Saylor says ‘bitcoin will rip forward with a vengeance’
March 18, 2025 Alex RustokBitcoin will no doubt rally once investor confidence returns, Michael Saylor says. The flagship digital currency, down about 10% in 2025, has been consolidating for several weeks as President Trump’s tariffs have intensified global economic concerns, keeping investors out of risk assets. “The market is really skittish based upon concerns about tariffs,” said the founder and chairman of the aggressive bitcoin acquirer Strategy , formerly MicroStrategy. “The disposition of the U.S. economy, the interest rate forward graph … the interest rates have pulled in 30, 40, 50 basis points. And we’re in this macro risk off zone. When that flips, I think Bitcoin will rip forward with a vengeance.” He added that “if you’re going to put a billion dollar bet on right now, the only thing you would do is put a billion dollar bet on bitcoin as a long term store of value, that is clear.” Saylor is laser focused on bitcoin but even he sees it as only one tier of several that make up the broader digital economy. Speaking with CNBC’s Bob Pisani at the advisor-focused Future Proof conference in Miami on Monday, Saylor mapped out four sectors of the crypto ecosystem fueled by blockchain technology. Saylor, famously bullish on bitcoin, said the cryptocurrency sits at the top of a hierarchy of assets as a digital commodity; followed by digital currencies, or stablecoins; tokenized stocks and bonds that can circulate 24/7; and finally, digital tokens. “A digital token will be the lowest threshold,” he said. “Anybody can launch a token, it won’t be a security, it will stop short in the utility that’s deemed legally a security.” “The big unlock is that digital token economy, and for that to take shape in a legitimate way, we actually need a digital assets framework endorsed by Washington, D.C. passed into law,” he added. He noted that the U.S. is making progress on that front, with the Securities and Exchange Commission undertaking “an elaborate set of meetings” to determine what constitutes a security. The 60-year-old billionaire also expressed confidence in the progress of the GENIUS Act, the proposed stablecoin focused bill that passed the Senate last week and now heads to the House. “I think the GENIUS act will be passed [and] the U.S. government will allow a U.S. regulated company or bank to issue a stablecoin, as long as it’s backed by Treasurys, by currency equivalents, in a U.S. regulated institution,” Saylor said.