Trump Embraces Crypto With High-Profile Appointees as President-elect

President-elect Donald Trump continues to make high-profile appointments embracing cryptocurrency and emerging technologies in his second term.

This week’s edition of The Protocol features news on President-elect Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency appointments, a leadership shift at Aptos Labs, and Sonic’s plan to airdrop its native token to TikTok users. Plus, we cover Kraken’s launch of its layer-2 rollup network, Ink, and highlight Hyper Liquid’s record outflow of USDC, sparking speculation over North Korea's involvement.

Trump crypto appointments, Aptos leadership shift: The Protocol

Kraken's Ink Layer-2 Goes Live

Sonic to Airdrop TikTok Users Native Token,法院裁决 FTX 日本客户有权获得补偿, and More

suggest a correction

Network News

TRUMP CRYPTO APPOINTMENTS: President-elect Donald Trump continues to make high-profile appointments embracing cryptocurrency and emerging technologies in his second term. 1) Stephen Miran, tapped as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, is a pro-crypto advocate who aims to integrate blockchain and decentralized finance into the U.S. economy. 2) Bo Hines, a former college football player, will head the newly formed Crypto Council. Hines is tasked with balancing innovation and consumer protection as he builds a regulatory framework for digital assets. 3) David Sacks, a veteran of Silicon Valley and vocal blockchain supporter, is stepping in as AI and Crypto Czar. Sacks plans to merge blockchain with AI while bolstering U.S. dominance in both sectors. These appointments signal a clear shift from Trump’s earlier skepticism of digital assets. The big question now is how these moves translate into meaningful policy amid regulatory gridlock and political friction.

APTOS LEADERSHIP SHIFT: Aptos Labs CEO and co-founder Mo Shaikh has stepped down, with co-founder Avery Ching taking over as CEO. Shaikh, who will remain a strategic adviser, highlighted the company's achievements, including raising $400 million in venture funding and building a thriving ecosystem supported by partners like BlackRock, Google, Mastercard, and PayPal. Known for its layer-1 blockchain leveraging the Move programming language from Facebook's Diem project, Aptos Labs is expanding into finance and AI applications with the help of advisers like former Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein and OpenAI’s Kevin Weil. The leadership transition underscores the company’s ongoing focus on scalability, security, and innovation in blockchain technology.

SONIC TO AIRDROP TIKTOK USERS: Sonic, a Layer 2 solution on the Solana blockchain, has announced plans to airdrop its native token, SONIC, to TikTok users. This initiative aims to introduce TikTok's vast user base to decentralized finance (DeFi) by integrating blockchain technology with social media platforms. The airdrop is part of Sonic's strategy to enhance user engagement and promote the adoption of Layer 2 solutions for improved scalability and reduced transaction costs on the Solana network. By targeting TikTok users, Sonic seeks to bridge the gap between mainstream social media audiences and the DeFi ecosystem, fostering broader participation in decentralized financial services.

ALSO:

Kraken’s Ink Layer-2 Goes Live

Sonic to Airdrop TikTok Users Native Token,法院裁决 FTX 日本客户有权获得补偿, and More

suggest a correction

Money Center

FUNDRAISING: Aptos Labs, a Web3 infrastructure provider, has secured an additional $150 million in venture funding, bringing its total funding to date to $525 million. The latest funding round was led by Tiger Global and includes participation from new investors, such as Coinbase Ventures and PayPal Ventures, as well as existing investors, including Binance Labs, FTX Ventures, and Multicoin Capital. Aptos Labs plans to use the funds to expand its engineering team, enhance its blockchain technology, and bolster its ecosystem development efforts.

DEALS & GRANTS: Optimism, a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, has announced a new initiative to support developers building on its stack. The Optimism Collective will allocate up to 118 million OP tokens to teams building on the stack, with a guaranteed minimum of 25 million tokens. In addition, the teams will receive a portion of the sequencer revenue, contributing to the growth of the Superchain ecosystem. As part of this strategy, Optimism has agreed to grant Kraken 25 million OP tokens for building on the OP Stack.

DATA & TOKENS: Hyper Liquid, a cryptocurrency exchange focused on perpetual contracts, has reported a record outflow of $60 million in USDC. This news comes amid speculation that North Korea is investigating the platform, which has raised concerns among traders. The exchange has been under scrutiny due to its high leverage offerings and limited transparency, sparking questions about the stability of its operations and the potential involvement of illicit actors. This incident highlights the risks associated with high-leverage trading and the challenges in monitoring crypto markets, especially those involving perpetual contracts.

suggest a correction

Data Corner: 60M USDC Outflows Hit Hyper Liquid

Hyper Liquid, a cryptocurrency exchange focused on perpetual contracts, has reported a record outflow of $60