Logo

Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that he will be converting the initial income from his new job to cryptocurrencies, after he pledged last year to take his first three paychecks at City Hall in Bitcoin.

Adams will convert his first paycheck, which he will receive Friday, to cryptocurrencies Ethereum and Bitcoin, the mayor said.

“New York is the center of the world, and we want it to be the center of cryptocurrency and other financial innovations,” he said in a prepared statement. “Being on the forefront of such innovation will help us create jobs, improve our economy, and continue to be a magnet for talent from all over the globe.”

Big Apple mayors draw a salary of $258,750 a year, meaning the mayor would be converting roughly $5,900 to the pair of cryptocurrencies on a biweekly paycheck based on average tax witholding. 

That check converts to either .14 Bitcoin or 1.82 Ethereum based on Thursday’s exchange rate. The mayor did not say how he was splitting the check between the two.


  Mayor Eric Adams announced he will be converting his first paycheck to cryptocurrencies. Christopher Sadowski Mayor Eric Adams announced he will be converting his first paycheck to cryptocurrencies. Christopher Sadowski

Federal Department of Labor regulations prohibit municipal governments from paying workers directly in cryptocurrencies, so before Adams receives it into his bank account, the paycheck will “automatically” be converted into cryptocurrency via Coinbase, a crypto exchange app, according to the news release.

The announcement comes after in November Adams declared in a tweet, “In New York we always go big, so I’m going to take my first THREE paychecks in Bitcoin when I become mayor.”

The vow was issued days after Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced that he would take his next paycheck in the digital currency, and shortly after Adams cruised to victory in November’s general election.


  Eric Adams will convert his check to ethereum and bitcoin. Getty Images Eric Adams will convert his check to ethereum and bitcoin. Getty Images

In November, Adams said he believes cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies should be taught in schools. Bitcoin, Adams explained on CNN, is a “new way of paying for goods and services throughout the entire globe.”

“And that’s what we must do: open our schools to teach the technology and teach this new way of thinking,” he added on Nov. 7.

Also in November, the then-mayor-elect flew to Puerto Rico for the annual SOMOS conference on the island via bitcoin billionaire Brock Pierce’s private Gulfstream jet.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy