March 5 (UPI) — The Trump administration is closing investigations into cryptocurrency marketplaces as President Donald Trump seeks to grow the United States’ footprint in the digital asset space.
Trump has taken several actions meant to signal his deregulation of cryptocurrency while calling for the United States to build a digital stockpile, moves that experts expect may lead consumers to be more comfortable investing in digital assets.
“Certainly at the moment the expectation is we are going to get a clearer regulatory framework. A more permissive regulatory approach,” William Luther, associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, told UPI. “So individuals who may have otherwise been hesitant to purchase or use cryptocurrency will see that the government is more favorable to these assets than it was previously. That will give them a bit more confidence to enter into this space.”
Regulations and enforcement
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has dropped two key cases against cryptocurrency marketplaces since Trump has taken office.
Last week, the SEC agreed to drop charges against Coinbase for allegedly illegally selling securities, according to Coinbase. The company, a cryptocurrency exchange marketplace, said in a statement that it was a case that “should never have been filed in the first place.”
Robinhood Cryptocurrency announced that the SEC was ending its investigation into the company over potential violations of securities law. Like Coinbase, Robinhood said in a statement that the investigation should not have happened.
“Robinhood Crypto always has and will always respect federal securities laws and never allowed transactions in securities,” Dan Gallagher, chief legal, compliance and corporate affairs Officer for Robinhood Markets, said in a statement. “As we explained to the SEC, any case against Robinhood Crypto would have failed.”
Both investigations were launched under the administration of former President Joe Biden, but Luther explains that Trump and Biden’s policies as they relate to cryptocurrency are not all that different.
“It’s not that the prior administration was opposed to crypto to the extreme,” he said. “Even Gary Gensler, when he was at the SEC, wasn’t stamping out cryptocurrencies. He even indicated at times that some of the things that they were trying to do to limit the reach of cryptocurrency, particularly to retail users, wouldn’t apply to assets like Bitcoin, which he described as not being a security.”
Gensler, the chair of the SEC under the Biden administration, was often characterized as aggressive when it came to enforcing regulations on cryptocurrency firms. His focus on the asset was primarily in mitigating fraud and penalizing fraudsters.
Cryptocurrency is the most common form of payment fraudsters are paid with in ransomware attacks, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, an arm of the U.S. Treasury Department.
Trump has nominated Paul Atkins to be the next chair of the SEC. Atkins is a former co-chair at the cryptocurrency advocacy group the Token Alliance.
Embracing crypto
In his remarks from Miami last week, Trump said he is committed to making America the “crypto capital.” His Jan. 23, executive order suggests he is interested in spurring along the adoption of digital assets in the United States and establishing a government stockpile.
Trump has commissioned the establishment of the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, charging it with identifying regulations, proposing regulatory frameworks and evaluating the potential creation of a national digital asset stockpile.
The government has long held cryptocurrencies, at least relative to the history of their existence. It has acquired cryptocurrencies by seizing them through its enforcement efforts, much like it has acquired cash, cars and other goods.
“Make no mistake. The U.S. government owns crypto because that’s what criminals have been using,” Aaron Klein, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told UPI. “Just like the U.S. owns some Ferraris too.”
Biden similarly commissioned research into cryptocurrency, directing the Federal Reserve to explore whether the government should create its own cryptocurrency in 2022.
Months later, the Federal Reserve came back with a recommendation for the government to explore creating a cryptocurrency that it referred to as a digital dollar.
“Innovation is one of the hallmarks of a vibrant financial system and economy,” then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. “But as we have learned painfully from the past, innovation without appropriately addressing the impact of these developments can result in significant disruptions and harm to the financial system.”
The Trump Administration is not yet following up on this recommendation. In fact it is moving in the opposite direction. As part of Trump’s executive order, he has prohibited the Central Bank or any agency from establishing, issuing or promoting a digital currency in the United States or abroad.
$TRUMP
Hours before taking the oath of office, Trump launched a meme coin called $TRUMP. A meme coin is an often volatile form of cryptocurrency derived from internet memes.
