Iranians were able to access more than 1,500 Binance accounts last year, and $1.7 billion was transferred from two of them to terrorist proxies, The New York Times reported Monday.
Crypto
Here Is an Allegedly Comprehensive Map of Mr Beast's Crypto Wallets
A group of crypto sleuths have released a map of Mr Beast’s alleged crypto wallets. The investigators claim that the YouTuber is connected to 50 cryptocurrency wallets and has made around $23 million from them using a series of shady techniques including pump-and-dump schemes.
It’s been a bad few weeks for Mr Beast, real name Jimmy Donaldson. The YouTube star is battling a series of scandals, including accusations of selling moldy cheese to children, company group chats allegedly sent to the FBI, and an ongoing lawsuit filed by contestants of his upcoming Amazon show. There’s a distinct anti-Mr Beast mood in the air in some circles of the internet and the investigation into his crypto wallets is just the latest salvo.
The team that mapped Mr Beast’s crypto wallets is Kasper Vandeloock, SomaXBT, hxnterson, angelfacepeanut, and rfparson. They published the investigation on a new website that describes itself as a “work in progress” that “prioritized pushing out the Mr Beast article.”
Vandeloock and the others are known quantities in the crypto world and the investigation appears to be a thorough deep-dive into Donaldson’s crypto finances. “Their findings suggest a long history of insider trading, misleading investors, and using his influence to promote tokens, only to later dump them on the markets,” the investigation said. “This document delves into the various tokens associated with these allegations and the insider trading claims, starting with identifying the wallets tied to MrBeast.”
The investigation is both compelling and impenetrable. For readers who aren’t already well-versed in the ins and outs of crypto, it will be hard to parse. At first blush, it appears that Vandeloock and the others have the goods here. They’ve mapped out a complex web of connections between known Mr Beast wallets and other crypto assets on the blockchain.
There are pictures of Donaldson partying with crypto entrepreneurs, big splashy public advertisements of him announcing his association with various crypto schemes, and screenshots of tweets, text messages, and DMs that show Donaldson interacting with crypto folks. The investigation is a mess of charts, graphs, and long strings of numbers. It requires a working knowledge of cryptocurrency to decipher.
According to the investigation, Mr Beast repeatedly invested large amounts of cash into cryptocurrency projects during their pre-sale period and got massive returns. Crypto is a hard business to make money in and the investigation pointed out that Donaldson wins more than he loses, especially for someone who isn’t doing it full time.
The claim is that Donaldson had relationships with the founders of various up-and-coming crypto projects. The investigation tracks those connections and shows how Donaldson-connected wallets invested big in various crypto schemes he backed.
“With Mr Beast’s track record of consistently hitting large returns whilst being a full-time content creator and owning various businesses, there is an extremely high likelihood that his success in cryptocurrency investing is not the result of sharp trading intuition but just knowing insider information, particularly related to upcoming brand deals and partnerships within his network, including figures like KSI, GaryVee, and LazarBeam,” it said.
It’s possible that this complicated nest of crypto wallets and transactions is, in fact, masking some kind of fraud. Donaldson is a man who told TIME that he doesn’t consider himself rich and that his mother handles all the money. “I don’t have access to any of my bank accounts,” he told the magazine in February. “I have a CFO and everything, but [Parisher’s] the one who has access to the master bank account.”
But if there’s a smoking gun in this crypto investigation, it’s only being seen by people with eyes for crypto. It may be that Donaldson’s “aw-shucks” attitude and presentation as a North Carolina boy done good is masking a sinister crypto empire. But it’ll require someone more skilled in crypto scam forensics (like the SEC) to decipher it.
Donaldson has other problems to contend with. In September, five contestants on his forthcoming Amazon show sued him. Beast Games, as the show is called, is a riff on Squid Games and puts contestants through a variety of grueling challenges with the promise of winning $5 million. The lawsuit alleged that Donaldson’s team subjected the contestants to chronic mistreatment and sexual harassment.
Earlier this year Donaldson teamed with Logan Paul and KSI to launch Lunchly, a Lunchable-style snack. As the food hit store shelves, people online began to post videos of them finding moldy cheese inside. YouTube baking star Rosanna Pansino, who has a long-running beef with Mr Beast, published a video earlier this month of her opening up a moldy Lunchly and it supercharged the allegations. The FDA told TMZ that it had received 10 complaints about mold in Lunchlies.
