Bitcoin Rises As Top Crypto Asset Among Investors

According to a new report by crypto exchange Bybit, Bitcoin now makes up almost a third—about 30.95 per cent—of all cryptocurrency holdings as of May 2025. This is a sharp increase from 25.4 per cent in November 2024, which would indicate an increasing popularity towards the oldest and most recognised cryptocurrency.

The report highlights that Bitcoin is currently the largest single crypto asset held by investors globally. In contrast, the Ether-to-Bitcoin holding ratio dropped to a yearly low of 0.15 in April 2025 but has since recovered to 0.27, indicating some volatility in investor sentiment towards Ethereum.

Bitcoin's recent performance has also been traced to political developments. After US President Donald Trump's inauguration, Bitcoin outperformed traditional financial instruments—such as equities, treasuries, and even precious metals—in returns. Cointelegraph had earlier in March 2025 reported that this performance had increased renewed institutional and retail interest in Bitcoin.

Figures also indicate that a total of 3.45 million Bitcoins are in treasuries. Out of these, approximately 834,000 Bitcoins—or approximately 3.97 per cent of total supply—are in the possession of public companies, whereas more than 1.39 million Bitcoins or 6.6 per cent is being held in the form of spot Bitcoin ETFs.

Coinbase Assists US Secret Service In Record $225 Million Crypto Scam Seizure

Crypto platform Coinbase announced that it played a "key role" in helping the US Secret Service with an investigation that resulted in the seizure of over USD 225 million in cryptocurrencies linked to an international network of scams. In a Cointelegraph report, the Department of Justice filed the seizure request on June 18, 2025, in what is referred to as the largest cryptocurrency seizure in the agency's history.

The money is thought to be related to an extensive "pig butchering" scam—a romance-investment scheme in which victims are coaxed over time to send money to fake crypto platforms. Agent in Charge Shawn Bradsheet affirmed that the size of the scheme and the amount involved made it the agency's largest crypto-related operation to date.

Coinbase revealed that from February 26 to February 29, 2024, its in-house team identified suspicious transactions where millions of dollars were being sent via wallets with fraudulent statuses. The exchange reported these transactions to the Secret Service, which aided identification of victims and eventually resulted in freezing assets associated with scams.

The seizure follows increased international cooperation on enforcement of crypto crime. In another incident in May 2025, the Australian Federal Police seized 25 Bitcoins—valued at about USD 2.6 million—suspected to be connected to a 2013 theft of 950 Bitcoins from a French crypto exchange.

Chainlink-Mastercard Tie-Up Could Broaden Crypto Access

Chainlink, a decentralised network of Oracles, has joined forces with Mastercard to facilitate crypto payments directly via Mastercard's international network. The union plans to integrate onchain access for Mastercard's three billion cardholders, promising to speed up crypto adoption by connecting traditional finance and digital assets.

This incorporation was facilitated by collaborations with a number of Web3 infrastructure providers, such as Shift4 Payments, Swapper Finance, XSwap, and ZeroHash. ZeroHash will be key in providing the onchain services and liquidity that support fiat-to-crypto conversion.

Mastercard has continued to increase its presence in the world of crypto. In 2024 and 2025, it rolled out a number of crypto-compatible cards, enabling consumers to spend digital money at retail stores. Earlier this year, the payments giant collaborated with Kraken to roll out crypto debit cards in the UK and Europe. It also partnered with MetaMask to launch a self-custody crypto card, with users having more control over their digital assets.

Mastercard, in February 2025, had tokenised 30 per cent of all transactions made through it in 2024. With its latest action in partnership with Chainlink, the company seems to be taking leadership in the adoption of crypto in traditional finance.