During his last days in office, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was facing difficulties, considered his future after politics and promised to use cryptocurrency to “combat violence, educate children, and address antisemitism.”
Adams didn’t waste time unveiling his plans. On Monday morning, around a dozen reporters and camera operators gathered in the heart of Times Square as Adams explained the “NYC Token,” his cryptocurrency that hasn’t been launched yet. It aims to raise funds for dealing with antisemitism and anti-Americanism and teaching children about embracing blockchain technology.
“We want to ensure that ordinary New Yorkers can invest and create the kind of atmosphere they desire in their city,” Adams stated.
The former mayor of the largest city in the US didn’t say how his cryptocurrency would fight antisemitism. He also didn’t disclose his partners for launching the token, when it would be released, and how the funds would be used. In a short Q&A session, Adams directed reporters to a website he said would have more information about the team behind the initiative.
However, the website doesn’t have such details. As of publication, the buttons for “buy NYC token” and “read whitepaper” aren’t working. Still, it claims the token already has a $2.5 million market cap, one billion tokens in supply, and 10,000 holders. The website doesn’t list any other figures related to the project except for Adams, who said he wouldn’t take a salary for the initiative at present but would re-evaluate the decision later.
The blockchain mayor
Even before being sworn in as mayor in January 2022, Adams was a crypto enthusiast and intended to receive his first three mayoral paychecks in Bitcoin. He boasted that New York “would be the center of the cryptocurrency industry.”
His enthusiasm was cooled by the crypto industry downturn in late 2022 caused by the collapse of the FTX exchange. He remained mostly silent on the sector until hosting a crypto summit at Gracie Mansion, the mayoral 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 fulfilled that promise. But in October 2025, he established the Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology. It’s unclear whether newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani will推进该倡议模糊的目标，这些目标包括鼓励区块链行业在纽约市投资以及评估教育公众的倡议。（Mamdani在周一的另一场新闻发布会上表示他不会购买Adams的新硬币。）
During his time as mayor, Adams faced widespread criticism for ethics and conflicts of interest violations, including a Department of Justice indictment for bribery and illegal campaign donations that was later dropped under the Trump administration.
Government ethics groups have raised concerns about Adams’s involvement with crypto, including the leader of a super PAC that helped set up the Gracie Mansion summit and raised over $5 million for his re-election bid, according to…
Now out of office, Adams said the crypto coin is just one of several initiatives he plans to pursue as he starts trips to Dallas and Senegal. Still, he made it clear in Times Square on Monday that New York is still his home: “I’m not going anywhere.”