VanEck, a leading global investment firm, has announced the launch of its new SUI Exchange-Traded Note (ETN). This innovative product, listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Paris, offers investors a unique opportunity to gain exposure to the burgeoning Sui blockchain without directly holding its native token, SUI.
Sui’s Meteoric Rise
Sui, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, has been making significant strides in the cryptocurrency market. Its recent achievement of $28 billion in decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume by November 13, 2024, underscores its rapid growth and increasing popularity.
This impressive trading volume, nearly triple that of its competitor Aptos, has fueled speculation about Sui’s potential price surge. If the current bullish trend persists, the blockchain could see its token price soar to $5, representing a substantial gain from its current level of $3.18.
VanEck’s SUI ETN – A Simplified Approach
VanEck’s SUI ETN provides investors with a convenient and regulated way to participate in the growth of the Sui ecosystem. By investing in the ETN, individuals can bypass the complexities of directly holding SUI tokens, such as setting up cryptocurrency wallets and navigating volatile markets.
“Sui’s fast finality of transactions bridges the gap between traditional Web2 and decentralized Web3,” explained Martijn Rozemuller, CEO of VanEck Europe. “The blockchain’s use of the Move programming language, combined with its high-speed transaction processing, makes it an attractive platform for a wide range of applications.”
Risk and Reward
While the SUI ETN offers a simplified approach to investing in Sui, it’s essential to acknowledge the inherent risks associated with cryptocurrencies. VanEck has emphasized the extreme volatility of digital assets and the uncertainty surrounding regulatory frameworks in many jurisdictions.
Despite these risks, the potential rewards for early investors in the Sui ecosystem are significant. The blockchain’s strong technical foundation, coupled with its growing user base and developer community, positions it as a promising player in the future of decentralized finance and Web3.
As Sui continues to gain traction and mature, VanEck’s SUI ETN provides a compelling opportunity for investors to capitalize on the blockchain’s potential upside, while mitigating some of the risks associated with direct token ownership.
After being denied by US District Judge Analisa Torres last month, Ripple and the SEC filed another motion to finally end their landmark legal battle. The two parties are again trying to relitigate Ripple’s right to sell securities.
However, legal commentators called this effort a “rare whiff” from Ripple’s legal team and do not believe it will work. If the court denies again, the company may need to accept its ban on selling securities for the time being, at least to retail investors.
Today, they returned before Judge Torres, once again attempting to wrap up the last disputes.
NEW: The @SECGov and @Ripple have jointly requested a Manhattan District court to dissolve the injunction in their ongoing case and release the $125 million civil penalty held in escrow.
They’re proposing that $50 million be paid to the SEC, with the remaining funds returned… pic.twitter.com/UopQuQNG5q
Their proposed deal cites a few “exceptional circumstances,” such as the SEC’s total shift on crypto policy, as sufficient justification to change a prior ruling.
The issue is whether the SEC should ban Ripple from selling securities under Gary Gensler. Simply put, the current Commission would like to reverse this decision. Large fees are also in the mix, but they’re a secondary concern.
Still, Fred Rispoli, a trial lawyer specializing in crypto cases, expressed skepticism with the move, considering the proposal sloppy:
“I don’t like this filing based on how obvious it was from Judge Torres’ last ruling that she was pissed. I recommended a long, detailed motion explaining the SEC’s failures in crypto regulation (with Commissioner declarations) and some apologies from Ripple for what it got tagged on. Instead, we got one paragraph on the other SEC dismissals and a paltry mention of the SEC Crypto Task Force. Oof,” Rispoli stated.
Legal experts on social media think this filing doesn’t make substantial changes in legal citations from the last attempt, and they believe Torres will reject this one, too.
However, in all likelihood, Judge Torres has the legal grounds to recognize the SEC’s renewed direction and accept this motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
So, June 16 remains the key date. If this motion doesn’t persuade the Judge, Ripple will have to wait until 2026 for another chance at dismissal.
At a certain point, even if both institutions wish to permit non-institutional securities sales, the choice may be out of their hands. Ripple may need to start seriously preparing for a future where it cannot reverse this ruling, period.
The Federal Reserve is having a closed-door meeting today to discuss potentially cutting interest rates. This would help crypto in a few ways, spurring risky investments and possibly even weakening the dollar.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell has been hesitant to cut rates, but he is under a lot of pressure. BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink is currently pessimistic about rate cuts, claiming that they may even increase this year.
