Cryptocurrency
In the longer term, of the 10 leading cryptocurrencies identified by the total value of coins in circulation in January 2018, only four (bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano and Ripple (XRP)) were still in that position in early 2022 https://alibaba4d1.com/. The total value of all cryptocurrencies was $2 trillion at the end of 2021, but had halved nine months later. The Wall Street Journal has commented that the crypto sector has become “intertwined” with the rest of the capital markets and “sensitive to the same forces that drive tech stocks and other risk assets,” such as inflation forecasts.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a stable level of purchasing power. Notably, these designs are not foolproof, as a number of stablecoins have crashed or lost their peg. For example, on 11 May 2022, Terra’s stablecoin UST fell from $1 to 26 cents. The subsequent failure of Terraform Labs resulted in the loss of nearly $40B invested in the Terra and Luna coins. In September 2022, South Korean prosecutors requested the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice against the company’s founder, Do Kwon. In Hong Kong, the expected regulatory framework for stablecoins in 2023/24 is being shaped and includes a few considerations.
Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that are secured by cryptography. As a relatively new technology, they are highly speculative, and it is important to understand the risks involved before investing.
Play-to-earn (P2E) games, also known as GameFi, has emerged as an extremely popular category in the crypto space. It combines non-fungible tokens (NFT), in-game crypto tokens, decentralized finance (DeFi) elements and sometimes even metaverse applications. Players have an opportunity to generate revenue by giving their time (and sometimes capital) and playing these games.
Bitcoin cryptocurrency
Bitcoin is a form of hard money that enables peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries like banks or governments. It operates on a public database called a blockchain that records all transactions transparently and securely.
The mining process in bitcoin involves maintaining the blockchain through computer processing power. Miners group and broadcast new transactions into blocks, which are then verified by the network. Each block must contain a proof of work (PoW) to be accepted, involving finding a nonce number that, combined with the block content, produces a hash numerically smaller than the network’s difficulty target. : ch. 8 This PoW is simple to verify but hard to generate, requiring many attempts. : ch. 8 PoW forms the basis of bitcoin’s consensus mechanism.
Furthermore, some who defend Bitcoin argue that the gold and banking sector — individually — consume twice the amount of energy as Bitcoin, making the criticism of Bitcoin’s energy consumption a nonstarter. Moreover, the energy consumption of Bitcoin can easily be tracked and traced, which the same cannot be said of the other two sectors. Those who defend Bitcoin also note that the complex validation process creates a more secure transaction system, which justifies the energy usage.
Bitcoin is a form of hard money that enables peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries like banks or governments. It operates on a public database called a blockchain that records all transactions transparently and securely.
The mining process in bitcoin involves maintaining the blockchain through computer processing power. Miners group and broadcast new transactions into blocks, which are then verified by the network. Each block must contain a proof of work (PoW) to be accepted, involving finding a nonce number that, combined with the block content, produces a hash numerically smaller than the network’s difficulty target. : ch. 8 This PoW is simple to verify but hard to generate, requiring many attempts. : ch. 8 PoW forms the basis of bitcoin’s consensus mechanism.
Furthermore, some who defend Bitcoin argue that the gold and banking sector — individually — consume twice the amount of energy as Bitcoin, making the criticism of Bitcoin’s energy consumption a nonstarter. Moreover, the energy consumption of Bitcoin can easily be tracked and traced, which the same cannot be said of the other two sectors. Those who defend Bitcoin also note that the complex validation process creates a more secure transaction system, which justifies the energy usage.
What is cryptocurrency
In 2018, an increase in crypto-related suicides was noticed after the cryptocurrency market crashed in August. The situation was particularly critical in Korea as crypto traders were on “suicide watch”. A cryptocurrency forum on Reddit even started providing suicide prevention support to affected investors. The May 2022 collapse of the Luna currency operated by Terra also led to reports of suicidal investors in crypto-related subreddits.
Cryptocurrencies are legal in the European Union. Derivatives and other products that use cryptocurrencies must qualify as “financial instruments.” In June 2023, the European Commission’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation went into effect. This law sets safeguards and establishes rules for companies or vendors providing financial services using cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to find a successful solution that ticks all the boxes of sound money with none of the risks of a single controlling authority. Let’s explore how it achieves those two things.
Cryptocurrency regulation
The SEC filed a notice of appeal on October 4, 2024, and Ripple has cross-appealed. This will likely be the first appellate court to consider how Howey applies to digital assets unless the Trump administration determines to freeze the litigation.8 The SEC filed its appellate brief on January 15, 2025, arguing that the district court erred in concluding that programmatic sales to retail investors were not offers or sales of investment contracts under Howey because “investors were led to expect profits” based on the efforts of Ripple.9 The SEC also argued that other distributions of XRP were also offers or sales of investment contracts because Ripple the “recipients provided tangible and definable consideration in return for Ripple’s XRP.”10 Ripple will likely challenge whether digital assets are ever securities under the Howey framework.
“Strong regulations are not only important, but necessary to foster the industry’s growth,” Sousa says. “From the investor’s standpoint, having access to this new asset class through regulated entities and investment funds helps mitigate the risks.”
So, once the SEC determines a cryptocurrency or token is a security and falls under its regulatory purview, this has far-reaching implications. The issuer must then follow SEC regulations that come with extensive reporting and transparency requirements.
05 ILCS 657, Illinois’ Transmitters of Money Act, is unclear about how digital currencies should be treated. Illinois’ Department of Financial and Professional Regulation released guidance in 2017 stating that: “A person or entity engaged in the transmission of solely digital currencies…would not be required to obtain a license. However, should transmission of digital currencies involve money in a transaction, that transaction may be considered money transmission depending on how the transaction is organized. Any person or entity engaging in a transaction involving both digital currencies and money should request a determination from the Department on whether or not such activity will require a license.” Consequently, the Division of Financial Institutions has issued numerous non-binding statements to advise cryptocurrency businesses whether they must be licensed. In 2019 Illinois enacted SB 1464, which incorporates cryptocurrency into the Illinois Funeral or Burial Funds Act.
Yes, the US government does track cryptocurrency, as the IRS has requested crypto exchanges and platforms to report tax forms such as 1099-B and 1099-K. Additionally, some exchanges have received subpoenas ordering them to reveal certain user accounts.