THE cryptocurrency crash which has seen around $1.4 trillion (£1.038tr) wiped from the global market is “nothing unusual”, according to the head of the Scotcoin Project.

Temple Melville, its CEO, was speaking after a week that saw the price of Bitcoin drop to under $33,000 (£24,000), triggering warnings of a “crypto winter”.

Scotcoin is still going through the meandering process of becoming registered with the relevant indices, where benchmarks are set for the digital currencies, and Melville told The National that people should not worry too much about the big drops in crypto market prices.

“The cryptocurrency market has historically corrected 60%-80% from time to time and this occasion is no different,” he said.

READ MORE: Scottish Design Exchange is preparing for Scotcoin

“Many people see crypto as a get-rich-quick scheme – and for a lucky few that has happened – but the important thing for the vast majority of people is to focus on time, just like any other investment.

“Investing in crypto five years ago has likely seen you do very well, whereas investing five months ago may have had the opposite effect.”

Melville said it always helped to look at the bigger picture – the Bitcoin price is around the same as it was this time last year, and way ahead of where it was in 2017.

“Another important point to remember is that crypto now represents between 1% and 2% of world assets – you cannot ignore holding crypto as it is an entirely credible and valid asset class in its own right.”

Jenny Madhoo, founder of financial advice platform SpringGen, said investing in crypto was like “stock market investing on steroids”.

READ MORE: Misleading cryptocurrency adverts face crackdown under UK Government plans

She said: “Losses can be much bigger, and happen much quicker. Regulation in the crypto space is patchy to say the least, with no meaningful consumer protection.”

Madhoo said there will be a fortunate few who were there at the start, and made a tidy profit on a relatively small investment on a “whim”.

“However, if you weren’t one of these very early adopters, the outcome is likely to be much less clear for you,” she added.

“My advice – take those megabucks profit stories with a large pinch of salt. Remember that for every winner there’s a loser (or 10) who got in or out at the wrong time.

“Those guys just aren’t going around shouting about it like the lucky few are. If you’re going to invest in crypto, do your research and don’t lose your wallet key.”