Venture capitalist Tim Draper remains bullish on Bitcoin’s future, predicting that the crypto asset could one day become the world’s dominant currency.
Speaking during a discussion with James Heckman, Founder and CEO of Roundtable, on TheStreet Roundtable, Draper addressed concerns about volatility, stablecoins, and the long-term role of digital currencies in commerce.
He offered a much more radical outlook on traditional currency. While he agrees that treasuries should prioritize stability, he argues that the U.S. dollar is losing value so rapidly that it is destined to fail.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 20 (June 8 – Sept 5, 2026).
Register for Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab.
“If I were running a treasury, I would say, sure, you’ve got to have some money in big banks… you got to have money in Bitcoin”, he said.
According to Draper, declining confidence in fiat currencies could eventually push businesses and consumers toward Bitcoin. “People will get tired of watching a dollar turn into 90 cents to 80 cents to 70 cents and eventually goes straight to zero super fast”, he added.
His comment reflects his view that everyday transactions will increasingly use Bitcoin instead of government issued money. Notably, he considers gold a relic of the past. While gold has long been debated as a market stabilizer, and some stablecoin providers like Tether have amassed billions in the metal to back their treasuries, Draper dismisses the idea that physical commodities can function as practical payment methods in a digital economy.
He stated, “I don’t want gold because gold is like going back into the past,” emphasizing his belief that digital currencies, rather than traditional assets, represent the future of money. To illustrate his point, Draper joked about the difficulty of using gold for daily expenses. “What are you going to do? Shave off gold and say I’d like a cappuccino?”
Meanwhile, strong Gold advocate Peter Schiff, critiques Tim Draper’s recent interview claim that gold fails as a medium of exchange due to poor divisibility, countering that tokenizing gold on blockchains enables fractional ownership and seamless transactions like buying a cappuccino.
This exchange revives the long-standing gold-versus-Bitcoin debate, with Schiff a gold bull and Bitcoin critic defending tokenized gold’s utility, while Draper, a venture capitalist who bought 30,000 BTC in 2014, favors Bitcoin’s native digital properties.
Draper’s recent statement on Bitcoin show how strongly he believes the crypto asset could become a dominant global currency despite ongoing debate and skepticism from many corporate leaders about its stability and practical use today.
Last year May, in an interview with CoinDesk, he stated that Bitcoin will rise to $250,000 by the end of 2025. He said, ‘Once I can buy food, clothing, housing, and pay taxes with Bitcoin, there will be absolutely no reason to hold any dollars; Bitcoin will become the primary source of wealth.’
Notably, he also predicted that as trust in the government weakens and decentralized technology replaces traditional banking systems, there will be a run on fiat currency banks. When Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in March 2023, Draper revealed he received calls from 15 portfolio companies, all stating they were unable to pay salaries. Therefore, he suggested that each company’s finance department hold Bitcoin, allowing them to still pay salaries when banks shut down.
While Bitcoin has not yet fully replaced fiat currencies, adoption is growing worldwide:
-
Merchant Acceptance: Companies such as Block (formerly Square) and select online retailers have begun accepting Bitcoin for payments, making it easier for businesses to transact in crypto.
-
Cross-Border Payments: Bitcoin is increasingly used for remittances and international transactions, particularly in regions where traditional banking is costly or limited.
-
Wallet Growth: Digital wallets supporting Bitcoin have expanded globally, with millions of users now able to hold, send, and receive Bitcoin in daily use.
-
Stablecoins and Micropayments: Stablecoins, pegged to fiat currencies, are often used alongside Bitcoin for day-to-day transactions, reducing volatility concerns while familiarizing users with crypto payments.
Even if Bitcoin hasn’t fully replaced fiat money, its role in daily commerce is expanding. In some communities, Bitcoin is already used alongside stablecoins for practical transactions.
Draper’s vision may not have fully materialized, but the trajectory is clear. Digital currencies are increasingly becoming a viable alternative to traditional money, and Bitcoin remains at the forefront of this transformation.