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Crypto World

Teen crypto scammer’s $13M heist funds private jets and Lambo

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Crypto Breaking News

A Canadian teenager has admitted to a conspiracy to launder money tied to a multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency theft carried out through social-engineering ploys that purported to be trusted firms. Prosecutors say Trenton Richard Johnston, who turned 20 this year, and his co-conspirators impersonated Google, Trezor and other crypto industry figures to access victims’ digital wallets, culminating in a more than $13 million drain. The scheme funded a high-end lifestyle in Miami and Los Angeles, including luxury cars, jewelry, and private-jet travel. Johnston had been charged in May 2024 and, this week, pleaded guilty to money-laundering conspiracy as part of a plea agreement that prosecutors say could yield a prison term in the mid‑range of four to five years.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the operation began in January 2024. In February, Johnston allegedly convinced a victim that his Google email and Coinbase accounts had been compromised, enabling the theft of roughly $41,000 in Ether. Less than a month later, the group posed as Google and Trezor representatives to trick a California resident into believing someone was attempting to access their cryptocurrency wallet, resulting in the loss of about $13 million in Bitcoin.

About $1.2 million of the stolen funds were used to finance a lavish lifestyle in Miami and Los Angeles over a two‑month span, prosecutors say. The group leveraged an exotic-car rental business, with Johnston and accomplice Brandon Tardibone—a car‑rental company owner—acquiring and leasing luxury vehicles, including two BMWs and a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. The spending also extended to private jet arrangements, a North Miami rental home, and plane tickets for “two girls from New York.”

Johnston’s run of alleged fraud ended in March when a traffic stop for speeding in a Rolls‑Royce led to the discovery of 21 suspected amphetamine tablets in his possession. Investigators seized his computer, cellphone, and handwritten notes, linking him to the broader scheme. Since then, Johnston has turned over approximately 53.16 Bitcoin and 275.23 Ether, valued at about $3.7 million at current prices. In exchange for a full cooperation, prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 51 to 63 months in prison and dismissal of wire‑fraud charges. Tardibone, the car‑rental partner, faces a recommended sentence of 27 to 33 months.

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Key takeaways

  • Social engineering remains a dominant vector for crypto theft, with attackers targeting trust and human error rather than relying solely on software exploits.
  • The case emphasizes how quickly crypto transfers can be executed and how difficult it can be to reverse a loss once funds leave a compromised account.
  • Prosecutors highlight a pattern where a portion of stolen funds are spent on conspicuous consumption, underscoring the “lifestyle” incentives behind many frauds.
  • The defendants face prison time under a plea deal, illustrating U.S. law enforcement’s ongoing pivot from post‑crime investigation to prevention and pre‑transaction security measures.
  • The broader crackdown on crypto scams continues, with recent high‑profile sentences signaling a tighter torque on perpetrators, including cases in California and other jurisdictions.

How the scheme unfolded and what changed for victims

The Florida case traces a sequence of social‑engineering moves designed to lull victims into a false sense of security. In the February incident, a victim was persuaded that his Google email and Coinbase accounts had been compromised, enabling the attackers to siphon Ether worth about $41,000. Within weeks, the operation escalated, with Johnston and collaborators posing as Google and Trezor representatives in an attempt to dupe a California resident into believing someone was trying to access their cryptocurrency wallet. The result was a theft of roughly $13 million in Bitcoin, illustrating how the combination of misrepresentation and rapid, irreversible blockchain transfers can produce outsized losses in moments.

The financial footprint extended far beyond the wallet drain. Prosecutors say about $1.2 million of the stolen crypto was diverted to fund a glamorous two‑month Miami‑Los Angeles lifestyle, including rental of luxury cars and other upscale expenditures. The involvement of an exotic‑car rental operator—Brandon Tardibone—helped sustain the shopping spree, with Johnston described as the principal beneficiary of the proceeds. The case highlights how proceeds from fraud can be laundered through real‑world assets and services that are quick to monetize and difficult to reclaim once spent.

Law enforcement efforts culminated in Johnston’s March arrest after a traffic stop in a Rolls‑Royce revealed further incriminating materials, including handwritten notes and electronic devices. Investigators recovered a record of the scheme and the links between the illicit cryptocurrency movements and the lifestyle purchases, reinforcing prosecutors’ assertions that the case was less about complex code exploits and more about human manipulation in a fast, high‑stakes environment.

From a restitution and asset‑recovery standpoint, the defendant has already turned over a substantial portion of the stolen assets: 53.16 BTC and 275.23 ETH, collectively valued at about $3.7 million at today’s prices. The plea agreement contemplates a sentence that would dismiss wire‑fraud charges, conditional on continued cooperation, and would place Johnston in a prison range of roughly five years.

