← All Speakers
Speaker · Proof of Talk 2026
Matthew Sigel
Head of Digital Assets Research; Portfolio Manager, VanEck Onchain Economy ETF, VanEck
Matthew Sigel combines digital-assets research with direct portfolio-management responsibility, providing an asset-manager perspective on institutional access, settlement and value capture in onchain markets.
The Significance
Why the room needs them.
VanEck appointed Sigel to lead digital-assets research in 2021, while an SEC filing names Sigel as the portfolio manager responsible for day-to-day management of the VanEck Onchain Economy ETF from April 2025. Those verified responsibilities are directly relevant to a discussion about how banks, exchanges and asset managers may compete as regulated financial activity moves onchain.
The Numbers
April 2021
Start of recorded employment with Van Eck Associates Corporation as Head of Digital Assets Research, Digital Assets
April 2025
Start of portfolio-management responsibility for the VanEck Onchain Economy ETF
169
Sample portfolios used in one component of VanEck’s illustrative 2024 crypto-allocation model
$2.9 million by 2050
VanEck base-case Bitcoin valuation model output, not a forecast of actual performance
$60 billion+ annually
Modelled corporate-blockchain opportunity examined by VanEck, not realised revenue
The Thesis · on the record
What Matthew believes about the next ten years.
01
Corporate and permissioned blockchains may capture settlement economics that previously flowed to public blockchain networks.
An explicit position in VanEck research co-authored by Matthew Sigel and published on 5 May 2026.
02
Long-term Bitcoin valuation can be modelled through possible adoption as a settlement currency and reserve asset, while short-term price action remains influenced by liquidity cycles and leverage.
The analytical framework stated in VanEck’s Bitcoin Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions, co-authored by Matthew Sigel and published in January 2026. All numerical outputs are hypothetical model scenarios.
03
Investment research involves synthesising information, testing interpretations through price discovery and concentrating on facts and prices.
Sigel’s stated approach in VanEck’s first-person interview transcript.
The Timeline
Years of shipping.
2021-04-16
VanEck announced Matthew Sigel’s appointment to the newly created role of Head of Digital Assets Research.
2024-07
Co-authored Bitcoin 2050 Valuation Scenarios: Global Medium of Exchange and Reserve Asset. Its outputs are hypothetical model scenarios rather than forecasts of actual performance.
2024-10
Co-authored Optimal Crypto Allocation for Portfolios, an illustrative model study using historical data from 1 September 2015 to 30 April 2024.
2025-04
Began serving as portfolio manager responsible for day-to-day management of the VanEck Onchain Economy ETF, according to its SEC-filed summary prospectus.
2026-05-05
Co-authored The Rise of Corporate Blockchains, which presents modelled opportunity estimates based on VanEck assumptions.
2026-06-02
Was listed in the official Proof of Talk programme for the Day 1 panel “Banks, Exchanges, and Asset Managers: Who Controls Institutional Access When Markets Move Onchain?”, scheduled from 17:20 to 18:00 at the Hecto Main Stage.
2026-09-04
VanEck credited Matthew Sigel as Head of Digital Assets Research in its August 2026 NODE commentary.
The Body of Work
What they have built, written, and backed.
Built
- VanEck Onchain Economy ETFPortfolio manager primarily responsible for day-to-day management from April 2025.
- Bitcoin 2050 Valuation Scenarios: Global Medium of Exchange and Reserve AssetCo-author with Patrick Bush. The valuation outputs are hypothetical model scenarios.
- Optimal Crypto Allocation for PortfoliosCo-author with Patrick Bush and Denis Zinoviev. The study presents simulated and hypothetical model results.
- The Rise of Corporate BlockchainsCo-author with Patrick Bush. Its opportunity and valuation figures are estimates based on VanEck models and assumptions.
The next Proof of Talk is in Abu Dhabi.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, 3–4 December 2026. Admission is by application, and the room is capped at 2,000.
Request access