A​ ​History​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin 

30​th​​ ​September,​ ​20171 
Usman​ ​W.​ ​Chohan,​ ​MBA 
School​ ​of​ ​Business​ ​and​ ​Economics 

University​ ​of​ ​New​ ​South​ ​Wales,​ ​Canberra 

Discussion​ ​Paper 

Discussion​ ​Paper​ ​Series:​ ​Notes​ ​on​ ​the​ ​21​st​​ ​Century 

 
Abstract:​ T ​ he​ ​meteoric​ ​rise​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin​ ​has​ ​led​ ​to​ ​heightened​ ​investment,​ ​academic, 
commercial,​ ​numismatic,​ ​transactional,​ ​and​ ​practitioner​ ​interest​ ​in​ ​that​ ​cryptocurrency,​ ​as 
well​ ​as​ ​in​ ​the​ ​growing​ ​array​ ​of​ ​such​ ​instruments​ ​worldwide.​ ​This​ ​leads​ ​to​ ​an​ ​accentuated 
need​ ​for​ ​an​ ​examination​ ​of​ ​the​ ​historical​ ​evolution​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin​ ​as​ ​the​ ​seminal​ ​instrument​ ​in 
the​ ​development​ ​of​ ​cryptocurrencies,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​discussion​ ​paper​ ​seeks​ ​to​ ​address​ ​that​ ​gap. 
 

1
​ ​Originally​ ​prepared​ ​in​ ​November,​ ​2016,​ ​and​ ​updated​ ​in​ ​February​ ​and​ ​September,​ ​2017​ ​to​ ​reflect​ ​regulatory​ ​changes 

Electronic copy available at: [Link]

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A​ ​History​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin 

The​ ​meteoric​ ​rise​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin​ ​has​ ​led​ ​to​ ​heightened​ ​investment,​ ​academic,​ ​commercial,​ ​numismatic, 

transactional,​ ​and​ ​practitioner​ ​in​ ​the​ ​cryptocurrency,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​in​ ​the​ ​growing​ ​array​ ​of​ ​such 

instruments​ ​worldwide​ ​(see​ ​multidisciplinary​ ​academic​ ​discussions​ ​and​ ​analyses​ ​in​ ​Ametrano 

2016;​ ​Brenig​ ​et​ ​al.​ ​2015;​ ​Cheung​ ​et​ ​al.​ ​2015;​ ​Chohan​ ​2017a,​ ​2017b,​ ​2017c,​ ​2017d,​ ​2017e;​ ​Cocco​ ​et 

al.​ ​2017;​ ​Darlington​ ​2014;​ ​Davis​ ​2011;​ ​Farell​ ​2015;​ ​Gjermundrod​ ​and​ ​Dionysiou​ ​2014;​ ​Graeber​ ​2011; 

Greenberg​ ​2011;​ ​Harwick​ ​2015;​ ​Houy​ ​2014;​ ​Howden​ ​2015;​ ​Hughes​ ​and​ ​Middlebrook​ ​2015;​ ​Iwamura 

et​ ​al.​ ​2014a,​ ​2014b;​ ​Koning​ ​2016;​ ​Narayanan​ ​2016;​ ​Stapenhurst​ ​et​ ​al.​ ​2015;​ ​Vigna​ ​et​ ​al.​ ​2015).​ ​This 

leads​ ​to​ ​an​ ​accentuated​ ​need​ ​for​ ​a​ ​revisitation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​history​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin​ ​as​ ​the​ ​seminal​ ​instrument 

in​ ​the​ ​development​ ​of​ ​cryptocurrencies.​ ​This​ ​discussion​ ​paper​ ​aims​ ​to​ ​address​ ​that​ ​gap.​ ​It 

progresses​ ​chronologically,​ ​attempting​ ​to​ ​incorporate​ ​technological,​ ​regulatory,​ ​and​ ​economic 

events​ ​salient​ ​to​ ​the​ ​genesis​ ​and​ ​deployment​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​to​ ​the​ ​adoption​ ​and 

proliferation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​cryptocurrency. 

