Bitcoin Is Not a Fad, Says Australia’s Financial Service Minister

The Australian Finance Services Minister – Jane Hume – publically backed up digital assets by saying they are not just a temporary trend. Additionally, she opined that decentralized finance (DeFi) presents “incredible opportunities” for Australia.

‘We Need to Acknowledge This Is Not a Fad’

Jane Hume – an Australian minister and senator – fired back at Tony Richards (Head of Payment at the Reserve Bank of Australia), who recently described cryptocurrencies as “faddish.” On top of it, he warned investors that the asset class has the potential for a crash, and thus people could lose a substantial amount of money.

In an interview for the Australian Financial Review, Senator Hume disagreed with the statement. She believes the cryptocurrency industry is a delicate area, which the local government should approach “cautiously, but not fearfully.” The ruling body of Australia should also refrain from viewing bitcoin and the alternative coins as a “fad:”

“As an industry, and as a government, we need to acknowledge this is not a fad.”

The politician added that cryptocurrencies have emerged over the years and have “captured the hearts and minds” of Aussies. A recent survey revealed that roughly one in every five Australians is a holder. At the same time, Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Dogecoin (DOGE) are the most popular digital assets.

Senator Hume touched upon the blockchain-based form of finance that does not rely on central monetary intermediaries – Decentralized Finance (DeFi). She predicted it will “present incredible opportunities” in the future, and as such, “Australia mustn’t be left behind by far of the unknown.”

Crypto Is Like The Internet in 1995

The Australian minister also compared the cryptocurrency industry to technological developments from the recent past, such as the iPhone or Excel, that were considered irrelevant at some point. Digital assets also look like the Internet in its early days, and they can one day become a dominant technology used by everyone, Hume said:

“Don’t’ be the person in 1995 who said the Internet was just a place for geeks and criminals and would never become mainstream. And don’t be the person who argued that email was a passing fad.”

Many experts see the volatile nature of the asset class as its main issue. Hume opined that the enhanced price fluctuations occur because the industry is still in its early stages of existence:

“If the last 20 or 30 years have taught us anything, it’s that all innovation begins as disruption and ends as a household name.”

Not long ago, Anthony Scaramucci – Founder of the investment company SkyBridge Capital – gave a similar explanation. He compared bitcoin and the altcoins to companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Google – all of which faced enhanced volatility at first:

“I would categorize bitcoin and these other cryptocurrencies right now as early adaptive technologies. And just go back to Facebook, Google, Amazon – they all started with a wave of oscillating volatility before they stabilized.”