Solana-based launchpad Pump.fun has confirmed it will open the public sale of its PUMP token at 14:00 UTC on 12 July, with trading slated to close three days later. The offering will run simultaneously on Bybit, Kraken, Gate, KuCoin, MEXC and Bitget at a fixed price of $0.004 per token.

Pump.fun is selling 33% of the one-trillion-token supply, valuing the project at roughly $4 billion fully diluted. About 18% of the supply—worth roughly $720 million—was placed with private investors, while the remaining 15% (150 billion tokens) will be available to the public, targeting a further $600 million. Proceeds lift the total size of the ICO to roughly $1.3 billion.

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Binance said it will distribute 15 million Lagrange (LA) tokens to users who were subscribed to its Simple Earn products between 22 and 25 June, designating the giveaway as the platform’s 26th HODLer Airdrop initiative. The airdrop page is scheduled to go live on the Binance Airdrop Portal later today.

The exchange plans to list LA for spot trading at 15:00 UTC on 9 July, offering pairs with USDT, USDC, BNB, FDUSD and TRY. Binance did not disclose the initial price for LA, which is issued by blockchain infrastructure developer Lagrange.

Separately, Binance Wallet will host the token-generation event for Velvet (VELVET), a DeFi management platform backed by YZi Labs. The subscription window for the VELVET TGE runs from 08:00 to 10:00 UTC on 10 July.

Tether, the company behind the world's largest stablecoin, holds nearly 80 tons of gold valued at approximately $8 billion in a secret vault located in Switzerland. This gold stockpile positions Tether among the largest private holders of gold outside of banks and nation-states. The vault, reportedly built and operated by Tether itself, is described as highly secure and is part of the company's strategy to lower custody costs and diversify its reserves. As of March, precious metals accounted for nearly 5% of Tether's reserves. The exact location and details of the vault remain undisclosed.

Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, has taken an undisclosed strategic stake in blockchain-analytics firm Crystal Intelligence. The investment gives Tether permanent access to Crystal’s real-time risk-monitoring, fraud-detection and regulatory-intelligence tools, which the companies say will strengthen efforts to trace illicit use of stablecoins and aid law-enforcement investigations.

The two firms have already collaborated on Scam Alert, a public database that flags wallet addresses tied to scams. Tether said it has worked with 255 law-enforcement agencies in 55 jurisdictions and has frozen more than $2.7 billion in suspect stablecoins to date.

Crypto-related crime remains a growing concern. The FBI logged $9.3 billion in U.S. digital-asset fraud losses last year, up 66% from 2023. “Misuse USDT, and law enforcement will find you,” Tether Chief Executive Officer Paolo Ardoino said in a statement, calling the investment a further step toward “future-proofing” the sector’s compliance infrastructure.

On July 2 and 3, 2025, multiple large transfers of Tether's USDT stablecoin occurred between major cryptocurrency exchanges Bitfinex and Kraken, as well as Tether Treasury. Notably, on July 3, Tether Treasury minted one billion USDT, equivalent to approximately $1 billion. This minting event was the largest in the reported transactions, following several transfers ranging from 100 million to over 117 million USDT between Bitfinex and Kraken. These movements highlight significant activity in the USDT stablecoin market over the two-day period.

Aptos Labs has teamed up with pan-African fintech Yellow Card to roll out instant, fee-free transfers of Tether’s USDT across 20 African countries. The integration uses Aptos’s Layer-1 blockchain to sponsor gas fees, enabling cross-border payments and everyday purchases to settle in under a second.

Yellow Card said Sub-Saharan Africa now counts more than 54 million digital-asset customers, underscoring rising demand for stablecoins as a hedge against currency volatility and a tool for treasury and payroll management. The partnership will also add Circle’s USDC next, expanding the stablecoin rails available to merchants, small businesses and remittance users.

Aptos, which claims throughput above 11,000 transactions per second, positions the service as an alternative to traditional payment networks burdened by higher costs and slower settlement times. Both companies said zero-fee, high-speed transfers are critical to widening financial inclusion on a continent where mobile-first adoption is surging.

Tether-backed payments start-up Stable has launched “Stablechain,” a dedicated Layer 1 blockchain that uses USDT as its native gas token. Announced on 2 July, the network promises sub-second block finality, transaction fees of well under one cent and throughput measured in thousands of transactions per second. The company, supported by Tether and Bitfinex, says the chain is purpose-built for low-cost payments, decentralised finance and tokenised real-world assets.

