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The Last 5 Years in Crypto – Key Events by Year
2020 – DeFi Boom and Institutional Entry
DeFi Summer: With protocols like Uniswap, Compound, and Aave, DeFi TVL grew more than 10x in a single year.
Institutional interest: MicroStrategy became the first major company to purchase Bitcoin, sparking institutional adoption.
Ethereum surge: Gas fees hit record highs due to DeFi activity.
COVID-19 impact: In March 2020, the crypto market crashed hard but recovered to near ATH levels by year-end.
2021 – NFT Craze and Bull Market
Bitcoin ATH: In November 2021, BTC hit $69,000, an all-time high.
NFT explosion: Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Beeple’s $69M art sale made headlines.
Ethereum upgrade: EIP-1559 introduced the burn mechanism.
Celebrity & brand rush: Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Adidas, Nike, and others jumped into NFTs and the metaverse.
Meme coin mania: Driven by Elon Musk, Dogecoin surged over 10,000%.
2022 – Collapses and Trust Crisis
Terra (LUNA/UST) collapse: Over $60B in market value evaporated.
Bankruptcies: Celsius, Voyager, and Three Arrows Capital went under.
FTX scandal: Sam Bankman-Fried’s empire imploded, wiping out billions.
Crypto winter begins: Bitcoin dropped to around $16,000.
Regulatory pressure: U.S. and European regulators intensified policy debates.
2023 – Recovery and ETF Hopes
Bitcoin recovery: Mid-year BTC climbed back to $30,000.
Arbitrum airdrop: Users received millions worth of ARB tokens.
BlackRock’s ETF filing: Boosted confidence in institutional adoption.
Ethereum Shapella upgrade: Enabled ETH withdrawals from staking.
NFT market slowdown: Trading volume dropped sharply compared to 2021.
2024 – ETF Approvals and Bullish Signs
January 2024: The U.S. SEC approved spot Bitcoin ETFs (BlackRock, Fidelity, etc.).
Halving anticipation: The April 2024 halving fueled bullish sentiment.
Layer 2 growth: Networks like Base, zkSync, and Optimism hit record usage.
Meme coin revival: PEPE, BONK, and others saw explosive short-term rallies.
CBDC pilots: China, Europe, and other nations accelerated digital currency trials.
2025 – So Far
Strategic Bitcoin Reserve – U.S. National Reserves
In March 2025, the U.S. signed an executive order to establish an official Strategic Bitcoin Reserve using seized and abandoned BTC. Additional reserves were created for other digital assets.
GENIUS Act – Federal Oversight on Stablecoins
Passed by the Senate (June 17) and the House (July 17), and signed by President Trump on July 18, this law requires stablecoins to maintain 100% reserves, audits, and full transparency—a historic regulatory milestone in the U.S.
Bitcoin and Market Cap Milestones
By July 2025, the total crypto market cap surpassed $4 trillion, fueled by ETF inflows and confidence from the GENIUS Act.
In August 2025, Bitcoin reached a new ATH of $124,000, up 32% since the start of the year.
Coinbase Acquires Deribit
In May 2025, Coinbase announced its $2.9B acquisition of derivatives giant Deribit—expanding its product suite and signaling strength in the post-regulation era.
Mega Hacks and Security Alarm
In H1 2025, crypto sector losses exceeded $2.17B. The largest incidents included a massive ByBit breach and a major security failure at CoinDCX.
The Last 5 Years in Crypto – Key Events by Year
2020 – DeFi Boom and Institutional Entry
DeFi Summer: With protocols like Uniswap, Compound, and Aave, DeFi TVL grew more than 10x in a single year.
Institutional interest: MicroStrategy became the first major company to purchase Bitcoin, sparking institutional adoption.
Ethereum surge: Gas fees hit record highs due to DeFi activity.
COVID-19 impact: In March 2020, the crypto market crashed hard but recovered to near ATH levels by year-end.
2021 – NFT Craze and Bull Market
Bitcoin ATH: In November 2021, BTC hit $69,000, an all-time high.
NFT explosion: Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Beeple’s $69M art sale made headlines.
Ethereum upgrade: EIP-1559 introduced the burn mechanism.
Celebrity & brand rush: Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Adidas, Nike, and others jumped into NFTs and the metaverse.
Meme coin mania: Driven by Elon Musk, Dogecoin surged over 10,000%.
2022 – Collapses and Trust Crisis
Terra (LUNA/UST) collapse: Over $60B in market value evaporated.
Bankruptcies: Celsius, Voyager, and Three Arrows Capital went under.
FTX scandal: Sam Bankman-Fried’s empire imploded, wiping out billions.
Crypto winter begins: Bitcoin dropped to around $16,000.
Regulatory pressure: U.S. and European regulators intensified policy debates.
2023 – Recovery and ETF Hopes
Bitcoin recovery: Mid-year BTC climbed back to $30,000.
Arbitrum airdrop: Users received millions worth of ARB tokens.
BlackRock’s ETF filing: Boosted confidence in institutional adoption.
Ethereum Shapella upgrade: Enabled ETH withdrawals from staking.
NFT market slowdown: Trading volume dropped sharply compared to 2021.
2024 – ETF Approvals and Bullish Signs
January 2024: The U.S. SEC approved spot Bitcoin ETFs (BlackRock, Fidelity, etc.).
Halving anticipation: The April 2024 halving fueled bullish sentiment.
Layer 2 growth: Networks like Base, zkSync, and Optimism hit record usage.
Meme coin revival: PEPE, BONK, and others saw explosive short-term rallies.
CBDC pilots: China, Europe, and other nations accelerated digital currency trials.
2025 – So Far
Strategic Bitcoin Reserve – U.S. National Reserves
In March 2025, the U.S. signed an executive order to establish an official Strategic Bitcoin Reserve using seized and abandoned BTC. Additional reserves were created for other digital assets.
GENIUS Act – Federal Oversight on Stablecoins
Passed by the Senate (June 17) and the House (July 17), and signed by President Trump on July 18, this law requires stablecoins to maintain 100% reserves, audits, and full transparency—a historic regulatory milestone in the U.S.
Bitcoin and Market Cap Milestones
By July 2025, the total crypto market cap surpassed $4 trillion, fueled by ETF inflows and confidence from the GENIUS Act.
In August 2025, Bitcoin reached a new ATH of $124,000, up 32% since the start of the year.
Coinbase Acquires Deribit
In May 2025, Coinbase announced its $2.9B acquisition of derivatives giant Deribit—expanding its product suite and signaling strength in the post-regulation era.
Mega Hacks and Security Alarm
In H1 2025, crypto sector losses exceeded $2.17B. The largest incidents included a massive ByBit breach and a major security failure at CoinDCX.
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