Ireland has released a national risk assessment on digital assets for the first time in seven years, detailing “very significant” concerns around money laundering and terrorism financing while also warning that crypto can be attractive to fraudsters and may help criminals evade sanctions.

The assessment, published by the Irish Department of Finance as part of the government’s policy priorities, comes as Ireland moves toward implementing industry standards on how crypto-related activities are accepted as a source of funds by the second half of 2027.

Key takeaways

• Ireland’s 2026 national risk assessment describes crypto assets as posing “very significant” risks for money laundering and terrorism financing.
• The government cites increased enforcement pressure, including more prosecutions related to money laundering and fraud incidents in which the use of crypto is “particularly attractive” to criminals.
• The report flags vulnerabilities beyond illicit finance, including potential sanctions evasion and difficulties in tax compliance and enforcement.
• Ireland highlights regulatory inconsistency internationally as a risk for Irish service providers, alongside gaps in oversight for largely unregulated areas such as decentralized finance.
• Political donation concerns remain part of the picture, even as Ireland has already prohibited cryptocurrency donations to political parties for more than four years.

Seven-year gap and a sharper focus on illicit finance

In the risk assessment released Thursday, Ireland said crypto-related activity presents “very significant” risks connected to money laundering and terrorism financing. The Department of Finance framed the assessment as a response to the evolving threat landscape, pointing to higher levels of legal and criminal activity involving digital assets since the last time such a country-specific evaluation was published.

According to the Department of Finance, the period since the previous assessment has included an increase in prosecutions tied to money laundering, along with incidents of fraud where crypto was “particularly attractive” to criminal groups. The government also described how digital assets can be leveraged to exploit compliance and enforcement weaknesses.

Beyond money laundering: sanctions, taxation, and bribery

Ireland’s assessment did not limit itself to illicit finance channels alone. It also warned that crypto assets present vulnerabilities that “may facilitate sanctions evasion.” In parallel, the government highlighted challenges for tax compliance and enforcement, suggesting that the way crypto is used can complicate oversight and detection.

The report further notes risks associated with corruption. Ireland stated that crypto has been used to bribe officials involved in decisions affecting the sector. While the assessment describes vulnerabilities broadly across criminal use cases, it also emphasizes how administrative and regulatory roles can be exploited when oversight is weak or fragmented.

Regulatory patchwork and uneven protections

A central theme in the assessment is the uneven regulatory environment around crypto. Ireland pointed to “inconsistent international regulation” as a vulnerability affecting Irish service providers, implying that companies operating in Ireland may face risks not only from domestic enforcement but also from cross-border standards and gaps.

The government also singled out parts of the ecosystem that remain comparatively less regulated. The risk assessment highlights “largely unregulated areas of the industry such as decentralized finance,” indicating concern that oversight and controls may not be aligned with the same expectations applied to more traditional financial intermediaries.

Ireland’s approach is notable given its relatively high crypto participation compared with some other markets. The report references research from the Central Bank of Ireland published in December, which said about 10% of the population invested in crypto.

Where policy is heading: standards by 2027 and ongoing enforcement

Ireland’s assessment was issued alongside a wider policy direction tied to implementing industry standards relating to the acceptance of crypto-related activities as a source of funds, with a target of the second half of 2027. The framing suggests the government wants to reduce ambiguity around how crypto can be treated within the financial compliance system—particularly in contexts tied to anti-money laundering and related safeguards.

Recent enforcement actions in the country also underscore that the issue is not purely theoretical. In November 2025, the Central Bank of Ireland fined Coinbase Europe Limited about $24 million for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism violations, citing delayed reporting failures in its transaction monitoring system.

On the political side, the assessment references that concerns about crypto being used to pay corrupt officials are persistent—yet Ireland has already moved to restrict political donations. According to the risk assessment, official cryptocurrency donations to political groups have been banned in Ireland for more than four years. In April 2022, Irish officials proposed that no Irish political parties be allowed to accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, privacy coins, and others.

What to watch next

With Ireland targeting implementation of relevant standards by mid-to-late 2027, the immediate question for users, exchanges, and service providers will be how quickly regulatory expectations tighten around acceptance of crypto-related funds, compliance controls, and oversight of riskier parts of the ecosystem. Readers should also monitor how Ireland’s “very significant” risk framing translates into concrete supervisory actions and guidance over the next reporting cycle.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence is warning Windows users about a cryptocurrency clipper strain of malware transmitted via USB drives. 

