Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said that bitcoin could “very well” serve as a store of value similar to gold.
Solomon’s comments come at a time of growing debate over bitcoin’s potential as a reserve asset and store of value.
Bitcoin’s Potential as a Store of Value
In a July 30 CNBC interview, Solomon said he has never been a critic of BTC, clarifying that his main concern has been its speculative nature. However, he highlighted the promise of the underlying technology, describing it as “super interesting” and capable of reducing friction in an increasingly digitized financial system.
When CNBC’s Joe Kernan inquired about the possibility of bitcoin serving as a reserve asset like gold, Solomon responded, “There very well could be a store of value case.”
Under Solomon’s guidance, Goldman Sachs has taken an active role in the cryptocurrency space. In 2021, the behemoth established a crypto trading desk.
At that time, Solomon expressed the belief that BTC could eventually rival and surpass gold’s market capitalization, though he still viewed it as a speculative asset. Several Goldman Sachs executives also previously argued that bitcoin’s volatility hinders its ability to be a reliable store of value.
Despite these mixed messages, Goldman’s commitment to digital assets remains clear. The firm plans to roll out three tokenization projects by the end of the year, targeting both the U.S. and European markets.
Bitcoin as a Reserve Asset
At the 2024 Bitcoin Conference, MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor expressed his belief that the first country to start accumulating BTC by issuing fiat currency could gain an economic advantage over the rest.
Saylor suggested reallocating treasury reserves from gold and bonds to bitcoin, issuing currency and debt to purchase the cryptocurrency, and implementing laws favorable to BTC ownership.
Saylor added that nations, particularly those with significant debt, could use bitcoin to address their economic challenges by shifting reserves from short-term assets like gold and bonds to long-term digital assets.
Similarly, Senator Cynthia Lummis argued that bitcoin could help the United States manage its growing debt. In line with this, she has proposed a bill making bitcoin a strategic reserve asset solely to reduce the national debt.
On July 30, Lummis took to social media to say that the U.S. national debt has surpassed $35 trillion and suggested that BTC could be a solution to control it.
