his stomach's as big as his house lol
Official BGOL Crypto Currency Thread ★★★★★
- Thread starter Matt Beesy
- Start date
his stomach's as big as his house lol
North Korea was responsible for $1.5 billion ByBit hack, FBI says
ByBit said on Friday an attacker gained control of an ether wallet and transferred the holdings to an unidentified address.www.nbcnews.com
North Korean hackers cash out hundreds of millions from $1.5bn ByBit hack
Hackers from the infamous Lazarus Group are in a cat-and-mouse game to launder their stolen funds from the ByBit heist.
www.bbc.com
How a 27-Year-Old Codebreaker Busted the Myth of Bitcoin’s Anonymity
Drug dealers and money launderers saw cryptocurrency as untraceable. Then a grad student proved them all wrong.
Trump pardons three BitMEX crypto exchange co-founders, and ex-employee
The co-founders, Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed previously pled guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act, for failing to maintain anti-money laundering and know-your-customer programs, as did former business development chief Gregory Dwyer. Prosecutors accused the men of effectively operating BitMEX as a "money laundering platform" and that its purported withdrawal from the U.S. market was "a sham."
Eamon Javers, Dan Mangan
MAR 28 2025
www.cnbc.com
Arthur Hayes, chief executive officer of BitMEX, speaks during the Consensus: Invest event in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017.
Benjamin Delo
Samuel Reed
The co-founders, Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed previously pled guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act, for failing to maintain anti-money laundering and know-your-customer programs, as did former business development chief Gregory Dwyer. Prosecutors accused the men of effectively operating BitMEX as a "money laundering platform" and that its purported withdrawal from the U.S. market was "a sham."
Eamon Javers, Dan Mangan
MAR 28 2025
Trump pardons three BitMEX crypto exchange co-founders, and ex-employee
Trevor Milton, founder and former CEO of electric truck maker Nikola, revealed that Trump had pardoned him for his criminal conviction for securities fraud.
Arthur Hayes, chief executive officer of BitMEX, speaks during the Consensus: Invest event in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017.
Benjamin Delo
Samuel Reed
SEC Drops Charges Against Chinese Billionaire After He Pumps $30 Million Into Trump’s Crypto Scheme
Sun is a Chinese crypto mogul who is most famous for being the guy who paid $6.2 million for a banana duct-taped to a wall. He ate the banana in front of cameras in Hong Kong after the check cleared. That was in November, when the specter of an SEC-led fraud investigation was still hanging over his head.
By Matthew Gault
February 28, 2025
gizmodo.com
…Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun’s legal troubles seem to be fading away. In March 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged him with manipulating the market. After Trump was elected, he dumped $30 million into the President’s World Liberty Financial crypto scheme. Now a federal judge has granted him a stay in the SEC’s investigation...
Justin Sun eating a $6.2 million banana.
Sun is a Chinese crypto mogul who is most famous for being the guy who paid $6.2 million for a banana duct-taped to a wall. He ate the banana in front of cameras in Hong Kong after the check cleared. That was in November, when the specter of an SEC-led fraud investigation was still hanging over his head.
By Matthew Gault
February 28, 2025
SEC Drops Charges Against Chinese Billionaire After He Pumps $30 Million Into Trump’s Crypto Scheme
Justin Sun is celebrating avoiding a fraud investigation by posting handshake emojis on X.
gizmodo.com
…Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun’s legal troubles seem to be fading away. In March 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged him with manipulating the market. After Trump was elected, he dumped $30 million into the President’s World Liberty Financial crypto scheme. Now a federal judge has granted him a stay in the SEC’s investigation...
Justin Sun eating a $6.2 million banana.
Binance ex-CEO warns 95% of crypto investors won’t survive
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the former CEO of Binance, has made a forecast for the crypto world, suggesting that just a tiny percentage will succeed in the long run.
Anushka Basu
March 17, 2025
Billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the former CEO of Binance, has made a forecast for the crypto world, suggesting that just a tiny percentage will succeed in the long run.
Anushka Basu
March 17, 2025
Billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao
Why scammers are increasingly turning to bitcoin ATMs to carry out their cons
According to data from the Federal Trade Commission, between 2020 to 2023, consumer losses in bitcoin ATM scams skyrocketed nearly tenfold, from $12 million annually in 2020 to $114 million annually in 2023. During that timeframe, consumers over the age of 60 were more than three times more likely than younger adults to lose money to bitcoin scams, the FTC found.
