TLDR:

• Aster Chain reached 100 million blocks in under two months, driven by a 50-millisecond block production time. 
• Aster DEX has recorded over $4.49 trillion in total trading volume with 16 million registered users. 
• The network processes all transactions in a fast, private, and completely gas-free on-chain environment. 
• Staking is now live on Aster Chain, with on-chain governance and RWA perp expansion coming very soon. 

Aster Chain has reached 100 million blocks just two months after its Mainnet launch. The Layer 1 network, built exclusively for derivatives trading, operates at a block time of about 50 milliseconds.

That speed allows it to generate tens of thousands of blocks every hour. The milestone reflects strong real-world activity and growing overall adoption since the network first went live.

Speed and Infrastructure Behind the 100 Million Block Milestone

Aster Chain’s block production pace is among the fastest recorded on any Layer 1 network in operation today. At 50 milliseconds per block, the chain processes transactions at a rate that very few blockchain networks can match.

This level of throughput is validated by the 100 million blocks confirmed in under 60 days. Reaching that mark in such a short window shows that the network is handling genuine and consistent transaction load.

All transactions are processed on the network in a fast, private, and gas-free environment. This structure removes the friction typically found in high-frequency trading on most Layer 1 platforms.

Derivatives traders benefit directly from this model, as speed and cost matter most in their daily activity. The chain was built with those specific requirements in mind from the ground up.

A post by @davidbnb68 on X described the milestone and credited the chain’s architecture for enabling it. The post noted that the 100 million block count reflects extremely high block production speed and real-world activity.

It further identified Aster Chain as the core platform behind fast, private, and gas-free transaction processing. The post also pointed out that traders and ASTER holders are paying close attention to developments.

Aster DEX Growth and the Road Ahead for Token Holders

Aster DEX has surpassed 16 million users since launching on the Aster Chain network. Total trading volume on the platform has exceeded 4.49 trillion USD.

Open interest currently sits at approximately 2.1 billion USD. These metrics reflect a steady and active level of participation from traders across the market.

The platform’s gas-free and privacy-focused model has helped position it alongside top perpetual DEXs globally. Aster DEX routes all trades through Aster Chain, giving it a speed and cost advantage over platforms on slower networks. This setup has contributed to consistent volume growth in a relatively short period of time.

Staking is now live on the network, and on-chain governance features are expected to follow soon. The roadmap also covers smart-money tools and expansion into RWA and stock perpetual markets.

ASTER token holders now have an early chance to stake ahead of governance going live. These features are set to add more utility to the ecosystem for both active traders and long-term holders.

U.S. voters placed cryptocurrencies toward the bottom of a list of their highest priorities for the upcoming midterm election.

Just 1% of respondents said they ranked crypto as their top concern, according to a survey of 1,000 randomly selected registered U.S. voters, though other responses revealed a wider view of the technology as an important political issue.

The survey was conducted near the end of April by Public Opinion Strategies on CoinDesk’s behalf, as part of CoinDesk’s coverage of the 2026 U.S. midterm election. The survey was evenly split between Republican and Democrat respondents (41% of respondents identified with each party to some degree), with a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.53%.

Crypto won’t be on the ballot this year, but the industry still has a vested interest in who wins. The market structure bill, one of the most important pieces of legislation, is seen as the top priority for crypto. Though the bill known as the Clarity Act still has a path to becoming a law before the end of the year, it’s taken far more time than expected and still needs to clear a number of hurdles. Other bills, including expected tax reform legislation, will likely end up before Congress in the coming months. Ahead of the election, the crypto industry has dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars intended to support friendly candidates, after being the single largest donor industry in the 2024 election.

This article is part of a CoinDesk series on voters’ views for the 2026 midterm election.

As of press time, the most likely outcome of the 2026 election is that Democrats will become the majority party in the House of Representatives, while the Senate is more likely to remain dominated by Republicans. A generic question in POS’s poll for CoinDesk about whether voters would choose the Republican or Democrat candidate gave a slight edge to Democrats (44% to 41%); this +3 margin is roughly in line with a number of other polls, according to a tracker hosted by The New York Times.

Prediction market provider Kalshi has the Senate at an even split. But Democrats have a much tougher road to picking up a majority there, Cook Political Report said in April.

This poll also showed U.S. President Donald Trump with a net negative approval rating, with 40% of respondents saying they somewhat or strongly approved of his performance, while 60% disapproved.

