We cannot agree more that mass acceptance is the elixir that cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) needs to continue to gain a foothold in the global financial system. Unlike other currencies, there are three ways to make money with Bitcoin: Saving, Trading and Mining. Bitcoin can be traded on open markets, which means you can buy it at a low cost and sell it at a higher price. One of the general properties of money (FIAT) is global adoption, and as much as Bitcoin can attain this global adoption, it will stand every chance to thrive!
What are Crypto Whales?
Bitcoin officially came into existence in 2009 and was created through a process called Bitcoin mining. Around the globe, those who apply this process to acquire this crypto are called Miners. The predicted amount of this coin that can be mined is capped at 21 million, and according to professionals, mining gets more difficult as more Bitcoins are generated. These professionals have also predicted that this coin will finally be mined by 2140.
From the inception of this crypto, a certain set of individuals worldwide have amassed a larger quantity of the total amount of Bitcoin in circulation. They are called Whales. The implication is that any individual or business entity with a single address that has amassed 1000 BTC or more is a Bitcoin whale.
It is worth knowing that Bitcoin’s value can be volatile compared to more established commodities and currencies. Also, the coins become more valuable the more people use them. Hence it works based on the law of demand and supply. Investors are mostly scared by news stating that Bitcoin can be regulated owing to hearings from the government of various nations.
It means the rate of ‘Bitcoin adoption is troubled by negative or bad press reports. This news creates panic for the Bitcoin whales as global acceptance is taunted. As stated earlier, the value of Bitcoin also depends upon the rules of demand and supply. For instance, if the demand for the coin is on the rise, it is expected that the coin price will rise as well!
On the contrary, decreasing demand for Bitcoin will lead to decreased value. Date back in 2013, the price of Bitcoin was approximately $400, and towards the end of the year, it rose to around $1,000. Now fast forward to the end of 2019. It rose to about nineteen times its value dating back to 2013. The indicator here is that the price of these coins fluctuates from time to time.
Simply put, we can say that the price is determined by what amount the trading market concludes on. If many people wish to purchase Bitcoins, then the price will rise. If more folks want to sell Bitcoins, the price will decrease.
Bitcoin anonymity
The casinos, the gambling industry and the betting world, are beginning to accept crypto as a payment method. Due to the anonymity of Bitcoin, crypto casinos and poker sites are gaining more life as they allow players to wager with these coins. This indicates that there are no taxes or possibilities for government control. The volatility of Bitcoin also depends upon Bitcoin holders having large proportions of this digital currency. Recall there are only 21 million Bitcoins that will ever be mined. This limits the amount of Bitcoin that can ever be produced. This is like saying a government cannot print money because there is a limited supply of bills, and they won’t print anymore (Though this does not hold for the FIAT).
When there is a set supply, your purchasing power is preserved, and the currency is immune to runaway inflation. This limited supply has also helped to contribute to the rise in the price of Bitcoin. Sceptical? If you are still sceptical about investing in the coin with your assets directly, there are other ways as more people are starting to amass it, for it is worthwhile! Indirectly you can mine Bitcoin, too, as there are new miners who can join a pool of other miners who combine their computing power to solve the algorithms!
Occasionally, the Bitcoin whales will play ignorant and watch the price of BTC increase, which raises the alarm for a supposed manipulation from the investors. However, these are mere trading tactics applied such that a whale with huge holdings starts selling Bitcoins lower than the market rate, which causes a panic sell-off by small-time traders. The whale will then have sold just below the current market value and enough to watch the panic ensue! Then the whale waits and watches the panic selling occur until the Bitcoin prices reach a new low. This is the time when the whales quickly scoop up more Bitcoins.
While it is correct that Bitcoin whales are continually accumulating BTC over time using the tactics mentioned above, throughout various market fluctuations over the years, and especially this past 70 percent dip, many of them have become much larger fish in the sea of Bitcoin wealth distribution. However, from an investor’s point of view, if a trader can guess the top and sell their Bitcoins and then follow that manoeuvre by buying back in at the bottom, they can gain many more coins! The large transfers of BTC to unknown wallets over time have signalled the setting in of an accumulation period.
When a Bitcoin Whale sells large quantities of BTC, the price may fall if placed at the market price. If a large investor places a large buy order for BTC at the market price, the price rises, and they buy at a high price. It is worth noting that tactics these Bitcoin whales employ, though largely for their gains, have continually sustained the growing demand, guaranteeing global circulation. In the last five years, Bitcoin circulation among small investors has more than doubled as so-called whale accumulation declined by an almost similar margin during the same period.
The observations appear to dovetail with recent occurrences globally, which have had an observable gradual transfer of wealth from some of Bitcoin’s early adopters, who tend to possess very large amounts of the asset to retail investors. A growing population have accepted the use of Bitcoin, and holders anticipate consumers will use the digital currency for almost all their online transactions.