The malware, which has been affecting users since February, steals clipboard data to extract wallet credentials using “high-frequency clipboard theft, screenshot exfiltration, and wallet-address substitution,” Microsoft said Wednesday.

The crypto clipper also hides legitimate files and replaces them with lookalike shortcuts, so victims unknowingly execute malware while a worm component propagates automatically to USB storage devices. 

This malware is insidious because it’s more than just an info stealer, it functions as a backdoor, meaning that attackers can push and execute arbitrary code on infected machines at any time, turning a simple crypto theft into a persistent foothold for ransomware. 

The execution of this clipper is also notable because it does not depend on a traditional installer or exposed IP-based infrastructure, the Microsoft researchers said.

“This malware family shows how lightweight, script-based stealers can deliver outsized impact when paired with anonymized communications and runtime tasking.”  

Tor network used for obfuscation 

The malware deploys two obfuscated JavaScript payloads in the Windows Documents directory and creates scheduled tasks for both the worm and stealer components.

The malware also secretly installs a copy of Tor on the victim’s computer but renames it ugate.exe to disguise it as something innocent. It then uses the anonymizing Tor network to connect to its malicious operators at hidden “onion” addresses.

Related: ‘TrapDoor’ malware targets crypto dev tools in supply chain attack

“The combination of Tor-routed C2, clipboard targeting, screenshot capture and remote code execution gives attackers both immediate monetization paths and continued control over compromised devices,” Microsoft said. 

Crypto clipper execution flow. Source: Microsoft

Private keys and seed phrases targeted 

The crypto clipper focuses on “high-value financial artifacts” from the clipboard, including BIP39 mnemonic seed phrases and Bitcoin and Ethereum private keys. 

It also replaces copied wallet addresses with attacker-controlled ones across Bitcoin, Tron and Monero and takes screenshots every ten seconds for additional context. 

Microsoft Defender Antivirus detects the malware as Trojan:Win32/CryptoBandits.A.

Microsoft recommended disabling autoplay on removable media, blocking .lnk execution from USB drives, and monitoring for proxy activity and spawned scripts. 

2026 has seen a significant escalation in Windows-based crypto stealers. A new Windows malware strain called Lucid Stealer that targets browser extensions and crypto wallets was identified earlier this month by the Foresiet Threat Intel Team. 

Magazine: The end of anon? AI could unmask crypto’s hidden identities

Former Ethereum Foundation contributor Trent Van Epps has warned that Ethereum could face a core development funding gap within the next three to nine months. 

In a new article, he said the network may enter a “slow-burning funding crisis” as the Foundation reduces spending and a major client funding program ends.

Van Epps worked at the Ethereum Foundation from May 2021 to April 2026. He focused on core development coordination, Protocol Guild funding, and Ethereum’s political economy. His comments add a new layer to debate over who should fund the people who maintain Ethereum’s base software.

XRP gave back more of last week’s rally on Wednesday after sellers pushed the token through $1.15 support, a level traders had been watching since the recent move above $1.20.

The decline came on some of the session’s heaviest volume and followed another rejection below the descending trendline that has capped every recovery attempt for months.

News Background

• XRP remains caught between growing expectations for U.S. crypto legislation and a market that continues to prioritize technical levels over narrative.

• Traders are also watching the year-long symmetrical triangle that has compressed price action between support near $1.10 and resistance around $1.25.

Price Action Summary

• XRP fell from $1.1873 to $1.1465 during the 24-hour session, losing 3.4%.

• The sharpest selling arrived around 15:00 UTC when volume surged to 134.2 million XRP, roughly 170% above average, breaking support at $1.1550.

• Buyers emerged near $1.13 and helped lift XRP back toward $1.15 into the close, though the rebound failed to reclaim broken support.

Technical Analysis

• The key development was the loss of $1.15. That level had acted as support following last week’s breakout and now risks turning into resistance.

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF is doing more than simply introducing mainstream investors to crypto, according to Jay Jacobs, the firm’s US head of equity ETFs. In remarks shared with Cointelegraph on its Chain Reaction podcast, Jacobs said that many investors who first buy BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) go on to explore other traditional exchange-traded funds—suggesting a two-way bridge between Wall Street and digital assets.

