Famous investor Kevin O’Leary, who also appeared on the television show Shark Tank, spoke at the Consensus Miami 2026 event held in Florida and stated that Wall Street’s interest in the tokenization of digital assets is not yet at the expected level. O’Leary pointed out that major financial institutions are reluctant to include blockchain projects such as Bitcoin and tokenization in their investments unless there is clear regulation.
Lack of regulation keeps big investors away
In his speech, O’Leary emphasized that a comprehensive digital asset regulation to be enacted by the US Congress would be a turning point. Highlighting the size and influence of institutional investors, O’Leary stated that digital assets available to the “big players” of the financial world are still seen as risky and uncertain unless a clear legal framework is established.
Tokenization on the agenda; It is defined as the creation of blockchain-based digital versions of traditional assets such as stocks, bonds and funds. Proponents of this technology think that the financial ecosystem is in a major transformation, claiming that transaction times will shorten and costs will decrease. However, O’Leary states that large capital owners are not keen on this innovation unless clarity is provided on the legal basis.
Stablecoin example and legal steps
O’Leary cited as an example how quickly stablecoin-focused innovations have become widespread, with the GENIUS Act recently passed in the USA. He stated that as such regulatory steps are taken, the transition of institutions to blockchain-based assets accelerates. He said that stablecoins provide both speed and cost advantages, especially in cross-border payments, thanks to the regulations made.
“Instead of waiting three days, we can carry out transactions in a few minutes and with much lower costs, with full compliance and transparency,” O’Leary explained the advances in the use of stablecoins with these words.
At the same time, he shared that Bitcoin and Ethereum constitute a large part of the total value in the current market, while small-scale crypto assets are going through a difficult period.
Corporate focus and future direction
O’Leary explained that the interest of institutional investors in the crypto market has narrowed greatly, and 97 percent of its value now consists of only large assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. He pointed out that the demand for small and speculative tokens has decreased significantly.
He stated that the biggest opportunity of the future lies in a blockchain platform that can be used in areas such as logistics and contract management, where large enterprises will standardize their infrastructure.
According to O’Leary, the real valuable assets in the field of blockchain and artificial intelligence may be infrastructure, energy and data centers. As he emphasizes, beyond digital assets, the importance of the infrastructure on which they operate is increasing.
“Energy is even more valuable than Bitcoin,” he said, pointing out that infrastructure may be ahead of crypto assets in the future.
