After being pardoned by President Trump, Ross Ulbricht tweeted for the first time in over 11 years, expressing gratitude for second chances and support, while his associated cryptocurrency token experienced a price drop following a three-month surge.

On Jan. 24, Ross Ulbricht made his appearance on X for the first time after 11 years in prison. Ross Ulbricht took to X to thank President Donald Trump, who fully pardoned his sentencing of life without parole and called the sentencing ‘Ridiculous.’

In the X post, Ulbricht emphasized the importance of ‘second chances’ and thanked all his supporters, saying “it is a victory, and it is your victory too.”

Ulbricht was the founder of the Silk Road darknet marketplace. Silk Road operated as a secret service on the Tor network and facilitated the anonymous buying and selling of illegal drugs as well as other goods using Bitcoin (BTC). 

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He was sentenced to life in 2015 after being convicted in a federal trial on multiple counts, including conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise, money laundering, and hacking of computers.

Ulbricht, whose X account was run by his wife until now, previously tweeted that he was not associated with any meme coin bearing his name. However, a cryptocurrency of a similar name was launched in Jun. 2024, which soared as high as $0.04243 on Jan. 22, 2025, the day Ulbricht was fully pardoned by the President.

The ROSS token has now seen a dip in its price after almost three months of being bullish, as per CoinMarketCap.

Does Ross Ulbricht have any crypto holdings to his name?

As reported by Fortune Crypto, Ross Ulbricht had over 144,000 BTCs when he got arrested. After his arrest, nearly $184 million was forfeited by the court, resulting in government auctions of the BTCs. The U.S. Marshals Service disposed of its BTCs in 2014 when the asset’s price crashed to $300. The auctions raised $48 million, a small percentage of the $14 billion they would be worth today. The FBI wallet that sold Ulbricht’s crypto now has a balance of nearly $129,000. 

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As of now, it looks like even as he is pardoned, Ulbricht is unlikely to recover his forfeited assets, as the law does not retroactively return property once the proceeds have been spent. 

Dear Ross,

All of us at Kraken want to make sure that after what you’ve been through, you’re able to land on your feet with the support of the community that loves you most, the ₿itcoin community.

That’s why we’ve donated $111,111 in $BTC to YOU

-Kraken pic.twitter.com/SCnZety71W

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— Kraken Exchange (@krakenfx) January 22, 2025

However, on Jan. 23, Kraken donated about $111,111 in BTC to Ulbricht to help him get off his feet now that he is a free man. 

Better Markets, a non-profit advocating for financial reform, has filed an Amicus brief supporting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in its ongoing legal battle with Ripple Labs.

The organization argues that a prior decision by the District Court for the Southern District of New York undermines investor protections.

Ripple’s Victory Under Scrutiny

In its brief, Better Markets claims that XRP qualifies as a security. The non-profit also asserted that the district court’s ruling weakened the Howey test, a cornerstone of U.S. securities laws, by narrowing the definition of “investment contracts.”

According to the organization, the court excluded many crypto transactions from regulations, potentially exposing investors to fraud. It claims that retail traders are at risk since the SEC now has a diminished capacity to protect less sophisticated investors from fraudulent schemes because of the court’s interpretation of the law.

Ripple won a partial victory against the SEC in a case the regulator brought against it, alleging the payments platform conducted an unregistered securities offering by selling XRP.

In that ruling, District Judge Analisa Torres declared the token was not a security when sold to retail investors on crypto exchanges. However, she found it violated securities laws when offered to institutional investors.

Legal Expert Dismisses Better Markets’ Action

Better Markets’ move comes just a week after the SEC formally appealed against Judge Torres’ ruling, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to overturn it. While the agency called the judge’s decision “factually and legally” wrong, Ripple’s top attorney, Stuart Alderoty, described the appeal as “a rehash of already failed arguments.”

The brief has sparked reactions from legal experts and the crypto community at large. Some have pointed out ties between the Better Markets CEO Denis Kelleher and the Biden administration, where he was part of the transition team, alleging bias.

Lawyer Jeremy Hogan has criticized the organization’s argument as lacking substance and failing to engage with the court’s finding.

“Better Market’s Amicus Brief was hard to read. Not because I don’t think this case will ever be ruled on by the appellate court, but because it COMPLETELY misses (or misconstrues?) what the Trial Judge ruled,” he said.

With payment firm Stripe’s recent $1.1 billion acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge.xyz sending shockwaves through the crypto payments sphere, attention is turning to the next generation of stablecoin payment infrastructure providers.

Among them is BlindPay, a 2024 Consensus hackathon winner and Y Combinator 2025 (W25) batch company that’s taking a distinct approach to the challenge of global payments (if you’d like to apply for the EasyA Hackathon at Consensus Hong Kong 2025, please go here).

While Bridge.xyz captured the U.S. and European markets with its enterprise-focused strategy, BlindPay is betting on emerging markets — particularly those in Latin America — as the key to widespread stablecoin adoption. This focus comes at a time when a16z crypto predicts increasing enterprise acceptance of stablecoins for payments, calling them “the cheapest way to send a dollar.”

“What differentiates us from Bridge is our focus on emerging markets,” says Bernardo Simonassi Moura, BlindPay’s 26-year-old CEO. “We already operate in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, and we have our compliance and regulations in place to onboard customers in those regions.”

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Unlike Bridge’s enterprise-centric model that relies on monthly commitment fees, BlindPay takes what Moura calls a “Shopify approach” of trying to democratize access to global payment rails for small and medium-sized businesses via a transaction-fee model. This strategy aligns with a16z’s prediction that small and medium-sized businesses will be among the first to embrace stablecoin payments in order to avoid the hefty transaction fees levied by traditional finance companies.

