Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the seizure of more than $61 million worth of Tether (USDT) in one of the largest cryptocurrency asset forfeiture actions tied to a romance-style investment fraud known as a “pig butchering” scheme.

North Carolina Feds seize $61M in crypto

The operation shows growing U.S. efforts to trace and reclaim digital assets used in complex fraud and money-laundering networks.

The U.S. Department of Justice said the seized funds were traced to multiple cryptocurrency wallets controlled by criminal actors who lured victims into fraudulent crypto trading platforms after building trust through purported romantic relationships.

Once victims deposited money into these fake platforms, operators allegedly prevented withdrawals or demanded bogus “fees” and “taxes” to extract more funds. Investigators from Homeland Security Investigations in Raleigh, North Carolina, followed the flow of the stolen proceeds through a network of wallets and identified accounts still holding significant balances subject to seizure and forfeiture.

“The seizure of a staggering $61 million … shows that, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, cheaters never win,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle, highlighting the district’s asset forfeiture team’s work with HSI to disrupt the fraud network.

The DOJ also acknowledged assistance from Tether in facilitating the transfer of the assets once targeted wallets were identified.

Pig butchering scams, a hybrid of romance fraud and investment deception, have become an escalating threat globally, with victims often recruited on social media or dating apps before being directed to professional-looking, yet fake, cryptocurrency investment portals. Once funds are sent, victims find themselves unable to withdraw, leaving law enforcement to trace and recover the proceeds.

The $61 million seizure adds to a broader trend of high-profile crypto forfeitures by U.S. authorities in recent years.

As the calendar turned to 2026, the cryptocurrency industry found itself standing on a peculiar threshold. The adrenaline-fueled institutional waves of 2024 and 2025 have receded, leaving behind a landscape that is irrevocably changed. We are no longer in the Wild West of digital finance, but neither have we arrived at a global consensus of stability.

Instead, 2026 presents itself as a year of paradoxes, record-breaking infrastructure growth clashing with geopolitical uncertainty, and the rise of autonomous AI agents trading against a backdrop of traditional regulatory fatigue.

To decipher the complex signals of this new year, BeInCrypto reached out to a roundtable of industry heavyweights who are shaping the ecosystem from the inside. We are privileged to share insights from Fernando Lillo Aranda (Marketing Director at Zoomex), Vivien Lin (Chief Product Officer at BingX), Griffin Ardern (Head of BloFin Research & Options Desk), Dorian Vincileoni (Head of Regional Growth at Kraken), Federico Variola (CEO of Phemex), Mike Williams (Chief Communication Officer at Toobit), and Michael Ivanov (CEO of Arcanum Foundation).

Their consensus? The era of easy money based on hype is over. Welcome to the era of systems, convergence, and rigorous reality checks.

The Pulse of 2026: Mature Growth or Structural Uncertainty?

The opening months of 2026 have felt different. The manic euphoria that characterized previous bull cycles has been replaced by something heavier, more calculated. The question on every investor’s mind is whether we are poised for a breakout year or bracing for a storm.

Fernando Lillo Aranda, Marketing Director at Zoomex, suggests that while the narrative of a 2026 Bull Run was heavily pushed last year, the reality on the ground requires a sharper eye. He points out that the market is no longer driven solely by retail sentiment but by invisible hands, complex institutional strategies that operate beneath the surface.

Lillo Aranda observes:

“There was a strong narrative last year positioning 2026 as the start of a new bull run.

However, those of us who have been in the market for a long time understand that the reality is more nuanced… Overall, the sentiment at the start of 2026 feels like a blend of mature growth and renewed volatility.”

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Lillo Aranda notes that while December was typically sluggish, the start of the year has shown constructive patterns. “The market is more structurally robust than in previous cycles, yet still dynamic and opportunity-driven,” he adds, emphasizing that 2026 is a year to “stay engaged and active, there is momentum, liquidity, and volatility to be embraced.”

However, not everyone views the horizon with unblemished optimism. Mike Williams, Chief Communication Officer at Toobit, injects a note of geopolitical realism. In his view, the market cannot be decoupled from the chaotic state of global affairs. Williams warns:

“Uncertainty in the world, politics, and economics will rule the market sentiment and cause big waves that are very unpredictable. It is the time to stay calm and put everything in perspective.”

