From Luis Buenaventura’s keynote recap to Mass’ temporary KYC for Filipinos, here are some of the crypto news from the Philippines.
Today, we curated some of the news from crypto and blockchain organizations in the Philippines from last week (May 26 to June 1, 2025).
Buy, Borrow, Die Strategy But With Bitcoin
At the Bitcoin Pizza Day Meetup 2025 in Bonifacio Global City, Luis Buenaventura, the vice president and head of GCrypto at GCash, introduced the “Buy, Borrow, Die” strategy as a way to turn $BTC into a wealth-building tool for everyday people.
Traditionally applied to appreciating assets like land and stocks, this strategy is normally used by the ultrarich and involves buying an asset, borrowing against it to access cash without triggering taxes, and passing it on to heirs after death to avoid capital gains.
Buenaventura emphasized that $BTC’s scarcity, like land, makes it a suitable asset for this approach, especially as it preserves purchasing power over time better than fiat held in banks.
Museigen x W3AP Partnership
Museigen.io, a growth marketing and educational platform focused on blockchain and web3, partnered with Web3AdPlatform (W3AP), an innovative advertising platform developed by Blocksky Inc. and backed by Japan-based financial services company SBI Group.
Together, they claim to accelerate the growth of web3 projects by combining Museigen’s expertise in brand awareness, user acquisition, and community activation with W3AP’s unique “Watch & Earn” advertising model, which rewards users with cryptocurrency for watching ads.
The partnership also bridges education and marketing through smarter campaigns and new engagement models designed to benefit both projects and their communities.
Hiraya Network Launches “FIRST MOVE” Workshop
Hiraya Network, a Filipino community that supports the growth of local talent and projects within the Aptos ecosystem, launched “FIRST MOVE,” a developer-focused workshop introducing participants to the Move programming language and the Aptos blockchain.
According to the organizers, the event aims to provide hands-on experience in writing and deploying smart contracts on Aptos, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain known for scalability and security. Open to developers of all levels, the workshop emphasizes interactive learning and practical skills.
The initiative offers networking opportunities, career pathways, and a foundation for future, more advanced workshops as interest in Aptos-based development continues to rise.
SparkPoint Tutorial
Bicol-based blockchain project SparkPoint has published a YouTube tutorial titled “How to Build and Deploy Your AI Agent on SparkAgent with Zero Coding,” guiding users through the process with no programming required.
According to SparkPoint, every AI agent deployed on SparkAgent automatically receives its own ERC-20 token, allowing communities to own a share of its functionality.
Moreover, SparkAgent is designed to enable users to launch smart, on-chain agents that do not get offline. Thus, it can be used for DeFi, content creation, or customer support, according to the developers.
ECCP Urges Crackdown on Unlicensed Crypto Platforms in PH
The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) called on Philippine regulators to intensify their crackdown on unlicensed cryptocurrency platforms, saying that these platforms are fueling a surge in digital crimes.
ECCP ICT Committee co-chair Reyner Villaseñor highlighted links between unregulated crypto exchanges and serious offenses like kidnapping, human trafficking, scams, and drug-related operations. He cited ₱460 billion in estimated losses from online crimes in 2024 and pointed to the ₱200 million ransom case of businessman Anson Que, whose crypto-converted payment hindered police tracing.
Bitcoin Pizza Day Panel Recap
During the BitPinas x GCrypto Bitcoin Pizza Day 2025, crypto experts discussed whether $BTC or altcoins are the better investment in the current bull cycle.
Steve “IceSteam” Jimenez emphasized that altseason is still ongoing, especially with the rise of meme coins and low-cap tokens, which offer big short-term gains for small investors. He advised beginners to split their capital between major assets like Bitcoin or Ethereum and smaller, high-risk altcoins.
Meanwhile, Macky Cruz of Tether defended $BTC’s long-term value, citing its scarcity and growing institutional adoption, while Joseph Lejarde of Whizkid Academy highlighted altcoins as the current trend, noting favorable political and economic conditions.
US Sanctions Philippine Tech Firm
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Funnull Technology Inc., a Philippine-based tech firm, for allegedly aiding cryptocurrency scams known as “pig butchering,” which have defrauded U.S. victims of over $200 million.
According to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Funnull bought IP addresses in bulk and resold them to scammers, with crypto wallet addresses on Ethereum and TRON networks receiving payments for web services tied to fraudulent sites.
The firm is accused of supporting scam websites and apps that mimic legitimate financial services and of being part of the “Triad Nexus,” a criminal network linked to over 200,000 domains.
PDAX Listed Sonic’s Native Token $S
Locally licensed crypto platform PDAX listed $S, the native token of Sonic, a newly rebranded Layer 1 blockchain that evolved from the Fantom blockchain.
The Sonic token is used to pay for transactions, stake for rewards, vote on network decisions, and run validator nodes.
Exclusive: Web3 Project Explains Decision to Ban Filipinos Over Airdrop Farming
Web3 project Mass, known as Massdotmoney, temporarily barred users from the Philippines and four other countries from completing its KYC process due to widespread abuse of its incentive program.
CEO Rudy Kadoch claimed that users from these regions exploited the KYC quest without depositing or engaging with the platform. He emphasized that KYC verifications cost the company around $3 each, and the decision was made to prevent further losses.
Kadoch clarified to BitPinas that the move is not rooted in discrimination but is necessary to protect the platform’s sustainability. He shared that Mass will remove the KYC quest and instead require users to trade or transact at least $200 to access full features. Non-KYC services remain accessible to all, and users from the affected countries may regain full access once a revised system is implemented.
This article is published on BitPinas: Crypto PH News Recap: May 26 to June 1, 2025
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