There is no doubt that blockchain, cryptocurrencies and ICOs are
now part of the international financial mainstream. It was reported in April that the total
cryptocurrency market capitalisation had topped $400 billion, and
the underlying blockchain technology is being put to ever more
elaborate and creative uses from music licensing to diamond
provenance. Similarly, funds raised via ICOs have recently gone
through the $4 billion barrier.
But when something is new it often divides opinion, and views on
these innovative new products are certainly diverse. On the one
hand, there are evangelists who regard them as central to the Next
(or Current) Big Thing – key components of a digital
revolution. Conversely, at the other end of the spectrum,
there are sceptics who believe the Next Big Bubble will inevitably
burst and that an awful lot of people are lining up to lose an
awful lot of money.
