The chief executive of blockchain start-up Smart Valor has predicted there will be “mass adoption” of cryptocurrencies in the second half of 2019.

Olga Feldmeier was quoted in the latest annual tech trends report produced by global investment bank GP Bullhound.

“Cryptocurrencies will continue to innovate beyond the well-known bitcoin and Ethereum, and we will see many more coin and payment products emerging,” wrote Feldmeier in the 2019 Technology Predictions report.

“All that will clear the way for mass adoption, which we will see in the second half of 2019.”

GP Bullhound’s report predicts that 2019 will be the year that institutional capital finally flows into cryptocurrency and blockchain.

Smart Valor is behind a decentralised, community-based marketplace for tokenised alternative investments.

In the report, Feldmeier said cryptocurrencies have “a safe place in our financial world” as they have a fundamental security advantage.

“However, there are still hurdles to mass adoption that need to be removed – and these are not just of a technical nature,” she said.

“Regulations will need to keep up on all things crypto in order to protect investors and provide more trust in these new asset classes, which is the ultimate prerequisite for broader adoption.”

Feldmeier goes on to say that the crypto market is still in its early stage and “high volatility is to be expected”.

She added: “Over the mid-to-long term, cryptocurrency is a new alternative class of digital financial products that offers many benefits.

“And there will be offerings that are fully regulated and under a reliable legislation like SMART VALOR.

“That’s why I am certain they will find mass adoption – first with progressive, innovative investors, and then others who will follow in their footsteps.”