Blockchain technology is often praised for one defining feature: transparency. Every transaction is recorded, timestamped, and publicly accessible. At first glance, this feels like the ultimate form of truth in financial systems.

But here’s the uncomfortable reality:

On-chain data is transparent, not truthful.

That distinction matters more than most people in crypto want to admit.

Transparency ≠ Truth

Blockchains show what happened, not why it happened.

A wallet sends funds. A protocol shows inflows. A token spikes in volume. All of this is visible on-chain.

But none of them answer:

• Who is behind the wallet?
• What was the intent?
• Was the activity organic or coordinated?
• Is the behavior sustainable or artificially engineered?

Transparency gives you raw visibility, not contextual meaning.

And without context, data can become misleading—even dangerous.

The Illusion of “Clean Data”

Many investors treat on-chain metrics as the objective truth:

• TVL increases → protocol is healthy
• Wallet growth → adoption is rising
• Volume spikes → demand is real

But each of these can be distorted.

For example:

• TVL can be inflated through circular deposits or incentive loops
• Wallet growth can be driven by bots or airdrop farming
• Volume can be wash trading disguised as activity

On-chain systems don’t lie—but they don’t verify intent either.

So the illusion forms: clean dashboards, messy reality.

Incentives Shape the Data

One of the most overlooked truths in crypto is this:

On-chain behavior is incentive-driven, not truth-driven.

If a protocol rewards deposits, deposits will appear.
If trading volume is rewarded, volume will be manufactured.
If engagement is rewarded, Sybil’s activity will follow.

This doesn’t mean the data is fake. It means it is optimized.

And optimized systems rarely reflect natural behavior.

They reflect economic design outcomes.

The Problem of Wallet Identity

A blockchain address is not a person.

It could represent:

• A retail user
• A fund
• A bot network
• A market maker
• A single entity splitting activity across thousands of wallets

On-chain analytics often treat all addresses equally, but in reality:

One entity can look like thousands of participants.
Thousands of participants can be hidden behind one entity.

Without identity resolution, on-chain truth remains incomplete.

Time Compression Bias

On-chain data is also dangerously immediate.

Real-world understanding requires time:

• Behavior patterns
• Cycles of accumulation and distribution
• Strategic positioning

But dashboards often emphasize:

• 24-hour changes
• Hourly spikes
• Short-term flows

This creates a bias toward reaction over interpretation.

Short-term signals are loud. Long-term truth is quiet.

And in crypto, noise often wins attention.

When Transparency Becomes Misleading

Transparency is powerful—but it can also be weaponized.

Examples include:

• Coordinated liquidity injections to simulate demand
• Fake organic growth narratives built from incentivized wallets
• Sudden “whale accumulation” narratives that ignore internal fund rotations
• Social media interpretations built directly from incomplete on-chain snapshots

In each case, the data is real.

But the interpretation is wrong.

That gap is where most mispricing in crypto happens.

The Missing Layer: Context Intelligence

To move from transparency to truth, one missing layer is needed:

Context intelligence

This includes:

• Entity clustering (who is actually behind the activity)
• Incentive mapping (why behavior is happening)
• Cross-chain correlation (where activity is mirrored or disguised)
• Temporal analysis (whether behavior persists or decays)
• Off-chain signals (governance, announcements, social coordination)

Without this layer, on-chain data is like:

A surveillance camera without audio, labels, or history.

You see movement—but not meaning.

Why This Matters for Investors

Relying on raw on-chain data alone can lead to:

• False confidence in “organic growth.”
• Misinterpretation of adoption cycles
• Overestimation of liquidity strength
• Underestimation of coordinated behavior

In other words:

You may be trading visibility instead of truth.

And in markets, visibility is not enough.

The Real Takeaway

On-chain systems represent one of the most transparent financial infrastructures ever created.

But transparency is not the same as understanding.

It tells you:

• What happened
• When it happened
• Where it happened

It does not reliably tell you:

• Who caused it
• Why it happened
• Whether it will continue

Final Thought

Crypto’s biggest misconception is believing that openness automatically produces clarity.

In reality, openness produces more signals—but not more certainty.

So the real skill in this ecosystem is not reading data.

It is interpreting it.

Because on-chain data is not the truth.

It is evidence waiting for context.

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Verus Protocol’s Ethereum bridge was reportedly exploited on Monday through a fake cross-chain transfer message that allowed a hacker to fraudulently transfer out at least $11.58 million in cryptocurrency.

Onchain security platform Blockaid said in an X post on Monday that its detection system identified an ongoing exploit on the Verus-Ethereum bridge and shared a transaction on Etherscan showing a transfer of 1,625 Ether (ETH), 147,659 USDC (USDC) and 103.57 tBTC v2, worth over $11.5 million.

Blockchain security company PeckShield also called the transfer an exploit, with onchain data showing the funds have since been converted into Ether. The wallet shows a balance of 5,402 Ether, worth over $11.4 million, according to Etherscan.

Cointelegraph reached out to Verus for comment. The protocol had not publicly confirmed the exploit at the time of publication.

Source: Blockaid

Crypto hackers stole more than $168.6 million in crypto from 34 decentralized finance protocols in the first quarter of 2026. April saw the two largest hacks of the year so far: the $280 million Drift Protocol exploit at the start of the month and the $292 million Kelp exploit.

Fraudulent transfer instructions likely caused exploit 

Blockaid said the Verus Protocol incident resembles the $190 million Nomad Bridge exploit and the $325 million Wormhole exploit from 2022.

The attacker exploited the Verus Ethereum bridge by deceiving the protocol into believing transfer instructions were real, causing the bridge to send funds from its reserves to the attacker’s wallet, Blockaid said.

“NOT an ECDSA bypass. NOT a notary key compromise. NOT a parser/hash-binding bug. IS a missing source-amount validation in checkCCEValues – ~10 lines of Solidity to fix,” it added.

Blockchain security provider ExVul reached a similar conclusion and said the attacker used a “forged cross-chain import payload” that passed the “bridge’s verification flow” and resulted in “three attacker-attached transfers to the drainer wallet.”

Related: Aethir halts bridge exploit, promises compensation after $90K loss

“Cross-chain import proofs must bind every downstream transfer effect to authenticated payload data before execution,” the blockchain security provider said, adding that “Bridges should add strict payload-to-execution validation, defense in depth around proof verification and pause outbound flows when anomalous imports are detected.” 

The incident follows THORChain confirming on Saturday that it suffered a $10 million exploit.

Magazine: The legal battle over who can claim DeFi’s stolen millions

BM Blockchain gains attention as beginners explore simpler Bitcoin cloud mining options in 2026.

With Bitcoin drawing more global attention in 2026, many newcomers are looking for simpler ways to try Bitcoin mining without paying for costly equipment, dealing with electricity bills, or setting up technical systems. As interest grows in free Bitcoin mining platforms, mobile access, and examples of daily rewards, more people are paying attention to cloud mining and computing-power platforms.

Recent industry reports suggest that beginners can get a feel for crypto or Bitcoin mining through free plans or limited trials, though payout timing and amounts can differ based on the contract and each platform’s rules. Coverage has also mentioned BM Blockchain as an option aimed at beginners, highlighting guided setup, mobile-friendly use, and access to computing resources without needing users to run their own mining hardware.

In this context, BM Blockchain has become one of the platforms attracting new users who want a more straightforward way to participate in Bitcoin-related computing. The company uses AI to assign computing power, keeps the platform design approachable for first-time users, and offers access to a broader multi-asset ecosystem, along with a $108 welcome reward for new registrations.

Top five free Bitcoin mining platforms in 2026

This ranking is intended for beginners who want to explore Bitcoin mining options in 2026. It emphasizes how easy each option is to access and use, the quality of onboarding help, whether users can participate without owning hardware, and what to expect in terms of daily reward examples. That said, it’s still important to read each platform’s terms closely, because mining results can change with market shifts, network activity, platform policies, and the reliability or availability of their infrastructure.

1. BM Blockchain — Best overall for beginners

BM Blockchain is often considered an ideal starting point for beginners because it aims to simplify the Bitcoin mining process. This is achieved through the use of cloud computing resources, AI-based resource allocation, and a simple registration process. BM Blockchain allows users to gain access to computing power without having to manage their own mining hardware.

The platform supports major digital asset networks such as BTC, ETH, DOGE, XRP, SOL, and USDT. For new users, BM Blockchain offers a $108 registration welcome reward, which can help them try the platform before deciding whether to pursue other participation options.

Why beginners might want to consider BM Blockchain:

• $108 registration welcome reward for new users
• No personal mining hardware required
• AI-powered computing power allocation
• Beginner-friendly interface
• Support for multiple crypto ecosystems
• Daily reward references available through platform access models

View the full contract and claim $108 worth of free hashrate!

