Here is how some of your favorite assets concluded the week.

Exaion, backed by EDF Group, joins Etherlink as a validator, signaling broader institutional interest in Tezos and enhancing network stability.

Exaion, a subsidiary of French electric utility giant EDF Group, is now a validator of Etherlink, the Tezos-powered layer 2 blockchain.

Former Australian Air Force pilot John-Paul Thorbjornsen, also known as JP Thor, has been promoting his new crypto wallet, Vultisig, which runs on THORChain a decentralized network he founded to enable cross-chain swaps without intermediaries. Marketed as more secure than other wallets, Vultisig has recently seen a spike in usage alongside THORChain.

Researchers say North Korea used THORChain to launder $1.2 billion following the biggest-ever crypto heist.

Stables, the Tezos-based fantasy horse racing game, is making its debut in the North American market through a partnership with Equibase, the official supplier of horse racing statistics in the US and Canada. The move marks a significant expansion for the French startup, allowing players to engage with real-life racehorses in a blockchain-powered virtual setting.

As the crypto market enters Q2 2025, both investors and traders are anticipating a shift from bearish to bullish momentum. This change is essential for altcoins to recover, as many are currently facing challenges in bouncing back.

THORChain encountered some difficulties in 2025, including announcing insolvency in January. The company made an announcement on X, revealing that it had temporarily paused its network due to significant debt and leverage problems affecting its ecosystem.

Tezos introduces the Trailblazers program, inviting builders, creators, and changemakers to contribute to the ecosystem's growth through various impactful missions.

The company is on a mission to revolutionize blockchain gaming with a sustainable rewards model that benefits loyal players. This fresh funding will fuel the development of innovative Web3 games, starting with Sugar Match, set to launch this summer on Tezos Layer-2, Etherlink.

With Bitcoin on the verge of a breakout (or rejection), the altcoins are starting to stir. The altcoin market cap could already have bottomed.

Skurpy, a new social media hub and NFT marketplace, is set to launch on March 13th, integrating Tezos blockchain technology to offer innovative features for creators and users.

Etherlink has deployed its third protocol upgrade, Calypso, on mainnet to bring a massive performance boost to the Tezos layer 2 network.

THORChain has been called a money laundering protocol — a label no decentralized finance (DeFi) project wants unless it's prepared to have regulators breathing down its neck.Its supporters have fended off the criticism by championing decentralization, while its critics point to recent activities that showed some of the protocol's centralized tendencies. After exploiting Bybit for $1.4 billion, the North Korean state-backed hackers behind the attack, known as the Lazarus Group, flocked to THORChain, making it their top choice to convert stolen funds from Ether (ETH) to Bitcoin (BTC).

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance again captured noteworthy market attention with its latest update on 6 tokens this Tuesday. Notably, the exchange revealed that it is updating the leverage and margin tiers for RARE, AXS, ZEN, XTZ, SAGA, and CATI.

This crypto bull market has not been particularly kind to the vast majority of altcoins. Unlike previous bull markets, the focus has been very much on Bitcoin, seemingly with only the merest sniff of an altcoins season, which has so far failed to arrive.

THORChain, a decentralized cross-chain swap protocol, witnessed an unprecedented surge in activity following the Bybit hack. According to DefiLlama, THORChain processed a record $4.66 billion in swaps in the week ending March 2, surpassing $1 billion in a single day.

The Lazarus Group has already laundered all the unfrozen funds it stole from the recent Bybit hack. The group used THORChain's DEX to convert ETH tokens, sparking community criticisms.

The CEO of the recently hacked crypto exchange Bybit says that North Korean hackers have converted 417,348 stolen Ethereum (ETH) into Bitcoin (BTC). According to Bybit CEO Ben Zhou, North Korean state-sponsored hackers stole approximately $1.4 billion in ETH from Bybit, bridging a significant portion of the assets to Bitcoin.

THORChain reportedly generated $5.5M in transaction fees from the surge in activity linked to the laundering of Bybit's stolen funds.

THORChain generated over $5 million in revenue as Bybit's $1.4 billion hacker used the protocol for moving funds, sparking controversy over its role in illicit crypto transfers.

North Korean hackers used THORChain to help launder $1.4 billion in stolen Bybit funds, driving the protocol's weekly volume to a record $4.6 billion.

