# Bitcoin breaks $123K: What happens next?

At 10:00 a.m. UTC, Bitcoin touched $123,100. By midday, the price slightly rolled back to $121,900, but the new record sent a strong signal to the entire market. Since July 10, when BTC first pushed through its May ceiling of $112,000, the coin has added about 10% in value. Bitcoin is now among the top-performing global assets in 2025 — competing not with altcoins or stocks, but with gold.

According to research from Creative Planning, BTC and gold are leading the return charts this year. It’s a rare pairing. "We’ve never seen both at the top at the same time," said strategist Charlie Bilello, whose remarks were quoted by Coindesk. In a financial world shaped by geopolitical anxiety and shifting policy, Bitcoin is no longer seen as a curiosity. It's a benchmark.

## The rally is no longer a crypto-only story

The broader crypto market followed suit: total capitalization surged past $3.8 trillion — a new high. The top 100 coins gained across the board, with double- and triple-digit growth in the last seven days.

What’s different this time is how much institutional weight is behind the rally. Asset managers, sovereign wealth funds, and even governments are now openly integrating Bitcoin into financial systems. And for once, politicians aren't lagging too far behind.

This week, the U.S. Congress began what it calls “Crypto Week” — five days dedicated to reviewing key legislation on stablecoins, crypto exchange regulation, and a proposed ban on CBDCs. It’s no coincidence that Bitcoin’s price spiked just as those discussions kicked off.

## From fringe asset to policy priority

Back in early March, Donald Trump — now once again President of the United States — signed an executive order to explore building a national crypto reserve. The document called Bitcoin “rare and secure,” comparing it directly to gold. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell also joined the chorus, describing BTC as a “digital store of value” rather than a currency or payment method. His phrasing was deliberate: Bitcoin, he said, is no threat to the dollar. But it is becoming a serious alternative to gold.

What was once a fringe idea is now being discussed in the Oval Office, the Fed, and the halls of Congress. In short: Bitcoin’s institutional era isn’t coming. It’s already here.

## Tariffs, Trump, and the new macro reality

Of course, not all of Bitcoin’s movement can be explained by crypto-native dynamics. Recent policy shifts in the U.S. — particularly the aggressive introduction of new tariffs on countries like Japan, Brazil, and South Korea — have added fresh uncertainty to global trade. Historically, that kind of uncertainty favors safe-haven assets like gold. Now, BTC seems to be filling the same role.

Interestingly, macroeconomic factors such as inflation or the Fed’s rate policy seem to be losing their grip on crypto price action. According to analysts at LondonCryptoClub, Bitcoin’s movements are increasingly shaped by liquidity flows and fiscal trends rather than short-term interest rate changes.

“The Fed used to move Bitcoin. Now it’s more about the broader money supply and dollar strength,” they noted in a July report. Bitcoin isn’t just charting its own path. It’s becoming its own macro narrative.

## What could come next?

There’s no shortage of predictions. Some analysts see BTC testing $135,000 in the coming weeks. Galaxy Digital has forecast a rise to $150,000 before year-end, citing growing ETF inflows and a steady rise in institutional exposure. Trading activity also reflects the trend: long-term holders are accumulating, and exchanges are seeing record outflows.

Still, not everyone is confident this rally is bulletproof. Market watchers warn that if the U.S. Congress drags its feet on regulatory clarity — or if Trump’s trade policies backfire — it could trigger a short-term correction.

But so far, the momentum has held. Even retail investors, who had mostly sat out the last six months, are re-entering the market. Search trends for “how to buy Bitcoin” are spiking again. The psychological shift is clear: the idea of a six-figure Bitcoin no longer sounds like fantasy.

## The big players are already here

While social media debates whether the bull run is sustainable, the world’s largest funds are quietly adding BTC to their portfolios. BlackRock and Fidelity now manage over $70 billion in Bitcoin through their ETFs. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund recently disclosed exposure through a Swiss-based custodian. And on-chain data hints that Apple may be experimenting with crypto treasury tools — although the company has not confirmed this.

This is a far cry from 2021, when such moves would have caused shockwaves. Today, it’s business as usual.

