Bitcoin Dominance Swells as Crypto Market Tops $3.8 Trillion

Bitcoin continues to dominate the crypto market, maintaining a 56% market share as global capitalization climbs to $3.8 trillion.

The market rally, fueled by institutional interest and favorable regulatory developments, was further triggered by Bitcoin crossing the $100,000 milestone for the first time and consolidating it as the flagship digital asset.

Bitcoin (BTC) surged past the $100,000 mark late Wednesday, peaking at $103,000, according to CoinGecko data.

The rise represents a 120% increase from its price at the start of the year when it was trading just above $44,000. With a market cap exceeding $2 trillion, Bitcoin now ranks as the 7th largest asset globally, according to Companies Market Cap.

There’s now only a narrow margin between it and the $2.1 trillion market cap of Google parent company Alphabet. The rest of the list consists of Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple and gold.

“Bitcoin breaking the $100,000 mark is supported by high volumes and shallow post-election corrections,” Aurelie Barthere, Principal Research Analyst at Nansen, told Decrypt. “December’s positive seasonality should prevent significant corrections for now, with buyers overpowering sellers in a ‘buy-the-dip’ mentality.”

The rally coincides with the amplifying optimism surrounding U.S. regulatory changes, particularly the nomination of crypto-friendly Paul Atkins as the next Securities and Exchange Commission chair by President-elect Donald Trump.

“We flagged this as one of the positive news flows expected for crypto,” Barthere added.

Bitcoin’s dominance at 56% underscores its continued leadership in the market, even as meme coins experience significant gains. Dogecoin (DOGE) led the blue chip meme coin charge with a 6.7% jump to $0.44.

Pepe coin (PEPE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) also rallied, with gains of 4.7% and 4.5%, respectively, according to CoinGecko data.

Arthur Azizov, CEO of B2BINPAY, attributed the dominance to Bitcoin’s major role in driving market momentum.

“Donald Trump announcing pro-crypto Paul Atkins as SEC Chairman let Bitcoin finally break the psychological barrier of $100,000, setting a new all-time high (ATH) above $104,000,” Azizov told Decrypt. “Since November 5, its value has surged by an impressive 54%, a remarkable performance by any standard.”

Institutional investors have played a key role in driving the Bitcoin price, with ETFs recording over $1 billion in inflows in recent weeks. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has surpassed $50 billion in assets under management, achieving the milestone over five times faster than any other ETF in history.

Azizov added that while Bitcoin has yet to experience a significant correction, a pullback is likely.

“Bitcoin has yet to experience a significant correction. Based on this, it’s reasonable to conclude that a pullback is likely imminent—it’s just a matter of time,” said Azizov. “By year-end, I believe Bitcoin’s price will consolidate around $100,000 before retracing to five-digit levels.”

Edited by Stacy Elliott.