Key Takeaways

• Attackers exploited Gmail’s dot alias functionality to generate authentic-looking Robinhood security alert emails
• Scammers registered Robinhood accounts using modified versions of victims’ email addresses with dots repositioned
• Malicious HTML code was inserted into the “device name” registration field to embed fraudulent links
• The deceptive emails successfully passed SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols
• Robinhood verified that no system compromise occurred and user funds and data remained secure

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Investors using Robinhood found themselves on the receiving end of convincing phishing emails that appeared to originate from the platform’s official mail servers. These deceptive messages alerted recipients about suspicious login activity from an unknown device and featured a clickable button directing them to a fraudulent login portal.

Reports of this attack surfaced on social platforms over the weekend, with numerous users posting evidence of the fraudulent communications.

Cybersecurity expert Alex Eckelberry verified that this campaign wasn’t caused by a data breach. Rather, it took advantage of two distinct vulnerabilities: the way Gmail processes dot characters in email addresses and security gaps in Robinhood’s user registration system.

Gmail’s email system disregards periods in the username portion of addresses. This means “jane.smith@gmail.com” and “janesmith@gmail.com” both deliver to the identical mailbox. Robinhood, on the other hand, recognizes these as distinct accounts.

Fraudsters capitalized on this discrepancy by establishing Robinhood profiles using dot-altered variations of targeted users’ Gmail addresses. This triggered Robinhood’s automated notification system to dispatch emails directly to the legitimate owner’s inbox.

The Mechanism Behind the Embedded Phishing Link

To inject malicious URLs into these system-generated emails, attackers inserted HTML markup into the optional “device name” input field during the account registration process. Gmail’s email client interpreted this HTML as legitimate formatting code.

This technique produced a genuine message originating from “noreply@robinhood.com” that displayed a fraudulent security warning complete with a functional phishing button. The email successfully validated against all conventional email authentication mechanisms.

According to Eckelberry, simply accessing the counterfeit website wouldn’t compromise user accounts. The actual threat materializes only when victims input their credentials or sensitive information on the fraudulent page.

Robinhood’s customer support team on X acknowledged the situation on Monday. The malicious emails carried the subject line “Your recent login to Robinhood.”

Official Statement from Robinhood

The financial services company clarified that this incident stemmed from exploitation of its registration workflow rather than a security breach of its infrastructure. The company emphasized that no customer information or financial assets were compromised.

Robinhood recommended that users immediately delete the suspicious emails and refrain from interacting with any questionable links. Those who had already clicked were instructed to reach out to Robinhood’s support team exclusively through the authenticated app or official website.

This incident follows a report from blockchain security firm Hacken identifying phishing and social engineering as the predominant threat vector in the cryptocurrency sector throughout Q1 2026.

Hacken’s analysis revealed these attack methods resulted in approximately $306 million in losses during just the first quarter of the year.

As of now, Robinhood has not publicly disclosed any planned modifications to its account registration protocols following this security incident.

US President Donald Trump has softened his stance on prediction markets just days after he bemoaned the surging interest and popularity of the betting platforms.

“I don’t know. I know some people who are very smart. They like it,” Trump told reporters in Florida on Saturday after he was asked about his earlier comments, in which he said he didn’t support prediction markets. “They disagree, but they like it.”

“A lot of other countries are doing it, and when the other countries do it, we get left out in the cold if we don’t do it,” he said.

Donald Trump speaking to reporters in Florida before departing for Washington, DC. Source: YouTube

Trump’s latest comments came after he told reporters at the White House on Thursday that he was “not happy” with prediction markets in response to a question about well-timed bets on events linked to the Iran war.

“Well, you know, the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” Trump said on Thursday. “And you look at what’s going on all over the world and Europe, and every place they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it conceptually, but it is what it is.”

“I think that I’m not happy with any of that stuff, but they have all these different sites of predictive markets. It’s a crazy world. It’s a much different world than it was,” he added.

Prediction markets such as the popular Polymarket and Kalshi have surged in use over the past year, with the two platforms together seeing a record $23.6 billion in trading volumes in March, according to Token Terminal.

Related: CFTC sues New York over bid to apply gambling laws to prediction markets

Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. invested in Polymarket in August and joined the company’s advisory board. He is also an adviser to rival Kalshi, taking on the role in January 2025.

President Trump could also soon have an interest in prediction markets. His company, Trump Media, said in October that it would roll out prediction markets in partnership with Crypto.com on its flagship social media site, Truth Social.

Trump divested his stake in Trump Media upon entering office, transferring his shares to a trust for which Trump Jr. is the sole trustee.

Magazine: Should users be allowed to bet on war and death in prediction markets?

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

On-chain investigator ZachXBT has accused Sam Altman-linked Worldcoin, now known as World, of using a harmful token model tied to biometric data collection. 

The comments came after Elon Musk referred to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as “Scam Altman” on X.

ZachXBT claimed Worldcoin used a “predatory low float crypto token” structure. He also compared some of its practices to tactics linked to Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX, while raising concerns over WLD token sales and user recruitment.

Biometric data collection faces criticism

Worldcoin was launched as a human verification project using iris-scanning devices called Orbs. The project gives users WLD tokens after verification, but critics have questioned how it operates in low-income regions.

ZachXBT alleged that the project exploited vulnerable users by offering small token rewards in exchange for biometric data. He also claimed the system helped create a black market for verified accounts.

According to screenshots shared by ZachXBT, some verified accounts were allegedly sold for as low as $0.50 on escrow platforms. He argued that such activity weakens the project’s claims around privacy and security.

WLD token sales draw attention

ZachXBT also pointed to alleged WLD token sales by the World Foundation. One image he shared claimed the foundation sold 85.45 million WLD for $25 million through FalconX at an average price of $0.293.

He further alleged that the project had issues around token supply and insider selling. He cited past reporting from MIT Technology Review, which had questioned Worldcoin’s early recruitment methods and its use of cash incentives.

Worldcoin has faced debate for years over privacy, token distribution, and its global user onboarding model. The latest claims add pressure as the project continues to expand its identity network.

Musk lawsuit adds market focus

The allegations surfaced as Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman heads to trial. Musk claims Altman and other OpenAI leaders moved away from the company’s original nonprofit mission.

Reports said jury selection was completed on Monday in a California federal court. Musk is seeking damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, according to a person linked to the case.

Prediction markets remain divided on the outcome. Kalshi and Polymarket both placed Musk’s odds of winning the OpenAI lawsuit at about 60%.

WLD price fell more than 2% after the latest allegations. The token traded near $0.25, with a 24-hour range between $0.25 and $0.26.

CoinGlass data showed mixed derivatives activity. WLD futures open interest rose over 7% in 24 hours to $177.51 million, while short-term open interest on Binance, OKX, and Bybit declined.

A second corporate accumulator of cryptocurrency is starting to look a lot like the first.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), the treasury firm chaired by Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, bought 101,901 ether (ETH) worth roughly $234 million last week. That’s close to the regular weekly purchases from Strategy (MSTR), the Michael Saylor-led bitcoin BTC$76,968.77 digital treasury company, as well-followed crypto trader Luke Martin flagged on X.

Strategy’s normal weekly buys are around $200 million to $300 million, once large purchases fueled by at-the-market sales of its perpetual preferred stock STRC are stripped out. The STRC spikes — the massive bursts that show up in mid-January, late February, late March and, most recently, April 21 at $2.54 billion — are the outliers, not the baseline.

Bitmine’s purchase was its largest weekly accumulation of 2026, capping a four-month streak of escalating buys that started at roughly $76 million per week in early January. It now holds more than 5 million tokens, or about 4.21% of the second-largest cryptocurrency’s circulating supply.

Such a structural development matters because BitMine is now the only major corporate crypto buyer keeping pace alongside Strategy.

Most digital asset treasury companies paused or slowed accumulation through the February price drop that took bitcoin to the mid-$60,000s and ether below $1,900. Strategy itself ended a 13-week bitcoin buying streak in late March before restarting in April.

