Crypto News Host (28:46)
Welcome to this week's Crypto roundup. In today's recap, we cover Circle's possible IPO delay amid market turbulence, Tether's plans for a US Only stablecoin and Paul Atkins confirmation as SEC chair. We'll also look at the DOJ's surprise crypto enforcement rollback, a congressional probe in Argentina over the Libra MEM Coin scandal and Galaxy Digital's push to list on NASDAQ. Plus Ripple makes a $1.25 billion move into prime brokerage world Liberty Financial dumps ETH at a loss and Conor McGregor's meme coin fails to land thanks for tuning in to the weekly news recap. Let's begin. Circle may delay IPO Circle, the company behind the $60 billion USDC stablecoin, is reportedly reconsidering the timing of its public offering amid growing market instability triggered by policy. Just days after filing an S1 registration with the SEC, sources told the Wall Street Journal that Circle is closely monitoring conditions and may postpone the listing depending on how markets respond to escalating tariffs introduced by the Trump administration. The filing disclosed $1.68 billion in revenue for 2024, alongside $156 million in net income. Analysts also noted that Coinbase, its largest distribution partner, likely earns more from USDC than Circle itself. What I found was a business with real reach but also deep fragility, wrote former Coinbase product director Rishi Dean. Circle isn't alone. Firms like the online brokerage Etoro is said to be reevaluating IPO plans as uncertainty across public markets continues to grow. The company has not officially commented on any delay. Additionally, ticket broker StubHub and buy now Pay later pioneer Klarna have officially delayed their planned IPOs this year. Tetherise US only stablecoin Tether is exploring the creation of a US exclusive stablecoin, signaling a potential pivot in strategy as American regulators push for stricter oversight of foreign crypto issuers. CEO Paolo Arduino said the company has been involved in policy talks and may develop a dollar pegged token designed specifically for domestic use. If new rules support stablecoin innovation, such a product would act as a transaction focused settlement currency aligned with evolving federal standards, Arduino noted. The Trump administration views stablecoins as a key financial tool within the US System. Meanwhile, Binance is expanding its product line with ldusdt, a new asset allowing users to trade crypto futures while earning yield on previously locked usdt. This dual purpose token builds on the platform's prior release of BFUSD and aims to boost flexibility for over 10 million binary finance earn participants. LDUSDT increases capital efficiency, said VP Jeff Lee, highlighting the benefit of merging liquidity with passive rewards. Paul Atkins confirmed as SEC Chair the US Senate confirmed Paul Atkins as chairman of the securities and Exchange Commission in a 52:44 vote, largely along party lines on Wednesday evening. A former SEC commissioner under President George W. Bush, Atkins was nominated by President Trump and is widely seen as a proponent of reducing regulatory friction, particularly in the digital asset space. Atkins is expected to formalize several crypto policy changes already underway during the Trump administration's interim leadership. These include narrowing the SEC's oversight of areas like stablecoins, meme coins, and proof of work mining. I sat down with Mr. Atkins to discuss digital asset legislation. I'm confident his leadership will bring positive changes, sen. Cynthia Lummis posted on X following the confirmation. Adkins takes over from Marcujeda, who led a sweeping overhaul in early 2025 that rolled back many high profile enforcement actions. He begins his term with an incomplete commission as two Democratic seats remain vacant. DOJ dismantles cryptounit the U.S. department of justice is halting enforcement actions against crypto platforms such as mixers and wallets, marking a major policy shift under the Trump administration. In a memo titled Ending Regulation by Prosecution, deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that services like Tornado Cash would no longer be held liable for how users employ them, even in cases of illicit activity. The department will now focus solely on pursuing individuals and groups directly involved in unlawful financing. Investigations inconsistent with this new guidance should be closed, blanche wrote, adding that all conflicting policies were rescinded effective immediately. As part of the same directive, the DOJ has also disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, a unit formed in 2021 to tackle crypto related crimes. The move aligns with President Trump's January executive order promoting regulatory clarity and a lighter federal approach to digital assets. DOJ prosecutors were told the agency is not a digital assets regulator. This news comes approximately two weeks after Unchained reported that the DOJ was a holdout among government regulatory bodies such as the sec, FDIC and OCC in not changing its