Binance under scrutiny over response to South Korean police request in Upbit breach case

  • South Korean police asked Binance to freeze Solana tokens linked to the Upbit breach on Nov. 27.
  • Binance reportedly froze about $55,000 after a delay of roughly 15 hours.
  • The Upbit breach involved unauthorised Solana-based withdrawals worth about $36 million.

South Korean authorities are examining how overseas crypto platforms respond to urgent law enforcement requests after new details emerged about Binance’s handling of a police freeze request linked to a security breach at Upbit.

The case has become a reference point for how quickly stolen digital assets can be contained once they leave domestic exchanges and move across borders.

While cooperation between exchanges and regulators is often described as routine, the Upbit incident shows how verification processes and response times can shape the outcome of active investigations.

The situation has also renewed attention on whether existing cross-border coordination mechanisms are sufficient when hacks involve large sums and fast-moving assets.

Freeze request and delayed action

According to South Korean broadcaster KBS, police investigating the Upbit breach asked Binance to freeze Solana tokens worth about 470 million Korean won, or roughly $370,000, on Nov. 27.

Investigators believed the funds were linked to wallets connected to the incident at Upbit, one of the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

KBS reported that Binance ultimately froze around $55,000, equivalent to about 17% of the amount requested.

The freeze came after a delay of approximately 15 hours.

Binance reportedly told authorities that additional verification was required before it could act on the full request.

The gap between the amount requested and the amount frozen has become central to questions about enforcement speed.

Impact of the Upbit breach

The police request followed unauthorised withdrawals of Solana-based assets from Upbit valued at roughly $36 million.

The scale of the breach prompted a formal police probe and a broader effort by the exchange to trace and recover funds across multiple platforms.

As part of the response, Upbit has been tracking wallet movements and alerting major global exchanges to assets suspected of being linked to the breach.

The case illustrates how quickly stolen crypto can be distributed, making early intervention critical once an incident is detected.

Broader enforcement challenges

The incident has drawn attention to structural issues in global crypto enforcement.

KBS cited commentary highlighting that rapid initial freezes can limit losses in hacking cases, while delays can allow assets to be moved or laundered further.

Concerns have also been raised about exchanges citing legal or litigation risks when responding cautiously to foreign law enforcement requests.

The discussion has included proposals for tighter coordination, such as direct emergency communication channels between major exchanges with the authority to enact temporary freezes while verification is completed.

These ideas reflect ongoing debates about balancing due process with the need for swift containment.

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Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) crashes 10% in 24 hours as memecoin market weakens

  • Pudgy Penguins  (PENGU) price fell to lows of $0.010 as altcoins crashed on Thursday.
  • The token’s dip extends losses seen in the past months.
  • Bitcoin’s slip amid the AI market downturn impacted PENGU’s price.

Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) has taken a significant price hit in the past 24 hours, with the memecoin token plummeting more than 10% to lead the top 100 losers on the day.

At the time of writing, PENGU price hovered around $0.01085. The token broke from under $0.0100 to touch highs of $0.013 earlier in the week.

However, with cryptocurrencies showing weakness, the token has erased all these gains.

Pudgy Penguins tanks 10% as altcoins slip

The Pudgy Penguins ecosystem, which boasts an NFT collection and burgeoning token utility, has had it rough in the past few months.

After surging to above $0.043 in July, a downward spiral saw PENGU slip to a low of $0.0097 on December 2, 2025.

While bulls masterminded a slight uptick to above $0.013, the PENGU token, which powers community initiatives like merchandise drops and digital collectibles, has once again shed gains.

By paring by more than 10% of its value within a single day, the token is now staring at 30% declines in the past month.

The token has one of the steepest declines among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization in the past year. On December 11, Pudgy Penguins’ trading volume dropped 12% to $243 million.

Analysts see this as a signal of reduced selling pressure after the latest declines were accompanied by huge surges in volume.

PENGU price outlook

The PENGU price decline is emblematic of a wider bearish assault across cryptocurrencies.

As Bitcoin sees bearish pressure, altcoins have dropped to key support levels. Memecoins, which have failed to rally amid declines for Dogecoin and others, lead some of the sectors with huge losses.

Global equity markets also faltered after the previous session’s gains.

In this case, a lack of momentum after the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates has dampened broader risk appetite. PENGU’s correlation with top alts and memecoins amplifies the potential for further declines.

