Crypto
North Korean-Linked Hackers Are Targeting Crypto Platforms More But Stealing Less
The number of North Korean-linked hacks of cryptocurrency platforms rose to a record high in 2023, though the actual amount of funds stolen dropped around 40%, a report Wednesday from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis Inc. showed.
In a series of 20 hacks throughout the year, cybercriminals linked to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea siphoned slightly more than $1 billion worth of cryptocurrency, compared to $1.7 billion in 2022. North Korean hackers often target cryptocurrency to raise money as a way around international sanctions, according to US officials.
The drop in funds stolen by North Korean hackers mirrors a larger trend in the cryptocurrency security landscape: an overall decline in hacks of the once-lucrative decentralized finance, or DeFi, protocols. In 2023, the total amount stolen from DeFi protocols was $1.1 billion, a 64% decrease from the $3.1 billion pilfered in 2022, according to Chainalysis.
“There have been some positive aspects that have started to slow their success in making off with hundreds of millions of dollars in one attack,” said Erin Plante, vice president of investigations at Chainalysis. “But the threat’s not going away by any means.”
Over the past few years, DeFi protocols have been increasingly targeted by hackers because their source code is freely available online, allowing criminals to more easily find bugs to exploit.
Better security practices, coupled with an overall decrease in DeFi activity, were most likely behind the decline in funds stolen in 2023, Chainalysis said. More DeFi applications are improving their code auditing and receiving guidance from companies like Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google on how to strengthen their networks, according to Plante.
As cryptocurrency platforms fortify their networks, North Korean hackers are racing to keep up by employing more diverse and sophisticated tactics, Plante said. More criminals are waiting patiently for an opportunity to strike by accessing networks undetected and sometimes gathering intelligence for months.
“They look at what’s changing, what’s evolving, and how they can use that malicious intent,” said Joe Dobson, principal analyst at the cybersecurity firm Mandiant. “Whatever the advancement is, they’re going to find a way to take advantage of it.”
In one stealthy hack this past June, TraderTraitor, a group with ties to North Korea, swiped around $129 million from thousands of users on cryptocurrency wallet service Atomic Wallet, according to Chainalysis. The group worked by chain-hopping, moving between different cryptocurrencies quickly to avoid being traced. They went on to hit two other crypto payment platforms, Alphapo and CoinsPaid, later that month, according to the report. Atomic Wallet said in a statement at the time that less than .1% of app users had been affected.
Investor behavior in the volatile cryptocurrency markets could be another underlying reason North Korean-linked hackers are stealing less. Fueled by the collapse of FTX Trading Ltd. and the vulnerability of these companies to large hacks, investors may be diversifying their currency among many platforms to avoid risk, according to Allan Liska, senior intelligence analyst at cybersecurity firm Recorded Future Inc. This means cryptocurrency exchanges may have a smaller pool of funds for hackers to steal.
“There’s less trust in many of the traditional big exchanges than there used to be,” Liska said.
Photo: Photographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg
Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.
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Crypto
Cryptocurrency companies join Silicon Valley’s wave of layoffs! Coinbase lays off 14% of its workforce; CEO says AI is bringing profound change.
Written by: Dong Jing
Source: Wall Street News
Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, announced layoffs of approximately 14% of its workforce, citing AI as a core driving factor in reshaping its operating model. This is the latest example of a new wave of AI-driven layoffs in Silicon Valley.
Coinbase disclosed in a regulatory filing on Tuesday (May 5) that the layoffs will affect approximately 700 employees, representing more than one-seventh of the company’s nearly 5,000-person team. The company expects to pay approximately $50 million to $60 million in severance pay, severance benefits, and related expenses.
CEO Brian Armstrong posted on social media, “AI is profoundly changing how businesses operate, and we are reshaping Coinbase to lead this new era.” He also cited the continued volatility of the cryptocurrency market as another important reason, stating that the company is “currently in a bear market and needs to adjust its cost structure immediately.”
This news of layoffs places Coinbase among the tech companies that have recently cut staff citing AI as a reason, further demonstrating the profound impact of AI on the employment structure of the tech industry—especially its direct impact on software engineers.
AI-driven restructuring: smaller teams, more “AI agents”
In his statement, Brian Armstrong outlined Coinbase’s future organizational structure: the company will form smaller teams whose members will be responsible for managing AI agents (digital bots) capable of handling programming tasks, while human managers will also need to “work hand-in-hand with the team.”
