Steve Hanke Blasts Bitcoin: It Is ‘Not a Currency’ and Has a … – Bitcoin News
Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, has criticized bitcoin, stating it is not a currency. The economist, known for his vocal opinions about crypto and for the promotion of dollarization initiatives in Latam, blasted bitcoin, saying it has a fundamental value of zero, and that it is a highly speculative asset.
Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins, has criticized bitcoin and its value in one of his latest tweets. The economist, known to be very vocal about the negative effect that crypto can have on world economies, contested bitcoins utility, stating:
Bitcoin is not a currency. Its just a highly speculative asset with a fundamental value of zero.
Hanke illustrated his opinion with a cartoon drawn by Robert Rich, as part of his work for Hedgeye Risk Management, where he compares other main fiat currencies including the dollar, the yen, and the euro, with bitcoin.
Responses from the bitcoin community to Hankes opinions came quickly. Digital artist Lucho Poletti, known for his bitcoin-focused work, tweeted a similar cartoon that depicted bitcoin as a better form of money than the fiat currencies that appeared in Robert Richs cartoon.
Others criticized Hankes opinion in writing, like Dr. Julian Hosp, CEO of decentralized finance app Cake Defi, who countered Hankes view, declaring:
Bitcoin has utility. We can argue how much, but it is definitely >0. There are undoubtedly some people who want its utility. Lastly, it is provably rare. Hence, your statement that bitcoin has zero value is 100% incorrect.
Hanke, as a promoter of currency boards and dollarization as a solution for inflation and devaluation problems in countries like Argentina, has criticized the adoption and function of bitcoin several times.
In June 2021, Hanke blasted the adoption of bitcoin in El Salvador as legal tender, saying it could cause the collapse of the countrys economy. At the time, he stated that all the dollars in El Salvador could be vacuumed out of the country, leaving citizens with only bitcoin.
This criticism intensified in October 2021, when he stated that Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, was playing fast and [loose] with El Salvadors tax dollars again, when he announced buying the bitcoin dip while purchasing 150 bitcoin.
What do you think about Steve Hanke and his criticism of bitcoin adoption and its fundamental value? Tell us in the comments section below.
Sergio is a cryptocurrency journalist based in Venezuela. He describes himself as late to the game, entering the cryptosphere when the price rise happened during December 2017. Having a computer engineering background, living in Venezuela, and being impacted by the cryptocurrency boom at a social level, he offers a different point of view about crypto success and how it helps the unbanked and underserved.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Read the original:
Steve Hanke Blasts Bitcoin: It Is 'Not a Currency' and Has a ... - Bitcoin News
- Got $1,000 to Invest? Heres What XRP vs Bitcoin Could Be Worth by 2027 - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Japans Landmark Vote Reclassifies Bitcoin And Crypto As Financial Assets - Bitcoin Magazine - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Ether outruns bitcoin as ETF money returns, almost all of from BlackRock's fund - CoinDesk - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Ticks Up to $64K Following Largest Inflation Slowdown in Six Years - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Clawed Its Way Back Over $65,000. Heres Whyand What to Know Now - Investopedia - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- 3 reasons Bitcoin is stuck in a bear marketand why one analyst predicts a rebound to $100,000 by year-end - Fortune - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin at a turning point, could be 'substantially higher' by year end, says Bitwise CIO - CNBC - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Adoption by Major Banks 'Accelerating, But Still Early,' Says Michael Saylor as New Index Ranks JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Others - Yahoo... - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Peter Schiff finally admits one Bitcoin regret, but says a bigger one is coming - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Dips Below $60,000 and History Points to What Comes Next - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- What the Feds No-Bailout Warning Really Means for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Crypto Market Today, July 15: Bitcoin Nears $65,000 as Crypto Rallies on Softer Inflation Data - The Motley Fool - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin whale makes first move in 7 years after tenfold gain - Yahoo Finance Singapore - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Reclaims $65K: Whats Next for the Crypto Market in the Second Half of July? - Bitcoin Foundation - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Stanford study exposes Polymarket flaw that rewards Bitcoin manipulation - Crypto News - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Earning Bitcoin Option Income in the Range - Grayscale - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin and ethereum prices today, Tuesday, July 14, 2026: - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin nears the $58,000 floor that has marked every cycle bottom since 2015 - CoinDesk - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Is Not Freedom: The Delusion of Digital Escape - The Advocates for Self-Government - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin ETFs Are Seeing Massive Outflows, but the Price of HYPE Keeps Rising. Here's Why I'm Bullish on Hyperliquid. - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Will Taiwan Bitcoin Reserve Rumor Send Bitcoin to $70K? - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- What Is BIP-110 and Why Is It Dividing the Bitcoin Community? - Decrypt - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Analyst says Bitcoin is up 2,500% since Binances debut, but thats only half the story - thestreet.com - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- COIN, CRCL Stocks Have Outsized Bitcoin Recovery Leverage, Says William Blair - TradingView - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin Jump as Softer Inflation Dims Rate Hike Odds: Analyst Sees 'Bullish Case' Amid Muted Crypto Chatter - Yahoo Finance - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Hits 3-Week High Above $65,000: What Is Happening? - Benzinga - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin miner CleanSpark signed a $6.6B AI lease before securing the $2.1B required to build it - CryptoSlate - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Bitcoin ETFs Are Seeing Massive Outflows, but the Price of HYPE Keeps Rising. Here's Why I'm Bullish on Hyperliquid. - The Motley Fool - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- US spot Bitcoin ETFs pull in $108M as ether funds quietly stack $54M of their own - Crypto Briefing - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Peter Schiff Regrets Not Buying Bitcoin When He First Learned About It, But