Opinion

Japan

A Reckoning for Binance and Other ‘Global’ Exchanges

The biggest crypto exchanges have grown by working around national regulators. Regulators are starting to take notice.

Policy & regulation  ·  28 June 2021
Newsletters

Crypto Social Networks Aren’t Cool

Blockchain technology is transformative, it's subversive, it's surprising – but it is not cool.

People  ·  28 June 2021
Newsletters

Money Reimagined: Price Swings Versus the Long Term

The popping of bubbles does not indicate the failure of crypto technology itself, which continues to see massive long-term venture interest.

Markets  ·  25 June 2021
Bitcoin

El Salvador’s Bitcoin Fee Problem (and Solutions)

Bitcoin fees would make the cryptocurrency mostly unusable for Salvadorans. Here's how the first country to adopt BTC plans to tackle the fee problem.

Policy & regulation  ·  25 June 2021
Newsletters

Protecting Free Speech With Decentralized Tech

The U.S. has strong, public institutions to protect speech, but the age of internet may also require public infrastructure.

People  ·  24 June 2021
Bitcoin

Article 7 and Bitcoin’s Latin American Coup

El Salvador's Bitcoin Law will make BTC a compulsory currency and create costs for everyday taxpayers – hardly an advancement for freedom or free money.

Policy & regulation  ·  24 June 2021
DeFi

DeFi Is the Next Frontier of High-Frequency Trading

The world of high frequency trading is characterized by heavy competition and short-term opportunities. Could DeFi be a new way to get ahead?

Markets  ·  23 June 2021
Bitcoin

Bukele’s Bitcoin Blunder for El Salvador

Preached as a way to support an underbanked population, bitcoin will increase fees and risks for Salvadorans.

Policy & regulation  ·  23 June 2021
Bitcoin

Why Bitcoin Could Be Good for El Salvador

Adopting Bitcoin as legal tender could help the El Salvador economy grow, says our columnist, but there are risks if the government over-indulges new borrowing.

Policy & regulation  ·  23 June 2021
Bitcoin

China’s Anti-Crypto Crackdown Is Different This Time

Miners leaving China show the seriousness of new enforcement. But constrained trading and investment are more likely to really matter.

Policy & regulation  ·  22 June 2021
Bitcoin

Why Ethereum’s Price Is Built on Firmer Ground Than Bitcoin

Bitcoin's thesis rests on a theory of money and power. Ethereum has a more durable footing: creative computation.

People  ·  22 June 2021
Newsletters

Digital Ownership Is Getting Heated

Remote-controlled thermostats in Texas might serve as a reminder to what we give up when we go digital.

People  ·  22 June 2021
China

Go West, Bitcoin! Unpacking the Great Hashrate Migration

All signals indicate the greatest shakeup in the geographic makeup of bitcoin mining since the start of the industrial mining era.

Policy & regulation  ·  22 June 2021
Newsletters

Money Reimagined: DC’s Digital Dollar Choice

As Washington faces up to the implications of digital currency, it has to decide what it prizes more: surveillance or soft power.

Policy & regulation  ·  18 June 2021
Newsletters

The Infinite Tomato Economy

A satirical tweet about the compounding return on planting tomatoes reveals a lot about contemporary tech culture.

People  ·  18 June 2021