Key takeaways:

Spot Bitcoin ETFs have already surpassed gold ETFs in early growth, with projections of $100 billion in annual inflows by 2027.

Publicly listed companies and nation-states currently hold nearly 1.7 million BTC, pointing to long-term confidence.

Bitwise projects $120 billion in Bitcoin inflows by 2025 and $300 billion by 2026.

Bitcoin (BTC) demand from a diverse range of investors—including publicly listed companies building Bitcoin treasuries, sovereign wealth funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and nation-states—is projected to drive substantial capital inflows to the asset in the coming years. According to crypto index fund management firm Bitwise, inflows to Bitcoin could reach $120 billion by the end of 2025, with an additional $300 billion anticipated in 2026.

In its recent report, “Forecasting Institutional Flows to Bitcoin in 2025/2026,” Bitwise highlights that US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $36.2 billion in net inflows in 2024, surpassing the early success of SPDR gold Shares (GLD), which revolutionized gold investing. Bitcoin ETFs reached $125 billion in assets under management (AUM) within 12 months—20 times faster than GLD—projecting Bitcoin to outperform gold significantly, with inflows potentially tripling to $100 billion annually by 2027.

Spot Bitcoin and gold ETFs forecast projections. Source: Bitwise

Despite this surge, $35 billion in Bitcoin demand remained sidelined in 2024 due to risk-averse compliance policies at major corporations like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, which manage $60 trillion in client assets. These firms require multi-year track records, but growing BTC ETF legitimacy is expected to unlock this capital.

Jurrien Timmer, Director of Global Macro at Fidelity, remarked that Bitcoin trading above $100,000 signals its potential to take over gold’s role as a store of value. His analysis also pointed to the recent convergence of Bitcoin and gold’s Sharpe ratios, suggesting that both assets are becoming increasingly comparable in terms of risk-adjusted returns.

Related: Bitcoin price ‘breather’ expected as short-term traders realize $11.6B in profit

The bull, bear and base cases for BTC wealth allocation

In addition to ETFs and wealth management firms, Bitcoin’s appeal as a reserve asset is rising among the public, private companies and sovereign nations. Companies with Bitcoin on the books currently hold around 1,146,128 BTC, worth $125 billion, accounting for 5.8% of BTC’s total supply.

Sovereign nations collectively hold 529,705 BTC ($57.8 billion), with the United States (207,189 BTC), China (194,000 BTC), and the United Kingdom (61,000 BTC) leading the pack.

Bitwise Senior investment strategist Juan Leon, UXTO research lead Guillaume Girard and research analyst Will Owens expect a continued wealth allocation to BTC, and outlined bear, base, and bull case scenarios.

In the bear case, nation-states reallocated just 1% of their gold reserves to Bitcoin, driving $32.3 billion in inflows (323,000 BTC or 1.54% of supply). Multiple US states created BTC reserves at 10%, adding $6.5 billion, while wealth management platforms allocated 0.1% of assets ($60 billion). Public companies contributed another $58.9 billion, bringing the total inflows to over $150 billion.

The base case envisions a 5% nation-state reallocation, generating $161.7 billion (1,617,000 BTC or 7.7% of supply). US states raised their adoption to 30% ($19.6 billion), wealth platforms allocated 0.5% ($300 billion), and public companies doubled their holdings to $117.8 billion. This scenario aligns with Bitwise’s forecast of $120 billion by 2025 and $300 billion by 2026, capturing 20.32% of Bitcoin’s supply.

In the bull case, a 10% nation-state swap of gold to Bitcoin drives $323.4 billion in inflows (3,234,000 BTC or 15.38% of supply). US state adoption rises to 70% ($45.8 billion), wealth platforms allocate 1% ($600 billion), and public companies quadruple their holdings to $235.6 billion. Altogether, these inflows could exceed $426.9 billion, absorbing 4,269,000 BTC.

The acceleration of institutional investor and government interest in BTC underscores growing confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term value. With 94.6% of its supply already mined (19,868,987 BTC as of May 2025), Bitcoin is increasingly being viewed as a hedge against inflation and fiat currency debasement.

Related: Will Bitcoin bulls secure $110K before BTC’s $13.8B options expiry?

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Decentralizing telecommunication networks financially benefits small businesses and telecom corporations alike, according to Frank Mong, the chief operating officer (COO) of Nova Labs, the founding team behind the Helium wireless decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) network.

In an interview with Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025 in Toronto, Canada, Mong said that small businesses including bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and other local operators can generate revenue by hosting wireless hotspots and expanding network coverage.

Large telecommunication companies and service providers can also tap into the Helium Network’s telemetry to reduce operational costs and expand network coverage in dead zones.

Pictured from left to right at Consensus 2025, the Realest.Com founder DJ Skee Keeney, Nova Labs COO Frank Mong, CEO of KYD Labs Ahmed Nimale, and CoinDesk senior anchor Jennifer Sanasie. Source: Cointelegraph

“It costs about $300,000 for a telecom company to stand up one tower; you need one per block for 5G to work effectively,” Mong told Cointelegraph, The executive added:

“Instead of doing that and making phone plans more expensive, what if anyone with a useful Wi-Fi network shares that Wi-Fi and allows, not just anyone to use it securely, but allows large companies like AT&T to see the telemetry of that network.”