BM blockchain 2026 illustrative participation snapshot

2. NiceHash — Hashrate marketplace for flexible users

NiceHash is generally recognized as a hashrate marketplace where people can buy and sell computing power. On its official website, NiceHash says it is a major hashrate marketplace and offers mining and hashrate services aimed at supporting Bitcoin adoption.

NiceHash can be a good fit for users who want more flexibility and are willing to compare different hashrate options, fees, and mining terms. It tends to work better for people who already have a basic understanding of mining, rather than those who are entirely new to it.

Key points:

• Hashrate marketplace model
• Flexible computing power access
• Strong brand recognition in mining markets
• Suitable for users who want more control over mining choices

3. ECOS — Structured mining access for long-term users

ECOS often comes up when people talk about structured cloud mining and getting access to mining infrastructure over a longer period. For beginners, a more structured setup can be appealing because it usually makes it easier to look over pricing, contract duration, and participation terms before signing up.

That said, it’s important to compare the full contract details, including fees, payout rules, and any risk disclosures, before getting involved. Cloud mining is still influenced by factors like Bitcoin price changes, shifts in mining difficulty, electricity expenses, and the condition of the underlying infrastructure.

Key points:

• Structured access model
• Suitable for users who prefer clearer contract formats
• Long-term mining participation options
• Requires careful review of terms and costs

4. Bitdeer — Infrastructure-oriented mining platform

Bitdeer often comes up in discussions comparing mining infrastructure, and it’s frequently mentioned alongside other platforms people consider when looking for ways to access Bitcoin mining. In BingX Learn’s 2026 platform comparison article, Bitdeer is listed as one of the options users might review when weighing features, pricing, payout structures, and potential risks.

Bitdeer may be a good fit for users who want mining services that are more focused on infrastructure. As with any mining platform, it’s important to read the terms of service and look closely at the plans available, fees, and the conditions for payouts.

Key points:

• Infrastructure-focused mining access
• Often included in mining platform comparisons
• Suitable for users reviewing larger-scale mining services
• Requires attention to fees and contract details

5. MinerGate – Multi-crypto mining environment

MinerGate makes it possible to mine several different cryptocurrencies from a single platform.

Features

• Users can mine more than one type of asset
• The dashboard is straightforward and beginner-friendly
• It’s relatively easy to start, without needing high-end hardware

Key points:

• Included in 2026 platform comparison discussions
• May appeal to users comparing simplified mining access
• Requires careful review of payout rules and service conditions
• Best evaluated alongside other platform options

Why free Bitcoin mining platforms are popular in 2026

In 2026, free Bitcoin mining platforms have become popular for three main reasons: the high cost of hardware, the technical skills required, and the fact that many beginners want a cheaper, easier way to get started. Traditional Bitcoin mining often means buying ASIC machines, managing electricity use, setting up cooling, handling maintenance, and having solid technical know-how. For many new users, that’s simply too much to take on at the beginning.

Cloud mining platforms try to make this easier by letting people rent computing power remotely instead of running their own equipment. Some of them provide free trials, signup bonuses, or basic entry options, so users can get a feel for mining before putting in more money. At the same time, it’s worth keeping in mind that “free” access is usually limited, time-bound, or depends on certain platform rules and requirements.

What beginners should check before choosing a platform

Before choosing a Bitcoin mining platform, beginners should take time to look into the following:

• Whether the platform clearly explains fees and payout rules
• Whether rewards are fixed, variable, or illustrative
• Whether the company provides transparent terms
• Whether users can withdraw according to clear rules
• Whether the platform avoids unrealistic profit guarantees
• Whether customer support and account security are available
• Whether users understand crypto market volatility

Bitcoin mining returns can vary based on factors like mining difficulty, changes in Bitcoin’s price, network performance, and how the platform is run. For those who are new to mining, it’s better to see it as a high-risk digital asset activity, not a reliable or guaranteed way to earn income.

FAQ: Free Bitcoin mining platforms in 2026

Q1: What is the best free Bitcoin mining platform for beginners in 2026?
BM Blockchain is presented as a beginner-friendly choice, mainly because it keeps onboarding simple, uses AI to help allocate computing power, supports a broader multi-asset ecosystem, and offers a $108 sign-up welcome bonus for new users.