This tug-of-war between structural robustness (Zoomex) and macro-uncertainty (Toobit) sets the stage for what Griffin Ardern of BloFin describes as the “Matthew Effect”, a biblical reference to the rich getting richer. Ardern argues that we are in a phase of mature growth, but it is a growth that disproportionately benefits the giants.

“The crypto market is already in a mature growth phase, but it may become further dominated by the ‘Matthew effect,’” Ardern explains.

“As mainstream assets like BTC and ETH are more widely accepted by traditional markets, they will have better liquidity and be favoured by both institutional and retail investors.”

Ardern paints a stark picture for altcoins in 2026. With regulatory relaxation, high quality projects are bypassing token launches in favor of listing on US stock markets. This leaves the token market with “higher potential risks and lower appeal,” driving a wedge between the blue chips and the rest of the field.

Beyond Hype: The Narratives That Matter

If 2021 was about NFTs and 2024 was about ETFs, what is the defining story of 2026? The answers from our guests suggest a massive pivot away from speculation and toward functional integration, specifically regarding Artificial Intelligence.

Vivien Lin, Chief Product Officer at BingX, delivers perhaps the most futuristic yet tangible prediction for the year. She believes the narrative has shifted from humans trading crypto to AI using crypto.

“Crypto is moving beyond being a financial experiment into becoming the trust and settlement layer for AI-driven systems,” Lin asserts.

“As AI agents begin to trade, allocate capital, manage risk, and interact with users autonomously, blockchain provides the transparency, auditability, and incentive alignment that AI alone cannot offer.”

For Lin, the killer app of 2026 isn’t a new memecoin, it’s the infrastructure that allows AI to function safely. “In 2026, the most important crypto products will not be about speculation, but about using AI to simplify complexity… The convergence of AI and crypto will define how the next generation of financial and digital services is built.”

Michael Ivanov, CEO of Arcanum Foundation, agrees that AI is central, but he refuses to pin 2026 on a single storyline. He sees a trifecta of innovation driving the sector.

“We don’t see a single narrative this year,” Ivanov says.

“Too much interesting things going out there: AI-integrated blockchains, RWA (Real World Asset) adoption, and new interesting web3 gaming projects coming this year.”

While the tech-focused narratives of AI and Gaming are compelling, Federico Variola, CEO of Phemex, argues that the overarching theme is actually a return to economic sanity. After years of vaporware, 2026 is the year the bills come due, and only profitable protocols will survive.

Variola states firmly:

“We expect a return to fundamentals after a period dominated by hype cycles, memecoins, narratives, and short-term speculation. In 2026, value will accrue to projects showing real revenue, real growth, and sustainable economics.”

This sentiment echoes across the board, the market has grown up. Whether it’s Toobit’s Mike Williams calling for “mass adoption driven by understanding” rather than hype, or Phemex’s call for real revenue,”the message is clear. The era of the whitepaper millionaire is over. The era of the profitable product has begun.

The Heartbeat of the Market: Who is Driving the Price?

For over a decade, retail investors, the degens, the believers, the forum dwellers, were the undisputed kings of crypto. But after the massive institutional inflows of the mid-2020s, has the retail investor become obsolete?

The consensus is “No,” but their role has changed dramatically.

BloFin’s Griffin Ardern offers a critical distinction. While retail is still present, the “Main Street” listing of projects on traditional stock exchanges is draining talent and capital away from the on-chain token economy. This reinforces the dominance of Bitcoin and Ethereum, which are now institutional darlings.

However, Mike Williams from Toobit highlights a geographical divergence. While the United States market has become heavily institutionalized, Europe remains a stronghold for the individual investor.

Williams notes:

“Depends on the markets. In the US definitely (institutions rule), but in Europe, the market consists of more individuals, and institutions are still adopting and adjusting according to all the legislation.”

Michael Ivanov of Arcanum Foundation remains bullish on the retail sector, predicting a resurgence of individual participation in 2026, provided the industry solves its User Experience (UX) problem.

“We see interest from retail investors and this will be a good trend for this year to simplify their path,” Ivanov says.

The implication is that retail hasn’t left; they are waiting for tools that make participation as easy as using a banking app, a sentiment that aligns perfectly with Vivien Lin’s prediction of AI simplifying complexity.

