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Winklevoss Twins Call for $1 Million Bitcoin Price as Gemini Goes Public

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In brief

  • Crypto entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss think Bitcoin is still in its early stages.
  • Tyler Winklevoss said during a CNBC interview that in 10 years, the leading cryptocurrency will be priced at $1 million per coin.
  • Gemini, the brothers’ crypto exchange, went public on the Nasdaq on Friday.

Crypto entrepreneurs Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss—the founders of the newly public crypto exchange, Gemini—have predicted that Bitcoin will hit a price of $1 million per coin as it “disrupts gold.”

Speaking on CNBC on Friday, Tyler Winklevoss said that the price of the leading cryptocurrency had come a long way since they debuted their crypto exchange more than a decade ago.

He noted that the two spoke on CNBC back in 2015, when the digital coin was trading for $350 per coin. Now it’s trading above $116,000.

“We think there’s easily a 10x from here,” he said. “It’s still really early, and I think we’ll be sitting here 10 years from now looking back and saying, ‘Wow, today was really early.'” 

“It’s still very much the bottom of the first inning, because we see Bitcoin trading at $1 million dollars a Bitcoin, if it disrupts gold,” he added. “And we think Bitcoin is gold 2.0.”

Camron and Tyler Winklevoss—arguably best known for their role in the creation of Facebook—founded crypto exchange Gemini in 2014 after being early Bitcoin backers.



Gemini launched its IPO on Friday, pricing the offering at $28 per share. Shares began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker GEMI on Friday afternoon, with shares trading at $37.01 upon opening, giving the firm a roughly $4.4 billion valuation. As of this writing, the price has dipped to about $34.

New York-based Gemini allows users to buy, sell, and bet on the future price of digital coins and tokens. It also custodies crypto. 

Cameron Winklevoss added in Friday’s interview that he believes Bitcoin will serve more as a store-of-value than a payments system. Other prominent backers like Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Block and Twitter, disagree on that front.

“We don’t think it actually has to be a transactional currency—just like you’re not trying to buy a cup of coffee with gold,” he said. 

The Winklevoss Twins aren’t the only crypto heavyweights to have made big predictions for the future price of Bitcoin as of late. Fundstrat Global Advisors Managing Partner Tom Lee also this week said that Bitcoin can hit $200,000 by the end of this year. 

While BitMex co-founder and billionaire Arthur Hayes has claimed $250,000 for the biggest cryptocurrency is a realistic target in 2025.

Bitcoin was recently trading for $116,507 per coin, according to CoinGecko, up 2% over a 24-hour period. Over the past seven days, the flagship cryptocurrency has risen by more than 5%. Bitcoin sits about 6% below its August all-time high mark of $124,128.

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Trump’s Stalled CFTC Chair Nominee Takes Feud With Winklevoss Twins Public

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In brief

  • Brian Quintenz, President Trump’s nominee to head the CFTC, publicly released screenshots of purported Signal messages with Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
  • Quintenz claimed that they tried to derail his nomination after he wouldn’t commit to their demands regarding CFTC reform.
  • According to Quintenz, the Winklevoss brothers threatened to contact President Trump directly about the matter, and his Senate confirmation vote was subsequently pulled at the White House’s request.

Brian Quintenz, President Donald Trump’s long-stalled pick to head the CFTC, escalated a spat with Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss Wednesday, publicly posting what he said were screenshots of conversations with the twin crypto entrepreneurs regarding their reported attempts to derail his nomination.

The images show what appears to be a text conversation on messaging app Signal between Quintenz and the Winklevosses on July 24. Decrypt reached out to a Gemini representative to confirm the accuracy of the screenshots, but did not immediately receive a response. 

In the conversation, the Winklevoss brothers grill the nominee over his reaction to, and enthusiasm regarding, a complaint filed by their crypto exchange Gemini in June over how the CFTC handled an investigation and eventual lawsuit against the company.

I’ve never been inclined to release private messages. But in light of my support for the President and belief that he might have been misled, I’ve posted here the messages that include the questions Tyler Winklevoss asked me pertaining to their prior litigation with the CFTC.

