Bitcoin Price Prediction AUD: Where BTC Can End Up In 2022

• Bitcoin (BTC) has been having a bit of a disappointing month, after rallying hard through June & July, the flagship cryptocurrency is currently down 12.5% since the beginning of August.
  BTC has been struggling to stay above the $20k line for the past two weeks, with BTC at the time of writing chaging hands for US$19,878 (AU$29,177) — down an eye-watering 71% from its all-time-high on November 10, 2021.
• Bitcoin still maintains its status as the cryptocurrency market leader, with a market capitalization of US$380 billion (AU$558 billion).
• Despite suffering from major volatility in the short-term, the probability that Bitcoin will continue to gain in value over the very long-term seems likely to most cryptocurrency experts and analysts.

Over the last 30-days, amidst a broader crypto market slump, the price of Bitcoin has been struggling to maintain a solid hold anywhere above its fabled $20k support line. Bitcoin is valued at US$19,878 (AU$29,177) at the time of writing.

Experts and commentators throughout the world of finance have offered a wide range of reasons for Bitcoin’s positive price action including; a more “dovish” Federal Reserve, steadier interest rate expectations & more calm on the geopolitical front abroad..

However, in slightly bearish news: whales, investors or institutions that hold more than 10,000 Bitcoin are beginning to sell their BTC holdings in a bid to reduce losses and potentially prepare for a longer-term downturn. For the first time ever, a substantial number of these whales are not convicted BTC investors, but institutions such as hedge funds or asset management firms that treat cryptocurrency as a high-risk asset and are less likely to hold for the long term.

Bitcoin’s (as well as the broader market’s) characteristic volatility is highlighted in the midst of these rapid price drops, most peculiarly in the sense that BTC’s sudden loss of one-fifth of its value is neither unprecedented nor overwhelmingly drastic in the context of its performance in the past few months.

Making short-term predictions about any asset is difficult, but owing to Bitcoin’s infamous volatility it’s even more difficult to do so with the flagship cryptocurrency. Experts are divided on whether or not Bitcoin can recover in price this year, as it would seem that Bitcoin remains on track to keep visiting new lows. With that said, experts hold a wide range of opinions regarding Bitcoin’s future price trajectory (one major investor recently warned Bitcoin could fall by 80% after tapering by the Fed).

Before we get into Bitcoin price predictions for 2022 and beyond, though, first, let’s have a little context about Bitcoin (BTC).

What is Bitcoin?

As the world’s first and most famous cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has led blockchain technology’s revolutionary charge from the front since its inception. BTC blazed a trail when it initially established its place in popular consciousness in 2017, and in the years following it consequently afforded all other cryptocurrencies the possibility of flourishing in its wake.

Despite Bitcoin’s long-established prominence, it appears that those smaller cryptocurrencies that it once forged a path for are now beginning to close in on BTC’s lead, or are at least expanding their own share of market dominance. Major currencies seem to slowly but steadily be closing the gaps that have typically set BTC apart from them, in the sense that for some, their distance from Bitcoin’s market cap size is shrinking, and for others, the crypto investors’ level of recognition of their unique features is beginning to reach levels comparable to that of BTC.

Among the major reasons for Bitcoin’s increasing need to prove itself as market leader are serious questions around its technological versatility, such as those regarding its scalability and whether it can improve transaction speeds, leading BTC to face fierce competition from rival coins with their own unique capabilities.

As one example, Ethereum, in addition to offering an alternative currency and store of value in line with Bitcoin’s function, offers an entire ecosystem which many estimate has a strong potential to become the backbone of a decentralised world wide web, on which much of the world’s technological infrastructure will be built. This technological edge and the anticipation of its wide-ranging capabilities are likely major reasons why Ethereum has increased more in value in the past year than Bitcoin has by a substantial margin, reducing the difference in their total market caps, which nonetheless remains vast.

The fact that much of Bitcoin’s value is intrinsically tied to its very status as leader is also a danger in that, if growing concerns about its true suitability to become an essential part of the global economy manage to derail positive sentiment, attention may shift to another currency deemed more apt. As such there is a danger that Bitcoin’s value is overly reliant on anticipation and positive momentum rather than actual usable and non-replicable features.

Is Bitcoin A Safe Store Of Wealth?

Bitcoin is being used by some investors a store of wealth and a hedge against inflation, in a (somewhat) similar fashion to gold. However, its volatile nature means you should never invest more in Bitcoin than you can afford to lose. Its up and down nature naturally makes some investors jumpy. Is Bitcoin An Alternative To Gold?

Is Bitcoin An Alternative To Gold?

“There are some uncanny similarities between Bitcoin and gold,” ABC News business editor Ian Verrender wrote in an article posted in May.

“Like gold, Bitcoin is rare. The total supply has been limited to 21 million tokens. And the pace at which the tokens are released periodically is slowed, so that the final coin won’t be minted until around 2140… Unlike gold, however, Bitcoin is virtual. It exists in the ether and has no utility or use other than as a means of exchange.”

“[But] gold… has been on the decline since peaking in August last year. Even the chaotic slide on global bond markets in February and March this year failed to fire it up. Government bond prices cratered on fears of a return of global inflation, the kind of news that ordinarily would see gold spike.”

