Accessibility links
crypto crypto
Stories About

crypto

Friday

President Trump listens to David Sacks, the White House czar for AI and crypto, at a White House summit on digital assets on March 7, 2025.

President Trump listens to David Sacks, the White House czar for AI and crypto, at a White House summit on digital assets on March 7, 2025. Jim Watson/AFP hide caption

toggle caption
Jim Watson/AFP

Politics

Trump pledges support for crypto sector at White House summit

President Trump signed an order creating a cryptocurrency strategic reserve using bitcoin seized through court proceedings, and directing officials to find "budget-neutral" ways to grow it.

Trump is set to speak to crypto founders and investors at the White House on Friday

Listen · 3:39
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5319049/nx-s1-5382360-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

The 'Crypto Wizard' vs. Nigeria
Megan J. Goff/Click Here

Planet Money

The 'Crypto Wizard' vs. Nigeria

The trip that changed Tigran Gambaryan's life forever was supposed to be short — just a few days. When he flew to Nigeria in February of 2024, he didn't even check a bag. Tigran is a former IRS Special Agent. He made his name investigating high-profile dark web and cryptocurrency cases. Some colleagues called him the 'Crypto Wizard' because of his pioneering work tracing crypto transactions for law enforcement. Since 2021, he's worked at the world's largest crypto exchange, Binance.

The 'Crypto Wizard' vs. Nigeria

Listen · 22:34
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1230862333/1266245866" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

After a record-setting 2024, many analysts believe bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could see another big surge this year.

After a record-setting 2024, many analysts believe bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could see another big surge this year. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Business

Is this bitcoin's golden moment? These are 3 key things to watch for cryptos in 2025

Could 2025 be another game-changing year for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? Here are the three things to watch in the new year.

CRYPTO YEAR-AHEAD

Listen · 3:30
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5248284/nx-s1-5309482-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun eats a banana artwork composed of a fresh banana stuck to a wall with duct tape, in Hong Kong on November 29, 2024, after buying the provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan at a New York auction for $6.2 million. The debut of the edible creation entitled "Comedian" at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019 sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art -- Cattelan's stated aim.

Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun eats a banana artwork composed of a fresh banana stuck to a wall with duct tape in Hong Kong on Friday after buying the provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan at a New York auction for $6.2 million. Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images

National

Chinese crypto businessman eats his controversial $6.2 million banana art piece

Justin Sun uploaded a video of himself eating the $6.2 million absurdist piece conceptualized by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Wednesday

Friday

The office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, pictured here, sued a crypto scam company known as SpireBit and seized its assets. The proceeds have now been handed back to victims of the scheme.

The office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, pictured here, sued a crypto scam company known as SpireBit and seized its assets. The proceeds have now been handed back to victims of the scheme. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Charles Krupa/AP

Business

A victim of a crypto ‘pig butchering’ scam just got his $140,000 back

NPR investigated a crypto scam company known as SpireBit, which stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Russian-speaking seniors. Now, some of the victims are getting their money back after a lawsuit by Massachusetts authorities.

Tuesday

A big thing has just happened to Bitcoin. It's called the halving

Bitcoin has just experienced a quadrennial event called the halving. It comes at a time when the digital currency was already surging. Dale De La Rey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Dale De La Rey/AFP via Getty Images

Business

A big thing has just happened to Bitcoin. It's called the halving

Bitcoin has just hit a quadrennial event called the halving. It will effectively reduce the supply of new bitcoin in half — and some believe it will spark a huge rally.

Thursday

Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for his FTX crimes

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried arrives for a bail hearing at Manhattan Federal Court in New York City on Aug. 11, 2023. Bankman-Fried was sentenced on Thursday to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of fraud last year. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Business

Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for his FTX crimes

The sentence marks a stunning fall for the 32-year-old former crypto executive who was once seen as the future of finance.

Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for his FTX crimes

Listen · 3:28
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241210300/1241362063" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tuesday

Bitcoin hits a record high. Here are 4 things to know about this spectacular rally

Bitcoin hit a record high following a rally sparked by the Securities and Exchange Commission's approval of bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Business

Bitcoin hits a record high. Here are 4 things to know about this spectacular rally

Bitcoin hit a record high, marking a remarkable comeback from a period known as the "crypto winter." A big catalyst behind the gains has been the approval of new bitcoin investment funds.

Wednesday

U.S. says yes to new bitcoin funds, paving the way for more Americans to buy crypto

The Securities and Exchange Commission, under Chair Gary Gensler, has approved several spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, which will track the cryptocurrency's price. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Business

U.S. says yes to new bitcoin funds, paving the way for more Americans to buy crypto

Bitcoin ETFs get greenlight from top federal regulator, after years of resistance. The fund will track the price of the cryptocurrency.

U.S. says yes to new bitcoin funds, paving the way for more Americans to buy crypto

Listen · 3:37
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1222641640/1241444370" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tuesday

After a brutal stretch, a remarkable thing is happening: Cryptocurrencies are surging

A bitcoin ATM is seen in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 13, 2022. Virtual currencies like bitcoin are recovering from a tough period partly on rising hopes that bad actors have been weeded out and that confidence can return to the sector. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Business

After a brutal stretch, a remarkable thing is happening: Cryptocurrencies are surging

Bitcoin and other digital currencies are rallying, emerging from a stormy period with the conviction that crypto is here to stay.

After a brutal stretch, a remarkable thing is happening: Cryptocurrencies are surging

Listen · 4:09
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1220603847/1222253227" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

CZ, founder of crypto giant Binance, pleads guilty to money laundering violations

Changpeng Zhao, widely known as CZ, will step down from Binance, the crypto company he founded in 2017, as part of a deal with the Department of Justice and U.S. regulators. Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images

Business

CZ, founder of crypto giant Binance, pleads guilty to money laundering violations

Changpeng Zhao agreed to plead guilty to money laundering charges and step down from Binance as part of a sweeping settlement with the Department of Justice and top regulators.

Sunday

He lost $200,000 when FTX imploded last year. He's still waiting to get it back

A jury took less than five hours to convict former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried of fraud and money laundering. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Business

He lost $200,000 when FTX imploded last year. He's still waiting to get it back

The crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried has been tried and convicted of orchestrating one of the largest financial frauds in history, but little has changed for people who lost billions when FTX collapsed.

He lost $200,000 when FTX imploded last year. He's still waiting to get it back

Listen · 3:52
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1213792031/1214109156" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Sam Bankman-Fried is guilty, and the industry he helped build wants to move on

After a monthlong trial, New York City jury found former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of seven criminal counts, including securities fraud. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Business

Sam Bankman-Fried is guilty, and the industry he helped build wants to move on

As Sam Bankman-Fried prepares to go to prison for one of the largest financial frauds in history, the cryptocurrency industry is looking ahead to a future without its former "golden boy."

Monday

The spectacle of Sam Bankman-Fried's trial
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

The spectacle of Sam Bankman-Fried's trial

Last week, the former crypto wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty for his role in the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The 31-year-old former billionaire fashioned himself as someone who would revolutionize the crypto industry, but now faces the prospect of a life sentence. Today on the show, NPR business correspondent David Gura tells us what stuck out over the course of the four-week trial.

The spectacle of Sam Bankman-Fried's trial

Listen · 9:40
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197956697/1211089857" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript