The Bitcoin (BTC) price again reached an all-time high in 2025, as values exceeded over 115,970.58 USD on September 14, 2025. Price hikes in early 2025 were connected to the approval of Bitcoin ETFs in the United States, while previous hikes in 2021 were due to events involving Tesla and Coinbase, respectively. Tesla's announcement in March 2021 that it had acquired 1.5 billion U.S. dollars' worth of the digital coin, for example, as well as the IPO of the U.S.'s biggest crypto exchange, fueled mass interest. The market was noticeably different by the end of 2022, however, after another crypto exchange, FTX, filed for bankruptcy.Is the world running out of Bitcoin?Unlike fiat currency like the U.S. dollar - as the Federal Reserve can simply decide to print more banknotes - Bitcoin's supply is finite: BTC has a maximum supply embedded in its design, of which roughly 89 percent had been reached in April 2021. It is believed that Bitcoin will run out by 2040, despite more powerful mining equipment. This is because mining becomes exponentially more difficult and power-hungry every four years, a part of Bitcoin's original design. Because of this, a Bitcoin mining transaction could equal the energy consumption of a small country in 2021.Bitcoin's price outlook: a potential bubble?Cryptocurrencies have few metrics available that allow for forecasting, if only because it is rumored that only a few cryptocurrency holders own a large portion of the available supply. These large holders - referred to as 'whales'-are' said to make up two percent of anonymous ownership accounts, while owning roughly 92 percent of BTC. On top of this, most people who use cryptocurrency-related services worldwide are retail clients rather than institutional investors. This means outlooks on whether Bitcoin prices will fall or grow are difficult to measure, as movements from one large whale are already having a significant impact on this market.

By 2025, the Bitcoin market cap had grown to over ******** billion USD as the cryptocurrency kept growing. Market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the total number of Bitcoins in circulation by the Bitcoin price. The Bitcoin market capitalization increased from approximately *** billion U.S. dollars in 2013 to several times this amount since its surge in popularity. Dominance The Bitcoin market cap takes up a significant portion of the overall cryptocurrency market cap. This is referred to as "dominance". Within the crypto world, this so-called "dominance" ratio is one of the oldest and most investigated metrics available. It measures the coin's market cap relative to the overall crypto market — effectively showing how strong Bitcoin compared to all the other cryptocurrencies that are not BTC, called "altcoins". The Bitcoin dominance was above ** percent. Maximum supply and scarcity Bitcoin is unusual from other cryptocurrencies in that its maximum supply is getting closer. By 2025, well over ** million out of all 21 million possible Bitcoin had been created. Bitcoin's supply is expected to reach its maximum around the year 2140, likely making mining more energy-intensive.

Bitcoin's circulating supply has grown steadily since its inception in 2009, reaching over **** million coins by late July 2025. This gradual increase reflects the cryptocurrency's design, which put a limit of ** million on the total number of bitcoins that can ever exist. This impacts the Bitcoin price somewhat, as its scarcity can lead to volatility on the market. Maximum supply and scarcity Bitcoin is unusual from other cryptocurrencies in that its maximum supply is getting closer. By July 2025, more than ** percent of all possible Bitcoin had been created. That said, Bitcoin's circulating supply is expected to reach its maximum around the year 2140. Meanwhile, mining becomes exponentially more difficult and energy-intensive. Institutional investors In 2025, countries like the United States openly started discussing the possibility of buying bitcoins to hold in reserve. By the time of writing, it was unclear whether this would happen. Nevertheless, institutional investors displayed more interest in the cryptocurrency than before. Certain companies owned several thousands of Bitcoin tokens in 2025, for example. This and the limited number of Bitcoin may further fuel price volatility.

View daily updates and historical trends for Bitcoin Market Cap. Source: Blockchain.com. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

