Ethereum has outpaced its rival cryptocurrencies since the start of 2018
Ethereum is the best performing major cryptocurrency so far in 2018. The second-largest coin by market cap has gained 46% since January 1, compared to the overall market’s 15% drop. The global cryptocurrency market might have lost 15% – or $US93 billion of value – since January 1, but not all coins have declined equally. Ethereum has fared well in 2018, avoiding the drastic selling that has left other coins in the red. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap is up more than 46% this year, according to Markets Insider data, far outpacing bitcoin’s25% decline. XRP, the third-largest cryptocurrency, controlled largely by its creating company Ripple, is down more than […]
The founder of Ethereum: Vitalik Buterin
After discovering cryptocurrencies while still at school, Vitalik Buterin dropped out of university to travel the world and explore crypto projects. He then realised he could take the blockchain technology far beyond financial applications. Vitalik Buterin ‘I went around the world, explored many crypto projects, and finally realised that they were all too concerned about specific applications and not being sufficiently general – hence the birth of Ethereum, which has been taking up my life ever since.’ – Vitalik Buterin Born in Russia in 1994, he emigrated to Toronto in Canada in 2000 with his parents Dmitry Buterin, a computer scientist, and Natalia Ameline. Subsequent to quitting his hobby of […]
Best interests duty extends to cryptocurrencies
Financial advisers’ will need to be well versed in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum despite them not being considered financial products, a compliance consultant has warned. Speaking to ifa, Assured Support principal Sean Graham said the increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies poses a number of challenges for financial advisers. “The problem is that it’s mums and dads jumping into it at the moment, and from conversations I’ve had with advisers, they feel under pressure from clients who want to chase that growth or are asking them to do it,” he said. According to Mr Graham, while cryptocurrencies are not classed as financial products under most circumstances, advisers still need to […]
Here’s one reason why bitcoin is so volatile
Why is bitcoin so volatile? The cryptocurrency captured headlines in the run-up to Christmas due to its rapid rise, climbing from around $5,000 at the start of November to a high above $19,000 in December. It fell back from its highs and a cryptocurrency “bloodbath” in recent weeks has seen it fall back to around $10,000. Moves of 5% or even 10% on a day are not unusual. Critics claim that the currencies extreme volatility make it not fit for purpose as a method of exchange and some retailers have in fact stopped accepting it as a result. But Andy Bryant, the European COO of bitcoin exchange BitFlyer, says that […]
Chris Brycki says a cryptocurrency bust could be just what’s needed
The current cryptocurrency market is starting to look a lot like the dot-com bubble of 1997-2000, according to Chris Brycki, the founder and CEO of robo advice fund Stockspot. “Bitcoin and the crypto currency market has already experienced several hype cycles where prices rocketed before falling 80% to 90% as the technology and adoption caught up with inflated expectations,” says Brycki. “One happened in 2011 and then another two in 2013. We would be close to the end of another crypto hype cycle in early 2018.” After peaking around US$830 billion in January 2018, the total cryptocurrency market has fallen 33% in three weeks and is worth $US560 billion. That’s […]
Bitcoin forks: inside the latest craze to hit the cryptocurrency market
Bitcoin God arrived last month. Bitcoin Pizza was delivered in January. Bitcoin Private’s issuance date is… still a secret. They’re just a few of the growing stable of so-called forks – a type of spinoff in which developers clone Bitcoin’s software, release it with a new name, a new coin and possibly a few new features. Often, the idea is to capitalise on the public’s familiarity with Bitcoin to make some serious money, at least virtually. Some 19 Bitcoin forks came out last year – but up to 50 more could happen this year, according to Lex Sokolin, global director of fintech strategy at Autonomous Research. Ultimately, the number could […]
Cryptocurrency backed by gold being developed by Perth Mint to entice investors back to precious metals
Australia’s biggest gold refiner, the Perth Mint, is developing its own cryptocurrency backed by physical precious metals. The ambitious plan, which is subject to a confidentiality agreement, will make it easier for consumers to buy gold. The mint also plans to make use of blockchain technology, first used as the core component of the digital currency Bitcoin, where it works as a public ledger for transactions. In the 10 years since its inception, blockchain has been used to track transactions in industries from agriculture to land registration and the music recording industry. For the Perth Mint, the need to bring investors back to precious metals after a boom in alternative […]
Could cryptocurrencies be a serious alternative to the dollar?
With its wild fluctuations, which even created some “Bitcoin billionaires”, the cryptocurrency craze that has swept the financial world over summer is hard to ignore. Yet for all the hype about the Bitcoin roller-coaster, is there any chance we will one day be doing the shopping with Bitcoin, or some other crypto-dollar? This question has the potential to affect all of us, not to mention the core institutions at the heart of our financial system. And it’s not quite as far-fetched as it may sound. At the moment Bitcoin looks to have taken off as a highly speculative asset, rather than a realistic alternative to money. In the longer term […]
