Why is Bitcoin’s Future Complicated?
Bitcoin’s complicated future is debated in media circles online and offline. The crypto hype has attracted heavily contested debates, with some supporting and others criticizing Bitcoin. However, the main question lingering in most people’s minds is, what does the future hold for cryptocurrencies? The answer is complicated mainly due to Bitcoin’s unique properties.
So, what is it that makes Bitcoin’s future complicated? The following article explores the main reasons behind Bitcoin’s uncertain future.
A Payment Method or Store of Value
Bitcoin’s main value proposition enabled its users to complete financial transactions through their digital identities without relying on banks and money processors. Bitcoin has lived up to that proposition, with several merchants and consumers increasingly using it to pay for goods and services worldwide.
Today, several businesses have integrated crypto into their payment systems, allowing their customers to buy various products in Bitcoin. You can now pay for several services and items with Bitcoin, including groceries, newspapers, air tickets, cars, electronic appliances, real estate property, and healthcare.
Bitcoin is now an independent asset class, with constantly growing daily trading volumes on crypto exchange platforms like https://bitcoin-code.app/. Many global organizations and investors are increasingly investing in Bitcoin to diversify and protect their assets from inflation. In 2020 and 2021, Bitcoin outperformed almost all asset classes, including gold.
While Bitcoin boasts a vast global following, several mainstream institutions are still yet to adopt it. The public remains broadly divided on whether Bitcoin is a medium for daily transactions or a store of value.
Volatility
Like all cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin is also a highly volatile asset. Its prices fluctuate back and forth constantly, impacting fears of enormous losses for investors. Volatility is a serious concern because it makes it almost impossible for investors to predict Bitcoin’s future price movements with utmost accuracy.
Leading crypto exchange platforms usually provide market statistics and analytical tools to help traders forecast Bitcoin’s price movements. However, even those resources are insufficient because Bitcoin’s value mainly depends on public perceptions. Positive sentiments fuel Bitcoin’s value, while negative comments curtail its demand and prices.
Nevertheless, the investors’ inability to predict Bitcoin’s price movements with certainty creates the perception of a bleak future. It makes Bitcoin seem like an unstable currency without intrinsic value. According to some investors, Bitcoin’s sudden and massive price fluctuations make it unreliable for daily transactions and storing wealth.
Regulatory Concerns
Satoshi Nakamoto unveiled Bitcoin as a decentralized currency to facilitate seamless cross-border money transfers without external intervention. Perhaps, the absence of government and institutional intervention in Bitcoin transactions is the main reason behind its rapidly growing adoption. However, regulatory authorities and governments worldwide have increasingly raised concerns over the need to regulate crypto.
The regulatory concerns mainly hint at security flaws, which many governments say encourage the use of Bitcoin to commit crimes such as money laundering, fraud, terrorism funding, and drug trafficking. Other regulators are also concerned that Bitcoin’s lack of a centralized authority exposes users to numerous risks since transactions are irreversible. Besides, users also risk losing the funds stored in their wallets if they forget their private keys or get hacked.
Scalability is another issue that paints a gray picture of Bitcoin’s future. According to experts, Bitcoin will only become an effective payment mechanism after technological improvement. Its blockchain must process millions of transactions quickly to be considered a viable investment asset or the payment method. Nevertheless, Bitcoin is still in the early adoption phase, and we can only wait and see what the future holds for it.