On October 27, Pansino also claimed she’d contacted the FBI regarding Mr Beast. Center to Pansino’s new claim is a Telegram channel she alleges is a Mr Beast company workchat. Pansino published a seven-minute video on X that scrolls through the chat, highlighting the off-color memes and jokes shared between the participants.
I have reported what I found and my concerns to the authorities @FBI. Hopefully they will look into these MrBeast Telegram Company Chats Logs and other concerns. @Youtube @TeamYouTube #mrbeast
— Rosanna Pansino (@RosannaPansino) October 27, 2024
Mr Beast did not respond to Gizmodo’s request for a comment.
Crypto
Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud: Bizman loses Rs 2.6 cr to crypto, investment fraud | Hyderabad News – The Times of India
Hyderabad: A 69-year-old businessman from Somajiguda lost 2.65 crore allegedly in a cryptocurrency and stock investment fraud. Based on his complaint, Hyderabad Cyber Crime police have registered a case.The complainant was first contacted by a fraudster posing as Ramya Krishnan on Aug 30, 2025 through Facebook. She persuaded the victim to invest in a cryptocurrency and stock trading platform, Polyus Finance PFP Gold, hosted at the domain pfpgoldfx.vip, promising high returns to finance his proposed resort and apparel ventures.Fraudsters provided the victim a contact number for daily communication and sent screenshots showing notional profits credited in his wallet in USDT cryptocurrency. To build trust, the fraudster even allowed the victim a token withdrawal of 4,300 on Sept 12, 2025.Encouraged, the victim transferred over 2.65 crore in 10 transactions between Sept 10 and Dec 39, 2025 to various current accounts provided by the accused.When he attempted to withdraw his ‘earnings’, the accused demanded an additional 15% conversion commission. After he refused, the website became inaccessible and calls to the fraudsters went unanswered.Realising that he was duped, the victim filed an online report on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) before approaching the Cyber Crime police on Feb 25.Based on his complaint, a case was registered under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act and Sections 111(2)(b) (Organised crime), 318(4) (Cheating), 319(2) (Cheating by personation), 336(3) (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 338 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.) and 340(2) (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on Wednesday. Police were analysing financial transactions to identify and arrest the accused.
Crypto
Terror groups receive $1.7b. from Iran through Binance | The Jerusalem Post
That was a potential violation of global sanctions, the report said, citing company records and documents collected by internal investigators.
The cryptocurrency exchange site reportedly fired or suspended at least four employees cited in the internal investigation. The company blamed “violations of company protocol” relating to its clients’ data, the Times reported.
The report came days after The Jerusalem Post spoke with experts from blockchain intelligence platform NOMINIS.io about how the Iranian regime was evading Western sanctions through cryptocurrencies.
The regime maintains a steady income using cryptocurrency through oil sales to Russia and China, NOMINIS CEO Snir Levi said at the time.
Regarding the latest scandal, he told the Post this week: “The latest allegations about Binance come months after the lawsuit by the victims’ families of October 7 – the ongoing Balva [versus] Binance case.
The majority of the allegations can be easily confirmed by on-chain data. There are thousands of cases where money has been sent and received to and from wallets that have clear connections to Iran.”
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao is being sued by the families of American victims and hostages of the October 7 massacre. He has been accused of knowingly enabling Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to transfer more than $1b. through its platform, including more than $50 million after the October 7 massacre.
Zhao pleaded guilty to anti-money-laundering violations in connection with Binance in 2023. US President Donald Trump pardoned him last October.
“They say what he did was not even a crime,” Trump told reporters last October. “It wasn’t a crime. That he was persecuted by the Biden administration, and so I gave him a pardon at the request of a lot of very good people.”
Binance representative Rachel Conlan said the accounts linked to the $1.7b. in Iranian transactions have been removed and the relevant authorities were informed.
“Any suggestion that Binance knowingly allowed sanctionable activity to continue unchecked is incorrect and defamatory,” she said, despite Zhao’s earlier admission of anti-money-laundering violations.
More than half a dozen compliance officials have left Binance, including a sanctions manager and the leader of the enterprise compliance team, over the past few months, the Times reported.
“No investigator was dismissed for raising compliance concerns or for reporting potential sanctions issues,” Conlan said in a statement to The Guardian.