By Brian New
March 20, 2025
www.cbsnews.com
According to data from the Federal Trade Commission, between 2020 to 2023, consumer losses in bitcoin ATM scams skyrocketed nearly tenfold, from $12 million annually in 2020 to $114 million annually in 2023. During that timeframe, consumers over the age of 60 were more than three times more likely than younger adults to lose money to bitcoin scams, the FTC found.
By Brian New
March 20, 2025
Why scammers are increasingly turning to bitcoin ATMs to carry out their cons
Consumer losses in bitcoin ATM scams skyrocketed nearly tenfold to $114 million annually between 2020 to 2023, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission.
www.cbsnews.com
‘Existential Threat’—Wall Street Suddenly Braced For A Bitcoin And Crypto Price Game-Changer
By Billy Bambrough,
April 6, 2025
www.forbes.com
Bitcoin and crypto prices have whipsawed this week as traders panic that Donald Trump’s tariff war could spark a bitcoin price “crisis scenario.”
The bitcoin price has outperformed stocks, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issuing a surprise endorsement.
Now, as BlackRock’s chief executive issues a near-$1 trillion warning to the U.S. dollar, Wall Street banks are staring down the barrel of an “existential” bitcoin and crypto crisis as Trump pushes for radical new legislation.
"This is an existential threat to the banking industry, as well as to the financial system writ large," Arthur Wilmarth, a professor emeritus of law at George Washington University, told Reuters, adding that taxpayers could ultimately be on the hook.
Congress is rushing to pass major new crypto legislation in the form of a stablecoin bill that could see interest paid out to people holding the dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies, with Bo Hines, who leads Trump’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, saying last month that the White House wants a stablecoin bill passed before August.
A stablecoin bill currently headed to the House floor prohibits stablecoin issuers from paying out interest to holders while a twin bill in the Senate’ excludes interest on some types of stablecoins but falls short of banning them.
If permitted, higher-than-average interest stablecoin accounts could see people move their money out of insured bank accounts, opening them up to risk if those crypto companies were to fail.
“Stablecoins are emerging as the first real blockchain use case to be fully integrated into traditional finance, and we are witnessing the early stages of this transformation,” Hina Sattar Joshi, digital assets sales director at TP ICAP, said in emailed comments.
“Strong global momentum in stablecoins is likely to attract institutional interest in a digital asset that has long-term growth potential while acting as a credible bridge between traditional assets and crypto.”
As the two stablecoin bills are brought together by Congress in the coming weeks, lawmakers will have to choose—potentially deciding whether stablecoins will become the de facto checking account tool for both banks and crypto companies or if they’ll remain a sideshow.
By Billy Bambrough,
April 6, 2025
‘Existential Threat’—Wall Street Suddenly Braced For A Bitcoin And Crypto Price Game-Changer
Wall Street banks are staring down the barrel of an “existential” bitcoin and crypto crisis as Trump pushes for radical new legislation...
www.forbes.com
Bitcoin and crypto prices have whipsawed this week as traders panic that Donald Trump’s tariff war could spark a bitcoin price “crisis scenario.”
The bitcoin price has outperformed stocks, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issuing a surprise endorsement.
Now, as BlackRock’s chief executive issues a near-$1 trillion warning to the U.S. dollar, Wall Street banks are staring down the barrel of an “existential” bitcoin and crypto crisis as Trump pushes for radical new legislation.
"This is an existential threat to the banking industry, as well as to the financial system writ large," Arthur Wilmarth, a professor emeritus of law at George Washington University, told Reuters, adding that taxpayers could ultimately be on the hook.
Congress is rushing to pass major new crypto legislation in the form of a stablecoin bill that could see interest paid out to people holding the dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies, with Bo Hines, who leads Trump’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, saying last month that the White House wants a stablecoin bill passed before August.
A stablecoin bill currently headed to the House floor prohibits stablecoin issuers from paying out interest to holders while a twin bill in the Senate’ excludes interest on some types of stablecoins but falls short of banning them.
If permitted, higher-than-average interest stablecoin accounts could see people move their money out of insured bank accounts, opening them up to risk if those crypto companies were to fail.
“Stablecoins are emerging as the first real blockchain use case to be fully integrated into traditional finance, and we are witnessing the early stages of this transformation,” Hina Sattar Joshi, digital assets sales director at TP ICAP, said in emailed comments.
“Strong global momentum in stablecoins is likely to attract institutional interest in a digital asset that has long-term growth potential while acting as a credible bridge between traditional assets and crypto.”
