Trading in cryptocurrencies is always at risk.
One must not invest or take out his stake without knowing full information and news related to particular cryptocurrency at that time. So be very careful while you trade in cryptocurrencies.

Yes I think it will survive if the things will go right.
And actually it will survive, it will change whole banking system and also will affect government policies to a high extent.

Bitcoin's intended purpose is as a medium of exchange but it may also be used as an asset and investment. ... Whether the evidence towards investment rather than currency and thus a medium of exchange is due to the volatility of Bitcoin is a matter for future research.

y of Satoshi Nakamoto, the computer programmer who created the virtual currency bitcoin, is one of the most compelling stories in technology. In 2008, Nakamoto launched bitcoin with a white paper; in 2011, he vanished, just as the project was hitting its stride, his frequent forum posts and e-mails tapering off to silence. (In his last known correspondence, he told a bitcoin developer that he had “moved on to other things.”) The search for Nakamoto has a tinge of irony: it’s an old-school mystery born in an age of Internet-enabled access to all world knowledge, which threatens to make the entire concept of mystery obsolete. An endless series of apparent misidentifications by journalists over the years has only increased the intrigue. When an Australian entrepreneur named Craig Wright came forward last week to confirm claims made by Wired and Gizmodo last year that he is Nakamoto, his name trended for hours on Twitter, while his crisply parted hair and his generically handsome face were on the front page of Web sites around the world.


Then all digital hell broke loose. The bitcoin community is a hive of intensely opinionated geeks, and they began to poke holes at the evidence that Wright provided. Amid the torrent of skepticism—one respected security researcher labelled the whole thing a “scam”—Wright pulled a Nakamoto. He disappeared without delivering on a promise to provide “extraordinary proof” of his identity. He deleted his blog and replaced it with an apology, writing that he didn’t “have the courage” to continue to try to prove his case.

A definitive ruling on the identity of Nakamoto thus waits for another day, but for many it might as well never come. Amid the frenzy that surrounded the Wright saga was a refrain that pops up any time the latest candidate for Nakamoto is rolled out: Why does it matter? “At the end of the day, knowing the identity of Satoshi is about as important as knowing who created HTTP or HTML,” a bitcoin entrepreneur named Jason Weinstein told Slate. “Every day people communicate, socialize, get information, move money, and transact business over the Internet using these protocols without knowing how they work or who created them.”

In investigating the background of an inventor, we hope to learn something about innovation that can’t be gleaned from the thing itself. But to the bitcoin faithful the search for Nakamoto can add nothing of value. Bitcoin’s chief innovation is decentralization; its transactions are overseen by a distributed network of computers, which theoretically means that no central authority, such as banks or governments, can control it. The search for Nakamoto, the argument goes, undermines the anti-authoritarian premise of bitcoin. Andreas Antonopoulos, a well-known bitcoin entrepreneur, laid out this argument in a post on Reddit explaining why he declined an offer to meet Wright:
Identity and authority are distractions from a system of mathematical proof that does not require trust. This is not a telenovela. Bitcoin is a neutral framework of trust that can bring financial empowerment to billions of people. It works because it doesn't depend on any authority. Not even Satoshi's.
But the idea that Nakamoto’s identity is irrelevant is wishful thinking. Most obviously, Nakamoto’s identity matters because he is estimated to control four hundred and forty-eight million dollars' worth of bitcoin, which, if it were unloaded quickly, could seriously depress the value of the notoriously volatile currency.

The real Nakamoto could have a more fundamental impact as well: as _The _Economist pointed out, this latest saga unfolded during a heated “civil war” that has broken out among bitcoin developers over how to deal with an increase in transaction volume in the bitcoin network. The network processes transactions in batches known as “blocks.” As the number of blocks has increased, the network has become in danger of being overloaded. One side in the dispute wants to change the bitcoin code, increasing the block size to allow the system to process transactions more quickly. The other side sees this as a betrayal of the integrity of the original code, arguing that a change would lead to more centralization in the system (the greatest sin for a bitcoin believer) and consequent problems.


Wright told The Economist that he supports an increase in the block size. So do two bitcoin insiders—the former lead bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen and Jon Matonis, a former director of the Bitcoin Foundation—who publicly announced their support of Wright’s claim. In this context, the fight over Nakamoto looks more like the jostling of courtiers to install a sympathetic heir to the throne than an objective analysis of the cryptographic proof. Suggesting that it doesn’t matter who created bitcoin because no authority controls it obscures the political struggle that is already shaping the technology. If someone could prove that he or she was Nakamoto, that person could wield great influence in the controversies that surround the future of bitcoin.

