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Cointelegraph Brasil’s top 10 people in crypto and blockchain in 2021

Cointelegraph Brasil’s top 10 people in crypto and blockchain in 2021

podľa | feb 23, 2022 | 0 |

In 2021, the Brazilian cryptocurrency market gained more investors, reached the Brazilian stock exchange and “punctured the bubble” of the mainstream, becoming an important part of the investment portfolio of ordinary Brazilians. In addition to strengthening the crypto community in Brazil, the initiatives of Brazilian blockchain companies have taken cryptocurrencies to the most varied segments of society, from football — a great national passion — to civil aviation. Cointelegraph Brasil chose the 10 most prominent figures in the country in 2021, taking into account the performance of the companies represented, their impact on the crypto community and their pioneering spirit in the market.The above are just 10 important individuals in a massive ecosystem that spans around the globe. To see more luminaries who are lighting up the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries, check out the Cointelegraph Top 100 for 2021. 10. Luis Adaime — MOSSLuis Adaime is CEO and founder of MOSS, a Brazilian company dedicated to the tokenization of carbon credits through the MCO2 token. Founded in 2020, MOSS formed a series of partnerships in Brazil: Its logo appeared on the Clube de Regatas Flamengo shirt during the 2021 season of Brazilian football. Other relevant carbon offset partnerships involved large companies such as iFood, Hering and GOL Linhas Aéreas. MOSS also launched nonfungible tokens (NFTs) aimed at preserving the Amazon forest. The collection linked to MCO2 is aimed at sustainability projects in Brazil.9. Edilson Osório — OriginalMyA graduate of Harvard Law School, computer scientist, professor and information security specialist, Edílson Osório was a blockchain and Big Data consultant at ITS-Rio and is a member of the European Observatory for Blockchain. He is the CEO and founder of OriginalMy, a legaltech firm with a blockchain-based platform to increase trust in governance by authenticating identities, signatures, authorizations and content.8. Thiago César — Transfero SwissThiago César is CEO of Transfero Swiss, the issuer of the largest stablecoin backed by the Brazilian real, the BRZ. In 2021 alone, the stablecoin recorded a trading volume of $1.5 billion, the highest since the coin’s launch in 2019. BRZ reached major global exchanges and stood out for its multichain technology featuring compatibility with Ethereum, Solana, Stellar and other networks. Transfero Swiss is also expected to launch cryptocurrency solutions for retail in the country with a BRZ trading platform against a variety of cryptocurrencies.7. Fernando Carvalho — QR CapitalFernando Carvalho is CEO of QR Capital, controlling holding of the manager QR Asset, one of the pioneers in crypto-asset investment funds in Brazil. QR Capital launched the country’s first DeFi-linked exchange-traded fund on the Brazilian stock exchange, consisting of nine cryptocurrencies on Bloomberg’s Galaxy DeFi Index. Previously, QR Capital had already launched ETFs with exposure to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), ranking among the highest-profit investments during 2021 on the Brazilian stock exchange B3.6. Primo Rico — RicoBrazilian businessman and popular YouTuber Thiago Nigro — known by the pseudonym “Primo Rico” — has become a noted cryptocurrency proponent, with educational videos on his YouTube channel and 5.5 million subscribers. His proximity to the crypto market was also in the news in 2021 when he revealed that he was a partner at Brazilian exchange Biscoint through Rico Investimentos. Another initiative by Nigro launched in 2021, digital bank Rico, offers exposure to cryptocurrencies through two investment funds.5. Fernando Ulrich — Liberta InvestimentosWith worldwide experience in the Brazilian financial and real estate markets, Fernando Ulrich is a student of monetary theory and a digital currencies enthusiast. Ulrich has worked for several globally known companies such as Thyssenkrupp and XP Investimentos, having held the position of chief analyst at the cryptocurrency exchange XDEX. He is currently at Liberta Investimentos, which is an investment advisory firm associated with XP. Ulrich was the first prominent Brazilian economist to publicly validate Bitcoin and frequently speaks publicly about Bitcoin and various cryptocurrencies on his YouTube channel and on Twitter.4. Roberto Campos Neto — Banco Central do BrasilPresident of the Central Bank of Brazil, Roberto Campos Neto, launched an agenda of digital innovation with his management of Pix, the financial authority’s quick transaction system that quickly gained popularity among the Brazilian population. Campos Neto also leads the country’s central bank digital currency project, the Real Digital, which is still in the analysis phase, but could start its first trials as early as 2023.3. Daniel Coquieri — LiqiDaniel Coquieri, the founder of the Brazilian exchange BitcoinTrade, founded Liqi in 2021, an asset tokenization company that quickly gained prominence in the Brazilian market. Liqi, which was created after the sale of Bitcoin Trade to Ripio, later became a partner of football club Cruzeiro and has already earned more than $200,000 for holders of the Cruzeiro token (CRZ). This is linked to FIFA’s solidarity mechanism that rewards clubs that train athletes in cases of international transactions. Liqi has also launched other crypto products on the market with good acceptance among investors.2. Marcelo Sampaio — HashdexMarcelo Sampaio is co-founder and CEO of Hashdex, the largest crypto asset manager in the Brazilian financial market. In 2021, the company launched the first Bitcoin ETF on the Brazilian Stock Market. Hashdex also launched a DeFi ETF, expanding the exposure of the Brazilian financial market to cryptocurrencies.1. Reinaldo Rabelo — Mercado BitcoinReinaldo Rebelo is the CEO of the largest cryptocurrency exchange in Brazil, Mercado Bitcoin, valued today at $2.1 billion. Over the past few years, the exchange has expanded the exposure of the Brazilian financial market to cryptocurrencies, widened operations and reached the mainstream. The exchange has run advertising campaigns on large vehicles, sponsored football teams and launched fan tokens of Brazilian football giants on its platform, in addition to innovating with judiciary bond tokens and other crypto products.

