7. The future of bitcoin

The question is, what will become of this currency born of mathematics and peer-to-peer networks? As no currency of this type has ever existed before, it's really hard to make a prognosis, and opinions are divided. Some believe that today's high price is a bubble that will burst and make Bitcoin worthless: those who buy it will end up losing everything they put into it.

Others argue that bitcoin possesses properties such that it will always retain a certain interest for carrying out fast, almost cost-free and virtually anonymous transactions, or for keeping money safe from inflation in a discreet, easy-to-move form. Indeed, it is possible to memorize your secret account number and erase everything from your computer; with this number in mind, you can cross any border with ease, and then reintroduce it using another wallet on another computer to find your bitcoins...