Solana’s BODEN Token, Nodding to Joe Biden, Sees Major Uptick After TRUMP Coin Rally

March 6, 2024 Bitcoin.com

Former U.S. President Donald Trump launches ‘MugShot’ themed NFT drop

December 12, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Nifty News: Blue chip NFT prices wobble, Credit Suisse tries tokens and more

July 4, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Azuki

The floor prices for some of the largest NFT collections sunk to nearly two-year lows, but have started to edge up in the past 24 hours.

‘Blue chip’ floor prices near two-year lows

The largest nonfungible token (NFT) collections by market capitalization are in a sea of red as the cheapest NFTs in their collections took dives over the past week with some hitting near two-year lows.

Yuga Labs’ flagship Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection — the second largest by market cap according to CoinGecko — hit a floor price of 27.7 Ether (ETH), or $54,200 on July 3, a level not seen since September 2021.

*The largest 12 NFT collections floor prices are in the red over the past week. Azuki Elemental Beans is down but is incorrectly shown as having gained. Source: CoinGecko*

Other top collections including the Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), Azuki, CryptoPunks and DeGods also saw their floor prices sink over the week.

However, the last 24 hours have given the NFT holders a small respite, with floor prices recovering across most of the top collections. The largest gainer was Azuki Elementals with a nearly 32% floor price increase.

Credit Suisse takes a shot at NFTs

Swiss-based bank Credit Suisse said on July 3 that it’s teaming up with the Swiss Football Association to fire off 756 Ethereum NFTs with 100% of the proceeds going to support women's soccer in the country.

It’s the first time the bank has waded into NFTs, which will be made available through the bank's CSX app that’s adding a new functionality for digital assets — no crypto or crypto wallet required.

Instead, Swiss francs will be used to purchase the NFT which will appear in the app. The bank said this “first step” was meant to be “simple and client-friendly” so a “broad client base” could access digital assets.

As for the NFTs, each one portrays a player from the Swiss Women's National Team and come with varying levels of perks and benefits depending on their rarity.

*A collage of some of the rarest NFTs of which some are priced over $11,000. Source: Credit Suisse*

There are three rarity levels with 690 of the least rare starting at around $170 while the 11 most rare are priced at over $11,000 (150 to 10,000 Swiss francs).

Slow sales for Melania Trump’s NFTs

Former First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, is seeing sluggish sales for her all-American Solana NFT collection, which was released ahead of the country’s Independence Day celebrations.

Of the 3,000 NFTs released June 29, only 586 have sold — which doesn’t include an additional 500 that are not yet revealed and held back from sale until July 4.

Of those revealed, the “1776 Collection” has six different designs emblazoned with patriotic symbols. Each design has 500 apiece and are being hawked off for $50 a pop.

"The 1776 Collection of artwork draws inspiration from several iconic landmarks of our Nation, which I had the privilege of visiting during the time I served as First Lady" #MelaniaTrump #The1776Collection exclusively at https://t.co/d2es7j6pwb #FoxNews: https://t.co/HSBeQj8QPc pic.twitter.com/Cu5ruzP4VH
— USAmemorabilia (@USAmemorabilia) June 29, 2023

A June 29 Fox News article reported the collection was to celebrate the "foundations of American ideals" according to Trump’s office.

A different audio track is embedded in each NFT design that blares patriotic tunes. One depicting the Statue of Liberty sounds off The Star-Spangled Banner, the U.S. national anthem.

It was reported a portion of proceeds from the collection will go to Trump’s “Fostering the Future” non-profit initiative aiming to grant scholarships in computer science to children leaving foster care.

Dior’s NFTs go quiet about the ‘NFT’ part

A new product from French luxury brand Dior will come with an NFT, but the brand is seemingly being coy about the term "NFT" in its launch announcement.

On June 30, Dior announced it would be shipping a new line of shoes — with one style offering a “digital twin.”

Dior describes the twin e-shoes as “a unique and secure digital creation on the Ethereum blockchain” — wordplay which seems to deliberately obscure that the “digital twin” is simply an Ethereum-based NFT.

Sneakers Alert.
Introducing 'B33' sneakers by Kim Jones, from the #DiorMenFall 2023 collection. Each pair is equipped with an encrypted key granting access to a secure platform and exclusive services. Sign up to be the first to shop them online from July 6.
— Dior (@Dior) June 29, 2023

The shoes are called the “B33 sneaker” and come in seven different styles. Only the most expensive, priced at $2,150, come with the NFT twin.

