Crypto: Bitcoin Adoption Is Booming, Even If Its Price Isn’t: River 2026

River reports that Bitcoin adoption surged in 2025, cementing it as a mature asset class, even as its price has halved since hitting a peak in October.

Bitcoin’s adoption by institutions, banks, merchants, public companies, and nation-states has boomed in 2025, despite the recent price drawdown, says the financial services company River.

“There is no bear market in Bitcoin adoption,” River said in a report published on Tuesday, which noted that while Bitcoin (BTC) is down 50% from its all-time high, “adoption is compounding in ways that aren’t affecting the price, yet.”

“Trust in Bitcoin has grown faster than that of any asset in history,” it said. “What began as an experiment is now a globally recognized store-of-value, with adoption patterns that rival the internet.”

River reported that institutions accumulated 829,000 BTC in 2025, including purchases by businesses, governments, funds, and exchange-traded funds.

Registered investment advisors have been net buying BTC for eight quarters in a row and have invested roughly $1.5 billion in Bitcoin ETFs per quarter over the past two years, River said.

It noted that these institutions represent “millions of underlying individuals” gaining exposure to Bitcoin for the first time through brokerage accounts, retirement plans, sovereign funds and corporate balance sheets.

Related: Public companies increase Bitcoin holdings despite range-bound prices

Additionally, 60% of the top US banks are building Bitcoin products. “With a favorable regulatory environment in the US, banks can now custody Bitcoin and offer Bitcoin products to their customers,” it stated.

Businesses were the largest buyers of BTC in 2025, with a majority of purchases driven by crypto treasury companies, whose adoption grew 2.5 times last year.

Source: CoinTelegraph