From cyber heists to billion-dollar bets, the crypto world never stands still. In just one week, we’ve seen North Korean hackers reinvent job scams, deepfake-driven frauds surge alongside Bitcoin’s rally, and institutional giants from Nasdaq to U.S. Bancorp doubling down on blockchain adoption. Whales are making bold rotations from Bitcoin into Ethereum, while explosive moves like Eightco’s meteoric rise remind us just how fast fortunes can shift. Amid the volatility, one truth remains: crypto is both a high-stakes battlefield and a frontier of unprecedented opportunity.
North Korean Social Engineering Campaigns
A distressing new trend has emerged: where North Korean-linked attackers are using fake crypto job postings to target applicants. By tricking candidates into malicious “skills test” websites, scammers can steal funds and take over wallets. This strategy is part of a broader North Korean cyber-financing effort.
Surge in Crypto Scams Amid Bullish Sentiment
As Bitcoin hits new milestones and gains institutional attention, scams are rising in tandem. Fraudsters are ramping up phishing schemes (notably fake NFT giveaways), deepfake promotions, and cloned websites, spreading widely via X, Telegram, and TikTok.
Broader Trend: Rising Value, Fewer Breaches
Despite a smaller number of incidents, the total value of assets stolen in hacks and scams continues to rise. Between April 2024 and March 2025, 184 incidents resulted in losses of worth approx. $3.6 billion, reflecting a move toward more targeted and high-value attacks. Globally, Ether remains the most targeted asset.
U.S. Bancorp Relaunches Bitcoin Custody
After a multi-year pause, U.S. Bancorp is restoring institutional Bitcoin custody services, now including support for spot Bitcoin ETFs. The New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG) will provide sub-custody, while Bancorp manages client relationships. This move follows recent regulatory easing around crypto custody.
Nasdaq Invests in Gemini & Pushes Tokenization
The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ) has invested $50 million in Gemini through a private placement ahead of its IPO (~$300 million raise). The firm is also filing with the SEC to allow tokenized securities trading, ushering in 24/7 settlement and more extensive adoption of blockchain-based equity tokens.
Galaxy Digital Tokenizes Stock
Galaxy Digital has become the first regulated U.S. company to tokenize its common shares, using blockchain via Superstate (on Solana). These tokens legally mirror equity shares but trade round the clock, an early example of compliant stock tokenization.
Eightco Holdings’ Meteoric Rise
Eightco Holdings’ market cap skyrocketed from $4 million to $8.5 billion almost overnight. The catalyst is a surge, following a $270 million private share sale and the appointment of Dan Ives as board chair. The funds will be used to acquire Worldcoin and crypto-related assets.
Market Pullback in Crypto Treasury Stocks
Firms with crypto-heavy treasuries, from Strategy to Metaplanet, are taking sharp losses ranging from 18% to 70%. As markets recalibrate, companies whose valuations fall below their crypto holdings are under scrutiny by investors.
Quick snapshot: BTC has seen a modest upward movement from about $109–$111K to $112K, indicating relative stability and slight growth over the past week.
Quick snapshot: ETH has largely held steady, oscillating between $4.26K to $4.42K band, currently around $4.33K, suggesting modest consolidation.
Mega Whale Swaps Bitcoin for Ethereum
A prominent “Bitcoin OG” whale sold 4,000 BTC ($435 million) to buy 96,859 ETH ($433 million), adding to a multi-billion-dollar Ethereum position now valued near $4 billion. This is part of a growing trend of rotation from BTC to ETH.
Ethereum ETFs Soar
BlackRock’s Ethereum Trust bought nearly $968 million in ETH last week. In August 2025, U.S. spot ETH ETFs recorded ~$3.87 billion in inflows, while BTC ETFs endured outflows of ~$751 million. This underscores the rapid shifting institutional preference toward ETH.
Michael Saylor’s Continued Bitcoin Accumulation
No crypto column is complete without a nod to Michael Saylor, the quintessential Bitcoin maximalist. And as usual, he’s been busy. Last week, his firm Strategy acquired 1,955 BTC worth ~$217.4 million at an average price of ~$111,196 per coin.
Flash Outflows from Investment Products
CoinShares reports ~$2.9 billion in outflows from institutional crypto funds over the past week, totaling $3.8 billion in three weeks. Key drivers include heightened hack fears, the Fed hawkishness, and recent profit-taking.
This past week highlighted sharpened cyber threats, from state-sponsored job scams to AI-enabled deepfakes, alongside institutional enthusiasm through custody services, tokenization initiatives, ETF inflows, and explosive market moves like Eightco’s surge. Meanwhile, whales are increasingly favoring Ethereum over Bitcoin, prompting huge capital rotations. Yet, the bullish narrative is tempered by notable fund outflows and revaluation of crypto-heavy firms.
Crypto remains a battleground, fraught with risk, fast evolution, and brimming with capital flows, as both institutions and massive players shape the market’s direction.
By: Sandra A. Aghaizu
In the quiet corners of the net,
A trap is set.
A job that looks so real,
A company that feels so true,
An invitation… “take the skills test.”
One click, one careless trust,
And coins slip away like water through open hands.
Far beyond unseen borders,
North Korean shadows count the stolen light.
The market rises, Bitcoin blazes,
And with its glow, the tricksters gather.
Glittering promises scatter across the feed:
Free NFTs like falling stars,
Deepfake lips speaking lies with borrowed faces,
Mirrored websites that look like home but open into cages.
On X, Telegram, or TikTok’s endless scroll,
Nets are cast wide,
For the dreamers, greedy and curious.
And though the storms are fewer now,
Each one cuts deeper.
In a single year,
Just 184 blows stole $3.6 billion,
Precision strikes aimed at the richest vaults.
Ether, the jewel of the chain,
Remains the favoured prey.
So remember this:
In the gold rush of the digital age,
The danger lies not only in the mines,
But in the mirages.
The brighter the coin, the darker the shadow.
Pause before you click.
Guard your wallet like a secret flame.
Doubt the voices,
for even the trusted face
may be a mask.
In this world,
it is not the bold who endure,
but the watchful,
the patient,
the ones who see through the shine.
