MSCI recently announced a decision that is considered a turning point for the cryptocurrency market — originally planning to remove publicly traded companies holding Bitcoin (such as MicroStrategy) from its index in 2024, now postponed to 2026. This sudden change has eased concerns for many investors.

On the surface, this decision appears very friendly. Public companies that have already invested in cryptocurrencies won’t face being kicked out of the index for now, and institutional funds won’t be forced to sell related stocks. The selling pressure on Bitcoin-related stocks will indeed be alleviated. For those who are long-term bullish on such assets, this is undoubtedly a positive signal.

But a closer look reveals the underlying issues. The real logic behind MSCI’s postponement is quite subtle — rather than a policy adjustment, it’s more of a compromise under market pressure. Regulatory environments and the volatility of the crypto market still hang like the Damocles sword over the industry. A two-year delay is just buying time; it doesn’t mean a change in the final stance.

Bitcoin’s price itself is influenced by multiple factors such as mining trends, global policies, and black swan events. Relying solely on a delay in an index policy to make big bets is indeed risky. More realistically, the final decision in 2026 will be the true watershed. The current postponement may just be a brief calm before the storm.