In my opinion, investors (the targeted market of the ICO projects) are already tired supporting projects, buying tokens with many of them doing it for the long-term because they were convinced of the beauty and potential of the projects and then only to be shocked later that the value of the tokens they are holding just got dumped like a hot potato. And not to mention the many scams and failures which all literally raped investors out of their money, trust and confidence. Then we saw the regulators coming in making it hard to do the crowdfunding in the USA. Though most shifted their attention somewhere but we know that the damage has been done so things are never gonna be the same again. ICOs in their original form can be classified as officially DEAD. This situation has risen to STO and then IEO...but again we are not going back to normal as investors are now very discriminating and just because a project is doing an IEO does not mean that it can get the financial support it is wishing to have. I am thinking...after the IEO will there be another metamorphosis or maybe a variation of the IEO thing? Let's see...

As long as the cryptocurrency market is made of people, I think we can be experiencing almost the same things that also baffled many traders in the stock market. When the sentiment is really down, there would be some who will magnify a good deal of possible gloom and doom scenarios and then surprisingly days after we see that things are just forgotten as new developments already enveloped the market. In other words, it can be so easy to swing the pendulum of extreme of pessimism to optimism sometimes even without any solid reasons.

Personally, the recent dip has not shocked me at all because I am sure that eventually Bitcoin will be back on its usual game and it would not matter to me if the bull will not be officially back until 2020. All of these things are just very normal part of the ups and down cycle of the whole market and this is true not just in cryptocurrency but in many other investment vehicles as well. So we might as well relax, see a movie, have fun and get a life while waiting for the bulls to come out and dominate the whole scene.

Not only that there seems to be an avalanche of new entrants into the market the sad thing is that many of these projects are just rehashed or regurgitation of those which are already existing in the marketplace. Seems like we are lacking originality or maybe many of these projects are done just for the money nothing more nothing less. Actually, the more the merrier and the more participants the healthier the altcoin ecosystem can be but only if these new projects are really bringing in innovations and have their own captured market in the first place.

I am sure though that soon as Bitcoin can be rising again the season for alts will start to form and we can see the rise of the many platforms as investors and traders will see a strong support for the alt market. However, we might not see this fully happen within this year so all of these developments can be in preparation for 2020.

Sadly, this can be another punch on the face of the cryptocurrency industry as many people are going to assume that this industry is truly riddled with scammers whose only intention is to get as much money possible from as much people as reachable. A little fortunate that only around a million dollar is lost though this is already a significant amount of money since, if I am not mistaken, most of the business transactions are based in Nigeria.

And this also explains why this is not a well-known wallet as this might have concentrated its marketing efforts in Nigeria. Indeed, a local-based platform can easily get more business than the one which is based abroad (this is quite true in my country as well). I am thinking that maybe just like the banks having its own insurance system, the government should start now thinking of officiating almost the same system as one of the many protections that customers should be enjoying.

Now, let's hope that the government of Nigeria and Dubai are doing something concrete on this scam. Justice should be served and money should be returned to their rightful owners.

First and foremost, when one is doing business with Bitcoin akin to money changing there is a law in almost any country for that and if one is not be careful in following the law there is a strong possibility that the government can be charging that person with violation of the law...this is not necessary because the government is discouraging anyone from involved with Bitcoin because even if one is not dealing with Bitcoin he must work for necessary permits in doing business.

Second, on the other hand there are really some government who are actively campaigning that their people not be involved with Bitcoin by making the cryptocurrency illegal and by prosecuting those who are found violating the directive. However, any government could not directly stop Bitcoin and I think this reality has already sunk with many of the top governments we have. As we have seen in the past many years, they can make it very difficult to own and trade Bitcoin but this does not stop those who are doing things discreetly.

The fact that some governments are dissuading their people from cryptocurrency is just another way of saying that indeed this technology can really be a big disruption to the traditional way of doing things. And this is one of the many aims of Bitcoin.

In the early years of Bitcoin, anonymity or that capacity to send Bitcoin to anyone anytime and of course anytime without the need to identify the sender and the receiver was touted as one of the many advantages of dealing with this cryptocurrency. But then we realized this can be a wrong notion as all the transactions are recorded in the ledger or the blockchain and right now there are already tracking technologies that are looking for footprints to identify the possible sender and the receiver. Hence, we already have cases in courts of successful prosecution of illegal transactions using Bitcoin. 

I just read this very good and very plain explanation about Bitcoin's anonymity and that it is in fact should be called as pseudonymous where it is said that sending/receiving Bitcoin is akin to writing under a pseudonym.

Anyway, I am wishing you the best in your endeavor of writing an academic legal paper on Bitcoin & Anonymity.

Generally speaking, I am not anymore investing my cryptocurrency funds (Eth and Bitcoin) with any new projects but from time to time I do make some exemption? Based on the available information on the website, I can sense some good potential with the PARSIQ platform. The market intelligence and monitory products or services can be doing well if the team can be able to develop ties with many institutional customers and that is leading me to my question: How the platform is going to monetize itself or produce its revenues? Is it through subscription or advertising/sponsorship? Overall though, I am impressed with this project and hope that it can be a good player in the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain most especially in uncovering personalities behind many big scams and frauds.

I recently read many articles and news regarding the inevitable coming into the market of the 5G technology which is expected to do wonders for the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution. It is estimated that as early as 2025 there would be estimated 100 billion IoT connections all over the globe which can be enough to catapult the dream of smart cities, smart gadgets and smart homes to the higher level. Such will be the impact of the 5G technology that it can be considered as a magnificent game-changer. However, the big question is this: Will 5G be helping Bitcoin and the blockchain technology? Among many things that maybe we have not seen, I think that the number one benefit is the dramatic jump on speed of transactions. I am not a technical person so maybe I would not be expounding on how can that be possible but suffice it to say that this can be the most obvious change we might experience in cryptocurrency using the 5G technology. Will this thing be a big catalyst towards more adoption of cryptocurrency? Yes, it can be helping though we should not expect 5G to be like a big miracle.

Just reading through this whole story, one of the takeaways I have is that there will always be risks whatever platform we can be using or trusting. The banking system has had its share of many horrible stories of depositors losing money and this one above is just one of the many examples all over the world. The banking system is never perfect as long as it is manned by real people. There is a strong probability that some people inside the bank can be doing the fraud or scam with or without the discreet approval from the top management. Here in my country, I heard similar horrible stories too but in most cases the banks concerned had to return the money lost as it is their burden actually to protect their depositor's assets just temporarily on their safekeeping. 

So that brings us to cryptocurrency or Bitcoin to be specific. Bitcoin might be better than the banks (but some can argue with this, of course) because it is decentralized in the first place so no one can be able to just siphoned out the funds to nowhere and no government can order for the digital asset to be slashed or surrender unto them. However, Bitcoin has its own inherent and related risks so that we should also be careful especially if one is just new to this whole thing.

The bottom line is that anything can be carrying some type and form of risks but it is all up to us to determine which can be the lesser evil. And I think we know the answer to that question.

Bitcoin is never perfect and expected it to be as such is just dreaming. As far as vulnerability or weakness can be concerned, I would like to zero in with its scalability issue which directly affect the speed and cost of doing transactions. This has been a major issue since I can remember dealing with Bitcoin and until now there remains to be no generally-accepted and implemented solutions though there seems to be no let up in finding ways and means for this big challenge. We are hoping that soon Bitcoin can already be comparable to other popular financial platforms in terms of speed of doing business so we can easily attract more and more merchants and entrepreneurs to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Without good solutions, Bitcoin adoption can have a big slowdown.

In the eyes of many merchants, the sometimes extreme volatility of Bitcoin is a big factor why they are shying away from joining the Bitcoin club. Though of course, there are now many ways (and platforms, as well) to ferret out remedies on this regard. However, volatility is something that many traders will not be afraid of as it can be an opportunity to them.

Just recently, there is a big buzz on the announcement by Google that they already developed the supremacy in the field of quantum computing so that a lot of us in the Bitcoin community expressed some big concerns on how this can be affecting Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. As of now, it remains not yet clear if the one possessed by Google can indeed fry Bitcoin and how it can change the dynamics of the whole thing. We are hoping that eventually Bitcoin can be able to withstand this possible threat and that developers can be able to counteract this technology effectively.