Lee’s framing for the buying pace is that ETH is in the late stages of a “mini-crypto winter” and that a bottom is forming in equity markets. Bitmine pivoted to its current strategy in June 2025 and reached the 5 million ETH milestone in roughly 10 months.

The firm has staked about 73% of those tokens, generating roughly $264 million in annualized revenue from yield. Total crypto and cash holdings sat at $13.3 billion as of early April.

The two firms share a playbook of capital markets activity — Strategy through preferred stock and convertible debt, Bitmine through equity issuance — to purchase crypto assets.

Under pressure

BitMine’s strategy was put under pressure in February and early March, when it was sitting on nearly $8 billion in unrealized losses against $16 billion in total purchases.

The firm kept buying. Two months later, ether is up 22% from its February lows, and Bitmine’s accumulation pace has not just held, it’s accelerated.

Strategy’s April 21 purchase of $2.54 billion remains the largest single corporate crypto buy of the year. But Bitmine’s $234 million last week is the first time the structural baselines have come within striking distance of each other.

If the pattern holds for another month, ether will have something it has never had before: a Strategy-equivalent corporate buyer absorbing supply each week regardless of price.

Anthropic’s implied pre-IPO valuation has crossed $1 trillion on Jupiter’s Prestocks market. 

The pricing places the AI company among a small group of private firms valued at that level before a public listing.

The valuation has risen 733% since October 2025, according to a post from The Kobeissi Letter. Anthropic now joins OpenAI and SpaceX among private companies with implied valuations near or above $1 trillion.

Onchain and private markets show close pricing

Jupiter’s onchain pricing is close to data from private market platforms. Forge Global CEO Kelly Rodriques told Business Insider that Anthropic was valued at around $1 trillion on its platform.

Hiive, another secondary market for accredited investors, priced Anthropic shares at $849 each. That gives the company an implied market value of about $851 billion, within 18% of Jupiter’s reading.

Podcast host Aakash Gupta said the pricing gap shows how private market price discovery is changing.

“A Solana DEX and a regulated US secondary market for accredited investors are pricing the same private company within 18% of each other.”

Funding round lifts Anthropic profile

Anthropic closed its Series G round in February at a $380 billion post-money valuation. The company raised $30 billion in the round, led by GIC and Coatue.

The company said its revenue growth has moved quickly since launch.

“It has been less than three years since Anthropic earned its first dollar in revenue. Today, our run-rate revenue is $14 billion,” the company noted

Google also plans to invest up to $40 billion in Anthropic. The plan starts with $10 billion at the same valuation, while another $30 billion depends on performance milestones.

IPO speculation grows around AI firms

Business Insider reported that Anthropic has received venture capital offers valuing the Claude developer at as much as $800 billion in recent weeks. That level is more than double its current formal valuation.

The wider private AI market remains active as investors watch potential IPO timelines. SpaceX has submitted a confidential draft IPO registration to the SEC and could list in June.

A public listing by Anthropic, OpenAI, or SpaceX could shape how investors compare large private AI and technology firms.

Key Highlights

• Marathon Digital CEO Fred Thiel unveiled the MARA Foundation during Monday’s Bitcoin 2026 Conference held in Las Vegas.
• The newly established foundation prioritizes Bitcoin network protection, with particular emphasis on quantum computing vulnerabilities.
• Marathon Digital commits to supporting open-source innovation in areas spanning scalability, mining operations, and user-facing infrastructure.
• The organization will distribute $100,000 to one of three charitable organizations based on public voting results.
• Network hashrate has declined by 28.8% from September peaks as mining companies increasingly diversify into artificial intelligence and high-performance computing sectors.

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During Monday’s Bitcoin 2026 Conference in Las Vegas, Fred Thiel, CEO of MARA Holdings (MARA), introduced the MARA Foundation — a strategic initiative designed to ensure the security and expansion of the Bitcoin ecosystem over the coming decades.

Thiel began his presentation with an unambiguous message: “Bitcoin represents the most significant decentralized infrastructure humanity has ever built, yet its continued existence cannot be taken for granted.”

He characterized Bitcoin as “a commons that belongs to no one entity, yet serves as critical infrastructure for everyone,” arguing that decentralization doesn’t equate to automatic maintenance.

“Stewardship is shared across all participants,” Thiel explained, articulating Marathon Digital’s rationale for accepting this responsibility.

Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc., MARA

Addressing the Quantum Computing Challenge

Among the foundation’s primary objectives is strengthening Bitcoin‘s defenses against next-generation security challenges — particularly the looming threat posed by quantum computing technology.

The MARA Foundation intends to sponsor ongoing investigation into potential vulnerabilities quantum breakthroughs might create in Bitcoin’s encryption architecture, along with proactive countermeasures.

Beyond quantum concerns, the organization will champion the development of more robust transaction fee economics, which grows increasingly critical as mining block subsidies diminish through successive halvings.

Supporting open-source contributors working on network scalability, mining technology, and end-user tools represents another cornerstone, alongside initiatives promoting broader adoption of self-custody wallet solutions.

Community-Driven $100,000 Grant Award

MARA is commemorating the foundation’s establishment by offering $100,000 in funding — with the recipient determined through public participation.

Three organizations compete for the grant: the 256 Foundation, developing open-source Bitcoin mining infrastructure; Librería de Satoshi, providing Bitcoin education throughout Latin America; and SafeNet, delivering Bitcoin-enabled wireless connectivity to underserved populations.

This voting mechanism empowers the broader community to influence the foundation’s initial funding priorities directly.

Educational programs and policy advocacy represent additional pillars of the foundation’s strategy. These efforts encompass technical skill development, multilingual educational materials, and constructive dialogue with regulatory bodies — domains MARA identifies as chronically undercapitalized.

The foundation emphasizes engagement with developing economies, especially throughout Africa and Latin America, where Bitcoin functions as protection against currency devaluation and restrictive financial systems.

“Our dedication extends to empowering communities leveraging Bitcoin to democratize access to stable monetary systems and reinforce regional economic resilience,” Marathon Digital stated officially.

The foundation’s debut arrives during a transformative period for Bitcoin mining operations. Total network hashrate has contracted 28.8% since September, driven by mining companies progressively reallocating resources toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing ventures offering superior revenue potential.

Marathon Digital has participated in this industry shift, diversifying beyond traditional mining into AI and HPC infrastructure.

The MARA Foundation introduces an alternative narrative dimension — one prioritizing ecosystem sustainability over immediate profitability, while reinforcing the network infrastructure underlying Marathon Digital’s primary operations.

TLDR:

• Binance gold futures crossed $100 billion in cumulative trading volume within months of its January launch.
• A record $6.6 billion in single-session volume was recorded on March 23, the highest since product launch.
• Gold is currently trading 16.5% below its all-time high after gaining roughly 210% since October 2023.
• Binance’s 24/7 gold futures market gives crypto investors access traditional commodity markets do not offer.
  

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Binance Gold futures have surpassed $100 billion in cumulative trading volume since the platform introduced gold trading in January.

The milestone reflects sustained investor appetite for the precious metal across both traditional and crypto-native audiences.

Macroeconomic uncertainty and ongoing geopolitical tensions have kept demand elevated. Even so, gold prices have pulled back from their peak, entering a consolidation phase after a prolonged rally that lasted several months.

Strong Volumes Reflect Broad Investor Demand for Gold

Binance launched gold futures trading in January, and the response from investors has been notable. The platform now regularly records between $500 million and $1 billion in volume during a standard trading session. That level of activity points to genuine and consistent market participation across different investor types.

Trading volumes spiked sharply during the February market correction, with activity climbing well above typical daily levels.

The most active period came in late March, when several sessions recorded spikes above $3 billion. On March 23, Binance recorded a single-session peak of $6.6 billion, the highest since the product launched.

As noted by Cryptoquant market analyst Darkfost_Coc, the current environment of macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty has strengthened investor demand for gold.

This demand extends to crypto market participants who do not typically trade traditional commodities. The 24/7 accessibility of the Binance platform gives it an edge over conventional gold markets that close on weekends.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have added to market uncertainty, which has limited visibility for many asset classes.

Against that backdrop, gold demand has remained resilient, even as prices have moved lower from their highs. This combination of strong volume and price softness reflects a market still working through its prior gains.

Gold Prices Enter Correction After Months of Sustained Gains

Gold posted gains of approximately 210% between October 2023 and its all-time high, drawing significant attention from a wide range of investors.

However, the metal began correcting in late January and is now trading about 16.5% below that peak. A pullback of this kind, following such a strong run, is a natural market pattern.

The correction follows a period of intense buying across global markets, which built up substantial unrealized profits for many investors.

As those participants moved to lock in gains, selling pressure increased and prices drifted lower. This is consistent with how commodity markets behave after extended upward trends.

Binance’s decision to tokenize gold and offer it through futures trading has positioned the platform well within this environment.

The move brought a traditionally institutional asset within reach of a broader investor base. That accessibility has clearly played a role in the volume growth seen since January.

Gold’s current consolidation period does not appear to have dampened interest on the platform. Daily volumes have remained within a healthy range, and the infrastructure is in place to handle further spikes.

The product has established itself as a meaningful part of Binance’s derivatives offering in a short period.

U.S. President Donald Trump has softened his stance on prediction markets days after voicing concern over their rapid rise.

Speaking to reporters in Florida on Saturday, Trump acknowledged that some experienced participants support these platforms, even as he maintained a degree of hesitation. 

“I don’t know. I know some people who are very smart. They like it,” he said, adding, “They disagree, but they like it.” 

He pointed to international adoption as a factor, stating, “A lot of other countries are doing it, and when the other countries do it, we get left out in the cold if we don’t do it.”

Those remarks followed comments made at the White House earlier in the week, where Trump had taken a more critical tone. 

Addressing questions around well-timed bets linked to geopolitical events, he said, “Well, you know, the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” before adding that he did not support the concept despite its spread. 

“I don’t like it conceptually, but it is what it is,” he said, describing the environment as “a crazy world.”

Rising activity across platforms has drawn attention to the sector’s growth. Data from Token Terminal showed that Polymarket and Kalshi together recorded $23.6 billion in trading volume in March, setting a monthly high.

Regulatory pressure builds alongside growth

At the same time, legal pressure around prediction markets has intensified across multiple U.S. jurisdictions. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a lawsuit against New York in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, arguing that federal law grants it exclusive authority over event-based contracts listed on registered exchanges. 

“CFTC-registered exchanges have faced an onslaught of state lawsuits seeking to limit Americans’ access to event contracts and undermine the CFTC’s sole regulatory jurisdiction over prediction markets,” said CFTC Chair Michael Selig.

New York has taken a different view, bringing actions against Coinbase and Gemini over alleged violations of state gambling rules, while also targeting aspects of Kalshi’s offerings tied to sports outcomes. 

A coalition of 37 states and Washington, D.C. has backed similar arguments in court filings, stating that federal financial law was not designed to permit nationwide sports betting without state oversight.

Wisconsin has expanded that challenge by filing complaints in Dane County against multiple firms, including Crypto.com, Polymarket, and Kalshi, along with distribution partners Coinbase and Robinhood. 

Prosecutors argued that users take positions on real-world outcomes with fixed payouts, a structure they say fits the legal definition of wagering under state law. 

“Thinly disguising unlawful conduct doesn’t make it lawful,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said.

Parallel enforcement actions have emerged in states such as Nevada, Massachusetts, and Illinois, where regulators have issued bans, lawsuits, or cease-and-desist orders tied to event contracts. 

Court filings across these cases describe contracts linked to sports and elections as indistinguishable from betting, while platform operators continue to argue that their products fall under federal commodities law.

Corporate ties have also drawn attention as the sector expands. Donald Trump Jr. joined Polymarket’s advisory board after investing in the platform in August and later took on a similar role at Kalshi in January 2025. 

Meanwhile, Trump Media announced plans in October to launch prediction market products in partnership with Crypto.com through its Truth Social platform. Trump transferred his stake in Trump Media to a trust upon entering office, with Trump Jr. named as the sole trustee.