Weekly: Ukraine’s military AI, CZ’s wealth at $110 billion, a fake CEO résumé, and 20 million BTC

The news cycle brought together bitcoin and ETFs, miner challenges, new regulatory rules, stories around AI, and even criminal cases. Against this backdrop, the market looks nervous in the short term, but large capital flows and technological shifts have not disappeared.

Bitcoin: 20 million coins and major purchases

At the start of the week, BTC dipped below $66,000. The market was pressured by macro factors and geopolitical tension. However, there was no panic outflow of capital. On the contrary, spot bitcoin ETFs recorded inflows of about $568 million.

At the same time, Strategy bought nearly 18,000 BTC worth over $1.2 billion. The company’s total reserves now exceed 738,000 coins.

Another symbolic milestone: more than 20 million BTC have already been mined. Only one million coins remain until the final cap of 21 million, and they will be mined over more than a century. For the market, this once again highlights the main thesis: bitcoin’s supply is limited, and this factor does not disappear even during difficult periods.

Ethereum: weaker price and pressure on companies

Ethereum continues to look weaker than bitcoin. The asset is trading significantly below its previous highs, and some analysts allow for deeper corrections if the market remains in a risk-off mode.

The consequences are already visible at the corporate level. Sharplink reported more than $730 million in losses due to the depreciation of its crypto reserves, although part of the losses was offset by staking income.

Despite this, ecosystem development continues. Ethereum is advancing the ERC-8183 standard for conditional payments between AI agents. This is another signal that Web3 and AI are gradually beginning to work together at the infrastructure level.

Miners: profitability is falling

The mining sector is going through a difficult period. Profitability is declining, and some companies are forced to sell BTC or use reserves as a source of financing.

The sector is increasingly discussing diversification. One option is using miners’ data centers for computing in the field of artificial intelligence. For some companies, this could become a new source of revenue.

Ukraine and military AI

One of the most interesting topics of the week was Ukraine’s AI initiative. Ukraine is working on launching its own large language model. The first version is expected in the spring of 2026.

At the same time, the Ministry of Defense is creating an experimental platform for training unmanned system models based on real combat data. This is an example of AI moving from theoretical discussions to practical defense solutions.

AI industry: conflicts and big money

Startup Hayden AI filed a lawsuit against its former CEO. He is accused of a fake résumé, selling $1.2 million worth of shares, and stealing corporate data.

Meanwhile, Anthropic is challenging the decision of US authorities to place the company on a blacklist. In the UK, journalists also questioned part of the government’s announced AI investments.

At the same time, interest in the industry is not declining. There are already dozens of AI billionaires in the world, and major corporations continue acquiring promising startups.

Regulators: new rules of the game

The United States is integrating blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and AI into its national cybersecurity strategy. At the same time, authorities are strengthening tools to combat crypto crime.

The Senate supported a ban on launching a digital dollar until 2030. Europe is also increasing transparency requirements for crypto services through new tax rules.

At the same time, investigations involving Binance and other regulatory processes continue. This shows that the crypto market is increasingly entering the sphere of global financial politics.

CZ and the darker side of the industry

Changpeng Zhao’s wealth is estimated at about $110 billion. This once again demonstrates the scale of capital formed around the crypto industry.

At the same time, criminal cases continue to appear. In France, criminals posing as police officers forced a couple to transfer about $1 million in BTC. In India, a co-founder of Darwin Labs was arrested in connection with the $800 million GainBitcoin crypto pyramid scheme.

Researchers also discovered a vulnerability in smartphones with MediaTek processors that could allow attackers to steal PIN codes and private keys. In response, crypto services are launching new security mechanisms, including protection against address poisoning.

Kursoff’s view

The market is currently in a phase of tension. On one side there is macroeconomic pressure, regulatory risks, and problems in certain sectors. On the other there are large bitcoin purchases, the development of AI infrastructure, and a steady inflow of institutional capital.

The key feature of this phase is contradiction. The market looks unstable in the short term, but the fundamental processes shaping the next cycle continue to develop.