As the two stablecoin bills are brought together by Congress in the coming weeks, lawmakers will have to choose—potentially deciding whether stablecoins will become the de facto checking account tool for both banks and crypto companies or if they’ll remain a sideshow.
Justice Department shuts down its cryptocurrency fraud unit
In a memo sent Monday night, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche directed the closure of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and ordered prosecutors to pivot to investigating transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups that use crypto to engage in illicit transactions.
Josh Meyer
USA TODAY
April 8, 2025
In a memo sent Monday night, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche directed the closure of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and ordered prosecutors to pivot to investigating transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups that use crypto to engage in illicit transactions.
Josh Meyer
USA TODAY
April 8, 2025
Justice Department shuts down its cryptocurrency fraud unit
The order by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is in keeping with Trump's embrace of digital currencies.
www.usatoday.com
Donald Trump hosts a $1.5 million-per-person fundraiser, raising ethics concerns
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
USA TODAY
May 6, 2025
…Just 11 days after President Donald Trump hosted a $1 million dinner for the MAGA Inc. Super PAC, he kicked it up another notch in May with a $1.5 million-per-plate dinner at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Co-hosting the shindig with him on May 5 was David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar who collaborates with lawmakers on potential regulations for digital assets…
Trump with David Sacks
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
USA TODAY
May 6, 2025
Donald Trump hosts a $1.5 million-per-person fundraiser, raising ethics concerns
The purpose of the fundraiser was unclear as the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment bars Trump from seeking a third term.
www.usatoday.com
…Just 11 days after President Donald Trump hosted a $1 million dinner for the MAGA Inc. Super PAC, he kicked it up another notch in May with a $1.5 million-per-plate dinner at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Co-hosting the shindig with him on May 5 was David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar who collaborates with lawmakers on potential regulations for digital assets…
Trump with David Sacks
That is entirely too much. One to three percent is probably more conservative.
Next Crypto to Explode as VanEck Launches US Treasury Fund Tokens on Ethereum and Solana
Proving there’s never a dull moment in the crypto market, yet another US asset manager – VanEck – is embracing the digital-assets era by launching a tokenized US Treasury fund. That’s good news for the traditional and crypto finance worlds, as well as the next crypto to explode.
The VanEck Treasury Fund (VBILL) is a blockchain-based investment vehicle that provides digital access to short-term US government bonds. So whereas those bonds were traditionally accessed through banks and brokers, qualified investors can now access them with stablecoins, like $USDC.
By the way, by ‘qualified,’ we mean large. VBILL requires a minimum investment of $1M on Ethereum, and $100K on the other blockchains it’s available on. Those include Solana, BNB Chain, and Avalanche networks.
VanEck is no newcomer to the crypto scene – it already issues spot $BTC and $ETH ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and ETNs (exchange-traded notes). And now it’s following the lead of BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and other firms by tokenizing traditional assets.
In another positive move for crypto, cross-border banking giant Standard Charter is also increasing its crypto activity.
Standard Charter is now collaborating with digital-asset prime brokerage FalconX, which will integrate the bank’s forex services and infrastructure to provide its institutional clients with a broader range of offerings.
This comes after the recent announcement of a partnership with OKX that enables institutional clients to use crypto as collateral.
The Next Crypto to Explode Thanks to Institutional Adoption?
According to a Standard Global press release, the collaboration ‘continues FalconX’s efforts to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets with enterprise-grade infrastructure’.
As digital assets are increasingly embraced by the traditional finance sector worldwide, it’s great news for the crypto market – and investors.
With the Bitcoin price back up above the $100K mark, the market is looking bullish. And what’s good for the $BTC is generally good for other tokens. If you’re looking to invest in what could be the next crypto to explode, here are options well worth considering – including the best presale tokens of the year.
1. Solaxy ($SOLX) – The World’s First Layer-2 Solana Ecosystem
The Solana blockchain is second only to Ethereum in terms of market dominance and the number of tokens. It’s fast and has relatively low transaction costs. But Solana is also plagued by network congestion and failed transactions.
That’s where Solaxy ($SOLX) steps up to the plate. This meme coin is introducing the first-ever Layer-2 Solana platform – and that’s a big deal in the crypto world. Solaxy is building on Solana’s strong points (speed, low costs) and adding to it.
That means even higher transaction speeds, lower costs, and scalability. It’s also a multichain token, bridging the gap between Solana and Ethereum.
The $SOLX project has solid tokenomics, with 30% allocated to development. That will be an important aspect of its long-term success. It’s also why $SOLX could be the next crypto to explode.