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Tether's stablecoin USDT has reached new all-time highs in supply and transaction volume across multiple blockchain platforms in 2025. The total USDT supply surpassed $156 billion in late June, with subsequent growth pushing it over $158 billion by the end of June. On the Tron blockchain specifically, USDT supply exceeded $80 billion, reflecting an increase of approximately $20 billion since the start of the year. USDT is widely used across various chains including Ethereum, Solana, Aptos, Ton, Avalanche, and Celo, contributing to its dominance in the stablecoin market.

Additionally, USDT averages about $1 trillion in monthly on-chain transfer volume, a scale that surpasses traditional payment methods such as PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. The growing demand for stablecoins is further evidenced by the ERC-20 stablecoin supply hitting an all-time high of $121 billion. Stablecoin issuers, including Tether, Circle, Sky Ecosystem, and Ethena Labs, rank among the top projects by total value locked, underscoring the increasing role of stablecoins in powering the on-chain economy. The deployment of USDT on chains like Unichain has also crossed 200 million issued, facilitating rapid transfers across connected blockchains.

OORT DataHub, a decentralized AI data collection decentralized application (dApp), has launched on Binance Wallet, becoming the first DeAI app integrated into the platform. This integration provides over 486 million Binance Wallet users the ability to contribute data across multiple blockchain networks for AI training purposes. Participants can earn rewards, including USDT and BNB tokens, by completing simple tasks within the dApp. The project has introduced a 15 BNB prize pool giveaway, with 100 winners and a top prize of up to 0.6 BNB. OORT DataHub has been recognized as one of the top three dApps to watch on Binance Wallet in 2025 by Finbold and has received coverage from various media outlets highlighting its role in advancing decentralized AI and incentivizing community data contributions.

OORT DataHub, a decentralized AI data collection application, has officially launched on Binance Wallet, marking the first DeAI dApp integration within the platform. This integration provides access to over 486 million Binance Wallet users, enabling them to contribute quality data across multiple blockchain networks for AI training purposes. Participants can earn rewards in USDT and compete for a 15 BNB prize pool, with the top prize valued at up to 0.6 BNB. The platform encourages user engagement through simple tasks, referral programs, and staking of $OORT tokens to increase winning chances. OORT DataHub has been recognized as one of the top three dApps to watch on Binance Wallet in 2025 by Finbold and has garnered coverage from various media outlets including ZyCrypto, TechBullion, Digital Journal, Paragraph.xyz, and Street Insider. The launch is positioned as a milestone in expanding decentralized AI participation and incentivizing community contributions to AI development.

Rajasthan Police’s Intelligence Wing has arrested Vishal Yadav, an Upper Division Clerk posted at the Indian Navy’s headquarters in Delhi, on charges of espionage under the Official Secrets Act. Investigators say Yadav was picked up from Naval Bhawan and taken to Jaipur after months of surveillance.

According to the police, Yadav transmitted classified naval documents—including material linked to Operation Sindoor—to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. He allegedly communicated with a female handler posing online as “Priya Sharma,” receiving at least ₹50,000 in cryptocurrency and direct bank transfers for the information. Forensic examination of his phone is said to show chat logs, documents and transaction records.

Yadav was produced before a Jaipur court on Thursday and placed in police remand until 30 June while agencies question him and trace possible accomplices. The case is the latest in a series of espionage investigations opened since last month’s Pahalgam terror attack and has prompted a wider review of social-media exposure and financial-crime checks within India’s armed forces.

Stablecoin issuer Tether has purchased a 10.7% holding in Juventus Football Club for about €128 million, becoming the Italian Serie A team’s second-largest shareholder, according to multiple reports citing Bloomberg.

People familiar with the transaction said the stake was acquired on 14 February but only disclosed this week. Tether is seeking a seat on Juventus’s board and has indicated interest in joining future capital raisings, signalling a longer-term strategic commitment to the club.

Jeremy Allaire, co-founder and CEO of Circle, has described stablecoins as the highest utility form of money ever created, highlighting their programmability, speed, and borderless nature. He noted that the stablecoin industry has not yet reached its "iPhone moment," a turning point when developers fully unlock the potential of programmable digital dollars, which could unleash massive innovation in digital finance. Stablecoins have seen growing interest with $33 trillion in volume and increasing attention from retail giants. Despite this optimism, Circle's stock has experienced notable declines, falling 15% on June 24 and 23% over two days, amid rising concerns from analysts and reports such as one from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) that criticized stablecoins for posing risks to financial stability and monetary sovereignty without adequate regulation.

