Elon Musk Brandishes Javier Milei’s Chainsaw at CPAC 25 as a Sign of Government Cuts: Genuine Ref...
Musk Wields Chainsaw Given by Milei
Before a conservative audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington, billionaire Elon Musk took the stage wielding a red chainsaw— a gift from Argentina’s President Javier Milei—symbolising his call for drastic federal spending cuts.
He accused Democrats of “treason” and pledged support for auditing the Federal Reserve.
Now regarded as one of President Trump’s most influential advisers, Musk also criticised Biden’s immigration policies, singling out an app that granted one million people two-year work permits in the US.
Musk Dubs Milei’s Gift as “The Chainsaw for Bureaucracy”
Earlier, Musk met with Argentine President Javier Milei, who gifted him a chainsaw engraved with “Viva la libertad, carajo” (“Long live liberty, damn it”).
Musk dubbed it “the chainsaw for bureaucracy” and jokingly remarked that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele was concerned for his safety.
🚨NEW: Elon Musk comes out on stage at CPAC 2025 and is presented a golden chainsaw by Argentinian President, Javier Milei, and yells, “THIS IS THE CHAINSAW FOR BUREAUCRACY!” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Rms8WujLZV
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) February 20, 2025
When asked about his mindset, Musk—sporting his signature black hat and sunglasses—simply described it as "a storm."
Following Musk on stage, Steve Bannon received a more subdued response.
He joked:
“How did I draw the card to follow Elon Musk? I’m just a crazy Irishman!”
Meanwhile, Musk is spearheading sweeping government cuts under President Donald Trump, affecting agencies from banking regulators to forest services and space programmes.
On Thursday alone, 6,000 IRS employees were reportedly notified of their termination.
As CEO of Tesla and the world’s richest man, Musk has openly championed Milei’s aggressive stance on reducing government size.
Before becoming Argentina’s president in late 2023, Milei famously wielded a chainsaw at campaign rallies to symbolise his economic reforms.
But as Musk brandished his own gifted chainsaw on stage, was it a bold statement against bureaucracy or just another political spectacle?
Web2 Giants Are Playing Their Part to Support Crypto Purchases Everywhere
The post Web2 Giants Are Playing Their Part to Support Crypto Purchases Everywhere appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Once upon a time, crypto was called the wild west, an arid playground run by cowboys with wallets full of BTC and dreams of Lambos. Fast forward to 2025, and that rugged landscape’s been significantly tamed – but has retained its ability to consistently surprise. One of the more pleasant surprises to have surfaced in recent years has been the willingness of businesses once branded the enemy of crypto to support its infiltration into every payment systems.
Web2 giants – those familiar names powering your online life – are saddling up, bringing their muscle to the crypto corral. PayPal, Visa, Mastercard: they’re all cantering in, and it’s a genuine game-changer. Why? Because when these titans join the party, crypto stops being a fringe fantasy and starts feeling like something you’d actually use on the daily. They don’t often receive credit for their Damascene conversion, but plaudits are due for the web2 players who’ve come full circle.
Financial Players with Skin in the Game
Let’s start with the big guns. PayPal kicked things off in 2020, letting users buy, sell, and hold cryptos such as BTC and ETH. By 2024, they’d upped the ante, integrating stablecoin PYUSD and rolling it out to 430 million users worldwide. Visa’s not far behind; since 2021, they’ve settled over $2.5 billion in crypto-linked transactions. Mastercard, meanwhile, are pushing crypto debit cards and piloting blockchain payments. From a user perspective, it means that if you’re already on PayPal or swiping a Visa, crypto’s not a leap – it’s a sidestep. These giants are effectively turning “what’s a wallet?” into “oh, I already have that.”
Neo-banks, the cool kids bridging old money and new, are also doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Take Crypto.com, over 80 million users strong and with billboards at seemingly every major sporting event. Great name, globally recognizable brand. They’ve just added PayPal as a payment method, letting you fund your crypto buys straight from your PayPal balance.
