Kategorie: Crypto News

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Cardano price jumps to $0.38 as bulls reclaim key level

  • Cardano price was up 10% to above $0.38 as Bitcoin crossed $90,200.
  • ADA is eyeing a potential breakout to $2.
  • Bulls will look to ride key catalysts in 2026.

Cardano’s ADA token rose more than 10% to trade above $0.38, after buyers pushed the price back above the closely watched $0.35 level that analysts have long identified as a key support zone.

The move comes alongside a broader upswing in the cryptocurrency market.

Bitcoin advanced about 2% to trade above $90,000, providing a supportive backdrop for risk appetite across digital assets.

Major altcoins also recorded strong gains, with Ethereum climbing above $3,100 and XRP jumping to around $1.95, helping lift sentiment toward Cardano.

Elsewhere, memecoins led the day’s advances, posting double-digit increases as Pepe and Shiba Inu rallied sharply.

Hedera also traded higher, adding to the broader altcoin strength.

Cardano reclaims key $0.35 level

Strong buying activity has underpinned ADA’s recent advance, with more than $770 million worth of the token changing hands over the past 24 hours.

Trading volume was up about 34% on the day, pointing to renewed market participation.

Cardano’s price has now moved above its 50-day simple moving average, a level often watched for signs of shifting momentum.

On-chain data also shows improvement in decentralized finance activity, with total value locked on the Cardano network rising about 7% to roughly $231 million, according to DeFiLlama.

While the increase signals fresh inflows, TVL remains well below previous peaks of $544 million in August 2025 and more than $865 million in December 2024.

From a technical perspective, analysts note that ADA had been tightly compressed between the $0.35 and $0.38 levels in recent weeks, creating a fragile setup.

The push above $0.35 is seen as a potential break from that range and could undermine the prevailing bearish pattern if sustained.

Cardano Price
Cardano price chart by TradingView

If this latest upside momentum holds, short-term targets include $0.42, with potential rally to $0.50.

While risks like a drop below $0.34 persist, Cardano price could rally beyond $0.54 to see bulls eye 2025 highs of $0.73 hit in October. Above that lies the critical $1 level.

In the medium term, crypto analyst Javon Marks says ADA price could target $2.9 with a seven-fold upside potential.

Cardano regains top 10 market cap rank

Cardano extended gains on Thursday, rebounding after briefly slipping out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation at the start of the year.

ADA has moved back above Bitcoin Cash, with the recovery above the $0.35 level helping restore its position among the largest digital assets.

The rally has lifted Cardano’s market capitalisation to about $13.6 billion.

The move comes alongside broader stability in the crypto market, with Bitcoin trading back above $90,200.

Strength across major altcoins has also supported sentiment, as Ethereum climbed to around $3,100 and XRP advanced about 5% to near $1.95, reinforcing the bullish tone around Cardano.

 

The post Cardano price jumps to $0.38 as bulls reclaim key level appeared first on CoinJournal.

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Stablecoins, Base and ‘everything exchange’: a look inside Coinbase’s strategy to expand in 2026

  • Stablecoins and the Base network sit at the core of its plans through 2026.
  • The strategy places Coinbase closer to retail brokerages and derivatives platforms.
  • Security and support concerns remain a constraint as the platform broadens.

Coinbase is entering 2026 with a platform that looks increasingly different from a traditional crypto exchange.

The company is placing greater emphasis on stablecoins, its Ethereum layer-2 network Base, and a wider range of trading products that stretch well beyond digital tokens.

The shift reflects how crypto platforms are adapting as growth in spot trading cools and competition intensifies.

Rather than positioning itself only as a gateway to cryptocurrencies, Coinbase is aligning its business around broader financial access, with trading, payments, and onchain activity increasingly converging inside a single ecosystem.

Platform strategy shift

In a New Year’s post, Brian Armstrong reiterated Coinbase’s ambition to build what it calls an “everything exchange.”

The strategy focuses on expanding product lines so users can trade and interact with multiple asset classes from one interface.

That direction was formalised at the company’s year-end conference in December, where Coinbase rolled out stock trading and prediction markets.

These launches marked a clear move beyond cryptocurrencies and into areas traditionally dominated by retail brokerages and derivatives platforms.

Coinbase executives have framed the rollout of stock trading on the main app as a key step toward enabling round-the-clock access to markets, with crypto, equities, and exchange-traded funds sitting side by side.

Expansion beyond crypto

Coinbase’s product push is not limited to its exchange. The company has rebranded its wallet as an “everything app,” adding social networking features and deeper onchain functionality.

The aim is to keep users active across more use cases, rather than relying solely on trading volumes.

The company has also launched onchain prediction markets in partnership with Kalshi, allowing users to participate in markets tied to real-world events.

Alongside this, Coinbase has flagged plans for perpetual futures that would cover both crypto assets and stocks.

These additions move the platform further into direct competition with firms that operate across equities, derivatives, and commodities, rather than only crypto-native rivals.

Stablecoins and Base

Stablecoins form a central part of Coinbase’s longer-term roadmap.

