**Crypto Weekly Recap: Hacks, Bets, Tokens, and Market Shifts**

Here’s everything you need to know from this week in crypto—from mysterious wallet hacks and falling phishing scams to a $50,000 lost bet on Ether and new moves from Coinbase and Trump Media.

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### Hundreds of Ethereum Wallets Hacked in Strange Attack

A mysterious hacker has drained funds from hundreds of wallets across Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) networks. Each wallet lost small amounts—typically under $2,000—but the scale of the attack is wide, impacting wallets on multiple chains.

Crypto sleuth ZachXBT and cybersecurity firms believe this was a broad, automated phishing attack. One potential culprit? A fake email pretending to be from MetaMask. Experts recommend users check and revoke any smart contract permissions they may have unknowingly approved.

**Keywords:** EVM wallet hack, MetaMask phishing, smart contract approval, Ethereum wallet exploit

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### Coinbase Plans Big Expansion for 2026

Coinbase is shifting gears. CEO Brian Armstrong said the company will focus on stablecoins, its Ethereum Layer-2 network “Base,” and building out its platform beyond crypto trading. The goal? To become an “everything exchange.”

Coinbase recently added stock trading, prediction markets, and rebranded its wallet app as an “everything app,” which now includes social and onchain features. It’s all part of a push to compete with other crypto exchanges trying to become all-in-one super apps.

**Keywords:** Coinbase Base, stablecoins, everything exchange, prediction markets, crypto super app

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### Bitcoin Whale Buying is Overhyped, Says CryptoQuant

Rumors that Bitcoin whales are buying up large amounts are being overstated, according to data firm CryptoQuant. The activity being seen on-chain mostly comes from crypto exchanges moving funds around—not real investors making big buys.

These internal transfers can make it look like large wallets are accumulating Bitcoin, but it’s just normal exchange behavior. The structure of the Bitcoin market hasn’t changed as much as people think.

**Keywords:** Bitcoin whales, whale accumulation myth, exchange wallet movement, CryptoQuant data

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### BitMine Wants to Issue 50 Billion Shares

BitMine’s chairman Tom Lee wants to raise the company’s authorized shares from 50 million to 50 billion. Why? He believes Ether’s price could skyrocket—possibly reaching $250,000 if Bitcoin hits $1 million—and that would push BitMine’s stock too high for average investors.

BitMine switched from Bitcoin mining to focusing on Ether in 2025 but still holds some Bitcoin operations. The proposed stock increase would make room for future stock splits to keep shares affordable.

**Keywords:** BitMine share increase, Ether price prediction, ETH treasury strategy, Tom Lee proposal

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### SEC Commissioner Crenshaw Steps Down

Caroline Crenshaw, the only Democrat currently serving as an SEC commissioner, is stepping down after more than five years. Her departure leaves the financial regulator with only Republican commissioners.

Crenshaw has often pushed for stricter rules on crypto and was against the SEC’s settlement with Ripple. She warned that weak crypto regulations could lead to major market disruptions.

**Keywords:** SEC commissioner resignation, Caroline Crenshaw, Ripple case, US crypto regulation

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### Trump Media to Launch DJT Token for Shareholders

Trump Media & Technology Group announced plans to launch a blockchain token named DJT. Every shareholder will get one token per share they own. The token may offer perks like discounts on Truth Social and other Trump Media platforms.

However, the DJT token won’t give holders any ownership rights or profit claims. It’s more like a rewards program than a tokenized stock.

**Keywords:** Trump Media DJT token, Truth Social crypto reward, blockchain shareholder perks

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### Market Update: Winners and Losers

At week’s end:
– **Bitcoin (BTC):** $90,029
– **Ether (ETH):** $3,107
– **XRP:** $2.00
– **Total Market Cap:** $3.07 trillion

**Top Altcoin Gainers:**
– MYX Finance (MYX): +89.50%
– Pepe (PEPE): +48.55%
– Canton (CC): +41.12%

**Top Altcoin Losers:**
– Lighter (LIT): -4.66%
– Monero (XMR): -4.52%
– Mantle (MNT): -4.50%

**Keywords:** crypto market cap, Bitcoin price update, altcoin winners and losers

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### Notable Quotes This Week

– “Decentralization erodes not through capture, but through convenience.” — Vitalik Buterin
– “Risk/Reward is the best it has ever been.” — Brian Rose
– “ETFs and institutions don’t trade like hype-driven retail.” — Armando Pantoja
– “Pakistan could become a crypto leader in five years.” — CZ Zhao
– “The Fed is quietly easing again. That’s good for Bitcoin.” — Bill Barhydt

**Keywords:** crypto market sentiment, decentralization risks, institutional investors in crypto

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### Phishing Scams Drop 83% in 2025

Crypto phishing scams linked to wallet drainers dropped dramatically in 2025. Total losses fell to $83.85 million—an 83% drop from nearly $500 million in 2024.

The number of victims also dropped by 68%, according to Web3 security firm Scam Sniffer. However, phishing attacks haven’t disappeared entirely—they still spike during bull runs when user activity is high.

The third quarter of 2025 saw the highest losses at $31 million due to Ether’s rally during that time.

**Keywords:** crypto phishing drop, wallet drainer scams, Scam Sniffer report, Ethereum security threats

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### $50K Lost on Failed Ether Price Bet

Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix and Infinex, lost a $50,000 bet after predicting Ether would hit $25,000 by the end of 2025. Instead, ETH ended the year around $2,980—a far cry from the target.

The bet happened after a conversation with Multicoin’s Kyle Samani in November. Warwick placed a high-risk wager with 10:1 odds that ETH would rally big—clearly a miscalculation.

**Keywords:** Kain Warwick Ether bet, ETH price prediction fail, crypto wagers

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### Crypto Sentiment Improving But Still Cautious

The popular Fear & Greed Index climbed out of “extreme fear” territory this week with a score of 29—the highest in three weeks. While still cautious, the rise suggests investors may be warming up again after weeks of negative sentiment.

Bitcoin hovered just below $90K during this sentiment shift. Some analysts believe the prolonged fear period could signal a buying opportunity.

**Keywords:** crypto sentiment index, fear and greed index, Bitcoin investor mood

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### Top Reads This Week

– **Crypto Laws in 2025 & What’s Coming in 2026:** From stablecoin laws in the US to MiCA regulations in Europe.
– **Weirdest AI Moments of 2025:** Nine strange but true stories from AI’s wild ride this year.

**Keywords:** crypto regulation update 2026, AI weird stories 2025

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Stay tuned as we head into another big year for crypto!