Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Mar 31Metaverse Land Shortage Intensifies as Developers Scramble for Virtual PlotsThe Metaverse, a mystical place of bits and bytes considered the promised land for woes of the Generation Z, is grappling with a terrible land shortage as boomer financial institutions and millennial crypto venture firms have arrived on April 1 to scoop up its prime real estate. “I’ve been able…Nft2 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Mar 24Book Review: The CryptopiansThe Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze is an incredibly well researched and detailed account of Ethereum’s early days, with a strong focus on Ethereum and the DAO being conceptionalized, built and marketed. Well worth reading! I’ve ordered the book right as it…Ethereum4 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·May 21, 2021Consultation Response SummaryOn 21 May 2021, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau published the results of its public consultation regarding the regulation of cryptocurrency exchanges in Hong Kong. You can find our commentary on the proposal here, and the response of the Bitcoin Association and its members here. The move comes…Bitcoin3 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Apr 1, 2021Hong Kong SFC to require negative Covid-19 test to buy Bitcoin under revised FATF guidelinesFollowing the release of newly revised FATF guidelines the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) revealed on 1 April the introduction of new rules for prospective Bitcoin buyers. Starting immediately, licensed funds, exchanges and institutional investors will need to submit a PCR test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 less…Bitcoin2 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Jan 20, 2021Public Consultation on Legislative ProposalsOn 3 November 2020, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) together with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) announced a proposal to establish a mandatory licensing regime for cryptocurrency exchanges, and to prevent non-institutional investors from buying or selling Bitcoin. I encourage you all to take…Bitcoin4 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Nov 4, 2020Hong Kong takes steps to restrict Bitcoin access for end usersScooped by the FTSB, but keeping with his 2018 and 2019 traditions, SFC Chief Executive and IOSCO Board Chair Ashley Alder announced at Fintech Week his intentions to further expand the SFC’s authority and introduce a mandatory licensing regime for ‘Virtual Asset’ platforms. While not strictly opposing the idea of…Bitcoin6 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Apr 22, 2020Bitcoin halving factsOne of Bitcoin’s primary selling points has been its finite supply. Akin to gold, a limited amount of Bitcoin can ever reach circulation, and nothing on this world can change that. To continue the gold analogy, some Bitcoin are in circulation, while others have yet to be mined. We know…Bitcoin3 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Apr 15, 2020Blockchains are Cargo Cults[This article was originally published on 7 September 2016] During World War II numerous indigenous people of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, who previously had no contact with other civilizations, suddenly witnessed history’s most devastating and hitherto technologically advanced war being fought right on their door steps. Japanese and…Blockchain7 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Apr 5, 2020Life with SARS-CoV-2SARS-CoV-2 (SARS-2), the virus causing Covid-19, has spread to pandemic levels. This health crisis will likely become the defining moment of the 3rd decade of the 21st century, if not that of an entire generation. …Covid 199 min read
Published in Bitcoin Bytes·Apr 1, 2020REM: The sleep tokenYou know the story. One day you can’t fall asleep, the next day you can’t get out of bed. One week you’re chasing one cryptocurrency conference after the other, the next week you’re quarantined at a border and must not leave your room for 14 days. Sleep is a bit…Blockchain3 min read
