Crypto World
Metaplanet (3350) raises $255 million in equity deal to accelerate BTC accumulation
Japanese bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet (3350) said it raised about 40.8 billion yen ($255 million) from global institutional investors through a placement of new shares, part of a financing structure that could provide up to $531 million in total capital to support its bitcoin accumulation strategy.
The Tokyo-listed company priced the new shares at a 2% premium to the market price. The placement was paired with fixed-strike warrants carrying a 10% premium, which could generate an additional 44.5 billion yen if exercised.
The company also introduced a new series of moving strike warrants with what it described as the first mNAV (multiple to net asset value) clause attached to stock acquisition rights.
The mechanism allows the warrants to be exercised only when the company’s shares trade at least 1.01 times its modified net asset value, a metric comparing the firm’s market capitalization with the value of its bitcoin holdings. Metaplanet said the structure ensures any new share issuance increases bitcoin holdings per share.
To manage dilution, the company also suspended the exercise of previously issued warrants representing up to 210 million shares, prioritizing the new structure instead.
Metaplanet plans to use the funds primarily to expand its bitcoin reserves as it pushes toward its long-term goal of holding 210,000 BTC.
Metaplanet closed 5% higher on Monday as bitcoin climbed above $73,000. The firm is the world’s fourth-largest corporate bitcoin treasury company, holding 35,102 BTC.
Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the world’s largest public holder of Bitcoin, continued aggressively stacking Bitcoin last week, bringing the company’s total reserves to above 760,000 BTC.
Strategy acquired 22,337 Bitcoin (BTC) for $1.57 billion last week, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday.
The purchase ranks among the five largest Bitcoin acquisitions by Strategy on record, following a massive 17,994 Bitcoin buy for $1.28 billion a week earlier.
The purchase was made at an average price of $70,194 per Bitcoin, below the company’s overall average acquisition price of $75,696, Strategy said. Bitcoin averaged a price of $70,571 for the week of March 9-15, based on daily closing prices.
The acquisition brings its holdings to 761,068 BTC, acquired for a total cost of roughly $57.61 billion, the company said.
STRC now the most liquid preferred stock in the market, Saylor says
The purchase came amid Strategy selling record amounts of its perpetual preferred equity, Stretch (STRC), after easing its sales rules on March 9.
“This was the first week Strategy could run the STRC ATM in extended hours with a second broker,” Bitcoin Quant founder Rohan Hirani noted in a post on X.
Related: Strive allocates $50M of treasury to Strategy’s STRC preferred stock
According to STRC Live, the stock saw a record week last week, with 10,767 BTC estimated to be bought across four active days.
According to the filing, Strategy sold 11.9 million STRC shares for $1.18 billion during the week, with net proceeds accounting for 75% of the entire purchase. The company also sold 2.8 million Common A shares (MSTR), generating $396 million.
With Strategy now holding 761,068 BTC, the company would need to acquire 238,932 BTC to reach 1 million, an average of about 5,700 BTC per week over the remaining 42 weeks of 2026.
Magazine: Bitcoin’s ‘narrative vacuum,’ Ethereum now inevitable: Trade Secrets
Opinion by: Neil Staunton, CEO and co-founder of Superset
Crypto is one of the most innovative corners of finance. New protocols launch every week. New market designs are constantly tested, and experimentation moves fast. But innovation alone can’t build financial systems that institutions can rely on.
There’s a reason traditional finance is deliberately boring. It shouldn’t be a rollercoaster of emotions or surprises. When money is involved, reliability is much more important than novelty. Predictable settlement, consistent pricing and clear risk boundaries are what allow capital to move at scale. Without them, even the most elegant tech remains sidelined.
This is where crypto falls short. Today’s onchain market structure simply isn’t enough to support it. This is not about institutions “not getting it” (because they definitely are), but rather, it’s about meeting them where they are.
The infrastructure is there, but the ideology needs some help
Institutional hesitation toward crypto is often framed as a cultural divide, but this is a mistranslation. Banks, asset managers and payment providers adopt new technology all the time. Whether it’s real-time payment rails or cloud-based core banking systems, they’re open to innovation as long as it works reliably, repeatably and at scale.
