Post-election recap: Three takeaways for crypto investors

One week after the US elections, bitcoin has been hitting new all-time highs. This price action reflects the fact that the results were an ideal outcome for bitcoin and other crypto assets—with both a pro-crypto president and Congress set to take the reins of the US government in January.

The support for crypto was overwhelming. There were 268 Congressional candidates and 19 candidates for the Senate that were elected and are considered pro-crypto, according to Stand with Crypto. This included the election of 50 of 58 candidates supported by the crypto industry.

But with change coming in 2025, what can investors take away from last week’s results? I think there are three things we know with certainty.

1. Crypto will continue to be a political force: The election outcome might be the strongest signal we have seen that crypto is an asset class here to stay given the pro-crypto stance of President-elect Trump and many newly elected policymakers. Trump has supported big and bold ideas in this space, including supporting the US holding bitcoin on its balance sheet and the creation of a crypto advisory council to create supportive rules for the industry.

But this election will have an impact far beyond last week’s results. The engagement from the crypto community and industry in this election will reverberate into the next elections and those that follow, as policymakers are now grasping that—like the internet—crypto is a technology that should not be caught up in partisan politics. There were already signs of bipartisan support for the industry this year, but with such a definitive victory for pro-crypto candidates, both Democrat and Republican, the idea that Congress should try and stop this technology from being incubated in the US has faded away.

2. The “generational shift” is happening: While there has been more support for crypto from Republicans than Democrats, I think this is a short-term dynamic that will not persist over time. What might be more important is the generational shift taking place, as younger generations of politicians embrace crypto while older generations remain skeptical. It’s not surprising that the most vocal critics of crypto tend to be relatively older, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (75), Sen. Sherrod Brown (72), and Rep. Brad Sherman (70), while those who are embracing this technology—regardless of party affiliation—are much younger, including incoming US senators Tim Sheehy (38), Ruben Gallego (44), and Bernie Moreno (57). Over time, this generational gap might even become a more important distinction than partisan lines on this issue.
3. It’s still early: Even with bitcoin’s rise over $82,000 this week, this is an asset class that is still in its early stages of adoption. Many investment advisors, wealth managers, and large institutional investors are still conducting their due diligence, and we think the political and regulatory environment next year will help them accelerate these efforts.

But we are still so early. And, given the cyclicality of this asset class, there is tremendous potential for this current environment being an excellent entry point. For example, one year after the 2016 and 2020 elections, bitcoin had returned 916% and 354%, respectively.

This performance tracks well with post-halving performance as well as favorable macro factors, such as lower interest rates in the US and economic stimulus in China increasing global liquidity and benefiting risk assets. These factors, along with the ongoing institutional adoption and a dramatically improving regulatory outlook in the US is setting crypto up for a very strong 2025.

Crypto is the election’s big winner

The new administration, together with a Congress more crypto-friendly than any other point in history, is poised to act quickly to ensure that the US maintains its leadership in digital assets. While there will be many uncertainties in the coming weeks and months regarding specific policies and personnel, we are clearly at an inflection point. Crypto has made its case to US policymakers and they have embraced it with open arms. This is a key factor setting 2025 up for what we believe will be an incredible year for this space.

For investors thinking about how to act based on the election results, we continue to advocate for taking a long-term view and getting diversified exposure to this asset class. We’ll continue to face uncertainty and volatility, but investors who maintain an extended horizon will benefit, just as they have in the past.