# Empire Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Empire", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Trump's Crypto Empire: A $2.3 Billion Wealth Transfer Experiment

In June 2026, Reuters investigations revealed that since Donald Trump's return to the White House, his family has accumulated roughly $2.3 billion in profits from four core crypto ventures: World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the $TRUMP meme coin, American Bitcoin, and ALT5 Sigma (later renamed AI Financial). Coincidentally, overall investor losses in these projects were estimated to be a similar amount. The businesses, spanning DeFi, stablecoins, meme coins, Bitcoin mining, and digital payments, largely relied not on technological innovation but on converting the political influence and notoriety of the Trump brand into financial assets sold to the market. This marks a dramatic shift from Trump's earlier skepticism of cryptocurrencies. The ventures operated on a similar logic: leveraging the Trump name to generate market hype and trust, attracting investment through token sales or public listings, and enabling the family to capture profits upfront through equity, token allocations, and fees, while later entrants often bore the brunt of the risk as markets cooled. WLFI, the most profitable venture, generated an estimated $1.6 billion for the family, primarily through sales of its locked, illiquid governance token and its USD1 stablecoin. The $TRUMP meme coin, a direct monetization of the presidential IP, brought in over $600 million for Trump-linked entities before its price crashed nearly 97% from its peak. American Bitcoin gained a "Trump stock" premium for its mining operations, and ALT5 Sigma/AI Financial combined Trump, AI, and crypto themes for a temporary valuation surge. The episode underscores how political influence can be packaged into financial assets, creating substantial wealth for promoters while highlighting the risks for investors who base decisions on hype and brand allegiance over fundamental business models and cash flows.

marsbit14h ago

Trump's Crypto Empire: A $2.3 Billion Wealth Transfer Experiment

marsbit14h ago

Iran's New Supreme Leader's Shadow Business Empire: Oil, Real Estate, and Financial Undercurrents

Iran's Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as the country's third Supreme Leader amid external threats and internal power struggles. Despite his low public profile and lack of elected or official roles, Mojtaba has long been a central figure in Iran’s power structure, acting as a key advisor and gatekeeper to his father. The U.S. and Israel have expressed strong opposition to his appointment, with former President Trump dismissing him as insignificant. However, Mojtaba has deep ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and played a role in suppressing the 2009 Green Movement protests. A Bloomberg investigation revealed Mojtaba’s hidden global business empire, allegedly funded by Iranian oil revenues and managed through intermediaries. His financial network includes real estate in London, Dubai, Frankfurt, and Mallorca, as well as cryptocurrency transactions. Iranian businessman Ali Ansari is identified as a key figure holding assets on his behalf, though Ansari faces international sanctions for corruption and ties to the IRGC. Mojtaba’s succession has sparked domestic criticism over concerns of hereditary rule and his lack of religious credentials. President Masoud Pezeshkian’s temporary enhanced powers have done little to stabilize the situation, as the IRGC remains influential in shaping leadership decisions. Iran now faces intensified internal divisions and external pressures under its new leader.

marsbit03/09 09:30

Iran's New Supreme Leader's Shadow Business Empire: Oil, Real Estate, and Financial Undercurrents

marsbit03/09 09:30

The Captained Billion-Dollar Black Industry Empire, Who Never Forgot His First Pot of Gold Earned from a "Legend" Private Server

Chinese national Chen Zhi, the mastermind behind the massive transnational criminal network known as the "Prince Group," was extradited from Cambodia to China on January 7th. His criminal empire, which operated over 100 entities across more than 30 countries, was involved in money laundering, telecom fraud, and online gambling, generating an estimated daily profit exceeding $30 million. Chen's origins were humble. Born in a Fujian fishing village in 1987, he worked as an internet cafe manager before entering the illicit world of *Legend* (传奇) private servers. He was a member of the "Knight Attack Squad," a group that used DDoS attacks to monopolize the advertising market for these unauthorized game servers, earning his first fortune. He later relocated to Cambodia, where he built the Prince Group. Its operations included real estate and banking, but its core business was crime. U.S. authorities moved to seize 127,271 Bitcoin from Chen, valued at approximately $15 billion, marking the largest such forfeiture in U.S. history. A key part of his gambling operation involved embedding a plugin called "Fat Girl" (胖妞) into *Legend* private servers. This plugin forced players to gamble to progress in the game or convert virtual items into cash, creating a massive online casino that funneled billions through shell companies. Despite attempts to launder his image and investments through seemingly legitimate tech ventures in China, these fronts were shut down by police. Chen's story illustrates a path from exploiting vulnerabilities in early internet gaming to building a vast, destructive criminal empire, ultimately ended by international law enforcement cooperation.

marsbit01/18 13:27

The Captained Billion-Dollar Black Industry Empire, Who Never Forgot His First Pot of Gold Earned from a "Legend" Private Server

marsbit01/18 13:27

From Left-Hand to Right-Hand Related-Party Transactions to Infiltrating Wall Street and the White House: What Power Game Is Tether Playing?

Recent reports reveal Tether's complex internal transactions and growing political ties, raising questions about its corporate governance and influence. Tether’s subsidiary Northern Data sold its bitcoin mining unit, Peak Mining, for $200 million to entities controlled by Tether’s own executives—co-founder Giancarlo Devasini and CEO Paolo Ardoino. This “left-hand-to-right-hand” deal, structured through loosely regulated markets, avoided disclosure as a related-party transaction. The timing coincided with Rumble’s $760 million acquisition plan for Northern Data. Tether, which holds 48% of Rumble, appears to have stripped high-volatility mining assets to present Northern Data as a pure AI cloud provider, likely boosting its valuation. A €610 million loan from Tether to Northern Data was reconfigured in the deal—partly converted into Rumble shares and partly into a new loan backed by Northern Data’s assets. Tether also has deep ties with Wall Street and U.S. politics. Cantor Fitzgerald’s CEO Howard Lutnick, now U.S. Secretary of Commerce, previously backed Tether’s reserves and negotiated a $600 million convertible note deal—a move criticized as a conflict of interest. Despite Lutnick’s assurances of stricter oversight, concerns remain about Tether’s influence. With an estimated $15 billion profit at a 99% margin this year, Tether is expanding into AI, media, and even sports. Critics question whether its profits serve the crypto ecosystem or a closed wealth cycle for its executives. Through strategic deals and political connections, Tether is building an empire that merges financial power with regulatory influence.

marsbit12/24 12:46

From Left-Hand to Right-Hand Related-Party Transactions to Infiltrating Wall Street and the White House: What Power Game Is Tether Playing?