The World Crypto Report

Justin Sun says his WLFI tokens have been frozen, despite being one of the project's top investors (1:03). France's GIGN rescues a kidnapped Swiss man after a ransom demand in crypto (4:04). Brazilian asset giant Itaú launches a dedicated crypto unit, signaling deeper institutional commitment (5:36). We also break down what it really means to be blacklisted on-chain and what it says about how centralized crypto can still be (2:40).

More on stories and articles discussed or referenced in this episode:

Bertolucci, Gustavo. "Itaú cria primeira divisão focada em criptoativos." ["Itaú Creates Its First Division Focused on Crypto Assets."] Livecoins (Brazil), 4 September 2025, https://livecoins.com.br/itau-cria-primeira-divisao-focada-em-criptoativos/.

"France Indicts Seven Suspects in Swiss Cryptocurrency Kidnap." Swiss Info, 5 September 2025, https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/various/swiss-man-kidnapped-in-france-for-cryptocurrency-kidnappers-indicted/89954673.

Howcroft, Elizabeth and Lawrence Delevingne. "Top Trump Crypto Backer Justin Sun Says His World Liberty Tokens 'Unreasonably' Frozen." Reuters, 5 September 2025, https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/top-trump-crypto-backer-justin-sun-says-his-world-liberty-tokens-unreasonably-2025-09-05/.

"Le GIGN libère un Suisse retenu en otage sur fond de cryptomonnaies." ["GIGN Frees Swiss Hostage Over Cryptocurrency Scandal."] Le Dauphiné Libéré, 4 September 2025, https://www.ledauphine.com/faits-divers-justice/2025/09/04/un-jeune-suisse-retenu-en-otage-plusieurs-jours-sept-personnes-en-garde-a-vue.

Rodrigues, Francisco. "Brazil's Largest Private Asset Manager Itaú Launches Crypto-Focused Division." CoinDesk, 6 September 2025, https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/09/06/brazil-s-largest-private-asset-manager-itau-launches-crypto-focused-division.

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.

Stripe and Paradigm debut a new stablecoin-native blockchain called Tempo with backing from OpenAI, Shopify, and Deutsche Bank (1:41). The SEC unveils its pro-crypto agenda under Chair Paul Atkins (3:23). Nasdaq imposes stricter oversight on companies raising crypto-focused capital (4:56). And the UK moves forward with targeted crypto regulation reform (6:41).

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:

Asgari, Nikou. "Why Struggling Companies Are Loading Up on Bitcoin." Financial Times, 8 August 2025, https://www.ft.com/content/8a160bd3-c96d-468a-8052-b0aae43e5aea.

Avan-Nomayo, Naga. "Nasdaq Tightens Scrutiny of Companies Raising Cash to Buy Crypto: Report." The Block, 4 September 2025, https://www.theblock.co/post/369497/nasdaq-tightens-scrutiny-of-companies-raising-cash-to-buy-crypto-report.

Lang, Hannah. "US SEC Unveils Agenda to Revamp Crypto Policies, Ease Wall Street Rules." Reuters, 4 September 2025, https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-sec-unveils-agenda-revamp-crypto-policies-ease-wall-street-rules-2025-09-04/.

Morris, James, et al. "UK Drafts Changes to Money Laundering Regulations." Linklaters Firm Blog, 3 September 2025, https://financialregulation.linklaters.com/post/102l2qm/uk-drafts-changes-to-money-laundering-regulations.

"Proposed Amendments to the Money Laundering Regulations - Draft SI and Policy Note." HM Treasury (UK) Policy Paper, 2 September 2025, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proposed-amendments-to-the-money-laundering-regulations-draft-si-and-policy-note.

Schwartz, Leo. "Stripe and Paradigm Announce New Payments-Focused Blockchain Tempo." Fortune, 4 September 2025, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stripe-paradigm-announce-payments-focused-160000068.html.

Yang, Yueqi. "Nasdaq Steps Up Scrutiny of Companies Loading Up on Crypto." The Information, 4 September 2025, https://www.theinformation.com/articles/nasdaq-steps-scrutiny-companies-loading-crypto.

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.

India leads the way again in the 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, with institutional activity on the rise across the globe (1:23). U.S. Bank gets back into the Bitcoin custody market (3:13), Ethereum smart contracts are weaponized in a new malware campaign (4:41), and the Federal Reserve gears up for a payments conference focused on stablecoins and DeFi integration (6:19ß).

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:

Di Salvo, Mathew. "US Bank Restarts Bitcoin Custody Service After Years-Long Pause." Decrypt, 3 September 2025,https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-bank-restarts-bitcoin-custody-175101105.html.