I… pic.twitter.com/MN75M1XUpT

— Brian Quintenz (@BrianQuintenz) September 10, 2025

In 2022, the regulator sued Gemini for making “material false or misleading statements” to regulators years prior about its Bitcoin offerings. Gemini ultimately settled the suit this January, paying $5 million without admitting or denying any wrongdoing.

In the text conversation with Quintenz, the Winklevosses appear to take issue with Quintenz’s excitement about their complaint, and flexed their closeness with the president. 

“Our complaint raises serious questions and concerns about the culture of the agency that you are about to chair and its overall fitness on the eve of it being contemplated as a major regulator for the crypto industry,” Tyler wrote, according to the screenshots. “Cultural reform, which includes rectifying what happened to us, should be the highest priority.”



Per the texts, Tyler went on to quiz Quintenz about his commitment to that goal, and said he was potentially going to reach out to “the president himself” to discuss the matter.

“I believe these texts make it clear what they were after from me, and what I refused to promise,” Quintenz wrote today on X. “It’s my understanding that after this exchange they contacted the president and asked that my confirmation be paused for reasons other than what is reflected in these texts.”

Quintenz went on to emphasize his closeness with Trump and his commitment to supporting his agenda.

The CFTC nominee, who currently heads global policy at venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz, previously served as a CFTC commissioner during the first Trump administration. Trump nominated him to chair the committee in February, but his confirmation has stalled for months. Days after the texts described above were reportedly exchanged, a Senate committee pulled a vote on Quintenz’s nomination, at the request of the White House.

In the weeks following the botched vote, top crypto lobbying groups urged the president to stand by his nomination of Quintenz, who is widely expected to treat the industry favorably at a crucial moment for its interaction with the CFTC.

Pending crypto market structure legislation would give the relatively obscure regulator extensive new powers over the vast majority of the digital asset economy and companies including the Winklevoss’ Gemini, which plans to go public on Wall Street later this week.

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Prospective CFTC Chair Releases Private Texts With Winklevoss Twins
Crypto Trends

Prospective CFTC Chair Releases Private Texts With Winklevoss Twins

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Brian Quintenz, US President Donald Trump’s pick to chair the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has made public several texts between himself and Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, suggesting reasons why the brothers may have attempted to interfere with his nomination to the agency.

In a Wednesday X post, Quintenz said he had released the texts over concerns that Trump “might have been misled” by the Gemini co-founders. The chain appeared to show Tyler Winklevoss sending Quintenz information on Gemini’s civil case with the CFTC, settled with a $5 million fine in January.

“The CFTC totally abused the deliberative process privilege amongst many other abuses to prevent us from even be [sic] able to defend ourselves fairly in court,” Winklevoss texted to Quintenz on July 25.

Source: Brian Quintenz

According to the prospective CFTC chair, the brothers were looking for certain assurances regarding what they called the agency’s “lawfare trophy hunting,” which he said he wasn’t willing to provide.

Related: CFTC pressured to probe nominee Brian Quintenz over ties to Kalshi

“I believe these texts make it clear what they were after from me, and what I refused to promise,” said Quintenz. “It’s my understanding that after this exchange they contacted the President and asked that my confirmation be paused for reasons other than what is reflected in these texts.”

Cointelegraph reached out to a Gemini spokesperson for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Senate vote on Quintenz still pending

The texts came just a few days before reports suggested that the Gemini co-founders contacted the White House and asked Trump to reconsider Quintenz’s nomination.

Lawmakers in the Senate Agriculture Committee had been scheduled to question Quintenz in July before the chamber broke for a month-long recess, but delayed the event due to a request from the White House.

The release of the texts comes less than 48 hours before Gemini is expected to begin its initial public offering on Friday. The company is aiming for a $3 billion valuation as part of the offering, but it’s unclear how this information from Quintenz could impact investors.

Magazine: Can Robinhood or Kraken’s tokenized stocks ever be truly decentralized?



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Winklevoss Twins’ Crypto Exchange Gemini Eyes $2.3 Billion Valuation in Public Offering

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In brief

  • Gemini plans to raise up to $317 million in its IPO at a valuation of roughly $2.3 billion, with shares expected to price between $17 and $19 and trade under the ticker GEMI.
  • The offering follows blockbuster crypto listings from Circle and Bullish, whose valuations soared after their debuts.
  • Co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, close allies of President Trump, have used their political ties as Gemini positions itself as one of the most prominent U.S. crypto exchanges.