Democrat senator opens inquiry into cryptocurrency company
While Conlan insisted there was no wrongdoing, US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) opened an inquiry into Binance on Tuesday, seeking records of the company’s dealings in Hong Kong , where funds have previously been transferred in a network against sanctions.
“Binance appears to have ignored warnings and recommendations to prevent Iranian money-laundering schemes on its cryptocurrency exchange,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to Binance co-chief executive Richard Teng.
“According to documents obtained by the Times and the Journal, Binance was even warned that Hexa Whale was financing terrorist organizations such as the Yemeni Houthis, and internal investigators found cryptocurrency transfers to wallets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and payments to crew members of Russia’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet of oil tankers,” he wrote.
“Instead of actually preventing illicit use, Binance has sought to evade accountability and influence the White House through lobbying and a financial partnership with World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the cryptocurrency firm owned by the sons of President Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff… This influence campaign has worked: In May 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it was dismissing a lawsuit against Binance for lying to regulators and mishandling funds, followed in October by the stunning Presidential pardon of founder Changpeng Zhao.”
“The scale of the newly revealed illicit transfers – uncaught until nearly $2 billion flowed to sanctioned entities – and the unexplained firing of internal investigators call into question Binance’s compliance with American sanctions and banking laws, and its 2023 agreement to resolve the previous federal investigation,” Blumenthal wrote.
Crypto
1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock With More Potential Than Any Cryptocurrency | The Motley Fool
Crypto is stumbling while AI is advancing.
We’re in one of those times when market players are shunning crypto investments. Factors such as persistent inflation, a declining likelihood of interest rate cuts (typically a major catalyst for crypto price pops), and outflows from once-hotly popular crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have put the hurt on even the most prominent digital coins and tokens.
Given that, it’s worthwhile to consider another high-potential technology — artificial intelligence (AI). Despite huge growth opportunities ahead, AI has also taken it on the chin lately as well. It still has a bright future, and I believe investors can still hop on this train with a company that’s not a pure play, but one deeply — albeit not exclusively — involved in the technology.
Read on to see what AI giant I believe can outpace even the most popular cryptocurrencies.
Image source: Alphabet.
Alphabet is advancing AI
That company is none other than Google owner Alphabet (GOOG +0.68%)(GOOGL +0.68%). Although it’s still known, with some justification, as a search engine operator, the company has been neck-deep in AI for years. It’s developed both hardware and the large language models (LLMs) powered by it, and it clearly aims to be a top name in this technology.
I have no doubt it can succeed. Google’s AI component Gemini is now fused into the company’s search and many other features (like Google Mail). This makes it a convenient option for web searchers querying for more than basic information on a subject. Its functionalities are also integrated into offerings like Google Docs, where users can harness AI to help with their writing. The Gemini platform itself is a hot item, with a monthly active user count now topping 750 million.
On the hardware front, Alphabet is not only actively developing and deploying Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) — chips designed to power AI functionality — it invented them. Originally designed to bolster the company’s AI capabilities, the processors are now being sold to external customers, opening another revenue stream.
Today’s Change
(0.68%) $2.11
Current Price $313.03
Market Cap
$3.8T
Day’s Range
$309.36 – $313.66 52wk Range
$142.66 – $350.15
Volume
20M
Avg Vol 23M
Gross Margin
59.68%
Dividend Yield
0.27%Key Data Points
AI is a growth catalyst for Alphabet
Alphabet doesn’t break out the revenue it derives from AI hardware and services, so we can’t put a precise number on how much the technology is bringing in for the company.
Still, it’s clearly foundational these days — the phrase “AI” was mentioned 94 times during management’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings conference call. And the tech giant stated in the accompanying earnings release that “We’re seeing our AI investments and infrastructure drive revenue and growth across the board.”
Alphabet’s two main revenue buckets, Google Services and Google Cloud — both of which feature AI-enhanced products — have seen robust increases. The former’s revenue grew 14% year over year during the quarter to almost $96 billion, while the latter’s skyrocketed 48% to just under $18 billion.
The numbers don’t lie. Even if the economy slows or inflation remains stubborn, demand for Alphabet’s impressively large suite of AI products and services will remain strong. I’d feel much more confident parking my money in this AI stock than gambling it on a wobbly cryptocurrency.
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