Cryptocurrency is a passing fashion in my opinion like Pokemon and Harry Potter, in the end it is all hocus pocus. Here is why.
Transaction costs. It is expensive to validate every transaction on multiple computer systems via the blockchain resulting in transaction fees. I pay $5 for a coffee in paper money without paying a transaction fee, but if I pay $5 in cryptocurrency, I could pay $20 in transaction fees.
It favors rich people. The computer’s processing transactions via the blockchain are overloaded so there is a delay in recording transactions. Those who pay a higher transaction fee will get priority over those who can only afford lower fees to get a transaction completed quickly, thus the system is loaded in favor of the rich.
Transactions can be slow. Payment with paper money is instant, but with the majority of cryptocurrency transactions there can be delays of hours and days to complete the transaction.
The value of cryptocurrency is unstable. Payment for a house in cryptocurrency might be worth $1million in one hour, and if not instantly transacted with high transaction fees, can be halved in one hour to 50% of the value. Cryptocurrency moves up and down in value by large jumps in short periods of time.
Cryptocurrency is not underwritten by anyone. When individuals place money on deposit in a bank, the bank fails, some or all of the deposit is safeguarded by an external authority. Paper currency is underwritten by governments. There is no authority that will underwrite or insure losses of cryptocurrency for instance when an exchange fails.
Cryptocurrency has no tangible value. $10K of gold bullion, even if the value falls to zero, the individual still has a lump of gold in their hand. $10k of cryptocurrency that falls to zero becomes no more than a unique number on a database. Nothing tangible backs cryptocurrency.
Money laundering. Criminals and terrorists can move money across borders, switching between cryptocurrency, paper currency and assets such as property quickly, posing problems for legal authorities to intervene. Money laundering laws is causing banks to refuse or cancel financial transactions related to cryptocurrency, they can cancel bank accounts if they cannot see a legal paper trail of where a transaction came from.
Tax man sees cryptocurrency as an investment subject to tax. Cryptocurrency is seen as an investment subject to taxation such as capital gains tax. The tax man will investigate cryptocurrency transactions by an individual or business, demand paper trails, issue tax demands and potentially fine or imprison people they think are evading or avoiding tax.
Speculation and gambling. Cryptocurrency is now like pokerchips where individuals gamble or speculate on a cryptocurrency going up reducing these currencies to that of a lottery or casino. Many people will lose their money.
Currency manipulation. Value is based on supply and demand of cryptocurrency, with a small number of players being able to manipulate prices by buying and selling cryptocurrency.
Poor security. Cryptocurrency is a hackers dream. The systems, entities and individuals involved in cryptocurrency often have poor security allowing hackers to steal currency often worth $millions, under the cloak of anonymity they and the cryptocurrency is often untraceable.
Fraud. Cryptocurrency encourages large-scale fraud. Hackers use malware to get websites, servers and computers of individuals or governments to mine cryptocurrency for them. Fake offers of goods and services, exchanges and cryptocurrencies encourage victims to part with cash then vanish leaving the victim with nothing.
People use loans and credit cards to speculate. People are fueling their cryptocurrency purchases via loans, leaving individuals and nations open to an economic credit crisis if they are unable to pay back the loans on the back of falling cryptocurrency values.
Government crackdowns. Governments are cracking down on cryptocurrencies by banning or restricting them.
Bubbles. Cryptocurrency has no tangible value, subject to speculation based upon subjective values of consumers wildly in excess of reality, creating a bubble that will see large losses for many investors.
Climate change. The servers that create cryptocurrency and validates transactions on blockchains consumes vast amounts of electricity, powered in part by burning fossil fuels, which promotes global warming.
Inefficient and unsustainable demands on limited water and energy supplies. The servers use large amounts of water to cool them and energy to calculate complex calculations that powers the production of cryptocurrency and the recording of transactions on blockchains. As more and more people use blockchains the demand upon electricity and water will overburden power grids and water supplies of nation states.