Putin keeps pushing on the war, even though his country has already been severely affected with the sanctions. I guess he has some imperialistic agenda to rule the world. Don't think for a second that he's going to stop after he conquers Ukraine. It's possible Putin will target Finland, Sweden, Georgia, and other countries within the eurozone to expand Russian influence around the world. Western countries should not take Putin's words lightly when he said he was not "bluffing" about using nuclear weapons on Ukraine. After all, he's known to be unpredictable at times. A nuclear conflict will further deteriorate the global economy to a point where there's no room for recovery. Either the EU and the US step up to the game or the world would be nothing but doomed. Let's see how everything will turn out to be during the remainder of 2022. Just my opinion

It's all the governments' fault. They want to control Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies by enforcing KYC/AML across every single centralized exchange. When they can't control trades performed directly on the Blockchain, they quickly attack crypto by saying it's "harmful to the environment". But the thing is Bitcoin can be as clean as any ordinary PoS coin if miners use alternative/renewable energy sources. If the vast majority of miners begin using solar, wind, geothermal, or even hydroelectric energy, then PoW would be environmentally-friendly.

This is nothing more than a plan for governments to push PoS in order to centralize the entire crypto/Blockchain space. Sadly, Ethereum fell for it by adopting the consensus algorithm. Other cryptocurrencies like Cardano, BNB, and even Polygon (MATIC) are PoS, so it should only be a matter of time before Bitcoin remains as the sole PoW cryptocurrency in the world. Even Zcash hinted the possibility of switching to PoS for "self-sustainability". I'm pretty sure whales will fill their pockets with a lot of money, leaving the little guy out of the system. What matters is that Bitcoin remains a PoW cryptocurrency to resist the evil forces of centralization. As long as it stays that way, no one will be able to stop it. Just my thoughts

A stable Bitcoin would mean the entire world would've accepted it as legal tender. This is very unlikely to happen during our lifetimes, since Fiat is still going strong (despite fears of an economic recession). For Bitcoin to become the standard unit of account, banks need to die for good. Besides, why would you want a stable Bitcoin if we already have stablecoins and Fiat? Without price volatility, you'd be missing a chance to profit big time by "hodling" your BTC long term. It would be no different than Gold, where you have little to no chance for profit because of its relative stability.

Despite the fact that the crypto market is a lot bigger than it was before, liquidity is relatively small compared to the traditional stock market. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are just starting to blossom, so I'd say we should give them more time to mature to see what happens. Just my opinion

The US government didn't "ban" the Tornado.Cash smart contract because that would be practically impossible to achieve (the ETH blockchain is decentralized, after all). What they did was sanction the mixer, causing centralized service providers to shut down its GitHub repository and frontend interface. Without the source code and a web GUI where you could easily access Tornado.Cash, adoption would be virtually non-existent. Only geeks and crypto veterans would still be able to use the mixer by interacting with smart contracts directly. What the US government did is a precedent of what's coming in the future.

I'm afraid the US and other countries will exert more pressure against mixers and privacy coins, as they move an inch closer to launching their own Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). After all, governments wouldn't want people using decentralized tech that would minimize their authority/sovereignty. It's possible privacy coins will stop being traded at centralized exchanges, while mixers will be outlawed for good. You'd still be able to use such services because of their decentralized and censorship-resistant design. But it wouldn't be worth the risk as you could face jail time or be required to pay a fine. It's a dark future ahead for crypto/Blockchain tech, so we should be prepared for the worst. Just my thoughts

Exactly. It has always been about the price. People invest into Bitcoin with the hopes of turning a profit in the least time possible. The moment prices start going down like crazy, it's the moment people start panicking like there's no tomorrow. Only a small number of people care about Bitcoin's usability. That's usually geeks, libertarians, and cypherpunks. They will use Bitcoin regardless of how much it's worth in Fiat terms simply because it represents freedom. 1 Bitcoin = 1 Bitcoin, right?

