'cryptocurrency' Tag
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(K)now to cover (Y)our butt (C)heeks
April 16, 2022Last year a financial institution with which I had been a long-time customer asked me to re-verify my identity by providing two forms of ID. I uploaded a copy of my passport and my driver’s license. After “several business days” of processing, my passport was accepted. As for my driver’s license, on the other hand, […]
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Leaving money on the table
March 3, 2020Last week I wrote a piece about playing to your strengths. Because I’m not a macro trader, I wasn’t exactly playing to my strengths when I decided to bet against the S&P 500 a few months ago. Although I was directionally right, my timing was a bit off, so I wound up leaving money on […]
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STOs in Japan
October 9, 2019Once again Japan finds itself in the (somewhat rare) position of world leadership on a topic of innovation. Last week, Japan’s major security firms announced the creation of a consortium focused on STOs (security token offerings). As far as I know this is the world’s only major economy in which such an industry-led initiative exists. […]
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ICOs in Japan revisited
February 24, 2019“Why invest in a security token ?” That was how the conversation started with some co-investor friends over wagyu dinner in Tokyo the other night. The question was triggered by the collective observation of the sudden spike in deal flow these days from projects raising funds for their ‘security tokens’. One example cited was that […]
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Crypto merchant acceptance
June 8, 2018As I argued in Japan Bitcoin #1, the Japanese government’s designation of bitcoin as legal tender in April 2017 unleashed dramatic consumer adoption as well as cryptocurrency merchant acceptance. Today, over 50% of the world’s bitcoin trading volume occurs in Japanese yen and nearly 20,000 retail and online merchants in Japan accept bitcoin as payment. […]
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Coincheck makes hacked victims whole
March 8, 2018I’ve written before about the recent hack of Coincheck, one of Japan’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. I’ve also written at length about how Japan walks the delicate line between constructive regulation and consumer protection in cryptocurrency (for example here, here, and here). In this spirit it’s hard not to admire the Japanese government’s prescribed resolution of […]
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Building blocks of a healthy blockchain ecosystem
March 1, 2018This graphic illustrates how I’ve been explaining the blockchain ecosystem to co-investors and regulators. No single country possesses all of the components to foster a healthy blockchain ecosystem. However, in my opinion, Japan leads the world in most of the building blocks. I am proud to be an investor in some of the startups in […]
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Coincheck hack
January 27, 2018I was in the middle of a meeting yesterday evening when my colleague and co-author Annie alerted me to some erratic activity on cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck. The exchange was freezing transfers, and a gaggle of reporters were gathering in front of Coincheck’s Tokyo headquarters. Apparently, one of Japan’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges has been hacked. The […]
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A closer look at the Howey Test, and what it might mean for your ICO ambitions
November 30, 2017So you’re thinking of launching an ICO ? Although the regulatory framework governing ICOs varies by country and is still emerging, the U.S. Government has indicated that it will apply the Howey Test in determining whether your token is a security or not. If your intent is to avoid running afoul of the U.S. Federal […]
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Japan: Bitcoin #1 now in paperback
October 28, 2017For those of you who prefer paperbacks over e-books (like me), Japan: Bitcoin #1 is now available on Amazon in paperback form in most major markets. Profits from the sale of this book are directed to rebuilding efforts in Japan’s Tohoku region. I’d like to reiterate my appreciation to the numerous people who helped make […]
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Will Japan ban ICOs ? Constructive regulation more likely.
October 14, 2017A lot of people have been asking my opinion on whether Japan will ban ICOs. China and South Korea have essentially implemented full-on bans of cryptocurrency and ICOs. A Siberian winter for cryptocurrencies also appears imminent in Russia. So will Japan follow suit ? The short answer is: I really don’t know, but I think […]
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Japan: Bitcoin #1
October 7, 2017Despite Japan’s accounting for half of the worldwide bitcoin trading volume daily (yes, half !), I could not locate any substantial research on this fascinating phenomenon. Frustrated by this absence, I decided to write a book about it. A primer on the world’s leading country for bitcoin and blockchain adoption Japan, the world’s third largest […]