"Federal Reserve Board Announces It Will Host a Conference on Payments Innovation on Tuesday, October 21." Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 3 September 2025, https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20250903a.htm.

Lakshmanan, Ravie. "Malicious NPM Packages Exploit Ethereum Smart Contracts to Target Crypto Developers." Hacker News, 3 September 2025, https://thehackernews.com/2025/09/malicious-npm-packages-exploit-ethereum.html.

Matos, Gino "Fed Includes Stablecoins and DeFi in October Conference on Payments Innovation." CryptoSlate, 3 September 2025, https://cryptoslate.com/fed-includes-stablecoins-and-defi-in-october-conference-on-payments-innovation/.

"The 2025 Global Adoption Index: India and the United States Lead Cryptocurrency Adoption." Chainalysis Blog, 2 September 2025, https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/2025-global-crypto-adoption-index/.

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.

Figure Technologies (1:08) and Gemini (2:35) are both going public, adding momentum to the wave of crypto-native firms hitting the markets. Underdog and Crypto.com are reimagining sports wagering through prediction markets, sidestepping state betting bans in 16 states (4:09). And the SEC and CFTC signal that regulated U.S. exchanges can now offer spot crypto trading (5:44).

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:

Bhandari, Ateev and Pritam Biswas. "Blockchain Lender Figure Seeks up to $4.1 Billion Valuation in US IPO." Reuters, 2 September 2025, https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2025-09-02/figure-seeks-526-million-valuation-in-u-s-ipo-as-blockchain-lender-joins-market-rush.

Bourgi, Sam. "Figure Technology Seeks $4B Valuation in Public Listing as Crypto IPO Wave Builds." CoinTelegraph, 2 September 2025, https://cointelegraph.com/news/figure-technology-ipo-2025.

Brewer, Contessa. "Crypto.com and Underdog Partner to Offer Sports Prediction Markets." CNBC, 2 September 2025, https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/02/cryptocom-and-underdog-partner-to-offer-sports-prediction-markets.html.

"Gemini Announces Launch of Initial Public Offering." Gemini Space Station, Inc., 2 September 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gemini-announces-launch-of-initial-public-offering-302543703.html.

Hamid, Jai. "Crypto.com, Underdog to launch prediction markets where sports betting is still banned." Cryptopolitan, 2 September 2025, https://www.cryptopolitan.com/crypto-com-underdog-prediction-markets/.

Hamilton, Jesse. "U.S. SEC, CFTC Combine Forces to Clear Registered Firms' Trading of Spot Crypto." CoinDesk, 2 September 2025, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-sec-cftc-combine-forces-210521862.html.

"SEC and CFTC Staff Issue Joint Statement on Trading of Certain Spot Crypto Asset Products." U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2 September 2025, https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025-110-sec-cftc-staff-issue-joint-statement-trading-certain-spot-crypto-asset-products.

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.

WLFI is officially trading, and the Trump family's digital asset holdings may now rival their real estate empire (1:18). Plus: Buenos Aires embraces crypto for public services (2:49), Gucci experiments with digital payments in luxury retail (4:19), and Ras Al Khaimah opens its doors to crypto real estate deals (5:42).

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:

"'BA Cripto': Ya Se Puede Pagar con Criptomonedas Impuestos Como el ABL o Trámites Como la Licencia de Conducir." ["'BA Crypto': You Can Now Pay Taxes Such as the ABL or Procedures Such as a Driver's License with Cryptocurrencies."] Government of Buenos Aires, 22 August 2025. https://buenosaires.gob.ar/noticias/ba-cripto-ya-se-puede-pagar-con-criptomonedas-impuestos-como-el-abl-o-tramites-como-la.

Berwick, Angus. "Trump Family Amasses $5 Billion Fortune After Crypto Launch." Wall Street Journal, 1 September 2025, https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/trump-family-amasses-6-billion-fortune-after-crypto-launch-567faec5.

Cromley, Kelly. "Gucci Ventures into Crypto Payments in Pioneering Pilot." 31 August 2025, Coin Trust, https://www.cointrust.com/market-news/gucci-ventures-into-crypto-payments-in-pioneering-pilot.

Meaños, Fernando. "La Argentina Fue el País con Mayor Uso de Criptomonedas de América Latina en 2024, con Casi USD 100.000 Millones de Inversión." ["Argentina Was the Country with the Highest Cryptocurrency Use in Latin America in 2024, with Almost 100 Billion USD in Investment."] 17 Infobae, February 2025, https://www.infobae.com/economia/2025/02/17/la-argentina-fue-el-pais-con-mayor-uso-de-criptomonedas-de-america-latina-en-2024-con-casi-usd-100000-millones-de-inversion/.