A broader pattern: enforcement momentum in crypto crime

The Johnston case sits within a wider pattern of aggressive enforcement against crypto‑related fraud. In April, a California resident received a 70‑month sentence for involvement in a criminal enterprise that purportedly stole $263 million in cryptocurrency through social engineering and burglary, with another defendant—Evan Tangeman, 22—pleading guilty to laundering at least $3.5 million of illicit funds. In February, a Chinese national was sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison for a global crypto scam that allegedly defrauded investors of more than $73 million.

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Analysts emphasize that technology alone cannot shield users from this category of crime. Deddy Lavid, CEO and co‑founder of Cyvers, told Cointelegraph that the most significant thefts today often hinge on genuine human interaction rather than pure software flaws. “Crypto makes this especially dangerous because transactions are fast and largely irreversible,” Lavid said. “The attacker only needs to win the victim’s trust once, for a few minutes, and the loss can be permanent.”

Experts argue that the industry must evolve beyond awareness and education. They advocate real‑time, pre‑transaction security controls across wallets, exchanges, custodians, and banking partners to detect suspicious behavior, risky destination wallets, and laundering patterns before funds leave an account. The shift, they say, should move toward preventing fraud before execution rather than solely responding after a theft has occurred.

Related reading: authorities crack down on crypto fraud networks and enforcement actions continue to expand beyond U.S. borders.

As the legal process unfolds for Johnston and his co‑conspirators, readers should monitor the formal sentencing schedule and any additional charges or asset‑recovery actions that may emerge. The emphasis from regulators and prosecutors on prevention—alongside punishment—signals a broader trend that could shape how projects, exchanges, and wallets approach security in the coming months.

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Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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US Overtakes Gulf as India’s Largest LNG and LPG Supplier

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Indian Government Shuts Down Sanmar Herald Crypto Payment Claims

Amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, India has turned to the United States to meet its gas demand. 

According to Kpler data, the US became India’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in May.

US Gas Fills India’s Gulf Supply Gap

Washington shipped 630,000 tonnes of LPG to India in May, CNBC reported, citing Kpler. That figure stood roughly 60% above the 380,000 tonnes India received from all Gulf countries combined.

US LNG exports to India reached 900,000 tonnes over the same month. The volume covered more than 40% of total demand and tripled April’s level.

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Analysts say the conflict accelerated a shift that was already underway. High freight costs had long kept American cargoes uncompetitive with Middle Eastern supply on a landed-cost basis, according to Rystad Energy’s Manish Sejwal.

Sumit Ritolia, lead research analyst at Kpler, expects the realignment to last.

“Going forward, the India–US energy trade will increasingly focus on gas,” he said.

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India Counts Its Reserves as the Crisis Drags On

India depended on the Strait of Hormuz for about 60% of its LNG imports and nearly all of its LPG supplies. The key shipping route has faced disruptions since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.

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In May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on citizens to reduce fuel consumption and encouraged a return to work-from-home arrangements where possible.

Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told CNN-News18 that India could withstand supply disruptions for 30 to 60 days even if traffic through Hormuz remains affected. He said the country holds 76 to 80 days of fuel reserves across strategic storage facilities, refineries, and commercial inventories.

Whether US suppliers keep their new market share will likely depend on how long the disruption persists. Puri also added that India expects a steady increase in gas imports from Mozambique.

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Trust Wallet Now Supports Tokenized Tesla (TSLA) and Nvidia (NVDA) Through Binance bStocks

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

Key Highlights

  • Trust Wallet integration enables direct access to tokenized Tesla and Nvidia securities

  • Round-the-clock trading available for bStocks through BNB Chain network

  • Self-custody wallets now support tokenized representations of major US stocks

  • Initial launch features Tesla and Nvidia among five tokenized equities

  • Integration bridges traditional stock markets with decentralized finance protocols

Binance has taken its bStocks initiative into the self-custody realm by integrating tokenized versions of Tesla and Nvidia securities into Trust Wallet. This development provides qualified users with unmediated access to blockchain-based US equity tokens through BNB Chain infrastructure. The integration marks a significant step in Binance’s broader strategy to merge traditional securities with decentralized platforms.

Trust Wallet Integration Opens New Channels for bStocks Distribution

Trust Wallet has incorporated support for bStocks, enabling users to interact with digitized representations of specific American securities. Qualified participants can now obtain these assets directly via the wallet interface without requiring conventional brokerage services. The implementation additionally enables direct token swaps using USDT as the base currency.

The initial asset selection encompasses TSLAB, NVDAB, CRCLB, MUB, and SNDKB. These digital tokens mirror the performance of Tesla, Nvidia, Circle Internet Group, Micron Technology, and SanDisk Corporation respectively. Additional asset classes are scheduled for integration following the completion of this preliminary deployment.

