Now put those hands down. We don’t know if that rumor is real. We’ve been keeping our eyes peeled for updates.
Gif by disneypixar on Giphy
But so far, we haven’t seen anything official about Tether tokenizing their liquidity.
The Tether rumor mill isn’t the only news out of crypto this week. Let’s get after it.
From the Dypto Crypto Newsroom
North Korean Hackers Made $6.75 Billion From Crypto Hacks
TLDR
According to this newest report from Chainalysis, North Korean hackers are working smarter, not harder.
They’re hacking less, but walking away with bigger hauls per job.
On the flip side, DeFi is actually becoming safer as security protocols shut down hack attempts.
According to a new report from Chainalysis, North Korean hackers stole a whopping $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025 alone. For those of us just trying to buy our first fraction of a Bitcoin, these numbers can feel like they belong in a spy movie rather than real life.
While the total amount stolen by these cybercriminals hit an all-time high of $6.75 billion, the way they operate is changing. They are getting smarter, sneakier, and more creative with their job applications.
What this means for crypto users.
The crypto world is maturing. Yes, the threats are real, and yes, state-sponsored hackers are still pulling off Ocean’s Eleven-style heists. But the defenses are catching up.
For you, the new investor, the lessons from 2025 are:
Be skeptical of unsolicited messages: Whether it’s a “recruiter” on LinkedIn or a “support agent” on Telegram, assume it’s a scam until proven otherwise.
Secure your own fortress: Personal wallet hacks are up. Use strong security practices and don’t be the low-hanging fruit.
Trust the process: The industry is building better alarms and locks.
Rumor Has It That Tether Wants to Tokenize Equity
TLDR
There are unverified reports that Tether is thinking about tokenizing its shares.
While the claims are unverified, the implications for investing and the future of finance could be substantial.
If you’ve been around the crypto block (pun absolutely intended) for more than five minutes, you know Tether. They’re the folks behind USDT, that digital dollar everyone uses to trade, well, everything else.
But recent rumblings suggest they might be cooking up something new — and it has nothing to do with stablecoins. We’re hearing chatter that Tether might be looking to “tokenize” its own equity.
What would crypto users care about a company that’s tokenizing liquidity?
Imagine you own a really expensive pizza. It’s worth a billion dollars. You want to sell it, but it’s hard to find one person with a billion bucks who is hungry right now.
So, instead of selling the whole pie to one rich guy, you slice it into a million tiny, digital slices. Each slice represents a piece of that pizza. You can sell those slices to anyone, anywhere, instantly.
Tokenization is the process of turning a real-world asset — like shares in a company, a piece of real estate, or, yes, even a theoretical pizza — into a digital token on a blockchain. But why would a company tokenize and sell off pieces of it?
Good question. For a company like Tether (or any other business that wants to do this), tokenizing shares does a few magic tricks:
Liquidity (The “Cash-Out” Factor): Traditional private company shares are notoriously hard to sell. You usually have to wait for the company to go public (IPO) or find a private buyer, which can take months. If shares are tokens, you could theoretically trade them on a secure platform 24/7, just like buying Bitcoin.
Fractionalization: You don’t need to be a billionaire to buy a whole share. You could buy 0.0001% of a share if that’s all your budget allows.
DeFi Integration: The really nerdy, cool part. If you hold a tokenized share, you can use it as collateral in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) apps. Imagine borrowing money against your stock portfolio without ever calling a bank. That, friends, is a one-way ticket to financial freedom.
Question of the Week
From a TikTok DM - “I keep seeing talks mentioning a Santa rally. What is it, and do you think it’ll happen?”
Meme of the Week
By the Numbers - The Dypto Crypto Portfolio
Here’s a screenshot of our portfolio, which we started in late December 2024.
Original portfolio valuation - 3 ETH ($9,670)
Current portfolio valuation - $8,047 YTD - (-)15%
The numbers aren’t nearly as bad as they were last week, but also nowhere close to where we were at ATHs earlier this year. As the year starts to wrap up, we aren’t as happy with our performance as we thought we would be. The first half of 2025 was as hot as a firecracker, and every day was a party in the crypto world.
But all good things must come to an end, and we’re seeing the second half of a natural cycle. We’ve seen all of this before. We’ll see it all again. And we’re ready for whatever comes our way.
Deep Dive - Coinbase Finds Younger Investors Are All About Crypto
According to a new report from Coinbase, Gen Z and Millennials aren’t just dabbling in crypto — they are completely rethinking what it means to build wealth.
If you feel like the economic game is rigged against you, you aren’t imagining things. The data backs you up. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of younger adults believe it is harder for their generation to build wealth through traditional means than for older generations.
While stock ownership is similar across age groups (about half of both young and old investors own stocks), their intentions differ. A whopping 86% of younger investors are actively hunting for rewards beyond boring old dividends.
For older generations, crypto is often seen as “risky” or “scary.” For younger investors, it represents an opportunity. Younger investors are twice as likely as older investors to already own crypto. But it goes deeper than that. They view crypto as a legitimate tool for financial leveling.
Optimism: 4 in 5 younger adults believe cryptocurrency will play a much larger role in the future financial system.
Opportunity: 4 in 5 agree that crypto gives their generation financial opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have.
Social Proof: 7 in 10 personally know someone who has made serious money trading crypto.
It’s not just about Bitcoin anymore, either. Younger investors are diversifying and have about 25% of their portfolios in “non-traditional assets” (think crypto, NFTs, and other digital assets), compared to just 8% for older investors.
Question of the Week Answer
A Santa Rally is a term in financial markets for a phenomenon in which prices tend to rise during the last week of December and sometimes into the first few days of January. Here’s a simple breakdown for a new investor:
Typically, it occurs in the final trading days of the year (between Christmas and New Year's) and sometimes spills over into the first couple of trading days in January.
There’s no single reason, but a few factors might contribute:
Year-End Tax Strategies: Some investors sell losing stocks, tokens, etc, earlier in December to realize tax losses (called tax-loss harvesting) and then reinvest in other assets, boosting demand.
Lower Trading Volume: Many institutional investors and traders are on vacation, resulting in a less active market. Sometimes that can make it a little easier for prices to rise (or go down…).
New Year Optimism: Investors may start positioning their portfolios for the new year, anticipating positive market trends.
Keep in mind, a Santa rally is not guaranteed. While it’s a common trend, crypto markets are unpredictable, and external factors (like economic news or global events) can influence whether a Santa Rally occurs.
As a new investor, it’s fun to be aware of, but it’s not something to rely on when making investment decisions. Focus on your long-term strategy rather than short-term market movements.