Jacobs also highlighted BlackRock’s broader framing of market convergence, arguing that investors increasingly view decentralized finance, active strategies, and traditional index products as components of a single portfolio toolkit rather than as mutually exclusive categories. The comments arrived alongside BlackRock’s launch of a new Bitcoin-income product, the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BITA), which generates yield by selling covered call options on Bitcoin holdings.

Key takeaways

• BlackRock says a large share of IBIT buyers are first-time ETF investors, implying Bitcoin has functioned as an entry ramp into the wider ETF market.
• Jacobs described a “two-way” shift: after gaining Bitcoin exposure, many investors also add other BlackRock funds such as S&P 500, AI-themed, and gold ETFs.
• BlackRock launched BITA, a Bitcoin strategy designed to produce income through covered call options on its Bitcoin exposure.
• BlackRock’s Jacobs ties the trend to a broader “Great Convergence,” where TradFi and DeFi are increasingly treated as portfolio building blocks.

Bitcoin ETFs as an ETF “on-ramp”

Jacobs’ central point is that IBIT has attracted investors who may not have previously owned ETFs at all. He told Cointelegraph that “around three-quarters” of investors in iShares Bitcoin Trust have never owned an ETF before, positioning the product as a pathway into the ETF ecosystem rather than a standalone crypto vehicle.

BlackRock launched iShares Bitcoin Trust in January 2024 and has since positioned it as its flagship crypto offering. According to the figures cited in Jacobs’ discussion, the fund manages about $48 billion in assets and holds 765,936 BTC. That scale has helped make Bitcoin exposure accessible through familiar brokerage channels and regulated fund structures.

But Jacobs emphasized that the relationship doesn’t stop at Bitcoin. He characterized IBIT as a starting point for many investors who later diversify within BlackRock’s broader lineup—an outcome that matters for both asset managers and investors because it suggests crypto products can change how capital is allocated across traditional market segments.

Where investors go after IBIT

In Jacobs’ account, once investors acquire Bitcoin exposure through IBIT, many “start buying other BlackRock funds,” including traditional benchmark and thematic ETFs. He pointed to examples such as an S&P 500 fund (IVV), an artificial intelligence-focused product (BAI), and a gold ETF (IAU).

This is a meaningful behavioral signal: it implies that crypto ETF adoption may accelerate familiarity with the wider ETF wrapper, potentially reducing the friction that often keeps investors segmented between “crypto” and “traditional” strategies. For traders and portfolio managers, the practical takeaway is that Bitcoin allocations might increasingly behave like a component of an ETF-managed portfolio rather than a separate, stand-alone bet—especially for investors building through mainstream channels.

For BlackRock, the pattern also supports a broader thesis about distribution and product chaining—crypto launches that can feed into traditional fund demand after the investor base expands.

BITA adds a new angle: covered-call income on Bitcoin

BlackRock introduced its newest Bitcoin-related ETF on Wednesday: the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BITA). The product is designed to generate income by selling covered call options against its Bitcoin holdings.

Covered call strategies are commonly used in equity and income-focused ETFs to generate option premium, typically with trade-offs such as potential limits on upside during strong rallies. In the context of Bitcoin, the structure gives investors a different risk-and-return profile compared with pure spot exposure—shifting the objective from simply tracking Bitcoin’s price to adding an income mechanism that can support yield generation across market cycles.

What remains to be seen is how investors will differentiate between IBIT (spot exposure) and BITA (income via covered calls). If Jacobs’ “entry ramp” theory holds, investors who first bought IBIT for access could be the same pool considering additional strategies within the same product family.

BlackRock’s “Great Convergence” thesis

Jacobs connected the investor behavior he described to BlackRock’s “Great Convergence” narrative—an idea that the boundaries separating crypto, decentralized finance, and traditional finance are becoming less relevant. He said historically investors held assets in separate silos, such as DeFi versus TradFi, active funds versus index funds, and private assets versus publicly listed instruments.

In his view, those divisions are fading as investors look for portfolio solutions that can mix approaches. Jacobs suggested the conversation is moving from “versus” framing to “ampersands,” arguing that people are increasingly combining strategies instead of choosing between them.

