Retirement Plan 2.0: How Trump is making crypto & private markets socially acceptable

Since taking office as US president, Donald Trump has taken a clearly crypto-friendly line. For example, he ordered the Setting up a working group who should write a uniform set of rules for digital assets and stablecoins. In addition, a national crypto reserve created for times of crisis that consists exclusively of confiscated digital assets, which is seen as a symbolic step towards recognizing cryptocurrencies as a strategic asset.

Two legislative breakthroughs followed in July 2025: With the GENIUS Act A uniform federal legal framework for stablecoins was created. Stablecoins are crypto tokens that stand out due to their low volatility because they are usually linked to a value — in the USA, for example, to the dollar. A stablecoin must therefore always be worth one dollar. This is not a “crypto niche,” but a market that has the potential to rise from the current 265 billion dollars to 3.7 trillion dollars by 2035. The GENIUS Act includes 100% protection, transparency obligations and clear responsibilities between federal and state levels.

A few days later, it became known that Trump wanted to make an important part of the US bond market accessible to asset classes such as crypto, gold and private markets. This “Executive Order” should make it possible to open 401k retirement plans for the relevant asset classes. 401k plans are among the most popular retirement savings options in the USA and have a market volume of around nine trillion US dollars. They have so far allowed Americans to invest part of their salary tax-free in publicly traded securities. Trump's decision, however, would result in a radical break with this tradition.

‍

401 (k): Retirement planning goes crypto

As part of his election program, the US president planned a far-reaching restructuring of the American pension system and fleshed out his plan in mid-July 2025. This is how investors in popular US pension plans — the so-called 401 (k) plans — also find alternative assets such as gold, cryptocurrencies, private equity, private debt or infrastructure investments. Until now, alternative investments were considered too risky or illiquid for the average saver. But Trump's proposal aims to break up exactly this view and ensure more diversification and higher return opportunities, which are intended to provide retirement security.

The order is likely to require the Department of Labor and the Securities and Exchange Commission SEC to update rules for managing retirement accounts. This includes lifting previous restrictions that prevented employers from offering cryptocurrencies or private equity. Donald Trump also wants to make it easier for financial companies to offer alternative assets as part of retirement plans.

Large investment houses such as Blackstone, Apollo and Blackrock are already positioning themselves. They are hoping for new investments worth billions and have concluded corresponding partnerships with major asset managers such as Vanguard or Empower.

With the expected 401 (k) Executive Order, Trump is addressing an issue that is becoming increasingly relevant worldwide: the role of alternative investments in retirement planning. While institutional investors have long relied on private equity, infrastructure investments or digital assets, this world often remains inaccessible to retail investors. The crypto president now wants to close this gap — with potential global effects.

‍

Crypto and private equity — soon standard in the portfolio?

The planned opening of the US pension system to crypto, gold and private equity is likely to offer Americans new opportunities to build up wealth for retirement insurance soon. But the US move could also serve as a blueprint for far-reaching structural change in asset management. Because when alternative investments, gold and crypto are officially recognized as part of state-sponsored retirement provision, their social legitimacy and demand will also increase worldwide.

For Platforms like FINEXITY, which are already democratizing private markets today, this is a clear signal: The trend is moving away from the classic 60/40 portfolio towards a more broadly diversified, real value-oriented wealth creation. Whether real estate, collectibles, investments or infrastructure projects — asset classes that were previously reserved only for professional investors are moving further towards private investors.

Whether Trump's plan will become a reality remains to be seen. But the move shows that the boundaries between institutional and private investor worlds are becoming increasingly blurred, and the future of investment lies in flexible and broadly diversified models.

‍