Crypto
Republicans claim betrayal as cryptocurrency PAC backs Democrats
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — A leading pro-cryptocurrency political group has dumped millions of dollars into high-profile Michigan and Arizona Senate races to back Democrats against Donald Trump-endorsed candidates, angering top Republicans who viewed the industry as an ally, not an opponent.
Fairshake PAC and its affiliated super PACs are reserving millions in advertising spending to influence three U.S. Senate races this cycle, and have announced commitments of about $3 million each to Democrats Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running in Arizona, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a candidate in Michigan, it said on Wednesday.
The spending risks upending GOP efforts to secure seats in two key battleground states in the fight for control of the Senate and comes as top Republicans — amid a hostile regulatory environment — have leveraged their political capital to broker closer ties to the cryptocurrency industry.
When asked for comment, Fairshake referred NBC News to Slotkin and Gallego’s current A-ratings from Stand With Crypto, a nonprofit group advocating for the crypto industry. Both Democrats this year crossed party lines to support a historic crypto bill.
For years, Slotkin had expressed skepticism of cryptocurrency until an apparent change of heart in recent months. The Michigan lawmaker earned an F-rating from Stand With Crypto as recently as March.
Gallego, who is facing off against Republican Kari Lake, had failed in the past to back legislation that was supported by the crypto industry and, in 2022, praised on social media a candidate who “slayed the Crypto beast.” Last year, Gallego signed onto a letter, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to address crypto-financed reforms, crediting her as an “outspoken advocate for regulation and oversight of crypto.” He has also criticized business owners like Elon Musk for “pushing Bitcoin” and profiting off cryptocurrency, and signed onto legislation perceived as hostile by the industry in years past.
Lake earned an A rating from the group Stand With Crypto for her strong statements about supporting the industry, and is assessed as “very pro-crypto.”
A spokesperson for Fairshake, Josh Vlasto, said in a statement that the super PAC and its affiliates are working to “support candidates who embrace innovation, want to protect American jobs and are committed to working across the aisle to get things done and oppose those who do not.”
The crypto industry and its aligned super PACs have amassed more than $100 million to spend in House and Senate races, part of an effort to shape a favorable regulatory landscape by bolstering crypto-friendly candidates. In Ohio alone, the group is targeting $12 million in support of a Republican Senate candidate running to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, chair of the powerful Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, who is viewed by industry advocates as a crypto skeptic.
Fairshake is the leading PAC funded by digital asset firms, with its most significant contributions coming from a handful of donors: blockchain firm Ripple; individual donors affiliated with the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz; and Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange.
Republican operatives making the case for crypto say that it is a growth industry that the party has embraced for good reasons, and that these efforts will continue to pay off over time.
“The world has changed since Trump’s first term in office,” said Matt Mackowiak, a GOP strategist based in Austin, Texas. “The smart Republicans have seen that opportunity and have moved towards it. And it has multiple advantages: One, it is a source of fundraising. Two, it is a way to attract votes from a younger demographic. And three, it is an issue that can set up a contrast with the Democrats, and makes Republicans look like the party of the future.”
Now, simmering tensions are moving into the open as alarmed Republicans eye Fairshake, its affiliated super PACs and top backers with mounting skepticism. They warn that the groups risk losing sway with Republicans after working to cultivate hard-won relationships and are questioning the durability of Gallego and Slotkin’s support.
“It is reminiscent of when the Chamber of Commerce bankrolled a bunch of anti-business House Democrats who turned around and passed massive tax hikes on businesses with the so-called Inflation Reduction Act,” a senior GOP Senate aide said. “Now, the Chamber of Commerce can’t even get a meeting with House Republican Leadership to discuss their priorities.”
Congressional Republicans and the Chamber of Commerce have been on rocky terms in recent years after the business lobbying group became irate with Republicans for not supporting immigration reforms and not stopping Trump’s tariffs, both positions the group felt harmed American business. The chamber announced a willingness to back Democrats, a move that was unimaginable in the Obama era and that enraged many Republicans on the hill.
The aide continued: “It is surprising that whoever is advising Fairshake has come up with the same flawed strategy.”
One GOP strategist involved in Senate races warned that the spending risks hurting Trump as well since his allies are being attacked.
“Coinbase and Fairshake are attempting to become toxic to Republicans. Spending against two key GOP candidates could jeopardize the Senate and harm Trump,” said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly so as not to get ahead of the former president. “Gallego and Slotkin have voted against bitcoin interests and would vote to confirm a far-Left SEC Chairman. It makes no sense.”
The spending was a hot topic of conversation as Republicans descended on Jackson Hole this week, alongside Marc Andreessen and representatives from Coinbase and other crypto groups, to attend consecutive retreats hosted by the Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Andreessen and his business partner, Ben Horowitz, have endorsed Trump in the presidential race and criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s regulatory agenda and its promise to tax unrealized capital gains. Together, Andreessen and Horowitz are among Fairshake’s most significant donors.