The others, starting at the bargain price of $1,600, come with an NFC chip in the sole of the right shoe granting access to a “platform” showing its “Digital Certificate of Authenticity.” It’s unclear if this certificate is also an NFT.

Other Nifty News

NFT thieves are often quick to offload phished tokens, with blockchain security firm PeckShield finding that half of stolen NFTs are sold within three hours on OpenSea and Blur.

Hermès, another French luxury brand, racked up another win in its infringement case against the “MetaBirkin” NFT artist Mason Rothschild with a U.S. judge ordering a permanent injunction on all sales of the NFT.

NFT Collector: Snoop’s NFT nostalgia, The Goose draws Gen Y to Sotheby’s

7 presidential candidates have dropped clues about their crypto stance

May 29, 2023 Coin Telegraph

2024 us president

There are currently many from the Democratic and Republican parties bidding for the job of president. Here's what they’ve said about crypto.

In late 2024, citizens of the United States will take to the voting booths to elect their next president — a four-year term that could have a vast impact on the next crypto bull run.

Though polls are set to open on Nov. 5, 2024, dozens of U.S. politicians have already signaled an intention to contest President Joe Biden for the country’s top position.

The current Biden administration appears to have been taking an increasingly anti-crypto stance. Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump is again bidding for the job — setting the stage for a rematch. Others are seeking to carry the Democrat and Republican presidential nominations.

‘No fundamental value’: Joe Biden — Democrat

The current president of the United States, Joe Biden, kicked off his re-election bid on April 25, and is at the moment, the likely favorite for the Democrat’s presidential nominee.

Biden’s attitude toward crypto is possibly best summarized by his 2023 Economic Report of the President which included a section on crypto for the first time since it began in 1950.

The section aimed to debunk the “Perceived Appeal of Crypto Assets.” It argued crypto doesn’t deliver on “touted” benefits and claimed “many of them have no fundamental value.”

Biden has rallied against perceived crypto “tax loopholes” and even opposed a debt ceiling agreement with Republicans as he claimed it protected “wealthy tax cheats and crypto traders.”

We don’t have to guess what MAGA House Republicans value. They’re telling us. pic.twitter.com/BM6JGMEFeq
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 9, 2023

His March 2022 executive order culminated with the first framework for crypto. He’s called for a 30% tax on crypto mining electricity usage, doubling capital gains taxes and cracking down on crypto wash sales.

‘Not a fan of Bitcoin’: Donald Trump — Republican

The former president turned NFT salesman Trump threw in his non-consecutive re-election bid on Nov. 15, 2022. According to current polling, he’s the favored Republican nominee.

Trump has said crypto “may be fake” and is “a disaster waiting to happen.” He’s also said Bitcoin (BTC) “just seems like a scam” and didn’t like it “because it is another currency competing against the dollar.”

In July 2019 as president, Trump tweeted he was “not a fan of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies” claiming their value was “based on thin air.”

I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019

During his presidency, Trump targeted crypto use in financial crimes and purportedly told his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “go after Bitcoin” in a conversation on trade sanctions against China. “Cryptocurrencies” were mentioned in his 2021 budget proposal but only for explaining their use in crimes.

He did, however, mull a capital gains tax cut which could have been favorable to crypto users. Trump administration officials did once tout distributed ledger technology (DLT) as a tech that could benefit government operations and bolster the country’s cybersecurity defenses.

‘Every right to do Bitcoin’: Ron DeSantis — Republican

Ron DeSantis said he would “protect” Bitcoin in his May 24 presidential bid announcement on Twitter. Polls taken before the Florida governor's announcement have him second favorite to Trump.

During his Twitter Space campaign kick-off, DeSantis said “You have every right to do Bitcoin” and would “protect the ability to do things like Bitcoin.”

He called out Congress, claiming it “never addressed” crypto and said regulators had made it so “that people can not operate in that space.”

Will you require any presidential candidate to support your right to #Bitcoin before they can earn your vote?
— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) May 27, 2023

His 2022–2023 budget proposal for the state of Florida proposed the government allows businesses to pay state fees with cryptocurrencies.

DeSantis is probably better known as an anti-central bank digital currency (CBDC) figure.

He passed laws in Florida prohibiting the use of a federal CBDC as money and banned the use of foreign CBDCs. He’s also rallied against the Federal Reserve’s FedNow 24/7 instant payments system, claiming it's a CBDC precursor.

