In a finish worthy of any esports arena, Ukrainian trader Max Hamaha snatched the crown at the inaugural International Crypto Trading Cup (ICTC 2025), a two-day live competition staged by European exchange WhiteBIT on May 9-10.
Eight elite traders from four continents took the main stage and traded WhiteBIT futures pairs for six hours a day over two days, logging 269 live transactions that fans could watch tick by in real time. A further 33 multi-player “squads” — the two largest with 369 and 298 members respectively — and almost 3,000 individual entrants traded remotely, turning the cup into a global festival of strategies, leaderboards, and bragging rights.
А Comeback that Decided Everything
Hamaha, who ended Day 1 at the bottom of the table, vaulted to first place on Day 2 with a bold, high-leverage long on Ethereum. He finished with a realized PnL of 7,488.84 USDT across 47 trades, edging out Dutch contender Merlijn “The Trader” (6,745.96 USDT) and fellow Ukrainian Eugene “EXCAVO” Loza (4,098.90 USDT).
“Trading live on stage was more intense—and a lot more fun—than trading at home,” Hamaha said after lifting the trophy. “WhiteBIT is setting a new trend. In a few years, crypto trading tournaments could rival Dota 2.”
Kazakh trader Muslim “Mus_money_” Abdullayev logged the most trades (49), while Denmark’s Malik Roth Klindt Jensen (“Coinvo”) scored the single largest gain, pocketing 12,249 USDT on an ETH perpetual contract. The largest one-trade loss, also on ETH-PERP, reached -10,725 USDT, underscoring the razor-thin margin for error.
Stadium-size Spotlight
Minutes after the final bell, Hamaha’s name blazed across the LED ribbons at El Clásico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid — the first time a trading champion has been highlighted during one of the world’s most-watched sporting events. WhiteBIT, Barca’s official crypto partner, said the crossover was deliberate:
“We want to put competitive trading on par with mainstream entertainment,” founder and president Volodymyr Nosov explained.
Lessons from behind the screens
With each finalist required to share a live feed of their terminals, viewers were treated to unfiltered insights: aggressive “go-big-or-go-home” bursts from Italy’s Mauro Caimi, overnight risk-on swings from Merlijn and Loza, and measured mean-reversion plays dissected by market technician and host Marc Principato. “
Putting your reputation on the line and showing the world your secrets is not something most traders are willing to do,” Principato said. “The educational value here is priceless.”
WhiteBIT confirmed that registration is already open for ICTC 2026, promising a larger field, regional qualifiers, and an expanded prize pool. “This is just the first step,” Nosov said. “We’re building the infrastructure for competitive trading the way esports arenas were built a decade ago.”
Full broadcasts of the championship—including on-air analysis, trader interviews, and play-by-play—are available on the exchange’s YouTube channel. WhiteBIT encourages aspiring participants to study the footage, join a squad, and prepare for next year’s spotlight.
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