Buterin Receives Mu Deng, Missing $773M BTC Wallet Christmas Wishes – Finance Reinvented

Following Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin's decision to accept viral internet sensation Moon Deng's donation of 88 Ether to a zoo in Thailand, the last week of 2024 was as exciting as the rest of this pivotal year for crypto adoption.

In the broader crypto space, James Howells He continues his legal battle to recover a hard drive containing more than $773 million worth of bitcoins that was lost in a landfill in 2013.

Vitalik Buterin received Mu Deng with a zoo donation of 88 ETH.

Viral internet sensation Mu Deng the pygmy hippopotamus has been endorsed by Vitalik Buterin, one of the most famous cryptocurrency founders.

Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, the world's second-largest blockchain network, became the adoptive father of Mu Deng, Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo announced in a post on December 26 X:

“Thank you Vitalik Buterin for joining the wildlife sponsorship program and accepting Mu Deng as a gift of 10,000,000 THB to her family!”

Mu Deng gained viral popularity in September due to her expressive personality and adorable social media videos shared by the zoo in Thailand.

In response to the announcement, Buterin said he would donate 88 Ether (ETH) or $292,000 more to the zoo than he currently does.

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All I want for Christmas is my $773M BTC back.

James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, is fighting a high-profile legal battle to get access to a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin private keys worth about $773 million.

The drive that was mistakenly dumped in the trash contains 2009-era Bitcoin (BTC), representing a fortune tied to the early days of the cryptocurrency market. Howells is currently banned from Newport City Council due to his local licence.

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Howells said the legal process is ongoing and supported by a world-class legal team and advanced artificial intelligence technology trained in UK law.

In the year Despite the $773 million worth of assets left behind in 2013, Howells is optimistic and plans to compensate stakeholders, contribute to the crypto community, and reinvest in blockchain projects — if he recovers the lost BTC.

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South Korea sanctions 15 North Koreans over crypto heists and cyber theft

North Korean hackers are being tracked by governments around the world for more than half the value of cryptocurrency stolen by 2024.

Hackers like the infamous Lazarus Group are prime suspects in some of Web3's most infamous cyber heists, including the $600 million hack of the Ronin network.

South Korea is the latest country to impose sanctions on 15 members of a North Korean IT organization and one related group.

Sanctioned agents procured funds for North Korea's nuclear missile development program and the DPRK's munitions industry department through “foreign exchange-earning activities abroad,” according to a Dec. 26 news release by South Korea's foreign ministry.

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Crypto hacks will spend $2.3B by 2024, a 40% YoY increase.

In the year Cryptocurrency hackers stole more than $2.3 billion worth of crypto from the Web3 ecosystem in 2024, a sign of major adoption for the industry.

As Bitcoin (BTC) topped $100,000 for the first time on December 6, the cryptocurrency's valuations have seen a surge in crypto hacking due to its increasing appeal.

Crypto hackers stole more than $2.3 billion worth of assets on 165 occasions, a 40% increase from 2023, when $1.69 billion worth of crypto was hacked, according to a report shared by onchain security firm Syvers.

The 40% increase is mainly due to an increase in access control violations, especially at Central Exchanges (CEXs) and crypto watchdogs, according to Didi Lavid, founder and CEO of Syverse.

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Solana Gito Pool Exceeds $100M in Monthly Tips: Kairos Study

Solana staking pool Gito closed monthly revenues from priority payments and more than $100 million in tips in November and December, according to cryptocurrency researcher Kairos Research on December 26.

In the year By 2024, Gito validators have increased tip revenues by an average of 32% per month, Kairos said. Monthly revenue rose to around $210 million in November.

Gito's tipping income reflects the growing popularity of Solana's network. It also dictates the increase verifiers get in terms of prioritizing certain transactions, a practice known as Maximum Extractable Value (MEV).

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Overview of the DeFi market

According to data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView, most of the 100 largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization ended the week in the green.

Over 81% of the top 100, Bitget Token (BGB) has been the week's biggest winner, bolstered by a recent merger between its predecessor Bitget Token (BGB) and Bitget Wallet Token (BWB).

The virtual protocol (virtual) coin was the week's second-highest gainer, up more than 51 percent last week.

Thanks for reading this week's roundup of the most impactful DeFi developments. Join us next Friday for more stories, insights and lessons about this dynamic and evolving space.