This release builds upon Binance’s ongoing tokenized equity initiative on BNB Chain infrastructure. The company unveiled bStocks on June 10 with comprehensive withdrawal capabilities to non-custodial wallet solutions. Trust Wallet integration now provides users with an additional pathway for direct asset management and utilization.

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Major Tech Stocks Enter Non-Custodial Wallet Ecosystem

The bStocks product delivers financial exposure to American equities through blockchain-native token mechanisms. These digital instruments mirror price fluctuations, dividend distributions, and corporate restructuring events from their corresponding securities. All corporate actions execute automatically without requiring manual user intervention.

Binance maintains a one-to-one reserve ratio between each token and its underlying equity through its brokerage infrastructure. The actual shares remain held within an Abu Dhabi-domiciled special purpose vehicle. This framework enables the token mechanism while establishing connectivity between publicly traded companies and BNB Chain.

The arrangement fundamentally alters user engagement with equity instruments. Participants can maintain TSLAB or NVDAB within Trust Wallet alongside cryptocurrency holdings. Additionally, they can execute transactions beyond traditional market operating hours since the tokens function within blockchain infrastructure.

Tokenized Equities Gain Access to Decentralized Finance Protocols

The Trust Wallet integration provides bStocks with immediate connectivity to BNB Chain’s decentralized finance landscape. Users can exchange supported tokens through PancakeSwap and Aster platforms. They can also deploy them across credit protocols including Venus and Lista DAO.

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This interoperability distinguishes the offering from traditional brokerage services. Participants can deploy tokenized securities throughout DeFi infrastructure while continuing to receive associated dividend payments. The architecture also maintains custody within user-controlled wallets rather than centralized platforms.

The rollout follows previous tokenized asset developments across BNB Chain. The xStocks platform introduced over 50 tokenized assets to the blockchain in April 2026. Binance separately launched commission-free trading for thousands of American stocks and ETFs for eligible international users.

bStocks now establish a more defined connection between equity markets and blockchain-based financial systems. The initial deployment focuses on five prominent corporations that already command substantial market attention. Future asset additions could significantly expand the function of tokenized securities throughout self-custody and decentralized finance environments.

 

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BlackRock files to list its bitcoin income ETF, BITA expected to launch next week

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BlackRock files to list its bitcoin income ETF, BITA expected to launch next week

BlackRock took another step toward introducing its bitcoin income exchange-traded fund on Nasdaq, filing a share registration document that often signals an imminent debut.

The world’s largest asset manager filed the Form 8-A for the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF on Thursday, usually one of the last procedural moves before an ETF goes live.

The filing “typically means launch in one week,” Eric Balchunas, an ETF analyst at Bloomberg, wrote on X, adding that he would bet the fund, ticker BITA, starts trading on June 18.

Balchunas said a day earlier that he expected the fund to debut “very soon” and noted BlackRock was racing to beat a competing Goldman Sachs product to market. Goldman’s fund is due to go live around July 1.

BlackRock’s fund will earn income by selling call options on BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), the largest spot bitcoin ETF, with $49 billion in net assets. Each month, it will write options on a portion of its holdings and collect the premium as income.

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Ethereum Price Prediction: 3 Million ETH Rushes Into Staking as Sellers Vanish

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ETH validator exit queue that spooked markets in September 2025 has effectively returned to zero. Ethereum price prediction is bullish.

Is nobody leaving Ethereum? A record 36 million ETH is now locked in staking, roughly 29–30% of the circulating supply, and the validator exit queue that spooked markets in September 2025 has effectively returned to zero. Ethereum price prediction is bullish.

According to trackers, staked ETH is now valued at over $144 billion, compressing liquid sell-side supply on exchanges.

ETH validator exit queue that spooked markets in September 2025 has effectively returned to zero. Ethereum price prediction is bullish.
ETH, Total Value Staked, Glassnode

In September 2025, the validator exit peak of 2.67 million ETH, the largest recorded wave of validators’ intention to leave the active set; today, that same metric sits near zero. Not just the exit queue that has gone to zero, there are also 3 million ETH waiting to enter the staking protocol.

However, exit queues can spike for mundane reasons, liquidity needs, portfolio rebalancing, and don’t always translate to sustained disengagement.

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Discover: The Best Crypto to Diversify Your Portfolio

Ethereum Price Prediction: Up or Down?

ETH is looking constructive, closing at $1,700, with 24-hour price action showing a 1.4% gain, as weakness turns into strength. The $1,500–$1,700 band has emerged as the primary structural support zone, with deeper floors flagged under $1,500. Initial resistance sits at $1,700, then $2,000, with the key higher-timeframe ceiling at $3,450.

