In a significant move to enhance military capabilities, Palantir Technologies has secured a new contract to extend its advanced digital warfare platform, the Maven Smart System, to all five branches of the U.S. military: the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force. This development, reported by Bloomberg, marks a critical evolution in how the U.S. military leverages data and technology for operational superiority.
The Maven Smart System is designed to provide actionable intelligence across thousands of displays, integrating U.S. intelligence data with cutting-edge computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) software. The system enhances situational awareness and target recognition, proving vital for operations such as recent airstrikes in the Middle East.
Shannon Clark, Palantir’s head of Defense Growth, highlighted the expansive potential of the new contract, which will allow tens of thousands of service members to access the platform. Previously, its capabilities were limited to select locations and units, but this latest contract broadens its availability significantly. This expansion follows a $480 million contract awarded in May to integrate the Maven Smart System further into combatant commands engaged in active military operations.
Initiated in 2017, the Maven Smart System has rapidly evolved into one of the most crucial programs backed primarily by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). While the Department of Defense (DoD) has released limited information about its operational applications, there are reports suggesting its pivotal role in identifying strategic targets in Ukraine and supporting U.S. missions in Yemen, Iraq, and Sudan.
The DoD’s announcement of this contract underscores the department’s commitment to integrating advanced AI tools across its operations. This includes user licenses for the platform along with essential software and hardware support. Importantly, intelligence analysts and military personnel in remote areas will now have real-time access to the same intelligence resources available at Pentagon headquarters, significantly improving communication and situational awareness on the battlefield.
According to a spokesperson from the NGA, efforts are ongoing to roll out the Maven Smart System across all military services and commands. The platform’s capabilities are critical to the Pentagon’s larger initiative to network military sensors and weapon systems globally, thereby enhancing the United States’ strategic edge in modern warfare.
As the military landscape continues to evolve, the integration of AI and advanced data analytics through systems like Maven will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the future of defense operations, ensuring that U.S. forces remain at the forefront of technological innovation on the battlefield.
Despite rumors that the SEC approved a spot XRP ETF, this is inaccurate. The only new development concerns ProShares’ Leveraged and Short XRP Futures ETFs, which will begin trading on April 30.
It’s unclear how much these false claims impacted XRP’s price today, but they caused a lot of commotion. Fake crypto news has been taking off lately, and this could negatively impact investor confidence.
However, there’s no shortage of overeager people who can spark and circulate optimistic rumors. ProShares’ new Futures ETF did indeed win approval, but this has no bearing on a Spot ETF:
UPDATE: a lot people posting/reporting that @ProShares will be launching XRP ETFs on April 30th. We’ve confirmed that’s not the case. We don’t have a confirmed launch date yet but we believe they will launch — and likely launch in the short or possibly medium term.
Bitcoin, the first crypto-centric ETF category, achieved a futures ETF before a spot one. In some ways, the SEC’s approval of an XRP Futures ETF is a positive sign.
XRP’s price has been zig-zagging in the last 24 hours, with notable pullbacks. It isn’t fair to claim that ETF hype is the source of all XRP moves; several circumstances may be contributing to the situation.
Confusion doesn’t help build a stable industry. Even if false ETF rumors temporarily boost XRP’s performance, that’s not a sign of long-term ecosystem health. Misinformation can significantly damage public trust, especially among retail investors.
For example, Eleanor Terrett commented on these rumors, claiming she’s “getting really sick of all the rude keyboard warriors in this community.”
Apparently, she received online hostility for trying to clarify the news decision despite being both correct and a respected source of pro-crypto journalistic coverage.
Spot ETF vs Futures ETF – What are the Differences?
Spot ETFs directly hold XRP tokens, providing investors with exposure to the actual cryptocurrency. These ETFs aim to mirror the real-time market price of XRP. So, there’s a straightforward correlation between the fund’s value and the token’s spot price.
As of now, spot XRP ETFs are not approved in the US. Applications from firms like Grayscale and Bitwise are under SEC review.
Meanwhile, leveraged futures ETFs do not hold XRP directly. Instead, they invest in futures contracts that speculate on the future price of XRP.
Due to daily resetting of leverage, these ETFs can experience significant volatility and may not be suitable for long-term holding.
Even if these XRP ETF rumors came from a genuine misunderstanding, they’re still dangerous. In the future, the community must be careful to vet its sources and act in good faith to maintain public confidence.
The state of security across the crypto and blockchain space has changed significantly in the past few months. Traditional smart contracts exploited or brute force attacks on blockchain networks are being superseded by crypto scams like rug pulls and pump-and-dump schemes.
BeInCrypto spoke with a spokesperson from security firm CertiK to understand how blockchain and security threats are evolving and how projects and users can safeguard against future exploits.
Social Media Hacks on the Rise
Over the past few months, the crypto community has seen a rise in social media-related hacks. This increasingly common tendency has pivoted away from the orchestration of more sophisticated blockchain attacks that have traditionally plagued headlines.
Whereas smart contract exploits or blockchain hacks require more knowledge, hackers have found an easier avenue by targeting social media accounts instead.
X (formerly Twitter) has quickly become the social media platform of choice among Web3 hackers.
Social Media is Now a Prime Target for Web3 Hackers
After US President Donald Trump launched his meme coin only two days before assuming office, hackers began to take advantage of the hype to hack high-profile X accounts and convince followers to invest in scam meme coins.
Last month, anonymous hackers took over the X account of the former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to promote MALAYSIA, a fake meme coin promoted as the country’s official cryptocurrency.
