Bitcoin’s Price May Be Down, But Everyone’s Still Jumping On The Bandwagon

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Ah, Bitcoin. The rollercoaster that never quite leaves the station. Sure, it’s sitting comfortably below $65,000, around 50% off its all-time high, like an underperforming stock at a sad company retreat. But don’t let that fool you. A new report from River shows that, in 2025, Bitcoin adoption is experiencing something closer to a rave than a slump.

While the price seems to be stuck in traffic, institutions, businesses, financial advisors, and even entire countries are throwing themselves at Bitcoin like it’s the hottest new club in town.

Institutions Finally Get Bitcoin (But Not in the Way You Think)

One of the most eyebrow-raising bits of this report is the sheer scale of institutional buying. In 2025, these institutions acquired about 829,000 Bitcoins. That’s not a typo. We’re talking corporations, ETFs, investment funds, and even government-backed entities-everybody’s getting in. It’s as if someone announced a Bitcoin sale, and everyone rushed to check their wallets.

Financial advisors are in on it too. Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), who handle a mere $146 trillion in assets (yes, trillion), have been buying Bitcoin steadily for eight straight quarters. Apparently, the fear of missing out (FOMO) hit these advisors harder than the markets did in 2022. They’ve invested around $1.5 billion every quarter into Bitcoin ETFs. And guess what? They haven’t sold a single Bitcoin. Not a single one.

The fun doesn’t stop there-29 out of the top 30 US RIAs now have Bitcoin in their portfolios. But don’t pop the champagne just yet. They’re still sitting on a measly 0.008% of their assets in Bitcoin. Lots of room to grow, huh? Yeah, just a bit.

The Surge You Didn’t See Coming

So, what’s a person to do when the price of Bitcoin isn’t exactly blowing up? They look for the next big thing: adoption. Traditional banks are getting on the Bitcoin train, with 60% of the largest US banks working on developing Bitcoin-related products. Yep, the same banks that used to scoff at it now can’t stop talking about it. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Public companies also jumped on board. Bitcoin ownership among public companies more than doubled in 2025. While some of that came from Bitcoin treasury companies, many established corporations have been adding small amounts of BTC to their balance sheets. But don’t expect them to make it a headline. It’s the corporate version of whispering sweet nothings about Bitcoin behind closed doors. Expect the S&P 500 to follow suit soon enough.

Oh, and don’t forget the merchants. Over the last year, the number of businesses accepting Bitcoin in the U.S. tripled. Globally, it grew by 74%. It’s almost like people are finally figuring out how to use it for things other than online gambling and pizza.

Small, privately held companies are leading the charge here. They’re adopting Bitcoin in secret, like it’s some sort of hush-hush club. River, which works with over 3,000 businesses, says that the strongest growth is among these smaller companies. So, if you’ve got a small business and haven’t jumped on the Bitcoin bandwagon yet, what are you even doing?

When Nation-States Start Getting Involved

As if corporate and financial institutions weren’t enough, now nation-states are getting in on the action too. Five countries added Bitcoin to their reserves in 2025. Luxembourg and Saudi Arabia, who wouldn’t traditionally be associated with anything tech-related, are now Bitcoin holders. Even the Czech Republic has joined the ranks.

How are they getting their hands on Bitcoin, you ask? Through mining operations, direct purchases, ETFs, asset seizures, donations, and even hacking recoveries. The world is truly full of surprises.

“We expect that in the coming years, Bitcoin adoption will not only continue its current trend but meaningfully accelerate.”

So, here’s where we stand: Bitcoin’s price is down by 26% over the last month, and it’s down 31% year-to-date. But hey, who needs a sky-high price when everyone and their grandmother is buying Bitcoin in every way imaginable?

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2026-02-25 01:54