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U.S. President Donald Trump has attributed Bitcoin’s recent surge to his administration’s pro-crypto policies, reinforcing his vision of making America the global leader in digital assets. Speaking at the FII Priority Summit in Miami on Wednesday, Trump linked the performance of the cryptocurrency market and traditional financial indices to his leadership. “In just a few months, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 2,200 points, and Bitcoin has set multiple all-time record highs because everyone knows that I’m committed to making America the crypto capital,” Trump stated. “We want to stay at the forefront of everything, and one of them is crypto.” Notably, since Trump secured the Republican nomination on July 15, 2024, when Bitcoin was priced around $61,000, its value has surged to an all-time high of $109,114 on January 20, marking a gain of approximately 78.88%. Analysts attribute part of the rally to increased optimism among crypto investors, fueled by Trump’s public endorsements and promises to end regulatory hostility towards the crypto sector. The president also took aim at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under Chairman Gary Gensler, criticizing its past approach to cryptocurrency regulation. Trump claimed that the agency had maintained an adversarial stance toward Bitcoin and other digital assets but was forced to soften its position in the face of growing public support for crypto. “I have signed executive orders to keep the United States at the forefront of artificial intelligence and to end Joe’s war on Bitcoin and crypto,” Trump added. “We ended that war totally, that war is over. They were very hostile toward them until the very end, just because there are so many people on Bitcoin and crypto. Just before the end, the SEC came out and they were being very nice. I was so nice to people because so many people were being indicted for no reason whatsoever, very political group of people. But they pulled those indictments because they realized there were 100 million, 125 million people using crypto.” Since returning to office, Trump has taken steps to solidify his support among crypto enthusiasts. Notably, he nominated Paul Atkins, a well-known crypto-friendly figure, to chair the SEC while Brian Quintenz was nominated for the CFTC. He also issued an executive order titled “Strengthening U.S. Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” which explicitly bans the development and promotion of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), a move widely applauded by crypto advocates. That said, Trump’s pro-crypto stance has earned him praise from major figures in the industry, with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson suggesting that his policies could elevate the U.S. as a global crypto hub.

Trump says he ended Biden’s war on cryptocurrency U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he has ended his predecessor Joe Biden's war on Bitcoin $BTC and cryptocurrencies, according to an X post by Tree News, which cited Bloomberg as its source.

Trump says he ended Biden’s war on cryptocurrency U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he has ended his predecessor Joe Biden's war on Bitcoin $BTC and cryptocurrencies, according to an X post by Tree News, which cited Bloomberg as its source.

In the rapidly evolving blockchain landscape, interoperability has emerged as a critical factor for the seamless integration of decentralized applications (dApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. Two prominent projects at the forefront of this movement are UniLayer and LayerZero, each contributing uniquely to the ecosystem. UniLayer: Revolutionizing Decentralized Trading UniLayer is a decentralized trading platform built atop existing decentralized exchanges (DEXs) such as Uniswap. It aims to enhance the DeFi trading experience by introducing advanced tools and features typically found on centralized exchanges. Key Features of UniLayer: Automated Trading: UniLayer enables users to schedule buy and sell orders, facilitating strategic trading without constant manual oversight. Staking and Yield Farming: The platform offers staking opportunities where users can lock their tokens to earn rewards. Additionally, yield farming options are available for users to generate returns on their crypto assets. DEX Aggregation: By integrating with multiple decentralized exchanges, UniLayer ensures users access the best available prices for their trades. Launchpad for New Projects: UniLayer provides a decentralized launchpad, enabling emerging projects to raise funds in a secure and transparent environment. The LAYER Token: At the heart of the UniLayer ecosystem is its native ERC-20 token, $LAYER . This token serves multiple functions within the platform: Trading Fee Discounts: Holders of $LAYER tokens benefit from reduced trading fees on the platform. Staking Rewards: Users can stake $LAYER tokens to earn passive income, with rewards distributed proportionally based on the amount staked. Governance Participation: $LAYER token holders possess voting rights, allowing them to influence key decisions regarding platform upgrades and new features. As of February 16, 2025, $LAYER is trading at approximately $0.723181 USD, with a slight decrease of 0.11703% from the previous close. The intraday high reached $0.819188 USD, while the low was $0.03474506 USD. LayerZero: Facilitating Omnichain Interoperability LayerZero is an interoperability protocol designed to enable seamless communication between disparate blockchain networks. By providing a universal messaging layer, LayerZero allows decentralized applications to operate across multiple blockchains efficiently. Core Components of LayerZero: Ultra Light Nodes (ULNs): These serve as on-chain endpoints that facilitate the validation of cross-chain messages without the need for full nodes, ensuring efficient and secure communication. Oracles and Relayers: LayerZero employs decentralized oracles and independent relayers to transmit messages and proofs between blockchains, maintaining trustlessness and security in cross-chain interactions. Ecosystem and Integrations: LayerZero's protocol has been adopted by various projects aiming to enhance cross-chain functionality: Stargate Finance: A liquidity transport protocol that enables users to transfer assets across multiple blockchains seamlessly. Radiant Capital: An omnichain money market allowing users to deposit and borrow assets across different chains. Trader Joe: A decentralized trading platform that has integrated LayerZero to facilitate cross-chain token transfers. By focusing on trustless and efficient cross-chain communication, LayerZero aims to dissolve the barriers between isolated blockchain networks, fostering a more interconnected and versatile decentralized ecosystem. Conclusion Both UniLayer and LayerZero are making significant strides in advancing blockchain interoperability. UniLayer enhances the decentralized trading experience by providing advanced tools and features, while LayerZero addresses the critical need for seamless cross-chain communication. Together, they exemplify the innovative efforts driving the evolution of a more integrated and efficient blockchain ecosystem.

