The rise of Bitcoin as the premier digital currency introduced a renaissance to the underlying understanding of money, value, economy, and utilities surrounding humans. Beginning from diverse names placarded on Bitcoin and crypto— from scams to being a facade/joke of the century and a useless asset of investment, we have watched continuous growth in the injection of liquidity into it for the last decade. Yet, we have watched one of the wildest adoptions in human history.
A Revolutionary Change
The crypto market cap sustained a persistent struggle below a million-dollar market cap sequel to the price of a bitcoin which only buys and sells for less than (Or equal to) a dollar per $BTC. In 2010 (Barely a year after the launch), Bitcoin remained the only traded cryptocurrency and there are less than two crypto exchanges where users can exchange their BTC for fiat (Mt. God and VirWox later). Before these exchanges, Bitcoin early adopters only got their BTCs via mining or actively engaging Bitcointalk— the available Bitcoin community deployed by Satoshi himself to ease peer-to-peer trading.
Mt. Gox’s appearance into the obscene scene of liquidity disorderliness, absence, and difficulty in obtaining the only crypto (BTC) in early 2010 was a systematic saving. This famous crypto exchange went to get hacked in the following year (2011), with the hacker selling Bitcoin from $17—force-driving the price to $0 in minutes and compromising the crypto space again. This also further boosts the belief of non-users of bitcoin/crypto while making a sharp drawdown in the crypto market cap (Since Mt. Gox holds ≈ 70% of the entire market).
A Million-Dollar Market Cap
Bitcoin and the whole crypto market crawled into the million-dollar market zone between 2011 and 2012 November. It traded above the $100-million mark price and at this point, we now have more bitcoin in circulation as the only coin traded and one that singularly defines the total crypto market cap.
On the 19th of December, the total crypto market was trading at about $26.6 million with Bitcoin selling at a buy price of $3.36 per bitcoin.
The total crypto market capitalisation between 2010 and 2013 averaged $140 million with Bitcoin prices rising from $0 to $13, $15, and $18.
A Billion-Dollar Market Cap
In the wake of 2013, the total crypto market cap (Which was largely Bitcoin) traded at about $569 million on the 19th of March and topped a billion-dollar cap on April 6th of Q2 the same year.
Although there was a consequential drop of the market cap below the billions range in Q3, it did sustain a $1.5-billion market cap and began the seasons of the major and most populous pump that moved the market cap above $10 billion in Q1 2014.
A Trillion-Dollar Market Cap
The trillion market cap dream for the total crypto market was not an overnight design, but a proven process of global adoption, overtime deployment and development of new crypto ecosystems plus exchanges, and influencers in different layers and cadres.
From Q2 and Q3 of 2014 up till the wake of Q2 of 2015, the market had a deep correction from its “Billion-dollar” all-time high to the $2-billion zone in readiness for the incoming trillion-dollar dream.
From the Q2 of 2016 till the Q1 of 2021, the total crypto market was on a sustained uptrend till it touched the $1-trillion mark zone and went above in the same year.
The Crypto Market Cap and Years
Through the years from 2010, the crypto market cap has risen from zero to trillions in USD and has sustained its consistency over time. In summary;
- 2010— The crypto market cap closed above $200 thousand and almost $1.5 million.
- 2011— The crypto market cap closed above $20 million.
- 2012— The crypto market cap closed above $140 million.
- 2013— The crypto market cap closed above $4.2 billion.
- 2014— The crypto market cap closed above $4.5 billion.
- 2015— The crypto market cap closed above $6.3 billion.
- 2016— The crypto market cap closed above $13.9 billion.
- 2017— The crypto market cap closed above $532 billion.
- 2018— The crypto market cap closed above $100 billion.
- 2019— The crypto market cap closed above $197 billion.
- 2020— The crypto market cap closed above $700 billion.
- 2021— The crypto market cap closed above $2.2 trillion.
- 2022— The crypto market cap closed above $760 billion.
- 2023— The crypto market is currently trading at slightly above $1 trillion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Crypto Market Cap?
This is also known as the cryptocurrency market capitalisation and it refers to the weighted value and global estimation of baskets of digital currencies. It is an investment tool for investors to make investment decisions.
At What Point Did Other Coins Define the Market Cap?
From 2017 when altcoins (like Ethereum and Binance coin—BNB) and crypto exchanges came into the scene, the liquidity input from these assets and exchanges contributes and defines the USD-based estimate of the Crypto market cap. The altcoin market sits at $540 billion—thus explaining the input of altcoins/other coins in the market cap.
How Is the Crypto Market Cap Calculated?
It is calculated by multiplying the total number of coins that have been mined (I.e. the available circulating supply) by the fiat price of a single unit of that coin at any given time.
CMC = CS × FP
Crypto Market Cap = Circulating Supply × Fiat Price (USD).
E.g Bitcoin is currently trading at $27560 and the circulating supply is 19.3M. CMC = 27560 × 19.3m = $532.6 billion (The market cap for BTC).
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