Genesis​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin 

Virtual​ ​money​ ​has​ ​come​ ​into​ ​vogue​ ​at​ ​different​ ​times​ ​during​ ​the​ ​history​ ​of​ ​sedentary​ ​human 

civilization,​ ​and​ ​has​ ​often​ ​stayed​ ​for​ ​extended​ ​periods​ ​of​ ​time​ ​before​ ​being​ ​replaced​ ​by​ ​‘tangible’ 

money​ ​alternatives,​ ​only​ ​to​ ​be​ ​superseded​ ​by​ ​virtual​ ​money​ ​in​ ​what​ ​has​ ​been​ ​described​ ​as​ ​a​ ​series 

of​ ​long-cycles​ ​of​ ​money​ ​instruments​ ​and​ ​debt​ ​(Graeber​ ​2011).​ ​Even​ ​within​ ​the​ ​specific​ ​category​ ​of 

digital​ ​cash​ ​instruments,​ ​some​ ​vehicles​ ​did​ ​exist​ ​before​ ​Bitcoin,​ ​but​ ​had​ ​not​ ​assumed​ ​the​ ​central 

Electronic copy available at: [Link]

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or​ ​preeminent​ ​position​ ​that​ ​Bitcoin​ ​would​ ​eventually​ ​come​ ​to​ ​adopt.​ ​Despite​ ​Bitcoin’s​ ​unique 

propositions,​ ​there​ ​were​ ​other​ ​digital​ ​monetary​ ​instruments​ ​in​ ​circulation​ ​in​ ​the​ ​online​ ​sphere​ ​that 

wielded​ ​traits​ ​similar​ ​to​ ​Bitcoin​ ​such​ ​as​ p​ roof-of-work​​ ​or​ d​ igital​ ​scarcity​.​ ​The​ ​issuer-based​ ​ecash​​ ​of 

Chaum​ ​and​ ​Brands​ ​is​ ​the​ ​earliest​ ​example,​ ​while​ ​Adam​ ​Back​ ​had​ ​created​ ​a​ ​proof-of-work​ ​scheme 

for​ ​spam​ ​control​ ​known​ ​as​ ​hashcash.​ ​The​ ​proof-of-work​ ​algorithm​ ​in​ ​hashcash​ ​was​ ​further 

developed​ ​into​ ​a​ r​ eusable​ ​proof-of-work​ ​(RPOW)​ ​by​ ​Hal​ ​Finney.​ ​Proposals​ ​for​ ​cryptocurrencies​ ​that 

had​ ​distributed​ ​digital​ ​scacity​ ​included​ ​B-Money​ ​(Wei​ ​Dai)​ ​and​ ​Bit​ ​Gold​ ​(Nick​ ​Szabo).​ ​The​ ​problem 

of​ ​market-based​ ​collectible​ ​mechanisms​ ​for​ ​controlling​ ​currency​ ​inflation​ ​were​ ​part​ ​of​ ​Bit​ ​Gold’s 

proposal,​ ​as​ ​were​ ​other​ ​enabling​ ​aspects​ ​such​ ​as​ ​a​ ​Byzantine​ ​fault-tolerant​ ​asset​ ​registry,​ ​which 

would​ ​store​ ​and​ ​transfer​ ​enchained​ ​proof-of-work​ ​solutions.​ ​With​ ​these​ ​innovators​ ​laying​ ​the 

groundwork,​ ​Bitcoin​ ​itself​ ​was​ ​“authored”​ ​by​ ​a​ ​pseudonymous​ ​person(s)​ ​or​ ​entity(-ies)​ ​known​ ​as 

Satoshi​ ​Nakamoto.​ ​Wei​ ​Dai​ ​and​ ​Hal​ ​Finney​ ​were​ ​suspected​ ​of​ ​being​ ​the​ ​agents​ ​behind​ ​the​ n​ om​ ​de 

plume​ ​Satoshi​ ​Nakamoto,​ ​but​ ​they​ ​issued​ ​denials​ ​to​ ​that​ ​effect. 

