Crypto World
Crypto wrench attacks steal $30M in first half of 2026: Chainalysis
Violent attacks against crypto holders extracted more than $30 million worldwide through late June 2026, according to an Aug. 6 report.
Summary
- Crypto wrench attacks stole more than $30 million globally during 2026’s first half, Chainalysis estimates.
- Only 12 of 46 documented attacks produced payments, cutting attackers’ success rate to 26% worldwide.
- France recorded 30 publicly known incidents, while officials counted 77 crypto-linked kidnappings and detentions nationally.
- Home invasions represented 37% of documented attacks, rising sharply from 14% during 2025 worldwide overall.
- Family members or acquaintances became targets in roughly 25% to 30% of documented cases globally.
The firm documented 46 kidnappings, home invasions, hostage situations and related attempts, compared with 40 during the same period in 2025.
The total places 2026 on pace to challenge the record $58 million stolen during 2025. However, Chainalysis said its figures cover reported cases and likely undercount the true scale. Attempted extractions, including blocked transfers, unpaid ransom demands and recovered funds, reached an estimated $107 million during the first half.
Crypto wrench attacks put 2026 on record pace
Only 12 of the 46 documented attempts resulted in payment, producing a 26% success rate. That was down from 49% in 2025 and 67% in 2024, even as the number of known attacks increased.
Chainalysis said 2026 “could become the single-worst year” for violent crypto theft if the first-half pace continues.
The projection is conditional rather than a confirmed year-end outcome. The report covers known cases through late June, and both reporting rates and the size of individual thefts can change sharply during the second half.
The attack mix also changed. Home invasions represented 37% of incidents, up from 14% in 2025. Kidnappings accounted for 52%. Chainalysis said some cases overlap because an intrusion can develop into detention or forced movement, so classification depends on the dominant outcome.
France’s surge points to data exposure and organized crime
France recorded 30 publicly known cases by midyear, compared with 19 throughout 2025. French authorities have counted a much larger total. The national Gendarmerie said on July 7 that 77 crypto-linked kidnappings and detentions had been recorded since January.
As previously reported in France’s crypto kidnapping crackdown, authorities have expanded intelligence sharing and coordination with digital asset companies. Chainalysis said the French response had produced roughly 200 arrests, 88 indictments and 75 suspects held before trial by midyear.
Official case records show the size of individual investigations. In March, more than 450 officers arrested 18 people over a 2025 kidnapping, with 12 suspects later indicted. Three were placed in pretrial detention and nine under judicial supervision.
In May, authorities detained three additional suspects after a victim was forced to transfer about €68,000 in crypto. One suspect allegedly described being recruited by the DZ Mafia criminal organization. The suspects were indicted and held in pretrial detention, while the investigation remained open.
Chainalysis called compromised personal data the “likeliest culprit” behind the French surge. It cited allegations that a tax official sold dossiers containing investors’ identities, addresses, holdings and tax information. Those claims remain allegations and have not been established by a final judgment.
The report also cited Waltio’s January security breach, which it said affected about 50,000 users. Waltio confirmed unauthorized access to data connected to 2024 tax reports, but said the exposed information excluded names, postal addresses, phone numbers, passwords, wallet addresses, API keys and detailed transaction histories. A direct causal link between that breach and physical attacks has not been proven.
Relatives and homes become bigger targets
Attackers increasingly target people close to crypto holders. Relatives or acquaintances represented about 25% to 30% of documented cases by early 2026, up from almost none in 2021. In France, more than 40% of incidents targeted a relation rather than the holder directly.
In related coverage of a failed family kidnapping, neighbors disrupted an attempt involving the wife of a Sandbox cofounder. Earlier, Ledger cofounder David Balland’s kidnapping showed how attackers may use relatives, executives and public visibility to identify targets.
Most victims were local residents, suggesting prior reconnaissance rather than opportunistic attacks on tourists. Chainalysis said known-residency cases involved locals in 93% of French incidents and 77% of U.S. incidents. It identified the U.S. as a long-running outlier for home invasions.
