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 streams for their operators. However, the global impetus by governments and regulators to reign in harmful practices should draw our attention to the means by which some of those gains were procured; the industry has its fair share of unscrupulous actors – some amassing incredible wealth through unfair practices, deceit, or outright fraud. As massive amounts of funds migrate from crypto startups to the public sector for loftier projects, investors should be asking themselves – who am I investing my money with, and what are the implications of handing this custodian the key to more data, control, and power? All rising stars in the crypto industry are not worthy of the awesome social responsibility bestowed upon the world’s most respected enterprises. Even those that may be, should be subject to critical review. Money generated from private cryptocurrency operations is flowing into publicly traded companies through a variety of means: reverse IPOs, IPOs, and investments in or partnerships with publicly listed companies. It does not take much searching to find connections between publicly traded entities, and highly questionable private crypto operators. This commentary is a call for all potential investors to scrutinize crypto operators who move their operations into the public realm – whether directly or indirectly – and to demand high ethical standards. CoinDesk has reported that Bitmain – a dominant manufacturer of bitcoin mining hardware, and leading cryptocurrency miner – has filed for an initial public offering (IPO). At an estimated $18 Billion, the IPO would eclipse that of Facebook, and without doubt attract speculators chasing riches in the next
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