Because it provides a <i>highly uncorrelated alternative</i> to both (1) precious metals like gold and (2) sound currencies like the US Dollar and the Euro. Bitcoin will coexist with them for as long as the Internet exists and encryption works.<p>In Zimbabwe, where most citizens don't have sufficient or easy access to a sound currency, the price of Bitcoin has skyrocketed past US$10,000: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/31/africa/zimbabwe-bitcoin-surge/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/31/africa/zimbabwe-bitcoin-surge/...</a><p>Here's a link to something I wrote in 2011 about Bitcoin's potential for long-term price appreciation -- in it I mention not only Zimbabwe's longtime issues with money, but also those of other countries, including Argentina in the early 2000's, Belarus in the years leading to 2002, Bolivia in the mid-1980’s, Brazil in the early 1990’s, Indonesia in 1997, Mexico in December 1994, Poland circa 1991, Russia in August 1998; South Korea in 1997, Thailand in 1997, and Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s. This is far from a complete list of countries that have had major currency problems. Currency crises are pretty common as you go back in history.<p><a href="https://cs702.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/on-the-potential-adoption-and-price-appreciation-of-bitcoin-in-the-long-run/" rel="nofollow">https://cs702.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/on-the-potential-adop...</a>