This is the final part of a three-part series covering the regulatory landscape for cryptos in 2019 and thinking about the prospects for 2020. The first two parts covered the “Insiders” of Europe, North America and the Pacific Rim, and “Outsider” nations such as China, Russia and India. This piece covers the prospects for the “Experimenters”: countries that have made efforts to foster innovation and welcome crypto projects to their shores. The Experimenters and their different paths into the crypto space The Swiss were the first to discover the power of neutrality in the embattled Europe of the 19th century, …

On Christmas Eve, Crypto Claus did his rounds after checking the list to see who was naughty and nice. But who got some lovely presents after making a positive impact in 2019 — and who got coal for setting the industry back? Here, we take a look at the people and businesses who have had a year to remember — and those who have had a year to forget. The naughty list Some crypto players were resigned to getting coal rather early on in 2019. Right at the start of the year, John McAfee suddenly announced he was fleeing the …

Twelve major cryptocurrency exchange hacks occurred in 2019. Of these, 11 hacks resulted in the theft of cryptocurrency while one only involved stolen customer data. In total, $292,665,886 worth of cryptocurrency and 510,000 user logins were stolen from crypto exchanges in 2019. Cryptocurrency exchanges experienced more hacks last year than in 2018, when only nine cryptocurrency exchanges fell victim to security breaches. As time goes on, you might think that cryptocurrency exchanges would become more secure. The reality, however, is that more hacks on cryptocurrency exchange are taking place year after year. In general, crypto exchanges remain unregulated, and it’s …

The start of 2020 is a great time to look at the path travelled by cryptocurrencies up and down the price charts and analyze how these coins have been performing throughout the previous year. The prices of most cryptocurrencies changed tremendously throughout 2019, as the year started off slow but then saw most cryptocurrencies jump in value over the first six months. However, some like Luna Coin (LUNA) exhibiting a considerable growth of 48,900%. Others, such as Lumen (XLM), lost more than half their price value and tumbled from the pedestal of crypto glory. DogeCoin (DOGE) demonstrated the lowest volatility, …

This is the second part of a three-part series that covers the regulatory landscape for digital currencies in 2019 and looks at the prospects of 2020. While the first chapter in the series looked at the "Insiders," this installment covers the prospects for the so-called “Outsiders” — i.e., China, Russia, India and the developing world. Unlike the Insiders, which built the modern financial system on top of the U.S. dollar in the 1940s, the Outsiders pay for access to that system due to varying historical and geopolitical reasons. Related: 2019 to 2020: Insiders, Outsiders and Experimenters in Crypto Regulation: Part …

2019 may not go down as a year of breathtaking highs for cryptocurrency markets, but major strides have been made for mass adoption of digital payments and blockchain technology. A quick look at major headlines over the past 12 months highlight the shortcomings of the sector as well as the potential for cryptocurrencies to completely shake up the global payment system. One need look no further than social media giant Facebook announcing plans to launch its cryptocurrency Libra and digital wallet Calibra. The move sent shockwaves around the world and led to the United States Congress enforcing a moratorium on …

In late 2017, Bitcoin piqued the interest of millions of people hoping to capitalize on the ongoing frenzy and, as a result, drew the attention of various traditional media outlets. The press seemed largely skeptical about the concept of decentralization but proceeded to report on Bitcoin’s erratic price movement. This year, as the space has become more regulated, cryptocurrencies saw a notably different kind of coverage. The industry’s Wild West days are over, and media outlets — most of whom were quick to bury Bitcoin at least once over that period — are now focusing on how cryptocurrencies are entering …

The right to privacy is a fundamental prerequisite for peace of mind and security. The idea that only criminals have something to hide is strange. Contrarily, privacy is sought by almost everyone. Yet, it still gets stigmatized as suspicious — reserved solely for criminals or deviants. Similarly sharing this unjust scrutiny are cryptocurrencies, which are — rather ironically — branded as a tool for felons, based largely on their anonymous hallmarks. However, no cryptocurrency is as disparaged for this discreet quality more than the privacy coin. But just what are privacy coins used for? How has crypto criminality changed in …

The digital currency space has seen rapid growth and expansion in 2019, with heightened interest from governments and global corporations. Cryptos recovered from the 2018 bear market, when with Bitcoin (BTC) crashed to as low as $3,800, leaving numerous experts to paint a gloomy picture of a longstanding bear market and call the downturn in the first half of 2019 the longest and harshest in the crypto history. While cryptocurrency markets were struggling to recover, corporate and central bank digital currencies have quietly become a focus of attention. The blockchain sector has seen exponential growth in 2019, as it became …

Most of us believe in the “New Year — New Me” rhetoric: I'm going to lose weight, quit smoking, eat healthy, stop being lazy, spend more time with family and whatnot. Yet, losing weight usually only turns into losing motivation instead. But then, it doesn't really make sense to laugh at our absurdities, as we humans have plenty of them. Not when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, at least. I mean, we can mostly agree that it’s just a hefty to-do list for the first week of January. Now, what if it were the same for the disruptive and …

Bitcoin (BTC) price has seen a significant increase in 2019 (by more than 100%), while altcoins are actually down significantly from the beginning of the year. Moreover, most altcoin/BTC pairs have been hitting new lows, and many of the coins are still trending downwards, looking for potential support. Crypto market daily performance. Source: Coin360 One of these coins is XRP (XRP), which has seen a decrease of 50% over the year, going from $0.39 to $0.195. Will 2020 be a similar year for XRP and altcoins, or can we see a switch in momentum? A new analysis is warranted. XRP …

Blockchain has become a buzzword in the startup ecosystem and multinationals alike. Numerous benefits provided by the technology has incentivized businesses and governments to adopt, explore or invest in it. However, a surprising turn of events took place in 2019 when it comes to the amount invested into blockchain technology and companies behind them. After the incoming funds peaked in 2018 with $5.5 billion in capital raised, this year saw a sharp decline — with less than $3 billion of capital flowing into the ecosystem. There are numerous reasons to explain this, however. The bullish hysteria around Bitcoin was over …