BITCOIN has suffered its worst day since February as the price tumbled, prompting fresh fears about the long-term viability of cryptocurrencies. So why is BTC falling?
In December, the crypto reached a record high of $19,511 (£14,588), the culmination of the hype over the alternatives to traditional currencies. Today, the price of BTC dropped as low as $6,498 (£4,858).
This brings the downward slide for the year to more than 50 percent already.
Why is BTC falling?
Experts are citing various reasons for the massive drop in BTC’s value this year.
There are the issues of regulatory concerns, dwindling transactions, sky-high power consumption, and criticism from the world's established financial industry. However, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have seen a sharp drop since South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinrail was hacked over the weekend. Coinrail, which is thought to have lost around £28m in the cyber attack, tweeted to confirm the hack on Sunday.
Shortly after, bitcoin saw its value tumbling by 10%. This latest attack highlights the lack of cybersecurity and weak global regulations of crypto markets. Coinrail said in a statement that its system was hit by “cyber intrusion” on Sunday, causing a loss for about 30 percent of the coins traded on the exchange.
The statement added: “Seventy percent of total coin and token reserves have been confirmed to be safely stored and moved to a cold wallet [not connected to the internet]."
“Two-thirds of stolen cryptocurrencies were withdrawn or frozen in partnership with related exchanges and coin companies," the statement continues.
“For the rest, we are looking into it with an investigative agency, related exchanges and coin developers.”
Korean police have begun an investigation into the incident. Bitcoin has been further hurt by damning reviews from industry leaders.
Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett and JP Morgan chief executive Jamie Dimon, expressed their scepticism of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies again last week.
Warren Buffet has called BTC “probably rat poison squared.”
A few big names, such as Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, have thrown their weight behind crypto, but supporters from the finance world are a rarity right now.
In May, the crypto sector found itself under increasing government scrutiny when the US Justice Department opened a criminal probe into illegal trading practices that can manipulate the price of Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
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www.express.co.ukThis article pretty much sums it up for me. The regulators, the hacks, the ico's, etc. All of these factors are contributors to the decline in the price. When people are in doubt, they fear. When they're in fear, they panic. When they panic, they usually start selling. Supply and demand is the name of the game, so if you bring the trust back, people will lose their doubt and possibly reinvest.