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From Doubt to Decision: How a Skeptic Finally Bought Bitcoin After One Question
- Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer of Bitwise, has commented that he’s convinced a skeptic to buy Bitcoin by asking the question What would it take?
- Hougan was giving the closing speech at a national wirehouse conference before he took questions from the audience and interacted with the aforementioned audience member.
- Hougan mentions that he suspects the four big wirehouses Merril Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and UBS will open for business relating to Bitcoin ETFs by the end of the year.
Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer of Bitwise convinced a thoughtful skeptic to buy Bitcoin by shifting the conversation from abstract fear to more concrete milestones by asking What would it take? Or in other words, what would they have to see to believe Bitcoin is here to stay?
If you’re waiting for Bitcoin to be more accepted than gold…or for its volatility to get close to zero…you’re never going to buy Bitcoin.
Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer of Bitwise. Hougan recently attended a national wirehouse conference and interacted with the audience member following his closing speech. The audience member had waited for around 20-30 other questions to be asked before interacting with Hougan.
The person expressed that Hougan’s sentiments towards Bitcoin make a lot of sense but that they couldn’t seem to ‘get over the hump’. Hougan described this as a common sentiment where people can understand an intellectual case for Bitcoin but something stops them from buying.
How did Hougan Change the Audience Member’s Perspective?
After Hougan explored concerns with the audience member, it really came down to a fear that the belief in Bitcoin could suddenly end and the asset would plummet. Hougan mentioned this is true of other assets too such as gold, but acknowledged the more intangible nature of Bitcoin as an underlying factor for this thought stream.
Related: Analysts Say Bitcoin “Remarkably Strong”, Yet Next Few Weeks Crucial
Hougan’s suggestion was simple, to write down what it would take to remedy such fears. Hougan details a number of factors such as mass adoption that may ease some investors’ minds regarding the staying power of Bitcoin.
The audience member finished with a statement saying that he was going to buy Bitcoin.
Other Thoughts from Hogan
Hougan detailed the success of Bitcoin ETFs with inflows of US$35 billion (AU$54.6 billion) in 2024, and mentions that while Bitcoin has only seen US$3.7 billion (AU$5.8 billion) of inflows in 2025, that he expects a wave of positivity towards Bitcoin regardless.
More specifically he predicts that the four big wirehouses Merril Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and UBS, who collectively control US$10 trillion (AU$15.6 trillion) in assets, will open their businesses for Bitcoin ETFs this year.
Related: Fidelity Sees Opportunity in Ethereum’s Slump, Says ETH May Be Undervalued
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Author
Matthew Sell
Matthew is an avid writer with a wealth of experience in the blockchain and FinTech industries. Matthew has also honed his writing skills through his tertiary studies in creative writing at the University of Oxford.