### W﻿hat to keep in mind

![](img/снимок-экрана-2025-07-14-190504.jpg)

## Bitcoin has changed the game

Bitcoin’s new all-time high is more than just a number. It’s confirmation that the rules have shifted.

Where once BTC was seen as speculative, today it's discussed in the same breath as treasuries, real estate, and commodities. It’s sitting in government reports. It’s on balance sheets. It’s in pension funds.

Whether Congress passes crypto-friendly laws this week or stalls, the bigger trend is harder to deny: Bitcoin is no longer waiting for approval. It’s setting the agenda.

The question for investors, traders, and policymakers alike is no longer “Is Bitcoin real?” The real question now is: **Are you ready for it to stay?**

July 14, 2025: Bitcoin just made history again, crossing the $123,000 mark. The world’s first cryptocurrency has reached another all-time high, and it's no longer just crypto traders paying attention.

The new all-time high: What to expect next for Bitcoin? 

# A trend worth billions: why corporations are catching bitcoin fever

While the crypto market is once again balancing between hope and correction, one trend remains steady. Increasingly, public companies are investing in bitcoin, not as part of individual initiatives, but as part of a comprehensive strategy. For some, it's a defence against inflation. For others, it's a way to consolidate influence in a new financial architecture. The question is not why they started. The question is why they don't stop.

## Who and how much

According to BitcoinTreasuries, as of June 2025, the total amount of BTC held by public companies exceeds 320,000 coins. At current prices, that's more than $33 billion. Leading the way is MicroStrategy, which has more than 214,000 BTC. However, the first quarter of 2025 was especially active, as Tesla and Block resumed purchases, and new players from Japan, Singapore, and South Korea entered the market.

In March, Chinese giant Meituan announced the purchase of 8,000 BTC. Large U.S. companies, including BlackRock and Fidelity, have increased their investments in bitcoin ETFs. This is creating additional demand and supporting the exchange rate, which is holding above $100,000 in the summer.

### Why do they do it

The primary motive is capital preservation in the face of global monetary easing. While the dollar continues to lose purchasing power, bitcoin is perceived as a deflationary asset with limited issuance. Not so much "digital gold" but an alternative to an eroding system.

Another factor is pressure from shareholders and institutional partners. Bitcoin is finally out of the fringe in 2023-2024. After the first ETFs were approved in the US, they were recognized as an institutional asset. This means that if you are managing a portfolio with a focus on the future, it is simply dangerous to ignore BTC.

![Image by Investopedia / Alice Morgan](img/bitcoins-price-history-final3-56d81947a532495ea0b0c3b41e880a8a.webp "Image by Investopedia / Alice Morgan")

Image by *[Investopedia / Alice Morganmage](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/121815/bitcoins-price-history.asp)*

A new phase: Bitcoin on the balance sheet of companies

A key feature of the current cycle is that Bitcoin is no longer just a hedge against inflation. It is increasingly seen as a strategic element. It can be used as collateral for borrowing, used in cross-border settlements, and used as a digital reserve. Companies view it not as a speculative instrument, but as an infrastructural part of their financial operations.

For example, Canada's Hut 8 in 2025 started accepting payment in BTC for providing hashrate and infrastructure services. Japan's Rakuten sees bitcoin as a unit of account in its loyalty ecosystem. Korea's Kakao has introduced BTC support in its Klaytn payment platform.

### Why it matters

The more companies hold BTC, the fewer coins are in free circulation. This forms a scarcity effect. At the same time, it increases the institutional stability of the crypto market. Whereas it previously depended on news from stock exchanges and the sentiment of retail investors, the exchange rate is now influenced by the decisions made by the board of directors of a trillion-dollar capitalization corporation.

It also adds to the political weight of Bitcoin. When the most prominent corporations have a decentralised asset on their balance sheets, a blockchain or aggressive regulation becomes not just a risk, but a blow to business. This changes the very agenda around crypto: from a "geek" topic, it becomes a matter of public economics.

## What's next

A new wave of public company reporting is expected in 2025, where Bitcoin will appear as part of the balance sheet. Several more ETF products are also scheduled to launch in Europe and Asia. Against this background, regulators will be forced to adapt to the new reality: Bitcoin is no longer on the periphery, but at the centre of financial flows.