In March 2024 Bitcoin BTC reached a new all-time high with prices exceeding 73000 USD marking a milestone for the cryptocurrency market This surge was due to the approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds ETFs in the United States allowing investors to access Bitcoin without directly holding it This development increased Bitcoin’s credibility and brought fresh demand from institutional investors echoing previous price surges in 2021 when Tesla announced its 15 billion investment in Bitcoin and Coinbase was listed on the Nasdaq By the end of 2022 Bitcoin prices dropped sharply to 15000 USD following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and its bankruptcy which caused a loss of confidence in the market By August 2024 Bitcoin rebounded to approximately 64178 USD but remained volatile due to inflation and interest rate hikes Unlike fiat currency like the US dollar Bitcoin’s supply is finite with 21 million coins as its maximum supply By September 2024 over 92 percent of Bitcoin had been mined Bitcoin’s value is tied to its scarcity and its mining process is regulated through halving events which cut the reward for mining every four years making it harder and more energy-intensive to mine The next halving event in 2024 will reduce the reward to 3125 BTC from its current 625 BTC The final Bitcoin is expected to be mined around 2140 The energy required to mine Bitcoin has led to criticisms about its environmental impact with estimates in 2021 suggesting that one Bitcoin transaction used as much energy as Argentina Bitcoin’s future price is difficult to predict due to the influence of large holders known as whales who own about 92 percent of all Bitcoin These whales can cause dramatic market swings by making large trades and many retail investors still dominate the market While institutional interest has grown it remains a small fraction compared to retail Bitcoin is vulnerable to external factors like regulatory changes and economic crises leading some to believe it is in a speculative bubble However others argue that Bitcoin is still in its early stages of adoption and will grow further as more institutions and governments recognize its potential as a hedge against inflation and a store of value 2024 has also seen the rise of Bitcoin Layer 2 technologies like the Lightning Network which improve scalability by enabling faster and cheaper transactions These innovations are crucial for Bitcoin’s wider adoption especially for day-to-day use and cross-border remittances At the same time central bank digital currencies CBDCs are gaining traction as several governments including China and the European Union have accelerated the development of their own state-controlled digital currencies while Bitcoin remains decentralized offering financial sovereignty for those who prefer independence from government control The rise of CBDCs is expected to increase interest in Bitcoin as a hedge against these centralized currencies Bitcoin’s journey in 2024 highlights its growing institutional acceptance alongside its inherent market volatility While the approval of Bitcoin ETFs has significantly boosted interest the market remains sensitive to events like exchange collapses and regulatory decisions With the limited supply of Bitcoin and improvements in its transaction efficiency it is expected to remain a key player in the financial world for years to come Whether Bitcoin is currently in a speculative bubble or on a sustainable path to greater adoption will ultimately be revealed over time.

It is estimated that the cumulative market cap of cryptocurrencies increased in early 2023 after the downfall in November 2022 due to FTX. That value declined in the summer of 2023, however, as international uncertainty grew over a potential recession. Bitcoin's market cap comprised the majority of the overall market capitalization. What is market cap? Market capitalization is a financial measure typically used for publicly traded firms, computed by multiplying the share price by the number of outstanding shares. However, cryptocurrency analysts calculate it as the price of the virtual currencies times the number of coins in the market. This gives cryptocurrency investors an idea of the overall market size, and watching the evolution of the measure tells how much money is flowing in or out of each cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency as an investment The price of Bitcoin has been erratic, and most other cryptocurrencies follow its larger price swings. This volatility attracts investors who hope to buy when the price is low and sell at its peak, turning a profit. However, this does little for price stability. As such, few firms accept payment in cryptocurrencies. As of October 01, 2025, the cumulative market cap of cryptocurrencies reached a value of *******.

View daily updates and historical trends for Bitcoin Transactions Per Day. Source: Blockchain.com. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Bitcoin's circulating supply has grown steadily since its inception in 2009, reaching over 19.93 million coins by early October 2025. This gradual increase reflects the cryptocurrency's design, which put a limit of 21 million on the total number of bitcoins that can ever exist. This impacts the Bitcoin price somewhat, as its scarcity can lead to volatility on the market. Maximum supply and scarcity Bitcoin is unusual from other cryptocurrencies in that its maximum supply is getting closer. By October 2025, more than 90 percent of all possible Bitcoin had been created. That said, Bitcoin's circulating supply is expected to reach its maximum around the year 2140. Meanwhile, mining becomes exponentially more difficult and energy-intensive. Institutional investors In 2025, countries like the United States openly started discussing the possibility of buying bitcoins to hold in reserve. By the time of writing, it was unclear whether this would happen. Nevertheless, institutional investors displayed more interest in the cryptocurrency than before. Certain companies owned several thousands of Bitcoin tokens in 2025, for example. This and the limited number of Bitcoin may further fuel price volatility.

According to Cognitive Market Research, The Global cryptocurrency mining market size is USD 1925.2 million in 2023 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.20% from 2023 to 2030.

The increasing demand for cryptocurrencies is one of the key factors driving the global cryptocurrency mining market's rise.
Demand for ASIC remains higher in the cryptocurrency mining market.
The remote hosting services category held the highest cryptocurrency mining market revenue share in 2023.
North American cryptocurrency mining will continue to lead, whereas the Asia Pacific cryptocurrency mining market will experience the most substantial growth until 2030.

