Cointelligence Blog

While all eyes were on bitcoin, it seems ripple (XRP) was preparing to end 2017 on a high note. Having started the year at a mere $0.64, ripple’s XRP is currently trading at an impressive average of $2.20. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, grew by 1,400% this year. In contrast, ripple has risen by...

Bitcoin reached its latest record-breaking high of almost $20,000 this month, having started at $1,000 in the beginning of 2017. Other currencies, such as ethereum and litecoin, saw commendable progress as well this year. Although out shined by bitcoin, 2017 was a good year for many coins.

With developers forking the tokens, and larger exchanges refusing to support the resultant currencies, the market is experiencing a void that is being filled by smaller exchanges. When interested users are made to go to lesser-known exchanges, these companies see a rise in their revenues from trading...

If the affected users’ complaints are to be believed, then none of the exchange’s clients are safe, even now. There are users who did not lose anything at the time of hack, but are now losing funds. Considering the company’s daily trading volume of $11 million, criticism from users is inevitable.

To tackle this issue, the popular internet browser, Opera, is introducing an anti-mining feature in its 'Opera 50' version. The new feature, called “NoCoin”, will work similar to an AdBlocker. Just as an AdBlocker blocks advertisements from a web page, NoCoin will block suspicious scripts.

Cryptocurrency prices can be affected by many factors including news, pump and dump schemes, deliberate actions and others; however, demand levels are by the most powerful influential affecting prices of various coins.

The gradual acceptance of the disruptive technology is evident in the actions of governments and institutions that are showing significant signs of adoption. A very obvious example can be seen in Gibraltar’s draft regulations for blockchain startups.

Sheila Bair, former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) chair, expressed her opinions on Yahoo! Finance. Although her ideas were similar to those of other financial regulators, her take on cryptocurrency itself is quite interesting.

Bittrex joins the list of prominent digital token exchanges struggling with growth issues. Customers of the popular US-based exchange are unhappy about the company’s inability to handle effective withdrawals.

Digital currencies attract further controversy, as Israel indicates a potential cryptocurrency crackdown. "I think it looks like a bubble, smells like a bubble, acts like a bubble, and feels like a bubble," said Israel Securities Authority Chairman, Shmuel Hauser.