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2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-06-07 10:09 7yr ago
CLAM Market Crash Costs Poloniex’s Bitcoin Lenders 16.202% of Their Balance
BTC Bitcoin BTS BitShares
CoinGecko News
Original source text
CLAM Market Crash Costs Poloniex’s Bitcoin Lenders 16.202% of Their Balance
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-07-04 14:12 7yr ago
Why Ethereum Doesn’t Have the Monopoly on Leading #DeFi Projects
BTS BitShares EOS EOS ETH Ethereum STEEM Steem USDT Tether XLM Stellar Lumens ZIL Zilliqa
CoinGecko News
Original source text
Add ZyCrypto News On Google

2019 is the year of decentralized finance. The #DeFi movement was still in its fledgling stage at the end of 2018, but in the wake of the recent resurgence in the crypto markets, it’s taken off. In March, ConsenSys published a blog post listing – believe it or not – over a hundred DeFi projects, with several commenters suggesting even more.

Of course, the ConsenSys list only included those projects developing their DeFi applications on the Ethereum blockchain. But this shouldn’t go unchallenged. After all, if the DeFi concept is truly about decentralization, then any finance application built on any decentralized blockchain platform could qualify as #DeFi. Furthermore, now that Ethereum has more competition from platforms like Stellar, Tron, or Zilliqa, it makes sense that the #DeFi ecosystem can also grow on any other platform too.

Across DeFi and the entire dApp space, Ethereum indeed has the numbers. At the peak of the ICO boom, which was fueled in part by the easy availability of ERC-20 tokens, more than 100 new dApps were being added to Ethereum every month.

However, at this point in 2019, the ecosystem has diversified. Particularly in the categories of trading platforms and automated market making, there are some notable examples of non-Ethereum projects that have established themselves as heavyweights.
Image source: Depositphotos.com

Bancor Bancor was one of the first DeFi projects to come to fruition. It pioneered the concept of the liquidity network, designed to overcome the challenge of illiquidity in altcoins and enable an extensive range of swaps between different tokens. Whereas a traditional crypto exchange depends on having a full order book to ensure that trades can happen without delays, Bancor works differently. The Bancor network is based on the concept of “Smart Tokens.”

 

The native token of the Bancor network is BNT, which is a smart token in itself. The BNT token holds reserves of all other tokens on the network. Therefore, when someone wants to make an exchange, the network uses the BNT token as a relay, with the reserves enabling instant liquidity. This negates the need to have a counterparty for the trade, as is needed in a traditional exchange.

In Bancor’s earlier days, it faced some criticism for having developed its own tokens. At the time, the project was operating token swaps on the Ethereum blockchain. Uniswap, an Ethereum-based liquidity project that came later, simply used ETH as the relay token, which critics said was a more straightforward solution.

However, Bancor has always held a vision of enabling continuously liquid swaps between any tokens, regardless of which blockchain they’re developed on. The company has now integrated the EOS platform tokens and has plans for more in the future. In light of this, using a blockchain-agnostic Smart Token was a prescient move. It’s also worth noting that Vitalik Buterin himself spoke out on Reddit in support of the Bancor concept of using smart contracts to hold token reserves as a means of making markets. Nothing in his comments implied that the reserves have to be denominated in ETH. 

Fetch.AI Fetch.AI is shaping up to be one of the hottest projects of 2019. The project is a graduate of the Binance Launchpad program, where its token sale sold out within hours. Converging both blockchain and artificial intelligence, Fetch.AI is developing a universal integration protocol, where digital autonomous agents perform different kinds of tasks within an open economic framework. Through these agents, individuals or enterprises can participate in “smart markets” where supply is connected to demand in the most efficient way possible.

The platform offers a range of use cases from ridesharing to logistics. However, from a DeFi perspective, the ability to implement automated market makers is perhaps one of the most compelling.

Essentially, market making is a complex optimization problem where current and historical pricing data is used to determine the value of an asset and provide a reference forward curve. The Fetch.AI protocol’s synergetic smart contracts and virtual machine can solve the optimization problem to generate market orders that maximize returns, based on various market making strategies.

Such a toolkit and framework opens up an entirely new model of liquidity and market making, not only for digital assets but also for commodities in the real world where liquidity is limited, and the cost of exchange listings is high. The Fetch.AI framework enables Autonomous Decentralized Market Making (ADMM) to be deployed cross chains – something that wouldn’t be possible with a pure Ethereum deployment. 

BitShares BitShares was the first of the three blockchain projects for which Dan Larimer made his name, the latter two being Steem, and most recently, “Ethereum-killer” EOS. The project was formerly known as Protoshares, rebranded as BitShares in 2014, and is an enterprise-level “crypto-equity” smart contract platform. 

In 2016, BitShares was added to the Microsoft Azure Blockchain-as-a-Service platform, which at the time was one of only four projects to achieve this status. Interestingly, Ethereum was among the other three.

The BitShares BTS token is used as collateral for a variety of DeFi applications on the platform, including exchanges, banking, or creation of financial derivatives. Using the BitShares protocol, anyone can issue “smart coins,” which are collateralized and market-pegged.

Unlike, for example, Tether, which is operated by a closed-box company, BitShares is fully decentralized with the security of funds lying with the users. The platform is run by a decentralized autonomous company, which is responsible for making all decisions related to the project.

While it’s true that Ethereum currently has the majority of DeFi projects in quantity, these three projects demonstrate that there is a healthy balance for non-Ethereum projects in terms of quality.  If the DeFi concept is going to thrive within the overall crypto ecosystem, then it’s necessary to protect and nurture diversity. Doing so will create more opportunities for startups and ultimately, provide a wider choice for users.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-08-10 00:10 6yr ago
Komodo Review: The Open & Composable Multi-Chain Platform
BTC Bitcoin BTS BitShares DASH Dash ETH Ethereum KMD Komodo NEO NEO WAVES Waves XMR Monero ZEC Zcash
CoinGecko News
Original source text
The Komodo platform is many things – a unique blockchain, a coin that pays interest, a decentralized exchange, a development blockchain with many additional features being planned for the future.

The Komodo blockchain is a fork of the ZCash blockchain, which itself was forked from the Bitcoin blockchain, making Komodo a descendent of Bitcoin. It includes the zk-snark technology that Zcash was built upon, and adds a delayed proof of work consensus algorithm to make Komodo more robust and secure.

The ultimate goal of Komodo is to create an entire ecosystem comprised of diverse partnerships that will send the platform forward into the future. Because it was designed to be used by developers of any level and in any industry it is extremely versatile.

In this comprehensive review, I will give you everything that you need to know about the Komodo platform.

How Komodo WorksThose doing development on the Komodo platform are not building onto the blockchain, but are instead building their own standalone blockchains. It’s not a fork or sidechain, and the Komodo platform doesn’t act as a parent to the new blockchain.

Each project is an independent blockchain that becomes connected to the Komodo ecosystem. This is crucial because the fact that each blockchain is independent means that future development won’t be limited by Komodo in any way.