Ethereum (ETH)
24h7d30d1yAll time

Two chart patterns are competing for attention. We identify an inverse head-and-shoulders formation that targets a potential retest of $1,800. Separately, a cup-and-handle pattern is pointing toward a break of $1,700 with extension potential toward $2,400.

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With longer-dated ETH price targets already circulating among analysts, the near-term question is simpler: can buyers absorb any macro-driven pressure while the staking supply squeeze tightens?

Discover: The Best Token Presales

LiquidChain Targets Early-Mover Upside as Ethereum Tests Key Levels

ETH’s structural setup looks compelling, but a 2x from here requires an enormous capital inflow. Early-stage infrastructure projects riding the same wave offer a different risk/return profile, and one presale drawing attention in the L3 space is worth examining.

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LiquidChain ($LIQUID) is a Layer 3 infrastructure project positioning itself as a cross-chain liquidity layer, fusing Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana liquidity into a single execution environment.

The architecture is built around four pillars: a Unified Liquidity Layer, Single-Step Execution, Verifiable Settlement, and a Deploy-Once Architecture that lets developers write once and access all three ecosystems simultaneously.

The presale is currently priced at $0.01469 per $LIQUID, with $830K raised to date. The thesis is straightforward. As ETH staking tightens supply and cross-chain activity scales, infrastructure that abstracts fragmentation becomes increasingly load-bearing.

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Research LiquidChain before committing capital.

The post Ethereum Price Prediction: 3 Million ETH Rushes Into Staking as Sellers Vanish appeared first on Cryptonews.

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European Gas Futures Tumble 5% on Trump’s Iran Peace Deal Announcement

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Dutch TTF Natural Gas Calendar (TTF=F)

Key Highlights

  • Dutch TTF natural gas futures plummeted more than 5% on Friday, reaching their lowest point in two weeks.
  • President Trump announced that a peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran might be finalized this weekend.
  • Planned U.S. military operations against Iran were cancelled by Trump, reducing conflict escalation concerns.
  • Approximately 20% of the world’s LNG supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical supply route.
  • Iranian officials have yet to confirm a finalized agreement, leaving markets in a state of cautious optimism.

Natural gas prices across Europe experienced a significant decline on Friday following remarks from President Donald Trump suggesting a potential diplomatic resolution with Iran. The Dutch TTF natural gas benchmark contract, Europe’s primary pricing reference, tumbled more than 5% to approximately €47 per megawatt-hour, marking its lowest trading level in a fortnight.

Dutch TTF Natural Gas Calendar (TTF=F)
Dutch TTF Natural Gas Calendar (TTF=F)

According to Trump’s statements, a comprehensive peace agreement could potentially be executed in Europe within days. The President also revealed that he had called off scheduled U.S. military actions targeting Iran. These developments triggered a rapid selloff in energy commodities as market participants scaled back expectations of imminent supply chain disruptions.

The Strategic Importance of the Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a focal point for energy market anxiety throughout recent weeks. This critical maritime chokepoint facilitates the transit of roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas shipments. Any military confrontation or blockade in this strategic waterway could severely constrain supply flows to European nations and international buyers.

Earlier in the week, Trump had issued warnings about potentially seizing Iran’s Kharg Island and asserting control over Iranian energy infrastructure. These aggressive statements had propelled gas prices toward multi-week peaks and maintained elevated anxiety among market participants as summer approached.

European markets face heightened vulnerability given that current underground gas storage inventories are tracking below previous year levels. Any constriction in global LNG availability could have amplified price increases during the critical summer storage replenishment period.

Qatar, a leading LNG producer, relies on Strait of Hormuz transit routes for its export operations. Although Europe sources considerable gas volumes through pipeline infrastructure and Atlantic basin suppliers, it remains a competitor for spot LNG cargoes in the international marketplace.

Traders Remain Wary Despite Price Decline

Notwithstanding the substantial price correction, market participants maintain skepticism about whether a definitive agreement has been reached. Iranian representatives have not yet publicly acknowledged the existence of a completed framework agreement, though some officials indicated that primary terms have been settled.

The United Kingdom’s natural gas futures contract similarly declined approximately 2% on Friday, briefly touching one-month lows during early trading before recovering modestly by settlement.

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Crude oil prices also retreated to two-month lows following the same diplomatic developments. Market analysts characterized Trump’s peace deal statements as the most substantive indication to date of genuine diplomatic progress.

The ICE Dutch TTF futures contract, serving as Europe’s benchmark gas pricing instrument, descended below the €47 threshold, briefly reaching €46.19 during intraday trading. This represents a notable retreat from levels exceeding €50 observed earlier in the trading week.

The geopolitical risk premium that had accumulated throughout weeks of escalating U.S.-Iran confrontation was rapidly being eliminated from market valuations. However, absent formal signatures on a binding agreement, traders are anticipated to maintain vigilance.

