Crypto Market Could Reach $28 Trillion by 2030 – Adoption Remains Regionally Fragmented

Ark Invest Forecasts Massive Market Growth

Asset manager Ark Invest, led by star investor Cathie Wood, expects the total crypto market to reach a value of approximately $28 trillion USD by 2030 ^[1]. This forecast is based on an assumed annual growth rate of 61 percent ^[1].

In this scenario, Bitcoin would further expand its dominant position and reach a market capitalization of $16 trillion USD, corresponding to BTC dominance of around 70 percent ^[1]. With a projected circulating supply of 20.7 million BTC in 2030, this would result in a price of $773,000 USD per Bitcoin ^[1].

Ark Invest identifies institutional adoption, led by Bitcoin, as a key driver for this growth ^[1]. Interestingly, this forecast is significantly lower than last year's estimate, when the company projected a price target of up to $2.4 million USD ^[1].

Consolidation Expected in Altcoin Sector

For the altcoin space, Ark Invest paints a picture of radical consolidation. The asset manager expects two to three Layer-1 smart contract platforms to dominate the majority of the market ^[1]. Specifically, Ethereum and Solana are named as leading projects ^[1]. The total value of this segment is estimated at approximately $6 trillion USD ^[1].

The remaining $6 trillion USD of the projected market value would, according to Ark Invest, be allocated to stablecoins, tokenized assets, and DeFi applications ^[1].

PwC Warns of Fragmented Global Adoption

Despite optimistic growth forecasts, accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers emphasizes the challenges of global adoption in its Global Crypto Regulation Report 2026. "While crypto networks are borderless, adoption is not," PwC notes ^[2].

The adoption of payments, remittances, savings solutions, capital markets, and tokenization use cases is developing unevenly across different regions ^[2]. Economic conditions, financial inclusion, and existing financial infrastructure are leading to a "fragmented global ecosystem" in which the technology solves very different problems in various markets ^[2].

Institutional Interest Crosses Tipping Point

At the same time, PwC observes that institutional interest in cryptocurrencies has "crossed the point of reversibility" ^[2]. Banks, asset managers, payment service providers, and large corporations are embedding digital assets into their core infrastructure, balance sheets, and business models – this is "no longer optional or peripheral" ^[2].

CryptoQuant analyst Ki Young Ju noted that institutional funds acquired 577,000 Bitcoin last year, equivalent to approximately $53 billion USD ^[2]. "Institutional demand for Bitcoin remains strong," he stated ^[2].

Tempered Expectations on Price Development

However, there are also skeptical voices regarding the price effects of institutional investments. Macro researcher and FFTT founder Luke Gromen expressed caution: "If you're counting on institutional investors to drive it from 90 to 150, if that's your plan, that's probably not going to happen without a larger catalyst" ^[2].

PwC emphasizes that through their involvement, institutions are "reshaping market norms around scaling, governance, resilience, and accountability, replacing crypto-native practices with institutional ones" ^[2].