Kevin O’Leary, chairman of O’Leary Ventures, is buying cryptocurrencies again, while watching for a major stock exchange to embrace a blockchain network.
Speaking to The Block’s Gareth Jenkinson at the Avalanche Summit in New York, O’Leary said he’s watching which blockchains gain adoption across industries. Executives he speaks with are considering different networks.
“I’m back in the saddle buying new positions, putting my bets on for this next cycle,” O’Leary said.
He said adoption by a major stock exchange would be a “watershed moment,” arguing that the broader financial ecosystem would want the selected blockchain to meet the exchange’s requirements.
Exchanges Expand Tokenization Efforts
Traditional exchanges are already investing in blockchain infrastructure.
Nasdaq Ventures announced on September 10 that its venture arm would invest $100 million in Kraken parent Payward to deepen their collaboration on infrastructure for tokenized securities.
The investment supports blockchain-based share trading but does not itself identify which public blockchain Nasdaq would use.
Bitcoin and the Clarity Act
On Bitcoin, O’Leary sees potential for the largest cryptocurrency by market cap to account for 1% to 3% of alternative-asset allocations, comparing it to institutional gold holdings.
Despite the recent setback for the Clarity Act, O’Leary expects crypto regulation to return to lawmakers’ agenda.
He said digital-asset tax policy strengthens the case for clearer oversight, but does not expect the bill to pass before the midterm elections.
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