More than 87% of the population of Argentina he was asked in a January study, Coinbase said that they see crypto technology and blockchain as a way to strengthen their economic freedom – a sign that the role of Bitcoin in the global economy may be changing earlier than what the markets have bought.
Collaborative Reading
Bitcoin’s Dual Function Attracts New Interest
Matt Hougan, chief financial officer at Bitwise, said this publicly this week. He said Bitcoin one day they may command a market that can be traded larger than the $34 trillion worth of gold – but only if it manages to function as a store of value and as a working capital.
That’s a bigger claim than what Bitcoin bulls are already making. Over the years, the comparison is gold it was a head fight. Now, a war adds a new dimension to the discussion.
— Matt Hougan (@Matt_Hougan) April 14, 2026
Iran plans to allow ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay a value in crypto. The plan, which was announced in recent days as it is growing to argue and the United States, is being targeted by Bitcoin investors.
For Hougan, it points to something bigger. In a world where countries have turned financial systems into weapons, he wrote on social media, Bitcoin is emerging as a system that no single government controls.
A $ 1 Million Price Target – And Maybe Higher
Hougan previously put a number on his value proposition: if Bitcoin captures 17% of that market over the next ten years, each coin could be worth $1 million.
Based on his recent comments, this number may need to be revised upwards if Bitcoin begins to function as a currency along with its role as a storage vehicle.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $74,150and a total of 1.4 trillion dollars. Gold, by comparison, is sitting at $4,854 per ounce, with a market value of more than $33 trillion.
The company’s stock has been buying again. Data shows private and public companies both have more than 1.5 million Bitcoins, worth more than $116 billion.
Merchant Adoption is still a Work in Progress
However, the financial side of the equation has some ground to cover. A study published by the academic publisher Springer Nature found about 11,000 merchants around the world currently accepting Bitcoin as payment – a very small number for a property of its size.
Collaborative Reading
Adoption has been particularly strong in countries where foreign exchange rates have collapsed. Citizens of Turkey and Venezuela, like those of Argentina, have turned to Bitcoin to protect their currency against the constant rise in prices.
Whether Iran’s decision to impose a crypto toll signals the evolution of Bitcoin as a global currency — or simply shows the country has been allowed to find a way to deal with the problem — remains to be seen. What is clear is that Bitwise believes that the issue is bigger than just gold.
Image taken from Meta, chart from TradingView
