Ramaswamy wants Ohio pensions exposed to crypto. His own Bitcoin company just lost $523 million.

House Bill 18 would explicitly allow Ohio’s public pension systems to invest in cryptocurrency-linked products. Ramaswamy has praised the measure while retaining millions of shares in Strive, which reported a $523.5 million loss in the first half of 2026.

Vivek Ramaswamy has praised legislation that would explicitly allow Ohio’s public pension systems to invest in cryptocurrency-linked products, even as the Bitcoin-focused company he co-founded reported more than half a billion dollars in losses during the first six months of the year.

Strive Inc. reported a $523.5 million net loss during the first half of 2026, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company also recorded a $523.8 million unrealized loss on digital assets during the same period.

The losses provide a real-world example of the volatility at the center of an Ohio policy debate Ramaswamy has embraced.

House Bill 18, known as the Ohio Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve Act, would amend state law governing all five of Ohio’s public retirement systems to explicitly allow their boards to invest in qualifying exchange-traded products, including products providing exposure to cryptocurrency.

Ramaswamy called the proposal a “thoughtful & powerful bill” after it was introduced.