Bitcoin will be the dominant force in global finance by 2050, according to 54% of those surveyed by personal-finance site Finder. But 44% say it will never happen.

The "Bitcoin price prediction 2021" report, published Thursday, canvassed a panel of 42 experts from finance, technology and academia. Some respondents (15%) see that dominance point, labeled "hyperbitcoinisation" in the U.K. study, occurring as early as 2035.

Adoption by the developing world is seen as the key driver, with 33% of respondents saying bitcoin will become the currency of choice in developing nations within 10 years. A further 21% say that level of adoption is more than 10 years away.

“The momentum will only pick up," said Amber CEO Aleks Svetski, one of the panelists, citing El Salvador's decision to adopt bitcoin as legal tender and its wide use in Venezuela as a means of beating hyperinflation. "The beauty is also that these broken nations will transform faster than major nations as bitcoin undermines the nation-state model.” 

The panel predicted bitcoin's price will have climbed to $318,417 by December 2025. That's 61% higher than in a similar survey conducted December 2020.