Vitalik Buterin, one of the co-founders of Ethereum, has suggested that cryptocurrencies do not make an ideal long-term investment. Buterin reasons that because cryptocurrencies are still in their infancy and have proven to be very volatile, there is the risk that they could drop to \"near-zero\" at any moment.

Buterin went on to advise people not to invest more than they can afford to lose, and recommends that people keep their life savings in a traditional asset, such as the stock market or precious metals.

Buterin first proposed Ethereum in late 2013. Following a successful ICO in 2014, the platform was fully operational by summer 2015. Ethereumhas gained considerably in the past 12 months, with the value increasing from $13 to a high of $1,139 in January 2018. However, a few weeks later, the value of the crypto plummeted to $591. The coin is currently valued at around $939.

For many investors, the potential to make a lot of money overnight is still driving intense interest in the cryptocurrency market. Governments around the globe have been trying to establish the best way to regulate the markets, with some countries such as South Korea and China attempting to ban crypto trading.