‘Discipline, Not Hype’: 3 Experts Share Long-Term Crypto Investment Strategies

Key Takeaways:

• Long-term crypto investment strategies demand structure, not hype—from passive income to algorithmic strategies.
• Experts stress the value of soft staking, risk control, and avoiding emotionally driven decisions.
• From tokenized ETFs to SocialFi shifts, institutional tools are shaping the next phase of the market.

We spoke with three experts—a fund founder, a venture partner, and an algorithmic trading strategist—each offering a different path forward. Despite their varied approaches, all agree that long-term crypto success requires discipline, logic, and critical thinking.

This conversation took place at the UN:BLOCK conference in Riga, held on April 22–24, where industry leaders shared their views on the future of crypto and blockchain-based finance.

Ethan Pierse: ‘I’m More Interested in the Value’

For Ethan Pierse, Partner at Borderless Ventures, patience and discipline form the backbone of sound crypto investment strategies:

As a value investor and not a day trader, I’m more interested in the value of crypto assets (like stocks) over time. Dollar cost averaging… creates a more stable, reliable path to high returns.

Pierse acknowledges that riskier strategies like airdrop farming or meme coins may offer profits, but only for those willing to commit significant time and effort. When evaluating projects, he looks for user growth, active development, and tokenomics that make sense long-term:

A big red flag is if token unlocks benefit insiders disproportionately or if there’s low real usage but high speculative interest.

Looking ahead, Pierse expects institutional tools and data-driven approaches to dominate:

We’ll see more structured products, tokenized ETFs, and algorithmic portfolio models, bringing crypto closer to traditional finance without losing its edge.

Gunars Udris: ‘Bitcoin Continues to Be a Cornerstone’ of Crypto Investment Strategies

Gunars Udris, Partner at FinForta, emphasizes that long-term success in crypto and effective crypto investment strategies begin with strong fundamentals. Speaking after FinForta won the UN:BLOCK pitch competition, Udris stressed that projects with clear utility, solid technology, and credible teams are far more likely to endure market cycles:

Projects that feature clear use cases, robust technology, and experienced teams are more likely to thrive. For example, Ethereum’s smart contracts address real-world problems, whereas projects with anonymous teams or vague whitepapers often indicate higher risks.

Udris sees value beyond the traditional “buy and hold” approach and suggests more nuanced strategies:

• Diversifying across sectors like DeFi, AI, and GameFi,
• Tracking emerging trends such as tokenized real-world assets and smart contract platforms,
• Utilising soft staking to earn yield without sacrificing liquidity.

The expert highlights the growing appeal of flexible earning mechanisms: “Soft staking provides the flexibility to respond to market changes while still earning rewards, making it appealing for active investors seeking both liquidity and yield.”

He also warns that many investors underestimate major risks such as volatility, regulatory shifts, security breaches, and liquidity traps:

In 2024 alone, over $2.36 billion was lost to hacks, and a single incident can wipe out your holdings with little chance of recovery.

Niv Bomash: ‘It’s Not the Big Wins That Will Make You Rich’

According to Niv Bomash, Founder of SAGE, risk management is the most overlooked pillar of crypto investing. He emphasizes caution, control, and logic above all:

It’s not the big wins that will make you rich. It’s the big losses that will take you out of the game.

Bomash favours algorithmic trading strategies over simple buy-and-hold, but stresses that they require constant review and adaptation:

There are algorithmic trading strategies which perform better than the traditional buy and hold. However, one must keep monitoring and updating them periodically.

He also points out that the unpredictable nature of crypto markets, especially their 24/7 operation, makes managing volatility more difficult than in traditional finance:

Market volatility and their constant change of behaviour. You cannot predict what will happen or when.

Looking ahead, Bomash anticipates broader market access through ETFs and ETPs and believes regulation will make the space more stable and investor-friendly:

I believe that there will be more availability via ETFs and ETPs which will make it easier and cheaper for investors to gain from exposure to the crypto market.

While their tactics may differ, all three experts agree: emotional trading and blind optimism rarely lead to success in crypto. In a market known for its noise and hype, discipline, structure, and constant re-evaluation make the difference. As the ecosystem matures, long-term investors must evolve with it, without losing sight of the fundamentals.