The issue that’s been holding crypto back from institutional adoption is not merely self-custody or deeper decentralization but is actually a core industry problem: liquidity fragmentation.
Currently, liquidity is scattered across chains, venues and execution environments. Capital cannot be shared, and therefore, it needs to be duplicated. This leads to inconsistent pricing, higher slippage and risk being difficult to define (let alone manage). It’s a problem that’s been talked about a lot over the last few years, but hasn’t reliably been solved.
These issues are structural, rather than mere philosophical differences. Until they’re addressed, institutions will continue to experiment cautiously.
Market structure matters most
Regulation and user experience often dominate the crypto adoption conversation. And it’s true that both are important and need to be properly addressed. From an institutional perspective, market structure is a bottleneck that’s getting in the way of adoption.
At scale, financial systems must handle dollars and FX with precision. They must support deep liquidity, tight spreads and predictable execution even under stress. They need to behave the same way yesterday, today and tomorrow — and every day to come. But when liquidity is fragmented, none of this is possible.
Even well-capitalized institutions struggle to meaningfully deploy when execution depends on bridging risk, duplicated margin or inconsistent settlement paths. The result is higher costs, unclear exposures and hesitation to scale participation. Simply put, this is a massive failure of coordination.
Institutions need reliability
Traditional finance prefers its older systems because they have proven themselves, are familiar and dependable. If the crypto industry wants to attract institutions, it’ll need to make reliability a first-class design constraint.
Yes, some are skeptical of crypto, but the only way to prove them wrong is by earning trust through repetition and, frankly, being a bit boring. It needs to show that it can do the same thing, the same way, under a large variety of conditions. This is what institutions look for when they evaluate infrastructure. They need to be totally confident that risk is visible, liquidity is real and execution will behave as expected.
A moment of transition
Timing matters. Right now, people believe that the financial system needs to make significant changes. Institutions are demanding infrastructure that frees trapped capital and delivers predictable execution across an increasingly fragmented system.
Related: Animoca’s Yat Siu says crypto finally has to grow up
Stablecoins are becoming increasingly used as payment rails rather than entry-level crypto tools. They currently process close to $1 trillion a year, with a volume surge of 690% year-over-year in 2025. At the same time, financial institutions have started testing, integrating and building stablecoins into their books. Even the US Federal Reserve now analyzes how stablecoin growth reshapes bank funding and credit provision, underscoring that this shift is not hypothetical but already influencing core market plumbing.
This shift changes the question. It’s no longer whether crypto can coexist with traditional finance; it’s whether its infrastructure is ready to support it.
What “growing up” actually means
Maturity doesn’t mean crypto needs to lean into centralization or abandon self-custody or composability. It just means that coordination, where markets require it, needs to be prioritized: shared liquidity, consistent pricing and capital efficiency. At the same time, decentralization must be preserved where it truly matters.
This is about function over flash when it comes to designing systems. In finance, clever ideas matter far less than dependable ones.
This isn’t a surrender to corporate whim
Putting on a suit doesn’t mean losing crypto’s identity. Crypto so far has focused on proving what’s possible, but it needs to recognize that this next phase is about proving what works.
The future of crypto will not be defined by how radical it sounds; it will be defined by operational consistency when real capital is on the line. That’s not selling out — but growing up.
Opinion by: Neil Staunton, CEO and co-founder of Superset.
This opinion article presents the author’s expert view, and it may not reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. This content has undergone editorial review to ensure clarity and relevance. Cointelegraph remains committed to transparent reporting and upholding the highest standards of journalism. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company.
Key Takeaways
- Proposed US restrictions on stablecoin yields may redirect investors to international platforms.
- Foreign jurisdictions could capture early-adopter advantages in stablecoin return offerings.
- Asian financial hubs prioritize blockchain infrastructure, tokenization, and enterprise stablecoins
- Clear regulatory frameworks overseas may draw capital away from American crypto markets.
- Global competition for stablecoin yield services escalates as nations refine regulatory approaches.
