Today Crypto News:Agenda As You Know

1-The US possesses $6.5b in confiscated Silk Road Bitcoin

The blockchain intelligence platform Arkham said billions of Silk Road and FBI-confiscated Bitcoin remain in U.S. government-controlled accounts as of Jan. 9.Despite reports that authorities were selling, the data provider confirmed a $6.44 billion balance on-chain. Following DOJ approval of 69,370 BTC for liquidation, rumors about the transaction circulated.

These sources say a federal court ruled in late December, yet the news broke this week.The timing of the revelation raised issues given President Donald Trump's inauguration. Trump plans to keep America's Bitcoin and build a reserve. Senator Cynthia Lummis tabled his idea in the Senate.

After Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell declared the central bank couldn't lawfully store BTC, Congress considered bills to allow BTC reserves. Trump's Jan. 20 swearing-in was 11 days away at press time. Whether the U.S. government will sell its Bitcoin stockpile in President Joe Biden's last days is unknown. In his first 100 days, crypto industry leaders pressed Trump to establish a BTC reserve executive order. Texas, Ohio, and others considering BTC legislation.

2-Crypto under MiCA: Changes and implications for investors and businesses

EU crypto sector rules were consolidated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework on December 30, 2024. On April 20, 2023, the EU Parliament passed MiCA to address fraud, market crashes, and investor protection in the fast-growing crypto industry.

Before MiCA, crypto firms suffered patchy national rules. Some nations fostered innovation, while others hindered it. MiCA replaces fragmented laws with a unified framework for all 27 EU countries. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. is ready for a crypto shakeup. Donald Trump, who will begin his second term on Jan. 20, wants to make America the “crypto capital” of the world.

Trump appointed Silicon Valley veteran David Sacks as the White House's AI and crypto "czar," along with Bo Hines, the new executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisers on Digital Assets. They want to propel the U.S. into crypto domination. What does the industry, firms, and millions of investors face as crypto momentum grows? To respond, let's explain MiCA's purpose, why it was included, and how it's changing the game.

3-Bitcoin miner CleanSpark reaches 10,000 BTC

CleanSpark announced on Jan. 9 that their Bitcoin treasury hit 10,097 BTC, mined by itself. A day earlier, the business said had mined 668 BTC in December 2024.The miner's passion and obsession with efficiency and accountability led to the milestone. CleanSpark's BTC holdings rose 236% year-over-year.Acquisitions and other growth have helped diversify the company's mining business and grow. The company's purchase of GRIID Infrastructure and seven Knoxville facilities support this direction. Bitcoin's recent price advances, reaching all-time highs over $108,000, have strengthened miners' markets. BTC traded at $94,287 at 10:54 ET on Jan. 9, 2025.

4-Slowly establishing a remarkable pattern, Ethereum price may rise

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are selling down, while Ethereum has fallen about 20% from its December high. Ethereum spot exchange-traded fund outflows contributed to the decline. These funds lost $159 million on Wednesday, after $86 million the day before.

Since their 2024 approval, Ethereum ETFs have garnered $2.5 billion in net inflows despite recent withdrawals.ETH's drop corresponded with rising exchange balances. According to CoinGlass, exchanges held 15.85 million ETH on January 9, up from 15.3 million on December 30. Excess exchange balances frequently imply investment liquidation.

ETH has been affected by rising U.S. bond rates and a hawkish Federal Reserve. The 30-year bond yield reached 4.96%, the highest since October 2023. Short- and medium-term bond yields also rose. Due to inflation fears, rising rates indicate that the market expects the Fed to remain hawkish.

5-Crypto Scams Cost $3 Billion in 2024

PeckShieldAlert said that bitcoin hacks and scams cost $3.01 billion in 2024, up 15% from 2023. Cyberattacks cost $2.15 billion and frauds $834.5 million. We retrieved $488.5 million of stolen cash despite significant losses.DeFi protocols suffer most.

Smart contracts made decentralized finance (DeFi) systems susceptible, therefore they were top targets.

The worst month was May 2024, with $662.2 million in damages. December losses were $46.5 million, the lowest of the year. 2024 Major Hacks Major instances included: - DMM Bitcoin: Closed in March 2025 after a private key attack cost $320 million. - PlayDapp: Hack and Bitcoin fraud cost $290 million and $238 million. -WazirX: Major breach cost $230 million. -Gala Games: $212 million in damages. -Pig Butchering Scams Take $3.6B

In 2024, pig butchering scams stole $3.6 billion, according to Cyvers, another security platform. Social engineering schemes get victims to give over money, mostly on Ethereum. Chainalysis and Immunefi report a rise in hacking events, with attacks causing most losses. Though minor, fraud and rug pulls increased in 2024.

6-Whitehat Saves $1.5M in DeFi's First Big Hack of 2025

Hackers stole $2.5 million from Moby, a decentralized finance (DeFi) options marketplace on Arbitrum, in the first crypto crime of the year yesterday. In a shocking turn of events, whitehat hacker Tony Ke, a “noob engineer” and MEV researcher from Solayer Labs/Fuzzland, recovered $1.5 million in USDC from the attacker.Moby acknowledged that a leaked private key let the hacker to exploit a proxy contract and trigger a “emergency” withdrawal option.

The thieves took 207 WETH worth $687,000 and 3.7 WBTC worth $350,000.Moby promised traders and liquidity providers compensation, saying “This was not a security issue with the protocol's smart contracts”. According to blockchain security company Beosin, the attacker converted the stolen cash into ETH and sent them to an Ethereum address before distributing them to several wallets.

This changed when Ke's MEV bot found a fault in the hacker's contract. After compromising Moby's private key, the attacker left their substitute contract's upgrade mechanism insecure, enabling Ke to counter-exploit. Ke retrieved $1.5 million in USDC from the attacker's contract using the same flaw. “The rescue of the remaining WETH and WBTC was missed by just 30 seconds,” Ke said, emphasizing the fragility of such high-stakes rescues. About $1 million in WETH and WBTC remains stolen.

Moby has subsequently promised to refund any damages, showing its dedication to users facing criticism. Virtuals Protocol, an AI agent platform, revealed a Discord server breach when a moderator's private key was obtained, enabling unauthorized access. The incident included many Google phishing sites, but the Virtuals team said it was rectified.

References

1-Avan-Nomayo, N. (2025b, January 9). U.S. still holds $6.5b in seized Silk Road Bitcoin. crypto.news. https://crypto.news/u-s-still-holds-6-5b-in-seized-silk-road-bitcoin/

2-Jain, A. (2025, January 9). Crypto under MICA: What’s changing and what it means? crypto.news. https://crypto.news/crypto-under-mica-whats-changing-and-what-it-means/

3-Toti, B. (2025, January 9). Bitcoin miner CleanSpark hits 10,000 BTC in its treasury. crypto.news. https://crypto.news/bitcoin-miner-cleanspark-hits-10000-btc-in-its-treasury/

4-Nyaga, C. (2025b, January 9). Ethereum price is slowly forming a rare pattern: is a surge coming? crypto.news. https://crypto.news/ethereum-price-is-slowly-forming-a-rare-pattern-is-a-surge-coming/

5-Kabir, S. (2025, January 9). Crypto hacks and scams cost over $3 billion in 2024. No Musica. https://nomusica.com/crypto-hacks-and-scams-cost-over-3-billion-in-2024/

6-https://www.cryptotimes.io/2025/01/09/whitehat-hacker-saves-1-5m-in-defis-first-big-hack-of-2025/