Trump's Crypto Shake-Up: A New Regulatory Team Takes Charge

President Trump just shook up the crypto world by forming a new working group. Led by ex-PayPal exec David Sacks, this team will review regulations for digital assets like cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. They'll also look into creating a national crypto stockpile. This comes right after the SEC launched a crypto task force, showing a renewed focus on this area. Trump's order, called "Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology, " aims to protect blockchain activities as lawful. It replaces Joe Biden's rules, which focused more on risk mitigation and international collaboration. Trump's order wants to boost economic freedom and U. S. sovereignty instead. A big change is that Trump's order bans the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). This means the government can't make a digital dollar controlled by the central bank. Instead, it supports private stablecoins to keep the dollar strong in global trade. Just before his inauguration, Trump launched a memecoin called $TRUMP. While it's worth billions, some worry it blurs the line between his political and business interests. Past presidents have been cautious about crypto due to its link with illegal activities like money laundering. The collapse of FTX showed just how dangerous this can be. But many in the crypto industry say clearer rules are needed to avoid such disasters. Companies like Chainalysis are helping build trust in crypto by tracking virtual currencies and providing compliance tools.