Musk&#8217;s influence on meme coin markets highlights the volatility and speculative nature of cryptocurrency investments driven by social media. The post Elon Musk revives &#8216;Kekius Maximus&#8217; persona, triggers new meme coin gold rush appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Elon Musk revives ‘Kekius Maximus’ persona, triggers new meme coin gold rush

Everstake has urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to 
clarify that non-custodial staking should not be regulated as a securities 
transaction. The meeting comes amid rising regulatory uncertainty that 
threatens to undermine the foundational role of staking in blockchain 
networks. Everstake Defends Non-Custodial Model for Staking in SEC Talks Amid 
growing tension between […]

Everstake to SEC: Non-Custodial Staking Shouldn’t Be Regulated as Securities

A man from Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, has been arrested in 
connection with an FBI-led investigation into a global cryptocurrency fraud 
operation that allegedly stole $450 million New Zealand dollars ($265 
million).
According to New Zealand Police, the man is one of 13 individuals charged 
after authorities executed search warrants across Auckland, Wellington, and 
California over the past three days.
The charges stem from allegations that members of an organized criminal group 
manipulated seven victims to obtain large amounts of cryptocurrency, which was 
then laundered through multiple platforms between March and August 2024.
The US Department of Justice has indicted the man under federal law, including 
charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to 
commit money laundering, per the announcement.
_Source: New Zealond Police_
 _**Related:**__**Germany seizes $38M in crypto from Bybit hack-linked eXch 
exchange**_
## Scammer used stolen funds to purchase luxury vehicles
Prosecutors allege the stolen funds were used to purchase $9 million worth of 
luxury vehicles and spent lavishly on high-end goods, including designer 
handbags, watches, and clothing, as well as services such as nightclub access, 
private security, and rentals in Los Angeles, Miami, and the Hamptons.
The accused appeared in Auckland District Court and was granted bail with 
interim name suppression. He is scheduled to reappear on July 3.
&#8220;We have worked closely with our law enforcement colleagues in the United 
States in support of their investigation,&#8221; the police stated. They added:
&#8220;Today&#8217;s search warrant and arrest reflects the importance of international 
partnerships where criminals are operating across borders.&#8221;
The investigation remains ongoing.
_**Related: **__**Bybit hacker launders 100% of stolen $1.4B crypto in 10 
days**_
## Crypto thefts surge to $360M in April
Digital asset thefts skyrocketed in April 2025, with nearly $360 million 
stolen across 18 separate hacking incidents, according to data from blockchain 
security firm PeckShield.
The figure marks a staggering 990% jump from March when reported losses stood 
at just $33 million. The sharp rise was largely attributed to a single 
unauthorized Bitcoin transfer that accounted for the bulk of the month&#8217;s 
losses.
On April 28, blockchain analyst ZachXBT identified a suspicious $330 million 
BTC transaction. The incident was later confirmed as a social engineering 
attack that targeted an elderly US resident, resulting in one of the largest 
individual crypto thefts to date.
_**Magazine:**__**Binance Wallet &#8216;killing&#8217; MetaMask and airdrops, Chinese RWA 
tokens: Asia Express**_

New Zealand man arrested in $265M crypto scam tied to FBI probe

The Ethereum price has ranged low now after making a new monthly high back on 
Tuesday. This increase had come as a much-needed relief for the crypto market, 
which had watched the ETH price struggled while Bitcoin thrived. However, the 
bullish breakout has not lasted long as bears have once again taken control 
and sellers are now dominating. Given this recent trend, it is possible that 
the Ethereum price has seen the end of price decline. Ethereum Lower Lows 
Present Troubling Trend Crypto analyst Gianni Pichichero has explained what 
could be going on with the Ethereum price and why the current trend could be 
worrying. This goes through the different processes and how the altcoin has 
been moving since the start of the week, starting from Monday’s bullish rise 
to the bearish reversal that took the market by surprise. Related Reading: 
Bitcoin Weekly SuperTrend Flashes Sell Signal From 2022 Despite BTC/USD 
Strength Gianni explained that the opening range for the week had established 
the current monthly high before breaking low. This showed an entry of large 
players into the market as the Ethereum price was pushed up rapidly to touch 
the $2,700 mark for the first time in over a month. This had set a bullish 
tone for the week, following into the next day as Tuesday also showed recovery 
strength, The next day, Tuesday, the Ethereum price did pump once again and 
placed a higher high than Monday, suggesting that a continuation was in play. 
The day also closed out in the green as ETH bulls remained dominant through 
the trading day. By Wednesday, there had been a turn in the market, whereas 
the previous days were dominated by bullish rallies, consolidation was the 
order of the day. This brought the Ethereum price back inside the opening 
range high of the week and then marked the first red close of the week. This 
first red close, Gianni explains, was a bearish signal. It initially didn’t 
signal that the Ethereum price would continue to crash. However, it did show 
that the bullishness that began on Monday might finally be over. Then, by 
Thursday, it was already a full-blown reversal as the market tested the 
previous day’s lows. Thursday’s red close was just as bearish as the market 
turned in expectation of bearish news. Related Reading: Is Bitcoin Price 
Turning Bullish Or Bearish? Crypto Analyst Reveals Critical Levels To Watch 
The formation of lower lows on both days has been worrying, and the analyst 
outlined in the chart that there could be a possible breakdown of the price. 
In this case, the Ethereum price could again crash back below $2,400, wiping 
out a notable amount of gains accumulated over the last few weeks. As this 
unfolds, Gianni suggests that there would not be any crazy moves, but that 
focus should be on looking for opportunities to sell high in the current 
market. “ I will be looking for any sell high opportunity after the news, 
reinforced with bearish price action, as triple tops, double tops and any kind 
of reversal patterns into the most recent high in place,” he said. Featured 
image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com