Any resumption of hostile actions or breakdown in diplomatic negotiations could swiftly reverse Friday’s price decline and propel European gas futures back toward their recent elevated levels.

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Collectible NFTs in focus during nations 250th anniversary

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Collectible NFTs in focus during nations 250th anniversary | Opinion - 3

Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. Neither crypto.news nor the author of this article endorses any product mentioned on this page. Users should conduct their own research before taking any action related to the company.

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act), establishing a permanent statutory boundary between federal agencies in regulating digital assets, was formally placed on the U.S. Senate Legislative Calendar. However, its immediate passage faces strong resistance as the bill recently stumbled over crucial hurdles regarding ethics disputes and law enforcement concerns. Prediction market odds on Polymarket for the bill passing have plummeted to 47-48% (down from over 74%), with a few session days left before the August recess to debate the bill alongside competing national security priorities.

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Summary

  • The SEC and CFTC’s joint token taxonomy classified digital collectibles as non securities, offering regulatory clarity for NFTs as the market shifts toward curated digital art collections.
  • Museums across the U.S. are expanding efforts to preserve digital art, with the Museum of Art + Light unveiling a permanent collection that includes blockchain native and AI assisted works.
  • The National Lighthouse Museum’s Statue of Liberty Art Show opened on Flag Day as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, featuring works by Hunt Slonem and Selva Ozelli alongside historical imagery of Lady Liberty.

Nevertheless, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) issued by the SEC and CFTC   and the subsequent joint interpretive release established the first formal five-part token taxonomy, explicitly classifying digital collectibles as non-securities. This provided significant regulatory clarity by confirming that NFTs are not a security.  The NFT art market has transitioned away from the speculative frenzy of 2021 into a more consolidated ecosystem with curated, high-end digital art featuring themes of the 250th anniversary of our nation.  On Flag Day, celebrated on June 14th, which marks our nation’s first crypto President’s 80th Birthday, many museums are showing their commitment to preserving Digital Art for Future Generations and holding USA 250 themed exhibitions.

The Museum of Art + Light (MoA+L) unveiled its permanent digital art collection, featuring more than 40 works by 15 internationally recognized digital artists. Developed in partnership with Iconic, the collection represents a significant commitment to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting digital art that reflects the breadth, innovation, and cultural significance of digital artistic practice in the 21st century by a contemporary art museum in the US.

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“From the beginning, our partnership with the Museum of Art + Light has centered on the belief that digital art deserves the same level of institutional support, preservation, and public engagement as any other artistic medium,” said Chris Cummings, Founder and CEO of Iconic. “We are honored to have collaborated in helping establish a collection that not only celebrates today’s leading digital artists but also creates an important cultural resource for the future.”

Conceived as the first contemporary art museum in the world to showcase immersive, digital, and permanent collections from its inception, the MoA+L has intentionally built a collection that spans generative art, AI-assisted works, digital poetry, blockchain-native artworks, and hybrid physical-to-digital pieces to assemble a collection that captures key voices shaping contemporary digital culture.

“Building a permanent collection dedicated to digital art was never an afterthought for the Museum of Art + Light, it was foundational to our vision,” said Erin Dragotto, Executive Director of the Museum of Art + Light.

“As museums around the world continue to explore how digital art fits within their collections, we have had the unique opportunity to build a collection intentionally from the ground up. These acquisitions ensure that some of the most influential artists working with technology today will be preserved, studied, and shared with audiences for generations to come.”

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The National Lighthouse Museum (NLM) on June 14th, Flag Day, the NLM is launching the Statue of Liberty Art Show, which runs until January 2nd, 2027. Curated by Stevie Peters, the art show showcases a historical photo of Lady Liberty when she first arrived at NY Harbor — that is on loan from Victoria Westhead — and oil paintings by award-winning artists Hunt Slonem and Selva Ozelli.

Hunt Slonem joins the Statue of Liberty Art show with his signature “Bunny, Bird and Butterfly” series, which includes a US flag representing abundance, hope, and fertility; his Abraham Lincoln series depicting the timeless icon of American history as a “great soul,” a symbol of law and personal liberty; and his Chandelier series, which reflects his fascination with light and historic grandeur.

“On Marilyn [Monroe]’s desk, she had a picture of her mother and a picture of Lincoln. And she said, ‘I really didn’t know who my father was, so it might as well be Abraham Lincoln.’ I work with diviners and mystics, and one of them started channeling Lincoln in my house, [Lincoln] guided me to paint certain things, like my doves: he wanted me to paint them as a symbol of freedom.”

