Crypto security incidents are often labeled “DeFi hacks” even when the underlying failure has little to do with smart-contract code. Several common breakdowns—stolen private keys, compromised signers, poisoned frontends, or governance abuse—can all end with funds moving on-chain, but they start in different places. In 2024, off-chain incidents made up 56.5% of attacks and 80.5% of stolen funds, according to Halborn. The piece argues that misnaming the failure can push the industry toward the wrong fix.

India's Union Budget 2026 introduced a penalty regime for crypto-asset transaction reporting under Section 509 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, effective from 1 April 2026. Reporting entities such as exchanges and intermediaries face Rs. 200 per day for delayed filings and a flat Rs. 50,000 for inaccurate or uncorrected data, while the existing 30% VDA tax and 1% TDS rules remain unchanged. The stricter framework comes amid a reported 72.7% shift of India's FY25 crypto trading volume to offshore platforms, alongside rising scrutiny of undisclosed VDA income.