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MARA Bitcoin miner posts $1.7B quarterly loss as BTC slumps

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In its latest quarterly update, MARA Holdings confronted a stark reality: even as its bitcoin mining fleet generated fewer coins, the company’s balance sheet was weighed down by falling crypto valuations and a strategic pivot away from pure mining. MARA reported a fourth-quarter 2025 net loss of $1.71 billion, or $4.52 per diluted share, compared with a year-earlier net income of $528.3 million. Revenue slipped 6% year over year to $202.3 million, as a softer Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price offset a higher hashrate. For the full year, the firm posted a net loss of $1.31 billion on revenue of $907.1 million, reversing 2024’s $541 million profit.

Key takeaways

  • MARA’s Q4 2025 net loss was $1.71 billion and revenue was $202.3 million, with earnings pressured by the decline in BTC prices despite a higher mining hashrate.
  • For the full year 2025, the company recorded a net loss of $1.31 billion on $907.1 million in revenue, reversing 2024’s profit as crypto prices remained volatile.
  • A $1.5 billion negative adjustment to the fair value of digital assets and receivables contributed to the quarterly loss, reflecting BTC price declines from around $114,300 on Sept. 30 to $88,800 on Dec. 31 (per CoinGecko).
  • MAR A’s BTC holdings at year-end totaled 53,822, with 15,315 pledged or loaned, and the balance-sheet BTC carried a roughly $4.7 billion value at quarter-end prices.
  • The company unveiled a strategic pivot into AI and high-performance compute, including a joint venture with Starwood Digital Ventures to build data centers at power-rich sites, initially targeting more than 1 GW of IT capacity and potentially expanding to 2.5 GW.
  • In February, MARA acquired a 64% stake in Exaion to pursue sovereign-grade and enterprise AI deployments as part of the broader diversification plan.

Tickers mentioned: $BTC, $MARA

Sentiment: Bearish

Price impact: Negative. MARA’s stock has fallen about 46% over the past six months as results and strategic pivots weigh on investor sentiment.

Trading idea (Not Financial Advice): Hold. While the transition toward AI/HPC is notable, near-term investors should watch project execution and BTC price stability before reassessing risk/reward.

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Market context: The results come amid a broader crypto downturn where mining economics remain sensitive to BTC price swings, regulator signals, and capital allocation shifts among miners pursuing diversified revenue streams rather than pure hodling or mining.

Why it matters

The quarterly and annual figures underscore a pivotal moment for MARA as it moves beyond a pure-play bitcoin miner toward an energy and digital infrastructure company. The heavy accounting hit from the fair value of digital assets illustrates how price volatility can disproportionately affect mining-focused models, even when production levels hold steady or improve. By contrast, the balance sheet remains robust in crypto terms, with a substantial BTC stash that, on paper, still carries significant value given the ongoing, albeit uneven, interest in asset-backed mining operations.

Beyond the numbers, the strategic pivot is the centerpiece. MARA’s collaboration with Starwood Digital Ventures aims to unlock a significant AI/HPC footprint on existing energy-rich sites, a move that could open new revenue channels independent of BTC cycles. The plan envisions more than 1 gigawatt of IT capacity in the initial phase, with a roadmap to exceed 2.5 GW over time. Crucially, MARA retains the option to invest up to 50% in individual projects, while continuing to mine where power remains economical. This hybrid model reflects a broader industry trend: miners seeking to hedge against crypto price volatility by anchoring operations in data centers and AI workloads that can generate steady, long-term demand.

Additionally, the February acquisition of a 64% stake in Exaion signals a concrete push into AI deployments that could leverage MARA’s grid-scale energy footprint. Exaion’s focus on sovereign-grade and enterprise AI deployments aligns with the growing demand for specialized compute resources, particularly at the intersection of crypto mining infrastructure and high-performance compute networks. As more miners explore blended business models, MARA’s approach stands out for attempting to formalize AI-centric data center capacity alongside mining operations.

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In comparison, peers are testing similar pivots with varying degrees of commitment. Some miners are leaning into large AI data-center leases, while others continue to emphasize a combined strategy of mining and hoarding BTC to preserve, and potentially grow, crypto exposure. The sector’s direction remains dependent on macro conditions, including BTC price trajectories, energy costs, and regulatory developments that could influence the economics of large-scale mining and data-center deployments alike.

The financials also hint at the balancing act between growth investments and shareholder value. If the Starwood joint venture and Exaion initiatives deliver on capacity and utilization, MARA could unlock a multi-year path toward diversified cash flows. Yet the immediate picture is clouded by historical volatility in the crypto markets and the challenge of turning large capex programs into near-term profits. Investors will be watching how the company manages capital deployment, debt, and any potential tranche financing to accelerate its AI/HPC push while supporting ongoing mining operations.

