Kevin O’Leary says his crypto holdings could reach 20% of portfolio

Clearer regulations around stablecoins could make crypto a more viable investment option, according to the “Shark Tank” star.

Shark Tank celebrity Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” has said he would be ready to increase his crypto allocations up to 20% as soon as there are clearer regulations around stablecoins. 

O’Leary, a former Bitcoin (BTC) skeptic, is now a vocal advocate of cryptocurrency, which currently makes up over 10% of his investment portfolio.

Mr. Wonderful is particularly focused on U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins, which he sees as an effective hedge against rising levels of inflation. By staking stablecoins, he pointed out, he can make up to 6% returns. He explained to Cointelegraph:

​”When inflation is 6%, your buying power 12 months from now is 6% less. And that’s a lot. […] I’m a huge advocate for solving this problem with stablecoin.”

A clear regulatory framework would allow O’Leary to convert large cash positions into stablecoins. Currently, however, he cannot invest beyond 5% into stablecoins because of regulatory constraints.

“With my own compliance department, they’re considering stablecoins as an equity, no different than a stock,” he said.

According to O’Leary, his excitement around stablecoins is shared by many institutional investors, who are “working on it quietly in the background” and waiting for regulators to make their move.

In addition to stablecoins, Mr. Wonderful is also an investor in Bitcoin, Ether (ETH) and other cryptocurrencies. However, due to their underlying volatility, these cryptocurrencies are unlikely to make up a large portion of an institutional investor’s portfolio, he claimed. 

“You’re not going to get there to a 20%, 30% in Bitcoin in an institutional or sovereign mandate, you’re just not. Stablecoins have that potential,” he explained.

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