The rapid growth of the decentralized finance space, the rise in demand, the improvement of its protocols, and the breadth of offered services and opportunities will provide retail users with the options they are sorely lacking in the existing financial system. And it will enable institutions to move real-world assets onto the blockchain, generating untold cost-savings and improved efficiencies. But it doesn’t have to be a violent revolution. DeFi doesn’t necessarily need to overthrow the incumbent system. I believe that DeFi will complement traditional finance, force it to do better, and, more importantly, allow for financial inclusion of the world’s …

In a major new partnership, Samsung has announced that the Samsung Blockchain Wallet will be integrated with Gemini, a New York-based crypto exchange. This integration will allow owners of newer Samsung Galaxy phones to not only use their devices as cold storage wallets but to buy and sell crypto via the Gemini exchange as well. Samsung is the global leader in the smartphone market, with 298.1 million units shipped and a 21.8% market share in 2019, according to tech analytic firm Canalys. Adding support for Gemini will lower the barrier to entry to cryptocurrency use for millions of people. Previously, …

Satoshi Nakamoto years ago envisioned an ecosystem that would be independent of the centralized financial system that dominates the global economy today. His creation sparked a global community of enthusiasts and an entire industry surrounding blockchain — the solution enabling individuals to turn their money away from centralized legacy institutions and toward transacting on a decentralized, distributed ledger. The ultimate goal was a world in which people could pay for goods and services with these novel financial instruments. Many payment companies and exchanges already claim to offer services that enable crypto users to buy goods and services with cryptocurrency. Upon …

With about 800 crypto funds relying on a new asset class, which has its own properties, it is essential to assess them through an appropriate framework. We provide a basic framework of useful metrics to assess the true risk of a crypto fund as a quantitative screening tool. Short-listed funds can then be assessed in more detail through a classic due diligence process. Assessing the return/risk profile of a directional trading crypto fund Assessing the expected return of a directional fund Investors in a directional fund should first have a clear understanding of the dynamic of the fund’s overall strategy …

Crypto cards have become a must-have for many crypto services. Hoping to reduce the risk of blocking transactions, companies have been looking again and again for reason why their customers should use “plastic.” But a crypto card is a placebo that does not solve the problems of either users or fintech companies — its only goal is to bring profit to payment systems and intermediaries. Crypto cards are not needed in the same way that special financial instruments are not needed to buy gold, oil, precious metals or any other resource. The word “cryptocurrency” — like “dollar” or “euro” — …

Since the “digital Sleeping Beauty,” Bitcoin (BTC), woke up about two months after its third halving in mid-May 2020, we have read a lot about the “funding rate” of digital assets futures — from good to completely misleading reports. We just wanted to chime in on that trendy topic. What is the funding rate? First, it is important to understand what this “funding rate” is, as it only relates to digital assets derivatives. In traditional finance, futures contracts in which prices are derived from the spot price of the same underlying asset have a predefined expiration: monthly and/or quarterly. Small …

Digital assets, as a new asset class, exhibit interesting characteristics that could benefit a diversified portfolio of traditional assets. There are, however, many ways to get exposed to digital assets — passive investment, actively managed, short or long term investing, etc. — and with over 800 funds of all sizes, ranging from passive index to active trading funds to venture capital funds and fund of funds, it can be hard to sort the wheat from the chaff. Just like hedge funds, crypto funds come in all shapes and sizes, and investors tend to look at them through their usual hedge-fund …

On July 22, 2020, the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency published a letter clarifying that national banks and federal savings associations can indeed take custody of cryptocurrency assets. In the letter, Bitcoin was also acknowledged as “the first widely-adopted cryptocurrency.” On the same date, VISA, one of the largest payment companies with access to over 61 million merchants globally, revealed plans to offer Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and XRP payments. These steps toward mainstream acceptance come at a fortuitous yet harrowing time for world economics. Unprecedented quantitative easing, a fiscal stimulus and private bailouts have all …

With low barriers for entering, competition for digital asset exchanges is intense, with an estimated more than 10,000 exchanges now operating worldwide. This competition reduces margins for all of them and also lowers deposit and withdrawal thresholds. Add in a confusing patchwork of global regulations, and profitability challenges for digital asset exchanges loom large. Digital asset exchanges must overcome these obstacles to attract institutional traders who will generate the sector’s next growth wave. These high-powered traders seek crypto exchanges that can give them the liquidity they need, as well as an edge in speed with instant deposit, withdrawal and transfer. …

Ryan Radloff, CEO of custody solution Kingdom Trust, recently explained a vast number of Americans do not hold Bitcoin (BTC) in their retirement accounts. "There's 7.1 million Americans that have already made the leap to buy Bitcoin or take the dive into our industry so to speak, and have a retirement account, but don't have Bitcoin in their retirement account," Radloff told Morgan Creek Digital co-founder Anthony Pompliano in a July 18 interview. People have more to spend on Bitcoin in their retirement accounts Retirement accounts allow the public to put money into a long-term investment fund, with the stipulation …

COVID-19 has become a defining moment in the course of our society, but the impact of the pandemic can be seen through its effects on the economy and society in general. From the perspective of a Bitcoin (BTC) investor, there are many things to consider. Coronavirus emergent patterns determine how the infection spreads and sets the society on a particular course into the future. The impact of the novel coronavirus on consumer society has been tremendous. The effect has mostly been seen as the closure of workplaces, resulting in people either working from home, getting laid off or in some …

There is no doubt that cryptocurrency — specifically Bitcoin (BTC), which is frequently used as a barometer for the health of the entire sector — has made a comeback. As of the writing of this article, Bitcoin stands at a little over $9,000, very close to the $10,000 rebound that investors hoped for sometime this year — and we are barely in the third quarter. Although there are signs that crypto winter is over, many experts are still understandably cautious. Related: What's Next for the Industry as 'Crypto Winter' Thaws? Cryptocurrency has been a notoriously unstable investment, first selling at …