Crypto curious investors got an urgent message from “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary on Fox News this week about Bitcoin.
He thinks BTC prices are about to move faster than ever.
Lara Trump Interviews Kevin O’Leary (ABC Network)
Ms. Trump, the wife of Trump’s family political scion, Eric Trump, only recently returned to Fox News in February after taking a hiatus while her father-in-law was running for president.
Below are five money quotes from the interview, which took place at Pubkey, a crypto bar in New York City.
Watch the interview here:
1. The ‘Crypto Cowboy’ Era Is Over
“We’re coming out of the cowboy era of cryptocurrency.”
O’Leary’s commentary about Bitcoin in 2025 and beyond covered the good, the bad, and the ugly— starting with the ugly.
“We’re coming out of the cowboy era of cryptocurrency,” the Shark Tank investor said. “Now all the crypto cowboys are in jail or out of business.”
He’s referring to a gaggle of crypto entrepreneurs who ran afoul of the law and got prosecuted by the US government.
Alex Mashinsky, Celsius
That includes, for example, Alex Mashinsky, the co-founder and former CEO of Celsius Network. He admitted guilt to defrauding investors with assurances of regulatory approvals he did not have and claimed that he was not selling his CEL tokens when he was.
Mashinsky could spend 30 years in prison for these convictions.
Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX
Meanwhile, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of the FTX exchange and its FTT tokens, is serving a 25-year sentence for several counts of fraud.
His parents are exploring how to petition President Donald Trump for a pardon or commutation of Bankman-Fried’s sentence. SBF, as he is known online, is still breaking the rules in prison.
The administrators reportedly threw him into solitary confinement in March after sneaking a surprise, unapproved interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Changpeng Zhao, Binance
In addition to these two convicted fraudsters, Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao finished serving a four-month jail stint in September last year after settling with the DOJ on charges of violating anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.
The Wall Street Journal this March alleged that Trump may pardon Zhao for his past compliance flubs, which would allow the software engineer and crypto exchange founder to take a leadership role again at Binance.
With the US government established over cryptocurrency, O’Leary predicts that the crypto-friendly administration with Donald Trump at the helm will help make the industry an official new sector of the economy.
2. Crypto Is The Economy’s New ‘12th Sector’
“We have 11 sectors. I believe crypto will be the 12th. There’s a new tone that Trump is putting forward,” O’Leary said.
“They’re going to provide regulations.” As a result, “It’s going to become a part of all of the sectors of our economy. We have 11 sectors,” O’Leary added. “I believe crypto will be the 12th.”
The 11 market sectors are from the Global Industry Classification Standard by Morgan Stanley and Standard & Poor’s. At this time, the sectors are:
IT, Financials, Health care, Consumer staples, Consumer extras, Communications, Industrials, Energy, Utilities, Materials, and Real Estate
Generally, many business people, software developers, investment analysts, and commentators say crypto has the potential to disrupt and revolutionize all these segments directly and indirectly.
3. Trump Bitcoin Policies Are Hastening Adoption
“This will be the first administration that’s going to say this sector belongs in America.”
O’Leary hailed the second Trump term’s possibilities for hastening the adoption and development of the blockchain industry.
“This will be the first administration that’s going to say this sector belongs in America,” the Shark Tank investor told Lara Trump in the New York City tech pub.
“The development should be here. The technology should be mastered here. We should lead the world in it.”
The ABC television shark has been talking for about adoption for years. He has long anticipated the mainstreaming of Bitcoin technology and cryptocurrency platforms.
Back in 2021, O’Leary told CryptoPotato institutional investors wanted to play with the blockchain, but were waiting on the regulatory environment to update.
With the Trump government stepping in broadly, however, to embrace Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, meanwhile resolving a series of high-profile SEC, DOJ, and CFTC cases against dozens of counterparties in the crypto industry— the US got that update O’Leary was waiting on four years ago.
4. Holding Bitcoin Yourself Is Risky For Newbies
“To make it safe, go to an accredited exchange like Coinbase.”
To help avoid losses as a result of stolen passwords, forgotten passwords, lost wallets, and other Web3 hazards, O’Leary recommends sticking with a regulated crypto exchange.
“If you try and do this on your own in a decentralized wallet,” the investor warned, “Someone will hack you, most likely because you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“To make it safe, go to an accredited exchange like Coinbase,” he suggested. “Something that is regulated but also that you can see every day on your phone that has millions of accounts, so it has a real structure.”
Intermediate and advanced crypto investors who custory some of their own coins for various reasons take extra steps to secure their crypto wallets and computer networks.
5. ‘Start Small’ And Learn Before Making Big Moves
Finally, O’Leary warned Fox News viewers of the investing class to start small when new to Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
Instead of putting all of your assets or portfolio into Web3 assets, the ABC Network investor extraordinaire suggested starting small, buying a third of a Bitcoin, and giving it time to weather crypto markets’ volatile churn through the financial cycle.
“The great thing about digital is that you can put it on your phone.”
“Start small,” O’Leary said. “Buy a third of a Bitcoin. Treat it as an investment long term. It’s a new asset form. Think about it as digital gold.”
“That’s the way I look at it,” he added. “The great thing about digital is that you can put it on your phone. You can actually see it every day. Watch the price go up and down.”
As a parting shot, O’Leary admonished, “It’s learning in small increments and not risking too much.”
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