Infrastructure is the future: why O'Leary is making million-dollar bets on Bitcoin and Ether

In the modern cryptocurrency market, where prices are subject to significant fluctuations, successful investors are increasingly paying attention to what lies behind the tokens — physical infrastructure and energy resources. This trend is no coincidence: against the backdrop of artificial intelligence development and data centers, land, energy, and data centers are becoming strategic assets. Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary embodies this new philosophy by shifting focus from traditional tokens to what he calls the true engine of the crypto economy.

Land and Energy: How O’Leary Profits from the Underlying Crypto Assets

O’Leary does not build data centers himself — he purchases land and energy resources, preparing sites for further commercialization. Currently, he controls 26,000 acres of land spread across various regions. Of these, 13,000 acres are located in Alberta, Canada, and the remaining 13,000 acres are in the process of permitting in unknown locations.

The concept itself is straightforward: O’Leary provides ready-to-connect utility sites with a full suite of services — electricity, water, fiber, and air rights. These sites are designed for short-term Bitcoin mining operations as well as for hyper-scale data centers and government AI data centers in the long term. After obtaining the necessary permits, the land plots are leased to companies ready to start construction.

The investor compares this approach to traditional real estate: just as developers constantly seek profitable locations for skyscrapers, miners and AI companies look for places with ample land and cheap electricity. “My job isn’t to build a data center,” — explains O’Leary. “It’s about preparing permits, ready for immediate use.” He believes that energy contracts at some of his locations are more valuable than Bitcoin itself, especially when electricity prices drop below six cents per kilowatt-hour.

An interesting observation: O’Leary predicts that about half of the data centers announced in the last three years will never be built. He describes the current hype in this sector as “land grabbing without any understanding of what it takes.” That is why physical assets and infrastructure, in his opinion, will have a much greater impact on the development of the crypto economy than the tokens themselves.

O’Leary already demonstrates the seriousness of his intentions through investments in Bitzero, a company specializing in energy infrastructure with data centers in Norway, Finland, and North Dakota. These centers support both Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing.

Why Only Bitcoin and Ether Receive Institutional Capital

The current state of the crypto market shows a clear concentration of capital. According to a Charles Schwab report, approximately 80% of the total market value of cryptocurrencies (around $3.2 trillion) is concentrated in the fundamental blockchains — Bitcoin and Ether. This is no coincidence: institutional investors, who set market trends, focus specifically on these two assets.

O’Leary is categorical about this: “The numbers show that you only need two positions — Bitcoin and Ether — to cover 97.2% of the total volatility of the entire crypto market since its inception.” The remaining thousands of altcoins constitute a peripheral 3-4% of market activity, often fluctuating within drops of 60 to 90%.

O’Leary’s skepticism of “low-quality coins” is based on solid empirical evidence: most of these tokens will never recover to their previous levels. Even recently launched crypto ETFs have done little to change the situation. O’Leary believes that in the context of the financial services and asset allocation markets, crypto ETFs are practically insignificant. “In the context of global financial flows, they are not even a teenage pimple,” — the investor states.

This concentration of value in Bitcoin and Ether is no accident. Both blockchains have the largest network effects, the highest security, and the broadest recognition among institutional players. As of this writing (February 1, 2026), Bitcoin is trading at $78.30K with a 24-hour drop of 5.52%, and Ether is at $2.38K with a decline of 9.66%.

How Regulation Opens the Door for Massive Crypto Expansion

What could change this situation? According to O’Leary, the key role will be played by US regulation. He believes that a real breakthrough in institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies depends on the implementation of favorable legal frameworks.

One such potential change is the crypto market structure bill currently under review in the US Senate. O’Leary is closely watching this document but criticizes some of its provisions. He is particularly concerned about the ban on earning profits on stablecoin accounts — a restriction that, in his view, creates an uneven playing field between crypto companies and traditional banks.

“As long as we don’t allow those using stablecoins to offer yields to account holders, this bill will likely be blocked,” — the investor notes. This position has already had a tangible impact: earlier this month, Coinbase withdrew its support for the bill precisely because of this provision.

O’Leary’s logic is clear: companies that work closely with stablecoins — such as USDC issuer Circle and partner platforms — want to be able to offer rewards as potential income. The scale of this business is already significant: Coinbase earned $355 million in revenue from its stablecoin yield offerings in Q3 2025 alone. Blocking this functionality means losing billions of dollars in potential income.

Other crypto companies express concern about other aspects of the bill — regulation of decentralized finance, securities rules, and oversight. However, O’Leary remains optimistic: he is confident these issues will be resolved, and once they are, the path will open for mass institutional capital to flow into Bitcoin and Ether.

Infrastructure as a Strategic Asset of the Future

O’Leary’s position in the development of the crypto economy is a forecast that more than 19% of his portfolio is oriented toward cryptocurrencies, including digital assets, infrastructure, and land. It is clear to him: whoever controls the physical base — land, energy, permits — controls the future of this industry.

Against the backdrop of expectations for regulatory clarity and increased institutional interest in Bitcoin and Ether, players investing in core infrastructure could find themselves in the most advantageous position. Investments in land resources and energy contracts are a choice in favor of long-term sustainable assets that will be needed regardless of what new crypto projects emerge on the market.