Local Bitcoins sees 328% volume increase in developing countries over one year. Developed countries increase 43%.

in #bitcoin8 years ago

The equivalent of two million USD of value (all currencies together) is traded on localbitcoins daily now!

I like looking at LBC volume because I see it as a more functional, less speculative exchange platform than other exchanges. When people use LBC, they are seeing big spreads and wouldn't be 'day trading' on speculation like most of the other exchanges. I suspect most of the money is black/gray market exchanges where anonymity is key. Additionally, you can see that a lot of the countries that have seen increases are also countries have strict capital controls or crumbling economies. This suggests that Bitcoin is indeed being used as a reserve currency, even outside of China.

Additionally, anecdotal evidences suggests that repeat buyers who meet sellers through LBC take their business off of LBC after they have established a bit of trust to save on fees. If this is true, there is even more volume in these countries that is happening that the LBC API does not see.\

Without further ad0, here are the numbers that I found:

Developing countries:
RUB,ZAR,CNY,MYR,KES,RON, many others.
7/19/15 5240 BTC volume at $280 = 1.47M
7/19/16 7200 BTC volume at $670 = 4.82M

4.82/1.47 = 328% volume increase over one year

Developed countries:
USD,EUR,GBP,CAD,AUD,SEK
7/19/15 22200 $280 6.22M
7/19/16 13300 $670 8.91M

8.91/6.22 = 1.43 = 43% volume increase over one year