Trump’s coin experienced an almost immediate spike in value after launching but has collapsed since. With its initial spike it was trading as high as $31. The current value is a fraction of a cent, down more than 97% since launching.
First lady Melania Trump also launched a coin just as Trump was taking office. $MELANIA has also plummeted in value since launching. A coin was worth about $2 when it launched and is now worth about $0.85.
The first family’s venture into cryptocurrency as they moved into the White House raises immense ethical concerns, Klein said.
“It’s a five-alarm bell fire,” he said. “There’s massive fraud in the meme coin space. Whatever the actual details of the Trump meme coin turn out to be, giving the appearance of legitimacy of a meme coin to the president-elect gives the impression that he is prioritizing his own wallet over the good of society.”
A chief ethical concern in a president, or president-elect, launching a new business venture is that it creates a conflict of interest. The president is uniquely positioned to have a direct impact on the business they own or are invested in. This is why presidents have historically divested from their business dealings while in office.
Trump has refused to do so. In 2017, again days before taking the oath of office, Trump announced he would not divest from the Trump Organization, a company that holds a majority of his investments and various business ventures.
Argentina is reckoning with an ethics conundrum involving its president and cryptocurrency as well. President Javier Milei has been accused of fraud for allegedly promoting the cryptocurrency $Libra.
Milei argued that he did not endorse or promote $Libra after sharing a link to a website that sells it in February.
“The world wants to invest in Argentina,” Milei said in the post sharing a link the cryptocurrency marketplace.
Following Milei’s alleged endorsement, the value of $Libra grew from a fraction of a cent to nearly $5 before falling. It is valued at a fraction of a cent again. Milei’s political opponents in the Argentine National Congress have called for him to be impeached.
Milei’s actions demonstrate the influence a president can have on the cryptocurrency trade, an influence Trump exercised when launching his meme coin. Likewise his broader embrace of cryptocurrency through policy and public comments signals to consumers that the United States is a crypto-friendly environment.
“When the president of the United States promotes an asset it tends to move the needle for people to buy it,” he said.
Like most cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has been in a slump to start 2026. Over the first two months of the year, it lost 25%, continuing a downturn that began last October.
Although this hasn’t been fun for investors, several firms predict that Bitcoin could bounce back over the rest of the year. Analysts from JPMorgan Chase, in particular, have struck an optimistic tone based on expectations of increased institutional inflows.
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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024, leading to heavy institutional investment in the top cryptocurrency. Bitcoin ETFs hold $88 billion worth of Bitcoin, about 6% of the total supply, as of March 3, 2026.
ETF approval significantly expanded who can invest in the leading cryptocurrency. It used to be mainly the territory of retail investors, but because ETFs are regulated investment products, they allow hedge funds, pension funds, and other institutional investors to buy Bitcoin.
Bitcoin ETFs haven’t been immune to the recent sell-off. But they logged $787 million in inflows last week, snapping a streak of five straight weeks of outflows. This reversal is a sign that institutional investors are beginning to buy the dip on Bitcoin, which could be the first stages of a sustained recovery.
In a volatile crypto market, Bitcoin is the most resilient option and often the first to bounce back from downturns. ETF approval has given it a level of institutional support that no other cryptocurrency has.
While the SEC has approved spot ETFs for other cryptocurrencies, they aren’t nearly as large as those for Bitcoin. Ethereum ETFs rank second, with $13 billion in assets under management (AUM). I expect spot ETFs to help Bitcoin maintain a higher floor than in the past and rebound from its recent losses over the rest of 2026.
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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Lyle Daly has positions in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
At 5 p.m. Eastern Time today, Ethereum (1 ETH) is trading at $2,161.09. That’s a $180.66 increase from yesterday and about an $8.94 loss over the past year.
With a market capitalization of around $233 billion, Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency. That places it well below Bitcoin’s roughly $1.33 trillion market cap, but significantly ahead of third-place Tether, which sits at $183 billion.
