Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has not always been the focus of media and investors as it is now. In its early days, this digital currency was almost 'hidden', known only within a small community of libertarians – the 'cypherpunks' – who yearned for a new, freer financial order.

However, everything has changed completely. Bitcoin now has a market capitalization of $2.3 trillion, becoming the most valuable digital asset in the world. With a price increase of 41,320% in just a decade (as of August 5), it is clearly one of the best investments an investor can own. So what awaits Bitcoin in the next 10 years? Will this asset continue to grow?

Rather than trying to predict the future accurately, perhaps investors should observe reality more clearly. This helps highlight notable trends:

  1. Attracting larger capital flows:

    The emergence of spot Bitcoin ETFs has paved the way for hedge funds, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and large financial institutions to legally invest in Bitcoin. This is a significant step in legitimizing and institutionalizing the cryptocurrency market.

  2. A more positive legal environment:

    The U.S. government has established a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve – a sign of acceptance at the national level. If other countries have a similarly positive attitude, Bitcoin will become even more popular.

  3. An increasingly rich ecosystem:

    • In the payments sector, the Lightning Network is making breakthroughs with fast transaction capabilities and extremely low fees.

    • In finance, Bitcoin is even being used as collateral for loans and mortgages – something unimaginable a decade ago.

    • Block (founded by Jack Dorsey) is developing a Bitcoin hardware wallet called Bitkey along with devices supporting decentralized mining through the Proto brand.

All of the above factors help drive the acceptance and value of Bitcoin in the future.

Reasons Bitcoin May Continue to Rise

Among thousands of cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin remains the brightest star – and this will continue into the future.

  • Strong network effects: As the first and most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin possesses the largest network of users, miners, developers, and nodes. Each new participant adds value to the entire system.

  • Limited supply: The most notable feature of Bitcoin is its scarcity. The maximum supply is only 21 million BTC, which cannot be changed. Inflation is controlled by a halving mechanism every four years, reducing mining rewards and limiting the rate of new coin issuance.

  • Protection against fiat currency inflation:

    While Bitcoin maintains a transparent monetary policy, fiat currencies such as the USD are continuously devalued. In just 15 years, the U.S. money supply M2 has increased from $8.6 trillion to $22 trillion – a growth rate that shows no sign of stopping.

Prospects in the Next 10 Years

If you are a long-term investor with a vision of 10 years or more, allocating part of your portfolio to Bitcoin may be a reasonable choice. Although the enormous growth seen in the past decade will be hard to replicate (due to the larger market size), the potential for profit remains high.

Let's compare with gold – a traditional 'store of value' asset:

  • Gold market capitalization: $23.1 trillion

  • Bitcoin market capitalization: $2.3 trillion

If Bitcoin achieves a scale comparable to gold in the next 10 years, this equates to an annual growth rate of 25.9%, which is lower than before but still far exceeds the average stock market return (around 10%).

Conclusion

Bitcoin has come a long way – from an idealistic idea to a globally recognized digital asset. While the rapid growth may not be repeated, the solid fundamental factors combined with long-term trends such as legalization, ecosystem expansion, and fixed scarcity all create a bright future for Bitcoin.

For long-term investors, Bitcoin remains a worthy consideration in the journey to build sustainable assets by 2035.