âTo the extent it is used I fear itâs often for illicit finance. Itâs an extremely inefficient way of conducting transactions, and the amount of energy thatâs consumed in processing those transactions is staggering,â the former Fed chairwoman said. Yellenâs comments have been cited as a reason for bitcoinâs recent losses. However, Yellenâs assessment of bitcoin as a inefficient medium of exchange is an important point and one that has already been raised in the past by bitcoin bulls. Using a volatile asset in exchange for goods and services makes little sense if the asset can tumble 10% in a day, or surge 80% over the course of a two months as bitcoin has done in 2021, critics argue. To put a finer point on it, over the past 12 months bitcoin has registered 8 corrections, defined as a decline from a recent peak of at least 10% but not more than 20%, and two bear markets, which are defined as falls of 20% or more, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
What Is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that you can buy, sell and exchange directly, without an intermediary like a bank. Bitcoinâs creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, originally described the need for âan electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust.â Each and every Bitcoin transaction thatâs ever been made exists on a public ledger accessible to everyone, making transactions hard to reverse and difficult to fake. Thatâs by design: Core to their decentralized nature, Bitcoins arenât backed by the government or any issuing institution, and thereâs nothing to guarantee their value besides the proof baked in the heart of the system. âThe reason why itâs worth money is simply because we, as people, decided it has valueâsame as gold,â says Anton Mozgovoy, co-founder & CEO of digital financial service company Holyheld.
