Bitcoin has quickly risen to challenge the oldest monopoly on Earth — money.

Policymakers and central banks are free to print it, tighten its supply, tinker with interest rates and set capital reserve requirements — all of which make currencies dance.

Governments have enjoyed such power since the first civilizations in Mesopotamia emerged over 5,000 years ago.

But as Bitcoin threatens this perverse monopoly, we’re getting another round of (very predictable) blowback.

After outlawing initial coin offerings (ICOs) early last week, Beijing now wants to unplug certain cryptocurrency exchanges, which pundits predict would crush the cryptocurrency revolution.

Heck, Forbes went as far as saying…

“[China] is just the beginning rather than the end of recent efforts by big governments around the world to turn Bitcoin back into what once was — an exotic currency for the tech savvy and romantic radicals.”

Are world governments truly planning regulatory attacks against cryptocurrencies?

Of course they are!

But this “Crypto Genie” isn’t going back into his bottle.

Below are five reasons why the cryptocurrency revolution has only just begun.

Reason #1: There’s Too Much Money to Be Made

As the world’s first “cryptocurrency” trading between nerds, Bitcoin began life as an experiment.

Nearly a decade later, more than 800 digital currencies trade around the world.

And the crypto market is now worth more than $150 billion.

To be sure, that’s only a fraction of the $76 trillion global stock market capitalization.

But no other asset class has seen faster, bigger gains than cryptos — especially in the last year.

Bitcoin has gained 584% in the last 12 months — besting the S&P 500 45 times over (13%). And Ethereum, Bitcoin’s rapidly growing crypto rival, has gained a whopping 2,377% in the last year.

That’s more than 180 times the gain of the large-cap index over the same period.