Decentralized physical infrastructure networks continue to be an example of how blockchain technologies can provide real-world value and make existing infrastructure more resilient to outages, disruptions, censorship, and critical failure.

Related: Countries must add DePIN tokens to their digital asset stockpiles

Helium secures collaborative partnerships with telecom companies

In January 2024, Nova Labs announced a collaborative partnership with Latin American telecommunication company Telefónica to expand the telecom company’s coverage in dead zones and help reduce network congestion.

More recently, in April 2025, Helium partnered with AT&T — a global telecommunication giant — to allow AT&T users automatic access to the Helium Network when in range of the network’s coverage area of mobile hotspots.

Data from the Helium Network shows that the United States currently has the highest concentration of the network’s 95,272 mobile hotspots. Additionally, Helium has 284,053 active Internet of Things (IoT) hotspots worldwide.

An overview of the Helium Network’s mobile hotspots around the world. Source: Helium

“Ultimately, what we did in the United States and Mexico should be global,” Mong told Cointelegraph.

Nova Labs is currently focused on expanding coverage through securing collaborative partnerships with telecommunication infrastructure providers in new regions, the executive added.

Magazine: Most DePIN projects barely even use blockchain: True or false?

Opinion by: Scott Lehr, adviser to Alteri.io

In the world of cryptocurrency, knowledge isn’t just power — it’s a weapon. The recent collapse of Mantra’s OM token, which saw a 90% drop in value within hours, underscores how wallet intelligence can be leveraged with devastating effects.

Wallet intelligence is the real-time analysis of blockchain data to extract insights from wallet behaviors, transaction patterns, and asset flows. Firms like Chainalysis and Arkham Intelligence have turned raw onchain activity into high-resolution surveillance, enabling everything from compliance monitoring to predictive trading. This level of insight gives a strategic advantage to those who can access it.

Power like this, however, has consequences. There is a new battlefield on the blockchain, and you might be in danger.

The downside of transparency

As blockchain transparency advances, the pseudonymity that once protected users rapidly dissolves. Every transaction leaves a breadcrumb trail — one that sophisticated actors can follow. Wallet intelligence is increasingly used by regulators, exchanges, and analytics firms to enforce compliance and track illicit activity. It also opens the door to abuse: centralized surveillance, profiling, and preemptive censorship.

OM’s collapse exposed the dangers

The April collapse of OM offers a case study of how these dynamics play out. Although not conclusively proven, reports suggest that a single trader initiated a massive short on Binance’s perpetual market, allegedly exploiting market liquidity to trigger a cascade of liquidations. At the same time, Mantra’s token was held in a highly centralized fashion — 90% of OM supply sat with insiders. Combine that with low liquidity and poor transparency around OTC deals, and you get a chain reaction that wiped out millions in market cap and investor trust.

The FTX fallout and the power of wallet intelligence

We saw echoes of this dynamic during the collapse of FTX. While regulators and internal auditors failed to sound the alarm, early warnings came from parts of the crypto community — analysts and observers who flagged questionable ties between Alameda Research and FTX. But the full extent of the misconduct wasn’t revealed until a leaked balance sheet and a cascade of withdrawals forced the truth into the open. After the collapse, wallet intelligence became critical. Blockchain investigators and independent sleuths traced the movement of billions in customer funds, exposing how deeply intertwined — and misused — those assets were. The fallout didn’t just destroy value. It shattered trust and proved that, in the right hands, blockchain transparency can uncover truths that centralized actors try to bury.

The growing threat of surveillance capitalism

This is the new battlefield. Wallet intelligence enables actors to front-run movements, manipulate price action, or influence reputational narratives by selectively exposing wallet data. In the wrong hands, it becomes a weapon capable of destabilizing protocols, shaping regulatory pressures, or undermining the decentralization of crypto.

What happens when blockchain data stops protecting users and starts profiling them?

Recent: Mantra links OM token crash to risky crypto exchange policies

The centralization of these tools and data pipelines poses a systemic risk. A small number of firms with privileged access and institutional relationships now have disproportionate influence over which transactions get flagged, which wallets get blocked, and which behaviors are interpreted as “suspicious.” That isn’t decentralization. It’s surveillance capitalism with a blockchain veneer.

What the crypto community must do now

The implications for markets are significant. As wallet intelligence tools become more influential, expect heightened regulatory scrutiny, targeted enforcement, and volatility driven by actors who can read the tape before the rest of the market sees it. In the wrong context, transparency without guardrails can morph into tyranny.

Wallet intelligence is here to stay — but how it’s governed, who gets access, and whether it reinforces or undermines decentralization will determine whether it serves the ecosystem or destabilizes it.

Blockchain users: Stop assuming decentralization means safety. Know how your data is being tracked, interpreted, and possibly weaponized.

Regulators must understand this technology before attempting to regulate it—or risk empowering the wrong actors.

Developers should push for decentralized wallet intelligence platforms that return data power to the network, not a few firms.

Protocols should bake privacy into their architecture without sacrificing accountability.

In this next era of crypto, what you don’t know about your own wallet might be exactly what someone else is using to move against you.

Opinion by: Scott Lehr, adviser to Alteri.io.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.