This means no interminable transfers, no extra apps: just seamless integration into a platform you already trust. It’s like adding crypto to your financial toolbox without needing a manual. Neo-banks like Crypto.com aren’t so much lowering crypto’s adoption curve as steam-rollering it till it’s pancake flat.
Don’t Forget the Partnerships Driving Adoption
Web3 projects love a good partnership announcement, and in collaborating with web2’s major players, they’ve inked deals that are more than mere vapor. PayPal and Visa teamed up last year to streamline crypto payouts – think freelancers getting paid in USDC via Visa Direct. Mastercard’s collab with wallet providers like MetaMask and Trust Wallet, meanwhile, let users top up cards with crypto in seconds.
Then there’s Mercuryo, the rising fintech star, partnering with web3 heavyweights like Polygon and now powering euro crypto cards with Mastercard. These tie-ups aren’t just headlines; they’re highways, paving the way for crypto to flow into everyday life. Whether you position it as a web2 player streamlining access to web3 or vice-versa, the upshot is that Mercuryo and other payment providers are now mainstays for much of the money that flows between the on- and off-chain worlds 24/7.
Why Now?
What’s fueling this fire in web2 giants? They’re not entering web3 out of FOMO – they’re smarter than that. Rather, their decision to support the cryptoconomy rather than sit it out on the sidelines is driven by more rational reasoning. With much of the regulatory risk and “exoticness” of crypto having been tempered, it’s a lot safer for these TradFi titans to enter the fray. And there’s money for them to make by connecting the old world with the new.
As for the competencies they bring to bear within the crypto arena, first there’s user experience: we’re talking apps so intuitive even your grandma could buy ETH. Second, there’s security: Visa’s fraud protection and PayPal’s two-factor authentication make crypto feel less like a gamble. Third, familiarity: linking crypto to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or your trusty Visa card shrinks the learning curve to a blip. That’s the vibe: safe, simple, and second nature.
Case Studies: The Proof’s in the Pudding
The partnership between Mercuryo and MetaMask is a masterstroke for simplifying crypto onboarding. Their integration lets users buy crypto with a bank card in under a minute – no wrestling with seed phrases or navigating convoluted exchange signups. By tapping into Mercuryo’s payment infrastructure, MetaMask users can fund their wallets seamlessly, whether it’s ETH for gas fees or stablecoins for DeFi.
Mercuryo’s not stopping there. Their focus on localized solutions, such as SEPA transfers in Europe or OVO in Indonesia, means users globally can jump into web3 without friction. The MetaMask hookup has evolved with features like no-KYC purchases up to €699, slashing barriers for newcomers. Users appear to be relishing the ability to top up their wallet with a tap, then spend via Mercuryo’s Mastercard-backed crypto card. It’s a full-circle play: buy crypto fast, spend it faster.
PayPal has been a crypto trailblazer since 2020, with 35 million merchants and crypto trading live since 2021. They’ve onboarded millions to crypto, leveraging a user base of 430 million. The real kicker? Their stablecoin, PYUSD, launched in 2023 with Paxos, is now a checkout option across their network. Moving beyond mere hodling, PayPal’s pushing real spending: users can settle tabs with PYUSD at merchants or send it fee-free to friends in the U.S. It’s crypto with training wheels, wrapped in a familiar interface.
The numbers back it up: PYUSD’s market cap has climbed past $700 million, fueled by integrations like Venmo and Crypto.com. PayPal’s not just playing in web3; they’re reshaping it for the mainstream. With no fees for buying, selling, or sending PYUSD within their ecosystem (network fees apply externally), PayPal’s betting on trust and scale. It’s a bold pivot from their 1998 roots, proving they can still make an impact on the evolution of digital finance.
As a final case study to indicate the role web2 giants are now playing, Visa’s launch of Visa+ is a slick move to link digital wallets for instant payments and their crypto ambitions shine through. A pilot with Coinbase in 2024 saw 10,000 users moving USDC cross-border without the usual remittance headaches. Built on blockchains like Solana, Visa+ leverages stablecoin speed (think sub-second settlement) while keeping the familiar swipe-and-go vibe. It’s a lifeline for freelancers or small businesses, cutting costs that legacy systems like SWIFT pile on.