The company has described them as essential financial infrastructure, particularly for cross-border payments, payroll, and settlement.

Armstrong has said banks are likely to seek interest-bearing stablecoin products over time, underlining Coinbase’s view that stablecoins will play a growing role in mainstream finance.

Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network, is positioned as another pillar of this strategy.

The network is designed to support consumer applications, creators, and onchain services that can scale beyond Ethereum’s main chain.

However, Base’s handling of creator coins has attracted criticism from some developers, who argue the approach risks prioritising viral growth while the company promotes creators as a key onboarding channel.

The post Stablecoins, Base and ‘everything exchange’: a look inside Coinbase’s strategy to expand in 2026 appeared first on CoinJournal.

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South Korea fines Korbit $1.8M over compliance failures

  • Most breaches involved failures in customer due diligence and identity verification processes.
  • The action coincides with reports of a potential majority acquisition by Mirae Asset.
  • The case reinforces stricter regulatory expectations across South Korea’s crypto sector.

South Korea’s year-end move against Korbit marks a decisive moment for the country’s digital asset industry, as regulators signal that gaps in compliance will carry real consequences.

On December 31, the Financial Intelligence Unit closed an on-site investigation into one of the country’s longest-operating exchanges with a significant financial penalty and management-level sanctions.

The action, based on findings from an October inspection, places renewed focus on how exchanges verify users, manage risk, and expand services.

It also lands at a sensitive time for Korbit, underscoring how regulatory discipline is shaping the future of South Korea’s crypto market.

The FIU announced a 2.73 billion won ($1.88 million) fine after identifying nearly 22,000 breaches linked to anti-money laundering and customer verification obligations.

The violations were uncovered during an inspection conducted between October 16 and 29, 2024, with the results later reviewed by the Sanctions Review Committee.

Alongside the fine, the regulator issued an institutional warning and imposed individual accountability measures on senior executives.

Inspection findings

A large share of the violations stemmed from failures in customer due diligence.

The FIU found roughly 12,800 cases where identity checks were not properly conducted.

These included the acceptance of unclear or unverifiable identification documents, incomplete address information, and lapses in mandatory re-verification processes.

In several instances, users were allowed to continue trading even after their risk profiles increased, without additional checks being applied.

Such practices run counter to requirements that higher-risk customers be subject to enhanced scrutiny rather than standard monitoring.

The review also identified about 9,100 cases where customers were permitted to trade before identity verification was fully completed.

South Korean rules restrict transactions by unverified users, making these cases a direct breach of core compliance standards.

Accountability at the top

Beyond operational failures, the enforcement action extended responsibility to leadership.

The FIU issued an institutional warning to Korbit, while the exchange’s chief executive received a caution, and its reporting officer was reprimanded.

This approach reflects a broader regulatory emphasis on governance and internal controls, where accountability does not stop at automated systems or compliance teams.

Instead, senior management is expected to ensure that regulatory requirements are embedded across day-to-day operations and decision-making processes.

Overseas transfers and new services

Regulators also highlighted weaknesses beyond customer onboarding.

Inspectors flagged 19 virtual asset transfers involving three overseas virtual asset service providers that were not properly reported.

South Korean rules require exchanges to disclose dealings with foreign entities and restrict transactions with unregistered providers.

In addition, the FIU identified 655 cases where Korbit failed to carry out mandatory money laundering risk assessments before introducing new transaction types.

These included services linked to non-fungible tokens, an area of rapid growth that remains subject to the same compliance obligations as other digital asset products.

Timing and sector impact

The enforcement action comes just days after reports that Mirae Asset is said to be considering acquiring 92% of Korbit for up to 140 billion won ($97 million).

Korbit currently ranks as the fourth-largest exchange among South Korea’s six incorporated crypto platforms, placing it firmly within the regulator’s line of sight.

The FIU said full details of the sanctions will be disclosed after a minimum 10-day period for opinion submissions.

The post South Korea fines Korbit $1.8M over compliance failures appeared first on CoinJournal.

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Pi Network suspends wallet payment requests after scammers drain millions

  • Pi Network halts wallet requests after large-scale scams target users.
  • Scammers exploit public balances and impersonate trusted contacts.
  • PI trades near $0.20 amid low liquidity and token unlocks.

Pi Network has temporarily disabled its wallet payment request feature in response to a surge of sophisticated scam activity that has led to the loss of millions of PI tokens from user wallets.

The move, announced by the Pi Core Team on social platform X, comes as attackers increasingly exploit the platform’s payment request function to trick users into approving fraudulent transfers.

According to on‑chain data shared by community observers and reporting outlets, scammers have siphoned off more than 4.4 million PI by sending deceptive payment requests to holders with large balances.

One single scammer address reportedly received hundreds of thousands of tokens each month throughout 2025.

Tokens approved through these requests are moved instantly to the attacker’s wallet and cannot be reversed, meaning victims have no recourse once a transfer is authorised.

The Pi Core Team stressed that this issue stems from social engineering rather than a flaw in the network’s protocol.

Because wallet balances and addresses are publicly visible on Pi’s blockchain, bad actors can identify high‑value wallets and impersonate trusted contacts, friends, moderators, or even official accounts, to convince users to authorise transfers.

To curb further losses, the network has disabled the payment request feature across its ecosystem while assessing potential safeguards.

The suspension is intended to be temporary, but the team has not yet announced a specific timeline for restoring the function.

In the meantime, community moderators and safety advocates are urging users to refuse all unsolicited payment requests.

Scam tactics and broader security concerns

Experts and user reports indicate that the scams are part of a broader uptick in deceptive schemes targeting Pi users.

Fraudsters cast a wide net, from phishing links claiming fake airdrops or price promotions to counterfeit portals that ask for wallet credentials or private keys, which can lead to full account takeovers.

Pi Network’s core team has repeatedly warned against sharing sensitive information or engaging with unverified links circulating on social media and messaging platforms.

While Pi Network itself is not widely regarded as an outright scam project by independent analysts, its rapid growth, mobile‑centric model, and referral‑based incentives have drawn scrutiny and made its large user base a target for scammers.

Users are advised to stick strictly to official communication channels and exercise heightened caution when interacting with unverifiable contacts.

Impact on PI token price

The payment request suspension arrives amid mixed sentiment around the PI token’s market performance.

While Pi token’s price forecast remains optimistic, it currently trades near the $0.20 level, up only 1% in two weeks.

Notably, the PI coin price has been weighed down by low liquidity and ongoing token unlocks, with significant amounts entering circulation in recent months.

The token has struggled to absorb the added supply, and daily trading volumes remain moderate.

The post Pi Network suspends wallet payment requests after scammers drain millions appeared first on CoinJournal.

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Unleash Protocol hacker moves stolen funds through Tornado Cash

  • Hacker Protocol drained 1,337 ETH via compromised Unleash multisig governance.
  • The stolen funds have been sent through Tornado Cash to obscure transaction trails.
  • The breach is limited to Unleash, and Story Protocol infrastructure is unaffected.

A hacker who recently exploited Unleash Protocol has begun laundering stolen funds through the Ethereum-based privacy service Tornado Cash, according to on-chain data and blockchain security firms.

The attacker is attempting to obscure the trail of roughly 1,337 ETH, valued at close to $4 million, drained from Unleash earlier this week.

Security companies PeckShield and CertiK have reported that the funds were transferred to Ethereum and broken into multiple batches, often around 100 ETH each, before being deposited into Tornado Cash, a well-known crypto mixing protocol.

Governance takeover led to the Unleash exploit

Unleash confirmed on Tuesday that it had suffered a significant security breach, resulting in approximately $3.9 million in losses.

The protocol has paused operations and launched a forensic investigation into the incident.

According to Unleash, preliminary findings indicate that an externally owned wallet gained unauthorised administrative control over the protocol via its multisignature (multisig) governance system.

The attacker then executed an unauthorised contract upgrade that enabled withdrawals of user funds without proper approvals.

“This upgrade enabled asset withdrawals that were not approved by the Unleash team and occurred outside our intended governance and operational procedures,” the team said in a statement posted on X.

Security analysts suggest the compromise may have been the result of phishing or another form of social engineering that allowed the attacker to gain control over governance keys, effectively bypassing standard safeguards.

The stolen assets bridged and mixed

The stolen assets reportedly included Wrapped IP (WIP), USDC, Wrapped Ether (WETH), stIP, and vIP tokens.

On-chain analysis shows that most of these assets were first bridged to Ethereum, then consolidated into ETH and routed through Tornado Cash, an approach commonly used by hackers to hinder tracking and recovery efforts.

CertiK said it initially detected suspicious withdrawals of WETH and IP-related tokens that were sent to an externally owned address created using Safe’s SafeProxyFactory, a popular smart contract framework for multisig wallets.

No broader ecosystem impact, says Unleash

Unleash emphasised that the breach was confined to its own governance and administrative contracts.

The Unleash team stated there is currently no evidence that Story Protocol, the Layer 1 blockchain Unleash is built on, was compromised.

“The impact appears limited to Unleash-specific contracts and administrative controls,” the Unleash team said, adding that Story Protocol’s validators, core infrastructure, and contracts remain unaffected.

Unleash is one of the higher-profile applications in the Story Protocol ecosystem, which focuses on tokenised intellectual property and on-chain IP management.

PIP Labs, the company behind Story Protocol, has raised around $140 million in funding from prominent investors.

Users warned as investigation continues

The Unleash team has urged users not to interact with the protocol while the investigation is ongoing and said it will provide updates on the incident and potential remediation measures as more verified information becomes available.

As of the time of writing, Unleash had not disclosed whether it plans to pursue fund recovery efforts or compensation for affected users, and the use of Tornado Cash by the hacker may significantly complicate any attempts to trace or reclaim the stolen assets.

The post Unleash Protocol hacker moves stolen funds through Tornado Cash appeared first on CoinJournal.