Decentralized cryptocurrencies haven't become widely used for actual payments as of 2025, and I don't think they'll capture even 10% of currency transactions by 2050. Blockchain technology has found some niche applications, but it's nowhere near mainstream adoption.
The crypto market successfully soaked up all the extra money that governments printed during covid times. But crypto investments mostly just moved wealth around between FOMO retail investors who had cash to burn and tech-savvy early adopters who knew when to buy and sell.
Real-world evidence shows that regular people don't actually need "more secure" or "untraceable" money for their daily lives. Right now, volatile cryptocurrencies work mainly as gambling chips, while stablecoins are just a convenient way to buy those gambling chips. I don't see any other real value they're providing.
As governments figure out how to regulate crypto, the "wild west" advantages that attracted early users are disappearing, leaving fewer reasons to use it.