There is a more abstract reason that one should care about the identity of Nakamoto. Unlike HTML or HTTP, bitcoin was an ideological project from the start. Bitcoin began in the imaginations of a group of geeks known as Cypherpunks. Beginning in the early nineteen-nineties, Cypherpunks promoted an extreme form of libertarianism, in which all forms of commerce—in anything imaginable—existed beyond state control. This would be enabled by advances in cryptographic software that could utterly obscure users’ identities, creating a state that Tim May, one of the founding Cypherpunks, called “crypto-anarchy.” Cypherpunks believed that a decentralized currency was needed to allow their crypto-anarchic utopia to exist, and bitcoin began as a technical implementation of this vision.

It is no surprise that bitcoin has found many backers in Silicon Valley; the founders of today’s billion-dollar tech companies often espouse a milder form of the Cypherpunks’ techno-libertarianism. It is most evident in the Silicon Valley fetish for “disruption,” the buzzword that celebrates technological innovation as an end in itself, with little regard for the costs to existing social relations. This ideology has motivated the development of amazing new technologies in the face of legal and economic hurdles, but it is also at the root of Silicon Valley’s widely criticized arrogance. It leads to missteps like Facebook’s ham-fisted, neocolonial “free basics” disaster, and the blinkered view that many tech elites have toward the lack of diversity in their field. Turning away from the question of Nakamoto’s identity is a way to deny the fact that bitcoin, like all technology, is ultimately, imperfectly, human. The world could use this reminder now more than ever.

March 2017 came in like a lion for Bitcoin as, for the first time ever, one Bitcoin sold for more than one ounce ofAs it enters its ninth year,  the future looks very bright for an idea that many have spent the previous eight years scoffing at and predicting the imminent demise of. gold.
To survive and thrive over the long term, a cryptocurrency is going to have to be used as a medium of exchange by regular people buying regular things at regular stores. This means that transactions have to be confirmed quickly and that the fees involved have to be attractive versus PayPal and credit cards.

Recently, transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain have slowed waaaaaaaay down for people who are unwilling to pay fairly high “miner fees.” The (as non-technical as possible) explanation of that term:

Bitcoin is created (“mined”) by people (“miners”) who run computer software that keeps track of Bitcoin transactions (“updates the blockchain ledger”). The miners are rewarded with a bit of the newly created Bitcoin and with miner fees.

As more and more people use Bitcoin, more and more computer power is required to update the blockchain ledger. Transactions with the minimum fees included go to the back of the line and are taking longer and longer to process.

If this isn’t fixed, Bitcoin will become nothing more than a store of value for people who move it around in quantities big enough to justify large fees and long waits. If that happens, the value of Bitcoin will plummet back toward a famous early transaction in which someone paid 10,000 Bitcoins for two pizzas. No customer or shopkeeper is going to pay a dollar in fees and wait 30 hours for confirmation to buy or sell a can of cola.

Two proposals for improving the system, “Bitcoin Unlimited” and “Segregated Witness,” are under consideration by the Bitcoin developer and miner communities.  I’m not the guy to ask about the technical virtues of each proposal, but my sense is that Roger Ver, the main evangelist for Bitcoin Unlimited, has a better understanding of what needs to happen and why. That is, he sees that small, fast, low-fee transactions are the future of cryptocurrency.

If Bitcoin developers and miners don’t get that fact through their heads, and soon, cryptocurrency as such won’t die — but Bitcoin will cease to be people’s cryptocurrency of choice.

Some computer scientists say quantum computers are moving closer to reality and will cripple bitcoin’s encryption systems and doom bitcoin. Governments are investing aggressively in quantum computers, which are ultra powerful.

Quantum computers, first theorized by physicist Richard Feynman in 1982, have promised a new era of computing. The theory has only recently translated into significant real-world advances, with NASA, the CIA and Google working on a quantum computer. Computer scientists now warn the machines will cripple existing encryption methods and destroy bitcoin’s technological foundations.

Andersen Cheng, co-founder of Post Quantum, a U.K. cybersecurity firm, said that bitcoin will end the day the first quantum computer arrives. He said the quantum computer will undermine the cryptography surrounding bitcoin’s public and private keys.
Bitcoin recipients share their public key with the sender. To spend bitcoin, a bitcoin owner must use their private key. If another party learns the private key, that party can spend all the bitcoin.