I'd wish people would stop focusing on Bitcoin's price, so that the cryptocurrency could achieve its full potential. It's a distant dream that's unlikely to become a reality because greed goes above all else. At least we know Bitcoin won't be going anywhere. As long as it stays true to its decentralized roots, there should be nothing to worry about. Just my thoughts

Yes. But even though the US Dollar is digital through the use of credit/debit cards, it doesn't live on a Blockchain or Distributed Ledger that's controlled by the government and the Federal Reserve. The transformation will be completed when paper money is phased out for good and the FED launches a CBDC which resembles Bitcoin in every way (except that it won't be decentralized). While a digitized version of the US Dollar won't be a direct threat to Bitcoin, it will certainly give more power to the government over people's finances. A CBDC would be the perfect tool for a full-fledged surveillance state. It'll be the end of privacy as we know it. Most people don't care about privacy anyways, so they will quickly adopt the Digital Dollar even if that would lead them to a "certain path of death". Just my opinion

Most investors only pour money into PoS coins hoping they'll become rich in an instant. But that's not the way it works. Most PoS coins with high stake rates, become worthless over time due to high selling pressure. In other words, the higher the rewards, the higher the inflation rate will be. Coins with lower stake rates are proven to retain their value over time. But there's always the risk of loss because of the volatile nature of the crypto market.

You should only stake if you have money you can afford to lose. Otherwise, you'll risk yourself of losing everything in an instant. I think you're better off cashing out your crypto to Fiat or a stablecoin of your choice just to be safe. Just my thoughts

It's never late to join the "Bitcoin party". The cryptocurrency constantly evolves, so it's hard to catch up with the latest developments on the industry. Those who get in now will be considered early adopters in the future. I'd say Bitcoin still hasn't reached the mainstream, even though its more popular than it was in its early days. Many experts have predicted a Bitcoin price of $1m in the future.

Besides, there are a lot of countries that are yet to approve Bitcoin as legal tender (or use it officially as an alternative to Fiat). It's hoped that El Salvador's move will encourage other countries to do the same. Once the world embraces Bitcoin as an alternative to Fiat, then "hyperbitcoinization" will be realized. Early adopters like us will surely become filthy rich if that happens. Bitcoin is just starting to blossom so I'd suggest anyone to buy it at a cheap price before it's too late. Just my opinion

That's certainly true, mate. A lot of coins are not as decentralized as they claim to be. The same can be said about "decentralized" lending/borrowing platforms and some "decentralized" exchanges. Considering that most projects are centralized, it's easy enough for governments to enforce the rule of law. You can see how easy it was to take down Tornado.Cash's frontend interface and GitHub repository. If developers would've hosted the interface and source code on a decentralized alternative (no centralized servers), things would've been different.

I'm afraid most "De-Fi" platforms will comply with KYC/AML rules in order to prevent losing their business. It's all about money these days, so we should expect the unexpected. At least, decentralization isn't going anywhere. The number of projects that are truly decentralized is small, but that doesn't matter as long as people have an "escape route" from governments and third-parties. As long as decentralization wins, we should have nothing to worry about. Just my thoughts

BNB is still a better choice than ETH because of the low gas fees and fast TX confirmation times. The only thing is that BNB is heavily controlled by Binance, leaving little to no room for decentralization. ETH has turned into a centralized coin with the switch to PoS, but it's not as bad as BNB is. Which Blockchain network to choose would greatly depend on your daily needs. I'd say not to put all of your eggs in one basket due to the volatile nature of crypto. As long as you diversify your investment between various coins, you'll be able to minimize risks of loss as much as possible. Ultimately, the market will decide which coins will stay and which ones will go all the way down the drain. Who knows how long BNB or ETH will last? Just my thoughts

First of all, Tornado.Cash is NOT a privacy coin but rather a mixer protocol built within the ETH blockchain. Second, the sanctions were only effective against the mixer's frontend interface (because it was hosted on a centralized server) and the GitHub repository itself. But they didn't have any effect on the smart contracts powering the mixer itself because of their decentralized and censorship-resistant design. We've seen how the US has been taking a strict stance against crypto/Blockchain tech, especially when it claims that most people use it for "illegal" activities (money laundering, tax evasion, etc). I wouldn't be surprised if the government takes further actions against mixers and even privacy coins themselves in order to help "legitimize" the industry as much as possible. Some countries might copy the US whenever they seem fit to do so. Others will simply turn their backs completely against crypto (like China and Russia) in order to stay in power.

