Since 2021, Mayor Eric Adams has been speaking about how he’s going to make New York City the center of the crypto industry, although this hasn’t materialized. (Some Bitcoin and crypto firms are based mostly right here, however this has little to do with Adams’ efforts — or lack thereof.)
So, once I heard the mayor propose issuing BitBonds in New York City at Bitcoin 2025, I used to be removed from satisfied that this could truly occur.
After which once I learn a statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on the topic, it grew to become much more clear to me that Adams was merely posturing when it got here to BitBonds.
“New York Metropolis is not going to be issuing any bitcoin-backed bonds on my watch,” stated Lander within the assertion.
“Mayor Eric Adams could also be prepared to wager our future on crypto in change for a visit to Vegas, however my job is to make sure our Metropolis’s monetary stability. Cryptocurrencies usually are not sufficiently secure to finance our Metropolis’s infrastructure, inexpensive housing, or faculties,” he added.
“Proposing that New York Metropolis ought to open its capital planning to crypto might expose our Metropolis to new dangers and erode bond consumers’ belief in our Metropolis.”
Within the assertion, Lander went on to debate how BitBonds would work on the federal degree (90% of the funds go to authorities expenditures, whereas 10% goes to purchasing bitcoin for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve), earlier than noting a key distinction between federal bonds and the bonds that New York Metropolis points.
“Whereas the federal authorities points bonds to fund conventional expenditures, New York Metropolis primarily points bonds to fund capital property and in solely very slim circumstances can the Metropolis finance different functions,” wrote Lander.
Lander then went on to put out quite a few different explanation why New York Metropolis is not going to be issuing BitBonds anytime quickly, together with that ”New York Metropolis would have to have the ability to take transactions in Bitcoin with a view to situation bonds backed by Bitcoin” as a result of “New York Metropolis has neither any mechanism to pay for its Capital Property in some other forex apart from the US Greenback nor any means to transform Bitcoin to US {Dollars}.”
(If I learn that accurately, Lander says that New York Metropolis doesn’t know find out how to arrange a Bitcoin pockets or commerce bitcoin for U.S. {dollars}. Nearly on par for an elected official in New York.)
Now, pardon my cynicism right here, however I’m a New Yorker — a resident of probably the most restrictive jurisdictions on the earth in the case of Bitcoin and crypto, because of the BitLicense — and there are two issues you’ll be able to wager on at this time limit in New York.
- Mayor Eric Adams will speak a superb sport about Bitcoin and crypto whereas not taking any motion behind the scenes.
- Bureaucrats and elected officers alike in New York will proceed to throw cold water on anything that challenges Wall Street’s power, whereas nonetheless claiming that New York is the “monetary capital of the world.” (Laughable.)
So, Mayor Adams could make all of the proposals he needs from phases in Las Vegas to NYC-sponsored crypto summits, however till I see his administration truly do one thing substantial for New York Metropolis residents because it pertains to Bitcoin and crypto, I’ll simply assume that New York will proceed to stagnate financially.
This text is a Take. Opinions expressed are solely the creator’s and don’t essentially mirror these of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Journal.