Nakamoto​ ​posted​ ​a​ ​paper​ ​to​ ​a​ ​cryptography​ ​mailling​ ​list​ ​in​ ​2008​ ​with​ ​the​ ​title​ ​“Bitcoin:​ ​A 

Peer-to-Peer​ ​Electronic​ ​Cash​ ​System,”​ ​(Nakamoto​ ​2008).​ ​This​ ​paper​ ​laid​ ​out​ ​the​ ​schema​ ​for​ ​a 

peer-to-peer​ ​network​ ​that​ ​would​ ​foster​ ​a​ ​“system​ ​for​ ​electronic​ ​transactions​ ​without​ ​relying​ ​on 

trust,”​ ​(Nakamoto​ ​2008).​ ​The​ ​underlying​ ​message​ ​was​ ​the​ ​elements​ ​of​ ​trust,​ ​accountability,​ ​or 

oversight,​ ​that​ ​had​ ​characterised​ ​commerce​ ​and​ ​exchange​ ​throughout​ ​history​ ​would​ ​be​ ​replaced 

by​ ​a​ ​system​ ​that​ ​would​ ​simply​ ​have​ ​no​ n​ eed​​ ​for​ ​transacting​ ​agents​ ​to​ ​know​ ​one​ ​another​ ​(Chohan 

2017a,​ ​2017b,​ ​2017c,​ ​2017d,​ ​2017e).  

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Launching​ ​Bitcoin 
After​ ​the​ ​dissemination​ ​of​ ​the​ ​paper​ ​(Nakamoto​ ​2008),​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​platform​ ​for​ ​bitcoin​ ​transactions 

came​ ​into​ ​being​ ​through​ ​the​ ​release​ ​of​ ​the​ ​first​ ​open-source​ ​Bitcoin-Client​​ ​and​ ​the​ ​concommittant 

issuing​ ​of​ ​Bitcoins.​ ​Nakamoto​ ​mined​ ​the​ ​first​ ​block​ ​of​ ​bitcoins​ ​with​ ​a​ ​reward​ ​of​ ​50​ ​bitcoins.​ ​This 

block​ ​is​ ​commonly​ ​referred​ ​to​ ​as​ ​the​ ​“genesis​ ​block.”​ ​Hal​ ​Finney​ ​downloaded​ ​the​ ​bitcoin​ ​client​ ​and 

received​ ​the​ ​first​ ​10​ ​bitcoins​ ​from​ ​Nakamoto,​ ​which​ ​represented​ ​the​ ​first​ ​Bitcoin​ ​transaction​ ​in 

history.​ ​Nick​ ​Szabo​ ​and​ ​Wei​ ​Dai​ ​were​ ​also​ ​expressed​ ​strong​ ​support​ ​for​ ​Bitcoin​ ​after​ ​its​ ​release. 

Nakamoto​ ​himself​ ​mined​ ​an​ ​amount​ ​approximating​ ​1​ ​million​ ​bitcoins,​ ​before​ ​disappearing​ ​and 

severing​ ​involvement​ ​with​ ​the​ ​bitcoin​ ​movement.​ ​Gavin​ ​Andresen​ ​became​ ​the​ ​lead​ ​developer​ ​at​ ​the 

Bitcoin​ ​Foundation,​ ​and​ ​thereafter​ ​became​ ​the​ ​equivalent​ ​of​ ​the​ ​‘public​ ​face’​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin.  

