The ever-divisive cryptocurrency market sprang back into national headlines late last year as the price of bitcoin -- the most well-known cryptocurrency -- soared to $100,000 for the first time.While bitcoin's price garnered plenty of press in recent months, the crypto market largely collapsed a few years before, leading some to consider it a bubble, similar to the dotcom boom at the turn of the century.Today, 17% of adults in the US have cryptocurrency, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. This study also found that 63% of Americans say they have low to no confidence in the current methods for cryptocurrency investing.Notably, younger generations may view the market differently. Over half of American Gen Zers report owning investments, with cryptocurrency as their top choice, according to 2023 research from FINRA. Gen Z had highest risk tolerance, and the study found most Gen Z investors had an above-average risk tolerance.With a new administration in the White House and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin still teetering at all-time highs, we turned to the experts to get a temperature check on what's next for crypto. Here's what we learned.Will the government stance on crypto change this year?Historically, the federal government, especially the SEC, has been wary of the cryptocurrency industry. Under Gary Gensler, the former SEC chair, the SEC filed high-profile lawsuits against crypto companies like Coinbase and Kraken.The last few years have also seen countless cryptocurrency scams, the collapse of the Luna token, as well as the downfall of FTX (a former crypto exchange) and the subsequent sentencing of its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. With a new administration in power, a shift in the federal government's stance is likely. Reuters reports that incoming SEC leadership is set to overhaul cryptocurrency policies.The change could spread to other agencies, like the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates financial derivatives markets (i.e., futures contracts and options). Caroline Pham, who has advocated for clearer crypto rules, was recently named acting CFTC chair, and David Sacks has already been tapped as "White House A.I. and Crypto Czar.""These [incoming federal officials] are much more crypto-forward than the current regulatory agencies," Cesare Fracassi, Fintech Research Lab and Blockchain Initiative director at the McCombs School of Business, told CNET. "So, definitely, we should expect a different approach to crypto."Could the crypto market see new laws on the books?The federal framework for cryptocurrency laws has been murky, with many rules differing from state to state. This has been a criticism that cryptocurrency companies cite in response to lawsuits.Christian Catalini, founder of the MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab and a research scientist at the MIT Sloan School, says the crypto industry needs new rules to protect people from bad actors."Many of the most serious companies and startups in this space have been asking for regulation for a while," Catalini said. "Because of the lack of clear rules, the bad actors have been able to blend with the good ones -- that has led to very bad situations like the FTX meltdown."In 2022, FTX went bankrupt. Around the same time, many customers found that they were unable to withdraw funds from the crypto exchange. It soon became clear that billions of dollars were missing. Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, is currently serving a 25-year sentence for fraud.A lack of regulation is one reason crypto remains an unpredictable investment vehicle. Catalini hopes with new legislation, the regulatory grey area will become clearer, so that crypto can "turn the page from the hype and speculation and become more useful."Should you invest in the crypto market in 2025?While most Americans see cryptocurrency as a speculative asset with the potential to grow their money, the wild price swings make investing in cryptocurrency risky at best. The industry is also complex, which has provided fertile ground for scammers. You need to be extra diligent if you decide to invest in crypto."Cryptocurrency tends to be more volatile than other investments and can be influenced by unpredictable external events that affect confidence in the crypto ecosystem," Alex Michalka, vice president of investment research at Wealthfront, told CNET.Michalka cited the recent surge in crypto prices following now President Trump's election win as a key example of this volatility. The expectations that the new administration would adopt a more crypto-friendly approach were enough to send prices skyrocketing, he said.Investing directly in cryptocurrency can lead to big wins or losses, but experts say you're speculating when you invest in these digital currencies. There are no guarantees.That advice remains true even if you're investing in an exchange-traded fund that's based on the price of bitcoin or other digital assets. Crypto ETFs became popular with investors last year. Blackrock's iShares Bitcoin Trust smashed previous ETF records when it debuted in 2024.While these types of investments are more accessible for interested investors -- you can purchase them through conventional brokerage accounts -- they don't make investing in cryptocurrency any safer. They're still subject to the same wild swings that exist when investing directly in crypto.To reduce your risk of losses, Michalka advises you never to invest more than 10% of your portfolio in crypto. But depending on how much you're investing, you might want to reduce your risk percentage even more."I would always say that do not invest anything more than you can completely afford to lose tomorrow if you're approaching crypto," Catalini said.Is the market headed for a crypto crash in 2025?Analysts, pundits and YouTubers love predicting the future. Crypto influencers can make money by telling people they have an inside track on what coin or token will rise in value next."You read a lot of predictions about what crypto and bitcoin are going to do in the future in terms of prices," Fracassi said." The reality is that, in the same way as no one can predict stock returns, no one can predict crypto prices."It's important to be wary of anyone who claims that they can predict what will happen with the market or with a specific cryptocurrency. "It turns out," Fracassi said, "that no one really has a crystal ball."