29-year-old crypto upstart Bo Hines: From White House crypto "liaison" to quickly becoming the helmsman of Tether's US stablecoin

Bo Hines, the 29-year-old former White House crypto liaison, has been appointed CEO of Tether's new U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, USAT. This move comes just a month after he resigned from his government role.

Hines was the executive director of the White House Presidential Advisory Committee on Digital Assets, where he played a key role in shaping U.S. crypto policy and helped pass the stablecoin regulation bill (GENIUS Act).
His deep political connections and understanding of the legislative process made him a valuable hire for Tether as it seeks to expand its compliant U.S. operations with USAT.
Prior to his political career, Hines was a college football player who first encountered Bitcoin in 2014. He later studied political science and law, focusing on crypto asset regulation.
After two unsuccessful congressional runs, his expertise in both politics and cryptocurrency made him a unique figure capable of bridging the gap between government and the crypto industry.

Author: Zen, PANews

Just one month after leaving the White House, Bo Hines, the 29-year-old former executive director of the White House Presidential Advisory Committee on Digital Assets, opened the revolving door again and got a "top job" - on September 12, Tether announced that it would appoint Bo Hines as the CEO of Tether USAT.

USAT, which is regulated by the United States and backed by the US dollar, is the latest stablecoin project launched by stablecoin giant Tether. It aims to provide businesses and institutions with digital alternatives to cash and traditional payment methods. This is also Tether’s "new work" in accordance with US regulatory requirements after the United States signed a genius bill for stablecoins.

Tether has always garnered attention for its high profitability. Its 2024 profit exceeded $13 billion, with an average profit per employee exceeding $80 million, making it the company with the highest per capita revenue in the world. For Bo Hines, who left politics for business, partnering with Tether was a natural fit.

After gaining sufficient political and business resources, all in on cryptocurrency

On August 10, 2025, Bo Hines announced his resignation from government service. The news quickly spread throughout the cryptocurrency community, and within days, he received offers from over fifty companies. Hines, having left politics, fully dedicated himself to the cryptocurrency industry. Just nine days later, on August 19, he announced he had joined Tether as a strategic advisor for digital assets and the US market. He would oversee business development in the US market, engage with policymakers and industry groups, and ultimately take over the helm of USAT.

The transition from resignation to employment was almost seamless, which makes people wonder whether Tether made him an offer that was "difficult to refuse" and made him choose career change.

In just over half a year, Hines laid the foundation for his future entry into the crypto industry with the connections and influence he accumulated during his time in the White House.

In January 2025, shortly after taking office, the new Trump administration appointed Bo Hines as executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets. The council, chaired by Silicon Valley venture capitalist David Sacks, aims to guide the United States' overall policy on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.

Trump, Bo Hines (first from right) and David Sacks (first from left)

The White House announced that the Trump administration hopes to establish the United States as a global "crypto capital" and ensure that the digital financial technology industry is "unconstrained by burdensome regulations." Hines, appointed the White House liaison to the crypto industry, has repeatedly stated his commitment to ensuring the crypto industry "has all the necessary conditions to thrive" and opposes regulatory pressures.

In an interview with Fox News, Hines bluntly stated that under the Biden administration, the crypto industry had become a victim of "legal battles" and unfair regulation. He also emphasized that the United States must not fall behind in technological innovation and "must lead the technological advancement of traditional financial markets."

During this period, Hines became a key figure in promoting legislation for stablecoins and digital assets. In June 2025, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed a stablecoin regulation bill (known as the GENIUS Act), marking a significant milestone in establishing a federal regulatory framework for dollar-pegged crypto tokens. The bill requires stablecoin issuers to maintain full reserves in liquid assets such as US dollars or short-term Treasury bills and to disclose the composition of their reserves to the public on a monthly basis.

Hines publicly stated that the White House hopes to push for passage of the bill before August. After the legislation was passed, he stated on multiple occasions that he had personally witnessed the huge potential of stablecoins in the modern payment system to "modernize payments and promote financial inclusion."