‘Bitcoin should not be regulated as a security’: Vivek Ramaswamy — Republican

Pharmaceutical firm founder Vivek Ramaswamy has also signaled a pro-crypto stance but is considered a long shot for the Republican nomination.

In mid-May, Ramaswamy tweeted “Bitcoin should not be regulated as a security.” At the Bitcoin 2023 conference, he announced he would accept campaign donations in Bitcoin.

Competition breeds innovation. Bitcoin should not be regulated as a security. Will explain more at the @TheBitcoinConf on Saturday. @Bitcoin #Bitcoin #Bitcoin2023 pic.twitter.com/CtMPxIwsMR
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) May 17, 2023

At the conference, Ramaswamy reaffirmed Bitcoin should not be considered a security, saying “We need to keep it that way.”

“Bitcoin is finite in its quantity, there is no issuer. It should never have been treated as a security under the current securities laws,” he said.

‘A major innovation engine’: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Democrat

Robert F. Kennedy Jr is seen as unlikely to be put forward by the Democrats for president — but he has signaled pro-crypto stances.

Earlier in May he said “crypto technologies are a major innovation engine" and called Bitcoin a “symbol of democracy and freedom” in a speech at the Bitcoin 2023 conference.

He is accepting BTC for campaign donations, the first presidential candidate to ever do so.

Cryptocurrencies, led by bitcoin, along with other crypto technologies are a major innovation engine. It is a mistake for the U.S. government to hobble the industry and drive innovation elsewhere. Biden’s proposed 30% tax on cryptocurrency mining is a bad idea.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 3, 2023

Kennedy called Biden’s proposed 30% crypto miner energy tax “a bad idea” and opposes CBDCs as they “vastly magnify the government’s power.” He opposes the Fed’s FedNow system for a similar reason.

The others

The third favorite declared Republican candidate Nikki Haley hasn’t publicly addressed her views on crypto.

Democratic nominee Marianne Willamson hasn’t either but has implied disappointment at the Canadian government blocking crypto wallets during the trucker protests in 2022.

Canada, are you okay…? https://t.co/6vi1B3qBbq
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) February 18, 2022

Republican Senator Tim Scott is also a bidder and similarly has no stated crypto policies. He did, however, have plans to develop a crypto “bipartisan regulatory framework.”

He’s been critical of the securities regulator’s handling of FTX and questioned if they’ve been “asleep at the wheel.”

Cointelegraph contacted the campaigns of Haley, Williamson and Scott to clarify their positions on crypto but did not receive a response.

Magazine: Crypto regulation — Does SEC Chair Gary Gensler have the final say?

New Trump NFTs sell out on day one

April 19, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

"There are no refunds. All sales of Trump Digital Trading Cards are final," developers wrote.

A second collection of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) licensing the name and image of former United States President Donald Trump sold out on Apr. 19, one day after its initial launch.

The collection featured 47,000 Trump digital collectibles priced at $99 each, netting over $4.65 million. On secondary market OpenSea, the Trump Digital Trading Cards Series 2 collection has since reached 750 Ether (ETH) in trading volume.

The Trump NFTs utilize the former President's "name, likeness, and image" under a paid license and are not owned, managed or controlled by either Donald J. Trump or The Trump Organization. Individuals are promised one ticket to attend the Gala Dinner with Trump in South Florida if they purchase 47 Digital Trading Cards or buy 100 cards with crypto.

According to the FAQ section of website introducing the NFT series:

"These are personal digital collectibles or "trading cards" that you can collect, accumulate, trade, etc. Think of them like traditional baseball or basketball cards but stored digitally so you never have to worry about physical damage."

The NFTs were available for purchase via credit card or wrapped Ether (wETH), and users could create a wallet with Torus at checkout if they didn't already have one to receive the NFT. In addition, users were required to pass Know Your Customer verification even if they paid with crypto to receive the collectibles.

*A Trump Series 2 NFT | Source: OpenSea*

Furthermore, the NFTs are minted on the Polygon (MATIC) blockchain and designed by artist Clark Mitchell. Developers claim each Autographed Card is digitally hand-signed by the former president.

"These Digital Trading Cards are not political and have nothing to do with any political campaign."

On Mar. 31, a Manhattan grand jury indicted the former U.S. President on over 30 charges related to alleged business fraud. Since then, the price of Trump's Series 1 NFTs, released in December 2022, surged well above its initial floor price. The former president is campaigning for a non-consecutive second term in the 2024 elections.

Magazine: Nonfungible Tokens (NFT) – Quick Guide

Trump