What matters is that the whole space remains decentralized and censorship-resistant so that it can counteract governments' efforts against it. Centralization risks will only make it easier for governments to shut down the whole thing. While I do believe privacy coins and mixers will face further scrutiny in the long run, they won't disappear because of the way they're designed. Most (if not all) projects are open-sourced these days, so there's nothing stopping anyone from making forks in order to help protect our privacy. Considering that crypto has reached this far, I'd say it's too late for governments to do anything about it. Just my opinion

Never. Bitcoin will always be a volatile cryptocurrency simply because it's traded on the open market. You can't expect something to remain stable, especially when people measure its value relative to traditional Fiat currencies. The pioneer cryptocurrency (BTC) has a finite supply of only 21m coins, so technically its value should go up over time. It's normal to expect a downslide in market prices for a short period of time, due to the speculative nature of crypto.

I'd say Bitcoin is perfect just the way it is. If you really want stability, then just cash out your Bitcoin to Fiat (USD, EUR, etc) or simply convert it to a stablecoin of your choice. I'd be a dream come true if people began paying for goods and services in Bitcoin without measuring its value in Fiat terms. 1 Bitcoin will always be equal to 1 Bitcoin, right? The odds of this happening are very slim, so my guess is that Bitcoin will remain a volatile cryptocurrency during our lifetimes. Just my thoughts

Exactly. The only thing keeping ETH as the biggest crypto after Bitcoin is the first-mover advantage. If it wasn't by that, ETH would've been "eaten" by its competitors already. I guess it's not about what new features a coin has, but rather how secure and reliable a coin is. Compared to other smart contract platforms, ETH is the most widely-developed and trusted cryptocurrency on the planet after Bitcoin. I guess that's more than enough for ETH to retain its place as the "King of altcoins" for a long time.

While I don't like the ever-rising gas fees of the ETH blockchain, no other competitor outmatches its level of decentralization and censorship-resistance (although it can be debated with the recent switch to PoS). People will ultimately decide which coin stays at the top, and which coin goes all the way down the drain. At least, the competition is healthy. As long as there are a wide variety of options to choose from, nothing else matters. Just my opinion

At least, Ethereum is not as centralized as Ripple (XRP) is. But that still won't exclude it from being classified as a security by the SEC. Everything will depend how much power is given to the validators on the network. If the ones controlling most of the tokens on the Blockchain are exchanges and centralized service providers, then you can bet the SEC will be on such entities' tails to enforce securities laws. That won't apply to private individuals, though.

We're going to have to see how regulations will be applied to the rapidly-evolving crypto/Blockchain space. If somehow ETH becomes compromised, then we would have no choice but to switch to "Plan B" by using a PoW fork like Ethereum Classic (technically, it's the original version of the ETH blockchain). No one knows what will happen in the future, so we can only hope for the best. Just my thoughts

It's most likely the FED and other central banks will give up on their task to lower down inflation for good. If that happens, then prices of essential goods will only go up over time. This will make the rich, richer, while the poor, poorer. That would leads us to hyperinflation, which is something that would harm the mainstream economy for good. I just hope we see the light at the end of the tunnel with Russia ending the war and COVID-19 disappearing from the face of the Earth. Only then, the economy would be restored to its former glory (sort of).

It's sad to see many people become poor by the day as they cannot keep up with rising prices of food, gas, and energy. Wages aren't increasing in par with inflation, so this would lead to further protests around the world. We can't tell what will happen with the world if inflation becomes uncontrollable. Bitcoin was once thought to be a safe haven against inflation, but it has proven us wrong as market prices move closely to the stock market. Maybe Gold will save the day? Just my thoughts

Undeniably, Bitcoin is the one cryptocurrency with the highest potential. But I think the OP was talking about altcoins. Based on this, I'd say Polygon, Cardano, Ethereum, BNB, and Avalanche have the highest potential to radically change the crypto/Blockchain industry for the better. Early adopters of such cryptocurrencies will earn substantial profits in the long term as market prices soar like crazy. We've seen how high demand for NFTs and "De-Fi" is.

I'd say the current bear market is the perfect opportunity to buy prominent coins at a discount before everything goes back up again. I wouldn't count on SHIBA as a good long-term investment, simply because it's a "meme" coin. The same can be said about Dogecoin. As long as you play your cards right, nothing should stop you from becoming rich in the future. Just my opinion

I've read somewhere that the majority of ETH nodes are hosted on Amazon Web Services. That's within US jurisdiction, so it's easy enough to disrupt the ETH blockchain by shutting down the service completely. The SEC already said PoS cryptocurrencies like ETH could be classified as securities, so there would be nothing stopping them from taking action against ETH if exchanges and other industry players don't comply with the law. It's a dangerous situation that could completely undermine ETH as we speak. So much for a decentralized platform for smart contracts aiming to bring "banking to the unbanked".

I don't get why Vitalik and team decided to push the PoS upgrade when they knew about the risks of centralization. It was nothing but a move to enrich themselves and the whales, while leaving the little guy out of the system. The future of PoS cryptocurrencies looks dark, so our only hope lies with Bitcoin as a PoW cryptocurrency that puts decentralization/censorship-resistance above all else. Who knows if 99.9% of the coins switch to PoS while only Bitcoin remains with PoW consensus? Just my thoughts

Agree. Ravencoin has a stronger community than Ethereum Classic. It's going to take a lot more than just miners switching to ETC to make it boom in price. We're going to have to see if developers become interested in making dApps for the ETC blockchain. Ravencoin may be popular right now, but without smart contracts, I don't see it taking off anytime soon.

At least, GPU miners won't be left out of the game. Who knows what would be of ETC as an alternative PoW chain to ETH? Just my opinion

Play-to-Earn games would surely attract kids of all ages. They're quite familiar with video games, anyways. While the amount of Bitcoin earned won't be that much in Fiat terms, kids could accumulate rewards for future use. A penny here and a penny there will surely make a difference in the long term. If Bitcoin goes up in price as predicted, then many kids would be able to make a fortune by the time they reach adulthood.

I think it's much easier to teach a kid about Bitcoin, than an adult. They're quick learners, as their minds are open to everything. Who knows if those kids become the next generation of people who adopt digital currencies (either CBDCs or crypto) for mainstream payments? Just my thoughts

Neither the Digital Dollar nor the Digital Yuan will be a direct threat to Bitcoin. That's because Bitcoin's decentralized and censorship-resistant design will make it hard (if not impossible) for governments to carry on with their agenda of forcing the use of Fiat for good. There will always be a way to access Bitcoin even if the government bans its use (consider how there are people mining and using Bitcoin in China even though it was "banned" by the government some time ago). CBDCs like the Digital Dollar and the Digital Euro will only strengthen Bitcoin's adoption in the mainstream world. The fact that central banks are responding with digital currencies of their own, tells us that Bitcoin is being taken seriously among those who previously ignored it.

I think the Digital Dollar would be successful because the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital payments by a large margin. People are used to paying with their phones or credit/debit cards without ever touching paper money, so the transition to digital Fiat should be a no-brainer. If the US acts quickly, it may be able to hold the Dollar's (USD) position as the reserve currency of the world. We'll see what'll happen after the Digital Dollar is launched for public use. Just my thoughts