There are a lot of alternatives of Fiat money, for example visa, PayPal etc. But the reason of popularity of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies is that they provide us decentralized methods of payment while remaining anonymous this is the reason why the Crypto is popular amongst the masses and is having value that is always increasing. People are also using Crypto to hide their wealth from prying eyes.
Exactly. Crypto's main purpose is to be an alternative financial system outside the scope of central banks and governments alike. Bitcoin, being the first cryptocurrency in existence, has enjoyed ever-growing popularity within the mainstream world. The fact that Bitcoin has a limited supply and it's the most decentralized cryptocurrency in the world, gives it value. People will find any cryptocurrency valuable as long as they find it useful for mainstream payments. It's no wonder why other prominent cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin (such as Ethereum and Litecoin) are still valuable these days. Take away decentralization from Bitcoin, and you get a worthless coin with no purpose or future in the mainstream world.
Given that Bitcoin provides the ability for anyone to "exit" the current financial/monetary system, it's very unlikely it'll lose its value in the long run. Anyone who's starting on the world of crypto/Blockchain will "topple" with Bitcoin as it's the cryptocurrency that started it all. Naysayers will say otherwise, since they're too tied to Banks' dominance in mainstream finance. But facts speak for themselves. And so far, Bitcoin has been doing a great job as a resilient and censorship-resistant cryptocurrency that resembles Gold's scarcity in every way. As long as Bitcoin stay this way, it'll continue to be a valuable asset/currency on the crypto market. Just my opinion
