2018 was a bad year for cryptocurrency. Bitcoin fell from its
heady highs of $20,000 per coin at the end of 2017 to less than
$4,000 by the end of 2018. An estimated $3-$4 billion worth of
cryptocurrency was laundered across Europe, and an estimated $2
billion's worth was stolen worldwide, mostly from
cryptocurrency exchanges. In the UK roughly 50% of Initial Coin
Offerings ('ICOs') failed and 25% of them are thought to
have been fraudulent. By autumn the mainstream media was awash with
declarations that the Bitcoin bubble had burst. It is hardly
surprising therefore to hear that as we enter 2019 crypto-trading
is at an all-time low.
2019 may well be a brighter year for the crypto industry
however. Technological innovation continues apace across the
sector, from enhanced security for exchanges and wallet holders to
the development of more efficient, less volatile and more
transparent 'coins'. In addition a secondary market is
evolving in goods and services that
