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CFTC Chair Nominee Quintenz Gears Up for Senate Nomination Hearing
Quintenz met with members of the Senate AG Committee this week
April 04, 2025
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Welcome to the Friday edition of the Crypto In America newsletter!

We’re closing out the week with a look at CFTC Chair nominee Brian Quintenz’s meetings with Senators ahead of his upcoming nomination hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Brian Quintenz, has started meeting with members of the Senate Agriculture Committee in a bid to secure their support ahead of the upcoming vote to advance his nomination.

While the Agriculture Committee has not yet officially scheduled Brian Quintenz’s appearance, Crypto In America has learned that efforts are underway to hold the hearing later this month.

In anticipation, Quintenz met with Committee Chairman Senator John Boozman (R-AR) in his office on Thursday where the two discussed the CFTC’s role in risk management, supporting the agriculture industry, and fostering innovation within those areas.

In a meeting with committee member Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) earlier in the week, the pair discussed the possibility of the CFTC gaining direct jurisdiction over digital asset spot markets, in addition to its existing authority over futures markets.

The proposal to give the CFTC more authority over regulating crypto has been raised by senior members of the Trump administration, who have expressed interest in seeing the Securities and Exchange Commission take a more focused role in regulating securities while allowing the CFTC to oversee the broader scope of the crypto market, including spot trading.

The move would require approval from Congress, particularly the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees the CFTC. The committee would need to authorize additional funding for the agency to take on this expanded role.

 

Cryptex Advances Efforts to Influence DeFi Policy in Washington

 

U.S. DeFi platform Cryptex is preparing to expand its presence in Washington D.C. to ensure that decentralized finance protocols are properly represented in the crypto policy discussions taking place in the nation’s capital.

This week, Cryptex launched an on-chain vote, allowing its community to decide whether funds from its DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) should be allocated to support its advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. The proposal passed with majority support, positioning Cryptex as one of the first U.S.-based DAOs to actively engage in policy advocacy at the federal level.

“The future of decentralized finance in the United States will be decided in Washington,” Cryptex founder Joe Sticco told Crypto In America. “This is not just about Cryptex — it’s about ensuring all decentralized protocols have a voice in Washington. If we don’t engage now, centralized financial institutions and legacy entities will dictate the future of the space.”

The unique nature of DeFi, with no central authority to regulate, will be a key consideration for lawmakers as they work to establish clear rules for the crypto industry. DeFi advocates are hoping that market structure legislation, currently being worked on in the House, will allow for a regulatory framework that accommodates decentralized platforms as well as centralized ones like exchanges.

 

Weekly Recap

 

Here are some of the biggest news stories this week from the intersection of Washington and Web3:

  • Paul Atkins, nominated by President Trump to serve as SEC Chair, has been approved by the Senate Banking Committee, receiving no support from Democratic members. His nomination now advances to the full Senate for a vote, which will be scheduled at the discretion of Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

  • After a 13-hour markup session, the House Financial Services Committee passed the bipartisan STABLE Act, the House's stablecoin legislation, with a 32-17 vote. Notably, six Democrats supported the bill.

  • A district judge has granted Coinbase’s request to restart litigation in its FOIA lawsuit against the FDIC after Coinbase filed a motion earlier this week alleging the agency was being uncooperative in complying with its requests for information.

  • Eliezer Mishory, Kalshi’s Chief Regulatory Officer, has transitioned to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Before joining Kalshi in 2021, Mishory was an attorney at both the CFTC and the IRS.

  • A recent report from Trammell Venture Partners reveals that Bitcoin-related startup deals surged by 50% in 2024, and a whopping 767% since 2021. The growth in 2024 can be traced to Bitcoin's rally, fueled by Wall Street’s involvement in Bitcoin ETFs and positive rhetoric from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

  • Crypto prices took a hit in reaction to Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs with Bitcoin falling from around $88,000 to $82,000 following his Wednesday announcement. Crypto stocks like Coinbase and Strategy also fell sharply and are on track to end the week lower.

  • Circle, the issuer of stablecoin USDC, officially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to go public on the New York Stock Exchange. The company will list under the ticker CRCL and is aiming for a market valuation of around $5 billion.

Remember, new editions of the Crypto In America newsletter drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7AM EST.

If you like what you’re reading, don’t forget to subscribe!

