As 2024 approaches, crypto analytics firm Nansen insightful predictions for the crypto sector, anticipating significant developments and shifts. Despite cautious optimism, they acknowledge a 10-20% chance of inflation resurgence after the US Federal Reserve (Fed) pivot, potentially impacting crypto prices.
As of this writing, the total crypto market capitalization is $1.5 trillion on the daily chart and seems poised for further upside in the long run.
Crypto total market capitalization trends to the upside on the daily chart as the year ends. Source:
AI As Primary Use Case: The New Hot Thing In 2024?
According to the firm, a key high-conviction bet for 2024 is the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents as primary blockchain users. Integrating AI and blockchain is expected to “advance rapidly, enhancing blockchain performance and broadening use cases.”
This development signifies a crucial step in the blockchain world, potentially transforming how transactions and interactions are processed on the network.
Another focus area is the intent-centric applications that address user experience (UX) challenges in the crypto space. These applications are designed to simplify user interactions with networks, removing complexities and making the technology more accessible to a broader audience.
As seen in the chart below, the integration between AI and crypto is already paying off for early investors. Despite the persistent downside pressure recorded across the board, the AI tokens sector has been among the best-performing in the nascent industry.
AI tokens recorded over 200% in profits in 2023 and could potentially extend these gains. Source: Nansen
2024 is also projected to be a pivotal year for decentralized exchanges (DEXs). Nansen forecasts that DEXs will gain significant market share from centralized exchanges (CEXs), driven by monetary incentives and innovative features.
This shift could mark a fundamental change in the crypto trading landscape, emphasizing the growing importance of decentralized financial systems. Since 2020 and 2021, DEX has been gaining ground over CEX, and the trend might favor the former in 2024.
Finally, Nansen believes that the largest and most trusted cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is expected to secure a broader range of use cases beyond simple transactions. This expansion could open new avenues for Bitcoin and highlight its versatility and robustness as a digital asset.
Use cases such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) already gained popularity in 2023, and this trend might continue. However, some Bitcoin community members are fighting the change, which could hinder its adoption and implementation.
Nansen: Market Scenario Analysis For 2024
The potential scenarios for the crypto market in 2024 depend a lot on the macroeconomic situation. In a “soft landing” situation, where inflation slows without drastically increasing unemployment, crypto prices are expected to grow steadily.
However, there’s also the possibility of a re-acceleration of inflation or a recession, which would pose challenges for crypto prices and change the bullish narrative. Nansen’s analysis also acknowledges structural drivers likely to influence the crypto market, such as the statistical boost around Bitcoin’s halving.
These structural drivers also include the adoption of blockchain by major traditional players and regulatory clarity, particularly around a BTC spot Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) in the US. However, unknowns like geopolitical events and macroeconomic shifts could significantly impact the market.
In conclusion, Nansen’s research presents a nuanced view of the crypto market in 2024, highlighting potential growth areas like AI integration and DEXs while remaining aware of the challenges ahead. The year promises to be crucial for the crypto sector, with significant developments expected in technology integration, market structures, and regulatory landscapes.
Cover image from Unsplash, chart from Tradingview
A literature major, Reynaldo Márquez has been deeply immersed in the crypto industry since 2017. His journey began with translating articles for various crypto news outlets, a role he took on with zeal. In 2018, amidst a challenging market, he embraced his first writing assignment, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to the nascent industry and the promise of change it bears for many people worldwide.
In March 2021, he joined the prestigious crypto news outlet NewsBTC and Bitcoinist, where he not only reported on the latest crypto news but also had the privilege of interviewing some of the industry's most influential figures. A year later, his dedication and hard work were recognized, and he was promoted to Managing Editor, a position he currently holds with pride.
He believes in honesty, good communication, hard work, and the power of cryptocurrency and its potential to transform people's lives, especially those alienated by the legacy financial system. Born in 1992 in Venezuela, Reynaldo is familiar with how governments and central banks can negatively affect people, their everyday lives, and their futures by creating inflation and erasing their hopes for a better future. Thus, like many Venezuelans, he embraced this new technology to help him and his family navigate difficult times.
In another life, Reynaldo would have pursued a career as an investigator, most likely tracking down the origins of the Cyberpunk movement with the publication of William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer.’ The intersection between fiction and reality, with the materialization of Bitcoin in 2009, would have allowed him to dive deep into the crypto sphere as something more than a financial phenomenon but also a cultural shift in society that was brewing since the XX century, and maybe even sooner, in the XIX century with the publication of Henry David Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience.’
But that’s for another life. In this one, Reynaldo has been trading to improve his trading skills. Since 2023, he has been trying to learn Python to create successful strategies and find ways to execute them. It is a difficult task, which continues to keep him busy today and will most likely continue to keep him busy in the near and long term.
In his free time, he enjoys lifting heavy objects, reading, watching movies, and listening to his favorite music. Some of his favorite authors are Walt Whitman, William Faulkner, Allen Ginsberg, James Baldwin, Raymond Carver, Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Mario Vargas Llosa, Reinaldo Arenas, Rafael Cadenas, and many others. Lately, he has been primarily interested in reading about dystopic societies, a topic that deeply resonates with the crypto industry.
Since 2023, he has lived in Spain with his wife. He loves the weather, the food, and the people and their culture. They both expect to travel much more within the country they now call home and beyond its border. He hopes to retire with his wife, maybe in a quiet place near a beach, but most likely in a city close to a library and a university with his kids and, hopefully, grandkids.
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