7 Reasons Why 2025 Could Redefine Crypto Despite questions over regulation, lingering SEC lawsuits and scores of billion dollar zombie blockchain, bitcoin and the entire crypto market had a roaring comeback in 2024. Crypto winter? Over. Fallen empires and courtroom drama? In the rearview. The survivors? Battle-tested and eyeing the horizon like it’s the next gold rush. After years of clashes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds have arrived. As of mid-December 16, U.S. bitcoin ETFs held $129 billion in assets, surpassing the $125 billion in gold ETFs, according to Norway-based K33 Research. A post-election cocktail of market euphoria and Donald Trump’s promises to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world” and establish a strategic bitcoin reserve sent bitcoin past $100,000. Solana is having a moment, fueled by memecoin hype and new categories like dePINs—networks that leverage blockchain tech to decentralize control and ownership of physical infrastructure. Platforms like Polymarket, where users bet on the outcome of U.S. presidential elections, and the battle royale game Off The Grid have found mainstream success. A new wave of “degens” are gambling on tokens like fartcoin and dogwifhat, both now with a market cap above $1 billion. “It’s the year that crypto moved into the mainstream consciousness in a way that it hadn’t since 2021, and that it is now a sustainable long-term asset class that is going to have a voice and is going to matter,” says Rob Hadick, general partner at Dragonfly, a San Francisco-based crypto venture capital firm. “If you look at just the effect that crypto had on the election—both as donors and in terms of bringing it forward in legislatures and for presidential candidates—that's never been done before and obviously a big step forward in legitimization.” With Trump and a cadre of crypto-friendly officials poised to take office, the stage is set for what insiders are already calling "crypto’s golden age." Here’s what’s brewing: New All-Time Highs and the U.S. Bitcoin Reserve The art of bold price prediction is back in vogue. Crypto asset manager Bitwise forecasts $200,000—or even $500,000—per bitcoin if the U.S. creates a strategic reserve akin to those for oil or gold. The logic: the U.S. official bitcoin stockpile would trigger global FOMO. Trump floated using 200,000 bitcoins confiscated from criminals (worth $21 billion) to jumpstart the reserve at the Nashville Bitcoin conference in July. But the legal pathway is murky—will it require Congressional approval, or can the executive branch act unilaterally? Pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis proposed a Treasury-operated reserve in July. Skeptics argue the asset’s volatility could undermine financial stability. Trump's silence on whether the U.S. would acquire more bitcoin through open market purchases adds another layer of intrigue. Crypto’s Regulatory Reset: A Friendly Washington The incoming administration is shaping up to be the most pro-crypto yet. Key appointments include: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Paul Atkins, former SEC commissioner and a crypto supporter, is poised to replace the industry’s sworn enemy Gary Gensler, whose tenure was defined by lawsuits and enforcement crackdowns. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC): Brian Quintenz, head of policy at Andreessen Horowitz and former CFTC commissioner, is the frontrunner to lead the agency. Treasury: hedge fund billionaire and bitcoin advocate Scott Bessent is Trump’s pick for secretary. Commerce: Howard Lutnik, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald (the main custodian for Tether’s USDT reserves), is set to lead the department. AI & Crypto Czar: David Sacks, a longtime venture capitalist who also worked with Elon Musk at PayPal, will oversee policy in two key areas of Trump's strategy for enhancing national competitiveness. The House Financial Services Committee: Rep. French Hill, an Arkansas Republican who has worked alongside outgoing Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) to champion industry-friendly crypto legislation, plans to prioritize crypto market structure bill within the first 100 days and investigate the so-called Operation Choke Point 2.0, which many believe unfairly targeted the crypto sector through debanking practices. “There's a real opportunity to get good policy in place for the industry,” says Kristin Smith, CEO of Washington DC-based Blockchain Association, which represents more than 100 crypto companies. “The White House has indicated that this is a priority. I think we're going to see a combination of efforts across government, a legislative push for market structure and stablecoins and a big shift towards a lot of the innovation coming back to the US,” she adds. New Public Listings and Available Capital
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7 Reasons Why 2025 Could Redefine Crypto

Despite questions over regulation, lingering SEC lawsuits and scores of billion dollar zombie blockchain, bitcoin and the entire crypto market had a roaring comeback in 2024.

