Mining Difficulty Hits Record, Major NFT Sale, and Market Movements Highlight Crypto Trends

The difficulty of mining has reached a record high of 127.62 Torrent, highlighting the increasing challenges in blockchain verification processes. The NFT market stirred excitement when CryptoPunks were purchased for $7.8 million, indicating ongoing investor interest in digital collectibles. Solana enhanced its network performance by boosting block throughput by 20%, potentially improving user experience and transaction speed. Experts analyzed the impact of crypto payment penalties in Russia, suggesting regulatory efforts may be influencing the market. A security breach saw hackers steal $14 million from a crypto exchange, underscoring persistent vulnerabilities. Large-scale bets include a Chinese entity placing $5 million on Bitcoin dropping below $110,000. Tether revealed that the backing of its gold-linked stablecoin, $XAUT, consists of 7.6 tons of gold, possibly reassuring investors about its backing assets. Alibaba launched a new AI coder that outperforms DeepSeek, indicating advances in AI technology. XRP surpassed Uber and Xiaomi in market capitalization, reflecting its rising valuation. SpaceX made a historic first transfer of Bitcoin in three years, signaling renewed interest in crypto transactions by the aerospace company. Meanwhile, the crypto community accused Ripple's co-founder of dumping XRP, raising concerns over market manipulation. The industry faced a record loss of $3.1 billion over six months due to scams and hacks, emphasizing ongoing security challenges.