Despite the fact that there is no new data on large purchases of bitcoins by institutional investors, the popularization of bitcoin continues. Many experts agree that an extremely important moment is about to come for bitcoin, which can become a turning point for the entire crypto industry. Currently, bitcoin is mainly used as a means of investment. In the near future, a decision whether it can really become an international and decentralized means of payment, or if it will survive another speculative growth and again collapse somewhere in the region of $ 10,000 per coin is at stake. Citibank experts believe that after some large companies, such as Tesla or Mastercard, have declared their readiness to work with bitcoin to the whole world, many other companies may follow their example. However, working and investing are different concepts. There are not so many companies in the world that have declared themselves as major investors in bitcoin. And many banks and payment systems that have declared their readiness to work with bitcoin are ready to simply provide services for storing and transferring cryptocurrency to their customers. However, in our humble opinion, everyone who would like to buy bitcoin did it without banks. With banks, this service for a certain category of investors can become a little easier and more convenient. Citibank experts also believe that the low cost of transfers speaks in favor of bitcoin. At the same time, experts warn that large institutional investors have begun to buy cryptocurrency as a means of fighting inflation, but with the economic recovery, the profitability and attractiveness of the real economy will increase, which may force many investors to leave bitcoin and find more attractive and less dangerous tools for investing. Citibank experts also believe that bitcoin is quite capable of reaching the price of $ 318,000 in 2021. However, such an increase in value will occur only if the number one cryptocurrency manages to get the status of "digital gold". Bitcoin is already called "digital gold", but it has not yet become such in the full sense of the word. Citibank managing director Tom Fitzpatrick recalled that in 1971, US President Richard Nixon untied the dollar from the equivalent of gold, which led to the growth of the precious metal in the next 50 years. According to Fitzpatrick, the emergence of bitcoin was a response to the global financial crisis of 2008. At that time, central banks announced that they would stick to a policy of ultra-low rates and non-stop money printing to stimulate the economy. This explains the growth of bitcoin in 2011 - 2013. The conditions that were created in the world in 2019 - 2021 are in crisis, which contributes to the growth of alternative investment tools, such as bitcoin. Fitzpatrick also identified four-year cycles, each of which ends with a strong growth of bitcoin. Now, this cycle is just coming to an end.