For businesses, this is a signal: if you're still thinking about whether to get in or not, you're already late. And it's not about the hype, it's about the fact that a new monetary system is forming before our eyes. Not everyone will find a place in it. However, those who manage to get in now will gain incomparably more than just the growth in the asset's value.

Discover why businesses want to buy Bitcoin

Why is big business turning crypto into a corporate asset?

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# Bitcoin Script: The hidden language of digital gold

When most people think of Bitcoin, they imagine digital gold - a store of value that has captivated investors and sceptics alike. But beneath the surface of every Bitcoin transaction lies a sophisticated programming language that most users never see, yet it determines exactly how their digital assets can be spent, stored, and protected.

Bitcoin Script, the stackable programming language built into the Bitcoin protocol, represents one of the most underrated yet most important innovations in cryptocurrency technology. In contrast to the flashy smart contract platforms that dominate the headlines, Bitcoin's scripting capabilities have quietly evolved to enable increasingly complex financial transactions while maintaining the network's legendary security and reliability.

## The foundation of digital trust

Bitcoin Script works on a simple but powerful principle: every Bitcoin transaction contains tiny programs that must be successfully executed for the transaction to be valid. These scripts define the conditions under which Bitcoin can be spent, creating a programmable monetary system that goes far beyond simple peer-to-peer transfers.

The language itself is intentionally minimalist. Unlike general-purpose programming languages, Bitcoin Script was designed with security as its highest priority. It is not Turing-complete, which means that it cannot execute infinite loops or run arbitrarily complex programs. This limitation, rather than being a weakness, is actually a strength - it prevents many of the security vulnerabilities that plague more complex smart contract platforms.

## Beyond simple payments

While Bitcoin is often described as ‘digital cash’, its scripting capabilities allow for much more sophisticated financial arrangements. The most common types of scripts include Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash (P2PKH), which represents standard Bitcoin addresses, and Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH), which allows for more complex spending arrangements.

These seemingly technical details translate into real-world applications that many Bitcoin users already rely on without realizing it. Multi-signature wallets, which require the signature of multiple parties for a transaction, are powered by Bitcoin Script. Time-locked transactions, which can only be spent after a certain date, use scripting opcodes to enforce time limits.

Consider the case of estate planning. Using Bitcoin Script, users can create transactions that automatically release funds to beneficiaries after a specified period of time, or require the cooperation of multiple family members to access the funds. They are becoming increasingly popular among the wealthy Bitcoin owners who want to ensure that their digital assets can be recovered by their heirs.

![Bitcoin script validation. Image from ResearchGate](img/bitcoin-script-validation.png "Bitcoin script validation. Image from ResearchGate")

Bitcoin script validation. Image from [ResearchGate](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Bitcoin-script-validation_fig1_335146032)

### Taproot revolution

The activation of the Taproot update in November 2021 marked a watershed moment for Bitcoin scripting, introducing Pay-to-Taproot (P2TR) smart contracts that increase privacy, flexibility, and efficiency. Tapscript, the updated scripting language that came with Taproot, allows a variety of new transaction types, making complex transactions indistinguishable from simple ones on the blockchain.

This improvement in privacy is critical to the long-term adoption of Bitcoin. Before Taproot, different types of transactions had different signatures on the blockchain, potentially revealing information about users' financial arrangements. Now, a complex multi-party contract looks identical to a simple payment, preserving user privacy while empowering Bitcoin.

Taproot creates smart contract-like functionality on the Bitcoin network, as users can add logic to transactions through scripts that are output as a simple payment transaction. This development has opened up new possibilities for Bitcoin-based applications that previously required switching to alternative blockchains.

## Real-world application

The practical applications of Bitcoin scripting go far beyond the theoretical possibilities. The Lightning Network, Bitcoin's second scaling layer solution, relies heavily on sophisticated scripting to enable instant, low-cost payments. The network uses Hash Time-Locked Contracts (HTLC) to create payment channels that can route transactions through multiple parties without the need for trust.

In the business world, Bitcoin scripting enables escrow services that work without intermediaries. For example, a freelancer and a client can create a transaction that automatically releases a payment when certain conditions are met, without the need for a third-party escrow service. The conditions can be as simple as a signature from both parties or as complex as integration with external data sources.

