In the final week of 2024, the cryptocurrency world saw significant developments, highlighting both generosity and legal challenges. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin made headlines by adopting Moo Deng, a pygmy hippopotamus that captured the internet’s attention. Buterin’s contribution of 88 Ether, valued at approximately $292,000, to Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo demonstrated his commitment to wildlife conservation. Moo Deng gained popularity due to her captivating personality and social media presence.
Simultaneously, James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, continued his legal fight to retrieve a hard drive discarded in 2013. This drive contains access to 8,000 Bitcoin, which is now worth about $773 million. Despite facing legal hurdles from the Newport City Council due to environmental concerns, Howells remains hopeful. He aims to compensate stakeholders and invest in blockchain projects if he succeeds in recovering the funds.
Additionally, South Korea imposed sanctions on 15 North Korean IT professionals and an associated group, holding them accountable for numerous cyber thefts in the cryptocurrency sector. These individuals are believed to have supported North Korea’s missile program through overseas financial activities. The North Korean hacker group, Lazarus, is suspected of orchestrating several prominent cryptocurrency hacks, including a $600 million theft from the Ronin network.
The issue of cybercrime was further underscored as reports revealed that cryptocurrency-related hacks reached over $2.3 billion in 2024. This represented a dramatic 40% increase from the previous year. The rise in incidents was attributed to breaches at centralized exchanges and custodians, coinciding with Bitcoin surpassing a milestone value of $100,000.
In the staking arena, Solana’s Jito staking pool reported remarkable earnings, exceeding $100 million from priority fees and tips in recent months. This surge in revenue indicates Solana’s growing market presence, with validators benefiting from strategies like Maximum Extractable Value (MEV).
The cryptocurrency market displayed positive momentum, with several top assets finishing the week in the green. Notably, the Bitget Token recorded an 81% rise, driven by a merger with Bitget Wallet Token, while the Virtuals Protocol coin also saw significant gains.
