Trump Media Eyes $3B Crypto Bet; SBF Could Walk 4 Years Early from 25-Year Sentence
Sam Bankman-Fried’s 25-Year Sentence, $3.3B in Weekly Inflows, Florida’s Tax-Free Bitcoin Bill, and Trump Media’s $3B Crypto Investment Plans Signal Major Shifts in the Digital Asset Market.
Because Bitcoin
May 26, 2025
Sam Bankman-Fried Faces 25-Year Sentence but Could Be Freed 4 Years Early for Good Behavior
Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, was sentenced in March 2024 to 25 years in prison after being convicted of a massive $11 billion fraud involving misused customer funds. Despite the long sentence, the Bureau of Prisons estimates he could be released by December 2044—nearly four years early—due to good conduct credits, participation in prison programs, and time served before sentencing. Initially jailed in Brooklyn alongside high-profile inmates like Sean “Diddy” Combs, he was later transferred to a low-security facility in California. His former colleague and ex-girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, received a reduced two-year sentence for her role.
Crypto Inflows Hit $3.3 Billion in One Week as Bitcoin and Ethereum Surge While XRP Sees Record Exit
Crypto investment products saw $3.3 billion in inflows last week, driven by investor interest in offerings from BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale, according to CoinShares. This six-week streak of gains pushed total assets under management to a record $187.5 billion, with year-to-date inflows hitting $10.5 billion. Bitcoin led with $2.9 billion in inflows, reaching an all-time high of $111,800, while Ethereum followed with $326 million—its best in 15 weeks. In contrast, XRP faced record outflows of $37.2 million, ending an 80-week streak of inflows. The U.S. accounted for the vast majority of activity with $3.2 billion in inflows.
Florida Proposes Bill to Eliminate State Capital Gains Tax on Bitcoin, XRP, and Stocks
On May 26, 2025, Florida became the first U.S. state to introduce legislation aiming to eliminate state capital gains taxes on Bitcoin, XRP, and traditional stocks. If passed, the bill would exempt these assets from state-level taxation on gains. While the proposal marks a major step toward crypto-friendly policy, the legislative timeline and prospects for enactment remain unclear.
Trump Media Reportedly Seeking $3 Billion to Invest in Bitcoin and Crypto, Amplifying Ties to Digital Assets
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) is reportedly planning to raise $3 billion through share sales to invest in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to the Financial Times. TMTG dismissed the report harshly, calling the publication’s sources and writers “dumb.” The move aligns with the company’s growing crypto ambitions, which include launching utility tokens, partnering with Crypto.com for digital asset ETFs, and establishing a fintech arm called Truth.Fi, approved to invest heavily in crypto markets. Additionally, Trump-linked entity World Liberty Financial issued a stablecoin used in a $2 billion Binance deal. Amid these developments, Trump has promoted himself as a pro-crypto candidate, even creating a national Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Resources: