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Recently, former CEO of the insurance giant Prudential, George Ball in an interview with Reuters, said that bitcoin is an attractive long-term investment bet. He thinks that BTC is a safe haven for traders and investors.
It is important to know that Mr. Ball was previously a hater of bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
But then what made him change his heart? Why did a company like MicroStrategy buy $250 million worth of bitcoins last week?
Because these mainstream financial market bigwigs now believe that BTC has ‘concrete’ intrinsic value as opposed to traditional assets and markets.
And why’s that?
Because bitcoin is decentralized, durable, portable, fungible, scarce, divisible, and recognizable. And most importantly, the cryptocurrency’s design is based on the standard principles of mathematics.
Decentralized
Probably the most unique trait that imparts bitcoin its value is decentralization. By the very design of its protocol, Bitcoin operates over a public network of computers – blockchain.
This network of participants keeps Bitcoin running by ensuring that every member has access to the latest version of the blockchain i.e the longest chain.
No central authority, or a third party organization controls Bitcoin. And recent data suggests that over the last 5 years, bitcoin’s ownership has become much more decentralized.
This means that the concentration of entities holding large number of BTC has reduced and those holding small quantities has significantly increased. One of the reason why bitcoin’s value is increasing.
Durability
Bitcoins are inherently lines of code that exist as ledger entries on a public and distributed network. For the last 11 years, this network has been running 24X7X365 with 99.98 percent uptime.
Cryptography secures BTC transactions. It also makes them remarkably efficient. Also, Bitcoin’s code is available in a public repository on GitHub, which in turn is stored in the Arctic Code Vault. From what it looks, bitcoin is a pretty durable asset and can stand the tests of time.
Portability
There are a number of wallet options available where you can transfer your BTC holdings and move around freely, travel anywhere you like.
You can access your bitcoins from anywhere across the world. Because the money that you spend on investing in BTC actually gets you ownership of a section on the Bitcoin blockchain.
This means that BTC is free from a physical form or a place of storage.
Bitcoin is so portable that now it is not necessary to connect to the internet for conducting a BTC transaction.
State-of-the-art advancements by Bitcoin development companies like Blockstream have made it possible to make BTC transfers without the web. So much so, that transactions can happen from outer space as well!
Scarcity
Scarcity is the most characteristic attribute of bitcoin that makes it a valuable asset. There will only ever be 21 million bitcoins.
This is a feature that pre-programmed in the Bitcoin right from the start when the first block was mined. Mining or the process of producing new BTC requires proof-of-work.
Miners have to prove that their hardware is capable of verifying transactions on the bitcoin protocol amid rising mining difficulty. This is how they win BTC rewards for successfully verifying transactions and circulating them in the market.
Also, a technical feature even known as halving which reduces the bitcoin block reward every four years, ensures that powerful miners don’t empty the entire remaining supply.
Divisibility
Divisibility is another aspect that makes bitcoin a valuable asset. 1 BTC is divisible into 10 million small entities. Each entity is a satoshi.
This means that bitcoin’s limited supply cannot hinder its adoption. The world’s topmost cryptocurrency can find usage even in fractional quantities, up to the eighth decimal place!
With regards to investment too, it is not necessary to buy 1 whole BTC. You can buy a few satoshis or just a small portion of the entire bitcoin.
Fungibility
Similar to all other legitimate assets like gold, and state-backed currencies like the INR, every bitcoin can be exchanged for another.
Bitcoins irrespective of their history of ownership and usage still continue to hold value up until the individual satoshi.
Bitcoins/Satoshis emerging from one source are completely interchangeable with an equivalent number of bitcoins/satoshis emerging from some other source.
Recognizable
As of date bitcoin has garnered a lot of respect and credibility as an investable asset. Despite being criticized as a scam, and a Ponzi scheme, BTC has made a lot of money for investors especially the early entrants.
Also, it has accrued quite some support from conventional financial market and technology influencers like Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, billionaire macro investor Paul Tudor Jones, Twitter founder, and CEO Jack Dorsey, etc.
These are some of the attributes that explain why bitcoins have value. Know any other feature, that imparts value to BTC? Share them with us in the comments below!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Bitcoin And How Does It Work?
