Bitcoin (BTC) trading volume in 44 countries worldwide in 2020

Interest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in 2020 was seemingly higher in Africa and Latin America than some of the world's developed economies. This shows after analyzing Bitcoin trading volume against domestic currencies used for the transaction of the digital coin. In 2020, roughly 420 million U.S. dollars worth of Russian rubles were used to buy Bitcoin on an exchange, against 400 million U.S. dollars worth of Nigerian naira. The source assumes the currencies are mainly used by the domestic population - e.g. transactions made with British pounds are likely done by UK residents -, and makes the same assumption for the United States, despite the international appeal of the U.S. dollar on foreign exchange markets.

Africa and Latin America lead the way

Although the source does not mention all countries in Africa and Latin America, the few entries these regions do have in the list stand out. Bitcoin trading volume in Nigeria, for instance, was twice as high as that of the eurozone in 2020. Colombia's market size was twice that of Canada. Whether this interest is for actual payment use on a day-to-day basis or as a tool for investment is not really clear. Data from Statista's Global Consumer Survey on payment methods in Egypt reveals that eight percent of Egyptians either owned or used Bitcoin, but does not specify the exact use or purpose of the cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin: the "Renaissance"

Believed by some to fade into obscurity after hitting the news in 2017 and price declines that followed afterwards, the world's most well-known cryptocurrency witnessed a "rebirth" at the end of 2020: Within five days in January 2021, the price of Bitcoin soared from 30,000 U.S. dollars to 40,000 U.S. dollars. Bitcoin's market cap - calculated by multiplying the total number of Bitcoins in circulation against its price - grew as well, more than doubling in early January 2021 against November 2020