Benefits of the Komodo Platform

Komodo was also designed from the ground up as a modular ecosystem. This allows developers to choose which technologies they wish to use in their own projects.

Perhaps most importantly, Komodo was developed with security as a top priority. In addition to using the Zcash zk-snark protocols for anonymity and privacy, Komodo uses a delayed proof of work (PoW) protocol to provide Bitcoin level security to even the smallest blockchains and projects. As stated on the Komodo website itself:

Komodo’s innovative dPOW (delayed proof of work) provides a security layer that creates backups of your blockchain’s data and notarizes it to Bitcoin’s blockchain, providing even the smallest of blockchains with Bitcoin-level security.

In essence, Komodo is using Bitcoin’s hashrate to ensure immutability for the Komodo blockchain.

Komodo PrivacyKomodo was created as a form of the Zcash blockchain, using their technology known as ‘Zero Knowledge Proofs’. This technology allows each transaction on the blockchain to be 100% anonymous or as transparent as necessary given the requirements of each situation.

Anonymous transactions are important to many users because they hide the amount, sender and recipient of the transaction, but still make it possible for miners to verify that the transaction is valid and without any double-spending. Alternatively transactions can be left transparent, in which case information shows just as it would for a Bitcoin transaction.

Anonymous transactions help protect user privacy, but they provide a more important function, and that is to preserve fungibility, which is a basic requirement for any currency.

Komodo SecurityAfter including privacy by forming from Zcash, the developers of Komodo provided for enhanced security of the blockchain in a unique manner. They created a proof of work token, but modified it to be Delayed Proof of Work, allowing it to recycle Bitcoin’s hashrate to ensure immutability of Komodo’s blockchain.

Komodo does this by using 64 “notary nodes” that work to notarize blocks in the Bitcoin blockchain. This provides protection for Komodo because an attacker would have to alter both the block in the Komodo blockchain and the block in the Bitcoin blockchain.

Steps in the Komodo Delayed Proof of Work

As long as the Bitcoin blockchain is secure, so too will Komodo – and all the other blockchains built using Komodo – remain secure.

This mechanism can now be used by any cryptocurrency that wishes enhanced security. By using Komodo the new blockchains are connected to Bitcoin, benefiting from the security of the Bitcoin blockchain, while also saving on transaction costs.

Komodo TeamThe Komodo project is based on anonymity, so it comes as no surprise that many of the Komodo team members initially chose not to reveal their identity. The founder and one core developer of Komodo went by the moniker JL777, but is now known as James ‘JL777’ Lee.

The CTO of the project was known as CA333, but we now know him as Kadan Stadelmann. This increased transparency has come about as Komodo grows in size and scope and is attracting more investors.

The full team is now nearly 30 members spanning leadership, development, marketing, and community development. And speaking of community, there are numerous contributors from the community, both developers and community outreach ambassadors.

Some of the Komodo Team Members

Currently, the general manager of Komodo is Ben Fairbanks, who is also the founder and CEO of RedFOX Labs, an incubator that is helping to launch Komodo based companies in emerging markets. Prior to joining Komodo and launching RedFOX, he served as COO at the ride-hailing service Grab. He brings extensive business and marketing experience to the project.

The CTO of the Komodo project, almost since the very beginning, has been Kaden Stadelmann. He also serves as CTO of RedFOX Labs. He previously worked as an IT security analyst and software developer, and founded the company satoshihack back in 2011, making him a pioneer in the blockchain space.

Core development is led by founder James Lee, and he is joined by Adam Bullock and Mihailo Milenkovic as well as roughly a dozen full-time developers and another dozen community volunteer developers.

KMD CoinThe Komodo native currency (KMD) was launched in an ICO in February 2017 at a price of $0.10. Since then the price of the coin has risen and fallen with the fortunes of the project and the markets. As of mid-March 2018 it was trading at $2.73 and was ranked the #48 coin by market cap on Coinmarketcap.com.

Even though 2018 saw many coins losing 90% or more of their value, KMD held up fairly well in the face of the bear market. It rallied in April, topping $4 and slowly sank from that level, finally dipping under $1 in November 2018 and hitting a low of $0.492329 on November 25, 2018.

It slowly recovered from that low and by February 2019 had doubled in price as it traded back above $1. It remained above $1 for nearly all of 2019, and nearly hit $2 in July 2019, but the price has recently dropped and as of August 9, 2019 stands at $0.863399.

KMD Price Performance. Image via CMC

The fundamentals for the coin continue to look solid thanks to the 5% annual interest rate paid to KMD holders, and the current low price is more a reflection of broad-based weakness in the cryptocurrency markets.

There are currently 115,389,114KMD in circulation, with a planned total supply of 200 million coins, which is projected to be reached in 2031. Until that time, KMD holders will continue to receive a 5.1% annual interest payment (called Active User Rewards) on their KMD holdings, so long as they keep more than 10 KMD in a wallet where they control the private keys. The KMD had an all-time high of $12.54 on December 21, 2017.

Buying & Storing KMDKMD can be purchased on a good number of exchanges, with the largest volume on CoinBene. There is also good volume at Binance, CoinEx, and HitBTC. Other good choices for buying KMD include CoinEx and Bittrex.

Given that there is strong volume across a number of exhanges, it bodes well for the liquidity of KMD. Improved liquidity means that you can execute large block orders on these books without much slippage in the price of the coin.

Register at Binance and Buy KMD Coin

In order to earn the 5.1% annual interest users must hold their KMD in a supported wallet. The top two based on the Komodo website are the Verus Agama wallet, which is a multi-coin wallet from the Verus Coin project, or the native Komodo OceanQT wallet. Other options include the Guarda Wallet and the ZelCore wallet.

Development & RoadmapWhen it comes to determining the amount of work that has been done by a project, there are a number of metrics one can look at.

However, one of the most effective that I have found is to take a look at the coding activity in the project's public repositories.

Therefore, I decided to jump into the Komodo GitHub to get a better sense of what the developers have been pushing over the past year. Below is the total code commits to two of their development repos.

Commits for Select Repos over past 12 months

As you can see from the above, the team has been quite active pushing code to their core repository over the past year. It is also worth pointing out that there are a further 56 other repositories with varying degrees of activity.

This is more development activity than we have seen at most other projects. In fact, if we were to compare Komodo to its peers, it is ranked 30th in terms of commits and 12th for overall coding activity on coincodecap.

This perhaps makes sense when viewed in the context of the numerous projects being built on the Komodo platform (more below). 

In terms of the upcoming roadmap, the two most important remaining milestones for 2019 are the release of the developer portal as well as the GUI for the fully mobile-ready wallet/DEX hybrid.

If you want to keep up to date with development on the project then I suggest you jump into their discord and meet the team. They also encourage community developer contributions to the core.

Komodo Platform ProjectsThere are a number of standalone projects that were developed for the Komodo platform. Those that are farthest along in development and have been released as at least betas include Decentralized ICOs, BarterDEX along with a built-in “tumbler” service called Jumblr.

