Bitcoin hovers near $78,000 as global ETFs access shapes next adoption wave

Bitcoin hovered near $78,000 on Sunday, with little change over the past day. CryptoQuant's Ki Young Ju noted that institutional money and global ETFs outside the U.S. could propel Bitcoin's next bull cycle phase. U.S. spot Bitcoin funds accumulated $57 billion in net inflows within their first two years, but access remains restricted in markets like South Korea.

Ju suggested that wider international distribution, enhanced stablecoin liquidity, and tokenized real-world asset infrastructure could spur broader participation. However, expanding adoption might necessitate altering how Bitcoin is portrayed to regular investors. A Bitcoin Policy Institute survey of 1,516 Americans revealed that the "digital gold" narrative ranked low compared to messages emphasizing control, security, historical performance, and the option to start with small investments.

After viewing different Bitcoin messages, the number of respondents with no interest in ownership dropped from 39% to 32%, while those expressing strong interest increased from 19% to 24%. Financial advisers and retirement experts were perceived as more trustworthy sources than celebrities and influencers. The financial system's progress toward blockchain infrastructure, such as Swift's blockchain ledger for tokenized deposits and HSBC and Standard Chartered's initial cross-border transaction, indicates that crypto infrastructure could find new applications.

Meanwhile, advances in artificial intelligence could also influence Bitcoin's market, with potential AI agents engaging in crypto transactions. Among other cryptocurrencies, Ethereum gained 0.95% at $2,457.04, XRP rose 0.62% to $1.3914, Solana increased 1.29%, and BNB climbed 0.90% to $694.21. Cardano saw a 0.50% boost, trading at $0.2005, while Dogecoin fell 0.32% and Trump token remained unchanged.