Overleveraged positions from recent gains could catalyse an unfolding scenario of downward action. A drop below $0.010 will be bad news for bulls.

Sellers could even target $0.004, an area near all-time lows seen in April 2025.

However, catalysts such as upcoming ETF decisions and broader adoption suggest bulls may not be done yet.

Investors will eye these and other reversal cues. A path forward remains treacherous as the bear run rolls in, but price reclaiming $0.013 is key. PENGU’s bullish levels are above $0.04.

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Hedera (HBAR) crashes below $0.13 as Fed rate cut roils crypto markets

  • Hedera price fell to under $0.13 on Thursday as the cryptocurrency toiled.
  • The HBAR token struggled amid losses for Bitcoin after the Fed rate cut.
  • AI jitters that had Oracle stock down sharply did not help bulls.

The cryptocurrency market has shuddered as the Federal Reserve’s anticipated interest rate cut came laced with a notably hawkish undertone, sending ripples through risk assets.

Hedera’s native token, HBAR, mirrored broader losses for altcoins as indecisive bulls watched it plummet by more than 5%. The selling pressure showed in the spike in daily trading volume.

Hedera price dips under $0.13 amid downside pressure

Hedera’s price has sharply dipped in the past 24 hours, dropping to under $0.13 as top coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum suffered sell-offs.

Losses for HBAR, alongside Bitcoin’s slip below $90,000, came despite the Fed’s  interest rate decision.

The US central bank lowered the federal funds rate by 25 basis points on December 10, 2025. to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%.

Like many other cryptocurrencies, HBAR traders have found little solace in the Fed’s gesture.

With a hawkish central bank and jitters around the AI sector, Hedera price followed the outlook across risk assets.

The token, which had hovered around $0.14 earlier in the day, dropped to a low of $0.1293 in early US trading hours.

HBAR Price Chart
Hedera price chart by CoinMarketCap

Can Hedera price bounce?

After an initial bump on the Fed news on Wednesday, the S&P 500 has shed gains as Oracle’s disappointing results drag down other AI stocks. Oracle shares fell 15% and Nvidia, CoreWeave and AMD all dropped.

But stocks remain near record highs and analysts’ view is that Bitcoin and crypto could still eye recent peaks.

If BTC plays catch-up successfully with a breakout above $100,000, bounces for altcoins could see HBAR reclaim key levels.

Year to date, the S&P 500 is up by more than 17%. In comparison, Bitcoin is down more than 3% and HBAR is down by over 50%.

Despite the downturn that has unfolded over the past year, Hedera touts multiple key milestones likely to keep bulls in play.

Potential catalysts

As well as expanded government adoption initiatives and industry partnerships, there’s a notable presence across decentralized finance (DeFi) and real-world asset tokenization.

The launch of spot crypto ETFs is another major boost for HBAR.

HBAR’s trajectory may thus appear precarious. Indeed, the token could dump further and touch levels near $0.10 or lower in the short term.

The relative strength index (RSI) below 50 and a price breakdown to under the 50-day exponential moving average signal potential fresh pain for bulls.

Yet, with HBAR, one of the tokens seeing major enterprise integrations and a growing DeFi ecosystem, a bounce is likely.

How crypto navigates a hawkish environment will give an additional picture of what’s next for the token.

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Coinbase expands Solana trading access with integrated on chain swaps

  • Coinbase now lets users trade any Solana token instantly through its app via on-chain liquidity.
  • New tokens become accessible immediately, boosting visibility and reducing barriers for Solana builders.
  • Deeper Solana integration and shifting exchange models signal a move toward open, blockchain-driven access.

Coinbase is reshaping how people interact with Solana’s fast-moving token market by allowing anyone to trade any Solana asset directly inside its app.

The change removes the wait for formal listings and gives users immediate on-chain liquidity through the same interface they already rely on.

It marks a shift toward a more open, blockchain-driven model of exchange activity.

The company is positioning this as a way for users to keep pace with Solana’s rapid token creation cycle while staying inside a familiar environment that does not require jumping between new platforms.

Trading through a trusted app

The new workflow lets people swap for any Solana token the moment it appears on chain.

They can pay with USDC, a bank account, cash, or a debit card.

This makes access to Solana’s expanding ecosystem far simpler for users who want to participate in early market activity without navigating outside tools.

