News
Trump's VP Pick Vance Is a Bitcoin Lover, Once Called Gensler "Worst Person" for Crypto Regulation

Trump's VP Pick Vance Is a Bitcoin Lover, Once Called Gensler "Worst Person" for Crypto Regulation

Jul, 16 2024 3:35
Trump's VP Pick Vance Is a Bitcoin Lover, Once Called Gensler "Worst Person" for Crypto Regulation

Donald Trump's new running mate, JD Vance, has a bone to pick with SEC Chair Gary Gensler. A recently resurfaced video shows Vance calling Gensler the "worst person" to regulate crypto. So what's going to happen to our beloved crypto industry once this pair - Trump and Vance - enter the White House?

The clip, now making the rounds on social media, captures Vance speaking at Remedy Fest. This private conference, hosted by Y Combinator and Bloomberg, took place on February 28.

Vance didn't mince words. His clarity was quite impressive. "If there's a candidate for the worst person in my view, at least in terms of my substantive disagreement [...] it's Gary Gensler," he stated bluntly.

He didn't stop there. Vance accused Gensler of injecting politics into US securities business. He also criticized Gensler's approach to blockchain and crypto regulation.

This isn't Vance's first rodeo with the SEC. He's been a vocal supporter of the crypto industry throughout his political career, holds some Bitcoin himself and is known for praising crypto as a tool to diminish the oppressive role of the state.

On May 16, Vance was one of 60 senators who voted to roll back the SEC's SAB 121 accounting guidelines. These guidelines prevent US banks from custodying crypto assets.

Earlier this year, Vance led a group of Republican senators in a letter to Gensler. They raised concerns over an SEC enforcement action against crypto mining firm Debt Box.

The letter didn't pull any punches. "It is unconscionable that any federal agency [...] could operate in such an unethical and unprofessional manner," Vance wrote.

Vance's crypto support goes beyond regulatory issues. In February 2022, he praised crypto as a solution to government overreach. This was in response to Canada freezing bank accounts of truckers protesting COVID-19 lockdowns. Basically Vance praised crypto for being able to help people avoid government surveillance and even some legal hurdles.

The 39-year-old senator has a diverse background. He's served in the US Marines, studied law at Yale, and worked as a venture capitalist under Peter Thiel, a famous investor who is - without a shadow of a doubt - a very crypto friendly financial titan.

Vance isn't just talk when it comes to crypto. A 2022 financial disclosure report shows he holds between $100,001 and $250,000 in Bitcoin. Looks like he's putting his money where his mouth is.

Latest News
Show All News
XRP Holds Unique Position in the Market and Is Set to Grow, Says Crypto Expert
Aug 22, 2024
A prominent crypto commentator has made waves. He claims XRP is one-of-a-kind. "There will never be another XRP," he stated. This comes after new details emerged about Ripple's business dealings. Court documents show Ripple's extensive network. The firm has over 1,700 contracts related to XRP. These agreements are with various financial companies. The SEC vs. Ripple case first revealed this information. It's now resurfaced, catching the crypto community's attention. XRP supporters are feeling pretty chuffed about it. They reckon these contracts show Ripple's grand plan. The goal? To weave XRP into the fabric of global finance. Many agreements have NDAs attached. This suggests some big players might be involved. The crypto expert's comments highlight XRP's unique role. Its adoption in financial services sets it apart from other digital assets. A closer look at the court docs reveals more. The 1,700 contracts fall into four main buckets. Some involve direct XRP transfers. Others let partners sell XRP for Ripple. There are also deals where Ripple pays for services with XRP. The rest? A mixed bag that doesn't fit the other categories. Alan Schwartz, a Yale law prof, broke this down for the court. Ripple backed his analysis in their fight against the SEC. Schwartz argued these deals don't tick the boxes for an investment contract. The SEC tried to toss out Schwartz's observations. They claimed he was off the mark. But the court wasn't having it. They let his testimony stand. This whole saga has got the crypto world buzzing. Is XRP really in a league of its own? Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure – Ripple's not messing around when it comes to getting XRP out there.
Tether Pumps Out Another Billion USDT on Tron Network
Aug 22, 2024
Tether's just dropped a bombshell. The stablecoin issuer minted $1 billion USDT on the Tron network. This move brings their total minted tokens in the past year to a whopping $33 billion. Blockchain data spilled the beans on August 20. Tether created the tokens and sent them to its treasury wallet. Lookonchain, an on-chain analytics platform, crunched the numbers. The platform revealed some eye-opening stats. Tether's been busy. They've minted $33 billion in stablecoins over the last year. That's no small change. The breakdown is interesting. Tron network saw 19 billion USDT tokens minted. Ethereum wasn't far behind with 14 billion. This latest mint follows a similar move on Ethereum. On August 13, Whale Alert flagged a $1 billion transaction there too. Talk about déjà vu. Tether's CEO, Paolo Ardoino, chimed in on X. He called the Ethereum transaction a "USDT inventory replenish". It's authorized but not issued yet. What does that mean? Well, it's like restocking shelves. Tether's getting ready for future demand. They're creating USDT to meet upcoming issuance requests and chain swaps. Tether's staying mum on the Tron mint. But it's likely serving the same purpose as the Ethereum one. They're probably running low on USDT on Tron. Their Transparency page backs this up. As of August 19, Tether had only $36 million USDT tokens on Tron that were "authorized but not issued". Demand's looking strong on Tron. Speaking of Tron, it's leading the stablecoin supply market. Coin Metrics data from August 16 shows it commands 37.9% of the total market share. That's over $61 billion in stablecoins. Not too shabby. This move by Tether is raising eyebrows in the crypto world. It's a clear sign of growing demand for USDT, especially on the Tron network. As the stablecoin market continues to evolve, all eyes will be on Tether's next moves.
Binance Blocks $2.4bn in Potential Crypto Scams
Aug 21, 2024
Binance, a major crypto exchange, has prevented $2.4 billion in potential losses from fraud since January. The company announced this on Tuesday. It cited its risk management as key to protecting over 1 million users from scams. The exchange stopped suspected fraud-related funds from leaving the platform. This protected 1.2 million users globally from January to July. Binance uses a "powerful risk engine" for this task. The system combines AI and manual reviews. It monitors all transactions in real-time. This allows quick detection of suspicious activity across Binance's services. "We can spot fishy transactions fast," a Binance spokesperson said. The system covers all areas, including P2P trading and crypto withdrawals. The flagging process targets the withdrawal stage. That's when "criminals try to sneak victims' funds past our security," the company explained. Withdrawals linked to suspected scams made up 45% of prevented losses. That's over $1.1 billion this year alone. Rohit Wad, Binance's CTO, boasted about their tech. "We've built killer tools to protect our users 24/7," he said. The exchange uses various measures across eight risk levels. By July 31, Binance had recovered or frozen over $73 million in stolen funds. This surpasses the $55 million secured in all of 2023. Recovered funds are up 40% in just seven months. The exchange has also helped users recover lost assets. About 80% of these were from external hacks and theft. Wad urged investors to stay sharp. "Users play the biggest role in keeping their assets safe," he said. He advised staying informed and using strong security practices.
Dumpy.fun's New Gambit: Solana Memecoin Protocol Teases New ‘Short Squeeze’ Platform
Aug 21, 2024
Solana's memecoin scene is about to get wilder. A protocol known for shorting these volatile tokens is flipping the script. Dumpy.fun, a platform for betting against memecoins, is launching a new tool. It's called squeezy.lol. The aim? To let traders go long on heavily shorted tokens. The announcement came via X on August 20. Dumpy.fun, whose name riffs on the popular Solana memecoin deployer pump.fun, set the launch date for August 27. They're calling it a "new era of PVP" in trading. What's the big deal? Well, squeezy.lol will let traders take the opposite side of Dumpy.fun users. It's introducing a "squeeze explorer" to show which memecoins are most shorted. This could be a game-changer. The idea is simple. Spot the heavily shorted assets. Rally the memecoin communities. Trigger a "short squeeze". It's a recipe for chaos, and potentially, profit. Dumpy.fun currently supports 11 memecoins. These include Dogwifhat (WIF), Wen (WEN), and Bonk (BONK). But they're not stopping there. They're planning to introduce permissionless listings. This means users can short newly created tokens of their choice. Let's back up a bit. What's shorting? It's betting that an asset's price will fall. And a short squeeze? That's when the price of a heavily shorted asset suddenly spikes. Short sellers are forced to buy more to cover their positions. It's a vicious cycle. Remember the GameStop saga of 2021? That was a short squeeze on steroids. Retail traders forced hedge funds to liquidate their shorts. GameStop's shares skyrocketed over 1,500% in a month. It was bonkers. Now, Solana's memecoin traders might get a taste of that action. With Dumpy.fun's new tool, they could spot potential squeeze opportunities. It's like giving them a superpower in the wild west of crypto trading. But here's the kicker: Dumpy.fun was originally designed for shorting. It lets users short Solana memecoins with small amounts of leverage. Given the recent price drops in these tokens, that strategy might've paid off handsomely for some traders. So, what's next? The crypto world is watching. Will squeezy.lol live up to the hype? Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure: Solana's memecoin scene is about to get a whole lot spicier.