Supply chain management represents another frontier for Bitcoin scripting applications. Companies are exploring ways to use Bitcoin's scripting capabilities to create immutable records of product provenance, with payments automatically triggered when goods reach certain locations or meet quality standards.

## Safety through simplicity

Bitcoin's approach to programmable money stands in stark contrast to more sophisticated smart contract platforms. While other blockchains have suffered from high-profile hacks and exploits, Bitcoin's conservative approach to scripting has helped it maintain an impeccable security record for more than a decade of operation.

The language's limitations are intentional. Bitcoin Script doesn't support loops, preventing infinite execution that could block the network. It operates on a simple stack model where operations add and remove values from a data structure, making it easier to analyse and audit than more complex virtual machines.

This ‘security first’ approach has real-world implications. While DeFi protocols on other platforms have lost billions of dollars to smart contract exploits, Bitcoin's scripting system remains extremely secure. Several vulnerabilities discovered over the years have been addressed through careful protocol updates that maintain backward compatibility.

## The future of Bitcoin Scripting

As Bitcoin continues to mature, its scripting capabilities are likely to expand further. Developers are exploring proposals for new opcodes that could enable more sophisticated financial applications while maintaining the security properties of the network.

One area of particular interest is the integration of Bitcoin scripting with emerging privacy technologies. Zero-disclosure proofs, which allow parties to verify information without disclosing it, can be combined with Bitcoin Script to create even more private and flexible financial arrangements.

The growing adoption of Bitcoin by institutional investors is also driving demand for more sophisticated scripting capabilities. Corporations and financial institutions need sophisticated expense controls, audit trails, and compliance functions that can be built using the Bitcoin scripting language.

## Challenges and limitations

Despite its strengths, Bitcoin scripting faces several challenges. The intentional simplicity of the language means that certain types of applications remain impractical or impossible to implement directly on Bitcoin. Complex DeFi protocols, for example, often require capabilities beyond what Bitcoin Script can provide.

There is also an ongoing debate about how much complexity to add to Bitcoin. While new opcodes and features may allow for more applications, they also increase the attack surface and potentially compromise the security and decentralisation properties of the network.

The development process for improvements to Bitcoin is notoriously slow and conservative, with proposed changes requiring extensive testing and community consensus. This deliberate pace can be frustrating for developers looking to introduce new features, but ultimately serves to protect the stability and security of the network.

### Institutional acceptance factor

The potential creation of Strategic Bitcoin Reserves (SBRs) by major countries in 2025 could have a significant impact on the development of Bitcoin scripting capabilities. As governments and large institutions begin to hold significant Bitcoin reserves, they will likely require more sophisticated tools to manage and secure these assets.

This institutional interest may accelerate the development of enterprise applications of Bitcoin cryptocurrency, including more advanced multi-signature schemes, time-locked treasury management tools, and compliance-oriented transaction structures.

## So, what is the true power of Bitcoin Scripting

Bitcoin Script may not generate the same excitement as flashy new cryptocurrencies or sophisticated DeFi protocols, but it represents a fundamental innovation in the way we think about programmable money. By providing a secure, trusted foundation for financial applications, Bitcoin scripting enables use cases that range from simple savings accounts to complex multi-party financial arrangements.

As Bitcoin continues its evolution from a peer-to-peer electronic cash system to a global financial infrastructure, its scripting capabilities are likely to play an increasingly important role. The language's emphasis on security and simplicity, rather than unlimited functionality, positions it well for the conservative financial applications required by institutions and governments.

The true power of Bitcoin scripting lies not in what it can do today, but in the foundation it provides for future financial innovation. As developers continue to explore its possibilities and new tools make it more accessible, we may find that Bitcoin's most important contribution to the world is not just digital gold, but a new programming paradigm for money itself.

In a world where financial systems are increasingly digital and interconnected, Bitcoin Script offers something rare: a programming language designed specifically for money, with security and reliability as its primary goals. This may not sound revolutionary, but with trillions of dollars flowing through global financial systems every day, it may be exactly what the world needs.

How a simple programming language is quietly changing the most valuable cryptocurrency world

Bitcoin scripting and how it works

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