A proposed American prohibition on stablecoin yield distributions could catalyze international markets to develop competing alternatives. Nations beyond US borders may rapidly introduce yield-bearing products that domestic users cannot legally access. This regulatory divergence could fundamentally alter stablecoin business models as foreign regulators and issuers adapt to emerging market dynamics.
Current US Senate deliberations on cryptocurrency legislation include a contentious proposal to limit third-party platforms from offering stablecoin yields. Traditional banking interests have advocated for this restriction, while digital asset proponents strongly oppose it, creating ongoing political gridlock. This regulatory vacuum presents significant opportunities for international competitors to capture market share in stablecoin services.
Yield generation has become a primary attraction for stablecoin holders, enabling passive returns on digital dollar equivalents. Should the United States implement restrictive measures, other nations may accelerate development of permissive regulatory structures. Foreign stablecoin providers could consequently secure competitive positioning, capturing investment capital currently domiciled in American markets.
International Markets Positioned to Offer Stablecoin Returns
Australia and comparable regulatory environments have established specific exemptions allowing stablecoin issuers to distribute yields to holders. These progressive frameworks enable product innovation while maintaining compliance with broader financial regulations. Currently, most global stablecoin platforms restrict yield payments to avoid conflicts with traditional banking regulations.
Should American lawmakers proceed with prohibition measures, the international competitive landscape could transform dramatically, encouraging worldwide regulators and issuers to reconsider their stablecoin yield strategies. Leading financial centers may leverage this regulatory gap to enhance their cryptocurrency service ecosystems. This dynamic could intensify rivalry among jurisdictions competing to dominate digital dollar infrastructure.
Stablecoin yield platforms may experience accelerated international expansion if US limitations take effect. Emerging markets could introduce superior yield rates or novel structural approaches to attract users. American investors may increasingly seek offshore alternatives offering greater flexibility in stablecoin products.
Asian Financial Institutions Embrace Blockchain Infrastructure
Prominent Asian financial institutions are concentrating investment on blockchain technology frameworks rather than direct cryptocurrency holdings. They are investigating tokenization of traditional financial instruments and institutional stablecoin issuance as strategic priorities. This approach emphasizes distributed ledger applications while treating speculative crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum as peripheral concerns.
Asset management firms demonstrate greater engagement with cryptocurrency product creation, attempting to diversify client portfolio options. Less restrictive custody regulations enable them to examine stablecoin yield structures more aggressively. These institutions carefully evaluate partnership opportunities to ensure regulatory compliance and robust security protocols.
Stablecoin yield products are becoming increasingly central to Asian financial planning. Regulatory transparency and technological readiness shape institutional deployment decisions. Accordingly, international stablecoin ecosystems may experience significant diversification as global participants respond strategically to American policy developments.
Quick Overview
- Salesforce initiated a record-breaking $25 billion accelerated share repurchase (ASR) program — its largest ever
- The repurchase commenced March 11, 2026, delivering approximately 103 million shares upfront
- These 103M shares account for about 80% of the anticipated total repurchase volume
- This $25B ASR represents half of a comprehensive $50 billion buyback authorization approved by directors in February 2026
- CRM shares climbed approximately 2.5% during premarket hours Monday; complete settlement anticipated in Q3 or Q4 of fiscal 2027
Salesforce (CRM) initiated its historic $25 billion accelerated share repurchase initiative on Monday, marking the company’s most substantial ASR to date and pushing shares higher by approximately 2.5% in early trading.
The cloud computing giant verified the prepayment and upfront transfer of approximately 103 million shares through ASR contracts executed on March 11, 2026, involving several prominent banking institutions.
The financial partners include Banco Santander, Bank of America, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, and Morgan Stanley, with J. Wood Capital Advisors providing advisory services for the arrangement.
The upfront transfer of 103 million shares constitutes approximately 80% of total shares projected for repurchase in this phase. The precise final count will depend on CRM’s volume-weighted average trading price throughout the transaction period, adjusted for a discount and other variables.
CEO Marc Benioff expressed strong enthusiasm for the decision. “We are aggressively repurchasing shares because we are so confident in the future of Salesforce,” he stated.
Robin Washington, Salesforce’s president and chief operating and financial officer, characterized the ASR as demonstrating the organization’s “increased conviction in the durability of its growth and cash flow trajectory.”
