Chinese Crypto in the White House, Russian Money Laundering in NYC, and the Network State on Tribal Lands | June 10, 2025

A top Chinese political adviser spends millions on Trump’s meme coin and gains access to a private dinner with the president (0:59). A Russian national is charged with laundering $530 million for sanctioned banks using stablecoins (2:32). Tech libertarians are building crypto-friendly jurisdictions on tribal and offshore lands (4:03). And in Nairobi’s Kibera neighborhood, Bitcoin is becoming a grassroots alternative to mobile money (6:03).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what’s next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Buyer With Ties to Chinese Communist Party Got V.I.P. Treatment at Trump Crypto Dinner. Eric Lipton, David Yaffe-Bellany, Michael Forsythe, Devon Lum, and Jiawei Wang. New York Times (free registration required, soft paywall).

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/us/politics/trump-crypto-dinner-china-he-tianying.html

Crypto CEO Accused of Laundering $500 Million Linked to Sanctioned Russian Banks. MacKenzie Sigalos. CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/crypto-russia-laundering.html

Tech Moguls Want to Build a Crypto Paradise on a Native American Reservation. Kiera Butler. Mother Jones.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/06/tech-crypto-native-american-musk-balaji-network-state/

Bitcoin Is Introduced into Africa's Largest Slum, with Risks and Rewards. Jack Denton and Moses Ndungu. Associated Press.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/bitcoin-introduced-africas-largest-slum-risks-rewards-122644458

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti