Report: State of the Digital Assets Industry

Bitcoin: Volatility Downtrends, Commerce Audience Still at Large
Decentralized Applications Face Half-Life After PeakCoinbase Vies for Binance, Huobi Traders with Paradex ListingsUser Experience Addendum


Letter from the Publisher


Bitcoin’s rise to fame was certainly not the result of media focus and speculation gains witnessed for the better part of 2017 alone. It was the result of the devotion of a very zealous community who developed, shared and promoted a concept nobody had fathomed – a currency aimed for the masses, with no intervening power.

The 2008 Financial Crisis that motivated Satoshi Nakamoto to develop such a cryptocurrency wasn't the worst the world has seen since. Citizens in Venezuela, Iran and Turkey burden a massive devaluation to their national currency.

World debt continues to climb unabated. And with no end in sight for Quantitative Easing policies in Europe – and despite recent Federal Reserve tightening, economists are fearing the overheating of the US economy. The cherry on top, two powerhouse economies, the US and China, have seen both sides amp up rhetoric resulting in glimpses of a trade war.

In Cyprus, systemic bank failures led to the seizure dubbed "Bail-in" of customer deposits in the Billions of Euros - with no responsibility or remorse. And Capital Controls in Greece following painful austerity measures invoked by the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission left people stranded at ATMs across the country to pull out their allotted allowance of 60 Euros a day.

Both events this editor lived through first hand.Bitcoin's value does not solely come from its monetary policy. The real ownership of an asset class that is spendable in a digital era are remarkable traits.


And Central Banks have taken serious note of technological and societal developments. They are now faced with digital currency design decisions as Stablecoins are set to enter the market. The prospect of both cannot be understated.

Central Bank Digital Currency has the opportunity to provide social good should the design be geared towards retail as opposed to wholesale. Otherwise, Stablecoins could pose challenges should developers create a user-friendly experience that can also attract commerce in the face of behemoths such as Visa and Mastercard.

|| TIME TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE

While this vibrant cryptocurrency community has drawn people in with great fervor, so has it repelled intelligence of contrary opinion. There comes a time to discuss progress with reason and debate without the risk of being ostracized and labeled peddler spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt. 

The "either you're with us or against us" has proved a false mantra time and time again.The data are in - it's not flattering for Bitcoin as a trade unit. Decentralized Apps have also failed to find a loyal crowd.

Efforts on this front would only turn pear shaped should the community fail to examine the current status of the whole currency and financial ecosystem with critical consideration.

 Continue reading the full free report from Diar here... https://diar.co/volume-2-issue-33-34/
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Fadi Aboualfa
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief