Too Long; Didn't Read
According to data from CoinMarketCap, the cumulative market capitalization of the crypto asset class is approaching $275 billion. A significant portion of this valuation comes from the potential to be used as a hedge against the prevailing economic system. Bitcoin, the first ever cryptocurrency, was released in January 2009 and did not gain much traction outside enthusiast communities until a couple years later. Major technology companies such as IBM and Microsoft are exploring its use cases to augment or replace existing financial processes. The underlying blockchain technology can be leveraged to make cross-border transactions more inexpensive.