Crypto Weekly Roundup: CME Trading Outage, Upbit Hack, & More

Bitcoin adoption advanced this week as Texas initiated a treasury purchase and US lawmakers proposed tax payments in BTC. On the other hand, global markets saw disruptions from a CME trading outage and heightened security incidents, including an $11 million home invasion theft and an Upbit hack linked to Lazarus Group. Let’s dig deeper. 

Bitcoin

Texas has formally become the first US state to initiate a direct Bitcoin purchase for its treasury, marking a significant step in state-level digital asset adoption. 

Crypto ATM operator Crypto Dispensers is considering a $100 million sale after both the company and its founder were charged in an alleged money-laundering scheme. 

An Ohio congressman has proposed the Bitcoin for America bill, which would allow Americans to pay their federal taxes in Bitcoin, with the proceeds then allocated to the United States’ planned Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. 

Business

CME Group temporarily suspended trading across its major derivatives markets after a cooling-system failure at a key CyrusOne data center disrupted its electronic infrastructure.

Tether has emerged as the largest non-sovereign holder of gold, signaling a strategic pivot toward deeper commodity integration as global market volatility intensifies.

Leaked documents indicate Brevan Howard’s Nova Digital fund secured a conditional right to reclaim its $25 million Berachain investment, though the project disputes any suggestion of preferential treatment.

Web3

The long-standing rivalry between former UFC champions Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov resurfaced this week following the launch of Nurmagomedov’s latest NFT project.

BTCC, one of the world’s longest-operating cryptocurrency exchanges, has published its November 2025 Proof of Reserve (PoR) report, confirming a total reserve ratio of 146%, marking the seventh consecutive month of maintaining reserves significantly above industry norms.

Security

South Korean authorities are intensifying their investigation into the recent hack targeting Upbit, the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, as evidence increasingly suggests involvement by the North Korea-linked Lazarus Group. 

An armed intruder posing as a delivery worker stole approximately $11 million in cryptocurrency from the San Francisco residence of venture capitalist Lachy Groom, a tech investor previously in a relationship with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Regulation

The UK government has released new guidelines requiring cryptocurrency exchanges to provide the British Tax Authority with complete customer information on their digital assets.

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is preparing a legislative overhaul that will require domestic cryptocurrency exchanges to maintain liability reserves, marking a significant shift toward stronger investor safeguards.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.