The company’s overall strategy, while ambitious, mirrors a broader move within the crypto hardware space toward building resilient, diversified platforms. As data centers become a more common anchor for crypto firms, MARA’s ability to translate capacity into meaningful revenue streams will be a key test for the model’s sustainability in a market where price signals for BTC remain bifurcated and often unpredictable.

What to watch next

  • Progress updates on the Starwood Digital Ventures AI/HPC data-center partnership, including projected milestones for the initial >1 GW capacity and any expansions toward 2.5 GW.
  • Operational and financial details on Exaion deployments and contracts, particularly any sovereign-grade AI projects and enterprise compute commitments.
  • Bitcoin price movements and realized/batched mining yields as MARA advances its hybrid strategy, plus any changes to the company’s balance-sheet BTC position or collateral arrangements.
  • Any capital-raising efforts, debt restructurings, or financing agreements tied to the new AI/HPC initiatives and data-center builds.
  • Regulatory developments affecting crypto mining, energy use, and AI infrastructure deployments that could impact project economics or timelines.

Sources & verification

  • MARA Holdings Q4 2025 shareholder letter filed with the SEC (SEC: q425shareholderletter.htm).
  • Bitcoin price data used for the fair value discussion (CoinGecko: bitcoin).
  • Company updates and stock performance coverage (Yahoo Finance: MARA).
  • Exaion stake and AI/HPC deployments referenced in MARA communications (Cointelegraph article on Exaion stake).

Key figures and next steps

What the announcement changes

The fourth quarter reports reveal a company navigating a difficult macro environment for mining while actively pursuing a structural shift toward AI-enabled data centers. If successful, the Starwood JV and Exaion partnerships could provide MARA with nonmining revenue streams that weather BTC price cycles. The path forward will hinge on project execution, the pace of capacity buildup, and the ability to translate compute demand into sustained profitability.

Sources & verification

  • SEC filing: q425shareholderletter.htm
  • CoinGecko data: bitcoin
  • Yahoo Finance: MARA
  • Exaion stake coverage: Cointelegraph

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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Solana Treasury Giant Nears $1 Billion Loss on SOL Bet

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Solana Treasury Giant Nears $1 Billion Loss on SOL Bet

Forward Industries’ CIO says the company aims to become the “Berkshire Hathaway of the Solana ecosystem,” even as its treasury approaches $1 billion in unrealized losses.

The statement comes as SOL has declined nearly 30% year-to-date, a drop that is impacting balance sheets across major Solana-focused digital asset treasury (DAT) firms.

Solana’s Price Decline Deepens Institutional Pain

Forward Industries is the largest institutional holder of Solana. The company began accumulating SOL in September 2025 after raising approximately $1.65 billion through a private investment in public equity (PIPE), backed by Galaxy Digital, Jump Crypto, and Multicoin Capital.

According to the latest data from CoinGecko, it holds over 6.9 million SOL. The firm acquired its position at an average price of around $230 per token, implying a total cost basis of roughly $1.59 billion.

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Forward Industries’ Solana Holdings. Source: CoinGecko

With the altcoin trading near $87, the company’s stake is now worth approximately $605.2 million. That represents an unrealized loss of nearly $1 billion, or roughly 62% from its average entry price.

Furthermore, FWDI shares have fallen from over $39 to roughly $5 since the company started buying SOL. According to Google Finance data, the stock price declined by 31.47% in 2026 alone.

Forward Industries Stock Price
Forward Industries Stock Price. Source: Google Finance

Despite the drawdown, the firm’s conviction remains strong. Company leadership has outlined an ambitious long-term vision that transcends short-term volatility.

“Our longer-term aspiration is to be the Berkshire Hathaway of the Solana ecosystem. We believe Solana is best positioned as the blockchain for the future of internet capital markets,” Forward Industries’ CIO Ryan Navi said.

According to CoinGecko treasury data, Forward Industries is not alone. Firms like DeFi Development Corp, Upexi, and Sharps Technology are also sitting on significant unrealized losses as Solana’s price continues to slide.

The losses extend well beyond Solana-focused firms. Bitmine’s Ethereum (ETH) holdings have produced unrealized losses exceeding $7 billion. Meanwhile, Strategy’s Bitcoin (BTC) position carries paper losses of roughly $5 billion, according to Saylortracker data.

