2019 is expected to be a historic year in cryptocurrency, with different Bitcoin trends already anticipated. Enthusiasts and investors did notice many trends that are now prominent. Those that are most likely going to dominate the year are listed below.
Increased Availability Of Bitcoin ATMs
Bitcoin ATMs will be much more available in 2019, all around the world. In Chicago there are already 30 new ones, moving up to around 100 available. Philadelphia also has around the same number of ATMs that can be used. While most of the ATMs dispense bitcoin, there are still many in New York that can be seen as traditional, giving currency. Such machines allow buying Bitcoin with a credit card.
Bitcoin ATMs can encourage people to use bitcoin and will increase cryptocurrency availability. We are all used to ATMs so getting bitcoin available in them is an important part of the evolution of cryptocurrency.
Central Banks Get Involved In Cryptocurrencies
We recently talked about JPMorgan Chase launching its own cryptocurrency but there are countless reports about large banks getting involved in the industry. Besides this, it is expected to see central banks support cryptocurrencies by adding to their own gold reserves with purchases of cryptocurrencies.
Nick Szabo declared that central banks are going to supplement gold reserves with the use of cryptocurrencies, especially in areas that are affected by financial mismanagement and extreme conflict. He stated:
“There’s going to be some situations where a central bank can’t trust a foreign central bank or government with their bonds, for example. One solution that’s been developed is to have the Swiss government hold it for you – that’s not a trust-minimized solution. The Swiss government itself is subject to political pressures, and so a more trust-minimized solution is cryptocurrency.”
Bitcoin-Centric Tourism
Recently we started seeing different localities and companies that encourage tourists to spend BTC while traveling. The first report came from Germany in March, 2018, when the country’s tourism board started to accept BTC payments for offered services. In recent news, a Central Queensland, Australia, beach town become cryptocurrency-friendly.
Generally, when traveling to another country, you need to visit the exchange office pretty fast. If BTC becomes widely accepted, people can avoid having to do this as they travel just with BTC. Obviously, this does involve a lot of planning but it can be really convenient.
Smartphones Storing Bitcoin
Numerous tech brands already started creating smartphones that have integrated wallets capable of storing cryptocurrencies. HTC announced the launch of Exodus 1 at the end of 2018. This is actually a smartphone that is blockchain-based and comes with a wallet. The phone can even be bought just with the use of cryptocurrencies.
There are also rumors that a crypto software wallet will be included in the new Samsung Galaxy S10 through Samsung Blockchain KeyStore, a trademark the company filed for. While we cannot possibly know how these smartphones will sell or be accepted by users, early adopters can lead to a really interesting trend, especially when considering those that prefer hardware wallets. If such phones are successful, many others will appear.