Since its launch in July, the approach has proven highly effective, with BlindPay securing 19 customers across gaming, payments, and DAOs, including notable names such as LootRush in gaming and Hifibridge and WalaPay in payments. Monthly payment volumes have grown from $30,000 at launch to over $300,000 recently, and Moura expects that figure to grow to $2.5 million by the addition of new customers.

BlindPay’s competitive advantage lies in its deep integration with Latin American markets, particularly Brazil, where crypto adoption ranks top ten globally, according to Chainlysis. In addition, Moura is focusing heavily on developer experience, drawing on his seven years of experience as a software engineer and product designer. “I always strive to bring the seamless and intuitive developer experience that platforms like Resend, Stripe, Ankey, SVX, and Clerk offer to the Web3 space,” he says.

The market opportunity

BlindPay’s potential market is substantial. The cross-border payment industry, currently dominated by SWIFT, processes approximately $33 trillion annually. Stablecoins, which moved $8.5 trillion in 2024, offer a compelling alternative. “If I want to send money from Brazil to Argentina using stablecoins, it takes 30 seconds, while SWIFT takes five business days,” Moura points out.

Looking ahead, BlindPay’s ambitions extend beyond stablecoin integrations. “We have a long-term strategy of leveraging our team’s fintech experience to launch banking-as-a-service features powered by stablecoins,” Moura says. To that end, the company plans to connect with card networks, enable stablecoin spending through card issuance and facilitate buying tokenized stocks from regulated regions.

With its four co-founders bringing experience from traditional fintech — including Silicon Valley’s Lending Club and Brazilian fintech unicorns — BlindPay is well positioned to bridge the gap between traditional finance and crypto-native solutions. As the stablecoin payment landscape evolves, their focus on emerging markets, developer-friendly infrastructure and developing a comprehensive stablecoin-powered banking ecosystem could prove to be a winning strategy in the race to revolutionize global payments.

Arbitrum, Avalanche, and Solana are gearing up for significant moves in 2025, with the emerging meme coin Catzilla also joining the ranks.

The crypto market is showing strong signs of recovery, bringing excitement and optimism among investors. Arbitrum (ARB), Avalanche (AVAX), and Solana (SOL) are catching attention with their potential for significant moves this year. As the market shifts, these cryptocurrencies stand out as intriguing prospects, sparking curiosity about their future paths and encouraging investors to explore their potential.

Catzilla: A new era in meme coins

Catzilla, the ultimate hero in the world of DeFi, is here to take on corrupt systems and promote financial opportunities for all. With a spirit of innovation and community, Catzilla aims to bring together crypto enthusiasts, meme fans, and investors in a collective pursuit of financial growth.

The project is committed to long-term value and growth. While others may offer empty promises, Catzilla seeks to provide substantial potential with a structured presale starting at $0.0002 and progressing to $0.0016 over 14 stages. Early participants are able to grab the CATZILLA token with an 88% discount.

The CATZILLA token offers multiple utilities to enhance the crypto experience:

1. Governance – Participate in shaping Catzilla’s future through community decisions.
2. Incentives – Earn rewards for engagement and support.
3. Staking – Hold and stake CATZILLA tokens to potentially earn passive income.

Catzilla aims to create a new environment for those eager to join a collaborative and transformative crypto community. For experienced investors, fans of memes, and those who enjoy combining fun with financial opportunities, Catzilla offers a platform where creativity meets potential.

Interested investors can be part of the CATZILLA movement via presale.

Arbitrum set for rebound

Arbitrum’s current price floats between $0.68 and $0.83 and has been falling over the last month. But with an RSI at 39.77, the coin is near oversold territory, suggesting a possible price rebound. 

The nearest resistance is just over $0.91, and breaking this could push ARB toward the $1.09 level, marking a potential growth of around 30% from its current range. Although recent months have seen declines, this sets up an interesting opportunity for those expecting a turnaround. Traders are keeping an eye on the support levels, especially $0.5457, as breaking this could signal further price drops.

AVAX eyes breakout

Avalanche is currently trading between $34.71 and $42.01. The coin has been on a declining trend, with a drop of close to 10% in the past week. However, a stronger long-term picture emerges with a 22% uptick over six months. 

Near-term, AVAX faces its first challenge at the resistance level of $45.75. The coin’s RSI level at 32.78 indicates it might be oversold, suggesting potential for a bounce. If momentum shifts, AVAX could break past the $45 mark and aim for the next significant level at $54.75. However, it should stay above the strong support line at $27.77 to sustain any upward move.

Solana’s path

Solana is battling within a tight price range of $213 to $294. The coin has shown promise with a 28% rise in the past month and over 33% growth in 6 months. Its nearest resistance sits at $320, a challenging but achievable target if momentum continues. 

The current RSI at 38 hints at potential upward movement from an oversold position. However, surpassing the $491 mark requires more steam. Solana’s current price is below its simple moving average, but the recent month’s positive change shows potential for a surge. If Solana can break the $320 barrier, it could see a significant increase, possibly over 40%.

Conclusion

While Arbitrum, Avalanche, and Solana show promise, their short-term potential is limited. In contrast, Catzilla emerges as the ultimate meme coin hero, offering a remarkable 700% ROI during its presale. With governance features, rewards for loyalty, and staking options, it looks to unite crypto enthusiasts, meme fans, and anime lovers in the quest for financial freedom.

For more information on Catzilla, visit their website, X, or Telegram News.

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