One major distinction sets Ethereum apart from other cryptocurrencies: It’s not simply digital money. It operates as a decentralized computing platform, allowing users to build and run applications without oversight from any company or bank.
In basic terms, developers use Ethereum’s blockchain network (instead of, say, Amazon or Google servers) to create apps for activities like borrowing, lending, investing, trading, and more. ETH, the token, is the currency used for these operations.
When Ethereum’s initial coin offering (ICO) launched in 2014, it cost just 31 cents per share. Since then, its value has climbed by more than 60,000%.
Looking at the past five years (2020-2025), Ethereum has risen by a solid 46%. But that figure doesn’t tell the whole story. Ethereum has been subject to extreme volatility, peaking at nearly $5,000 in August 2025. That represents nearly 1.6 million percent growth from its original ICO—making that previous 60,000% increase seem modest by comparison.
Since then, ETH has seen gains exceeding 80% and losses surpassing 60%—that is to say, virtually every dramatic swing imaginable. Early 2026 brought a steep drop in Ethereum’s value due to several factors, including recession fears and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin selling millions of dollars worth of ETH.
The bottom line is that Ethereum can deliver both enormous gains and enormous losses, which is typical of other major cryptocurrencies too.
In the cryptocurrency rankings, Ethereum trails far behind Bitcoin for the top spot.
But keep in mind, Ethereum wasn’t designed primarily to serve as a currency; its main purpose was to function as a decentralized computing platform. Ethereum has a wide range of real-world uses, and its developer community is huge. This appeals to investors because it offers growth potential beyond simply being an “alternative currency.”
Here’s an easy framework for understanding the difference between these two currencies:
Staking represents another feature that sets Ethereum apart from Bitcoin.
Before 2022, Ethereum’s network was secured by thousands of computers competing to solve random puzzles (called “proof of work”). When your computer successfully solved a puzzle, you’d earn some ETH as a reward. It sounds strange, but it proved effective for maintaining an honest ledger.
Because this approach burned significant amounts of electricity and didn’t really make sense, Ethereum chose to replace it with something called “staking.” With staking, you lock up your ETH as a security deposit to help verify transactions. In return, you earn a reward similar to what proof of work provided. Essentially, you’re earning interest on your staked amount.
A few key things can affect Ethereum’s price:
There are many ways to invest in Ethereum with varying degrees of risk. Below are some of the most popular options.
Buying ETH directly represents the most hands-on investment method. You’ll open an account with a cryptocurrency exchange and connect your bank account to purchase and store ETH in a digital wallet.
If directly managing crypto doesn’t appeal to you (think handling wallets and private keys) an Ethereum ETF could be a better option. These funds hold the crypto for you while their shares trade on stock exchanges just like traditional stocks.
You can invest in publicly traded companies with close ties to Ethereum as a way to gain exposure without directly owning ETH. This might include blockchain technology companies, firms holding substantial amounts of ETH on their balance sheets, and the like. This approach lets you benefit from Ethereum’s performance indirectly.
A crypto IRA allows you to hold Ethereum within a tax-advantaged retirement account. It functions like a traditional or Roth IRA, offering the same contribution limits and tax benefits.
Ethereum is one of the most ubiquitous cryptocurrencies, but it’s far from the only option. Consider the following options when deciding where to place your money.
Unlike established blue-chip stocks such as Exxon Mobil, Johnson & Johnson, or IBM, Ethereum is still a relatively young asset. There’s no guaranteed way to predict how ETH will perform in the years or decades ahead. Even so, its performance over the past decade has been incredible, and its usefulness goes far beyond that of a simple tradable token; it underpins a huge and expanding network of financial applications and developer tools.
Keep in mind, though, that Ethereum has a history of sharp downturns, so be prepared for volatility. It isn’t a good fit for investors with a low tolerance for risk. Stay aware of emerging blockchain competitors, and don’t overconcentrate your holdings. ETH is best viewed as a smaller, strategic component of a well-diversified portfolio.
