NEW BUSINESS: Binance.US, the American arm of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, hired its first lobbying firms last month, newly filed disclosures show, as policymakers in Washington face calls to rein in the rapidly growing and mostly unregulated industry. Hogan Lovells’ Ivan Zapien, a Democratic lobbyist who previously was chief of staff to now-Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and former House GOP aides Aaron Cutler and Chase Kroll will lobby for the exchange.
If current trends continue, observers predict that the last Bitcoin unit will be mined sometime in the mid-22nd century, for instance — not exactly around the corner.

Transactions are internet-based and are recorded in a blockchain. The blockchain shows the transaction history for each unit and is used to prove ownership. The digital assets are best visualized as virtual tokens. These tokens mean something to the internal system and can be programmed to record financial transactions and other valuable information.
As the popularity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin explode, the Biden administration is laying the groundwork for heavier regulation, and that could spark a big fight in Congress. Cryptocurrency is at a crossroads. As its popularity explodes and bitcoin hovers near a record high, the Biden administration is laying the groundwork for heavier regulation. That could set up a fight in Congress. As NPR's David Gura reports, a small group of lawmakers is worried the U.S. could miss out on an opportunity to be a leader in a financial revolution.