Kategorie: Crypto Markets

• DOJ seizes Burma-linked trading domains used for major crypto scam operations.
• Fraud network tied to Tai Chang compound used fake platforms to lure victims.
• FBI alerts led to app removals and Meta shutting 2,000+ accounts tied to scams.

The United States Justice Department has widened its action against a major scam network in Burma, focusing on how the group used fraudulent trading sites to run large crypto investment schemes.

The latest step involved seizing the domain tickmilleas.com, which looked like a functioning trading platform but was actually tied to the Tai Chang compound, also known as Casino Kosai, in Kyaukhat.

The update came in a December 2 announcement from the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs and builds on a series of efforts aimed at disrupting transnational online fraud linked to Southeast Asia.

Crypto scam links widen

The takedown followed earlier moves in the same week when two additional domains were seized after being linked to the same Burma-based compound.

These domains formed a network of sites built to mimic legitimate investment services.

Each platform carried fabricated dashboards, fake transaction logs, and simulated returns that made victims believe their funds were being actively managed.

Tai Chang is part of a system of scam compounds that operate across the region.

These complexes are often controlled by criminal networks that rely on trafficked or coerced workers to run online scams.

They have grown rapidly in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, which have become hotspots for crypto fraud operations.

Many of the victims are targeted through trading sites that appear authentic but are designed to channel money into criminal groups.

Fraud networks shift tactics

The DOJ identified Tai Chang as having clear links to entities already sanctioned by the United States.

These include the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and the Trans Asia International Holding Group.

Both were recently listed as Specially Designated Nationals because of their association with Chinese organised crime and their involvement in building scam centres across Southeast Asia.

Their participation has contributed to the spread of fraudulent investment operations throughout the region.

Investigators found that tickmilleas.com was deliberately designed to resemble a real investment platform.

It included dashboard features, performance charts, and false deposit records that suggested active trading.

Victims were also encouraged to download mobile applications from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

After the FBI alerted both companies, many of these applications were removed from the platforms.

Information provided by the agency also led to Meta shutting down more than 2,000 accounts across its social media platforms.

These accounts were used to direct users to the fraudulent investment sites and maintain the appearance of a legitimate trading ecosystem.

Seized domain examined

Although the tickmilleas.com domain was registered only in early November 2025, several individuals had already fallen victim to the scheme within the past month.

According to the DOJ, the platform was actively used to defraud people who believed they were participating in real crypto investments.

The site currently displays a notice confirming that it has been seized by law enforcement.

The DOJ stated that the action forms part of a broader effort to prevent US infrastructure from being used to support international fraud.

The coordinated takedowns of domains and malicious applications aim to cut off the digital channels that allow scam compounds to reach victims worldwide.

The post US crackdown exposes Burma crypto scam network using fake trading sites appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Cronos token CRO traded higher on Tuesday as cryptocurrencies bid for an uptick.
• The altcoin’s price was up more than 10% in 24 hours to $0.11.
• Gains for the altcoin came amid a huge move by Cronos Labs, the accelerator arm of Crypto.com.

On Tuesday, the Cronos Labs team revealed the appointment of industry veteran Edward Adlard as Head of Ecosystem.

Timed amid growing adoption of the project’s offering, it is a move that sparked further positive market response.

CRO token gained by over 10% to above $0.11, a rebound from intraday lows of $0.098. Altcoins were up as Bitcoin price broke to $90,000.

Cronos Labs appoints new ecosystem head

Edward Adlard is the new Head of Ecosystem at Cronos Labs, the Crypto.com tied platform announced on December 2, 2025. The appointment positions him at the forefront of the network’s expansion strategy.

According to details, Adlard brings proven leadership in scaling ecosystems while prioritizing regulatory compliance. His stature as a veteran of the bridging of web2 and web3 adds to the expertise and expectations.

“Cronos has an active community, a strong technical foundation, and proven high-performance infrastructure,” Adlard stated in the official announcement.

He added:

“The next chapter is about accelerating ecosystem growth by deploying cutting-edge new use cases that drive an increase in users, liquidity, and builders. I believe Cronos is uniquely positioned to benefit from the maturing of global crypto regulations due to its institutional-ready stack, compliance-ready primitives, and opportunity to more deeply partner with Crypto.com.”

Notably, Adlard has recently served as CEO of Instalabs, a regulated institutional cross-chain bridge that facilitated seamless asset transfers across blockchains.

Before that, he was Vice President of Growth, Business Development, and Strategy at the Tezos Foundation.

At Tezos, Adlard helped shape ecosystem initiatives, chaired the investment committee, and directed funding toward infrastructure builders.

His web2 tenure at Amazon included spearheading the turnaround of the Amazon Money Store in the UK and overseeing Prime Video operations across Europe, honing skills in operational efficiency and multi-market expansion.

