US Central Bank Explains how Bitcoin is Like ‘Regular Currency

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Christine Smith, a content strategist with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, suggests bitcoin is less “exotic” and more boring than people may think. Bitcoin’s two use cases are as a store of value and a currency, the latter of which Smith uses to argue a trio of reasons why the leading digital currency is no different than “regular currency.”

Backed by Nothing

Bitcoin, like the US dollar, isn’t backed by any physical asset like gold. Its value is a consequence of the demand that people place on it, which has currently catapulted the price to about the $9,300 level.

Smith cites Fed economists who previously argued that “bitcoin units have no intrinsic value,” adding that neither does the US dollar, euro or Swiss franc. For instance, paper money is comprised of cotton and linen, which makes it cheap to make.

The US government abandoned the gold standard during the Depression and…