Going a bit beyond the bitcoin buzz to cash in on reality

Tucked away amid the hustle and bustle of traffic, people and buildings in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, are small kiosks that hardly merit a second look. After all, in a city that sports automated teller machines and currency exchanges at virtually every nook and corner like mushrooms after a cloudburst, why would these ordinary looking terminals which do not even offer the privacy of cubicles merit any attention? Little wonder, one would find them deserted most of the time.

A closer look, however, tells a different story altogether. These are no ordinary ATMs, but machines that allow you to trade and dabble in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoins and Ethereum, Ether, etc, the new-age currencies that hold young and old alike in thrall. And considering that there are already 21 of these machines, it is only a matter of time before more sprout and multiply.

For many like me from a bygone era, the idea of investing in something that is only notional and does not exist physically is beyond comprehension. But at the same time the promise of unparalleled returns has also been tantalizing. Though fraught with risks, millions of investors, have already jumped onto the bandwagon that promises a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The motto seems to be "speculate if you want to accumulate" in a market that already has a valuation in excess of $800 billion and counting.