Martin Tomlinson, a professor at the Security, Communications and Networking Research Centre in Plymouth University, said a quantum computer can calculate the private key from the public one in a minute or two. By learning all the private keys, someone would have access to all available bitcoin.
Tomlinson did not know when the first quantum computer will appear that will have this capability, but he noted that extensive research is under way. The European Commission announced a $1.1 billion project earlier this year aimed at bringing a “quantum revolution.”

The three cryptocurrencies one should invest in...

1) Bitcoin
Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency ever created and we are currently in the biggest bull run we've seen so far. I am holding my breath and a lot of expert said that bitcoin would be worth thousands of dollar in 2017. I do believe the same and I'm looking forward to it.

2) Factom
Factom has been the underdog for quite a while. I really think that factom has a lot of utility cand could become one of the most valuable cryptocurrency out there.

3) Ethereum
Ethereum has been around for a few years already and is now the second biggest cryptocurrency by market cap. There was a lot of trouble with the hardfork over the past few months but I believe that future is brighter for Ethereum.

I believe bitcoin will grow to destroy PayPal's monopoly some day and I must tell you that PayPal is aware of this. In 2015 or so, they appointed a blockchain expert and bitcoin promoter (the founder of XAPO) as one of the company's board of director. Then in 2016 PayPal struck a deal with the american bitcoin bitcoin exchange giant coinbase. They did all these just to keep an eye on bitcoin and probably accept it into their system.

Then there are a couple of advantages that make Bitcoin better than gold, at least for the millennial generation, which understands the digital currency better than the baby-boomer generation.

Unlike gold, for instance, Bitcoin is a convenient medium of payments around the globe, though for a limited number of transactions.

Then, there’s scarcity. Bitcoin supply is expected to be limited to 21 million. The supply of gold, on the other hand, is expected to increase anytime its price rises, as it provides an incentive for gold miners to mine for gold.

To be fair, gold has its own advantages, too. It can be used as an outright gift, to make jewelry, and in manufacturing of certain products.
That’s why investors shouldn’t rush to substitute the yellow metal for the digital currency in their portfolio.

Especially if they don’t quite understand the nature of the digital currency.

Why I like it ??
There are several reasons for that...

It has multiple applications
Most people are initially introduced to Bitcoin as a form of digital currency – a new way of doing money built especially to meet the needs of the 21st century. But, in actual fact, that is just one of a plethora of uses for Bitcoin and the blockchain technology it runs on. The blockchain can be used prove ownership of things other than the coins themselves – enabling the same efficiencies and advantages for the digital trading of securities, for land titles and other property, for insurance claims, as a payment rail for remittances, for settlement between financial institutions,  for document stamping and auditing, for customer rewards and crowdfunding, and quite a lot else besides. Each of these uses requires coins to pay for transaction fees and adds to the value of Bitcoin. What this means is that there are multiple paths to success: each of these use-cases is still in the early days of its development, but has the potential to create a revolution in their respective industries – and the success of any single one could drive a significant increase in value for the network they are built on. Think of it like this: investing in BTC could be like investing in the internet during its early days, and I don’t mean like putting your money into dot com start-ups – I mean the actual internet itself. The key difference, of course, is that the internet is free to use while every Bitcoin transaction must be paid for.

Potential Gains Outstrip Potential Loses:
The potential gains if Bitcoin enjoys any substantial success are astronomical. To give you an idea of this we will just consider it as a currency, which as I already explained is only one out of many applications. Many commentators have speculated about the potential of BTC as a global currency and its suitability for international trade as well as use by regular consumers all around the world. So it is not entirely outrageous to make a comparison with the US dollar. There current monetary supply for USD is approximately in the region of 70 trillion, whilst the value of all Bitcoins in existence as I publish this article is ~3.5 billion. So if Bitcoin replaced the USD as the primary currency of international trade, and the global economic power of bitcoin users were to equal the current population of America, the price would have to go up by 20,000 times – making each $1 worth of BTC today worth $20,000 in this hypothetical future. Of course that is a very ambitious target, but it is not completely impossible, and more importantly even 1% of that kind of success would turn each dollar you invest into $200.  On the other side of the equation, the most you can theoretical lose is 100%, and even that is highly unlikely at this point because the technology has already been well tested and has many devoted users. So even if this is a risky investment, the risk-reward ratio is still very attractive indeed.

