Saylor tells White House that U.S. economy can gain up to $100 trillion from crypto policies
Michael Saylor, the executive chairman of Strategy (formerly known as MicroStrategy), said at Friday's White House crypto summit that pro-crypto policies and leadership could boost the U.S. economy by up to $100 trillion in the next ten years.
Saylor said that digital securities alone could add $20 trillion to the U.S. stock market, digital currencies could add $10 trillion to U.S. Treasuries, and U.S. long-term capital assets could grow by $20 trillion.
Saylor also urged the U.S. government to buy up to 25% of Bitcoin. He claimed this investment could help solve the national debt problem, potentially generating up to $81 trillion for the U.S. Treasury by 2045 if held as a strategic reserve.
The prominent Bitcoin maximalist also underlined how imperative it was for the digital asset industry to be viewed as "legitimate" industry that was "treated fairly" by government agencies, insurance firms, and banks. Speaking in Washington, D.C., Saylor called for an end to “hostile and unfair tax policies” and alleged debanking.
"The government should encourage and provide support for major banks to custody, trade, and finance Bitcoin assets," Saylor said. "Debanking of crypto industry participants should not be tolerated."
He also exhorted the government to clear onerous regulation standing in the way of the nascent industry. "Issuers must have the right to create and issue assets without requiring prior approval from regulators," Saylor said.
At the same time, Saylor highlighted the need for compliance in a sector teeming with illicit activity and bad actors. “All market participants must adhere to fair disclosure, ethical behavior and a commitment to avoiding conflicts of interest,” Saylor said, adding that avoiding conflicts of interest was paramount. "No one has the right to engage in fraud, and all are civilly and criminally accountable for their actions."
Crypto-related crime has mushroomed into an annual $51 billion industry, Chainalysis data shows.
Saylor’s Strategy is the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin. At the time of writing, the company holds 499,096 Bitcoin, at an average cost of $66,357 per Bitcoin.
Saylor previously forecast that Bitcoin would hit a market cap of $200 trillion . "Right now, we're about $2 trillion in Bitcoin. It's going to 20 trillion, then it's going to 200 trillion. Then it's growing 20% a year," Saylor told CNBC. "That capital is coming from overseas... from China, from Russia, from Europe, from Africa, from Asia, from the 20th century to the 21st century."