In​ ​the​ ​initial​ ​phases​ ​of​ ​release,​ ​the​ ​monetary​ ​value​ ​of​ ​bitcoin​ ​was​ ​arrived​ ​at​ ​through​ ​a​ ​proto-market 

bargaining​ ​process,​ ​as​ ​for​ ​example​ ​when​ ​10,000​ ​bitcoins​ ​were​ ​used​ ​to​ ​purchase​ ​(indirectly)​ ​two 

pizzas​ ​from​ ​Papa​ ​Johns.​ ​At​ ​this​ ​early​ ​juncture,​ ​despite​ ​the​ ​seeming​ ​vulnerability​ ​of​ ​the​ ​system, 

only​ ​one​ ​significant​ ​vulnerability​ ​was​ ​discovered,​ ​which​ ​led​ ​to​ ​the​ ​exploited​ ​overproduction​ ​of​ ​180 

billion​ ​bitcoins.​ ​However,​ ​those​ ​coins​ ​were​ ​removed​ ​from​ ​the​ ​blockchain,​ ​and​ ​an​ ​updated​ ​security 

protocol​ ​countered​ ​the​ ​extant​ ​flow. 

Growth-Era 
The​ ​open​ ​source​ ​code​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin​ ​helped​ ​other​ ​cryptocurrency​ ​developers​ ​to​ ​create​ ​alternative​ ​coins 

based​ ​on​ ​its​ ​code​ ​(Chohan​ ​2017e).​ ​Early​ ​adopters​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin​ ​for​ ​transactional​ ​purposes​ ​included 

Wikileaks​ ​(donations)​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Electronic​ ​Frontier​ ​Foundation​ ​(doing​ ​so​ ​intermittently).​ ​In​ ​2011,​ ​a 
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bitcoin-related​ ​public​ ​magazine​ B

​ itcoin​ ​Magazine​ ​was​ ​released.​ ​Bitcoin​ ​also​ ​appeared​ ​in 

entertainment,​ ​as​ ​in​ ​the​ ​CBS​ ​Drama​ T

​ he​ ​Good​ ​Wife.​​ ​The​ ​show​ ​insinuated​ ​that​ ​Bitcoin​ ​was​ ​not​ ​a 

‘true​ ​currency.’​ ​In​ ​2012,​ ​the​ ​Bitcoin​ ​Foundation​ ​was​ ​launched​ ​to​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​the​ ​standardization, 

protection,​ ​and​ ​promotion​ ​of​ ​Bitcoin.​ ​By​ ​2012,​ ​the​ ​global​ ​bitcoin​ ​payment​ ​service​ ​BitPay​ ​reported 

that​ ​1000+​ ​merchants​ ​were​ ​accepting​ ​Bitcoin​ ​under​ ​its​ ​payment​ ​processing​ ​service.​ ​In​ ​2013, 

Coinbase,​ ​another​ ​payment​ ​processor,​ ​announced​ ​that​ ​it​ ​had​ ​sold​ ​$1​ ​million​ ​(USD)​ ​worth​ ​of 

bitcoins​ ​in​ ​one​ ​month,​ ​at​ ​per​ ​unit​ ​equivalent​ ​above​ ​$22​ ​per​ ​bitcoin.  

By​ ​2013,​ ​bitcoin​ ​was​ ​under​ ​the​ ​radar​ ​of​ ​regulatory​ ​bodies​ ​worldwide,​ ​and​ ​had​ ​grown​ ​in​ ​volume​ ​to 

the​ ​point​ ​of​ ​causing​ ​encumbrances​ ​to​ ​clearinghouses.​ ​That​ ​year,​ ​several​ ​exchange-​ ​and 

clearinghouse-related​ ​incidents​ ​occurred,​ ​including​ ​the​ ​splitting​ ​of​ ​the​ ​chain​ ​into​ ​two​ ​bitcoin 

networks,​ ​and​ ​processing​ ​delays​ ​due​ ​to​ ​insufficient​ ​capacity,​ ​which​ ​led​ ​to​ ​precipitous​ ​drops​ ​in 

price​ ​and​ ​even​ ​temporary​ ​halting​ ​of​ ​trade.​ ​The​ ​American​ ​Financial​ ​Crimes​ ​Enforcement​ ​Network 

(FinCEN)​ ​established​ ​regulatory​ ​guidelines​ ​for​ ​decentralized​ ​virtual​ ​currencies​ ​(including​ ​Bitcoin). 

