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Gen Z’s Growing Attraction to Bitcoin: A Simple Shift in How Young People Build Wealth
As traditional paths to financial security become more uncertain, more members of Gen Z are looking to Bitcoin as a fresh alternative. The reasons are personal, practical, and deeply tied to the changing world they see around them.
Why Gen Z Feels Stuck
For many in Gen Z—those born from the late 1990s to the early 2010s—the idea of job security and homeownership feels out of reach. AI is reshaping the job market, and the cost of college, rent, and starter homes keeps rising. According to Jordy Visser, a Wall Street veteran, the ongoing boom in tech and finance is helping some, but it’s leaving a lot of young people behind. “They’re just saying we’re not going to hire as much, which means going forward, the people that are going to be hired are going to be digital employees,” Visser said in a recent interview.
This change is more than economic. It’s personal. Many young adults watch their parents retire comfortably and wonder if they will ever have the same chance. Hopes of climbing a “career ladder” or buying a first home feel distant. What stands in their way? The answer is complicated but includes rising living costs, heavy student debt, and growing distrust in traditional money systems like the US dollar.
AI and the Economy: More Questions Than Answers
Artificial intelligence isn’t just a buzzword—it’s making a real difference in how companies hire and what work looks like. As more tasks become automated, fewer traditional jobs are available. While technology promises new opportunities, it’s also a source of anxiety because it’s not clear what kinds of jobs will be left.
As AI pushes companies to hire “digital employees” (robots or software doing jobs people used to do), many young adults see their future as uncertain. No wonder some are searching for other ways to secure their financial future.
“The younger people don’t have a belief that the system will come back. They believe the system has been worsening every single year… That entire path is gone [get a job, move up, buy a house]. And that’s why the students are so angry and why socialism is happening. So, I think where Bitcoin fits into it,” Visser explained.
Political Uncertainty and Distrust in Banks
Another concern for Gen Z: Political decisions and pressure on the Federal Reserve make America’s money system feel shaky. When politicians push the Fed to cut interest rates, it creates fears about inflation and the dollar’s long-term value. Many young adults have lost faith that the “old ways” of saving and investing (like putting money in a savings account or the stock market) will keep up with inflation or survive another big financial crisis.
Bitcoin: A Different Kind of Asset
Against this background, Bitcoin starts to look more appealing. It isn’t tied to any government or traditional bank. It can’t easily be inflated or controlled by a central authority. And, maybe most importantly, it feels “owned” by the person holding it—no bank account or approval needed to get started.
- Low entry requirements: Anyone can buy a piece of Bitcoin, even with small amounts of money.
- Portability: Bitcoin can be sent quickly to anyone in the world, as long as they have internet access.
- Personal control: Holders manage their own Bitcoin directly, rather than trusting a bank.
- Decentralized: Bitcoin works through a global network, so it doesn’t rely on any single institution.
Young people are aware of risk—but they see risk in traditional assets too. With stocks and real estate feeling tied to an old, changing system, a digital “hard asset” like Bitcoin looks like a way to try something new.
Bitcoin and the “New American Dream”
For older generations, the American Dream often meant buying a house and having a steady job. For many Millennials and Gen Z, that’s changing. Some of their heroes in the crypto world—like Binance’s former CEO “CZ” and Michael Saylor, a well-known Bitcoin advocate—have even suggested that owning just a small portion of a Bitcoin may someday be as meaningful as owning a home.
Jeff Park, portfolio manager at Bitwise, suggests this is more than just a trend: “Owning a full Bitcoin is starting to replace homeownership as a symbol of financial freedom for Millennials and Gen Z.”
Regulators are starting to catch on, too. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced that crypto assets like Bitcoin could soon be used to assess home loan applications. This means Bitcoin is becoming even more recognized as a “real” part of a young adult’s wealth.
What Makes Bitcoin Attractive to Gen Z?
- Speed and Access: Anyone with a smartphone can participate. No paperwork, no bank visits, no waiting for business hours.
- Transparency: Everyone can see the transactions—no hidden rules and no middleman taking a cut.
- Independence: Bitcoin gives young people a way to “opt out” of banks or traditional money systems they don’t believe in.
This doesn’t mean every young adult is turning to Bitcoin, but for those who feel locked out of old pathways to wealth, it represents a real option. It fits with their digital-first lives, desire for control, and need for new ways to grow their money.
The Future: More Than Hype?
For Gen Z, Bitcoin is not just an investment, but a bet on a different future. They aren’t rejecting the “old system” just for fun—they’re responding to a world where long-standing promises feel broken. Whether or not Bitcoin is the best answer, the fact that so many young people are choosing it says a lot about what they want: fairness, transparency, and a real shot at building something of their own.
The story of Gen Z and Bitcoin is not just about money. It’s about hope, frustration, and the search for a sense of ownership in a world that’s changing faster than ever.
Read more on this topic: How Social Discontent Could Drive Gen Z Toward Bitcoin
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also read:Wintermute Secures Bitcoin-Backed Credit Line with Cantor Fitzgerald to Boost Market Liquidity