Soon after, the White House denied the rumors, resulting in a crash. However, the Federal Reserve is having a closed-door meeting today, and it may plan to cut interest rates:
“A closed meeting of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System at will be held 11:30 am on Monday, April 7, 2025. The following matters of official Board business are tentatively scheduled to be considered at that meeting: review and determination by the Board of Governors of the advance and discount rates to be charged by the Federal Reserve Banks,” the Fed’s website read.
There are many reasons why the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates. High rates make fixed-income investments more attractive, drawing capital away from riskier assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies, while low rates make these assets more attractive.
Rate cuts have often corresponded with market rallies, especially with ZIRP after the 2008 crash.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell initially signaled that he was reluctant to cut rates at this moment, but pressure has been building for him to do so. Unfortunately, that may not matter yet.
Larry Fink, BlackRock’s pro-crypto CEO, has been very pessimistic about possible cuts. In a recent televised interview, he claimed that most CEOs believe the US is already in a recession and that the country is currently not a “global stabilizer” in the markets.
Under these conditions, he stated that there’s a 0% chance of 4 to 5 rate cuts and that rates may even increase.
BREAKING: Blackrock CEO Fink says that he worries that Trump’s actions are much more inflationary than the markets expect, and the economy is weakening as we speak.
He also says that he sees a 0% chance of four or five interest rate cuts this year, and sees a chance of interest… pic.twitter.com/wyTpBoCP5W
When the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, it isn’t a bullish signal across the board. They also tend to weaken the US dollar as its yield advantage diminishes relative to other currencies.
This would also be good for crypto, considering its use as a store of value, but the Fed isn’t particularly interested in that. The industry won’t be the deciding factor either way.
Still, other commentators have been highly skeptical of Fink’s claim. Powell is under a lot of pressure to cut rates, so raising them would buck market expectations. Investors are betting on multiple rate cuts, and these hypothetical cuts may be priced to a certain extent.
Looking back at previous cycles, periods of rate cuts have often coincided with market rallies. For instance, during the post-2008 recovery, rate cuts revived equity and emerging asset classes.
Overall, lower rates typically mean easier access to credit, leading to more liquidity in the market. This extra liquidity can help drive up demand for riskier assets, including cryptocurrencies.
So, If the FOMC signals a shift toward lower interest rates, this could boost overall market confidence. As traditional markets begin to stabilize and recover, crypto markets might experience a rebound.
Investor sentiment, already shaken by the recent sell-offs and heightened volatility, could turn more optimistic with the prospect of easing monetary conditions.
Most importantly, institutional investors, who have been cautious during the current volatile period, may adjust their strategies in a lower-rate environment.
With lower fixed-income yields, portfolio managers could increase their allocation to alternative assets, including cryptocurrencies, to achieve higher returns. This influx of institutional capital could lend credibility to the crypto market and help drive a recovery.
In an exclusive interview with BeInCrypto, former US CFTC Commissioner Timothy Massad explains how President Trump’s crypto ventures and political power have significantly overlapped in his first two months at the White House.
Shortly before assuming office for the second time, US President Donald Trump dove head-first into a flurry of crypto experiments. From endorsing World Liberty Financial (WLFI) to launching his meme coin, Trump is raising serious concerns over conflicts of interest. Tim Massad, the 12th CFTC Chairman, who served under Barack Obama, shares his thoughts.
A Historic President For Many Reasons
Before assuming his first term in office in 2016, President Trump broke with modern precedent by departing from established conflict-of-interest norms. A real estate mogul with a trademark for a last name, Trump would be entering the Oval Office as the leader of a multi-billion dollar empire.
While former presidents like Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush took measures to separate themselves from their businesses by placing their assets in a blind trust, the sitting President took a different approach.
Instead, Trump handed day-to-day management decisions over to his sons but did not divest in his ownership stake.
Though he received much backlash during his first term over conflict of interest concerns, Trump refused to relinquish ownership of the Trump Organization before assuming office for the second time.
Given Trump’s favorable stance toward digital asset policy development, players inside and outside the industry have begun to wonder whether his decisions are based on the sector’s best interests or are designed to benefit his own ventures.
How Deep is Trump’s Involvement in World Liberty Financial?