They​ ​classified​ ​those​ ​American​ ​bitcoin​ ​miners​ ​who​ ​would​ ​sell​ ​generated​ ​bitcoins​ ​as​ M
​ oney​ ​Service 

Businesses​​ ​(MSBs),​ ​as​ ​subject​ ​to​ ​legal​ ​obligations​ ​including​ ​registration.​ ​The​ ​violation​ ​of​ ​these 

rulings,​ ​specifically​ ​the​ ​failure​ ​to​ ​register​ ​as​ ​a​ ​money​ ​transmitter,​ ​by​ ​bitcoin​ ​exchange​ ​Mt.​ ​Gox 

resulted​ ​in​ ​US​ ​authorities​ ​seizing​ ​accounts​ ​associated​ ​with​ ​the​ ​exchange.​ ​New​ ​businesses​ ​such​ ​as 

dating​ ​site​ ​OkCupid​ a​ nd​ ​food-ordering​ ​service​ ​Foodler​​ ​began​ ​to​ ​accept​ ​Bitcoins​ ​at​ ​this​ ​time.​ ​A 

slight​ ​trend​ ​towards​ ​monopolization​ ​of​ ​bitcoin​ ​processing​ ​began​ ​to​ ​be​ ​observed​ ​when​ ​it​ ​was​ ​noted 

that​ ​BitInstant​ ​processed​ ​roughly​ ​30%​ ​of​ ​in-bound​ ​and​ ​out-bound​ ​transactions​ ​from​ ​traditional 

money​ ​into​ ​bitcoin,​ ​and​ ​that​ ​BitInstant​ ​would​ ​do​ ​in​ ​excess​ ​of​ ​30,000​ ​transactions​ ​in​ ​a​ ​month.​ ​US 

enforcement​ ​agencies​ ​found​ ​bitcoins​ ​in​ ​various​ ​incidents​ ​and​ ​investigations,​ ​as​ ​when​ ​the​ ​Drug 
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Enforcement​ ​Agency​ ​(DEA)​ ​had​ ​reported​ ​11.02​ ​bitcoins​ ​as​ ​a​ ​seized​ ​asset​ ​in​ ​a​ ​United​ ​States 

Department​ ​of​ ​Justice​ ​seizure​ ​notice​ ​pursuant​ ​to​ ​21​ ​U.S.C.​ ​§​ ​881.​ ​In​ ​Kenya,​ ​a​ ​project​ ​was​ ​initiated 

to​ ​link​ ​bitcoin​ ​payments​ ​to​ ​the​ ​robust​ ​infrastructure​ ​of​ ​M-Pesa,​ ​with​ ​a​ ​view​ ​to​ ​spurring​ ​financial 

development​ ​in​ ​the​ ​developing​ ​world.​ ​Meanwhile,​ ​Robocoin​ ​and​ ​Bitcoiniacs​ ​together​ ​launched​ ​the 

world's​ ​first​ ​bitcoin​ ​Automated​ ​Teller​ ​Machine​ ​(ATM)​ ​on​ ​29​ ​October,​ ​2013​ ​in​ ​Vancouver,​ ​BC, 

Canada,​ ​which​ ​allowed​ ​clients​ ​to​ ​sell​ ​or​ ​purchase​ ​bitcoin​ ​currency​ ​at​ ​a​ ​downtown​ ​coffee​ ​shop.  

