Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego has allocated roughly 70% [2] of his liquid investment portfolio to Bitcoin.
This move signals a significant shift in high-net-worth wealth management, prioritizing digital assets over traditional hedges like property in an era of global currency instability.
Salinas Pliego, the founder of Grupo Salinas with a net worth of $5 billion [1], said Bitcoin is a better investment than real estate. He said fiat currencies are being debased globally, which makes the cryptocurrency a superior store of value compared to traditional holdings [5].
The billionaire's conviction extends to the future price of the asset. He said Bitcoin could eventually reach a value of $1 million [3]. This optimistic outlook persists even as the broader market faces volatility, such as the price drops discussed by analysts earlier this month [4].
By shifting his liquid assets into Bitcoin, Salinas Pliego is positioning himself against the perceived failure of central bank policies. He said he converts fiat currency into Bitcoin as soon as he acquires it [5]. This strategy treats the digital coin not as a speculative trade, but as a long-term replacement for physical land, and buildings.
The scale of this allocation is rare among billionaires, who typically diversify across various asset classes to mitigate risk. While real estate has historically been the gold standard for wealth preservation, the Grupo Salinas founder believes the digital ledger offers a more secure and scalable alternative for the modern economy.
“Bitcoin is a better investment than real estate”
The strategy employed by Salinas Pliego reflects a growing trend among some ultra-high-net-worth individuals to treat Bitcoin as 'digital gold.' By favoring cryptocurrency over real estate, he is betting that the scarcity and portability of Bitcoin will outperform the physical utility and rental yields of property in a high-inflation environment.
