The Web3 community still has plenty to say about President Donald Trump’s recent moves on gold tariffs and 401 (k)s. Read more below.
Crypto and 401 (k) retirement accounts
“President Trump’s executive order signals a historic shift in how Americans can access digital and tokenized assets through their retirement savings. By directing the Labor Department to revisit fiduciary guidance for alternative assets in 401(k) plans, the door is opening for a portion of the $8.7 trillion retirement market to move into compliant crypto, private equity, and real estate investments.
“Apart from adding Bitcoin to a portfolio, it helps build the infrastructure needed to support tokenized investment vehicles at scale, which are transparent, cost-efficient, and aligned with ERISA’s strict fiduciary standards. For millions of retirement savers, it creates a potential path to access emerging asset classes that were previously out of reach.
“The reason why this is important is because it connects with the broader regulatory clarity coming from the Chairman Atkins’ SEC leadership. We’re starting to see a unified framework emerge: one that allows institutional-grade tokenization to reach everyday investors.
“Additionally, BlackRock’s recent move to include 5–20% private assets in their target date funds is an early sign of what’s coming. But the real transformation will be driven by purpose-built tokenized infrastructure that delivers the transparency, liquidity, and compliance required for retirement plans.”
– Abdul Rafay Gadit, co-founder of ZIGChain
“Mainstream users being able to actually park part of their retirement in BTC is a big step forward, particularly if you’ve been around long enough to remember when ‘crypto in retirement’ was basically a meme. The big thing here is that it gives people a different kind of asset in a portfolio that’s usually all stocks and bonds.
“Some naysayers are going to lose their minds over this, citing Bitcoin’s volatility and risk profile, but if we’re being honest, plenty of retirement plans already let you gamble on high-risk items that just happen to be wrapped in a mutual fund logo.
“Once the pipes are built for Bitcoin, you can bet tokenized stocks and other digital assets won’t be far behind. This could quietly reshape how retirement accounts work.”
– Michael Cameron, co-founder of Superp, a DEX tailored for on-chain traders
“The ability for investors to choose Bitcoin as part of their 401 (k) retirement plans opens the door for greater access to the most productive asset in the world for the past decade and a half. Bitcoin has always been the answer to the question of how to deal with rampant inflation and the accelerating decline of fiat currency value. This latest regulatory update will give more people the opportunity to adopt Bitcoin as a store of value, and a viable long-term investment option.”
– Kevin Liu, CEO and co-founder of GOAT.network, a Bitcoin ZK Rollup
“The inclusion of Bitcoin in 401(k) plans is like a mass adoption stamp of approval — a kind of boomer-era, government-adjacent seal saying ‘this is okay now.’ It’s the retirement equivalent of ‘FDIC-insured for crypto’.
“More importantly, it unlocks the potential for massive latent capital inflows into Bitcoin and, by extension, the broader crypto ecosystem. It’s a structural event, and the market impact could be profound.”
– Dylan Dewdney, co-founder and CEO of Kuvi.ai, an Agentic Finance platform
GENIUS Act
“Europe has moved ahead by establishing the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA), which sets out a unified legal framework for stablecoins and other crypto assets across all 27 EU member states. MiCA enforces strict requirements for transparency in reserve assets, robust redemption rights, classification of stablecoins into categories such as asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens, and a ban on algorithmic stablecoins.
“This kind of harmonized approach, similar to FINMA’s oversight framework in Switzerland, highlights the benefits of consistent, cross-border rules that can give the industry a clearer roadmap and encourage responsible innovation. Fragmentation, where different jurisdictions take vastly different approaches, creates uncertainty and operational complexity that can slow adoption and push activity into less regulated areas. A more global framework could help establish common standards for transparency, security, and consumer protection while supporting healthy competition among innovators.”
“In the United States, the recent passage of the GENIUS Act is an important step toward greater clarity in the stablecoin market, but it also underscores the need for coordination with other major markets. The Act sets out clear rules for who can issue payment stablecoins and requires one-to-one backing with liquid reserves, audited disclosures, and anti-money laundering compliance, while prohibiting yield-bearing stablecoins.
“Although it moves the U.S. toward a more defined structure, the next challenge will be ensuring that these rules can work alongside global standards so that the industry can operate efficiently across borders. The forthcoming Clarity Act could play a role in further aligning U.S. regulations with international expectations, helping to bridge the gap between domestic oversight and the global nature of digital assets.”
– Dr. Kai Wawrzinek, Impossible Cloud Network CEO
Trump gold tariffs
“The real story here is how fast policy can flip. Even with Trump now ruling out tariffs on imported gold bars, the broader case for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) still holds, with gold-backed tokens remaining attractive for their 24/7 settlement and portability without physical transfers.
“This ultimately underscores the pronounced importance of compliant, scalable rails that handle cross-border flows efficiently regardless of policy changes. Institutions will only adopt if assets can be audited, reported, and settled within regulatory frameworks, meaning programmable, compliant finance offers a big-time strategic edge in today’s unpredictable global trade environment.”
– Blake Jeong, Co-CEO of IOST
“The uncertainty around whether gold would face U.S. tariffs created a ripple effect in crypto. When investors feared restricted access to a traditional safe haven, they turned to crypto and stablecoins as alternatives. With Trump’s latest clarification that ‘gold will not be tariffed,’ the immediate rush to crypto may ease. But here’s the longer-term view: crypto thrives on programmability, borderless capital flows, and yield potential. Those fundamentals remain intact regardless of gold policy shifts.
“At Bima Labs, we’re building infrastructure that turns speculative assets like Bitcoin into productive capital without selling them. That means liquidity when you need it, upside when you want it, and global flexibility that gold just can’t match.”
– Sid Sridhar, founder and CEO of BIMA Labs