Latest news with #BitcoinReserve
NDTV
15-06-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Crypto, Golf, Watches, Perfumes: How Trump Earned Over $600 Million in 2024
US President Donald Trump pocketed more than $57 million from token sales by the crypto venture he and his sons helped launch last year, according to federal financial disclosure forms released by the White House. The more than 230-page document issued by the Office of Government Ethics, dated Friday, lists the US president's holdings including stocks, dividends, real estate and investment portfolios. It showed that Trump, who during his first presidential election campaign in 2016 broke with the long tradition of candidates publishing their income tax returns, raked in $57.4 million from the sale of World Liberty Financial tokens. Trump and his sons helped launch the cryptocurrency investment and lending platform ahead of last year's election, raising conflict of interest concerns especially after he went on to win. He lent his name to this new company and launched a "Trump" memecoin in January, just hours before his inauguration. World Liberty Financial had issued 100 billion tokens, of which some 22.5 billion were allocated to the Trump-affiliated company DT Marks Defi. Once hostile to the crypto industry, Trump has since returning to power enthusiastically embraced the sector, taking significant steps to clear regulatory hurdles and making large-scale investments. Trump has, among other moves, appointed crypto advocate Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He has also established a federal "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve" aimed at auditing the government's bitcoin holdings, which were mainly accumulated by law enforcement from judicial seizures. Cryptocurrencies now have "a champion and an ally" in the White House, Vice President JD Vance said last month during a bitcoin conference in Las Vegas. The document also provides an overview of the royalties that Trump has received through the sale of branded products and licensing agreements around the world. For instance, he earned $2.8 million from watches and $2.5 million from perfumes and sneakers. His Mar-a-Lago club in Florida also generated over $50 million in income for the president. Trump's golf courses around the world also helped pad his coffers, allowing him to pocket $29.1 million from the one in West Palm Beach, and $110.4 from the one in Miami. The president also received a monthly retirement payment of $6,484 from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
4 Reasons to Buy Bitcoin Before 2028
Bitcoin's price could rally higher ahead of its next halving in 2028. Declining interest rates and a weak dollar could support its growth. More institutional investors could view the cryptocurrency as a safe-haven asset. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) price has risen nearly 240% over the past three years, even as rising rates and the implosions of several big tokens and exchanges chilled the crypto market. Bitcoin survived that sell-off, which wiped out many of the smaller altcoins and meme coins, and it emerged as the safest "blue chip" cryptocurrency to invest in. In 2024, Bitcoin's first spot price ETFs were approved, and its latest "halving" reduced its mining rewards. President Trump's victory in November also drove many investors back toward Bitcoin, since his administration adopted more crypto-friendly policies than the Biden administration. President Trump also ordered the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile this March, while declining interest rates generated additional tailwinds for the broader crypto market. As Bitcoin hovers above $100,000 and trades just a few dollars below its record high, investors might be wondering if it's time to finally take profits. However, some big institutions and investors expect its price to surge even higher over the next three years. By 2028, Standard Chartered claims its price could soar to $500,000 as its volatility decreases and its ETFs lock in more investors, while Maelstrom's Arthur Hayes expects its price to surge to $1 million as the devaluation of the U.S. dollar drives investors toward more alternative assets. We should take those bullish estimates with a grain of salt, but I personally think it could be wise to buy Bitcoin before 2028 for four simple reasons. Bitcoin underwent four halvings in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. Each time those rewards were cut in half, it became increasingly difficult to mine Bitcoin for a profit. Back in 2012, traditional desktop GPUs could still be used to mine Bitcoin. But today, miners need to use powerful application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) instead of GPUs. Before its first halving, Bitcoin had a block reward of 50 tokens for each block they created. But after its four halvings, that "block reward cut" dropped to just 3.125 Bitcoins. The rising difficulty of mining Bitcoin will tighten its supply and slow down its production as it inches toward its maximum supply of 21 million Bitcoins. Approximately 19.7 million of those coins have already been mined, and the last one is expected to be mined in 2140. Bitcoin was trading at $63,800 right before its latest halving on April 19, 2024. It's risen nearly 70% since then, so it might be smart to load up on Bitcoin before its next four-year halving -- which is expected to occur in March or April 2028 and cut its block reward to just 1.5625 Bitcoins. Bitcoin's price slumped in 2022 and 2023 as rising rates drove investors away from cryptocurrencies and other speculative plays. But in 2024, its price stabilized and rose again as the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rates three times. The Fed hasn't cut its interest rates again in 2025, but it's still expected to execute at least two rate cuts this year. As interest rates decline, Bitcoin's price should rise as more investors pivot back toward the crypto market. Declining interest rates should also weaken the U.S. dollar -- and that trend could cause more investors to stock up on Bitcoin, gold, and other "safe-haven" assets. Only two countries, El Salvador and Central African Republic, have adopted Bitcoin as a national currency so far. However, other nations facing severe inflation, currency devaluation issues, sanctions, and debt problems could follow their lead. If that happens, Bitcoin could gain more momentum as a global alternative to fiat currencies. Most institutional investors with exposure to Bitcoin only allocate low-single-digit percentages of their portfolios to the cryptocurrency. But that could shift over the next few years as traditional investment firms like Fidelity, Schwab, and BlackRock add more support for Bitcoin across the retail brokerages and retirement accounts. Assuming those institutional investors start allocating more than 5% of their portfolios to Bitcoin, its price could skyrocket and ignite another "fear of missing out" (FOMO) buying frenzy. If that happens, the market's leading Bitcoin ETFs should attract more institutional investors who don't want to deal with the risks of directly holding the cryptocurrency in a digital wallet. Other countries -- including the U.K., Australia, and major Asian markets -- could also approve their own spot price ETFs for Bitcoin. Bitcoin will remain volatile for the foreseeable future, and I'm not certain it can hit $500,000 or $1 million by 2028. But it should attract more attention from before its next halving, and there's still plenty of room for institutional investors to accumulate more Bitcoin. So if you can stomach its wild swings, it's still a great time to buy more Bitcoin. Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $660,341!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $874,192!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 999% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Charles Schwab is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool recommends Charles Schwab and Standard Chartered Plc and recommends the following options: short June 2025 $85 calls on Charles Schwab. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 4 Reasons to Buy Bitcoin Before 2028 was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bitcoin Has Hit an All-Time High of $112,000. 3 Reasons the Leading Cryptocurrency Is Surging.
The Trump administration is pro-crypto and created the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in March. As the U.S. dollar has weakened, investors have turned to Bitcoin as a store of value. Bitcoin has seen increased adoption from institutional investors. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › Last month, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) reached a new all-time high of $111,970. Even after a small pullback, the leading cryptocurrency is still up 13% this year, while the S&P 500 has gained just 1.6%. Going back even further, Bitcoin has returned an impressive 990% during the past five years. When a cryptocurrency goes on a tear, investors and prospective investors want to know why. And, even more importantly, they want to know if the gains are likely to continue. In Bitcoin's case, there are a few key reasons it has been doing so well lately. President Donald Trump was pro-crypto and pro-Bitcoin during his campaign, even saying that he wanted the U.S. to be "the Bitcoin superpower of the world." He was expected to usher in a more crypto-friendly climate if elected, and so far, he has done just that. Under the Biden administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had gone after many of the major crypto companies and exchanges. Trump's pick for SEC Chair, Paul Atkins, is known for supporting cryptocurrency. Since Trump has taken office, the SEC has ended lawsuits with Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: COIN) and Binance and ended investigations into OpenSea, an NFT marketplace; and Uniswap, a decentralized exchange. The Trump administration also announced the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in March. Just like countries stockpile gold, foreign currencies, and other valuable assets, the federal government is stockpiling Bitcoin. Arizona and New Hampshire have followed suit with their own Bitcoin reserves. Government support for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency as a whole should be good for the industry, as it helps further legitimize cryptocurrencies as an investment. Since Election Day, Bitcoin has hit multiple all-time highs and is up 54% overall. The U.S. dollar has been losing value, with the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) down about 9% on the year. Import tariffs, the possibility of a trade war, and worries of a recession have all taken their toll. When the dollar declines or there's a period of high inflation, investors often look for alternative assets to use as stores of value. Gold has long been a popular choice, and in recent years, Bitcoin has been called digital gold. There's a limited number of Bitcoin available -- the maximum supply is capped at 21 million coins. This gives it a built-in scarcity that traditional currencies don't have. It's hard to predict currency fluctuations or when the U.S. dollar will bounce back, although a U.S.-China trade deal would probably help. This may not be a long-term tailwind for Bitcoin, but it is a benefit at the moment. While institutional investors used to be wary of investing in Bitcoin, that's no longer the case. The SEC approved the first Bitcoin spot price exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in January 2024, opening the door for more institutional adoption. Those U.S. Bitcoin ETFs had inflows of $5.2 billion in May and have over $125 billion in combined assets under management (AUM) at the time of this writing. Like government support, institutional investors help legitimize Bitcoin, and the amount of money they invest can also drive up the price. Bitcoin's value has already jumped by 130% since the approval of Bitcoin ETFs, and cryptocurrency will likely become more and more mainstream going forward. A January survey by EY Parthenon and Coinbase found that 83% of institutional investors were planning to increase their digital asset allocation in 2025. All the factors that have contributed to Bitcoin's latest bull run are still in place. The political climate is and should remain positive toward cryptocurrency. Banks, hedge funds, and other institutions are investing in Bitcoin. The U.S. dollar hasn't recovered yet, although that could change at any time. This doesn't mean Bitcoin is a surefire investment. Far from it -- Bitcoin is risky, and you could make a compelling argument against it. Bitcoin has limited utility, transactions are slow and relatively expensive, and it doesn't produce anything of value like a business does. People invest in the hopes that the price will go up. But as it's demonstrated over the years, Bitcoin can deliver incredible returns, and it's the most successful cryptocurrency by a wide margin. Stocks are still a safer choice, but Bitcoin is a good alternative investment for anyone who wants digital assets in their portfolio. Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $656,825!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $865,550!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Lyle Daly has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and Coinbase Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Bitcoin Has Hit an All-Time High of $112,000. 3 Reasons the Leading Cryptocurrency Is Surging. was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Recorder