Collectible NFTs in focus during nations 250th anniversary | Opinion - 3

Selva Ozelli, joins the Statue of Liberty Art Show with her Ocean Lovers-Angel Fish Flag CCL a 20 ft by 13 ft US Flag from her Flag CCL series that represents the seven rays on the Statue of Liberty’s crown, depicting our world’s seven continents, seven seas, and its angel fish inhabitants, which are often regarded as a symbol of hope, peace, and spiritual guidance.

“I am honored to join the Statue of Liberty Art Show along with a historical photo of Lady Liberty and my favorite artist Hunt Slonem with my Ocean Lovers – Angel Fish Flag CCL painting. 

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For one hundred and forty years, The Statue of Liberty  in New York Harbor and  hundreds of replicas and models of “Lady Liberty” located around the world ranging   from small, historical models in Paris to full-sized or scaled-down copies in cities like Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Las Vegas have become a very important symbol of  the global spread of liberty, freedom, democracy, law, hope and inspiration to serve every creature  of our world.”

Collectible NFTs in focus during nations 250th anniversary | Opinion - 4

“Whether people have seen Lady Liberty in real life in different cities or only in photographs, whether the people are American or from other nationalities or cultures, the Statue of Liberty,  which first served as a lighthouse standing tall in NY Harbor across from our museum has come to symbolize something important for people in their own lives at a very personal level – she represents a certain level of security, constancy, freedom, democracy, the rule of law, hope, and the abolition of slavery serving as a universal beacon of light, liberty and inspiration. We invite everyone who wants to see the Statue of Liberty Art Show or Lady Liberty herself and the largest waterfront spectacle, SAIL 4th 250…Where Light Meets Liberty! that will take place from July 3-8, 2026, in the Port of New York and New Jersey, with the main spectacle, the International Parade of Tall Ships, scheduled for July 4, 2026.

These events are part of America’s Semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary celebration and is expected to be the largest international maritime gathering in U.S. history, with over 30 tall ships from around the world, sailing up the Hudson River. Our museum, which is hosting a July 4 Watch Party Breakfast, will serve as a key viewing spot. For further details or to be an event sponsor, contact www.lighthousemuseum.org,” explained Linda Dianto, Executive Director of NLM.

About the Author:

Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, is an international digital asset legal expert and author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally.  Her writings are translated into 45 languages and republished in over 200 global publications.  She is recognized as an expert media/TV commentator on global digital asset regulation, tax, and technology matters.

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Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. Neither crypto.news nor the author of this article endorses any product mentioned on this page. Users should conduct their own research before taking any action related to the company.

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Metaplanet acquires Siiibo Securities in $13.1m deal to advance Bitcoin strategy

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Could BoJ be the next central bank to tighten, hitting BTC

Metaplanet (3350) acquired Siiibo Securities, a Tokyo-based Type I Financial Instruments Business Operator, in a deal valued at approximately 2.1 billion yen ($13.1 million), the Japanese bitcoin treasury company announced on Friday.

Following the completion of the transaction, Siiibo Securities will become a wholly owned subsidiary, renamed Metaplanet Securities.

The acquisition marks the first major step in Metaplanet’s “Project Nova,” a long-term strategy aimed at building a bitcoin-focused financial ecosystem. The company, which holds 40,177 BTC ($2.6 billion) as of May 31, views bitcoin not only as a treasury asset but also as the foundation for a new generation of financial products and services.

Siiibo Securities specializes in corporate bond issuance and distribution through an online platform and has supported more than 100 bond offerings for over 40 companies. Metaplanet believes the firm’s regulatory licenses, customer base, and securities expertise complement its ambitions in digital assets and tokenized finance.

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The companies expect synergies including the development of bitcoin-linked investment products, expanded securities distribution capabilities, and the creation of tokenized financial instruments. Metaplanet also plans to leverage Siiibo’s platform to provide new yield-generating opportunities for investors and strengthen its presence in Japan’s evolving digital asset market.

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Binance drops TON ticker as GRAM trading starts July 2

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Binance drops TON ticker as GRAM trading starts July 2 - 2

Binance will support the rebranding of Toncoin to Gram, moving the exchange’s TON markets to the GRAM ticker through a staged process ending in early July.

Summary

  • Binance will swap TON to GRAM at 1:1 while removing old spot pairs in stages.
  • TON futures, margin, loans, earn, convert and pay services face separate June removal deadlines too.
  • Toncoin traded near $1.71 as the Gram rebrand kept Telegram-linked market attention active this week.

Binance said it will support the Toncoin rebrand to Gram and handle the technical process for affected users. The exchange will swap TON tokens to GRAM at a ratio of 1 TON to 1 GRAM.

“Binance will handle all technical requirements for users who are involved in this event,” Binance said in its announcement.

The change means users holding TON on Binance do not need to manually complete the swap. The exchange will move eligible balances to the new GRAM ticker after the rebrand process is completed.

