Trump Media is now a crypto heavyweight, shifting billions into Bitcoin as part of a sweeping pivot into financial services (0:59). But it’s not alone. A new company, the Ether Machine, is making a massive bet on Ethereum with over $1.5 billion in assets and backing from Kraken, Blockchain.com, and others (2:16). Meanwhile, Morocco tests its first CBDC pilot with cross-border ambitions (3:48), and Hungary enacts a law that might have criminalized crypto trading overnight (5:15).
This is your essential update on the forces shaping what’s next in money.
More on stories and articles discussed or referenced in this episode:
Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code, Hungary. https://njt.hu/jogszabaly/en/2012-100-00-00.
Breuninger, Kevin. “Trump Media Builds $2 Billion Bitcoin Hoard, as Cryptocurrency Swells President’s Net Worth.” CNBC, 21 July 2025, https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/21/trump-djt-bitcoin-net-worth.html.
Okoya, David. “New Law in Hungary Could Send Crypto Traders to Jail – What's Behind the Crackdown?” Benzinga, 21 July 2025, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/law-hungary-could-send-crypto-163015619.html.
Thomas, Lauren and Ben Glickman. “Blank-Check Company Strikes Cryptocurrency Deal.” Wall Street Journal, 21 July 2025, https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/blank-check-company-nears-cryptocurrency-deal-9c99c714.
Toutate, Issam. “Morocco’s Central Bank Tests Digital Currency for Cross-Border Payments.” Morocco World News, 21 July 2025, https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2025/07/231832/moroccos-central-bank-tests-digital-currency-for-cross-border-payments/.