The upcoming Bitcoin bull run is set to gain significant momentum, and this time, it’s not just Michael Saylor leading the charge. Bitcoin Friday is on the horizon as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) prepares to unveil Bitcoin BFF, a pivotal event that could serve as a major catalyst for Bitcoin’s bullish momentum.
As recently announced, the CME Group will launch options on Bitcoin Friday Futures (BFF) starting February 24, 2025, pending regulatory approval.
This development will provide traders with improved tools to manage short-term Bitcoin price risks. The newly introduced BFF options will build on the success of CME’s initial BFF launch, bringing positive news for Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency market.
The Bullish Potential of Bitcoin: How CME’s BFF Could Amplify the Rally
The BFF contracts debuted in September last year and have quickly risen to become one of CME Group’s most successful crypto products. Since their launch, over 775,000 contracts have been traded, gaining immense popularity among investors. These contracts are smaller, equivalent to one-50th of a Bitcoin, and feature daily expirations from Monday through Friday.
Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, emphasized the enhanced precision these new options provide to traders.
The introduction of these options complements CME Group’s current offerings, including physically settled Bitcoin and Ether options, as well as micro-sized Bitcoin futures.
(Source)
Besides these market advancements, the cryptocurrency realm also received a positive push from recent regulatory announcements. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has hinted that banks may soon be permitted to offer crypto custody services.
This remark, made during a press briefing, instantly boosted Bitcoin’s price.
Powell’s statements indicate a potential transformation in how banks engage with cryptocurrencies, allowing them to hold digital assets on behalf of their clients. He assured that the Federal Reserve would remain vigilant in monitoring the risks tied to crypto and Bitcoin.
Chair Jerome Powell says “banks are perfectly able to serve crypto customers.”
Following his mention of Bitcoin, it began to rise again, now at $104k pic.twitter.com/iICNx51fYg
— PEGÆ
(@ivvagiant) January 29, 2025
(@ivvagiant) Before this announcement, Powell had made clear that he views Bitcoin not as a direct competitor to the US dollar but as a rival to gold, describing it as “digital gold.” He explained, “It’s just like gold, only it’s virtual. It’s digital.”
Bitcoin is capped at 21 million coins. Every four years, a “halving” event occurs, which halves the mining reward, effectively lowering the new supply of Bitcoin introduced to the market. This built-in scarcity tends to elevate Bitcoin’s price as demand increases. The last halving in 2024 reduced the issuance rate, contributing to Bitcoin’s deflationary nature.
In contrast, gold is mined annually, with an increase in supply of about 1-2% per year. Unlike Bitcoin’s halving model, there’s no systematic mechanism to curb gold supply growth. Since gold is a natural resource, its supply is harder to predict, making it a more abstract investment.
RELATED: Bitcoin Halving Guide – How Long Will The Bull Run Last?
Bitcoin’s market cap of ~$2T is around 11% of gold’s market cap of ~$18T.
Bitcoin offers a superior form of money. It exists on computers worldwide. Over the next 5-10 years, Bitcoin’s market cap will likely surpass gold.
6 reasons
Scarcity: Bitcoin has… pic.twitter.com/eDIgqFwVyp
— ₿rian Maass (@MaassCFO) January 25, 2025
Over the past decade, Bitcoin has emerged as an exceptionally better investment than gold. Starting at approximately $300 in 2014, Bitcoin’s price surged to over $100,000 by 2024, yielding an incredible return of around 33,000%.
This means if you had invested $1,000 in Bitcoin at the start of the decade, your investment would now be valued around $330,000. On the other hand, gold, beginning the decade at around $1,200 per ounce, has only grown to about $2,200, providing a return of about 83%.
This translates into a $1,000 investment in gold increasing to roughly $1,830 over the same period.
Clearly, holding Bitcoin over the last ten years would have proved far more profitable. And Bitcoin’s rally is far from over. It is seen as a million-dollar asset as institutions and savvy investors flock to it.
MicroStrategy’s Bold Bitcoin Stance: Michael Saylor’s Vision and Its Influence on the Crypto Rally
Michael Saylor co-founded MicroStrategy in 1989 alongside Sanju Bansal, initially concentrating on data mining, but the company evolved into a leader in business intelligence, mobile software, and cloud services.
Saylor served as CEO until August 2022, when he transitioned to Executive Chairman to dedicate more time to Bitcoin strategies.
MicroStrategy went public in June 1998, with its stocks initially priced at $12, which doubled on the first trading day. By early 2000, Saylor’s net worth reached $7 billion, positioning him among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
In 2020, MicroStrategy declared its intention to use Bitcoin as its main treasury reserve asset, leading to the acquisition of over 471,107 Bitcoins by early 2025, worth roughly $30.4 billion.
Saylor is ready to face criticism from the maxis to make Bitcoin “less sketchy” and offer more legitimacy for institutions to invest in BTC and enhance our investments.
Legend
— Mitchell
(@MitchellHODL) Saylor is a strong proponent of Bitcoin, actively sharing his insights in various podcasts and media outlets regarding its role as a hedge against inflation. Under his leadership, MicroStrategy has made significant investments in Bitcoin.
These strategies are placing MicroStrategy at the forefront of a significant financial evolution. If you’re not following suit, what’s holding you back?
EXPLORE: 15 New & Upcoming Coinbase Listings to Watch in 2025
Join The 99Bitcoins News Discord for the Latest Market Updates
The article titled “CME Has a Secret Plan to Supercharge the Bitcoin Bull Run: What is Bitcoin BFF?” originally appeared on 99Bitcoins.