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NFTs, payments and conferences: Crypto in Latin America in 2021

NFTs, payments and conferences: Crypto in Latin America in 2021

podľa | feb 20, 2022 | 0 |

In 2021, Latin America saw a soaring rise in crypto adoption among the 20 countries and 14 dependencies that make up the region.A slew of conferences, associations, new regulations and nonfungible token (NFT) projects as well as the global bull market made last year an intriguing one for the region.Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting developments in the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystem in Latin America in 2021.Colombian financial firms partner with crypto exchangesEarly in 2021, the Financial Superintendence of Colombia authorized several partnerships between banking institutions licensed in the nation’s financial system and cryptocurrency exchanges.The nine partnerships included major names from the cryptocurrency industry such as Binance and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss’ Gemini. The regulator said that these approvals were made within a regulatory sandbox for testing technological solutions in the world financial market and will have a trial period of up to one year.Crypto recognition in Latin AmericaIn 2021, the rapid growth of digital currencies led some Latin American countries to officially recognize their use as a payment instrument, despite their reputation for volatility. El Salvador’s official recognition of Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender — a world-first — made waves not only in Latin America but across the world.Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s Bitcoin Law was approved by a majority vote in the country’s representative body, the Legislative Assembly, and came into effect in September.In August 2021, Cointelegraph reported that the Central Bank of Cuba was expected to recognize cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Tether (USDT) for commercial transactions and investments.The president of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru, Julio Velarde, announced in November that the nation will partner with the central banks of India, Hong Kong and Singapore to develop its own central bank digital currency. Blockchain events in 2021As a result of lockdowns and subsequent confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, many blockchain companies and organizations reevaluated their strategies and took to cyberspace to meet up and attend conferences.Blockchain Summit LatamThe Blockchain Summit Latam conference is considered to be one of the most important crypto events in Latin America, promoting the crypto and blockchain ecosystem in the region. In September 2021, its 5th edition hosted 100 expert speakers from the broader ecosystem.Over five days, more than 60 virtual spaces hosted seminars and discussions focused on blockchain technology. The topics included infrastructure and applications, the Ibero-American ecosystem, business, decentralized finance, blockchain in the traditional financial system and more.LaBitConfIn November 2021, the ninth edition of the Spanish-speaking Latin American Bitcoin and Blockchain Conference, also known as LaBitConf, was held. The conference combined face-to-face and virtual meetings, and the agenda featured more than 150 industry experts giving more than 40 presentations on topics such as Bitcoin mining, the future of exchanges in Latin America, regulation, and privacy and security, among others.Cripto Latin Fest In December, the fourth edition of Crypto Latin Fest combined online and in-person meetings over two 14-hour days featuring talks and seminars with experts in the cryptocurrency space.Notable individuals from the crypto ecosystem in Latin America — such as José Rodríguez, director of Blockchain Land at Talent Land, and Elian Huesca, community lead for Latin America at Bitso — covered topics such as blockchain, stablecoins, cybersecurity, legality, DeFi and crypto adoption.Blockchain LandThe massive Spanish-language Blockchain Land conference — presented by the same company that produced Talent Land Latinoamerica — launched for the first time in 2020 and was broadcast simultaneously in the Decentraland and Cryptovoxels metaverses.The event, held in April, was one of the largest Spanish-speaking events and was considered to be the most innovative, as it was broadcast simultaneously in two virtual worlds existing on the Ethereum blockchain where the users could interact, speak and network.NFT boom in Latin AmericaLast year, nonfungible tokens took off in Latin America and around the globe.In September, Argentine NFT marketplace SeSocioNFT opened up shop, promoting and selling pieces from Latin American artists. The platform reportedly plans to adapt pieces created by various artists into NFTs so that they can then be sold on the marketplace.The NFT boom led to the first digital art gallery in Ecuador, NFTs Exhibition UIDE hosted at the International University of Ecuador. The gallery was open from Nov. 24 until Dec. 23 and displayed around 40 works by four Ecuadorian artists and 15 foreigners, valued at $160 million in total.A collective of Venezuelan artists known as La Tokenia, inaugurated their NFT exhibition on the Tezos network in December.Meanwhile, in November, the Colombian government signed a mining contract with the National Mining Agency that was registered as NFT on the Ethereum-compatible GoChain blockchain.

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Innovation and experimentation: Spain’s blockchain sector in 2021

Innovation and experimentation: Spain’s blockchain sector in 2021

podľa | feb 14, 2022 | 0 |

In Spain, companies across various industries — not just digital finance — have begun to apply blockchain technology to their operations. This disruptive technology has promoted pioneering projects in the country that are expected to add 20 billion euros to Spanish gross domestic product by 2030.As expectations around this technology increased in Spain throughout 2021, so did investment, hype and concerns regarding the stability and regulation of digital assets.Here, we will take a look at some of the most notable developments in the Spanish cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystems throughout 2021. Central bank warns about risks of crypto investmentThe Central Bank of Spain together with the National Securities Market Commission issued a statement in February 2021 warning citizens about the risks of cryptocurrencies as an investment.The statement noted that there is still no regulatory framework in the European Union to regulate cryptocurrencies, nor does it provide guarantees and safeguards similar to those available for other financial products like stocks and bonds.New tax regulations for digital currenciesAs part of the effort to regulate and keep digital currencies operations under scrutiny, at the beginning of July, the Spanish Ministry of Finance announced the “law to prevent and fight against tax fraud.”Herein, the Treasury will require the declaration of income tax and digital currency assets, as well as reporting payments and collections made with cryptocurrencies.Local media then reported that “this regulation introduces an obligation to provide information on the balances held by the holders of virtual currencies and on the operations in which they are involved. This same obligation extends to those who make initial offers of new virtual currencies.”Fintech industry gets a sandbox to play inIn May, the Secretary General of the Treasury and International Financing published a resolution that included a list of the first projects admitted to the Spanish Regulatory Sandbox.The sandbox will allow a select group of companies to test new business models in a closed environment, overseen by the Bank of Spain, the General Directorate of Insurance and Pension Funds and the National Commission of Markets and Securities. The digital euro in the municipal codeIn July, Juan Berenguer, the mayor of El Campello — a town in the Eastern Costa Blanca in Valencia — reported that the municipality has been chosen to host a local digital currency project, complementary to the digital euro, in order to study how such a change to currency in the Eurozone would “be accepted by society.”The initiative also aims to determine how both public and private jurisdictions can participate in the design, research and testing of a central bank digital currency.Zamora promotes blockchain technologyThe city of Zamora, the capital of the eponymous province in northwest Spain, hosted an online workshop devoted to the development of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. The event titled “Discover the secrets of blockchain and cryptocurrencies and how to apply them in your company” and hosted by the Zamora Chamber of Commerce was aimed at small and medium-sized companies with payrolls of less than 10 workers “who wish to improve their digital marketing strategy.”Use cases and innovationOutside of finance, blockchain saw innovative applications in civil and administrative contexts. In February, over 2,000 people in Catalonia participated in a poll conducted using blockchain technology. The initiative was developed through the Vocdoni digital platform which allowed results to be calculated minutes after the polls closed. In the educational field, the University of Murcia announced that it will issue certificates in blockchain through Blockcerts.The Spanish university issued blockchain certificates to the attendees of the Crue-TIC 2021/2022 “Disruptive Technologies by the Digital University” conference, where participants discussed the applications of artificial intelligence, data analytics and big data, blockchain, cloud tech and 5G.A Spanish project that uses blockchain technology was a finalist in the European Digital Mindset Awards in the “Best Digital Accelerator in the Public Sector” category.Endesa’s electricity-focused blockchain project Confía conducted a pilot in collaboration with the Malaga City Council and the University of Malaga.Spanish startup 1MillionBot developed a blockchain-supported virtual assistant for COVID-19 vaccinations. Toward the end of the year, the blockchain center of Catalonia announced that it will launch Carvers, a Catalan metaverse. The new monolingual metaverse seeks to promote the Catalan language and culture on the internet.

