1. Clearer regulatory frameworks for cryptocurrencies will be established. In South Africa and globally, governments and regulatory bodies will work to strike the right balance between investor protection and financial stability, while fostering innovation in the crypto space.
   
2. Price volatility has been a hallmark of the crypto market and will continue. With the next Bitcoin halving expected to take place in 2024 (then likely 2028 and 2032) some commentators anticipate a bull market considering that previous halvings have been preceded and followed by a bull market.
   
3. On the back of improved regulations, greater infrastructure development, and a growing recognition of cryptocurrencies as a legitimate asset class, the crypto market will increasingly attract institutional investors.
   
4. The crypto industry is only about 15 years old. Although digital assets are currently considered an oddity by the old-school financial fraternity, we think that in a few years, asset managers will be allocating a portion of your retirement funds to Bitcoin.
   
5. As awareness grows about the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining, sustainability and green initiatives will be areas of focus in the sector. This is also likely to lead to more proof-of-stake blockchain consensus mechanisms. While the blockchain acts as a virtual cheque book and ledger to process incoming and outgoing transactions, proof-of-stake is a type of consensus protocol that relies on a network of ‘validators’ with similar responsibilities to miners: ordering transactions and creating new blocks that have to be agreed upon by all parties before being added to the blockchain.
   
6. Decentralised finance (DeFi) will continue to expand and innovate beyond what we can imagine now to offer a wide range of financial products and services, such as lending, borrowing, staking, and yield farming.
   
7. There will be increased integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology, which will enable applications like AI-powered smart contracts, decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs), and predictive analytics for crypto markets. AI is just starting to emerge as a mainstream concept, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
   
8. Interoperability solutions will gain prominence as the number of blockchain networks increases and are adopted by the wider traditional financial world. Interoperability is the ability of technology to work with other systems and enables seamless communication and transactions across different blockchain platforms. In addition, they say that true adoption happens when people aren’t even aware of the tech that’s powering the solution - the Internet is the ultimate example. The time is coming when most people aren’t even aware that the app or tech they’re using is running on crypto under the hood.
   
9. The development and adoption of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are expected to accelerate and governments worldwide will create their own digital currencies backed by central banks. Over 100 countries worldwide are exploring CBDCs, which could have significant implications for the crypto industry by bringing digital currencies into the mainstream for citizens.
   
10. Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) are evolving beyond art and collectibles. They are expected to expand into various industries like gaming, music, sports, and virtual real estate, which will likely give rise to more NFT marketplaces and platforms.

“The only thing we can be completely certain of is continued unpredictability in the crypto market. Since we’re in it for the long haul, we look forward to finding out how these trends shape the sector in the next decade,” concludes de Wit.