The growth of Bitcoin in the next months will be influenced by two types of factors – macroeconomic and regulatory, says Hong Fan, president of the crypto exchange and Web3 company OKX.

IN interview
She noted to Bloomberg TV that crypto market participants will monitor the economic policy of the administration of the new US President, as well as what statements and steps will be taken regarding cryptocurrencies and whether the approach to crypto regulation will be unified at the federal level.

“I think there are two main factors. One is the expectation of how the Trump administration’s policies will affect the broader macroeconomy with respect to taxes, health care spending, foreign policy and the labor market. Another factor is what the market expects from the administration’s cryptocurrency regulatory policies, such as more clarity or relaxation, whether there will be a unified federal approach rather than the current state-by-state approach, which regulator will have more power in regarding the decision – the SEC or the CFTC.”

According to Hong Fan, these two factors will determine how the banking industry, especially first-tier banks, will work with cryptocurrencies, and whether banks will have new products based on cryptocurrencies. Fan emphasized that “institutional investors have always been interested in cryptocurrency, especially in the last year and a half, but they may not have been very open about it.”

According to OKX research, 70% of institutional investors from the traditional financial industry who took part in the crypto exchange’s survey said they planned to invest in Bitcoin in the next three years. According to Fan, institutions are interested in both direct investments in cryptocurrency and investments in instruments such as spot Bitcoin ETFs, which appeared on the market in January 2024. If crypto regulation in the United States receives more clarity, this will further attract interest in cryptocurrencies from institutions .

Hong Fan did not rule out that Bitcoin could become one of the assets for storing national reserves. She noted that some states are already investing in Bitcoin and over time it could also become a national reserve currency. Previously, US President-elect Donald Trump, during his election campaign, promised to turn the United States into a “bitcoin superpower” and create a “strategic national reserve of bitcoins” in the country.

When asked about the future price of Bitcoin, Fan emphasized that she expects volatility in the cryptocurrency market to continue, but Bitcoin is an asset for long-term investment, and over the long term, Bitcoin outperforms all other asset classes in terms of value growth. “I, like many long-term holders, believe volatility is a price to pay.”