The post was removed within an hour, but the damage was done. Analysis shows that these hackers were probably related to the infamous Russian Evil Corp and that they stole $1.7 million in this rug pull.
The MALAYSIA token scam happened only two weeks after hackers exploited former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s social media account. In that instance, scammers promoted the BRAZIL token, which rose over 10,000% in minutes, netting the scammers over $1.3 million.
These scams have also affected technological companies.
Attacks on Tech Companies
In December, AI research and development company Anthropic also saw its X account hacked. A fraudulent post claimed that a fake token called CLAUDE would incentivize AI and crypto projects and included a wallet address for investors.
Attackers managed to collect around $100,000 from speculative investors.
These situations also highlight a broader issue of weak account security on social media platforms. As a result, even prominent individuals are susceptible to security breaches that directly affect the crypto community.
TRUMP Meme Coin Launch Was a Catalyst For Crypto Scams
“Now is the time to talk about the fact that large-scale political coins cross a further line: they are not just sources of fun, whose harm is at most contained to mistakes made by voluntary participants, they are vehicles for unlimited political bribery, including from foreign nation states,” Buterin claimed.
Buterin highlighted the tokens’ role in enabling scams and political corruption in crypto and blamed a regulatory loophole former SEC Chair Gary Gensler created for allowing bad actors to exploit governance tokens.
However, these crypto scams extend beyond political themes.
Growth of Social Engineering Exploits
A week after Buterin cautioned against political meme coins, a Coinbase user lost $11.5 million after falling victim to a social engineering scam on Base.
Crypto sleuth ZackXBT uncovered the exploit, pointing out that this incident is part of a growing trend, with multiple Coinbase users suffering similar losses. He also estimates that crypto scams of this nature have drained at least $150 million from Coinbase customers.
“Coinbase has a serious fraud problem. I just uncovered many more recent thefts from Coinbase users. The $150 million stolen from Coinbase users in a year is just from thefts I independently confirmed. So it’s more than likely multiples of this number,” ZachXBT stated.
In social engineering scams, attackers use phishing emails, spoofed calls, and other deceptive tactics to trick victims into revealing private keys or login credentials. Once they gain access, they drain wallets, move funds, and take control of accounts.
For CertiK, these situations stipulate the need for stronger security measures.
Addressing these security challenges is crucial as new crypto projects increase exponentially.
Prioritizing Proactive Security in a Rapidly Growing Industry
The Web3 sector is experiencing consistent growth, marked by a surge in new crypto project launches. This innovative momentum is expected to continue, but it’s also fueling security concerns.
Notably, the increasing rate of scams and hacks in the first three months of 2025 makes it clear that security efforts are struggling to keep up with innovation.
A study by Precedence Research estimates the Web 3.0 market will expand from USD 4.62 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 99.75 billion by 2034, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.18% during that period.
Predicted market size of Web3 in the next ten years. Source: Precedence Research.
Yet, CertiK believes that project developers are pushing security considerations toward the end of the priority list.
As the Web3 ecosystem evolves, a proactive and adaptive security approach is critical. Prioritizing both blockchain integrity and social media vigilance will be essential for safeguarding the growing Web3 ecosystem.
The battle against these exploits requires a future where security is not an afterthought but a foundational pillar of every Web3 project and user interaction.
Leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin (BTC) broke above the $95,000 psychological barrier on Thursday, driven by renewed confidence among long-term holders.
With key on-chain metrics pointing to a slowdown in exchange-bound inflows, the coin may soon reclaim the $100,000 price mark.
BTC Poised for Further Gains Amid Low Sell-Offs and Rising Demand
According to on-chain data from CryptoQuant, the number of unique wallet addresses sending BTC to exchanges has dropped to its lowest level since 2017. This currently sits at 19,282 addresses, falling by over 60% over the past month.
This metric, commonly interpreted as a measure of sell-side pressure, suggests that fewer investors are looking to offload their holdings, reinforcing the current bullish sentiment in the BTC market.
Historically, low exchange inflows like this have aligned with periods of strong price performance. Reduced selling activity tightens the coin’s supply on trading platforms, driving up BTC’s value.
Moreover, the spike in BTC’s Taker Buy Sell Ratio on leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance adds to this bullish narrative. In a new report, CryptoQuant analyst Amr Taha noted, “the most recent data point shows a sharp increase to 1.142, the highest level in this range.”
This metric measures the ratio of buy orders executed against sell orders in the futures market. A taker buy-sell ratio below one indicates that more sell orders are being executed, suggesting a shift in market sentiment from bullish to bearish.
When this ratio is above one, there are more buy orders than sell orders. This indicates that more market participants are aggressively buying BTC rather than selling it, suggesting a demand-driven market.
The rising ratio on Binance is particularly significant, as it signals growing demand for the coin on the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. If this trend holds, BTC’s price could continue to climb.
Bitcoin Eyes $100,000 as Bull Power Gains Momentum
On the technical side, readings from BTC’s Elder-Ray Index confirm the strengthening demand for the coin. On the daily chart, the histogram bars of this indicator have expanded in size over the past few days, highlighting an increasing buildup of buying pressure in the market.
The Elder Ray Index measures the strength of buying and selling pressure in the market, using two key components: Bull Power and Bear Power. When the size of its bars increases and its value is positive, it indicates growing buying pressure. It suggests the market is in an uptrend with increasing strength behind the bullish movement.
If this continues, BTC could smash through the resistance at $98,983, reclaim the $100,000 price mark, and charge toward $101,070.
However, if profit-taking activity resumes, this bullish projection will be invalidated. In that scenario, BTC could resume its downward trend, break below $95,971, and trend to $91,851.
