Here’s what happened in crypto today

Today in crypto, Bitcoin has jumped after Donald Trump said the US had a deal with Iran. It comes after Standard Chartered said crypto prices have hit a low in the current cycle, and it is looking for lower oil prices as one confirmation of its theory. Meanwhile, blockchain security company Quantstamp says North Korea was likely behind the $36 million Humanity Protocol exploit.

Bitcoin nears $66,000 as Trump signals Iran peace deal

Bitcoin neared a two-week high of $66,000 early on Monday after US President Trump said a peace deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz was “now complete.”

Trump posted to his Truth Social platform late on Sunday that the deal, scheduled to be signed on Friday, would see a “toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz” and the removal of a US Naval blockade.” 

Crypto markets reacted positively to Trump’s post, with Bitcoin (BTC) reaching $65,881 on Coinbase on Monday morning, the highest it has traded over the last 12 days, having last reached over $66,000 on June 3.

Source: Donald Trump

Andri Fauzan Adziima, the research lead at Bitrue Research Institute, told Cointelegraph that the potential deal “removes a major geopolitical risk premium, triggering a clear risk-on move as uncertainty fades.” 

Details of the deal were not immediately available, and it reportedly would not be implemented until Iran signs, which is expected on Friday under mediation by Pakistan.

StanChart looks for 3 signs of BTC bottom, including Strategy’s Monday news

Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick on Friday told clients that he believes crypto asset prices have seen the low in the current cycle and he is looking for confirmation in three indicators: Strategy’s reporting that it bought more Bitcoin last week; crypto exchange-traded funds (ETF) saw positive inflows on Friday; and, oil prices continue to break lower.

“We have now seen the low in crypto asset prices for the cycle. That would be USD59k for BTC (53% down from USD126k high),” Kendrick said in a brief note to clients on Friday. The biggest crypto was last trading on Sunday at about $63,704, according to CoinMarketCap data.

Depending on how investors read Strategy chief Michael Saylor’s near-weekly tweet issued earlier on Sunday, The first sign that Kendrick is watching for may have come. 

“Still adding dots,” was Saylor’s message that accompanied the now-familiar dot, or bubble, chart that the Strategy executive frequently includes in his social media posts teasing forthcoming BTC purchases. 

Michael Saylor's tweet on Sunday had more than a half a million views by mid-afternoon, ET. Source: Michael Saylor on X.com

Humanity Protocol’s $36M hack tied to suspected North Korean hackers: Quantstamp

A malicious attachment delivered through a phishing email points to the involvement of North Korea-linked threat actors in Humanity Protocol's recent hack, according to blockchain security company Quantstamp.

The decentralized identity company said a compromised employee's laptop enabled attackers to steal $36 million in Humanity (H) tokens on Monday.

The malicious attachment was disguised as a token lockup schedule update from South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb. It installed malware that gave attackers full remote access to the laptop, Quantstamp said in its incident response.

The phishing email that led to the Humanity Protocol compromise. Source: Quantstamp

Quantstamp added that the malware was signed with a South Korean Hancom digital certificate, a pattern it described as “characteristic of DPRK intrusions.” The malware enabled attackers to copy Humanity Protocol director Chong Yee Wai's MetaMask wallet credentials and private keys.

The suspected North Korean link would add to a series of major crypto thefts attributed to the country. North Korea-linked threat actors were tied to at least $578 million of the $634 million stolen in crypto-related incidents in April.