And unsurprisingly, respondents said the cost of living (36%), jobs and the economy (13%), and Social Security and Medicare (11%) were their single most important issues. Other issues, such as immigration and border security, healthcare, national security, government spending and more, all saw single-digit percentage responses. Crypto ranked at the bottom, largely among voters leaning toward the Republican Party. Artificial intelligence came in just a smidge higher, with 2% of respondents calling it their single most important issue.

Views on crypto

Crypto itself does not enjoy a favorable image among the survey respondents. While participants who leaned toward the GOP had a slightly more favorable view of cryptocurrency than unfavorable (41% to 39%), base GOP (33% to 39%), independents (27% to 48%), Dem-leaning voters (26% to 54%) and base Dems (25% to 58%) all had a more unfavorable view.

Just over a quarter of participants (27%) said they had invested, traded or used a cryptocurrency, while another 27% said they haven’t but might one day. Of those who had invested, 2% currently have over $10,000 worth of digital assets, 9% said they owned between $1,001 and $10,000 and 12% said they had $1,000 or less in crypto.

In terms of the November election, 49% of participants who said they were “much more interested” in this year’s election than in the 2022 election said they owned $1,000 or more worth of crypto.

According to the data, 47% of respondents said Republicans were more supportive of cryptocurrencies, compared to just 14% who said the same about Democrats. These figures don’t necessarily indicate whether respondents saw that as a good thing, however. Interestingly, Democrats maintained a slight edge in voter trust in crypto, with 27% of respondents saying they trusted the party, compared with 25% who said they trusted Republicans more. A greater proportion of respondents — 40% — said they didn’t trust either party.

Roughly 40% of respondents also said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who shared their views on crypto, though the survey did not ask whether this was tied to positive or negative views of crypto.

Crypto also had lower favorability (30%) than Republicans (39%) or Democrats (43%). Meanwhile, DeFi — also known as finance on the blockchain — had 17% of respondents saying they had a favorable view, though only 60% of respondents overall said they’d even heard of it.

Artificial intelligence had rosier numbers — 46% of respondents had a favorable view, while 45% had an unfavorable view.

Despite all that — and in somewhat of a contradiction to not flagging crypto as their top issue — when asked directly how important crypto was for the 2026 election, 3% of respondents said it was the “single most” important issue, and a further 22% said it was an important issue. That represents a much higher awareness of digital assets than voters had several years ago.

CoinDesk will release data from this survey on Tuesday at Consensus Miami.

Cryptocurrency began in part as an answer to the missteps and abuses of banks during the 2008 financial crisis, but despite existing almost two decades and capturing wide attention, the public hasn’t been sold on that point and still favors the traditional financial system for their financial access, according to new polling commissioned by CoinDesk.

When asked which they trusted more between banks and crypto when it came to financial inclusion, 65% of respondents to an online survey said banks and only 5% favored crypto. Though slightly more than half (52%) agree that the movement is more than a passing fad, 60% think crypto will be a mostly negative force in the economy.

That’s according to 1,000 randomly selected U.S. voters surveyed last week by research firm Public Opinion Strategies. The survey is meant to get a snapshot of public sentiment as crypto and artificial intelligence issues wind their way through Congress, federal regulators and the political campaigns that are steaming toward this year’s congressional midterm elections.

This article is part of a CoinDesk series on voters’ views for the 2026 midterm election.

The sense that banks are safer than crypto comes at a delicate time for the industry, when its lobbyists have been fighting with the bank industry over the crypto sector’s most important policy hope: the Senate’s Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Banks have argued that stablecoin rewards could compete directly with their own interest-bearing deposit accounts and threaten a migration that could strangle U.S. lending. So far, their argument stalled the Clarity Act for months, though the latest signs suggest the bill may start moving again in the coming days.

Despite some public distrust, crypto has come a long way in a short time to insert itself into the financial life and culture of the U.S. About one in four people say they’ve invested in crypto (27%), though most of them got in at least a few years ago and only 2% say they have more than $10,000 in digital assets.

Whatever information the public is consuming about the industry doesn’t seem to be helping lift their view, with more than half (53%) getting a less favorable impression of the industry in recent news coverage. When they think about crypto, those who like it gravitate most toward the concept of its profitability while those who distrust it focus on the scams associated with the sector.

About 46% of people don’t have anything to do with crypto and say they don’t want to, though that leaves 27% who haven’t yet invested and say they might be open to it. The negative views are most likely to be held by people older than 45, with a sharp rise in distrust the older they get. Males, Republicans and minority groups share the most consistent affinity for crypto, according to the data.

