Smoke clears and bitcoin still stands
After its crazy ride, the cryptocurrency ‘is here to stay ’
thukwanan@sundaytimes.co.za For most of last year, bitcoin grabbed the attention of financial markets as a new global currency and a threat to the hegemony of central bankers and the world's reserve currency, the US dollar. Today, excitement over the digital currency has dissipated in line with its 80% plunge from the high it reached last December. But despite its travails, the digital currency still has many supporters who laud it as the future of financial technology. "What we've seen in the past year is a correction of that incredible rise at the end of 2017 and the market is trying to find the appropriate value of this new asset class that has no comparison," said Farzam Ehsani, co-founder and CEO of digital trading platform VALR.com. "But I think we're still not out of the volatility. I think there will be a lot more volatility," he said. The currency, of which South Africans were huge adopters, has dropped from its $19,783.21 peak to $3,300.03 (just under R50,000), the lowest ...
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