As DMARGE reported in July: “The inference here is that gold’s status as the one unassailable store of wealth, turned to during times of economic uncertainty, could be under threat – and perhaps Bitcoin, with its decentralised blockchain ledger and mutability, will rise to take its place. Either that or we’re all just getting more greedy…”

DMARGE spoke exclusively with James Whelan, Investment Manager at VFS Group in Sydney and co-host of business podcast The BIP Show to get his take on Bitcoin replacing gold earlier this year? He said:

“If everything stopped working and we had to actually go back to the barter system, it’s very handy to have gold in your safe, which is divisible and tradable. Whereas, if nothing’s working… your Bitcoin wallet is effectively as useless as a doorstop.”

“Part of the price of gold that’s factored into it is that ‘calamity value’. Bitcoin does not have that store of value.”

Another reason Bitcoin will never become a store of wealth in the same way gold is, Whelan said, is because governments and central banks are hesitant to support it.

“Governments don’t like it because they can’t track it (well, governments can track it, but people don’t think that they can). Governments don’t like the fact that [people are] using money which isn’t government-controlled… If they had the chance of replacing Bitcoin with their own central bank money, which is more controllable, then they would probably be opting to go in that direction.”

Will Bitcoin Be Accepted By Governments?

Mr Whelan, a little later on in 2021, told DMARGE: “I think that the investment community is now seeing that there needs to be an allocation to a certain amount of crypto because people are seeing it as an alternative asset and potentially, touch wood, god forbid, a store of wealth.”

“Look at the Bitcoin price vs the Gold price – annoyingly – inflation is absolutely pumping [so] why is gold not performing? Look at the Bitcoin price – potentially people are buying Bitcoin instead of Gold as that store of wealth against inflation… Maybe.”

Mr Whelan added: “Right now all eyes are on the SEC in the United States on their approval of the first crypto ETF (or the first bitcoin ETF), which will then mean that people will have a place [to invest]. Once it’s done and accredited by the SEC it falls under all of their rules about financial stability and it has all these boxes it needs to tick and it comes under the coverage of one of the largest markets in the world and one of the better regulators in one of the largest markets in the world.”

“If the SEC lets this [happen] it means the ETF will be approved, which then means people like me actually have somewhere to invest safely on the market on the same platform where everyone else can see all this stuff.”

“The investment community will have a more safe and secure place to actually have that area where I can say to a client on their portfolio report: ‘Look at this, as discussed, here is your 5% allocation to a Bitcoin ETF. It’s run by a reputable ETF provider, it’s on a market which is where all your other stuff is as well.’ That’s so important for a client to see.”

What Are The Threats To Bitcoin’s Dominance?

The largest of all threats to Bitcoin’s short term price and long-term trajectory alike, is that of governmental interference, which not only has the potential to ban the use of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, but also the potential to stifle the belief in its viability to succeed. With belief in Bitcoin’s future being crucial to its survival and levels of investment, announcements of increased regulations and bans, while not guaranteed to completely stop Bitcoin in its tracks, unavoidably have the capacity to have an enormous negative effect on BTC’s price and status.

Despite these concerns, Bitcoin’s reputation as the original cryptocurrency is nonetheless remarkable and tangibly powerful, and the considerable level of widespread belief in its potential to cement its position the world’s primary digital currency is exemplified by instances like governmental investment in it, growing mainstream media coverage of its activity, and perhaps most notably in the past year, endorsements from major companies and its inclusion (in ETF form) on traditional markets.

As such, any substantial indicator of progress in being adopted and embraced by societies, which is perhaps most evident in the case of El Salvador making BTC its national currency, tends to provide a boost to the momentum underpinning Bitcoin’s mission to establish itself as a functioning backbone of the world’s monetary infrastructure.

You could also argue more eco-friendly (and faster transacting) cryptos like Ethereum – and those that are making a name for themselves beating Ethereum at its own game (but which are yet to prove themselves over the long term) like Cardano, Solana and Nano – are a threat to Bitcoin’s dominance. But many day to day investors see Bitcoin more as a yardstick and a hedge against inflation than a tool. So if you look at it that way, better technology and a growing crypto market is good for Bitcoin too.

Does Bitcoin’s Price Still Affect Other Cryptocurrencies?

Judging by the last flash crash, in many cases, yes. Bitcoin’s drop was followed by slumps in other big tokens, including Ethereum, Binance’s BNB, Solana, Cardano and Ripple’s XRP. But some would argue other segments are becoming more self-sufficient at generating optimism and value. At the moment though Bitcoin’s price swings do still typically affect the market as a whole.

Bitcoin Price Prediction 2022

Matthew Hyland, a blockchain analyst, made a BTC price prediction of $351,676 AUD by January 2022, citing the likelihood that momentum will explode once the $100,000 USD milestone is surpassed. This also comes from NextAdvisor’s aforementioned survey.

Bitcoin Price Prediction 2023

Jurrien Timmer, director at Fidelity Investments, predicted that Bitcoin could reach the equivalent $140686 AUD by 2023, according to NextAdvisor’s survey.

Bitcoin Price Prediction 2025

A panel of experts put together by Finder drew an average 2025 Bitcoin price prediction of $351,157 AUD for the year 2025.

Bitcoin Price Prediction 2031

Robert Breedlove, Founder of Parallax Digital, made a bold prediction of $17.6 million AUD per Bitcoin by 2031.

RISK STATEMENT

This article is of a general nature only, and is intended for solely informational purposes. This is not financial advice. No-one can guarantee the price of Bitcoin will keep going up. Never invest more money than you can afford to lose into any crypto.

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