Bitcoin News Today: Trump's Order Opens 401(k) Plans to Bitcoin, Gold, Private Equity

President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that will allow 401(k) retirement plans to include bitcoin, gold, and private equity among their investment options. This move is expected to create a significant influx of liquidity into the crypto market, as the U.S. retirement savings market is valued at over $9 trillion. Currently, 401(k) plans are primarily limited to traditional investments such as stocks, bonds, or exchange-traded index funds, with little to no access to alternative options like cryptocurrencies or unlisted assets.

Trump's order aims to provide a "regulatory shield" for plan managers, enabling them to offer less liquid but potentially more profitable assets without the fear of lawsuits related to their complexity or higher fees. This new direction follows a previous regulatory reversal in May, when the Labor Department canceled a directive from the Biden era that recommended extreme caution regarding cryptos in retirement plans. With this change, there are now no institutional barriers to the integration of cryptocurrencies into 401(k) plans.

Private equity giants such as Blackstone, Apollo, and BlackRock have already begun positioning themselves to capture a significant share of this potential windfall, estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Blackstone is collaborating with Vanguard to distribute its products through retirement accounts, while Apollo and Partners Group are partnering with Empower, which manages one of the largest 401(k) plans in the country. BlackRock is working with Great Gray Trust to integrate private funds into savers’ portfolios. This opening comes at an opportune time for these financial giants, as traditional institutional investors are injecting less fresh capital than before, making 401(k) savers a new and particularly attractive source of funding.

This initiative is part of Trump's broader strategy in favor of cryptocurrencies. The president has publicly credited the crypto sector with part of his 2024 election victory, promising in return to radically change the regulation inherited from the Biden administration. His administration has already eased several restrictive measures targeting crypto exchange platforms, and the House of Representatives recently passed three bills focused on digital assets, all actively supported by Trump. Among these bills, the GENIUS Act plans to establish federal standards governing the issuance and regulation of stablecoins.

The opening of 401(k) plans to bitcoin is part of a broader democratization logic. If successful, this reform will mark a historic turning point, as millions of Americans could access asset classes previously reserved for institutional or accredited investors. The success of this initiative could well seal the United States’ lead in the global race to integrate cryptocurrencies into mainstream finance.