Crypto Vesting

Coinbase, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, was hit by a $20 million extortion attempt after cybercriminals recruited overseas support agents to leak user data, the company said.

According to a May 15 blog post, Coinbase said a group of external actors bribed and coordinated with several customer support contractors to access internal systems and steal limited user account data.

“These insiders abused their access to customer support systems to steal the account data for a small subset of customers,” Coinbase said, adding that no passwords, private keys, funds or Coinbase Prime accounts were affected.

Less than 1% of Coinbase’s monthly transacting users’ data was affected by the attack, the company said.

Source: Coinbase

After stealing the data, the attackers attempted to extort $20 million from Coinbase in exchange for not disclosing the breach. Coinbase refused the demand.

Related: Ukraine strategic

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Key takeaways:

XRP forms a double top and rising wedge, signaling short-term downside risk toward $1.94.

NUPL indicates traders are in denial, resembling past pre-crash phases.

Long-term charts still point to bullish targets between $3.69 and $17.

XRP (XRP) has rebounded by more than 50% in a month after forming a local low at $1.80. Improving risk appetite and prospects of an “altseason” have boosted its price.

Could XRP rally further from current levels or risk a pullback in the coming days? Let’s examine.

XRP “double top” pattern hints at sell-off

XRP formed a double top near $2.65, signaling a possible trend reversal. The pattern includes two clear peaks and a neckline around $2.47. After the second peak, XRP dropped below the neckline, confirming the bearish setup.

XRP/USD four-hour price chart. Source: TradingView

A confirmed breakdown below this level points to a downside target near $2.30. The

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Mobile-first blockchain Pi Network has launched a $100 million fund to invest in initiatives built on its infrastructure.

According to a May 14 announcement, the Pi Foundation is launching Pi Network Ventures with an initial investment of $100 million in Pi (PI) tokens and US dollars. The fund will invest in startups and businesses building on Pi Network or contributing to its broader ecosystem.

“This strategic program intends to invest in high-quality startups and companies across sectors, driving innovation and ecosystem growth,” Pi Network said in an X post.

Source: Pi Network

The Pi Foundation, the organization behind Pi Network, is described as an “ownerless” entity focused on supporting long-term ecosystem development. The foundation said the new venture fund will draw from the 10% of Pi tokens reserved for ecosystem initiatives.

Pi Network had not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment by

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Private credit marketplace Pareto has introduced a new synthetic dollar aimed at linking institutional investors with decentralized finance (DeFi) opportunities — a move that highlights the expanding role of stablecoins in global finance.

The newly launched USP synthetic dollar is fully backed by real-world private credit, Pareto told Cointelegraph on May 15. To mint USP, users must deposit stablecoins such as USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT), which are then held as collateral.

“USP is backed 1:1 by the stablecoins used during the minting process,” Pareto co-founder Matteo Pandolfi told Cointelegraph in a written statement.

The deposited funds are placed into Pareto’s credit vaults and lent to what the company describes as “vetted institutional borrowers,” generating yields for participants.

To maintain its peg to the US dollar, Pareto uses what it calls a “native backing” process. Each USP token is minted only when an equivalent

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Ukraine is reportedly moving closer to adopting Bitcoin as a national reserve asset, a move that could bolster its financial resilience amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Lawmakers are reportedly working on a Bitcoin (BTC) national reserve proposal, with a draft bill in its final stages, according to Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a member of parliament who confirmed the plan to local media outlet Incrypted.

The proposal was announced during the CRYPTO 2025 conference in Kyiv on Feb. 6. “We will soon submit a draft law from the industry allowing the creation of crypto reserves,” Zhelezniak said.

Cointelegraph reached out to Zhelezniak for comment on the bill’s status but had not received a response by publication.

Related: Bitcoin treasury firms driving $200T hyperbitcoinization — Adam Back

Bitcoin has gained international attention as a national reserve asset since <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/us-elections"

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Publicly traded company BTCS announced a $57.8 million financing agreement led by investment firm ATW Partners to purchase Ether as it expands its blockchain infrastructure strategy. 

The Rockville, Maryland-based company announced the deal on May 14, saying that the move will allow it to expand validator node operations and build recurring revenue from Ether (ETH) staking.

BTCS CEO Charles Allen said the move follows Strategy’s (formerly MicroStrategy) high-profile Bitcoin (BTC) accumulation blueprint and will leverage Ethereum for long-term growth. 

“We are executing a disciplined strategy to increase our Ethereum exposure and drive recurring revenue through staking and our block building operations,” Allen said.

Source: BTCSBTCS issues initial $7.8 million convertible notes

As part of the agreement, BTCS issued an initial $7.8 million tranche in convertible notes, with the option to draw an additional $50

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Opinion by: Yat Siu, executive chairman and co-founder, Animoca Brands

A discussion on digital property rights, copyright, intellectual property, the open metaverse, AI and value without physical form.

When I attend conferences and similar public events, someone almost always approaches me to ask how cryptographic tokens (fungible or non-fungible) can have value even though tokens are virtual and do not exist in the physical world. It’s a surprisingly common question, especially one-on-one.

Virtual objects like NFTs and cryptocurrencies are both digital and intangible; their existence is not based in the real (physical) world, and (unlike digital currencies) they generally do not have backing by real-world institutions. 

The ability to have value (specifically, monetary worth) is crucially important regarding the open metaverse, the decentralized internet of Web3 characterized by true digital ownership (see What IS the open metaverse?).

I recently delved into the value of the virtual during an<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcqbWQjG_Jo"

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Key points:

Bitcoin has a fight for a $100,000 price and a $2 trillion market cap on its hands this month.

Dips below six figures are “easily possible,” analyst filbfilb says, but the odds are stacked in bulls’ favor.

ETH/BTC needs to hit the 0.03 inflection point as part of an altcoin comeback.

Bitcoin (BTC) is poised for expansion with BTC price action rarely more “bullish-looking,” an analyst says.

In his latest commentary on X, market analyst filbfilb revealed a key support battle now underway on BTC/USD.

Filbfilb on $100,000 battle: “This time is no different”

Bitcoin has begun to consolidate after making rapid gains this month, with the area just north of $100,000 seeing “choppy” BTC price moves.

For filbfilb, however, current market behavior is about more than reclaiming six figures.

Bitcoin’s market cap is now fighting to flip the $2 trillion mark from resistance back into firm

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Several investors in a non-fungible token (NFT) project, Hashling NFT, have accused its founder of misappropriating millions of dollars in profits from the project and a closely tied Bitcoin mining operation.

According to the May 14 court filing in Illinois, the plaintiffs allege that their former business partner, Jonathan Mills, lied about transferring assets from Hashling NFT and at least $3 million from the Bitcoin mining project to a holding company — Satoshi Labs LLC (formerly known as Proof of Work Labs LLC), which Mills is the founder and CEO of.

The plaintiffs have sued Mills for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, claiming that they have not received any of the equity returns that he supposedly promised. 

They also claim to have raised a combined $1.46 million from two NFT drops on the Solana and Bitcoin blockchains, but didn’t receive any returns from their investment. 

Excerpt of the

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