What This Means for Traditional Users
For the average Joe, all of this is good news. Barriers are rapidly crumbling and crypto’s no longer a techie’s toy. The interfaces mimic your banking app, so the learning curve’s virtually non-existent. There’s also the deep trust that comes when Visa or PayPal’s involved – these aren’t shady startups. A 2024 Deloitte survey found 62% of U.S. adults would try crypto if offered by a known brand. That’s the web2 effect: turning skeptics into spenders, one big brand at a time.
And all of this is just the warmup. Imagine crypto woven into every transaction: paying rent with ETH via PayPal, splitting dinner with Visa+ in USDC. Web2 giants aren’t stopping at buying and selling; they’re eyeing loyalty programs and cross-border micropayments. By 2030, Statista predicts 20% of global payments could involve crypto if integration keeps accelerating.
Web2 giants are no longer the NPCs playing a bit part in crypto adoption: they’re web3’s wingmen, dragging the industry from the fringes to the forefront. PayPal, Visa, Mercuryo and their ilk are rewriting digital finance, making it less about geeky experimentation and more about everyday ease. As these titans flex their reach, crypto’s shedding its mystique for something better: everyday utility.
XRP Price Prediction: Ripple Token Plunges 3% As Traders Buy This Crypto Wallet ICO Closing On $11M
The XRP price plunged 3% in the last 24 hours to trade at $2.57 as of 11:28 p.m. EST on trading volume that rose 48% to $5.2 billion.
The Ripple token’s performance continues to be volatile, driven by shifting sentiment around the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) case against the sale of XRP.
Much of XRP’s recent strength comes from speculation that the SEC may abandon its appeal, allowing Ripple to operate without looming legal threats.
Arthur Azizov, CEO at the crypto business B2BinPay, bullishly believes that XRP could reach a price range of $5 to $7 in the first half of 2025.
The XRP price has been trading within an ascending channel on the 12-hour timeframe.
The Ripple token price surged dramatically in late 2024 and has since been consolidating within this upward-sloping structure. The current price of $2.5759 is slightly below the midline of this channel, suggesting ongoing market indecision.
The 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $2.6472 is acting as dynamic resistance, while the 200-period SMA at $2.3588 is serving as strong long-term support. The recent price action shows a bounce off the lower boundary of the channel, indicating that bulls are defending this level.
Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is at 46.03, slightly below the neutral 50 level. This suggests a balance between bullish and bearish momentum, with no clear dominance from either side. If RSI moves above 50, it could confirm renewed bullish strength.
XRP/USDT Chart Analysis (Tradingview)
The overall trend remains bullish as long as the XRP price stays within the ascending channel. A break above $2.65 (50-day SMA) could lead to a move toward $3.00–$3.40, aligning with the upper channel resistance.
Intense bullish pressure and fundamental pressure could push the price of XRP towards the $10 mark.
However, if the price of XRP fails to hold the channel’s lower boundary and drops below the 200-day SMA at $2.35, this could trigger a bearish shift, possibly leading to a retest of $2.00.
In the meantime, investors are flocking to buy Best Wallet (BEST) , which popular YouTuber ClayBro, with over 136K subscribers, says is one of the best crypto wallets for 2025.
Best Wallet is a next-generation cryptocurrency wallet that lets users do everything from one app. The goal is to remove the fragmentation in the market and the clunky user experience offered by other crypto wallets such as MetaMask and Trust Wallet.
Best Wallet is a multi-chain wallet that will support over 60 blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
The project continues to attract investors, who have poured over $10.3 million into the project.
A key feature that sets Best Wallet apart is its “Upcoming Tokens” section, a presale aggregator that identifies high-potential projects.
It’s establishing a strong track record after already flagging Pepe Unchained (PEPU) and Catslap (SLAP) , meme coins that provided returns of up to 700% and 7,000%, respectively, for early investors.
After purchasing BEST, holders can also stake their tokens for a huge 157% annual return.
Currently, BEST tokens are priced at $0.024075. Buy before a price hike in less than 12 hours to lock in the best deal.
Buy BEST tokens .