 |
|
|
|||||
Last year, Donald Trump took the stage of the Las Vegas Bitcoin Conference to worship at the altar of cryptocurrency. He said he would fire Gary Gensler, the former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission who led a yearslong crackdown on crypto fraud. The audience roared. He ended on a rousing note: We will make America and Bitcoin bigger, better, stronger, richer, freer, and greater than ever before. Some crypto activists were perturbed. Sure, Trump rallied behind Bitcoin as a source of industrial growth, but why wouldnt he commit to outright replacing banking with digital currencies? Trump failed to comment on the traditional banks, which crypto advocates thought were discriminating against them by shutting down their accounts, or fiat currency, which some crypto boosters hope to replace entirely. One year later, President Trump skipped out on the Bitcoin Conference, but he sent his envoys. The administrations crypto message has become even more muddled. While Vice President JD Vance emphasized that stablecoins regulated by the administration’s new crypto proposal (the GENIUS Act) dont threaten the integrity of the U.S. dollar, Eric Trump said that hed like to see some major banks go extinct. It seems no one will decide whether crypto is a strength toor a replacement forthe U.S. financial system. Mixed signals at the 2025 Bitcoin Conference Vice President Vance headlined the conference, where he struck a similar tone to Trumps 2024 speech. He emphasized that Bitcoin is part of the mainstream economy, calling it a digital assetbut not a currency. Vance also promoted the GENIUS Act, which would set regulations for currency or commodity-backed stablecoins (crypto currencies pegged to fiat currency or other reference asset) so they could flow more freely. The bill has already passed through the Senate, and is waiting for a House vote. Vance promised that these coins wouldn’t threaten the dollar. Dollar-pegged stablecoins, particularly once GENIUS is enacted, are only going to help the American economy and [are] only going to help the American dollar, he claimed. Central to Trumps crypto strategy was the establishment of a Bitcoin reserve, allowing the government to collect and hold cryptocurrency from criminal or civil asset seizures. But whether this stockpile operates alongside, or in competition with dollar spending remains blurry. Bo Hines, the executive director of Trumps digital assets advisory, spoke of Bitcoin as something the government could grow endlessly. We want as much of it as we can possibly get, he said at the conference. Were not going to sell any Bitcoin that we have in the U.S. government, period. On the other hand, Trumps crypto czar David Sacks was more measured in his words. He said that he cant promise anything, but that he hoped the government would be able to buy more Bitcoin. If either the Commerce Department or the Treasury Department can figure out how to fund it without adding to the debt, then they are allowed to create those programs, he claimed. Maybe find the money from some other program thats not using it. While they struck different tones, Vance, Hines, and Sacks all spoke of Bitcoin as an asset class. Whether it could constitute a new financial systemthe currencys original missionwas outside the question. But Eric Trumpwhile not an administration official, is certainly influential on Trump policyclaimed that crypto could replace banking entirely: It makes everything cheaper, it makes it faster, it makes it safer, it makes it more transparent. He said that hed love to see some of the big banks go extinct. What does the Trump administration really think about Bitcoin? Trump has backed crypto expansion forcefully, but his rationale remains slippery. At the recent Blockworks Digital Asset Summit, Trump told the audience that they will unleash an explosion of international growth, but didnt explain how, other than a brief reference to stablecoins supporting the dollar. It is exciting to watch as you invent the future of finance, Trump said, while not venturing to explain whether that future included traditional banks. Why is Trump so into crypto? Much of it is likely for personal gain. Trump has raked in millions on his memecoins and NFTs, sending cash directly to his wallet. Crypto advocates also helped Trump reach the White House in the first place. Their lobby has political heft: According to a New Yorker report, they tanked Katie Porter’s California Senate bid after she expressed mere glimmers of anti-crypto rhetoric. But theres a political tension underlying Trumps crypto push. If he says that crypto will replace bankingor even fiat currencytraditional financiers could riot. But, if he claims that Bitcoin is merely an asset class and not the future of finance, he could anger the crypto community. For now, Trump and his administration will try to sit on both sides of the fence.
Category:
E-Commerce
We have officially arrived in the era where e-commerce brands that prioritize smart, value-aligned engagement over mass media spend are owning the here and nowas well as the future. With traditional advertising under pressure to deliver a more definitive ROI, looming tariffs driving up the cost of everything, and consumer confidence lower than its been since peak pandemic, we all need to make every dollar count. In addition, the CFO is more interested in marketing ROI than ever, and wants to see measurable results. The old playbook of more ads, more impressions, and more clicks has never really worked. In our exciting new reality, smart marketers do (a lot!) more with less and will more easily navigate the bumpy road ahead. Customer data is your gold mine Do you remember the years we were all obsessed with big data (perhaps I’m showing my age). Now we have so much more data, but still, so many are unsure of how to unlock it in ways that delight customers and bring in meaningful new revenue. In comes AI, hurray! Knowing that its easierand less expensiveto keep existing consumers than to acquire new ones, leveraging that powerful first-party data is one strategy that will drive better results. Understanding which offers, products, and content your existing customers respond to, and how to present them in the most compelling and enticing way, lays a data-rich foundation for deeper engagement and sustainable growth. There is so much value hidden in e-commerce-owned channels. Checkout is unique because attention is highest and intent is clearest. Checkout is a perfect opportunity for brands to present relevant upsells and offers powered by first-party data. Its also a great time to drive incremental revenue by presenting strategic partner messages/products and loyalty nudges. Checkout interactions are the perfect environment for bringing in new revenue, increasing customer lifetime value, and capturing real attention and engagement. The next growth wave wont come from bigger budgets Too many ads create a noisy and less enjoyable checkout experience. Millennial and Gen Z consumers are more likely to reward brands that respect their time, attention, and preferences. Key digital moments like checkout, order tracking, and order thank yous are perfect opportunities for e-commerce merchants to present value-aligned, relevant offers that reinforce trust and drive repeat engagement. The next wave of growth wont be driven by spending more. The smartest marketers will extract more value from what already exists. Focusing on intelligent monetization and intentional engagement will allow e-commerce retailers to emerge from this challenge stronger and closer to their customers. Treating data as more than a record and checkout as more than a singular transaction will allow e-commerce retailers to unlock new revenue streams at zero additional cost. Elizabeth Buchanan is chief commercial officer of Rokt.
Category:
E-Commerce
The year 2024 was a good one for the people who ran some of the country’s biggest companies. CEO pay set another record last year, according to a new study in The Wall Street Journal, with half of the chief executives who made the paper’s list of the highest paid CEOs making $17.1 million or more, up more than 8% from $15.8 million the year prior. Rick Smith, co-founder of Axon Enterprise, the maker of Taser stun guns, topped the list with a pay package of $165 million (entirely in company stock). Elon Musk earned the least, once again taking home $0 in salary from Tesla. (His compensation is instead structured around stock options that vest based on the company’s performance.) The widening pay gap between CEOs and their employees is a growing concern. For comparison, the average annual salary for all U.S. workers in 2024 was $66,622, just shy of 2% higher than the $65,470 average in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In terms of raw numbers, GE’s Lawrence Culp Jr. was second on the list, earning $88.95 million. Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman came in third at $84.03 million, Apple’s Tim Cook was fourth at $74.61 million. And KKR’s Joseph Bae rounded out the top five at $73.09 million. While the average pay package for the top half of the CEOs on the list jumped 8%, several of the 417 executives the Journal examined saw significantly higher increases. All totaled, 18 CEOs saw their total pay increase by more than 100% last year. Axon’s Smith, for example, saw a 999% increase in total pay from the year prior. Corpay’s Ronald Clarke took home $28.05 million, which only earned him the rank of 54th overall, but was 951% better than he did in 2023. And Workday’s Carl Eschenback saw a 938% bump, taking him to $26.17 million. Rounding out the top five, James Vena of Union Pacific had a 775% salary increase to $17.64 million, and GE’s Lawrence Culp saw a 505% pay increase to $88.95 million. Smith saw a similar big jump in 2019, when his salary soared to $246 million on a stock reward. The 2024 increase is reportedly because of a new program for Axon workers that lets them convert some or all of their salary into restricted shares, which could grow or shrink depending on the company’s performance. Although many executives saw pay bumps, only one had a pay package worth $100 million or more. In 2020, 17 CEOs in S&P 500 companies made nine figures. Last year, Smith was the only one. And even including execs outside of the S&P, the total was the lowest since 2016, the Journal reported.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||