Crypto and DeFi: No Sanction Haven
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and ensuing sanctions has illuminated the growing reach and efficacy of regulators to combat money laundering and crime, and to enforce sanctions in the cryptocurrency (crypto) space. Recent developments provide a front-row seat to...
read moreBitcoin: Significant Takeaways for 2021
Of the many noteworthy developments in the growing Bitcoin-inspired ecosystem in 2021, I have selected four that take top spots for their significance. The China ban, adoption of Bitcoin by El Salvador as legal tender, NFTs, and the persistent threat of cyber criminals rank at the top of my list of takeaways for 2021.
read moreThe source of Bitcoin’s value
Social utility underpinned the genesis of Bitcoin, and social utility will remain an essential element of the digital currency in the years ahead. We observe Bitcoin’s social utility in its capacity to address a fundamental human right; financial inclusion. The digital currency was designed to enable transactions that were not previously possible or practical, such as accessible peer-to-peer exchanges, and in the process enable millions of unbanked to participate in a global financial system.
read moreBitcoin’s Semi-autonomous Social Field: Considerations for Regulatory Efficacy
This video introduces the normative rules that underpin Bitcoin, and provides a brief illustration of how awareness of these rules can lead to more effective regulation of cryptocurrencies.#bitcoin, #regulation, #legalpluralism,...
read moreAccount Takeover Fraud in the Age of Bitcoin: Hacking the Brain Wallet
Gaining unauthorized access to financial accounts and withdrawing funds is an insidious attack that plays out repeatedly on deposit accounts at financial institutions, but what happens when the account is stored in the account-holder’s brain and the funds on the...
read moreProof of Keys v. Regulation
In the cryptocurrency space, a Proof of Keys campaign is akin to a Bank Run where clients – fearing liquidity of their deposit-holding institutions – withdraw all of their funds to prove that the funds are actually available. The collective action exposes...
read moreDecrypting Cryptocurrency and Blockchain
The year 2020 is shaping up to be a defining moment in the epoch of virtual assets. With the FATF global regulatory guidance slated for implementation, state-issued digital currency poised to go live in China, the Facebook initiated Libra cryptocurrency drawing...
read moreCanada’s Mt. Gox: QuadrigaCX
QuadrigaCX was Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume until their website suddenly went offline on January 28, 2019. The exchange reportedly held about CAD $250 million in customer cryptocurrency and fiat. Leading up to the cessation of operations,...
read moreBitcoin’s Next Big Hurdle: Privacy
Bitcoin reveals everything. When one party hands a $5 bill to another, the fungible quality of the note creates a firewall separating the transaction from the personal finances of the transacting parties. Transferring $5 in bitcoin, on the other hand, unlocks the...
read moreStablecoins: Cash On The Blockchain
Stablecoins are on the rise, and they are filling a void for the burgeoning tokenized economy. A void created by unintended consequences of the cryptocurrency success story; they incentivize trading and investing at the expense of use as a medium of exchange. A common...
read moreBlockchain Crime: How Prepared Are We?
Sextortion, ransomware, money laundering, tax evasion, terrorism, fraud; just a few crimes getting a boost from cryptocurrency. Is your organization affected? Are you ready to fight blockchain crime? Yesterday’s toolkit is not going to cut it in the cryptoverse; it’s...
read moreTokenizing Real Estate: A Thought Experiment
Yesterday, the suggestion that it might be possible to slash the cost of home ownership by 90%, while creating trillions of dollars in global wealth-building opportunities, and inviting millions of unbanked in developing nations to participate – might have been...
read moreWho Owns Your Bitcoin? Key Examples
“If you control the keys, it’s your bitcoin. If you don’t control the keys it’s not your bitcoin. Your keys – your bitcoin. Not your keys – not your bitcoin.” Tech entrepreneur and Bitcoin advocate Andreas Antonopoulos uttered...
read moreBitcoin Shines Brighter By The Day
Bitcoin is up over 60% on the year, and positive signals continue to pour in. This big experiment appears to be moving in one direction, and one direction only; mainstream adoption – but it will not happen overnight. Here are some developments that speak to the...
read moreInvesting In Crypto: Ethics Matters
Loss of investment and reputational harm are high costs at stake when investments flow without due diligence into publicly traded cryptocurrency entities. The ecosystem has incubated a rash of innovative ideas, many of which have evolved into substantial revenue...
read moreMainstreaming Bitcoin
It’s time. With 9 years of demonstrated success in seurely tokenizing value, bitcoin is ready for mainstream. Microsoft and other major players are embarking on an ambitious drive to expand crypto offerings globally. The increadible feat that has brought the leading...
read moreMind the fork: Following the money in the age of blockchain
In the age of blockchain, funds associated with death, divorce, taxes, and fraud are susceptible to the perils of forks in Bitcoin’s blockchain, in ways that can allow foul play to go undetected. Blockchain forks have opened up new avenues for money to be hidden...
read moreIs Bitcoin Sustainable?
The high cost of mining bitcoin has been sighted as the impetus for one of the largest cloud mining operators to exit the space of bitcoin mining. Fortune reported that Hashflare had encountered 28 consecutive days of unprofitable mining before terminating investor...
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