 

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📽️ One of the most important things we’ve done at Pyth is help bring U.S. GDP onchain 🏛️

Working with the U.S. Department of Commerce to publish official economic data on a public blockchain is a powerful signal of where global market infrastructure is headed. When core economic indicators become cryptographically verifiable, composable, and accessible in real time, it opens the door to a more transparent and more efficient financial system for everyone.

Thanks to Roundtable and Jackson Hinkle for hosting a thoughtful conversation on how this came together and what it means for the future of market data.

In a conversation with Jackson Hinkle

Full interview link: https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/policy/why-washington-is-experimenting-with-public-blockchains-for-economic-data

00:04:14
Patent US10144532B2 | Craft using an inertial mass reduction device

🚀 The Mind-Blowing Patent That Could Revolutionize Space Travel: US Navy's Anti-Gravity Craft! 🛸

December 4, 2018 - The day physics got weird

🤯 What If I Told You...

The US Navy patented a spacecraft that could bend the laws of physics as we know them? No, this isn't science fiction or the latest Marvel movie – this is US Patent US10144532B2, and it's about to blow your mind! 💥

🎯 The Patent That Made Physicists Go "Wait, WHAT?!"

Filed on April 28, 2016, and granted on December 4, 2018, this patent describes a "Craft Using an Inertial Mass Reduction Device" – which is fancy talk for "spaceship that can make itself lighter than physics allows."

Invented by Salvatore Cezar Pais and assigned to the US Department of Navy, this isn't your average paper airplane design. We're talking about technology that could theoretically allow spacecraft to travel at extreme speeds by literally manipulating the fabric of spacetime itself! ⚡

🔬 The Science Behind the Magic✨

👉Here's where it gets really wild:

🌀 The ...

00:05:23
🚨Senate Delays CLARITY Act Vote After Coinbase Pulls Support🚨

The bipartisan CLARITY Act seeks to clarify digital asset rules by dividing oversight between the SEC and CFTC, while covering stablecoins, DeFi, and tokenized assets. Coinbase withdrew support over a provision blocking interest payments on payment stablecoins, arguing it favors banks that pay depositors just 0.14% while stablecoin reserves earn 3.8% in Treasuries. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan countered that yield-bearing stablecoins could drain $6 trillion in deposits, hurting lending for small businesses. Lawmakers are negotiating revisions, with a possible vote by late January.

Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of Ripple chimes in...

00:00:31
👉 Coinbase just launched an AI agent for Crypto Trading

Custom AI assistants that print money in your sleep? 🔜

The future of Crypto x AI is about to go crazy.

👉 Here’s what you need to know:

💠 'Based Agent' enables creation of custom AI agents
💠 Users set up personalized agents in < 3 minutes
💠 Equipped w/ crypto wallet and on-chain functions
💠 Capable of completing trades, swaps, and staking
💠 Integrates with Coinbase’s SDK, OpenAI, & Replit

👉 What this means for the future of Crypto:

1. Open Access: Democratized access to advanced trading
2. Automated Txns: Complex trades + streamlined on-chain activity
3. AI Dominance: Est ~80% of crypto 👉txns done by AI agents by 2025

🚨 I personally wouldn't bet against Brian Armstrong and Jesse Pollak.

👉 Coinbase just launched an AI agent for Crypto Trading

🚨 Ripple Drops $2.7 B Cash-and-Stock Deal for Full-Stack Financial Platform 🚨

Ripple has agreed to buy (subject to CFIUS and EC clearance) a yet-unnamed “full-stack” payments, FX and treasury-suite provider—valued at $2.7 B, its largest acquisition to date—to fold fiat rails, card issuing and 200+ country licenses directly into the XRP Ledger ecosystem, according to Crypto Threads’ unnamed sources close to the board.

🔑 Key points

🔹 Target profile:

  • 1,100 employees, 42 offices; owns EMI licenses in EU/UK, MSB registrations in 47 U.S. states, PI/PF licenses in Singapore, HK, UAE; processes $48 B annual payments volume, 65 % B2B cross-border.

  • Proprietary FX engine aggregates 450+ correspondent-bank routes plus four CSD access points (Fedwire, TARGET2, BOJ-NET, CHATS); average FX markup 18 bps vs Ripple ODL’s current 60 bps.

  • White-label card platform (Visa Fintech Fast-Track member) with 3.2 M virtual cards issued; instant push-to-debit rails in 70 countries.

🔹 Deal ...

