A store of value is an asset that keeps its purchasing power over a long time. You can put it away today and use it years from now without it having lost much of its value.
One of the jobs of money
Money is usually said to do three jobs. It is a medium of exchange, a unit of account and a store of value. A good store of value needs to last, be hard to produce and be easy to keep.
Gold has played this role for centuries. Krónur in a savings account, on the other hand, can lose value, because InflationInflationA general rise in prices over time, which means each króna buys less than before. eats into their purchasing power when it runs higher than the interest rate.
Is bitcoin a store of value?
Many people see BitcoinBitcoinThe first and largest cryptocurrency: a digital currency that no single party controls, with a fixed limit of 21 million coins. as digital gold. Its maximum supplyMaximum supplyThe largest number of units of a cryptocurrency that can ever exist under its rules, such as 21 million for bitcoin. is 21 million, no central bank can create more, and it is easy to store and move across borders. The Bitcoin network has run since 2009 without anyone managing to counterfeit bitcoin.
The main objection is VolatilityVolatilityHow much and how quickly the price of an asset moves up and down.. The price of bitcoin has repeatedly fallen by more than half within a few months, which makes it a poor place for money you need soon. Its history is also short compared with gold's.
Nobody knows whether bitcoin will prove a good store of value over the long run. That depends on whether people keep trusting it and wanting to hold it.
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 18 October 2026.