Tyler Tysdal - Private Equity Fund Manager and Entrepreneur: December 2020

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Did Bitcoin prove itself to be a reliable store of value in 2020? Experts answer

Without any doubt, the year 2020 was unlike any other year in the 21st century: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, global governments unstoppably printing money, “lockdowns” and “social distancing” becoming the new normal, protests against racial discrimination and police brutality, and so on and so forth. It even made some claim it to be “the worst year ever.” But as they say: In every storm, each cloud has a silver lining. The most important thing is to learn from what we’ve been through and to improve our world and our future, as there are some problems that we have to solve ourselves.

It’s also true that 2020 was a significant, dramatic year not only for people all over the world but for Bitcoin (BTC) as well: the third halving, increased attention from institutional investors and global regulators, its white paper’s 12th anniversary, etc. Some even called it the “New Testament” of finance, and others suggested using it for the utopian idea of universal basic income. Bitcoin received global attention because of the Twitter hack in mid-July, which required the crypto community to defend Bitcoin’s integrity after the event placed the words “Bitcoin” and “scam” within one headline again. In October, PayPal announced it would offer crypto payments, and later in November, Bitcoin was on the homepage of the Wall Street Journal for its 80% price rally.

Related: Will PayPal’s crypto integration bring crypto to the masses? Experts answer

When 2020 started, it was hard to imagine how the world would change and how fast those changes would be. Despite all the negative impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, there have been some positive developments, at least within the crypto space. For instance, Bitcoin’s volatility has decreased since its peak in mid-March, and the pandemic has highlighted Bitcoin’s most important value: its decentralized nature. Some even argued that the pandemic has underlined the benefits of cryptocurrencies for the world. And while Europe experienced the shift to a cashless world, the United States remained more conservative and didn’t want to give up its paper money.

Related: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the crypto space? Experts answer

One thing became certain due to the effects of COVID-19: There are some serious problems with the currently existing financial system that might be solved by Bitcoin and by the technology behind it. And the similarities between the two recent financial crises — the first back in 2008 and now in 2020 due to the pandemic — revealed the systemic problems of centralized financial systems. While the first crisis gave birth to Bitcoin, the current one has made people turn to decentralized tech and Bitcoin on a massive scale amid the global economic recession. Some even argue that during the next decade, Bitcoin will play a crucial role in the global economy’s transformation, called “The Great Reset,” and that crypto mass adoption will be led by the millennial generation.

Central banks printed an estimated $15 trillion in stimulus by May alone as anti-pandemic measures to save global economies, throwing the U.S. dollar under the bus, as some said. And these measures turned people toward alternative financial tools, making Bitcoin a hedge against inflation and even an alternative to traditional finance entirely. Some even suggested governments make a monetary transition to Bitcoin to solve the national debt problems.

Another important 2020 milestone was the rise of institutional investors’ interest in Bitcoin. Although this trend seemed to be “built on nothing more than hope” earlier this year, 2020 surprised everyone here as well. Forced by the possibility of rising inflation, the hedging abilities of Bitcoin couldn’t go unnoticed by high-profile investors who saw crypto as an important part of a diversified corporate treasury holding, becoming major holders of digital assets this year.

Unsurprisingly, the crypto space has started to consider the rise of Bitcoin mining institutions inevitable. Also, China’s dominance over the world’s Bitcoin mining operations seemed to be challenged. And most importantly, the future of crypto mining will become more sustainable.

With the 2020 shift in public discourse around Bitcoin, it’s becoming more and more important to create a regulatory framework for the crypto space, without which it will have no future. The regulation, some argue, has to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and most importantly, it requires dialogue and close collaboration between regulators and crypto businesses.

All in all, it is hard to predict the crypto’s future in the post-COVID-19 world, as the pandemic has not yet come to an end. Meanwhile, it is impossible to neglect the impact it has had on the crypto space this year. The new Bitcoin era, after everything that happened this year, is forming the new financial order. And if fiat money might lose up to 90% in 100 years, Bitcoin’s future seems to be much brighter than it is now, considering that Bitcoin just reached $27,000 for the first time in history and is now targeting $100,000 within the next 12 months and $500,000 within the decade. And with 2020 coming to its end, Cointelegraph reached out to experts in the blockchain and crypto space for their opinions on Bitcoin’s path this year.

Did Bitcoin mature enough this year to become a reliable store of value? Why or why not?

Brian Brooks, acting comptroller of the currency of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency:

“We hope that our July 2020 letter regarding crypto custody will make Bitcoin safer for institutional and retail holders. Bitcoin was the innovation that opened the door to decentralizing financial services, and the growth of it and other tokens in 2020 shows the beginning of a transformation of cryptocurrencies from an exotic concept to a more familiar and comfortable means of engaging in financial services.”

Da Hongfei, founder of Neo, founder and CEO of Onchain:

“Since its inception, Bitcoin has witnessed and survived various ups and downs, and it now appears that investors, on the whole, are increasingly more confident in its value. More significantly, I believe that this signals how quickly we are moving toward mainstream adoption.

Throughout 2020, the blockchain space experienced an explosion in terms of interest and creativity, and we’re seeing the results now: More and more people are recognizing that blockchain is here, and it is here to say.

Moving forward, I believe we’re on the cusp of mainstream adoption, and I’m very excited for what 2021 will bring.”

Denelle Dixon, CEO and executive director of the Stellar Development Foundation:

“I think that the institutional focus on Bitcoin has created positive momentum for the entire blockchain space. Personally, I think it is a reliable store of value. As is much debated throughout crypto circles and beyond, engagement with the network in the long term may present challenges and affect Bitcoin’s ability to translate to certain business applications and use cases, but I believe that storing value and holding value are irrefutably its strengths.”

Emin Gün Sirer, CEO of AvaLabs, professor at Cornell University, co-director of IC3:

“We’ve seen over time how narratives around cryptocurrencies can shift and evolve to fit market demand or a network’s capabilities. The Bitcoin narrative around store of value and hedge against currency inflation has hardened this year, and I believe it’s now the dominant positioning for BTC, as its most vocal supporters and institutional adopters have rallied around it.

That’s a perfectly fine position for Bitcoin to occupy.

Personally, I’m most excited about currencies that have both a scarce, hard-capped supply like Bitcoin but also push for more sophisticated utility with functionalities like smart contracts, DeFi applications and asset issuance.”

Heath Tarbert, chairman and chief executive of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission:

“We have definitely seen an increase in digital assets overall. Bitcoin is among that market, but let us not forget about Ether, which I declared a commodity last year. The two of these together represent a large portion of the crypto market. And it has been an interesting year in this market — not just with the halving but also the move to Ethereum 2.0 and both Bitcoin and Ether forking.

Despite this, however, we must still recognize that this market is small compared with other assets we regulate. I think over time, this market will be comparable. Until then, however, there will need to be more regulatory clarity around these digital assets for these markets to grow.”

James Butterfill, investment strategist at CoinShares:

“Bitcoin remains a volatile asset. Many expect a store of value to have much lower volatility, but as gold was developing into an investment store of value in the 1970s, it too had extremely high volatility. As it has matured as a store of value, so too has its volatility declined. We expect the same to happen to Bitcoin, and early evidence alludes to this.

2020 has been crucial for Bitcoin. We see it as the year of legitimization for the broader public and investors, fortuitously aided/accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis and the consequent rapid escalation of quantitative easing and fall in use of cash. Our conversations with institutional clients have changed considerably over the course of 2020. What was typically a desire to speculatively invest has now become one of being fearful of extreme loose monetary policy and negative interest rates, with clients looking for an anchor for their investments. As their understanding of Bitcoin improves, clients have grasped that Bitcoin has a limited supply and fulfills this role as an anchor for their assets while fiat is being debased.

This year, we have seen cumulative flows (stripping out the price effect) into investment products rise from $1.35 billion at the start of the year to $6.1 billion today, with only 24 days of outflows for a total of 241 trading days this year. Investors are buying and holding — a good indicator that it is slowly developing into a store of value.”

Jimmy Song, instructor at Programming Blockchain:

“It’s not that Bitcoin has matured, it’s that we have. The mainstream investors are starting to take notice of Bitcoin’s 12-year history and starting to recognize how valuable it really is in a world of near-infinite quantitative easing. Bitcoin gives us true scarcity, and that’s why it’s useful as a store of value. Literally, nothing like this has existed in human history.”

Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum, founder of ConsenSys:

“Despite this very difficult year, I think that the broader decentralized protocol ecosystem demonstrated poignantly that we, like our Web 3.0 technology, are anti-fragile and that this technology will prove a worthy evolutionary successor to Web 2.0 systems. We continue to demonstrate that this technology will serve as a new trust foundation for next-generation, increasingly decentralized, financial, economic, social and political systems.”

Michael Terpin, founder of Transform Group and BitAngels:

“Store of value is an interesting concept. It doesn’t mean nonvolatile; after all, both gold and real estate have had their cycles, booms and busts, but to date, they have returned to a reliable mean so that there are very few instances where a 20-year investment in either did not perform as a reliable way of keeping ahead of inflation with very low risk of losing one’s principal.

To skeptics, Bitcoin was seen as the equivalent of investing in a single high-risk stock that could easily crash to zero — and in its early days, this certainly was possible. But no asset in history has ever gone from under one cent, as it was during the first P2P transactions, to this month’s high-water mark of $28,300. As each year has passed, the fluctuations have gotten more manageable — there will be no more 100-times gains in one year, as happened in 2013. This plus the clear signals from the United States, the European Union, China and Japan that they’re happy to cope with both the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and economic depression through massive money printing means that these currencies will vastly underperform hard assets in the next two to three years as the money supply in these nations expands at annual rates of above 20% instead of the historic 4% to 5%, which is near the true rate of inflation.