The AI question

Like crypto, AI also gets a heap of distrust from older respondents, though younger people’s views are pretty mixed.

Overall, 55% think the risks of AI technology outweigh its benefits. But the younger demographics, males and Republicans are all a bit more likely to support the advances, as they do in digital assets. And owners of crypto are also much more likely to support the benefits of AI, with 64% saying its pursuit is worth the risks.

While the corporate U.S. has embraced the use of AI in almost all aspects of their business, the new data on public perceptions reveals the negative perception gap that emerging technologies may need to overcome for mass acceptance. The crypto industry has pinned hopes on its eventual inclusion in the U.S. system of financial regulation to lend it wider acceptance and give more comfort to holdouts who worry about its oversight. But that process depends on a sharply divided Congress and the sedate timeline of federal regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Still, key regulators appointed by crypto-cheering President Donald Trump have pledged to move as quickly as possible to bring digital assets into the mainstream. And key senators have suggested the Clarity Act will finally get the hearing it needs in May, keeping it potentially viable for 2026 passage.

CoinDesk will release data from this survey on Tuesday at Consensus Miami.

The New York Stock Exchange has filed a rule change with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to allow tokenized versions of eligible securities to trade on its market. 

The filing adds to a wider push by major exchanges to bring blockchain-based settlement into regulated market systems.

The SEC notice shows that NYSE filed the proposed rule change on April 9. The filing would adopt Rule 7.50 and amend several exchange rules to allow securities to trade in tokenized form during a Depository Trust Company pilot program.

The DTC pilot would run for three years under a December 2025 SEC staff no-action letter. The SEC issued the NYSE notice on April 17, and public comments are due by May 13.

Tokenized shares would keep the same rights

Under the proposal, tokenized securities must remain equal to their traditional versions. They must share the same CUSIP number, ticker, rights, and privileges as the regular security.

The exchange said tokenized securities would trade on the same order book and follow the same execution priority rules. The filing states that a tokenized security must give holders the same rights to dividends, voting, and residual assets as the traditional share.

Moreover, the NYSE proposal does not create a separate crypto-style venue for stock trading. Instead, eligible members would enter orders through the exchange and choose instructions for DTC to clear and settle the trade in tokenized form.

The filing says tokenized securities can trade within the current national market system. NYSE also said it is “assessing various methods of tokenization” and would file new proposals if it chooses another method outside the DTC approach.

Broader tokenization push reaches SEC

NYSE’s filing follows similar movement from Nasdaq, which recently amended its rules to allow tokenized securities trading during the DTC pilot. The NYSE filing says its proposal is based on Nasdaq’s approved rule structure.

A separate NYSE Arca filing also drew attention in crypto markets after naming XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana as assets that could qualify under proposed commodity trust listing standards. Crypto.news reported that the XRP filing does not formally classify XRP as a commodity under federal law.

The two filings point to growing interest in tokenization across both traditional securities and crypto-linked products. However, the NYSE tokenized securities rule focuses on regulated equities and exchange-traded products, not new digital tokens.

Most voters in the U.S. aren’t comfortable with President Donald Trump’s hand on the wheel of crypto industry oversight, with 62% saying they don’t trust his administration on that point, according to a survey commissioned by CoinDesk.

After the previous administration’s heavy hand on crypto, Trump’s promise to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world” reignited hopes in the sector. The president has deployed his White House to pave a wide road toward friendly crypto regulation. His administration named a high-profile crypto czar, issued executive orders to map out an industry agenda, named regulators who vowed to support friendly new rules and shepherded legislation to create the first major U.S. crypto law.

However, the polling trend seems to show that Trump’s broader political popularity beyond crypto has steadily waned, and his approval rating among U.S. voters is sinking, with this latest polling putting it at 40%.

This article is part of a CoinDesk series on voters’ views for the 2026 midterm election.

Almost half of the respondents (45%) are also aware that the president and his family have built a profitable personal stake in the crypto industry, which includes partial ownership and control of World Liberty Financial and other digital assets interests. The poll revealed that 73% of the public opposes its senior government officials — without identifying any in particular — having personal business dealings in the industry.

While Republicans are the most flexible on that point, a strong majority of 59% of GOP voters also can’t stomach those kinds of ties.

However, most people don’t know the extent of Trump’s financial involvement, with only 17% of those polled being aware that he and his sons backed the launch of World Liberty. Though the Trumps have many irons in crypto fires, World Liberty has drawn special attention for a number of potential conflicts and controversies.