North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall has introduced a bill to invest public money in cryptocurrency. The bill would enable the state to allocate funds to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and other Bitcoin-related investments. According to news reports, the North Carolina House Speaker is pushing to invest up to 10% of the state’s general and highway funds in crypto assets. However, this would be limited to digital assets with high market capitalizations, making BTC the only qualifying cryptocurrency. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Legislation North Carolina as a Leader in Technology The introduction of House Bill 92 that was sponsored by Representatives Destin Hall, Mark Brody, and Steve Ross, makes North Carolina the 20th state to introduce similar bills aiming to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve by putting public money into crypto where most of them intend to invest portions of their state’s retirement funds. According to the Bill, the cryptocurrencies that qualify should have a market capitalization of at least $750 billion during the one year preceding the potential investment to qualify. Representative Hall said in a statement: “Investing in digital assets like Bitcoin not only has the potential to generate positive yields for our state investment fund but also positions North Carolina as a leader in technological adoption & innovation.” Regulated via ETP As a result, only Bitcoin could comfortably qualify to meet this requirement as its threshold is over two times that of the following digital asset, Ethereum, whose current market capitalization stands at around $323 million. Moreover, the bill further stipulates that the investment will happen via a regulated exchange-traded product (ETP). Under the bill, the state’s Treasurer will be allowed to invest in digital assets via the General Fund, Highway Fund, and 24 other special funds it supervises. The implementation of the digital asset investment will be overseen by the Governor and Council of State and a third-party investment manager that must have at least $100 million in assets under management. Apart from North Carolina, other states that have recently proposed a similar Strategic Bitcoin Reserve bill include Kentucky, which plans to allocate at least 10% of its reserves to BTC and other cryptocurrencies. Florida Senator Joe Gruters has also recently introduced the SB 550 bill, which aims to allow the state’s Financial Officer to use public funds to invest in BTC and create a Strategic Bitcoin reserve. Bill Awaiting Legislative Process Bill Awaiting Legislative Process Building a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve has gained much traction nationally, especially following President Donald Trump’s stance on cryptocurrencies. Industry leaders like Mathew Sigel have proposed that creating a Bitcoin reserve strategy would be significant as it would help maintain the country’s economic strength. North Carolina’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Bill now moves to the legislative process where lawmakers will debate it, approve it, and make it one of the first states to use public funds to invest in crypto. Conclusion As institutional adoption rates rise, several states in the US are considering creating a Strategic Bitcoin reserve like the federal government plans to put in place. Lawmakers in Iowa, Maryland, and Kentucky have introduced bills similar to North Carolina’s. Only time will tell whether the respective houses will approve the proposed bills and make the crypto dream a reality. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is a strategic Bitcoin reserve? This would be a state or national stockpile of Bitcoin, similar to the US government’s strategic petroleum reserve to utilize in case of a global disruption. Is there a case for a strategic reserve for Bitcoin? Establishing a strategic reserve for BTC could strengthen a nation or state’s economic stability through debt offsetting, increased diversification, and a hedge against inflation. How would a BTC strategic reserve work in the US? This would involve the government buying and holding a BTC stockpile like gold reserves. The US federal government already has over 200,000 Bitcoins, mostly confiscated from criminal elements. How would such a reserve impact the crypto market? Proponents believe a strategic bitcoin reserve could trigger a crypto’ arms race’ to reshape the global economic order and legitimize cryptocurrencies. References Reuters Coindesk Appendix Glossary of Key Terms House Bill: Refers to a proposed law for introduction in a House of Parliament to introduce a new legislation, amend an existing one, or repeal one. Bitcoin: A cryptocurrency that operates on peer-to-peer software and cryptography and is free of any central control or the oversight of banks or governments. Strategic Reserve: A stockpile of essential resources or commodities that can be used when needed, especially during a crisis or supply disruption. Exchange Traded Product: A financial product that trades like a stock, bond, or commodity on an exchange.