The $25 billion initiative represents the immediate deployment of precisely half the $50 billion comprehensive share repurchase authorization that Salesforce’s board of directors greenlit during February 2026.
This $50 billion overall program stands among the most substantial buyback commitments in enterprise software sector history.
Financial Details of the Transaction
The upfront 103 million share transfer calculation utilizes CRM’s closing stock price from March 11, 2026 — when the ASR contracts were officially signed.
Final settlement for this $25 billion portion is projected to occur during either the third or fourth quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2027.
Trading approximately 2.5% higher in Monday’s premarket session, investors demonstrated cautious optimism about the announcement, though the response remained relatively modest considering the program’s magnitude.
Salesforce has faced mounting shareholder pressure throughout the past year to productively deploy its expanding cash reserves, and the $50 billion commitment represents a clear response to those demands.
Looking Forward
The additional $25 billion portion of the comprehensive $50 billion authorization remains unexecuted at this time.
This second installment may proceed through additional ASR arrangements or traditional open market acquisitions, though Salesforce hasn’t disclosed a specific timeframe.
The present ASR encompasses five major financial institutions, indicating a carefully orchestrated and professionally managed implementation rather than a straightforward market-based buyback approach.
The definitive share count for this phase will only be determined upon settlement completion, which isn’t anticipated until late in fiscal year 2027.
Momentum indicators are important tools for traders seeking to evaluate the strength and speed of price movements. These technical analysis instruments are used by traders to identify potential entry and exit points, confirm market signals, and filter market noise. In this article, we review five momentum indicators that remain widely used by traders to support them in their decision-making in volatile markets.
What Is a Momentum Indicator?
Momentum in technical analysis refers to the rate at which an asset’s price accelerates or decelerates. Understanding momentum may assist traders in identifying potential trend continuations or reversals.
A momentum indicator is a technical analysis tool that measures how quickly and strongly an asset’s price is moving. Instead of showing the direction of the trend, it highlights the strength behind price movements. By comparing price changes over a set period, momentum indicators can help traders see if a market is gaining or losing strength. This information is often used to spot potential overbought or oversold conditions and to identify possible entry or exit points.
A stock momentum indicator like the Relative Strength Index (RSI), for instance, may indicate that stocks are currently bought or sold too heavily and their price is due for a reversal.
The Significance of Momentum Technical Indicators
Momentum indicators do not focus on the direction of the price movement, but rather on the strength behind it. They’re able to quantify and represent hidden clues about the future market direction. By learning to read momentum indicators, traders can develop trading strategies and identify conditions for new trades.
Momentum tools produce a range of signals that offer traders an edge over the markets. Let’s take a look at some of the most common momentum signals, including overbought/oversold conditions, divergences, and crossovers.
Overbought and Oversold Conditions
These signals indicate when an asset’s price has moved too far in one direction without sufficient support from fundamental or technical factors and is likely to reverse. For example, RSI generates overbought signals when the reading rises above 70 and signals oversold conditions when the reading falls below 30.
Divergence
Divergence occurs when the price of an asset moves in the opposite direction of the indicator, suggesting an upcoming reversal. For instance, when the price is making higher highs, but RSI is making lower highs, this indicates a bearish divergence that increases the likelihood of a downward move.
Crossover
These signals are generated when the indicator’s lines cross each other or a certain threshold. A common example is the MACD, where traders look for crossovers between the fast MACD line and the slower signal line to spot potential entry and exit points.
List of Five Momentum Indicators for Technical Analysis
Now that we understand the types of signals that momentum tools produce, let’s break down five of the most popular with a momentum indicators list. If you’d like to experiment with them yourself, you’ll find each tool in the TickTrader trading platform.
1. Relative Strength Index (RSI)
The RSI is one of the most popular and well-documented momentum indicators. It measures the speed and change of price movements by comparing the average gain to the average loss over a specified period, usually 14.