The online survey conducted last week was split evenly between voters who supported Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris in the last presidential election, so a large majority of respondents doubting his administration’s crypto capabilities would seem to demonstrate a shift since 2024 in the sentiment of some of Trump’s voters.

The White House didn’t respond to requests for comment, but a spokesman for World Liberty responded to the polling data with a statement that Trump “pledged to make the United States the crypto capital of the world, and World Liberty wholeheartedly supports this vision.”

“The president has continually delivered on his promise to ensure that one of the most important technological breakthroughs of the century develops and thrives in America,” the company spokesman said.

Apart from people’s thoughts on Trump and government officials’ involvement in crypto, the survey of 1,000 registered voters performed by research firm Public Opinion Strategies delved into perceptions of crypto and the voters’ intentions in this year’s elections, revealing that most retain a distrust — or at best an uncertainty — about cryptocurrencies and their place in the economy and politics. The snapshot of public opinion carries a “credibility interval” of about 3.5%, representing the statistical uncertainty of the survey’s results.

The crypto industry has had a delicate relationship with the president, rejoicing at his regulatory appointments and policy choices, but having to quietly weather his own business involvement in the sector, which brought a host of challenges in lobbying for crypto legislation. The crypto world’s biggest aim in Washington is to get a new law that formalizes U.S. regulation of the industry, but Trump’s political opponents argue it benefits his own interests. The current effort is known as the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, and while Trump’s White House has been one of its major boosters, his own crypto ties may get in the way.

The Clarity Act has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives and remains a few steps away in the Senate, but one of the last sticking points is a Democratic request that it should include a ban on the kind of personal crypto ties that CoinDesk’s poll revealed most people oppose. The provision to halt senior officials from crypto interests clearly had Trump in mind when the lawmakers called for it, and the bipartisan talks over its potential form have stretched across months and have included back-and-forth exchanges of language ideas in recent days.

In previous attempts, White House officials have said they won’t stand for a bill that targets the president or his family members. It’s unclear how the final version will avoid affecting Trump while also living up to Democrats’ expectations that it prevents government conflicts of interest.

The bill will need plenty of Democrats if it’s expected to eventually win the 60 votes typically required for legislation to get Senate approval.

Last weekend, President Trump spoke at an event for a few hundred of the top investors in his self-branded memecoin $TRUMP. There, he assured the crowd that the U.S. is the “leader in crypto.” He also told them the assets have “become mainstream.”

According to the CoinDesk survey, the industry has only become a regular part of the lives of a small segment of the population — not quite mainstream. And most haven’t embraced the industry’s most important political booster, Trump, as an industry watchdog they’re ready to trust.

CoinDesk will release data from this survey on Tuesday at Consensus Miami.

Quick Summary

• AMD releases quarterly results Tuesday with emphasis on AI accelerator sales and data-center performance
• Apple exceeded Q2 projections and authorized $100 billion in stock repurchases, testing ability to maintain momentum
• Broadcom continues as leading AI infrastructure investment linked to specialized chips and data-center expansion
• Disney announces results Wednesday with attention on streaming profitability and theme park revenue
• Roblox reduced full-year bookings guidance following safety implementations that impacted user engagement and daily active user counts

The coming days feature an intensive lineup of corporate earnings and market-moving events. Five companies emerge as particularly significant for investor focus: AMD, Apple, Broadcom, Disney, and Roblox.

Advanced Micro Devices

AMD releases quarterly financial results following Tuesday’s closing bell on May 5. Management projected approximately $9.8 billion in first-quarter revenue, representing substantial annual growth.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., AMD

Market participants seek evidence of momentum in artificial intelligence processors and data-center sales. Scrutiny will also focus on profit margins and competitive positioning against Nvidia in the GPU accelerator space.

The share price faces potential volatility depending on outcomes. Robust AI chip projections would bolster optimistic scenarios. Disappointing commentary regarding demand trends or margin pressure would likely trigger selling.

Apple

Apple has already disclosed second fiscal quarter performance. The technology leader delivered $111.18 billion in revenue alongside $2.01 per share in earnings, surpassing Wall Street expectations.

Apple Inc., AAPL

Management greenlit $100 billion for stock repurchases. iPhone and Mac sales exceeded forecasts, alleviating worries about growth deceleration.

This week’s question centers on whether the stock can preserve its post-announcement rally as the market weighs future trajectory.

