Emilio Pagan-Yourno’s Unbank, profiled by Kirubai, has grown from a lone 2014 bitcoin ATM in Albany, NY to a nationwide cash-to-bitcoin network embedded in CVS, Walgreens, and Office Depot through strategic partnerships. Built on retrofitted Genmega ATMs, Lightning integration via Voltage, and minimal KYC, Unbank prioritizes privacy, self-custody, and instant settlement. “Cash doesn’t ask questions,” Emilio notes, framing physical currency as protection for marginalized users against surveillance. The app connects 23,000 ATMs, enabling bitcoin buys, sells, and fiat withdrawals without cards, alongside PayPal, Venmo, and debit push options. Zero-fee sell transactions aim to dismantle what Emilio calls the “poverty tax” of high exchange fees. While U.S.-focused, Unbank eyes global expansion as a potential lifeline for inflation-stricken populations. He envisions a 2030 where bitcoin and cash “aren’t enemies, they’re allies,” giving people seamless, permissionless financial choice.
-EDITOR·OP_DAILY SHARE TO X
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week, opening the door for private equity, real estate, cryptocurrency, and other alternative assets to be included in 401(k) retirement plans, directing the Labor Department to reevaluate existing guidance within six months. As reported by Bloomberg’s Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Allison McNeely, the order also calls for coordination with the Treasury, SEC, and other regulators to assess rule changes and clarify fiduciary obligations for plan administrators. Proponents see a chance to tap the $12.5 trillion 401(k) market, offering savers more options amid shrinking public markets, though critics warn of higher risks, fees, and legal exposure. The move aligns with Trump’s broader pro-digital asset agenda, including a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and stablecoin regulation, as well as his administration’s efforts to elevate crypto-friendly regulators and ease industry legal pressures.
-EDITOR·OP_DAILY SHARE TO X
Megaminer CleanSpark has reinstated co-founder and Executive Chairman Matt Schultz as CEO following Zachary Bradford’s resignation, effective August 10, 2025. The board will shrink from six to five members. Schultz, 56, who founded the bitcoin mining and energy technology company in 2014, previously led its early expansion and capital raises that fueled large-scale mining growth. He pledged to “ensure stability, continuity, and forward momentum” while executing current strategies. Bradford, CEO since 2019, stepped down for family reasons and will receive a $2.53 million exit package, including $950,000 in salary over 12 months, a $1.58 million prorated bonus, 14.4 bitcoin—worth about $1.73 million—plus fully vested stock options and more than 2.4 million RSUs, half vesting immediately. The separation agreement includes non-compete and confidentiality terms, with no disputes cited over CleanSpark’s policies or operations.
-EDITOR·OP_DAILY SHARE TO X
In an archival op-ed from Forbes, Jameson Lopp, reframes “F-you money” as a level of independence attainable by anyone through Bitcoin, not just the wealthy. Traditionally, extreme asset protection required complex, costly legal structures managed by specialists. Bitcoin changes that by lowering the barrier to high-security wealth preservation via cryptographic “defensive asymmetry,” where the cost to attack far exceeds the cost to defend. Owners can self-custody without gatekeepers, making any amount of bitcoin—large or small—a tool for sovereignty. Unlike banks, Bitcoin has no single point of failure and resists even nation-state interference. Lopp notes it can secure digital trusts outside jurisdictional control, enforce time-locked vaults, and uphold property rights without lawyers or courts. He concludes that Bitcoin is “a system of rules without rulers,” giving individuals the means to truly own their wealth and redefine financial freedom.
-EDITOR·OP_DAILY SHARE TO X
