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Eye-Popping Projection for $3T Crypto Market Underpins Bakkt Deal

Bakkt says cryptocurrencies could be a $3 trillion market by 2025, a fivefold increase.

Updated Mar 6, 2023, 2:54 p.m. Published Jan 11, 2021, 11:06 p.m.
Bakkt projections released in connection with Victory Park Capital deal.
Bakkt projections released in connection with Victory Park Capital deal.

Cryptocurrencies could grow fivefold by 2025 into a $3 trillion market, under new projections from Bakkt Holdings, the digital-asset financial firm.

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Bakkt published the estimate as part of an investor presentation released Monday in connection with its new plan to go public via a merger with Victory Park Capital, a special-purpose acquisition company. Bakkt is majority-owned by Intercontinental Exchange Inc., which also owns the New York Stock Exchange. The deal would give Bakkt an enterprise value of about $2.1 billion, according to a press release.

The underlying assumptions behind the transaction show just how bullish investors, entrepreneurs and financial executives have become over the past year on the fast-paced digital-asset industry, especially after prices for bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, quadrupled in 2020.

Just last week, the industry's total market capitalization surpassed $1 trillion for the first time, though a swoon over the past few days in prices for bitcoin and other digital assets has since trimmed the total value to about $931 billion, according to the website CoinGecko.

Bakkt currently runs a market for cryptocurrency derivatives including bitcoin futures, but in March the company plans to release a new consumer application that could allow users to manage digital assets and use them for spending and peer-to-peer payments alongside cash and rewards miles.

"It’s these shifts that we are leveraging for the benefit of both customer and merchants, truly unlocking a massive market by empowering the monetization of digital assets," Gavin Michael, former head of technology for Citigroup's global consumer bank, told investors Monday on a conference call, according to a transcript.

In the investor presentation, Bakkt estimated its revenue, net of transaction-related expenses, could grow by an average 75% per year to $515 million by 2025. The company is expected to turn cash-flow positive by 2023.

According to one slide in the investor presentation, Bakkt operates in a "massive serviceable addressable market" that was worth about $1.6 trillion in 2020, including $564 billion for the "notional value" of cryptocurrency.

By 2025, the presentation estimates, the company's overall target market would increase to $5.1 trillion, including $3 trillion of cryptocurrency.

Here's the diagram from the presentation:

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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

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Here’s why bitcoin’s is failing its role as a 'safe haven' versus gold

Here’s why bitcoin’s is failing its role as a 'safe haven'

Bitcoin behaves more like an "ATM" during uncertain times, with investors quickly selling it to raise cash.

What to know:

  • During recent geopolitical tensions, Bitcoin lost 6.6% of its value, while gold rose 8.6%, demonstrating bitcoin's vulnerability in times of market stress.
  • Bitcoin behaves more like an "ATM" during uncertain times, with investors quickly selling it to raise cash, contrary to its reputation as a stable digital asset.
  • Gold remains the preferred hedge for short-term risks, while bitcoin is better suited for long-term monetary and geopolitical uncertainties that unfold over years.