Broadcom

Broadcom has established itself among the market’s favored AI infrastructure investments. The company maintains significant exposure to application-specific integrated circuits, networking equipment, and data-center infrastructure.

Investors monitor the stock as an indicator for overall AI capital expenditure patterns, alongside Nvidia and AMD. The firm occupies a strategic position in demonstrating that AI investment translates into tangible revenue growth.

Consumer-Focused Companies Under Scrutiny

Disney

Disney unveils second fiscal quarter performance on Wednesday, May 6. Critical metrics include streaming segment profitability, theme park attendance trends, and advertising income.

Parks data will reveal whether discretionary spending on entertainment experiences remains healthy. Streaming margins will indicate success of operational efficiency initiatives and pricing adjustments.

Share price reaction could swing significantly based on reported figures.

Roblox

Roblox lowered its annual bookings projection after implementing enhanced safety protocols and age-verification systems that constrained user expansion. Daily active user metrics also fell short of analyst estimates.

Stock value plummeted following the announcement, as reported by Reuters. The gaming platform prioritizes protecting younger audiences, but these protective measures create obstacles that diminish user engagement.

Market observers await signals of stabilization following this week’s sharp decline.

Concluding Analysis

These five equities encapsulate dominant market narratives presently shaping investor decisions. AMD and Broadcom represent the AI hardware revolution. Apple exemplifies large-capitalization reliability and shareholder capital allocation.

Disney reflects consumer discretionary strength and entertainment industry economics. Roblox illustrates the tension when platforms emphasize user protection over immediate revenue optimization.

Roblox equity experienced substantial decline after management reduced annual bookings expectations, with Reuters documenting the selloff triggered by disappointing daily active user performance.

The ethereum price fell 4% this week as validators pulled staking rewards amid market pressure, and the same rotation pushing capital out of ETH is flowing into presales with confirmed listings. Large wallets are repositioning in a pattern that matches every cycle before a breakout.

That pressure is creating a window for projects with real products underneath, and Pepeto stands at the front. With a Binance listing approaching, Pepeto crossed $9.7 million in presale funding, a former Binance expert leading the build, and analysts calling for 100x after launch.

Ethereum validators pulled more than 200,000 ETH in withdrawals over the past five days, according to CoinDesk. The move followed the Pectra upgrade going live, which opened new withdrawal options and triggered selling on the ethereum price.

CoinGlass data shows ETH liquidations hit $180 million in 48 hours as long positions got wiped below $2,900. The weakness is pushing capital into early stage projects where upside is not capped by a $300 billion market cap, and presale tokens with confirmed listings carry the most momentum.

Ethereum, Pepeto, and Where Capital Flows After the Dip

Pepeto: The Presale Gaining From Large Cap Pressure

That pressure on large caps is exactly where presale entries gain their edge, and one project already cleared $9.7 million before trading begins. Pepeto sits at the center of that rotation, with a former Binance expert building an exchange that runs on zero fee trading and cross chain transfers.

The same 420 trillion token supply that carried Pepe to $11 billion sits behind Pepeto, but this time a working exchange backs every token from the start.

Analysts see 100x or higher once the Binance listing goes live, and the difference between Pepeto and every other presale token is that the exchange tools already work. The entire platform was built by a team that includes someone who worked inside Binance, and every product protects the holder’s capital before a single trade happens. PepetoSwap removes fees from every trade so nothing gets skimmed from profits, and the cross chain bridge moves tokens between networks at zero cost so holders never pay to reposition.

While ETH whales pull rewards and move capital sideways, the wallets entering Pepeto grow daily because the presale is the one place where retail enters at the same price as the biggest buyers. Pepeto crossed $9.7 million at $0.0000001864, and staking rewards at 176% APY keep tokens locked, the kind of commitment that only appears before a major listing. Add the SolidProof audit that cleared every contract, the cofounder who built the original Pepe coin, and a Binance listing on the calendar, and the ethereum price correction is handing this presale the attention it earned.

ETH Forecast: Where Does the Price Go From $2,313

ETH is trading near $2,313 according to CoinMarketCap, down over the past week after the Pectra upgrade triggered validator withdrawals. The ethereum price has struggled to reclaim $3,000 since late April, and selling from unlocked staking rewards adds weight to each recovery attempt.

Analysts at The Block see $3,200 as the next target if ETH holds $2,700 support through May. Below that, $2,400 becomes the next major floor. Whale wallets holding more than 10,000 ETH have not cut their positions despite the dip, which matches the accumulation pattern that preceded the run from $1,800 to $4,000 in late 2023.

