---
title: "Cryptocurrency Market Just Reached Total Value of $160 Billion"
description: "Cryptocurrency breaks total value of $160 billion, across all three major kinds. But what does this mean for the future of currency, as such?"
date: "2017-08-29"
modified: "2017-08-29"
authors:
  - name: "Brad Jones"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/bradj"
url: "https://futurism.com/cryptocurrency-market-just-reached-total-value-of-160-billion"
categories:
  - "Bitcoin"
  - "Blockchain"
  - "Cryptocurrency"
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "bitcoin"
  - "bitcoin cash"
  - "cryptocurrency"
  - "ethereum"
---

# Cryptocurrency Market Just Reached Total Value of $160 Billion

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GettyImages-563854685.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="http://www.gettyimages.ca/license/563854685" target="\_blank"\>dowell/Getty Images\</a\>\</em\>*

For the first time, the value of the global cryptocurrency market [has exceeded $160 billion](<https://www.coindesk.com/160-billion-cryptocurrency-market-sets-new-time-high/>). It's been on a [huge uptick throughout 2017](<https://futurism.com/what-this-period-of-rapid-growth-means-for-the-future-of-cryptocurrency>), starting out at $10 billion at the beginning of the year and hitting $100 billion in June.

Bitcoin obviously has a big role to play in this success — it's still the biggest name in cryptocurrency, and experts predict that it could hit a [value of $20,000](<https://futurism.com/expert-predicts-bitcoin-will-be-worth-up-to-20000-in-the-next-three-years>) in the next three years. Credit also has to be given to its recent fork Bitcoin Cash which is [establishing itself rapidly](<https://futurism.com/bitcoin-cash-price-rises-while-bitcoin-and-ethereum-drop>), and the increasingly-popular Ethereum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kubGCSj5y3k

This is a very interesting time for the cryptocurrency market. As [countries like Estonia](<https://futurism.com/estonia-could-be-the-first-country-in-the-world-to-introduce-its-own-cryptocurrency>) consider offering their own tokens, and the US Congress [drafts a bill](<https://futurism.com/congress-is-reportedly-drafting-a-bill-that-will-mainstream-digital-currency>) that could foster its mainstream usage, a huge amount of money is being invested in virtual cash.

Cryptocurrency seems set to be adopted by the masses at a scale we haven't seen before. This could bring about some big changes to the global economic market — and it could even spell the beginning of the end for [fiat money as we know it](<https://futurism.com/what-would-happen-if-cryptocurrency-became-more-popular-than-cash>).

*Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.*