Fed endorses stablecoins

From Powell's crypto-friendly stance to Trump’s tariff exaggerations and Raydium's slick new Launchlab, here's what’s lighting up markets and DEX drama today.

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Cryptopolitan News
April 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Hello, and welcome to the Cryptopolitan Daily.

The crypto market never sleeps, and neither do we. Whether it’s breaking news, market shifts, or regulatory updates, we’re here to bring you the insights that matter—fast, sharp, and to the point.

📬 Today’s Byte

• Powell backs stablecoin rules

• Gold surges to record high

• Tariff revenue - Facts vs. Trump’s figures

• SEC announces third crypto roundtable

Market-moving headlines 🔥

Ethereum (ETH), the biggest altcoin, is struggling to hold on to its dominance in the digital assets market, and its fee drop to a five-year low reflects that.

President Donald Trump is once again threatening to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for refusing to cut interest rates even after harshly asking him to many times.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned on Wednesday in Chicago that the U.S. central bank could be forced into a situation where it has to make tough, possibly painful decisions.

China has fired back at President Donald Trump after the White House revealed a massive new 245% tariff rate on Chinese exports to the United States on Wednesday. 

🏛️ Powell backs stablecoin rules, hints at friendlier crypto banking

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is signaling a shift in the U.S. financial system’s stance toward crypto. Speaking at The Economic Club of Chicago, Powell voiced strong support for stablecoin legislation — and hinted that regulators might ease up on crypto banking rules.

Here’s why it matters:

  • Powell says Congress is revisiting a formal framework for stablecoins after years of failed attempts.

  • He called stablecoins “digital products with wide appeal” — signaling they’re here to stay.

  • The Fed doesn’t plan to block banks from working with crypto — as long as it's done “safely and soundly.”

  • Some of the conservative banking guidance around crypto could be relaxed soon.

  • Powell acknowledged banks already offer services like crypto custody under current rules.

  • Stablecoin transfer volumes topped $14T, overtaking Visa.

  • The push for legislation aligns with rising stablecoin adoption and global financial integration.

🧠 TL;DR:
The Fed is warming up to crypto — not with hype, but with policy. Powell’s speech signals a shift from skepticism to structured innovation.

🥇 Gold surges to record high as America bets on safety

Source: Investing

Gold’s shine just got blinding.
The precious metal hit an all-time high of $3,317.90, as Americans flee from tech and crypto into the safety of physical assets amidst growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

What triggered the spike:

  • Trump launched a probe into critical mineral tariffs, signaling a deeper trade war with China.

  • The U.S. Commerce Department dropped fresh restrictions on Nvidia and AMD chip exports to China.

  • Stocks dipped, crypto stumbled — gold rallied hard.

By the numbers:

  •  +26% YTD — Gold is outperforming Bitcoin, which is down more than 10% this year.

  •  49% of investors now say “long gold” is the most crowded trade (Bank of America survey).

  •  ANZ forecasts $3,500 in six months and $3,600 by year-end.

Safe haven stampede:

  • Central banks are stockpiling gold.

  • Institutions and retail are piling into bullion-backed ETFs.

  • Markets expect Fed rate cuts, adding fuel to the rally.

  • Traders are acting like we’re already at the $3,500 mark.

But not everyone’s euphoric. Saxo Bank’s Ole Hansen says gold might be “unhinged” at this pace, warning of a technical overbought signal (RSI >70). Still, no one’s backing off yet.

Bitcoin takes a back seat – for now.

Source: Coingecko

While gold climbs, Bitcoin is sliding.

  • BTC is down to $84,165, after falling from its $100k+ December high.

  • It’s now down 10.2% YTD, and continues to face volatility.

  • Over five years, Bitcoin still leads with 1,092% gains, but for 2025, gold’s steady 91% growth is winning investor confidence.

🪙 The Bitcoin-to-gold ratio has plunged from 40 oz (Dec 2024) to just 25.9 oz today. In short: markets are trading momentum for metal.

Do Bitcoin investors need to worry? Read Cryptopolitan’s analysis.

📊 Tariff revenue: Facts vs. Trump’s figures

Despite President Trump’s bold claim that the U.S. is pulling in $2 billion per day from his “reciprocal” tariffs, the actual numbers tell a different story.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, only $500M has been collected since April 5, with a total of $21B generated from 15 trade actions since January 20. The Treasury Department’s daily revenue from tariffs? A far more grounded $305 million.

Even a 10-hour system glitch—which disrupted the process of exempting shipments already en route—didn’t stop the CBP from hitting its $250M/day average. No major drops. No $2B spike either.

Meanwhile, Trump's tariff war continues to escalate:

  • China retaliated hard: U.S. goods now face 125% tariffs, including a 90% hit on small packages once protected by the “de minimis” exemption.

  • The U.S. maintains auto sector tariffs and is now eyeing the pharmaceutical industry next.

China’s stance? “Fight to the end,” unless Trump backs off and ditches the tariff regime entirely.

👉 Explore the full breakdown of the numbers and the political spin — read the full article here.

⛓️ Raydium fires back: Launchlab goes live

Raydium, the largest DEX and AMM on Solana, has officially launched Launchlab — a community-driven, permissionless token launch platform with striking similarities to Pump.fun.

While Raydium insists Launchlab isn’t a direct competitor, the timing tells another story. The release follows Pump.fun’s February announcement of PumpSwap, its own AMM that would cut out Raydium entirely.

With Launchlab, anyone can launch a token for free and migrate liquidity seamlessly to Raydium’s AMM once it reaches 85 SOL in trading volume. There are no gatekeepers, no migration fees, and two launch modes:

  • JustSendIt™ — fast-track, default settings

  • LaunchLab — full customization

Liquidity is either locked or burned, and 50% of trading fees go back to the community. Launch creators also earn from AMM trades — a compelling incentive.

Key partnerships are already in place with GMGN, Trojan, and Axiom.

“This isn’t about stealing Pump’s users,” said Raydium team member 0xINFRA. “It’s about enriching Solana, not gatekeeping it.”

While the UI mimics Pump.fun’s, Launchlab aims to be more flexible and inclusive — especially as Solana cements itself as the go-to chain for meme coins and token launches.

👉 Dive deeper into Raydium’s Launchlab and what it means for Solana’s ecosystem — read the full article here.

🔍 In focus: SEC announces third crypto policy roundtable

Get the coverage live on @CPOfficialX

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