However, as of July 2019 Komodo has launched its Antara Framework, which is the basis for nearly all current services on Komodo.

Decentralized Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)The Decentralised ICO concept was meant to be an exciting option for startups as it would mean that they could launch their process much easier. It would also have given them access to the Komodo technology, marketing channels, and consultants.

However, given the regulatory pressure that has been placed on ICOs recently, this initiative seems to have fallen by the wayside. Of course, the lackluster performance of most recent ICOs has not helped the process.

The Komodo team had plans to launch a number of Decentralised ICOs. In May of last year they planned to release their first with the BlocNation dICO. However, this did not seem to materialize and the Blocnation project seems to have gone dead (with the site down).

The dICO that never materialized... Image via Komodo Blog

Despite this though, Komodo will accept pre-existing blockchain projects on other platforms that would like to migrate to Komodo to receive your own fully customizable, high performing independent blockchain.

As of August 2019 there are a number of projects that have launched on Komodo.

JumblrJumblr is a cryptocurrency anonymizer developed by Komodo which is decentralized and open-source. It can be used to increase privacy when using the Komodo platform.

Anonymizing funds is actually a fairly straightforward and simple practice. The Jumblr will take KMD tokens from a non-private address and send them through a number of zk-snark addresses.

Once these untraceable addresses have processed the coins they are sent to a new address where they are completely anonymous. The fee for using the Jumblr service is 0.3%, which is payable in KMD tokens.

BarterDEX Rebranded to AtomicDEXBarterDEX was previously called EasyDEX but was rebranded in July 2017. It is a decentralized exchange utilizing atomic swaps, and more recently etomic swaps, which bridge the gap between Bitcoin and Ethereum based blockchains.

The use of atomic swaps and etomic swaps lower counterparty risk, transaction fees and speeds the transfer of assets. BarterDEX can support trading of any cryptocurrency, and will also support fiat in the future. Already the decentralized exchange is capable of performing swaps for 95% of the cryptocurrencies in existence.

BarterDEX also solves the liquidity problem encountered by most decentralized exchanges by producing Liquidity Nodes that stabilizes prices by buying and selling assets in the order books.

Screenshots from the AtomicDex App. Image via atomicdex.io

In July 2019 the BarterDEX platform got another upgrade and rebrand and has been re-launched as AtomicDEX in a closed public beta. AtomicDEX provides a secure, reliable, and completely decentralized method for trading digital assets.

Trades no longer have to pass through an intermediary but are done from wallet to wallet. AtomicDEX will act as a multi-currency wallet and as a fully decentralized trading platform. At its beta release, AtomicDEX has support for 13 different coins, but can technically support 99% of all existing cryptocurrencies. New coins will be added with each update to the DEX.

The Antara FrameworkThe Antara Framework was launched on the Komodo mainnet on July 15, 2019, completing a rebrand that stretched out for nearly a full year. This relaunch has included several new developments, such as the beta release of the Antara Smart Chain Composer, which allows anyone to launch their own SmartChain blockchain in just minutes, including full seed nodes and mining nodes.

The Antara Framework is an adaptable framework for simple, end-to-end blockchain development. Antara makes it easier than ever before to launch a chain, activate modules, and start building blockchain-based applications.

Antara has maintained the independence and privacy of building with Komodo. Each independent chain has its own consensus rules, hashing algorithm, decentralized network, and coin. Blockchains launched with Komodo’s technology never depend on the KMD chain, network, or platform.

Antara Network Recently Going live. Image via Komodo Blog

It’s an open ecosystem so there is no vendor lock-in. Creating a chain from the CLI is permissionless and free. The Komodo team is not informed when a chain is created so there's no way to track a chain after launch.

The framework also comes with built-in modules, making development speedy and easier. This allows developers to natively support any software, dApp or blockchain-based games.

With 18 different customizable Smart Chain parameters, any blockchain can be built to serve any business need. The Antara Integration Layer also offers several white label products such as a multi-coin wallet, block explorers, full seed nodes, a branded DEX, a crowdfunding app and integration with SPV Electrum servers.

CompetitionBecause Komodo is involved in so many aspects of the blockchain it is facing competition from many different directions.

Decentralized exchanges are becoming increasingly popular, and the AtomicDEX exchange is in competition with BitShares, EtherDelta, and Waves, as well as many other smaller players.

As a privacy coin, KMD competes against the larger Dash and Monero coins, and of course against the Zcash that it was forked from.

Komodo faces stiff competition from Ethereum as it is the leader in the ICO and smart contracts field, but other established blockchains such as NEO, NXT and Waves are also competing for ICO traction.

And now we also have initial exchange offerings (IEOs) from the likes of Binance and other exchanges growing in popularity. Smart contracts have also found their way into most projects. One strength for Komodo is that it is the first to offer a fully decentralized exchange with atomic swap capabilities.

ConclusionThe Komodo project is an extensive and ambitious large-scale project that aims to solve many issues that centralization of cryptocurrencies and blockchains face.

In addition to being its own blockchain and coin, it is also tackling the decentralized exchange, atomic swap, and decentralized ICO space. It includes options for anonymity and has a unique proof of work consensus algorithm that promises enhanced security, even for new blockchains based off Komodo.

Needless to say, that’s a lot to bite off, but the Komodo team has shown itself to be up to the challenge time and again. In a world where deadlines are often missed by months, the Komodo team has not only delivered but also delivered early and with few bugs. The team also takes user feedback into consideration and has been known to pivot quickly based on the needs of the community.

If the Komodo team continues to deliver it could make a long-term lasting impact on the cryptocurrency space, but it is too early to tell if this will be the case. In any event, it is certainly a project worth watching.

In the roughly 18 months since this review was first prepared the Komodo team has continued to deliver an exceptional product, and with the July 2019 release of the Antara Framework, it has advanced to the first composable SmartChain platform in the industry. This first-mover advantage keeps Komodo on the cutting edge of blockchain development.

Disclaimer: These are the writer's opinions and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should do their own research.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-08-14 12:11 6yr ago
Why was ‘dollar-pegged’ stablecoin BitUSD trading at $34?
BTS BitShares
CoinGecko News
Original source text
A “stablecoin” called BitShares (BitUSD) was trading at an impressive premium yesterday. On the exchange OpenLedger, lucky traders could sell their BitUSDs for a whopping $34, a 3,400 percent surge from the token’s previous price at roughly $1, according to CoinMarketCap.:

Source: CoinMarketCapLook at it go! (Briefly.)

But BitUSD, of course, isn’t supposed to trade that high. As a stablecoin, it’s designed to be stable and buffered against market volatility.

This isn't such a problem for traders, who aren't really paying $34 for a single BitUSD. But any aggregators, trading bots or price feeds that use CoinMarketCap's rendering of the BitUSD price—and the coin mainly trades on automated, "decentralized" exchanges—could find themselves making decisions based on questionable pricing data. So we decided to investigate.

Ross Walker, a representative from Bitshares, the open source community behind BitUSD, helpfully explained to us what he thought was going on. The trouble, Walker told us, was not caused by market manipulation or BitUSD’s own confused fundamentals, but by CoinMarketCap itself. 

CoinMarketCap, Walker explained, is rolling out “Phase 1” provisions to make its index of cryptocurrency prices more transparent. Normally, when there’s no dollar market for a cryptocurrency, CoinMarketCap derives the USD price of an asset from the dollar-traded asset most closely connected, or "paired," with it. (CoinMarketCap itself confirmed this: see its methodology here.)

But in light of CoinMarketCap’s Phase 1 rollout, said Walker, the index excluded some of the more liquid BitUSD pairings. This means low-liquidity “outliers” dirty the index’s assessment. “Resulting in a very wrong price for BitUSD,” Walker explained. 

This appears to be a credible—if incomplete—explanation. CoinMarketCap, in an email to Decrypt, confirmed that it had indeed excluded some BitUSD market data, saying Bitshares had failed to meet certain transparency requirements required for the Phase 1 update. And other indexes that do list the relevant data show BitUSD trading at near dollar-parity.

But CoinMarketCap also says that it excluded the data way back in June, while the recent chaos began on Monday. 

What on God’s green Earth is going on? We called up blockchain consultant Colin Platt, whose proficiency with the juicing up of crypto markets once made him an ersatz shitcoin quadrillionaire. Platt helped us out, trawling through block explorers when he could have been spending time with his loved ones. 

And what he found was (mildly) astonishing. 

Below is CoinMarketCap’s view of how BitUSD is trading against various coins on the Bitshares-affiliated exchange OpenLedger, courtesy of Platt. The top two pairings, whose collective volume runs up to $34,000, account for 99 percent of BitUSD’s volume, meaning CoinMarketCap’s algorithm would defer primarily to them when gauging BitUSD’s price:  

Source: CoinMarketCapBut as you can see, the second pairing has been manually excluded (hence the asterix), leaving only the top one, "Scorum" (SCR), with any influence. 

That’s the pairing that shows BitUSD’s price trading at an alluring $34 premium.

So what's going on?

Platt did some digging, and found that there’s only one entity trading SCR against BitUSD, “marketcorrector01,” which has been blithely trading SCR for BitUSD with itself since Sunday—suggesting it’s probably a bot. 

Most of the time, the bot buys and sells SCR at a price of $0.025, paying in BitUSD. But occasionally, the bot sells it at a far lower price, around $0.0004, to “t3ran13” and “mesan88":

Source: Bitshares ScanHere’s what Platt thinks happens next: CoinMarketCap, scraping data for its rendering of BitUSD’s price, sees SCR’s abrupt fall against BitUSD and interprets it as BitUSD strengthening. Devoid of better metrics, the index misleadingly reports a massive increase in BitUSD’s price. 

CoinMarketCap, in an email to Decrypt, appeared to confirm this. A spokesperson said that the fluctuating exchange rate enjoyed by a “certain market pairing” caused the mispricing. This, we assume, was the BitUSD/SCR pairing. 

There's certainly more than a whiff of sketchiness here. Are marketcorrector01's weird maneuvers another egregious case of market manipulation? Are “t3ran13” and “mesan88" master arbitrageurs, buying up SCRs at low, low prices and flogging them on the market for a mean profit?

"Profiting," scoffed Platt. "They would have taken home just over a penny."

But at least we (Platt) seem to have gotten to the bottom of it.

So, to conclude: owing to CoinMarketCap’s omitting of crucial liquidity metrics, BitUSD’s price appears to have been derived entirely from the notional dollar-value of an asset that’s being mostly self-traded by a bot. 

Fine. 

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-08-22 10:12 6yr ago
EOS Block Producer, Explained
BTC Bitcoin BTS BitShares EOS EOS STEEM Steem
CoinGecko News
Original source text
EOS Block Producer, Explained
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-09-16 14:12 6yr ago
Real Manipulative Whales: The Leverage Exchanges. Ready to get REKT?
BTC Bitcoin BTS BitShares ETH Ethereum
CoinGecko News
Original source text
Real Manipulative Whales: The Leverage Exchanges. Ready to get REKT?
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-09-17 12:14 6yr ago
Is Bitcoin Legal In The US? Cryptocurrency Regulations Trends | Crypto-Geography - Part 2
BTC Bitcoin BTS BitShares EOS EOS STEEM Steem XLM Stellar Lumens XRP Ripple
CoinGecko News
Original source text
In case you missed you can check out the first part of this series here.

Is Bitcoin Mining Legal in the United States?As implied by the FinCEN regulations, there’s no obligation on keeping virtual currencies. While spending, trading and exchanging crypto for fiat currency are considered money transmitters and should be reported. 

In June 2019, Squire Mining (SQRMF), a Canadian mining mogul with the most hashpower, signed a letter of intent to host blockchain cloud computing units - over 41,000 Bitcoin - to the United States. As mining migrates from China to the US, the latter is changing priorities from application and protocol development to focusing on infrastructure.

How to Buy, Store and Spend Crypto in the USAIf you’re wondering how interested Americans really are in the cryptosphere, here’s a fun fact: Bitcoin has become so popular that as a term it has outrun Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump in search requests by three times. 

Source: Consensys

Bitcoin is going mainstream in the States. It is already accepted as a payment by retailers and services like Overstock and NewsEgg and some major tech companies like Microsoft. The United States has over 3500 cryptocurrency ATMs and tellers – that’s 64% of all the crypto ATMs in the world. There is even a list of major cities in the US with ATM installations. Unsurprisingly, the top-5 cities are Los Angeles (372), Chicago (250), Miami (199), Atlanta (171) and Detroit (149).  Despite the huge amount of tellers where you can buy BTC, XRP, ETH, etc. a majority of people prefer to buy crypto via the various exchanges and crypto services online. 

Cryptocurrency has become an important aspect of local economies. California, New Jersey, Washington, New York, Colorado, Utah, Florida, Alaska, Nevada, and Massachusetts are the states with the largest amount of citizens who have cryptocurrency. 

In 2018, Finder surveyed 2000 US citizens to get an approximate idea of what coins Americans prefer to store. It comes as no surprise that Bitcoin is the number one cryptocurrency in the US.

Source: finder.com

Is Trading Bitcoin legal in America?The question was raised on the federal level by the Securities and Exchange Commission, but the focus was on the use of blockchain assets as securities, such as whether or not certain Bitcoin investment funds should be sold to the public, and whether or not a certain offering is fraudulent. However, the SEC’s report focused entirely on Initial Coin Offerings, so the results don’t apply to BTC. To trade securities on the Blockchain, a company must register as an exchange, Alternative Trading System (ATS) or a broker/dealer.

Top cryptocurrency businesses in the USAIn addition to the wide user base of cryptocurrencies in the US, the country is also home to some of the most influential crypto projects in the industry.  American crypto projects range from powerful exchanges to headline grabbing social media experiments. Here are some of the most notable. 

LedgerX is a New-York based Bitcoin trading platform. As a start-up, LedgerX was actively lobbying for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies and after a few years got a derivatives clearing organization license from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. That opened the door for the platform to bring classical financial tools to the cryptosphere. In November 2017, LedgerX launched the first long-term BTC options.

Ripple constantly finds itself the subject of debate in the crypto community regarding its centralised nature. Despite the mixed feelings, Ripple is already working with hundreds of financial institutions to drive crypto adoption and has launched the University Blockchain Research Initiative to support the research and development of blockchain technology. 

Gemini is a crypto exchange based in NYC that was created by the Winklevoss brothers. In 2016, Gemini became the world’s first licensed cryptocurrency exchange. Also, Gemini holds the distinction of being the first institution to launch Bitcoin futures contracts. 

Stellar was co-founded by Jed McCaleb, who was also among Ripple’s founders. The company strives to provide banking services for unbanked people. Their team is working to improve cross-border transactions and reduce fees and transfer times.

Steem is the native cryptocurrency of the blockchain-based social platform Steemit where users are rewarded for writing posts, commenting, reading and curating content. The NY-based company was founded by Ned Scott and Dan Larimer, who is also known as the CTO of EOS and creator of BitShares. 

Libra CoinLibra deserves its own section as it is one of the most controversial crypto projects that are sure to change the cryptocurrency market and the entire financial sector. The project initiated by Facebook, with Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal among its 27 charter members, is set to join the pantheon of premier US cryptocurrency projects. Facebook decided to launch the project to give financial freedom to 2,000,000,000 adults around the world who are outside the financial system. Of course, the guys from Facebook believe that people will trust decentralized management systems more now, when trade wars build barriers for money, when the trade is limited to the borders of the countries in dispute. Yet, the troubling issue is that Facebook management has been repeatedly accused of centralization and cooperating with authorities. On the other hand, the positive impact of mass adoption Libra can bring, will strengthen the cryptocurrency industry. However, much to my regret, Libra contradicts the basic ideas of blockchain - privacy and decentralization, the core values that Freewallet and many crypto companies fight for. 

The third and final instalment of these articles will be released tomorrow at 12:30pm BST.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-10-02 18:12 6yr ago
BitShares Decentralized Exchange Gateway CryptoBridge Makes KYC Mandatory for Users
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BitShares Decentralized Exchange Gateway CryptoBridge Makes KYC Mandatory for Users
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-10-10 08:09 6yr ago
How & Where to buy Cardano: Complete Guide
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How & Where to buy Cardano: Complete Guide
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-10-29 20:13 6yr ago
CCID Still Loves EOS, NANO Surges Through The Rankings
ATOM Cosmos BTC Bitcoin BTS BitShares EOS EOS ETH Ethereum LSK Lisk ONT Ontology QTUM Qtum TRX Tron XNO Nano
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China’s Center for Information Industry Developed Research Institute’s monthly crypto rankings have always been viewed as an oddity, given that the CCID is controlled by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a country notoriously scathing toward cryptocurrency.

But since President Xi Jinping’s recent address at the Politburo claiming that “We must take blockchain as an important breakthrough for independent innovation of core technologies. Clarify the main directions, increase investment, focus on a number of key technologies, and accelerate the development of blockchain and industrial innovation,” the rankings potentially warrant more respect. 

With the Chinese government announcing its intention to be at the epicenter of blockchain technology development, cryptocurrency markets went into overdrive, with Bitcoin seeing over 30 percent gains within ten hours.

Whether the Chinese government actually warms to the decentralized cryptocurrencies its citizens have long been enamored of remains to be seen. In the meantime, the news was widely viewed as a positive sign for the markets.

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Are the CCID Research Institute Rankings Suddenly Relevant Again? The newfound enthusiasm for blockchain in the CCP, also indicated in recent news of a pending state-run digital currency, drags the CCID’s rankings back into view. Its latest edition has just been released.

Assessed in terms of technology, applicability (capability of being applied to solve problems), and creativity (how unique the blockchain is in its approach to solving problems), EOS has consistently ranked first since the organization began publishing its rankings in May of 2018.

The 14th index shows some notable movements since its last report. TRON overtook Ethereum in second place, though only by the skin of its teeth. Lisk is up seven places to seventh and Qtum surged ten places to eighth. 

Ontology is down seven places to fourteenth and Cosmos fell twelve places, from tenth to 22nd. GXChain fell precipitously, falling out of the top five in favor of BitShares. The top five now reads EOS, TRON, Ethereum, NULS, BitShares.

NANO on the Rise NANO enjoyed a rise from 22 to 13, finding a place back in the spotlight it lost during the early 2018 BitGrail debacle, from which it has since struggled to recover. As reported recently by Crypto Briefing, NANO is playing a substantial role in the ecosystem of Softbank-backed payments processor Wirex, an FCA-licensed company based in the U.K. 

At a recent NANO meetup in London, Wirex’s CEO Pavel Matveev said the company was keen to continue its relationship with the crypto formerly known as RaiBlocks. A Wirex blog post also spared no compliments in describing Nano, calling it “a next-generation cryptocurrency with great potential.”

With an opaque ranking system, the CCID results will likely remain a curiosity for some time. However, the CCP’s apparent newfound fondness for blockchain technology means it is warranted for the community to put blatant skepticism over their rankings on hold for at least an interim period.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Paul de Havilland. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-12-06 02:07 6yr ago
CryptoBridge Closes Down and Waves Relaunches, DEXs Face Tough Times
BTS BitShares WAVES Waves
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CryptoBridge Closes Down and Waves Relaunches, DEXs Face Tough Times
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2019-12-24 20:13 6yr ago
Buterin Sticks to His Guns & Stays with Ethereum Despite Market State
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The 24-year-old of the Ethereum project originally proposed the creation of the network late in 2013. Buterin has kept to his word and is still at Ethereum and is working hard to make it better than ever! In the past, the founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin has sat down in many interviews to discuss all things related to the decentralised network. The unofficial ‘CEO’ has gone onto explain in an MIT interview as to why the network can only be truly decentralised after it stops looking to him for answers. 

The 24-year-old of the Ethereum project originally proposed the creation of the network late in 2013. Even so, he revealed that it was time for him to start taking a back seat for Ethereum rather than being full-on. This will allow the community to grow and grow in a decentralised way.

This sparks up the query as to whether Buterin is getting ready to leave Ethereum.

Some Twitter users took his words of taking a back seat as Buterin planning an exit strategy similar to how Dan Larimer has left numerous blockchain projects. 

Dan ended up developing the blockchain tech of Graphene that gave fuel to BitShare and the Steem coin but he ended up leaving the project to start Steemit after he founded BitShares in 2013. Then two years ago, he went onto leave Steemit and joined Block.one as it Chief Technology Officer (which had an exciting year, to say the least!) and marched a successful crowdfunding to create EOS. 

