Bitcoin near $78,000 as broader ETF access in focus

U.S. spot Bitcoin funds accumulated around $57 billion in net inflows during their first two years, but access remains far more limited in markets such as South Korea, where investors face restrictions on domestic and foreign-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs

Bitcoin traded near $78,000 on Sunday, little changed over the past 24 hours, as attention shifted toward whether broader ETF access and a more practical pitch to retail investors can drive the cryptocurrency’s next phase of adoption.

CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju said institutional money and exchange-traded funds outside the U.S. could eventually drive the peak of Bitcoin’s current bull cycle. Bitcoin was trading up 0.56% at $78,065.5 as of 08:55 GMT.

U.S. spot Bitcoin funds accumulated around $57 billion in net inflows during their first two years, but access remains far more limited in markets such as South Korea, where investors face restrictions on domestic and foreign-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs.

Ju argued that wider international distribution, deeper stablecoin liquidity and tokenized real-world asset infrastructure could broaden participation, with more institutions potentially holding Bitcoin as a strategic asset.

Yet expanding adoption may require changing how Bitcoin is presented to ordinary investors.

A Bitcoin Policy Institute study of 1,516 Americans found the longstanding “digital gold” narrative ranked poorly compared with messages centred on control, security, historical performance and the ability to start with small investments.

The research identified 52% of respondents as potentially persuadable. After participants were shown different Bitcoin messages, the share saying they had no interest in ownership dropped to 32% from 39%, while those expressing strong interest rose to 24% from 19%.

Financial advisers and retirement experts also ranked well above celebrities and influencers as trusted sources of information.

The findings suggest Bitcoin’s next adoption wave could increasingly depend on familiar financial products and incremental allocations rather than arguments about replacing traditional money.

Crypto infrastructure could gain another use case from artificial intelligence. Animoca Brands Chairman Yat Siu estimates 50 billion to 100 billion autonomous AI agents could eventually transact online, potentially using crypto wallets rather than conventional bank accounts.

For Bitcoin, those developments point to a market where adoption is becoming less about crypto ideology and increasingly about distribution, accessibility and integration with mainstream finance.