"Bitcoin’s defects will hasten its demise in 2015 . . . Bitcoin’s flaws are becoming more evident, which may explain why prices more than halved in 2014. That trend should continue."

"A writer for The Washington Post argues bitcoin’s system is doomed to fail because governments have a lot of say when it comes to any financial system and can put pressure on those intuitions as it sees fit."

"But Bitcoin is doomed as a payments network. . . . But if I had to put money on it? I’d say Bitcoin is doomed in the medium-term future."

"Right now, Bitcoin is only mostly dead. As an investment, it was the worst of 2014. . . . The problem, though, is that Bitcoin will likely not survive to get to that level of innovation. Will Bitcoin enthusiasts support it after they realize it has ceased to be useful as a currency and is a terrible investment? Not likely. At some point they are going to realize that they are subsidizing Bitcoin for theoretical and emotional reasons so that it can be exploited by regulation-seeking venture capitalists. When that happens Bitcoin will shift from being mostly dead to being all dead."

"But Bitcoin is doomed as a payments network — the very point at which it looks as though it is likely to be widely deployed is the point at which governments, like that of the United States, will crack down on it."

"Bitcoin’s collapse comes as governments around the world consider regulating or prohibiting the virtual currency to prevent criminals from using it to trade contraband. . . . Ripple has gained 36 percent this year; eventually it could displace bitcoin."

"Now I dare say our message is a disappointment to Bitcoiners. I share that disappointment: it would have been great if Bitcoin could displace government money. However, Bitcoin is an experiment, most experiments fail – and Bitcoin is another failed experiment."

"And so the whole bitcoin system eventually becomes a house of cards, and anything – a scandal, a government attack, whatever – could trigger a loss of confidence leading to a run that brings it all down. . . . There will be a stampede for the exit, the price of bitcoin will drop to its intrinsic value – zero – and the system will collapse. The only question is when."

"Bitcoin is not [the future]. It is a step along the way and will eventually disintegrate. . . . As a currency [Bitcoin] is almost negligible against anything. It can’t stand toe-to-toe with the Cuban Peso. . . . With Bitcoin the pretend currency, what you see is not what you get."

"While the technology behind the cryptocurrency may represent a safer method of buying and selling over the Internet, the asset will never take hold as a currency due to its limited supply and speculator manipulation. The technology used to encrypt Bitcoin would be better applied to the current monetary system, rather than through the invention of an entirely new currency. Bitcoin is simply economic Esperanto. It's a solution without a problem. The currency in use works fine."

"We need to consider the distinct possibility that Bitcoin is dying"

"We’re going to stick our neck out at this stage and call this the end of Bitcoin. . . . We’re sure we may still see a few deep pocketed VCs or “believers” throw more money at defending the dream, but chances are we’ve now gone through the exponential break point. Time and money would probably be better spent trying to pump up Bitcoin V.2."

"“Bitcoin as a currency doesn’t make any sense."

"This combination of encryption, mining, and decentralized verification makes Bitcoin potentially powerful and difficult to control, but governments do have tools at their disposal that could make it all but impossible for Bitcoin to become widely adopted. . . . And so Bitcoin may very well die."

"Bitcoin is not a currency. . . . There’s nothing that Bitcoin allows anyone to do that they can’t already do in the regular banking system."

"Neither Satoshi Nakamoto nor Bitcoin ever stood any chance of operating outside the bounds of conventional society. There will be regulation, there will be consumer protection, there will be rules and taxes, and criminal prosecutions for those who break the law. Bitcoin isn’t cyberpunk fantasy and it isn’t a Thomas Pynchon novel. It’s dull. The thrill is gone. And that’s why people are so mad."

"Opinions are still divided, but the evidence that Bitcoin is doomed to failure piles up almost every day. . . . Of course, we Bitcoin doomsayers have been waiting for the bubble to pop for some time now. We also tend to think that every new drop is a sign of it’s impending doom. . . . Anyone still willing to bet a Bitcoin on the future of Bitcoin?"

"With the future of money in the hands of Satoshi Nakamoto’s brilliant protocol, inexact central planning would be replaced by algorithmic decentralization. Of course, none of that has happened. And it’s exceedingly likely that none of it will."

"Bottom line: Bitcoin’s days are numbered. Literally. Williams predicts that Bitcoin “will trade for under $10″ by June 30, 2014. A bold prediction, no doubt. But the point is clear – Bitcoin doesn’t stand a chance at ever gaining widespread adoption."

"Bitcoin’s market cap on paper by far exceeds that of the competition, but the ability to translate Bitcoin wealth to wealth in other forms is very limited. There are many Bitcoin holders heavily invested in Bitcoin’s success and it has a first mover advantage. However as a store of value, its only value is reputational, and recent developments have shaken that reputation."

"Bitcoin does not yet have enough users to continue its survival. . . . it will go the way of laser discs and eight-track tapes."

"All of which is why I’m convinced that while bitcoin (or something like it) is likely to hang around as a niche commodity for certain kinds of gray- and black-market transactions, Mt. Gox pretty much assures that the average consumer will never use it. Because there is no way for you to ever ensure that your bitcoins are completely safe. . . . The speculators may not realize it yet, but you can stick a fork in bitcoin. It’s done."

"“It is a bubble, there is no question about it…. It’s just an amazing example of a bubble.” He added that he’s “amazed by how people are so excited about it” and that he tells his students that “No, it’s not such a great idea."

"Bitcoin is the wrong answer to a good question: what can be done to make the monetary system less crazy? . . . Bitcoin is not over yet. But the pseudo-currency is close enough to collapse to merit an early retrospective. . . . Bitcoin is neither a relatable store of value nor a helpful unit of account."