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In his final days in office, New York City Mayor Eric Adams struggled. teased his future after politics, pledging to use cryptocurrency to “fight violence, educate our children and combat anti-Semitism.”
It didn’t take long for Adams to reveal his plans. On Monday morning, a dozen reporters and camera operators gathered in the heart of Times Square as Adams detailed the “NYC Token,” his yet-to-be-launched cryptocurrency designed to raise funds that will be used to fight anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism, as well as teach children to embrace blockchain technology.
“We want to make sure that everyday New Yorkers can invest and create the atmosphere they want to see in their city,” Adams said.
The former mayor of the largest city in the United States did not specify how his cryptocurrency would combat anti-Semitism. And it has not revealed who it is partnering with to launch the token, when it will be released, and how the funds will be used. In a brief question-and-answer segment, Adams directed reporters to a website that he said would have more information about the team behind the initiative.
THE websiteHowever, does not include any such details, with the buttons announcing “buy NYC token” and “read whitepaper” not working at the time of publishing. Nevertheless, he claims that the token already has a market capitalization of $2.5 million, with a billion tokens in stock and 10,000 holders. The website does not list any other figures associated with the project except for Adams, who said he would not take a salary at this time for the initiative but would re-evaluate his decision in the future.
The Blockchain Mayor
Even before he was sworn in in January 2022, Adams was a crypto booster and promised to take his first three mayoral checks in Bitcoin. He touted that New York was “going to become the center of the cryptocurrency industry.”
His enthusiasm was dampened by the crypto industry’s downturn in late 2022, spurred by the collapse of the FTX exchange, remaining largely silent on the sector until hosting a crypto summit at the mayor’s Gracie Mansion residence in May 2025. Later that month, Adams spoke at the Bitcoin 2025 crypto conference, where he promised to create Bitcoin-backed bonds for New York City.
He never kept this promise, but, in October 2025, he created the Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology in a decree. It remains unclear whether newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani will advance the initiative’s nebulous goals, which include encouraging investment in New York City by the blockchain industry and evaluating initiatives to educate the public. (Mamdani said in a separate news conference Monday that he would not buy Adams’ new piece.)
During his tenure as mayor, Adams faced widespread criticism for ethics violations and conflicts of interest, including a Justice Department indictment for bribery and illegal campaign donations that was later dropped under the Trump administration.
Government ethics groups have sounded the alarm over Adams’ involvement in crypto, including the head of a super PAC helping organize the Gracie Mansion summit while helping Adams raise more than $5 million for his re-election bid, according to Policy.
Now removed from office, Adams said the crypto coin is just one of several initiatives he plans to pursue as he embarks on trips to Dallas and Senegal. However, he clearly stated Monday in Times Square that New York remained his home: “I’m not going anywhere. »
