A recently divorced Bitcoin holder lost his entire retirement savings, totaling one full BTC, after an online romance scheme used AI-generated identities and real-time deepfakes to build trust. The case shows how emotional manipulation combined with irreversible crypto transfers can defeat traditional fraud checks and overwhelm personal defenses.

On Dec. 12, 2025, the stablecoin market’s total value reached $310 billion, up 70% year over year. USDT at $172 billion and USDC at $145 billion dominate activity, and stablecoins often comprise about 80% of exchange trading. The asset class is increasingly used for faster, lower-cost cross‑border payments and as core collateral in DeFi.

Five jurisdictions moved to streamline crypto licensing in 2025, with major milestones: the US GENIUS Act in July, EU MiCA passporting from January, Dubai VARA's Version 2.0 in May, Hong Kong's stablecoin regime in August, and UK HM Treasury and FCA steps in April and December. These changes created clearer pathways and reduced duplication for compliant firms.