Bitcoin and cryptocurrency seem to be at a use case crossroad: Payments vs. Investments. Bitcoin was intended to be used as peer-to-peer electronic cash, as stated in the Bitcoin white paper.

The crypto space has longed for the adoption of cryptocurrency as payment that at Starbucks or McDonald’s.

In a recent earnings call, ICE head Jeffrey Sprecher said transactions are essential to bitcoin becoming a long-term store of value.

“We don’t think that that whole space will be relevant and grow unless there are real use cases, and we do … think that a use case is going to be the digital transfer of value through payments.”

HODL, the popular term meaning to hold your crypto and not sell, has become a mantra in the space. But, how do you grow an economy if no one is spending their money?

A quick look at 99Bitcoins.com will show a list of retailers that accept Bitcoin, and more sites are opening up to altcoins, but if we are not frequenting these sites, what incentive do they have to continue accepting crypto?

Bakkt is developing an app that will allow consumers to buy goods and services with Bitcoin, including Starbucks. Moon (paywithmoon.com) created an extension that helps Amazon.com users use Bitcoin as payment on that site.

So, it’s up to the user whether they will use their crypto to purchase or if they will use it as an investment…or maybe both.

In crypto, no one tells you how to use your crypto. But if the space hopes to grow, we may need to stop holding on for dear life (HODL) and circulate the currency.