Elliptic’s initial tracing found many of the funds were sent to foreign crypto exchanges, potentially indicating capital flight from Iran amid rising uncertainty in the region. Iran’s top crypto exchange saw a significant spike in crypto withdrawals within minutes of the US and Israel launching strikes in Tehran on Saturday. However, a widespread internet outage curbed additional outflows. In a post on Monday, Elliptic said crypto outflows from the Nobitex exchange surged by more than 700% to over $500,000 within minutes of the first airstrikes, with a chart showing that outflows reached nearly $3 million in a single hour later that day. Elliptic said the sharp rise in outflows “potentially represents capital flight from Iran,” with its initial tracing showing that many of those funds were sent to foreign crypto exchanges. Read more
A February report claimed that Tether had frozen about $4.2 billion worth of its USDt stablecoin allegedly connected to illicit activities since 2023. The US Justice Department is seeking to recover about $327,829 worth of stablecoins allegedly connected to a money laundering scheme part of an online romance scam. In a Monday notice, the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts said it had filed a civil forfeiture action to recover more than 327,829 of Tether's USDt (USDT). According to authorities, the funds were tied to an alleged online romance fraud scheme perpetrated by an individual named “Linda Brown” which targeted a Massachusetts resident starting in 2024. “Some of the victim’s funds were traced to multiple unhosted cryptocurrency wallets, which were seized in August 2025,” said the Justice Department. “The complaint alleges that all cryptocurrency associated with those wallets was property involved in money laundering.” Read more
Month over month Bitcoin open interest continues to decline, while BTC options markets highlight balanced demand. Does the data point to reduced institutional investor activity? Key takeaways: Bitcoin futures demand has hit its lowest level since 2024, signaling that many institutional traders are staying cautious. Despite lower confidence from bulls, high CME open interest suggests that major institutions have not left the market. Read more