Scarcity and Declining Inflation:
 Bitcoin is a scarce asset, because there is a hard cap on the maximum number of coins which can ever be created. For this reason it is often compared to gold, which also gains much of its value from its scarcity. At the moment (Sep 2015) something like 4000 new coins are generated each day through mining. This means that around 4000*240, or $960,000, of new money needs to come in each day to keep the price of each coin at the same value. Over time this will decrease, eventually approaching zero as the 21 million coin cap is reached. Because some coins will always be lost due to people forgetting passwords, failing to pass on wallets in their will, or abandoning almost empty wallets, the currency will become deflationary at that point – meaning its value will tend to rise against commodities and other currencies if everything else remains equal. Now is actually a good time to take advantage of this – the block reward is set to be halved some time in summer 2016, slashing the inflation rate and easing the amount of capital growth required for the price per coin to rise.

Investment Squared:
Just owning a few coins is often seen as an investment, but of course Bitcoin is money and you can invest money. In the same way it is possible to invest your coins and earn interest on them,  on top of any gains you get from price increases (or to help off-set any loses, of course).

Instant Access:
You don’t need to tie up your money in long term plans in order to make a profit. As a form of money itself, this is an investment you can access instantly at any time – including dipping into it to buy your groceries at the local supermarket.

A Hedge Against Currency Risk:
For people living in countries with high inflation or the risk of devaluation, digital currency can provide a good hedge against currency risk. With China’s recent devaluation of their currency heralding renewed speculation about currency wars between nations seeking to secure their exports this could prove to be a major driver of the BTC price in the medium term future. A negative correlation has already emerged between the dollar value of BTC and CNY, and devaluation in other emerging economies could drive a substantial amount of new capital into Bitcoin.

A Safe Haven from Bank Crises:
 Money in the bank is not as safe as it used to be. In Cyprus savers saw a one-off levvy taking a massive ‘haircut’ off the value of their nest eggs, whilst the people of Greece are suffering extended limits on the amount of cash they are able to withdraw from their accounts. Not only does digital currency provide a safe haven from these risks, it also allows you to profit from the increased interest generated when things like this occur. The same goes for government capital controls, with consumers in many authoritarian regimes already using it to get around oppressive legislation. Some commentators are already suggesting that Chinese capital controls may soon spark the next price boom.

Open to All:
Investing in Bitcoin is easy, open to everybody (not just accredited investors), and doesn’t require you to compromise your financial privacy.

An Ethical Investment:
 A large part of the original inspiration behind the creation of Bitcoin appears to have been the desire to provide a solution to the global banking crisis that started in 2008/2009, and a way to make sure that it never happens again. Bitcoin is the currency of the people, free from the dominance and profiteering of the global banking industry which has caused so much damage to the global economy. By buying coins you are supporting the network to make money fairer and more aligned with the interests of the people rather than the banks.

Its exciting! Perhaps the best reason why you should invest in Bitcoin is because it is super exciting. Its exciting to be involved with such a new and revolutionary technology, its exciting to see it changing the economic landscape and to read the latest news to keep yourself up to date.

They may be developed further, change the way of the actual existence but I think that will survive. Always will be need for money in big plans or projects, or even in various situations of everyone of us. May be a place when are offered the needed warranties that something can go without problems and take the needed money (or tools which may replace those). Be this the time of the actual us dollar and be the tomorrow one when maybe will be the day of bitcoin or the cryptos. Even in the probably time of only the cryptos will exist such needs. And even with the most sophisticated crypto in existence will exist always a hacker which can be able to steal or break the security of our personal wallets. Or people which will offer crypto but not security.
Banks either react on, or they will disappear. Anyway, the consolidation of the banking industry accelerates as the behaviour of people changes. Some banks will benefit from [FinTech], some will be pushed to the back end, and some will disappear.

Reasons why run the gamut, from fear and ignorance, to protectionism of their national currency, to building a new currency in bitcoin’s image. The list, in general, is not much above ten, but that is subject to change, as many countries have not made an official decision for or against bitcoin. Some are banned by the country’s Central Banking system, some are banned by the nation’s government, and in many countries the Central Bank and national government act as one and the same. These are the Top 10 bannings of bitcoin, via official statement banning the currency nationally, or in practice.