Orellana, Francisca. "Buenos Aires Aims to Be Among Leading Cities for Cryptocurrency Use." United Press International, 28 August 2025, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/08/28/Argentina-argentina-cryptocurrency-allowed-first-time/7891756406462/.

"RAK Properties Enables Cryptocurrency Payments Through Innovative New Partnership with Hubpay." RAK Properties, 1 September 2025, https://www.rakproperties.ae/news/rak-properties-enables-cryptocurrency-payments-through-innovative-new-partnership-with-hubpay/.

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.

The Trump administration's controversial Gaza redevelopment plan includes land tokenization and "smart city" ambitions (1:20). A half-billion-dollar crypto deal involves the Trump family and a newly minted token, WLFI (3:24). Also: a Dogecoin-linked treasury company aims to go public with backing from Elon Musk's lawyer (5:09), and crypto growth explodes in Ukraine, but that growth comes with serious national security threats (6:44).

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:

Berwick, Angus and Vicky Ge Huang. "The Trumps' New Crypto Money Maker: Deals with Themselves." Wall Street Journal, 31 August 2025, https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/trump-family-crypto-investments-90e48c87.

Culverwell, Dominic. "Crypto Crimes Cost Ukraine Billions Annually in Lost Revenue, New Report Finds." Kyiv Independent, 29 August 2025, https://kyivindependent.com/crypto-crimes-cost-ukraine-billions/.

DeYoung, Karen and Cate Brown. "Gaza Postwar Plan Envisions 'Voluntary' Relocation of Entire Population." Washington Post, 31 August 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/31/trump-gaza-plan-riviera-relocation/.

Weiss, Ben and Leo Schwartz. "Elon Musk's Lawyer Alex Spiro Set to Chair $200 Million Dogecoin Treasury Company, Say Sources." Fortune, 29 August 2025, https://fortune.com/crypto/2025/08/29/elon-musk-alex-spiro-dogecoin-house-of-doge-crypto-treasury-company/.

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.

American Bitcoin's all-stock merger sends it to the Nasdaq (1:08). Bitcoin Asia gets booming turnout, and a visit from a Trump son (2:29). The U.S. imposes new sanctions on North Korea's crypto network (4:04), and fresh guidance from the CFTC could reintroduce global exchange access for American traders (5:26).

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:

"American Bitcoin, Backed by Trump Sons, Aims to Start Trading in September." Reuters, 28 August 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/28/business/american-bitcoin-trump-sons.

"Release Number 9111-25: Acting Chairman Pham Announces FBOT Advisory to Provide Regulatory Clarity for Non-U.S. Exchanges." U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 28 August 2025, https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9111-25.

Seung-Ho, Lee. "U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on North Korean Individuals Following Cryptocurrency Scheme." Korea JoongAng Daily, 28 August 2025, https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-08-28/national/northKorea/US-imposes-new-sanctions-on-North-Korean-individuals-following-cryptocurrency-scheme/2386185.

Shen, Xinmei and Danielle Popov. "Bitcoin Asia Kicks Off as Hong Kong Aims to Balance Crypto Hub Goal with Risk Mitigation." South China Morning Post, 28 August 2025, https://www.scmp.com/tech/blockchain/article/3323549/bitcoin-asia-kicks-hong-kong-aims-balance-crypto-hub-goal-risk-mitigation.

Sinha, Anand. "CFTC Clears Path for Americans to Trade on Foreign Crypto Platforms." The Street, 28 August 2025, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cftc-clears-path-americans-trade-201450655.html.

"U.S.-ROK-Japan Joint Statement on DPRK Information Technology Workers." U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesperson, 27 August 2025, https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/08/u-s-rok-japan-joint-statement-on-dprk-information-technology-workers/.

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.

Venezuelans are using digital assets to weather hyperinflation and financial repression (1:13). Google Cloud's releases new details on an ambitious new blockchain project for the financial sector (2:36). Circle, Paxos, and Bluprynt lead a stablecoin verification pilot (4:02), and the CFTC modernizes its market surveillance using Nasdaq's tools (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:

"Beyond Stablecoins: The Evolution of Digital Money." Google Cloud Promotional Materials, https://cloud.google.com/startup/beyond-stablecoins.

Daniels, Joe and Ana Rodríguez. "Crypto Goes Mainstream in Venezuela." Financial Times, 27 August 2025, https://www.ft.com/content/dc68b9c5-e2f7-4403-8887-e2895265afb0.

