The Bitcoin white paper header defines digital currency as a peer-to-peer electronic payment system. in what Bitcoin has become, and from where it comes, shows a very different picture.

Users have flooded the cryptomarket, usually across the gateway that is Bitcoin, for its possibilities as a store of value and an expansion of the asset. Its potential to function as a legitimate payment system, which could replace the fiat and revolutionize money, has diminished somewhat.

Bitcoin can work as a payment system, even for micro-payments like for a cup of coffee, but in reality, it's still a tool for the rich when it comes of his purchasing power.

There are also projects in piping to try to bring Bitcoin back to its original purpose, with the Lightning Network tested in some cases. The belief is that the Lightening network can reduce exorbitant transaction costs, and slice wait times to a manageable level.

Not For Your Everyday Joe Mug

The way Bitcoin grew up and got trained with upgrades like SegWit2x fails to shoot saw its scaling languish. This, linked to the influx of users on the network, has led to a backlog and a bottleneck which, in turn, means slow transactions, and costly operations to boot.

Because transactions must compete to be picked up by minors, who favor those who offer the highest fees, someone who wants to relocate $ 1 million can easily afford to offer $ 20, but someone who

C is the reason why Bitcoin is growing in adoption for things like art, luxury cars and the # 39, real estate as a method of payment. Fees matter little, and transactions are fast, but it does feel a little elitism and inequality, something against the Bitcoin mantra

Other options?

So, what if you are firm in leaving fiat currencies behind and freeing yourself with Bitcoin as a functional currency?

There are ways to do this, using major exchanges and popular portfolios. People, who are for example with Coinbase, can make Bitcoin payments instantly, through the provider's own books, without the cost or delay of broadcasting to the Blockchain

This still is not not really in the Bitcoin mantra. as now individuals trust a centralized entity to secure their payments, bypassing the Blockchain which is designed to be this decentralized technology releasing people of such control.

The next strike of Lightning

There is an option on the horizon, it takes the scale with the first physical transaction that uses it: the Lightning Network.

The idea behind this chain upgrade would allow the opening of micropayments as a payment channel between two parties, which is registered on the Blockchain. This channel allows a user to make as many transactions as he wants on this channel, within a predetermined time. These transactions are not placed directly on the Blockchain but rather are checked once the channel is closed.

Lightning might be a game-changer for Bitcoin as it could maintain its monumental power as a store of value while restricting its arc. with a payment chain that could double its use effectively.