Bitcoin usually turns up uninvited. A headline glimpsed between stops on the Metro. A comment overheard while someone waits for boarding to begin. The word itself sounds weighty, almost ceremonial, yet what it actually represents often remains frustratingly vague. People recognise the name long before they understand the mechanics, and that gap breeds myth. This piece is an attempt to narrow it by dragging a few stubborn assumptions into the light and seeing whether they still hold up.

It helps to start with context. Markets, lately, have been twitchy. Reuters reported that Bitcoin slipped into its first annual decline since 2022, ending 2025 down more than six percent despite touching highs above $126,000 earlier in the year. Over $19 billion in crypto assets were liquidated as interest rate expectations shifted and policy signals hardened. One week optimism, the next week unease. That whiplash matters for the Bitcoin price in India and all over the globe, with real-time values often monitored on Binance. It shows how closely Bitcoin still tracks global economic mood, no matter how often it is described as separate from the real world.

Misconception One: Bitcoin is just a Ponzi scheme with better branding

This accusation surfaces constantly, usually delivered with confidence. The logic sounds tidy. Early buyers make money. Newcomers arrive later. Therefore, scam. The trouble is that Bitcoin does not function like a Ponzi scheme. There is no central operator collecting funds. No promise of guaranteed returns. No hidden mechanism shuffling money upward. Bitcoin runs on a decentralised blockchain where transactions are publicly recorded and independently verified. Anyone can inspect the ledger. Exchanges like Binance have spent years pointing this out, often to deaf ears.

The confusion is understandable. People search for familiar patterns, and Ponzi schemes are well worn villains. But Bitcoin’s rules are written in code, not made up on the spot in private rooms. That distinction changes the entire conversation.

Misconception Two: A price is a price, everywhere

There is a comforting assumption that when Bitcoin rises globally, it rises evenly. Reality is messier. In India, Bitcoin often trades at prices shaped by local demand, exchange liquidity, regulatory friction, and taxation. You might notice the Bitcoin price in India diverging from global dollar benchmarks, sometimes sharply, due to supply constraints on domestic platforms and currency conversion effects. Gadgets 360 has covered these discrepancies in detail, and they matter if your reference point is the rupee rather than a global ticker.

Anyone who has exchanged money while travelling knows this feeling. Same currency. Different counter. Different rate. Bitcoin behaves no differently.

Misconception Three: Bitcoin is mostly for criminals

This idea lingers longer than it should. Early headlines left an impression, and impressions are stubborn things. But the data has shifted. Chainalysis found that illicit crypto activity fell from $39.2 billion in 2022 to $24.4 billion in 2023, a shrinking fraction of total transaction volume. Other sources have noted that most Bitcoin now moves through legitimate channels, funding investments, remittances, and ordinary commerce.

None of this means Bitcoin is immune to misuse. Cash is misused every day. So are bank transfers. Calling Bitcoin primarily a criminal tool ignores how it is actually being used now, with more legitimate institutions embracing it. On this subject, Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, has observed that global adoption often begins with a single domino, noting that recognition within major retirement systems shifts the question from what to when. They are observations from people watching the system change from the inside.

Misconception Four: Bitcoin has no value at all

Walk through a crowded market in Jaipur or browse antique stalls in Pune and you quickly learn that value is negotiated, not inherent. Bitcoin’s value rests on similar foundations. Shared belief. Scarcity. Utility. Trust in the system that maintains it. Critics argue that because Bitcoin produces no cash flow and pays no dividends, it lacks intrinsic value. That is one definition of value. It is not the only one.

Only 21 million Bitcoin will ever exist. That hard limit gives it a scarcity comparable to gold or rare collectibles. It has been documented how companies and institutional investors now hold Bitcoin as part of broader strategies. While this does not protect it from sharp price swings, it does challenge the claim that it is meaningless.

Misconception Five: Bitcoin is only for thrillseekers

Volatility frightens sensible people, and Bitcoin has provided plenty of reasons. Between October and November 2025, its price fell by more than $30,000 before partially recovering, as Investopedia reported. Enough to make you think, but risk is not unique to crypto. Equities stumble. Commodities lurch. Emerging markets wobble.

Risk management is always about proportion. Reuters has noted that some large asset managers suggest modest exposure for investors who are interested.

Misconception Six: Bitcoin is too technical for ordinary people

Once, perhaps. Early users wrestled with command lines and fragile wallet files. That era has faded. Today, user friendly platforms allow people to buy small fractions of Bitcoin with interfaces that resemble booking a train ticket online. Security practices have improved, with regulated custodial services and multi factor authentication now standard.

That said, effort is still required. Understanding private keys and custody is non-negotiable. But competency reduces risk now and always has.

Learn now to stay ahead of the curve

Bitcoin sits awkwardly at the intersection of finance, technology, and public policy. Yi He, co-founder of Binance, has remarked that crypto is already reshaping finance one day at a time, a comment that reflects how this form of finance, the monetary revolution, is slipping into everyday use rather than waiting for some distant future. And that, for anyone navigating money across borders, screens, and currencies, is no small thing.