Disappointment isn’t always a bad thing. It can be a spur, motivating one to work harder to meet expectations and goals. It is in this spirit that Cointelegraph informally surveyed members of the crypto community about this past year’s unfulfilled industry promises. Here are some of 2019’s biggest disappointments: Adoption missing? Where are the giant blockchain or crypto projects — enterprises that seize the imagination, rivet the public’s attention, and quiet the crypto skeptics? As Nouriel Roubini noted last year, “[Blockchain] still has only one application: cryptocurrencies.” Many in the industry are still waiting. As Lanre Sarumi, CEO of crypto …

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) will skyrocket up to $100,000 in the coming year, according to the founder of infamous darknet marketplace Silk Road. In a series of blog posts on Dec. 10, Ross Ulbricht — the founder of now-defunct anonymous marketplace Silk Road — predicted that BTC’s price will reach $100,000 in 2020. The blogs were published based on letters he wrote in prison, using a type of market analysis known as Elliott Wave Theory. Ulbricht claimed the possibility to carry out such an analysis even without knowing Bitcoin day-to-day price movements and the general condition of the market. …

One of the most successful investors in the world is calling for the release of convicted criminal Ross Ulbricht. Following up on a September 21 tweet by Tim Draper that was completely sympathetic to the imprisoned Silk Road creator, Fred Schebesta of the Crypto Finder video podcast took a moment to ask the billionaire his latest feelings on the matter. Draper gave an effusive response: Free Ross, baby! Get him out. We need entrepreneurs like that guy! Get him out of jail! Why do we put these really extraordinary people in jail? We need their minds, their energy, their life …

Kathryn Haun — a general partner at Andreesen Horowitz and the Justice Department's prosecutor for the infamous Silk Road case —- says that the fiat-dominated financial system is inept at tackling the very thing it purports to worry about when it comes to crypto. In the traditional financial sector today, “99.9% of all money laundering crimes go unprosecuted,” she told anchor Kyle Bass, during an interview for Real Vision Classics on Oct. 22. “We’re kidding ourselves” As someone whose career involved the takedown of one of the highest-profile criminal rackets in crypto industry history and established the first-ever crypto task …

Major South Korean bank KB Kookmin Bank is planning to integrate blockchain technology into its internal processes. As local news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily reported on Oct. 7, KB Kookmin stated that blockchain technology could provide a spectrum of benefits to the financial industry, including the issuance of digital tokens, funding, custodial services and trading. Taking a proactive approach toward blockchain adoption As for the bank itself, it intends to deploy decentralized ledger technology to fight money laundering, improve verification services, custodial services and token offerings. Lee Woo-yeol, chief information officer at KB Kookmin, said that the bank should take …

The sentencing of the CEO of the now-defunct darknet marketplace Silk Road shows that Bitcoin usage by criminals is in the past, according to Danny Scott, CEO of Isle of Man-based Bitcoin (BTC) exchange CoinCorner. Gary Davis was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for helping manage the now-defunct darknet marketplace Silk Road. The 31-year-old Irish man, who was extradited to the United States, had served as Silk Road forum moderator between May and June 2013 before working as a site administrator between June 2013 and Oct. 2, 2013, according to a report by Irish independent radio station Newstalk on …

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman announced the arrest of alleged dark web drug dealer Hugh Brian Haney in a press release published on July 18. Per the release, Haney has been charged with money laundering. He allegedly used cryptocurrency to launder more than $19 million of profits earned selling illegal drugs on the now-defunct darknet market Silk Road. Berman commented to the development: “Today’s arrest should be a warning to dealers peddling their drugs on the dark web that they cannot remain anonymous forever, especially when attempting to legitimize their illicit proceeds.” …

Ireland’s High Court has ruled that 25,000 euro in cryptocurrency held by a man in prison is considered “the proceeds of a crime,” the Irish Times reported on Tuesday, Dec. 18. The court “broke new legal ground”, the Irish Times states, while considering the case of Neil Mannion — a man reportedly serving a six-and-a-half year prison sentence at Wheatfield Prison in Dublin for drugs offences since 2014. Mannion had reportedly admitted to selling drugs on the darknet, specifically on Silk Road and Agora. He was jailed at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in 2015 after purportedly pleading guilty to …

October 31 marks the ten year anniversary of the release of the Bitcoin white paper, which was authored by Satoshi Nakamoto, and whose identity still remains a mystery. In this relatively short period of time, Bitcoin has challenged the way modern society looks at global finance and banking, and has been the catalyst for the birth of over a thousand different cryptocurrencies as well as many more blockchain projects. Its history has been full of highs and lows, as the volatile cryptocurrency has battled through years fraught with controversy and success. With the release of the white paper, a movement …

The evolution of key industries have been historically driven by groundbreaking technological innovations that leave an indelible mark on society. The printing press led to the scientific revolution, the discovery of electricity brought light to the world, radio waves changed the way information was delivered to the masses, and the internet completely overhauled the way we communicate and interact with information. In the same vein, over the short space of a decade, Bitcoin has had a similarly disruptive and innovative effect on the financial world and the technology underpinning cryptocurrency has gone on to influence a number of sectors in …

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied the review of the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht, also known as the “Dread Pirate Roberts” of the Silk Road darknet marketplace, according to a court order released today, June 28. Twitter account @free_ross tweeted the news today, calling the court’s decision “devastating:” “SCOTUS denied #RossUlbricht cert petition this morning after holding it pending Carpenter. This is a NO on internet privacy and Ross's case. Devastating. #freeross” Ulbricht had been arrested and sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for his involvement in the Silk Road marketplace, convicted of helping the distribution of drugs, …

U.S. law enforcement has seized $17 mln in Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies, and is seeking to seize about $24 mln more, from two Maryland, USA men, on charges of selling counterfeit drugs on the dark web, according to a Department of Justice (DoJ) press release published yesterday, June 26. In addition to around $17 million in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Law enforcement has seized $2.5 million in computer equipment, and over $1.5 million in cash. The government is further seeking to forfeit “no less than” $5.67 million, plus the value of 4,000 BTC (about $24 mln at press time), …