For sure, international transactions are a huge part of the allure.
IMO the pros are:
1. Quick cheap transfers. 2. Finite supply (it is impossible to create more than the 21 million coin limit) 3. Very robust community 4. Rapidly increasing interest from all corners of the globe. 5. Exchanges are 24/7 365 days. 6. A dizzying array of copycat coins recently created, most of which are probably pointless, but shows the interest in the scene.
Cons are: 1. Political Risk (China and Russia aren't fans, US is probably soon to follow). This could be the death knell really. 2. Complex (well not really for most), it has a long way to go in terms of ease of use. 3. Hacking / things being stolen etc. 4. Naughty things being done with it (laundering etc) 5. Highly volatile
There are probably a heap more pros and cons.
Imo it'll stay, but will have it's fair share of growing pains. I've been following it since 2010 and it's been very interesting indeed. From boom to bust, rinse and repeat x10.
A few sites of interest:
http://fiatleak.com/
This shows where and how much is being bought around the world in real time. Very amusing (and interesting) when bad news hits the community. Quite amazing how much money is in it.
https://www.cryptsy.com/
This is the premiere exchange for the other coins in circulation. There are many, and I can't imagine they'll all survive (if any).
The purpose of this post isn't to spruik and get people interested, but rather just to talk about it as I truly believe it offers something different.
