Bitwise put it plainly on X: “We are still early.” The firm pointed out that, aside from Strategy (MSTR), public companies collectively hold less than 1% of all Bitcoin. And they might be right. According to River, only 4% of the global population owns Bitcoin in 2025, and institutions are barely scratching the surface of adoption.
Bitcoin Ownership Remains Low Globally
Despite Bitcoin’s meteoric rise in price, ownership remains surprisingly low. The River report found that North America leads in adoption, with 14% of U.S. individuals holding BTC, while Africa lags at just 1.6%. The study estimates that Bitcoin has only achieved 3% of its total adoption potential. This includes not just individuals, but also institutions and governments, signaling vast room for growth.
Institutional Adoption Barely Registers
Public companies outside of Strategy—which has made Bitcoin its core strategy—own less than 1% of all Bitcoin, according to Bitwise. This suggests that most corporations are still hesitant to allocate meaningful amounts of their balance sheets to the asset. Institutional underallocation, as noted by River, is a major reason why adoption remains in its infancy.
Education and Volatility Hold Bitcoin Back
Mass adoption isn’t just about accessibility—it’s also about understanding. Bitcoin sits at the crossroads of finance and technology, two complex subjects that make widespread adoption difficult. According to River, misconceptions about Bitcoin being a scam or Ponzi scheme persist. This has prevented many from investing.
Additionally, Bitcoin’s notorious volatility is another roadblock. While traders thrive on price swings, ordinary users and businesses are wary of using BTC as a store of value or medium of exchange. Instead, in regions with unstable economies, stablecoins are becoming the preferred digital asset. A Chainalysis report revealed that stablecoins were the most widely transferred digital asset in Latin America.
U.S. Pushes for Stablecoin Dominance
At the recent White House Crypto Summit, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made it clear that the U.S. wants to maintain its global financial dominance through stablecoins. He announced that the government plans to use stablecoins to reinforce U.S. dollar hegemony and protect its reserve currency status.
Bitcoin’s Future: Still Early, But Still Uncertain
Bitcoin has come a long way from its cypherpunk origins, even becoming a U.S. government reserve asset. But as Bitwise pointed out, institutional adoption is barely in its infancy. In fact, only 4% of the world owns Bitcoin, and adoption remains stuck at 3% of its potential. This suggests that Bitcoin’s mainstream future could still face major hurdles.
At the time of writing, BTC is sitting at $81,780.30.
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