Bitcoin (BTC) to Surpass $150K in 2025 Amidst Institutional Adoption, Predicts Galaxy Research

According to a report by Galaxy Research, the year 2025 is expected to bring substantial growth and transformative changes in the cryptocurrency market, particularly for Bitcoin (BTC). These predictions are based on the comprehensive analysis conducted by the Galaxy team in late 2024, envisioning a future where Bitcoin reaches unprecedented heights.

Bitcoin's Projected Surge

Galaxy Research anticipates Bitcoin will cross the $150,000 mark in the first half of 2025 and potentially test or exceed $185,000 by the fourth quarter. This surge is expected to be fueled by a combination of institutional, corporate, and governmental adoption. Historically, Bitcoin has outperformed traditional asset classes like the S&P 500 and gold, a trend that is likely to continue in the upcoming year. The report also predicts that Bitcoin will capture 20% of gold's market capitalization.

Impact of U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETPs

Another significant forecast from Galaxy Research is the growth of U.S. spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs), which are projected to collectively surpass $250 billion in assets under management (AUM) in 2025. This follows the impressive net inflows of over $36 billion in 2024, marking the ETPs as the most successful launch in history. Major hedge funds and investment boards, including Millennium, Tudor, and D.E. Shaw, have already invested in these ETPs.

Institutional and Sovereign Adoption

Galaxy Research predicts that by 2025, at least five companies from the Nasdaq 100 and five nation-states will announce the inclusion of Bitcoin in their balance sheets or sovereign wealth funds. This move is expected to be driven by strategic, diversification, and trade settlement motives, with competition among nation-states, especially those with considerable sovereign wealth or those adversarial to the U.S., fueling this trend.

Developments in Bitcoin Protocol

Consensus among Bitcoin developers on the next protocol upgrade is anticipated in 2025, involving potentially significant enhancements to transaction programmability. While the exact upgrades might not activate within the year, consensus on opcodes like OP_CTV (BIP 119) and OP_CAT (BIP 347) is expected to be reached, setting the stage for future protocol developments.

Ethereum and DeFi Predictions

The predictions extend beyond Bitcoin, with Ethereum (ETH) expected to trade above $5,500, driven by regulatory relaxations and new partnerships between decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance (TradFi). The Ethereum staking rate is projected to exceed 50%, with increased demand for staking influencing network policy discussions. Additionally, DeFi applications are anticipated to distribute over $1 billion in nominal value to users and token holders, marking a new era of value sharing.

For more in-depth insights, the full report is available on Galaxy's website.