In his new role, Adlard will oversee ecosystem strategy, growth programs, partner integrations, and developer initiatives.

His mandate centers on accelerating institutional tokenization and fostering AI-driven innovations to enhance Cronos’s high-performance infrastructure.

CRO price jumps 10%

Amid the news, Cronos token’s price jumped. CRO is the utility asset powering transactions and staking on the Cronos network and has experienced sharp gains in recent months following ecosystem developments.

On Tuesday, CRO climbed from an overnight low of $0.098, touching highs of $0.11.

This marked a 10% uptick in 24 hours and came as trading volume spiked by over 38% to over $27 million.

While ecosystem news has helped bulls, Cronos’ price is also ticking up amid a 5% spike in Bitcoin’s price.

The benchmark digital asset recovered sharply on December 2, 2025, and traded above $90,000 as risk assets pumped.

JUST IN: Bitcoin is back over $90,000 pic.twitter.com/Adi4vQHuJe

— Lark Davis (@TheCryptoLark) December 2, 2025

BTC’s uptick and Cronos ecosystem’s growth, bolstered by Adlard’s expertise in regulated infrastructure, could bolster the short-term forecasts for CRO.

If bulls maintain control above $0.10, the potential for further gains means buyers eyeing $0.14 and then $0.20 next.

 

The post CRO spikes 10% on Adlard’s appointment at Cronos Labs as Bitcoin breaks $90K appeared first on CoinJournal.

• A bounce for altcoins sees Toncoin price recover above $1.50.
• The integration of Cocoon has boosted bulls and could allow for a retest of $2.00.
• TON is the cryptocurrency token of the Telegram ecosystem.

Toncoin (TON) has reclaimed the $1.50 level as a broader market rebound lifts sentiment across major cryptocurrencies.

TON was trading near $1.51 on Tuesday, up about 1.5%, after Cocoon — a decentralized confidential compute network — went live on The Open Network.

The launch is viewed as a significant step for the TON ecosystem and aligns with Telegram’s push toward a private, decentralized AI framework.

The development has provided a fresh catalyst for bullish momentum, with the community looking to build on the optimism and potentially drive TON higher in the sessions ahead.

Toncoin price: bulls eye momentum above $1.50

Toncoin slipped sharply after months of consolidating below $3.50 and $4.00, with sellers driving the token to a low of $1.45 on Monday, December 1, 2025.

The move mirrored the broader market’s November slowdown and the weaker start to the new month.

A modest recovery has followed. TON has edged back above $1.50, even as 24-hour trading volumes across major exchanges have fallen by about 10%.

The rebound is limited, but it gives buyers a narrow window to attempt a stronger move.

A continued bounce could open the way for a push toward $1.60, which may allow Toncoin to retest and potentially flip the earlier resistance zone around $2.36 into support.

TON integrates Cocoon for AI compute

Although Toncoin’s price remains vulnerable below $2.00, both traders and long-term holders are celebrating the arrival of Cocoon.

It is about real utility that ties GPU supply directly to TON token economics.

Per latest details, Cocoon has officially begun processing live user requests.

With the launch, the platform becomes the first decentralized artificial intelligence project on TON to offer fully confidential AI inference at scale.

Notably, the network enables GPU owners worldwide to rent out their hardware for privacy-preserving AI workloads, earning TON tokens as direct compensation.

Using Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and zero-knowledge proofs, Cocoon ensures that sensitive data never leaves the secure enclave.

In short, it eliminates the privacy risks and high costs associated with centralized providers like AWS or Google Cloud.

Telegram itself is Cocoon’s anchor client and first major user, routing select AI features through the decentralized network to guarantee end-to-end confidentiality for its nearly one billion users.

The post Toncoin eyes $2 as community cheers Cocoon launch on TON appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Grayscale says Bitcoin may bottom and could break the halving cycle with new highs in 2026.
• ETF outflows ease with four days of inflows, signaling buyer interest returning.
• Fed rate decisions and US crypto legislation may drive Bitcoin’s 2026 outlook.

Bitcoin’s latest retracement may already be stabilizing, with asset manager Grayscale arguing that the market is on track to break its traditional four-year halving cycle and could set fresh all-time highs in 2026.

Despite uncertainty following a 32% decline from recent peaks, emerging indicators suggest the current drawdown may be closer to a local bottom than the start of a prolonged downturn.

Market indicators point to a local bottom

According to Grayscale’s Monday research report, Bitcoin’s performance in 2025 has already shown characteristics that diverge from the typical post-halving trend.

The firm believes the long-held four-year cycle thesis is likely to prove incorrect and that Bitcoin may reach new highs next year.

One of the key signals cited is the elevated Bitcoin option skew, which has risen above 4.

This level indicates investors have already hedged extensively against additional downside, often a sign that selling pressure may be thinning out.