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Binance old TON pairs will close

Binance will remove all TON spot trading pairs at 03:00 UTC on June 30. The affected pairs include TON/FDUSD, TON/IDR, TON/TRY, TON/U, TON/USD1, TON/USDC, and TON/USDT.

All pending TON spot orders will be canceled when trading stops. Binance will then open GRAM/FDUSD, GRAM/IDR, GRAM/TRY, GRAM/U, GRAM/USD1, GRAM/USDC, and GRAM/USDT at 08:00 UTC on July 2.

Deposits and withdrawals of TON will be suspended at 03:30 UTC on June 30. GRAM deposits and withdrawals will open at 07:00 UTC on July 2, one hour before spot trading begins.

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After the process ends, Binance said it will no longer support deposits and withdrawals of TON tokens. Users who move TON to Binance close to the deadline must leave enough time for deposits to process.

Futures and other products face deadlines

Binance Futures will close all TONUSDT USD-M perpetual positions and settle the contract at 09:00 UTC on June 23. Users will not be able to open new orders from 08:30 UTC on that date.

The exchange also warned futures users to monitor open positions during the final hour. Binance said reduced liquidity and market volatility may affect settlement conditions before the contract is removed.

Margin, loans, Simple Earn, Dual Investment, Pay, Gift Card, Convert, and Buy & Sell Crypto services will also face separate deadlines. Binance Margin will remove TON from cross and isolated margin on June 23.

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TON Simple Earn products will stop accepting support from June 26. Remaining positions will be redeemed to users’ spot accounts, then resubscribed as GRAM products after the swap where applicable.

Gram rebrand follows Telegram push

The rebrand returns Toncoin to the Gram name used in Telegram’s original blockchain plan. TON will remain the name of the network, while GRAM will become the token ticker on Binance.

As previously reported by crypto.news, Pavel Durov said Gram was the original name of the token in TON’s first white paper. He also said the rebrand does not require a token swap at the network level.

As reported earlier this month, Toncoin rallied earlier in June after the Gram plan revived trader interest. TON traded near $1.71 on June 12, with a 24-hour gain of about 4%, according to crypto.news data.

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Binance drops TON ticker as GRAM trading starts July 2 - 2
Toncoin (TON) price chart, source: crypto.news

The Binance timeline now gives holders clear exchange deadlines. Spot holders can wait for the automatic swap, while futures, margin, loan, and product users may need to close or adjust positions before the listed dates.

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FIFA World Cup fans warned as crypto linked scam sites emerge

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Fake domains impersonating FIFA website.

Crypto scammers have set up at least three World Cup-related fraud operations linked to four cryptocurrency addresses as millions of fans prepare to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs.

Summary

  • TRM Labs identified fake World Cup ticketing sites and a fixed match betting scheme linked to four cryptocurrency addresses.
  • U.S. authorities and FIFA have warned fans against buying tickets through unofficial websites as phishing and fraud campaigns increase ahead of the tournament.
  • The scams emerged as the 2026 FIFA World Cup opened across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with about 6.5 million attendees expected.

TRM Labs said it identified two fake ticketing websites and a fixed-match betting scheme that were already targeting football fans as the tournament opened on Thursday across the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

FIFA expects roughly 6.5 million attendees during the competition and projects a global economic impact of about $40.9 billion, creating a large market for ticket purchases, travel bookings and betting activity.

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“Criminals always look to exploit major events and cultural moments and they don’t wait until kickoff,” Ari Redbord, global head of policy at TRM Labs, told Cointelegraph. Redbord said fraud operators typically establish their infrastructure weeks before a major event and expand their activity once public attention reaches its highest point.

According to Redbord, cryptocurrency transactions also provide investigators and compliance teams with opportunities to trace suspicious activity before losses spread further.

Authorities have already warned of World Cup scams

Weeks before the tournament began, U.S. authorities had already raised concerns about World Cup-themed fraud campaigns.

In a July 4 warning, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said criminals were promoting fake World Cup tickets, hospitality packages, merchandise offers, streaming subscriptions and sports betting deals through websites and social media accounts designed to resemble legitimate FIFA services.

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Law enforcement officials noted that requests for payment through cryptocurrency, wire transfers, gift cards and other hard-to-recover methods often serve as warning signs of fraud. Fans were urged to purchase tickets only through FIFA’s official channels and avoid links distributed through social media posts, text messages and messaging applications.

Security concerns have extended beyond ticket sales. The Sheriff’s Department said attackers were creating websites that closely imitated official FIFA pages in an attempt to collect payment details, login credentials and other personal information.

Separately, the FBI also warned in May that threat actors were spoofing FIFA-related websites ahead of the tournament. According to the agency, those operations were designed to gather personal data, sell counterfeit tickets and carry out additional malicious activity.

