Coinbase CEO: Trump’s Crypto Plans Spark Buzz in Crypto, Finance, and Tech

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has highlighted how U.S. President Donald Trump’s crypto agenda has become a central topic of discussion across the crypto industry, financial markets, and the tech world.

Reflecting on his recent time at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Armstrong revealed that conversations with major market leaders were dominated by Trump’s plans for digital assets.

“Basically, every conversation I had with major market leaders was focused on what the Trump administration planned to do on crypto,” Armstrong said in a Jan. 24 post on X.

Trump is Pushing Industry Players to Step Up

He added that Trump’s bold vision is pushing industry players to step up, with many striving to avoid being left behind in the rapidly evolving landscape.

During the WEF, Trump pledged to make the United States the “world capital of artificial intelligence and crypto.”

This commitment, one of his first public statements since taking office on Jan. 20, has set a transformative tone for the industry.

Armstrong praised Trump’s approach, along with the leadership of Argentina’s President Javier Milei and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, for embracing free markets as drivers of prosperity.

Among Trump’s speculated plans is the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, though his latest executive order hints at a broader vision.

The order calls for the formation of a working group to evaluate a strategic national digital assets stockpile, leaving room for other cryptocurrencies to be included.

Armstrong also noted that financial institutions are accelerating their investments in crypto, signaling a surge in competition and innovation.

“There are going to be more players and competition than ever in crypto, and we welcome it all,” Armstrong said, emphasizing the potential for crypto to modernize the global financial system.

https://t.co/wOhYg1vmzr

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) January 24, 2025

However, regulatory hurdles persist. Traditional finance executives at the WEF, including Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, expressed interest in Bitcoin but acknowledged that regulatory restrictions limit their involvement.

“At the moment, from a regulatory perspective, we can’t own, we can’t principal, we can’t be involved with Bitcoin at all,” Solomon said, describing Bitcoin as an “interesting speculative asset.”

Trump Frenzy Triggers Inflows of $2.2B into Digital Asset Products

Triggered by the Trump inauguration euphoria, digital asset products saw record inflows of $2.2 billion last week.

According to the latest CoinShares report, this marked the largest weekly inflows of 2025 so far, pushing year-to-date (YTD) inflows to $2.7 billion.

The spike in activity has pushed total assets under management (AuM) to an all-time high of $171 billion.

The surge in inflows has not only impacted total assets under management but also global trading volumes.

Global trading volumes for exchange-traded products (ETPs) also show there is a rise in interest, with $21 billion traded last week.

This accounted for 34% of total Bitcoin trading volumes on trusted exchanges, showing an increase in market engagement.

When it comes to regional demand, the U.S. dominated inflows, contributing $2 billion of the total.

Switzerland and Canada followed with inflows of $89 million and $13 million, respectively, showing global demand for digital assets, reports CoinShares.