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P2P payments spurred crypto adoption across Venezuela in 2021

P2P payments spurred crypto adoption across Venezuela in 2021

podľa | feb 12, 2022 | 0 |

For Venezuela, 2021 has been a year of considerable changes at the microeconomic level, where even more than in 2020, the results of powerful catalysts for change such as COVID-19 were clearly visible. In a more dynamic economy with a higher volume of operations with foreign currencies, cryptocurrencies played a key role during this year for the South American country. In this review, we’ll take a look at the highlights of the Venezuelan crypto ecosystem in 2021 including related areas such as trading, play-to-earn (P2E) games, fintech, mining, regulation and nonfungible tokens (NFTs). More people accepting cryptocurrenciesAccording to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, Venezuela ranks seventh in the Global Cryptocurrency Adoption Index 2021 thanks in large part to peer-to-peer (P2P) trading activity.A noticeable trend in 2021 was the growing number of people and businesses in Venezuela accepting cryptocurrencies as a form of payment to circumvent the hyperinflation and devaluation of the national currency, the bolivar — a trend that has plagued the South American nation for the last few years. In some of the main cities of the country such as the capital Caracas and Puerto La Cruz, it is increasingly normal to see people or merchants using cryptocurrencies as a form of payment.The appearance and adoption of crypto payment platforms such as Binance Pay, Reserve or even Valiú have accelerated the adoption of a more digital economy based on cryptocurrencies without the need for users to have extensive knowledge of the subject.Notable businesses accepting cryptocurrencies in Venezuela include the Simón Bolívar International Airport, supermarket chain Bio Mercados, several casinos and even the largest cable TV operator in the country. Fast food chain Church’s Chicken also began paying bonuses to its employees in Dash (DASH).Support for legal miningAccording to a report by the University of Cambridge, Venezuela ranked among the top 10 cryptocurrency-mining countries at the beginning of 2021, making it the first Latin American country to break the top 10. The country’s high mining ranking was thanks in large part to it having the cheapest electricity prices in Latin America since 2018. This makes the Caribbean country attractive for Bitcoin (BTC) mining and the creation of a regulatory framework that protects and guarantees the legal development of the industry.Despite some cases of mining equipment being seized, arbitrary disconnections and arrests of illegal miners, the National Superintendence of Cryptoassets (SUNACRIP) has called on miners to operate legally. It is further searching for mechanisms to provide guarantees of legal stability. By mid-September, an official communiqué from the government ordered law enforcement to refrain from making inspections or carrying out operations related to the supervision, seizure or of any other nature that interrupts cryptocurrency mining.In mid-November, the country’s fifth official mining meeting took place and SUNACRIP met with more than 150 miners from the region, companies linked to the digital mining sector, crypto personalities from the Venezuelan ecosystem and exchanges like Binance.Play-to-earn game crazeFor the last four months of 2021, 10 of the 50 most visited web pages in Venezuela were related to cryptocurrencies, among which were a notable amount related to popular NFT games like Axie Infinity and Plants vs Undead.Play-to-earn and NFT games caused a furor in Venezuela among both experienced crypto users and newcomers to the asset class. The games have encouraged crypto adoption, primarily thanks to players’ ability to generate dividends. For many Venezuelan families, this has turned out to be a type of economic salvation given the low salaries. In fact, Venezuela boasts the second-most active user base by country in Axie Infinity behind the Philippines.The game was so popular that many businesses began to accept Axie Infinity’s Smooth Love Potion (SLP) token. Binance enabled P2P exchange of SLP in its application, and even a candidate for governor of the ruling party in the recent regional elections promised to deliver Axie Infinity scholarships if he won. Academic interest in crypto and blockchainEducation is fundamental for adoption in Venezuela, where the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello in Venezuela, incorporated blockchain, cryptocurrencies and fintech into the curriculum of programs in its schools of business administration and public accounting. The Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Telecomunicaciones e Informática introduced a master’s degree on blockchain, while Universidad de los Llanos unveiled plans to introduce an undergraduate degree focused on blockchain engineering and cryptocurrencies in 2022.Blockchain specialist appointedCivil servant Roman Maniglia, a self-designated specialist in cryptocurrencies and new technologies, was appointed by the government of President Nicolas Maduro at the end of September as president of that country’s largest bank, Banco de Venezuela. The appointment of an official who describes himself in his Twitter biography as a specialist in finance, cryptocurrencies, fintech and blockchain, demonstrates Venezuela’s interest in combining traditional financial systems with the new generation of technologies like blockchain.Promotion of Venezuelan NFT art2021 saw a boom not only in cryptocurrency markets, but the explosion of NFTs across the globe — Venezuela was no exception. NFTs saw mass adoption in entertainment with several popular video games, as well as use cases in art and music.SUNACRIP launched an NFT in commemoration of the country’s independence and the bicentennial of the Battle of Carabobo. The long-standing flagship company in the nation’s liquor sector, Ron Carúpano de Venezuela, launched its own collection of NFTs on OpenSea’s decentralized marketplace for charitable purposes. In addition, a community of Venezuelan artists called La Tokenía minted artworks into NFTs and displayed them at special exhibitions.

