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Cybercriminals stole $2.7 billion in crypto this year, a new record for crypto-stealing hacks, according to blockchain-monitoring firms. Once again, in 2025, there were dozens of crypto heists hitting several cryptocurrency exchanges and other web3 and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects. The biggest hack by far was the breach at Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit, where hackers stole around $1.4 billion in crypto. Blockchain analysis firms, as well as the FBI, accused North Korean government hackers — the most prolific group targeting crypto in the last few years — of this massive heist. This was the largest known loot of crypto of all time, and one of the largest financial heists in the history of humanity. Before the Bybit hack, the largest crypto thefts netted $624 million and $611 million for hackers in the 2022 breaches against the Ronin Network and the Poly Network, respectively. Cryptocurrency-monitoring firms Chainalysis and TRM Labs both estimated a total of $2.7 billion stolen in crypto in 2025, per data shared with TechCrunch. Chainalysis also tracked another $700,000 stolen from individual crypto wallets, the company said. De.Fi, the web3 security firm running the REKT database that tracks crypto thefts, also estimated $2.7 billion in stolen and hacked crypto last year. As usual, North Korean government hackers were the most successful crypto thieves throughout 2025, after stealing at least $2 billion, according to Chainalysis and Elliptic, which estimated that Kim Jong Un’s hackers have stolen around $6 billion since 2017. North Korea uses crypto thefts to fund its sanctioned nuclear weapons program. Other significant crypto hacks this year included the one against Cetus, a decentralized exchange, which netted the hackers $223 million; the breach against Balancer, a protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain, which resulted in a loss of $128 million; and the one against the crypto exchange Phemex, where cybercriminals stole more than $73 million. Cybercriminals targeting crypto exchanges and other DeFi projects are not slowing down. In 2024, hackers stole $2.2 billion in crypto, while the year before, in 2023, the total was $2 billion.

A whale lost $20.4M on Base after a $23M bet on Artificial Intelligence agent tokens collapsed by 89% due to drying liquidity. A large crypto whale has taken one of the harshest losses seen on Base this month. Onchain data shows the investor spent about $23 million buying AI agent tokens across the Base network. This week, the same wallet exited every position. The total return came in at just $2.58 million. That move locked in a loss of roughly $20.4 million. In percentage terms, the portfolio collapsed by nearly 89%.  Lookonchain flagged the trades as one of the worst recent AI token investments on Base. At first, the strategy looked bold. The whale spread capital across several trending AI-related tokens. But when liquidity dried up, the exit proved brutal. Size did not offer protection. It only magnified the damage. Token-by-Token Losses Tell a Brutal Story The largest hit came from FAI. Specifically, the whale spent nearly $10.7 million building the position. However, the final sale returned only about $822,000. As a result, that single trade erased almost $9.9 million. AIXBT followed close behind; in that case, a $9.3 million entry fell to roughly $1.5 million on exit. That position alone lost more than $7.8 million. Other tokens collapsed even harder on a percentage basis. POLY dropped by more than 98%. NFTXBT lost over 99%. MAICRO and BOTTO also fell more than 80%. In total, six AI-related tokens went from hype to heavy losses. None of the positions was profitable. All were fully closed on the same day. Liquidity Risk Exposes the Limits of “Smart Money” This trade highlights a recurring issue in small-cap narratives. AI agent tokens on Base often trade in thin markets. Prices can move fast on the way up. Exits, however, are another story. When a whale tries to leave, liquidity disappears. Slippage increases and panic spreads. The chart collapses. Several commentators noted that execution, not conviction, likely sealed the loss. Being early helps. Being large does not. In fact, size can become a liability. Once sentiment turns, there is no easy way out. Onchain data now shows the wallet holding only a few low-value tokens and less than one ETH. The once massive AI portfolio has effectively been wiped out. A Cautionary Signal for Base AI Narratives The Base ecosystem has seen strong growth. AI narratives added fuel earlier this year. However, this episode shows how fast those narratives can break. Smart money bleeds too. Deep pockets do not guarantee discipline. Hype does not replace liquidity and diversification does not help when correlations move to one. For retail traders, the lesson is simple. Follow onchain data, not just stories. Watch liquidity before entry. Plan exits early. For whales, the message is harsher. Markets do not care how big you are. When the door gets narrow, everyone rushes for it at once. $BTC

In the cryptocurrency market, gains can be huge, but losses can also be enormous. The latest news comes from a whale who suffered significant losses in altcoins. While Bitcoin (BTC) broke record after record in 2025, altcoins generally had a bad year. In this context, altcoin investors also suffered significant losses. According to Lookonchain's report, a massive whale's multi-million dollar investment virtually vanished. Accordingly, a massive whale who invested $23 million in 6 altcoins eventually gave up and sold everything for just $2.58 million. This resulted in a loss of $20.43 million (-88.77%). Accordingly, investments were made in the following altcoins: FAI ($10.6 million), AIXBT ($9.3 million), BOTTO ($1.1 million), POLY ($850,000), NFTXBT ($600,000), and MAICRO ($425,000). Individuals or organizations that invested a total of $23 million in these 6 altcoins during the summer months have given up during the recent declines. The giant whale, who sold all of his altcoin holdings, suffered a loss of $20.4 million. After the sales, the whale was left with only $2.5 million. This might be one of the worst investments ever. A whale/institution spent $23M buying AI agent tokens on #Base and sold everything today for only $2.58M, resulting in a $20.43M(−88.77%) loss. Breakdown:$FAI: −$9.87M(−92.31%)$AIXBT: −$7.81M(−83.74%)$BOTTO:… pic.twitter.com/DbEqIyD6xT — Lookonchain (@lookonchain) December 16, 2025 *This is not investment advice. Follow our Telegram and Twitter account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!

En el mercado de criptomonedas, las ganancias pueden ser enormes, pero las pérdidas también. La última noticia proviene de una ballena que sufrió pérdidas significativas en altcoins. Si bien Bitcoin (BTC) batió récords tras récord en 2025, las altcoins, en general, tuvieron un mal año. En este contexto, los inversores en altcoins también sufrieron pérdidas significativas. Según el informe de Lookonchain, la inversión multimillonaria de una enorme ballena prácticamente desapareció. En consecuencia, una ballena enorme que invirtió 23 millones de dólares en 6 altcoins finalmente se rindió y vendió todo por solo 2,58 millones de dólares. Esto supuso una pérdida de 20,43 millones de dólares (-88,77%). En consecuencia, se realizaron inversiones en las siguientes altcoins: FAI ($10,6 millones), AIXBT ($9,3 millones), BOTTO ($1,1 millones), POLY ($850.000), NFTXBT ($600.000) y MAICRO ($425.000). Las personas u organizaciones que invirtieron un total de 23 millones de dólares en estas 6 altcoins durante los meses de verano se han rendido durante las recientes caídas. La ballena gigante, que vendió todas sus altcoins, sufrió una pérdida de 20,4 millones de dólares. Tras la venta, solo le quedaron 2,5 millones de dólares. This might be one of the worst investments ever. A whale/institution spent $23M buying AI agent tokens on #Base and sold everything today for only $2.58M, resulting in a $20.43M(−88.77%) loss. Breakdown:$FAI: −$9.87M(−92.31%)$AIXBT: −$7.81M(−83.74%)$BOTTO:… pic.twitter.com/DbEqIyD6xT — Lookonchain (@lookonchain) December 16, 2025 *Esto no constituye un consejo de inversión. Follow our Telegram and Twitter account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!