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Showing posts from December, 2021

Bitcoin Uses More Electricity Than Many Countries

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Why Bitcoin uses more electricity? It’s no secret that the Bitcoin network uses a high amount of energy to verify blockchain activity and complete transactions. It’s one of the cryptocurrency’s most criticized features amongst opponents of digital currency and environmentalists alike. While crypto enthusiasts maintain its carbon footprint isn’t as bad as other energy-intensive industries such as construction, finance, and healthcare, its energy use is something that shouldn’t be immediately dismissed due to its widely documented impact on climate change and global warming . But does Bitcoin really use more electricity than several countries around the world? The short answer is yes, though it depends on which country you’re comparing it to. A 2019 research article by environmental researchers Christian Stoll, Lena Klaaßen, and Ulrich Gallersdörfer stated that Bitcoin’s carbon footprint equates to an annual electricity consumption of 45.8 TWh and has an annual carbon emis

What Are the Best Altcoins to Invest in 2022?

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Best Altcoins to Invest in 2022 We’re all familiar with the big names in crypto like Bitcoin and Ethereum, but there are many other competitors out there whose development teams are working hard to rise above the noise and claim a seat on the leaderboards by their cryptocurrency forefathers. In this article, we’ll be briefly covering a handful of these up-and-coming altcoins that are worth considering an investment in, with each looking to bring their own unique solutions and focuses to the cryptocurrency space in the new year and beyond. Avalanche (AVAX) Market Cap (at time of writing): $25,041,555,376.11 What is it? A speedy, low-fee Proof-of-Stake (PoS) model Ethereum competitor capable of facilitating up to 4,500 transactions per second that’s focused on scalability and used as a platform for decentralized applications ( DApps ), smart contracts, and custom blockchain networks. What makes it stand out? In a unique decision to help solve the “blockchain tri

WHAT SMALL MARKET CAP ALTCOINS ARE WORTH INVESTING IN 2022?

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Small Market Altcoins Are Worth Investing in 2022 Nowadays there are a number of low market cap altcoins proliferating in the crypto space, and it’s not always easy to know which are capable of rising through the ranks and joining the likes of top performers Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Binance Coin (BNB), such as Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA) have in the last year. This article aims to educate with a brief overview of five different altcoins whose market caps have slowly been climbing and may be worth considering investing in as we leave 2021 behind and approach the new year ahead of us. Harmony (ONE) Market cap (at time of writing): $2,800,672,688.47 What is it? A fast, secure, low-fee blockchain platform allowing developers to create decentralized applications (DApps) while offering a cross-chain bridge and interoperability with Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and others. What makes it stand out? Harmony’s developers are focused on delivering scalability, de
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How Much Energy Does Bitcoin Actually Consume? Bitcoin (BTC) has seen its fair share of criticisms ranging from its feasibility as an everyday currency to how it should be regulated (if at all), but one of its most common and hotly-discussed critiques is that of its energy consumption and subsequent contribution to global warming and climate change . So just how much energy does Bitcoin actually consume, and how did it get to be so energy intensive? As it turns out, a recent study by Moneysupermarket.com found that a single Bitcoin transaction consumes an average of 1,173 kilowatt hours of electricity, which is enough to power a typical American home for six weeks. And the monetary cost of each transaction? Based on an average worldwide cost of 9 cents per kWh in the last year, roughly $176. Of course, that’s for just one transaction. In early 2021, the Bitcoin network was processing upwards of 400,000 transactions daily, though in the last few months this

Which US Banks Accept and Use Digital Currency, Like Bitcoin?

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USA Banks accept and use digital currencies such as Bitcoin? There is a common acronym thrown around in the cryptocurrency community called FUD, which stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt . It’s become somewhat of an umbrella term for anything that’s negative, untrue, or skeptical about cryptocurrency in general, or a particular project. As such, anything from governments banning crypto to ad hominem attacks on a project’s creator can be considered FUD. As insignificant as it may seem, FUD from a large enough influential entity (such as criticism toward Bitcoin from a developed country’s government) can often lead to real-world repercussions, primarily drops in the price of Bitcoin, leading to a domino effect of selloffs in altcoins and tokens with smaller market caps, all fueled by panic. Few entities have spread more FUD about crypto than the banking industry. For years, bank giants have been heavily resistant to the idea of cryptocurrencies because they were se

Crypto's Slow Motion Gold Rush

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Cryptocurrency Mining is a Slower Gold Rush Crypto's Slow Motion Gold Rush: Cryptocurrency mining has often been compared to a new wave digital gold rush , but in terms of accessibility for the average person, it’s not always easy to get a mining setup up and running. China’s recent ban on both crypto mining and trading, along with their government’s subsequent crackdown on mining operations has led to exponentially increased profits for existing miners around the world, but for new miners, supply chain issues for precious parts including housing for chips, power cables, and transformers, coupled with a worldwide shortage on semiconductors have made entering the space a challenge. But these challenges haven’t prevented new mining operations from popping up all over the world. Before, during, and after the China crypto ban, there has been a mass exodus underway of miners forced to relocate to more crypto-friendly countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada, and the

Why Cryptocurrency Miners May Start Digging to Texas

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Why Are Cryptocurrency Miners Digging in Texas? Why Cryptocurrency Miners May Start Digging to Texas For years, China had made up the vast majority of all Bitcoin mining globally. Experts estimated upwards of 75% of the world’s Bitcoin mining operations were on Chinese soil. That was until the May 2021 government crackdown that completely banned cryptocurrency mining, effectively putting an end to all major mining operations across the country. A later notice released in September that put a complete ban on virtually all crypto trading of any kind appeared to be the final nail in the coffin for crypto in China. While underground illegal mining operations persist , most individual miners and mining companies had no choice but to pack up their equipment, leave their homeland, and set up shop overseas in a more crypto-friendly location to continue reaping in the profits. T hough the ban is an unfortunate scenario for any crypto enthusiast in China, Bitcoin remains

The New Gold Rush Isn't Gold

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Cloud Rush USA: Digital Currency is the New Gold The original Gold Rush was a significant period in California’s history between 1848 and 1855 that brought over large swathes of settlers hoping to strike it rich and change their lives for the better. The arrival of these miners and their families forever shifted the economy, population, and culture of both the Golden State and the country as a whole, and while there’ll likely never be anything quite of its same magnitude again, in the last decade we’ve witnessed the rise of a comparable phenomenon that has permanently altered the digital landscape: The advent of cryptocurrencies and the practice of mining them for rewards. Modern miners are armed with the latest and greatest in graphics cards and computer hardware setups, as opposed to the pickaxes and shovels of their old West counterparts. The more powerful their machines, the greater the chances of receiving rewards for performing complex computational calculations