North Korea-linked hackers are ramping up attacks on the cryptocurrency sector, with recent investigations pointing to the Lazarus Group’s evolving methods.
On-chain analyst ZachXBT has revealed a string of incidents tied to the regime’s cyber operations. These incidents include the use of fake developer profiles and complex laundering strategies.
Lazarus Hackers Steal Millions as North Korea Intensifies Crypto Attacks
On June 29, Zachxbt reported that the Lazarus Group scammed a user out of $3.2 million in digital assets on May 16.
1/ Multiple projects tied to Pepe creator Matt Furie & ChainSaw as well as another project Favrr were exploited in the past week which resulted in ~$1M stolen
My analysis links both attacks to the same cluster of DPRK IT workers who were likely accidentally hired as developers. pic.twitter.com/85JRm5kLQO
This series of attacks, which began on June 18, allowed the hackers to take control of several NFT contracts. They then minted and dumped NFTs, stealing an estimated $1 million from these projects.
ZachXBT’s investigation revealed that the hackers moved the stolen funds across three wallets. Eventually, they converted some of the ETH into stablecoins and transferred them to MEXC, a centralized exchange.
Meanwhile, the pattern of stablecoin transfers, tied to a specific MEXC deposit address, suggests that the attackers engaged in multiple crypto projects.
Moreover, the analysis uncovered links to GitHub accounts with Korean language settings and time zones consistent with North Korean activity.
“Other indicators revealed from internal logs point out irregularities in a suspected DPRK IT workers resume. Why would a developer who claims to be living in the US have a Korean language setting, Astral VPN usage, and have an Asia/Russia time zone?,” ZachXBT wondered.
In Favrr’s case, investigators suspect the project’s chief technology officer, Alex Hong, of being a North Korean IT worker. ZachXBT also reported that Hong’s LinkedIn profile was recently deleted, and his work history could not be verified.
Indeed, these incidents highlight North Korea’s ongoing role in cryptocurrency theft. Blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs recently linked the country’s hackers to nearly $1.6 billion in stolen funds, accounting for about 70% of all stolen crypto assets this year.
REX Shares appears to be on the brink of launching a staked Solana ETF after receiving a key response from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
On June 27, the firm wrote the regulator to confirm whether it had resolved all concerns related to its proposed Solana and Ethereum staking ETFs.
SEC Clears Way for First Staked Solana ETF as REX Shares Readies Launch
Bloomberg ETF expert Eric Balchunas indicated that the SEC’s lack of objections is significant. According to him, this means that the proposal will likely receive approval soon.
“Rex also filed an updated prospectus, which totally filled in. Add it all up and it appears as though all systems go for imminent launch. $SSK is the ticker,” Balchunas said.
Interestingly, REX Shares has begun marketing the product as the first-ever staked crypto ETF in the US. According to the firm, the product will track Solana’s performance while generating yield through on-chain staking.
Rex now putting out a “coming soon” tweet. No date but clearly they pushing fwd, assuming comments resolved ht @NateGeracihttps://t.co/4NphZbtc55
It should be noted that the SEC has yet to issue a formal approval for the product.
If approved, this would position the firm to be the first to offer a staking-based crypto ETF, ahead of competitors still pursuing spot Solana products.
Meanwhile, Nate Geraci, president of ETF Store, pointed out that such a move could serve as a catalyst for the industry. He noted that this may encourage other applicants to explore staked crypto offerings.
“Looks like they believe comments have been resolved…Crypto ETF summer commences,” he added.
This development follows the SEC’s notable regulatory progress last month. At the time, the agency stated that staking models alone do not automatically fall under securities laws.
It also clarified that extra features such as bundled services or early redemption options do not necessarily alter that status.
As a result, this guidance has encouraged several asset managers to revisit their ETF strategies.
Several political reports claim President Trump did not initially intend to put XRP in his Crypto Strategic Reserve. Instead, they suggest that lobbyist Brian Ballard manipulated him into doing so.
Although the President was allegedly furious at these events, this may not change XRP’s position in the Reserve. Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, vocally supports and has made large donations to Trump’s election campaign.
When Trump made a social media post a month into the office, it included SOL, ADA, and XRP in the mix, boosting the notoriety of these assets. Today, Politico made shocking allegations suggesting that this was not his intention.
Specifically, the report alleged that Brian Ballard, a lobbyist who has worked with Trump for years, used underhanded tactics. One of Ballard’s employees repeatedly petitioned Trump to endorse XRP and other altcoins in his post.
Most notably, Ripple Labs is also a Ballard client, which paid the lobbyist $60,000 last year. When the President discovered this, he apparently raged.
Ripple Listed as a Ballard Partners Client. Source: OpenSecrets.
Meanwhile, the US president has now exiled Brian Ballard. The community reacted strongly to these events, suggesting Trump might remove XRP and other altcoins from the Strategic Reserve. However, this may be overstated for a few reasons.
Trump was allegedly angry over being misled, not because he had a specific distaste for XRP. The Reserve announcement occurred shortly before Trump’s Crypto Summit, and David Sacks worried about perceived favoritism. Nonetheless, Ripple has been a good friend to the President.
President Trump exiled a top lobbyist for promoting Ripple’s XRP.
In other words, why would Trump decide to punish XRP for Ballard’s actions? These allegations are indeed shocking, but the market evidently doesn’t expect turmoil for XRP at this time.