Competition in the stablecoin market is intensifying, leading to a decline in Circle's USDC market share. Meanwhile, other players like Coinbase have seen rallies as stablecoin momentum grows. Investor reactions have also impacted related stocks, such as South Korea’s Kakaopay, which dropped as much as 17% following excitement about its potential stablecoin initiatives. Industry leaders continue to discuss the transformative implications of stablecoins for the future of finance and digital assets.

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the largest-ever seizure of cryptocurrency linked to global "pig butchering" scams, totaling approximately $225 million in USDT. These scams, which have defrauded victims worldwide of billions of dollars, involve long cons where victims are lured into fake online relationships or business deals. The seizure was aided by Coinbase, which played a key role in tracing the stolen funds and assisting the U.S.

Secret Service in the investigation. Tether also contributed by freezing the relevant USDT tokens in December 2024. The recovered funds are being returned to over 130 identified victims. This operation marks a landmark law enforcement effort against crypto investment scams. Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined Coinbase's request to block IRS access to its user data in a tax investigation.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Secret Service have executed the largest-ever cryptocurrency seizure in the country, filing a civil forfeiture complaint to confiscate over $225 million in crypto assets tied to global investment fraud schemes known as "pig butchering" scams. These scams involve luring victims into fake online relationships or business deals, resulting in billions of dollars lost worldwide. The seizure, primarily involving USDT tokens frozen with the assistance of Tether, was made possible through advanced blockchain forensic analysis and collaboration between the FBI and the Secret Service.

Over 400 victims across multiple countries have been identified, with efforts underway to return the recovered funds to them. Coinbase played a key role in aiding federal agents by tracing the stolen crypto and helping identify victims. Following this operation, the U.S. Secret Service has expanded its global investigative network, partnering with law enforcement agencies in more than 60 countries to enhance cross-border blockchain tracing and combat cryptocurrency-related crimes. This expanded effort has led to the recovery of over $400 million in cryptocurrency linked to cybercrime and illicit financial activities, underscoring the growing federal capabilities in digital asset investigations.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two men from Maharashtra, Sandeep Shah of Solapur and Salim Patel of Navi Mumbai, for allegedly defrauding NEET UG 2025 candidates by promising to manipulate exam scores in exchange for ₹87.5 lakh per candidate. The accused posed as contacts of National Testing Agency (NTA) officials, but no government or NTA officials have been found involved. Their police custody has been extended until June 16 as investigations continue. Separately, the CBI has cracked a ₹183.21 crore fake bank guarantee scam linked to irrigation projects in Madhya Pradesh, arresting two individuals including a senior Punjab National Bank manager.

The scam involved eight fake bank guarantees used to secure ₹974 crore worth of irrigation contracts, with spoofed emails sent from fake PNB domains for validation. Additionally, the CBI has registered a case against the former Chief Manager of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and four others, including three firms, for cheating, conspiracy, and corruption causing losses exceeding ₹800 crore to JNPA. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted multi-state raids in connection with a money laundering probe into the 2023 Bihar constable recruitment exam scam, searching 11 locations across Patna, Nalanda, Ranchi, Lucknow, and Kolkata. The CBI also carried out searches at seven locations in Bihar and Jharkhand related to a ₹100 crore bogus GST claim through fake export bills, naming a former Additional Commissioner of Customs, Patna, and 29 others, including customs officials. These raids resulted in the recovery of seven gold bars weighing 100 grams each, incriminating documents, and mobile phones. Other cybercrime arrests include individuals involved in various scams such as a USDT crypto investment fraud, fake call centers, fake online educational degree rackets, and interstate cyber frauds involving cryptocurrency laundering. These coordinated law enforcement actions highlight ongoing efforts to combat large-scale financial and cyber fraud across multiple Indian states.

The stablecoin market has reached new heights in 2025, with its market capitalization surpassing $250 billion for the first time. Earlier in the year, the market cap was reported at $228 billion, marking a $33 billion increase and a 17% rise since the start of the year. Centralized exchanges now hold more stablecoins than ever, contributing to increased liquidity in the crypto market. This surge in stablecoin supply has positioned them as key movers alongside gold in recent trading sessions. The momentum behind stablecoins continues to build, with some analysts suggesting they may be becoming the backbone of cryptocurrency markets. Additionally, the period has seen notable inflows into emerging market debt, indicating broader financial market activity.