There's 'Not a Chance' He'll Buy It Now Not Even at $20,000 - Yahoo... - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Strategy Says It Might Sell Up to $1.25 Billion in Bitcoin. So Is MSTR a Buy, Sell, or Hold Right Now? - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Even with Gold Below $4,150 and Bitcoin Under $64,000, I'd Still Rather Buy This Unstoppable Dividend Stock in July - The Motley Fool - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin rebounds above $64k, heads for small weekly rise on tech-led rally - Investing.com - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Strategy Says It Might Sell Up to $1.25 Billion in Bitcoin. So Is MSTR a Buy, Sell, or Hold Right Now? - The Motley Fool - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Strategy's Trilemma: How Saylor Can Offset Bitcoin Losses With STRC Buybacks (NASDAQ:MSTR) - Seeking Alpha - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin's $60,000-$70,000 range becomes third most traded range in history - CoinDesk - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Rallies Toward $65,000 Level As Multiple Factors Drive Gains - Forbes - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Strategy (MSTR) Sells 3,588 Bitcoin And Rewrites Its Treasury Playbook - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Is this Bitcoin's worst bear market ever? The numbers tell a surprising story - thestreet.com - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Empery Digital Sells Half Its Bitcoin Treasury for $87M - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- SpaceX Is Dogecoin, Bitcoin Is The Cheap One, Says Hedge Fund Manager - Stocktwits - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Treasury Firm Empery Digital Dumps Nearly Half of BTC Holdings for $87 Million - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin's Price Tumbled 18% in June. Here's Why It's Still a Buy This Summer. - The Motley Fool - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- What the Highest 30-Year Treasury Yield Since 2007 Means for Bitcoin and Gold - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- A 12-Year-Old Bitcoin Dispute Returns as BIP-110 Divides the Community - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Why the Pure Bitcoin-Miner Fund Crushed the Blockchain Basket, Up 184% - 24/7 Wall St. - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Metaplanet Announces Joint Study To Bring Bitcoin-Backed Digital Credit To Japan - Bitcoin Magazine - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin-MSTR Panic Is Mostly Noise BTC A Screaming Buy At $64K, Says Standard Chartered - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Analyst names Bitcoin buyer that could be bigger than Saylor - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- COIN Vs. MSTR: Coinbase Has the Structurally Superior Approach to Bitcoin Over MicroStrategy - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Ohio village welcomed a bitcoin mine, then got noise and a fight over $1.3 million - Yahoo - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Metaplanet Explores Bitcoin-Backed Digital Credit with JPYC and Progmat - CryptoRank - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin ETFs Finally Snap 8-Week Losing Streak With Almost $200M in Inflows - CryptoPotato - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Morgan Stanley buys another 1,000 Bitcoin as holdings top 5,700 BTC - Crypto News - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin ETF inflows hit $90M as Bitcoin nears $65K, signaling renewed institutional demand. - Pluang - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Strategy Just Sold $216 Million of Bitcoin to Pay Its Dividends. Is Its Business Breaking? - Yahoo Finance - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin ETFs Finally Snap 8-Week Losing Streak With Almost $200M in Inflows - CryptoRank - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Price Will Hit $500K Before Trump Leaves, Says Analyst, as President Aims to 'Beat China' - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Russia's Largest Private Bank Alfa-Bank To Test Bitcoin And Crypto Trading - Bitcoin Magazine - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Construction starts at Sparks Bitcoin manufacturing facility, expected to create 70 jobs - KRXI2 - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Michael Saylors Strategy Is Trapped by Its Own Broken Bitcoin Math - WSJ - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Trump declares Iran ceasefire over; bitcoin and crypto markets drop - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Bitcoin and ethereum prices today, Thursday, July 9: Prices continue sliding on geopolitical tensions - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Is Down 53%. Is It Finally Time to Buy? - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Michael Saylor's Strategy may have saved bitcoin from a bigger sell-off: 'A balancing force in the market' - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Can Bitcoin Be Banned? What History Says About Government Restrictions - Bitcoin Foundation - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- JPMorgan says bitcoin's main risk isn't Strategy, but blockchain adoption that doesn't benefit public chains and tokens - The Block - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Mining Giant Buys Texas Land Once Promised for Green Fuel in $600M Bet - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- New Hampshire Council Rejects $100 Million Bitcoin-Backed Bond - Bitcoin Magazine - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Saylor pushes back on Bitcoin spam concerns - thestreet.com - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Analyst reveals the exact Bitcoin level where he'd become a buyer - thestreet.com - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- MARA gains 14% after unveiling 2 GW Texas AI and bitcoin mining campus plan - The Block - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Crashed 20% Over the Last 30 Days. Here's What History Says Comes Next. - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- BitGo introduces quantum protection for institutional Bitcoin wallets - The Block - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Bitcoin Still Faces No Spam Issues, Argues Michael Saylor, Highlighting Low Transaction Fees Critics Say 'Nobody is Using the Chain' - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Quantum Blockchain Technologies Introduces New Chaos-Based Bitcoin Mining Technique (QBT) - Yahoo Finance UK - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- JPMorgan sends stark warning on the real threat to Bitcoin - thestreet.com - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Strategy Just Unveiled a Brand-New Approach to Bitcoin. Is the World's Biggest Bitcoin Treasury Company in Trouble? - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- JUST IN: New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte on Bitcoin: I think its something that we really need to think about. - Moomoo - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- SpaceX Shifts Bitcoin Out Of Crypto Wallet - Yahoo Finance - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]