The peak of interest in Bitcoin occurred in January and May when its price moved strongly. Several news reports involving adoption and regulation appeared in Colombia during the year.
As the end of 2021 approaches, it is possible to find reports and analyses of what happened in the past 12 months. In Colombia, Bitcoin (BTC) was one of the ten most searched subjects, besides the COVID-19 pandemic and contemporary social issues, on the Internet.
The cryptocurrency that Satoshi Nakamoto devised in 2009 occupies 10th place in the ranking created by the Yahoo search engine. The top 5 topics were the COVID-19 vaccine, solidarity income, National Police of Colombia, 2021 minimum wage, and coronavirus.
News about Bitcoin in Colombia Appearing on the Internet in 2021
Beyond the data itself, it is relevant to know why Colombians showed interest in Bitcoin during the year. Of course, that may have been due to internal and global events.
Maybe the most important was the all-time high that the cryptocurrency hit on November 10th. The price of BTC reached USD 69,044 that day, according to CoinGecko.
Some events occurring in Colombia also contributed to the popularization of Bitcoin. For example, several had to do with the regulatory sandbox conducted in the South American country.
That involves the connection between banks and cryptocurrency exchanges to regulate the trading of Bitcoin in Colombia. In that way, several financial institutions create a method to provide their customers with exposure to cryptocurrencies.
Other news stated that some businesses adopted Bitcoin as a payment method for their products and services. For example, people can now buy at Mercado Libre and Walmart, among other stores in the country, with cryptocurrencies.
However, negative things also happened around Bitcoin in Colombia during the year. In September, cryptocurrency exchange Binance blocked the funds of some of its customers at the request of Dutch and American police authorities. That raised doubts and fears among users about the possibility of losing their holdings, which usually represented the savings of many years.
Other Details about the Searches for Bitcoin in Colombia
It is possible to analyze the statistics offered by the Yahoo search engine and compare them with other sources. Google Trends reveals that Colombia has been one of the countries most interested in Bitcoin in Spanish America.
Their chart indicates that there have been more searches for the Bitcoin subject in Colombia than in Mexico and Paraguay. However, those queries were less numerous than in Argentina and Venezuela, which are the epicenter of cryptocurrency adoption in the region.
Besides, the interest in Bitcoin increased in January and May, when its price practically grew twofold. At that time, the price dropped from around USD 57,750 in late April to nearly USD 31,676 at the end of May.
Celebrities and their news about blockchain, Bitcoin, and altcoins also influenced the price of the pioneering cryptocurrency. Another ranking indicates that James RodrÃguez, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Shakira were among the most searched celebrities of 2021. They all launched their non-fungible tokens (NFT) or, like RodrÃguez, were related to cryptocurrency exchanges through sponsorship contracts.
By Alexander Salazar
