Crypto Market Observer × Alvin: The Philosophy of Crypto Survival Under Extreme Risk Control
- Core Viewpoint: Veteran trader Alvin shares his core philosophy for navigating bull and bear markets, emphasizing the construction of a personal risk control system through strict asset segregation and position management in the highly volatile cryptocurrency market. His primary goal is not to pursue massive profits, but to ensure survival and the ability to "resurrect" under any extreme market conditions, thereby enabling long-term participation.
- Key Elements:
- His investment philosophy is based on the premise of "cannot afford to go to zero." He strictly divides assets into "outside-the-circle" assets to secure basic living expenses and "inside-the-circle" assets for market speculation, achieving physical risk isolation.
- In specific execution, he proactively reduces contract trading scale, limiting funds per account to approximately $10,000 USD. He withdraws profits once they reach 30%, ensuring the account remains in a "resurrectable" state.
- Within his overall asset allocation, contract trading consistently accounts for less than 10%. The majority of funds are allocated to spot holdings and stable wealth management products, with position management prioritized above all other metrics.
- On the level of life risk control, he purchased real estate early in his asset accumulation phase to establish a safety net for his real life, adhering to the bottom-line strategy of "cannot lose everything completely."
- His trading enjoyment stems from the long-term strategic game. To adapt to the market (e.g., U.S. pricing power), he maintains an unconventional sleep schedule and explicitly states he will not "leave the circle" as long as opportunities exist.
In the Web3 market, filled with illusions of wealth and narrative noise, Alvin stands out as a minority who consistently maintains a high level of risk awareness.
He never conceals his desire for money and success, nor does he package his journey as a "miracle of luck and talent." From humble beginnings to becoming a long-term active trader in the market, what he relies on is not a gambler's mentality of all-or-nothing, but a nearly rigorous system for managing life and asset risks.
The goal of this system is singular: any black swan event can only take away a portion of his assets, never his entire life.
Guest for this episode of "Crypto Market Observer": Shenyin Alvin, Founder of Shenyin Community, a 9-year crypto veteran, and a heavy futures contract user.
Host: yuanyuan, BitMart Marketing VP
Humble Beginnings: Chasing Fame and Fortune to Drive Change
Alvin's story begins with a profoundly realistic sense of "dissatisfaction." Coming from an ordinary background with persistent family pressures, this foundation made him realize earlier than many that money is not a vanity item but a source of security. He never shies away from discussing this—his initial motivation for entering the crypto industry was very direct: he wanted to change his circumstances, he wanted to have money, he wanted to chase fame and fortune.
It was this strong, primal motivation that drove him to constantly explore various possibilities in the early days: from the internet and gaming industries to investment and trading, he was always searching for that breakthrough that could truly alter his life's trajectory.
But precisely because he started from scratch and struggled to accumulate, he placed one principle above all else in every subsequent decision: I cannot bear the possibility of losing everything.
Investment Philosophy: Inability to Tolerate "Going to Zero" is the Prerequisite for All Strategies
Unlike market participants who are accustomed to shouting "All in," Alvin maintains an almost instinctive reverence for risk. In terms of trading style, he leans towards contrarian trading, using pyramid-style accumulation to find reversal opportunities during extreme market volatility. This approach requires going against the prevailing market sentiment and demands extremely high psychological resilience.
He also repeatedly emphasizes: contrarian trading heavily depends on individual personality and stress tolerance, and is not suitable for most newcomers to imitate. For the majority, following the trend and strictly adhering to stop-losses is a more sustainable choice.
Regarding asset structure, the first thing he did was not "how to earn more," but how to avoid being wiped out in a single wave.
His assets are strictly divided into two parts: off-chain assets, used to secure real-life necessities and his life's foundation; and on-chain assets, which are used for participating in the crypto market's博弈 (game/competition).
This physical risk isolation ensures that even in extreme market scenarios, his basic living conditions remain unaffected.
