Former American broker Jordan Belfort, whose personality was taken as the basis for the protagonist of the cult film "The Wolf of Wall Street," called Bitcoin a "fraud". He said this in an interview with The Street.
Touching the topic of Bitcoin, Belfort, in particular, expressed concerns over the fact that the cryptocurrency is an easy prey for hackers.
"I know people who have lost all their money," he said, adding that he himself would never buy Bitcoin.
At the same time, Belfort did not deny the prospects of the digital currency and suggested that those wishing to invest in it should wait for the central banks to issue cryptocurrency.
It is worth noting that Jordan Belfort himself was convicted in 1998 for 22 months for fraud related to manipulation of the securities market. Then over one and a half thousand of its clients lost $110.4 million.
Earlier, CEO of the investment bank JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Daymon, also called Bitcoin a fraud. He said that the leading crypto currency would ultimately burst.
Bitcoin price is up 293% since the start of 2017. It rose 0.16% for the day, trading at $4,193.9.
Elsewhere, Ethereum has lost 2.81% for the day, falling to $294.00.
On Wednesday, Bitcoin went up by 8.4% after the European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi, said that the ECB does not have the authority to ban digital currencies.
Draghi said: “We do not have sufficient authority to regulate the exchange or restrict Bitcoin and other digital currencies.”
He also added that the ECB had not yet discussed the potential impact of the cryptocurrency, because it cannot be regarded as a reliable means of payment yet.
Bitcoin received additional support after the chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), James Gorman, said that it is more than just a fad.