Onchain trails give investigators leverage
Chainalysis divided attackers into three broad groups based on how they moved stolen assets. Less experienced criminals sent funds directly to centralized exchanges, creating clear compliance and subpoena points. More capable groups used bridges, decentralized exchanges and intermediary wallets to delay identification.
The most advanced cases appeared connected to wider criminal networks and laundering services. One traced flow reached an alleged over-the-counter laundering service that had interacted with cartel-linked wallets, terrorist financing clusters and Southeast Asian laundering networks. These connections describe blockchain exposure, not proof that every connected party participated in the original attack.
The next focus will be whether France’s rapid-alert system, industry coordination and organized-crime prosecutions reduce the attack rate. Investigators will also watch whether centralized exchanges freeze funds quickly and whether cross-chain tracing can identify local crews and their organizers.
For holders, Chainalysis recommended limiting public disclosure of wealth, separating real-world identities from onchain activity and strengthening physical security alongside wallet custody. The report also called for wider blockchain training among frontline police because these cases often begin as conventional kidnappings, home invasions or extortion investigations.
Astera Labs (ALAB) stock spiked 12.7% on Tuesday after the company surpassed Wall Street’s targets in its latest earnings announcement. It’s wiping out the bulk of those gains in Wednesday’s trading. Investors could buy Astera Labs at the current price or use options to potentially buy shares of the semiconductor company for a discount. Astera Labs is a fabless semiconductor…
Copyright ©2026 Investor’s Business Daily, LLC. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The industry’s biggest legislation has faced yet another setback. The US Senate will not take up the crypto market structure bill before lawmakers leave Washington for the month-long recess, pushing the vote to September instead.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, speaking through a spokesperson, confirmed there will be no vote on the CLARITY Act in August but said the measure is expected to be considered once the Senate returns.
Thune said Democrats remained opposed to holding a vote before the recess.
“The Dems are insistent on no CLARITY vote… I worked with sponsors of the bill. Senator Lummis was great, and we’re getting that queued up first thing when we come back.”
CLARITY Act on Hold
With the vote pushed back, senators now have several more weeks to gather the support needed for the legislation. The bill requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate, meaning it cannot pass without some Democratic votes.
Democrats are pushing for stronger safeguards to stop President Donald Trump from benefiting financially from crypto while serving in office. Support from Republicans has also been uncertain in recent weeks. For instance, Senator Josh Hawley earlier said that he will oppose the bill unless it is changed to address concerns from community banks.
Even if the Senate passes the CLARITY Act, the process will not end there. The legislation must go back to the House for approval before it can be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature.
Not everyone sees it as a major blow to the industry. Before the Senate confirmed the delay, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan had stated that missing the August vote would not derail the industry’s long-term growth. He expects lawmakers could revive the legislation when Congress returns in September or during the year-end session.
Hougan said the biggest concern is the uncertainty surrounding the bill, which has kept some institutional investors on the sidelines. While a failed vote could trigger a short-term market dip, he believes a clearer outlook may ultimately boost confidence and support a stronger crypto rally later this year. He also noted that the SEC could still introduce crypto-friendly regulations.
Market Reaction
Major cryptocurrencies drew a muted response following the Senate update. Bitcoin traded around $64,100 on Friday, while Ethereum slipped below $1,900. XRP posted the biggest decline among large-cap tokens and lost over 2.5% to trade at $1.02.
BNB also moved lower, falling 1.4% to $587, while Solana slipped more than 1.7% to $72.6.
The post CLARITY Act Stalls in Senate as Political Divisions Push Crypto Bill Into September appeared first on CryptoPotato.
The Government Accountability Office found that the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) Wall of Receipts includes savings estimates that are incorrect or lack supporting evidence, casting doubt on the $110 billion the entity claims it cut from federal spending.
The report examined the DOGE Wall of Receipts, the public ledger the initiative used to display cuts to federal contracts, grants, and leases.
What the GAO Audit of DOGE Found
The GAO published its review on August 6. It assessed savings data DOGE reported from January 20, 2025, through July 7, 2026.
