Watch Out For These Crypto SCAMS!

They say that, in London, you’re never more than ten feet away from a rat. In crypto, you’re never more than a couple of clicks away from a scammer and it’s a problem that never gets any less acute.

From rugs being pulled to pigs being butchered, crypto scams are where age-old grift meets cutting edge tech, and they cause incalculable devastation. It seems like a week never goes by without someone on crypto Twitter sharing a heartbreaking story of them or someone they know being fleeced by a scammer. Even some industry veterans have been taken in.

The best way to combat the scammers is through education. By knowing how they operate, you’re much better placed to know when you’re a target. So, in today’s video, we profile the most common types of crypto scam out there and how they work. Stay informed. Stay ahead. Stay safe.

You can watch that video here.

📈 Crypto Market Forecast 📈

Last week, we noted that something big was coming. It turns out that something big did come, and that was as much as $10 billion in crypto longs being liquidated. In plain English, there was over 10 billion dollars of sell pressure coming from traders who bet that prices would go up, and were forced to sell when prices went down. This doesn’t even include the DeFi liquidations, or spot selling by weak hands.

By now you’ll know that the cause of these long liquidations were fears over Trump’s tariffs, which caught investors by surprise - mainly the unprecedented tariffs on Canada and Mexico. In case you missed the memo, these tariffs have been pushed back by one month after tense negotiations. Naturally, this had led to concerns that the markets could experience another mass liquidation event next month.

In the interim, there are concerns that the remaining tariffs against China could spook the markets, and particularly China’s response to said tariffs. Besides the fact that this response has already happened and is reportedly symbolic, chances are that most of the market effects of the tariffs have already materialised. That’s because the initial reaction was mostly driven by positioning (such as overleveraged crypto longs).

As with the yen carry trade unwind that caused the crypto market to crash over the summer, chances are that investors have since repositioned themselves to account for any future tariff fears. In other words, the uncertainty related to any future tariff threats has likely been priced in. Even so, it’s clear that macro factors are in the driver’s seat, and the next one to watch out for is the CPI print this Wednesday.

This is where things get interesting. The primary reason why inflation has been so high is because of services-related inflation, primarily housing costs. Real-time indicators for things like rental costs suggest that housing-related inflation is falling fast, and it could have fallen sharply in January as a result of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Real-time data from Truflation suggests this is the case.

This means inflation is likely to surprise to the downside, which would be bullish for the markets, as it would foreshadow more rate cuts. What makes this so interesting is that there’s a widespread belief that Trump’s tariffs will lead to inflation, so the Fed will continue to hold even if inflation is falling due to future tariff fears. However, Fed transcripts from 2019 suggest Trump’s tariffs could have the opposite effect.

What’s fascinating is that these 2019 transcripts were published on the same day as the Fed’s most recent meeting. They revealed that the tariffs Trump levied in 2019 did more to lower economic growth than they did to increase inflation. This makes sense when you consider that tariffs create uncertainty, which results in a reduction in investment and business activity.

That said, tariffs could create inflation in the short term, as businesses and consumers stockpile goods in anticipation of the tariffs coming into effect. The catch is that this stockpiling has apparently been happening since Trump was elected in November. As with investor positioning around tariff fears, chances are that most businesses and consumers who were going to stockpile have done most of it already.

Now consider a scenario where the tariffs do not have as much of an impact as businesses and consumers were initially anticipating. The result is that they will have a huge stockpile of inventory that they can’t sell at the inflated price tags they were expecting. This could paradoxically result in lower inflation as prices on these goods are cut to clear out inventories, but it’s worth remembering that most of the inflation is coming from services.

There is one fascinating factor to keep in mind though, and that’s that the ideal macro backdrop for the markets is when growth is sluggish but not recessionary. This motivates the Fed to ease without panicking the markets. Now consider that a substantial amount of economic growth in the US has been coming from government spending, which is being cut quickly. The economy could soften sooner than expected, and stimulus could follow as soon as the next Fed meeting.