The Survival Guide: Strategic Advice for 2026

Given this landscape, institutional dominance, AI convergence, and lingering geopolitical volatility, how should the savvy investor rebalance their portfolio this January? Our guests offered advice that deviates significantly from the buy low, sell high mantras of the past.

The most profound shift in thinking comes from Kraken’s Dorian Vincileoni, Head of Regional Growth. His advice is to stop looking at tickers and start looking at infrastructure.

“Think in terms of systems, not assets,” Vincileoni advises.

“In a market now dominated by institutional capital, the strongest positions are those aligned with infrastructure that benefits from scale, liquidity and long-term usage.”

Vincileoni challenges investors to ignore the noise of short-term narratives.

“Short-term narratives matter less than exposure to neutral rails that others are forced to use over time. The goal is not to predict every move, but to position yourself where capital, utility and inevitability intersect.”

Griffin Ardern from BloFin takes a more defensive, macro-economic stance. In a world where currencies are increasingly politicized, he advocates for what he calls “rigorous diversification.”

“Due to current geopolitical risks, ‘cross-border assets’ or ‘offshore assets’ unaffected by fiscal or monetary policies… will be favoured,” Ardern says.

He suggests looking beyond crypto and stocks to precious metals, commodities, and even foreign exchange.

“When fiat currencies themselves can be weaponised, holding a basket of fiat currencies (rather than a single fiat currency) becomes more important.”

Michael Ivanov (Arcanum) and Mike Williams (Toobit) both emphasize the psychological aspect of trading in 2026. With the market moving faster than human reaction times, relying on emotion is a death sentence. Ivanov suggests:

“The more diversity you have, the better for your portfolio. Look for new automatic instruments in the crypto investment segment that can make the long play with no emotion.”

Williams echoes this, reminding us that strategy must trump volatility. “Differentiate between long and short term goals… Don’t shift your strategies based on the market movements, but on these.”

Conclusion: The Industrial Age of Crypto

As we look ahead at the remainder of 2026, the insights from Zoomex, BingX, BloFin, Kraken, Phemex, Toobit, and Arcanum paint a cohesive picture. The crypto industry has not just grown, it has evolved into a complex layer of the global financial fabric.

We are entering a period of “Industrial Crypto.” It is a time defined by the Matthew Effect, where the biggest assets solidify their dominance. It is a time where AI agents will likely conduct more transactions than human traders. And it is a time where value is measured not by community hype, but by revenue, utility, and systemic inevitability.

For the investor, the message is clear: the easy games are finished. Success in 2026 requires thinking in systems, diversifying against geopolitical chaos, and embracing the boring reality of fundamental growth. The volatility remains, but the game has changed.

Special thanks to Fernando Lillo Aranda, Vivien Lin, Griffin Ardern, Dorian Vincileoni, Federico Variola, Mike Williams, and Michael Ivanov for their contributions to this report.

The US President Donald Trump delivered a nearly two-hour State of the Union address on Tuesday — the longest in US history — touting economic gains, warning Iran against pursuing nuclear weapons, and defending his tariff agenda after a Supreme Court setback.

Yet in a speech that touched on taxes, AI, housing, and healthcare, digital assets were entirely absent.

All the Trumps Were There, but Not Crypto

The omission is striking. All of Trump’s children were in attendance, including sons Donald Jr. and Eric, who have been deeply involved in crypto ventures such as World Liberty Financial and various token launches.

The president himself has repeatedly pledged to make the US “the crypto capital of the planet.” None of that made it into the address.

Tariff Chaos and Sticky Inflation Keep the Fed on Hold

For crypto markets, the most consequential signals were macro, not legislative.

Trump called the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down his emergency tariffs “very unfortunate” and vowed to maintain them under alternative legal authorities, insisting “congressional action will not be necessary.”

But the rollout quickly turned chaotic. Trump first announced a 10% replacement rate, then revised it to 15% days later. Yet official documents show the lower rate took effect Tuesday with no directive to raise it. The EU suspended ratification of its summer trade deal on Monday; India deferred scheduled talks.

Trump repeated his claim that tariffs could “substantially replace” income taxes. Economists call this implausible. The federal government collected $2.4 trillion in income taxes in 2024 but took in only about $300 billion from tariffs — and must now refund roughly half of that under the court ruling. Also, US importers pay the tariffs, not foreign governments.