Of course, coincidence lang talaga yan kasi kung naging mainit lang sana ang pagtanggap ng merkado sa Bakkt sigurado di ko maisip ang connection ng salitang ICE sa kanila. Bago pa man nag-launch ang Bakkt marami na ang agam-agam na sa halip na makatulong ito sa pagpapalago ng Bitcoin siya pa ang maging dahilan sa paghila ng presyo ng Bitcoin pababa...at nangyari nga ang di inaasam ng marami. Sa ngayon, sa nakikita ko panandalian pa lang naman ang pangyayaring ito...baka sa mga susunod na mga buwan lalo na sa 2020 eh sisigla na ang kalakalan sa Bakkt pag nakita na ng mga insititutional investors at kanilang fund managers na pwede silang kikita ng malaking ganansya gamit ang Bakkt. The bottom line here is always the profit and the overall mood in the market which means to say that when investors are enveloped by fear most likely many of them will stay on the sideline just waiting for the right time to join the game. Sa kalagitanaan ng 2020 mas maigi na magkaroon ng magandang pagsusuri kung nakakatulong nga ba talaga ang Bakkt at meron pa ba itong magandang hinaharap na aasahan sapagkat kung wala na talaga eh mabuti pa tong ipasara o di kaya ay baguhin ang mga bagay-bagay nito or should we say improve and improvise.

Mas masarap nga mag-post dito sa Pilipinas kasi sariling wika ang pwede nating gamitin at madali nating naiilahad ang laman ng ating isipan. Pero syempre di rin naman pwede na lahat na lang ng posts natin eh nandito mukhang magka-problema rin tayo ganunpaman wala pa akong nabasang bawal sa CryptoTalk campaign na mag-concentrate sa local threads (kung meron man paki-abiso ako). Dun sa nagsabing baka di na binibilang ang mga posts sa local threads kahapon nakarga pa naman sa akin pero di ko alam ngayon tingnan natin kung "same as usual" pa ba. Sa ganang akin, ako ay talagang nag-iingat lalo na sa grammar at spelling pati nga comma tinitingnan ko na rin...mahirap na meron masabi ang iba na walang kwenta ang mga ginagawa ko dito. Kung meron man akong isang Christmas wish ito ay sana magtagal pa tong campaign na to at sana di ako mapasali sa ma-ban saklap naman pag ganun ang kahihinatnan ko.

Yes, there is no guarantee that things that happened in the past months or years can also be happening next year in almost identical manner but  data we can gather from the past can be serving as a guide on probabilities and that is why we can be creating some models. It is like predicting the future based on the past though again there is no formula that can exactly tell us what can be though this is much better than to just wildly guess the possible outcome. We have to always remember though that Bitcoin has this habit of being unpredictable at times so we should not be shocked to see some good and even bad surprises along the way leading to the scheduled having in 2020.

Walang duda na talagang nakakadismaya ang performance na nangyari sa mga unang araw ng Bakkt dahil kumpara sa volume ng mga malalaking cryptocurrency exchanges sadyang maliit lang talaga ang nalikom nitong business transactions. However, we should also be looking at the potential of Bakkt on the long-term. One, this is just starting and not all successful platforms started with a big bang as many of them grew from a very humble beginning and who knows Bakkt can be following the same path. Two, there is no question that institutional investors (the main target market of this platform) is still cold towards what Bakkt is offering but it does not mean that this current situation can't be reserved soon. Now I think here is the delimna we can find in the next few weeks: Bakkt is blamed as one of the major reason for the big dip in Bitcoin price and because of this there is a need for Bakkt to show some strength but institutional investors can be wary to do business with Bakkt if Bitcoin is getting bearish.

On the side note, isn't it a big coincidence that Bakkt is under the parent company called as ICE? Ice is cold and that is what exactly it got on its opening week...a cold reception from the market. Therefore, we need some heat to turn ice back into drinkable water.

When traders are using USDT to enter and exit Bitcoin that can naturally affect the price movement of the latter, I guess. In many instances, researchers found out possible correlation between these two digital assets but some are saying that this can just be normal and nothing to worry about. I am actually reading this article here which sheds some light on this issue though this was written early this year. I agree that to some degree, the probability of manipulations can be quite high and though USDT is suspected as a major player there seems no general agreement (at least not yet) on this area.

