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Ex-Binance adviser to join Kamala Harris campaign: Report

The prospective Democratic nominee’s position on crypto and blockchain was still unclear, but officials connected to the industry are reportedly getting on board.

David Plouffe, who worked as an adviser for Alchemy Pay and cryptocurrency exchange Binance, is reportedly joining  Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’ 2024 United States presidential campaign.

According to an Aug. 2 Politico report, the Harris campaign onboarded several senior advisers, including Plouffe. A former campaign manager and senior adviser for US President Barack Obama, Plouffe made forays into the crypto space after leaving the White House in 2013. He joined Binance’s Global Advisory Board in 2022 — reportedly later disbanded — and was a global strategic adviser for Alchemy Pay in 2023.

It’s unclear whether Plouffe’s reported role will involve advising the campaign on crypto and blockchain. On Aug. 2, the Democratic National Committee announced that Vice President Harris had secured enough delegates to become the party’s official candidate in 2024, but she would not accept the nomination until “next week.”

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

Jamie Dimon bashes partisan politics in presidential election op-ed

The JPMorgan boss didn’t mention any candidates by name, but his message left little doubt about whom he was referring to.

JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon recently shared his strong views on what the next United States president needs to do in order to rescue the nation from what he called “the most complicated geopolitical situation since World War II.” 

His commentary came in the form of an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Aug. 2, and by and large, his opinions centered on squashing the internal beef between US politicians of rival parties and the citizens who support them.

Instead of perpetuating political tribalism, Dimon said the next president should focus on the issues of righting the economy, securing US borders, and “renewing national pride by unabashedly teaching civics and American exceptionalism without papering over our mistakes.”

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund has paid $7M in dividends since March

According to researcher Tom Wan, tokenized United States Treasury funds could see $3 billion in capital investment by the end of 2024.

BlackRock's tokenized United States Dollar Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), an investment vehicle holding United States Treasury Bills, cash, and repurchase agreements, has paid investors $7 million in dividends since the launch of the investment fund in March of 2024.

According to asset tokenization firm Securitize, BUIDL paid investors $265,400 in dividends in March, $1.21 million in April, $1.67 million in May, $1.82 million in June, and $2.12 million in July.

BlackRock's BUIDL fund surpassed Franklin Templeton’s Franklin OnChain US Government Money Fund (BENJI) in April 2024, becoming the world's largest tokenized government debt investment fund.

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

Can Bitcoin price break out after Bank of England interest rate cut?

This marks the bank’s first interest rate cut in over four years, with the last rate cut occurring in March 2020.

Bitcoin price could see more upward momentum from the latest interest rate decision of the British central bank.

The Bank of England announced an interest rate cut of 0.25%, to the current 5% mark, on Aug. 1, bringing an end to one of the longest periods of heightened interest rates.

Bitcoin's (BTC) price could benefit from the surprise interest rate cut since economists were split on whether the bank will cut or hold its interest rates steady.

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

Tether reports record-breaking $5.2B profit in first half of 2024

Tether said its US Treasury reserve surpasses the size of all but 17 of the world’s governments.

According to a July 31 announcement, Tether, manager of the dollar-pegged USDT (USDT) stablecoin, reported record-breaking profits of $5.2 billion in the first half of 2024 and a larger-than-ever stockpile of United States government bonds. 

Tether’s US Treasury portfolio is now worth approximately $97.6 billion, the company said. The growth in the company’s Treasury holdings reflects the ongoing proliferation of Tether (USDT) stablecoins, which Tether says are backed 1:1 with liquid US dollar-denominated assets. The figures are based on an attestation by BDO, an independent accounting firm.

The total market capitalization of USDT stands at some $114 billion, according to Binance, slightly less than Tether’s total reserves, which exceed $118 billion, Tether said. 

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

Kamala Harris to consider Gary Peters as running mate: Report

Gary Peters joins Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, JB Pritzker, and Josh Shapiro as potential vice presidential candidates.

According to a new article from Axios, Kamala Harris is reportedly considering Michigan Senator Gary Peters as her running mate in 2024.

The news outlet claimed that the push to consider Peters is coming primarily from labor unions, and the addition of the Michigan Senator could strengthen the Harris ticket in the battleground state.

Axios said Peters is interested in taking the position and is currently trying to bolster support from his fellow Democrats for a potential vice presidential run.

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

RFK Jr: Only Bitcoin can guarantee US dollar’s reserve currency status

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heard about Bitcoin from his kids. Now, he believes it should be part of the bedrock of America’s monetary system.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also known as RFK, believes policymakers in the United States are quickly realizing that Bitcoin is “inevitable” and are scrambling to develop a coherent digital asset strategy that will preserve America’s fiscal dominance.

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, RFK Jr. described his Bitcoin journey in greater detail before discussing the role BTC should play in the country’s monetary system.

The presidential candidate, who dropped his Democratic affiliation last October to run as an independent, said he realized the importance of Bitcoin’s “transactional freedom” during the trucker strike in Canada.

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

Trump won’t sell US BTC if elected, what about seized assets?

Questions abound concerning the Bitfinex and Silk Road funds if Trump is re-elected.

Donald Trump intends to make the United States the crypto capital of the planet. The former president promised this and more during a rousing speech given at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 27. But some of the Republican candidate’s comments may have been cause for consternation among cryptocurrency advocates.

While Trump’s speech largely centered on Bitcoin and the community surrounding it being a positive force for America, he did lay out some specifics. Chief among his promises was that the US wouldn’t part with its current Bitcoin stockpile, if he's re-elected.

Per Trump:

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

Bitcoin wobbles as Trump delivers pro-crypto conference speech

The 45th president of the United States caused some minor ripples throughout the cryptocurrency market with his speech at Bitcoin 2024.

Donald Trump’s keynote speech at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee didn’t act as the whale call some analysts may have predicted, but its impact may yet be felt as word gets out. 

The former president laid out his plans to end the war on crypto to thunderous applause as he told the US audience his plans, were he to be re-elected. While the crowd was jazzed, the markets failed to capture the Republican nominee’s supporters’ anticipation.

Approximately one hour before Trump was scheduled to take the stage, the price of Bitcoin stood at $68,626. Leading up to the event, with just 30 minutes to go, we saw a jump of nearly $500 in the positive direction but, by the time the speech was slated to start, it had retreated back to $68,286.

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets

Trump to end war on crypto if elected, says US will be ‘crypto capital of the world’

The former and prospective United States president made the announcement at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Former United States president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump announced his intent to make the United States the crypto capital of the world, if elected in November. 

After taking the stage an hour late, Trump addressed the crowd at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Trump said that he had great respect for the Bitcoin community, adding that “this is like the steel industry” when it was young. 

He told the crowd he had "great respect for the Bitcoin community", adding that “this is like the steel industry” when it was young. 

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From Premiums to Discounts: Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Splits Global Markets