It's no secret that there are many scam ICOs. These ICOs tend to exploit the novelty of blockchain, using flashy advertising and deceptive jargon to entice potential investors who are swept up in the blockchain hype. Often, their business models are unrealistic and poorly conceived. Many altcoin investors will not see their money again!
Of course, this is not to say that there are no good ICOs. The point is that crypto culture and infrastructure is still in its infancy.
Some interesting and thought-provoking predictions I have heard about the development of crypto:
National governments will soon issue their own e-currencies. China will allow massive companies such as Tencent to issue their own tokens. Crypto culture will continue to grow, with perhaps even more investors being duped by scam ICOs, but with old-school finance guys bringing their expertise into the crypto world and consolidating new infrastructure such as wholesale investment and brokers.
Cryptocurrencies will soon become dominated by major players from the old fiat world. New players entering as blockchain application startups will use cryptotokens instead — a way of signaling a less grandiose 'currency' vision (the same vision that allows for ICO scamming), and a more realistic 'platform use' utility.
So,
Is the Crypto ecology is still in its early stages? How do you think it will mature?
