The journey to this point has been much slower than I would have liked, but the progress is real. In the 10 years I’ve been in this field, including eight years as Global Blockchain Leader at EY, companies have embraced tokenization, Ethereum has become the global standard, and Ethereum has become the global standard. The permissioned chain trend is slowly dying down, although it hasn’t disappeared.

— Carefully selected what you want to read over the weekend from columns, analysis articles, interviews, etc. published this week.

In 2024, the “summer of crypto assets” will arrive. This time it’s different.

Looking back at my past predictions for the future, it is clear that I expressed a lot of wishful thinking. Like Oscar Wilde, who once said that he could resist anything but temptation, I can predict anything, unless it concerns the future.

Although my predictions about what would happen that year were often wrong, I think some key predictions were directionally correct. Nor is he content to remain on the sidelines. I am building blockchain business and technology with the express purpose of influencing its future path. …read more

Bitcoin ETF, two big wins

On January 11, 15 years ago, Hal Finney, a cryptologist and the second person to run the Bitcoin protocol after Satoshi Nakamoto, tweeted, “Running Bitcoin.”

Fifteen years ago, in 2009, Bitcoin barely existed. …read more

The biggest threat to Bitcoin ETFs that no one talks about

When I was waiting for Bitcoin ETF approval along with many people around the world, one thing bothered me. That means, with a handful of exceptions like Fidelity and VanEck, nearly all Bitcoin ETF applicants are looking to use Coinbase as their custodian.

As a cybersecurity company specializing in blockchain, we believe that this concentration of risk is a combination of the inherent high risks of crypto asset (virtual currency) custody operations and the fact that security best practices are still under development. It confuses me. …read more

“Alternative assets” sought by ultra-rich people, economic effect of over 50 trillion yen due to tokenization – Alternative investments are rapidly increasing in Japan

Traditional asset classes such as stocks and bonds versus real estate, private equity,private creditThese are called alternative assets. As concerns about a recession linger, more investors are turning to alternative markets in search of higher yields.

If the alternative asset industry moves forward with blockchain-based tokenization, it could generate $400 billion worth of new revenue. …read more

What I learned from investing 100,000 yen in ST investment in a luxury condominium in Nihonbashi, Tokyo

Luxury apartments in Tokyo, inns and hotels in Kyoto, which is popular with inbound tourists… New digital financial products that allow small investments in specific real estate are on the rise. Security tokens (ST) are based on blockchain, which is said to be impossible to tamper with data, and are used to securitize real estate assets into smaller units and trade them in encrypted tokens.

What kind of investment experience can security tokens provide for individuals? In this article, I would like to actually purchase a real estate ST and think about the operation of the ST. …read more

USDC wallets with balances of $10 or more increase by 60% – Current status of Circle’s financial superhighway concept

US Circle, which has expanded its digital currency business by issuing USDC, a stablecoin linked to the US dollar on a blockchain, has seen a 59% increase in the number of wallets with USDC balances of over $10 over the past year. It was revealed that the number has reached 2.7 million. …read more

Trump’s victory may be negative for crypto assets

Political media outlet Politico said on January 8 that if Donald Trump wins this year’s U.S. presidential election, the tide could “turn” in favor of crypto assets (virtual currencies). An article was published.

“It marks a significant shift from President Joe Biden, whose administration and regulators have consistently taken a skeptical approach, viewing crypto assets as a risk to consumers and the broader financial system,” said Jasper Goodman. Goodman) reporter writes. …read more

Cryptocurrency companies likely to go public this year

Circle, which issues the stablecoin USD Coin (USDC), is making another attempt at going public. This is the second challenge for the company, whose first plan to go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in 2021 failed.

Crypto assets (virtual currencies) are on a recovery trend amid a strong economic environment, and investment funding and initial public offerings (IPOs) in the blockchain field are likely to return in 2024.…read more

Will the next Bitcoin halving create a new hype cycle?

Now that a Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) has launched in the US, market watchers are looking for the next bullish event to drive the crypto asset higher.

Following the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) long-awaited approval, Bitcoin ETFs have outperformed and defied expectations, as if to symbolize the positive and negative aspects of a market swayed by excitement. They produce results at the same time. …read more

Bitcoin and Ethereum will drive altcoins higher in 2024

Last week’s approval of a Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) was a huge deal. Since its market debut on January 11, more than $4.5 billion (approximately 666 billion yen, equivalent to 148 yen to the dollar) was traded, and the Bitcoin ETF has been attracting attention from the financial industry in recent days. …read more

｜Editing: CoinDesk JAPAN Editorial Department
｜Image: Shutterstock