“Republicans are WTF about what’s going on with Fairshake, and I think that’s a pretty bad omen for the industry, that people are wondering why our main trade association is pointing its arsenal at our friends,” said one industry leader who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “A lot of people are walking around the CLF conference astonished that this is the strategic chess move that the industry has made.”
A prominent member of Trumpworld likened the support “to a pro-Israel group giving money to the Squad.” A source familiar with the comments who was not authorized to speak publicly said the comparison suggests that Fairshake is supporting a cohort hostile to its interest.
Trump has promised to implement crypto-friendly policies if elected, culminating in a reversal of his stance from his time in the White House, when he criticized Bitcoin as “highly volatile and based on thin air.” Trump’s campaign now accepts Bitcoin donations, and his selection of running mate JD Vance was viewed as a win for the industry. Vance has called for looser regulation of crypto and disclosed that he has $250,000 to $500,000 worth of bitcoin among his assets.
Mackowiak said the shift is in part generational, with Vance credited with convincing a group of Silicon Valley investors to host Trump on their popular podcast and hold a San Francisco fundraiser that raked in millions.
A former Trump regulator said that a future Trump administration would invite “a more nuanced approach to regulation” around crypto but that a regulatory shift should be expected regardless of who wins the presidential race. “It’ll just be faster if you have a Trump presidency.”
Since taking over the Democratic Party’s nomination, Vice President Kamala Harris has begun seeking a “reset” with the crypto industry, with executives from Coinbase, Ripple and Kraken voicing their concerns to the White House during a Zoom call, according to Bloomberg. Democrats have launched a Crypto4Harris group that is seeking to formalize the industry’s ties to the presidential candidate. Top Harris surrogates are also signaling a more open environment should she win in November, with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore promising during a recent interview on CNBC that Harris would offer a regulatory framework that would be more business-friendly than under Biden.
The former regulator said many are still skeptical, however.
“The big political question here is, can Harris convince proponents of industry that she has done a 180, or is it just talk?” he said. “Because they will not believe that she will cross Elizabeth Warren.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The performance of Bitcoin (BTC -0.53%) this year has been nothing short of extraordinary. It’s now up about 46% since the election on Nov. 5, and 146% year to date. Best of all, Bitcoin recently broke through the $100,000 price level to hit another all-time high just north of $108,000.
But what if I told you that there is another top cryptocurrency that is up more than 120% since the election, and 430% year to date? And that this cryptocurrency also just set a new all-time high? That cryptocurrency is Sui (SUI -3.69%), which now ranks 14th among all cryptocurrencies with a $13 billion market cap.
What is Sui and why haven’t I heard of it before?
If you’ve never heard of Sui, that’s understandable. The cryptocurrency only launched in May 2023, just as the market was emerging from the crypto winter of 2022. So, in many ways, its launch flew under the radar of investors. There were bigger issues to consider. The industry was still coping with the aftermath of the collapse and scandal of crypto exchange FTX in November 2022, and nobody was very interested in hearing about another new cryptocurrency launch.
But fast-forward to August 2024. That’s when 21Shares — the company that partnered with Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest on the launch of spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH -0.79%) — released a research report on Sui, detailing all of its unique characteristics. For example, it described how a new technical upgrade suddenly made Sui faster than any other top blockchain by a substantial margin. It pointed out how Sui was rapidly growing in terms of total value locked (TVL), which is a key metric showing the relative strength of a particular blockchain.
Image source: Getty Images.
The title of the report (“Is Sui a Solana (SOL -0.00%) Killer?”) was very provocative, at least for crypto investors. It suggested that Sui had the technological chops to take on Solana, which now ranks as the fifth-largest cryptocurrency. For several years now, Solana has been positioned as the next Ethereum, so Sui being tabbed as a potential Solana killer is a big deal. In fact, 21Shares suggested that there might be a $68 billion market opportunity for Sui if it was able to take on Solana and win.
How high can Sui go in 2025?
My primary concern right now with Sui is that it may be overheating. Just like Bitcoin, it is smashing through all-time high after all-time high. Right now, Sui is trading at about $4.50 after briefly testing the $5 price level. From the perspective of crypto traders, $5 presents the same psychological price barrier for Sui that $100,000 did for Bitcoin. It took Bitcoin a while to break through the $100,000 level, so Sui may not be able to break through the $5 price level by the end of this year.
But, in 2025, watch out. Just take a look at this comparison chart of Bitcoin and Sui since the presidential election. That leads me to think that the market is very bullish on Sui’s prospects under the Trump administration.
Bitcoin / U.S. dollar chart by TradingView
Moreover, consider the trading volume that Sui is now seeing on Coinbase Global (COIN 1.75%). Sui has become one of the 10 most popular cryptocurrencies on the platform in terms of 24-hour trading activity. Granted, the trading volume in Sui is nowhere near that of Bitcoin or Ethereum. But there’s more activity in Sui than in popular cryptocurrencies such as Chainlink, Litecoin, Cardano, Shiba Inu, and Avalanche.