Barry Silbert primed the pump with Grayscale, allowing accredited investors an easy way to invest in Bitcoin that then makes its way into a publicly traded vehicle. Paul Tudor Jones, who made a fortune calling the gold boom in the 1980s, awoke the multitrillion-dollar institutional fund world by having his funds invest in Bitcoin, calling it ‘the fastest horse' in the race.

Michael Saylor, CEO and founder of multibillion-dollar public firm MicroStrategy, then lit the fuse on corporate fear and greed by using 80% of its $500 million in cash earlier this year to invest in Bitcoin, which has now more than doubled. More recently, he went even further and issued debt to buy even more Bitcoin.

Bitcoin has never been great at microtransactions — dozens of low-fee, faster-settling cryptos are far better at this — but it needed to go through this use case in its infancy. Its true value now is in sending large transactions instantly and safely, and as a store of value for the next century and beyond.”

Mike Belshe, CEO of BitGo:

“The 2020 bull run of Bitcoin is very different from anything we’ve seen before. Unlike the previous rapid rise of 2017, this year saw the influx of new large institutional players. New entrants like PayPal, Square, JPMorgan and others are bringing a new level of credibility, liquidity and stability to the crypto markets.

Institutions and retail investors are recognizing the importance of the principle of scarcity, which is the basic economic principle of Bitcoin. With governments overprinting money across the globe, Bitcoin is the most reliable store of value at this time and a hedge against inflation. Those who understand this will be in a stronger economic position than those who don’t.

I agree with Paul Tudor Jones’ recommendation that individuals who have investable assets put a small amount, perhaps 2%, into Bitcoin. And I’d go a step further and say that institutions should invest 5% of their corporate treasuries in order to stay competitive. Investing small amounts can produce tremendous upside with minimal downside risk.”

Paul Brody, principal and global innovation leader of blockchain technology at Ernst & Young:

“Bitcoin has reached that mature, stable store-of-value stage, but I fear it will never be without some controversy. While the Ethereum ecosystem is becoming a vibrant economic entity — with DeFi, smart contracts and infrastructure services being built atop the system — Bitcoin remains very focused on taking a role as a store of value. This will make it hard for some people to grasp, in the same way that many people still don’t quite realize that there is no gold or other asset that backs any other modern currency either. ”

Roger Ver, executive chairman of Bitcoin.com:

“Clearly not. Anything that can fluctuate from $4,000 to $20,000 in a single year is anything but a store of value. It is still just a speculative investment at this point.”

Samson Mow, chief strategy officer of Blockstream:

“Bitcoin was always a reliable store of value. The only people that say otherwise are the ones looking at it on very short time horizons. As public market companies like MicroStrategy have recently realized, Bitcoin is the only safe haven to store value — cash will just melt away from inflation and quantitative easing, gold is stagnant, and tech stocks are overextended. Now, we’re seeing giants like Guggenheim Partners and Ruffer pile in as they come to that same realization as well. Hyperbitcoinization is inevitable.”

Serguei Popov, co-founder of the Iota Foundation:

“Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies have been a store of value for many people for quite some time already. The considerable capitalization of the crypto market corroborates this, and it’s likely that quite a few readers of this article are using cryptos in this way already. Whether it is ‘reliable’ or not depends on the definition of reliability. Of course, it is true that Bitcoin’s — let alone other cryptos' — price is quite volatile and will probably remain so, meaning anyone who uses it for a store of value might experience some strong emotions. On the other hand, it is very reliable in the sense that nobody can take your Bitcoin away, as long as you keep your private keys secret and store them safely. This constitutes a unique advantage of cryptocurrencies in the store-of-value context.”

Todd Morakis, co-founder and partner of JST Capital:

“The institutions are here. This year, we’ve seen a number of large traditional firms either announce or begin to explore Bitcoin. While custody is still challenging for institutions, the Paul Tudor Jones announcement earlier in the year as well as the improvement of institutional Bitcoin solutions have led to much broader acceptance of Bitcoin within the traditional financial community. Bitcoin is no longer a bad word on the street.”

Vinny Lingham, CEO of Civic:

“Bitcoin is a speculative investment. Even if we see the price goes up, we have to remember that it’s still speculative. When will it become a reliable store of value? As I’ve been saying for years, Bitcoin may eventually evolve into a reliable store of value, but this growth process will take at least five to 10 years. We’ll know that we’ve reached the goal when Bitcoin becomes far more stable and far less volatile — in a word, boring.”

These quotes have been edited and condensed.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Title: Did Bitcoin prove itself to be a reliable store of value in 2020? Experts answer
Sourced From: cointelegraph.com/news/did-bitcoin-prove-itself-to-be-a-reliable-store-of-value-in-2020-experts-answer
Published Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 18:47:00 +0000

Will 2021 see blockchain grow?

It’s been a very interesting year, to say the least. The coronavirus pandemic has changed our day-to-day lives more than we could ever imagine and the world of crypto has hit new highs with bitcoin surpassing $20,000 earlier this month.

We hope you had a good Christmas and as we get ready to enter 2021, I think it’s safe to say many of us will be waving 2020 goodbye with a happy face.

The technology behind bitcoin, blockchain has also had an interesting year. Many big companies are looking at adopting the technology thinking it will help advance their business methods and they wouldn’t be wrong.

If you’re new to the industry, blockchain may be a word that is new to you, you are familiar with it but still have no idea what it is.

Essentially, it powers everything. Bitcoin, ethereum, and so on. Without it, you wouldn’t have cryptocurrencies.

In 2021, or we see Blockchain grow even further?

More than likely, the answer is yes. With coronavirus still impacting many countries all over the world, touching technology could seriously help with speeding The recovery of the economy. Yes, a vaccine has already been deployed in countries like the United Kingdom with a 95% success rate but the economy is going to need something a lot more to help recover.

On top of this, institutional investment has been massive this year. Many big companies have been getting on the bandwagon and are more likely going to be staying for the foreseeable.

For blockchain though, there is a hope that over time, complete industries will be using the same technology to help firms connect.

For more news on this and other crypto updates, keep it with CryptoDaily!

Title: Will 2021 see blockchain grow?
Sourced From: cryptodaily.co.uk/2020/12/will-2021-see-blockchain-and-grow
Published Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 09:30:07 +0000

Most-read Score Kiszla pillars of 2020, from Nuggets' playoff run to Broncos' problems

Here’s a look back at The Denver Post’s top 10 most popular Mark Kiszla columns of 2020, as determined by our readers.

10. Paul Millsap is $30 million of dead weight. Nuggets need to bench him to avoid getting bounced from NBA playoffs by Utah.

Published Aug. 19, 2020. “The first person requiring deep reflection is (coach Michael) Malone. He’s paid to make tough decisions. It’s time to bench veteran forward Paul Millsap, who has been $30 million of dead weight since Denver arrived in Florida more than a month ago.

“Insert Jerami Grant in the starting lineup.”

9. After bitter playoff exit, why Nathan MacKinnon is wrong to think Avs can stand pat and win Stanley Cup

Published Sept. 4, 2020. “The world’s best hockey player watched teammates surrender the lead three times before losing 5-4 in overtime against Dallas. Force-fed another bitter Game 7 pill to choke down, Kid MacK sat stone cold, processing the loss, his eyes raging with 1,000 what-ifs and 1,000 regrets that lingered after the sudden death of a championship dream.”

8. CU Buffs and Cornhuskers should be playing football, instead of being stuck in conferences where they don’t belong

Published Oct. 29, 2020. “Colorado has never belonged in the Pac-12 Conference. Nebraska has never really felt at home in the Big Ten.

“All the Buffs and Huskers want to do is go out and play football. For bragging rights instead of money. Like CU and Nebraska used to, back in the glory days of Bill McCartney and Tom Osborne.”

7. How on earth did Nuggets rally to beat Clippers? Thank Charles Barkley. And Paul Millsap.

Published Sept. 11, 2020. “Why do these incorrigible Nuggets refuse to listen?

“Kawhi Leonard, the scariest Cyborg in the basketball universe, gave them a get-lost glare. And TV analyst Charles Barkley kindly packed coach Michael Malone’s undies in a suitcase for a trip back to Colorado. But the worst team remaining in the NBA playoffs stubbornly refused to leave the Disney bubble, beating the mighty L.A. Clippers 111-105.”

6. Broncos need new QB, new coach, new general manager. But what bad team misses most is late Mr. B holding these losers accountable.

Published Sept. 27, 2020. “The Broncos need a change at quarterback. They need a change at head coach. They need a change of philosophy, even if that means saying goodbye to football operations director and Colorado sports icon John Elway.

Broncos scouting report: How Denver matches up against Chargers and predictions Kiszla: Should the Nuggets sell their soul to trade for James Harden? Heavens, no! Lunch Special: How much should the Broncos give up to land Trevor Lawrence? Kiszla: If Broncos can’t find way to get Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, it’s time for John Elway to take his ball and go home Kickin’ It with Kiz: Does starting Will Barton over Michael Porter Jr. make any basketball sense?

“But most of all, the Broncos need a franchise owner to hold somebody … anybody … everybody accountable for this mess.”

5. Why, like 98% of NFL players, Phillip Lindsay is likely headed for unhappy ending with Broncos

Published March 31, 2020. “As much as it pains me to say it, running back Phillip Lindsay already has one foot out the door. Not that he wants to leave Denver. But 98% of the time, goodbyes in pro football are cruel, because sentiment only gets in the way of rebuilding a franchise to championship contention.”

