EToro CEO claims Buffett convinced him to reduce his focus on cryptocurrency EToro CEO Yoni Assia was interviewed by CNBC on Thursday, discussing the company's IPO and its past with cryptocurrency. He claimed that eToro was involved in cryptocurrency early on, having purchased Bitcoin for $50000 as a company treasury and being the first regulated institution in Europe to launch cryptocurrency trading. An early $50000 cryptocurrency investment had appreciated to $50 million, but the board of directors deemed it a non core business requiring sale. Assia believes that cryptocurrency has become a new type of capital market, thriving globally with over 130 cryptocurrencies traded outside of the United States. However, he remains passionate about the capital and stock markets. In fact, the meeting with the "stock god" Buffett changed his business focus. Buffett once said he would never hold cryptocurrency, and his former colleague Charlie Munger also criticized Bitcoin.