Dana
Byerlee, 33, of Santa Monica, prepares to use one of Southern
California’s first two bitcoin-to-cash ATMs, in Locali Conscious
Convenience store in Venice, Los Angeles, California, June 21,
2014.
REUTERS/Lucy
Nicholson
LONDON – Cryptocurrency Bitcoin isn’t technically money in the
full sense of the word, according to analysts at Bernstein.
While it allows transactions in a similar way to cash, Bitcoin is
still just a “censorship-resistant asset class,” out of the reach
of state control and yet to form a part of the system of
settlement and credit that defines money.
“Fiat money is still the final form of settlement – governments
still collect taxes in fiat money and salaries are still paid in
fiat money,” a team of analysts led by Gautam Chhugani and Gaurav
Jangale said in a note to clients on Wednesday.
“Thus, for now, Bitcoin has only emerged as a ‘censorship
resistant’ asset class,” Bernstein said.
The cryptocurrency, which is hovering around the $4,800 mark, is
more like an economy run by its users rather than a threat to
mainstream money.
“Bitcoin could be seen as virtual ‘bearer cash’ economy supported
by a decentralized ‘trustless’ network – a new crypto economy
with its own protocol or policy,” Bernstein said. “The faith of
its citizens– software developers, miners, investors, early
individual and sovereign state adopters would drive the value of
that network.”
Bitcoin hit nearly $5,000 at the beginning of September, but
quickly saw its price decline amid news of a
crackdown in China and criticism from JPMorgan CEO Jamie
Dimon. After bottoming out near $2,900 per coin on September 15,
it has since rallied.
Bernstein said that money evolved as a system of keeping track of
and clearing IOUs, rather than as a metal token in lieu of a
barter system, a function that Bitcoin is yet to fulfil in the
wider economy.
Here’s the chart to explain:
Bernstein