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Dollar rise: EFCC continues crackdown on cryptocurrency platforms

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Dollar rise: EFCC continues crackdown on cryptocurrency platforms

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has instituted a further crackdown on currency speculators and cryptocurrency platforms manipulating the naira, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

Impeccable sources within the commission said the EFCC was not only going after Binance but every cryptocurrency platform and others involved in the manipulation of the Nigerian foreign exchange market.

A source said, “The EFCC is going after all currency speculators to stabilise Nigerian forex.”

Another source noted, “The commission is not only going after Binance but other cryptocurrency compliance and exchanges, this has been helping in stabilising the market.”

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 Reacting to the development when contacted, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said the commission was doing everything lawful to ensure sanity within the country’s forex market.

 “The commission is doing everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that there’s sanity in Nigerian the foreign exchange market,” he said.

Meanwhile, some foreign exchange market analysts have stated that the dollar rose slightly against the naira between Wednesday and Friday due to interbank moves of the commercial banks.

A money market analyst, Agba Akin, had on Friday posted a snapshot of the P2P trading platform on X, saying, “Since Wednesday, the dollar has started increasing again at BDC, here is why. The emergency lovers of Binance are back speculating on other P2P apps.

“They’ll keep adding N50 every day until they take it back to 2,500 which was their initial plan, and recoup their loss. CBN, act now.”

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Reacting, a BDC operator identified as Yasir Arafat Jubril@oil_shaeikh said, “The problem with speculative manipulation is even if CBN keeps bidding dollars to BDC at a low rate, the prevailing speculated rate will lord over the market and you’ll be forced to sell at that price to keep afloat. CBN must crack down on all speculative platforms.

“They don’t know anything; if we talk, they’ll say we are aboki BDC behind Nigeria’s problem. Over 40 years that BDC has been operating, we never manipulated the naira by adding 50 to N100 a day till P2P ojukokoro boys came with their lack of fear of God.”

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Adhoc Committee Chairman of the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria, Almustapha Muhammed, said while it was true that the dollar gained during the week, the BDCs were not behind the currency gaining as it resulted from certain moves of the commercial banks.

He said, “Some people just want to put it at the BDCs. Actually what happened was that the dollar rose from the interbank rates and not from the BDCs. BDCs are parallel markets, while the banks are connected with the Federal Government’s official rate.

“CBN is giving us dollars at N1,101, but some commercial banks are doing interbank conversions. They convert from their accounts – domiciliary accounts and naira accounts. But the parallel markets are doing lower than the Federal Government.”

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Speaking further, he said, “Last week, the CBN gave the dollar at N1,101, but the parallel market sold at N950. That was what even made some BDCs not bid for a collection of dollars at CBN, because when you collect that dollar from CBN, automatically you run at a loss because we sell at N950. Unfortunately for the dollar, banks are now doing their interbank.

“That was what made people rush into the parallel market and buy it (the currency) at the lower rate and then deposit it in the commercial banks, automatically making N20, N40, N60 gains, because when you deposit your dollar into your domiciliary account and ask for its conversion into naira, automatically, you are making that difference. That is exactly what happened.”

In his reaction, an economist identified as Opeoluwa on X said, “On this issue, I reached out to a source in the relevant security agency on this matter. I was reliably informed that it has been flagged as ‘imminent danger’ and it’s being looked into.

“I am told that they (the security agency) may have to extend their hands to them, just like they did to Binance.”

When our correspondent contacted the Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, he did not pick up calls.

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Top 100 Bitcoin Treasuries Now Hold 1.26M BTC

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Top 100 Bitcoin Treasuries Now Hold 1.26M BTC

Key Takeaways

Bitcoin Treasuries Are Turning Scarcity Into Strategy

Institutional bitcoin accumulation has grown dramatically, with the top 100 holders now controlling 1,258,090 BTC as of June 8, 2026, according to a chart published on X by HODL15Capital. This group includes public companies, private firms, mining operators, and treasury-focused entities, reflecting specialized corporate allocations alongside one dominant buyer.