Armstrong characterized the current moment as a “turning point,” stating that the biggest risk is inaction. He said the company is “making proactive and conscious adjustments to rebuild Coinbase into a lean, fast, AI-native enterprise,” and that the future company structure will reduce management layers below the CEO and COO to improve decision-making efficiency.
This statement aligns closely with the logic of several tech giants recently—the rapid leap in AI tools’ capabilities in code generation is directly impacting software engineers, a core group in digital business.
Silicon Valley AI Layoff Wave: Coinbase is Not an Isolated Case
Coinbase’s layoffs are part of a recent wave of large-scale workforce reductions in the tech industry, citing AI as a reason.
In February of this year, fintech company Block laid off about 40% of its employees, affecting approximately 4,000 people, citing rapid AI iteration as the reason.
Last month, Meta announced plans to lay off about 10% of its employees (about 8,000 people) and close another 6,000 open positions, while the company is investing heavily in AI research and development.
Microsoft also offered early retirement plans to a large number of long-term employees last month to support its major investments in AI.
Analysis points out that although various industries are discussing how AI will change the way we work, the technology industry itself is undoubtedly undergoing profound disruption.
Double pressure: AI transformation coupled with a downturn in the crypto market
Coinbase’s restructuring reflects the dual pressures the company faces.
On the one hand, the rapid evolution of AI technology has prompted management to proactively seek change and accelerate the transformation towards an “AI-native” model; on the other hand, the cyclical fluctuations of the cryptocurrency market have a direct impact on the company’s revenue.
Coinbase has previously stated that its revenue is highly dependent on crypto asset prices and platform trading volume, and its profitability will be significantly pressured during market downturns.
In its statement, Armstrong characterized the layoffs as a proactive rather than reactive measure, emphasizing that the company is using the market downturn to streamline its organization and prepare for the next cycle.
Crypto
Triple Win for Bitcoin ETFs With $532M Inflow While Ethereum Adds $61M
Key Takeaways:
- U.S. bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $532M in net inflows, their third consecutive positive day.
- U.S. ethereum spot ETFs added $61.29M, signaling institutional demand across both assets.
- April’s $2.44B in total spot BTC ETF inflows was the strongest monthly figure since October 2025.
Institutional Buyers Are Not Pulling Back
The three-day streak matters beyond the headline number, especially in crypto ETF markets, where multi-day inflow runs signal that institutional buyers are not treating a price move as a short-term trading event but rather as an accumulation opportunity. Three consecutive days of positive flows at these volumes suggests coordinated conviction rather than one-off positioning.
ETH ETFs have been slower to attract the kind of sustained institutional flows that bitcoin products have drawn since their January 2024 launch. A session where both product types see significant positive flows points to broad-based institutional appetite rather than bitcoin-only positioning.
At current prices, ether sits well below its all-time highs, giving institutional buyers a larger relative discount than bitcoin. Whether that combination of lower price and growing ETF infrastructure can draw sustained inflows (similar to what BTC experienced in October 2025) is the central question analysts are now watching.
It bears mentioning that sustained ETF inflow streaks historically correlate with price continuation. The pattern has been consistent, wherein institutional buying creates steady demand, reduces available supply on exchanges, and compresses the selling pressure that typically follows sharp price moves. Bitcoin’s cross above $81,000 on Tuesday came directly after this accumulation sequence built over the past fortnight.
On Friday, roughly $630 million in net inflows entered the ETF complex ahead of the weekend, buoyed by Fidelity, which added $19 million into its FBTC product. Similarly, Blackrock’s European bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) crossed $1.1 billion in assets under management, holding 14,200 BTC as of May 4.
If the inflow streak extends to a fourth consecutive day, the technical and fundamental case for continued upward price pressure could strengthen considerably.
Crypto
The Cryptocurrency News Everyone Missed: Pepeto Crosses $9 Million While PEPE and Chainlink Wait for a Catalyst
Consensus Miami just opened with more than 20,000 leaders in crypto, finance and policy filling the convention center, and the CLARITY Act stablecoin yield compromise reached its final text this month. The cryptocurrency news cycle is stacking events faster than most traders can follow, and the $629 million that poured into Bitcoin ETFs in a single session proves that conviction is climbing. Because Pepeto’s https://pepetoswap.com presale crossed $9 million while the spotlight stayed on BTC, the wallets loading into the entry are betting on a Binance listing that could outperform everything the conference discusses.
