The first quarter of 2019 saw fewer initial coin offerings (ICOs) raising funds compared to the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a recent report from rating site ICObench. Per the ICO Market Quarterly Report, containing analytics and trends in the industry for Q1 2019, in Q1 there were almost 350 ICO projects, which is fewer than in Q4 2018. The total volume of funds raised in Q1 reportedly amounted to nearly $1 billion, however the number is lower by roughly $0.5 billion compared to that of Q4 2018. The report further reads: “Notably, in Q1 2019 there were twice …

Weiss Crypto Ratings has put Bitcoin (BTC) aside XRP and EOS in its report on emerging trends in crypto markets published Tuesday, March 26. The report — dubbed “Dark Shadows with a Bright Future” — is based on the analysis of 120 cryptocurrencies, and assigns letter grades to cryptocurrencies that have the best combination of adoption and technology. XRP, the world's third largest coin by market capitalization according to CoinMarketCap, is ranked “A,” and per the report is the “best positioned” to compete with SWIFT — a global system for interbank transactions. EOS also received an A grade as the …

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published two pieces of research on Thursday, Mar. 7, which examine the attitudes of U.K. crypto consumers. The first study, conducted by research firm Revealing Reality, uses qualitative interviews to focus on the understanding of cryptocurrencies and motivations behind people’s decisions to invest in crypto assets. The researchers interviewed 31 crypto consumers and selected 17 of them for a follow-up interview. According to the interviews, many see cryptocurrencies as a way to “get rich quick” and a shortcut to wealth and easy money. Those who share this stance often mention others’ behaviour …

The Swiss fintech market grew by 62 percent in 2018, according to a recent study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences published on Feb. 27. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences undertook an in-depth review of Switzerland's fintech market for the fourth time. The report dubbed "IFZ FinTech Study 2019" reveals that on a global scale the cities of Zurich and Geneva remain in second and third place for the best cities for fintech, respectively. The fintech sector inside the country grew 62 percent over the previous year. Per the analysis, Switzerland had 356 fintech companies in 2018, compared …

The idea of issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is too attractive to ignore, a postdoctoral researcher from the University of Luxembourg wrote in a study. The research was shared by the Oxford Business Law Blog on Friday, Feb. 22. Hossein Nabilou, a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Law, Economics, and Finance of the University of Luxembourg, presented his findings in a study entitled “Central Bank Digital Currencies: Preliminary Legal Observations.” The report focused on potential challenges that launching a CBDC might cause for the European Central Bank (ECB). According to Nabilou, cryptocurrencies have significantly impacted the banking …

Stablecoins will play a key role in mainstream adoption of crypto technologies, according to a report published by California-based stablecoin startup Reserve on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The report, entitled “The State of Stablecoins 2019: Hype vs. Reality in the Race for Stable, Global, Digital Money” is based on information collected from 40 crypto and stablecoin firms. The report’s lead author is George Samman, a blockchain and cryptocurrency advisor. According to the document, Samman “was commissioned to research the stablecoin landscape and then independently report his findings for the broader industry to learn from.” The analysis is presented by a number …

A new study has revealed that, while businesses are considering blockchain adoption, overall they do not feel ready to implement the technology. The survey was conducted by software development firm Globant and published on Feb. 19. The report says that 64 percent of organizations are intent on investing in blockchain solutions to improve their internal operations, while only 46 percent of respondents feel ready to deploy the technology. Out of 61 percent of organizations that are already researching blockchain, only 28 percent have chosen a blockchain provider. According to the survey, the majority of decision-makers are still investigating the technology …

In a survey of institutional investors by the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), 63 percent of respondents believe that senior business executives have a poor understanding of blockchain technology. Cointelegraph acquired a copy of the study on Jan. 22. In December and January the market research company PollRight interviewed 71 institutional investors, including private equity, hedge funds and pension funds on behalf of GBBC — a trading association for the blockchain ecosystem. While most respondents believe that senior business executives do not understand blockchain, 30 percent consider their knowledge of the emerging technology as “average.” The remaining 7 percent described …

There are thousands of pump-and-dump groups on popular messaging apps, a study conducted by the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) revealed Dec. 18. Pump-and-dump is the fraudulent practice of perpetrators encouraging unwitting investors to buy an asset to inflate its price artificially, and then selling it when the price gets high enough. This practice is not new, Cointelegraph having reported last year about Telegram groups organizing pump-and-dumps. The newly published data, however, “suggest that [the pump-and-dump] phenomenon is widespread and often quite profitable.” According to an article on the study, published by Bloomberg Dec. 19, the researchers have identified 4,818 …

The Thai Ministry of Commerce has begun to conduct feasibility studies on the use of blockchain in copyright, agriculture, and trade finance, English-language Thai newspaper Bangkok Post reports Tuesday, Oct. 9. A Thai official from Thailand’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO), Pimchanok Vonkorpon, told the Bangkok Post that the study is being conducted with the help of the British embassy in Bangkok. As per the article, the ministry wants to find out whether decentralized solutions can boost the country’s competitiveness and credibility, especially in relation to small business. Vonkorpon added that blockchain feasibility studies will also refer to processing …

On June 28, news emerged that a study, conducted by Diar, suggested that the Lightning Network, which is being heralded as a potential way for Bitcoin to scale, is not as effective at routing payments than was first believed. The study’s overall claim was that “the reliability of successfully routing a payment on the Lightning Network is still quite low,” especially when it came to larger amounts. However, experts in the know — including Bitcoin core developer Jonas Schnelli and core development contributor, Peter Todd, as well as the co-founder of Lightning Labs, Elizabeth Stark — have all slammed this …

Holberton Software Engineering School announced it will become the first school to deliver academic certificates that are secured and accessible via Bitcoin’s blockchain. To this end, the school has collaborated with Bitcoin startup Bitproof that specializes in document certification on the blockchain. The new blockchain-powered certificates should make it easier for employers to verify job candidates’ backgrounds and reduce the number of false resumes. According to the information in Holberton school blog, each graduate will be given a paper certificate and a Digital Certificate Number (DCN). Graduates can include this number in their CV. Thus, the employer can easily verify …