Regulatory​ ​responses​ ​to​ ​bitcoin​ ​(see​ ​also​ ​Chohan​ ​2017e)​ ​began​ ​to​ ​significantly​ ​diverge​ ​in​ ​2013.​ ​In 

Thailand,​ ​Foreign​ ​Exchange​ ​Administration​ ​and​ ​Policy​ ​Department​ ​de-legitimized​ ​bitcoin​ ​by​ ​stating 

that​ ​would​ ​be​ ​illegal​ ​given​ ​that​ ​it​ ​lacked​ ​any​ ​legal​ ​framework.​ ​Meanwhile,​ ​Federal​ ​Judge​ ​Amos 

Mazzant​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Eastern​ ​District​ ​of​ ​Texas​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Fifth​ ​Circuit​ ​ruled​ ​that​ ​bitcoins​ ​are​ ​"a​ ​currency​ ​or​ ​a 

form​ ​of​ ​money"​ ​as​ ​defined​ ​by​ ​Federal​ ​Securities​ ​Laws,​ ​and​ ​as​ ​such​ ​were​ ​subject​ ​to​ ​the​ ​court's 

jurisdiction.​ ​At​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time,​ ​Germany's​ ​Finance​ ​Ministry​ ​subsumed​ ​bitcoins​ ​under​ ​the​ ​term​ ​"unit 

of​ ​account"—a​ ​financial​ ​instrument—though​ ​not​ ​as​ ​e-money​ ​or​ ​a​ ​functional​ ​currency,​ ​a 

classification​ ​nonetheless​ ​having​ ​legal​ ​and​ ​tax​ ​implications.​ ​In​ ​October​ ​2013,​ ​the​ ​FBI​ ​seized 

roughly​ ​26,000​ ​bitcoins​ ​during​ ​the​ ​arrest​ ​of​ ​Ross​ ​William​ ​Ulbricht,​ ​owner​ ​of​ ​the​ ​website​ S
​ ilk​ ​Road​. 

China​ ​became​ ​the​ ​largest​ ​point​ ​of​ ​exchange​ ​for​ ​bitcoins​ ​in​ ​2013,​ ​when​ ​BTC​ ​China​ ​overtook​ ​the 

Japanese​ ​Mt.​ ​Gox​ ​and​ ​the​ ​European​ ​Bitstamp​ ​to​ ​become​ ​the​ ​largest​ ​exchange​ ​by​ ​volume. 

However,​ ​the​ ​monetary​ ​authority​ ​People’s​ ​Bank​ ​of​ ​China​ ​prohibited​ ​Chinese​ ​financial​ ​institutions 

from​ ​using​ ​bitcoins​ ​in​ ​December​ ​2013,​ ​leading​ ​to​ ​a​ ​drop​ ​in​ ​the​ ​instrument’s​ ​value. 

An​ ​even​ ​larger​ ​assortment​ ​of​ ​businesses​ ​began​ ​to​ ​accept​ ​bitcoin​ ​in​ ​2014,​ ​including​ ​Zynga,​ ​D​ ​Las 

Vegas​ ​Casinos,​ ​Golden​ ​Gate​ ​Hotel​ ​&​ ​Casino,​ ​TigerDirect,​ ​[Link],​ ​Newegg,​ ​Dell,​ ​and 
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Microsoft.​ ​Furthermore,​ ​Bitcoin​ ​based​ ​derivative​ ​products​ ​emerged​ ​in​ ​2014,​ ​when​ ​TeraExchange 

received​ ​approval​ ​from​ ​the​ ​[Link]​ ​Futures​ ​Trading​ ​Commission​ ​to​ ​begin​ ​listing​ ​an 

over-the-counter​ ​swap​ ​product​ ​whose​ ​underlying​ ​asset​ ​was​ ​the​ ​price​ ​of​ ​a​ ​bitcoin.A​ ​clearinghouse 

crisis​ ​emerged​ ​when​ ​Japanese​ ​Mt.​ ​Gox​ ​reported​ ​the​ ​theft​ ​of​ ​744,000​ ​bitcoins​ ​and​ ​filed​ ​for 

bankruptcy,​ ​following​ ​months​ ​of​ ​reported​ ​user-difficulties.​ ​Another​ ​hack​ ​occurred​ ​the​ ​following 

year​ ​at​ ​the​ ​British​ ​exchange​ ​Bitstamp,​ ​which​ ​reported​ ​19,000​ ​bitcoins​ ​stolen​ ​from​ ​their​ ​hot​ ​wallet 

($5​ ​million​ ​USD​ ​at​ ​the​ ​time).​ ​Unlike​ ​Mt​ ​Gox,​ ​Bitstamp​ ​continued​ ​trading​ ​after​ ​a​ ​minor​ ​interval. 

