Will Billions Really Be Bitcoin Buffs by 2030? You Won’t Believe the Scoop! 🚀

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by 2030, several billion souls shall likely embrace the shimmering allure of Bitcoin. Ah, the optimism! 💸

Armstrong, in his cerebral commentary, referenced a rather thorough study conducted by the venerable BlackRock. This digital gospel espouses that, within a mere dozen years, the cluttered jungle of cryptocurrency amassed a staggering 300 million users. You read that right—43% faster than the adoption of mobile phones and 20% nimbler than our good, old Internet. Who knew Bitcoin was the Usain Bolt of finance? 🏃‍♂️💨

To determine the official kickoff year for Bitcoin, the Internet, and mobile phones is a perplexing riddle—yet here we find ourselves, spiraling toward a profound acceptance of the cryptographic dollar.

If these trends persist, one might dare to say the number of Bitcoin aficionados could swell to billions by the time we hit the 2030 mark.

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) February 10, 2025

Ah, but Armstrong himself entertained the notion—an intellectual waltz, if you will—of the nebulous nature of “start year,” yet he tiptoed into agreement with the overarching narrative of BlackRock’s findings. By 2030, the whisper of billions adopting Bitcoin is, perhaps, not mere fantasy but a tantalizing possibility.

Behold the BlackRock Study

According to this illuminating BlackRock study, published with a flourish back in January 2025, Bitcoin has seemingly triggered a rapid romance with both the whimsical individual investor and the institutional glitterati. It poignantly reflects the broader collective fear as traditional financial systems wobble like Jenga towers, making Bitcoin all the more irresistible in its shimmering digital garb. The study highlights global musings aimed at simplifying digital currency for the masses—or attempting to, at least.

To put things into perspective, the stats indicate it took 21 years for mobile phones to garner a cool 300 million users, starting back in the era of bell-bottoms and disco balls—1972, to be precise. The Internet, not to be outdone, took only 15 years, emerging from its digital chrysalis in 1983 and spreading its arms wide open. 📱🌐

Alas, our dear Armstrong, in his erudite journey through comparative years, drew attention to the perplexing methodology that counts Bitcoin users. Seems there’s a bit of pop psychology here—what defines a “user”? A wallet address? More than one, perhaps? Some addresses gather dust, long forgotten in the crypto cosmos. And who could forget the infamous lack of privacy, leading Bitcoin enthusiasts to essentially have multiple identities—like a digital Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! 🎭

Who gets counted as a user in this?

I suspect it’s the number of addresses—though one must bear in mind that many of these haven’t been touched in ages. Plus, does everyone know that one person can amass a veritable cornucopia of these addresses? In Bitcoin’s world of questionable privacy, creating a new address is often par for the course…

— Victor (@VictorMoneroXMR) February 9, 2025

This grand revelation raises a rather quizzical eyebrow—who exactly qualifies as a “Bitcoin user”? The study leaves us yearning for clarity here, much like a moth to a flickering flame of understanding.

Other Studies, Other Whispers

Drawing from a Chainalysis piece, it came to light that as of December 2018, out of the 460 million Bitcoin addresses residing in the digital realm, a mere 172 million had any economic relevance. Imagine the sheer disappointment! Only 25 million addresses could be linked to individual holders amongst a sea of exchanges and shadowy marketplaces. This statistic threw a cloud of confusion on the horizon of Bitcoin’s adoption—after all, one person can possess a veritable garden of addresses!

In stark contrast, the BiTBO crew proclaimed that only about 106 million entities owned Bitcoin by the year 2025! Quite the paradox when we consider that the lineage of Bitcoin stretches back a mere 21 years—no way are they counting former owners as users, right? Meanwhile, only a paltry 500,000 people engage with Bitcoin daily—compare that with the glory of Visa, processing a whopping 700 million transactions on the regular. A digital David versus a financial Goliath? 🎳

Yet here we are, managing to spill more Bitcoin value than Visa or MasterCard can muster—$46.4 billion a day vs. Visa’s $38.9 billion and MasterCard’s wobbly $24.7 billion! What a curious paradox of the digital era.

Does Armstrong’s Prediction Hold Water?

Comparisons between Bitcoin and cell phones masquerade as a noble endeavor, but, quite frankly, it’s a perplexing exercise. Consider this: phones are becoming ever cheaper while Bitcoin takes the scenic route upward. Moreover, our modern conveniences cater to smartphone users; meanwhile, Bitcoin enthusiasts must hunt high and low to buy, store, or just plain utilize their crypto goodies.

Nevertheless, we must ponder the daunting age difference—Bitcoin, a fresh-faced millennial compared to the seasoned veteran, the first commercial mobile phone of 1984. And let’s not forget, cellphones haven’t been reputed as ‘the criminal’s sidekick’ to the extent Bitcoin has, which tends to wreak havoc on public perception.

It took about three decades for mobile phones to achieve ubiquity in our lives. By 2014, they reached a staggering tally of 7 billion units flickering in the palms of our hands. Yet in 2030, Bitcoin shall be a tender 21 years old, hardly dashing for the limelight in the same way cellphones did by the mid-2000s.

For Bitcoin to find itself exuberantly embraced by billions, it will necessitate extensive support from regulators, businesses, and a sprinkle of good humor. El Salvador, in its audacity, gambled on Bitcoin as legal tender but hastened to retract after dismal results showed that most residents had barely dipped their toes into the Bitcoin pool, despite government reassurances. One must wonder if the lesson here is that, oftentimes, in the crypto world, charm can quickly turn to chaos.

All things considered, despite the widespread bullish tones echoed by governments and corporations, there remain hefty hurdles for Bitcoin to leap over before it can charm the uninitiated masses. Perhaps one day, Bitcoin will find its place in the spotlight, but for now, it seems it’s still navigating the twisty maze of user adoption. 🎢

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2025-02-13 05:26