By 2050, the price of the first cryptocurrency could reach $2.9 million, according to analysts from investment firm VanEck.
The experts consider this figure as the base scenario, which would occur if Bitcoin becomes a currency for international transactions and is included in central bank reserves.
The report's authors suggested that:
- the asset's share in global finance could reach 1.66%;
- central banks might allocate 2.5% of their reserves to cryptocurrency;
- the average annual growth rate of Bitcoin prices could be 15%.
Analysts Matthew Sigel and Patrick Bush view Bitcoin not as a speculative tool but as a long-term hedge against debt crises and the devaluation of fiat currencies. They identify the expansion of global liquidity and the easing of monetary policy as key growth drivers.
The company presented three potential scenarios:
- Base case: assumes Bitcoin will capture 5-10% of the international payments market, comparable to the British pound's share (7.38% according to SWIFT). Currently, the US dollar (47.79%) and the euro (22.77%) lead, followed by the yen and yuan.
- Bear case: a price of $130,000 (with an annual growth of 2%).
- Bull case: a price of $52.4 million (with a growth rate of 20% per year).
The main obstacle to widespread adoption remains the scalability of the network. Analysts emphasized the importance of developing layer two solutions that will speed up transactions and reduce fees.
In April 2024, VanEck experts predicted that the market capitalization of L2 tokens on Ethereum could reach $1 trillion by 2030.