ANALYSIS: Gen Z is at the Forefront of the Digital Currency Revolution
Gen Z has more cryptocurrency investors than any other generation, with 42% of young investors owning crypto, a poll reveals.
Some universities are responding to this revolution by introducing cryptocurrency courses to better equip students for the future.
Generation Z loves nothing more than to look at their screens. Add in the thrill of dollar signs, adrenaline-inducing trades, and the idea of getting rich quick, and we’re sold.
Gen Z is embracing cryptocurrency more than any other generation, placing themselves at the forefront of the digital currency revolution.
A recent poll shows Gen Z has more crypto investors than any other generation. 42% of Gen Z investors own crypto, compared to 36% of millennials, 24% of Gen X, and 8% of baby boomer investors, the poll shows.
The trend among Gen Z is only growing stronger, with 65% of Gen Z investors planning to invest in crypto this year.
Why the craze? Digital gold is innovative, exhilarating, and cutting-edge. For a generation that often leaves home without cash or cards—relying instead on Apple Pay and digital solutions—it’s no surprise they’re drawn to assets that are purely digital and naked to the eye.
Among the many generational differences between Gen Z and previous generations is how we choose to invest. While Millennials and Gen X opt for banks or credit unions, Gen Z investors rank crypto exchange apps as their top choice, the poll states.
No more waiting for the 9:30 a.m. opening bell on Wall Street; crypto trading is accessible 24/7 on mobile apps.
To many, cryptocurrency is merely a series of numbers on a screen, but for Gen Z, it’s a source of pride. Young people confidently open their trading apps to check their portfolios, embracing the digital investment landscape that others may find hard to understand.
While Gen Z rides out the digital currency wave, many educational institutions seem behind the times.
Traditional “Intro to Finance 101” courses at most universities are outdated and no longer serve Gen Z to their fullest potential. In my own experience, these courses often skim over crypto, leaving students to educate themselves on their own.
Out with the old, in with the new.
The education system must evolve to keep pace with modern financial realities. Some universities are responding to this need by introducing courses focused on decentralized finance to better equip students for the future.
Harvard offers an “Introduction to Blockchain and Bitcoin” course and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers course in “Crypto Finance” and “Blockchain and Money.”
The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers a “Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets” course that teaches students about popular cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum. UMass also hosts a student-run “Blockchain Club” for students interested to learn more about crypto or connect with other crypto pros.
Studies in cryptocurrency are also being applied to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field.
STEM students at Smith College are using their knowledge in the sciences to develop a system that repurposes the heat produced in cryptocurrency transactions. The data systems that power crypto require energy, and these students are seeking to make the process more efficient.
[ANALYSIS: The Gen Z revival in conservatism]
As Gen Z embraces the new way of the world, the Trump administration is keeping pace.
President Donald Trump pledged to make the United States the “crypto capital of the world,” promising to make the U.S. a leader in the field of digital currency.
Trump hosted the first ever crypto summit at the White House, appointed a “crypto czar,” and signed an executive order creating a strategic Bitcoin reserve and digital asset stockpile.
The stockpile will maintain digital assets such as Bitcoin “owned by the Department of Treasury that was forfeited in criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings,” the executive order reads.
Undoubtedly, these initiatives from the Trump administration are resonating with Gen Z. Young people are drawn to the innovative approach this administration has taken toward cryptocurrency and digital assets.
As Gen Z leads the digital currency revolution, they’re rewriting the rules of traditional investing one app at a time. Universities are catching on, adding crypto courses to keep up with this fast-paced movement.
With apps at their fingertips and a hunger for innovation, Gen Z isn’t just riding the crypto trend – they’re driving it.
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Editorials and op-eds reflect the opinion of the authors and not necessarily that of Campus Reform or the Leadership Institute.