RSI is an oscillator, moving between 0 and 100. Values above 70 reflect overbought conditions, while values below 30 indicate oversold conditions. When the RSI moves out of overbought or oversold territory, many traders interpret this as a reversal confirmation. Sustained movements above or below the midpoint (50) can also be used to confirm a bullish or bearish trend, respectively. Moreover, traders look for divergence between the RSI and price to identify weakening trends and possible reversals.
2. Average Directional Index (ADX)
The ADX is a momentum indicator used to determine a trend’s strength. Unlike most other tools, its reading doesn’t move according to the direction of price action, i.e. it doesn’t move up if bullish or down when bearish. Instead, it ranges from 0 to 100, with values above 25 indicating a strong trend and below 25 suggesting a weak or non-trending market.
ADX is commonly used in combination with other tools, as it simply confirms the trendiness of a market. For example, traders might use a leading indicator like RSI to anticipate bullishness and confirm the trend when ADX crosses over 25.
3. Commodity Channel Index (CCI)
The CCI is a versatile momentum indicator. It uses a constant in its calculation to ensure that 75% of values fall between +/- 100, with moves outside of the range generally indicating a trend breakout or continuation. It can also show extreme overbought or oversold conditions when its value exceeds +/- 200.
The CCI requires a more nuanced approach than other tools and is typically used to confirm a trader’s directional bias. For instance, a visually identifiable bullish trend can be confirmed by looking at the CCI. If its value is skewed toward 100+, traders can be confident in their observation. When the market cools off, CCI will fall below 100. Traders can then confirm a pullback entry with a move back into the +/- 100 range.
4. Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)
The MACD is a highly regarded trend-following momentum indicator that shows the relationship between two moving averages of an asset’s price. It’s used in technical analysis to identify the relationship between two moving averages of a security’s price. The MACD reflects the trend’s strength, direction, and duration, as well as possible reversal points.
Traders use crossovers between the MACD and signal lines as potential entry and exit signals. Additionally, when the MACD histogram crosses above or below the zero line, it can indicate bullish or bearish momentum in the market. Lastly, it’s also possible to spot divergences between price and the indicator’s peaks and troughs, similar to how divergences are identified with RSI.
5. Momentum (Mom)
The Momentum indicator is considered a simple tool that measures the rate of change in an asset’s price over a specific period. The value of the Momentum depends on the market it’s applied to. For example, using the Momentum indicator in stocks will result in a fluctuating value typically between +/- 20, depending on the stock’s price. For forex pairs, its range may look more like +/- 0.02.
The common feature across all markets, however, is the zero line. Generally speaking, positive Momentum values indicate upward price movement, while negative values suggest downward movement. It can also show overbought and oversold conditions, but its lack of defined boundaries means this can be tricky. However, Momentum is especially useful for identifying divergences.
Advantages of Momentum Indicators
Momentum indicators are valuable tools in technical analysis, reflecting the strength and speed of price movements. They offer several advantages that may improve trading strategies:
- Identify Trends Early: Market momentum indicators can reveal potential shifts in trend direction, providing traders with additional context for evaluating entry and exit points.
- Objective Analysis: They provide quantifiable data, reducing reliance on subjective analysis and emotional decision-making.
- Spot Overbought and Oversold Conditions: Momentum tools show when an asset is overbought or oversold, signalling potential reversals and exit points.
- Confirm Trade Signals: Combining momentum indicators with other technical tools may improve trade signals, providing stronger confirmation for trading decisions.
- Adaptable Across Markets: They can be applied to various assets, including stocks, forex, and commodities, making them versatile tools for traders.
Things to Consider When Trading Momentum Indicators
While momentum indicators may be a helpful addition to any trader’s arsenal, there are a few things to be aware of:
- Trade with the Trend: Trends often last longer than you may think, and constantly looking for trend reversals will only end in frustration. Look for bullish signals during an uptrend and bearish signals in a downtrend.
- Use Multiple Indicators: Relying on a single tool can lead to false signals. Many traders combine a lagging indicator, like MACD, with a leading indicator, like RSI. Combining two or three tools may help confirm signals and improve trade accuracy.
- Beware of False Signals: Momentum indicators can sometimes generate false signals, especially in sideways or choppy markets. Being patient and waiting for confirmation before entering a trade is vital.
- Don’t Rely Too Heavily on Indicators: While momentum indicators may be helpful, relying solely on them without considering price action, market structure, or fundamental aspects can lead to poor trading decisions. Use these indicators alongside other tools for a momentum indicator strategy.
Final Thoughts
Momentum indicators play a critical role in technical analysis, offering traders valuable insights into the strength and direction of market movements. Tools such as RSI, MACD, CCI, ADX, and the Momentum Indicator are widely used to confirm trends, highlight overbought or oversold conditions, and improve entry and exit timing. While no single indicator should be used in isolation, combining these tools with solid risk management and broader market analysis can support traders in their trading decision-making.
If you want to test your strategy with the above-mentioned indicators, you may consider opening an FXOpen account, where you can trade over 700 markets with low costs. Good luck!
FAQ
How May Momentum Indicators Be Used?
Momentum indicators may be used to assess the speed and strength of price movements in a financial market. They can help traders identify potential overbought or oversold conditions, confirm trends, or signal possible reversals. By comparing the current price to previous price levels, momentum indicators provide insights into whether a market move is gaining or losing strength.
What Period is Set for a Momentum Indicator?
If we are talking about the Momentum indicator, the period depends on your trading style. For short-term traders, 7 and 10 periods are common, while long-term traders may prefer 14 and 21 periods. Testing various periods based on asset volatility can improve results.
What Is the Most Popular Momentum Indicator for Scalping?
There is no single most popular momentum indicator for scalping but the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is often favoured by scalpers due to its ability to quickly identify overbought or oversold conditions. Its responsiveness is used by scalpers to make rapid decisions in fast-moving markets.
What Is the Difference Between Momentum and Trend Indicators?
Momentum trading indicators measure the speed of price changes, while trend indicators assess the direction and persistence of price movements. To put it simply, momentum focuses on strength, while trend indicators focus on the overall direction.
Is MACD a Momentum Indicator?
Yes, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is one of the most popular momentum indicators, especially in forex and stock trading. It may reveal changes in momentum and help identify potential trend reversals.
This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
The company’s total stash is worth $11.5 billion, it said in a recent statement.
The Tom Lee-chaired former Bitcoin mining giant has announced the acquisition of almost 61,000 ETH in the past week, which has pushed its total stash to nearly 4.6 million tokens.
In addition, BitMine said it increased its investment in existing ‘moonshot’ exposures such as Eightco by an additional $80 million to support the latter’s $50 million purchase of OpenAI equity, making it the only publicly listed entity to give investors direct exposure to the company behind ChatGPT.
“Since the start of the Iran war, crypto prices have outperformed and Ethereum has outperformed the S&P 500 by 2,450bp. This is a meaningful outperformance in a mere two weeks,” said Thomas “Tom” Lee, Chairman of Bitmine.
Lee added that higher oil prices will trigger concerns of slowing growth for the global economy, which would push investors to buy growth stocks such as MAG7, software, and crypto.
In its latest Ethereum acquisition of 60,999 tokens, Lee explained that the firm he chairs has ramped up the pace of such purchases as they believe the asset is in the final stages of the mini-crypto winter.
He asserted that BitMine has “staked more ETH than other entities in the world. At scale, the ETH staking rewards are $272 million annually.”
The company’s total stash, which includes its ETH fortune, 196 BTC, a $200 million stake in Beast Industries, a $83 million stake in Eightco, and $1.2 billion in cash, has risen to $11.5 billion. Its Ethereum holdings represent 3.81% of the entire asset supply.
While being the first in the Ethereum treasury world, BitMine is the second overall in crypto, trailing only to Michael Saylor’s Strategy, which announced its latest gigantic BTC purchase earlier today.
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A whitehat hacker has gone public over a months-long feud with the team behind Injective over its response to a critical bug disclosure.
According to the report, the vulnerability in question put $500 million at risk via a faulty validation system.
The pseudonymous crypto security researcher, who goes by the moniker al_f4lc0n, has accused Injective of ghosting them for three months, despite fixing the bug, and later lowballing the bounty payout.
