In the global financial market, can Bitcoin become a store of value?

This is quite an interesting question and a topic that has been widely debated. I'll share my thoughts, trying to keep it as straightforward as possible.

Many supporters view it as "digital gold." Why is that?

1. Scarcity: The total supply of Bitcoin is fixed at 21 million. Once they're all mined, there won't be any more. This is very similar to gold, where the Earth's reserves are also finite. Something scarce has the potential to retain its value.
2. Decentralization: It doesn't belong to any country or bank. This means no single institution can "print money" to devalue it. You see, sometimes when a country's economy is struggling, they print a lot of money, causing its value to decrease (inflation). Bitcoin doesn't have this problem.
3. Easy Transfer: Compared to gold, Bitcoin is just a string of code. If you wanted to transfer assets from one country to another, try taking a box of gold bars through customs. But with Bitcoin, as long as there's an internet connection, it can be transferred to any corner of the world in minutes, which is very convenient.

From these points, it certainly has the potential to become a "store of value" tool.

However, we also need to look at the other side – its risks and disadvantages – which is why many people don't endorse it.

1. Excessive Price Volatility: This is its most critical flaw. A qualified "store of value" tool must first be "stable." If you put 100,000 units of currency into it today, you'd hope it's still worth at least 100,000, or more, next year. But what about Bitcoin? It might be worth 100,000 today, drop to 50,000 next week, and then surge back to 120,000 a month later. This "rollercoaster" price action makes it more like a speculative asset than a secure safe. You wouldn't want your retirement savings to be there today and half gone tomorrow, would you?
2. Regulatory Uncertainty: Governments worldwide still have a very ambiguous stance on it. One day a country might express support, the next day another might announce a crackdown. Policy changes cause prices to fluctuate wildly. This "Sword of Damocles" constantly hangs overhead, and no one knows what the future holds.
3. Security and Usage Threshold: While the Bitcoin network itself is difficult to attack, your personal "wallet" could be stolen by hackers, or you might forget your password (private key), in which case those Bitcoins would be lost forever. It's not like a bank account where you can report a lost card and get a replacement. There's a certain threshold for its use and safekeeping.
4. Insufficient Consensus: Although many people know about Bitcoin, those who truly trust it as "money" or "gold" are still a minority globally. Whether something can retain its value largely depends on whether people believe in it. Gold has been trusted for thousands of years, and that consensus is incredibly strong. Bitcoin is only a little over a decade old and still needs a long time to be tested.

To summarize my view:

Currently, for the average person, treating Bitcoin as a core "store of value" like gold or real estate is premature and too risky. Its speculative nature far outweighs its store-of-value attribute.

You can view it as a high-risk alternative investment. Many people allocate a small portion of their assets (e.g., no more than 5% of their total assets) to it, hoping for high returns, while also being mentally prepared for the possibility of significant losses or even losing everything.

So, does it have the potential to become a store of value? Yes, it does. But is it one now? Not yet, or rather, it's not a stable and reliable option yet.