Pig-butchering scams are expanding into a transnational crime model, blending trafficking and crypto laundering on a massive scale. The multibillion-dollar scam known as “pig-butchering,” once treated as a consumer-fraud issue, has crossed a new threshold and is prompting concerns over national security. In a podcast, Chainalysis head of national security intelligence, Andrew Fierman, and former prosecutor Erin West, founder of cross-sector anti-scam nonprofit Operation Shamrock, discussed how pig butchering is becoming a threat to national security. “So if anybody is touching money in any way, you’re part of this. So you need to be prepared to understand the threat and the gravity of what’s happening on a national security level,” West said, highlighting the importance of education and awareness in combating crypto scams. Read more
Cathie Wood’s investment company, ARK Invest, is back to buying Circle, making its first purchases since selling 1.7 million shares in June. Cathie Wood’s investment company ARK Invest is back to buying shares of USDC issuer Circle as the stock sinks below $90. ARK bought a total of 542,269 Circle (CRCL) shares over the past two trading days, investing around $46 million, according to the firm’s daily trading disclosures seen by Cointelegraph. The two acquisitions — a $30.4 million purchase on Wednesday and a $15.5 million buy on Thursday — came amid a decline in CRCL shares, which closed at $86 and $82.30, respectively. Read more
Bitcoin ETFs saw $866 million in outflows as the US shutdown ended, pushing BTC to a six-month low and raising concerns over market structure and investor demand. Demand for Bitcoin and crypto-linked investment funds continued to decline Thursday, despite the long-awaited end of the 43-day US government shutdown. US spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw $866 million in net outflows on Thursday, marking their second-worst day on record after the $1.14 billion daily outflows on Feb. 25, 2025, according to Farside Investors. This marked the second consecutive day of outflows for the Bitcoin ETFs, as the end of the 43-day US government shutdown failed to reignite investor appetite. Read more