That perspective aligns with broader industry experimentation around how crypto traders access traditionally unavailable opportunities. The discussion referenced a recent high-profile SpaceX IPO where crypto participants reportedly sought ways to get exposure ahead of TradFi trading. According to the article, this included pre-IPO perpetual futures and tokenized stock offerings.

While Jacobs did not provide a direct performance forecast, the linkage underscores the same theme: crypto market participants are increasingly finding routes into TradFi-style assets and events, while TradFi-style wrappers (like ETFs) are increasingly used to bring crypto exposure into conventional portfolios.

Pre-IPO perps show crypto-to-TradFi demand

The text cited CryptoQuant for data showing that pre-IPO perp trading volumes on crypto exchanges rose sharply—from around $1 billion in early May to roughly $22 billion in the period leading up to the comments. It also noted Binance as the largest venue, based on CryptoQuant’s reporting.

For readers, this matters because it provides a concrete example of investor appetite for TradFi-adjacent exposures, even when the underlying asset (private company shares or early access mechanics) doesn’t map cleanly onto traditional market access. It also illustrates why fund and derivative structures are evolving: investors want access through instruments that match their preferred liquidity and execution environment.

At the same time, these numbers also highlight how quickly activity can concentrate once a new access method spreads across venues. If volume growth continues—or reverses—could influence how exchanges and liquidity providers decide which TradFi-linked products to expand next.

Going forward, investors should watch whether BlackRock’s product roadmap reinforces the same behavioral pattern Jacobs described—Bitcoin as an initial entry, followed by broader ETF participation—and whether covered-call Bitcoin strategies like BITA attract meaningfully different demand compared with spot-focused exposure. The pace of “convergence” will likely be measured less by headlines and more by how frequently new ETF buyers expand into additional traditional allocations.

A hawkish Federal Reserve is bolstering the U.S. dollar, bitcoin ETFs have seen persistent outflows, and Strategy, the largest publicly listed bitcoin holder, faces mounting pressure.

Strategy’s preferred stock, STRC, has plunged to record lows well below its $100 par value, complicating the company’s aggressive bitcoin accumulation strategy.

Arca CIO Jeff Dorman highlighted the precarious situation:”Either sell an enormous amount of BTC and MSTR to help bring $STRC back up near par, and at least buy yourself some time, or continue to watch every part of your cap structure melt because of the uncertainty you’ve created,” he said on X.

As of writing, BTC changed hands near $62,400, down 0.8% since midnight UTC hours, according to CoinDesk data. Prices hit highs near $67,000 early this week.

Bitcoin has spent five straight months trading below what it costs to produce, squeezing miners and forcing some to sell, JPMorgan said in a note. The bank pegs the cost to mine one bitcoin at about $78,000, well above the roughly $62,500 the asset fetches now.

The strain is showing and about 20% of miners are now unprofitable, the bank said citing CoinShares data, and publicly traded miners sold more than 32,000 bitcoin in the first quarter to cover operating costs, more than they offloaded in all of 2025.

The network is adjusting on its own. When the price drops below cost, higher-cost miners power down, the hashrate, or total computing power securing the network, falls, and mining difficulty, the automatic setting for how hard it is to mine, resets lower.

That played out in early June, when difficulty dropped 10%, the second decline of that size this year.

Miners are also reacting faster than before. JPMorgan says the sensitivity of difficulty to price has climbed, with more operators sitting near breakeven and flipping machines on or off as prices move. The bank expects larger and more frequent adjustments for as long as bitcoin stays below its production cost.

The outlook is cautious, but JPMorgan flags one upside. The weak sentiment around the sector could itself prove a bullish contrarian signal, echoing the run of accumulation readings, from whale buying to falling exchange reserves, pointing the same way this month.

1. The next crypto user may start outside exchanges

For most of crypto’s history, new users followed a fairly standard path. They signed up on an exchange, completed identity checks, learned how wallets worked, bought their first cryptocurrency and only then started exploring decentralized applications (DApps).

It was rarely a smooth process.

Wallet addresses often looked intimidating. Seed phrases confused beginners and gas fees were hard to understand. Even buying a small amount of Bitcoin could mean using several platforms and dealing with unfamiliar ideas.

This process is slowly changing.

Instead of starting on an exchange or wallet app, tomorrow’s users may begin with a simple conversation. They could ask an AI assistant what Bitcoin is, how to buy it or how to send money abroad. The same assistant could then guide them through the steps or even help complete the transaction.

Recent developments suggest this future could arrive sooner than expected. MoonPay is now available inside ChatGPT for crypto-buying flows. At the same time, Coinbase’s Base ecosystem is building tools that allow AI assistants to work with wallets and blockchain applications.

The result could change how people first enter crypto space.

The next wave of onboarding may not begin inside exchanges or wallets. It may begin inside chatbots.

2. Crypto onboarding has long been a usability problem

One of crypto’s biggest challenges has not been the technology itself. It has been the user experience.

To experienced users, private keys, wallet addresses and blockchain confirmations may feel normal. To newcomers, they can seem intimidating.

Traditional onboarding asks users to learn several unfamiliar systems at once. They need to understand how exchanges, wallets, security tools and transactions work before they can use crypto with confidence.

This complexity has caused many mistakes over the years. People have sent money to the wrong addresses, lost access to their wallets and fallen for scams because they did not clearly understand the tools they were using.

The industry has spent years trying to make this process easier. AI is now becoming the latest attempt to solve that problem.

Did you know? Long before modern AI assistants, crypto users relied on simple Telegram and Discord bots to check prices, send alerts and carry out basic trades. Today’s AI-powered crypto assistants are far more advanced versions of those early tools.

3. ChatGPT becoming more than an information tool

Early AI assistants mainly helped users learn. They answered questions, but they did not complete actions. People could ask questions such as:

• What is Bitcoin?
• How do stablecoins work?
• What is a crypto wallet?

The chatbot would give clear answers, but the actual transaction still happened on another platform. That separation is starting to disappear.

New integrations allow AI systems to do more than explain crypto. They can now connect users directly to services for buying, transferring and using blockchain networks.

Picture a newcomer saying:

“I want to buy $100 worth of Bitcoin.”

Instead of sending the user to another site, the AI could create a purchase link, explain the steps and guide them through the full process.

The conversation itself becomes the onboarding process. For beginners, this may feel natural because it matches how they already use AI for everyday tasks.

4. When chatbots move from answers to actions

The next phase of AI-crypto integration goes beyond simple asset purchases. It is also about letting users manage more crypto tasks through chat.

Projects like Coinbase’s Base Model Context Protocol (MCP) gateway aim to connect AI assistants with wallets, blockchain apps and other crypto services.

This could allow users to give instructions such as:

• Send 50 USDC to my friend.
• Swap ETH for USDC.
• Check my wallet balance.
• Find the cheapest route for a token transfer.

Instead of moving between different apps and websites, users would interact through normal language.

This follows earlier changes in computing. Users once had to remember command-line instructions. Graphical interfaces made that easier. Mobile apps made things simpler again.

AI assistants may be the next step. They could let people describe what they want to do instead of learning complex software steps.

5. Understanding MCP and its importance

Much of this change comes from MCP. It gives AI systems a standard way to connect with outside tools and services.

Instead of remaining standalone chatbots, AI assistants can now connect with databases, apps, wallets and other software systems.

MCP acts as a bridge between normal conversation and real action.

Without this kind of setup, AI systems can only provide information. With it, they can carry out tasks for users while keeping the right context.

For crypto, the value is clear. Blockchain apps often involve several technical steps in a specific order. MCP-supported systems can handle many of those steps automatically while the user stays inside a single chat window.

This could make AI the main layer people use to manage financial tasks.

6. When users no longer have to see the crypto layer

The biggest change may not be what users do. It may be what they no longer have to deal with directly.

Today’s crypto experience is still very visible. Users know they are dealing with exchanges, wallets and blockchains because they have to move through each layer themselves.

In a future shaped by AI, much of that complexity could move out of sight.

A user might simply say:

“Send $100 to my brother.”

The AI assistant could identify the steps, explain what will happen and show a clear confirmation before anything goes through.

The blockchain still runs. The wallet still exists. The user simply interacts with them through conversation instead of technical controls.

In this sense, crypto becomes less visible even as more people start using it.

7. Why this approach may appeal to new users

For new users, chat-based crypto tools could offer several practical benefits:

• They lower technical barriers.
• They explain things when users need help.
• They can guide users through unfamiliar steps one at a time.
• Most importantly, they feel familiar.