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🚨 Institutional Bitcoin Futures Activity Climbs on Clarity Act Markup 🚨

CoinGape reports a 38 % spike in CME Bitcoin futures open interest (OI) to 9.4 B and a record 25,600-lot block trade last week as hedge funds and asset-managers price in passage of the “Financial Innovation and Technology (FIT) Clarity Act,” whose House committee markup added explicit legal definitions for digital-commodity exchanges, broker-dealers and custody.

🔑 Key points

🔹 Volume surge:

CME BTC OI +38 % WoW to 128k contracts (≈ 9.4 B notional); ETH OI +27 % to 4.1 B; both exceed pre-ETF launch levels.

Macro funds behind 62 % of gross longs; net-short ratio among prop desks fell from 0.79 to 0.46, biggest drop since Oct-2021.

🔹 Block-trade record: 25,600-contract (1.9 B) Mar-26 expiry printed via TP ICAP on 14 Jan—largest single-leg institutional BTC futures trade in CME history; counterparties listed as “two large U.S. pensions” per broker note.

🔹 FIT Clarity catalyst:

House Ag & Financial Services committees ...

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🚨 BIS Project Agora Enters Testing Phase for Tokenized Cross-Border Payments 🚨

The Bank for International Settlements’ “Project Agora”—a joint venture with seven G-7 central banks and 24 commercial banks—has moved from design to live sandbox, testing a unified ledger where tokenized wholesale CBDCs (wCBDCs) and commercial bank deposits move atomically across borders, cutting correspondent-bank delays from days to seconds.

🔑 Key points

🔹 Test architecture: Agora’s permissioned network hosts distinct “currency partitions” run by each participating central bank (Fed, ECB, BoJ, BoE, SNB, BdF, BoC); commercial banks mint mirror claims (tokenized deposits) that trade 1:1 with wCBDCs inside a single smart-contract venue.

🔹 Live pilots:

  • Fed/BoE leg: Citigroup and JPMorgan swap tokenized USD and GBP for FX spot settled T+0 vs. current T+2.

  • EUR/JPY corridor: BNP Paribas and MUFG use Agora to fund intraday NOSTRO buffers, saving €140 M in trapped liquidity per day....

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🚨David Grusch on The Megyn Kelly Show🚨

Earlier this week, UFO/UAP whistleblower David Grusch appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show for a brief but revealing interview. During the conversation, Grusch named individuals he claimed were involved in managing the alleged UFO/UAP Legacy crash retrieval program, statements that immediately drew attention across the disclosure community.

Most notably, Grusch asserted that former Vice President Dick Cheney played a central role in overseeing the program. Cheney’s name has circulated within UFO/UAP research circles for years, but this marks the first time it has been spoken publicly by a former intelligence official who claims direct knowledge of the issue. It is also notable that just weeks ago, journalist Ross Coulthart independently referenced Cheney in a similar context, lending additional weight to the consistency of these claims.

Grusch also named former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, stating that Clapper was not only aware of the crash retrieval issue, but managed it and helped place individuals into key roles, both publicly and behind the scenes. These are serious assertions that warrant scrutiny and further investigation, given their potential implications for disclosure.

Please watch the full interview and consider its significance within the broader context of the disclosure conversation. Please note that the interview concludes with a paid promotional pitch, and Grusch does not provide any additional comments after the pitch.

 

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Stellar CEO Reveals Where Real Opportunity Lies in Crypto Market: Details

In a recent tweet, Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) CEO and Executive Director Denelle Dixon defines what "real opportunity" is in blockchain as a new financial future beckons.

The SDF CEO was reacting to a recent Bloomberg report on Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BNY), Nasdaq, S&P Global and iCapital participation in a new $50 million investment round by Digital Asset Holdings. This comes as some of Wall Street’s biggest names embrace the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies to handle traditional assets.

Reacting to this development, Stellar Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon stated that every blockchain investment is a bet on a different financial future. Dixon added that seeing banks explore blockchain technology validates what has been known over the years.

Real opportunity defined

While Wall Street’s biggest names betting on blockchain might be one of the most significant adoption milestones in the digital asset market, Dixon defines what real opportunity is and what it is not.

According to the SDF executive director, real opportunity is not replicating old systems on new rails but rather building open networks that fundamentally expand global finance participation.

"But the real opportunity isn’t replicating old systems on new rails—it’s building open networks that fundamentally expand who gets to participate in global finance. That’s the opportunity," Dixon tweeted.