Q2: Can users mine Bitcoin for free in 2026?
A few platforms may provide free trials, sign-up incentives, or basic entry options. That said, truly free mining is usually limited and depends on the platform’s terms, current availability, and market conditions.

Q3: Are daily rewards guaranteed?
No. Any daily reward numbers are typically examples unless the platform clearly confirms them in its official terms. Actual mining results can change with Bitcoin price movements, network conditions, mining difficulty, and the platform’s rules.

Q4: Does BM Blockchain require users to buy mining hardware?
No. With BM Blockchain, users can access blockchain computing resources without needing to buy, set up, or run their own mining hardware.

Q5: What should beginners avoid?
Beginners should steer clear of platforms that claim guaranteed profits, promise fixed daily income with no risk, advertise unrealistic returns, or do not clearly explain withdrawal requirements.

Conclusion

With growing interest in free Bitcoin mining platforms in 2026, many beginners are looking for services that are easy to start using, provide a clear sense of daily rewards, and don’t require any mining hardware. In this beginner-oriented ranking, BM Blockchain sits at the top, highlighting features like AI-based allocation of computing power, a $108 welcome bonus for signing up, and access to major digital asset ecosystems, all without users needing to run mining equipment themselves.

Platforms such as NiceHash, ECOS, Bitdeer, and MinerGate are also often compared when people weigh Bitcoin mining options. That said, beginners should take time to read the terms, fees, reward conditions, and risk disclosures on any platform before getting involved.

TLDR

• Crypto markets experienced $657 million in liquidations within a 24-hour period
• Long position holders absorbed 89% of losses, totaling $584 million in liquidated trades
• Ethereum suffered the highest losses at $256 million, with Bitcoin recording $180 million
• Bitcoin’s price fell beneath the $77K threshold, marking a 5.59% weekly decline
• Geopolitical tensions escalated after Trump signaled potential military action against Iran

The cryptocurrency sector faced severe turbulence in the last 24 hours, with liquidations exceeding $657 million across global exchanges. Traders holding long positions were hit hardest by the downturn.

Data compiled by Coinglass reveals that 106,371 trading accounts were forcibly closed in a single trading session. The majority of these liquidations—$584 million—came from long positions, while short positions only accounted for $73 million in losses. This disparity highlights a brutal squeeze on leveraged bulls betting on continued price appreciation.

ETH and BTC Dominate Liquidation Figures

Ethereum bore the heaviest blow among individual cryptocurrencies, recording $256 million in liquidated long positions. Bitcoin wasn’t far behind, posting $180 million in forced closures. Combined, these two leading digital assets represented approximately two-thirds of the day’s aggregate liquidation volume.

The single largest liquidation event involved an ETH/USDT perpetual futures contract on Bitget valued at $28.49 million.

Bitcoin had been struggling to overcome resistance between $79K and $80K in recent sessions. When the asset failed to break through this ceiling and subsequently dropped below $77K, it triggered a cascade of automatic liquidations across multiple trading platforms.

Within a single 60-minute window, approximately $526 million in leveraged positions were forcibly closed. Some market analysts estimate that total long liquidations throughout the weekend may have surpassed $800 million.

Bitcoin currently shows a 5.59% decline over the past seven days. Ethereum slipped below $2,120, registering nearly a 10% weekly loss. Solana experienced an 11.22% drop during the same timeframe, trading at $84.94.

The aggregate cryptocurrency market capitalization decreased by 0.93%, settling around $2.65 trillion.

Geopolitical Tensions Amplify Market Stress

The market downturn coincided with heightened geopolitical uncertainty. President Donald Trump indicated that the United States might conduct military operations against Iran, prompting investors to shift toward safer assets and exit riskier positions heading into the new trading week.

Reports suggest Trump plans to convene a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday to evaluate military response options. Should tensions between the US and Iran intensify, additional volatility in leveraged cryptocurrency markets appears likely.

Understanding the Market Dynamics

Prior to this correction, Bitcoin had enjoyed nine consecutive days of positive ETF inflows, accumulating approximately $2.12 billion in fresh capital. Such sustained buying activity typically encourages leveraged traders to establish long positions, anticipating the uptrend will persist.

Spot Bitcoin ETF investors generally operate without leverage. The $2.12 billion influx represents genuine capital allocation rather than speculative leveraged bets. However, momentum-chasing leveraged traders who followed this trend found themselves exposed when prices reversed course.

