The cryptocurrency sector might be just one cycle away from achieving widespread mainstream acceptance, positioning digital assets as a globally recognized alternative payment method, according to industry experts.
By the end of 2025, approximately 659 million individuals are expected to hold cryptocurrencies, as indicated by a December research report from the centralized exchange Crypto.com.
Despite this, the ongoing adoption of cryptocurrencies may lead the industry to exceed 5 billion users within the next decade, states Thomas Prévot, head of operations in France at Crypto.com.
“In 10 years, we’ll have 5 billion users,” Prévot remarked during a panel discussion at Waib Summit 2025 in Monaco, further stating:
“We’re about one growth cycle away from full mainstream adoption. I’m not referring to 1 billion users. I’m speaking of 5 billion users.”
“We’re one cycle away,” Prévot explained, adding that reaching the 5 billion mark implies crypto will be as “ubiquitous” in payments as credit cards are today.
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However, he noted that he anticipates the subsequent significant wave of mainstream adoption only after the market rebounds from the coming “down cycle,” marking the beginning of the next bull market cycle.
Achieving the initial billion users would indicate considerable mainstream acceptance, which could position cryptocurrencies as an alternative payment system, aligning with Satoshi Nakamoto’s original vision of Bitcoin (BTC) as a censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer transaction tool.
Widespread cryptocurrency adoption could drive Bitcoin to an “ultimate price” of $700,000 per token, based on a projected 3% allocation in portfolios, forecasted popular Bitcoin analyst Willy Woo in August 2024.
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The pathway to 1B crypto users: retail “price speculation” or blockchain use cases
Retail “price speculation” might be the primary route to achieving the first billion crypto users, similar to the trends seen in the 2021 market cycle, suggests Roy van Krimpen, general manager for Western Europe at OKX exchange.
“Reaching a billion can occur in one of two ways,” with price speculation serving as a “huge” motivator for retail interest, van Krimpen stated during the panel discussion, adding:
“We’ve observed this in 2021, when the market more than quadrupled in a few months due to retail speculation and investments.”
“The second pathway would be through genuine usage of blockchain technology,” like payments, necessitating “changes in consumer behavior” that require more time compared to other market developments, he elaborated.
Other industry experts, including Chintan Turakhia, senior director of engineering at Coinbase, also believe that the usability of blockchain applications and more user-friendly interfaces are crucial for reaching the first billion crypto users.
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