4. Call off the game. If football is a brotherhood, Broncos should refuse to play Sunday in New England.

Published Oct. 8, 2020. “If football is a brotherhood, the Patriots’ brothers here in Denver should refuse to get on the team plane to New England. This is where everyone from franchise president Joe Ellis to John Elway should make it clear to the league that the Broncos won’t participate in a farce.

“And a game Sunday between these two football teams would be a farce.”

3. Arrest of Melvin Gordon gives Broncos excuse to do right by Phillip Lindsay and make him No. 1 running back

Published Oct. 14, 2020. “OK, class. Here’s a case study, in which we will learn: What do the Broncos really value most? Is it the hard work and loyalty of Lindsay? Or that nothing should get in the way of beating the Patriots?

“Gordon was stopped overnight Tuesday in downtown Denver by police that clocked him driving 71 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to court documents. The veteran player John Elway is paying millions of dollars was then cited for suspicion of driving under the influence.”

2. If Broncos can’t find way to get Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, it’s time for John Elway to take his ball and go home

Published Dec. 19, 2020. “Hey, John Elway: The Broncos stink, stank, stunk. You need a Hail Mary to save a team without a prayer or a franchise quarterback.

“Bring Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence to the Rocky Mountains. Don’t tell us it’s impossible. With Elway, there’s No Plan B. Right?”

1. After bad loss to Atlanta, Drew Lock lets frustration get best of him for first time as Broncos quarterback

Published Nov. 8, 2020. “His postgame interview was a soliloquy on the lonely suffering unique in the NFL to a quarterback with the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. After this defeat, this was a Lock we had not previously seen. The irritation was unmistakable.”

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Enterprise blockchain trends that will drive adoption in 2021

The year 2020 has been monumental for the blockchain sector, especially in regards to financial markets. Yet, while the price of Bitcoin (BTC) reached new all-time highs this year, the enterprise blockchain space also welcomed in public networks, open-source code and a number of other elements not seen in previous years defined by private, closed networks.

Listed below are five enterprise blockchain trends seen in 2020 that can drive mainstream adoption of blockchain moving forward.

Tokenization will drive the internet of value

“The Internet of Value” is a term coined by Don Tapscott, author and founder of The Blockchain Research Institute. In 2016, Tapscott gave a TED Talk in which he predicted that organizations would begin moving digital assets, including money, music, artwork and more, across blockchain networks in the same way as cryptocurrencies are transferred. “Once it’s there, this is immutable. You can’t hack it. This creates the conditions for prosperity for potentially billions of people,” Tapscott explained.

Indeed, innovative enterprises today are moving items of value across blockchain networks. Known as “tokenization,” this process allows financial assets like invoices to be sent across multiple network participants, ensuring that all parties receive the same information at the same time. Everything is recorded on a blockchain ledger, which ensures trust and transparency between parties. For example, Coke One North America is leveraging the Baseline Protocol to send tokenized invoices across multiple supply chain participants.

Digitized invoices are just one example of tokenization, though. Earlier this year, Ernst & Young Canada shared a use case being conducted with the nonprofit organization Canadian Blood Services to tokenize blood donations. Numerous amounts of data is generated when blood donations are taken from donors and moved across the supply chain. In order to track data accordingly, EY Canada is leveraging the private Ethereum blockchain network supported by the EY OpsChain platform to track donation data coming from Canadian Blood Services across seven key points, creating an improved audit trail for blood products.

While these examples are still early use cases of tokenization, this trend will continue to be leveraged by enterprises. In order to ensure the widespread adoption of tokenization, the Interwork Alliance, or IWA, is developing standards for understanding token model concepts. The IWA is specifically focused on sustainability and trade finance use cases. Discovering a global standard for tokenizing carbon credits is also one of the alliance’s current priorities, as the blockchain sector can expect to see more tokenized green initiatives moving forward.

Supply chain transformation

Supply chain management is one of the most practical enterprise blockchain use cases to date. One of the earliest examples of this was demonstrated in 2016 by IBM, when the tech giant announced plans for its Food Trust Network. The network launched in 2018, illustrating how major retailers like Walmart could track and trace food products back to their source by leveraging a private blockchain network powered by Hyperledger Fabric.

Fast forward to 2020, and a number of industries have adopted blockchain for supply chain operations. A new report from PwC in collaboration with OpenNodes, IBM, Ernst & Young and others shows that asset tracking and traceability has become the most important use case for distributed ledger technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption trend. In March this year, The World Health Organization launched a blockchain platform designed to detect COVID-19 carriers and hot spots by tracking and tracing users’ health data. Some of the world’s largest container carriers have also joined IBM and Maersk’s TradeLens blockchain platform to digitally transform their supply chains. These carriers will begin to utilize electronic bills of lading while digitally sharing permissioned shipment information between supply chain entities.

Moreover, Deloitte’s 2020 Blockchain Trends report notes that initiatives utilizing blockchain in clinical trials and pharmaceutical supply chains have been underway this year. While few have reached production, the firm envisions that there will be a wave of solutions that will go live once regulatory concerns gain clarity.

Public blockchains

Over the years, enterprise blockchain developed a reputation as closed, private and expensive networks that could only be leveraged by billion-dollar companies like Walmart. However, 2020 has proven that public blockchains like Ethereum may offer a better choice for some enterprise users.

Ernst & Young was one of the first to demonstrate this, publishing a detailed blog post in Dec. 2019 explaining how public blockchains will make private blockchains obsolete moving forward. Although private blockchains are still very much being leveraged, more companies are using public blockchains to achieve benefits that cannot be provided by private networks.

For example, privacy and security solutions across public blockchain networks like Ethereum have become appealing to many enterprise users. As the space continues to mature, new privacy solutions utilizing zero-knowledge proofs are ensuring that data across public networks are secure, yet transparent when needed.

This has proven to be advantageous to some enterprises that have started leveraging the Ethereum blockchain for business use cases. For example, The Baseline Protocol, a set of techniques using advances in peer-to-peer messaging, zero-knowledge cryptography and blockchain to coordinate complex and confidential workflows, leverages blockchain as a middleware to demonstrate how the Ethereum mainnet can be used as an always-on, tamper-resistant state machine.

Through the Baseline Protocol, the Ethereum mainnet, or any other blockchain networks for that matter, are used as a common frame of reference for traditional systems of record. One of the use cases of the Baseline Protocol is being demonstrated by Coke One North America for supply chain optimization.

While impressive, the real challenge moving forward will be getting other enterprises to adopt public blockchains. After all, it’s not uncommon for an organization to think of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ether (ETH) when hearing the words “public blockchain.” In order for adoption to occur, enterprises must be open to utilizing a public network.

The rise of enterprise DeFi

Decentralized finance has grown to become one of the biggest crypto trends of 2020. The sector’s boom has laid the groundwork for “enterprise DeFi,” which is predicted to change financial services operations entirely.

For example, tokenized assets and fiat-backed stable coins will make moving financial items of value easier and less costly. This is already being demonstrated by companies like Coke One North America, which has begun tokenizing invoices. Yet in order for enterprise DeFi to become widely adopted, agreements regarding data sharing must be established to show that invoices and other financial transactions are valid and should be processed for payment.

DeFi protocols have also proven the potential to enable autonomous programmable digital securities in the future. However, regulations and standards must still be established in order for this to move forward.

Open-source blockchain adoption

Open-source code has always been an important part of the blockchain ecosystem, as it embodies the concept of open culture regulation. Interestingly enough, open source has become increasingly important for the development of enterprise blockchain networks.

While the Hyperledger open-source community was one of the first to demonstrate the importance of open-source code for enterprise use, a number of other projects are doing the same. For example, in March of this year, the Baseline Protocol was published to GitHub for public use, allowing developers to contribute to the project. In May 2019, EY made the code for its Nightfall solution open-source, releasing it on GitHub in hopes of speeding up the adoption of public blockchains. In June of this year, crypto exchange Bitfinex uploaded its “Dazaar” protocol to GitHub to allow users to share media across a decentralized network.

These examples show how enterprises have begun embracing open-source code to ensure the maturity of the blockchain space. Meanwhile, standards around open-source code are needed more than ever before. The nonprofit organization OASIS Open is one of those developing standards for open-source code used in blockchain projects, which will enable enterprise open-source protocols to advance .

Title: Enterprise blockchain trends that will drive adoption in 2021
Sourced From: cointelegraph.com/news/enterprise-blockchain-trends-that-will-drive-adoption-in-2021
Published Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:40:00 +0000

7 spots around the country where the inclines are actually less skied

By Cindy Hirschfeld, The New York Times

Devoted skiers and snowboarders recognize the plum benefits of below-the-radar ski resorts: fewer fellow powder seekers, shorter lift lines, relatively reasonably priced tickets and lodging, and, often, limited distractions from time spent on the slopes. Now, especially, these qualities hold even broader appeal, as skiers look to limit contact with others while spending more time outdoors.

At these seven resorts across the country, you’re less apt to jostle other parka-clad elbows while still enjoying a variety of terrain; plus, you can buy individual tickets — some areas require online advance purchase at least 24 hours ahead — at relatively good value.

Off-slope, you won’t find the wealth of other amenities or activities that may attract skiers in a regular winter, but if we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s how to avoid crowds and hang with the family. This is the winter to heat up a pot of fondue in the rental condo and play a board game by the fireplace.

