The crypto market has hardly ever been as exciting as it is now. Whatever one thinks of the overall prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency, the prospects for cryptocurrency are as radical as it gets, with a series of announcements set to make this the most pro-crypto US administration yet.
As a consequence, the reaction to the election results on the crypto markets was spectacular. A bull run to make Pamplona look like a trip to a petting farm was the immediate result, with Bitcoin in particular enjoying a huge surge in value.
Bitcoin’s Latest Boost
Having hit the landmark $100,000 value, Bitcoin dipped slightly below it for a while but has now surged to new highs following Mr Trump’s announcement that Paul Atkins is his nomination to be the new head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the main financial regulatory body in the US.
Mr Atkins, who held the same post under George W Bush, takes a strong pro-crypto line and has spoken out against heavily regulating the sector. Mr Trump has already pledged to replace current SEC head Gary Gensler, who holds firmly contrasting views to Mr Atkins on the question of regulation.
The result of this has been that Bitcoin soared as high as $106,000 in the latest market developments. It is reasonable to assume that further announcements that put in place both the structure and personnel of the new administration’s pro-crypto regime will have a similar effect.
Will The Bull Run Last?
A key question now for those hoping to build up their crypto stocks and then spend on their XRP cards is how long the bull market will last. Is this set to be a new permanent feature, with the US government’s approach helping put crypto on an irreversible path to becoming mainstream?
The answer may depend on a few factors. One is the Trump administration making good on its promises and sticking to them. So far, the signs are positive, with the announcements adding to the pro-crypto atmosphere provided by the presence on board the Trump bandwagon of the likes of Elon Musk.
A key question could come if there comes some form of crisis along the way that may embolden advocates of more regulation. But while this would be specific to the US, a second issue is how the crypto market may be affected by developments elsewhere. Some may be positive, others less so.
The Italian Job
Among countries where there have been positive recent developments is Italy. Like the UK, crypto investments there are subject to capital gains tax. Unlike the UK, however, the government recently decided to single them out for a special tax rate, hiking this from 26 per cent to 42 per cent.
However, as Reuters reports, the proposals did not just bring protests from the crypto sector; while Italy is notorious for its squabbling and unstable coalition governments, in this case, there was an internal row between ministers from the League Party, which holds the treasury portfolio.
The upshot is that the crypto tax hike will be scaled back and it is possible it may be abandoned altogether.
New Regulation For The UK?
While that may be good news if your portfolio includes any crypto commonly traded in Italy, British investors will look closely at what happens here in the UK.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed new regulations aiming at increasing ‘transparency’ in the crypto markets here and has just launched a discussion paper titled ‘Admissions and Disclosures & market abuse regime for crypto assets’, one of several papers it says are “designed to help us shape the UK’s crypto regime”.
It has done this while revealing that seven million British adults hold crypto assets, although the average holding is fairly modest at £1,842 each. This, of course, is an average with a wide spread of figures and there will be many who will look closely at what is being proposed.
For investors and XRP card users, the ideal scenario is one in which neither the UK nor other countries implement regulations so stringent that they prevent those living here from enjoying the benefits of what may be a prolonged boom in the US. The FCA states it wants to create a regulatory regime that is “fair, balanced and proportionate for all.”
The temptation to tax such assets may be as great here as in Italy, as could the desire to regulate them excessively. But others will recognise this is not wise.
If the boom continues, the response at the government level will be fascinating, as will that of opposition parties who will need to consider the role crypto might play in their economic policies should they take office in due course.