[inline_image src=”aHR0cHM6Ly9ibG94aW1hZ2VzLm5ld3lvcmsxLnZpcC50b3dubmV3cy5jb20vZ2F6ZXR0ZS5jb20vY29udGVudC90bmNtcy9hc3NldHMvdjMvZWRpdG9yaWFsLzgvZGUvOGRlMTRmMWUtZWRmOS0xMWVlLTliMDQtZmZlNTk1NDJiNmQxLzY2MDcwNzZmOTU4M2EuaW1hZ2UuanBnP3Jlc2l6ZT0xMzk2JTJDOTMw” alt=”Q3J5cHRvIGN1cnJlbmN5IGNhc2lubw==” credit=”S3JhZXZza2k=”]

In 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto first released Bitcoin, a concept he had been working on for years. One year prior, Nakamoto had published a white paper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Within this paper, Bitcoin’s creator espouses the positive aspects of a decentralized, digital currency. At the time, most dismissed Bitcoin as a “flavor of the day.” However, now, more than ten years later, Bitcoin has become a mainstream success.

Nobody could have expected that Bitcoin would attain the great heights that it has. Nobody could have expected that it would spawn so many imitators. Certainly, nobody could have predicted the bustling crypto market we know today. Yet, here we are. With all of that in mind, we would like to take a look at some of the latest trends, and make a few predictions as to crypto’s future.

Crypto Casinos Make It Big

There is no denying that the online gambling industry is becoming more and more successful. As a lot more governments around the world are seeing the potential an online casino holds, and legalizing the practice, more and more people are playing these games. Of course, the more people play them, the more popular they become, leading to more governments legalizing the practice.

There are quite a few advantages to gambling online. One of the most notable ones is that online casinos tend to offer multiple payment methods, crypto being one of them. In fact, crypto currency is such a popular method for depositing and withdrawing, that there are even websites that focus solely on crypto-based gambling.

These crypto casinos have already become a pretty huge hit. However, many predict that in the near future, crypto casinos will be bigger than ever. As more and more people invest in crypto, a lot more gamblers may discover that websites out there permit depositing with Bitcoin. However, as not all traders focus on Bitcoin, they will undoubtedly seek out other sites, where they can gamble with altcoins. This may lead to a boom in crypto gambling, which some are certainly looking forward to.

Businesses Accept Bitcoin

But, it may not be just the iGaming industry that becomes more accepting of Bitcoin. Businesses in general may just embrace the crypto market. Already we’ve seen a drastic increase in the amount of businesses willing to work with crypto, specifically Bitcoin and Ether coin. The most notable ones are the following:

• Twitch
• Whole Foods
• Amazon
• PayPal
• Starbucks

While these may be the most prominent businesses that deal with crypto, they aren’t the only ones. The crypto market is quickly growing more prevalent. As things stand right now, there are over 200 companies that accept payments made with Bitcoin. While that may seem impressive, many believe that the number will only grow in the future.

As things stand now, it is not out of the question to conclude that, in the near future, there will not be a business that does not deal with cryptocurrency. While it is hard to say that crypto will fully replace FIAT money, it is not a huge stretch to presume that businesses will operate on both types of currency.

Further Mainstream Appeal

The early 2020s have been a great time for cryptocurrency. The market saw the biggest surge it has ever had in 2020, and while there have been ups and downs since, for the most part, it has managed to maintain a generally positive growth for the past four years. Unsurprisingly, this has led to Bitcoin attaining wide mainstream appeal.

Back in 2009, the people who knew and discussed Bitcoin were those on niche internet forums. Most were either people who are really deep into trading, or people who simply have an interest in internet culture. However, that is no longer the case. Bitcoin is now a mainstream success. You can talk to the average person on the street, and chances are they’ve at least heard about the big names (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Doge, etc.)

The mainstream success has led to the crypto market becoming one of the most popular and successful trading markets in the world. Indeed, it is only rivaled in popularity by the stock market and the foreign exchange market. What is most impressive is that a lot of experts are predicting that crypto has yet to reach its peak. Meaning, we may just see Bitcoin dethrone forex as the most traded asset worldwide.

Interconnectivity

As many of you may know, cryptocurrency exists, in large part, thanks to blockchain technology. Indeed, without blockchains, crypto would very likely not be possible. This has led to the blockchain being forever link to the crypto market. However, the truth is that the uses for a blockchain are much greater than just cryptocurrency.

It is for that very reason that a lot of programmers are looking to blockchains when discussing web3. For those who don’t know, web3 is a term that most use to describe the future iteration of the internet. When talking about web3, most programmers bring up blockchain technology as a possible foundation.

Whether the blockchain will play a huge role outside of crypto remains to be seen. What is 100% certain, is that the blockchain will almost certainly play a huge role in the development and progress of cryptocurrency. With one of the most exciting changes being interconnectivity. A lot of us are expecting to see a more interconnected crypto ecosystem, with cross-chain solutions playing a key role.

Could Crypto Replace Fiat Money?

Finally, we reach the point where we have to discuss the elephant in the room; could crypto possibly replace FIAT money? Most experts on the topic agree that it is highly unlikely that crypto will become the new standard. People simply are not willing to give up tangible assets in favor of digital ones. However, that does not mean that those same people would be unwilling to embrace cryptocurrency. After all, we already have US states with a positive outlook on crypto. Which means, it is simply more likely that crypto and FIAT money will co-exist, side-by-side in the future.