DOGE launched the Wall of Receipts on February 17, 2025, weeks after President Donald Trump created the entity by executive order. According to the report, DOGE listed $110.3 billion in savings as of early July.
Roughly $61 billion came from contracts and $49.2 billion from grants, according to the audit. However, the report found “issues limiting the transparency and reliability of these reported savings.”
“While the Wall of Receipts includes some information about the data and sources underlying reported savings, it does not sufficiently disclose limitations affecting data quality,” the report read.
Of the 13,476 contracts marked as terminated, more than a quarter carried no identifying details. That left them impossible to check. Only 43% of the reported contract savings were tied to contracts that were actually terminated, in full or in part.
The picture was worse for grants. GAO said DOGE reported 96% of its grant savings without enough information to verify how it calculated the figure.
Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens
Savings That Never Happened
One example stands out. DOGE claimed more than $1.7 billion in savings on a Defense Health Agency technology contract at more than 700 military treatment facilities. GAO found the contract was never touched. So, nothing was actually saved.
Leases told a similar story. Of 264 still listed, 108 were already being wound down before DOGE launched. Real lease savings came to $31.8 million, not the $113 million claimed. The gap left roughly $81 million in savings that never existed.
GAO urged the Executive Office of the President, working through the US DOGE Service, to display the data’s limitations clearly on the public site. The agency said that DOGE did not respond to its request for information or interviews.
The findings arrive after DOGE quietly collapsed months early and formally ended on July 4. Elon Musk, who once led the effort, has since ruled out repeating it.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights
The post Government Auditors Question Evidence Behind DOGE’s $110 Billion Savings Claim appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
AI Marketing Stock Hits A Buy Zone In Scorching Four-Day Rally| Investor’s Business Daily
Artificial-intelligence-powered cloud marketing platform operator Zeta Global (ZETA) spiked and broke out of a cup base on Wednesday. The big move came after the AI marketing company late Tuesday increased its 2026 revenue forecast. These are a couple of the reasons why Zeta is Wednesday’s focus among IBD 50 Growth Stocks To Watch. “With new momentum from our collaborations with…
Copyright ©2026 Investor’s Business Daily, LLC. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
McDonald’s (MCD) reported mixed second-quarter results Tuesday, citing execution issues that hurt performance. It also named a new head of its U.S. business. Meanwhile, Shake Shack (SHAK) rallied on news that an activist fund acquired a stake in the company. McDonald’s earnings rose 6% to $3.38 per share year-over-year, excluding charges, which beat the consensus estimate of $3.32. Sales climbed…
Copyright ©2026 Investor’s Business Daily, LLC. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Ten European financial institutions, including ABN AMRO, DekaBank, DZ BANK and Natixis CIB, launched Regulated Layer One, a jointly owned blockchain network for regulated financial markets, the group said in a press release published Tuesday. The launch consolidates one of Europe's longest-running… Read the full story at The Defiant
Wintermute USA has registered as a broker dealer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and joined FINRA, giving the crypto market maker a regulated foothold in American securities markets.
Summary
- Wintermute USA registered with the SEC and FINRA, formally entering regulated U.S. securities markets nationwide.
- The broker dealer can trade equities, equity options and provide proprietary liquidity across national exchanges.
- Wintermute can pursue authorized participant roles for ETPs, including products tied directly to digital assets.
- CEO Evgeny Gaevoy says Wintermute targets Wall Street market makers within three to five years.
- Tokenized equities remain a future expansion area, subject to additional regulatory permission and market approvals.
Wintermute announced the registration on Aug. 6, saying the New York based affiliate will focus on proprietary trading and exchange traded product services.
The move brings Wintermute closer to traditional market making roles that were previously unavailable to its U.S. operation. The Wall Street Journal reported that the firm is now eligible to seek designated market maker status on exchanges including the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. That status is not automatic and would require additional exchange approvals.
Wintermute USA gains access to regulated securities trading
Under the new registration, Wintermute USA can trade traditional equities and equity options for its own account, provide liquidity to national securities exchanges and over the counter counterparties, and act as an authorized participant for exchange traded products. The company also said the unit can self clear digital asset securities transactions for its proprietary account.
