
CoinDesk Podcast Network Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan’s $6.5M Bitcoin Call: “Long Term Investors Will Be Rewarded” | Markets Outlook
Jan 30, 2026
Matt Hougan, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer and crypto investment veteran, explains why he calls 2025 a bear market and what 2026 could bring. He discusses central banks eyeing Bitcoin over gold, Bitwise’s on-chain yield vaults as the next wave, and why he sees Solana mounting a real challenge to Ethereum.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Markets Are Rounding The Bear-Market Bottom
- Matt Hougan views 2025 as a bear market and says we're in a bottoming, rounding phase now.
- He expects sideways chop early in 2026 before fundamentals drive a breakout later in the year.
Precious Metals Rally Points To Fiat Fear
- The precious metals rally signals global worry about fiat and rising interest in self-custody.
- Hougan argues those dynamics eventually channel into Bitcoin and crypto adoption.
Bitcoin Beats Gold For Self-Custody Transactions
- Bitcoin offers continuous self-custody through settlement, unlike gold which requires intermediaries when transacting.
- Hougan believes central banks will favor Bitcoin over gold for transaction-settlement uses over a 10–20 year horizon.

