President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order this week that would allow 401(k) retirement plans to invest in cryptocurrencies, gold, and private equity, opening access to an estimated nine trillion dollars in retirement capital.
Expanding retirement investment options
The executive order will instruct federal agencies such as the Department of Labor and the SEC to remove regulatory barriers that have historically blocked alternative assets from being included in 401(k) plans. Currently, most retirement accounts are limited to publicly traded stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
With this change, professionally managed retirement portfolios could soon include exposure to digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as private market vehicles traditionally reserved for institutional investors.
Major shift in US financial policy
This move follows a broader pivot in Washington toward embracing digital innovation. It comes on the heels of pro-crypto legislation passed in the House and reverses a 2022 directive that discouraged retirement advisors from offering crypto exposure.
Analysts note that this shift could give asset managers such as BlackRock, Fidelity, and Apollo new opportunities to design retirement products that include yield-bearing or tokenized instruments.
A game changer for crypto adoption
Allowing crypto in retirement plans would mark a turning point for mainstream acceptance. For projects like XSTP, which are building real-world tokenization platforms and staking frameworks, this policy opens the door to compliant participation in one of the largest capital pools on Earth.
Secure tools like XPay Wallet may become essential for offering decentralized access with institutional-grade security, meeting the needs of a new wave of retirement investors seeking exposure to digital assets.
Next steps
The order is expected to be signed within days. Regulatory agencies will then begin reviewing and drafting updated guidance. While full implementation may take several months, the direction is now clear crypto is being integrated into the core of US retirement finance.
