On the 1st of January 2017 the market capitalization of all crypto currencies was around $18 billion. Over the past 12 months the market capitalization climbed to above $500 billion, which is about 27 times higher than before. Seldom have we seen assets rise at such a pace.
However, there are some good reasons to believe 2018 is going to be an even greater year than its predecessor.
2017 as a foundation
As already mentioned, 2017 was one hell of a year for the crypto world. Not only did it make many people extremely rich, but it also was a year of countless new foundings of Blockchain companies. As a consequence many intelligent and highly educated people started working in the crypto space. Simultaneously the community consisting of investors, programmers, freelancers and other crypto enthusiasts expanded. These people strongly improved their base of knowledge and skills during 2017, leading to an efficiency one have never seen in the Blockchain world. In addition, most companies can not complain about their financial situation due to the enormous cash inflow.
Mainstream adoption
With the beginning of the final quarter of 2017, Bitcoin appeared to be in the mainstream news all the time. Especially when it finally reached the magic $10.000 mark, the media was totally freaking out. By the end of 2017, almost anyone living in a modern society knows what a crypto currency is. Nevertheless, buying or even using coins or tokens is still not easy for the average citizen. Luckily, many Blockchain start-ups are going to face this issue in 2018. Everyone should be aware of the fact that the majority of crypto currencies are created for widespread use. Cheap and fast money transactions, anonymity, data storage or gambling are only a few things to mention.
Altcoins realize their projects
During the past few months we saw a great amount of promising Altcoins soar in value. Whenever a new Altcoin already had a working product or function, it was considered to be particularly attractive. Yet so far their main goals were mostly just finding ways to finance their plans and to gain popularity. In 2018, a great number of these exciting ventures are planning to realize their impressive projects. This development will eventually exile the common opinion that crypto currencies are solely speculative objects. Financial systems, technical gadgets, decentralized Apps or giant mining plants – The crypto world has plenty to offer in 2018.
Technological advancement
Technology is advancing unbelievably fast in this day and age. We all recognized this aspect this year and we probably will continue doing so next year. As the Blockchain is still a comparatively novel idea, there is obviously a lot to improve. Transactions constantly becoming faster or cheaper is just the tip of the iceberg. The application areas of Blockchain will increase, mining will be enhanced and the proof of stake algorithm will appear more frequently. There are certainly some things coming up, which one can not even imagine at the moment.
The bigger picture
The enormous growth of crypto currencies will ultimately stop someday. This opinion is actually the general consensus. The question is just when and how. Comparing the crypto market to the stock market, one can see there is definitely still massive room for expansion. For instance, the market capitalization of the Apple Inc. is currently at almost $900 billion. Additionally it is very likely that a lot of institutional money will flow into the market in the next months. Therefore, the chances that the hype will not expire in 2018 are indeed pretty good.
This is a repost from January 2018