Strike CEO Jack Mallers has dismissed concerns that Wall Street’s growing involvement in Bitcoin threatens the asset’s core principles, arguing the opposite is true.
Appearing on the What Bitcoin Did podcast with Danny Knowles, Mallers was asked whether institutional involvement threatens Bitcoin’s foundational values.
His answer was blunt:
“My one-word answer to that is no. If Wall Street getting into Bitcoin kills it, it was never going to be successful in the first place.”
Bitcoin is money for all, Mallers says
Mallers framed Bitcoin’s openness as a feature, not a vulnerability:
“Bitcoin is predicated on this idea that it is money for all. And the all part should be explored. That means your enemies, too.”
He argued that as Bitcoin competes for global capital, it was always inevitable that major traditional investors would enter the space:
“Where wealth exists today, those things will be demonetized — real estate will be demonetized, fine art will be demonetized, government debt will be demonetized, and Bitcoin will be monetized.”
ETF inflows and the institutional wave
Since the 13 US spot bitcoin ETFs launched in January 2024, they have collectively recorded $59.38 billion in net inflows, reflecting the scale of Wall Street’s appetite for the asset.
Morgan Stanley moves into crypto trading
Wall Street’s crypto push is accelerating on multiple fronts.
Morgan Stanley recently rolled out a cryptocurrency trading pilot on its E*Trade platform, charging clients 50 basis points per transaction — undercutting Coinbase, Robinhood, and Charles Schwab on standard retail pricing.
The move signals that traditional financial giants are not just holding bitcoin but actively competing for the retail crypto trading market.