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What should the crypto industry expect from regulators in 2022? Experts answer, Part 2

What should the crypto industry expect from regulators in 2022? Experts answer, Part 2

podľa | jan 9, 2022 | 0 |

Michelle is the CEO of the Association for Digital Asset Markets, which works in partnership with financial firms and regulatory experts to devise a code of conduct for digital asset markets. “2021 was the year Washington woke up to the digital assets industry. The year started with the rushed FinCEN “Unhosted Wallets” proposal, which the industry was able to voice its concerns and delay. At the same time, pro-digital asset Senator Cynthia Lummis joined the Senate. As the Biden Administration got up to speed on digital assets, it seemed like all of Washington was studying the industry in some shape or form. Then came the Infrastructure Bill, which contained a rushed provision defining a broker for tax reporting purposes. This flawed language unleashed digital asset supporters from all segments of U.S. society and made it clear that policymakers and regulators need to act carefully and consider innovation as a key pillar of their decisions. The year culminated on a highly positive note with the early December crypto CEOs hearing in front of the House Financial Services Committee. Lawmakers were surprisingly warm to all participants and were genuinely interested in the innovation benefits that can be harnessed in Web 3.0. The hearing went a long way to legitimizing crypto in DC, similar to how bank CEOs appear in front of Congress on a yearly basis. Looking to 2022, lawmakers are starting to realize the long term benefits this industry can provide to the United States, and this, combined with the Biden administration being in office for a year, now presents a real window to get something done on a bipartisan basis to advance the industry and provide guardrails for market integrity and consumer protection. I expect to see a responsible public policy framework developed, from which the industry can flourish and the U.S. can benefit.”

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What should the crypto industry expect from regulators in 2022? Experts answer, Part 1

What should the crypto industry expect from regulators in 2022? Experts answer, Part 1

podľa | jan 8, 2022 | 0 |

Hatu is the co-founder and chief strategy officer of DAO Maker, which creates growth technologies and funding frameworks for startups while simultaneously reducing risks for investors. “2021 has been a stop-start year for crypto and DeFi, as regulatory bodies have not clarified their stance on the industry. This has held back the retail population from getting involved, and this is a huge opportunity cost for the industry. However, with El Salvador adopting Bitcoin as legal tender and more countries embracing crypto, the future looks brighter. In 2021, yes, there have been multiple deliberations at various levels regarding crypto and its regulatory status. Governments and regulatory authorities across the globe have expressed reservations against the mainstreaming of crypto. However, they also realize the industry is maturing and currently is even too big to have a blanket ban imposed. I believe blockchain technology must be nowhere near the regulatory scheme of things, as the tech and its applications supersede the need for oversight. They bring much-needed facets like transparency and decentralization to the forefront. Regulating blockchain technology will only adversely impact our evolution as a society. Apart from this, in 2022, I expect more acceptance on the regulatory front as crypto aims to revolutionize the financial system across the globe with DeFi. Crypto forensics is on the rise, and I expect it to be adopted by governments to safeguard their citizens. Regulations are necessary for crypto in 2022, but restrictions are not.”