________________________________________
Cryptocurrency News: Consensus Miami Opens as CLARITY Act Advances
Consensus Miami 2026 began this week at the Miami Beach Convention Center with more than 20,000 attendees from across crypto, finance and regulation according to Yahoo Finance. The event lands as Bitcoin holds above $80,500 and the CLARITY Act stablecoin yield text cleared its final Senate compromise according to CoinDesk. The agenda covers institutional adoption, tokenization and exchange oversight, and the cryptocurrency news from this week could shape the second half of 2026 for altcoins and presales.
________________________________________
Where Pepeto, PEPE and Chainlink Stand in May’s Crypto Rotation
Pepeto
While Consensus Miami debates the future of regulation and PEPE and Chainlink wait for catalysts, Pepeto’s https://pepetoswap.com coming Binance listing sits at the center of the cryptocurrency news that most traders have not noticed yet. The data supports the attention: more than $9 million flowed into the presale at $0.0000001864 while the broader market dropped, a community of early believers doubled down during that drawdown, and traders expect returns between 100x and 300x once the marketplace opens for live trading. Every fact in that sequence points to one thing: this is where the real money is moving.
Because PepetoSwap runs zero fee trades across every token on the marketplace, small positions hold their value instead of getting chipped away by costs. The risk scorer reviews every contract before any token enters a wallet, so buyers filter out bad projects before they cost a cent. Every line of code behind the Pepeto marketplace cleared a SolidProof audit, and staking at 175% APY pays holders while they wait for the event that changes everything.
For traders tired of cryptocurrency news that moves prices without creating new entries, those tools turn headlines into action. The presale ends once the listing hits, and with traders targeting 100x to 300x from the current entry, the upside from Pepeto overshadows what PEPE or LINK can generate from their current levels.
https://youtu.be/wR3oOlNJj64?si=V7Ekv4mK69tQvNtI
________________________________________
PEPE
PEPE trades at $0.0000040 according to CoinMarketCap, sitting just above its 100 day EMA with a 7% gain over the past day. The token needs to clear $0.0000050 to confirm a fresh rally, but even a run to the 200 day average delivers limited gains compared to what a presale entry can multiply into after a single listing event.
________________________________________
Chainlink
Chainlink holds at $9,47 according to CoinMarketCap, supported by its role connecting real world data to smart contracts. LINK gained ground in April but still trades well below its 2021 high of $52, and even a push to $15 from here delivers a 63% return over months, which the cryptocurrency news cycle barely registers when presale entries multiply faster from a single event.
________________________________________
Conclusion
The cryptocurrency news this week stacks Consensus Miami, CLARITY Act progress, and a BTC rally past $80,500, but none of those headlines include the presale that quietly built the strongest case in the market. PEPE and Chainlink will ride the wave, but for returns that change a wallet, the debate about which entry leads was settled by the $9 million that already flowed in. Pepeto arrives with a full marketplace, risk scoring tools, and a cofounder whose first project at zero products reached a market cap most tokens dream about, which means more tools logically reaches more. The cryptocurrency news confirms the setup, and entering the Pepeto official website now turns that into a position before the listing draws the line between wallets that acted and everyone who reads about it after.
Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale: https://pepetoswap.com
________________________________________
FAQs
What does Consensus Miami mean for crypto?
The event brings 20,000 leaders together during a BTC rally, and cryptocurrency news from this week could shape regulation for the rest of 2026.
How does the CLARITY Act affect traders?
The stablecoin yield compromise clears a path for regulated returns, boosting confidence and adding stability for presale entries.
Why are wallets loading into Pepeto right now?
More than $9 million entered during fear, the marketplace runs with zero fees, and the Pepeto official website shows a Binance listing approaching.
________________________________________
Disclaimer:
The information shared in this article is for informational use only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments are subject to extreme volatility and carry significant risk, including the loss of principal. Always conduct your own research or consult a licensed financial advisor before investing.
Contact: Dani Bonocci
Website: https://www.tokenwire.io
Phone: +971586738991
SOURCE: Pepeto
Press release distribution
This release was published on openPR.
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