Raynor de Best
Content expert covering payments and (crypto)currencies
Crypto market - statistics & facts
The cryptocurrency market reached an all-time high in Q4 2024, after the results of the U.S. elections and pro-crypto appointments in key government positions. This was reflected in the price of Dogecoin (DOGE), which increased substantially after the announcement of the Department of Government Efficiency in November 2024. Will this cryptocurrency bull run last in 2025? And what other trends can be observed?
Cryptocurrencies are a volatile investment product, with business use cases that are still early in development. As 2025 progresses, it is likely there will be plenty of catalysts ahead. For some, this may be an opportunity. For others, this could be a cause for concern.
Regulation and crypto enforcement
The price of Bitcoin breached the 100,000 U.S. dollars threshold in December 2024. This followed the nomination of Paul Atkins as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who has a positive attitude towards cryptocurrency. A pro-crypto stance in the U.S. after January 2025 would be in contrast to the past. In 2024, the SEC focused on cryptocurrency billionaires that lost the most money, such as former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried or Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. Both received prison sentences in 2024. The U.S. SEC was not the only critical regulator. In Europe, cryptocurrency regulation MiCA openly questioned Tether - the digital coin with one of the highest trade volumes worldwide - and considered a ban of non-compliant stablecoins across Europe from December 2024 onwards.The growth of Bitcoin ETFs
Investor confidence was also boosted in January 2024 by the SEC approving Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Several of these Bitcoin ETFs saw significant inflows in 2024 - especially since late October, as the U.S. elections drew closer. By the end of 2024, the top 15 Bitcoin ETFs combined were responsible for over five percent of Bitcoin's total circulating supply. The highest inflow was recorded on November 11, as Bitcoin ETFs attracted nearly 1.1 billion U.S. dollars of inflows. The biggest of these ETFs come from major U.S. investments firms, like BlackRock, Grayscale, and Fidelity."Altcoin season"?
The potential change in U.S. crypto regulation in the U.S. also impacted altcoins - cryptocurrencies that are not Bitcoin. One example is Ripple (XRP), whose 30-day price change in December 2024 was higher than that of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Investors hoped a change in U.S. SEC leadership could mean an end to a legal dispute between the regulator and XRP. Another example is Cardano (ADA), which saw a big increase in trading volume in late November. This was due to rumors of ADA's co-founder Charles Hoskinson joining the new U.S. administration. That said, Bitcoin's domination increased in December 2024.Cryptocurrencies are a volatile investment product, with business use cases that are still early in development. As 2025 progresses, it is likely there will be plenty of catalysts ahead. For some, this may be an opportunity. For others, this could be a cause for concern.
