With just over two weeks left until Donald Trump takes office, there are prospects that the relationship between the cryptocurrency industry and the banking sector, which has been at odds, could change positively.
According to The Block, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, TD Cowen predicts that under the Trump administration, banks may see an improvement in their relationship with the cryptocurrency industry.
Jaret Seiberg and the Washington Research Group stated in a report, “Banks have the responsibility to comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulations and manage risks such as liquidity and concentration,” adding, “If the Trump administration takes power, it is inevitable that the relationship between traditional finance and the cryptocurrency industry will change positively.”
However, they also mentioned that some banks may still take a cautious stance. They said, “Some banks may still see risks in increasing relationships with cryptocurrencies,” and “this could be targeted by new banks.” Additionally, stablecoins (assets linked to the value of fiat currency) were highlighted as the cryptocurrency sector that banks would be most interested in, as banks hold cash, making them advantageous for issuing stablecoins.
In the U.S., there has been ongoing conflict between the cryptocurrency industry and the traditional financial sector, particularly banks. There have been conspiracy theories suggesting that banks have implicitly enforced cryptocurrency-related sanctions, known as Operation Chokepoint 2.0. Some cryptocurrency figures have claimed that banks have tried to restrict access to traditional financial services for the cryptocurrency industry.
Brian Armstrong, the founder of Coinbase, commented on Operation Chokepoint 2.0, saying, “It actually happened. Unethical and un-American actions occurred under the Biden administration,” and “We are currently gathering evidence from victims through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bernie Moreno’s victory in the Ohio Senate race was a big win for the cryptocurrency industry, which spent more than $40 million supporting his candidacy. Now in office, Moreno said he would support legislation the industry is seeking that would govern how it is regulated.
Moreno has long been involved with the crypto industry. He has a background in blockchain, the same technology used to for cryptocurrency. He previously founded Champ Titles, a digital car titling company that was among the first to use blockchain for digital titles.
The cryptocurrency industry also helped fuel his Senate win. Super PAC Defend American Jobs spent $40.1 million on the race, more than any other outside group. The super PAC is affiliated with Fairshake, another super PAC that is funded by Coinbase, Ripple and other crypto companies.
Moreno’s support of laws sought by crypto interests is a stark contrast from his Democrat predecessor, former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
As Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Brown blocked advancing a bill to loosen the regulation of some crypto assets, known as the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, or FIT 21. The bill would reclassify many kinds of crypto as commodities rather than securities. Rules for commodities, examples of which include oil, wheat or electricity, are generally looser than those for financial securities like stocks or bonds. The bill passed the House last Congress, but remained stalled in the Senate Banking Committee.
Moreno now sits on the Banking Committee, as well as the Senate Committees for Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Budget; and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
“I got the committee assignments I wanted,” Moreno said. “Senator Thune was kind enough to get me on Banking.”
Moreno disagreed with the stance Brown had taken against legislation like FIT 21, countering that the rapidly growing cryptocurrency industry needs better clarification on regulations.
“Crypto is not looking to be deregulated. Crypto is looking to be treated fairly, to have transparent, consistent regulations that treat everybody equally and fairly. That’s what we want,” he said. “Look, at the end of they day, I understand how the technology works and I understand the industry. My opponent had no idea.”
With a new Congress, the House would have to re-introduce and pass another cryptocurrency regulation bill. FIT 21 previously received bipartisan support, with nearly all Republicans and about a third of Democrats voting for it.
Similar legislation would likely move more quickly this Congress, in which Republicans control the House, Senate and White House.
The rally in bitcoin and other cryptocurrency prices has generated excitement among some investors, but investment advisors are largely still skeptical that those volatile assets belong in a 401(k) plan or other qualified retirement savings plans.
Crypto was one of the fastest-growing categories of exchange-traded funds in 2024. The most popular of these funds, the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), has ballooned to over $50 billion in total assets.
Although crypto is a small part of the 401(k) plan market, it could grow substantially in 2025.
President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he will create a strategic reserve of bitcoin for the U.S. and has nominated Paul Atkins, a cryptocurrency advocate, to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC’s approval of spot bitcoin and ethereum exchange-traded funds in 2024 was a key change for the industry.
The law covering 401(k) plans requires plan sponsors to act as fiduciaries, or in investors’ best interest, by considering the risk of loss and potential gains of investments. The Labor Department has cautioned fiduciaries to exercise “extreme care” before adding crypto options to a 401(k) plan’s core investments.
Labor Department officials, however, haven’t required fiduciaries to select and monitor all investment options, like those offered through self-directed brokerage windows, according to the Government Accountability Office. Nearly 40% of plans now offer brokerage windows in their 401(k) accounts, according to a 2023 survey by the Plan Sponsor Council of America.
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Views are mixed about how much crypto to add to retirement savings or if it’s wise to allocate any at all.
Some financial advisors say crypto can work for a 401(k) plan because its movements are unconnected to the stock market and it functions even if a fiat currency is devalued.
“Crypto should be a part of a 401(k) plan because it’s a non-correlated alternative asset class,” said Ivory Johnson, a certified financial planner and founder of Delancey Wealth Management in Washington, D.C.
“With that said, investors need to ensure that they take their risk tolerance and time horizon into account which will define the target allocation,” said Johnson, who is also a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council. “The more volatile an asset class is, the less you need of it in the portfolio because you presumably get more bang for your buck.”
Johnson recommends cryptocurrencies range from 2% to 8% of an investor’s portfolio.
Other experts point to volatility and risk as reasons to be conservative.
“People saving for retirement should probably be even more conservative, because adding crypto to a 401(k) plan would significantly increase the risk that your retirement nest egg could suffer a large loss at the wrong time,” said Amy Arnott, a chartered financial analyst and portfolio strategist with Morningstar Research Services.
Morningstar found that since September 2015, bitcoin has been nearly five times as volatile as U.S. stocks, and ether nearly 10 times as volatile. That type of volatility adds a large risk to a portfolio even with a small amount invested.
Regardless of what assets are in a 401(k) plan, there are limits to how much you can contribute. For 2025, an employee can contribute up to $23,500 in a 401(k) and other employer-sponsored plans — that’s $500 more than in 2024.
People age 50 or older can make a “catch-up contribution” of up to $7,500. And those age 60 to 63 years old can supersize that, with a catch-up contribution of up to $11,250 for 2025.
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Bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell back to below the $100K mark on Tuesday after stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data led investors to further scale back their expectations for interest-rate reductions by the Federal Reserve.
The cryptocurrency gapped down 5.8% to $96.2K, a day after
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