Bitcoin is decentralized digital money that may be bought, sold, and exchanged without an intermediary such as a bank. Bitcoin is based on a blockchain that is considered to be a distributed digital ledger. As the name suggests, blockchain is a linked database made up of blocks that store information about each transaction, such as the date and time, total amount, buyer and seller, and a unique identifier for each exchange. Entries are linked in chronological order to form a digital blockchain
Is Bitcoin Trading Is Legal In India?
In 2020, the Supreme Court of India lifted the RBI’s restrictions on cryptocurrencies. According to the Supreme Court, the existence of Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency is unregulated but not unlawful. The verdict has greatly aided the world of digital money in the country. To put it another way, investing in Bitcoin is perfectly legal, and you may do so through various apps and traders.
What Is Meant By Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a digital currency that was initially released in January 2009. It is based on ideas offered by Satoshi Nakamoto, a mysterious and pseudonymous figure, in a whitepaper. The name of the person or individuals who invented technology has not been revealed. Bitcoin promises lower transaction fees than other online payment systems, and unlike government-issued currencies, it is decentralized.
What Is Bitcoin Used For?
Bitcoin was created as a means of sending money over the internet. The digital currency was designed to be a non-centralized alternative payment system that could be used in the same way as traditional currencies. Bitcoin is being used by an increasing number of businesses and individuals. This includes establishments such as restaurants, apartments, and law firms.
How Much Is 1 Bitcoin Worth Today?
Check out the current price of Bitcoin on the WazirX exchange. Bitcoin's value is primarily determined by its supply and demand in the market. Other elements have an impact on its worth. Its intrinsic value can also be calculated by calculating the average marginal cost of producing a Bitcoin at any given time, based on the block reward, electricity price, mining hardware energy efficiency, and mining difficulty.
How To Invest In Bitcoin?
Bitcoin may be invested in two ways: through mining or exchanges. Bitcoin mining is carried out by high-powered computers that solve challenging computational arithmetic problems that are too difficult to complete by hand and complex enough to tax even the most powerful computers. WazirX, a Bitcoin exchange, is another alternative.
How To Make Bitcoin?
Bitcoin mining is not just the process of putting new Bitcoins into circulation, but it is also an essential part of the blockchain ledger's upkeep and development. It is carried out with the assistance of highly advanced computers that answer challenging computational math problems. Miners are rewarded for their efforts as auditors. They are in charge of ensuring that Bitcoin transactions are legitimate. Satoshi Nakamoto, who is the founder of Bitcoin, innovated this standard for keeping Bitcoin users ethical. Miners help to prevent the "double-spending problem" by confirming transactions.
Is Bitcoin Mining Free?
Bitcoin mining isn't free, but it can be tried on a budget. Bitcoin mining is an essential part of the blockchain ledger's upkeep and development and the act of issuing new Bitcoins. It is accomplished by the use of cutting-edge computers that tackle complicated computational arithmetic problems. The effort of auditor miners is rewarded. They're in charge of ensuring that Bitcoin transactions go off without a fuss and that they're legal.
Is Bitcoin Legal In India?
In India, Bitcoin is not illegal. Because of cryptocurrency's rapid evolution, policymakers and regulators seemed to have recognized the chance to accept the new technology early. From the infamous 'RBI ban' in 2018 to reports of an impending bill banning cryptos in 2021 that has yet to develop, India has seen its fair share of ups and downs when it comes to Bitcoin regulation. Last year, the Supreme Court Of India approved the use of Bitcoin throughout the country. According to the Supreme Court, the existence of Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency is unregulated but not unlawful.
Is Bitcoin A Good Investment For The Future?
Some investors are afraid of the risks or devastation, but others are very eager to pursue the possibility of profit from a Bitcoin investment. A Bitcoin investment is similar to stock investing, except it can be more volatile.
Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is not a legal tender and is currently unregulated. Kindly ensure that you undertake sufficient risk assessment when trading cryptocurrencies as they are often subject to high price volatility. The information provided in this section doesn't represent any investment advice or WazirX's official position. WazirX reserves the right in its sole discretion to amend or change this blog post at any time and for any reasons without prior notice.