On inflation, Trump claimed core inflation fell to 1.7% in late 2025. The reality is more complicated. The Fed’s preferred gauge — core PCE — accelerated to 3% in December, well above the 2% target.

With inflation sticky and tariff policy unresolved, the Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady for the foreseeable future. The three-quarter-point cuts delivered late last year appear to be the last for some time. For risk assets, including crypto, the higher-rate environment persists.

AI Gets Attention, Crypto Does Not

While crypto went unmentioned, AI earned a dedicated segment. Trump announced a “ratepayer protection pledge” requiring tech companies to build their own power plants for data centers, acknowledging the grid “could never handle” surging demand.

First Lady Melania Trump‘s AI legislation work was also highlighted — a sign that AI policy occupies a far more prominent place in the administration’s agenda than digital asset regulation.

The Bottom Line

Trump’s record-length address was a midterm election pitch built on economic optimism. But for crypto participants, the takeaways are clear: no legislative momentum for digital assets despite the president’s family being neck-deep in the industry, unresolved tariff turmoil injecting macro uncertainty, and a Fed locked in place by sticky inflation. The conditions weighing on risk assets aren’t likely to change anytime soon.

Bitcoin is exhibiting textbook bottom formation characteristics across multiple indicators, trading at levels that historically precede significant recoveries, according to onchain analyst James Check. Time — not price — is, however, likely to be the bigger test for bitcoin bulls.

“Every mean reversion model, from technical to onchain, is trading within bottom formation levels, typically seen after the price capitulation event (which December 2018 and June 2022 were examples of),” wrote Check on Tuesday morning as bitcoin plunged through $63,000, seemingly on its way to testing the Feb. 5 panic low of $60,000.

“Either Bitcoin is dead, will no longer mean revert, and all your models are broken,” Check continued. “Or you should be ignoring the bears … and quietly [be] dollar cost averaging [and] stacking sats from here on.”

Check — who correctly urged caution in 2025 about investing in any of BTC treasury companies formed to try and replicate the success of Michael Saylor’s Strategy — acknowledged today that it’s possible or even likely that the price of bitcoin could fall even further from here. Time, though, will be the more important factor. He reminded of the brutal 2022 bear market. Folks remember the price low around $15,600 in December of that year, but bitcoin essentially bottomed six months earlier at about $17,600. The rest was just waiting, and then a final liquidity flush (surrounding the FTX collapse).

“This is literally what a de-risked setup looks like for bitcoin,” concluded Check. “If you’re not actively accumulating bitcoin at this stage, then when?”

Artificial intelligence firm Anthropic has accused three AI firms of illicitly using its large language model Claude to improve their own models in a technique known as a “distillation” attack.

In a blog post on Sunday, Anthropic said that it had identified these “attacks” by DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax, which involve training a less capable model on the outputs of a stronger one.

Anthropic accused the trio of generating “over 16 million exchanges” combined with the firm’s Claude AI across “approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts.” 

“Distillation is a widely used and legitimate training method. For example, frontier AI labs routinely distill their own models to create smaller, cheaper versions for their customers,” Anthropic wrote, adding: 

“But distillation can also be used for illicit purposes: competitors can use it to acquire powerful capabilities from other labs in a fraction of the time, and at a fraction of the cost, that it would take to develop them independently.”

Anthropic said that the attacks focused on scraping Claude for a wide range of purposes, including agentic reasoning, coding and data analysis, rubric-based grading tasks, and computer vision. 

“Each campaign targeted Claude’s most differentiated capabilities: agentic reasoning, tool use, and coding,” the multi-billion-dollar AI firm said. 

Anthropic says it was able to identify the trio via an “IP address correlation, request metadata, infrastructure indicators, and in some cases corroboration from industry partners who observed the same actors and behaviors on their platforms.”

DeepSeek, Moonshot, and Minimax are all AI companies based in China. All three have estimated valuations in the multi-billion dollar range, with DeepSeek being the most widely internationally recognized out of the three. 

Beyond the intellectual property implications, Anthropic argued that distillation campaigns from foreign competitors present genuine geopolitical risks. 

“Foreign labs that distill American models can then feed these unprotected capabilities into military, intelligence, and surveillance systems—enabling authoritarian governments to deploy frontier AI for offensive cyber operations, disinformation campaigns, and mass surveillance,” the firm said.