policies toward crypto. Argentina launches congressional probe into Libra scandal Argentina's Chamber of Deputies has approved three draft resolutions to investigate government officials tied to the controversial Libra meme coin project, which collapsed shortly after receiving public support from President Javier Milei. The resolutions call for a formal inquiry commission, the summoning of senior executive officials, including the chief of staff and ministers of Economy and justice, and an official report on the matter from the government. The Solana based Libra token launched in February and briefly surged to a $2 billion valuation after Milei promoted it online, claiming it would support small businesses. The token later crashed by over 90%, prompting accusations of fraud and calls for Miley's impeachment. Kelsier Ventures CEO Hayden Davis, who claimed to advise Milei on the project, is also under scrutiny. Davis is reportedly also linked to the Melania meme coin, which recently saw $30 million in community funds moved without explanation. An Argentine prosecutor has requested an Interpol red notice for Davis. Galaxy Digital prepares for Nasdaq listing Galaxy Digital is set to become the latest crypto firm to list on NASDAQ following U.S. regulatory clearance of its registration documents. The SEC declared effective the company's reorganization filing, paving the way for a shareholder vote on May 9. If approved, Galaxy will shift its corporate headquarters from the Cayman Islands to Delaware and list under the ticker symbol glxy. The move comes as other crypto firms such as Circle and eToro pause IPO plans due to ongoing market volatility tied to trade policy uncertainty. Galaxy, however, is pushing ahead, buoyed by strong 2024 financials. The company reported $346 million in profit and nearly 44 billion in trading volume, though its revenue calculation includes the full value of all crypto transactions Trump linked. Defi project dumps World Liberty Financial, the decentralized finance initiative supported by the Trump family, has begun offloading its ether holdings after sustaining significant losses on chain. Data from Arkham reveals that a wallet tied to the project sold 5471 ETH, worth approximately $8 million at a price of $1,465 per token. The assets were originally acquired at $3,259, translating into a realized loss exceeding 125 million. Despite the sell off, the wallet still retains about $98 million in digital assets, including $11.7 million in remaining ETH. The move comes just two months after Eric Trump publicly endorsed Ethan, calling it a great time to buy, when the asset traded near 2000 and 80s on the same day as the recent sale. Donald Trump echoed that sentiment on Truth Social, stating it was a great time to buy while traditional markets reeled under the strain of escalating trade tensions. Moreover, World Liberty Financial on Monday proposed a live airdrop test of its new USD1 stablecoin to the firm's early supporters on Ethereum as part of efforts to showcase the token's on chain functionality ahead of full deployment. Ripple moves into Prime Brokerage Ripple has announced a $1.25 billion agreement to acquire Hidden Road, a prime brokerage firm serving over 300 institutional clients and clearing more than 3 trillion in annual volume. The acquisition marks one of the largest in Ripple's history and further integrates the company into traditional financial infrastructure. As part of the deal, Hidden Road's operations will transition to Ripple's XRP ledger, which is expected to streamline settlement processes and reduce transaction costs. Ripple's RL USD stablecoin will also take on a central role, serving as collateral for Hidden Roads brokerage services and enabling cross margining between crypto and traditional assets. This truly brings the worlds of traditional and decentralized finance together, said Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. The deal is expected to close in the coming months. Fun Bits McGregor's crypto punch misses the mark Conor McGregor may know how to land a knockout in the octagon, but his real token face planted before the bell even rang. Despite flexing it to 57 million followers between X and Instagram, the crypto project raised just 39% of its $1 million goal in a 28 hour presale. The would be meme coin, backed by Real World Gaming Dao, aimed to have a $120 million fully diluted valuation. Instead, only 668 brave souls showed up. We didn't hit our minimum, the team admitted. On X Refunds are inbound and apparently so is a comeback. Guess even in crypto you can't win em all with trash talk. And that's all. Thanks so much for joining us today. If you enjoyed this recap, go to unchained crypto.com newsletter that is unchained crypto.com newsletter and sign up for our free newsletter so that you can stay up to date with the latest in crypto. Unchained is produced by Laura Shin with help from Matt Pilchard, Juan Aranovich, Megan Gavis, Pama Joumdar and Margaret Correa. The weekly recap was written by Juan Aronovich and edited by Stephen Ehrlich.