Wintermute stressed that the U.S. business is focused exclusively on proprietary trading and ETP services. The registration places the entity under SEC oversight and FINRA membership requirements, including rules covering capital, supervision, recordkeeping and trading conduct. Wintermute also cautioned that FINRA registration should not be viewed as a regulatory endorsement.
The firm already has experience around U.S. crypto funds. SEC filings for Fidelity’s Bitcoin and Ether products have listed Wintermute Trading Ltd as a trading counterparty, while firms such as Jane Street and Virtu have served as authorized participants. Becoming a registered U.S. broker dealer creates a route for Wintermute USA to pursue roles that require securities market registration, although each fund or exchange relationship would still require separate agreements and approvals.
Wintermute wants a larger role in ETF market making
The Wall Street Journal reported that Wintermute USA has already secured ETF issuers as clients. CEO Evgeny Gaevoy said the company plans to start in markets close to its existing expertise, including commodities and digital asset ETFs, before considering a broader move into tokenized equities if regulators permit it.
Gaevoy also set an ambitious competitive target. He said Wintermute wants to challenge established firms including Jump Trading, Jane Street and Citadel Securities “within three to five years.” That goal remains forward looking. Wintermute has not disclosed market share targets, expected U.S. revenue or a timetable for obtaining designated market maker status.
The company says its global group handles more than $10 billion in average daily trading volume across more than 60 centralized and decentralized venues. That scale gives Wintermute experience in automated pricing and liquidity provision, but regulated U.S. equity market making has different operational, capital and compliance requirements.
Tokenized equities form the longer term opportunity
Wintermute’s interest in tokenized stocks predates the broker dealer registration. In September 2025, the firm submitted feedback to the SEC Crypto Task Force asking regulators to clarify how registered dealers can trade tokenized securities for their own accounts, self custody those assets and settle transactions onchain.
The registration therefore gives Wintermute a regulated entity that could participate if U.S. rules for tokenized securities continue developing. NYSE has also pursued a framework for tokenized securities to trade alongside conventional shares while using established clearing infrastructure. Those initiatives show how crypto native trading firms and traditional exchanges are moving toward overlapping market structures.
Wintermute had already been building its U.S. presence before securing the registration. As crypto.news reported in May 2025, it opened a New York headquarters and appointed former Blockchain Association executive Ron Hammond to lead advocacy.
What happens next for Wintermute USA
The immediate next step is execution rather than another automatic regulatory milestone. Wintermute USA can operate within the permissions described in its registration, but becoming an authorized participant for particular ETFs or a designated market maker on an exchange requires additional arrangements.
Likewise, the planned tokenized equity expansion depends on regulatory permission and market infrastructure that is still evolving. Wintermute’s own release described its tokenization ambitions as part of a future strategy rather than an approved business line.
For now, the broker dealer registration gives Wintermute a regulated platform for proprietary securities trading and ETP services in the U.S. It also narrows a structural gap between the firm’s crypto market making operation and traditional Wall Street firms that already sit inside ETF creation, redemption and exchange market making systems.
Safe smart accounts processed nearly 130 million transactions in the second quarter, the highest quarterly total in the protocol's history and a 5.7% increase from Q1, the Safe Ecosystem Foundation said in its Q2 2026 report published Wednesday. The record quarter came against a weaker market, a… Read the full story at The Defiant
Cointelegraph is committed to providing independent, high-quality journalism across the crypto, blockchain, AI, and fintech industries.
All news, reviews, and analyses are produced with full journalistic independence and integrity. For more details on our standards and processes, please read our Editorial Policy.
A bipartisan ethics proposal pitched to US President Donald Trump to secure passage of the crypto market structure bill in Congress could create a significant tax benefit for the president, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
The ethics addendum, which has not been made public, includes a provision requiring the president to divest from crypto-related businesses, according to people familiar with the matter. The proposal would reportedly allow Trump to defer capital gains taxes on any required divestitures, potentially leading to tax savings in the millions.
