Binance Research, the research arm of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, shared its optimistic views on the future of the cryptocurrency market in a recent report.
According to Binance analysts, in recent weeks the market has shown signs of renewed vigor, with some of the bear market developer efforts starting to show up in both crypto activity and asset prices. Although it is too early to definitively declare a return to the bull market, according to analysts, things are definitely looking up.
Here are the notable statements in the latest report published by Binance Research:
- Total crypto market cap is up nearly 110% year-to-date, representing a capital increase of over $870 billion. So far in the fourth quarter, markets are up 55% (~$596 billion).
- NFT volumes broke an eight-month downward trend and rose nearly 200% in November from the previous month. Bitcoin became the most popular chain with NFT volume exceeding $375 million, surpassing even Ethereum NFTs ($348 million).
- Transaction fees for the 20 largest crypto projects increased by nearly 84% in November compared to October and over 100% compared to September. While DeFi total locked value also increased, DeFi dominance increased by 18% compared to the previous month.
- Bitcoin has had an eventful year with Ordinals and BRC-20s, and November saw a resurgence of interest in the space. News regarding the spot Bitcoin ETF looks positive, and while the market awaits approval in January, the Bitcoin Halving in April is another important milestone to watch.
- A number of alternative layer-1 protocols have outperformed Ethereum recently, with Solana and Toncoin making notable moves. SocialFi has emerged with updates from Farcaster, Lens, and Binance Square, as well as new protocols like friend.tech.
- Real-world assets (RWAs) are becoming increasingly important and currently represent more than 49% of the assets on MakerDAO's balance sheet. Chainlink also hopes to create closer ties between traditional finance, RWAs, and crypto with its new CCIP solution.
- Zero-knowledge technology is starting to take off, with various recent ZK-rollup launches and increased study and discussion around ZK common protocols.
- US interest rates are at a 22-year high and the market is expecting cuts within the next year. China has already started to cut some interest rates, while low inflation in Europe has caused investors to start expecting a cut from the European Central Bank.
The Binance report concludes that while it's too early to definitively say we're back in the bull market, things are definitely feeling better than they have in a while.
*This is not investment advice.