A bitcoin treasury and mining company linked to the Trump family saw its stock rise more than 16% on its first day of trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange. American Bitcoin's listing follows a merger with Gryphon Digital Mining. The company is backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Eric Trump, a co-founder, called the Nasdaq debut a historic milestone for bitcoin in U.S. capital markets. Public companies accumulating bitcoin as a corporate treasury has become a popular trend. American Bitcoin plans to use self-mining operations and opportunistic bitcoin purchases to stand out. The Trump family has shifted from real estate into crypto, launching several projects.

President Donald Trump’s crypto ventures are expanding with plans for a digital asset treasury company. Trump Media and Technology Group, which runs Truth Social, announced Tuesday a partnership with Crypto.com to form Trump Media CRO Strategy. The company plans to purchase $105 million worth of CRO, a token from Crypto.com. Yorkville Advisors, a co-founder, expects total funding to reach $1 billion in CRO, plus cash and a line of credit. This move follows a trend where companies buy and hold cryptocurrency as a business strategy. Trump Media also plans a rewards system on Truth Social using Crypto.com’s digital wallet infrastructure.

Vice President JD Vance praised the cryptocurrency industry Wednesday and urged it to remain active in U.S. politics and policymaking, highlighting the Trump administration’s close ties to a deep-pocketed industry that’s become a powerful force in Washington. Speaking at a bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, Vance urged the crypto executives and enthusiasts to keep pressure on Congress to pass pro-crypto legislation supported by the White House. Vance’s speech comes after Trump promised to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” when he addressed the same bitcoin conference in Nashville last year in the middle of the presidential campaign.

It’s not an official holiday – yet – but for many cryptocurrency enthusiasts “Bitcoin Pizza Day” is still special. Thursday marks the 15th anniversary of the first known use of cryptocurrency to buy real-world goods. The 10,000 bitcoin that software developer Laszlo Hanyecz paid for two Papa John’s pizzas delivered to his Florida home on May 22, 2010, were worth about $41 at the time. Today they’re worth $1.1 billion, as bitcoin hits record high prices. Several cryptocurrency companies are announcing promotions and other celebrations to mark Bitcoin Pizza Day..