Happy Monday everyone. Hope you’re having a great summer and enjoying some of our Sunday throwbacks once in a while. Yesterday, we went back to the early days and looked at how we tried to protect the definition of a crypto airdrop when the industry was still figuring out what an “airdrop” actually was.
They’re just some fun reads while we’re hopefully getting toward the end of this bear market.
Today, we’re back to the present and looking at some of the hotter crypto stories and airdrop updates of the week.
It’s always good to keep your finger on the pulse and your ears to the street. Sometimes you spot an opportunity. Sometimes you miss one. That’s crypto.
But if you keep up with what’s happening across the market, you’ll be much more confident when the time feels right to get active again.
Let’s get into it.
1. The $100M WLFI Buyer (Zhou) Is Under a Money Laundering Investigation
One of the stranger stories this week involves World Liberty Financial (WLFI) and businessman Guren “Bobby” Zhou.
According to reporting by The New York Times, Zhou was arrested in Britain in March 2021 on suspicion of money laundering. He has not been charged, and British authorities say the investigation remains active.
Why does that matter today?
Zhou is the businessman behind Aqua 1, which made a massive $100 million purchase of WLFI tokens. Questions are now being raised about where that money came from and who ultimately controls the entities involved.
Who Is Bobby Zhou?
British court records reportedly link Zhou to a money laundering investigation dating back to 2019 involving several other individuals.
Again, it’s important to make the distinction: Zhou himself has not been charged. However, two of his employees were charged in September 2025, with one pleading guilty, while further court proceedings are reportedly scheduled for 2028.
His previous business record is also attracting scrutiny.
Zhou operated a British flooring retailer that entered restructuring while owing roughly $5 million to his father’s company. He later launched crypto project Caduceus, whose token had effectively collapsed by 2024 after the project reportedly spent around $7.6 million.
Chinese courts have also issued civil judgments against Zhou totaling approximately 19.4 million yuan, or roughly $2.4 million, related to unpaid loans.
What makes the story more interesting is that Zhou’s financial position appears to have changed significantly after he moved from London to Abu Dhabi in 2024. Exactly how remains one of the unanswered questions surrounding the WLFI investment.
The Web3Port and Aqua 1 Connection
The on-chain trail might be the most interesting part of the story.
Zhou previously led crypto venture fund Web3Port, which announced a $10 million investment in World Liberty Financial. A related British Virgin Islands entity later changed its name to Aqua 1 GP Limited.
Just two weeks later, Aqua 1 announced its $100 million WLFI purchase.
Blockchain analysis reportedly connected wallets associated with the two groups. A Web3Port-controlled wallet purchased around $20 million in WLFI tokens in January 2025, while another wallet believed to be associated with Aqua 1 purchased another $80 million in June.
Aqua 1 had previously denied being connected to Web3Port.
Where Did the $100 Million Go?
There is another political angle to the story.
According to the reporting, as much as $75 million from the token purchase was directed toward entities controlled by President Donald Trump’s family and affiliates of WLFI co-founder Zach Witkoff.
Eric Trump also reportedly met Zhou in Dubai to discuss the investment.
World Liberty Financial says it complied with applicable laws and maintains strong compliance controls. However, a spokesperson declined to discuss the source of Zhou’s money.
And that’s really the unresolved part of the WLFI Zhou story.
Who ultimately owns Aqua 1? Where exactly did the $100 million originate? And what is the complete relationship between Zhou, Web3Port and Aqua 1?
Those questions become increasingly relevant when you’re talking about a crypto venture that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from investors.
The irony isn’t lost on me. When I bought WLFI tokens at launch, I did it with my name attached — I even ended up on the New York magazine cover story about it. Meanwhile, the venture’s biggest buyer stayed anonymous behind a BVI shell until journalists forced the name out
2. Airdrop Updates and Claims to Watch
You know the drill by now.
Never miss an airdrop update if you’re actively farming. A missed announcement, snapshot, role or claim window can sometimes be the difference between qualifying and walking away empty-handed.
Here are a few developments currently on our radar:
- Arcus: Built by the dYdX team, Arcus has confirmed plans for a token. That’s enough to put it firmly on our farming watchlist.
- Arc: Mainnet preparations continue, with September 16 reportedly targeted for launch. We’re watching the ecosystem closely for early-user and contributor opportunities.
- Stellar: The ecosystem is recruiting ambassadors, builders and contributors, with selected participants receiving XLM rewards.
- Lighter: Premium referrals can earn up to 30% of referred users’ trading fees, with rewards distributed weekly.
We’ve also updated our Best DEX Airdrops 2026 list with the latest opportunities we’re watching.
Have a look at the new version if DEX farming is part of your strategy. This is one category where staying early can still matter a lot.
3. The Robinhood Ecosystem Is Still on Fire
We’ve been covering the Robinhood ecosystem heavily lately, from its potential airdrop opportunities to NFTs, launchpads and some of the meme coins running on the chain.
