Vaneck Predicts Bitcoin Could Hit $2.9 Million by 2050

Asset management firm Vaneck published a report titled “Bitcoin 2050 Valuation Scenarios: Global Medium of Exchange and Reserve Asset” last week.

Asset management firm Vaneck has released a new report that projects bitcoin (BTC) could reach a valuation of $2.9 million per coin by 2050, emerging as a global medium of exchange and reserve currency. The report, titled “Bitcoin 2050 Valuation Scenarios: Global Medium of Exchange and Reserve Asset,” was published on March 23.

According to the report, prepared by Vaneck’s digital assets research team, led by Head of Digital Assets Research Matthew Sigel and Senior Investment Analyst Patrick Bush, the projection is based on several assumptions, including BTC being used to settle 10% of global international trade and 5% of domestic trade. Additionally, the report anticipates that central banks will allocate 2.5% of their assets to BTC.

“By 2050, we see bitcoin (BTC) solidifying its position as a key international medium of exchange, ultimately becoming one of the world’s reserve currencies,” Sigel and Bush write in the report. “It is conceivable that by 2050 bitcoin could be used to settle 10% of the globe’s international trade and 5% of the world’s domestic trade. This scenario would result in central banks holding 2.5% of their assets in BTC.”

The report further details the methodology used to arrive at the $2.9 million price projection:

“Using assumptions about global growth, investor BTC demand, and bitcoin’s turnover, we apply a velocity of money equation to suggest a potential price of $2.9M per bitcoin, translating to a total market cap of $61 trillion.”

Moreover, the report also predicts that Layer-2 (L2) solutions built on the bitcoin network could collectively reach a valuation of $7.6 trillion, which would represent approximately 12% of BTC’s total value. This projection is based on Vaneck’s existing framework for valuing Ethereum (ETH) L2s.

“Applying our existing framework for valuing Ethereum L2s, we estimate that Bitcoin L2s could collectively be worth $7.6T, approximately 12% of BTC’s total value,” the report states.

The report highlights that as confidence in current reserve currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, euro, pound sterling, and yen, continues to wane amid shifting global GDP and increasing concerns over property rights, bitcoin’s trustless, neutral, and immutable monetary policy positions the cryptocurrency as a viable alternative.

Despite acknowledging scalability challenges, the report expresses optimism that L2 solutions and potential software upgrades will enhance bitcoin’s adoption in international trade and as a reserve currency.

“Bitcoin’s role in the future financial landscape is set to be outsized due to declining confidence in current reserve currencies,” Vaneck further explains in the report. “This is especially true given the shifting global GDP and concerns over property rights, which make bitcoin’s trustless, neutral, and immutable monetary policy a viable alternative.”