Real estate, stocks or cryptocurrencies? Returns over the past decade
Last Updated on 8 October 2025 by Equipo Urbanitae
Within the wide range of investment options, three assets stand out for their popularity: real estate, the stock market, and cryptocurrencies. Investing is no longer a field reserved for large fortunes — it has become an increasingly common option for retail and individual investors. Although all three share the spotlight, they are not associated with the same level of risk and have not offered the same returns over the past decade.
The evolution of real estate
The real estate sector has consolidated itself as one of the most attractive for investment, both for domestic and international capital. In fact, this year, according to consultancy firm Colliers, Spain ranked for the first time among the five countries that have attracted the most international investment in commercial real estate. Within this market, housing remains one of the most sought-after assets, regarded as a safe haven during economic crises since it tends to maintain — or even increase — its value in the face of factors such as inflation or financial market volatility.
One of the clearest indicators for analyzing the evolution of the real estate sector over the past decade is the price per square meter — for example, in Madrid — as it allows comparisons over time and between different areas, regardless of property size. According to the real estate platform Idealista, after the 2008 crisis, which hit the real estate sector particularly hard and triggered a sharp drop in prices, recovery began in 2015, when the average value reached €2,735 per square meter. It remained stable until 2018, when it climbed to €3,644 per square meter, driven by higher demand, low interest rates, and the appeal of property investment. However, this “boom” came to an end in 2020, as the outbreak of the pandemic froze the global economy, reduced mobility, and created uncertainty — all of which hurt the sector and led to significant drops in property values due to low demand and excess supply.
Recovery arrived in 2021, with an upward trend and an average annual growth rate of 9.2%, reaching €4,952/m², according to the property platform. This sustained increase was due to a shortage of supply, rising construction material costs, the boom in tourist rentals, and strong foreign investment — resulting in the current housing affordability crisis across the country. A situation that doesn’t appear likely to change in the short term. Experts such as CBRE, in their latest semiannual report, indicate that the highest valuations remain in the residential segment. The consultancy highlights that, despite the uncertainty and volatility of the current context, investor interest remains strong, while the shortage of supply continues to push prices upward.
Among alternative real estate assets, Urbanitae, the leading real estate crowdfunding platform, has achieved an average return of over 12% since its launch in 2019. Over that period, the Proptech company has financed more than 220 projects, with a total volume exceeding €510 million through more than 210,000 individual investments. In these six years, Urbanitae has returned over €105 million to its investors, consolidating its position as a distinctive and tangible option for those looking to invest or diversify their portfolios through alternative real estate assets offering solid profitability.
Profitability and performance of the Spanish stock market
According to CaixaBank Research, the Spanish stock market has historically been more volatile and suffered deeper downturns during crises compared to more diversified European markets. However, since the sharp declines between 2008 and 2012 — caused by the financial crisis, collapsing markets, investor distrust, credit shortages, and economic recession — the Ibex 35 has gradually recovered. Between 2015 and 2020, it traded within a relatively stable range, fluctuating between 6,482 points (the lows during the pandemic) and 9,700 points. From 2023 onward, it began a strong upward trend that has continued into 2024 and 2025.
Thus, over the past ten years, it has risen from 9,500 points in September 2015 to nearly 16,000 points this year — a 64.7% increase. However, when calculating the average annual return up to 2024, it barely reaches 2%.
Cryptocurrencies
If there is one asset that has been truly “in fashion,” it is cryptocurrencies. However, their growth has not been free from risk or controversy, as they are highly volatile assets, with price swings that make them unsuitable for all investors.
The most notable growth has been seen in Bitcoin. Although it was created in 2008 during the global financial crisis, it wasn’t until 2010 that its use became more widespread, when it was worth around $40. In 2014, amid post-crisis recovery, one Bitcoin was valued at €300. By 2021, the price hovered around €64,000 — and it has even surpassed €100,000 in 2025. This means that some investors have achieved remarkable profits, while others have suffered significant losses in short periods, often triggering panic and mass sell-offs.
What can be said about Bitcoin is that, due to its capped supply of 21 million units, it continues to follow cyclical patterns through “halvings” — events that have provided some reassurance to certain investors.
During the first halving, on November 28, 2012, the cryptocurrency’s price rose from around $12 to $1,150 in December 2013 — nearly a hundredfold increase. The second halving, on July 9, 2016, took Bitcoin from $650 to nearly $20,000 by late 2017 — a 54x increase. The third halving, on May 11, 2020, boosted the price from $8,600 to $64,000 in April 2021, marking an all-time high and multiplying its value by 13. Ahead of the fourth halving, despite the prolonged “crypto winter” that lasted over a year with price drops of up to 60%, Bitcoin still shows a 7.5x growth compared to the previous cycle.
Over the past decade, various geopolitical events have also left their mark on Bitcoin’s price movements. During Donald Trump’s first term, starting in 2016, regulatory uncertainty and his critical remarks about cryptocurrencies caused bouts of volatility — though the broader economic context encouraged speculative growth that peaked in 2017. In September 2021, El Salvador made history by adopting Bitcoin as legal tender, initially driving its price up but also sparking corrections amid doubts about its practical implementation.
By late 2022 and throughout 2023, the approval of the first spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States attracted institutional capital and helped solidify its status as a deregulated financial asset. Finally, in 2025, Donald Trump once again placed Bitcoin at the center of the global debate by proposing the creation of a national strategic reserve — reinforcing its perception as a potential state-backed store of value — and even launching his own memecoin, $Trump, which ultimately failed to gain traction.