Critical support for Bitcoin now rests between $75K and $77K. Bulls must defend this range to prevent further deterioration. A reclaim of the $79K to $80K resistance zone will be essential for restoring positive momentum.

Market participants will closely monitor ETF flow data in upcoming sessions. The nine-day streak of positive inflows provided the foundation for the recent rally, and the direction of these flows moving forward could determine the market’s near-term trajectory.

Crypto exchange Kraken has reportedly laid off some of its staff as a cost-cutting measure, which could delay its planned initial public offering in the US until next year.

The company, whose corporate name is Payward, laid off about 150 workers due to efficiencies from deploying artificial intelligence across the business, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The person said AI is being used more extensively throughout Kraken, but the company is not planning further job cuts at the moment.

Crypto-related companies have cut more than 5,000 jobs so far this year, with many citing increased efficiencies from AI as a reason for the layoffs. Block Inc. undertook the biggest round of layoffs by a crypto company so far in 2026, cutting 4,000 staff or about half its workforce in February in an AI-driven cutback.

A decline in crypto prices since late last year has also stung public crypto companies’ balance sheets, with many reporting losses in their first-quarter earnings.

Kraken’s cuts have reportedly pushed back its plan to go public sometime this year, with the company now eyeing a debut in the US in 2027.

Cointelegraph reached out to Kraken but did not receive an immediate response.

Kraken’s plans to go public have been on and off for months. In November, the company confidentially filed with US regulators to go public before pausing its IPO in March due to a declining crypto market.

Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi reiterated Kraken’s confidential IPO filing last month when he was asked onstage at a conference whether there were plans to take the company public soon, but he did not share a timeline.

Source: Semafor

Related: How AI became crypto’s favorite reason to cut staff

The layoffs at Kraken come in the same week that crypto data company Dune said it laid off 25% of its workforce, citing a need to restructure its business and focus on its core products.

Coinbase cut 700 employees, or about 14% of its workforce, earlier this month, on May 5, citing an increase in AI use. 

Rival crypto exchanges Gemini and Crypto.com also laid off 200 and about 180 employees, respectively, earlier this year, both citing the rising use of AI.

Magazine: Guide to the top and emerging global crypto hubs: Mid-2026

A co-founder of the Forsage crypto investment platform has pleaded not guilty in a U.S. federal court after being extradited from Thailand in a case tied to an alleged $340 million Ponzi scheme.

According to a notice released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, Ukrainian national Olena Oblamska, also known online as “Lola Ferrari,” appeared before a federal court in Portland on May 11 on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Court records show a magistrate judge ordered her to remain in custody ahead of a four-day jury trial scheduled for July 14.

Authorities in Thailand arrested Oblamska in February during a raid on a condominium in Phuket’s Chalong district, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reported on Sunday. Thai officers seized phones, computer equipment, documents, an iPad, and a laptop during the operation, according to the report. While Thai authorities did not publicly identify the suspect at the time, ICIJ said the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to confirm her detention in the months that followed.

Earlier court filings had described Oblamska as Russian and suggested she may have been hiding in Bali, Indonesia. With her transfer to the United States now completed, she has become the first of four Forsage founders charged in the case to appear in a U.S. courtroom.

Back in February 2023, a federal grand jury in Oregon charged Oblamska alongside Vladimir Okhotnikov, Mikhail Sergeev, and Sergey Maslakov for allegedly operating Forsage as a global Ponzi and pyramid scheme. Prosecutors said the platform collected roughly $340 million from investors after promoting itself as a decentralized investment project running on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, and Tron.

Prosecutors say most investors lost money

Court documents filed by the Justice Department alleged that Forsage sold users “slots” through smart contracts that automatically routed incoming funds to earlier participants, which prosecutors described as a classic Ponzi structure. Investigators also accused the founders of building a backdoor into the project’s xGold smart contract to divert user deposits into wallets under their control.

Blockchain analysis cited in the indictment showed that more than 80% of participants in Forsage’s Ethereum program received less ETH than they deposited, while over half reportedly received no payout at all before the scheme collapsed.

Federal prosecutors also disputed Forsage’s public claims that dozens of users became millionaires through the platform. According to the indictment, only one account controlled by the defendants themselves received more than $1 million in cryptocurrency.

At the same time, the Securities and Exchange Commission pursued a parallel civil case against 11 individuals connected to Forsage in August 2022. The SEC’s complaint targeted the four founders along with several U.S.-based promoters known as the “Crypto Crusaders,” seeking civil penalties and disgorgement.

