Iranian state media reports projectile strikes in Sirik, southern Iran

Today in crypto, Consensys announced plans to split its MetaMask consumer business from its institutional blockchain operations, Hunter Biden’s LAPTOP memecoin lost most of its value shortly after launch, and Singaporean national Malone Lam pleaded guilty to participating in a crypto theft and money laundering conspiracy involving more than $245 million.Consensys to split into MetaMask and institutional blockchain companyConsensys Software Inc., the Ethereum software company behind MetaMask, plans to split into two independent companies, separating its consumer business from its institutional blockchain infrastructure operations.According to Wednesday’s announcement, the separation is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with Joe Lubin serving as chairman and CEO of MetaMask and executive chairman of the new Consensys.The new Consensys will house the company’s protocols and institutional infrastructure businesses, including Linea, Besu and Teku, and will be led by CEO Mike Kriak and President David Cunningham. The company will focus on Ethereum infrastructure and helping financial institutions deploy blockchain technology for tokenization, stablecoins and other onchain financial services.MetaMask will remain focused on consumer self-custody while expanding beyond crypto into payments, savings, investing and traditional financial products. Hunter Biden’s laptop controversy gets a memecoin afterlifeHunter Biden’s LAPTOP memecoin fell 95.7% in its first hour of trading on Wednesday, as the son of former US President Joe Biden officially entered the market for politically themed cryptocurrencies.The token, issued on Ethereum layer-2 network Base, traded at $4.36 at 1:00 pm UTC, after opening at $199.50, according to CoinGecko data. It recorded more than $3 million in trading volume. “The symbol they used to try to end me is now a symbol of resilience, redemption and recovery,” Biden said in an X post on Wednesday, responding to public backlash. Biden also said he understood the cynicism around memecoins, called President Donald Trump’s token a “grift” and warned buyers not to expect him or anyone else to make LAPTOP more valuable.The memecoin is promoted as an attempt to reclaim the “laptop narrative,” which centers on a MacBook that Biden reportedly left at a Delaware repair shop in 2019. The New York Post published emails and other files purported to have come from the device before the 2020 presidential election. Trump allies used the material against Hunter Biden and his father, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.Cybercrime ringleader Malone Lam pleads guilty in $245M crypto theft conspiracySingaporean national Malone Lam pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy that US prosecutors say used social engineering and home break-ins to steal and launder more than $245 million in cryptocurrency.On Tuesday, the US Justice Department said that Lam organized the international operation, identified prospective victims and coordinated other conspirators. The enterprise was formed through connections on online gaming platforms and operated from no later than October 2023 through at least May 2025, according to court documents.The plea establishes criminal responsibility nearly two years after Lam was charged over the theft of more than 4,100 Bitcoin, worth over $230 at the time, from a Washington, DC resident. Lam pleaded guilty before US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to one count of participating in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. The judge scheduled a status hearing for Dec. 8, but the Justice Department did not announce a sentencing date.