Finance Share Share this article Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail Vanguard Exec Likens Bitcoin to ‘Digital Lab Finance Share Share this article Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail Vanguard Exec Likens Bitcoin to ‘Digital Lab

Vanguard Exec Likens Bitcoin to ‘Digital Labubu’ Even as Firm Opens ETF Trading Access

2025/12/14 01:19
Share
Share this article
Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail

Vanguard Exec Likens Bitcoin to ‘Digital Labubu’ Even as Firm Opens ETF Trading Access

Executive John Ameriks emphasized Vanguard's core view of the crypto sector hasn't changed, seeing the asset class as highly speculative.

By Francisco Rodrigues, AI Boost|Edited by Cheyenne Ligon
Dec 13, 2025, 5:19 p.m.
Labubu toys (Declan Sun/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)

What to know:

  • Vanguard's John Ameriks likened bitcoin to a "digital Labubu," viewing it as speculative rather than a long-term investment.
  • Ameriks emphasized Vanguard's core view of the crypto sector hasn't changed, seeing the asset class as highly speculative.
  • Vanguard won't launch its own crypto ETFs, but provides access to regulated crypto investment vehicles without advising clients on buying or selling.

Vanguard’s global head of quantitative equity, John Ameriks, said bitcoin BTC$90,136.80 still resembles a speculative collectible more than an asset meant to build long-term wealth, comparing it to a “digital Labubu,” the plush toy that has become a popular collectible.

Ameriks’ words came during Bloomberg’s ETFs in Depth conference in New York on Thursday, where he said bitcoin lacks the income, compounding, and cash-flow traits Vanguard seeks when it evaluates long-term investments.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Sign me up

His dismissive stance comes as Vanguard just opened its platform to crypto exchange-traded funds, allowing its 50 million clients access to regulated investment vehicles from rivals like BlackRock and Fidelity.

The asset management giant's begrudging embrace of crypto is a reversal of long-time skepticism towards the entire asset class. For years, Vanguard stood against offering cryptocurrency products to clients, reiterating that it saw digital assets as highly speculative and unaligned with its core investment philosophy.

That view, according to Ameriks, apparently hasn’t changed. As a result, Vanguard does not plan to launch its own crypto-focused ETFs. The decision is notable as bitcoin ETFs have become BlackRock’s top revenue source.

Still, after Vanguard saw crypto ETFs and funds “have been tested through periods of market volatility, performing as designed while maintaining liquidity,” the firm opened its brokerage platform to these products.

Even with that access, Vanguard will not advise clients on whether to buy or sell crypto assets or which tokens to hold, Ameriks said.

Ameriks said bitcoin could eventually show non-speculative value in certain conditions, such as high inflation or political instability, but he argued the evidence is still limited. “You’ve still got too short of a history,” he said.

VanguardBitcoin ETF
AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

Commissioned byGoPlus

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
View Full Report

More For You

Michael Saylor's Strategy Hangs on to Spot in Nasdaq 100 Index

The annual Nasdaq 100 rebalance saw six companies dropped and three new additions, with changes taking effect on December 22, but bitcoin treasury company Strategy hung onto its spot.

What to know:

  • Strategy (MSTR) will remain in the Nasdaq 100 index despite a major reshuffle, which saw several household names dropped.
  • The firm's business model, which involves stockpiling bitcoin, has drawn criticism from analysts and index providers, with MSCI considering excluding crypto treasury companies from its benchmarks.
  • The Nasdaq 100 rebalance saw six companies dropped and three new additions, with changes taking effect on December 22, but Strategy's bitcoin-heavy strategy secured its spot.
Read full story
Latest Crypto News

Michael Saylor's Strategy Hangs on to Spot in Nasdaq 100 Index

After 2025’s Test Run, Crypto IPOs Face Their Real Trial in 2026

Tether’s Bid to Buy Italian Soccer Club Juventus Rejected by Majority Shareholder Exor

NFT Project Pudgy Penguins Takes Over Las Vegas Sphere in Holiday Campaign

MSCI Isn't Wrong to Be Cautious on DATs

Brazil’s Largest Asset Manager Recommends Investors Put Up to 3% of their Money in Bitcoin to Hedge Against FX, Market Shocks

Top Stories

Five Crypto Firms Win Initial Approvals as Trust Banks, Including Ripple, Circle, BitGo

U.S. SEC Gives Implicit Nod for Tokenized Stocks

Ripple Payments Lands First European Bank Client in AMINA

XRP Ledger Upgrade Lays Groundwork for Lending, Tokenization Expansion

Polish Government Urges President to Sign Crypto Bill He Already Rejected: Report

From Lockstep to Lag, Bitcoin Poised to Catch Up With Small Cap Highs

Piyasa Fırsatı
LABUBU Logosu
LABUBU Fiyatı(LABUBU)
$0.001285
$0.001285$0.001285
-1.83%
USD
LABUBU (LABUBU) Canlı Fiyat Grafiği
Sorumluluk Reddi: Bu sitede yeniden yayınlanan makaleler, halka açık platformlardan alınmıştır ve yalnızca bilgilendirme amaçlıdır. MEXC'nin görüşlerini yansıtmayabilir. Tüm hakları telif sahiplerine aittir. Herhangi bir içeriğin üçüncü taraf haklarını ihlal ettiğini düşünüyorsanız, kaldırılması için lütfen service@support.mexc.com ile iletişime geçin. MEXC, içeriğin doğruluğu, eksiksizliği veya güncelliği konusunda hiçbir garanti vermez ve sağlanan bilgilere dayalı olarak alınan herhangi bir eylemden sorumlu değildir. İçerik, finansal, yasal veya diğer profesyonel tavsiye niteliğinde değildir ve MEXC tarafından bir tavsiye veya onay olarak değerlendirilmemelidir.

Ayrıca Şunları da Beğenebilirsiniz

Is Putnam Global Technology A (PGTAX) a strong mutual fund pick right now?

Is Putnam Global Technology A (PGTAX) a strong mutual fund pick right now?

The post Is Putnam Global Technology A (PGTAX) a strong mutual fund pick right now? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. On the lookout for a Sector – Tech fund? Starting with Putnam Global Technology A (PGTAX – Free Report) should not be a possibility at this time. PGTAX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that PGTAX is a Sector – Tech option, and this area is loaded with many options. Found in a wide number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, tech companies are everywhere. Thus, Sector – Tech mutual funds that invest in technology let investors own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector, but with a much more diversified approach. History of fund/manager Putnam Funds is based in Canton, MA, and is the manager of PGTAX. The Putnam Global Technology A made its debut in January of 2009 and PGTAX has managed to accumulate roughly $650.01 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Di Yao who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2012. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. PGTAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 14.46%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 27.02%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. It is important to note that the product’s returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund’s [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower. When looking at a fund’s performance, it…
Paylaş
BitcoinEthereumNews2025/09/18 04:05
U.S. Banks Near Stablecoin Issuance Under FDIC Genius Act Plan

U.S. Banks Near Stablecoin Issuance Under FDIC Genius Act Plan

The post U.S. Banks Near Stablecoin Issuance Under FDIC Genius Act Plan appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. U.S. banks could soon begin applying to issue payment
Paylaş
BitcoinEthereumNews2025/12/17 02:55
Zero-Trust Databases: Redefining the Future of Data Security

Zero-Trust Databases: Redefining the Future of Data Security

Sayantan Saha is a researcher in advanced computing and data protection. He explores how zero-trust databases are reshaping the landscape of information security.
Paylaş
Hackernoon2025/09/18 14:19