Trump Media has accumulated roughly $2 billion in Bitcoin and related securities as part of its previously announced Bitcoin Treasury Plan, the company announced on Monday.
The holdings now account for about two thirds of Trump Media’s approximately $3 billion in liquid assets, it said. The company also said about $300 million in additional capital was allocated to an options acquisition strategy for related securities.
Trump Media, which owns the Truth Social media platform, said it plans to continue purchasing Bitcoin and related assets and convert its options into spot Bitcoin, depending on market conditions. The company will use the assets to potentially “acquire additional crypto assets”, it said.
“We're rigorously implementing our publicly announced strategy and fulfilling our Bitcoin Treasury Plan,” Trump Media president Devin Nunes said. “These assets help ensure our company's financial freedom, help protect us against discrimination by financial institutions, and will create synergies with the utility token we're planning to introduce across the Truth Social ecosphere.”
Shares in Trump Media rose 5.46 per cent to $19.67 per share following the announcement. The US President Donald Trump's media company had said in May that it plans to raise $2.5 billion to establish a Bitcoin treasury.
The price of Bitcoin has surged since Mr Trump took office in January. The cryptocurrency climbed above $123,000 for the first time last week in anticipation of a slate of crypto-friendly bills being passed by Congress.
The price of Bitcoin was trading 0.44 per cent higher at $118,958.86 as of 6.30pm UAE time. Bitcoin's gains extended to crypto-linked stocks on Monday, with shares in the crypto exchange Coinbase Global rising more than 3 per cent to $432.50. Circle Internet Group gained 0.4 per cent. The price of Ethereum also gained 1.75 per cent to $3,823.45.
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both hit new intraday highs after rising 0.6 and 0.7 per cent, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.54 per cent, or 241.03 points, to 44,583.22.
Leading industry optimism last week was the signing of the Genius Act, which would allow private companies to issue stablecoins. The ruling also establishes a regulatory framework for the stablecoin market.
The week, which has been dubbed “crypto week” by Republicans, marked the culmination of Washington's embracing of an industry that had clashed with former president Joe Biden's administration.
“The signing of the Genius Act into law marks an important milestone in the effort to bring regulatory clarity to crypto,” the Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner Hester Peirce said in a statement at the time. Ms Pierce also said the act would help the SEC give guidance on how registrants can use payment stablecoins.
World Liberty Financial, a crypto start-up backed by Mr Trump, previously launched its own dollar-pegged stablecoin with BitGo.
The House of Representatives last week also passed the Clarity Act, which is designed to help establish the roles of the SEC and Commodities Futures Trading Commission in overseeing crypto assets. The bill will now be considered in the Senate.
The House also passed the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, which blocks the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) without congressional approval. Unlike cryptocurrencies, a CBDC is issued and supported by a central bank.
The House Financial Services Committee chairman French Hill said the bill “safeguards the privacy of Americans by prohibiting the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency in the United States”.
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Desert Warrior
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Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
GAC GS8 Specs
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
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Company%20profile
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Specs
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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England XI for second Test
Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, Ben Stokes, Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (wk), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Jack Leach, James Anderson
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