Though Trump does not have a direct role in WLFI, he appears on the whitepaper’s list of supporting teams as “Chief Crypto Advocate.” His three sons, Eric, Donald Jr., and Barron, are also on the list.
Reports further unveiled that the Trump family holds a 75% stake in the platform’s net revenue and a 60% stake in the holding company. At the same time, Trump and his associates own 22.5 billion of the company’s tokens.
For former CFTC Commissioner Tim Massad, despite Trump’s informal role in WLF’s governance, his stake in the platform’s performance raises serious conflicts of interest.
“I think it’s unprecedented and plainly wrong for a President of the United States to engage in commercial ventures or have his family and associates engage in commercial ventures that can be directly influenced by the policies he adopts as President or the statements he makes about those policies,” Massad told BeInCrypto.
Meanwhile, the tokens themselves are non-transferrable, limiting financial flexibility. Though the project aims to provide token holders access to a range of DeFi-related products and services, it has yet to launch them. In the meantime, token holders will have to wait until the time comes to use their tokens.
“I have yet to see any real business case or utility that’s of value to people who invest. So I think it all just has a character of taking advantage of people,” Massad added.
The industry has also grown weary over how WLF and other Trump-endorsed projects could be used to gain the President’s favor.
Industry Leaders Voice Concerns Over World Liberty Financial’s Legitimacy
Shortly before Trump launched World Liberty Financial, many prominent figures in the crypto sector warned that the project could cause Trump further legal troubles. Meanwhile, Alex Miller, CEO of Web3 platform Hiro, described the project as an “obvious pump scheme.”
Meanwhile, Alex Miller, CEO of Web3 platform Hiro, described the project as an “obvious pump scheme.”
Just fucking shoot me
Anyone who thinks this is good for crypto, that it doesn’t make us look like clowns, that it doesn’t set us back YEARS in credibility….
This is such an obvious pump scheme. Maybe he won’t literally rug but he’s just grifting and it’s pathetic pic.twitter.com/8bTGmUfLvG
Other industry leaders, such as Mark Cuban, Max Keiser, and Anthony Scaramucci, also criticized Trump’s decision to proceed with WLF’s token sales. Trump’s involvement in the project heightened fears that crypto’s fragile public image and controversial reputation would be smeared further.
Massad agreed with this last point, adding that crypto policy development is alive and well today more than ever. The ongoing development of stablecoin regulations, open talks of a national crypto strategic reserve, and a Senate-driven digital asset working group are only some of the current institutional initiatives.
“He, the Trump Organization and his family members should not be engaging in commercial ventures that pose such blatant conflicts of interest, given the fact that crypto regulation and things like a potential Bitcoin reserve are important policy issues today. A US president shouldn’t be engaging in these things at all, in my view,” Massad said.
Since the project’s launch six months ago, several examples validating these concerns have emerged. The most notable one has focused on Tron founder Justin Sun.
The move was highly controversial. Despite Trump’s endorsement, WLFI struggled to meet its $30 million fundraising target during its first public sale. The token’s availability was restricted, excluding general trading and limiting purchases to non-US and accredited US investors.
Sun’s investment turned WLFI’s luck around. Soon after that, he also became one of the project’s advisors. Then, on the day of Trump’s inauguration, Sun invested an additional $45 million in the project, bringing the total sum to $75 million.
This investment brought varying degrees of scrutiny. While some questioned his quick transition from investor to advisor, others pointed to Sun’s past as a potential motive for his contributions.
In March 2023, the SEC filed fraud charges and other securities law violations against Sun and his companies. This regulatory baggage has led some industry leaders to question the wisdom of his association with World Liberty Financial.
Meanwhile, Tron’s price soared following Sun’s latest WLF investment. Tron, which had been experiencing lagging prices up until that point, was able to jumpstart its trading activities.
TRON Price Surge Following Sun’s $45 Million Investment in World Liberty Financial. Source: TradingView.
However, these conflicts of interest are not just limited to Sun’s investment.
Zhao could also benefit from an agreement. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to federal charges for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering measures at Binance.
Following his plea, Zhao resigned as Binance’s CEO. Motive-driven speculations point toward the possibility of a potential presidential pardon.
For Massad, maneuvers like these are natural when a president directly involves himself in crypto ventures.
