Melania Trump Launches Her Own Cryptocurrency
Crypto liquidations hit $1B over 24 hours as Bitcoin plummets
Bitcoin Will Surpass Gold as Governments Adopt It, Says Coinbase CEO
Bitcoin ETF inflows cool off as BTC slips back to $102k
$TRUMP coin crashes 20% today; $MELANIA hits all-time low
Melania Trump Launches Her Own Cryptocurrency
Incoming first lady Melania Trump has launched a cryptocurrency on the eve of her husband’s inauguration as US president.
The announcement comes after President-elect Donald Trump launched the $Trump cryptocurrency. Both coins have risen but have seen volatile trade.
“The Official Melania Meme is live! You can buy $Melania now,” she posted on the social platform X on Sunday.
Disclaimers on the websites of both the $Trump and $Melania coins said they were “not intended to be, or the subject of” an investment opportunity or a security.
According to the CoinMarketCap website, $Trump has a total market valuation of about $12bn (£9.8bn), while $Melania’s stands at around $1.7bn.
Trump had previously called crypto a “scam” but during the 2024 election campaign became the first presidential candidate to accept digital assets as donations.
During the campaign, his family launched a cryptocurrency company called World Liberty Financial – which aims to lead “a financial revolution by dismantling the stranglehold of traditional financial institutions”, and is also selling a crypto coin.
The new Trump coin was launched from Trump Organization affiliate CIC Digital LLC, which is linked to previous sales of crypto collectable NFTs launched in 2022 that made millions of dollars but have since fallen dramatically in value for their owners.
According to CoinGecko, the NFTs once sold for more than $1,000 but have since dropped in value to around $300.
Crypto campaign
On the campaign trail, Trump also said he would create a strategic Bitcoin stockpile and appoint financial regulators that take a more positive stance towards digital assets.
That spurred expectations that he would strip back regulations on the crypto industry.
In the wake of Trump’s victory, Bitcoin jumped to a record high of around $109,000 according to crypto trading platform Coinbase.
On Friday, the incoming artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto tsar David Sacks held a “Crypto Ball” in Washington, DC.
Other cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin – which has been promoted by high-profile Trump supporter Elon Musk – have also risen sharply this year.
Under President Joe Biden, regulators cited concerns about fraud and money laundering as they cracked down on crypto companies by suing exchanges.
The growth of Dogecoin has significantly increased the interest in so-called “meme coins” – cryptocurrencies typically linked to a viral internet trend or moment.
Melania’s Meme coin has come from her own incorporated company MKT World LLC – a firm she has used since 2021 for various ventures including selling portraits of her as first lady.
Meme coins can be created and launched by anyone, and there are thousands in existence.
With their profile and social media presence, Trump coin and Melania coin have already entered the top 100 coins in terms of value, and Melania’s coin is now worth more than AI entrepreneur Sam Altman’s Worldcoin.
Crypto liquidations hit $1B over 24 hours as Bitcoin plummets
Bitcoin lost more than 6% in a fall from its intraday high of $106,300 to around $99,700 on Jan. 19.
The move mirrored a market rout on Jan. 7 that resulted in Bitcoin dropping by a similar amount in a matter of hours in a pullback that lasted a week and ended up with Bitcoin bottoming at just over $90,000 by Jan. 13.
Crypto trader “Bluntz” commented on X that there were “top signs everywhere.”
“I think we’re at the stage in the cycle where it would be prudent to take some chips off the table,” they added.
Altcoins were a sea of red at the time of writing, with ETH falling more than 5% to an intraday low of $3,150.
Ether does, however, remain within its month-long range-bound channel, having failed to mirror Bitcoin’s move over the past week.
XLM$0.4153
all saw double-digit declines over the past day.
Related: Donald Trump’s memecoin drops 38% as wife Melania launches token
The hype over Donald Trump’s memecoin, launched over the weekend, appears to have burst, with token dumping more than 40% in a matter of hours on Jan. 20, after surging to over $70 billion in fully diluted valuation the previous day.
Its fall came after the incoming US president’s wife, Melania Trump, launched her own namesake token, which hit a peak validation of over $13 billion just hours after launch on Jan. 19.
Bitcoin Will Surpass Gold as Governments Adopt It, Says Coinbase CEO
Speaking during a panel discussion, Armstrong argued that Bitcoin’s provable scarcity, portability, and divisibility make it a more practical and valuable asset. He predicted that governments will eventually allocate at least 1% of their reserves to Bitcoin, with the potential for those holdings to surpass gold reserves in the future.
“Bitcoin has demonstrated itself to be the best-performing asset over the past decade. As a store of value, it’s unmatched, and I believe governments will begin incorporating it into their reserves, starting small but growing significantly over time,” Armstrong remarked in a video shared on social media.