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What’s ahead for crypto and blockchain in 2022? Experts Answer, Part 3

What’s ahead for crypto and blockchain in 2022? Experts Answer, Part 3

podľa | jan 3, 2022 | 0 |

Alex is a writer, speaker, investor and adviser focused on the impact of emerging technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies. He is the general manager of Ninepoint Digital Assets Group, an investment management services provider in the field of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.  “I think 2022 is the year of multichain. 2021 saw the rise of new layer-one protocols like Solana and Avalanche that promised to improve on Ethereum with faster throughputs and lower fees. But these benefits may prove impermanent. As they become more popular, they may suffer the same fate as Ethereum. Remember, Ethereum fees used to be cheap too until the network found a product-market fit with the rise of liquidity mining and other DeFi applications.  With a tsunami of new users coming into the ecosystem, it became a victim of its own success. Fees skyrocketed, turning Ethereum into a ‘whalechain,’ meaning only the wealthy could afford the fees. The same thing could happen to other layer ones. That’s OK. I believe the scarcest resource in the world for the next few years will be block space. All these layer ones will probably fill up, meaning we need better ways to interconnect different protocols.  Most new crypto users will only interact at the application layer, not knowing or caring what base chain they run on. That means making interoperability a reality. A few groups are working on multichain, including Cosmos, which supports hundreds of crypto assets worth tens of billions of dollars. 2022 is the year of Multichain Maximalism, and Cosmos is leading the way.”

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What’s ahead for crypto and blockchain in 2022? Experts Answer, Part 2

What’s ahead for crypto and blockchain in 2022? Experts Answer, Part 2

podľa | jan 2, 2022 | 0 |

Alan is the chief legal officer at PrimeBlock, a sustainable Bitcoin mining operation, infrastructure solutions provider and member of the Bitcoin Mining Council, with locations spread across North America. “We’re going to see more countries adopting crypto as a legal currency. We’re also going to see central governments coming out and taking their own currencies and putting them on a blockchain. China has already said it is going to do this, which will speed up the real competition for private cryptocurrencies from a payment perspective.  Central bank digital currencies do not present competition from a store of value or inflation protection perspective because it’s still the same fiat currency, subject to the same monetary policy manipulation by central banks. It’s certainly something that is fully digital, transparent, and has both good things and some very scary things that come with it. The hope is that, at least in the United States, the dialogues around CBDCs will happen alongside maintaining the values of our society in mind, including our own privacy and control. How China versus the U.S. will run it will differ, so the dialogue needs to consciously ask the right questions. There’s a way to get carried away with technology that really ignores the fundamental, social, political, philosophical and legal impacts it could have on society. It’s an immensely powerful tool — I’m not understating or overstating it. The government has a lot of regulatory control of the payment, banking and monetary systems now by regulating important intermediaries like banks and other entities. This is going to be directly impacting us on a micro level.”

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What’s ahead for crypto and blockchain in 2022? Experts answer, Part 1

What’s ahead for crypto and blockchain in 2022? Experts answer, Part 1

podľa | jan 1, 2022 | 0 |

Sandra is CEO of the Global Blockchain Business Council, an industry association for the blockchain technology ecosystem. “​​In 2022, it will be ‘corporate career risk’ to not have a baseline understanding of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. From bankers to corporate executives to politicians, it is imperative that they get on board and seriously consider the implications of blockchain. Further, 2022 winners will ‘expect the unexpected,’ and adapt to investing, servicing clients and participating in new trends. In 2021, few expected NFTs to become the killer app, driving mainstream interest and adoption. Web3, the Metaverse and DAOs will enter mainstream curiosity in 2022. The boring infrastructure stuff is critical. Crypto markets and the blockchain industry are experiencing explosive growth, but to scale, they need common terminology, standards and sound governance, including conflict resolution.  The Global Blockchain Business Council will continue the Global Standards Mapping Initiative in 2022, mapping the regulatory, technical, academia and business states of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. GSMI is the largest crowd-sourced, open-access crypto and blockchain research project. GSMI 2.0 content, released in November, was the result of eight months’ work from over 200 individuals and 131 institutions, including student researchers and veterans of government, industry, start-ups and regulation. For 2022, I remain mindful to stick to the original vision of leveling the playing field for many, not a few.” These quotes have been edited and condensed. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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Analysts say 2022 will be ‘defined by agility and cost-efficiency’ instead of ‘blockchain purity’

