crypto holdings to ethics bodies, so this step is an extension of established transparency practices into the private social media sphere.

The move arrives as regulators worldwide test new ways to police online promotions and reduce investor harm.

Crypto: Practical Questions Remain

How the rules will be enforced is still an open issue. Reports say lawmakers want to link the rules to market surveillance systems and to give regulators clearer powers to investigate suspicious activity.

It will likely take time to settle the details on thresholds for who qualifies as an influencer, and what exact data must be published.

What This Means For Creators And Users

Creators who earn from promotions may need to change how they post. Some will disclose voluntarily. Others might stop recommending specific assets to avoid filing regular reports.

Ordinary investors could benefit if conflicts of interest become easier to spot, but the rules will only help if they are enforced.

Reports have disclosed that this bill is part of a larger tightening of oversight by agencies including the Financial Supervisory Service, which has been more active after recent market incidents.

The aim is clear: reduce hidden promotion and give crypto and retail investors clearer signals about who stands to gain from a recommendation.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Спустя более 17 лет после появления первой криптовалюты ее создатель Сатоси Накамото остается главной загадкой индустрии. Почему криптосообщество до сих пор не может установить личность разработчика Биткоина и возможно ли это в принципе?