02-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Legal gaps in crypto adoption
EDITORIAL: Pakistan's push to embrace cryptocurrency has seen the government take a host of measures over the last few months to promote the adoption of digital assets like Bitcoin. From the establishment of the Pakistan Crypto Council and appointing entrepreneur Bilal bin Saqib as its CEO with the status of minister of state, to allocating 2,000MW of surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining and the finance minister's declaration that Pakistan wishes to be a leader in this space, all reflect a coordinated effort to position the country at the forefront of the digital economy. What completely boggles the mind, however, is that amid this enthusiastic drive for crypto adoption, one basic fact has been persistently overlooked: cryptocurrency remains illegal in Pakistan. All transactions involving such assets are prohibited under current regulations, and anyone dealing in these currencies is liable to be investigated by the Financial Monitoring Unit and the FIA. This was made clear in no uncertain terms by senior officials of the State Bank of Pakistan and the finance ministry during a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on May 29. Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal's categorical statement that 'crypto is not a legal tender in Pakistan' is something that casts a long shadow over the government's recent actions in this space. It highlights a shocking lack of policy coherence and prompts broader questions about the prudence of promoting crypto initiatives without first putting in place a clear legal framework. The result is a climate of confusion and uncertainty, leaving investors, regulators and the public unsure of the government's true policy direction and intent behind these contradictory signals. While some of the government's moves in this space may be seen as attempts to garner influence with the Trump Administration, which includes strong advocates of cryptocurrency, its actions appear to go beyond merely symbolic gestures. At the recent 2025 Bitcoin Conference held in Las Vegas, for instance, Bilal bin Saqib unveiled Pakistan's first government-led Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, intended to hold digital assets in state custody as a sovereign reserve. This, along with other initiatives, suggests a clear intent to integrate crypto into national economic strategy despite the legal and regulatory contradictions, and the inherent risks of embracing an asset class, which thus far has been known for its volatility, lack of effective oversight mechanisms and susceptibility to speculative bubbles. The fact of the matter is that cryptocurrency is not considered legal tender in most countries of the world, including in the US. There is still little regulatory clarity to the cryptocurrency space in most jurisdictions, with it long having operated on the fringes of the mainstream global financial system due to its volatile nature, resistance from central banks and limited mainstream adoption by businesses. This is not to say that cryptocurrencies cannot achieve legitimate adoption in a safe and regulated manner that preserves financial stability. But for that to happen, governments would need to establish clear regulatory frameworks that address consumer protection, financial stability risks and anti-money laundering concerns while fostering innovation. In Pakistan's case, crypto adoption demands carefully crafted regulations that balance risk — particularly regarding capital flight — with opportunities for financial inclusion and improved remittance flows. Given our fragile economic position and IMF commitments, we must proceed cautiously by first establishing a clear regulatory framework developed through collaboration between blockchain specialists, technologists and economic managers who understand both our economic challenges and risks of crypto adoption. The current approach of haphazard adoption without proper legal safeguards creates dangerous uncertainty: it encourages public investment in an illegal asset class, exposing citizens to potential legal consequences, and leaves our economy vulnerable to capital flight and money laundering risks. The government must rethink this blind embrace of crypto and first build legal guardrails before proceeding further. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The Print
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
IAF chief's frustration over defence procurement delays is valid. It should be a national wake-up call
Pakistan's Bitcoin Reserve and AI energy allocation, severe power shortages notwithstanding, is a shrewd geopolitical move. Partnering with Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial shows Islamabad is leveraging crypto to gain influence with him. It's a dangerous blurring of personal business and governance. Pakistan sure knows how to play up to Trump. IAF chief's frustration over defence procurement delays is valid. It should be a national wake-up call IAF chief's frustration over persistent delays and broken promises in defence procurement should serve as a national wake-up call. A piecemeal approach to critical military acquisitions undermines operational readiness. What India needs is accountability, efficiency, and urgency. A strong and modern military isn't about seeking war—it's about deterring one.
