When the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, were conceived back in 2012, blockchain technology was in its early days. Few could have foreseen the trajectory and the potential of blockchain for advancing these ambitious targets. But today, we see opportunities for blockchain technology to recast conventional approaches to sustainable development — and accelerate progress if deployed responsibly. Macro trends of 2020 There are a number of macro trends this year in the world of blockchain and sustainable development that provide context. This has been — and will continue to be…
Month: September 2020
Transformations in crypto exchanges and traditional institutions, Sept. 18-25
Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. Editor’s note The final scene of Animal Farm, Orwell’s classic fable of revolution gone wrong and a staple of secondary-school reading lists throughout the English-speaking world, features a card game. The pigs who run the farm with an iron hoof host the humans who have gone from enemies of the revolution to drinking buddies of the revolution’s leaders. The book ends with accusations of cheating and a metamorphosis realized. The pigs…
Inside the blockchain developer’s mind: The governance crisis
This is Part 3 of a three-part series in which Andrew Levine outlines the issues facing legacy blockchains and posits solutions to these problems. Read Part 1 on the upgradeability crisis here and Part 2 on the vertical scaling crisis here. Upgradeability, vertical scaling and governance: What all three of these issues have in common is that people are attempting to iterate on top of a flawed architecture. Bitcoin and Ethereum were so transformative that they have totally framed the way we look at these issues. We need to remember…
Why centralized exchanges will lead crypto to the future
Decentralized exchanges are undoubtedly an exciting development in crypto. DEXs facilitate the trading of cryptocurrencies directly between users, without the need for a trusted intermediary. This, in turn, allows users to keep custody of their funds. However, while DEXs have their advantages, they still lack in terms of regulations and scalability, which are key considerations that could determine the future trajectory of the crypto industry. Centralized exchanges will continue to play a pivotal role in this ecosystem, providing the depth of liquidity needed to grow the wider crypto community. The…
Blockchain industry raises concerns over EC’s proposed crypto regulations
Major players in the global cryptocurrency community have addressed the European Commission’s new legislative proposals on digital assets. The International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications, or INATBA, has released an initial response to the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations proposed by the EC. The association features major crypto companies like Ripple, ConsenSys, and Iota. In its official response to the EC, the INATBA members expressed the industry’s concerns over the proposed MiCA regulations, calling the authority to bring their forces together in further development of the regulatory framework. While the…
Major Indian exchange proposes new regulatory framework to avoid crypto ban
Major Indian cryptocurrency exchange BuyUCoin has developed a framework to regulate cryptocurrency in India that it claims has the support of “all the Indian cryptocurrency stakeholders”. However, it is not clear yet which stakeholders helped develop the framework, or ‘sandbox’, which will be officially released on October 2. BuyUCoin, which has more than 350,000 users and handles billion-dollar transactions, described the framework as a draft set of community driven rules, propositions and implementation methods. The framework will be presented to the Indian Government. It comes after the Indian Supreme Court…
Brazil plans to track COVID-19 vaccinations using blockchain tech
A recent YouTube webinar from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security hosted discussion on blockchain’s usefulness in several categories, including the fight against corruption. Blockchain’s impact on COVID-19 tracing also surfaced during the discussion. A report from Reuters at the beginning of September clarified that the country is not likely to push a mandatory vaccine, while Sept. 9 news reported by MercoPress estimated a 2021 debut date for a COVID-19 shot in the country. Brazil now plans to use a blockchain-based system called the National Health Data Network, or RNDS.…
Inside the blockchain developer’s mind: The vertical scaling crisis
This is Part 2 of a three-part series in which Andrew Levine outlines the issues facing legacy blockchains and posits solutions to these problems. Read Part 1 on the upgradeability crisis here and Part 3 on the governance crisis as it goes live on Sept. 25. The advent of the internet has revealed that we have a digital self that can amplify our real-world power thanks to the ability to interact with people anywhere on Earth and coordinate actions that our physical selves never could. But our digital selves are…
Bitcoin may see relief rally to $11K after Dollar Strength Index soars
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has been stagnating in recent weeks, as it couldn’t break above $11,000 and couldn’t drop below $10,000, the ultimate sign of a continued range-bound structure. Such a range-bound and sideways structure could strengthen some relief on the markets, as the altcoins — especially the DeFi sector — have seen massive selloffs in recent weeks. However, what’s next for Bitcoin as the futures expiration day is tomorrow, which most likely will cause short-term volatility? Bitcoin is still waiting to fill the CME gap as the downtrend…
European Commission adopts digital finance package for crypto and blockchain
The European Commission is moving to provide more legal clarity and certainty for the cryptocurrency industry in its member states. On Sept. 24, the EC officially adopted a new digital finance package including digital finance and retail payments strategies, as well as legislative proposals on crypto assets. The EC said that the new package represents the first time that the authority proposed new legislation on crypto assets. As part of the new legislative proposals, the EC pays special attention to stablecoins — a type of cryptocurrency that pegs value to…