Is the Four-Year Crypto Cycle Dead?

Is the Four-Year Crypto Cycle Dead?

From The Bad Crypto Podcast by Joel Comm and Travis Wright

December 17, 2025 · 25 min · Season 1 · Episode 798

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential end of the four-year crypto cycle and the evolution of Bitcoin into an institutional-grade asset class.

For years, crypto traders have lived and died by the halving clock. Boom. Bust. Rinse. Repeat. But what if that old rhythm doesn’t work anymore? In Episode 798 of The Bad Crypto Podcast , Joel and Travis make the case that Bitcoin has officially graduated from “speculative science experiment” to institutional-grade asset class — and that changes everything. We break down why this cycle looks nothing like the last ones, including: • Why banks that mocked crypto are now quietly building custody, trading, and ETF pipelines • How public companies, governments, and ETFs are soaking up Bitcoin supply • Why institutional buying is far “stickier” than retail panic selling • How regulation shifts (OCC, FDIC, Fed guidance) removed the biggest barriers between banks and Bitcoin • Why the classic 80% crash may no longer be the default outcome • What January and February could reveal about whether the cycle is truly broken • Why Gen Z asking for crypto for Christmas might be the most bullish signal of all We also dig into adoption curves, Bitcoin treasuries, ETF inflows, government holdings, and the uncomfortable reality…

People in this episode

Hosts: Joel Comm, Travis Wright

Topics covered

  • crypto cycles
  • institutional investment
  • Bitcoin adoption
  • market changes
  • regulation
  • trading strategies

Keywords

  • crypto
  • Bitcoin
  • institutional investment
  • ETF
  • regulation
  • market trends
  • Gen Z
  • trading
  • adoption

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bitcoin, OCC, FDIC, Fed

Places: Puerto Rico, Dubai, Gen Z

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