Generations in crypto: how Bitcoin and co. are becoming a family business Now that ryptocurrencies are becoming more mainstream, people may be drawn in after seeing their parents or kids making gains There was a time when teenagers would beg their parents to lend them a few hundred pounds to buy some weird internet thing called Bitcoin. Nowadays, those former teenagers may either be sitting on a fortune or kicking themselves for the missed opportunity. Cryptocurrencies have now become more mainstream: a recent survey by comparison website Finder showed that 19% of UK residents owned some, compared to 3% in 2018. The pandemic may have helped with that, as people stuck at home were looking for ways to improve their financial situation or embark on new projects.