FILE – A woman walks past the Bitcoin ATM in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANK
Trading of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies increased sharply at the beginning of 2020, then jumped to a new high in February—a level that was sustained for the height of the Coronavirus crisis from March through May.
Cryptocurrency Monthly Trading Volume
Source: CryptoCompare
According to Coin Metrics:
“If historical growth rates can be maintained, Bitcoin’s current daily volume would need fewer than 4 years of growth to exceed daily volume of all US equities and fewer than 5 years to exceed daily volume of all US bonds.”
Where is this Coronavirus-fueled trading volume coming from and who will drive the future growth?
Who’s Buying Bitcoin?
A new study from Cornerstone Advisors revealed that 15% of American adults now own some form of cryptocurrency—a little more than half of whom invested in cryptocurrency for the first time during the first six months of 2020.
Percentage of Consumers Holding Cryptocurrency Assets
Source: Cornerstone Advisors
On average, these new investors obtained roughly $67.5 billion in cryptocurrencies, roughly $4,000 per person. The self-reported value of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum for Americans who owned these assets prior to this year is about $111 billion, or close to $7,000 per person.
At 15% penetration, the US cracks the top 10 countries with the highest adoption of cryptocurrencies according to data from September 2019 (although a lot has changed since then).
Cryptocurrency Adoption
Source: Statista
The Demographics of Bitcoin Buyers
Who fueled this Bitcoin buying binge during the crisis?
- High income, well-educated men. Nearly eight in 10 of 2020 crypto buyers were men with an average annual income of $130,000. Four in 10 have a Master’s degree or higher (70% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher).
- Millennials and Gen Xers. Millennials (26 to 40 years old) comprised 57% of the consumers buying cryptocurrency in 2020 with Gen Xers (41 to 55 years old) accounting for 30%. Overall, 27% of Millennials and 21% of Gen Xers now hold some form of cryptocurrency, in contrast to 7% of Gen Zers, and 3% of Baby Boomers.
- Bank of America customers. Overall, 21% of all consumers call Bank of America their primary bank. Of the consumers buying cryptocurrencies during the Bitcoin binge, almost half—47%—are customers of Bank of America. You’d think Bitcoin buyers would be customers of the digital banks, but only 6% of them call a digital bank their primary bank—in line with the population as a whole.
The Bitcoin Benefit
It’s hard to prove that holding cryptocurrencies is the cause of this, but 44% of Americans who have already invested in Bitcoin and other…
Read more:The Coronavirus Cryptocurrency Craze: Who’s Behind The Bitcoin Buying Binge?
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