Democratic concerns over Trump’s crypto conflicts have been a central obstacle to passing the market-structure bill. Senators have been working on an ethics addendum meant to break that impasse, though the reported tax-deferral benefit could become another point of contention for Democrats to question whether the president’s financial interests are genuinely curbed.
Cointelegraph reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Related: US Senate pushes CLARITY Act vote to September: Report
Trump’s annual financial disclosure report for 2025, released at the end of June, revealed the US president saw $1.4 billion in income from crypto-related ventures last year.
According to the 927-page disclosure, the licensing and sale of memecoins such as Official Trump (TRUMP) generated the most income for Trump, with about $635 million coming from “royalties” in a “license agreement with Celebration Coins.”
Meanwhile, the Trump family’s DeFi platform, World Liberty Financial, was the second-biggest earner, generating about $588 million from “proceeds from token sales.”
The disclosure also revealed that Trump earned $197 from the sale of an equity interest in a stablecoin venture.
Meanwhile, disclosures on World Liberty’s website show that DT Marks DEFI LLC, an entity affiliated with Trump and certain family members, owns “approximately 38% of the equity interests” in World Liberty’s parent company.
Magazine: CLARITY hopes fade, BitMEX shuts as lawsuit looms: Hodler’s Digest, July 26
Honeywell Aerospace Shares Plunge 20% as Newly Spun-Off Company Slashes 2026 Sales Outlook on Its First Report
Astera Labs Stock Strategy Etches Path Toward A Large Return
Hallmark Mystery Franchises by the Numbers: Film Guide
Renter of Home in Anne Heche Crash Denies Settlement With Son
No Jackpot Winner as $257 Million Prize Rolls Over to $269 Million Monday Draw
Weekend Open Thread: Staud – Corporette.com
5 things everyone should do to become rich #money #habits #motivation
Chanakya’s Money Rule: Master These 3 Things & Build Wealth Faster #tamilmotivation #tamilshorts
Thank you letter for financial help #thankyouletter #thankyou #financialhelp
-
Fashion7 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Wit & Wisdom
-
Politics6 days agoMeta enters AI-training agreement with far-right ‘propaganda rag’ Newsmax
-
Politics5 days agoZack Polanski: an incitement to murder Nigel Farage?
-
Crypto World6 days agoMicroStrategy Post-Earnings CLARITY Act Push Could Add New Catalyst for Its Stock
-
Crypto World6 days agoXRP Ledger v3.3.0 brings five institutional features
-
Crypto World6 days agoNew York sues Kalshi over prediction market gambling
-
Crypto World5 days agoCrypto PAC spending tops $2M in Michigan House race
-
Business7 days agoTrump Announces Hamas Disarmament Agreement as Iran Strikes Kuwait Air Base and US Attacks Pause Overnight
-
Business4 days agoDTCR: Deleveraging And A Hedge Fund Collapse Point To A Possible AI Bottom
-
Crypto World6 days ago3 Fed Officials Just Explained Their Rate Hike Vote: Is Inflation Winning?
-
Tech5 days agoESET tracks rise in malicious AI skills and adaptable malware
-
Crypto World5 days ago
XRP Ledger urges node upgrade after manifest flood
-
Tech7 days agoGemini Spark can now use Chrome logins and saved passwords to run errands on your behalf
-
Tech7 days agoBuilding A Reproduction PlayStation Motherboard
-
Sports6 days agoFrance Cricket implodes: letters hidden in a drawer and a board at war
-
Crypto World6 days agoMoneyflip CEO charged in $40K murder-for-hire plot
-
Sports6 days agoBruno Fernandes decision made as Man United ‘discuss’ striker transfer option
-
News Videos5 days agoFinancial Crash Expert: The 90-Day Collapse Timeline They Are Desperately Hiding.
-
Sports1 day agoJordan Coyle & Cordiamo take Laya Arena Stakes at RDS
-
Sports6 days agoCommonwealth Games 2026 Live Updates | Day 9 CWG 2026: Lovlina Borgohain, Sachin Siwach Enter Final After Indian Judokas Script History
You must be logged in to post a comment Login