Investor interest has so far been impressive. This is one of the best meme coins on presale – it has already raised $35.5M in funding.
We expect big things to come from Solaxy after the presale ends and it lists on DEXs and CEXs. And that means there’s no better time to invest in $SOLX, with its current presale price of $0.001724 and 113% staking rewards.
Take a look at our complete guide to buying in Solaxy – as well as our $SOLX price prediction – to find out how to make the most of what has the potential to be the next crypto to explode.
2. BTC Bull Token ($BTCBULL) – The $BTC Champion that Rewards Holders with Actual Bitcoin
In another crypto first, enter BTC Bull Token ($BTCBULL) – the one and only meme coin that tracks Bitcoin’s price. And when that price reaches a milestone, $BTCBULL holders will be airdropped $BTC as a reward.
Considering $BTC’s recent bull run, there’s little reason not to expect its price to hit the $150K, $200K, and onwards to $1M in the not-too-distant future.
It’s exactly at those milestones that holders of $BTCBULL will receive their own $BTC in the Best Wallet app.
Influencer who attended Trump’s memecoin dinner says he got a ‘Walmart steak’—and no access to the president
Ben WeissUpdated Fri, May 23, 2025 at 8:21 AM PDT
4 min read
Protesters chanted “shame” in front of the dinner venue at the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Va.
Nicholas Pinto, a 25-year-old social media influencer, accumulated more than $360,000 in President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency to attend an “unforgettable Gala DINNER” with the commander-in-chief. The food, though, was forgettable. “Trash,” Pinto texted Fortune during the banquet. “Walmart steak, man.”
The menu included a “Trump organic field green salad” and an “entrée duet” of filet mignon and pan-seared halibut. “Everyone at my table was saying the food was some of the worst food that they ever had,” said Pinto after the meal.
But the real draw of the evening, of course, wasn’t steak or halibut. It was Trump himself. The top 220 holders of his memecoin were promised an exclusive evening with the 47th president in what critics have called one of the most blatant pay-for-access schemes in presidential history. In total, investors bought up $148 million of the cryptocurrency to attend the dinner, according to crypto analytics firm Inca Digital.
“The President is working to secure GOOD deals for the American people, not for himself,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement.
Was the price tag worth it? “I was hoping for either Big Macs or pizza,” Pinto said, referring to the president’s well-known taste for McDonald’s. “That would have been better than the food that we were served.”
The ‘unforgettable’ gala
In January, two days before his inauguration, Trump announced that he was launching his own memecoin, or cryptocurrency whose price trades on the virality of a joke or person, not its utility.Pinto, a Trump supporter who happened to be staying at the Trump National Doral hotel in Miami at the time, started buying up the token. “I saw it listed, and it was skyrocketing,” he said.
He was already flush in cash. As a 13-year-old, Pinto netted $100,000 in one year through his launch of a company that made scooter wheels, and then he parlayed that success into a career as a social media influencer. He currently has 2.6 million followers on Instagram.
While Trump’s memecoin initially jumped in price to a market capitalization of almost $8.8 billion, it eventually plummeted to now around $2.8 billion. To help increase enthusiasm for the token, the team behind the cryptocurrency announced in late April that the memecoin’s top 220 holders would be eligible for an exclusive dinner with the president at the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Va.
Pinto wanted to attend, so he bought up enough cryptocurrency to snag no. 72 on the leaderboard, which displayed each invitee’s $TRUMP holdings along with a pseudonym. Pinto’s nickname was “rich.”
As the dinner neared, Pinto was so excited that he spray-painted his “G-Wagon,” a luxury SUV from Mercedes-Benz that costs around $150,000, with the $TRUMP ticker.
But on the day of the memecoin extravaganza, he decided—in a nod to the crypto industry’s favorite symbol of wealth—to drive down from his home in New Jersey in his 2023 “Lambo,” or Lamborghini. Wearing a black tie and a suit, he wondered who else was coming.
Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto billionaire reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department during former President Joe Biden’s administration, had confirmed his attendance. Other attendees included the CEO of a Singaporean crypto startup and an Australian crypto investor. “I really would love to meet Elon Musk,” noted Pinto, referring to the Tesla CEO. “I don’t know if that’s gonna happen, but that’s definitely my top person"
When Pinto showed up to the dinner Thursday evening, he was instead greeted by a crowd of critics. The nonprofit Public Citizen had organized a protest, which included an appearance from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). “Trump’s crypto businesses constitute one of the most corrupt innovations in American political history,” Robert Weissman, copresident of Public Citizen, previously told Fortune.