Increase in the Use of Digital Currencies to Provide Viable Market Output

The market for cryptocurrency mining hardware is anticipated to be driven during the forecast period by the growing popularity of virtual or digital currencies like Bitcoins, Litecoins, Ethers, and others. The simple and adaptable transactional mechanism that digital currency offers is likely to be adopted by people in industrialized nations. The central bank started supporting virtual money because of how well-liked it was as a medium of exchange. For digital currency programs in numerous developed nations, the central bank's proprietary Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) activity provisions are used. CBDC's adoption of digital currency as a medium of exchange is also supported by the People's Bank of China and the Central Bank of the Eastern Caribbean.

For instance, Meta Platforms, Inc. introduced the digital currency Libra in June 2019. Customers should be able to use Libra to make purchases, send money to others, and cash out either online or at grocery stores. Companies can also fortify their digital assets and profit from the price fluctuations of digital currencies.

The market for mining hardware for cryptocurrencies is expanding due to these demands.

(Source: techcrunch.com/2019/06/18/facebook-libra/amp/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAA_SuDWoz5yH07rT03s_93-U4-SW6OcuIw392Bj779AQraRpZ066j1QeUumiNNVJ_NfZCx-8S7sL5DHCct346vAshAq9o3OxrRMhMjo0sWHOaNc3PNDRseBpw-8QeZju71ahe8u-Bn22k5XCq_3eZCkRuQsPjnAtMD8KyCEcq7xs)

Increased Utilization of Digital Transformation Technologies to Propel Market Growth

Digitization is the process of using cutting-edge technology to transform data or information into a digital format. It is a crucial component of cryptocurrency mining hardware because of the increasing demand for transaction recording and validation on the Bitcoin network in order to improve customer service, stop fraud, and add new blocks to the blockchain, which creates new Bitcoins in a decentralized fashion. Additionally, blockchain ledgers save time for digital consulting and enable Bitcoin businesses to provide digital services to their clients, which fuels the market expansion for cryptocurrency mining hardware. The market for cryptocurrency mining hardware is expanding due to the growing need for digital transformation technologies in the Bitcoin space and the increasing reliance of different providers on SaaS solutions. Furthermore, companies all over the world are implementing cutting-edge technologies like big data, blockchain, and artificial intelligence to boost productivity while using less resources, which is propelling the demand for cryptocurrency mining hardware.

Market Dynamics of Cryptocurrency Mining

High Cost of Mining Cryptocurrency to Restrict Market Growth

Significant expenditures in terms of labor, software, and hardware are needed to implement cryptocurrency mining technology. The implementation of mining hardware solutions is anticipated to be hampered by this, which will pose a significant obstacle for small and medium-sized Bitcoin enterprises. Due to the numerous functionalities and interconnections needed for cryptocurrency mining gear, it can be expensive, ranging from $10,000 to $70,000, and, in some cases, up to $150,000, especially for sophisticated applications with advanced functionality. Thus, the expansion of the cryptocurrency mining hardware market is anticipated to be hampered by this aspect. In addition, the execution, migration, workforce size, and technological debt related to digital service technology are the main causes of elevated expenses. Demands on software architects and developers to tra...

Prices for BTCUSD Bitcoin US Dollar including live quotes, historical charts and news. BTCUSD Bitcoin US Dollar was last updated by Trading Economics this September 16 of 2025.

View daily updates and historical trends for Bitcoin Average Transaction Fee. Source: Blockchain.com. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Bitcoin's blockchain size was close to reaching 673.58 gigabytes in September 2025, as the database saw exponential growth by nearly one gigabyte every few days. The Bitcoin blockchain contains a continuously growing and tamper-evident list of all Bitcoin transactions and records since its initial release in January 2009. Bitcoin has a set limit of 21 million coins, the last of which will be mined around 2140, according to a forecast made in 2017. Bitcoin mining: A somewhat uncharted world Despite interest in the topic, there are few accurate figures on how big Bitcoin mining is on a country-by-country basis. Bitcoin's design philosophy is at the heart of this. Created out of protest against governments and central banks, Bitcoin's blockchain effectively hides both the country of origin and the destination country within a (mining) transaction. Research involving IP addresses placed the United States as the world's most Bitcoin mining country in 2022, but the source admits IP addresses can easily be manipulated using VPN. Note that mining figures are different from figures on Bitcoin trading: Africa and Latin America were more interested in buying and selling BTC than some of the world's developed economies. Bitcoin developments Bitcoin's trade volume slowed in the second quarter of 2023 after hitting a noticeable growth at the beginning of the year. The coin outperformed most of the market. Some attribute this to the announcement in June 2023 that BlackRock filed for a Bitcoin ETF. This iShares Bitcoin Trust was to use Coinbase Custody as its custodian. Regulators in the United States had not yet approved any applications for spot ETFs on Bitcoin.