Analysts say 2022 will be ‘defined by agility and cost-efficiency’ instead of ‘blockchain purity’

podľa | dec 27, 2021 | 0 |

The entire crypto market took great strides toward mass adoption in 2021 and now that the year is nearly complete, analysts are setting their price targets for 2022.Many analysts supported calls for a $100,000 (BTC) price before the end of 2021 and although this seems unlikely, most investors expect the key price level to be tackled before Q2 of 2022.Here’s a look at some of the Bitcoin price predictions analysts are expecting in 2022.Bitcoin is still on track to surpass $100,000Analysts has been more reticent in providing off the cuff Bitcoin predictions ever since PlanB’s stock-to-flow model incorrectly predicted a $98,000 BTC price by the end of November, even though the model had been spot on from August through October. While some traders are now questioning the validity of the stock-to-flow price model, crypto analyst and pseudonymous Twitter user ‘DecodeJar’ still sees BTC surpassing the $100,000 price point within the next few months and according to the analyst, the price could climb as high as $250,000 by the end of 2022. #Bitcoin top sliding scale model.1/ Conservative/Early projection:Halving-to-top projected at same rate: 7 Jun 22.2.618 Extension in Wave 5: $190,233.2/ Extreme/Late projection:Bottom-to-top projected at same rate: 19 Dec 22.3.618 Extension in Wave 5: $251,971.Thread pic.twitter.com/XP605JZgXg— Steve⚡ (@decodejar) December 12, 2021As shown in the tweet above, DecodeJar sees Bitcoin hitting a ”conservative price target” of $190,233 by June 7 based on Elliot Wave extensions and Fibonacci retracement levels. In a follow-up tweet, DecodeJar cautioned that:“Projections of future price and time are only a guide, but combining this range with other indicators as we get closer, can allow for a clean exit near the top. I favor the more conservative end of the scale ~$190,000.”Regulations are coming in 2022Insight into the future of the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem was addressed by David Lifchitz, managing partner and chief investment officer at ExoAlpha, who stated that “crypto’s will still be around in 2022” in the sense that “governments won’t ban them.” Instead, Lifchitz suggested that “they want to regulate them to keep cryptos on a tight leash vs. fiat currencies and also see them as a source of taxable income to replenish their coffers.” The world needs standards to address risks from crypto and the @FinStbBoard should develop a global regulatory framework to help. Read more about the policies needed in the latest #IMFBlog https://t.co/ZIZ6ggxuIu pic.twitter.com/P0TTSLi8SR— IMF (@IMFNews) December 9, 2021

As the DeFi ecosystem continues to grow and develop new capabilities, Lifchitz predicted that banks and insurances companies will be forced to adapt their business models in order to stay competitive while “middle-man businesses are more at risk as they are made redundant by DeFi.”When it comes to the frenzy that has been the NFT space, Lifchitz expressed reservations about the sector’s ability to continue its lightning-like pace of growth and he addressed some of the deeper concerns that regulators may have moving forward. Lifchitz said, “It has become so hot that one cannot help but wonder if they are not used for money laundering… I know there’s so much money sloshing around thanks to the central banks that has to find a home, but the NFTs in 2021 remind me of the Dot.com era in mid-1998, there’s still room for a parabolic price boom, then a bust.”As far as the hype around the emerging Metaverse, Lifchitz stated that while it does look as though we are headed to a future that could resemble scenes from the movie Ready Player One “where people take refuge into a virtual world since their real world is terrible,” our world is still “years away from that.”Related: Creating a pathway for crypto market growth through better regulationMass adoption is likely to continueDespite the signs of short-term weakness, Loukas Lagoudis, executive director of crypto and digital assets hedge fund ARK36, “firmly believes that the overall bullish trend for the crypto market will continue in 2022.”Lagoudis suggested that “the sustained adoption of digital assets by institutional investors and their further integration into the legacy financial systems will be the main drivers of growth of the crypto space in the next year” as institutions were seen as starting to favor “digital assets over gold as a reserve asset” over the course of 2021. Lagoudis said, “In addition, since digital assets have consistently outperformed traditional asset classes, we predict that investors will see allocation to digital assets as a part of their risk management strategy – especially given the increasingly inflationary economic environment and the declining bond yields.”According to Jean-Marc Bonnefous, head of asset management at Tellurian ExoAlpha, suggested that “the trend seems to be favoring blockchains that focus on performance, dApp development and that are somewhat more centralized.”Bonnefous saithis represents a significant change from the trends of the past which centered more on projects “focused on security, store of value and that are more decentralized like BTC and even Ether.”Bonnefous said, “Basically, the market seems to go for business agility and cost-efficiency rather than blockchain purity, a big change from the past years. This winning relative value trade is likely to continue into next year.”The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.

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Crypto mainstream adoption: Is it here already? Experts Answer, Part 3

Crypto mainstream adoption: Is it here already? Experts Answer, Part 3

podľa | dec 26, 2021 | 0 |

Sebastian is the chief strategy officer at Coinsource, a Bitcoin ATM provider in the United States. “In 2022, we expect more countries to follow El Salvador’s lead and adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, particularly countries across Latin America and Asia. As a result, we anticipate an increase in the number of Bitcoin ATMs across Latin America, and also in Europe. As new countries adopt, it is likely U.S. dominance in the crypto industry will be reduced. Regulation of crypto will continue into 2022, which is generally a good thing. However, it must be reasonable and fairly applicable to all. We have the potential to solve compliance in many of the protocols once and for all, so we need to double down on this. The industry is on a good path to increase the standards by which it measures compliance, but there needs to be a dialogue between experts on both sides of the regulatory debate. Nefarious activity within the crypto space has been on a steep decline for several years now. Alignment on regulation, such as in the EU with MiCA, will create a level playing field that will allow for continued growth in the long term. We hope the U.S. will soon follow in providing regulatory clarity and guidelines that will keep it on foot as a key hub for global crypto innovation.  We have witnessed huge growth within the Bitcoin ATM, or BTM, industry in 2021, with global installations up by 70%. We do not see this slowing down any time soon. With so much activity in the market and the strong demand for BTMs from all sorts of known and new target customer groups, we believe that the BTM space will continue to grow at a similar, or even faster, rate. It is projected that the number of BTM installations will hit 100,000 by 2025, and we would say that this is a conservative estimate.”

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From DeFi year to decade: Is mass adoption here? Experts Answer, Part 3

From DeFi year to decade: Is mass adoption here? Experts Answer, Part 3

podľa | dec 25, 2021 | 0 |

Tristan is the core contributor to Zeta Markets, an under-collateralized DeFi derivatives platform, providing liquid derivatives trading to individuals and institutions alike. “We’ve seen a Cambrian explosion in the DeFi ecosystem in 2021, with peak TVL approaching $300 billion vs the 2020 peak of $21 billion. This sounds like the growth surely has to slow. Yet, DeFi still represents just a fraction of CeFi trading volumes. At Zeta, we see a clear opportunity for more and more CeFi infrastructure to be built on-chain in a permissionless manner. This will unlock innovative products that have previously been impossible to implement. The following has already started to happen: Composability trumps the siloed products of CeFi, which has created really powerful network effects and will continue to do so. DeFi UX continues to improve, DApps on Solana, in particular, are now improving with the looks and feels of CEX products (i.e., Robinhood). On-chain derivatives are still in their infancy but are already showing promise (dYdX surpassing Coinbase in trading volume). On-chain primitives like oracles and order books are now a reality. DeFi growth sustaining itself and achieving its potential blockchain speed and transaction costs will be critical. CeFi markets rely on speed and deep liquidity. This dependency is already showing some truth, with DeFi expanding outside of the Ethereum ecosystem. We suspect this is a trend that is likely to continue in 2022 and expand the DeFi pie as a whole — cross-chain bridging will be a big theme for DeFi in the years ahead as we move toward a multi-chain world.” These quotes have been edited and condensed. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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