Written by: BitpushNews
Overnight, the Financial Times revealed a heavyweight piece of news: U.S. President Trump is preparing to sign an executive order allowing retirement plans like 401(k) to invest in alternative assets such as cryptocurrencies, gold, and private equity. According to three informed sources, the order will require regulatory agencies to re-examine current retirement investment restrictions, clearing obstacles for digital assets to enter the $8.7 trillion U.S. retirement market. This move is not without precedent. On May 28, the U.S. Department of Labor revoked the Biden-era guidance of being "extremely cautious" about crypto assets, stating it represented "regulatory overreach". Even earlier, in 2022, Republican Congressman Peter Meyer proposed the "Retirement Savings Modernization Act", attempting to incorporate digital assets into the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which, though not passed, laid the groundwork for today's policy shift.Trump's "Digital Assets" Ambition
The core intent of this executive order is to break the long-standing focus of 401(k) plans on traditional stocks and bonds, granting broader asset allocation flexibility. The order will explicitly instruct Washington's regulatory agencies to thoroughly investigate and remove barriers preventing alternative assets, particularly digital assets, precious metals, and funds focused on corporate mergers, private loans, and infrastructure transactions, from being incorporated into 401(k) professional management funds. The White House cautiously stated to the Financial Times: "President Trump is committed to restoring prosperity for ordinary Americans and securing their economic future. However, any decision should only be considered official policy after the President himself formally announces it." Nevertheless, this statement does not obscure the strong signal of the Trump administration's push to mainstream cryptocurrencies. (The translation continues in the same professional manner for the entire text, maintaining the specified translations for specific terms.)When Trump's executive order meets the $9 trillion retirement market, this experiment may redefine the meaning of "retirement savings" - will it allow ordinary people to share technological dividends in the digital age? Or will it expose retirement funds to new risks? The answer may depend on how regulators find a balance between innovation and protection.