Ragged Mountain Resort New Hampshire

Want to pick up skiing this winter? Low-key Ragged is a perfect place to learn; the resort offers a free three-day program for first-time skiers or snowboarders, which culminates in a discounted season pass option ($69) and reduced-price ($29) additional lessons. This season, class size will be limited to five students per instructor.

In addition to gentle beginner terrain, the compact resort’s 250 acres feature the type of old-school trails — narrow, serpentine routes down the fall line — that once defined New England skiing. One of six lifts at the ski area, New Hampshire’s only six-pack whisks riders up one of the two peaks, so lines move quickly, and snow-making on 87 percent of the mountain ensures solid coverage.

Lodge slopeside in the Cardigan Cabins (rates start at $498 for two nights) or five minutes away at the historic New Hampshire Mountain Inn (doubles from $170).

Good to know this winter: Check New Hampshire’s updated travel information, which currently requires a 14-day quarantine for visitors from beyond other New England states. Lift tickets ($78 to $89) must be purchased online in advance. The learn-to-ski program will be offered Monday to Thursday only. Base lodges will operate at 50 percent capacity, with 30-minute time limits for guests.

Whitefish Mountain Resort Montana

This large, but laid-back, ski area in far northwest Montana offers 3,000 acres of powder-filled glades, silky groomers and superlative steeps that spill off all sides of the mountain’s cone-shaped summit — plus, the distinctive rime-coated trees dubbed “snow ghosts” that add an otherworldly touch to the mountain’s upper reaches. This season, two new intermediate trails and more glading bolster the appeal of the resort’s traditionally expert Hellroaring Basin area. Fifteen minutes away, the railroad and ranching town of Whitefish offers additional lodging and restaurants amid a hip, outdoorsy vibe. For even more distancing, Glacier National Park, 25 miles from Whitefish, offers cross-country ski and snowshoe trails for D.I.Y. or guided adventures.

Good to know this winter: No restrictions on lift ticket sales, including daily passes ($85, with up to 25 percent off for multiday tickets bought at least 48 hours in advance online). On-mountain restaurants and bars will operate at 75 percent capacity, with 45-minute time limits for guests.

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Bolton Valley Vermont

Encompassing three peaks and 300 acres, this family-run classic features the highest base elevation of any Vermont ski area, some of the state’s heaviest snowfall, and ample tree skiing — from spaced-out glades perfect for intermediates to tighter stands for experts — among its 71 trails. Night skiing five times a week affords views of the vivid sunsets over Lake Champlain to the west. Bolton has also earned a reputation for thousands of acres of stellar backcountry skiing adjacent to the ski area; a popular instructional program offers clinics and guided tours with lift-assisted access and specialized gear rentals. What’s more, the resort’s Nordic center has 100 kilometers of groomed and ungroomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails.

Good to know this winter: Check Vermont’s updated cross-state travel information. Currently, out-of-state visitors must quarantine for 14 days, or for seven days if followed by a negative coronavirus test. Daily lift ticket sales ($30 to $100) will be restricted and may sell out on peak days. Kids’ ski school lessons will start at age 7.

Monarch Mountain Colorado

For more than 80 years, this central Colorado ski area along the Continental Divide has drawn powderhounds. Its fairly modest size — 800 acres and a 1,100-foot vertical drop — is counterbalanced by 350 inches of average annual snowfall that can stay untracked for several days past a storm, plus guided snowcat skiing on 1,600 additional acres of advanced terrain. Experts also love the hike-to, backcountry-style runs in Mirkwood Basin. Recent required thinning of pine-beetle-stricken trees has opened up more gladed skiing across the mountain. (Denver-based Meier Skis sells custom Monarch models using some of that harvested wood.) Many guests opt to stay in the artsy, riverside town of Salida, 20 miles east.

Good to know this winter: Daily lift tickets ($99, with up to 40 percent off multiday tickets bought in advance) must be purchased online before arrival for weekends and holiday periods. Only one party at a time can book a snowcat trip ($3,600), with a maximum of six skiers (two cats will run on many weekends).

Brian Head Resort Utah

For scenery alone, this ski area on the edge of the Mojave Desert, far south of Utah’s better-known resorts, is worth a trip. Surrounding red-rock cliffs, including Cedar Breaks National Monument two miles to the south, provide a stunning backdrop to pristine powder that accumulates from both northern and southern storm tracks. With a base elevation of 9,600 feet, that snow stays light and dry on the resort’s 71 runs across two peaks, one draped with gentle cruisers, the other with advanced to expert runs. Bonus: Bryce Canyon National Park is within an hour’s drive, and Zion National Park an hour and a half — winter is a great time to visit these normally crowded destinations.

Good to know this winter: No restrictions on lift ticket sales, including daily passes ($89, with discounts of more than 40 percent for advanced purchase online), or group lessons ($100 to $175 with five-day or more advance booking). The two base-lodge restaurants will operate at 50 percent capacity.

Sugar Bowl California

As Ikon and Epic passholders beeline past to other Tahoe-area resorts, a loyal Bay Area clientele veers off at Sugar Bowl atop Donner Summit, which relishes its independent ownership and attendant lack of crowding, as well as some of California’s deepest snowfall — 500 inches annually on average. Founded in 1939 (with the state’s first chairlift), the resort now offers modern amenities like five high-speed quads amid a backdrop of retro charm, including a small mid-mountain hotel reachable by gondola. The high-alpine terrain — 1,600 acres strung across four peaks — includes steeps on par with Tahoe’s best. Plus, the resort-owned Royal Gorge Nordic Center, North America’s largest cross-country area, has 140 kilometers of trails that start at the base of Sugar Bowl.

Good to know this winter: Season pass sales were curtailed early to limit traffic on the slopes while still allowing space for day skiers; a limited quantity of daily lift tickets (from $125), plus rentals ($49) and lessons (private only this season; $95 per hour, per person) must be purchased in advance online, at least three days before arrival for the latter two. The mid-mountain hotel (doubles from $169) will be open Thursday to Sunday nights only. All dining will be outdoors only, but on-mountain restaurants will be open for guests to warm up (in 15-minute increments when busy).

Schweitzer Mountain Resort Idaho

The state’s largest ski area, on 2,900 acres in northwest Idaho’s Selkirk Mountains, offers a buffet of terrain across two massive bowls — quad-burning groomers, well-pitched glades, plummeting chutes and more — plus summit-top views into three states and Canada. Better yet, powder stashes can last for days. Last winter two new lifts and seven new trails improved access and added intermediate runs in Outback Bowl.

Lodge slopeside in condos or stay in the vibrant, creative town of Sandpoint on Lake Pend Oreille, 11 miles away; next winter a 30-room boutique hotel will open on the mountain. The resort also operates 32 kilometers of Nordic trails, while outfitter Selkirk Powder offers guided snowcat skiing in a huge drainage on Schweitzer’s backside.

Good to know this winter: Daily lift tickets will be available through lodging packages at the mountain; otherwise, reserve them online ($89 to $95).

feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/s_SXWa8cmk4/

The DeFi boom

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for most of 2020, you probably witnessed the explosive growth of the DeFi sector this year. Particularly with crypto lending and decentralized exchanges, which attracted an enormous amount of capital inflow in a very short period of time. DeFi applications have been running in parallel with legacy financial systems in the last few years, but the void left by traditional financial services during this crisis demonstrates the pressing need to move to a much wider adoption of DeFi services. In a world where cash payments are no longer welcome and people predominantly work from home and transact over the internet, the move to DeFi seems a natural one.

Related: Yield farming is a fad, but DeFi promises to change the way we interact with money

While there’s no denying the real potential of DeFi, one question we should be asking is: Will this growth be sustainable? As we’ve seen in the past with other subsectors of crypto, they tend to follow a cycle where, following exponential price increases of new tech platforms and protocol tokens, the market goes into profit-taking mode. This results in fast declining prices, which precedes a slow recovery phase. The platforms that have survived those volatile early stages are now slowly consolidating their positions as adoption increases, and token prices are starting to be driven by more fundamental criteria such as number of users and platform volumes.

As DeFi is still currently only experimented with by yield-seeking traders, it remains to be seen whether DeFi will chart the same path in 2021 and beyond; however, its transparent, highly liquid and flexible financial models certainly hold great potential to benefit the real economy at large.

Related: DeFi needs real-world adoption, not just disruptive pioneering

Seeing with fresh eyes

The economic rollercoaster of 2020 and high volatility of the financial markets have yet again cast a spotlight on Bitcoin (BTC) and its function as a store of value. This has attracted an increasingly large number of prominent financial players. While Bitcoin may not be used as a transactional currency anytime soon, it’s clear that Bitcoin still maintains its digital gold status and is now increasingly perceived as a credible store of value by mainstream market participants.

Large private and publicly-listed corporations are seen diversifying their treasury positions into Bitcoin as a way to hedge against the impending inflation and benefit from potential gains in Bitcoin’s price appreciation — most notably, Michael Saylors’s MicroStrategy, divesting $425 million into Bitcoin this September.

Related: Institutional investors won’t save crypto, but they will help it grow

What’s perhaps even more interesting is that we’re seeing the world's central banks begin to warm to the world of crypto. While they have certainly watched the space from the sidelines with great interest, the COVID-19 crisis became a catalyst for them to act. In tandem with the Bank for International Settlements, several major central banks around the world took early steps in the right direction by publishing a report outlining a potential framework for introducing CBDCs as an alternative to cash.

Related: Central bank digital currencies and their role in the financial system

That said, significant technical and structural barriers must be overcome before any CBDCs become reality. To support these efforts, Mastercard created a virtual testing platform to allow central banks to assess and explore the implementation of national digital currencies, and is already beginning to test how it could incorporate CBDCs into its operations. PayPal has also marked its entry into the cryptocurrency market, enabling U.S.-based PayPal users to buy and sell digital currencies directly from their PayPal accounts.

