Data shows mainstream interest in Bitcoin is surging

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Cryptocurrencies have grown from a niche market to a huge industry with a $230 billion market cap in less than a decade, but are yet to become a financial norm in a large part of the world.

However, there has been a steady increase in the amount of recognition the industry gets, from organic Google listings to traditional news outlets reporting on bitcoin. We explore all the ways crypto has entered the mainstream and what does this mean for the industry.

The ultimate goal for crypto—mainstream adoption

Ever since the first Bitcoin block was mined in January 2009, the goal of the crypto industry was to challenge traditional finance. And while the number of enthusiasts that gathered around Bitcoin increased year after year, it still may take decades before it would reach the number of people needed to make it become “mainstream.”

Increased pressure from financial regulators also didn’t help—while some countries such as China, Taiwan, Pakistan, and Iran have outright banned crypto trading, others have imposed banking bans and made it impossible for crypto companies to effectively operate.

Even in the United States, where owning and trading cryptocurrencies is currently legal, there is a small, but not insignificant movement calling for a ban on crypto trading.

However, cryptocurrencies have managed to defy all odds and reach heights few could have imagined just a few years ago.

New evidence proving that mainstream adoption is just around the corner is popping up everywhere—from Google listings and major news coverage to more inconspicuous places like the Apple App Store.

Google says Bitcoin is worth a look

Getting a direct recommendation on Google Search would be a cause for celebration for any business, but it’s especially so in the case of Bitcoin. When googling “USD,” Bitcoin appears in the recommended searches.

A quick check using a different browser, a VPN, and incognito mode proved the claim correct—Google does recommend Bitcoin when searching for USD.

This, however, isn’t a result of any kind of lobbying or intentional influence, as Google’s algorithm highlights the most searched word combination.

This means that not only has the usage of Bitcoin increased, so too has the interest in the cryptocurrency and its value in US dollars. Omar Bham, a crypto news curator, recently tweeted a chart showing that interest in Bitcoin has surged on Google Search Trends.

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