Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite ice-cream-named crypto enthusiast, Mochi, serving up today's hottest digital dish! Our plate is full of Trump-flavored crypto drama, from presidential pardons to memecoins that are making more noise than a blockchain conference afterparty. We've got privacy tech victories, stablecoin supremacy battles, and app store rankings doing the cha-cha! So grab your favorite beverage , settle into your comfiest chair, and let's dive into today's crypto feast!

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INTEL BRIEF

🟧 Trump grants full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, Silk Road's founder, after 12 years of imprisonment, fulfilling his campaign promise to the crypto community.

🟧 Tether (USDT) dominates European crypto banking platform Brighty with 85% of crypto deposits, but faces potential challenges due to MiCA regulations.

🟧 Crypto apps dominate Apple's US App Store finance rankings following Trump's memecoin launch, with platforms like Moonshot skyrocketing from 309th to 1st place.

🟧 US court overturns OFAC sanctions against Tornado Cash crypto mixer, marking a significant victory for privacy technology despite developer Alexey Pertsev remaining in custody.

Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht After 12 Years in Prison

Donald Trump has just granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the infamous Silk Road marketplace. After spending a whopping 12 years behind bars, Ulbricht is finally getting his freedom card punched.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, giving a shoutout to Ulbricht's mother and the Libertarian Movement for their support. He called the original sentence of 40 years plus two life sentences "ridiculous" - talk about harsh math even by crypto standards!

But here's where it gets interesting, folks! The timing of this pardon came with more plot twists than a crypto market crash. After pardoning about 1,500 people involved in the Capitol attack, Trump finally got around to Ulbricht's case, with a little nudge from Senator Rand Paul. It's like waiting for your Bitcoin transaction to confirm during peak network congestion - better late than never, right?

Now, why does the crypto community care so much? Well, Silk Road was basically the OG of Bitcoin adoption (though let's be clear, we're not endorsing its methods!). Back in 2011, when most people thought Bitcoin was just internet funny money, Silk Road was pioneering peer-to-peer BTC exchanges. Talk about being early to the party!

The cherry on top of this crypto sundae? Even while in prison, Ulbricht stayed active in the crypto community, recently warning folks about fake memecoins using his name. Now that's what I call commitment to the cause!

Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht after 12 years in prison, citing "ridiculous" original sentence

Crypto community celebrates, viewing Ulbricht as instrumental to early Bitcoin adoption

Senator Rand Paul's advocacy played a key role in securing the last-minute pardon

Tether USDT Becomes Top Payment Choice for European Crypto Salaries

Tether's USDT is absolutely crushing it in the European crypto banking scene, according to Brighty's latest report. We're talking an impressive 85% dominance of all crypto deposits - that's like being the Bitcoin of stablecoins, but with less drama in the price charts!

Most users are riding the Tron train with their USDT (TRC-20), making up 60% of all USDT transactions. Why? Because nobody likes paying high gas fees - it's like being charged extra for putting sprinkles on your ice cream, and who wants that? At least 70% of users agree, citing lower transaction fees as their main reason for jumping on the crypto payment bandwagon.

But hold onto your crypto wallets, because there's a plot twist! Enter MiCA, Europe's new crypto regulation framework, strutting in like a strict parent at a teenager's party. While Circle's USDC got its MiCA hall pass, Tether's playing hard to get with compliance. This could mean European crypto services might have to show USDT the door - talk about awkward!

Brighty's CTO, Nick Denisenko, is already predicting a "challenging transition to USDC", which is corporate speak for "this might be messier than dropping your ice cream cone on a hot summer day." Currently, USDC and Bitcoin are sharing the consolation prize with just 5% of deposits each.

USDT dominates with 85% of crypto deposits on Brighty's European platform

TRC-20 USDT leads with 60% of transactions due to lower fees

MiCA compliance issues could force a challenging transition from USDT to USDC in Europe

Trump Memecoin Launch Pushes Crypto Apps to US App Store Top Rankings

The crypto app scene is having its main character moment in the US App Store's finance category, and it's all thanks to a certain former president's dive into the memecoin pool. Crypto.com, Moonshot, and Coinbase are now sitting pretty at the top spots, like they're the cool kids' table of the financial app cafeteria.

The TRUMP token launch on January 18th turned the crypto world into more of a circus than a Wall Street trading floor. We're talking about a $14.5 billion market cap at its peak - that's enough zeros to make your calculator sweat! And just when you thought the plot couldn't thicken any further, First Lady Melania Trump joined the party with her own memecoin, casually hitting a $6 billion valuation.

The real MVP of this crypto soap opera? Moonshot app, which pulled off the ultimate glow-up story, climbing from 309th place to the throne of the finance category faster than you can mint a new token. Even DEX Screener got its moment in the spotlight, jumping from 102nd to 21st place - talk about a New Year's resolution that actually stuck!

The TRUMP token might actually be more than just another memecoin - it could be a digital mood ring for public sentiment towards the Trump administration. Now that's what I call taking "voting with your wallet" to a whole new level!

Crypto apps dominate US App Store finance rankings with Crypto.com, Moonshot, and Coinbase leading

TRUMP token hit $14.5B market cap, while Melania's token reached $6B in just two hours

Moonshot app skyrocketed from 309th to 1st place following Trump's memecoin launch

US Court Overturns Government Sanctions Against Tornado Cash Protocol

The US court system just dropped a bombshell bigger than your average crypto wallet recovery phrase: They've officially overturned the sanctions against Tornado Cash! This is like watching your favorite underdog crypto project finally moon after a brutal bear market.

OFAC originally slapped sanctions on Tornado Cash back in August 2022, claiming it was North Korea's favorite money-laundering spot (apparently, they washed a casual $455 million through it - talk about a heavy wash cycle!). This led to the arrest of developer Alexey Pertsev, who's currently serving a five-year and four-month sentence for his role in the $1.2 billion laundering fiesta.

But plot twist! Six Tornado Cash users said "not today, OFAC!" and filed an appeal, arguing that you can't exactly sanction immutable smart contracts because they're not "property" of any foreign entity.

The most ironic part? While Tornado Cash gets its redemption arc, poor Pertsev is still stuck in the slammer. His argument that he couldn't control how people used his code apparently didn't wash with the Dutch judges (pun absolutely intended).

The industry is now watching this space like a trader watches their leverage positions, hoping this ruling might help Pertsev's case and set new precedents for privacy tech development. Because let's face it, in crypto, privacy is like ice cream - everybody wants some, but nobody wants to get in trouble for having it!

US court overturns OFAC sanctions against Tornado Cash, ruling smart contracts can't be sanctioned as foreign property

Developer Pertsev remains in prison despite the sanctions reversal, serving 5+ years

Ruling could set precedent for future privacy-preserving crypto technologies

That's all for today's crypto rollercoaster, PoI family! What a wild ride it's been - from presidential pardons to privacy victories, we've covered more ground than a validator node checking transactions! Remember to keep your keys safe, your mind open, and your memes fresh. Until our next digital rendezvous, this is Mochi, your favorite crypto-loving ice cream, melting away!

P.S. Don't forget to share your thoughts, questions, and favorite crypto puns with us. very voice matters in the PoI community!

🍨📰 Catch you in the next issue! 📰🍨