A cryptocurrency is a digital currency that is created and managed through the use of advanced encryption techniques known as cryptography. Cryptocurrency made the leap from being an academic concept to (virtual) reality with the creation of Bitcoin in 2009. While Bitcoin attracted a growing following in subsequent years, it captured significant investor and media attention in April 2013 when it peaked at a record $266 per bitcoin after surging 10-fold in the preceding two months. Bitcoin sported a market value of over $2 billion at its peak, but a 50% plunge shortly thereafter sparked a raging debate about the future of cryptocurrencies in general and Bitcoin in particular. So, will these alternative currencies eventually supplant conventional currencies and become as ubiquitous as dollars and euros someday? Or are cryptocurrencies a passing fad that will flame out before long? The answer lies with Bitcoin.
(Cryptocurrency will replace national currencies by 2030....)
“Cryptocurrency is very much here to stay,” said futurist and author Thomas Frey, noting that he’s speaking to the Federal Reserve in September on the topic. He predicts that “cryptocurrencies are going to displace roughly 25% of national currencies by 2030. They’re just much more efficient, the way they run.”
The rise of cryptocurrencies over the past couple years represents “the legitimization of a new asset class emerging alongside the traditional global economy,” according to Dr. James Canton of the Institute for Global Futures. “I’d say you can expect an exponential increase of new investment vehicles to come from cryptofinance.”
Some money will be lost in the cryptocurrency market, to be sure, but Canton believes there’s also possibility to earn vast riches.