From a high watermark of $ 19,783 in 2017 , Bitcoin languished in the intervening years at the low thousand dollar range . But in mid-November , it left that valuation in the shade , topping out this January at a new record high of $ 41,973 – and yet to dip below $ 34,000 . Other altcoins , such as Etherum , saw similar levels of bullish growth on the back of the headline-grabbing BTC activity , while Elon Musk , the world ’ s richest man , tweeted his approval of the asset . Tracking hourly trading candles , then , isn ’ t necessary to see the bigger picture : digital assets have matured beyond obscurity , through frothy
curiosity and into the realm of true financial opportunity .
From a consumer perspective , that opportunity seems endless – in part driven by marketing campaigns promising attractive , if in some cases quixotic , potential returns . The grand vision of many crypto evangelists is a democratisation of wealth management , platforms built by plucky startups and passionate visionaries , of borderless global transactions , and greater individual financial control away from the governance of central banks and institutional regulation . In reality , however , the line between digital-native ,
43 fintechmagazine . com