When the first block was mined at the start of 2009, no one in their right mind could have imagined that Bitcoin was going to become the global giant it has turned into. Yet, we’re now living in a world where the original cryptocurrency has a market capitalization of $2.37 trillion. Could this token become even more influential in the future economy?
As a Method of Payment
The one area where BTC has been arguably losing ground is in its original purpose as a method of direct payment between two people anywhere on the planet. While this was the real use case for Bitcoin in the early days, a lot of users realized that the way the coin was rapidly gaining value meant that they were slightly reluctant to use their holdings to pay for goods or services.
However, Bitcoin volatility has been reaching multi-year lows recently, as its market cap grows and institutional adoption explodes. This could mean that it eventually finds a new place in the global economy as a trusted payment method that sends the money instantly to any wallet anywhere in the world. In fact, it’s already more widespread in this respect than you might believe. The Steak ‘n Shake chain started accepting BTC earlier this year and has recently reported a same-store sales increase of 10.7%, in addition to cutting its processing fees by half.
We can also see Bitcoin being used in the world of entertainment, often to great effect. For instance, there’s a wide range of Bitcoin slots that can be played by adding this token to your casino wallet. Games such as Mythic Wolf, Crystals on Fire, and Hooked on Fishing reveal the variety of themes that are covered, with symbols that reflect this variety. They’ve been based on traditional slot machines, but with the addition of new features like jackpots and cash collect. These Bitcoin slots are joined in the casino by the likes of card games and roulette, showing how Bitcoin now lets us gamble in various ways.
Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency that can be used to play these slots. Players who prefer to use a stablecoin can add Tether (USDT) to their accounts. Other options include Bitcoin SV (BSV), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Litecoin (LTC). This suggests that cryptos in general are being more widely used for casino play. However, since BTC remains the clear market leader, this trend is more likely to be associated with it than with other tokens.
This preview of the Hooked on Fishing slot shows how the gameplay has been adapted to appeal to the people who love the zen attraction of going on fishing trips but are currently looking for simple games to play on their mobile devices using cryptos.
Please embed – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo1ApEogVno
Bitcoin As a Foundation of the Global Digital Economy with AI Bots
Being able to play games and pay for food using Bitcoin is great news, but it’s not enough of a change to suggest that BTC is going to rule the world. However, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino recently had some words to say on the subject that suggest he believes it has a massive role to play in the future digital economy.
Ardoino said that BTC is likely to be a key part of the future, where millions of artificial intelligence (AI) agents will each control self-custodial wallets. He believes that stablecoins like his company’s USDT will be commonly used too, but also pointed out the importance of BTC in this area, as a well-established and trusted digital asset that could be easily used by AI bots to settle transactions online.
A Circular Economy Built on BTC
Arguably, the biggest impact that Bitcoin could have on the world is if it were to be used as the basis for a revolutionary circular economy that made it the one digital asset that we need to carry out everything. This is the sort of project we can see being carried out by Mezo, which promises to remove the current obstacles of capital gains tax and loan APR for people who want to use their BTC to pay real-world expenses.
This is one of the many platforms being developed that are designed to allow Bitcoin holders to use their funds without having to sell. The idea is that someone can hold onto their BTC all their life if they want to, earning staking rewards and taking out BTC-backed loans for those expenses where fiat cash is needed. In this way, it could transform areas like mortgages and working capital loans.
The Emergence of a New Digital Economy
The truth is that Bitcoin’s emergence as a global reserve asset as well as a method of making instant payments has changed the way we look at the financial side of life. While it’s not yet completely clear what the digital economy will look like, it seems certain that BTC will continue to lead the way.