At a more specific execution level, Alvin's risk control can even seem "counter-intuitive." Starting in 2025, he proactively reduced his futures contract exposure—in the past, his投入规模 (investment scale) in contracts reached the level of $200,000–$300,000; now, he has compressed his overall futures capital to around $30,000–$50,000,分散在多个平台 (spread across multiple platforms), with only about $10,000 in each account.
His rule is very clear: when a single account achieves a profit of around 30%, he withdraws the profits; he always keeps the account in a "revivable" state.
Within his overall asset structure, futures contracts consistently account for less than 10% of his holdings, with the majority of funds still allocated to spot holdings and稳健理财 (stable wealth management). In his view, the importance of position management永远高于任何指标 (always outweighs any indicator), and he does not blindly trust anyone. The core logic is simply this: any single disaster can only take away a portion of my assets; it must never leave me completely depleted.
Life Philosophy: Building a Moat in a High-Pressure Environment
Alvin's understanding of "risk control" does not stop at the trading level. In the early stages when his assets showed significant accumulation, he completed an important step in his life—purchasing property in Shenzhen,提前搭建安全垫 (building a safety cushion in advance) for his real life. In his view, for investors from humble backgrounds, "the inability to bear complete loss" is not an emotional judgment but a bottom line that must be预先写进人生策略 (written into one's life strategy in advance).
This clarity comes from having personally witnessed too many industry乱象 (chaotic phenomena): platform跑路 (rug pulls), project collapses, extreme volatility, and舆论反噬 (public backlash). After experiencing the Fcoin跑路 (rug pull), extreme market conditions, and全网范围的网暴 (widespread cyberbullying), he did not choose to retaliate emotionally. Instead, he returned to the most fundamental approach: reducing positions, controlling risk, and slowly recovering losses through small波段 (swing trades).
Withstanding pressure and maintaining rhythm are the key abilities that have allowed him to stay at the table through multiple market cycles.
Trading is the Greatest Pleasure; Leaving the Industry is Never an Option
For Alvin, making money was the initial驱动力 (driving force) for entering this industry, but trading itself has gradually become a long-term source of "博弈乐趣 (game-like pleasure)."
He is直言不讳 (blunt): trading is the greatest pleasure; making money is his biggest收获 (gain) in this industry.
To adapt to the pricing power increasingly dominated by the U.S. time zone, he has long maintained a schedule opposite to most people's: waking up in the afternoon and monitoring the markets late into the night. This seemingly free lifestyle is actually highly repetitive,枯燥 (monotonous), and持续承压 (continuously stressful).
But he has no intention of withdrawing completely. He prefers to see himself as a trader who remains at the table for the long term—as long as volatility exists and the market still offers opportunities, he will continue to participate. He states: "Leaving the圈 (industry/circle) is impossible, unless it stops being profitable here."
For the Grassroots, Security is Never About Getting Rich Quick, But "Always Being Able to Revive"
Alvin's story is not one of a perfect upward curve, but rather a survival system that has been repeatedly tested,修正 (adjusted), and optimized by the market.
Through strict asset isolation and position management, he has made himself someone who尽量不被单一行情彻底带走 (tries his best not to be completely taken out by any single market trend). In a highly volatile,诱惑 (temptation-filled) market, this ability is far more稀缺 (scarce) than catching any single行情 (market move).
This is not a path suitable for everyone, but it clearly demonstrates one thing: in the crypto market, true long-termism is never about earning the fastest, but about surviving the longest.
Recording date for this episode: January 14, 2026
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Risk Disclosure
The opinions or views expressed in this column represent the personal stance of the guest and do not represent the views of BitMart or its affiliates, nor should they be considered professional financial investment advice.
Cryptocurrency investment is highly speculative and carries significant risk of loss. Past performance, hypothetical scenarios, or simulation results do not guarantee future returns. The value of digital currencies may fluctuate, and buying, selling, holding, or trading digital currencies may involve substantial risks. Before engaging in transactions or holding digital currencies, please carefully assess their suitability based on your own investment objectives, financial situation, and risk tolerance. BitMart does not provide any investment, legal, or tax advice.
