As the markets stabilize and Bitcoin opens up over $ 100K, Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful”, is doubling digital assets and asking for a clear regulation to unlock the next chapter of Crypto. “I consider that Crypto is the twelfth sector of the economy within five years,” he told Coindesk in an extensive interview before his main opening in consensus 2025 in Toronto on May 15.
The president of O’Leary Ventures described his cryptography approach, which is based on the construction of traditional portfolio and a very deliberate plan to prepare for the institutional capital that believes that he is about to flood in the industry.
Crypto: a 19% assignment
O’Leary has a 19% weighting in cryptography and related actions. That includes direct exposure to cryptography and actions in the main encryption exchanges such as Coinbase, Robinhood and Wonderfi. “Volatility is good for an exchange,” he said. “No matter what Crypto is doing, up or down, the exchange is earning money because it is the infrastructure.”
For performance, it favors USDC for bank deposits. “This morning’s performance is 3,822%. That is better than a savings account.” (O’Leary revealed that he is a shareholder in the circle). Even so, O’Leary follows a strict strategy: never more than 5% in a position and never more than 20% in any sector, including cryptography.
NO A BITCOIN ETFS, NO A MICROSTIRGY
Despite being Long Btc, O’Leary is not a fan of the ETF wrap. “I never understood why someone would buy Bitcoin in an ETF and pay rates. That’s crazy,” he said. “If I want Vol in Crypto, you just buy bitcoin.” (Bitcoin ETFs were introduced in the US. In January 2024 and have attracted around $ 115 billion in investments so far).
He also chose not to be the strategy, saying that Michael Saylor is “a great strategist, no doubt. But, why am I owner of Bitcoin directly?”
Regulation is the missing piece
The institutional adoption of cryptography depends on regulation and compliance, he said. Large funds cannot buy until their internal systems can explain digital assets in the same way that they perform actions or bonds. “There are billions of dollars waiting aside. But they can’t move until it is regulated and compliance infrastructure is there.”
That is why it is optimistic about Stablecoin’s legislation in the United States, which hopes to approve soon. If that happens, he said: “You want to own the exchanges.”
“The era of the cowboy crypto is over,” he said. “Everyone is in jail or criminals. What we need now is compliance.”
Kevin O’Leary will share more about its cryptographic strategy in consensus 2025 in Toronto on May 15. Get your tickets here.