Law-enforcement agencies across Delhi and the adjoining city of Noida reported a series of unrelated cyber-fraud arrests on 17 June, underscoring growing concern over digital financial crime in India’s National Capital Region.

Delhi Police Cyber Cell said it detained government employee Prakash Singh and an associate for allegedly transferring ₹24.40 lakh from a colleague’s bank accounts after secretly installing Unified Payments Interface applications on the victim’s phone. In a separate case, city officers said a man posing as an investment advisor defrauded a woman of ₹29 lakh.

Read more

Between June 16 and June 18, 2025, the USDC Treasury conducted multiple large-scale minting and burning operations involving the USDC stablecoin, with amounts ranging from approximately $50.9 million to $69.8 million. Notably, on June 17, an unknown wallet minted 100 million USDC. On June 18, Tether Treasury minted 1 billion USDT, the largest single minting event reported during this period. Shortly after the minting, approximately 225.4 million USDT was transferred from Tether Treasury to the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. These activities highlight significant liquidity movements in the stablecoin market over the three-day span.

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has expanded beyond digital assets by introducing contracts for difference on a broad range of traditional markets. On 12 June the exchange began offering CFDs on 78 U.S.–listed equities through its MT5 Gold & FX platform, covering technology, finance and consumer stocks.

A day later, Bybit integrated the new products directly into its mobile application under a dedicated “TradFi” tab, allowing customers to trade stocks, gold, forex pairs and major equity indices with USDT as the settlement currency. The rollout positions Bybit as what industry observers describe as the first major crypto exchange to support U.S. stock trading funded entirely in the dollar-pegged stablecoin.

The diversification comes as competition among global crypto platforms intensifies, with rivals such as Binance and HTX also courting retail traders. Bybit’s move widens its revenue streams while giving its predominantly crypto-focused user base easier access to traditional financial instruments without leaving the exchange’s ecosystem.

Solana-based launchpad Pump.fun has confirmed it will open the public sale of its PUMP token at 14:00 UTC on 12 July, with trading slated to close three days later. The offering will run simultaneously on Bybit, Kraken, Gate, KuCoin, MEXC and Bitget at a fixed price of $0.004 per token.

Pump.fun is selling 33% of the one-trillion-token supply, valuing the project at roughly $4 billion fully diluted. About 18% of the supply—worth roughly $720 million—was placed with private investors, while the remaining 15% (150 billion tokens) will be available to the public, targeting a further $600 million. Proceeds lift the total size of the ICO to roughly $1.3 billion.

Read more

Binance said it will distribute 15 million Lagrange (LA) tokens to users who were subscribed to its Simple Earn products between 22 and 25 June, designating the giveaway as the platform’s 26th HODLer Airdrop initiative. The airdrop page is scheduled to go live on the Binance Airdrop Portal later today.

The exchange plans to list LA for spot trading at 15:00 UTC on 9 July, offering pairs with USDT, USDC, BNB, FDUSD and TRY. Binance did not disclose the initial price for LA, which is issued by blockchain infrastructure developer Lagrange.

Separately, Binance Wallet will host the token-generation event for Velvet (VELVET), a DeFi management platform backed by YZi Labs. The subscription window for the VELVET TGE runs from 08:00 to 10:00 UTC on 10 July.

Tether, the company behind the world's largest stablecoin, holds nearly 80 tons of gold valued at approximately $8 billion in a secret vault located in Switzerland. This gold stockpile positions Tether among the largest private holders of gold outside of banks and nation-states. The vault, reportedly built and operated by Tether itself, is described as highly secure and is part of the company's strategy to lower custody costs and diversify its reserves. As of March, precious metals accounted for nearly 5% of Tether's reserves. The exact location and details of the vault remain undisclosed.

Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, has taken an undisclosed strategic stake in blockchain-analytics firm Crystal Intelligence. The investment gives Tether permanent access to Crystal’s real-time risk-monitoring, fraud-detection and regulatory-intelligence tools, which the companies say will strengthen efforts to trace illicit use of stablecoins and aid law-enforcement investigations.