To be clear, neither Trump, Ballard, nor Ripple employees have responded to these allegations. Regarding XRP’s place in the Reserve, Trump may simply let bygones be bygones.
It’s important to understand that while the US president signed an executive order to ‘assess the establishment’ of a strategic crypto reserve, no developments have been made yet.
The week was notably bullish for the crypto market, with Bitcoin (BTC) reaching record highs of $111,980 and more optimistic predictions emerging. US states’ investment trends and regulatory developments dominated the spotlight, while Pi Network’s price surge also drew attention.
The following is a roundup of some of the most important developments in the crypto market this week.
14 US States Disclose $632 Million Stake in MSTR
One of the most notable developments this week in crypto was the revelation of US states’ $632 million holdings in Strategy’s MSTR stock. BeInCrypto reported that in Q1 2025, the holdings increased by an average of 42%.
“14 US states have reported $632 million in MSTR exposure for Q1, in public retirement and treasury funds. A collective increase of $302 million in one quarter,” Bitcoin Laws founder Julian Fahrer posted.
US State MSTR Stock Holdings. Source: Data Curated by BeInCrypto
California, through its state teachers and public retirement fund, led the pack with $276 million in MSTR shares, followed by Florida, North Carolina, and New Jersey. Despite a recent veto on a Bitcoin reserve bill, Arizona also increased its MSTR holdings.
Other states like Utah and Colorado showed substantial growth in MSTR investments, with the former’s holdings growing by 184% in the last quarter. On the other hand, while boosting its MSTR position by 26%, the Wisconsin Investment Board sold off its entire $300 million stake in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF.
Pi Network has been widely discussed since its open network launch in late February 2025. This week, Pi Coin (PI) dominated headlines due to its 11% price appreciation. BeInCrypto highlighted that the catalyst behind this uptick was an 86 million withdrawal from the OKX exchange.
This reduced OKX’s PI token balance to just 21 million. This mass movement suggested investors were holding rather than selling. This bullish signal is often associated with confidence in future price appreciation.
“This isn’t just a withdrawal—it’s a POWER MOVE by the Pi community. Scarcity is kicking in, and the market is feeling the heat!” a Pioneer posted on X.
Nonetheless, the high was fleeting. After the rise, more declines followed. Over the past day alone, Pi Coin’s value depreciated by 4.7%.
Along with its underwhelming price performance, Pi Network has faced significant criticism due to its inability to secure a listing on major exchanges like Binance or Coinbase. Concerns regarding its lack of recognition on price tracking platforms, token distribution, node centralization, and migration challenges further add to the growing list of issues.
Blum Co-Founder Vladimir Smerkis Arrested in Moscow
Another crypto-related incident this week involved the co-founder of the Telegram-based crypto project Blum. On May 18, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow arrested Vladimir Smerkis, who previously managed Binance’s operations in Russia. Smerkis allegedly committed ‘large-scale fraud.’
“The Zamoskvoretsky District Court granted the investigator’s petition for the preventive measure of detention for Vladimir Smerkis, who was arrested in connection with a case of large-scale fraud (Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation),” local media reported.
In response to the arrest, Blum quickly distanced itself from Smerkis and his involvement in the project.
“We would like to inform our community that Vladimir Smerkis has stepped down from his role as CMO and is no longer involved in the development of the project or in any co-founder capacity,” Blum’s official statement read.
Fred Krueger Predicts Bitcoin Could Reach $600,000 by October 2025
This week in crypto, Bitcoin took center stage with its impressive rally. BeInCrypto was the first to report that Bitcoin reclaimed its all-time high of $108,900 after four months. However, the rally didn’t stop there, as the price continued to climb.
Yesterday, BTC peaked at a new record of $111,980, a high yet to be surpassed. Yet, analysts are increasingly optimistic about Bitcoin’s prospects moving forward.
Mathematician and analyst Fred Krueger predicted that Bitcoin’s price could surge to $600,000 by October 2025. His forecast hinges on a series of speculative developments that will begin on July 21, with BTC priced at $150,000.
“THE FINAL RUN: BITCOIN TO $600,000. Timeframe: 90 days — from Monday, July 21, 2025. Starting BTC: $150,000, Ending BTC: $600,000. Final Gold: $10,400. DXY: Collapses from 96 → 68. US 10Y Yield: Spikes to 9.2% before being “frozen” by the Fed. SPX: Collapses 50%,” Krueger stated.
The supposed catalysts for Bitcoin’s rise to $600,000 include a failed US Treasury auction, BRICS nations launching a Bitcoin-backed payment system, countries shifting reserves to Bitcoin, rising Treasury yields, a collapse in US real estate, tech companies adopting Bitcoin, and a potential restructuring of the US dollar at an October summit.
The bill, which aims to create a state-level Bitcoin Reserve, now only requires Governor Abbott’s signature to be finalized. Notably, as BeInCrypto pointed out, Governor Abbott is pro-crypto.
In fact, he posted an article about the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on his X account today, which signals a likely approval.
“It’s happening. Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, will sign Texas’ Bitcoin Reserve into law. One of the richest states will be buying Bitcoin. Get ready!!!” crypto commentator Kyle Chassé remarked.
With the Texas Senate session ending on June 2, Governor Abbott has until then to make a decision. If signed into law, Texas will become the second US state to establish its own Bitcoin Reserve, following New Hampshire.
