Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon insists the US needs a strictly codified “rule-based system” for crypto to thrive, stating that Wall Street banks cannot fully participate without clear legislation.
Speaking at the World Liberty Forum hosted by Donald Trump’s crypto venture at Mar-a-Lago, Solomon emphasized that traditional banks are eager to innovate but are held back by regulatory uncertainty. His comments come as the Senate debates the CLARITY Act, a bill designed to finally set the “rules of the road” for digital assets in the United States.
David Solomon，Chairman & CEO of Goldman Sachs is talking about RWA and crypto assets. #worldlibertyforum pic.twitter.com/4KRGdjObj1
— Jessica Young (@JessicaMetaEra) February 18, 2026
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Why Wall Street Wants New Rules
For years, huge banks like Goldman Sachs stayed on the sidelines of crypto. Solomon is essentially saying that Wall Street is ready to play, but only if the government acts as the referee.
BREAKING NEWS: White House sets March 1 deadline to resolve stablecoin reward dispute and advance the Clarity Act, per Fox Business..
BOOOOOOM!
pic.twitter.com/4VXngOPyxW — Kenny Nguyen (@mrnguyen007) February 19, 2026
This shift in tone is significant because Solomon himself hasn’t always been a crypto cheerleader. However, recent reports confirm he personally owns Bitcoin, although he describes the amount as “very, very limited.” He frames himself as an observer rather than a gambler, noting that while Bitcoin is speculative, the underlying technology could modernize the entire banking system.
But it’s not just Goldman Sachs. We are seeing a global trend where major financial institutions are creating products for regular investors. For example, similar moves have been seen with BlackRock allocating major capital to the sector, signaling that the “smart money” sees long-term value here.
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The Mar-a-Lago Connection
The setting of this announcement matters just as much as the message. Solomon was interviewed at an event hosted by World Liberty Financial, a crypto project associated with the Trump family. This project has been heavily scrutinized, especially following previous investigations into the World Liberty Financial token launch.
Gm!
The event yesterday at Mar-a-Lago was a huge success. Being able to share the room with leaders in both Tradfi and Crypto was great.
From the heads of Goldman Sachs, NASDAQ, the CFTC and more, to Binance and Coinbase, the room was packed and everyone was happy to be there,… pic.twitter.com/ZJgXmEXhf6
— Farokh
(@farokh) February 19, 2026
Solomon didn’t shy away from throwing shade at unregulated markets. “If there are people who think we are going to operate in this environment without rules, they are probably wrong, and they should move to El Salvador,” Solomon told the crowd. He was referring to El Salvador’s aggressive Bitcoin adoption, which Wall Street views as too risky and chaotic compared to the controlled environment of US banking.
Solomon believes that burdening the system with the wrong kind of regulation drains capital, but the absence of regulation is equally dangerous for big banks.
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