At the Meridian 2025 event, Stellar outlined its long-term privacy strategy, committing to investing in critical privacy infrastructure and building foundational cryptographic capabilities.

Stellar eyes privacy upgrade

A new protocol upgrade is on the horizon for the Stellar network: X-Ray, which lays the groundwork for developers to build privacy applications on Stellar using zero-knowledge (ZK) cryptography.

The protocol timeline testnet vote is anticipated for Jan. 7, 2026, while the mainnet vote is expected for Jan. 22, 2026.

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XDC Network's acquisition of Contour Network

XDC Network's acquisition of Contour Network marks a silent shift to connect the digital trade infrastructure to real-time, tokenized settlement rails.

In a world where cross-border payments still take days and trap trillions in idle liquidity, integrating Contour’s trade workflows with XDC Network Blockchains' ISO 20022 financial messaging standard to bridge TradFi and Web3 in Trade Finance.

The Current State of Cross-Border Trade Settlements

Cross-border payments remain one of the most inefficient parts of global finance. For decades, companies have inter-dependency with banks and their correspondent banks across the world, forcing them to maintain trillions of dollars in pre-funded nostro and vostro balances — the capital that sits idle while transactions crawl across borders.

Traditional settlement is slow, often 1–5 days, and often with ~2-3% in FX and conversion fees. For every hour a corporation can’t access its own cash increases the cost of financing, tightens liquidity that could be used for other purposes, which in turn slows economic activity.

Before SWIFT, payments were fully manual. Intermediary banks maintained ledgers, and reconciliation across multiple institutions limited speed and volume.

SWIFT reshaped global payments by introducing a secure, standardized messaging infrastructure through ISO 20022 - which quickly became the language of money for 11,000+ institutions in 200 countries.

But SWIFT only fixed the messaging — not the movement. Actual value still moves through slow, capital-intensive correspondent chains.

Regulated and Compliant Stablecoin such as USDC (Circle) solves the part SWIFT never could: instant, on-chain settlement.

Stablecoin Settlement revamping Trade and Tokenization

Stablecoin such as USDC is a digital token pegged to the US Dollar, still the most widely used currency for trade, enabling the movement of funds instantly 24*7 globally - transparently, instantly, and without the need for any intermediaries and the need to lock in trillions of dollars of idle cash.

Tokenized settlement replaces multi-day reconciliation with on-chain finality, reducing:

  • Dependency on intermediaries
  • Operational friction
  • Trillions locked in idle liquidity

For corporates trapped in long working capital cycles, this is transformative.

Digital dollars like USDC make the process simple:

Fiat → Stablecoin → On-Chain Transfer → Fiat

This hybrid model is already widely used across remittances, payouts, and treasury flows.

But one critical piece of global commerce is still lagging:

👉 Trade finance.

The Missing link is still Trade Finance Infrastructure.

While payments innovation has raced ahead, trade finance infrastructure hasn’t kept up. Document flows, letters of credit, and supply-chain financing remain siloed, paper-heavy, and operationally outdated.

This is exactly where the next breakthrough will happen - and why the recent XDC Network acquisition of Contour is a silent revolution.

It transforms to a new era of trade-driven liquidity through an end-to-end digital trade from shipping docs to payment confirmation – one infrastructure that powers all.

The breakthrough won’t come from payments alone — it will come from connecting trade finance to real-time settlement rails.

The XDC + Contour Shift: A Silent Revolution

  • Contour already connects global banks and corporates through digital LCs and digitized trade workflows.
  • XDC Blockchain brings a settlement layer built for speed, tokenization, and institutional-grade interoperability and ISO 20022 messaging compatibility

Contour’s digital letter of credit workflows will be integrated with XDC’s blockchain network to streamline trade documentation and settlement.

Together, they form the first end-to-end digital trade finance network linking:

Documentation → Validation → Settlement all under a single infrastructure.

XDC Ventures (XVC.TECH) is launching a Stable-Coin Lab to work with financial institutions on regulated stablecoin pilots for trade to deepen institutional trade-finance integration through launch of pilots with banks and corporates for regulated stable-coin issuance and settlement.

The Bottom Line

Payments alone won’t transform Global Trade Finance — Trade finance + Tokenized Settlement will.

This is the shift happening underway XDC Network's acquisition of Contour is the quiet catalyst.

Learn how trade finance is being revolutionised:

https://www.reuters.com/press-releases/xdc-ventures-acquires-contour-network-launches-stablecoin-lab-trade-finance-2025-10-22/

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