Why Bitcoin Is Struggling to Become a Mainstream Currency | Ben Dickson

Ten years ago, the Bitcoin whitepaper set the scene for what many believed would be the future of online payments—or even the future of money itself. Since then, Bitcoin has evolved from a geeky, libertarian fad into a landscape of thousands of cryptocurrencies and hundreds of billions of dollars.

But Bitcoin still has a long way to go to fulfill the vision of becoming a mainstream method of payment and a major currency. As the cryptocurrency has grown in popularity and use, its inherent challenges, technical and legal, have become more pronounced. And unless it can overcome these challenges, Bitcoin will never become a real currency like the dollar or euro, as some experts believe.

Bitcoin’s Origin Created Big Expectations

The advent of Bitcoin coincided with the financial crisis of 2008, which was triggered by the collapse of several major banks and financial institutions. “It was obvious that the population cannot trust its financial leaders to keep their money safe. There was…