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Following the latest Bitcoin (BTC) halving in 2024, the cryptocurrency community has been closely following the price action to see if it echoes the past with a clearly defined four-year cycle. Thanks to the confusing mixture of signals, the truth is that this is still a debate that might not be cleared up for a long time.
Institutional Adoption Lowers Volatility
The lower volatility levels seen in the last year or so are possibly one sign that BTC is changing from the traditional four-year cycle. In fact, it reached a new all-time high far earlier in the cycle than ever before, which confused market-watchers and has left us wondering what comes next.
One possible reason for this is a high level of institutional adoption that’s been occurring. Greater clarity, the emergence of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and the rise of Bitcoin treasure companies have led to a marketplace that is unrecognizable when compared to what existed during the last four-year cycle.
The big question now is whether BTC will enter into the bear market that traditionally follows the bull market after halving. While the price has dropped in recent times - mainly thanks to the dramatic flash crash or crypto crumble that shocked us on October 10 - it’s nothing like the huge crashes that have peppered previous cycles and left us shell-shocked.
Sign of a More Mature Market
Perhaps the changes we’ve seen in this cycle are simply the reflection of a more mature crypto market. After all, Bitcoin has been around since 2009 and has lived through numerous ups and downs since then.
The fact that Bitcoin is now being accepted as a genuine digital asset that could be classed as digital gold or a hedge against inflation certainly counts in its favor as well. It’s no longer seen as being a wild card in the financial world. Even the typical predictions of doom from mainstream financial analysts have largely disappeared, with very few people calling it a scam or saying it’s going to zero, like they did in the past.
A higher level of adoption among everyday users is another key factor that has helped establish this coin in the modern world as a viable alternative. This look at how to buy a house using BTC is an interesting sign of what may happen next, as people look to borrow against their cryptos rather than sell them.
The mBit Casino slots website tells us another part of the story, as we see how BTC is accepted for traditional gambling games. Slots like Booming Fruits 256 and Hot Coin may look like classic slot machines, but the way that BTC can be used to fund the casino account changes the scene completely.
This is one of the examples where the speed, security, and pseudo-anonymous nature of Bitcoin mean that it provides a new way of dealing with our money while carrying out traditional activities. Roulette and blackjack are among the other mBit Casino games that can be played in this way, meaning that crypto users can play in different ways once they’ve transferred some tokens to their casino wallet. Tron (TRX) and Litecoin (LTC) are among the other coins that can be used like this, although BTC remains the best known.
This video shows how analyzing crypto charts is now a hugely popular activity, but it’s far from the only way that people get enjoyment from cryptos now, as use cases like casinos gain more traction.
Are Altcoins Getting Left Behind?
If there’s one thing that most crypto followers want to know now, it’s whether the four-year cycle will have its usual blow-off top that is commonly known as alt season. So far, it’s been a massive disappointment for everyone who is hoping to see explosive action like in 2017 and 2021. Those who studied the market closely were clear about what had to happen in 2025: a new all-time high for BTC, followed by an all-time high for Ethereum (ETH), and then a face-melting alt season where the rest of the crypto world makes huge gains.
So far, it’s not worked like that at all. Both BTC and ETH have briefly touched new heights in 2025, but it’s not been enough to spark life in the alts, many of which are massively below their previous best prices. The reason for this appears to be simple - the BTC dominance figure refuses to drop low enough to give the rest of the market the fuel it needs for a huge run. Until that happens, the majority of altcoins will continue to languish.
The more controlled growth we’ve seen in Bitcoin is probably a sign that we’re entering a new phase in its development. It’s still too early to say if the four-year cycle is dead, but it certainly seems that it’s changing into something new and more sustainable.
