COLUMBUS, OH — Vivek Ramaswamy said he wants to be "the strongest pro-Bitcoin governor in the nation." His financial disclosure with the Ohio Ethics Commission confirms why: He wants Ohioans to help him recover his bad bets. 

Just two days after The American Prospect reported on Vivek Ramaswamy's deep financial ties to the cryptocurrency industry, the April 6th disclosure shows that the Republican gubernatorial frontrunner personally holds cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ethereum and owns a controlling stake in Strive, Inc. –- a company he founded that has bet nearly $1 billion in corporate funds on Bitcoin.

Since Strive bought its Bitcoin at an average of $104,000 a coin it has lost one-third of its value and is now worth around $72,000. Every dollar Bitcoin's price rises is a dollar closer to making Ramaswamy whole.

“Running for governor of Ohio is just another way for Ramaswamy to cash in on the backs of working people,” said Michael McGovern, CEO of Innovation Ohio. “Why else would he be pushing for risky public investment in crypto? That’s not a policy agenda for working Ohioans. It's a bailout for Vivek."

Ramaswamy said he wants to roll out a Bitcoin economic plan for Ohio. He praised Ohio House Bill 18, the Ohio Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve Act, in a January 2025 post on X as a "thoughtful & powerful bill.” 

HB 18 would authorize the State Treasurer to invest up to 10% of state interim funds in digital assets and permit Ohio's public pension systems, covering hundreds of thousands of teachers, public employees, police officers, and firefighters, to invest in crypto-linked products. At current fund levels, the bill would open the door to up to $27.5 billion in Ohio public money flowing into Bitcoin and similar assets.

That kind of institutional buying pressure from a major state government could drive up the price of Bitcoin, benefiting Ramaswamy personally and the company he founded and controls

House Bill 18 has received five hearings in the House Technology and Innovation Committee but has not yet come to a floor vote.

"Vivek Ramaswamy wants Ohio's teachers, cops, and retirees to put their pension savings into the same bet he made — and lost," McGovern said. "His financial disclosure makes the conflict plain.”