Crypto Catch-Up: Trump’s $57M Score, Bybit’s DEX Drop, a TikToker’s Terrifying Night

This weekend saw significant headlines in crypto, including financial disclosures tied to a high-profile political figure, a new decentralized exchange announcement from a major platform, and a criminal case involving a social media trader.

Here are the top stories that stood out over the past few days.

Trump’s Crypto Play Pays Off

Donald Trump reportedly earned more than $57 million from his crypto initiative, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), launched with his sons before reclaiming the presidency in 2024. Critics have labeled the earnings “open corruption,” pointing to the massive token sales that brought in $550 million and drew tens of thousands of investors.

The earnings were disclosed in a 234-page financial filing submitted to the Office of Government Ethics. While the venture has proven highly lucrative, some argue it blurs the lines between public office and personal gain. Despite this, Trump’s largest moneymaker remains his golf business, which generated $110 million in the same period.

Bybit Unveils ‘Byreal’

Bybit is stepping into the decentralized finance space with Byreal, its upcoming Solana-based DEX, which is set to launch a testnet on June 30 and a mainnet in Q3 2025. In a post on X, CEO Ben Zhou explained that the platform offers the best of both worlds – centralized exchange-level liquidity and decentralized transparency.

This hybrid model is intended to set Byreal apart from existing DEXs like Uniswap, which currently leads the market with a 24% share and $4.93 billion in TVL, as per data compiled by DefiLlama. Byreal will serve as an on-chain extension of Bybit’s global exchange.

Abducted Crypto Trader Let Go When Funds Fall Short

A disturbing incident in Northern France saw a 26-year-old TikTok crypto influencer abducted Friday night by four individuals demanding €50,000 in crypto (equivalent to $57,000). The attackers beat the influencer and forced him into a stolen vehicle. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the victim, who has 40,000 TikTok followers, convinced them he lacked the funds.

Upon seeing his crypto account, which was low on balance, the kidnappers released him the next day. Now under investigation by France’s Organized and Specialized Crime Division, the latest case adds to the growing threat of physical extortion schemes, dubbed “wrench attacks,” targeting retail crypto users across the country.