Bitcoin: future in finance

In general, the financial sector is moving more and more into the digital sphere. The global digital payments market brought in about $100 billion in revenue last year, and it is expected to reach $303 billion by 2030. Nearly 90% of Americans use digital payments in some capacity, according to a 2022 McKinsey survey, indicating that the adoption rate of these payments among general consumers is also rising. And as more people and businesses turn to this industry due to the current U.S. banking crisis and the unfavourable prognosis for the global economy, emphasis is focused on the Bitcoin market in particular. Many people view bitcoin as a reliable store of value that is unaffected by banks or governments, making it a desirable substitute for conventional financial investments. But is it really going to be able to displace fiat money as the medium of exchange of the future?

Bitcoin Attitudes: Up to Date Progress

Only a tiny, specialised group of people were interested in Bitcoin ten years ago. After a 39% increase in the number of holders of digital assets in 2022, 425 million people worldwide are expected to be cryptocurrency owners at this time.

Until the past few years, it was common for people to mock Bitcoin and refer to it as a scam. However, after 2020, sentiments drastically shifted, with Bitcoin being seen as a legitimate store of value and medium of trade rather than just a speculative investment.

The primary cause of this change is the growing institutional acceptance of Bitcoin. As of May 2023, institutional investors held more than 7.8% of the total supply of Bitcoin due to their massive entry into the market since 2020, which sparked a significant bull run. As a result, more individuals now regard bitcoin as a real asset class and take it seriously.

Furthermore, according to a Deloitte survey conducted in 2022, 75% of shops surveyed said they intended to start accepting cryptocurrency payments in the next two years.

Aside from that, a few of countries have recognised bitcoin as legal cash, most notably El Salvador.

Mining Sustainable Bitcoins is Changing the Story

Because Bitcoin mining activities need a lot of processing power, they are frequently linked to excessive energy usage. Furthermore, estimates that indicate these procedures use as much energy as the yearly electricity consumption of certain entire nations have led to scathing criticism of Bitcoin in recent years, which has posed a significant obstacle to its widespread acceptance.

However, by balancing supply and demand, Bitcoin’s inherent energy usage can actually provide major benefits, such as stabilising electricity networks and lowering consumer power costs.

The amount of power used on a monthly and annual basis is not distributed equally throughout the day. Peak demand often happens in the morning and evening, with much lower demand at night and on weekends. In many locations, Bitcoin mining might only use the extra electricity that locals don’t use, enabling power plants to run at maximum efficiency. The typical user is spared higher costs intended to pay for the generation of the “excess” electricity in the meantime.

Furthermore, miners are encouraged to develop more effective and sustainable mining techniques by the intense rivalry among validators and the deflationary structure of Bitcoin. Miners will probably keep spending money on increasingly sophisticated gear and software as the mining process gets more competitive in order to improve their chances of finding new Bitcoin blocks. They will also take more action to employ renewable energy sources, such solar and wind power, to further lessen the environmental impact of mining.

Because of this, I anticipate that in the next five years, both the general public’s opinion of mining and the industry itself will improve and become more sustainable.

After the Salvadoran Model

Accepting bitcoin as a valid form of payment has become more popular in recent years. Using Bitcoin for a variety of reasons, including paying taxes and purchasing goods and services, has been made legal in a number of nations.

Taking this trend a step further in September 2021, El Salvador became the first nation to recognise bitcoin as legal tender. The country’s experiment has produced many positive outcomes despite a rather rough beginning, particularly when we take into account the GDP growth of El Salvador of over 10% in 2021 and the 30% rise in tourist since the introduction of BTC.

I think more countries will try to find a different way to shield their economies from the current economic instability, much like El Salvador did. Plans to establish Bitcoin as legal cash, for instance, have emerged in Mexico, Arizona, and Switzerland. In the meanwhile, future law in Liechtenstein intends to allow Bitcoin payments for public services.

Though there are many benefits to accepting Bitcoin as payment, independent cryptocurrencies have long been perceived as a danger to fiat currency. The growing global use of cryptocurrencies is undoubtedly the driving force behind the commitment of numerous countries to create their own digital currencies for central banks (CBDCs). These are essentially national currencies that are issued and paid for by the state.

In the upcoming years, CBDCs may have a better chance of becoming widely used than Bitcoin. This is because central banks all over the world support and endorse them, and because they have the ability to be integrated into current financial systems and regulatory frameworks. But as both Bitcoin and CBDCs are still in their infancy, a number of variables will affect how widely they are adopted.

Is Bitcoin the Future Cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin is gradually making its way into the mainstream thanks to a change in the mindset of businesses and consumers, its increasing use as a store of wealth and a medium of exchange, as well as encouraging developments in the mining sector and among national governments.

I think more people and businesses will see bitcoin’s potential as a long-term investment instrument as its use cases grow.