Bitcoin has experienced many new all-time high values, as well as greater institutional buy-in from prominent corporations.
Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency, recently reached a new all-time high as well.
New bitcoin restrictions have piqued the curiosity of US government authorities and the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, interest in cryptocurrency has soared this year, making it a popular topic not only among investors. In popular culture, owing to everyone from long-time investors like Elon Musk to that kid from high school on Facebook.
According to Dave Abner, head of global development at Gemini, a renowned cryptocurrency exchange, 2021 has been a “breakthrough” in many ways.
“[The crypto business] is receiving a lot of attention and interest.”
Crypto market predictions for 2022
It’s hard to predict what the bitcoin market will look like in 2022 and beyond.
There are considerably more questions than answers.
However, by keeping an eye on a few overarching crypto trends, you’ll be able to make better investment selections as the market develops.
Three particularly important details follow:
- Regulation in the U.S. and abroad.
- Mass-market adoption of cryptocurrency payments.
- Exchange-traded funds based on bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Hence the long-term future of the bitcoin business will take shape as these concerns emerge and are handled.
By the end of 2022, a clearer picture should have emerged.
Why cryptocurrency could be the future of money
In a best-case scenario for 2022, regulators from all over the world will develop a global framework for cryptocurrency regulation. The Biden administration has assembled a highly skilled team to lead the cryptocurrency regulatory process, which includes US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler.
Yellen has been following this sector for years, albeit with skepticism at times.
In 2018, Gensler offered classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on bitcoin, blockchains, and other cryptocurrency topics.
Informed regulators will be able to distinguish between important concerns like the differences between a value storage system like Bitcoin and a sophisticated ledger with smart contracts like Ethereum.
Many retailers, on the other hand, are likely to begin taking cash-like digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ripple’s XRP (CRYPTO:XRP), or Litecoin (CRYPTO:LTC).
The rising use of cryptocurrency should prompt regulatory authorities and politicians to act, and blockchain systems should benefit as well.
In 2022 and beyond, these processes will permeate across the crypto market.
Investors despise ambiguity, so even an extremely rigid regulatory framework would be an improvement over the current state of affairs.
Why cryptocurrency may not be the future of money
A more promising future could be postponed in numerous ways:
- In 2022, policymakers will have dragged their feet and will have failed to reach a reasonable regulatory framework.
- They could determine that digital currencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin are exclusively used to facilitate illegal activity and evil actors, and that none of it belongs on American soil.
- Retailers may be put off by the volatile value of digital currencies and prefer to deal with cash or credit cards instead.
Any of these factors could cause to postpone the digital currency revolution. And, if it does arrive, it may look considerably different from the Bitcoin-led revolution that swept the world in 2021.
In the long run, it appears improbable that any government or combination of governments will completely derail the cryptocurrency concept, but they can slow it down and guide the ultimate product in different directions.
These dangers may appear fictitious, yet they are quite real. Finally, the cryptocurrency community will have to work with regulators all across the world. Failure to do so will put major barriers in the way of the digital currency industry’s advancement.
That’s why you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or cryptocurrency in general.
The next heart-stopping market move could yet be negative, resembling the crash of 2018.
Informed investors seek to develop a long-term diversified portfolio that can survive significant market downturns in any sector.