View daily updates and historical trends for Bitcoin Network Hash Rate. Source: Blockchain.com. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Mining Bitcoin made increasingly more money at the end of 2020, but profit growth seemingly stopped during March 2021. During the mining of cryptocurrencies, a computer is trying to solve complicated logic puzzles to verify transactions in the blockchain. When this process is completed, the miner receives the cryptocurrency as a block reward. The underlying development is that machines with more computing power - or hash rate - are likely to solve more puzzles, and therefore mine more cryptocurrencies. Whether a miner can make money with this depends on various costs such as electricity consumption during this process, transaction fees or whether the hardware used is efficient or not. As of September 29, 2025, the profit from mining has decreased to ****.

Biometric Crypto Wallet Market Outlook

According to our latest research, the global biometric crypto wallet market size reached USD 387.5 million in 2024, driven by the increasing demand for secure, user-friendly digital asset management solutions. The market is experiencing robust momentum, expanding at a CAGR of 22.9% from 2025 to 2033. By 2033, the market is forecasted to achieve a value of approximately USD 2,325.4 million. The primary growth catalyst is the escalating adoption of cryptocurrencies by both individuals and enterprises, coupled with heightened concerns over digital asset security and the growing integration of biometric authentication technologies.

The continued evolution of the digital economy has necessitated more sophisticated and secure methods for managing cryptocurrencies, fueling the expansion of the biometric crypto wallet market. Traditional password-based systems are increasingly viewed as inadequate in the face of sophisticated cyber threats, leading to a surge in demand for wallets that leverage biometric authentication methods such as fingerprint, facial, iris, and voice recognition. These technologies offer a dual advantage: they not only enhance the security of digital assets but also significantly improve user convenience by eliminating the need for complex passwords. The proliferation of mobile devices equipped with advanced biometric sensors further accelerates the adoption of biometric crypto wallets, as users seek seamless and secure ways to access and manage their digital holdings anytime and anywhere.

Another key driver for the growth of the biometric crypto wallet market is the regulatory landscape surrounding digital assets. Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are increasingly mandating stronger authentication protocols to combat financial crimes such as money laundering and identity theft in the cryptocurrency space. This regulatory push is compelling wallet providers and fintech companies to integrate biometric authentication into their offerings, ensuring compliance while also gaining consumer trust. Additionally, the rapid expansion of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms and the increasing number of retail and enterprise participants in the crypto ecosystem are creating new opportunities for market players to innovate and differentiate their products through enhanced security features.

From a regional perspective, North America remains the dominant market for biometric crypto wallets, accounting for the largest share in 2024, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The high level of digitalization, strong presence of leading technology companies, and early adoption of cryptocurrencies in North America have contributed to this leadership position. Europe is witnessing significant growth, driven by robust regulatory frameworks and increasing investments in blockchain technology. Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific region is emerging as a high-growth market, fueled by the rising number of crypto users, rapid technological advancements, and supportive government initiatives in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. These regional trends underscore the global nature of the market and the diverse factors influencing its trajectory.

The integration of Military Biometric Authentication Token systems into the realm of digital asset management is becoming increasingly relevant. These tokens offer a heightened level of security by utilizing advanced biometric data, which is crucial for safeguarding sensitive information in military and defense applications. As the defense sector continues to adopt blockchain technology for secure and efficient data management, the role of biometric authentication becomes pivotal. This trend is not only enhancing the security protocols but also ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to critical data, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorized breaches. The adoption of such technologies in military applications underscores the broader potential of biometric systems in high-security environments, which could eventually influence civilian applications as well.

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Bitcoin's blockchain size was close to reaching 664.32 gigabytes in August 2025, as the database saw exponential growth by nearly one gigabyte every few days. The Bitcoin blockchain contains a continuously growing and tamper-evident list of all Bitcoin transactions and records since its initial release in January 2009. Bitcoin has a set limit of 21 million coins, the last of which will be mined around 2140, according to a forecast made in 2017. Bitcoin mining: A somewhat uncharted world Despite interest in the topic, there are few accurate figures on how big Bitcoin mining is on a country-by-country basis. Bitcoin's design philosophy is at the heart of this. Created out of protest against governments and central banks, Bitcoin's blockchain effectively hides both the country of origin and the destination country within a (mining) transaction. Research involving IP addresses placed the United States as the world's most Bitcoin mining country in 2022, but the source admits IP addresses can easily be manipulated using VPN. Note that mining figures are different from figures on Bitcoin trading: Africa and Latin America were more interested in buying and selling BTC than some of the world's developed economies. Bitcoin developments Bitcoin's trade volume slowed in the second quarter of 2023 after hitting a noticeable growth at the beginning of the year. The coin outperformed most of the market. Some attribute this to the announcement in June 2023 that BlackRock filed for a Bitcoin ETF. This iShares Bitcoin Trust was to use Coinbase Custody as its custodian. Regulators in the United States had not yet approved any applications for spot ETFs on Bitcoin.

