“I’ve been working on a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party.” -Satoshi Nakamoto, November 1, 2008

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin appears to be back in a big way. Calling Bitcoin (Trading View Ticker: BTCUSD) a cryptocurrency can be enough to make most people turn the page in search of a lighter read. However, a quick introduction can help you see how this innovative coin that is now ~7.5 years old has gone from a coder’s coin and known by only a few hobbyists to an asset class in a class of itself.

Is It Time To Take Bitcoin Seriously?

Only a handful of people have been following Bitcoin since the creator, Satoshi Nakamoto introduced and explained how and why Bitcoin could work first introduced the digital asset on the cryptography mail archive. However, now many people have at least heard of the Bitcoin though few fully grasp the implications of both commerce and financial markets if Bitcoin can hit the proverbial ‘Tipping Point.’

Regardless of whether or not we’ve hit the tipping point, it is worth taking Bitcoin seriously as it has not only stood the test of time, but the technology that is underlying BTC, the blockchain, has garnered the attention of Goldman Sachs, Citibank, JPMorgan, BNP Paribas and many more as the ‘Next Big Thing’ in Financial Markets. Developed markets with some of the most distraught monetary managers like Brazil have recently seen Bitcoin Trading surpass Gold trading per Cryptocoin News.

Make no mistake; some will call Bitcoin a fad who will fade away into the oblivion of Financial Innovation in a similar fate of Adjustable Rate Mortgages, while others will say the Bitcoin has and will continue to change everything. While I lay to closer to the ‘Change Everything’ extreme, it has yet to be fully adopted, and likely will not be fully adopted as a replacement of fiat currency for multiple reasons.