The ethereum price forecast depends on whether institutional buyers step in once the withdrawal wave settles, and a close above $3,000 would confirm the reversal.

Final Takeaway

Watching the ethereum price correct while Pepeto crosses $9.7 million mirrors the setup that turned early ETH holders into millionaires. Those holders turned a few thousand dollars into generational wealth, and every one of them wishes they had bought more at the start.

The same setup is forming around Pepeto, and the Pepeto official website shows capital flowing in before the listing delivers returns that transform presale entries into the biggest positions of the cycle. Securing the entry now captures the upside, and waiting means becoming the person wishing they had acted while the window was open.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

How does the Pectra upgrade affect the ethereum price?

The upgrade unlocked validator withdrawals that pushed over 200,000 ETH into the market, creating short term selling pressure on the ethereum price below $3,000.

What are the ETH price targets for 2026?

ETH targets $3,200 if $2,700 support holds, with a breakout above $3,000 confirming the reversal. Below $2,700 the next floor sits near $2,400.

Why are analysts watching Pepeto right now?

Pepeto raised over $9.7 million with a Binance listing approaching and a working exchange already live. The Pepeto official website shows the presale still open at pre listing price.

Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

In the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, industry groups aligned with crypto and artificial intelligence are channeling tens of millions of dollars into political committees, even as a new survey indicates broad skepticism among Americans toward both sectors. According to an April 2026 poll conducted by Public First for Politico, 45% of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, and 44% believe AI is developing too fast. The survey also found that nearly half of respondents trust traditional banks more than crypto platforms, and two-thirds want Congress to impose strict regulations or broad oversight on AI.

The findings pose a regulatory and political challenge for candidates accepting money from industry-aligned super PACs. In hypothetical matchups, respondents were notably less likely to back candidates supported by groups pushing looser AI regulations than those backed by groups advocating tighter tech rules. The report warned that public skepticism could translate into voter backlash if Americans grow weary of heavy industry spending.

The poll sampled 2,035 U.S. adults online between April 11 and 14, 2026, with results weighted for age, race, gender, geography and education. The margin of sampling error was ±2.2 percentage points. Source: Politico via Public First.

Key takeaways

• Crypto investments: 45% say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk.
• AI development: 44% think AI is developing too fast.
• Trust in institutions: nearly 50% favor traditional banks over crypto platforms.
• Regulatory preference: about 66% want Congress to impose strict regulations or broad oversight on AI.
• Electoral impact of funding: voters favor candidates backed by groups backing tighter AI rules over those backed by groups seeking looser regulation.
• Awareness gap: a minority of voters are aware of industry-aligned PACs, signaling potential rapid shifts if voters connect donor ties to industries.
• Sample size and rigor: the survey encompassed 2,035 online adults with a ±2.2-point margin of error.

AI and crypto in the campaign finance landscape

Industry-aligned political action committees are deploying substantial funds to influence primaries and general election outcomes. Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC launched in August 2025, has raised more than $75 million and has deployed resources across primaries in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and New York. Fairshake, the pro-crypto PAC backed by major industry players including Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz and Ripple Labs, has already spent about $28 million across competitive races.

Beyond direct contributions, lobbying activity underscores intensifying policy work. OpenAI and Anthropic reported record lobbying expenditures in the first quarter of 2026 as AI policy became a central congressional agenda item. In the crypto policy arena, industry advocates are pressing the CLARITY Act in the U.S. Senate, a measure aimed at providing regulatory clarity for digital assets and their market structure.

The policy milieu includes a historical thread of industry influence on legislation. For instance, Fairshake-linked activity in 2024 contributed to efforts that helped defeat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a noted crypto skeptic who is stating a run for office again. This context highlights how PAC funding intersects with regulatory narratives and election outcomes. Cointelegraph has previously reported on the crypto policy agenda and regulatory proposals such as the CLARITY Act, which lawmakers have discussed as a pathway to clearer market rules.

Public awareness and potential electoral implications

Despite the notable sums behind AI and crypto advocacy, public recognition of these groups remains low. Polling showed that only about 9% of respondents have heard of the Leading the Future AI PAC, and roughly 3% recognize Fairshake. Observers cited by Politico noted that once voters connect the money to the industries behind it, backlash could be swift and meaningful.

