Amid speculation about the future trajectory of Bitcoin (BTC) and the cryptocurrency market in general, asset management firm VanEck has made a series of predictions that bolster optimism for continued upward momentum.

VanEck predicts Bitcoin will soar to $180,000

VanEck predicts that the bullish cryptocurrency market will reach a "mid-term peak" in the first quarter of 2025, followed by a new all-time high by the end of the year. The firm estimates Bitcoin could soar to around $180,000, while Ethereum (ETH) could exceed $6,000, Solana (SOL) could surpass $500, and Sui (SUI) could reach over $10.

The report also states that the United States will begin to accept Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset, as promised by President-elect Donald Trump, predicting an increase in cryptocurrency adoption overall.

With anticipated changes in leadership at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), many cryptocurrency spot exchange-traded products (ETPs) are also expected to be approved. This includes Ethereum ETPs with staking options, as well as the ability to trade physically for both Bitcoin and Ethereum.

According to the report, the asset management firm forecasts that the value of tokenized securities will exceed $50 billion in the coming months, following a 61% growth to $12 billion throughout this year.

Most of this value currently lies on licensed chains, but 2025 is expected to be a breakthrough year, especially as organizations like the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) explore connecting public and private blockchains.

The firm predicts that stablecoins will revolutionize payment systems, with daily payment volume likely to triple, reaching $300 billion by the end of 2025.

This growth, driven by broader adoption in global trade, remittances, and integration with major technology and payment networks, will enable stablecoins to handle transactions equivalent to 5% of DTCC's daily trading volume.

DeFi will reach an all-time high

Another interesting prediction is the emergence of a million new AI agents, described by VanEck as "digital workers" that can automate tasks or make decisions.

These agents are expected to generate significant on-chain activity as they expand their roles beyond decentralized finance (DeFi) into areas like social media, gaming, and consumer applications.

VanEck predicts that Bitcoin Layer-2 solutions will accumulate total value locked (TVL) of 100,000 BTC, based on impressive growth of 600% in 2024, bringing TVL to 30,000 BTC.

The report forecasts that Ethereum's blob space will generate $1 billion in fees, driven by the rapid adoption of Layer 2 solutions, aggregate optimization, and high-fee use cases such as tokenized assets and enterprise applications.

VanEck predicts that decentralized finance (DeFi) will reach an all-time high, with decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume hitting $4 trillion and total value locked in DeFi increasing to $200 billion.

This growth is expected to be driven by AI-related tokens, consumer-focused decentralized applications (dApps), and asset tokenization that enhances liquidity and user adoption.

The non-fungible token (NFT) market is expected to recover, with projected trading volume reaching $30 billion by 2025. Despite the recent downturn, prominent projects like Pudgy Penguins and Miladys continue to thrive by leveraging strong community ties and transitioning into consumer brands.

Finally, VanEck predicts that decentralized application (dApp) tokens will narrow the performance gap with Layer 1 tokens.

In 2024, Layer-1 blockchain tokens are expected to outperform dApp tokens by double, but innovative dApps in artificial intelligence and decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) are likely to drive a shift in performance dynamics.

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