In a tweet aimed towards Buterin, he accused him of planning his exit strategically and prompted him to reply and correct his speculation.

“Looks like @VitalikButerin is getting ready to pull a @DanLarimer. Exited!!. People continue to NOT understand what a Decentralized #Blockchain is & why #Bitcoin does NOT compete w/ nonsense like #Ethereum $ETH or #EOS $EOS, it compets w/ $USD $EUR $GOLD”

Responding to the tweet, Buterin said:

I am not leaving. No plans to stop or reduce blog posts / ethresearch posts / github commits. Vitalik is "in charge": ETH is centralized! Vitalik is not "in charge": Vitalik is pulling a Dan Larimer! This is why BTC maximalists have zero credibility.” This was an interview, Buterin did last year but one year on and to this day, Buterin has kept to his word and is still at Ethereum and is working hard to make it better than ever! It makes you question what the protocol would be like without Buterin overlooking it. If you take his words for granted then it would be more decentralised!

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2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2020-01-07 22:11 6yr ago
New cryptocurrency custom built for gun sales is locked and loaded
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While any spike in gun violence may give the impression that purchasing a gun is too simple, selling one can in fact be quite tricky. Indeed, many payment processors prohibit gun sales as part of their terms of service.

TUSC—The Universal Settlement Coin—presents itself as a solution to the specific problems facing gun retailers. The cryptocurrency's mainnet launched at the end of December after several months of testing. In the announcement, the company described its coin as “a gun-centric crypto [designed] to act as a 'continuity of business' payment system for gun retailers.”

In an interview with Decrypt, Rob McNealy, a Salt Lake City-based podcaster and entrepreneur who co-founded TUSC, explained the main problems firearm retailers face when trying to make a sale. For starters, he said, some of have trouble just getting a checking account where they can deposit payments. 

What’s more, third-party payment providers such as PayPal typically bar weapon sales as part of their terms of service, McNealy said. Credit card fees are also higher than normal—between 4 and 6 percent, according to McNearly—because firearms is a high-risk industry. And sales are prone to credit card chargebacks because of the amount of time it takes to fulfil a custom gun order (hence the higher fees).

Why not just use Bitcoin?After talking to gun retailers and manufacturers, McNealy thought cryptocurrency might provide a way around relying on an unreliable credit card ecosystem—but purposely didn't use Bitcoin for several reasons. Most importantly, he said, "We wanted something fast for retail." With reported three-second blocks and two-second confirmation times, TUSC is a nimbler solution at a time when "Bitcoin has moved away from payments" and "Lightning is not ready for primetime."

And while Roger Ver might be itching right now to show McNealy how to buy cucumbers with BTC in Hong Kong, that hints at another big reason to create a new cryptocurrency rather than just promote an existing payment solution: the gun community itself.

Emphasizing that he spends more time with people in the gun industry than in crypto, McNealy described a cryptocurrency landscape riven with conflict and factionalism. "Some proof-of-work projects, when they have a disagreement, it fractures their communities," he said. "I think it's bad for adoption." 

McNealy and his team instead settled on a delegated proof-of-stake network forked from BitShares 2.0 with on-chain governance so there is an inbuilt way to handle conflict among gun retailers using the network. The result is a custom-built solution for a narrow problem afflicting one industry.

Though TUSC is now in circulation, the team's developers are working on creating payment gateways so that it can become a comprehensive ecosystem—third-party cryptocurrency payment providers like BitPay don't allow firearm purchases either. Already, 15 retailers have committed to joining when the payment gateway is ready, according to McNealy.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2020-01-11 20:09 6yr ago
Cardano, Monero and other altcoins with mid-market caps register sharp rise in performance
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Posted: January 12, 2020

With all eyes fixed on Bitcoin’s valuation at the moment, the lesser-known assets with medium-range market caps were seen performing better than the large market cap assets.

According to Arcane Research, the best performing tokens over the past week has been outside the major altcoins with only Monero and Bitcoin SV making the cut from the major assets. Privacy coin Dash and Chainlink also registered impressive recoveries over the last few days, with Dash witnessing over 14.45 percent in the last 24 hours.

The Weiss Crypto’s Mid-Cap Crypto Index (WMC) (a measurement index covering the mid-range market cap on the basis of market performance) registered a sharp rise since the start of January. The index exhibited a growth of 1.05 percent for the collective market movement from the likes of Cardano, Monero, Dash, IOTA, and Ethereum Classic.

In comparison, Weiss Large-Cap Crypto (WLC) Index only pictured a 0.14 percent growth collectively as Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash were responsible for the majority of the positive growth. Ethereum and Litecoin managed to exhibit positive returns as well.

However, the bearish side was rather dominant with other digital assets. According to the chart above, the Weiss Small Cap Crypto Index (WSC) recorded a drop of 0.44 percent over the same period. The likes of Verge, Ziliqa, and BitShares failed to take advantage of the surging market.

As a whole, the above data indicated that mid-level crypto assets were collectively outperforming in the market over the past week, whereas the likes of major assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin were playing the game cautiously.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2020-02-02 20:07 6yr ago
BTC Halving Countdown, Kobe Death Exploited, Donut Row: Hodler’s Digest, Jan. 27–Feb. 2
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BTC Halving Countdown, Kobe Death Exploited, Donut Row: Hodler’s Digest, Jan. 27–Feb. 2
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2024-05-17 10:02 2yr ago
Who Is Charles Hoskinson, the Founder of Cardano?
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Who Is Charles Hoskinson, the Founder of Cardano?
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2025-04-04 14:25 1yr ago
Is XRP a Dead Coin, Prominent angel Investor Responds
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Prominent angel investor Armando Pantoja recently commented on the popular claim within the crypto community from critics labeling XRP as a “dead coin.”

The market commentator disagrees with this categorization. According to him, the claim is devoid of logic, as XRP remains the fourth-biggest crypto asset in the market. He stressed that a “dead coin” obviously cannot have a $112.8 billion market cap and rank just behind Ethereum and Bitcoin.

XRP Stands Strong Over Ten Years and Counting Drawing from his over a decade of experience in the crypto industry, Pantoja pointed out that the crypto assets making the top ranks today are entirely different from those of the past. In particular, some crypto assets that once ranked in the top 100 by market cap have now faded into oblivion.

Indeed, historical data from CoinMarketCap confirms that tokens like BitShares (BTS), Dash, NXT, Paycoin (XPY), and MAID were among the top ten precisely ten years ago, in March 2015.

However, these coins have now been completely relegated to the back seat. Meanwhile, during this time, XRP was even the second biggest crypto, behind Bitcoin only. Ten years later, XRP continues to defend its position among the most prominent crypto assets.

Top ten crypto ten years ago with XRP Pantoja cited this data to emphasize that the argument labeling XRP as “dead” is wholly misplaced and lacks sincerity. In his words:

“People don’t realize that all these other coins—hundreds, even thousands of coins—that were supposed to be great projects are gone now. XRP has held on, and that shows it’s not a dead coin. This is what we call success bias.”