The update turns the Coinbase app into a bridge that pulls liquidity straight from Solana decentralised exchanges.

People keep the same basic experience they are used to, but the range of assets becomes dramatically wider because the app now connects directly to on-chain markets.

Support for builders

The change also affects developers launching new tokens.

Any asset with enough liquidity on Solana becomes immediately available to the millions of people who use Coinbase.

This removes the long-standing barrier of visibility for early-stage projects.

Instead of waiting for a centralised listing or marketing push, a token becomes discoverable as soon as it is tradable on chain.

It streamlines access for builders and reduces friction around early user acquisition.

The update also demonstrates how exchanges are adapting their mechanisms so that discovery and access are tied directly to the blockchain rather than traditional gatekeeping processes.

More Solana features coming

Coinbase confirmed that deeper Solana integration is underway.

Soon, Solana assets will appear natively within the app interface, positioned beside Bitcoin and Ethereum instead of being placed in a separate category.

This signals a stronger commitment to supporting the network’s ecosystem.

Breakpoint added further activity around Solana with Ellipsis Labs introducing Phoenix Perpetuals, a Solana native perpetuals exchange that allows gasless trading and instant onboarding.

These developments highlight how infrastructure around the network is expanding at a pace and how established platforms are adjusting to meet user demand for faster access.

Changing exchange models

The update reflects a wider shift in how exchanges operate.

Instead of deciding which new assets qualify for listing, platforms are now giving users direct access to whatever appears on the chain.

This hands more control to traders while reducing bottlenecks associated with centralised processes.

With activity on Solana continuing to accelerate, Coinbase’s timing aligns with broader market interest.

The company is adapting its product to match the speed of blockchain-based innovation and responding to the growing preference for open access to newly launched tokens.

The result is a model where the blockchain itself determines what becomes tradable.

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Filecoin (FIL) extends losses below $1.40 as market weakness deepens

  • Filecoin price fell 7% to under $1.40 on Thursday to put bulls under pressure.
  • The dip comes amid an overall decline for AI tokens.
  • Market outlook and technical chart suggest Filecoin could dip to $1.20 and $1.00.

Filecoin price has extended its recent losses, falling by more than 7% in the past 24 hours to hit lows of $1.37.

The decentralized storage network’s token risked further losses as sellers breached the key psychological support level at $1.40.

Broader market weakness, including across the stock market, meant bulls were facing potential downside continuation.

FIL declines as AI tokens see losses

The latest leg lower for Filecoin saw bulls touch levels last seen in October, with prices down across all timelines. However, the token boasts a 117% uptick since crashing to near $0.63 on October 10.

FIL price has declined by about 12% over the past seven days.

As highlighted, the downturn coincides with renewed weakness across the cryptocurrency market. Despite the US Federal Reserve’s December meeting and rate cut, cryptocurrencies failed to rally.

Bitcoin dipped below $90,000 before recovering, dragging the broader altcoin market lower. BTC remains precariously poised above the $90k mark.

Filecoin’s decline also mirrored sharp losses among leading artificial intelligence-focused tokens. Bittensor (TAO), NEAR Protocol and Render (RENDER) all shed gains and hovered red over the past 24 hours.

Notably, AI tokens were seeing a fresh sell-off amid a similar outlook in traditional markets.

In premarket trading, AI-related equities Oracle and Nvidia declined as the broader technology shares market came under pressure ahead of Thursday’s open.

What’s next for Filecoin price?

The $1.50-$1.45 zone served as a key support range for Filecoin price after bears took out the $1.60 level in November.

With price now decisively below $1.50 and the $1.40 buffer broken, bulls risk further downside movement.

In the near term, this bearish outlook will strengthen if the price breaks to $1.30.

Filecoin Price Chart
Filecoin price chart by TradingView

Bearish momentum remains dominant on the daily chart.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has fallen to 36 and shows room for additional selling pressure.

Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator signals weakness since a bearish crossover in mid-November. Bears taking over will bring the $1.20 and $1.00 levels into play.

Despite the threat of a downward continuation, bulls still have a slight advantage. A decisive breakout from the $1.30 zone could open the door to a retest of higher levels.

In November, FIL pumped more than 100% in two days as prices rose from lows of $1.32 to highs of $3.92.

Bulls will have to contend with the 50-day exponential moving average near $1.73 if they are to strengthen a potential trend reversal.

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