WHAT IS CRYPTOCURRENCY ANYWAY?
There are thousands of different kinds of cryptocurrencies, although among the best-known are Bitcoin, Ripple, Litecoin and Ethereum.
And cryptocurrencies aren’t like the cash we carry.
You couldn’t pay for your food shop with it, and no major high street shop in the UK accepts it as payment.
The Bank of England says: “Development is under way to make cryptocurrency easier to use, but for now it isn’t very ‘money-like’.
“This is why central banks now refer to them as ‘cryptoassets’ instead of ‘cryptocurrencies’.
“Today cryptocurrencies are generally held as investments by people who expect their value to rise.”