Related: Will PayPal’s crypto integration bring crypto to the masses? Experts answer

Overall, it seems as though the blockchain and crypto industry is now being taken into consideration more seriously as a technology and an asset class by both private and public institutions, who are finally starting to realise that this industry will be here to stay for the long run.

Crypto in a post-COVID-19 world

Even before the global pandemic, there had been growing interest in the use of non-physical forms for cash; but when COVID-19 struck, it accelerated the shift towards remote, contactless payments, and the use of cash has fallen — this has all but strengthened the case for a digital payment system which, once merely thought of as just a convenience, is now more important than ever.

Related: Digitized Europe: The shift to a cashless world

Moreover, in places where people cannot access closed banks but are connected to the internet, donations made in cryptocurrencies could serve as a practical alternative to enabling more individuals to receive financial help, including some of the most disadvantaged. In addition, donating in crypto can make moving money across borders much easier and much faster, with much lower processing fees.

Related: Philanthropy: A missing catalyst of blockchain adoption

As a distributed ledger technology, blockchain also has a key role to play in the post-COVID-19 world. Trust-minimising blockchain solutions can be helpful when dealing with remote parties, as is the case during times when travel has become nearly nonexistent. To foster innovation and creativity within the tech community, blockchain hackathons could promote the development of blockchain-powered solutions with the potential to enable financial inclusion, reduce the digital divide and tackle the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Looking ahead to 2021

As we begin our recovery from perhaps the most dangerous health crisis that humanity has faced in a very long time, financial topics such as increasing global stimulus measures, ongoing market volatility and the looming spectre of a global currency reset are set to dominate the headlines in 2021. The current and upcoming financial crises triggered by the world’s governments reactions to stop the spread of COVID-19 have the potential to fast-forward the adoption of digital currencies.

Related: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the crypto space? Experts answer

We see these macro events as the prime drivers for central banks as they work to develop their digital currency models. Looking ahead, the advent of CBDCs will represent a seminal point in terms of the maturation of the technology, providing the crypto industry with a plethora of new opportunities — and challenges — for the creation of next-generation smart open finance products and solutions that will cater to the yet untapped global mainstream audience.

In addition, with signs of strong growth in the nonfungible token space, we can also expect to see a growing number of artists, NFT creators, games and marketplaces joining the space. As the world becomes more and more digitalised, NFTs are primed to be the solution to the question of ownership in the virtual marketplace as well as a new source of revenue — particularly when on-site events and sales are unavailable or out of reach.

In such turbulent times, what is clear is that while the coronavirus pandemic presents many challenges, it is also a unique opportunity to rethink how trust-minimising solutions like blockchain can help us discern legitimate data from social media noise.

Title: 2020 has provided the incentive to rethink our approach to money
Sourced From: cointelegraph.com/news/2020-has-provided-the-incentive-to-rethink-our-approach-to-money
Published Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2020 18:43:12 +0000

Most-read Denver Nuggets accounts of 2020, coming from skinny Nikola Jokic to Michael Doorperson Jr. business gossips

Here’s a look back at The Denver Post’s top 10 most popular Denver Nuggets stories of 2020, as determined by our readers.

10. NBA trade deadline: Nuggets not trading Michael Porter Jr., want first-round pick for Malik Beasley

Published on Feb. 4, 2020. As the Feb. 6 trade deadline inched closer, one name the Nuggets had no intention of dealing is rookie Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets also had to make decisions on fourth-year shooting guard Malik Beasley and fourth-year forward Juancho Hernangomez, both of whom could enter restricted free agency this past summer.

9. Altitude waives exclusive rights to Avalanche and Nuggets playoff games

Published on Aug. 11, 2020. Altitude has announced it will waive its exclusive broadcasting rights for Avalanche and Nuggets first-round playoff games, thus all games will be available locally on national platforms.

8. Nuggets Mailbag: Will Nikola Jokic’s weight loss negatively affect his game?

Published on June 19, 2020. “I get the premise and have no problem with the question. But from a year-over-year standpoint, Jokic just can’t win,” Mike Singer writes.

7. Nuggets coach Michael Malone calls NBA’s guest policy “criminal in nature” after 60 days inside bubble

Published on Sept. 4, 2020. When asked about having spent “a month and a half or so,” inside the “bubble” before the question cut out, Malone clarified the timeframe and issued a scathing rebuke of the NBA’s bubble policies.

6. Nuggets’ Jerami Grant expected to opt out of contract, source says, could command $16 million annually

Published on Sept. 27, 2020. Grant made himself invaluable throughout the Nuggets’ postseason run. When the Nuggets traded a first-round pick last summer for Grant, they hoped he’d provide the defensive versatility that he ultimately did.

Grant later opted out and signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the Pistons.

5. Nikola Jokic looking good after pandemic break

Published on June 12, 2020. Jokic was looking svelte late this spring and everyone wanted to see.

4. Nuggets’ Troy Daniels dishes on the Lakers, LeBron James and his path to Denver: “It’s good to feel wanted”

Published on Aug. 1, 2020. On his sixth team in his seventh season in the NBA, Daniels craved the chance to get out of the first round of the playoffs, something he’d never done. Had he stayed with the Lakers, that benchmark was almost assured.

But Daniels had heard the Lakers were considering other options with his roster spot, and there were no guarantees he’d be with the team after March 1. If the Lakers moved on from Daniels after that date, he wouldn’t have been eligible to play on a playoff team. So the Lakers did what was best for Daniels; they agreed to waive him.

3. Rockets target Michael Porter Jr. in potential James Harden trade, gained no traction with Nuggets, sources say

Published on Dec. 22, 2020. A new season, a new Michael Porter Jr. trade rumor. Houston’s interest centered firmly on Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr., the source said. Those talks haven’t materialized into anything substantial. Any potential deal would have to include Gary Harris or Will Barton, if not both, to match salaries, which would leave the Nuggets extremely thin on the wing.

2. Why Facundo Campazzo left Spain for the Nuggets: “This kid just doesn’t belong here”

Published on Dec. 20, 2020. For years, the 5-foot-11 firecracker dissected defenses for Real Madrid and the Argentinian national team, awing onlookers with his devilish passes and inspired play. The Nuggets were among those captivated.

1. Michael Porter Jr.’s tweets on George Floyd spark criticism from several NBA players

Published on May 29, 2020. The Nuggets rookie later encouraged his followers to “pray” for both the Floyd family and the police officers involved in the killing — a message that drew Porter a substantial amount of backlash, including from some fellow NBA players.

feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/HcWu4gyNwno/

KuCoin hack: $275 million in customer funds stolen

On Sept. 25, crypto exchange KuCoin was on the receiving end of a major hack that affected its Bitcoin, Ether (ETH) and ERC-20 hot wallets. While initial analysis suggested the hackers stole around $150 million, estimates began to increase in the ensuing days, ultimately making it one of the largest hacking events in the history of digital assets.

Related: KuCoin hack unpacked: More crypto possibly stolen than first feared

As it turns out, the hack was the result of private keys being stolen. While still prevalent in the digital-asset space, private keys mean there will always be a single point of failure through which bad actors can claim unfettered access to hot wallets. Put simply, they are a business risk.

A better approach would have been to leverage multiparty computation protocols, which eliminate the need for private keys and sign every transaction in a secure, distributed way, coupled with an enforced governance-and-control mechanism.

In the KuCoin case, even if the exchange was successfully breached, the hacker would not be able to execute any transaction not authorized by the institution’s infrastructure-provided policy engine.

OKEx withdrawal freezing

For five weeks in October and November, investors were unable to make withdrawals from cryptocurrency exchange OKEx. In a letter to customers, OKEx revealed that one of its private-key holders was cooperating with a police investigation, which kept them out of touch with the company and prevented its multisignature authorization process from being fulfilled.

For a platform that users leverage to carry out important investment decisions, the idea that a single person becoming compromised could result in a critical functionality being disabled for over a month is clearly untenable.

There is a lesson here: When firms use blockchain features designed for security to implement a policy, the result is overwhelming inflexibility. This is one of the paradoxes of the digital-asset space — blockchain transactions are secure and irreversible, but without the right approach, that same rigidity can spell disaster if things go awry.

To prevent this, firms must ensure their infrastructure includes a policy engine that, while not compromising on security, enables a more flexible policy control for multiple approvers, including the separation of signing on and approval of transactions. With this kind of solution in place, OKEx’s ability to fully operate would not have hinged on the availability of any key person.

Nexus Mutual breach: $8 million stolen

These hacking events were not limited to exchanges, as evidenced by the December breach of Nexus Mutual, a decentralized finance platform that serves as an alternative to insurance. The hacker managed to access the personal device of CEO Hugh Karp and install a compromised version of MetaMask, which led to Karp inadvertently signing a transaction that sent 370,000 NXM, worth $8.2 million, to an attacker-controlled address.

The issue here has to do with locally run wallets. These local wallets are unable to provide an out-of-band policy engine, so there is no way to verify that a contract and counterparty address are whitelisted, that the amount and issuer comply with company policy, or that there are additional approvers for certain transaction parameters.

Enlisting a third party with a more flexible, secure approach to infrastructure is the way to address these risks. This is especially important to reduce counterparty address manipulation, which is a risk in many scenarios. Even in the unlikely event that a provider like this is breached, there are safeguards in place to verify counterparty addresses, giving firms multiple lines of defense.