“I think there is a huge risk of conflicts of interest and corruption by virtue of the President and people associated with him selling crypto assets—whether that’s through World Liberty Financial or the meme coins. It creates the potential for ongoing conflicts, because people who might want to curry favor with the administration could buy the coins,” Massad told BeInCrypto.
All the while, Trump benefits his crypto ventures every time he makes a pro-crypto announcement.
Is Trump Manipulating the Crypto Market?
A week into March, Trump signed an executive order to establish a Crypto Strategic Reserve and a US Digital Asset Stockpile. In his original announcement, Trump said the reserve would include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and altcoins like XRP, ADA, and SOL.
The crypto market responded immediately, with all five cryptocurrencies posting strong gains. Yet, Trump’s announcement quickly raised concerns over potential market manipulation.
With Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP in its treasury, WLF’s holdings grew in value as those assets appreciated. This growth could have boosted investor confidence, leading to higher demand for WLF tokens.
The crypto market’s overall surge and attention to Trump-related projects also generated greater investor interest in WLF, contributing to its price appreciation.
Meanwhile, Trump’s meme coin surged following the President’s reserve announcement. While TRUMP’s price stood at $13.55, with a trading volume of almost $1.2 billion on March 2, those numbers surged to $17.46 and $3.6 billion, respectively, following the news a day later.
On March 4, TRUMP’s price and trading volume plummeted below the numbers they registered only two days earlier.
“I think the meme coins have looked like a classic pump-and-dump scheme or money grab. I don’t think the issue should be, why not let people invest in these things if they want to? Of course they should have the right to invest in whatever they want. The issue is the propriety of the President of the United States selling things that capitalize on his being the President,” said Massad.
Even Ethereum Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin touched on the damaging effects of political meme coins in a social media post published five days after TRUMP’s launch.
“Now is the time to talk about the fact that large-scale political coins cross a further line: they are not just sources of fun, whose harm is at most contained to mistakes made by voluntary participants, they are vehicles for unlimited political bribery, including from foreign nation states,” Buterin said.
There is perhaps an analogy with weed here.
Ten years ago, to many weed represented freedom, and rebellion against sclerotic old order that denied self-sovereignty over our bodies. Then, weed became legalized, and “official”.
On that day, I remember my personal interest in weed…
Given Trump’s active participation in the crypto industry over the past several months, a vital question remains: Why hasn’t Trump been held accountable over these apparent conflicts of interest?
The answer remains short and bitter: He can’t be.
Can Trump Be Held Accountable?
The potential conflicts of interest arising from Donald Trump’s involvement in the cryptocurrency industry have drawn the attention of various political figures, particularly those focused on government ethics and oversight.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren has been the most vocal opponent of Trump’s dealings in the crypto industry.
“I write today to request information about how you, as President Trump’s ‘Crypto Czar,’ have addressed your conflicts of interest, and how you will prevent the President and other private individuals from directly profiting off of the Trump Administration’s efforts to selectively pump the value of certain crypto assets, drop crypto asset-related enforcement actions, and deregulate the crypto asset industry. These actions have the potential to benefit billionaire investors, Trump Administration insiders, and speculators at the expense of middle-class families,” Elizabeth Warren wrote.
However, not much else can be done beyond letters that demand responses and clarifications from the Trump administration.
The Legal Loophole
US Presidents are largely exempted from conflict of interest provisions. This exemption has been based on legal interpretations that argue these laws could impede the President’s ability to fulfill their constitutional duties.
“The problem is, the POTUS is not subject to the conflict-of-interest laws that apply to most other executive branch officeholders. There is the Foreign Emoluments Clause in the Constitution, which prohibits accepting gifts from foreign countries. There’s also a domestic clause that prohibits accepting gifts from the government. But beyond that, he’s not subject to the usual conflict-of-interest standards. So, it’s unfortunate that we don’t have those standards applicable to a president. I think, had any other president done these things, there would be far more outrage,” Massad told BeInCrypto.
Given the legal circumstances, public scrutiny and political pressure are the best ways to hold a president accountable for potential conflicts of interest.
Yet, despite the legal exemptions for sitting presidents, the ethical implications of Trump’s crypto dealings remain undeniable.
As the lines between political power and personal profit continue to blur, the necessity for clear ethical standards, even without legal mandates, becomes increasingly urgent.
Failing to do so might erode public trust in the crypto industry, generating potentially irreversible consequences.
NEW: The 
BNB (@cz_binance) 