Some Bitcoin enthusiasts want to hijack the symbol for Thailand’s currency

According to the Bitcoin community on Reddit, there are some Bitcoin enthusiasts who want to use ฿, the symbol for Thailand’s currency the Baht, as the sign for Bitcoin.

This discussion came as Bitcoin has gained popularity around the world but there’s no official symbol that represents this cryptocurrency yet. Many alternatives have been suggested (see screenshot), but an unanimous decision has not been reached. The most popular one so far is the B with two lines, but that can’t actually be typed on keyboard while the Thai Baht (฿) can.

Thai Baht symbol (฿) and other suggested symbols for Bitcoin

(See: Bitcoin debate coming soon to Startup Asia Singapore)

Of course, this is not official. Although the use of the Thai currency symbol as the Bitcoin symbol has received some support, not everyone agrees. A push is underway to get Bitcoin accepted as a Unicode symbol. Proponents suggest that the Unicode sign should be recognizable like other currency symbols ($ € ¥ £ ¢), yet it should be distinct from the Baht. That should actually make using the ฿ out of the question.

As of last month, the Bank of Thailand ruled Bitcoin not a currency and warned Thai citizens to avoid using it as a means of payment.

(Image credit: Flickr user antanacoins)