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The broader DAT model, in which publicly listed companies hold crypto assets as their primary balance sheet instrument, is showing its vulnerabilities as a synchronized market decline compresses asset values while equity investors reprice risk.

Solana Launches “Solana Payments” Amid Ecosystem Momentum

Despite price struggles, ecosystem developments have continued. Yesterday, the team introduced Solana Payments, a new initiative to accelerate on-chain payment adoption.

According to the network, major players, including Visa, PayPal, Stripe, Western Union, and Fiserv, are running live products on the network, not just pilots. It also stated that the network has processed over 480 billion transactions and facilitates approximately $2 trillion in stablecoin transfers per quarter.

“Payments.org has everything you need to start building: Live payment simulator. Developer docs. Case studies from the biggest names in finance,” the post read.

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Thus, while ecosystem development continues and institutional narratives remain ambitious, prolonged price weakness is testing balance sheets and investor confidence alike. Forward Industries’ bet on SOL’s long-term value may yet prove correct, but the timeline and the market’s patience for it remain open questions.

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Ethereum 2029 Roadmap: ETH to Become the High-Speed Internet of Value

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Ethereum 2029 Roadmap: ETH to Become the High-Speed Internet of Value

Ethereum just put a timestamp on its ambition, and the new roadmap could shape its price valuation. The Foundation’s new “Strawmap” (roadmap) targets a high-throughput settlement layer by 2029, cutting finality from around 16 minutes to seconds and aiming for 1 gigagas per second directly on Layer 1.

Instead of leaning almost entirely on Layer-2s for speed, Ethereum wants the base layer itself to become faster, tougher, and globally competitive with traditional financial rails.

Key Takeaways

  • The Target: The roadmap aims for 10,000 TPS (1 gigagas/s) on Layer 1 and up to 10 million TPS on Layer 2 via data availability sampling.
  • The Shift: Introduction of “Minimmit” single-slot finality intends to reduce transaction irreversible time from roughly 16 minutes to 6–16 seconds.
  • The Timeline: Developers are planning seven hard forks on a six-month cycle through 2029 to implement these changes incrementally.

The Strawmap or Ethereum Roadmap: 10,000 TPS and Instant Finality

The big number is 10,000 TPS on Layer 1.

The Strawmap targets roughly 1 gigagas per second using zkEVMs and real-time proving. Today, transactions are included quickly but take around 16 minutes to reach finality. The new goal is 6 to 16 seconds, which is critical for serious financial use.

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To get there, Ethereum plans up to seven hard forks through 2029. Slot times would gradually fall from 12 seconds to 8, and eventually toward near single-second blocks. That delays any push toward full “ossification” and prioritizes performance.

Source: Justin Drake

Vitalik has acknowledged that earlier assumptions about relying almost entirely on L2s need revision. If rollups are expected to process millions of TPS, the base layer must handle far more load itself.

For institutions, the message is clear. Ethereum wants to become a settlement infrastructure capable of supporting heavy, real-world financial flows without congestion.

Ethereum Roadmap: L1 Velocity vs. L2 Scale

For years, the message was simple: scale on Layer 2. The Strawmap adjusts that stance. Scale on L2, but make Layer 1 fast enough so it does not become the bottleneck. Ethereum is reacting to competitive pressure.

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Vitalik has acknowledged that earlier assumptions about L2 reliance need updating. If rollups are expected to process millions of TPS, the base layer must comfortably handle around 10,000 TPS. Faster finality also matters for emerging AI-driven use cases, where agents require near-instant settlement to execute complex on-chain strategies.

The proposed shift toward techniques like erasure coding signals a deeper focus on data propagation and network efficiency. If successful, Ethereum strengthens its position as a high-speed settlement layer. If not, it risks ceding performance perception to faster, more centralized alternatives.

Ethereum Price Analysis: The Path to 2029 Valuation

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The market reacted fast, with ETH whipping around the $2,060 area after the roadmap dropped. Long term, the plan gives investors a structural anchor. It signals Ethereum does not intend to fall behind faster monolithic chains.

Source: ETHUSD / TradingView

Technically, Ethereum price is compressing. $2,150 is the key resistance. A clean break there opens the path toward $2,400. On the downside, $2,000 is the short-term pivot, and $1,920 to $1,800 is the structural support zone if sentiment turns.

Execution risk matters. If slot-time reductions and early upgrades slip past late 2026, the market could reprice lower. The move toward erasure coding shows the Foundation is tackling core data bottlenecks. If it works, Ethereum strengthens its case as a high-speed settlement infrastructure. If not, it risks being overshadowed by faster alternatives.

