Yes bitcoin is a asset, a highly volatile one. You can make a l of money off of it if you time it right, and you can also lose a lot of money. Gold is similar but not nearly as volatile (ie. you're not going to lose 90% of your value, but you're not going to gain 5x either). Bitcoin is gambling. Can you actually transfer gold pretty easily on paper, like all commodities. I see bitcoin as a way to gamble on a highly volatile asset, a great way to conduct illegal activity, and appears to have value to somebody who lives in a country with unstable currency where the government can freeze your assets.