Ethereum Price Risks Further Crash To $2,350 With Lower Lows Formation

Amid its breakout, Solana memecoin Dogwifhat (WIF) eyes a reclaim of $1.50 and 
a continuation of its bullish rally. Some analysts suggest that new highs are 
bound to come if the token holds above a crucial level. Related Reading: 
Bitcoin Next Leg Up Loading? Analyst Says BTC Could Trade Sideways For Two 
Weeks Dogwifhat Reclaims $1.00 Over the past month, dogwifhat has seen a 
massive 190% surge, climbing back to the $1.00 barrier. The memecoin has been 
in a downtrend since hitting its Q4 2024 high of $4.19 in November, retracing 
over 92% in five months. After the TRUMP memecoin and LIBRA token 
controversial launches, the sector faced market exhaustion, with most 
memecoins struggling during the Q1 2025 retraces. As a result, WIF lost the 
$1.00 mark for the first time in a year. Amid last month’s pullbacks, 
dogwifhat hit a 14-month low of $0.32 before the crypto market recovery 
started, but jumped to the $0.60 support at the end of April. Since then, WIF 
has soared over 70%, reclaiming the key $1.00 resistance on Monday. This week, 
the memecoin has hovered between the $1.00-$1.20 price range after hitting a 
three-month high of $1.32 four days ago. Additionally, it retested the 
recently reclaimed level as support after bouncing from the $0.95 level on 
Thursday. Market watcher Rose Premium shared a technical outlook for the 
cryptocurrency, noting a bullish structure after its recent performance. The 
trader explained that dogwifhat shows “a classic bullish structure after 
rebounding from the Fibo Zone,” between the $0.95-$0.98 range. Based on this, 
WIF’s trend continuation is likely if the memecoin holds the $1.00 level as 
support. This could propel the token toward an initial target of $1.15, before 
reclaiming the $1.26 level and finally reclaiming the $1.37 mark. WIF Breakout 
Eyes $1.50 Trader Coinvo suggested that WIF’s “classic break and re-test 
pattern” is “guaranteed” to send the memecoin’s price in a parabolic rally. 
Similarly, analyst Carl Runefelt from The Moon Show affirmed that dogwifhat is 
“potentially ready to continue its rally to new highs.” Per the chart, WIF has 
been in a symmetrical triangle pattern over the past week, with price breaking 
out of the upper boundary after surging above the $1.05 level. According to 
the formation, the cryptocurrency targets $1.50 if the breakout is confirmed. 
This level has been a crucial horizontal level, serving as a key bounce area 
during the 2024 retraces, and could propel dogwifhat to higher targets if 
reclaimed. Related Reading: Avalanche (AVAX) Eyes 30% Rally Amid Cup-And- 
Handle Pattern Breakout Meanwhile, analyst The Cryptonomist highlighted a 
falling wedge pattern in WIF’s lower timeframe chart. The memecoin broke out 
of the 3-day pattern after today’s bounce, breaking out of the upper boundary 
after reclaiming the $1.03 mark. The analyst stated that WIF could target the 
$1.49 resistance area if it holds its current levels and the entire market 
“goes for another leg up from here.” As of this writing, dogwifhat trades at 
$0.14, a 1.8% increase in the daily timeframe. Featured Image from 
Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

Dogwifhat (WIF) Targets $1.50 Amid 50% Weekly Jump – Here Are The Levels To Watch

Alexander Leishman, CEO of River, a financial company that provides zero-fee 
bitcoin recurring purchases services, has highlighted how businesses are 
increasingly adopting bitcoin as part of their corporate treasury strategy. On 
social media, Leishman revealed that several companies had enrolled River as 
part of their bitcoin accumulation processes. He noted that just in the last 
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