- Crypto stopped responding to Trump headlines, as per Animoca co-founder Yat Siu.
- Institutional capital now treats BTC as a reserve asset, and not as a speculative token.
- Trump’s personal crypto exposure enriched Trump-linked entities, not the broader market.
For most of 2025, crypto traded ahead of reality as markets priced Donald Trump’s victory, assuming fast regulation, broad permissions, and political cover for risk.
That trade is now gone as prices stopped responding to Trump headlines long before the year ended, and capital began rotating away from narrative-driven bets.
The shift was not sudden. It came as policy timelines slipped and traders accepted a simple fact, i.e., crypto is not a top priority for the White House. Trump remains publicly supportive, but support did not translate into immediate structural change. As a result, markets adjusted.
Institutional Capital Rewrites the Playbook
In a CoinDesk interview, Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu said the crypto market has shifted into a new phase. Large investors no longer trade election cycles and allocate around structure.
Bitcoin is treated less like a speculative token and more like a reserve asset, similar to gold. That change altered market behavior, as per Siu, who noted that Bitcoin absorbed capital and altcoins lost political premium and now face a utility test.
The Animoca Brands exec claims the idea that broad rallies would follow political alignment has broken down. Capital now demands cash flow, usage, or infrastructure relevance.
Trump’s Crypto Exposure Did Not Save the Trade
Trump’s personal shift toward crypto did not revive the market. His family launched meme coins, a stablecoin business, and multiple crypto-linked ventures. Trading fees alone from Trump-branded tokens generated hundreds of millions of dollars.
Markets noticed, but they did not follow. Trump’s crypto exposure benefited Trump-linked entities more than crypto prices. The GENIUS Act clarified stablecoin rules, but it did not unlock a broad risk rally. Presidential participation is not the same as market support, Siu stated.
AI and Infrastructure Replaced Politics
As the Trump trade faded, another theme took its place. Crypto is increasingly priced as infrastructure, not ideology. Siu argued that crypto and AI are converging, with blockchains acting as the settlement layer for autonomous systems that require neutral, non-revocable rails.
Capital is now flowing toward systems that support automation, digital ownership, and machine-driven commerce. In that framework, crypto stops being a headline trade and becomes plumbing.
Related: Trump Crypto Curse? BTC Down 10% Since Inauguration: What’s Next?
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Source: https://coinedition.com/the-cryptocurrency-markets-trump-moment-has-ended-animocas-yat-siu/