Former Ohio Representative Jim Renacci, quoted by Politico, suggested that voters may view candidates backed by crypto fundraising as a political liability once donor affiliations are understood. This dynamic underscores how campaign finance transparency and regulatory narratives can influence electoral perceptions, independent of the underlying technology’s merits.

The policy conversation surrounding these factions sits within a broader regulatory framework that includes U.S. and global considerations. While the EU’s MiCA framework seeks harmonized rules for crypto markets, U.S. regulators—led by agencies such as the SEC, CFTC and DOJ—continue to refine guidance on registration, compliance, customer due diligence (AML/KYC) and licensing requirements. The ongoing lobbying and proposed statutes like the CLARITY Act demonstrate the high-stakes contest over how digital assets and AI-enabled services will be overseen in a rapidly evolving market structure.

Looking ahead, the convergence of public sentiment, policy proposals and campaign finance will shape how crypto and AI ecosystems interact with traditional financial systems and regulators. For institutions, this means heightened attention to compliance risk, licensing trajectories, and cross-border regulatory differences as lawmakers weigh stricter oversight against innovation and capital formation.

In the near term, observers will watch for clarity on how AI oversight and crypto market rules are harmonized at the legislative level, how regulators define permissible activities for crypto platforms and AI-assisted services, and how political fundraising disclosures influence voter trust and candidate viability in key battleground districts.

What to watch next: the trajectory of the CLARITY Act in the Senate, ongoing lobbying activity from AI and crypto interests, and the potential for voter backlash as campaign finance visibility increases. These developments will inform institutional risk assessments, regulatory monitoring programs, and compliance planning across crypto firms, exchanges and financial entities engaged in AI-enabled services.

Reuters’ in-depth examination casts a revealing light on Nobitex, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, and the powerful family behind its emergence. The investigation traces Nobitex to Ali and Mohammad Kharrazi, two brothers who operated under the alias “Aghamir” to obscure links to the Kharrazi dynasty, a lineage with longstanding proximity to Iran’s political leadership. The findings place Nobitex at the heart of Iran’s crypto activity while raising questions about governance, influence, and the broader sanction landscape surrounding Iran’s financial footprint in digital assets.

The Kharrazi family’s proximity to the country’s leadership stretches across generations. Reuters reports ties that reach Ali Khamenei and Mojtaba Khamenei, with the brothers’ grandfather said to have served on the Assembly of Experts, and their father, Ayatollah Bagher Kharrazi, linked to early staffing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The brothers’ use of an alternate surname in corporate records illustrates how entrenched networks can intersect with Iran’s burgeoning crypto economy, even as Nobitex positions itself as a gateway for millions of users navigating a sanctions-ridden financial landscape.

Key takeaways

• Nobitex’s founders reportedly used the alias “Aghamir” to mask ties to the Kharrazi dynasty, a lineage with deep political connections in Iran, according to a Reuters investigation.
• The exchange remains operational amid ongoing conflict, serving more than 11 million customers and handling substantial trade activity, including during internet blackouts, with analysts noting significant on-chain outflows.
• On-chain analytics identify substantial flows linked to sanctioned entities and centralized bank activity, with Elliptic estimating about $366 million in suspect transfers, Chainalysis about $68 million, and Crystal Intelligence about $22 million in direct transfers from sanctioned wallets.
• Investigators have noted that wallets tied to Iran’s central bank sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Nobitex in 2025, as part of a broader strategy to bypass financial restrictions, alongside a separate dispute that surfaced $20 million in routed state funds via Babak Zanjani’s wallets.
• The United States has intensified its Iran-focused crypto crackdown, with seizures approaching half a billion dollars in Iranian digital assets, a development Cointelegraph characterizes as a major escalation in Operation Economic Fury, and with Tether reportedly assisting in freezing some of the assets.

Nobitex’s role in Iran’s evolving crypto economy

Nobitex is described by Reuters as Iran’s biggest crypto exchange and a dominant conduit for crypto activity in the country. The platform reportedly serves a user base exceeding 11 million, illustrating how a single marketplace can anchor a large portion of Iran’s on-chain financial activity even as the country navigates sanctions and international scrutiny. Analysts cited by Reuters noted that Nobitex continued to operate through wartime disruptions, including nationwide internet outages, underscoring the exchange’s centrality to everyday crypto use in Iran during periods of heightened conflict.

Beyond sheer volume, the article highlights a paradox at the heart of Iran’s crypto environment: while Nobitex supports ordinary users, its activity has drawn scrutiny over possible links to sanctioned entities. Investigators cited by Reuters describe a spectrum of on-chain movements that appear to intersect with Iranian state interests and sanctioned actors, raising questions about how the exchange is governed and how it manages compliance with international sanctions regimes.