Let me inject my guess. I think that OP can be referring here to a program involved with forex but is actually just another scam. This can be similar to many Telegram groups or social media groups which, of course, promises the whole heavens and Earth just to entice anybody to send his/her Bitcoin into someone else's wallet in return for the possibility of a big gain...but at the end of the day the promises are turning into a big scam. Whatever happen to the adage that when something can be too good to be true then it probably is? We can easily scam by the way a program is promoted based on just hypes without no solid information backing it and when the people behind the program lack credibility and are resorting to outrageous claims on their supposed capacity to bring in high profits. In most probability, the program is just another well-crafted ponzi scheme. Sadly, a lot of people can still be victimized by these schemes which are all appealing to our sense of greed.

I am suggesting that there should be an organization connected in some way to Bitcoin and this organization can be acting like a charitable/developmental platform to help address some problems affecting humanity and of course this can be funded by Bitcoin coming from regular donors all over the world. Now, I am not saying it can be like a super-government type of organization but just a normal one but can be able to reach as many people as possible using the money (cryptocurrency) it has on its hands. This can be the best way to enhance the reputation of Bitcoin especially since there are still people who are wrongly associating it with scams and frauds.

As to the question: What can be next for Bitcoin? I think or rather in my humble opinion, the next three months of 2019 will see Bitcoin going into limbo or lull maybe there will always that attempt to get back to $10K level but the bearish influence can be too strong. The year 2020 can see many good developments (including the scheduled halving, of course) that can pull Bitcoin out of the quagmire and we can finally see the chance for Bitcoin to reach the $15K level again. Beyond that level, I would rather not think ahead.

I am sure that scammers are also taking notice of this trend so they can launch a project according to the season you just discuss here. Yes, there can indeed be season as to the type of project that will boom in the marketplace and because people have this tendency to follow what can be trending with proper marketing (and yeah even manipulations) a project can be able to soar and get as much money in its crowdfunding phase. I can still remember the lending token craze back in 2017 as I was one of those who lost Bitcoin at that time as I paid my necessary dues to the Experience University...now I am surely wiser now and will never open up my wallet for any project without first thinking 10 times or even 20 times. Back then almost any ICO was viewed as a potentially profitable enterprise and people assumed that there will never be an end to the boom happening all over the cryptocurrency market. And then reality struck...

Right now, the landscape has been changed a lot and those who got burned either left the market totally or they continue but with a different mindset borne out of unforgettable and sometimes regrettable experiences. Investors are demanding more information and they wanted to be supplied with real facts only hence the coming in of IEO projects in reputable exchanges. In 2019, it can be a little difficult to discern the trends to know the type of projects that can possibly be a big hit as there are many factors to look into but we are hoping that above all investors are getting more mature, more demanding and more discriminating. Again, hopefully.

Africa is considered as the new frontier for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency as this can the area where the platform can be severely tested taking into view the diverse cultures and different levels of economic development as well as the myriad of issues pulling the people backwards in terms of progress and political stability. Now, I am sure that blockchain and cryptocurrency can be of big help in many countries comprising the African continent. As an example, Bitcoin can be one of the proven ways to preserve wealth when a county is undergoing more-than-normal inflation rate just like the one affecting Zimbabwe.

Those who have the money to invest with Bitcoin can utilize it as a good store of value as well as an investment vehicle at the same time. However, it should be clear to all that Bitcoin should never be equated like a magic pill that can solve all the maladies affecting the people. Yes, this can be of big help but Bitcoin could never kick those in the pedestal of the government using their power to abuse the people and gain more wealth for themselves. Overall, the destiny of any country lies in the very hands of the people but if the people are forced to hand this power to selected few (we can call them the elites, if you want to) then there can be a very big problem.

Of course, when doing business whether cryptocurrency related or not offline or online there is a need for a license. Heck, even a small convenience store selling small items must file the necessary permits and must comply with required documents to do business especially under the area where one is operating. Now, how much for an operator of a Bitcoin ATM which involves money and cryptocurrency? We should not be expecting special treatment and at the same time we should discourage the regulating offices not to make things burdensome. Doing business anywhere means we have to follow the laws of the land as many of the regulations in place are there to protect the interest of the consuming public, generally speaking. Personally, I am not for a market that is totally unregulated because that can be the breeding ground of abuses, scams and exploitation so there is really that need to balance things out.