Here’s what happened in crypto today

Today in crypto, a new crypto phishing campaign targeted roughly 885,000 phone numbers. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego warned that rushing the CLARITY Act to a Senate vote could set US crypto market structure legislation back and Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick said Bitcoin could climb to $100,000 by year-end as US Treasury bond buybacks improve liquidity.

Cybersecurity firm unveils crypto phishing campaign targeting 885,000 phone numbers

Cybersecurity firm Rapid7 unveiled a new cryptocurrency phishing campaign known as Operation Asterix, targeting roughly 885,000 phone numbers from several countries to steal cryptocurrency investors’ assets.

The phishing campaign led to 5,576 accounts matched to users on crypto exchange Binance, which were queued for attack, while the recovered logs also showed fake emails impersonating Crypto.com, according to a Monday report by Rapid7.

Of the 885,000 phone numbers, the largest file included 316,002 German mobile numbers, with additional directories covering Hong Kong, Bulgaria, the UK, the US, Canadian fintech companies and additional Ledger-related lists. 

Phishing attacks and social engineering scams drove the majority of the crypto industry’s losses in the first quarter of the year, accounting for $306 million out of the total $482 million lost, according to blockchain security company Hacken.

As part of the Asterix phishing campaign detailed by Rapid7 analysts Anna Sirokova and Jan Recinsky, attackers drove victims to fake apps impersonating Ledger, Trezor, and Exodus, seeking to steal their seed phrases. Attackers reached out to victims through fake support emails and phone inquiries.

Rushed CLARITY Act vote could set legislation back, Gallego warns

Gallego warned that rushing the CLARITY Act to a Senate vote before lawmakers resolve disputes over ethics and stablecoin yield could set United States crypto market structure legislation back.

Speaking at the SALT Wyoming Blockchain Symposium on Wednesday, Gallego said the crypto industry should encourage Senate Democrats and Republicans to continue negotiating instead of pushing for an immediate vote. He said lawmakers still had to address the bill’s Agriculture Committee portion, assemble the broader package and determine how to send it to the House. 

The warning complicates the Trump administration’s push for swift passage by suggesting that a procedural vote could arrive before negotiators have assembled the bipartisan coalition needed to reach the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. 

“Don’t go for a fast vote,” Gallego said. “A fast vote gets you a fast result, but I’m not sure it’s the result you want.” He added that Congress still had a lot of steps to complete and that “any premature movement is going to set it back further.”

Standard Chartered analyst sees Bitcoin hitting $100,000 as Treasury boosts bond buybacks

Bitcoin surged more than 6% toward $69,000 on Wednesday as Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick said improving liquidity conditions could propel BTC to $100,000 by the end of 2026.

Kendrick identified $65,500 as a key technical threshold, arguing that a sustained break above it could confirm Bitcoin has already reached its cycle low.

His bullish outlook also follows the US Treasury’s decision to at least double the maximum size of liquidity-support buybacks for longer-dated government bonds. From Sept. 9 through Nov. 4, the Treasury plans to raise maximum buybacks of certain 10- to 30-year securities from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation.

The announcement pushed long-term Treasury yields lower after a sharp bond-market selloff. Kendrick said such liquidity interventions have historically been favorable for Bitcoin, while the cryptocurrency’s fixed supply may strengthen its appeal as protection against monetary debasement.