Read more: Ethereum address poisoning spike, ‘wallets aren’t ready’ says researcher
The bug
The bounty hunter uploaded a full bug report to a GitHub repository called “injective-wall-of-shame.”
In the repo’s readme, entitled “I Saved Injective’s $500M. They Pay Me $50K,” they explain that the vulnerability allowed “any user to directly drain any account on the chain. No special permissions needed.”
The more detailed technical report describes how a faulty subaccount validation system allowed for an attacker to submit market orders on other users’ behalf.
The bug was exploitable by an attacker creating a worthless token and creating a spot market, pairing it with USDT. Both these actions are permissionless on Injective.
Then, by creating a sell order of the fake token, the attacker could force victim accounts to buy the worthless token for USDT, “at the attacker’s chosen price.” The USDT could then be permissionlessly bridged off Injective, to Ethereum.
The report claims this put all value on the blockchain at risk, and that the total was over $500 million at the time of disclosure.
The figure currently sits at $280 million, the vast majority of which is in the INJ token.
Embed: Oracle error adds to turmoil at DeFi giant Aave
The bounty
Injective is a blockchain network which lists the likes of Binance, Jump, Google and Pantera as partners, claiming “institutional and government players are joining us.”
Bug bounties are a common way for organizations to crowdsource continuous security monitoring from specialist whitehat bounty “hunters.”
Injective’s ImmuneFi page lists a maximum bounty of $500,000 for critical threats related to its blockchain and smart contracts.
The researcher claims, “a mainnet upgrade to fix the bug went to governance vote. The Injective team clearly understood the severity.”
They also allege that injective “ghosted” for three months after the fix, before offering a bounty 10x lower than the maximum. “To be clear: the $50K has not been paid either,” they stress.
Protos has reached out to Injective for comment on al_f4lc0n’s claims, but hadn’t received a response before publication. This article will be updated should we receive one.
Got a tip? Send us an email securely via Protos Leaks. For more informed news, follow us on X, Bluesky, and Google News, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
South Korea has fined crypto exchange Bithumb 36.8 billion won (about $24.5 million) and imposed a six-month partial business suspension after finding widespread violations of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules, according to a Yonhap News Agency report.
According to Yonhap, regulators identified about 6.65 million violations during an AML inspection, including failures related to customer identity verification, transaction restrictions and record-keeping requirements. Authorities found Bithumb facilitated 45,772 crypto transfers involving 18 unregistered overseas virtual asset service providers (VASPs), in violation of South Korea’s AML rules.
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Financial Services Commission (FSC) reportedly decided on the penalties following a sanctions deliberation committee meeting reviewing the exchange’s compliance with the Act on Reporting and Use of Specific Financial Transaction Information.
The sanction includes the largest fine yet imposed on a South Korean crypto exchange, following an ongoing regulatory crackdown on AML compliance.
South Korea imposes a six-month partial ban on Bithumb
Under the measures, Bithumb will be banned from processing external crypto transfers for new customers for six months, from March 27 to Sept. 26.
However, existing users will face no trading restrictions, while new customers can still buy or sell crypto and deposit or withdraw Korean won from the exchange.
Related: South Korea plans to use AI for crypto tax enforcement
The FIU said it had repeatedly warned Bithumb to halt transactions with unregistered overseas crypto firms. However, the regulator said the exchange failed to comply and was unable to implement effective blocking measures.
On March 9, the FIU gave Bithumb a preliminary notice of a six-month partial suspension, citing its concerns over Bithumb’s violations before determining the final sanctions.
South Korea’s broader AML enforcement drive
Apart from Bithumb, the FIU has also previously penalized other South Korean exchanges for AML violations.
In February 2025, the regulator imposed a three-month restriction on crypto deposits and withdrawals for new Upbit customers after finding violations tied to dealing with unregistered VASPs. Upbit also received a 35.2 billion won (about $23.5 million) penalty.
The crackdown later reached crypto exchange Korbit. In December 2025, the FIU imposed a 2.73 billion won (about $1.8 million) fine and an institutional warning on the exchange over AML and customer-verification breaches.