By​ ​2015,​ ​the​ ​number​ ​of​ ​merchants​ ​worldwide​ ​had​ ​swollen​ ​to​ ​an​ ​estimated​ ​160,000​ ​merchants. 

Digital​ ​currency-related​ ​companies​ ​continued​ ​to​ ​draw​ ​funder​ ​attention​ ​from​ ​mainstream​ ​markets, 

as​ ​when​ 2​ 1​ ​Inc​​ ​raised​ ​$116​ ​million​ ​(USD)​ ​in​ ​venture-capital​ ​funding. 

Global​ ​expansion​ ​of​ ​bitcoin-related​ ​transactions​ ​continued​ ​an​ ​inexorable​ ​rise​ ​in​ ​2016.​ ​By 

September,​ ​2016​ ​there​ ​were​ ​771​ ​ATMs​ ​worldwide​ ​servicing​ ​bitcoins.​ ​In​ ​March​ ​2016,​ ​the​ ​Cabinet​ ​of 

Japan​ ​recognized​ ​virtual​ ​currencies​ ​like​ ​bitcoin​ ​as​ ​having​ ​a​ ​function​ ​similar​ ​to​ ​real​ ​money.​ ​The 

largest​ ​South​ ​African​ ​online​ ​marketplace,​ ​Bidorbuy​ ​launched​ ​bitcoin​ ​payments​ ​for​ ​both​ ​buyers​ ​and 

sellers.​ ​In​ ​Argentina,​ ​Uber​ ​switched​ ​to​ ​bitcoin​ ​after​ ​the​ ​government​ ​preempted​ ​credit​ ​card 

companies​ ​from​ ​transacting​ ​with​ ​Uber.​ ​In​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​hacks,​ ​major​ ​clearinghouse​ ​Bitfinex​ ​reported 

120,000​ ​bitcoins​ ​stolen,​ ​equivalent​ ​to​ ​$60​ ​million​ ​(USD)​ ​at​ ​the​ ​time.​ ​Typical​ ​of​ ​the​ ​lag-time​ ​of 

academia​ ​in​ ​responding​ ​to​ ​practitioner​ ​phenomena,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​only​ ​in​ ​2016​ ​that​ ​the​ ​first 

cryptocurrency-related​ ​journal,​ L​ edger,​​ ​was​ ​launched. 

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In​ ​2017,​ ​the​ ​momentum​ ​of​ ​the​ ​bitcoin​ ​has​ ​remained​ ​sustained,​ ​and​ ​now​ ​occupies​ ​niches 

heretofore​ ​unexplored,​ ​including​ ​business-to-business​ ​(B2B)​ ​supply​ ​chains,​ ​ticketing​ ​and​ ​transport 

services,​ ​consumer​ ​services,​ ​value​ ​storage,​ ​derivative​ ​products,​ ​hedging​ ​mechanisms,​ ​and​ ​more. 

More​ ​countries​ ​are​ ​also​ ​legalizing​ ​bitcoin​ ​as​ ​a​ ​form​ ​of​ ​payment​ ​(see​ ​also​ ​discussion​ ​in​ ​Chohan 

2017e).​ ​Japan​ ​passed​ ​a​ ​law​ ​in​ ​2017​ ​to​ ​accept​ ​bitcoin​ ​as​ ​a​ ​legal​ ​payment​ ​method.​ ​Russia 

announced​ ​that​ ​it​ ​would​ ​legalize​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of​ ​cryptocurrencies​ ​such​ ​as​ ​bitcoin.​ ​Norway’s​ ​largest 

online​ ​bank,​ ​Skandiabanken,​ ​is​ ​integrating​ ​bitcoin​ ​accounts. 