Where the data points to on-chain flows

The analysis of on-chain activity presents a bifurcated picture. On one side are the volumes associated with regular citizens and legitimate commerce; on the other are flows that analysts label as suspect or high-risk. Elliptic’s assessment flagged roughly $366 million in flows deemed suspect, while Chainalysis placed the figure at about $68 million. Crystal Intelligence identified around $22 million in direct transfers from sanctioned wallets. While these figures reflect different methodologies and timeframes, they collectively sketch a landscape in which Nobitex sits at a nexus of sanction risk and international enforcement attention.

In addition to sanction-related movements, Reuters cites findings about Iranian central-bank wallets engaging with Nobitex, with reports suggesting hundreds of millions of dollars moved to the exchange in 2025. A separate dispute involving businessman Babak Zanjani exposed wallet addresses that analysts say revealed at least $20 million in routed state funds. Taken together, these points underscore the degree to which Nobitex sits at the intersection of political economy, financial sanctions, and the security considerations that come with a high-volume crypto exchange operating within a tense geopolitical environment.

Nobitex has publicly denied formal ties to the Iranian government, arguing that illicit transactions constitute a small share of its overall activity. The exchange’s stance reflects a common tension in sanctioned markets: while platforms may operate commercially and serve ordinary users, the boundaries of acceptable activity are contested and subject to ongoing enforcement scrutiny.

Crackdowns beyond borders: the U.S. sanctions regime and seizures

Cointelegraph has reported that U.S. authorities have seized nearly $500 million in cryptocurrency linked to Iran, marking a pronounced escalation of enforcement under a campaign known as Operation Economic Fury. This sum sits alongside previously disclosed totals, including about $344 million in frozen assets, with the stablecoin issuer Tether said to have assisted in freezing portions of the funds. The mounting seizures illuminate a broader policy shift in which digital assets become a focal point of financial pressure aimed at constraining Iran’s access to the global financial system.

The seizures reflect a wider arc of U.S. policy that seeks to disrupt illicit finance channels tied to Iran. For market watchers, this intensifies the imperative for exchanges operating in or serving Iran to maintain robust sanctions screening and on-chain analytics capabilities, as well as transparent governance practices to reassure counterparties and regulators abroad.

What this means for investors, users, and the broader market

The Reuters profile of Nobitex, paired with the mounting enforcement actions described by Cointelegraph, highlights a dual reality for the crypto ecosystem in sanctioned environments. On one hand, crypto exchanges in Iran provide essential access to digital assets for millions of users, enabling remittances, trading, and cross-border transaction flows in a market beset by external financial pressure. On the other hand, the same activity invites intense scrutiny from international regulators and sanctions authorities, creating an environment in which governance, compliance, and traceability are as critical as the technology itself.

For investors and builders, the episode underscores several practical takeaways: the importance of transparent ownership structures and verifiable governance in high-risk markets; the need for rigorous on-chain analytics and sanctions screening to mitigate exposure to sanctioned flows; and the reality that geopolitical risk remains a material factor shaping liquidity, risk premiums, and regulatory trajectories in crypto ecosystems connected to Iran.

regulators and industry participants will be watching closely how Nobitex navigates these pressures going forward. The combination of elite political connections, persistent sanctions exposure, and a large user base means Nobitex sits at a crossroads – potentially catalyzing both greater adoption of crypto tools inside Iran and more disciplined, internationally aligned compliance practices demanded by global markets.

As the story unfolds, observers will be looking for three questions in particular: how Nobitex tightens governance and compliance to address sanction-related concerns; whether central-bank wallet activity remains a recurring channel of state-directed flows into the exchange; and how U.S. and allied sanctions policies evolve in response to the broader political economy of Iran’s crypto ecosystem.

Readers should stay tuned for updates on regulatory developments connected to Iran’s crypto landscape, the evolving relationship between Iranian financial authorities and domestic exchanges, and any shifts in on-chain flow patterns that might signal a new phase in enforcement or market adaptation.

Sources referenced in this report include a Reuters investigation detailing Nobitex’s founder ties and aliases, plus independent on-chain analyses cited by Reuters. For the enforcement context, Cointelegraph’s reporting on U.S. seizures and the broader Operation Economic Fury provides additional perspective on how sanctions policy intersects with crypto markets.