Ukrainian Max Hamaha claimed the title in a dramatic comeback, with his name lighting up the LED boards during El Clásico as the world watched.
WhiteBIT, Europe’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by traffic and an official cryptocurrency partner of FC Barcelona, successfully hosted the first-ever International Crypto Trading Cup (ICTC 2025) on May 9-10. This global live-streamed tournament marked a significant step toward establishing crypto trading as a competitive, spectator-worthy discipline on par with traditional esports.
This two-day event brought together eight of the world’s top crypto traders from across the globe to compete in real time on stage. Trading for six hours each day—twelve hours in total—they executed 269 trades, providing unprecedented insight into advanced trading strategies, risk management, and decision-making under pressure.
Beyond the main stage, ICTC 2025 featured a total of 33 squads, the largest two with 369 and 298 members, and around 3,000 individual traders from around the world.
Max Hamaha Claims Victory in a Stunning Comeback
Ukrainian Max Hamaha emerged as the first-ever ICTC Champion after starting day one at the bottom of the rankings. His bold comeback on day two — driven by a high-conviction long position on Ethereum — earned him a rPNL of 7,488.84 USDT and the top spot. He executed 47 total trades, the second-highest count in the competition, just behind Muslim Abdullayev (Mus_money_) from Kazakhstan, who made 49.
Reflecting on the experience, Max shared:
“Trading live on stage was an incredibly exciting experience—more intense and way more fun than trading at home. I had to adjust my usual approach to fit the tournament rules, but I still focused on active intraday trading with high leverage. I felt confident throughout, though the final minutes got nerve-wracking as others went all-in. WhiteBIT is setting a new trend—competitive trading could easily go mainstream like esports. In a few years, I can see crypto trading tournaments rivaling Dota 2.”
Max was joined on the podium by Dutch Merlijn The Trader with rPNL 6,745.96 USDT in second place, and another Ukrainian Eugene Loza (EXCAVO) with rPNL 4,098.90 USDT in third.
Meanwhile, Malik Roth Klindt Jensen (Coinvo) achieved the tournament’s single largest gain — a sharp 12,249 USDT profit on ETH_PERP position. The tournament’s largest single loss, also on the ETH_PERP pair, totaled -10,725 USDT, underscoring the high-risk nature of trading. While traders did not use their personal funds, each was allocated 50,000 USDTB—WhiteBIT’s internal asset for futures trading—creating a powerful educational experience.
ICTC Winner Takes the Spotlight at El Clásico
A highlight moment came when Hamaha’s name lit up the LED boards during El Clásico — the biggest football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid — marking the first time in history a trading competition winner was featured during one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.
Key Trading Strategies
Beyond the competition, ICTC offered a rare look into professional trading techniques, as participants shared live screens and walked through their setups and decisions. One of ICTC’s hosts and market technician Marc Principato noted the educational value of seeing trades executed in real time:
“The competition highlighted diverse trading styles, including standout performances such as Mauro Ciami’s aggressive “go big or go home” strategy that dominated day one, and Merlin and Excavo’s high-risk overnight positions that paid off significantly on day two.”
Mark adds:
“The lessons learned in this one of a kind event are priceless for aspiring and experienced traders alike. Putting your reputation on the line and showing the world your secrets is not something most professional traders are willing to do so watch carefully and take notes. From higher probability patterns to mean reversion tactics, you will come away with practical knowledge that you can incorporate into your own style now.”
Laying the Groundwork for a New Era
Speaking on the success of the inaugural event, Volodymyr Nosov, Founder and President of WhiteBIT Group, said:
“With this tournament, we’re pioneering a new frontier. This is not just about trading—it’s about building community, sharing knowledge, and accelerating global adoption of blockchain. We’re building the infrastructure for the future. ICTC 2025 was a first step to understand what works, what our traders and audience want, and where we can go from here. Our goal is to make this a recurring, global event—bigger and better with each edition.”
What’s Next: ICTC 2026 Registration Now Open
WhiteBIT is already preparing for the next chapter: registration for ICTC 2026 is now open, inviting new and experienced traders worldwide to compete, connect, and make history.
As the lines continue to blur between finance, technology, and entertainment, ICTC 2025 stands as a clear signal of where the future of crypto trading is headed—interactive, competitive, and globally accessible.
The recordings of the live streams are available on WhiteBIT’s YouTube channel.
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