SharesPost Report Estimates Blockchain Market Opportunity Exceeding $2.5 Trillion Over Next Ten Years

Infrastructure: $200 billion

The report highlights four different ways both individual and institutional investors can approach markets affected by blockchain technology. These include:

Investing in cryptocurrencies. The report highlights that the top five traded currencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin) alone are now worth more than $500 billion compared to less than $100 billion a year ago.

Investing in publicly traded blockchain proxies. A possibly less risky option, some notable companies leveraging blockchain include credit card companies such as MasterCard and Visa which are using the technology to minimize costs and delays in processing payments across borders, and IBM, which is working with other major companies to create blockchain applications for the supply chain.

Investing in tokens via Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Blockchain startups raised a total of $6 billion through 500 ICOs in 2017. Some of the largest ICOs include Hdac, a South Korean IoT blockchain startup ($258 million), Filecoin, a blockchain data storage startup ($257 million), and Tezos, a blockchain platform for smart contracts ($232 million).

Investing in blockchain startups. Accredited investors can access blockchain startups through the venture capital funds backing the companies or through the secondary market. Among blockchain startups in the United States, Circle and Coinbase have raised the most money through venture capital, followed by Ripple, Bitpay, and Chain.com.