Hall, Ian. "US Derivatives Market Regulator Overhauls Surveillance Arsenal with Nasdaq Tech." Global Government FinTech, 27 August 2025, https://www.globalgovernmentfintech.com/cftc-market-surveillance-fraud-detection-nasdaq/.

Masnavi, Siamak. "Google Advances Its Layer-1 Blockchain; Here's What We Know So Far." CoinDesk, 27 August 2025, https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/google-advances-layer-1-blockchain-120657385.html.

"Release Number 9110-25: CFTC Enhances Market Oversight with Advanced Surveillance Technology Platform." U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 27 August 2025, https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9110-25.

"Stablecoin Groups Circle, Paxos Test New Tech to Verify Crypto Payments." Bloomberg, 27 August 2025, https://www.livemint.com/market/cryptocurrency/stablecoin-groups-circle-paxos-test-new-tech-to-verify-crypto-payments-11756310197752.html.

Widmann, Rich. "Rich Widmann's Post." LinkedIn, 26 August 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rich-widmann-a816a54b_all-this-talk-of-layer-1-blockchains-has-activity-7366124738848415744-7idA.

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.

Trump Media joins forces with Crypto.com and Yorkville Acquisition to launch a CRO-based digital asset strategy aimed at reshaping Truth Social's rewards system (1:10). Polymarket secures investment from 1789 Capital and adds Donald Trump Jr. to its advisory board (2:54). The U.S. Commerce Department's announces that it will publish economic data "on the blockchain," (4:22) and the CFTC is running low on filled leadership positions as Commissioner Kristin Johnson steps down (5:42).

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:

Hollerith, David. "Trump Media, Crypto.com Spin Out Exchange Token SPAC." Yahoo! Finance, 26 August 2025, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-media-cryptocom-spin-out-exchange-token-spac-170535692.html.

Lutz, Sander "Commerce Department Will Put Economic Data 'on the Blockchain': Howard Lutnick." Decrypt, 26 August 2025, https://decrypt.co/336915/commerce-dept-economic-data-gdp-blockchain-howard-lutnick.

"Polymarket Receives Strategic Investment from 1789 Capital and Welcomes Donald Trump Jr. to Advisory Board." Polymarket, 26 August 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/polymarket-receives-strategic-investment-from-1789-capital-and-welcomes-donald-trump-jr-to-advisory-board-302538997.html.

"Polymarket Secures Investment from Trump Jr-Backed 1789 Capital." Reuters, 26 August 2025, https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/26/polymarket-secures-investment-from-trump-jr-backed-1789-capital.html.

Suderman, Alan. "Trump Family Crypto Empire Expands with Crypto.com Partnership." Associated Press, 26 August 2025, https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/trump-family-crypto-empire-expands-crypto-partnership-124990306.

Wynn, Sarah. "CFTC Left with Single Commissioner as Johnson Exits, Crypto Oversight in Limbo." The Block, 26 August 2025, https://www.theblock.co/post/368350/cftc-left-with-single-commissioner-as-johnson-exits-crypto-oversight-in-limbo.

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.

Japan is pivoting toward crypto in a big way, and the ripple effects are global (1:32). We cover Finance Minister Katsunobu Katō's calls for reform, Eric Trump's interest in Japan's Web3 scene, the country's first yen-pegged stablecoin, and Toyota's plans to tokenize mobility (3:20).

We also spotlight the unexpected revival of Liberland under Justin Sun (5:02) and bring you news on Webull's reentry into U.S. crypto markets (6:47).

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:

"How to Introduce Mobility into the Public Blockchain." Toyota Blockchain Lab, 19 July 2024, https://www.toyota-blockchain-lab.org/library/how-to-introduce-mobility-into-the-public-blockchain.

Irene, Nellius. "Japan Backs Crypto as Part of Diversified Investments." Cryptopolitan, 25 August 2025, https://www.cryptopolitan.com/japan-backs-crypto-as-diversified-investment/.

Khalili, Joel. "A Crypto Micronation Is Making Friends at the White House." Wired, 25 August 2025, https://www.wired.com/story/liberland-micro-nation-justin-sun-white-house/.

"MON: Orchestrating Trust into Mobility Ecosystems." Toyota Blockchain Lab, 20 August 2025, https://www.toyota-blockchain-lab.org/library/mon-orchestrating-trust-into-mobility-ecosystems.

Popov, Dimitar. "Toyota Explores Blockchain to Digitize Vehicle Ownership." Crypto Potato, 24 August 2025, https://cryptopotato.com/toyota-explores-blockchain-to-digitize-vehicle-ownership/.

"Webull Launches Crypto Trading in U.S." Webull Financial LLC, 25 August 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/webull-launches-crypto-trading-in-us-302537211.html.

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.