The Justice Department makes a sharp pivot on crypto enforcement (0:41), an FOIA lawsuit might crack open the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto (2:18), and Ripple announces a massive $1.25B acquisition of Hidden Road (3:44). We also unpack the upcoming leadership shift at the Financial Stability Board and what it means for global crypto regulation (5:13).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

Stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

US Justice Dept disbands cryptocurrency enforcement unit, by Sarah N. Lynch and Chris Prentice, Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-justice-dept-disbands-cryptocurrency-enforcement-unit-2025-04-08/

Trump admin tells prosecutors to ease up on crypto enforcement, by Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin, and Aaron Katersky, ABC News.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-admin-tells-prosecutors-ease-crypto-enforcement/story?id=120589406

Crypto Attorney Sues US Government To Unmask Satoshi Nakamoto, Creator Of Bitcoin, by Aniket Verma, Benzinga Crypto.

https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44677671/does-the-us-government-know-who-is-satoshi-nakamoto-crypto-lawyer-sues-department-of-homeland-security-to-unravel-bitcoin-creators-identity

Crypto firm Ripple to buy primer broker Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, by Ryan Browne, CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/crypto-firm-ripple-to-buy-primer-broker-hidden-road-for-1point25-billion.html

Crypto Firm Ripple To Buy Broker Hidden Road For $1.3 Billion. What It Means For XRP, by Elsa Ohlen, Barron's (paid subscription required).

https://www.barrons.com/articles/xrp-ripple-crypto-acquisition-hidden-road-5782d1db

Financial Stability Board nominates Andrew Bailey to serve as its next Chair, Financial Stability Board official statement.

https://www.fsb.org/2025/04/financial-stability-board-nominates-andrew-bailey-to-serve-as-its-next-chair/

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti