Traditional Finance May Shift to 24/7 Crypto Rails Faster Than Expected, Says Bitwise CIO

Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise Asset Management, says recent geopolitical turmoil has accelerated his outlook for blockchain-based financial infrastructure. In commentary describing it as the “weekend that changed finance,” Hougan pointed to a surge in on-chain trading activity after the initial Israel-Iran strikes occurred while major global exchanges were closed.

During that period, crypto derivatives platform Hyperliquid recorded more than $11.5 billion in trading volume across Saturday and Sunday. Investors used tokenized contracts tied to assets such as crude oil and gold to manage risk while traditional markets remained offline.

24/7 Blockchain Infrastructure Gains Institutional Attention

Hougan said he previously believed traditional finance would take five to ten years to meaningfully adopt blockchain settlement rails. After the weekend’s activity, he now expects that timeline to compress significantly, arguing that continuous trading and near-instant settlement make legacy T+1 systems appear outdated.

Trading volumes also spiked for tokenized gold products such as Tether Gold, while prediction platforms including Polymarket saw increased activity.

Meanwhile, the New York Stock Exchange has outlined plans for a blockchain-enabled, 24/7 trading framework, signaling that traditional institutions are exploring similar infrastructure upgrades.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.