In an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Armstrong described the current moment as a turning point for the crypto industry, emphasizing the impact of having a pro-crypto administration in Washington, D.C. Reflecting on the past few years, he noted the challenges the industry faced under the previous government, including regulatory uncertainty and enforcement actions that targeted even legitimate businesses
“This feels like a fresh start for the industry. The energy among industry leaders is palpable, and there’s a collective optimism about moving forward with clear regulations. Over the past few years, it often felt like we were under attack, even as responsible actors trying to do things the right way. Now, with this new administration, the focus is on collaboration and clarity,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong’s comments reflect a broader sense of optimism within the crypto community as the industry seeks to push for clearer legislation, aiming to cement the United States as a leader in the digital asset space.
Bitcoin ETF inflows cool off as BTC slips back to $102k
Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the United States experienced a slowdown on Jan. 22 as BTC retraced back to around $102k.
According to data from SoSoValue, inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs dropped by 69% from the previous day, reaching $248.65 million on Wednesday. The entire inflows recorded on the day came from BlackRock’s IBIT which drew in $344.28 million from investors.
Grayscale’s GBTC recorded outflows of $47.93 million, while Bitwise’s BITB and ARK 21Shares’ ARKB added to the negative momentum, with investors withdrawing $34.67 million and $13.02 million from the funds, respectively.
The remaining BTC ETFs stood still on the day. Despite the dip in inflows, the spot Bitcoin funds extended their streak of inflows to four consecutive days, accumulating over $3.5 billion during this period.
Total trading volume for these investment products stood at $2.97 billion on the day while the cumulative total net inflows since launch day stood at $39.23 billion.
Notably, the slowdown in inflows into the investment products came along with Bitcoin
Bitcoin dipping 3% over the last 24 hours, exchanging hands at nearly $102k at press time.
Kadan Stadelmann, CTO of Komodo Platform, previously told crypto.news that Trump’s early days in office could become a “sell the news” event. He noted that initial optimism in the crypto markets following Donald Trump’s election might fade, as anticipated policy changes were likely already priced in before he assumed office.
Meanwhile, following his inauguration, President Trump’s newly appointed interim SEC chair, Mark Uyeda, took swift action by launching a crypto task force on Tuesday. The task force led by Commissioner Hester Peirce aims to establish a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for crypto assets.
Commenting on this development’s impact, Matt Mena, Crypto Research Strategist at 21Shares, told crypto.news that the newly established crypto task force, led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, could pave the way for the approval of a wider variety of crypto ETFs, including those linked to SOL, XRP, LTC, DOT, and DOGE.
Mena noted that the task force aims to “promote structured disclosure frameworks, practical registration paths, and enhanced regulator-industry engagement,” which could streamline the approval process for these crypto ETFs while creating a clearer path for broader crypto adoption
$TRUMP coin crashes 20% today; $MELANIA hits all-time low
United States of America President Donald Trump’s official cryptocurrency lost more than 20 per cent since yesterday amid the 78-year-old Republican leader becoming the 47th President on Monday, January 20.
Stock markets in the US opened higher on Tuesday as investors now eye President Donald Trump’s executive orders on energy and immigration while awaiting his trade policy.
Donald Trump made his White House comeback on Monday, January 20, when he took his oath indoors at the Capitol Rotunda due to the extremely cold temperature in Washington, D.C.
$TRUMP coin performance
As of January 21, the $TRUMP coin was trading 20 per cent lower as of 9:30 p.m. (IST) at $38.89, compared to its $48.94 levels on the previous day, according to data collected from CoinMarketCap.
Donald Trump’s official meme coin lost 21.28 per cent of its market capitalisation (MCap) in the period and is currently trading at $7.78 billion, compared to its $9.78 billion levels 24 hours ago.
However, unlike the $MELANIA, $TRUMP trades way over its all-time lows. The crypto hit its all-time high on January 19, 2025, at $75.35.
The crypto after its launch surged over 300 per cent as people were waiting for Donald Trump’s White House comeback.
$MELANIA coin performance
President Donald Trump’s wife also launched her own official meme coin as a sign of support from cryptocurrency investors for the newly formed government.
The $MELANIA has lost over 44 per cent and is currently trading at $4.28 as of 9:47 (IST) on Tuesday, January 21. The crypto meme coin has lost 44.41 per cent MCap and is currently at $822.69 million, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Melania Trump’s meme coin hit its all-time low on January 21 at $3.37 per cent. According to the data, the coin’s MCap is lower than the 1.73 billion mark 24 hours ago.
The motive behind launching this meme coin as an expression of support for the Donald Trump administration seems clear amongst crypto investors, but this still remains an extremely volatile asset class. Considering the general volatility of the crypto market, investments should be made after careful consideration, exercising caution, and sound financial advice.