When the criminal indictment was announced in 2023, U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight said the investigation involved months of work tracing the movement of investor funds across blockchain networks and coordinating with multiple law enforcement agencies.

Three co-defendants remain outside U.S. custody. Prosecutors identified Vladimir Okhotnikov as the operational leader of Forsage and said he fled to Dubai after the scheme came under investigation. ICIJ reported that a court in Tbilisi sentenced Okhotnikov in absentia to 10 years in prison in 2024 for laundering $1.1 million tied to Forsage proceeds.

Separate reporting from Variety last year also linked Okhotnikov to “Holiguards Saga — The Portal of Force,” a film directed by disgraced actor Kevin Spacey that premiered at a private event in Berlin. Okhotnikov has denied wrongdoing.

If convicted, Oblamska could face up to 20 years in federal prison, along with three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The FBI’s Portland Field Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and Homeland Security Investigations offices in New York and Bangkok are continuing to investigate the case, while the Justice Department has asked Forsage investors who lost money to contact authorities as potential victims.

The crypto market remained under heavy pressure on Monday as escalating geopolitical tensions, surging oil prices, sticky U.S. inflation data, and a massive wave of leveraged liquidations weakened investor sentiment across digital assets.

The total cryptocurrency market capitalization fell roughly 3.8% over the past 24 hours to around $2.56 trillion, while Bitcoin (BTC) dropped more than 4% to fall below the key $77,000 support level and hit a multi-week low before recovering slightly at press time.

Ethereum (ETH) declined nearly 6% toward the $2,100 region, while major altcoins, including Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP), BNB (BNB), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Hyperliquid (HYPE), posted losses ranging between 5% and 12%.

According to CoinGlass data, more than $670 million worth of crypto positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours, with bullish long positions accounting for nearly 95% of the wipeout.

The latest market decline accelerated after investors reacted to another round of hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data.

Recent Producer Price Index data surged 6% year-over-year following a stronger-than-expected Consumer Price Index reading of 3.8%, reinforcing fears that inflation remains stubbornly elevated across the U.S. economy.

The stronger inflation readings significantly reduced expectations for short-term Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Instead, traders have increasingly started pricing in the possibility that rates could remain elevated for longer or potentially rise further if inflationary pressures continue intensifying.

At the same time, U.S. 10-year Treasury yields climbed from around 4.5% to 4.6%, increasing the attractiveness of safer fixed-income assets relative to speculative investments such as cryptocurrencies.

Higher yields and tighter monetary conditions typically reduce liquidity across financial markets, often leading investors to scale back exposure to high-risk assets, including Bitcoin and altcoins.

Oil prices extend gains as Iran negotiations hit deadlock

Investor sentiment also deteriorated as geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Iran continued escalating.

WTI crude futures climbed above $107 per barrel on Monday, extending last week’s gains of more than 9%, while Brent crude traded in the $105–$113 range as stalled U.S.-Iran peace talks and the continued near-shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz raised fears of a broader global supply disruption.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, President Donald Trump warned that “the clock is ticking” for Iran and urged Tehran to “get moving, FAST,” while Iranian media reports suggested negotiations remain deeply divided with the U.S. offering “no tangible concessions.”

Rising oil prices intensified concerns that energy-driven inflation could delay potential monetary easing from central banks and further weaken appetite for speculative assets such as cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin ETF outflows and liquidations accelerate selloff

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s breakdown below major psychological support zones near $80,000 and $78,000 triggered a cascade of automated liquidations across leveraged derivatives markets.

The sharp decline forced exchanges to close large volumes of overleveraged bullish positions, accelerating downside momentum as stop-loss orders continued getting triggered across the broader market.

Institutional flows also weakened considerably over the past week.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded more than $1 billion in cumulative net outflows, ending a strong multi-week inflow streak that had previously supported bullish market momentum. Spot Ethereum ETFs also extended their recent streak of outflows, signaling weakening institutional demand across the broader crypto sector.

On-chain data additionally showed that Bitcoin miners sold roughly 800 BTC worth approximately $64 million to secure profits amid deteriorating market conditions.

At the same time, investor sentiment faced additional pressure after Michael Saylor-led Strategy disclosed risks tied to potentially selling Bitcoin to help manage convertible note obligations, further adding to near-term uncertainty surrounding corporate BTC demand.