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Cryptocurrency trader turns $1.1k into $1.62 million in 20 days

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Cryptocurrency trader turns .1k into .62 million in 20 days

Through precise identification of opportunities, a cryptocurrency trader has capitalized on the ongoing market momentum to record over 1,400-fold returns on their initial investments.

The anonymous investor turned a modest $1,100 into a staggering $1.62 million within 20 days by capitalizing on the ongoing meme cryptocurrency rally, according to data shared by Lookonchain on November 17. 

The traders’ returns began with their investment in the Solana (SOL)-based meme coin Urolithin A (URO). In late October, they spent 4.35 SOL ($768) to purchase 16.44 million URO. 

Doubling down on their belief in the token, they converted all their meme coin holdings into URO. Their investment paid off, as the URO holdings are now worth $572,000, yielding a 714-fold return.

URO/SOL pair on Raydium. Source: DexScreener

The trader also made significant gains with Rifampicin (RIF), investing 1.8 SOL ($300) to acquire 11.84 million tokens. After RIF surpassed a $100 million market cap, the trader sold 1 million tokens for 94,335 USDC, leaving 10.84 million RIF valued at $957,000. This maneuver resulted in a 3,503-fold return.

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RIF/SOL pair on Raydium. Source: DexScreener

Combined, the bets on URO and RIF have netted a profit of over $1.6 million at a time when the two meme coins have experienced explosive growth. These transactions, paired against Solana, occurred on Raydium, an automated market maker (AMM).

By press time, URO was valued at $0.02939 and had a market cap of almost $30 million. On the other hand, RIF had a valuation of $0.07849 and a market cap of $78 million.

Rising meme coins’ popularity 

The growth has generally stemmed from the popularity of Solana-based meme coins and the overall bullish sentiment across the cryptocurrency market.

Meme coins have been among the market’s biggest performers in recent weeks, as highlighted by data shared by Ali Martinez. In an X post on November 16, Martinez pointed out that meme coins outperformed the market in the past week, delivering returns of 63.71%.

Crypto sector performance. Source: Ali_charts

This momentum has been further fueled by the listing of several meme coins on the Binance crypto exchange, which exposes them to greater liquidity and visibility. 

For instance, the impact of such listings was evident with Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT), which joined the $1 billion market cap club following its Binance listing.

Interestingly, there has been a growing trend of investors earning massive profits from select meme coins in recent weeks. While some of these trades can be attributed to strategy and luck, there are speculations that some returns might be due to insider trading activity.

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In such cases, certain individuals may have had prior information, such as a planned listing of a meme coin on a major exchange and accumulated tokens beforehand.

As reported by Finbold, possible insider trading incidents have been reported with meme coins such as Goatseus Maximus (GOAT) and Daddy Tate (DADDY).

Featured image via Shutterstock 

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XRP Positions as Institutional Rail While RLUSD Enters Real-World Finance

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XRP Positions as Institutional Rail While RLUSD Enters Real-World Finance
XRP is cementing its role in live institutional payment infrastructure as Ripple’s RLUSD anchors regulated stablecoin settlement, signaling blockchain rails are now trusted, production-grade systems for global liquidity, cross-border payments, and high-value financial flows.
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Crypto Crime Wave Fueled by Chinese-Language Money Laundering | PYMNTS.com

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Crypto Crime Wave Fueled by Chinese-Language Money Laundering | PYMNTS.com

Cryptocurrency laundering was an $82 billion problem last year, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday (Jan. 27), citing data from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis.

Chinese-language money laundering networks made up $16.1 billion of that total as they play an increasing role in crypto crime, the report said.

“These are groups that are growing exponentially,” Andrew Fierman, head of national security intelligence at Chainalysis, told Bloomberg, per the report. “We’re talking about growth of over 7,300 times faster than other illicit flows.”

Although China has outlawed crypto transactions, illegal activity continues as the government chiefly focuses on behavior that threatens capital controls or financial stability, according to the report.

The networks “have really embraced cryptocurrencies,” said Kathryn Westmore, a senior associate fellow at the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI, per the report, adding that crypto provides “a way to launder the proceeds of cash-generating criminal activities, like drugs or fraud.”

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The news followed a warning from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in August, which said Chinese money laundering networks are now among the most significant threats to the American financial system, helping fuel the operations of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels.

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“The networks have become effective partners because they can move cash quickly, absorb losses and leverage demand from Chinese nationals seeking to bypass Beijing’s strict currency controls,” PYMNTS reported Aug. 29. “By pairing cartel dollars with Chinese demand for U.S. currency, these networks have created what FinCEN called a ‘mutualistic relationship’ that strengthens both sides.”

Meanwhile, Eric Jardine, head of research at Chainalysis, discussed last year’s record-setting levels of crypto crime with PYMNTS in an interview published Monday (Jan. 26). Around $154 billion flowed to illicit addresses, the most ever recorded, and there was a 160% increase in illicit volumes.

“But treating that number as evidence of runaway criminal adoption may miss the more consequential story,” PYMNTS wrote. “What changed in 2025 was not merely volume, but the identity of the actors, the scale at which they operated, and the implications this has for banks, regulators, and the future architecture of financial blockchain compliance.”

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The true inflection came from “a shift in who’s doing what,” Jardine said, adding that in 2025, nation states, most notably Russia, began taking part “in earnest in the crypto ecosystem,” chiefly through sanctions evasion.

Unlike earlier state-linked activity, like North Korea’s hacking campaigns, this was not marginal behavior at the edges of the system, but “industrial-scale financial activity conducted in plain sight,” PYMNTS wrote.

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Fixing BTC’s Quantum Issue Tops All Bitcoin Development Priorities, Says Willy Woo

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Fixing BTC’s Quantum Issue Tops All Bitcoin Development Priorities, Says Willy Woo
Quantum risk is emerging as a decisive hurdle for bitcoin’s institutional future as sovereign investors weigh long-term resilience, pushing gold and BTC into sharper focus amid debt cycles, macro uncertainty, and geopolitical realignment, according to on-chain analyst Willy Woo.
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