Bitcoin’s $124k Rally and the Rise of Utility

Bitcoin has stormed back in 2025, hitting a new all-time high of over $124,000 in August after a turbulent start to the year. The rally is more than a speculative rebound. It is the manifestation of crypto’s long-promised integration into the global financial system.

But unlike earlier cycles, this rally is not lifting the entire market. Investors are now rewarding utility and the CoinDesk 20 Index is emerging as the benchmark for separating signal from noise.

Institutions are all-in

Physical bitcoin exchange traded products (ETPs) pulled in nearly $38 billion over the past year, pushing global AUM beyond $165 billion. Hedge funds are exploiting basis trades, corporates are stockpiling bitcoin and the U.S. has gone as far as creating a strategic bitcoin reserve.

At the same time, liquidity and infrastructure have transformed. Per Glassnode, CME-listed futures now cover bitcoin, ether, SOL and XRP, while bitcoin options open interest has topped $50 billion. Bitcoin has never looked more institutional.

Macro tailwind

Trump’s second-term tax cuts and a U.S. debt pile north of $34 trillion have investors bracing for dollar debasement. Global reserve managers are hedging with gold and alternatives. Bitcoin’s scarcity and neutrality make it the obvious complement.

Our model places bitcoin at $250,000 by 2030 under base-case monetary expansion assumptions.. If fiscal policy turns more reckless, that upside could accelerate.

Altcoins face a reality check

Crucially, this bull cycle is no longer about a rising tide lifting all boats. Investors are rewarding protocols that deliver real-world impact. Solana has evolved into the leading consumer-grade blockchain. Ethereum has formed as the institutional backbone of on-chain finance. XRP, armed with legal clarity, is cementing itself as a low-cost, high-speed settlement layer for cross-border finance.

The market is finally demanding fundamentals, and projects without substance are fading into irrelevance.

CoinDesk 20: investible core

For institutions, the challenge is allocating without getting lost in noise. The CoinDesk 20 Index is fast becoming the selector’s benchmark. Covering nearly 85% of the investible market cap, it excludes memecoins and illiquid small caps, focusing instead on the assets that matter.

In many ways, it is crypto’s S&P 500: curated, liquid and institutionally scalable. For allocators looking to enter the market with conviction but without chaos, the CoinDesk 20 is the smart first step.

Bottom line

Crypto’s real economy moment has arrived. Bitcoin anchors the macro hedge, but the future is a broader, more functional market where utility drives value.

For a deeper dive, see WisdomTree’s autumn market outlook.