Busy Investors Top Crypto Adoption Hurdle, Says Bitwise CEO

Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley said that the biggest barrier to cryptocurrency adoption is no longer regulation or access, but rather investors being too busy to consider crypto investments. Horsley stated that investor attention has become crypto's biggest adoption hurdle, surpassing even the price or regulation of cryptocurrencies. He noted that the industry has cleared other hurdles, such as no exchanges or qualified custodians, and fears of government shutdown.

However, advisors are now citing that their clients are not asking about crypto, with some advisors at large firms even unaware that they have access to Bitcoin (BTC). Horsley described this as 'almost hard to fathom.'

Horsley believes that the ideal price performance for Bitcoin is 'positive price performance, not too slow, not too fast, and not too high too quickly.' He stated that a rising market helps Bitwise's sales, but only up to a point, while a sudden price drop or surge can deter investors. Currently, Bitcoin's price is trading near $85,200.

Bitwise's NEAR ETF has attracted over $50 million in net inflows, with Horsley seeing index products as an emerging bridge between AI and crypto. He expects the growth of index products to be driven by wealth managers, with the story 'just getting started.'