Cryptocurrency in 2025: What does the future hold for digital money?

Predicting the future of the weird and wonderful world of crypto might be a tall order for even the most prolific of psychics. Just five years ago Bitcoin was recovering from its first crash and was trading at around £220 – with experts continually dismissing the cryptocurrency as a bubble.

Between then and now, Bitcoin has hit the dizzying heights of around £15,000 in late 2017, followed by a hefty subsequent crash – dropping nearly as low as £2,500 one year on.

To make even a ballpark estimate on the value of specific cryptocurrencies over the next five years is nothing short of fanciful.

Road to recovery: Bitcoin’s price history illustrates the difficulty in making predictions in the world of crypto. Image: Bitcoinwiki

We can, however, draw on observations over the influence cryptocurrencies have been making on the wider world, and make logical predictions based on what the likes of Bitcoin have taught us so far.

Here’s an insight into what the world of crypto will look like by 2025:

Welcome to a paperless society

Cryptocurrencies will play their respective role in rendering paper money and billing obsolete in the coming years.

Although this prediction is far from bold – after all, it’s a safe bet that you’re currently carrying much less physical cash in your wallet compared to, say, five years ago – but the widespread adoption of crypto-based payment solutions is certainly noteworthy.

In their published article in Medium, crypto-investment organisation, CoinBundle explains that digital coins could soon forge a rival for today’s popular transaction tools, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Using the technology of the time, users can set up transactions through a dedicated app – CryptoPay – which could be accessed via a biometric scan on your smartphone, or through a smart contact lens on your eye.

With the help of your smart contact lens, you can abandon the tired old payment methods of 2019 and securely conduct transactions by blinking “a specific number of times – which you get to decide – to execute a payment.”

Libra rising 

Bitcoin may still rule the roost by 2025, but the crypto giant may be looking over its shoulder as stablecoins like Facebook’s Libra begin to make their presence felt.

Star-studded finance, will Libra drive the spending revolution that it promises? Image: CNN

It’s reasonable to expect stablecoins will be preferred by the majority of users as we progress through the 2020s.

In a nutshell, stablecoins tie their values to tangible real-world assets like the US Dollar and gold – meaning that they’re almost guaranteed to be free of the market volatility that we’re used to seeing surround the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The practicality of blockchain-driven stablecoins coupled with their settled values will mean that there will be plenty of practical applications for this new brand of cryptocurrency. Tether is currently the biggest stablecoin with around $4 billion market cap.

Upcoming super-secure stablecoins like Timvi (TMV) will make transactions worldwide much more seamless thanks to lack of fees and no need for currency conversions.

Five top stablecoins. Note that the price of each coin is more or less equivalent to the USD. Image Source: Cryptoslate

Crypto will thrive in the face of tradition…

Cryptocurrencies entered the world off the back of an all-consuming financial crisis – the effects of which we’re still feeling today.

In times where the prospect of recession loomed, the prospect of investing in a decentralised entity like cryptocurrencies seemed like an attractive opportunity to escape the pinch of financial hardship.

With Barron’s reporting that two-thirds of economists predict some form of economic downturn by the end of 2020, the lure of investing outside of traditional currency will become more alluring to investors.

If there’s enough speculation that cryptocurrencies could act as a safe haven for our finances during times of wider economic hardship, it’s fair to assume that established names like Bitcoin and Ethereum will experience a rise in value – however it would be foolish to discuss the sustainability of any rise in market value of a specific currency.

…but it will remain volatile, mostly

When it comes to the world of crypto, the only true certainty is uncertainty. When all it takes is twelve months for an asset to shed 80% of its market share, it’s a fool’s game to be making specific predictions pertaining to cryptocurrency prices in the future.

What we can be certain of, however, is that by 2025 there will be an abundance of technology that will allow cryptocurrencies to thrive. From intricate blockchain networks that can leverage instant transactions to the reimagining of micropayment portals for services online – there’s plenty of reason to embrace the volatility and be excited for cryptocurrencies in 2025.

By Dmytro Spilka