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December 19, 2025 So far in 2025, North Korean hackers have stolen over $2 billion in cryptocurrency—setting a new annual record and marking a 50% year-on-year increase. This February alone, the group hacked crypto exchange Bybit, stealing up to $1.5 billion. That sum accounts for three-quarters of its total $2 billion in illicit crypto gains this year. Since 2016, when North Korea first targeted the crypto industry, its cumulative stolen funds have reached $6.7 billion. This year, North Korean hacker groups were behind 76% of major crypto exchange and platform hacks—a record-high share. North Korea’s hacking strategy is also evolving: fewer attacks, but each on a larger scale. Instead of external tactics, they often plant IT staff at crypto firms to gain access and pull off large heists. Pablo Sabbatella, a cybersecurity expert with the group SEAL, noted: “The situation is far worse than most people think—30% to 40% of job applications at crypto companies come from North

Dec 19 market data shows HYPE has fallen 7.7% in 24 hours, now trading at $22.4—its lowest price since May 8, 2025, and down over 62% from its all-time high of $59.4. Its current total market capitalization stands at $7.6 billion. Hyperliquid’s first token unlock took place on Nov 29 at 15:30 Beijing time, releasing 9.92 million HYPE tokens worth $312 million (2.66% of circulating supply). Post-unlock, HYPE traded at $34.4 with no significant price fluctuations. This marks the first unlock since its November 2024 token generation event (TGE). Per an official Medium post, core contributor tokens are locked for one year post-TGE, with most vesting completed between 2027 and 2028.

On December 19th, LookOnChain monitoring data shows trader 0x152e has locked in 9 consecutive profitable trades on Hyperliquid, totaling over $14 million in profits. Currently, the trader holds short positions on both BTC and ETH, with an unrealized gain of over $1 million. Position details: - Short ETH: $36 million worth, entry price $2,859.21 - Short BTC: $36 million worth, entry price $86,803.00

December 19 — European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde announced Thursday that preparatory work for the digital euro is complete, and the project now awaits additional sign-off from government bodies. The digital euro is expected to launch in the second half of 2026, with the ECB viewing it as a strategic financial tool. “Our goal is to ensure there’s a currency in the digital age that can serve as a cornerstone of a stable financial system,” Lagarde said. The ECB also urged EU institutions to quickly pass the Digital Euro Regulation.

December 19 — OpenAI today announced the release of GPT-5.2-Codex, a model built on GPT-5.2. OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman noted the tool is specifically trained for intelligent agent coding and end-user use, and the company’s staff have already achieved significant success with it. Additionally, OpenAI is reportedly planning to raise funding at an $830 billion valuation, with the funding amount not exceeding $100 billion.

On December 19, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) shared his thoughts on the question: “How Can Crypto Payments Ensure Privacy Without Exposing Transaction Histories?” “This is another challenge with cryptocurrency payments,” he noted. “In the short term, using centralized exchanges (CEXs) can mitigate this issue—though CEXs will retain this transaction data. Long-term, we need a robust privacy solution.”