Former New York Governor and present mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo is pledging to remodel New York Metropolis into the worldwide hub of the long run.
The remarks come solely weeks after Eric Adams exited the race, leaving Cuomo as the one crypto-forward candidate operating for the NYC mayor’s workplace.
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Cuomo’s Crypto Imaginative and prescient for NYC Faces Highlight Amid Previous Ties to Crypto Alternate OKX
In response to Eleanor Terrett, host of Crypto America, Cuomo plans to nominate a Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). The personnel would set up a sweeping innovation agenda combining crypto, synthetic intelligence (AI), and biotechnology underneath a single citywide technique. They might:
- Coordinate tech-focused initiatives throughout metropolis businesses,
- Streamline adoption of recent applied sciences, and
- Appeal to funding and high-skilled jobs.
The council will advise town on regulatory adoption, workforce improvement, and decreasing bureaucratic limitations for rising industries.
Cuomo’s marketing campaign is pitching the initiative to modernize New York Metropolis’s infrastructure and governance, positioning it as a rival to Silicon Valley in innovation and financial competitiveness.
Nevertheless, as this assertion was made amid marketing campaign euphoria, one can’t rule out that Cuomo is anticipated to say something to woo potential voters, very similar to Trump rode on the crypto narrative main as much as the November 2024 election.
Customers additionally query the facility he would wield, even when elected, and whether or not he may train the mandate.
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Chief Innovation Officer is a good suggestion if they really have energy. In any other case it is simply one other title.
— Samuel Grisanzio (@samuelgrisanzio) October 19, 2025
Nonetheless, it’s not possible to disregard that Eric Adams’s exit provides Cuomo a aggressive edge, though he isn’t as vocal a crypto champion as Adams. Nonetheless, Cuomo must beat Zohran Mamdani, who maintains a major lead.
New York Mayoral Election Polls. Supply: Polymarket
Ties to Crypto Run Deep
In the meantime, this isn’t the primary time the previous governor has been related to the crypto sector, as he has an advanced historical past. A Bloomberg report from April revealed that Cuomo served as a paid adviser to the OKX trade, because it confronted a federal investigation by the FBI and the Southern District of New York.
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In response to the report, Cuomo suggested the Seychelles-based trade on coverage issues and its authorized response to the probe.
Reportedly, Cuomo additionally inspired the corporate to rent Linda Lacewell, his former ally and ex–New York Division of Monetary Companies superintendent, who has since grow to be OKX’s chief authorized officer.
Cuomo’s spokesperson defended his private-sector work, claiming he has not represented purchasers earlier than a New York Metropolis or state company, and routinely recommends certified colleagues for positions.
Andrew Cuomo may’ve spent the years since his resignation making amends and serving to New Yorkers.
As a substitute he hounded the ladies who spoke out about his serial harassment, fought to maintain his ebook deal hundreds of thousands…and suggested a international crypto trade that broke US legislation. pic.twitter.com/kBxkNGdrgA
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) April 2, 2025
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The investigation culminated earlier this 12 months when OKX settled with the DOJ, paying $504 million for compliance violations and unlicensed US buying and selling.
Cuomo’s deep involvement within the crypto trade may bolster and complicate his political ambitions. On one hand, his expertise with international exchanges provides him credibility in New York’s notoriously complicated regulatory setting.
Alternatively, critics might query the optics of his consulting position with a agency that not too long ago confronted felony scrutiny.
Nonetheless, Cuomo seems decided to place himself as the one crypto-forward candidate after Adams’s exit from the mayoral race.
His crypto expertise, turning into an asset or a legal responsibility, might hinge on how voters understand New York’s place within the digital future he envisions.
“New York needs someone who knows how to govern – someone who can build coalitions, work across differences and lead a city of more than 300,000 public employees with competence and accountability. Andrew Cuomo has that record. You may not agree with everything he’s done – few leaders are without controversy – but his ability to deliver results is proven,” MoonPay president Keith Grossman mentioned.
