🥛 Is this the start of crypto’s ‘Golden Age’? 🏆

GM! This is Milk Road PRO, the ‘helicopter parent’ of crypto.

(We’re obsessed with guiding your portfolio in the right direction).

This is the time of year when we reflect on 2024. 

It’s a chance to take stock of everything that has happened.

Some changes are quite apparent—just look at the chart below showing the total crypto market cap’s change in 2024.

Crypto soared from $1.5 trillion to $3.3 trillion, adding almost $2 trillion of value!

It’s an impressive sign that the industry hasn’t stopped evolving and has been working nonstop, even during bear markets. 

Because let’s be honest: most people jump in during the bull runs and disappear during the bear markets. 

For years, crypto enthusiasts claimed that blockchain would transform the world, but until now, it remained mostly niche (so we don’t blame them).

Perhaps our early optimism was naive – either way, we believe 2024 has laid the foundations for a new era in crypto – one that goes far beyond speculation!

What’re we backing this up with?

• For the first time ever, nations and governments are supporting crypto.

• We’ve finally cracked the code to create scalable, fast, and affordable blockchains.

• We now have useful apps that offer superior products and solve real-world problems.

On top of this, the global macro conditions are improving, and 2025 is expected to be an exceptional year for breakthrough technologies.

Crypto stands as a strong candidate to capture this attention, not just in 2025 but for years to come.

Even if prices dip and macro conditions worsen again, the perception of crypto won’t swing as dramatically as it did in the past. Today, we’ll explain why.

As well as why 2024 will, in retrospect, be seen as a breakthrough year for crypto.

This is what we’ve all been waiting for. This is the moment. 

We may still carry a bit of that original hopeful optimism, but now it feels more justified. We can build and innovate freely, backed by real progress and real adoption.

Welcome to the new era of crypto.

But before we start we need to provide a little bit more context, so everyone can understand what it was to build in crypto until this very year. 😔 

Our guess is: you’re going to be shocked by what you hear!

BUILDING IN CRYPTO UNTIL 2024

We’ll show you three examples of attacks that crypto has faced—even up until this year.

PS: They’re not pretty—sometimes, they’re downright brutal. But it’s important to understand the environment we’ve all been living in and operating under.

1/ You write open-source code → you are responsible for how people use it

Roman Storm, a developer who wrote open-source code for Tornado Cash—a privacy-focused project—never imagined where it would lead. 

One day regulators discovered criminals were misusing his code, they reached out, and Roman agreed to cooperate with their investigation. 

Yet, one morning, a SWAT team burst into his home, handcuffed him in front of his young daughter, and took him away. 

Now, he faces severe charges that could result in decades behind bars. 

This story sparks a big question: if people misuse a developer’s code, should the developer be held responsible?

2/ You work in crypto → banks can close or freeze your bank accounts

Imagine waking up one day to find that your business bank account is frozen, or worse, completely closed without any warning. 

This isn’t a rare nightmare—many crypto companies and founders have lived it. The industry calls this “being de-banked”.

Banks view crypto as risky and can take these actions without providing any real explanation. It just doesn’t feel fair.

3/ Unregistered Securities Claims

Meanwhile, the SEC has been cracking down on companies and projects, accusing them of offering unregistered securities. 

Overnight, you’re not just a startup founder—you’re a defendant. 

Giants like Coinbase and Binance can weather the legal storm, but what about smaller projects like Uniswap or Lido, beloved by the community yet far less prepared for a drawn-out court battle? 

Teams may have to pause development, funnel money into legal defense, and watch their vision stall. 

It’s not just a financial hit; it’s a gut punch to morale and trust, casting a heavy shadow over everyone trying to make crypto more accessible and useful.

You’ve just heard three real stories.

We hope that by now you’ll agree that we should be grateful to all the builders and companies who kept pushing forward—even knowing what could go wrong.

Nevertheless, many founders and companies found themselves forced to leave the U.S. or Europe because of these challenges, opting instead to establish their businesses elsewhere.

This isn’t how it should be. We’re optimistic that these challenges are in the rearview mirror, paving the way for a transformative future.

So let’s explain why we believe this is all behind us! 

BUILDING IN CRYPTO AFTER 2024

Here’s the ideal scenario for crypto:

A future where crypto founders are welcomed with open arms.

A future where governments will compete to attract cutting-edge crypto projects, offering supportive regulations and incentives to the brightest minds in the industry. 

This transformation marks the dawn of a new era where building in crypto is not only safe but highly encouraged and celebrated.

Sounds too good to be true? Let us explain what boosts our optimism. 

1/ The Trump effect

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve noticed that Trump has been using crypto as a political tool during his campaign. 

However, we weren’t sure how much of that was just populism aimed at attracting crypto voters and how much he genuinely supports the cryptocurrency industry.

That picture is starting to become clearer.

His continued pro-crypto rhetoric gives us more reasons to believe it wasn't merely a strategy to win the election. 

Moreover, it appears that Trump plans to implement radical changes to transform both the US government and its economy. He wants to solve these two major issues:

• The US government is too slow, too bureaucratic, too ineffective. 

  Donald Trump has outlined an ambitious plan to restructure the U.S. government, with a focus on efficiency, cost savings, and significant reductions in bureaucracy and regulations. 

  Hello Elon and DOGE! 🖐️ Not the memecoin, but the new department that is being put together. 

  Yes, Musk (together with Vivek Ramaswamy) is supposed to lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

  And as we all know by now, it is usually not profitable to bet against Musk! 🤣

• Addressing Growing US Debt and Technological Leadership

  The US debt is continuously increasing, and the country is losing ground to competitors like China in adopting cutting-edge technologies. 

  Trump recognizes that boosting America's GDP to offset debt growth and maintain global leadership is essential. 

  Therefore, the administration must prioritize emerging technologies and focus on innovation. Simply because those will improve productivity and help GDP to grow faster. 

  What this means in practice is that Trump selects pro-business (pro-crypto) technologists for key positions to make that happen.

Oh, and there’s one more thing! It might not be a big deal, or maybe it is—who knows?

• Trump has launched his own DeFi project called World Liberty Financial

  Yep, you heard that right! His project is like Aave, offering lending and borrowing on the blockchain. 

  And just recently they’ve loaded up on $ETH, $AAVE, and $LINK tokens. They used Cowswap—because why not use the coolest swapping tool out there? 

  Clearly, these guys know their way around crypto.

  Honestly, if they’re this on point, it might make us just a bit more bullish on Trump and his plans. 😂

  Still, while it’s pretty funny to see Trump launching his own DeFi project and throwing millions into crypto, it’s really not that big of a deal. 

  The bigger picture we’re looking into goes way beyond this. But hey, we had to mention it, because let’s be honest—it’s kind of hilarious, and you deserve to know! 😄

Jokes aside—let’s get back to the real stuff that’s going down.

Crypto’s future is starting to look brighter, especially with signs that the U.S. might finally get serious about supporting innovation including crypto. 

Sure, there are plenty of other countries doing cool things with crypto, but let’s be real—the U.S. is the one that sets the tone for the rest of the world.

Whether we like it or not, the U.S. is the most influential player in the game. When they make moves, the world pays attention. 

If the U.S. decides to embrace crypto and create an environment where it can thrive, it won’t just help the industry grow—it could completely change the game for everyone.

Actually, let’s talk about something else that happened in 2024—something that might help prove this point even further!