And things haven’t exactly slowed down.
StonkBrokers Jumps From 5 ETH to 13 ETH
Last week, we covered StonkBrokers NFTs when the floor was sitting around 5 ETH.
Now?
The floor has climbed to roughly 13 ETH.
Not bad for a free mint.
The collection has even flipped major NFT names including Pudgy Penguins and Bored Apes by floor price. Some traders are starting to joke that NFT season is back — just apparently only on Robinhood Chain.
Whether that lasts is another question, but right now the momentum is hard to ignore.
PONS Recovers to $32 Million
PONS also had a strong weekend.
The token previously dropped toward a $12 million market cap during the ongoing launchpad “war” with Pools Trade by Uniswap.
Since then, PONS has recovered to around a $32 million market cap.
For now, it looks like some of the storm has passed and traders are moving back into the token.
We’ll continue watching developments across Robinhood. At the moment, it’s definitely one of the hottest ecosystems to trade in, and we’re hoping more genuine farming opportunities start appearing alongside all the speculation.
And for those who prefer gambling on memes, check out our beginner guides to FRONG and CASHCAT.
Just remember: meme coins can move in both directions very, very quickly.
4. Trezor User Says He Lost His Savings Through a Fake Google Ad
Here’s your weekly reminder that you can own one of the safest hardware wallets in the world and still lose everything by giving away your seed phrase.
A crypto user known as David says he lost his savings after searching Google for “Trezor wallet” and clicking an advertisement that led to a fake page hosted on Google Sites.
The page reportedly asked him to enter his seed phrase.
Once a seed phrase is entered into a malicious website, the hardware wallet itself doesn’t need to be hacked. The attacker has the keys.
David identified a wallet that he believes collected the stolen funds. That address reportedly received around 24 BTC, worth more than $1.6 million, across approximately 80 transactions.
However, the connection between that wallet and the phishing page has not been independently verified, nor has the exact amount David personally lost.
Trezor said it was working to have the malicious page removed and repeated one of the most important rules in crypto security:
Never enter your wallet backup or seed phrase into a website or online form.
And don’t assume a sponsored Google result has somehow been verified just because it’s at the top of the page.
As always, scammers follow fear.
After recent stories surrounding cold-wallet security, people are understandably nervous about their hardware wallets. That fear creates an opportunity for scammers to send phishing emails, buy search ads and build fake wallet websites.
The hardware wallet doesn’t always have to fail.
Sometimes the attack is aimed directly at you.
5. Thailand Gives Crypto Investors a Five-Year Capital Gains Tax Holiday
Thailand is making a serious push to attract crypto investors.
Under Ministerial Regulation No. 399, eligible individual investors can receive a 0% personal capital gains tax rate on cryptocurrency profits from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2029.
There is one very important catch.
The exemption only applies to qualifying trades conducted through digital-asset businesses licensed under Thailand’s regulatory framework.
Trading through unlicensed platforms doesn’t automatically receive the same treatment. Foreign-sourced income and other activity falling outside the exemption can also remain subject to Thailand’s normal tax rules.
In other words, Thailand isn’t simply saying “crypto is tax-free.”
It’s using tax policy to encourage traders to move onto regulated domestic platforms.
The new measure follows another crypto-friendly tax change from 2024, when Thailand removed the 7% VAT requirement on qualifying digital-asset trading.
Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat has estimated that growth in the country’s regulated digital-asset industry could eventually generate more than 1 billion baht in additional tax revenue.
It’s an interesting strategy: give up some direct capital gains tax revenue today in exchange for attracting more companies, traders, investment and economic activity tomorrow.
The current exemption runs through the end of 2029 and does not automatically renew. Because it was introduced through ministerial regulation, future governments could also change the framework.
Still, it’s another clear sign that Thailand wants a bigger piece of the global crypto industry.
And Thailand will always have a special place in my heart.
It’s where AirdropAlert was founded.
Final Words
That’s it for today’s crypto news and airdrop updates.
The WLFI Zhou investigation is probably the biggest story to watch from this list because there are still major questions surrounding the origin of the $100 million investment.
On the opportunity side, we’re continuing to watch Arcus, Arc, Stellar and Lighter while updating our DEX airdrop farming list as new information comes in.
Robinhood Chain remains one of the hottest ecosystems right now, with StonkBrokers surging, PONS recovering and meme coin activity showing no signs of disappearing.
Then there’s the boring-but-important reminder: never type your seed phrase into a website. Not because an ad looks legitimate. Not because Google ranks it first. Not because someone claiming to be support tells you to.
Crypto rewards curiosity, but it punishes carelessness.
Keep your finger on the pulse, protect your wallets, and we’ll keep watching for the next opportunity.
If you enjoyed this blog, you may want to check our other crypto news updates.
As always, don’t forget to claim your bonus on OKX below. See you next time!
Credit: Source link
