More people recognized its potential for value storage and speculation, it naturally started being viewed more as an asset.

Bitcoin has always had a dual nature–it's both currency and asset. The fact that people bought it hoping would increase in value doesn't mean it wasn't a currency. I think the shift happened more as the infrastructure (like exchanges and institutional adoption) grew to support it as an investment rather than a daily use currency.

What do you think? Would it take better tech for faster and cheaper transactions or do you think it's more about how people choose to use it?