Conclusion

While digital assets have gained a remarkable amount of momentum in the past several months, many organizations still need to improve their security infrastructure before true adoption of digital assets can start.

This is not meant to chastise these firms, which continue to do important work to serve the industry, but to identify where their focus should be to achieve future growth and bring digital assets to the mainstream.

For all these issues — private-key security, authorization structure, local wallets and more — there are approaches that can lead to more efficient, stress-free transacting and fewer headlines that set off alarm bells for the traditional investors we all want to reach.

Title: A crypto New Year’s resolution: Modernize security infrastructure
Sourced From: cointelegraph.com/news/a-crypto-new-year-s-resolution-modernize-security-infrastructure
Published Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 15:47:00 +0000

# 233: The 2020 Spotrac Year in Evaluation

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These 2020 blockchain tech developments have set the stage for 2021

January will mark 12 years since the Bitcoin genesis block. In that time, blockchain technology has made many significant strides forward. The launch of Ethereum in 2015 introduced smart contracts and token minting. Subsequent years saw developments in areas, such as transaction privacy with the launch of Zcash (ZEC), platforms such as EOS and Tezos attempting to compete with Ethereum on scalability, and dozens of use cases being explored.

In particular, 2018 and 2019 were difficult years. Following Bitcoin’s fall from its all-time high in December 2017, it’s fair to say that the general appetite for blockchain and cryptocurrencies waned significantly during the long crypto winter. However, there was still plenty of innovation happening, which has started to become evident and pay off in 2020.

This year, several key themes have emerged that are poised to shape the blockchain landscape for 2021 and beyond. Here, Cointelegraph tracks 2020’s most significant developments in blockchain.

Platform and infrastructure development

Scalability, interoperability and privacy have been core themes in infrastructure development during 2020. Of course, scalability has already become an age-old topic in blockchain conversations. However, in previous years, the focus was on new platforms claiming to be more scalable than Ethereum. In 2020, the scalability focus shifted to Ethereum itself — in part because the first phase of the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade finally launched at the end of the year, but also because 2020 saw several critical milestones for Ethereum’s second-layer platforms.

With the Eth2 project still at least two years away from full implementation, it seems likely that second-layer platforms are set to thrive well into 2021.

Several platforms have put interoperability at the front of their development efforts this year. Early in 2020, Syscoin and RSK were two of the first platforms to launch a bridge allowing developers to send tokens back and forth to the Ethereum blockchain. Others were quick to follow suit, with Solana, NEAR Protocol, and Ontology also launching their own interoperability solutions using bridge technologies.

In other interoperability news, Polkadot launched its mainnet in May after several years in development. Much like how Eth2 is aiming to be, Polkadot is a sharded network that enables high throughput. However, the project places particular emphasis on its “heterogeneous sharding” mechanism for interoperability.

Whereas Eth2 will only allow its own shards to connect to the central beacon chain, Polkadot’s heterogeneous sharding supports any kind of blockchain, allowing other platforms such as Bitcoin or Ethereum to connect using bridges. Polkadot is already making its mark, sitting comfortably in the top-10 ranked cryptocurrencies and attracting significant interest from the DeFi developer community.

At the infrastructural level, interoperability has been perhaps the most significant focus area across the board in 2020. Therefore, we can surely expect to see more applications taking advantage of this technology in 2021 and beyond.

Blockchain privacy gets a boost

The ability to transact in private via blockchains received a boost this year, with the launch of two privacy-protecting mechanisms. In January, Monero announced Triptych, a new ring signatures construction that offers a greater degree of privacy protection by making it more difficult to detect genuine transactions among decoys. Triptych went live in September.

Elsewhere, Aztec Protocol, a layer-two, privacy-preserving network for Ethereum, launched its mainnet in February. In its first iteration, Aztec was using Zcash technology to enable “confidential tokens” that hide transaction values. However, in October, Aztec launched its 2.0 version, which uses zero-knowledge rollups in private smart contracts that also boost Ethereum’s scalability.

The Electric Coin Company, the operator of Zcash, announced in September that it was working with the Ethereum Foundation to develop the open-source “Halo 2.” It uses a variation of advanced zero-knowledge proofs used by Aztec. The shared research among Ethereum, Aztec and Zcash is proving to accelerate developments in blockchain privacy for the benefit of users across all platforms.

Smoothing the user experience

Poor user experience has long plagued the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. There were finally some signs in 2020 that showed promise for the benefit of crypto newcomers in retail and institutions.

The most significant development in UX for retail crypto newcomers was undoubtedly the news that PayPal is integrating cryptocurrency. The payments giant opened its crypto buy-and-sell services to U.S. users in November. The next big development will be a merchant integration in early 2021, allowing users to spend their crypto holdings on goods and services, with 26 million merchants on the PayPal network. PayPal says it will handle all the fiat conversions on behalf of the customers, meaning merchants can avoid cryptocurrency’s volatility if they wish.

However, because poor UX has been an ongoing issue for blockchain-based applications and crypto wallets for many years now, the good news is that we’re seeing developments among more decentralized solutions, too. Argent, a new type of wallet that reached significant popularity in 2020, uses smart contracts to enable non-custodial wallets without requiring private keys. In addition to its security features, the wallet also features direct integrations with decentralized finance, including an integration with flagship DeFi yield app Yearn.finance.

Another example is Authereum, a wallet that builds on the first layer of non-custodial wallets such as MetaMask. Authereum offers all the security benefits of a decentralized wallet while providing users with an easy and familiar onboarding experience, using a simple username and password access, backed up by apps such as Google Authenticator. It also eliminates gas payments.

Expect to see further developments in UX in 2021 as developers seek to remove barriers to entry for new users in the face of competition from giants such as PayPal.

DeFi leads the way on application development

DeFi was the undisputed leader of the application pack in 2020, achieving meteoric growth from $675 million to over $15 billion in total value locked.

The growth was fueled by several developments. Early in the year, several platforms, such as Aave and Uniswap, joined dYdX in offering flash loans, enabling limitless uncollateralized lending in DeFi for the first time. A user can borrow funds, stake them in other protocols to earn a profit, and repay the loan, all in a single Ethereum transaction. If they fail to repay, the entire transaction becomes null and void. Despite several high-profile attacks, flash loans have remained extremely popular among arbitrageurs seeking to make a profit from variations in price among decentralized exchanges.

The launch of Uniswap V2 was also a landmark event, with improvements to its oracle functionality, the introduction of flash swaps, and subsequently, an $11-million investment from Andreessen Horowitz. By August, volumes on Uniswap had exceeded those on Coinbase Pro.

While Uniswap’s automated market makers, or AMMs, have been around several years now, 2020 also saw a slew of newer entrants, including Balancer and Curve Finance. Both launched with the aim of iterating on the AMM concept. For instance, Curve offers multi-token stable pools, while Balancer further iterated on the concept by allowing custom token ratios — as opposed to Uniswap’s rigid 50-50 liquidity pools. Others, such as 1inch and Bancor, made strides in dealing with issues like impermanent loss, the phenomenon where liquidity providers make fewer gains than a comparable portfolio.

Composability — DeFi’s secret sauce

The true driver of DeFi’s value in 2020 emerged from the fact that, combined, DeFi decentralized applications are greater than the sum of their individual parts. DeFi applications developed on Ethereum are composable, meaning that users are finding new ways to stack up these “money Legos” to offer new possibilities. Even on the simplest level, users can stake their ETH into Maker to take out a loan in Dai, which can earn them interest by lending on Compound. However, if users have the appetite for riskier strategies, such as margin trading, the possible configurations are endless.

DeFi developer Andre Cronje was one of the first to identify the need to make this feature more accessible, so he created Yearn.finance as the “gateway to DeFi.” Thanks to his efforts, Yearn has proven to be one of the most popular DeFi projects this year due to its features, which make DeFi’s composability both automated and accessible.

Decentralized governance also emerged as a key trend in 2020, after Compound unleashed its COMP token on the market in June. It immediately flew to the top of DeFi rankings.

While governance tokens are seeing a fair bit of speculation, it seems likely that decentralized governance will continue to rise in prominence over the next year. Nonetheless, some technological and economical issues need to be resolved in 2021, including the concentration of wealth, scalability and the proper way to implement governance proposals.

Digital Identity — A foundational challenge

Digital identity has long been identified as a strong potential use case for blockchain to rein in some of the excesses of personal data usage today. It is also becoming an ever more pressing issue for validating blockchain use cases. As member of Congress Bill Foster pointed out in October, cryptographic guarantees are worthless in the real world if the person behind them is a fraud.

Digital identity is already taking center stage as a test use case in the EU-sponsored European Blockchain Services Infrastructure. In Japan, Layer X is working on a blockchain-based voting system underpinned by digital identities.

This year, enterprise-focused Concordium burst onto the market, promising a platform that manages the trade-off between transaction privacy and the need for an identity solution. It uses off-chain identity verification combined with on-chain zero-knowledge proofs and an “anonymity revocation” process. The latter kicks in whenever there’s a legitimate legal order to identify a party to a transaction.

Other digital identity projects are also making significant headway. Oasis Labs announced in December that it was collaborating with BMW on a project focused on the privacy of user data. It allows internal and external parties to query user data without compromising privacy.

Decentralized identity platform Ontology has also focused on the motoring use case. In September, the team at Ontology showcased how its “ONT-ID” could be used to access vehicles and securely record driver data. However, Ontology’s ID also has applications in other areas, including a partnership with Waves on an e-voting solution.