He argued that supporters of such negative views are driven by a sense of rivalry. Pantoja stressed that commentators often fail to recognize all the failures and focus only on the successful projects. As a result, they’d look at XRP and assert, “Well, these other coins are more successful, so XRP is a failure.”

For Every Few Coins That Outperform XRP, 10,000 Others Failed In terms of price performance, Pantoja argued that out of the three or four coins that may have done better than XRP over the years, there are at least 10,000 coins that have failed completely.

He used this argument to dismiss the critical views concerning XRP’s failure to establish a new all-time high in seven years. At press time, XRP trades at $2.03, down 47.1% from its 2018 peak of $3.83.

DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
2026-06-25 09:21 1mo ago
2025-07-02 15:30 1yr ago
The Role of Stablecoins in Illicit Activities
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Stablecoins offer criminals a convenient tool for illicit transactions due to their price stability, speed, and wide acceptance across blockchain platforms. Global regulators are stepping up efforts to enforce stricter rules and improve transparency in stablecoin usage. Origin of Stablecoins Stablecoins made their debut in 2014. It aims to combine the steady value of fiat currencies with the openness and flexibility of blockchain technology. The first of its kind, BitUSD, was introduced in July 2014 as a credit-backed stablecoin on the BitShares platform.

Tether (USDT), which was based on fiat reserves and was pegged 1:1 to the USD, made its debut that same year. After that, the market diversified, with a focus on reserves and transparency in 2017 with MakerDAO’s DAI (crypto-backed) and in 2018 with USDC, TUSD, BUSD, and others.

Core Use Cases for Stablecoins People use stablecoins every day — to buy coffee, pay employees, send remittances, trade assets, and store value. Moreover, they are faster, less expensive, and more convenient across borders.

1. Daily P2P Remittances and Payments

Sending money to friends and family abroad has become easier and more affordable with peer-to-peer transfers.

Workers in the United States can send USDT directly to people in other countries, skipping the traditional banking system and saving on fees.

2. Acquiring Products and Services

E-commerce: Shopify and Overstock are two platforms that accept USDC or USDT, enabling customers to use cryptocurrency to buy both digital and physical goods. Paying in person: 

< Starbucks with USDC through the Bakkt app.

< Miami rent payments are made in USDT.

< Purchases made at the point of sale using stablecoin debit cards, such as WhiteBIT Nova. 

3. Financial Services and DeFi

Trading and Hedging: Traders often shift between volatile assets and stablecoins to secure their gains. It’s an easy way to take profits while still staying involved in crypto. DeFi Lending and Borrowing: Stablecoins like USDC, DAI, and USDT play a major role in it. Platforms such as Aave, Compound, and MakerDAO let users earn interest on their holdings or use them as collateral to take out loans. 4. Store-of-Value in Volatile Economies

In countries like Venezuela, Lebanon, Argentina, and several across Africa, many people are now turning to dollar-pegged stablecoins such as USDT and USDC. These digital assets offer a way to shield their savings from the impact of local currency crashes and ongoing economic turmoil.

5. Business and Institutional Uses

Payroll: Companies pay global freelancers and employees quickly with stablecoins—workers get funds almost instantly. Merchant Payments: Merchants are turning to crypto payment services like BitPay to accept stablecoins like USDC and USDT. These platforms offer faster settlements and lower transaction fees than traditional payment systems, making them a more attractive option for everyday business. Treasury Management: Companies are also starting to consider stablecoins as a smart way to manage their liquid reserves. They provide a quicker, more efficient method for moving funds, especially when dealing with transactions tied to tokenized real-world assets. Regulatory Adoption and Legality New regulations like MiCA in Europe and recent stablecoin laws in the U.S. are pushing stablecoins closer to everyday financial use. As more shops, businesses, and individuals begin to use them, stablecoins are gradually finding a firm place in the global economy, not just as a trend, but as a tool here to stay.

United States: Stablecoins are set to fall under new regulatory frameworks such as the STABLE Act and the GENIUS Act. To align with these upcoming rules, companies like Circle are actively pursuing national trust charters to make sure that they meet the necessary standards for operation.

European Union: Across the EU, the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation demands strict transparency and proper custodianship. Issuers who comply, such as Circle and BUSD, are permitted to operate within the region under clear and defined legal guidelines.

Japan treats cryptocurrencies as property. Also, the exchanges operating there must register and follow the rules under the Payment Services Act.

In Singapore, crypto isn’t considered legal tender, but licensed exchanges can operate under the same Act.

Australia and Canada both recognize crypto as taxable and regulated, and the use of stablecoins is permitted.

Brazil allows the use of crypto for payments, with oversight provided by the central bank.

In South Korea, exchanges must be registered, and the use of privacy-focused coins is limited or restricted.

India imposes taxes on crypto transactions, but still doesn’t have clear regulations specific to stablecoins.

Stablecoins Fall Into Four Main Classes Fiat-backed stablecoins like USDT and USDC are tied to traditional currencies, with redemption processes handled directly on-chain. Crypto-backed options such as DAI are supported by excess cryptocurrency collateral to maintain their value. Algorithmic stablecoins, like the now-defunct TerraUSD, use smart contracts to control supply and demand, but often carry significant risk. Finally, bank-issued or tokenized deposit stablecoins are digital assets backed by reserves held at regulated financial institutions. Illicit Use Cases Involving Stablecoins Several key illicit behaviours now prominently include stablecoins:

Money Laundering and Fraud Chainalysis reports that stablecoins accounted for 63% of illicit crypto transaction volume. Criminals favour stablecoins for their low volatility and ease of moving value without leaving exchanges. Moreover, UNODC flagged that Tether on TRON has become popular for cyber-fraud, darknet marketplaces, and crime. 

Sanctions Evasion and State-backed Misuse A stablecoin called A7A5, pegged to the Russian ruble, has been introduced in Kyrgyzstan. It’s reportedly being used to process cross-border transactions tied to efforts aimed at bypassing international sanctions on Russia.

In addition, the FATF emphasizes stablecoins as a major vehicle for money laundering, terrorist finance, and drug trafficking.

DPRK IT workers have been identified using USDC rails to receive illicit payments, yet issuers like Circle haven’t systematically blocked them.

Ransomware and Darknet Market Use Though Bitcoin once dominated ransomware payments, stablecoins now comprise the bulk of illicit flows. Over $649 billion in stablecoin transfers in 2024 moved through high-risk addresses, representing over 5% of total stablecoin volume.

How It Works Notably, criminals generally use stablecoins in illicit activities for a few key reasons:

Stable Value: Unlike other cryptocurrencies that swing wildly in price, stablecoins hold their value. This makes them ideal for preserving the power of purchasing.

Easy Transfers: Users can send it directly to one another without needing a traditional bank account. Also, it makes the peer-to-peer transactions simpler and discreet.

On-Chain Obfuscation: Mixers and chains complicate traceability.

Cross-border Utility: Ideal for smuggling large sums across borders quickly.