The two firms have already collaborated on Scam Alert, a public database that flags wallet addresses tied to scams. Tether said it has worked with 255 law-enforcement agencies in 55 jurisdictions and has frozen more than $2.7 billion in suspect stablecoins to date.

Crypto-related crime remains a growing concern. The FBI logged $9.3 billion in U.S. digital-asset fraud losses last year, up 66% from 2023. “Misuse USDT, and law enforcement will find you,” Tether Chief Executive Officer Paolo Ardoino said in a statement, calling the investment a further step toward “future-proofing” the sector’s compliance infrastructure.

On July 2 and 3, 2025, multiple large transfers of Tether's USDT stablecoin occurred between major cryptocurrency exchanges Bitfinex and Kraken, as well as Tether Treasury. Notably, on July 3, Tether Treasury minted one billion USDT, equivalent to approximately $1 billion. This minting event was the largest in the reported transactions, following several transfers ranging from 100 million to over 117 million USDT between Bitfinex and Kraken. These movements highlight significant activity in the USDT stablecoin market over the two-day period.

Aptos Labs has teamed up with pan-African fintech Yellow Card to roll out instant, fee-free transfers of Tether’s USDT across 20 African countries. The integration uses Aptos’s Layer-1 blockchain to sponsor gas fees, enabling cross-border payments and everyday purchases to settle in under a second.

Yellow Card said Sub-Saharan Africa now counts more than 54 million digital-asset customers, underscoring rising demand for stablecoins as a hedge against currency volatility and a tool for treasury and payroll management. The partnership will also add Circle’s USDC next, expanding the stablecoin rails available to merchants, small businesses and remittance users.

Aptos, which claims throughput above 11,000 transactions per second, positions the service as an alternative to traditional payment networks burdened by higher costs and slower settlement times. Both companies said zero-fee, high-speed transfers are critical to widening financial inclusion on a continent where mobile-first adoption is surging.

Tether-backed payments start-up Stable has launched “Stablechain,” a dedicated Layer 1 blockchain that uses USDT as its native gas token. Announced on 2 July, the network promises sub-second block finality, transaction fees of well under one cent and throughput measured in thousands of transactions per second. The company, supported by Tether and Bitfinex, says the chain is purpose-built for low-cost payments, decentralised finance and tokenised real-world assets.

Read more

Tether's stablecoin USDT has reached new all-time highs in supply and transaction volume across multiple blockchain platforms in 2025. The total USDT supply surpassed $156 billion in late June, with subsequent growth pushing it over $158 billion by the end of June. On the Tron blockchain specifically, USDT supply exceeded $80 billion, reflecting an increase of approximately $20 billion since the start of the year. USDT is widely used across various chains including Ethereum, Solana, Aptos, Ton, Avalanche, and Celo, contributing to its dominance in the stablecoin market.

Additionally, USDT averages about $1 trillion in monthly on-chain transfer volume, a scale that surpasses traditional payment methods such as PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. The growing demand for stablecoins is further evidenced by the ERC-20 stablecoin supply hitting an all-time high of $121 billion. Stablecoin issuers, including Tether, Circle, Sky Ecosystem, and Ethena Labs, rank among the top projects by total value locked, underscoring the increasing role of stablecoins in powering the on-chain economy. The deployment of USDT on chains like Unichain has also crossed 200 million issued, facilitating rapid transfers across connected blockchains.

OORT DataHub, a decentralized AI data collection decentralized application (dApp), has launched on Binance Wallet, becoming the first DeAI app integrated into the platform. This integration provides over 486 million Binance Wallet users the ability to contribute data across multiple blockchain networks for AI training purposes. Participants can earn rewards, including USDT and BNB tokens, by completing simple tasks within the dApp. The project has introduced a 15 BNB prize pool giveaway, with 100 winners and a top prize of up to 0.6 BNB. OORT DataHub has been recognized as one of the top three dApps to watch on Binance Wallet in 2025 by Finbold and has received coverage from various media outlets highlighting its role in advancing decentralized AI and incentivizing community data contributions.

