"Bitcoin-Centric Currency Order Restructuring Begins... Global Hegemony Competition Starts" [Virtual Asset Investment Insight Forum 2025]

Virtual Asset Investment Insight Forum 2025

Trump Fully Supports Virtual Assets

Global Hegemony Competition Surrounding Bitcoin Begins

"Korea Must Accelerate Industry Development to Avoid Lagging Behind"

"The United States is accelerating the establishment of a new currency order centered on Bitcoin. Korea must also accelerate industry development and institutional reform to avoid lagging behind."

Kim Min-seung, head of Korbit Research Center, said this during a keynote speech on 'Trump Administration's Virtual Asset Regulation Trends' at the 'Virtual Asset Investment Insight Forum 2025' held at Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul on the 25th.

Director Kim stated, "President Donald Trump of the United States has declared the strengthening of U.S. leadership in the virtual asset market by issuing a series of executive orders fully supporting Bitcoin and virtual assets immediately after taking office," and added, "The regulatory reform task force is also led by pro-virtual asset personnel."

He continued, "President Trump declared that those who love crypto assets, not those who hate virtual assets, will create regulations, indicating a strong policy shift," and added, "In March, an executive order was issued designating Bitcoin as a 'strategic asset,' and the policy of 'national reserve assetization' for altcoins other than Bitcoin was also formalized."

Director Kim cited 'securing support base' as the reason for President Trump's active stance on virtual assets. He analyzed, "Trump, who stands in opposition to traditional liberal elites, needs a strong public support base," and added, "It is a strategy to strengthen his political base centered on the 52 million virtual asset holders in the United States."

He also provided an analysis that it is a response to the 'de-dollarization movement centered on BRICS.' He explained, "Russia, China, and India are trying to escape dollar hegemony by expanding gold holdings and selling U.S. Treasury bonds," and added, "In response, the United States is recognizing Bitcoin as 'digital gold' and is deploying a strategy to use it as a means to maintain hegemony."

He continued, "The U.S. government currently holds more than 210,000 Bitcoins and is accelerating the transition to a strategic vault asset," and added, "The competitive structure with China, which holds the second-largest amount of Bitcoin (about 190,000), has already begun."

The policy shift regarding stablecoins was also cited as an important axis. Director Kim said, "The issuance of stablecoins has surpassed $200 billion and is functioning as a means to drive demand for U.S. Treasury bonds," and added, "In this structure, there is no reason for the U.S. government not to support stablecoins." The White House has also publicly expressed its intention to support stablecoins.

He emphasized, "Now, beyond institutional discussions surrounding Bitcoin and virtual assets, the global hegemony competition, referred to as the 'Bitcoin space race,' is in full swing," and added, "This is not a story of the distant future but an already realized trend."

Finally, he added, "Korea is already late in the digital asset field," and emphasized, "There is no time to delay further, so we must accelerate industry development and policy reform."