# The Future of Cryptocurrency By [soulZ](https://paragraph.com/@baghold) · 2022-05-23 --- 2021 was a big year for cryptocurrency. But what’s next in 2022? We’ve seen [Bitcoin hit multiple new all-time high prices](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/bitcoin-price-predictions/) over the past year — followed by [big drops](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/bitcoin-crash-continues/) — and more institutional buy-in from major companies. [Ethereum, the second-biggest cryptocurrency](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/ethereum-hits-new-all-time-high-price/), notched its own new all-time high late last year as well. U.S. government officials and [the Biden administration](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/infrastructure-bill-crypto-taxes/) have increasingly expressed interest in [new regulations for cryptocurrency](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/crypto-regulation-talks-heat-up/). All the while, people’s interest in crypto has [skyrocketed](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/most-googled-crypto-questions-answered/): it’s a hot topic not only among [investors](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/how-to-start-investing/) but in popular culture too, thanks to everyone from long-standing investors like Elon Musk to that kid from your high school on Facebook.   In many ways, 2021 was a “breakthrough,” says [Dave Abner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveabner/), head of global development at [Gemini](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/gemini-review/), a [popular cryptocurrency](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/types-of-cryptocurrency/) exchange. “There’s tremendous focus and attention being paid to \[the crypto industry\].” [**RELATED: Top Crypto News This Week**](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/latest-crypto-news/) But the industry is only in its infancy and constantly evolving. That’s a big part of why every [new Bitcoin high](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/bitcoin-price-increases/) can be easily followed by [big drops](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/bitcoin-crash-continues/). It’s difficult to predict where things are headed long-term, but in the coming months, experts are following themes from regulation to institutional adoption of crypto payments to try and get a better sense of the market.  While exact predictions are impossible, we asked five experts about what they’re paying attention to in the crypto space for the future: Cryptocurrency Regulation ------------------------- Expect continued conversations about [cryptocurrency regulation](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/crypto-regulation-talks-heat-up/). U.S officials have shown a particular interest in [stablecoin regulation](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/biden-admin-regulations-stablecoins/). Lawmakers in Washington D.C. and across the world are trying to figure out how to establish laws and guidelines to make cryptocurrency safer for investors and less appealing to [cybercriminals](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/poly-network-hack/).  “Regulation is probably one of the biggest overhangs in the crypto industry globally,” says [Jeffrey Wang](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-wang-00804612a/?originalSubdomain=ca), head of the Americas at Amber Group, a Canada-based crypto finance firm. “We would very much welcome clear regulation.” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said recently that he has “no intention” of banning cryptocurrency like [Ethereum](https://time.com/nextadvisor/investing/cryptocurrency/price/ethereum-eth/) in the U.S while Security and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler [has consistently commented](https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/gensler-aspen-security-forum-2021-08-03) on both his own agency’s and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s role in policing the industry. --- *Originally published on [soulZ](https://paragraph.com/@baghold/the-future-of-cryptocurrency)*