Cryptocurrencies have come a long way since the first use of 10,000 Bitcoins to buy 2 pizzas in 2010. According to coinmarketcap.com, there are 7 different cryptocurrencies with a market cap of over $100 million, though none come close to Bitcoin with a market cap of nearly $15 billion. With companies like Microsoft now accepting Bitcoins as payments, the future of cryptocurrency is important to pay attention to. Kathleen Breltman, COO of a new blockchain platform called Tezos, offers her five predictions for cryptocurrency in 2017. Here I will touch upon a few and offer my own views.
“Investment funds will look to invest in cryptocurrencies”
It is important to understand that cryptocurrencies are still currencies, subject to wildly fluctuating economic forces. Though Bitcoin’s value is rising right now, its value fell significantly after its last peak in 2013. That said, some cryptocurrencies may be more stable than some real currency.
“Exchanges will become a source of scrutiny”
If cryptocurrencies want to be legitimized, then governments must be involved for the sake of regulating and protecting consumers – assuming governments can keep up with rapidly evolving technology.
My brother often says he regrets not investing in Bitcoin earlier. Of course, hindsight is 20/20.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/23/whats-next-for-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency/
I think this is interesting as there is still so much more potential for Bitcoin to expand the way our technology is progressing. I also think the point of bringing government regulation into effect is also important because of the potential shady nature of the transactions that can occur