Gemini announced Tuesday that it intends to raise up to $317 million via its much anticipated public offering—a raise that would value the company at almost $2.3 billion.  

The crypto exchange, co-founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, will target an initial stock price between $17 and $19 a share, the company said. The IPO will consist of roughly 16.6 million shares of Class A stock. 

The company has yet to announce the exact date of its Wall Street debut under the ticker GEMI—but based on the details featured in today’s announcement, it is likely to be soon. 



Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Cantor Fitzgerald will be lead underwriters on the offering. 

Gemini initially filed to go public with the SEC earlier this summer, following the smash success IPO of stablecoin issuer Circle.

Amid excitement about the crypto sector’s booming fortunes and favorable regulatory shifts spearheaded by the Trump administration, Circle’s stock price more than quadrupled its initial target within hours of debuting—and has largely kept steady since then.

Last month, crypto exchange Bullish fared similarly during its IPO, more than tripling its target stock price on the first day of trading, and surging its valuation to over $12 billion.

Gemini will look to capitalize on what appears to be a positive association with crypto firms on Wall Street. The company is not only one of America’s more prominent crypto exchanges—but also one with particularly close ties to President Donald Trump and the White House.

The Winklevoss twins were some of the only crypto executives to vocally back the president in the run-up to the 2024 election. Shortly after Trump retook office, his SEC filed to pause its yearslong lawsuit against Gemini over its crypto lending program.

Last month, the Winklevosses announced a $21 million pro-crypto PAC explicitly created to defeat Democrats in the upcoming 2026 midterm election. The brothers have also been prominently featured at crypto-related White House events this year, including March’s crypto summit and the signing of the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act in July.

“These are two smart, handsome guys,” Trump remarked of the brothers, who were seated in the front row at the GENIUS Act signing ceremony this summer. “They got the look, they’ve got the genius, got plenty of cash, and it’s great that you’re on our side.”

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Winklevoss Twins Donate $21 Million in Bitcoin to Pro-Trump, Anti-Democrat Crypto PAC

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In brief

  • Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss donated over $21 million in Bitcoin to help launch the Digital Freedom Fund, a pro-crypto PAC.
  • Unlike most crypto PACs, which aim to stay nonpartisan, the twins explicitly said their PAC will work to support Republicans, defeat Democrats, and back Trump’s crypto agenda in the 2026 midterms.
  • The PAC’s goals include pushing for a lightly regulated crypto market structure bill, blocking a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC), and protecting software developers.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss announced Wednesday that they have donated over $21 million worth of Bitcoin to a new pro-crypto PAC—one they proudly unveiled will be principally focused on defeating Democrats and supporting Republicans in the 2026 midterms.

“We will identify and support champions of President Trump’s crypto agenda in primary races and the midterm elections,” Tyler Winklevoss said. “If the Republicans lose either the House or Senate in the midterms […] then Democrats will have power to slow down and interfere with President Trump’s agenda.”

The PAC, dubbed the Digital Freedom Fund, will be focused first and foremost on supporting President Donald Trump’s crypto agenda, the brothers said. To kick-start the initiative, they have donated 188.4547 BTC—a sum worth about $21.5 million at writing.

Today, @cameron and I donated $21 million in bitcoin (188.4547 BTC) to the Digital Freedom Fund PAC. The mission of the @FreedomFundPAC is to help realize President Trump’s vision of making America the crypto capital of the world. Since inauguration, @POTUS and his Administration…

— Tyler Winklevoss (@tyler) August 20, 2025

The openly partisan move from the Gemini co-founders is perhaps unsurprising in light of their enthusiastic endorsement of the president’s campaign in mid-2024, months before other industry leaders embraced the polarizing leader. 

But most other pro-crypto political spending groups have taken pains to, at the very least, appear nonpartisan. 

In 2024, top donors to Fairshake, the $300 million crypto super PAC behemoth, made what they at the time considered to be a difficult choice to endorse certain pro-crypto Democrats over reliably supportive Republican candidates, in the aim of not making crypto a partisan issue. 