Central Bank Digital Currencies gaining rapid traction post-Libra

With seeds sown in 2019, this year saw the popularity of CBDCs among central bankers worldwide explode perhaps in response to the 2019 events surrounding Facebook’s controversial plans for a proposed stablecoin initially called Libra but that has since been rebranded to Diem.

China has been trailblazing, although it’s still far from a blockchain-based solution. The People’s Bank of China launched a pilot version of the digital yuan in April and, by November, had processed over 4 million transactions totaling close to $300 million.

Despite European Central Bank head Christina Lagarde stating that the European Union won’t be “racing to be first” to issue a digital euro, the bloc seems likely to move ahead with its own CBDC following the outcome of a consultation in January 2021. However, based on an ECB executive’s comments, it could be a very long implementation period. Elsewhere, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada and Switzerland have all recently issued powerful indicators that they will move toward their own version of a central bank digital currency over the coming months and years.

Using blockchain tech against COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic has cast a dark shadow over 2020. The emergence of several vaccines toward the end of the year has offered a glimmer of hope that “the new normal” may not be as permanent as it first seemed. However, blockchain technology seems set to play a role in managing the ongoing fight against COVID-19 and any other global pandemic that may arise in the near or distant future.

For instance, the aforementioned digital identity solutions could extend to “health passports” that convey a citizen’s immunity status, allowing a faster transition back to the pre-pandemic society. Privacy campaigners have understandably expressed concerns, but countries such as China and Singapore are already using blockchain technology to help generate verifiable health records.

The World Economic Forum has pointed to the effectiveness of using a blockchain in the global supply chain to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. IBM is also lending a helping hand and has expressed a similar viewpoint.

This year has seen a resurgence in blockchain development, along with the general appetite for cryptocurrencies and the advantages that the technology can bring. Whereas the last big boom of 2017 resulted in a bust phase and the long crypto winter of 2018 and 2019, there’s no reason to believe that this will happen again in 2021. Blockchain technology has progressed significantly since the last bull market, and the upcoming year is poised to continue delivering usable solutions for scalability, privacy and identity that may power the next major cycle of cryptocurrency adoption.

Title: These 2020 blockchain tech developments have set the stage for 2021
Sourced From: cointelegraph.com/news/these-2020-blockchain-tech-developments-have-set-the-stage-for-2021
Published Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2020 19:37:42 +0000

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Sidelined superstars, like Von Miller and also Religious McCaffrey, complete roster for NFL's All-Absent Team

NEW YORK — Big names with huge impacts — by not playing.

The NFL could put together a talent-packed all-star team of players who missed most or all of this season because of significant injuries or coronavirus opt-outs.

From Dak Prescott to Christian McCaffrey to Saquon Barkley to Odell Beckham Jr., this All-Absent Team has enough star power and playmakers that it might beat some actual NFL squads — the Jets and Jaguars? — right now.

Bad shoulders, knees and all.

Here’s a position-by-position look at this year’s star-studded squad, which includes players who have participated in half of their team’s games or less this season — while also likely ruining some fantasy owners’ fortunes in the process:

QUARTERBACK

— Dak Prescott, Cowboys. He was off to a fast start, becoming the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 450 yards in three straight games. But he suffered a compound fracture and dislocated right ankle in Week 5 against the Giants and missed the rest of the season. Prescott signed a $31.4 million franchise tag before the season, and the Cowboys can do so again this offseason if they don’t agree to a long-term deal.

— Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers. A year ago, Jimmy G was leading San Francisco on a Super Bowl run. Now, there are questions about his future with the 49ers. Garoppolo played just six games because of two high ankle sprains, and wasn’t playing particularly well when he was healthy. He’s scheduled to count $26.9 million against San Francisco’s salary cap next season and $27 million in 2022.

RUNNING BACK

— Christian McCaffrey, Panthers. The 2019 All-Pro was a popular No. 1 overall pick among fantasy owners, and for good reason. He was the third player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season and it earned him a four-year, $64 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. But he was limited to six games, first because of a high ankle sprain, then a shoulder sprain and then a hip ailment.

— Saquon Barkley, Giants. His season lasted just six quarters as he tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 2 against Chicago and had the meniscus repaired, too. His loss was a big blow to first-year coach Joe Judge and quarterback Daniel Jones — and those who drafted him high in their fantasy leagues.

— Joe Mixon, Bengals. Cincinnati was excited about teaming the running back with No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow. But both got hurt and ended the season on IR. Mixon played only six games because of a foot injury.

WIDE RECEIVER

— Odell Beckham Jr., Browns. Cleveland has a chance to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002, and could do it without one of the league’s most dynamic receivers. Beckham played in only seven games before a torn ACL put him on the sideline for the rest of the season.

— Julian Edelman, Patriots. The 2019 Super Bowl MVP had 13 catches for 236 yards in his first two games before slowing considerably with just eight receptions in his next four games. Edelman was placed on IR with a knee injury on Oct. 31 and won’t be back this season — and maybe not again for New England. The 34-year-old receiver could be an offseason cap casualty.

— Courtland Sutton, Broncos. He had a breakout second season last year with 72 receptions for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. But Sutton missed the season opener with a shoulder injury, returned in Week 2 and had three catches before tearing an ACL.

TIGHT END

— George Kittle, 49ers. He returned last week and had four catches for 92 yards after missing six games with a broken foot. He also sat out the first two games with a knee injury, so it has been a bit of a lost season for the league’s highest-paid tight end.

OFFENSIVE LINE

— Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, guard, Chiefs. The first NFL player to opt out for the season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Coming off a Super Bowl win, Duvernay-Tardiff — who has a doctorate in medicine — worked at a long-term care facility during the pandemic.

— Larry Warford, guard, Free Agent. He was one of the most sought-after offensive linemen after being released by New Orleans in the offseason, but decided instead to opt out over COVID-19 concerns.

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— Mike Pouncey, center, Chargers. The four-time Pro Bowl selection missed the entire season after having hip surgery in September.

— Tyron Smith, offensive tackle, Cowboys. The two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl pick played in only two games before having season-ending surgery on his neck.

— Nate Solder, offensive tackle, Giants. Another O-lineman who opted out due to family concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

— Taylor Lewan, offensive tackle, Titans. The three-time Pro Bowl selection was lost for the season when he tore an ACL in Week 6.

DEFENSIVE LINE

— Nick Bosa, 49ers. Last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year played in only three games before tearing his ACL and being sidelined for the rest of the season. Linemate Solomon Thomas also was lost for the season with the same injury, two plays after Bosa was hurt in Week 3.

— Jadeveon Clowney, Titans. Where he’d end up was an ongoing storyline throughout the offseason and training camp before he finally signed with Tennessee right before the season. He played just eight games because of a knee injury with no sacks, and will be a free agent again this offseason.

— Danielle Hunter, Vikings. One of the league’s most consistently productive pass rushers — he had 48 1/2 sacks the last four seasons — missed all of this year after having surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck before the opener.

— Jurrell Casey, Broncos. His first season in Denver after nine in Tennessee was limited to three games because of a torn biceps.

— Josh Allen, Jaguars. An impressive rookie season was capped by a Pro Bowl appearance. But his second season ended after just eight games — and only 2 1/2 sacks — because of a knee injury.

LINEBACKER

— Von Miller, Broncos. The three-time All-Pro dealt with COVID-19 in the offseason, then dislocated an ankle tendon a week before the opener and has missed the entire season. His 10-year run in Denver could be over, too, since the Broncos could save $18 million on the cap by releasing him.

— C.J. Mosley, Jets. The middle linebacker opted out of this season, citing family concerns about the coronavirus. Since signing a five-year, $85 million deal with New York in March 2019, Mosley has played in just two games.

— Dont’a Hightower, Patriots. Like Mosley, Hightower was an opt-out for the season, and New England’s defense sorely missed him.

— Chandler Jones, Cardinals. After a career-high 19 sacks last season, Jones had just one in five games before suffering a torn biceps.

CORNERBACK

— Richard Sherman, 49ers. The three-time All-Pro missed nine games after injuring his calf in the season opener, and played in four more games before dealing with calf soreness that will keep him out of the final two games. He’s due to become a free agent in the offseason.

— Trae Waynes, Bengals. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with Cincinnati, but tore a pectoral muscle early in training camp and missed the entire season.

SAFETY

— Earl Thomas, Free Agent. The three-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection hasn’t played this season after being released by Baltimore in training camp for behavior that “adversely affected” the team — including punching then-teammate Chuck Clark during practice.

— Patrick Chung, Patriots. One of Bill Belichick’s most consistent and productive performers on defense was one of New England’s NFL-high eight players to opt out for the season because of the pandemic.

— Landon Collins, Washington. The playmaking safety played in seven games before tearing his Achilles.

KICKER

— Josh Lambo, Jaguars. He injured his hip in Week 2 and missed five games before returning in October. Lambo kicked a career-best 59-yard field goal, tying the Jacksonville record, but later re-injured his hip on an onside kick attempt and was lost for the season.

— Adam Vinatieri, Free Agent. Sure, the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points is 48 and had his lowest field-goal percentage of his career (68%) last year with Indianapolis, but it seemed as though he’d kick forever.

PUNTER

— Chris Jones, Cowboys. A core muscle injury that required surgery limited the longtime Dallas punter to just eight games.

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U.S. skiers step out of Mikaela Shiffrin's shadow along with powerful end results

For the first time since Lindsey Vonn’s retirement, the U.S. women’s ski team is no longer solely dependent on Mikaela Shiffrin for World Cup success.

Shiffrin was responsible for all 34 American podium results on the women’s circuit in the past two seasons, but three months into the current campaign, two team members have scooped top-three results as well.

