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Former UFC champion Conor McGregor has proposed creating a national Bitcoin reserve for Ireland. He promoted the move by saying it would be similar to returning “power to the people.” The announcement was made on May 9 in a post on X, as part of his unofficial bid for the Irish presidency.
McGregor X post emphasized his reasons for creating an Irish Bitcoin reserve:
McGregor invited crypto leaders to join him in shaping the plan, including Anthony Pompliano, host of The Pomp Podcast, and David Bailey, former crypto advisor to Donald Trump. The ex-UFC champion McGregor urged them to join his upcoming X Spaces discussion.
He expressed his interest through a series of X posts:
The proposed reserve would be a first for Ireland. Only a few countries, including the US, El Salvador, and Bhutan, have pursued similar strategies. Ireland, as part of the European Union, faces added regulatory challenges in adopting national-level crypto policies.
Despite the headline-grabbing proposal, McGregor remains an unofficial presidential candidate in Ireland. While he announced his ambitions in March, he has yet to secure a formal nomination. Ireland's next presidential election may be held before November 11, 2025, when President Michael D. Higgins' term ends.
McGregor’s entry into politics comes amid legal controversy. He was recently found guilty in a civil sexual assault case, which he is currently appealing. The MMA fighter has previously been investigated for hate speech.
The Bitcoin proposal also follows the collapse of his recent crypto project, REAL, which failed to meet its funding target in April. Despite these setbacks, McGregor continues to position digital assets as central to his populist political vision.
Bitcoin has recently crossed the $100K mark after a long period of violent fluctuations. The BTC price as of 5.37 PM on May 12, 2025, stands at $ 103,851, with institutional adoption increasing. The recent reset of the US-China trade war tensions may propel it further to the $105 resistance level.
Given the rising acceptance of Bitcoin as a safe haven asset, many world economies have started creating a reserve for it. It remains to be seen if Ireland will follow suit and apply McGregor’s proposed BTC reserve plan.