🤖 Ethereum Foundation Struggles 🤖

Ethereum has been under intense scrutiny lately, and not just for its price action. ETH has lagged behind the broader market for months, frustrating investors and raising serious questions about the Ethereum Foundation’s leadership. At first, the memes pointed fingers at Vitalik Buterin’s personal life, but as the underperformance dragged on, the conversation took a more serious turn. Calls for transparency, better leadership, and even a complete restructuring of the Ethereum Foundation started gaining traction.

Then came the “Second Foundation.” A mysterious X account claiming to be a new, alternative Ethereum Foundation appeared overnight, fueling speculation that a major split was underway. Though later revealed to be a hoax, the idea itself struck a nerve. The governance shake-up sparked discussions among key Ethereum figures, including Uniswap’s Hayden Adams, who suggested that moving Ethereum’s core technical development to a separate foundation could be a viable approach. Meanwhile, Consensys CEO Joseph Lubin put forward names like Danny Ryan as potential leaders who could bring fresh energy and strategic vision to Ethereum’s development.

Even Vitalik was forced to respond. He took to social media, making it clear that he still has authority over the Ethereum Foundation’s direction. But instead of reassuring the community, his posts raised even more questions. Was his influence slipping? Why was he suddenly so defensive? And most importantly - who was really behind this push for a leadership change?

One theory could be that it’s part of a deliberate, coordinated effort from big players to gain more influence over Ethereum. Over the last 12-18 months, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ETH have been sent to exchanges, creating constant potential sell pressure that has kept ETH suppressed even while the rest of the market rallied. Naturally, this has only fueled frustration within the Ethereum community.

If this was intentional, the goal seems clear: apply enough pressure on the Ethereum Foundation until the community itself demands change. And now, with sentiment turning against EF leadership, it seems to be working. That said, this remains just speculation - though it’s a scenario that seems increasingly likely.

A key piece of this puzzle lies in Ethereum’s growing role in real world asset tokenization. Over the past year, BlackRock and other TradFi giants have been laying the groundwork for bringing billions of dollars in tokenized assets onto Ethereum. But there’s a problem. Institutions don’t want to build on a blockchain governed by a loosely-structured foundation that lacks transparency. They want control - or at the very least, strong influence over the network’s direction.

Ethereum’s current governance model, where the EF has been criticized for being slow-moving, inefficient, and disconnected from market needs, doesn’t fit the TradFi playbook. This is why some believe the Ethereum Foundation shake-up is being driven by institutional interests. A more structured, business-friendly Ethereum governance model would make institutional adoption far easier.

While Vitalik has been Ethereum’s visionary leader for years, there’s growing concern that his influence is fading. His defensive responses over the past few weeks suggest that he’s feeling the heat, as pressure mounts for Ethereum to shift from its developer-first ethos to a more aggressive, business-driven approach.

Critics argue that his leadership has allowed Ethereum to stagnate, while competitors like Solana gain ground. Many investors believe the solution is clear: Ethereum needs a “wartime CEO” - someone who will fight for market dominance and ensure Ethereum remains the leading blockchain for institutional finance.

The pressure has already led to real changes. While the Second Foundation turned out to be fake, another initiative - Etherealize - has now emerged. Etherealize is backed by the EF but, unlike the Foundation, operates as a marketing and product arm focused on institutional adoption.

This move signals a clear pivot toward TradFi. If successful, it could be a major catalyst for Ethereum, attracting large amounts of institutional capital. That’s not just speculation either - it’s no coincidence that BlackRock has, to date, tokenized most of its real-world asset funds on Ethereum and its Layer 2s, as Ethereum remains the most battle-tested blockchain out there.

So in sum, it’s clear that the network’s governance is shifting in favor of institutional alignment, and Ethereum is positioning itself as the go-to blockchain for RWAs. Once the dust settles, these developments are looking more and more likely to be extremely bullish for ETH.

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📖 Quote of the Week 📖

The moment that the crypto market starts impacting on your life and causing you undue stress, is when you know you’re over exposed. Never forget to step away and touch grass.

"Ultimately, nothing should be more important to investors than the ability to sleep soundly at night" - Seth Klarman

Team Coin Bureau

Disclosure: Authors may own cryptoassets named in this newsletter. These are unqualified opinions, and a Coin Bureau newsletter, is meant for informational purposes only. It is not meant to serve as investment advice. Please consult with your investment, tax, or legal advisor.