Traditional financial institutions are introducing new strategies: through Strategy and Bitmine stocks, allowing clients to hold a "compliance" exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum.

In response to client interest in crypto assets and compliance concerns, financial institution advisors are promoting an innovative solution: guiding clients to purchase stocks from companies such as Strategy (MSTR) and Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR). These publicly listed companies directly hold Bitcoin (BTC) on their balance sheets or operate Ethereum (ETH) mining farms, becoming compliant crypto asset proxy investment (Proxy Investment) tools. At the same time, Robinhood has launched a 2% rewards program to encourage users to transfer crypto assets to self-hosted wallets and explore the DeFi ecosystem. This article will analyze these two new pathways to reduce the barriers to crypto investment.

Stock Channel: Compliance with Crypto Exposure, Avoiding Private Key Issues TradFi institutions (Wirehouse) advisors are offering their clients a crypto assets investment solution that bypasses the complexities of private key management ( Private Key Management ) and self-custody wallet ( Self-Custody Wallet ):

1. Core Logic: Recommend clients to purchase stocks of publicly listed companies that hold large amounts of Bitcoin or operate mining farms (such as Strategy (MSTR) holding nearly 200,000 BTC; Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) operating mining farms in Texas and Canada). Holding these stocks is equivalent to indirectly holding the underlying Crypto Assets.
2. Compliance Advantages:
   • Audit and Regulation: Enjoy financial audits of listed company standards (Financial Audits) and regulatory oversight(Regulatory Oversight).
   • Simplified Taxation: Tax reporting is simplified to the regular Brokerage Statement ( without the need to handle complex crypto transactions 1099-B tax forms (Note: 1099-B is the tax form used in the US to report capital gains and losses from the sale of securities).
   • Familiar Experience: For investors who are not familiar with blockchain, the operation is similar to purchasing energy stocks or software stocks.
3. Institutional Trends Confirmation: Recent disclosed documents show that Ark Invest has purchased approximately 4.4 million shares of BMNR stock, with a position value of about $175 million, highlighting that large investment institutions also regard such crypto assets heavy stocks )Crypto Treasury Stocks( as a traditional financial vehicle )Traditional Vehicle( for laying out digital assets.

Robinhood's Ecosystem Traffic Diversion: 2% Rewards Incentive for Asset Withdrawal In addition to the stock channel, the trading platform Robinhood is trying to guide users into a broader crypto ecosystem through incentives:

1. Core Strategy: According to Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood revealed on the X platform, Robinhood now offers users rewards for transferring crypto assets—when users transfer cryptocurrency from the Robinhood platform to their own external wallet)External Wallet(, they can receive a 2% reward)Bonus(.
2. User Value:
   • Cost Coverage: This reward can effectively cover the on-chain transfer Gas fee )Transaction Fees (.
   • Extra Earnings: Users' wallets may hold a small amount of additional Crypto Assets.
3. Platform Intent: This strategy aims to encourage users to explore Decentralized Finance Applications ) DeFi Apps ( and Staking Services ) Staking Services ( beyond the walls of Robinhood. Its timing coincides perfectly with the ETH Staking Unlocks ) window period— as the locked ETH is released, wallets can freely transfer tokens. Robinhood hopes to attract users to return to its platform in the future in search of higher yields through advanced transfer rewards.

Conclusion: Traditional Financial Institutions have opened up channels for cautious clients to avoid private key risks and enjoy compliance audits and simplified tax through Strategy(MSTR), Bitmine(BMNR) and other crypto concept stocks; meanwhile, Robinhood's 2% withdrawal rewards represent a new approach for trading platforms to attract users to the ecosystem, aiming to guide them into a broader DeFi world and cultivate user retention. Both models ultimately aim to lower the barrier for ordinary investors to access Crypto Assets and the ecosystem. As regulatory frameworks become clearer and institutional participation deepens, such "bridge" investments and services will continue to evolve, becoming an important force in integrating crypto assets into the mainstream financial landscape. Investors need to choose the most suitable path for participation based on their own risk preferences, technological familiarity, and tax planning.