For now, holding $2,000 keeps the bullish structure alive. Losing $1,920 would weaken the setup until a new catalyst appears.

Discover: Here are the crypto likely to explode!

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The post Ethereum 2029 Roadmap: ETH to Become the High-Speed Internet of Value appeared first on Cryptonews.

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MARA and Block rally while CoreWeave tumbles on margin pressure

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MARA and Block rally while CoreWeave tumbles on margin pressure

Earnings season is wrapping up with a mixed bag of results across crypto miners, AI infrastructure plays and fintech names, including MARA Holdings (MARA), TerraWulf (WULF), CoreWeave (CRWV) and Block (XYZ).

Bitcoin has remained relatively flat around $67,000 during Asia and European hours, with limited movement spilling over into other crypto related equities.

MARA Holdings jumped 16% to $9.80 after striking a deal with Starwood Capital to convert select bitcoin mining facilities into AI focused data centers. The partners expect to deliver about 1 gigawatt of capacity in the near term, with plans to scale beyond 2.5 gigawatts.

The pivot reflects a broader shift among miners looking to monetize power access as AI compute demand surges, following Bitfarms (BITF) and Cipher Digital (CIFR) amongst others.

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TerraWulf is trading 3.5% lower at $17 after its Q4 print, with revenue down due to lower bitcoin production and transitional GAAP optics.

However, executives emphasized that the key story is the ramp in contracted high performance computing revenue. The company has expanded from one site a year ago to five today and expects about 2.9 gigawatts of gross capacity by year end, according to head of digital assets VanEck, Matthew Sigel.

CoreWeave shares are down 12% despite revenue of $1.57 billion, beating expectations of $1.53 billion. The company reported weaker than forecasted Q1 revenue guidance, in addition to an increase in capital expenditure, which raised concerns about profitability and cash burn. EPS came in at -$0.89 versus -$0.68 expected, a 31% miss.

Block is up 20% after announcing it will cut more than 40% of its workforce, reducing headcount to about 6,000. While management pointed to AI driven efficiencies, investors are also weighing longer term margin pressure from stablecoin based payment rails.

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The company guided Q1 operating income to $600M versus $574M expected, forecast Q1 gross profit of $2.8B versus $2.72B consensus and raised full year gross profit, according to Sigel.

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BofA Lifts Caterpillar Price Target to $825 Following Robust Full-Year Performance

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CAT Stock Card

TLDR

  • BofA increased Caterpillar’s price target from $735 to $825, maintaining its Buy recommendation following impressive 2025 financial results.
  • The industrial giant delivered $67.6 billion in annual revenue with 4% growth, while its Power & Energy division jumped 23% to $9.4 billion.
  • CNBC’s Jim Cramer expressed support for CAT’s turbine business but suggested Cummins (CMI) offers better value at current levels.
  • February saw short positions increase by approximately 61%, while company insiders offloaded more than $98 million in shares during the last quarter.
  • Trading at roughly 40 times earnings after a 124% annual surge, CAT faces a consensus analyst price target of $712.52 with a “Moderate Buy” average recommendation.

Caterpillar (CAT) has experienced an impressive rally. Shares have climbed 124% during the past year and gained 28% since the beginning of 2025, starting Friday’s session at $752.81.


CAT Stock Card
Caterpillar Inc., CAT

Following the release of Caterpillar’s full-year 2025 financial results, Bank of America wasted no time adjusting its outlook. The investment bank elevated its price objective on CAT from $735 to $825 while reaffirming its Buy recommendation.

BofA’s analysis was clear-cut. Caterpillar is experiencing turbine demand from multiple sectors extending far beyond data center applications, which the firm believes undermines concerns about potential turbine oversupply in the market.

The financial performance supported this thesis. Caterpillar generated $67.6 billion in total revenue throughout 2025, representing a 4% year-over-year improvement. The Power & Energy division emerged as the star performer, expanding 23% to achieve $9.4 billion in sales.

Fourth-quarter performance was equally impressive. The company delivered earnings per share of $5.16 for the period, surpassing the analyst consensus of $4.67. Revenue reached $19.13 billion, significantly exceeding projections of $17.81 billion. This represented a 17.9% increase compared to the corresponding quarter one year prior.

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Jim Cramer recently shared his thoughts on CAT, stating plainly, “We like their stuff.” He highlighted turbines and power equipment as the foundation of the optimistic investment thesis.

However, Cramer also expressed some reservation. When a club member inquired in January about entering a position, he noted the stock had already experienced a substantial appreciation and said he’d prefer to see a pullback before adding exposure. He indicated he currently finds Cummins (CMI) more attractive than CAT at present valuations.