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Fake domains impersonating FIFA website.

Fake domains impersonating FIFA website. Source: FBI

FIFA has also cautioned supporters against purchasing tickets through unofficial sources. The organization said tickets obtained outside its official platform could be invalidated or cancelled without notice.

Ticket demand has become a focal point as the tournament gets underway.

The Council on Foreign Relations reported that several opening matches in the United States and Canada had not sold out on FIFA’s platform as of Monday. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that official resale portals still listed about 176,000 unsold group-stage tickets earlier this week.

While legitimate tickets remain available through official channels, TRM Labs’ findings suggest fraud operators are attempting to capitalize on fan demand through counterfeit sales and betting-related schemes.

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The latest warning arrives during a year of rising crypto-related fraud. According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, cryptocurrency theft has already reached $3.4 billion in 2026.

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BTC Jumps 3% on Iran Peace Deal But Fed Meeting Keeps Institutions Cautious

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Bitcoin News: BTC price climbed from $61,100 to above $63,400 on June 11 after President Trump cancelled planned Iran strikes and said a peace deal memo of understanding could be signed as early as this weekend, a 3% move that matched a broad risk-on rally across equities.

The catalyst cleared one major headwind, but it arrived against the backdrop of 13 consecutive sessions of Bitcoin ETF outflows totalling $4.4 billion, the worst institutional redemption streak since spot products launched in January 2024.

The Federal Reserve meets June 16–17, and that overhang has not moved.

Bitcoin (BTC)
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Bitcoin News: Iran Deal Sparks Risk-On Rally Across Crypto and Equities

Trump’s announcement that the US had stepped back from planned Iran strikes, and that Iran had agreed to much of the draft text of a peace framework, removed a risk premium that had been sitting on markets for weeks.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.75%, the Nasdaq surged 2.5%, and the Dow gained over 900 points on the same session. BTC price tracked all three, not gold.

That is the key distinction. Bitcoin’s behaviour through the Iran episode cuts directly against the safe-haven narrative.

When US-Iran tensions escalated, BTC fell alongside equities. When Trump announced the deal, it surged 3% in lockstep with the Nasdaq, a textbook risk-on move, not a safe-haven hold. Brent crude confirmed the macro read, dropping around 3% to near $90 a barrel as Strait of Hormuz supply risk eased.

Altcoins outran Bitcoin on the news. ETH gained 4%, Solana surged 6.8%, and Cardano climbed 6.6%, the kind of leverage differential that shows up when institutional risk appetite snaps back quickly across the liquidity stack.

Some analysts argue the selloff that preceded this move looks more cyclical than structural, pointing to the speed of the price recovery as evidence the underlying bid remained intact throughout.

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$4.4 Billion Out in 13 Sessions, The ETF Streak That Defines Institutional Positioning

Thirteen consecutive sessions. $4.4 billion in net outflows from spot Bitcoin ETF products. That is the worst redemption streak since spot ETFs launched, and it frames everything about the current setup.

Fidelity’s FBTC absorbed some of the heaviest selling pressure across the stretch, with IBIT also recording significant single-session redemptions, $214 million in one session on June 5 alone.

The outflow streak reflects demand drying up at the institutional level, driven by two simultaneous headwinds: geopolitical risk pushing capital toward gold and bonds, and Fed uncertainty suppressing risk appetite ahead of FOMC.

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Source: SoSoValue

One of those drivers cleared on June 11. The other has not. Bitcoin held its price through the bulk of the redemption streak, which is either a signal of resilience from retail and offshore demand absorbing institutional exits, or a tension that still needs resolution. We are not resolving it here.

Flow analysts have consistently flagged the divergence: strong price reactions to Iran headlines, ongoing US ETF outflows. The collapse in institutional and corporate BTC buying is the structural context the Iran rally sits inside. One relief catalyst does not erase 13 sessions of redemption behaviour on its own.

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FOMC June 16–17: The Headwind That Didn’t Clear

One headwind cleared. One remains. The Federal Reserve meets June 16–17, with market odds of a rate hold sitting at 98%.

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A hold is fully priced in, that is not the risk. The risk is in the statement and forward guidance that follows the decision.

Institutional caution through the full 13-session outflow streak was not purely about Iran. Stronger-than-expected May payrolls, rising Treasury yields, and fading near-term rate-cut expectations all compressed the case for re-risking into Bitcoin.

If the Fed signals a clear path toward cuts at the June 17 FOMC statement, the remaining macro headwind lifts and institutional flows have a cleaner re-entry argument.

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If the statement reads hawkish or ambiguous, higher for longer extended further, the relief from the Iran deal could fade fast.

The post BTC Jumps 3% on Iran Peace Deal But Fed Meeting Keeps Institutions Cautious appeared first on Cryptonews.

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