From bitcoin treasury strategies reaching institutional tipping points to the erosion of civil liberties through digital infrastructure, here are the most significant predictions that emerged.
Webb and Goodwin predict that within the next 12-24 months, we'll see a dramatic acceleration in digital ID implementation worldwide - not primarily in the US first, but in countries desperately trying to prevent capital flight to dollar stablecoins. They point to Vietnam's recent closure of 84 million bank accounts as the canary in the coal mine, with citizens only able to regain banking access by submitting to biometric verification. The mechanism is clear: as dollar stablecoins proliferate globally and offer yield, why would anyone hold depreciating local currencies? Webb notes that the ECB is already panicking about this dynamic, stating "we're screwed if we let dollar stablecoins take over." The prediction is that countries will implement increasingly draconian digital ID requirements to maintain control over their monetary systems, using the Genius Act's passage in the US as political cover. This creates a paradox where US dollar dominance actually accelerates surveillance infrastructure globally.
The most chilling prediction centers on the normalization of pre-crime surveillance infrastructure within the next 2-3 years. Webb traces how every administration since 9/11 has expanded domestic terror frameworks, and predicts that recent events will be used to justify AI-powered predictive policing at scale. The infrastructure already exists: Palantir's pre-crime algorithms, social media monitoring systems, and William Barr's 2019 legalization of pre-crime arrests. Webb predicts we'll see a major "galvanizing event" that will reduce public resistance to having AI scan all social media posts for "early neuropsychiatric warning signs." The mechanism already exists through companies like Carbine (funded by Jeffrey Epstein) that have quietly taken over 911 systems across America. Once normalized, Webb warns this will extend beyond security into employment: "What happens when it's like, well, if you want to work and have a job and not just have UBI, you need a brain chip?" The timeline accelerates as Palantir's integration with government systems deepens under the current administration.
Jeff Walton laid out a compelling case for why Bitcoin-backed securities will completely disrupt the $300 trillion fixed income market over the next decade. He predicts that within 10 years, we'll see a 100-fold increase in the adoption of perpetual preferred equities and other Bitcoin-backed credit instruments. The math is straightforward: these instruments offer 9.5-10% yields while being 8x overcollateralized with Bitcoin, compared to traditional junk bonds offering 7% with far greater risk. As Walton explained, "Capital will move to where it's treated best," and fixed income managers who fail to adopt these instruments will see their clients flee to competitors offering 150+ basis points of additional return with less risk. The key catalyst will be insurance companies and pension funds recognizing that digital risk (Bitcoin volatility) is fundamentally safer than physical risk (corporate bankruptcy, natural disasters). Once credit rating agencies begin rating these instruments, the floodgates will open as institutional mandates allow allocation to rated securities.
Bitcoin Core contributor Luke Dashjr is developing a mechanism to retroactively remove illegal content from Bitcoin's blockchain using Zero Knowledge Proofs, according to leaked messages reported by The Rage. The proposal would create a multi-sig council with power to delete confirmed transactions containing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) approximately one hour after confirmation.
While Dashjr claims this would "save Bitcoin," his scheme represents an unprecedented censorship capability that could extend far beyond its stated purpose. The developer, who already runs the censorship-focused OCEAN mining pool and Bitcoin Knots implementation, admits this constitutes "technically a hardfork" – though likely affecting only Knots nodes initially.
Critical details remain murky: Who selects council members? How are ZK proofs managed? What prevents mission creep to other transaction types? Most concerning, Dashjr allegedly mentioned coordinating legal letters to pressure the industry into adopting anti-CSAM measures – essentially manufacturing the crisis his solution would address.
Blockstream CEO Adam Back confirmed OCEAN has contacted rival mining pools about this initiative. The Bitcoin community's response has been overwhelmingly negative, recognizing this as a dangerous precedent that hands governments a ready-made censorship tool while solving a problem that barely exists on Bitcoin's blockchain.
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