People already ask AI assistants for help with travel plans, meal ideas and work tasks. Asking the same assistant how to buy Bitcoin may feel like a natural next step, not a completely new behavior.

This could help crypto reach a wider audience.

Many people who once felt uneasy with traditional crypto apps may feel more comfortable using crypto through chat.

Did you know? Future crypto users may never have to copy a wallet address manually. Instead of pasting long strings of characters, they could simply tell an AI assistant who to pay while the technical details stay hidden in the background.

8. The trust issue nobody is talking about

Convenience also creates new problems. Earlier, users dealt directly with crypto platforms. They placed their trust in exchanges, wallets or blockchain networks.

In a chatbot-based setup, much of that trust shifts to the AI assistant. The chatbot becomes the main point of contact. Users may start accepting its suggestions simply because they sound clear and confident.

That creates risk.

Most people have limited knowledge of blockchain technology. They also know little about how large language models work.

As a result, they may rely too heavily on systems they do not fully understand. The main concern is not always bad intent. It is overreliance.

A chatbot can make decisions feel so simple that users stop questioning the actions they approve.

9. What happens when AI makes a mistake

AI systems are still far from perfect. Mistakes, misunderstandings and inaccurate answers remain common.

In most cases, these issues may cause little harm if the person using AI reviews the output carefully. A wrong historical detail or a weak suggestion can usually be caught before it creates a major problem.

Financial transactions are different. A mistake involving wallet addresses, token symbols or transaction details could easily lead to financial losses.

Even small errors can matter in blockchain systems, where transactions are usually final and cannot be reversed. That is why human review remains important.

AI can be a useful assistant, but users must still check what they are authorizing. Convenience cannot replace careful review.

10. New security concerns in AI-enabled crypto tools

As AI starts connecting directly with wallets and financial tools, new risks come with it.

Bad actors may try to influence AI systems through prompt injection. Malicious plugins could abuse trusted connections. Scammers may use AI-generated conversations to make scams seem more believable.

These risks are not limited to crypto, but the financial impact can be much higher here. A wrong answer from a chatbot is one problem. A wrong transaction is another.

Security becomes more important as AI moves from giving advice to taking action. The industry will need to keep these tools easy to use while still building strong protections.

11. Could AI replace exchanges as crypto’s main entry point?

One major question is whether exchanges could slowly move into the background as support systems.

Users rarely think about the servers behind their favorite websites. They simply use search engines, browsers and apps. A similar change could happen in crypto.

Exchanges may still provide liquidity and carry out trades while AI assistants become the visible face of the system.

If that happens, control of the user experience could matter more than control of the technology behind it. Companies that shape the conversation may gain more influence over how people find, access and use crypto services.

12. How AI agents could change automated finance

The link between AI and crypto goes far beyond human users. Developers are now building AI agents that can interact with financial systems on their own.

Over time, these agents could handle subscriptions, adjust investment portfolios, make payments and use decentralized finance protocols with limited human input.

Crypto networks are well suited for this kind of activity. They are programmable, available worldwide and open around the clock.

Fully independent financial agents are still a developing idea, but the basic tools are already being built.

Together, AI and blockchain may one day support financial systems where machines interact directly with other machines.

The pressure came from a wider retreat in markets. Global equities slipped in holiday-thinned trading, with US, Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese markets closed, and a gauge of Asian shares falling 0.6% after a five-day run to record highs. Brent crude traded around $79 a barrel, down about 9% on the week, as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returned to normal under the signed US-Iran deal and eased what had been a historic supply shock.

Attention now turns to talks over Iran’s nuclear program, with Vice President JD Vance saying a 60-day clock to settle the deal’s details has started.

The bigger question hanging over the market is where this cycle goes, and whether the altcoins that usually rally late in a bull run get their turn at all. Michael Egorov, founder of Curve Finance, told CoinDesk he thinks bitcoin is behaving differently this cycle because spot ETFs were approved just before the 2024 halving, the roughly four-yearly event that cuts the rate of new bitcoin issuance, pulling in institutional demand that did not exist before and breaking the old pattern.

The speculative energy that once flowed into altcoins, he said, went instead into “useless memecoins” right after the ETFs launched.