At the top of the list, Strategy holds exactly 845,256 BTC, far surpassing every other entity. Twentyone Capital follows with 43,514 BTC, and Japan’s Metaplanet holds 40,177 BTC, showing that institutional BTC accumulation is global and spans multiple industries. Marathon Digital contributes 35,303 BTC.

Top 100 bitcoin treasury companies. Source: HODL15Capital

The size of Strategy’s lead reveals how uneven the race has become. One company controls more bitcoin than the rest of the top 100 combined, turning corporate treasury policy into a marketwide talking point. For investors, that concentration makes Strategy one of the clearest equity-market proxies for BTC exposure.

Other major names on the chart include Coinbase, Riot Platforms, Tesla, Spacex, Cleanspark, Block, Galaxy Digital, American Bitcoin Corp., and Hut 8. That lineup makes the trend easy to understand: bitcoin is no longer only a crypto-sector balance sheet bet. It now reaches miners, exchanges, technology firms, private companies, and treasury vehicles.

The BTC Concentration Across Sectors and Borders

The global spread of BTC holders is as notable as the headline total. Metaplanet’s top ranking shows adoption is no longer U.S.-centric, with participants from Japan, Canada, Europe, and Asia signaling worldwide corporate and institutional demand for bitcoin.

The supply angle is what makes the chart matter beyond crypto circles. The top 100 holders control more than 6% of bitcoin’s maximum 21 million supply, giving a singular corporate buyer a highly visible role in market liquidity. For shareholders, that creates both upside potential and sharper exposure to crypto-driven swings.

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Overall, the chart illustrates a highly centralized institutional concentration of bitcoin reserves. The focus is no longer just who holds the most, but how BTC has become a balance sheet battleground, with companies using treasury positions to signal conviction, attract investors, and position themselves in a more bitcoin-integrated financial landscape.

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About 1 in 5 Americans have used crypto; Republicans’ use has ticked up

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About 1 in 5 Americans have used crypto; Republicans’ use has ticked up

Even after years of buzz, the use of cryptocurrency has remained fairly stable in the United States. Today, about one-in-five U.S. adults (19%) say they’ve invested in or used a cryptocurrency – about on par with the 16% who said this in 2021.

But for the first time, there is a partisan gap in use. Republicans’ crypto use has ticked up from 16% in 2021 to 22% today, and they are now more likely than Democrats to say they’ve used it, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January 2026.

Crypto has become part of the national political conversation in recent years. The Trump administration has set out to make America the “crypto capital of the world,” including steps to allow crypto firms to become banks.

About this research

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at Americans’ personal experiences with cryptocurrency over time.

Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center does research to inform the public, journalists and decision-makers. Studying the public’s views and experiences with cryptocurrency is part of our long-standing research on technology, e-commerce, online privacy and security, and related topics.

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Learn more about Pew Research Center.

How did we do this?

For the 2026 data, we surveyed 8,512 U.S. adults from Jan. 20 to 26, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.

Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.

Who uses cryptocurrency?

Some of the biggest demographic differences in cryptocurrency use are by gender, age and income.


Men under 50 stand out for being crypto users; Republicans are more likely to use it than Democrats

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% of U.S. adults who say they have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin or ether

* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2024 earnings.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER


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Men under 50 stand out for being crypto users; Republicans are more likely to use it than Democrats

% of U.S. adults who say they have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin or ether

Demographic %
U.S. adults U.S. Adults 19
Men Gender 27
Women Gender 11
Ages 18-29 Age 26
30-49 Age 28
50+ Age 10
Men 18-29 Male and Age 38
30-49 Male and Age 40
50+ Male and Age 14
Women 18-29 Female and Age 15
30-49 Female and Age 17
50+ Female and Age 6
White Race/Ethnicity 18
Hispanic Race/Ethnicity 19
Black Race/Ethnicity 20
Asian* Race/Ethnicity 25
Upper income Income 27
Middle income Income 20
Lower income Income 16
Rep/Lean Rep Party 22
Dem/Lean Dem Party 17

* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2024 earnings.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER


By gender and age

As was true in past surveys, young men stand out for their use of crypto:

  • 38% of men ages 18 to 29 say they have ever invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency, compared with 15% of women in the same age range.
  • 40% of men ages 30 to 49 have done this, compared with 17% of women in this age group.