The​ ​value​ ​of​ ​bitcoin,​ ​meanwhile​ ​has​ ​continued​ ​to​ ​soar,​ ​albeit​ ​with​ ​sharp​ ​volatility​ ​(see​ ​also​ ​Chohan 

2017d,​ ​2017e).​ ​On​ ​20​ ​May​ ​2017,​ ​the​ ​price​ ​of​ ​one​ ​bitcoin​ ​passed​ ​US$2,000​ ​for​ ​the​ ​first​ ​time,​ ​rising 

to​ ​$3000​ ​on​ ​5​ ​August,​ ​and​ ​then​ ​to​ ​$4000​ ​on​ ​12​ ​August.​ ​Bitcoin​ ​has​ ​split​ ​into​ ​two​ ​trading 

instruments​ ​as​ ​well:​ ​bitcoin​ ​classic​ ​(BTC)​ ​and​ ​bitcoin​ ​cash​ ​(BCH). 

Conclusion 
Bitcoin​ ​has​ ​thus​ ​far​ ​exemplified​ ​the​ ​rise-and-rise​​ ​archetype​ ​of​ ​inexorable​ ​growth,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​leads​ ​to 

the​ ​consideration​ ​of​ ​ ​several​ ​thematic​ ​points.​ ​First,​ ​the​ ​monetary​ ​value​ ​of​ ​bitcoin​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​rise, 

as​ ​it​ ​serves​ ​an​ ​increasing​ ​array​ ​of​ ​purposes​ ​and​ ​is​ ​recognized​ ​by​ ​an​ ​increasing​ ​number​ ​of 

businesses​ ​and​ ​services.​ ​Second,​ ​legislation​ ​and​ ​legality​ ​is​ ​trending​ ​more​ ​favorable​ ​towards​ ​the 

legitimization​ ​of​ ​bitcoin​ ​(see​ ​also​ ​2017e).​ ​Third,​ ​despite​ ​hacks​ ​of​ ​theft,​ ​the​ ​general​ ​amount​ ​of 

bitcoins​ ​has​ ​been​ ​able​ ​to​ ​grow​ ​without​ ​significant​ ​disruption.​ ​Third,​ ​bitcoin​ ​is​ ​enetering​ ​a​ ​phase​ ​of 

higher​ ​substitutability​ ​with​ ​traditional​ ​currencies,​ ​as​ ​remarked​ ​by​ ​the​ ​increasing​ ​number​ ​of​ ​bitcoin 

related​ ​products​ ​(direct​ ​or​ ​derivative),​ ​and​ ​the​ ​volume​ ​of​ ​exchange​ ​that​ ​is​ ​occurring.​ ​Fourth,​ ​there 
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is​ ​a​ ​growth​ ​in​ ​the​ ​number​ ​of​ ​alternative​ ​currencies,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​in​ ​blockchain​ ​based​ ​solutions​ ​for 

other​ ​technical​ ​and​ ​social​ ​problems,​ ​bolstered​ ​by​ ​the​ ​preeminence​ ​of​ ​bitcoin.​ ​In​ ​sum,​ ​the 

prognostications​ ​of​ ​bitcoin​ ​point​ ​towards​ ​the​ ​favorable,​ ​and​ ​future​ ​academic​ ​research​ ​(see​ ​also 

discussion​ ​sin​ ​Chohan​ ​2017d,​ ​2017e)​ ​can​ ​pave​ ​the​ ​way​ ​for​ ​a​ ​much​ ​richer​ ​exploration​ ​of​ ​the​ ​issues 

surrounding​ ​bitcoin​ ​as​ ​it​ ​edges​ ​closer​ ​to​ ​a​ ​phase​ ​of​ ​maturation. 

   
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