Bangladesh
In a statement the Central Bank of Bangladesh cited concerns over bitcoin’s lack of “a central payment system” which could lead to people being “financially harmed”. It invoked the provisions of the Foreign Currency Control Act of 1947 and the Money Laundering Control Act of 2012. Then, added that trading in bitcoin and other digital currencies could lead to a punishment of up to 12 years in prison.
“Bitcoin is not a legal tender of any country. Any transaction through Bitcoin or any other crypto-currency is a punishable offense,” the bank said in an official statement last September.
The ban comes as an enforcement of sections 4,5 and 8 of the 1947 law that regulate trading in foreign currency without authorization or general permission from the central bank. Section 5 severely restricts payments did outside Bangladesh, which affect bitcoin payments.

Bolivia
The central bank of Bolivia, El Banco Central de Bolivia said in a statement:
“It is illegal to use any currency that is not issued and controlled by a government or an authorized entity.”

China
It is a common misconception that bitcoin and digital currency are totally banned and illegal in China, but China has become the world’s largest bitcoin trading market. The bitcoin ban is strictly on banks, as the central banking authority, The People’s Bank of China is owned 70% by the Chinese government. Banking institutions and employees are banned from engaging in bitcoin business through banking, as well as servicing or doing business with the bitcoin industry. Trading or mining in bitcoin is not illegal for common citizens.

Ecuador
The ban by Ecuador makes the most sense of any ban, as they are building a national electronic cash system, so they feel the need to protect their new currency from something clearly superior. A decentralized currency of finite production that cannot be manipulated by governments or banks might dim the lights on their new program in the eyes of the public, which offers none of those benefits.

Iceland
As of March 19, 2014 the Central Bank of Iceland issued a statement explaining the legal status of digital currency in Iceland. Purchasing them may violate the Icelandic Foreign Exchange Act, which specifies that Icelandic currency cannot leave the country. A nebulous designation, but it sounds like it is banned, in effect.

India
BTCXIndia was the first bitcoin exchange designed and built in India. While following KYC and AML guidelines, and allowing instant INR (Indian rupee) deposits and withdrawals, BTCXIndia was forced to close by their bank, which no longer services bitcoin businesses. The reasons are unknown, whether it is based on a perceived risk or just a simple ban by management, but the issue is widespread in India.
“We have today been informed by our bank that they will no longer serve bitcoin businesses,” the notice stated. “We have investigated the possibility to operate through other banks, but it seems this is a general policy in India as of today.”

Russia
Even with the recent legal victory in Ural recently, setting a legal precedent to lift the banning of websites related to bitcoin and other digital currencies, bitcoin is banned in practice, if not officially legal yet. With the Russian ruble rebounding, but still down over 30% from January 2014, banks and the national government aren’t looking kindly on those who are investing in other currencies, digital or not.
Gold purchases are frowned upon in Russia, so proceed with caution.

Sweden
Bitcoin has suffered a small banning in the buying and selling of scrap metal and “waste products”. This sets a bad precedent of government interference for the future, but so far the ban is restricted to this industry by all accounts.

Thailand
According to news reports, the Bank of Thailand ruled bitcoin illegal on July 29, 2013. However, it appears “it issued a preliminary ruling that using bitcoins  was illegal because of a lack of existing laws” in the case of a currency exchange license application by Bitcoin Co. Ltd.
Bitcoin businesses have been able to conduct business and get licensing, but the ban technically is still there, if not in practice currently.

Vietnam
Back in February of 2014, Vietnam banned the virtual currency bitcoin for use by credit institutions, citing its ease of use for criminal purposes and its high risk for investors.
“Transaction by bitcoin is highly anonymous so bitcoin can become a tool for crimes like money laundering, drug trafficking, tax evasion, illegal payment,” the central bank said in a statement
While not officially banned for personal use but discouraged. This seems to be the most common thread in nation-states throughout the world. Trust the central bank’s currency and do not trust algorithmic currency. If you trust your country’s central bank to look after your economic interests, you’re golden. If not, at least you have a choice. Your central bank’s national currency, or the world’s first global, decentralized, mathematical currency.