Issuer Freeze Power: Centralized issuers can freeze flagged accounts, but detection lags in real-time.

Restricting Illicit Use Mitigating misuse requires a combined strategy:

1. Regulatory Oversight

FATF urges AML/KYC rules for stablecoin issuers (VASPs), notably FATF Recommendation 15.

BIS warns that stablecoins—if unmanaged—may destabilize finance and recommends central bank-backed alternatives. 

2. Issuer Control

Examples include Tether freezing $225 million in USDT tied to scams.

Circle froze $57 million in USDC following a U.S. court order.

3. International Cooperation

Sanctions evasion schemes like A7A5 require cross-border financial cooperation. Also, FATF calls for shared intelligence and harmonized licensing.

4. Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)

BIS supports maturing CBDC frameworks that preserve privacy while enabling granular oversight.

Types of Stablecoins: Current and Upcoming Current Varieties USDT, USDC, BUSD, TUSD – Dominant fiat-backed tokens 

DAI – Crypto assets back it, and a decentralized community governs it.

Algorithmic – TerraUSD collapsed and eroded trust in models.

Emerging and Proposed Retail stablecoins: Walmart and Amazon are exploring token launches for payments. 

Bank-issued tokens: NAB launched AUDN; the central banks may follow.

Commodity-backed: Pax Gold (PAXG) and others are paired with real assets.

Some of the early illicit uses are noted at around 2017–2018, where Tether grew from $10M to $2.8B in circulation. Further in 2022, TerraUSD collapsed and shifted focus to fiat-backed tokens.

Conclusion Stablecoins were designed to stabilize and expand the utility of crypto. In addition, the predictable value and accessibility serve countless legitimate use cases. Just because stablecoins are centralized, globally accessible, and programmable, they draw the attention of bad actors looking to exploit these features.

Looking forward, the crucial factor will be finding the right balance, bringing smart regulation. In addition, better blockchain tracking tools and accountability from stablecoin issuers. At the same time, it’s just as important to protect the unique benefits that digital finance offers. As stablecoins move from being a niche product to becoming a key to global finance, getting this balance is more important.
2026-06-25 09:15 1mo ago
2019-10-29 18:12 6yr ago
$6.4 Billion Worth of Crypto Is Being Staked, According to Binance Research
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A recent report by Binance Research shows that $6.4 billion worth of cryptocurrency is being staked. As staking systems have grown, more and more people have been drawn to them because of the potential rewards. However, it’s worth noting that staking has some hidden risks as well.

The Proof of Stake Situation Some of the most notable cryptocurrencies are based on a Proof of Stake algorithm, and they have drawn a significant amount of cryptocurrency to be staked on their networks, according to a recent Binance report. As of the 24th of October, $6.4 billion was reportedly being staked out of $11.2 billion, which is the total cumulative staking market capitalization. That number could increase when Ethereum’s long-anticipated transition to PoS is finally executed.

Some of the most popular cryptocurrencies that are based on PoS are EOS (market cap: $2.6B), Stellar ($1.2B), and TRON ($1.0B). Each of them requires a different amount of coins to be staked, and their yield percentages vary as well. According to the report, Synthetix Network and Energi had the highest yields, 61.9% and 31.4% respectively.

Staking Yields. Source: Binance Research However, higher yield percentages could also mean a higher inflation rate across the network and more risks.

It’s worth noting that the report accounts for numbers up until October 24th. Since then, the cryptocurrency market has surged and the market capitalization of these currencies has increased.

Staking: How Does It Work? The two major hashing algorithms are Proof of Work (with Bitcoin as the most notable example) and Proof of Stake. The governance of these network types are particularly different, as the latter requires users to “stake” a certain amount of crypto in order to participate in the decision-making process.

In other words, an investor “locks” a specific amount of PoS-based coins to support the operations of that blockchain network with the promise of receiving rewards. Those rewards are usually distributed proportionately among all participants who have “staked” tokens on the network. It actually resembles the traditional financial markets, as PoS relates to concepts such as interest rates and currency risks.

You may also like: Binance Makes a New Push to Secure EU Approval Pushing Back at Reuters: Inside Binance’s Fight for Its European Future Beyond Speculation: Binance Reveals How Crypto Is Transforming Emerging Markets Some of the risks to be considered include the possibility of technical failure, restrictions, payout timings, and each network’s unique requirements.

Initially, PoS was implemented by Peercoin years ago and has since evolved into variations such as Delegated Proof of Stake. DPoS was introduced in BitShares and is currently used by projects like Atom and EOS. Other variations include the distribution model (Stellar) and dual-coin systems (NEO/GAS).

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2026-06-25 05:50 1mo ago
2020-02-05 12:09 6yr ago
XRP active addresses surge by 178% as alts lead the market
BCH Bitcoin Cash BTC Bitcoin BTS BitShares ETH Ethereum LTC Litecoin MONA MonaCoin SC Siacoin XNO Nano XRP Ripple ZIL Zilliqa
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Original source text
Posted: February 5, 2020

Bitcoin finally pushed past its $9k resistance this past week and the world’s largest cryptocurrency was trading at $9,277, at press time. However, there is growing evidence that Bitcoin is reacting to geopolitical events, according to the Coin Metrics’ latest report. The report added,

“Adjusted transfer value increased by at least 20% for all five cryptoassets in our sample, outpacing the increases in market cap. Bitcoin Cash’s (BCH) adjusted transfer value is relatively even with Ethereum’s (ETH) — over the past week, BCH had a daily average of $217M adjusted transfer value while ETH had $234M.”

Further, Bitcoin‘s transfer value dwarfed Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash’s with a daily average of $11.9 billion.

The market ended the week on a strong note, however, the growth of the CMBI Bitcoin Index was the weakest of all other indexes. According to the aforementioned report, the Bitcoin index reported returns of 9%. However, small-cap assets are leading to the growth of the entire market.

The report also noted that Bletchley 40 assets noted a 16% surge, while MonaCoin, ZCoin, and BitShares posted returns of over 50%. Additionally, Siacoin, Zilliqa, and Nano registered returns of 20% to its users too.

The week was, in fact, an extension of an eventful month the crypto-market has had. Crypto-assets have been largely positive and the Bletchley 20 [mid-cap assets] were reported to be the best performers. The mid-cap assets returned 70% in a month, while large-cap and small-cap assets were tied with ~35% returns over the month.

Source: Coin Metrics

XRP’s active addresses noted a whopping rise of 178.2% over the week, followed by Litecoin’s minuscule 15.4%. XRP transfers also saw a 32.6% surge, with Bitcoin cash [BCH] noting a 13.8% increase.
2026-06-24 23:21 1mo ago
2019-02-10 00:08 7yr ago
This Magazine Ranked Ethereum the 2nd-Best Blockchain Protocol. Bitcoin Didn’t Make the List
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Original source text
This Magazine Ranked Ethereum the 2nd-Best Blockchain Protocol. Bitcoin Didn’t Make the List