Inside the Trump National Golf Club, the sentiment was mixed. “Most of the ppl here are sketchy ngl [not gonna lie],” Pinto texted Fortune. Trump did appear and gave a speech, but Pinto described the president’s address as “pretty much like bullshit.” And most guests had no access to the commander-in-chief, he said. Even Caitlin Sinclair, the host of the dinner and an anchor on the conservative news network OANN, wasn’t able to get much face time with Trump. “She said, ‘Oh, Trump didn’t even give me a picture,’” Pinto remembered.
As the gala ended around 10 p.m., Pinto, who didn’t meet Elon Musk, got a ride from his father back to a nearby hotel. He then readied himself for an after-party organized by the Singaporean crypto company at the Ciel Capitol Hill, a rooftop club in Washington, D.C.
But first, he and his father needed to grab a bite to eat. Pinto was still hungry after the underwhelming meal. “The only good part,” he told Fortune, “[was] the bread and the butter.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon calls on US to stockpile bullets, rare earth instead of bitcoin
“Like, you know, the military guys tell you that, you know, if there’s a war in the South China Sea, we have missiles for seven days. Okay, come on. I mean, we can’t say that with a straight face and think that’s okay. So we know what to do. We just got to now go about doing it. Get the people together, roll up our sleeves, you know, have the debates.”
By Emma Colton, Fox News
May 30, 2025
nypost.com
Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., during a Bloomberg Television interview on the sidelines of the JPMorgan China Summit in Shanghai, China, on May 22.
“Like, you know, the military guys tell you that, you know, if there’s a war in the South China Sea, we have missiles for seven days. Okay, come on. I mean, we can’t say that with a straight face and think that’s okay. So we know what to do. We just got to now go about doing it. Get the people together, roll up our sleeves, you know, have the debates.”
By Emma Colton, Fox News
May 30, 2025
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon calls on US to stockpile bullets, rare earth instead of bitcoin
“We shouldn’t be stockpiling bitcoins,” Dimon said when asked about how industrial policy is entwined with national security policies during a panel.
nypost.com
Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., during a Bloomberg Television interview on the sidelines of the JPMorgan China Summit in Shanghai, China, on May 22.
He's not wrong. A lot of infrastructure will need to be intact for bitcoin to be a viable source of currency.JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon calls on US to stockpile bullets, rare earth instead of bitcoin
“Like, you know, the military guys tell you that, you know, if there’s a war in the South China Sea, we have missiles for seven days. Okay, come on. I mean, we can’t say that with a straight face and think that’s okay. So we know what to do. We just got to now go about doing it. Get the people together, roll up our sleeves, you know, have the debates.”
By Emma Colton, Fox News
May 30, 2025
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon calls on US to stockpile bullets, rare earth instead of bitcoin
“We shouldn’t be stockpiling bitcoins,” Dimon said when asked about how industrial policy is entwined with national security policies during a panel.
Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., during a Bloomberg Television interview on the sidelines of the JPMorgan China Summit in Shanghai, China, on May 22.
Colin PowellHow a 27-Year-Old Codebreaker Busted the Myth of Bitcoin’s Anonymity
Drug dealers and money launderers saw cryptocurrency as untraceable. Then a grad student proved them all wrong.getpocket.com
UC San Diego Computer Scientists Earn IMC Test-of-time Award for Pivotal Bitcoin Crime Fighting Research
When Bitcoin launched in 2009, the virtual currency was heralded as virtually untraceable – an alarming prospect for crimefighters – until a team of computer scientists at the University of California San Diego devised a clever tracing technique that could in fact follow the money.
today.ucsd.edu
How a mathematician and an entrepreneur took a bite out of crypto crime
The blockchain has a secret: It contains all the clues needed to connect underground purchases to people in the real world.
Awww Hell naw!!!! That is my personal recipe for disaster and possibly bankruptcy
Controversial Telegram Co-Founder Says He'll Leave $17 Billion Fortune to His 106 Children
Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov will divide his estimated $117 billion fortune among his 106 plus children upon his death, he said: The kids include those who were naturally conceived and as a sperm donor
Billionaire Telegram founder leaves his $14 billion fortune to the 100+ children he’s fathered—which means $132 million for each lucky Gen Alpha kid
Over 100 Gen Apha kids are set to one day become overnight millionaires—and they may not even know it, thanks to the tech tycoon Pavel Durov’s new will.