Even now, as leaders of crypto’s most powerful companies lavish the Trump administration with praise and hobknob with the president’s advisors, they continue to publicly frame their lobbying efforts as decidedly politically agnostic.

The Winklevoss twins, however, are taking a different path into the 2026 midterms. 

They do maintain that their new political spending organ will be focused on crypto policy matters, including aiding the passage of a “skinny” crypto market structure bill that imposes few regulations on the sector, banning an American central bank digital currency, or CBDC, and legally enshrining protections for software developers.

But the brothers also explicitly stated Wednesday that they believe they can only achieve said goals by defeating Democrats in the upcoming midterms. 

“We know from their past behavior that they will resort to whatever bad faith tactics and tricks they can think of (e.g., bogus impeachments, lawfare, etc.) to try to derail the president,” Tyler Winklevoss said of the Democratic Party, should it regain control of either chamber of Congress next year. 

“We want the American Golden Age and we are ready to fight for it,” he continued. “And we don’t just want another year of it, we want three more years of it.”

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Winklevoss Twins Heave $21M Toward Republicans in Next Year's Congressional Battles
Crypto Trends

Winklevoss Twins Heave $21M Toward Republicans in Next Year’s Congressional Battles

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Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss said they’re spending $21 million to continue the crypto policy momentum led by Republican lawmakers, countering a wider industry effort that’s carefully supporting politicians from both major parties.

The U.S. congressional midterm elections are approaching next year, and they promise an intense political clash that could leave President Donald Trump without the Republican control of Congress that’s helped him push crypto policy past the finish line. The brothers are giving to the Digital Freedom Fund political action committee to support GOP candidates, they said on Wednesday.

The contribution made in bitcoin

“will identify and support champions of President Trump’s crypto agenda in primary races and the midterm elections,” Tyler Winklevoss said in a post on social media site X. If Democrats prevail in the midterms, as opposition parties often do in the middle of a presidential term, Winklevoss said they’ll get in the way of the Trump agenda.

“We know from their past behavior that they will resort to whatever bad faith tactics and tricks they can think of (e.g., bogus impeachments, lawfare, etc.) to try to derail the President,” he wrote.

The brothers who run the Gemini crypto exchange and have become a fixture at White House crypto events and have been publicly praised by Trump, but their endorsement of Republicans runs afoul of the industry’s wider insistence that crypto policy is bipartisan and that politicians from both parties should be supported as long as they favor the sector.

In last year’s consequential congressional elections, the crypto industry erected an unprecedented tower of campaign cash in the Fairshake PAC and its affiliates, outspending other industries and even rivaling the big party-led PACs. The binge of campaign spending resulted in dozens of political victories that helped pad the industry’s level of support in the current Congress, which has moved rapidly to support digital assets initiatives — most notably the recently passed Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.

Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican who now chairs the Senate Banking Committee, thanked the industry for unseating former Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Ohio Democrat who previously ran the committee, on Tuesday at SALT Wyoming.

Fairshake, which has already amassed $141 million for the next congressional elections after a recent $25 million bump from Coinbase, has split its allegiances deliberately between the parties. The industry has long pushed the talking point that its aims are nonpartisan, and Fairshake’s affiliates sought to underline that position by supporting both Democrat and Republican candidates who are willing to champion crypto bills.

The super PAC favored by the Winklevoss brothers was formed last month, according to Federal Election Commission filings, and hasn’t yet disclosed its donor activity. It’s set up to spend money independently, meaning the campaigns it weighs into can’t have any direct involvement with the PAC’s spending decisions. That super PAC structure also lets it spend unlimited amounts, such as the tens of millions the industry expended in places like Ohio and California last year.

The Winklevosses are pursuing U.S. crypto market structure oversight that “avoids the pitfalls of overregulation, bloated licensing regimes, and increased red tape that only serves to choke off innovation, grow the Regulatory Industrial Complex, and empower the swamp,” Tyler wrote.

This marks a second recent development in which the men behind Gemini are going their own way from the bulk of their industry. Tyler Winklevoss stood up as a major critic of President Trump’s nominee to run the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Brian Quintenz. All of the leading crypto lobbying groups sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday in vigorous support of Quintenz, who used to be a policy executive at a16z.



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