The U.S. government is pushing for the regulation of including BTC in 401K retirement accounts.
Current progress and key timelines are as follows:
1. Latest developments: Administrative barriers have been cleared.
In the past few days (March 26-27), the new regulatory draft proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor has officially passed the review of the Office of Management and Budget at the White House. This means that the policy has completed the most critical phase of administrative review and is about to enter the public consultation and implementation phase.
2. Core policy background
* Trump Executive Order: This momentum comes from President Trump's Executive Order titled "Democratizing 401K Investor Access to Alternative Assets" signed in August 2025, which requires relevant departments (Department of Labor, SEC, Treasury) to loosen restrictions, allowing 401K accounts to invest in alternative assets such as cryptocurrencies, private equity, and real estate.
* Revocation of old guidelines: The Department of Labor revoked the "warning" issued during the Biden administration in May 2025, which required employers to exercise "extreme caution" regarding cryptocurrency investments, or risk facing investigations. Now, the Department of Labor's position has shifted to "neutral," no longer opposing companies including cryptocurrencies in their investment lists.
3. Future estimated timeline
Although the administrative review has passed, it is not yet at the stage where "everyone can buy tomorrow":
* April 2026 (expected): The Department of Labor will publish the proposed rules and begin a public comment period lasting 60 to 90 days.
* Second half of 2026: If there are no unexpected developments, the final rules will officially take effect, at which point plan managers of 401K (such as Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.) will have clear legal protections to legally include Bitcoin in their investment options.
4. Impact and risks
* Fund scale: Market analysis indicates that the U.S. 401K market is approximately $12 trillion. Even if only 1% of the funds are allocated to Bitcoin, it means over $120 billion in potential buying pressure.
* Trust responsibility: Although regulations are being relaxed, company owners (employers) still need to be responsible for assessing the safety of these assets.
Therefore, initially, it may appear in the form of "professionally managed funds" or "Bitcoin spot ETFs" in the 401K options, rather than direct purchases of tokens.
Summary: The bill has now entered the final stage of "announcement and implementation," and it is expected that by the end of 2026, American workers will be more likely to see Bitcoin options in their 401K accounts.