Bitcoin: Breaking Bad or Breaking Barriers?

For nearly the past decade, Bitcoin has found itself in a state of non-regulation, ambiguous regulation, and conflicting regulation, with several interested agencies vying for effective regulation of an often misunderstood technology. Early run-ins with large-scale criminal enterprises in large part created the multi-directional regulatory attention Bitcoin “enjoys” today. Even while many businesses and individuals interested in Bitcoin have sought, unsuccessfully, consistent governmental policy, Bitcoin’s popularity has continued to rise, and its relative volatility continues to subside. There is no better time than now for federal agencies to align their stances and policies relating to this technology, establish consistent criminal and civil regulation, and allow Bitcoin to reach its fullest potential: as a form of security.