Crypto winter? Over. Fallen empires and courtroom drama? In the rearview. The survivors? Battle-tested and eyeing the horizon like it’s the next gold rush.

After years of clashes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds have arrived. As of mid-December 16, U.S. bitcoin ETFs held $129 billion in assets, surpassing the $125 billion in gold ETFs, according to Norway-based K33 Research.

A post-election cocktail of market euphoria and Donald Trump’s promises to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world” and establish a strategic bitcoin reserve sent bitcoin past $100,000.

Solana is having a moment, fueled by memecoin hype and new categories like dePINs—networks that leverage blockchain tech to decentralize control and ownership of physical infrastructure. Platforms like Polymarket, where users bet on the outcome of U.S. presidential elections, and the battle royale game Off The Grid have found mainstream success. A new wave of “degens” are gambling on tokens like fartcoin and dogwifhat, both now with a market cap above $1 billion.

“It’s the year that crypto moved into the mainstream consciousness in a way that it hadn’t since 2021, and that it is now a sustainable long-term asset class that is going to have a voice and is going to matter,” says Rob Hadick, general partner at Dragonfly, a San Francisco-based crypto venture capital firm. “If you look at just the effect that crypto had on the election—both as donors and in terms of bringing it forward in legislatures and for presidential candidates—that's never been done before and obviously a big step forward in legitimization.”

With Trump and a cadre of crypto-friendly officials poised to take office, the stage is set for what insiders are already calling "crypto’s golden age." Here’s what’s brewing:

New All-Time Highs and the U.S. Bitcoin Reserve

The art of bold price prediction is back in vogue. Crypto asset manager Bitwise forecasts $200,000—or even $500,000—per bitcoin if the U.S. creates a strategic reserve akin to those for oil or gold. The logic: the U.S. official bitcoin stockpile would trigger global FOMO.

Trump floated using 200,000 bitcoins confiscated from criminals (worth $21 billion) to jumpstart the reserve at the Nashville Bitcoin conference in July. But the legal pathway is murky—will it require Congressional approval, or can the executive branch act unilaterally? Pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis proposed a Treasury-operated reserve in July. Skeptics argue the asset’s volatility could undermine financial stability. Trump's silence on whether the U.S. would acquire more bitcoin through open market purchases adds another layer of intrigue.

Crypto’s Regulatory Reset: A Friendly Washington

The incoming administration is shaping up to be the most pro-crypto yet. Key appointments include:

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Paul Atkins, former SEC commissioner and a crypto supporter, is poised to replace the industry’s sworn enemy Gary Gensler, whose tenure was defined by lawsuits and enforcement crackdowns.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC): Brian Quintenz, head of policy at Andreessen Horowitz and former CFTC commissioner, is the frontrunner to lead the agency.
Treasury: hedge fund billionaire and bitcoin advocate Scott Bessent is Trump’s pick for secretary.
Commerce: Howard Lutnik, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald (the main custodian for Tether’s USDT reserves), is set to lead the department.
AI & Crypto Czar: David Sacks, a longtime venture capitalist who also worked with Elon Musk at PayPal, will oversee policy in two key areas of Trump's strategy for enhancing national competitiveness.
The House Financial Services Committee: Rep. French Hill, an Arkansas Republican who has worked alongside outgoing Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) to champion industry-friendly crypto legislation, plans to prioritize crypto market structure bill within the first 100 days and investigate the so-called Operation Choke Point 2.0, which many believe unfairly targeted the crypto sector through debanking practices.
“There's a real opportunity to get good policy in place for the industry,” says Kristin Smith, CEO of Washington DC-based Blockchain Association, which represents more than 100 crypto companies. “The White House has indicated that this is a priority. I think we're going to see a combination of efforts across government, a legislative push for market structure and stablecoins and a big shift towards a lot of the innovation coming back to the US,” she adds.

New Public Listings and Available Capital