Magazine: China’s ‘50x’ blockchain boost, Alibaba-linked AI mines Bitcoin: Asia Express
Crypto World
International police launch Operation Atlantic to combat crypto approval phishing scams
Law enforcement agencies from the U.S., U.K. and Canada started a joint initiative called Operation Atlantic aimed at disrupting cryptocurrency fraud schemes known as approval-phishing attacks, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) said Monday.
The scams work by prompting victims to approve malicious wallet permissions through fake alerts or pop-ups that appear to come from trusted apps or services, the OSC said. Once access is granted, criminals gain control of the wallet and can transfer funds. Because blockchain transactions cannot be reversed, recovery becomes difficult once assets leave a victim’s account.
Cryptocurrency scams generated at least $14 billion in onchain revenue in 2025, according to Chainalysis, with totals expected to climb toward $17 billion as more illicit wallets are identified. Much of the activity now relies on social engineering tactics, complex AI-generated content and phishing-as-a-service platforms to trick victims into granting wallet access or transferring funds.
“Approval phishing and investment scams cost victims millions in financial loss each year,” said Brent Daniels, deputy assistant director for the U.S. Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations, which is involved in the project.
The operation builds on Project Atlas, a 2024 initiative led by the Ontario Provincial Police’s Cyber-Enabled Fraud Team to combat global crypto investment fraud. The project identified over 2,000 compromised wallets across 14 countries, disrupted roughly $70 million in potential fraud, and froze about $24 million in stolen crypto. Similar international efforts, such as Chainalysis’ Operation Spincaster, generated more than 7,000 investigative leads tied to roughly $162 million in losses, highlighting the scale of approval phishing schemes targeting crypto investors.
Authorities said the new operation will help warn potential victims and guide them on securing compromised wallets while attempting to trace and recover stolen funds.
“During Operation Atlantic, the Secret Service, alongside our international law enforcement partners, will identify and disrupt these scams in near real-time denying criminals the ability to further profit from their crimes,” Daniels said.
Metaplanet said Monday it raised $255 million in a private placement and launched a new warrant structure to fund additional Bitcoin purchases.
Metaplanet raised about $255 million from institutional investors through a private placement of new shares, according to the company.
The private placement priced new shares at a 2% premium, paired with fixed-strike warrants at a 10% premium, which, if exercised, could add $276 million in additional capital as “firepower” toward the company’s goal of amassing 210,000 Bitcoin (BTC), according to CEO Simon Gerovich.
Metaplanet also issued a separate strike warrant offering on Monday, which may bring an additional $234 million of capital to fuel the accumulation strategy of the fourth-largest Bitcoin treasury company.
Metaplanet seeks $234 million via first-of-its-kind strike warrants
Metaplanet issued another 100 million in Moving Strike Warrants with what Gerovich called a first-of-its-kind Market Net Asset Value (mNAV) clause, which makes these exercisable only if the stock trades above 1.01x mNAV.
The offering enables the Bitcoin treasury company to raise another $234 million of capital for BTC purchases. The mNAV-tied clause aims to ensure that every newly issued share increases shareholder value, announced Gerovich earlier on Monday.
Related: Bitcoin treasuries stall in Q4, but largest holders keep stacking sats
Metaplanet’s mNAV stood at 1.11x on Monday, above the key 1.01x threshold, as the company held 35,102 BTC ($2.5 billion) and its stock price was $2.45, according to Metaplanet’s dashboard.
The mNAV ratio compares a company’s enterprise value to the value of its crypto holdings. An mNAV below 1 makes it more challenging for companies to raise funds by issuing new shares, which may limit their cryptocurrency purchases.
The new capital-raising mechanism is similar to the playbook used by Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder.
Strategy’s At-The-Market (ATM) common stock offering programs share similar mechanisms, allowing the company to raise capital by gradually issuing new common stock shares. Strategy only issues these shares when the mNAV is above 1x to avoid dilution.
In October 2024, Strategy disclosed plans to issue and sell shares of its class A common stock to raise up to $21 billion in equity and $21 billion in fixed-income securities over the next three years.
Magazine: Mysterious Mr Nakamoto author — Finding Satoshi would hurt Bitcoin
Strategy Buys 22,337 Bitcoin, Holdings Rise to 761,068 BTC
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