Grayscale argues that although the broader outlook remains uncertain, current dynamics support the case for a cyclical shift.

Still, analysts warn that a sustained recovery hinges on meaningful reversals in several major flow metrics.

These include futures open interest, ETF inflows, and selling activity from long-term Bitcoin holders—all of which have pressured prices in recent weeks.

ETF outflows ease as buyer appetite slowly returns

US spot Bitcoin ETFs, a major driver of the asset’s momentum throughout 2025, placed substantial downward pressure on the market in November.

The products recorded $3.48 billion in net outflows during their second-worst month on record, according to data from Farside Investors.

However, the trend has begun to reverse.

The funds have now posted four consecutive days of inflows, including a modest $8.5 million on Monday.

While early, the shift suggests investor interest may be gradually recovering following the recent sell-off.

Market positioning reflects what Nexo analyst Iliya Kalchev calls a “leverage reset rather than a sentiment break.”

He adds that the near-term trajectory depends on whether Bitcoin can reclaim the low-$90,000 range to avoid slipping toward stronger support in the mid-to-low $80,000 levels.

Fed policy and US crypto legislation emerging as key catalysts

Investors now turn to the next major macro catalyst: the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision on December 10.

Markets currently assign an 87% probability to a 25-basis-point rate cut, sharply higher than the 63% odds priced in one month ago.

Grayscale notes that the Fed’s decision and its forward guidance could play an important role in shaping Bitcoin’s trajectory into 2026.

Later in the year, continued progress on US digital asset regulation may offer another catalyst.

Attention has focused on the Digital Asset Market Structure bill, which Grayscale says could help accelerate institutional adoption if it maintains bipartisan support ahead of the midterm elections.

Momentum began with the passage of the CLARITY Act in the House earlier this year, part of a broader Republican “crypto week” initiative.

Senate leaders from both parties have expressed interest in building on the legislation through the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, which aims to establish a clearer regulatory framework for digital asset markets.

The bill is under review in both the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Banking Committee.

Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott has stated that lawmakers aim to finalize and sign the legislation into law by early 2026, a timeline that could align with what Grayscale sees as a pivotal year for Bitcoin’s next phase of growth.

The post Bitcoin’s downturn shows signs of bottoming as Grayscale sees new highs ahead appeared first on CoinJournal.

• The company will focus on scaling TBILL and the yield-bearing stablecoin USDO.
• cUSDO was approved this year as off-exchange collateral at Binance.
• BNY Mellon now manages and safeguards Treasurys underlying TBILL.

Real-world asset tokenisation is becoming one of crypto’s most active areas in 2025, and OpenEden is positioning itself at the centre of this shift with a new round of investment supported by major industry players.

The company confirmed on Tuesday that leading trading firms, venture capital groups, blockchain networks and institutional infrastructure providers have backed its latest raise to expand access to tokenised US Treasurys.

The round, which follows OpenEden’s 2024 raise with YZi Labs, comes at a time when short-dated government debt has emerged as one of the fastest-growing niches in digital assets as institutions look for familiar, regulated yields on-chain.

Tokenisation demand drives new investment push

OpenEden said the fresh capital will help it scale its tokenisation-as-a-service platform as more institutions look to move traditional assets onto public blockchains.

The firm is leaning into rising demand for regulated products tied to government debt, with short-term Treasurys becoming a preferred entry point for investors seeking on-chain yield that mirrors conventional markets.

The company did not disclose the size of the round, but it confirmed participation from Ripple, Lightspeed Faction, Gate Ventures, FalconX, Anchorage Digital Ventures, Flowdesk, P2 Ventures, Selini Capital, Kaia Foundation, and Sigma Capital.

Expansion of TBILL and USDO across markets

A significant portion of upcoming development will centre on OpenEden’s two main offerings: TBILL, its tokenised US Treasury fund, and USDO, a stablecoin backed by those same Treasurys.

USDO and its wrapped version, cUSDO, have already been integrated across decentralised exchanges and lending markets.

Earlier this year, Binance authorised cUSDO as off-exchange collateral.

OpenEden said the new investment will support broader distribution of these products and allow the company to introduce additional market structures tied to real-world financial assets.

Broader product pipeline builds institutional focus

Beyond Treasurys, OpenEden is preparing several new instruments designed to deepen institutional engagement with tokenised markets.

These include upcoming tokenised bond exposure, a multi-strategy yield token and a range of structured products aimed at investors familiar with traditional income-generating instruments.

In August, the company appointed BNY Mellon as custodian and investment manager for the Treasurys underlying TBILL.

The product has also received investment-grade ratings from S&P Global and Moody’s, marking a notable step in bridging conventional market requirements with decentralised finance infrastructure.

The post Ripple, leading VCs invest in OpenEden to support the real-world asset tokenisation firm’s expansion appeared first on CoinJournal.