Bitcoin (BTC 0.26%) recently hit a new all-time high, which has become a frequent occurrence this year. On Aug. 14, the leading cryptocurrency's price reached $124,457.
Even with its volatility, Bitcoin has been one of the most lucrative assets to own for patient investors. It's up 855% during the past five years (as of Aug. 16). I don't expect it to match those results in the future, but I predict that it will be worth $500,000 per coin in 2030.
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Bitcoin's role in the crypto economy
Although many cryptocurrencies are overly complicated, Bitcoin has a relatively straightforward use case as a digital store of value. Investors buy it with the expectation that it will maintain or increase its value better than other assets.
This wasn't the original idea behind Bitcoin. The Bitcoin white paper described it as an "electronic cash system" that doesn't require any financial institution or governing body. But hardly anyone uses Bitcoin as a digital currency, even though that was the intention in 2009 when it launched. People who own Bitcoin want to hold on to it, not spend it. Transactions are also slower and more expensive with Bitcoin than with other types of cryptocurrency, so it's not the most efficient way to send money.
One reason Bitcoin works as a store of value is because the supply is capped at 21 million coins. There's no way to create more Bitcoin, and that limit has given it a reputation as digital gold. Just like gold's rarity makes it more valuable than more common precious metals, Bitcoin's small maximum supply is an advantage compared to cryptocurrencies with billions of coins available. Bitcoin is also more proven than any other cryptocurrency, having been around the longest and surviving several bear markets.
Major institutions are investing in Bitcoin
The Bitcoin market used to be almost entirely retail investors. In recent years, more and more institutional investors and corporations have come on board.
A key turning point was when the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds ETFs in January 2024. ETF approval gave Bitcoin more legitimacy as a financial asset and opened it up to institutional investors, including hedge funds and investment banks. Institutional investors with no intention of going on a crypto exchange now had the option of buying Bitcoin ETFs instead. Since their SEC approval, Bitcoin ETFs have had inflows of about $55 billion.
Publicly traded companies are buying Bitcoin as a strategic asset. Almost 5% of the available Bitcoin supply (close to 1 million coins) is currently in corporate treasuries. To be fair, about two-thirds of that is held by Strategy, the original Bitcoin treasury company. But considering Strategy's success -- its share price is up 2,400% during the past five years, even better than Bitcoin itself has performed -- other companies will likely increase their own Bitcoin holdings, too.
The U.S. government also considers Bitcoin a valuable asset. In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, storing Bitcoin as a long-term asset. Three states (Arizona, New Hampshire, and Texas) have followed suit by establishing their own Bitcoin reserves.
A $500,000 price tag for Bitcoin
Bitcoin will need to continue to outperform more traditional investments, such as stocks, to reach $500,000 in five years. That will require annual growth of about 34% and raising its market cap from $2.3 trillion to about $10 trillion.
At first, those numbers might seem highly optimistic. Keep in mind that the total market cap for gold is currently about $23 trillion. I'm doubtful Bitcoin will surpass gold in the next five to 10 years, but I think the gap will get much smaller.
Institutional investors and corporations have only recently started investing in Bitcoin, and if those investments continue to grow, it could lead to a sizable price appreciation. In addition, the next Bitcoin halving will likely happen around April 2028. A halving is when the block reward for mining Bitcoin is cut in half, and the reduced supply of new coins has driven up the price in the past.
Bitcoin is still an unpredictable, high-risk investment. There's always the possibility of the price plummeting during an extended bear market for crypto. It shouldn't be the backbone of your portfolio due to the risk, but a small position is worth considering for the growth potential it offers.
