LONGITUDE Expert Group: Institutional purchases of Bitcoin (BTC) may soon make it difficult for retail investors to get on board.

Source: Cointelegraph Original: "LONGITUDE Expert Group: Institutional buying of Bitcoin (BTC) may soon make it difficult for retail investors to enter the market"

The time window for retail investors to accumulate Bitcoin is shrinking, while institutional adoption is accelerating.

According to Sergej Kunz, co-founder of the trading aggregation platform 1inch, as institutional adoption of Bitcoin accelerates, the time window for ordinary investors to accumulate Bitcoin (BTC) is rapidly shrinking.

At the Cointelegraph LONGITUDE summit held in Dubai, Kunz pointed out that Bitcoin is gradually transforming into an alternative reserve currency. This trend not only drives the growth of institutional demand but may eventually exclude ordinary retail investors from the market.

"Every retail user should consider holding at least one Bitcoin — soon they will be unable to afford its price," Kunz emphasized at the meeting.

He further predicts that if the United States begins to purchase Bitcoin for its strategic reserves, even smaller countries may soon face difficulties in acquiring this cryptocurrency. "I am very confident that we will soon witness countries competing for Bitcoin holdings. The United States will take the lead."

Since U.S. President Trump announced comprehensive tariffs on U.S. imports in April, the demand for Bitcoin has significantly accelerated, a decision that has sparked global trade tensions.

Yat Siu, co-founder of Animoca Brands, stated at the same forum: "Bitcoin is still the only asset that can truly hedge against inflation across borders."

During the week of April 21-25, Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) attracted over $3 billion in inflows, mainly because institutional investors are seeking "digital gold" as a safe-haven asset amid increasing macroeconomic uncertainty.

Market analysts point out that strong demand from financial institutions may drive the price of Bitcoin to reach a high of $200,000 per coin within this year. André Dragosch, head of Bitwise's European research division, further predicts that by 2029, as institutional investors widely adopt Bitcoin, the price of this cryptocurrency is expected to break the $1 million mark.

"The bright side for Bitcoin (BTC) is that historical data shows economic uncertainty often accelerates the process of institutional investors incorporating digital assets into diversified strategies," said David Siemer, co-founder and CEO of Wave Digital Assets, in an interview with Cointelegraph.

According to the latest data from BitcoinTreasuries.NET, as of May 1, Bitcoin ETFs and other institutional funds hold BTC valued at over $128 billion. The data also shows that corporate treasuries hold approximately $73 billion in Bitcoin assets.

Sovereign nations — including the United States, China, and the United Kingdom — have accumulated Bitcoin (BTC) valued at over $130 billion. However, it is worth noting that most of these holdings come from crypto assets seized by law enforcement agencies, rather than from government purchases of Bitcoin.

Related Articles: Bitcoin (BTC) illiquid supply reaches 14 million, holders set a new record in the bull market.