Argentine President Javier Milei faces a fraud investigation after promoting a cryptocurrency that collapsed within hours, vaporizing billions in value.

Argentine President Javier Milei is facing a corruption probe into his promotion of a meme coin, which is a highly speculative form of cryptocurrency that’s seen a recent surge in popularity after President Donald Trump and his wife launched tokens of their own.

The controversy has turned what was once a promising regulatory path into political quicksand, leaving Argentina’s crypto landscape in turmoil. The promise of crypto regulation in Argentina, once fueled by the rise of pro-crypto president Javier Milei in late 2023,

Argentina’s president Javier Milei literally wiped out the meme coin market in just five hours today, and might have incinerated his reputation along with it.

On February 15th Mr Davis called himself “Javier Milei’s adviser” and said that he was “working with him and his team”. Mr Milei’s office has said the government has no connection to Mr Davis. This was not Mr Milei’s first brush with crypto controversy.

The budding scandal in Argentina has been dubbed locally as “cryptogate” and has links to a diverse cast of characters, including a high-profile U.S. influencer, a crypto developer who uses the pseudonym “Meow,” and a 28-year-old American entrepreneur who said he helped launch first lady Melania Trump’s meme coin last month.

Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, posted a link on X/Twitter to promote $Libra, a new cryptocurrency that, in his words, would “promote economic growth in Argentina and fund small business and entrepreneurship in Argentina.

Argentine President Javier Milei's brief social media endorsement of the Libra memecoin turned sour as an estimated 86% of traders that took stake in the cryptocurrency lost a combined $251M in a swift crash,