i will use an analogy.
What happens when banks are in trouble? Customers rush to ATMs to withdraw their savings into cash. Why? Because if they hold cash, they control it versus bank deposits which are custodial.
In the Bitcoin industry, users have a choice. They can trust custodians to hold their funds for them like a bank would. For example Norwegian online bank Skandiabanken now recognizes bitcoin as a new investment class and allows its customers to access their bitcoin. So in future, we could expect to see banks provide access to bitcoin for their clients.
The other choice is for users to hold and control their own bitcoins, like they would cash. Bitcoin is like a digital cash. All you need to do is download an wallet like mycelium, and use it to store your coins. You will be in full control of your bitcoins at all times.
In Kenya, we do not have Bitcoin companies that provide custodial services. So Option 2 is ideal.
Also, we used to have a company in Kenya that would allow people to exchange Bitcoins into Kenya shillings and vice versa. But Safaricom denied the company service. And the Central Bank of Kenya issued a warning.
So what now?
Marketplaces.
There are marketplaces where buyers and sellers exchange bitcoins for national currencies (or services, or gift vouchers, or bonga points). These marketplaces have an escrow feature, that allow two people to exchange bitcoins without either reneging on the transaction. Bitcoins are held in escrow temporarily while one party confirms receipt of payments, then they are released.
This is why bitcoin is unique. It does not necessarily require a forex bureau. It is digital peer to peer currency. You and I can exchange, and so can anyone else.
An example of this marketplace is https://localbitcoins.com/accounts/profile/bitcoinkenya/ or https://paxful.com/user/bitcoinkenya Both have plenty of Kenyan buyers and sellers, and volumes are up to 12 million KES per week. It is a peer to peer marketplace.
I hope to see local banks in future allow people the option to invest in bitcoins. Banks can act as custodians. Maybe even a start up can come up that offers this as a service.
To clarify, Bitcoin does not pay interest. Bitcoin is similar to gold, or land. Its a digital commodity with fixed supply. And its price changes according to market sentiment.
As of now, the price of 1 full Bitcoin $1976