Ethereum Network Fees Hit Historical Low - Analyst
Aug 20, 2024
Ethereum's sky-high transaction costs have long been a thorn in the side of crypto enthusiasts. But that's old news now. The network's gas fees have taken a nosedive, hitting record lows. This could be Ethereum's ticket to the big leagues. The numbers don't lie. EgyHash, a crypto trader and on-chain analyst, spilled the beans in a recent study shared by CryptoQuant. ETH's daily mean gas price has bottomed out at around 2.9 Gwei. That's uncharted territory. But wait, there's more. The daily mean fees in USD have plummeted to about $0.85, a multi-year low. As a result, the daily mean burn rate has hit rock bottom, with only about 115 ETH going up in smoke each day. Here's the kicker: despite the fee drop, Ethereum's daily mean transactions have held steady or even grown compared to the past two years. Not too shabby. So, what's behind this fee freefall? EgyHash points the finger squarely at the Dencun Upgrade, rolled out in March. This upgrade introduced "Blobs", a new type of transaction that slashes data publication costs on Ethereum by up to 100% for Layer 2 networks. This could be a game-changer for Ethereum. Lower fees make the platform more user-friendly and cost-effective for new applications, including NFTs and DeFi. It's like Ethereum just got a major facelift. The crypto community is buzzing with optimism. These rock-bottom fees show that Ethereum is serious about sustainability and cementing its place as top dog in the blockchain world. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. EgyHash reckons investors might not be popping champagne just yet. Why? A big chunk of ETH usage is moving to layer 2 solutions, which could lead to user and liquidity fragmentation. Since the Dencun Upgrade, ETH's price has been on a rollercoaster ride. It took a 35% nosedive even after Spot Ethereum ETFs got the green light. Meanwhile, the overall ETH supply has ballooned by about 197,000, worth a cool $500 million. So, is Ethereum's fee freefall a stroke of genius or a potential own goal? Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure: the crypto world is watching closely.
Meme Coin Mayhem: PEPE Falls as New Challenger Emerges
Aug 20, 2024
Pepe, the meme coin that took the market by storm earlier this year, has crashed 41% in the past 30 days. Meanwhile, a new player has entered the game, threatening to change the fragile balance in the meme coins world as we know it. Pepe Unchained, a $9.3 million upstart, is turning heads. Investors are very eager to jump the ship. And that may have impressive consequences. Pepe's currently trading at $0.00000731. That's a mouthful of zeros. It's up 0.41% in the last 24 hours, but don't get too excited. The overall picture is nowhere near the bright side. The chart's looking grim. There's a nasty head-and-shoulders pattern forming. That's trader-speak for "things might get worse before they get better," in case you need a translation. Pepe's been stuck below a key resistance level for four days. The 20-day moving average is hovering at $0.00000822. That is a ceiling of its kind, and a pretty firm one, to be honest. So where's it headed? Probably down to $0.0000058. That's another 20% drop. Not great for hodlers. There's a silver lining, though. The RSI's at 37.51, suggesting Pepe might be oversold. But take that with a grain of salt. These indicators can be tricky. Now, let's talk about the new kid on the block. Pepe Unchained is making waves. It's promising to fix everything that's wrong with the original Pepe. Their big pitch? A Layer 2 blockchain solution. They're talking instant bridging, low fees, and speeds that'll make Ethereum look like a snail. It's all about creating a real ecosystem for meme coins. Something the original Pepe couldn't do on Ethereum. Is it just hype? Maybe. But with a $9.3 million presale, people are buying in. It's like Pepe 2.0, but time will tell if it's got staying power. Remember, this is crypto. It's volatile as hell. One day you're on top, the next you're yesterday's news. Just ask Pepe.
Cardano Bets Big on ZK-Scaling as ADA Price Nosedives
Aug 20, 2024
Cardano, the smart contract platform nipping at Ethereum's heels, is gearing up for its next big leap. The network is transitioning from Basho to Voltaire. This move comes after a focus on scaling and performance tweaks. The Chang hard fork is crucial to this shift. But progress is slow. Cardanoscan data shows only 33% of stake pool operators were ready on August 19. A measly 14% of exchanges had updated. Post-Chang, Cardano aims to embrace decentralized governance. But that's not all, folks. One observer, citing Anastasia Labs founder Philip DiSarro, claims Cardano could lead the zero-knowledge (ZK) scaling race. DiSarro reckons Chang will give Cardano a serious edge in the ongoing "scaling war". Why the optimism? It's all about the Chang hard fork's goodies. Cardano will integrate Plutus v2 post-Chang. This upgrade lets devs create smart contracts more efficiently. It's a big deal. The new programming language handles complete computations. That's ZK proof territory. Off-chain computation features will also be ready. ZK-rollups need this. Our observer is bullish. They reckon post-Chang Cardano will be unique. "Won't be copied by anyone," they claim. It's a "huge, unique selling point" for ZK scaling. But Ethereum's not sitting idle. It's scaling through optimistic rollups. Transactions get bundled and approved offline. Problem is, centralized systems play middleman. It's not ideal. Cardano's betting on ZK scaling post-Chang. The platform supports determinism. Same inputs, same outputs. It's predictable. ZK scaling loves that. Meanwhile, ADA's in the doldrums. The coin's down 60% from March 2024 highs. It's testing support at $0.30. Ouch. The road ahead's bumpy. But Cardano's playing the long game. Will it pay off? Time will tell.