Yat Siu: “Crypto has moved beyond the Trump-expectations era… politics exits and structure remains”

A growing view holds that the next phase of the crypto (virtual asset) market will be driven not by politics but by structural forces.

According to CoinDesk on the 19th (local time), Yat Siu, co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, said in an interview in Hong Kong that “Trump is clearly a positive given his pro-crypto stance, but he has never made our industry a top priority,” adding that “the next stage of crypto will be led by structure, not politics.” He said this reflects how last year’s market momentum was shown to have depended excessively on expectations rather than fundamentals.

Siu pointed to the steady presence of institutional capital as the core of the structural shift. He argued that market mechanics are changing as large investors move beyond trading that reacts to election cycles or headlines and incorporate crypto as a long-term asset class.

In this process, Bitcoin (BTC) is seen shifting toward a reserve-asset role, while altcoins are entering a phase in which they must prove real utility. “Bitcoin functions similarly to gold. As a result, altcoins become part of the productive economy,” he said.

Another pillar is convergence with artificial intelligence (AI). Siu said crypto and AI are not competing but are combining at the infrastructure level. He explained that blockchain becomes the “rails” that provide the trust and sovereignty required for autonomously operating AI agents, and that for many users, meaningful exposure to AI is more likely to come through crypto than through traditional equities.