In promoting these policies, Hines has garnered support from industry and government figures. David Sacks, a veteran in the crypto community and the White House's "AI and Crypto Czar," has publicly praised his work. Regarding Hines' appointment, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told the media that Hines possesses a "deep understanding of the legislative process" and will be a valuable asset for Tether's expansion into the US market.

USAT represents Tether's move from global expansion to US compliance. The company collaborates with Anchorage Digital (the first federally chartered crypto bank in the United States) and Cantor Fitzgerald to ensure that USAT's issuance and reserve management comply with the Genius Act. Cantor, a well-known broker of US Treasury bonds and a long-term partner of Tether in purchasing US Treasury bonds, became a Tether shareholder in 2024. Its CEO, Howard Lutnick, joined the Trump administration as Secretary of Commerce this year. Prior to this, in response to EU regulation, Tether had only indirectly entered the EU stablecoin market by acquiring stakes in several stablecoin companies.

Bo Hines, a football player and Bitcoin, before he decided to go into politics

Bo Hines was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and attended Charlotte Christian School. Known for his athletic abilities, Hines was recruited by North Carolina State University to play college football for the NC State Wolfpack.

Hines led the team in receiving yards with 616 yards in his freshman season and was named to the All-American team, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman All-Star team, and the ACC Academic All-Star team during his freshman year.

Hines played for North Carolina State University in 2014 (No. 82)

While he was enjoying his success on the court, Hines also had his first brush with cryptocurrency: at the 2014 St. Petersburg Bowl, presented by the payment company BitPay, a banner reading "Bitcoin Accepted Here" on the field introduced the then-19-year-old Hines to Bitcoin. After the game, he used part of his living expenses to purchase his first batch of Bitcoin, becoming one of the earliest college athletes to dabble in this field.

In 2015, driven by his passion for studying politics and pursuing public service, Hines decided to transfer from NC State to Yale University. At Yale, he majored in political science, balancing academics with athletics and serving as co-chair of the Student Athletes Commission. He also hosted a podcast, "Bo Knows," discussing hot topics in American politics, which made him well-known among his peers. Beyond his studies, he continued to gain political experience, interning in the offices of Senator Mike Rounds and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb.

Working in the Trump administration thanks to cryptocurrency

During his final athletic career at Yale, Hines suffered two season-ending shoulder injuries , forcing him to end his football career prematurely. After retiring from the playing field, he fully turned his attention to politics and law. After graduating from Yale, he enrolled at Wake Forest University School of Law. There, his research gradually focused on the law and policy of crypto assets, studying issues such as how the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates cryptocurrencies. This learning and practical exploration laid the foundation for his later career as a government crypto advisor.

Hines' former professor, Raina Haque, said Hines had shown interest in the cryptocurrency space but was not a die-hard supporter of Bitcoin. "He wasn't someone who initially went crazy for cryptocurrency, as if it were the solution to all the world's problems," she said.

After entering politics, Hines twice attempted to run for Congress but failed. In 2022, he won the Republican primary but lost the general election to Democratic candidate Wiley Nickel. Notably, his campaign funding came from a trust fund and a political action committee founded by a former executive of the cryptocurrency company FTX. Hines ran again in 2023 but failed to secure Trump's endorsement, finishing fourth in the primary.

The election defeat didn't dampen his passion for public service; instead, it gradually refocused his attention on the digital asset sector, a field he had long been interested in. After the political campaign, he ran an anti-wokeness company and co-designed a Trump-themed memecoin. Like Trump's own token launched earlier this year, Hines' meme token saw a surge and then a sharp drop in value.

With two campaign experiences and extensive legal research on crypto regulation, Hines has found himself well-positioned to thrive in policymaking at the intersection of government and the crypto industry. Dan Spuller, senior director of industry affairs at the Blockchain Association, an industry group, also noted that Hines is one of the few individuals who can juggle both cryptocurrencies and MAGA.

And we all know what happened next.