OORT DataHub, a decentralized AI data collection application, has officially launched on Binance Wallet, marking the first DeAI dApp integration within the platform. This integration provides access to over 486 million Binance Wallet users, enabling them to contribute quality data across multiple blockchain networks for AI training purposes. Participants can earn rewards in USDT and compete for a 15 BNB prize pool, with the top prize valued at up to 0.6 BNB. The platform encourages user engagement through simple tasks, referral programs, and staking of $OORT tokens to increase winning chances. OORT DataHub has been recognized as one of the top three dApps to watch on Binance Wallet in 2025 by Finbold and has garnered coverage from various media outlets including ZyCrypto, TechBullion, Digital Journal, Paragraph.xyz, and Street Insider. The launch is positioned as a milestone in expanding decentralized AI participation and incentivizing community contributions to AI development.

Rajasthan Police’s Intelligence Wing has arrested Vishal Yadav, an Upper Division Clerk posted at the Indian Navy’s headquarters in Delhi, on charges of espionage under the Official Secrets Act. Investigators say Yadav was picked up from Naval Bhawan and taken to Jaipur after months of surveillance.

According to the police, Yadav transmitted classified naval documents—including material linked to Operation Sindoor—to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. He allegedly communicated with a female handler posing online as “Priya Sharma,” receiving at least ₹50,000 in cryptocurrency and direct bank transfers for the information. Forensic examination of his phone is said to show chat logs, documents and transaction records.

Yadav was produced before a Jaipur court on Thursday and placed in police remand until 30 June while agencies question him and trace possible accomplices. The case is the latest in a series of espionage investigations opened since last month’s Pahalgam terror attack and has prompted a wider review of social-media exposure and financial-crime checks within India’s armed forces.

Stablecoin issuer Tether has purchased a 10.7% holding in Juventus Football Club for about €128 million, becoming the Italian Serie A team’s second-largest shareholder, according to multiple reports citing Bloomberg.

People familiar with the transaction said the stake was acquired on 14 February but only disclosed this week. Tether is seeking a seat on Juventus’s board and has indicated interest in joining future capital raisings, signalling a longer-term strategic commitment to the club.

Jeremy Allaire, co-founder and CEO of Circle, has described stablecoins as the highest utility form of money ever created, highlighting their programmability, speed, and borderless nature. He noted that the stablecoin industry has not yet reached its "iPhone moment," a turning point when developers fully unlock the potential of programmable digital dollars, which could unleash massive innovation in digital finance. Stablecoins have seen growing interest with $33 trillion in volume and increasing attention from retail giants. Despite this optimism, Circle's stock has experienced notable declines, falling 15% on June 24 and 23% over two days, amid rising concerns from analysts and reports such as one from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) that criticized stablecoins for posing risks to financial stability and monetary sovereignty without adequate regulation.

Competition in the stablecoin market is intensifying, leading to a decline in Circle's USDC market share. Meanwhile, other players like Coinbase have seen rallies as stablecoin momentum grows. Investor reactions have also impacted related stocks, such as South Korea’s Kakaopay, which dropped as much as 17% following excitement about its potential stablecoin initiatives. Industry leaders continue to discuss the transformative implications of stablecoins for the future of finance and digital assets.

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the largest-ever seizure of cryptocurrency linked to global "pig butchering" scams, totaling approximately $225 million in USDT. These scams, which have defrauded victims worldwide of billions of dollars, involve long cons where victims are lured into fake online relationships or business deals. The seizure was aided by Coinbase, which played a key role in tracing the stolen funds and assisting the U.S.

Secret Service in the investigation. Tether also contributed by freezing the relevant USDT tokens in December 2024. The recovered funds are being returned to over 130 identified victims. This operation marks a landmark law enforcement effort against crypto investment scams. Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined Coinbase's request to block IRS access to its user data in a tax investigation.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Secret Service have executed the largest-ever cryptocurrency seizure in the country, filing a civil forfeiture complaint to confiscate over $225 million in crypto assets tied to global investment fraud schemes known as "pig butchering" scams. These scams involve luring victims into fake online relationships or business deals, resulting in billions of dollars lost worldwide. The seizure, primarily involving USDT tokens frozen with the assistance of Tether, was made possible through advanced blockchain forensic analysis and collaboration between the FBI and the Secret Service.

