Cathie Wood, the well-known investor behind Ark Invest, is still very optimistic about the future of cryptocurrencies — especially Bitcoin — but she’s made a small change to her long-term prediction.

Bitcoin is by far the most valuable cryptocurrency in the world. Its market cap recently hit $2 trillion, making up more than half of the total crypto market value, which currently sits at around $3.4 trillion.

Ark Invest, the firm founded by Wood, runs several ETFs (exchange-traded funds) that focus on cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital assets such as cryptocurrencies. Wood has long been one of Bitcoin’s strongest supporters. Earlier this year, she said Bitcoin could reach $1.5 million per coin by 2030 — a huge jump from its current price of about $102,000.

But in a recent interview on November 6, Wood slightly lowered her target to $1.2 million. She explained that stablecoins — a newer type of cryptocurrency — are quickly gaining traction in the finance world and taking over some of the roles she once thought Bitcoin would play.

**What Are Stablecoins?**

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value, usually pegged to the U.S. dollar. This means 1 stablecoin is always worth about $1. To keep the value steady, the companies behind stablecoins hold real U.S. dollars in reserve for every coin they issue.

This helps solve one of crypto’s biggest problems: price volatility. Bitcoin’s price can swing wildly — sometimes dropping 50% or more — which makes it hard to use for everyday transactions or business payments.

Because stablecoins don’t have this volatility, they’re easier and safer to use for sending money. You can transfer them across borders almost instantly on blockchains like Ethereum and Solana. They’re also much cheaper to send compared to traditional banking systems. For example, sending dollars internationally through a bank can take days and cost up to 3% in fees, while sending stablecoins usually takes minutes and costs just a few dollars.

That’s why stablecoins are becoming more popular for real-world payments.

**Why Bitcoin Is Still Valuable**

Even though stablecoins are better for payments, Bitcoin still holds a unique place in the crypto world as a store of value — similar to digital gold.

Bitcoin is decentralized, meaning no government or company controls it. It also has a fixed supply: only 21 million coins will ever exist. This scarcity makes it attractive to investors looking to protect their wealth.

According to Ark Invest, there are three major reasons why Bitcoin could still grow significantly by 2030:

1. **Replacing Gold**: Bitcoin is cheaper and easier to store and move than gold. Ark believes Bitcoin could eventually take over 60% of gold’s market value, which currently stands at $28 trillion. That would add about $17 trillion to Bitcoin’s total market cap.

2. **Institutional Investment**: Big financial institutions are starting to invest in Bitcoin through ETFs and other regulated products. Ark estimates that by 2030, institutions will manage $200 trillion in assets and could allocate about 6.5% — or $13 trillion — to Bitcoin.

3. **Use in Emerging Markets**: In countries with unstable currencies and high inflation, Bitcoin can be a useful tool for saving money. All you need is internet access — no need for a bank account or physical assets like gold.

These factors originally led Ark Invest to predict a $1.5 million price target for Bitcoin by 2030.

**Updated Prediction Still Shows Strong Growth Potential**

In its latest “Big Ideas” report for 2025, Ark noted that stablecoins processed $15.6 trillion in transactions during 2024 — more than Visa or Mastercard. Because stablecoins are proving more useful for day-to-day transactions, Wood has revised her expectations for how much value Bitcoin could gain from being used as currency in developing nations.

As a result, she lowered her 2030 price target from $1.5 million to $1.2 million per coin. That’s still an enormous potential increase of over 1,100% from today’s price of around $102,000.

So while Bitcoin may not become the world’s go-to payment method, it remains a dominant force in crypto with massive upside potential — especially as a long-term store of value and investment asset.