1% of NL uses Bitcoins

One percent of the Netherlands population uses Bitcoin to some extent, despite extreme price fluctuations, warnings from the Dutch Central Bank, and an increase in cases of theft and fraud of the digital currency, according to a new survey. The poll, conducted by Multiscope, also says 41 percent of the country has never heard of the alternative to traditional monetary instruments.

About a thousand people were contacted for the survey, according to the Volkskrant newspaper.

"You always have people who want to try the latest trends," said Bart Roozen, a representative of the market researcher.

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The firm estimates that 0.8 percent of people living in the Netherlands who are over 18 years old, roughly 100,000 people, have Bitcoins.

Bitcoins were created by an anonymous developer or development team using the name "Satoshi Nakamoto." The unregulated currency was released in 2009. While the currency is readily used in person-to-person deals and business purchases, Bitcoin's anonymity has made it useful in underground and illegal transactions.