Bybit CEO Ben Zhou has confirmed that $1.07 billion—roughly 77% of the assets stolen in the exchange's recent $1.4 billion security breach—can still be tracked. In a March 4 update, Zhou disclosed that hackers successfully laundered $280 million, around 20% of the 499,000 ETH stolen.

THORChain was one of the platforms Bybit hackers used to launder funds, according to observers.

RUNE, the native token of the THORChain protocol, remains under significant bearish pressure following a 9.09% price decline in the last week. According to crypto analyst Ali Martinez, RUNE is likely far from a market recovery following a bearish flag pattern on its trading chart.

Tezos has experienced big price dips but investors are still optimistic in this blockchain network's native token. Will it survive and recover its price in the future, let's find out.

A developer from THORChain, known as Pluto, has announced his departure from the decentralized liquidity protocol following a contentious decision involving North Korean-linked transactions. The controversy emerged after a vote by the network's validators to block these transactions was swiftly overturned, raising concerns about the platform's governance and resilience to regulatory challenges.

Thorchain is facing operational risks as developers look to quit over disagreements on handling sanctioned funds linked to North Korean hackers.

THORChain developer “Pluto” resigns over failure to block illicit transactions. The FBI urged exchanges and validators to prevent North Korean money laundering.

Thorchain is grappling with developer departures and mounting concerns over its role in laundering stolen crypto, particularly Ethereum from the Bybit hack, tied to North Korean hackers.

THORChain token is flashing a bearish signal, forming a bearish flag pattern that suggests further downside even as swap volume surges. THORChain (RUNE) was trading at $1.3050 on Friday, down 82% from its November peak.

Key Points

Supporters of the decentralized exchange Thorchain have pushed back against claims that the protocol is actively aiding North Korea-backed hackers attempting to cash out funds from the Bybit hack.

THORChain's native token has plummeted 20% in the past 24 hours, wiping off recent gains as the rest of the market also bleeds. The price of THORChain (RUNE) changed hands around $1.20, dipping sharply after hitting highs above $1.60.

According to Arkham, Lazarus-linked wallets have moved over $240 million in ETH through THORChain. They primarily swapped it for Bitcoin (BTC).

THORChain developer Pluto announces his departure after a vote to block North Korean hacker-linked transactions was reverted. A validator is also threatening to exit unless the protocol can stop the flow of hacker funds.

A core developer of THORChain has announced their resignation following the reversal of a vote to block transactions linked to North Korean hackers. The post THORChain Developer Resigns After Vote to Block North Korean Hackers Was Reverted appeared first on Cryptonews.

Thorchain faces a critical moment as key developers leave amid concerns over North Korean hackers using the platform to launder stolen cryptocurrency.

Bybit hackers laundered 270,000 ETH, equivalent to approximately $605 million, via THORChain, representing over half of stolen funds. The post Bybit Hacker Launders 270K ETH Via THORChain, Still Holds $514M appeared first on Cryptonews.

THORChain is facing internal turmoil after a developer resigned over a controversial vote to block transactions linked to North Korean hackers.

A THORChain RUNE developer has stepped away from the project after an attempt to block transactions linked to North Korean hackers was reversed.

A THORChain dev has backed out and a validator is threatening to follow as North Korean hackers have reportedly sent $605 million worth of crypto through the protocol.

Thorchain is experiencing a developer exodus, as hackers from Lazarus Group are using the interoperability-focused blockchain to launder Ethereum (ETH) stolen in the Bybit hack. A Thorchain developer known as TCB announced that Pluto, the protocol's unofficial lead developer, is stepping down.

MetaMask head of security, Taylor Monahan, said Lazarus has moved at least 209,384 ETH, over half the ETH stolen from Bybit, into BTC.

THORChain, a cross-chain swap protocol, witnessed a huge uptick in its activity as the party behind the Bybit heist attempted to launder stolen funds through the platform. The Bybit heist now tagged the largest cryptocurrency heist the world has ever seen, happened on February 21, 2025, and saw the exchange lose about $1.

In January, THORChain paused Bitcoin and Ethereum lending to prevent misuse, as part of a $200 million debt restructuring.

The cross-chain swap protocol has seen a massive surge in activity following the $1.4 billion exploit of the crypto exchange. On Feb. 26, THORChain processed $859 million in swaps, its highest-ever daily volume, according to THORChain Explorer.

Bybit's illicit funds laundering has earned THORChain almost $3 billion in trading volume and $3 million in fee revenue.