Crypto use among men and women ages 30 to 49 has gone up since 2021. And men 50 and older are also more likely to have ever used crypto today than in 2021.

By income

About one-in-four adults in upper-income households (27%) have invested in or used crypto, up from 23% in 2024 and 17% in 2021.

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By comparison, 20% of middle-income Americans have used crypto, up slightly from 17% in 2021. Use has not changed among lower-income Americans (16% this year vs. 15% in 2021).

By party

Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to have invested in, traded or used crypto (22% vs. 17%). Before this year, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were as likely as Democrats and Democratic leaners to say they’d done so. But GOP crypto use has grown from 16% in 2021 to 22% now, while Democrats’ use has held steady at 17%.

By race and ethnicity

A quarter of Asian adults say they have ever invested in, traded or used crypto – which is similar to Black and Hispanic adults. White adults remain less likely to be crypto users than Asian adults but are on par with Black and Hispanic adults for the first time. This is partially due to crypto use among White Americans ticking up from 13% in 2021 to 18% today.

For more about Americans and cryptocurrency, read our 2024 analysis, which has information on:

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.

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Bitcoin Surges 5% to $64K, Settles Near $62.5K as Trump Says Netanyahu Must Accept Iran Deal

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Bitcoin Surges 5% to K, Settles Near .5K as Trump Says Netanyahu Must Accept Iran Deal

Key Takeaways

Trump Says the Deal Is ‘Almost Complete’

The rally followed remarks in which Trump framed the agreement as a near-certainty and signaled he would push it through with or without Israel’s full cooperation. Speaking about Netanyahu, the president said the Israeli leader will have “no choice” but to sign because, in his telling, he “calls the shots.”

Image source: X

Trump described the deal as “almost complete” and said he expected an announcement at the start of the new business week, with traders treating the language as a firmer commitment than the ceasefire speculation that has come and gone for months, and risk assets reacted within hours.

Analysts first flagged the price reaction, noting bitcoin’s 5% jump to $64,000 came directly on the back of the comments, indicating that the market read the statement less as a rumor and more as a direct signal that Washington intends to close the matter regardless of how Jerusalem responds.

A Bounce off the 2026 Low

The surge marked a sharp turn from the prior week as Bitcoin touched an intraday low near $59,100 on June 5, its weakest level since February (during what Bitcoin.com News described as the worst week of 2026 for the asset). At the lows, more than half of all BTC sat in unrealized loss, a condition that has historically lined up with major market bottoms.

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Short-term chart readings had already pointed to an oversold market primed for a snapback, leaving the rally needing only a catalyst. The geopolitical headline supplied it. Even after the move, bitcoin remained roughly $18,000 below the $82,000 record it set in mid-May, underscoring how much ground the recent decline erased.

The recovery offered relief to leveraged traders after a brutal stretch of forced selling earlier in the month. Hundreds of thousands of positions were wiped out as the price slid, and a swift reversal of that kind often triggers a wave of short liquidations that amplifies the upside.

Geopolitics Back in the Driver’s Seat

Bitcoin’s sensitivity to Middle East headlines has been one of 2026’s defining patterns given that earlier in the year, the digital currency’s topped $77,000 as Trump weighed his options on Iran, while prediction-market wagers on a peace deal swelled into the hundreds of millions of dollars. De-escalation signals have repeatedly lifted risk appetite, and threats of conflict have pulled it back down.

Crypto tends to trade as a high-beta risk asset in these episodes, selling off harder than equities when fear spikes and rallying faster when it eases. That makes bitcoin an unusually sensitive barometer of how traders price the odds of war or peace, even when the headlines have no direct link to digital assets.

The same tensions had been a drag in recent weeks as higher oil prices tied to the standoff have fed inflation concerns and complicated the Federal Reserve’s rate path, with some officials declining to rule out further hikes and expected cuts being pushed back. That backdrop helped drag crypto lower before Sunday’s rebound.

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Analysts caution that headline-driven rallies can fade quickly and only a confirmed agreement could sustain the move. Collapse in talks or a fresh exchange of fire risks sending the price back toward its recent floor. The Fed’s stance remains a second swing factor that could cap any extended recovery.

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