The loss was uncovered during an audit launched after a separate 320 Bitcoin custody failure, raising fresh concerns over digital asset management by authorities. South Korean authorities are investigating after 22 Bitcoin seized in a 2021 case disappeared from a cold wallet at a Seoul police station, according to local media reports. The 22 Bitcoin (BTC), worth about $1.5 million at current prices, were held by the Gangnam Police Station and discovered missing during a nationwide audit of digital asset custody practices, the Seoul Economic Times reported Friday. Authorities reportedly said the 22 Bitcoin had been transferred externally, though the cold wallet storing the tokens was not stolen. Read more
Boerse Stuttgart will merge its crypto arm with Tradias, creating a regulated European crypto unit providing services in trading, custody, staking and tokenized assets. Boerse Stuttgart Group, operator of one of Europe’s largest stock exchanges, said it will merge its cryptocurrency business with Frankfurt-based digital asset trading firm Tradias in a strategic move to expand its presence in institutional crypto markets. The transaction will consolidate about 300 employees under a joint management team from both companies, according to a Friday announcement. The combined unit aims to cover multiple digital asset services, including brokerage, trading, custody, staking and tokenized assets. It will serve banks, brokers and other financial institutions across Europe, providing fully regulated crypto infrastructure, the announcement said. Read more
Some community members questioned the size of the $50 million package and warned that the proposed AAVE token grant could concentrate voting power. Aave Labs has asked tokenholders to approve a funding package worth about $50 million in exchange for redirecting all revenue from Aave-branded products to the Aave DAO treasury. The proposal includes up to $42.5 million in stablecoins — $25 million as a primary grant and $17.5 million tied to product milestones. It also includes 75,000 Aave (AAVE) tokens, worth about $8 million at the time of writing. The stablecoin grants, if approved, will be streamed over time, and milestone payments will be released upon product launches. In return, Aave Labs would route 100% of product-level revenue to the DAO. That includes fees generated by aave.com, the planned Aave App and Aave Card, Aave Pro, Aave Kit and Aave Horizon. The framework also asks tokenholders to ratify Aave V4 as the protocol’s long-term technical foundation and outlines plans to create a foundation to hol...
US spot Bitcoin ETFs are on track for a fourth consecutive week of losses as Standard Chartered cut its 2026 Bitcoin target to $100,000. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw heightened selling on Thursday, with outflows accelerating the same day Standard Chartered lowered its 2026 Bitcoin forecast. Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs recorded $410.4 million in outflows, extending weekly losses to $375.1 million, according to SoSoValue data. Unless Friday brings substantial inflows, the funds are on track for a fourth consecutive week of losses, with assets under management (AUM) nearing $80 billion, down from a peak of almost $170 billion in October 2025. Read more
Crypto treasury firm ETHZilla recently sold some of its crypto to begin a tokenization push by buying two jet engines leased to a US airline. Crypto treasury company ETHZilla has launched a token offering access to equity in jet engines that the company acquired last month as part of its pivot into tokenized assets. ETHZilla said on Thursday that the token, called Eurus Aero Token I, was being launched through its new subsidiary, ETHZilla Aerospace, and is backed by two commercial jet engines that are leased to “a leading US air carrier.” The company has priced each token at $100, with a minimum purchase of 10 tokens. ETHZilla said it’s targeting an 11% return rate based on holding it for the full term of the engine leases that extend into 2028. Read more
Chainalysis says that despite the rising use of crypto in trafficking networks, the transparency of blockchain may give visibility into the operations, aiding law enforcement. Crypto flows to suspected human trafficking networks increased 85% year over year in 2025, but crypto analytics firm Chainalysis said blockchain transparency could help disrupt the operations. Chainalysis said in a report on Thursday that the total transaction volume to suspected trafficking networks, largely based in Southeast Asia, reached “hundreds of millions of dollars across identified services.” It added that the services are “closely aligned” to scam compounds, online casinos, and Chinese-language money-laundering networks, which have recently grown in popularity. Read more