Best of all, Sui has a major new product launch coming in 2025. It’s a $599 handheld gaming device that is currently available for pre-order online. If that product launch is a success, then it could be off to the races for Sui. It could easily double in price to hit the $10 price level.
This cryptocurrency could soar even higher if it ever realizes its full potential as the next Ethereum. Imagine if you had invested in Ethereum just 18 months after its launch. Most likely, you’d be a crypto millionaire by now. In December 2016, Ethereum was trading around $5, which is roughly where Sui is trading right now. Today, Ethereum trades for about $3,400.
That said, I can’t emphasize enough how speculative Sui is. It is still a baby in crypto terms. It has only been around for 18 months, and it can be difficult to get good data and reliable information about it. So, do your due diligence before investing in Sui, and keep your expectations in check. An investment opportunity like Ethereum might only come around once in a lifetime, so it’s asking a lot for it to happen with Sui as well.
Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, SUI, and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Coinbase Global, Ethereum, SUI, and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
A representation of Bitcoin and a price chart are seen in this October 2023 photo illustration. Reuters-Yonhap
South Korea and the United States are conducting joint research to strengthen protection against cryptocurrency heist attempts amid growing concerns of such attacks by North Korea-linked hackers, officials said Sunday.
Based on a recently signed technical annex between the South Korean government and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the two sides will jointly develop technologies to prevent cryptocurrency-targeted attacks and to track stolen assets, according to authorities and cybersecurity industry officials.
The science ministry plans to support such research through the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation until 2026.
The move comes as the price of bitcoin recently surged to $100,000 after the U.S. presidential election last month, raising concerns of increased attempts by hackers to steal virtual assets.
While the United States collaborates with other countries for cybersecurity research, it is known to have chosen South Korea for research on digital asset tracking technology as North Korea is seen as a key culprit behind cryptocurrency heists.
Under the program, South Korean and U.S. researchers, including those from Korea University and the RAND research institute, will focus on technologies to prevent and track hackers when they steal assets from a cryptocurrency exchange.
They will also focus on understanding how they convert or launder other financial assets they obtain into virtual assets through illegal ransomeware or other methods.
North Korea is known as a major player in cryptocurrency heists, with hackers linked to the country estimated to have stolen $1.34 billion worth of cryptocurrency across 47 incidents this year, according to Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis firm. (Yonhap)
There is no question that the cryptocurrency industry witnessed explosive growth in 2024, with the flagship cryptocurrency Bitcoin continuing to lead the market. Data shows that the total market capitalization of the crypto industry has more than doubled over the past year.
While it has been challenging to find a common theme for how the market has improved in 2024, it is easy to point out the different aspects of growth in the digital asset industry this year. A prominent blockchain firm has identified five trends that reflect the shift experienced in the crypto market in the past 12 months.
5 Trends In The Crypto Space In 2024
In its latest weekly report, market intelligence platform IntoTheBlock explained the five major on-chain trends that reflect the growth of the cryptocurrency industry in the past year. It’s been all (or mostly) fireworks for the digital asset market, specifically Bitcoin, in 2024.
Firstly, IntoTheBlock pointed to the growth and the rising dominance of Bitcoin in the crypto market, especially after the approval of spot exchange-traded funds in the United States. As a result, the premier cryptocurrency’s market share hit its highest level in over three and a half years.
The crypto analytics firm highlighted that Trump’s success in the presidential elections also played a role in driving higher the value of Bitcoin. All in all, Bitcoin’s dominance has now moved from under 50% to 59% year-to-date.
Like Bitcoin, the meme coin market also witnessed unprecedented growth in 2024, with its aggregate market capitalization surging by over 400%. IntoTheBlock specifically mentioned the introduction of Solana-based launchpad Pump.fun, which catalyzed a meme coin explosion in the Solana ecosystem.
Source: IntoTheBlock
However, this meme coin trend on the Solana network left a negative impact on the Ethereum ecosystem and ETH’s price performance in 2024. With meme coins shifting to Solana and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) not making a strong return this bull cycle, there was a decline in Ethereum network fees, leading to less ETH being burnt.
Furthermore, decentralized finance (DeFi) saw a resurgence in 2024, as fresh capital flowed into various protocols and projects. As less value was lost to hacks and exploits and regulatory pressure was reduced in 2024, the aggregate market cap of the DeFi sector hit its highest since early 2022.
Finally, IntoTheBlock noted that new projects that were pioneered during the last bear market saw remarkable growth in 2024. For instance, restaking projects and basis trading protocols were some of the highlights in the crypto space in the past year.
Total Crypto Market Cap
As of this writing, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at around $3.49 trillion. According to data from TradingView, the crypto market cap has increased by more than 105% year-to-date.
The total cryptocurrency market capitalization at $3.3 trillion | Source: daily TOTAL chart on TradingView
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
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