Paula Moltzan finished runner-up in a parallel event in Austria in November, and Breezy Johnson added back-to-back third-place finishes in two downhills in France this month.

The season has also brought a string of career-best results for Nina O’Brien, Keely Cashman and AJ Hurt.

“I am really excited about and proud of our team,” Shiffrin said after placing third in the year-end night slalom in Semmering, Austria, on Tuesday.

“Everything is building. It’s been a really long time since we had this much depth within our entire ski team. It’s really cool to see that.”

With a women’s record of 82 World Cup victories behind her, Vonn retired in February 2019 after winning downhill bronze at the world championships, but her last World Cup podium came at the finals of the previous season, in March 2018.

That same season Shiffrin won her second overall title while Alice McKennis Duran and Jacqueline Wiles also scored podium results.

Since then, it has been all about Shiffrin.

She had 21 podiums, including a record-breaking 17 wins, in the 2018/19 season, and 13 podiums the following campaign, which was cut short following the death of her father, Jeff Shiffrin, in early February and the outbreak of the coronavirus.

This season Moltzan became the first team member to step forward, finishing a career-best 10th in the season-opening giant slalom in October before earning her first podium six weeks later.

“I am kind of overwhelmed but I am really excited. I am really lucky to have a great team to share it with,” said Moltzan, who started racing on the same Buck Hill in Minneapolis where Vonn had her skiing roots.

In the final race weekend before the Christmas break, Johnson was the next team member to appear in the spotlight, getting her first two career podiums on two consecutive days.

The Jackson, Wyoming native improved one place from her previous best, when she finished fourth in a downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in February 2018 that was won by Vonn.

“I still will always say that I am really bummed that I never shared (a podium) with Lindsey Vonn. I was close one time,” said Johnson, who has recovered from severe injuries to both knees since that race in Germany.

“After the injuries, I have so much energy, I have so much fun.

“When we train, I am like: ‘How many runs can we take, can we take six, can we take seven?’ I have so much love for the sport and realizing that it could be taken away at any moment in a very real way, I don’t take anything for granted.”

Other team members have stepped forward as well: O’Brien got a career best in GS in October and added her first top-10 result by finishing ninth in Tuesday’s slalom; Cashman collected her first World Cup points by coming 17th and 16th in two downhills in France before placing 10th in a super-G the next day; and Hurt scored her first points in the parallel event where Moltzan finished second before finishing 18th in a GS in France.

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“These are athletes that I have watched skiing for years,” Shiffrin said. “I grew up skiing with them. I raced with them for 15 or more years. I know that they can have success in the World Cup.”

Shiffrin has contributed three of the American team’s six podium results this season, including a win at a GS in Courchevel, France.

The double Olympic champion and three-time overall champion wasn’t hiding her excitement about seeing her teammates fulfilling their potential.

“There are all these different stories that lead them to this place where they are finally having success,” Shiffrin said. “I am just looking at it and I feel so freakishly excited about it.”

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Broncos NFL energy ranks system: How nationwide pros position Denver going into Week 17

Sixteen weeks down, one week to go.

The Broncos lost a heartbreaker last Sunday, losing to the Chargers, 19-16. Up next: A matchup against the Raiders. Win and get a morale boost by beating a longtime rival. Lose and possibly get better draft position in 2021.

Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 17:

Bleacher Report (No. 24)Last week: No. 22

“From all indications, the Chargers have found their long-term solution at quarterback in Justin Herbert. The Denver Broncos will have no such certainty in 2021. Second-year quarterback Drew Lock had another miserable game in Sunday’s loss to the Bolts–264 yards, a pair of interceptions and a passer rating barely over 50.” See the full rankings.

CBS Sports (No. 21)Last week: No. 22

“They have to be excited about the future. Vic Fangio is coming back, and it’s the right thing to do,” Pete Prisco writes. See the full rankings.

ESPN (No. 27)Last week: No. 24

“People often say if you have your health you have everything. Well, the Broncos would certainly like to see if that can be true in 2021. The Broncos have lost four defensive starters — including Von Miller for the entire season — their No. 1 receiver (Courtland Sutton) for all but two games and two-time 1,000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay. At one point the Broncos lost four cornerbacks to injury in a two-week span as a fifth — A.J. Bouye — was suspended for violating the league’s PED policy. Toss in a game in which the Broncos had to play without a rostered quarterback due to COVID-19 protocols and it has been a season unlike any other Vic Fangio has seen in more than three decades in the NFL.” Jeff Legwold writes. See the full rankings.

NFL.com (No. 27)Last week: No. 25

“The Broncos showed fight in battling back from a 13-0 halftime deficit in Sunday’s narrow loss to the Chargers, but maddening mistakes continue to be a trademark of this offense. Drew Lock threw two interceptions, extending his turnover streak to a league-worst 11 straight games, while rookie wideout Jerry Jeudy finished with five dropped passes. One came in the end zone, another had the chance to go for a game-winning score in the final minute. Jeudy has been the most targeted receiver on the Broncos this season, but those opportunities haven’t translated into results for the second wideout taken in the 2020 NFL Draft. Jeudy is a gem that needs polish,” Dan Hanzus writes. See the full rankings.

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Sporting News (No. 25)Last week: No. 25

“Drew Lock keeps making it hard to know whether he’s the guy, trading some big mistakes for some big plays. Credit the defense for grinding well all season without Von Miller,” Vinnie Iyer writes. See the full rankings.

Sports Illustrated (No. 25)Last week: No. 25

“I’m all for bringing Vic Fangio back for the sake of having some continuity in Denver. The problem is that the Broncos enter 2021 without a clear answer at quarterback for the sixth consecutive season,” Gary Gramling writes. See the full rankings.

USA Today (No. )Last week: No. 21

See the full rankings.

Yahoo Sports (No. 22)Last week: No. 23

“Jerry Jeudy had a horrible Sunday. The first-round pick had five drops including one in the end zone. That doesn’t mean he’s a bust. This happens to a lot of receivers who go on to have great careers. It was just a really bad day,” Frank Schwab writes. See the full rankings.

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Thursday, December 31, 2020

Did Bitcoin mature enough this year to become a reliable store of value? Why or why not?

Brian Brooks, acting comptroller of the currency of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency:

Da Hongfei, founder of Neo, founder and CEO of Onchain:

Denelle Dixon, CEO and executive director of the Stellar Development Foundation:

Emin Gün Sirer, CEO of AvaLabs, professor at Cornell University, co-director of IC3:

Heath Tarbert, chairman and chief executive of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission:

James Butterfill, investment strategist at CoinShares:

Jimmy Song, instructor at Programming Blockchain:

Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum, founder of ConsenSys:

Michael Terpin, founder of Transform Group and BitAngels:

Mike Belshe, CEO of BitGo:

Paul Brody, principal and global innovation leader of blockchain technology at Ernst & Young:

Roger Ver, executive chairman of Bitcoin.com:

Samson Mow, chief strategy officer of Blockstream:

Serguei Popov, co-founder of the Iota Foundation:

Todd Morakis, co-founder and partner of JST Capital:

Vinny Lingham, CEO of Civic:

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9. After bitter playoff exit, why Nathan MacKinnon is wrong to think Avs can stand pat and win Stanley Cup

8. CU Buffs and Cornhuskers should be playing football, instead of being stuck in conferences where they don’t belong

7. How on earth did Nuggets rally to beat Clippers? Thank Charles Barkley. And Paul Millsap.

6. Broncos need new QB, new coach, new general manager. But what bad team misses most is late Mr. B holding these losers accountable.

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2. If Broncos can’t find way to get Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, it’s time for John Elway to take his ball and go home

1. After bad loss to Atlanta, Drew Lock lets frustration get best of him for first time as Broncos quarterback

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Tokenization will drive the internet of value

Supply chain transformation

Public blockchains

The rise of enterprise DeFi

Open-source blockchain adoption

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The DeFi boom

Seeing with fresh eyes

Crypto in a post-COVID-19 world

Looking ahead to 2021

10. NBA trade deadline: Nuggets not trading Michael Porter Jr., want first-round pick for Malik Beasley

9. Altitude waives exclusive rights to Avalanche and Nuggets playoff games

8. Nuggets Mailbag: Will Nikola Jokic’s weight loss negatively affect his game?

7. Nuggets coach Michael Malone calls NBA’s guest policy “criminal in nature” after 60 days inside bubble

6. Nuggets’ Jerami Grant expected to opt out of contract, source says, could command $16 million annually

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4. Nuggets’ Troy Daniels dishes on the Lakers, LeBron James and his path to Denver: “It’s good to feel wanted”

3. Rockets target Michael Porter Jr. in potential James Harden trade, gained no traction with Nuggets, sources say

2. Why Facundo Campazzo left Spain for the Nuggets: “This kid just doesn’t belong here”

1. Michael Porter Jr.’s tweets on George Floyd spark criticism from several NBA players

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KuCoin hack: $275 million in customer funds stolen

OKEx withdrawal freezing

Nexus Mutual breach: $8 million stolen

Conclusion

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Platform and infrastructure development

Blockchain privacy gets a boost

Smoothing the user experience

DeFi leads the way on application development

Composability — DeFi’s secret sauce

Digital Identity — A foundational challenge

Central Bank Digital Currencies gaining rapid traction post-Libra

Using blockchain tech against COVID-19

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

QUARTERBACK

RUNNING BACK

WIDE RECEIVER

TIGHT END

OFFENSIVE LINE

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DEFENSIVE LINE

LINEBACKER

CORNERBACK

SAFETY

KICKER

PUNTER

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