Cramer also offered criticism regarding retail investor participation, suggesting that Caterpillar’s leadership team should be working harder to engage individual investors — and questioning why an iconic American corporation trades at $749.

Analyst Ratings Split

The overall analyst community remains divided. CAT currently has sixteen Buy ratings, seven Hold ratings, and one Sell rating. The average price target stands at $712.52, which actually falls below the stock’s current trading level.

Wells Fargo pushed its target to $870 alongside an Overweight rating. Daiwa elevated its projection to $790. Jefferies established a $750 target with a Buy recommendation. Oppenheimer moved to $729 with an Outperform rating. Morgan Stanley, however, only increased its target to $425 while maintaining an Underweight stance.

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Wall Street Zen downgraded CAT from Buy to Hold on February 21st.

Insider Selling and Short Interest

Not all market participants are bullish. Executive Denise C. Johnson divested 39,138 shares on February 2nd at an average price of $681.08, totaling more than $26.6 million. This transaction represented a 47% reduction in her stake.

Insider Bob De Lange executed his own sale on February 6th, offloading 22,656 shares at $720.11 for approximately $16.3 million. Throughout the past 90 days, company insiders have collectively sold $98.2 million worth of shares.

Short interest also surged roughly 61% during February, indicating that some market participants are positioning for a decline.

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Institutional investors control 70.98% of CAT’s outstanding shares. Erste Asset Management expanded its stake by 32.7% in Q3, purchasing 33,634 shares. Norges Bank established a new position valued at more than $2.1 billion in Q2.

CAT’s 52-week trading range extends from $267.30 to $789.81. The stock currently trades at a P/E ratio of 40 with a market capitalization of $350.27 billion. The upcoming quarterly dividend is $1.51 per share, translating to an annualized distribution of $6.04 and a yield of 0.8%.

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Suspected Insider Wallets Net $1.2M Betting on ZachXBT’s Axiom Expose

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Suspected Insider Wallets Net $1.2M Betting on ZachXBT’s Axiom Expose

A small group of crypto wallets won more than $1.2 million betting on a Polymarket contract tied to an onchain investigation into decentralized finance (DeFi) trading platform Axiom, fueling fresh concerns that prediction markets can reward people with advance knowledge of market-moving disclosures.

The eight most profitable wallets on the market collectively made about $1.2 million, according to trading data compiled on Dune. The same dataset showed more than 50 wallets posting combined losses of roughly $1.23 million, while two wallets lost about $366,000.

Eight out of the top 10 wallets are likely insider addresses, judging by their onchain transaction patterns, according to onchain researcher Defioasis. “There are 3 addresses that achieved profits exceeding $100,000, all of which are insider addresses that traded only this single market,” said the researcher in a Friday X post.

Top wallets betting on Axiom in ZachXBT’s insider exposé. Source: Dune

ZachXBT released the much-anticipated investigation on Thursday, alleging that Axiom employee Broox Bauer and others had been responsible for insider trading activity since early 2025.

Transactions, Social Media, Investigation, Polymarket
Source: ZachXBT

In an X response to the incident, Axiom said it was “shocked and disappointed” in the news and that it had removed access to the tools that were used in the alleged insider trading.

Related: Analysts reject Jane Street ‘10 a.m. dump’ claims, say Bitcoin isn’t easily manipulated

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Prediction markets raise insider trading allegations

Insider trading concerns in prediction markets mounted in early January after a highly profitable bet on the removal of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro by the US raised eyebrows.

On Jan. 3, a Polymarket account placed a bet on a contract predicting that Maduro would be removed from office just hours before US forces captured him in a military operation, netting the user about $400,000 in profit.  

US lawmakers have since proposed legislation aimed at restricting political prediction market trading by government officials, adding to the regulatory spotlight on the sector.

Related: Solo Bitcoin miner bags over $200K block reward using rented hashrate

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Polymarket faces growing regulatory scrutiny on gambling concerns

Polymarket, the largest decentralized prediction market, has faced mounting regulatory pressure in several countries where authorities have argued that the platform offers unlicensed gambling.

Hungary and Portugal blocked access to the platform in January, citing concerns related to forbidden gambling activities.

A week earlier, Ukraine blocked Polymarket, classifying its activities as unlicensed gambling under national law.

Polymarket has also been restricted or blocked in several other countries over gambling concerns, including France, Belgium, Poland, Singapore and Switzerland.

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Magazine: Inside a 30,000 phone bot farm stealing crypto airdrops from real users