Bitcoin dominance steadily declined in April 2024 to below ** percent, amid rumors of central banks halting or potentially lowering interest rates in the future. Within the crypto world, this so-called "dominance" ratio is one of the oldest and most investigated metrics available. It measures the coin's market cap relative to the overall crypto market — effectively showing how strong Bitcoin compared to all the other cryptocurrencies that are not BTC, called "altcoins". Why dominance matters is because market caps of any crypto can change relatively quickly, either due to sudden price changes or a change of recorded trading volume. Essentially, the figure somewhat resembles a trading sentiment, revealing whether Bitcoin investors are responding to certain events or whether Bitcoin is losing out on functions offered by, for example, stablecoins or NFT tokens. "Dominance" criticism: Ethereum and stablecoin The interpretation of the Bitcoin metric is not without its criticism. When first conceived, Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to be created and had a substantial market share within all cryptocurrencies? The overall share of stablecoins, such as Tether, as well as Ethereum increasingly start to resemble that of Bitcoin, however. Some analysts argue against this comparison. For one, they point towards the large influence of trading activity between Bitcoin and Ethereum in the dominance metric. Second, they argue that stablecoins can be traded in for Bitcoin and Ethereum, essentially showing how much investors are willing to engage with "regular" cryptocurrency. A rally around Bitcoin in late 2023? By December 2023, the Bitcoin price reached roughly 41,000 U.S. dollars — the first time in 20 months such a value was reached. A weaker U.S. dollar, speculation on decreasing interest rates, and a potential Bitcoin ETF approval are believed to be at the heart of this price increase. Whether this will hold in 2024 is unclear: The monthly interest rate from the U.S. Fed is speculated to decrease in 2024, despite a vow of "higher for longer". In December 2023, the thought of decreasing interest rates and the potential of a Bitcoin ETF fuelled market sentiment towards riskier assets.

View daily updates and historical trends for Solana Price. Source: CoinGecko. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Ethereum's price history suggests that that crypto was worth more in 2025 than during late 2021, although nowhere near the highest price recorded. Much like Bitcoin (BTC), the price of ETH went up in 2021 but for different reasons altogether: Ethereum, for instance, hit the news when a digital art piece was sold as the world's most expensive NFT for over 38,000 ETH - or 69.3 million U.S. dollars. Unlike Bitcoin, of which the price growth was fueled by the IPO of the U.S.'s biggest crypto trader, Coinbase, the rally on Ethereum came from technological developments that caused much excitement among traders. First, the so-called 'Berlin update' rolled out on the Ethereum network in April 2021, an update that would eventually lead to the Ethereum Merge in 2022 and reduced ETH gas prices - or reduced transaction fees. The collapse of FTX in late 2022, however, changed much for the cryptocurrency. As of August 27, 2025, Ethereum was worth 4,602.37 U.S. dollars - significantly less than the 4,400 U.S. dollars by the end of 2021.Ethereum's future and the DeFi industryPrice developments on Ethereum are difficult to predict but cannot be seen without the world of DeFi, or decentralized finance. This industry used technology to remove intermediaries between parties in a financial transaction. One example includes crypto wallets such as Coinbase Wallet that grew in popularity recently, with other examples including smart contractor Uniswap, Maker (responsible for stablecoin DAI), moneylender Dharma and market protocol Compound. Ethereum's future developments are tied with this industry: Unlike Bitcoin and Ripple, Ethereum is technically not a currency but an open-source software platform for blockchain applications, with Ether being the cryptocurrency that is used inside the Ethereum network. Essentially, Ethereum facilitates DeFi, meaning that if DeFi does well, so does Ethereum.NFTs: the most well-known application of EthereumNFTs or non-fungible tokens, grew nearly tenfold between 2018 and 2020, as can be seen in the market cap of NFTs worldwide. These digital blockchain assets can essentially function as a unique code connected to a digital file, allowing to distinguish the original file from any potential copies. This application is especially prominent in crypto art, although there are other applications: gaming, sports, and collectibles are other segments where NFT sales occur.