Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead. 

Grab a coffee and read about Bitcoin’s (BTC) growing presence, which, in Max Keiser’s view, makes it a direct challenge to the foundations of state power.

Crypto News of the Day: Centralized Bitcoin Holdings Under Threat of Government Crackdown

As governments scramble to contain what they cannot control, Max Keiser warns that centralized Bitcoin holdings could be the first targets in a coming wave of digital asset crackdowns.

By centralized, the Bitcoin pioneer refers to BTC held by ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and corporate treasuries, as indicated in our recent US Crypto News publication.

Keiser’s remarks follow Bram Kanstein’s statement that Bitcoin treasury companies that truly understand BTC will be a force of nature in finance.

Calling them the new Wall Street top companies by 2035, the startup expert and founder coach said that Bitcoin becomes perpetual if it dominates Wall Street. But Keiser finds this concerning.

In a statement to BeInCrypto, Max Keiser warned about the growing reliance on centralized custodians for Bitcoin storage.

As Bitcoin progressively challenges the authority of traditional financial institutions, Keiser suggests a state-led backlash is not just likely, it is inevitable.

The latest warning comes amid rising institutional adoption of Bitcoin, including explosive growth in US-listed spot ETFs and public company holdings such as MicroStrategy (now Strategy).

While this has helped drive demand and bolster price action, Keiser argues that Bitcoin held through intermediaries remains vulnerable.

“People aren’t fully appreciating how subversive Bitcoin is and that it’s rug pulling central banks and nation states,” he said.

Further, Keiser warns that even as Bitcoin enables financial self-sovereignty, holders who fail to take custody of their assets risk losing them entirely.

“The world is about to crash and splinter into a billion self-sovereign pieces. But the state will go after any Bitcoin held by intermediaries like ETF’s, Bitcoin treasury companies, and custodians,” Keiser added.

Why Institutional Bitcoin Holdings Could Trigger a State Crackdown

Keiser believes the battle lines are forming between decentralized individual sovereignty and centralized financial control, DeFi and TradFi.

He portrays the ongoing accumulation of Bitcoin by firms like MicroStrategy not as a passive investment strategy, but as a form of economic warfare.

“MSTR and its clones are engaged in a massive attack against the state and USD; driving Bitcoin higher,” Keiser explained.

Yet in his view, that attack will not go unanswered. Drawing parallels to past government crackdowns on gold ownership and financial privacy, he predicts regulators will move swiftly once pressure mounts.

“Keep in mind, the state will strike back and any non-self-custodied Bitcoin is vulnerable to confiscation and your Bitcoin could disappear faster than the Epstein list,” Max Keiser articulated.

While many view the approval of ETFs and institutional involvement as signs of mainstream adoption, Keiser suggests this framing misses the larger geopolitical and ideological implications of Bitcoin’s rise.

For him, the only way to truly “own” Bitcoin is to hold it personally without intermediaries, custodians, or corporate wrappers.

Taken together, Keiser’s warnings trickle down to the norm that, in the eyes of the state, power lies more in control than in ownership.

Chart of the Day

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Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:

• Ethereum overtakes Johnson & Johnson and has become the 30th largest asset globally.
• GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen mulls crypto payments after $500 million Bitcoin bet.
• BigONE loses $27 million in hack amid accusations of hosting scam activity.
• BitMine stock surges post-market as Peter Thiel reveals 9% stake.
• Binance, KuCoin, and Upbit volumes tank as traders flock to decentralized exchanges.
• Over $9.4 billion in BTC hits exchanges: Is another 8% correction likely?
• Brandon Lutnick leads $4 billion Bitcoin initiative through Cantor Fitzgerald’s SPAC.
• Pump.fun buyback sends PUMP token price soaring.
• ARB price soars 10% as PayPal expands PYUSD to Arbitrum.
• XRP vs. XLM: Breaking down the reasons behind their unusual market correlation.

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