Best Bitcoin Exchanges In India

1) Unocoin
This is a renowned and recommended bitcoin exchange to buy, sell, and mine bitcoin in India. The company’s headquarter is situated in Bengaluru, India. It’s offering bitcoin in many foreign countries and it has 150,000+ customers. You can buy bitcoin from this company (one of the best bitcoin wallet companies to buy bitcoin in India) and can pay using IMPS/NEFT/RTGS. There’s a per day limit on buying and selling bitcoin from this company say you can buy/sell maximum 20 bitcoins per day. And also PAN card verification is mandatory to buy bitcoin.

2)LocalBitcoins
The company provides an international bitcoin platform to individuals to buy and sell bitcoin. It’s operating in 248 countries. LocalBitcoins company’s head office is situated in Finland and it offers a different kind of platform to buy and sell bitcoin. Here, on this website, you directly trade with other person who acquires bitcoin. Here buyers and sellers are people like you and me who sell and buy bitcoin. This is a best bitcoin wallet website where you can find people offering different prices for bitcoin.

3) Zebpay
It’s another India based bitcoin wallet exchange started in 2012. Here, at this platform. You can buy bitcoin through android or IOS app. Upon installing Zebpay app, you will need to create an account using your PAN card and bank details. Once your account gets verified then you can add funds to your Zebpay account. Then you can use your added money to buy bitcoin in India. They made their app very user friendly and you can easily buy bitcoin through Zebpay mobile app. For Indians, it’s a handy app to buy bitcoin. You can buy bitcoin of any amount say Rs. 1000 through this channel.

4) Coinsecure
It’s an Indian bitcoin exchange. After checking its background, you can buy bitcoin from this exchange. This bitcoin exchange is not too famous among Indian bitcoin investors but bitcoin.org has mentioned its name in list of bitcoin exchanges to buy bitcoin in India, therefore, you can consider this exchange to purchase bitcoin.

Pay attention to this

Coinbase
Coinbase is a digital currency platform where buyers and sellers can use bitcoin for financial settlements. This company is one of the top international bitcoin companies. The company is founded in 2012 and operates from Francisco, California. Apart from bitcoin, you’ve other digital payment options like Ethereum and Litecoin.

I really would like to buy bitcoin from this company (best bitcoin wallet company) but currently it doesn’t allow Indian bitcoin buyers to sell bitcoin online which means you can buy bitcoin from it but you would not be able to sell it. However, you can use it for other financial settlements like purchases and payments etc.

We’re hoping in coming months or years, company will allow Indians to sell bitcoin because at current scenarios, bitcoin demand is significantly increasing in India.

Waves took a while to get going and had a lot of detractors early on but given the valuations of other cryptocurrencies I think it is one of the most underappreciated ones right now.

WAVES has a fixed 100m supply and as stated earlier the current price is low compared to other cryptocurrencies.
It is already using DPOS so there is no looming possibility of a chain split (which may occur when ETH moves to POS).
Anyone can lease their WAVES to earn rewards straight from their wallet (without moving them).

Also WAVES is probably the easiest platform to launch an ICO or create your own tokens on. With ICOs continuing to be a massive source of growth and outside interest in cryptocurrencies this will likely accelerate.

WAVES has it's own decentralised exchange (DEX) which is constantly being improved. I have previously written about how important DEXs will become in the future and recently the DEX has become accessible using the Android mobile wallet.

WAVES has teamed up with Deloitte for providing ICO services.

WAVES is working with the Russian National Settlement Depository (the central depository for the Moscow Stock Exchange) to "develop a potential digital blockchain platform to serve digital assets including cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets".

WAVES also recently teamed up with the Russian Gazprombank to provide clients with ICO and blockchain services.

Overall when it comes to development, partnerships and technology WAVES is second only to Ethereum.

It has potential to go far more in future.

This depends what you mean by safe.

If you're worried about someone hacking your wallet, the underlying cryptography for Bitcoin has been studied in detail, and is believed by experts to be secure. Assuming that you choose a strong password for your wallet, your Bitcoins should be safe from theft.

I also am fairly confident that some type of cryptocurrency will become widely used in the future, since it offers unique and useful features. But there is the possibility that some other currency will be developed that is superior.

Also, in the short term, Bitcoin is very volatile. So if you're looking for a safe investment, you're probably better off sticking to more conventional options.

Bitcoin is an innovative payment network and a new kind of money ( Basically a electronic based currency, not a paper currency).
Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. Bitcoin is open-source; its design is public, nobody owns or controls Bitcoin and everyone can take part. Through many of its unique properties, Bitcoin allows exciting uses that could not be covered by any previous payment system.