Bitcoin (BTC) has wowed investors with all-time highs and year-to-date returns of over 200% — but there are stocks that still beat it. As of Dec. 22, markets' data shows that no fewer than five companies’ stocks have given investors better rewards than a Bitcoin position since the start of 2020. Peloton Interactive Inc. First pitting itself against Bitcoin and winning is an unlikely success story — fitness equipment manufacturer Peloton Interactive. At 384% annual returns, $PTON has delivered significantly thanks (most likely) to lockdowns forcing consumers to work out at home instead of at the gym or outside. The …

Humans, being only human, tend to hang on to their cherished beliefs — even in the face of overwhelming contradiction. That’s why recantations — that is, public acts of refuting a previously held opinion — are so rare. This year, however, has presented several notable changes of heart where Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies were concerned — abetted, perhaps, by BTC’s climb to record price levels. Here are eight of the year’s more memorable turnarounds. Nouriel Roubini, economist Crypto’s most ferocious critic recanted in 2020. Roubini, an NYU professor of economics who gained fame by predicting the 2007–2009 housing bubble, …

Timothy Lane, deputy governor of the Bank of Canada and head of research at the bank’s fintech and crypto department, claimed that Canada’s central bank digital currency, or CBDC, might see the light of the day “sooner than expected." Lane delivered his remarks in a Tuesday interview on the Bank of Canada’s approach to digital payment systems. According to Lane, the predicted decline in COVID-19-fueled cash transactions has been happening more rapidly than the bank had previously expected. This could trigger the bank to issue a CBDC sooner that it originally planned: “In February, we identified two scenarios that we …

Cryptocurrency-related fraud and theft are likely to grow in the post-COVID-19 world, according to a new report by cybersecurity and antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab. Securelist, Kaspersky’s cyberthreat research arm, published a report on cyberthreats to financial organizations, forecasting some specific types of financial attacks that are likely to surge in 2021. Securelist has predicted that a wave of poverty fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic will inevitably lead to “more people resorting to crime including cybercrime.” That could also mean a rise in crimes related to Bitcoin (BTC). According to Kaspersky’s research arm, Bitcoin is likely to be the most attractive …

Bithumb, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea, is preparing to close some of its offices due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to an official announcement on Nov. 23, Bithumb will be temporarily suspending its offline support center in Gangnam to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Bithumb noted that the number of domestic confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease has increased, causing local authorities to adopt more preventive measures. Bithumb’s support center in Seoul will be closed on Nov. 24 until further notice. In the meantime, Bithumb will operate an online customer support center. Bithumb has been actively posting …

Who could have imagined a year ago how different our lives would be in just 12 months? Without any doubt, last November will remain a significant point in humanity’s history — the time when it all started. Although “patient zero” has not yet been confirmed — if it ever will be at all — we now know that everything began in China back on Nov. 17, 2019, when the first patient reportedly presented symptoms of a novel coronavirus disease named COVID-19, according to the South China Morning Post with references to government data. In January 2020, Wuhan city in central …

Open The New York Times' rolling survey of coronavirus cases on United States college campuses, and the picture looks bleak: As of Nov. 5, over 252,000 cases had been confirmed across 1,600 colleges nationwide. The spread of infection, combined with an at best incompetent and at worst cynical and exploitative policy toward college students and staff has resulted in university communities facing stringent quarantines in unsafe accommodations or being summarily sent home. All the while, students are expected to foot the bill for the full cost of their tuition fees. With over 2,500 reported cases as of Nov. 5, Arizona …

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to push more people out of their offices, many companies across the globe are adopting decentralized ledger technology to mitigate its effects and remain operational. Emmanuelle Ganne, senior analyst at the World Trade Organization, told Cointelegraph that “The current pandemic, which has a devastating impact on small businesses, is an opportunity to accelerate trade digitalization, to the benefit of SMEs in particular.” Ganne added: “DLTs have the potential to remove many of the inefficiencies that hinder international trade and to slash trade costs, which weigh more heavily on small firms, a fortiori in times of …

On Nov. 9, drugmaker Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is 90-plus percent effective, and even though it may be premature to proclaim the pandemic’s end — as the virus continues to rage in the United States and Europe — once can at least speculate: Where will blockchain adoption stand when the crisis abates? Some predicted, after all, that the global healthcare upheaval might provide a perfect storm for worldwide blockchain adoption. A Harvard Business Review article from April titled "How the Pandemic Is Pushing Blockchain Forward," for instance, notes: “The virus has revealed the weaknesses in our supply chains, …

With an eye towards the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, Albany Airport has begun experimenting with the "Wellness Trace App" to track the cleanliness of surfaces and objects inside the airport. The app, developed by General Electric Co. (GE) in partnership with TE-FOOD and Eurofins, aims to provide a safe travel experience during and after the coronavirus pandemic. It is built using the Microsoft Azure enterprise blockchain. The app aims to provide travelers with information about the cleanliness of surfaces prior to travelers touching them in real-time. Travelers will be able to gather this information by scanning QR code stickers scattered …

Once the coronavirus pandemic is over and lockdown restrictions end, there’s one thing that will be a priority for many of us: booking a vacation. But here’s the problem — many hotel rooms are charged at eye-watering prices, with some travel websites serving as middlemen and adding hefty commissions in the process. Now, Electroneum has announced that its native digital asset can be used as a payment method on LockTrip, a site that allows globetrotters to discover secret travel deals and save up to 60% on the cost of their holiday. The crypto payments firm says it is constantly looking …

Deutsche Bank, the largest banking institution in Germany, is confident that central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, will replace cash in the future. The bank’s research arm, Deutsche Bank Research, published a new report on economic estimations and proposals to assist global economies hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Titled “What We Must Do to Rebuild,” the study was released on Nov. 10. In the report, Deutsche Bank states that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the “digital cash revolution.” According to the bank, this revolution will eventually enable CBDCs like China’s digital yuan or Sweden’s e-krona to replace cash in …