Max Hamaha Dominates Elite Traders to Win WhiteBIT's 2025 Crypto Trading Cup

Max Hamaha outsmarted seven elite traders to take home a chunk of the $5 million prize at WhiteBIT's first-ever 2025 International Crypto Trading Cup. This heart-pounding, live e-sports trading extravaganza lasted two intense days, leaving Hamaha as the last trader standing.

A Historic Showdown in Crypto Trading

On May 9–10, 2025, the crypto universe watched in awe as the International Crypto Trading Cup (ICTC) 2025 unfolded—a groundbreaking, live-streamed global crypto trading championship, powered by WhiteBIT, Europe’s top traffic-heavy crypto exchange.

This epic e-sports-style showdown threw together eight top-tier traders from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, each armed with $50,000 in stablecoin, all gunning for a share of a massive 5 million USDT prize pool.

With expert commentators breaking down strategies, live trader interviews, and in-depth analyses, ICTC 2025 set a new standard for e-sports-style crypto events, delivering thrills like never before.

“Crypto trading's got it all: strategy, emotions, and powerhouse personalities with wild stories,” WhiteBIT's founder, Volodymyr Nosov, declared to the packed house at the Andorra Park Hotel during the awards ceremony.

The event's e-sports vibe, with traders battling under pressure—no bots, no outside tools, and a minimum of three trades per hour—echoed the nail-biting intensity of poker or gaming showdowns. TradingView, the official tech partner, fueled the live trading platform, while Tether, the title sponsor, locked down a secure, stable prize pool using a unique stablecoin called USDB, made just for this event.

But ICTC 2025 wasn't just about the competition—it was a learning goldmine. “We're all about pushing blockchain adoption, and with ICTC, we're making crypto trading accessible and electrifying in a totally fresh way,” Nosov added.

The educational angle let viewers dive deep into pro strategies, join live discussions, and stack their own moves against the experts. Live trader interviews peeled back the curtain on their mental prep, risk management, and market mastery, turning every trade into a teachable moment.

The event's format pushed traders into high-risk bets over the two days, putting their skills to the test and stretching their strategies to the brink.

With 50x or 100x leverage on the line, traders threw caution to the wind, embracing the tournament's daring nature.

Malik Roth Klindt Jensen, a UAE trader who snagged fourth place, admitted the event's short timeframe threw a wrench in his usual strategy. “It’s tough to rely on skill,” he said. “For skill to really shine, you need more time.”

The event wasn't without its hiccups. Several traders griped about internet glitches and trades that slipped way off target, leading to disappointing profits.

Luca Boiardi, an Italian trader who finished fifth, agreed. “Luck's a huge factor in a tourney like this. It’s not a natural setting, but that’s the whole point—it was insanely tough.”

Ukraine's Max Hamaha, the event's victor, shared that the unique conditions forced him into risky moves he'd never normally make. Hamaha, a seasoned trader with over 17 years in the game and host of a popular YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers, recently launched a hot memecoin on the TON network called Gaileo (GGAI). “In a competition like this, the format drives you to take risks you’re not used to,” he explained.

Despite the challenges, many believe these showdowns could carve out a new space in crypto culture, mixing brainpower with real-time drama. As Alex Kozenko, WhiteBIT’s CMO, put it, “This was the first event where anyone could go head-to-head with pros in real time. We can’t wait to do it again next year.”