Over 400 victims across multiple countries have been identified, with efforts underway to return the recovered funds to them. Coinbase played a key role in aiding federal agents by tracing the stolen crypto and helping identify victims. Following this operation, the U.S. Secret Service has expanded its global investigative network, partnering with law enforcement agencies in more than 60 countries to enhance cross-border blockchain tracing and combat cryptocurrency-related crimes. This expanded effort has led to the recovery of over $400 million in cryptocurrency linked to cybercrime and illicit financial activities, underscoring the growing federal capabilities in digital asset investigations.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two men from Maharashtra, Sandeep Shah of Solapur and Salim Patel of Navi Mumbai, for allegedly defrauding NEET UG 2025 candidates by promising to manipulate exam scores in exchange for ₹87.5 lakh per candidate. The accused posed as contacts of National Testing Agency (NTA) officials, but no government or NTA officials have been found involved. Their police custody has been extended until June 16 as investigations continue. Separately, the CBI has cracked a ₹183.21 crore fake bank guarantee scam linked to irrigation projects in Madhya Pradesh, arresting two individuals including a senior Punjab National Bank manager.

The scam involved eight fake bank guarantees used to secure ₹974 crore worth of irrigation contracts, with spoofed emails sent from fake PNB domains for validation. Additionally, the CBI has registered a case against the former Chief Manager of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and four others, including three firms, for cheating, conspiracy, and corruption causing losses exceeding ₹800 crore to JNPA. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted multi-state raids in connection with a money laundering probe into the 2023 Bihar constable recruitment exam scam, searching 11 locations across Patna, Nalanda, Ranchi, Lucknow, and Kolkata. The CBI also carried out searches at seven locations in Bihar and Jharkhand related to a ₹100 crore bogus GST claim through fake export bills, naming a former Additional Commissioner of Customs, Patna, and 29 others, including customs officials. These raids resulted in the recovery of seven gold bars weighing 100 grams each, incriminating documents, and mobile phones. Other cybercrime arrests include individuals involved in various scams such as a USDT crypto investment fraud, fake call centers, fake online educational degree rackets, and interstate cyber frauds involving cryptocurrency laundering. These coordinated law enforcement actions highlight ongoing efforts to combat large-scale financial and cyber fraud across multiple Indian states.

The stablecoin market has reached new heights in 2025, with its market capitalization surpassing $250 billion for the first time. Earlier in the year, the market cap was reported at $228 billion, marking a $33 billion increase and a 17% rise since the start of the year. Centralized exchanges now hold more stablecoins than ever, contributing to increased liquidity in the crypto market. This surge in stablecoin supply has positioned them as key movers alongside gold in recent trading sessions. The momentum behind stablecoins continues to build, with some analysts suggesting they may be becoming the backbone of cryptocurrency markets. Additionally, the period has seen notable inflows into emerging market debt, indicating broader financial market activity.

Law-enforcement agencies across Delhi and the adjoining city of Noida reported a series of unrelated cyber-fraud arrests on 17 June, underscoring growing concern over digital financial crime in India’s National Capital Region.

Delhi Police Cyber Cell said it detained government employee Prakash Singh and an associate for allegedly transferring ₹24.40 lakh from a colleague’s bank accounts after secretly installing Unified Payments Interface applications on the victim’s phone. In a separate case, city officers said a man posing as an investment advisor defrauded a woman of ₹29 lakh.

Read more

Between June 16 and June 18, 2025, the USDC Treasury conducted multiple large-scale minting and burning operations involving the USDC stablecoin, with amounts ranging from approximately $50.9 million to $69.8 million. Notably, on June 17, an unknown wallet minted 100 million USDC. On June 18, Tether Treasury minted 1 billion USDT, the largest single minting event reported during this period. Shortly after the minting, approximately 225.4 million USDT was transferred from Tether Treasury to the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. These activities highlight significant liquidity movements in the stablecoin market over the three-day span.

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has expanded beyond digital assets by introducing contracts for difference on a broad range of traditional markets. On 12 June the exchange began offering CFDs on 78 U.S.–listed equities through its MT5 Gold & FX platform, covering technology, finance and consumer stocks.

A day later, Bybit integrated the new products directly into its mobile application under a dedicated “TradFi” tab, allowing customers to trade stocks, gold, forex pairs and major equity indices with USDT as the settlement currency. The rollout positions Bybit as what industry observers describe as the first major crypto exchange to support U.S. stock trading funded entirely in the dollar-pegged stablecoin.

The diversification comes as competition among global crypto platforms intensifies, with rivals such as Binance and HTX also courting retail traders. Bybit’s move widens its revenue streams while giving its predominantly crypto-focused user base easier access to traditional financial instruments without leaving the exchange’s ecosystem.