Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all our readers, Canadian and otherwise!
Considering the purpose of this day is to commemorate the violent colonization of North America recognize and appreciate what we’re thankful for, let’s take a look at the positive events in the Bitcoin world over the last year.
Massive Adoption
2014 has been the year of merchant adoption so far.
Many, many more local businesses have begun accepting Bitcoin, from Brazilian real estate companies to local cafes. In fact, most large cities on Earth have at least a few places where people can spend their bitcoins.
Local and global payment processors have begun accepting Bitcoin as well. Sweden’s Klarna, Germany’s Plentymarkets, South Africa’s Payfast, South Korea’s Galaxia, and worldwide processor Global Payments have all begun facilitating Bitcoin transactions.
Oh yeah, and PayPal too.
These companies open the door to more merchants being able to accept Bitcoin. But what’s been more exciting is the bigger name companies which have actually begun accepting Bitcoin.
Overstock, Dell, Tiger Direct, Newegg, Alienware, Twitch, Dish, CloudFlare, AirBaltic, Grooveshark, xHamster, Hustler, Beepi, Overclockers, the cryogenic freezing organization Alcor, heavy metal band Mastodon, rapper 50 Cent, Oregon Scientific, and Expedia are just some of the big name businesses that have begun accepting Bitcoin this year.
Charities have begun to see Bitcoin’s potential as well. United Way, Greenpeace, and Wikipedia are all now in the fold.
In 2013, not a single one of these businesses were involved in the Bitcoin world. And now, all of them will gladly take your bitcoins. This is a big victory for Bitcoin.
The Future Of Bitcoin
Several universities have embraced Bitcoin as well. This includes Flinders University in Australia, Georgia Tech, MIT, Simon Fraser University in Canada, and University of Nicosia in Cyprus. Coinbase also began a program to give away $10 in Bitcoin to anyone who signed up for an account with a .edu address.
Bitcoin ATMs All Over The Place
It’s easy to forget that the world’s first Bitcoin ATM opened just under a year ago. Before then, it was more difficult for those new to the Bitcoin world to get their hands on Bitcoin.
And now, we have more than 200 Bitcoin ATMs worldwide, of all different types.
There are Bitcoin ATMs in Manhattan, Johannesburg, Toronto, the Isle of Man, Los Angeles, The Philippines, Victoria BC, Boston, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Halifax, Washington DC, Helsinki, Brisbane, Auckland, and many more, far too many to list them all.
Each new Bitcoin ATM received a lot of press at first, eventually petering out as the novelty wore off. These days a new Bitcoin ATM is business as usual, so it’s easy to forget the power of a new Bitcoin ATM.
These machines help those who may be overwhelmed by the prospect of buying Bitcoin online get access to Bitcoin. It also gives Bitcoin more of a physical presence, which is a helpful prospect not only for brand identity but also to imply more stability. After all, it’s hard to argue in Toronto that Bitcoin is a flash-in-the-pan trend or a scam when there are 11 Bitcoin ATMs throughout the city.
Kind Words From Big Names
The world’s wealthy and influential have begun embracing Bitcoin’s potential as well.
Bill Gates has called it “better than currency”, former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke says it “may hold long-term promise”, Google CEO Eric Schmidt calls it “a remarkable cryptographic achievement”, and PayPal CEO David Marcus said simply “I really like Bitcoin.”
The Winklevoss Brothers have invested heavily in Bitcoin, and Richard Branson is an investor in BitPay and Blockchain, on top of accepting Bitcoin with his company Virgin Galactic.
Julian Assange, the controversial head of Wikileaks, has had nothing but kind words to say about Bitcoin. On multiple occasions he’s praised Bitcoin, calling it “an extremely important innovation” and “the most interesting development of the last two years”.
Moving Forward
Does Bitcoin have some major hurdles to overcome? Of course. But it’s important to look at how far we’ve come as well, rather than just focusing on Bitcoin’s issues.
Each item above brings Bitcoin a step closer to the mass adoption we all hope for. It’s been a rocky road, full of ups and downs. But in general, we’re moving in the right direction. And for that, we should all be thankful.
What Do Bitcoiners Have To Be Thankful For This Year?
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