Does Ross Ulbricht’s pardon change the narrative of Bitcoin as a crime tool?  

New filings from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) reveal that several cryptocurrency firms and their executives made significant contributions to US President Donald Trump’s inauguration fund after the results of the 2024 election. According to FEC filings made public on April 20 by the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, Uniswap CEO Hayden Adams donated more than $245,000, Solana Labs donated $1 million, and software firm Consensys sent $100,000 in January 2025 to support the then-president-elect’s inauguration. Many major crypto firms had previously announced their support of Trump through donations to the inaugural fund, including Coinbase, Ripple Labs, Kraken, Ondo Finance, and Robinhood.Jan. 9 contribution from Uniswap CEO Hayden Adams to Trump-Vance inauguration fund. Source: FECAltogether, the fund reported more than $239 million in net donations between Nov. 15 and April 20 from companies and individuals. These included $1 million from McDonald’s, $1 million from Apple CEO Tim Cook, $1 million from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and various contributions from Delta Air Lines, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Nvidia, PayPal, Target, and Coca-Cola. Since Trump took office on Jan. 20 and appointed Mark Uyeda as acting chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the agency has dropped multiple investigations and enforcement actions against crypto firms, including those that donated to the president’s 2024 campaign or inauguration fund. In February, Uniswap reported that the SEC had dropped its probe into the firm, and Consensys founder Joseph Lubin said the agency had agreed to end a separate lawsuit. This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

El Salvador, the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, is working with the computer chip giant Nvidia to implement artificial intelligence for national development.El Salvador signed a letter of intent to collaborate with Nvidia on “sovereign AI to drive innovation and economic growth,” the National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) of El Salvador announced on X on April 21.As part of the collaboration, El Salvador will benefit from Nvidia’s AI tools, resources and expertise, enabling the development of sovereign AI capabilities targeting priorities related to culture, language, environment and economy.“El Salvador will focus on building domestic AI infrastructure, upskilling the workforce, and creating solutions to address local challenges such as improving healthcare delivery, advancing education, and boosting economic productivity,” the announcement said.AI training for state officials and developersEl Salvador’s latest collaboration with Nvidia marks the country’s commitment to encouraging AI usage to optimize multiple processes within the government and society.With its new AI push, El Salvador intends to establish AI training programs for developers, researchers and government officials to “ensure the nation has the talent to sustain its AI ambitions.”Source: The Bitcoin OfficeOne example includes the creation of AI-driven models to forecast weather and rainfall, which would support emergency response, protect residents in landslide-prone areas and optimize hydroelectric power management.Not the first AI initiative for El SalvadorEl Salvador’s Nvidia partnership adds to a growing list of AI-focused initiatives.In March 2025, the ONBTC announced Salvador’s university-level public education AI program CUBO_ai, touting it as the “only national education program bringing in top-tier field experts.” The program was announced with support from major Bitcoin bull Cathie Wood, who is expected to give the first lecture as part of the program.An excerpt from the CUBO_ai announcement by El Salvador. Source: The Bitcoin OfficeLast year, Wood predicted that El Salvador’s Bitcoin (BTC) and AI plans may boost GDP tenfold by 2029.Related: Only 11% of El Salvador’s registered Bitcoin firms operationalWhile El Salvador has been aggressively introducing AI initiatives, its Bitcoin ambitions have been somewhat deterred.In early March, the International Monetary Fund moved to restrict further Bitcoin purchases by El Salvador as part of an extended $1.4 billion funding arrangement with the country. However, the government has continued stacking 1 Bitcoin a day, raising questions about the implications of the deal with the IMF.Magazine: Your AI ‘digital twin’ can take meetings and comfort your loved ones

Major cryptocurrency firms, including stablecoin issuer Circle and crypto custodian BitGo, are reportedly considering applying for bank charters or licenses.According to an April 21 Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter, Circle, BitGo and others are considering applying for some form of banking license. Other firms cited include the publicly traded US-based crypto exchange Coinbase and the stablecoin issuer Paxos.The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted a preliminary conditional approval for a US bank charter to Paxos in 2021. The report comes as the US continues to reshape stablecoin regulations.US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently said that as digital assets gain mainstream adoption, establishing a legal framework for stablecoins is a “good idea.” Speaking at a recent event in Chicago, Powell recognized that after a “wave of failures and frauds,” the crypto space delivered a consumer use case that “could have wide appeal.”Related: Stablecoins are powering deobanksA stable geniusThe US House Financial Services Committee passed a Republican-backed stablecoin framework bill earlier in April. The bill approved by the committee is the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act.This bill is moving forward alongside the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. The STABLE and GENIUS bills differ in how they would regulate the stablecoin industry.The latter was introduced first and made its way past the US Senate Banking Committee in mid-March. While the STABLE Act emphasizes strict federal oversight, the GENIUS Act seeks a more flexible path that includes state and federal regulation.The STABLE Act enforces a two-year moratorium on issuing collateralized stablecoins backed by self-issued digital assets. It also mandates that stablecoin reserves be held separate from business funds to ensure that customer deposits are not used for operations.The GENIUS Act would establish a legal framework for stablecoin payments and aims to support US-based stablecoin issuers to reinforce the dollar’s global dominance. The bill also includes stricter rules, such as enhanced Anti-Money Laundering (AML) safeguards, reserve and liquidity standards, and sanctions checks.Under the GENIUS Act, stablecoin issuers would be considered financial institutions covered by the Bank Secrecy Act and falling under strict AML rules. User verification and reporting of suspicious activity would also be required.Related: Crypto’s debanking problem persists despite new regulationsWhy a bank charter?The companies cited in the report had not responded to Cointelegraph’s inquiries by the time of publication.A bank charter potentially would allow crypto firms to operate like traditional lenders, taking deposits and making loans.Still, crypto firms that obtain banking charters would be subject to stricter reporting and regulatory oversight. One example is Anchorage Digital, a crypto firm holding a federal bank charter that reportedly spent millions to comply with regulations.Despite this, recent reports indicate that the US Department of Homeland Security’s El Dorado Task Force has reportedly launched an investigation into Anchorage Digital Bank.The news does not come as a complete surprise. In late March, reports indicated that cryptocurrency and fintech companies were increasingly seeking bank charters to expand their businesses under the Trump administration.Magazine: Elon Musk’s plan to run government on blockchain faces uphill battle