Kevin O’Leary: 'I Want More Regulation, And I Want It Now'

By: cryptonews|2025/05/16 01:00:11

Kevin O’Leary, chairman of O’Leary Ventures, said the crypto industry isn’t regulated enough — which is holding digital assets back from true institutional adoption. Speaking at Consensus 2025 in Toronto on Thursday, O’Leary said crypto assets under management (AUM) have hit a wall, which he attributed to a lack of regulatory clarity that has prevented the majority of sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and institutional investors from investing meaningfully. “I never thought I’d say this, but I want more regulation and I want it now,” O’Leary said. “The good news is there’s a new sheriff in town: Paul Atkins at the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission].” O’Leary said Atkins, who was sworn in as chairman of the SEC last month, has already telegraphed that he’s friendly to the crypto industry and will “regulate accordingly.” Atkins replaces Gary Gensler, whose penchant for so-called “regulation by enforcement” drew the ire of many in the crypto industry. O’Leary said Thursday that he respected Gensler’s consistency as a regulator. “He said he was gonna sue you, and he sued you,” O’Leary said. “He was consistent and you have to respect that.” In a press conference ahead of his keynote speech, O’Leary said he'd received a Wells notice from the SEC over a decade ago after speaking about debt tokenization in a televised interview. He was cleared, he said, but the experience temporarily scared him off engaging with crypto in the U.S. “My first experience with crypto was over a decade ago, when I was on business cable, talking about debt tokenization,” O’Leary said. “I get a knock on my door and it’s an enforcement agent from the SEC serving me a Wells notice. I shit my pants ... The regulator was sending a message. I got the message” Since Gensler departed the agency in January, the SEC has done an about-face on its approach to crypto regulation, creating a Crypto Task Force spearheaded by crypto-friendly Commissioner Hester Peirce and dropping a host of open investigations and lawsuits against crypto companies that were started under Gensler. A friendlier SEC isn’t the only thing O’Leary is hopeful for when it comes to crypto regulation — he expects to see the passage of the GENIUS Act within “months.” “The minute that happens, it will signal the move to the next act, the market infrastructure act,” O’Leary said. “And when that is determined and regulated, Katy, bar the doors — a trillion dollars will come in and index [bitcoin].”

On March 4, 2026, DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE American: DDC) today announced preliminary, unaudited full-year financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company expects to achieve record revenue and record positive adjusted EBITDA, primarily driven by continued growth in its core consumer food business and overall margin improvement. The final audited financial report is expected to be released in mid-April 2026.

2025 Full-Year Financial Highlights

Revenue: Expected to be between $39 million and $41 million, reaching a new company high.

Organic Growth: Excluding the impact of the company's strategic contraction of its U.S. operations, core revenue is expected to grow 11% to 17% year over year.

Gross Profit Margin: Expected to be between 28% and 30%, reflecting continued operational efficiency improvements.

Adjusted EBITDA: The company expects to achieve a positive full-year result in 2025, a significant improvement from a $3.5 million loss in 2024, mainly due to rigorous cost controls and a higher-margin sales mix.

Core Consumer Food Business Performance

In 2025, DDC's core consumer food business maintained strong operational performance.

The company also disclosed Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that further excludes costs related to its Bitcoin reserve strategy and non-cash fair value adjustments related to its Bitcoin holdings from adjusted EBITDA to more accurately reflect the core business performance.

In 2025, Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $5.5 million and $6 million.

Bitcoin Reserve Update

In the first half of 2025, DDC initiated a long-term Bitcoin accumulation strategy, holding Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset.

As of December 31, 2025: The company holds 1,183 BTC.

As of February 28, 2026: Holdings increased to 2,118 BTC

Today's additional purchase of 65 BTC brings the company's total holdings to 2,183 BTC

DDC Founder, Chairman, and CEO Norma Chu stated, "We are proud to have closed 2025 with record revenue and positive adjusted EBITDA, demonstrating the steady growth of the company's consumer food business and the ongoing improvement in profitability. We are building a disciplined, growth-oriented food platform and strategically allocating capital to Bitcoin assets with a long-term view, aligning with our core beliefs. We believe that this dual-track model of 'Steady Consumer Business + Strategic Bitcoin Reserve' will help DDC create lasting long-term value for shareholders."

Adjusted EBITDA Definition
For the full year 2025, the company defines "Adjusted EBITDA" (a non-GAAP financial measure) as: Net income / (loss) excluding the following items:· Interest expense· Taxes· Foreign exchange gains/losses· Long-lived asset impairment· Depreciation and amortization· Non-cash fair value changes related to financial instruments (including Bitcoin holdings)· Stock-based compensation

About DDC Enterprise Limited

DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE: DDC) is actively implementing its corporate Bitcoin Treasury strategy while continuing to strengthen its position as a leading global Asian food platform.

The company has established Bitcoin as a core reserve asset and is executing a prudent, long-oriented accumulation strategy. While expanding its portfolio of food brands, DDC is gradually becoming one of the public company pioneers in integrating Bitcoin into its corporate financial architecture.

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DDC Enterprise Limited Announces 2025 Unaudited Preliminary Financial Performance: Record Revenue Achieved, Bitcoin Treasury Grows to 2183 Coins