The Trump family crypto empire looks to Asia: Eric Trump talks Bitcoin in Hong Kong

Eric Trump said Friday he is certain bitcoin will eventually hit a $1 million valuation as he spoke at a Hong Kong conference, marking the first of a series of Asian crypto events that will feature U.S. President Donald Trump's sons.

Speaking at Hong Kong's Bitcoin Asia 2025 conference, Eric Trump discussed his strong involvement in the crypto space.

"I really believe in the next several years, Bitcoin hits a million dollars. There's no question," he said, adding that 90% of his time is now spent with the crypto community.

During his panel, the American businessman and former reality TV presenter also showered praise on Simon Gerovich, president and CEO of Japanese Bitcoin treasury company Metaplanet. Eric joined the Tokyo-listed company's board of advisors earlier this year.

Bitcoin's price has risen about 86% in the last 12 months amid buoyant investor sentiment surrounding President's Trump's election victory and a more positive U.S. regulatory environment on crypto. However, it's worth noting that cryptocurrencies generally can be highly volatile and the space has been shrouded in the past by illicit activity and corporate scandals. In 2022, bitcoin and other digital currencies slumped sharply after a slew of major crypto companies went bankrupt.

Eric Trump, along with his brother Donald Trump Jr, have become major players in the Trump family's growing crypto empire. The two are co-founders of the bitcoin-mining venture American Bitcoin and also help manage the Trump family-backed project World Liberty Financial.

Now the brothers are broadening their push into digital assets to Asia. Soon after his Hong Kong visit, Eric Trump is reportedly headed to Japan to attend a shareholder meeting of Metaplanet, according to a recent report from Bloomberg News.

Later in September, both Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are expected to speak at a South Korean crypto conference, and the pair is slated to appear as key speakers at Singapore's Token 2049, one of the world's largest crypto events.

Once a skeptic of cryptocurrencies, President Trump has also embraced the crypto industry, branding himself as the first "crypto president."

"The Bitcoin community embraced my father unlike anything I had ever seen before," Eric Trump said Friday adding: "And I hope that's paid off in spades."

The Trump administration has launched a number of executive orders and backed policies welcomed by the digital asset industry and has filled his cabinet with crypto advocates like David Sacks, the White House's AI and crypto czar.

Trump has also been involved in crypto business ventures, including World Liberty Financial and his $TRUMP meme coin, leading to accusations of corruption and self-dealing from opposition lawmakers, as well as calls for ethics investigations.

Given the shared interests between the American president and his son's crypto activities, market watchers will be monitoring how the two brothers are received by government officials during their Asia tour.

The visits come against the backdrop of President Trump's ongoing global trade war, which has made Asia a major target.

A Hong Kong official and a lawmaker withdrew from a Bitcoin Asia conference in the city following advice not to engage with Eric Trump, the South China Morning Post reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

An archived version of the event webpage confirmed that Eric Yip, executive director at the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), and lawmaker Johnny Ng had previously been on the list of speakers for the event, before being removed.

The SFC told CNBC that Yip was unable to attend the event because of a business trip, while the South China Morning Post reported that Ng said he withdrew for family reasons.

The Hong Kong legislative council did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

- CNBC's Ryan Browne contributed to this report.