Cryptocurrency experts are bullish on Ethereum’s long-term trajectory. Standard Chartered has predicted ETH could even eclipse Bitcoin by then, reaching $40,000 by the next decade. More conservative estimates place it closer to $10,000. Either way, that’s a meteoric rise from its early 2026 valuation.
As of this writing, Ethereum reached its highest price ever in August 2025, hitting nearly $5,000.
Yes. Most cryptocurrency exchanges allow for fractional investing, giving you the ability to buy portions of a single crypto coin—including ETH.
If you want to invest directly in Ethereum by owning the currency, you’ll typically open an account with a cryptocurrency exchange. Once the account is created, you can transfer your money from your bank account to your crypto account and begin making purchases. Alternatively, you can indirectly invest in Ethereum via an ETF or a company that’s closely tied to Ethereum’s success.
Staking involves locking up your ETH to help validate transactions on Ethereum’s decentralized network. The upside to doing this is that you’ll receive a return similar to interest with a high-yield savings account.
Neither Ethereum or Bitcoin is objectively “better.” They do different things. Bitcoin is primarily a store of value, while Ethereum is both a platform that powers a large ecosystem of applications and a cryptocurrency. Bitcoin tends to be less volatile and more established as a payment method, while Ethereum gives you more functionality, and likely more potential for growth.
Bitcoin is a store of value, but it’s facing a huge risk in the next 10 years or so.
XRP has utility today, but it’s facing an onslaught of competitors in the same time frame.
One of these assets has a more straightforward path to its ongoing success.
Buying a cryptocurrency and then holding it for seven years is less about picking the flashiest chain of today, and more about picking the investment thesis that can inspire your conviction over time, survive your own boredom when the market is slow, and perhaps most importantly, survive a couple of gut-check drawdowns.
So with $3,000 to allocate today, is it smarter to load up on Bitcoin(CRYPTO: BTC) or XRP(CRYPTO: XRP) if you’re (hopefully) going to be holding whatever you pick through 2033?
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Bitcoin’s pitch is that it’s an asset with a fixed supply and enough of a social consensus about its worth that it functions as a store of value.
The coin’s supply cap is hard-coded at 21 million coins that can ever be mined. A lot of that supply, approximately 20 million Bitcoin, is already out in the world.
And if you’re building a well-balanced crypto portfolio, it’s the scarcity of the remaining supply and the guarantee that it’ll only get scarcer and more challenging to produce in the future that makes this coin a must-have holding.
Nonetheless, the long-term risk that investors should not dismiss is the advent of quantum computing, which in theory could crack Bitcoin’s encryption and enable the theft of coins at some point in the tail end of the next 10 years. There are some early steps taking place to update the coin to prevent that from being possible. Even so, the risk might not be fully addressed for years, or perhaps even too late to prevent a quantum attack which turns into a disaster for holders.
But the odds are good that Bitcoin’s developers will adapt to the threat in time.
XRP is a bet that its chain, the XRP Ledger (XRPL), becomes important financial plumbing, and that demand for the coin rises alongside its use.
There are a few pieces of evidence that suggest it’s succeeding. The XRPL saw around 1.1 million daily transactions recently, and it hosts 7.6 million activated wallets. That activity could accelerate if financial institutions continue to onboard their capital to the network in hopes of managing it more readily than they could elsewhere.
Still, XRP competes against other money transfer rails and also against legacy systems for capital management. It needs to beat out that competition consistently over time to continue to grow. And while it’ll likely win enough of its competitive fights to survive and expand somewhat for the next seven years, to continue to thrive and be a great investment, it’ll need to be winning against bigger and bigger competitors all the while — and that’s a lot harder to believe in because it’s a high bar.
So if you want a coin for a seven-year hold that demands the least babysitting and the least competitive jockeying, invest your $3,000 into Bitcoin, as it only needs to change elements related to its security rather than its core feature set.
Before you buy stock in XRP, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and XRP wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $523,599!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,118,640!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 951% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 194% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of March 3, 2026.
Alex Carchidi has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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