How Bitcoin Could Help You Retire a Millionaire

Dominic Basulto, The Motley Fool

Sat, February 14, 2026 at 7:14 PM GMT+9 3 min read

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When it comes to cryptocurrencies with millionaire-maker potential, one name stands alone: Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC).

According to The Crypto Wealth Report 2025 from Henley & Partners, there are 145,100 Bitcoin millionaires in the world right now. That’s far more than for any other cryptocurrency. There’s simply no other cryptocurrency with the same historical track record as Bitcoin or the same type of projected upside potential.

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Historical track record

Let’s start with Bitcoin’s historical track record, which is unparalleled. In 10 of the 14 years between 2012 and 2025, Bitcoin was the top-performing asset in the world, and it wasn’t even close. In seven of those years, Bitcoin delivered a triple-digit performance.

For good reason, then, Bitcoin’s price growth has been nearly exponential. Bitcoin traded for a price of $10 back in June 2011. Over the next 14 years, that $10 transformed into a price of $100,000. In October 2025, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency traded as high as $126,000.

Of course, Bitcoin has had some losing years along the way. In 2014, 2018, and 2022, Bitcoin posted colossal losses of more than 57%. But Bitcoin has never had back-to-back negative years. It has proven surprisingly resilient, which has made it a favorite of both retail and institutional investors.

Yes, Bitcoin lost 64% of its value in 2022. But it bounced back with triple-digit performances in both 2023 and 2024, more than making up for past transgressions. The same is likely to happen in 2027 if Bitcoin continues its losing streak in 2026.

Future potential upside

Of course, past historical performance is no guarantee of future performance. Bitcoin has been so off-the-charts impressive over the past decade that it almost seems impossible to expect an encore performance over the next decade.

Image source: Getty Images.

But many investors are expecting exactly that. Amongst high-profile crypto industry insiders, the growing consensus is that Bitcoin will hit a price of $1 million by the year 2030, if not sooner. That implies a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 70%, given its current price of $70,000. Yes, that’s an aggressive estimate, but it’s really just par for the course for Bitcoin, which doubles in value with astonishing frequency.

What if this time around is different?

There are no guarantees with crypto. Ever since Bitcoin hit a price of $100,000 back in December 2024, it has had trouble maintaining this stratospheric price level. There are a number of possible explanations for this, but the most likely one is that Bitcoin is once again following its four-year cycle of boom and bust.

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For Bitcoin, three boom years are typically followed by one bust year before the cycle renews yet again. This has happened in 2014, 2018, and 2022. If this pattern continues, Bitcoin will soon reverse its losing ways. And if it does, Bitcoin will go back to being the millionaire maker of choice for crypto investors everywhere.

Should you buy stock in Bitcoin right now?

Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:

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_*Stock Advisor returns as of February 14, 2026. _

Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

How Bitcoin Could Help You Retire a Millionaire was originally published by The Motley Fool

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