Strive VP: Bitcoin Bull Run Could Explode in Months to Years

Strive's Bitcoin strategy vice president has stated that he is more bullish on Bitcoin than ever before regarding the current market. He believes that the combination of price stagnation, the spread of digital credit products, and declining volatility could lead to a strong upward trend in the coming months to years.

In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine on September 16 (local time), Strive's Vice President of Bitcoin Strategy, Joe Barnett, said, "I'm currently more bullish on Bitcoin than at any point in the past," diagnosing the current market phase as one where high-quality assets are not sufficiently valued. He cited three main factors driving his optimism.

First, he noted Bitcoin's cyclical position: while Bitcoin peaked just below $70,000 in 2021, it remains near that level now, meaning its price has been stagnant around the five-year high. However, Bitcoin's monetary policy, scarcity, and status as an unpermissioned network have not changed. "Bitcoin remains a completely scarce, permissionless network," he said, suggesting that when the market fails to fully reflect these characteristics, it creates opportunities to buy quality assets.

Second, he highlighted digital credit expansion. Barnett explained that Strive's approach, pioneered by Michael Saylor, represents an important turning point for Bitcoin, and Strive is expanding in this space. While viewing Bitcoin as a long-term savings technology requiring holding for five to ten years or more, he acknowledged many investors struggle with extreme short-term volatility and bear markets. Digital credit products, he said, provide relatively high returns based on large Bitcoin holdings and offer broader investor access through their structure.

Strive introduced daily dividends, which the company claims can provide Bitcoin exposure even for investors who lack confidence in long-term holding. Third, declining volatility was cited as a key factor. Barnett noted that before the 2017 bull run, Bitcoin's volatility had fallen to its lowest level at the time, and after significant bear markets this year, it has been consolidating quietly for much of the period. He explained that lower volatility makes capital inflows easier and can make Bitcoin-backed dollar borrowing strategies safer. "Declining volatility can actually help bring in capital," he said, adding that as concerns about a 80-90% drop from highs fade, the appeal of collateral use and digital credit products would increase.

When asked if Strive's strategy could replace direct Bitcoin holdings by companies, Barnett drew a line. He stated that structures like Strive or Stratege do not replace self-custody Bitcoin but represent new investment products built on top of Bitcoin. He noted that Strive can raise capital at 13% annual cost through perpetual preferred shares and expects Bitcoin's average annual growth rate to exceed this by 2030.

"Amplified Bitcoin rises and falls," he warned, emphasizing investors must be able to withstand extreme short-term volatility. Meanwhile, digital credit products offer a structure suited for investors seeking lower volatility and regular income based on large Bitcoin holdings.

Barnett also discussed Bitcoin's role in an increasingly AI-driven environment. He believes that as intelligence becomes cheaper and more abundant, it will reduce the real production costs of oil, basic goods, and services. The same logic applies to traditional stores of value like gold, real estate, stocks, and bonds, he explained, noting that lower-cost intelligence could make gold mining more efficient or improve construction efficiency for real estate.

"Bitcoin's absolute scarcity becomes more pronounced in a world of abundance," he emphasized, stating that no matter how much time, energy, or resources are invested, Bitcoin cannot exceed the 21 million supply cap. He concluded that Bitcoin could become a scarce currency tool for measuring production and value in an increasingly abundant world.