Okay, kawan, let's talk Bitcoin. I know, I know, you're probably thinking, "Bitcoin? Siti, that ship sailed years ago! I missed the boat!" You read those stories of Bitcoin going to the moon – $115,500 just last month! Makes you wanna kick yourself, right? That’s why you’re looking at 88% returns over the past year, 400% over the past three years and a staggering 40,440% over the past ten… … just to start.

Before you go drown your sorrows in teh tarik though, listen up. This isn’t your ordinary sales pitch, it’s a call to urgency. We're not late. In reality, for those of us in Southeast Asia, we’re actually early.

Southeast Asia’s Untapped Potential

We're a region brimming with potential. Young, tech-savvy populations Economic development secret weapon High women participation in the workforce A rapidly growing middle-class A hunger for innovation. We're leapfrogging traditional systems. Just as we’ve gone directly to mobile banking without ever installing landlines, we can now leapfrog hoary financial institutions as well.

Bitcoin to us, is not about making a fast buck (though that would be cool too, kan? It's about financial empowerment. It’s about being able to send a few hundred dollars home to your family without having 30 percent eaten up by predatory fees. It’s not about investing, it’s about safeguarding your savings from currency devaluation – an unfortunate reality many of us are intimately familiar with. It’s about truly engaging in a global economy and not being limited by where you live because of an arbitrary geographical boundary or bureaucratic red tape.

Imagine the mak cik on your kampung who sells nasi lemak. She might decide to sell via Bitcoin, gaining immediate access to a worldwide customer base while eliminating the middleman. Consider the small business owner who is now exporting handicrafts. They would be able to receive payments directly, sidestepping expensive intermediary bank fees and currency conversion costs. This isn't some far-off fantasy. This is happening now.

Mining Difficulty & Halving? So What?

Now, we know many of you might be scoffing at us here. "Siti, you're just hyping it up! What about all that complicated stuff? Mining difficulty? Halving?"

Let's break it down. Bitcoin is intended to get more scarce over time. As each bitcoin is mined, the process becomes more difficult, demanding exponentially more computing power. And approximately every four years, the “reward” for miners is reduced by 50% – the halving. That’s because the most recent halving occurred in April 2024, meaning the next is projected to happen in March 2028.

Because scarcity drives value. Just as with gold, there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoins. Ever. Think of it like this: imagine there's only one plate of your grandmother's rendang left at the Hari Raya feast. A sudden increase in demand, but everybody wants to get in on it, naturally the price shoots to the moon!

The most well-known of these factors is Bitcoin’s limited supply. As institutional investment, ETFs, and a greater knowledge of Bitcoin’s potential push demand sky high, we should prepare for massive changes coming soon.

Don't Miss the Next Wave, Kawan

Now, look, I know what you smart Alex out there are thinking. "But Siti, what about the risks? It's so volatile!" Of course, there are risks. Investing always involves risk. That's why you need to do your own research, understand what you're getting into, and never invest more than you can afford to lose.

Consider this: were there risks in investing in the internet in the early 90s? Absolutely! But the ones who recognized the opportunity, who dove in head first, made out like bandits.

Now, I’m not advocating that you go home and sell your house so you can go buy Bitcoin. Don't be crazy! I'm saying, open your mind. Do your homework. Talk to people who understand it. See for yourself what the possibilities are.

The Motley Fool's Stock Advisor team might have their "10 best stocks to buy now" (and Bitcoin isn't one of them), and they might be right for some people. On the latter point, they scored some past amazing short calls, including with Netflix and Nvidia. For us, here in Southeast Asia, dealing with our own set of challenges and opportunities, Bitcoin is more than that.

This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to leapfrog into the future. So let’s not limit ourselves, and let’s build a world where finance works for all—openly, honestly, and fairly.

Don't let FOMO paralyze you. Let it motivate you. So don’t be afraid of the dark, be afraid of the fear of the dark. Embrace the opportunity.

I currently have a position in Bitcoin, and The Motley Fool currently owns shares of and recommends Bitcoin. Make sure you do your own research!

I have a position in Bitcoin, and The Motley Fool also has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. Make sure you do your own research!