Is Crypto Next?
Tags: blockchain, cryptocurrency, crypto
Published: 2022-11-11 07:30:17

Cryptocurrency has altered our perceptions of the global economy and established new limits for our future. Because of its independence and convenience, this digital money has become a popular and viable mode of payment worldwide. However, despite all of the crypto's advantages, it also poses several obstacles due to its newness. [Crypto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency) understanding is a topic that most people in our society struggle with, which will hinder the industry's progress. The mining and selling of cryptocurrency necessitate a significant amount of electricity, potentially damaging the environment. It takes a lot of energy, but investors are concerned about the safety of their money in this kind of currency. Hackers and scammers are continuously coming up with new ways to steal money using cryptocurrency, posing a severe threat to the industry's growth. Crypto has a bright future ahead of it, and these challenges must be addressed to gain widespread acceptance. 

One of the biggest problems with cryptocurrencies is that it hasn't been widely accepted as a legitimate form of payment in our society. Not only does our government struggle to regulate the usage of cryptocurrencies, but people who have no interest in technology or an economic background will find it challenging to comprehend the currency. "For cryptocurrency to be money, it (bitcoin) would have to be so easy to use it's a no-brainer. It would have to be completely friction-free and understandable by everybody first. So easy that grandma could do it" - Mark Cuban (Veteran Bitcoin Investor). 

Bitcoin is a difficult concept to grasp for many individuals since they don't comprehend how markets work in the first place. People have become so accustomed to utilizing fiat currency that they assume it works to obtain goods from others. They have a basic understanding of how currency works, including why it has value, how much there is, how it is made, and whether or not the bank has the money they claim to have. People are perplexed and turned off by bitcoin because it requires a thorough understanding of encryption, technology, economics, and possibly even more. It's challenging to grasp totally, but you don't have to comprehend something to use it and benefit from it. Bitcoin's consumer-facing technology is now rawer than previous technologies, perceiving it more challenging to understand. People don't fully grasp how email, the internet, or the U.S. Dollar work, yet we can use them without knowing how they work.

To fix this issue begins with the government. Recent research found that 80% of the world's central banks were either not allowed to issue digital currency under the existing laws, or their legal frameworks are ambiguous and do not permit them to do so. If the government enables banks to use digital currency, there will be a wider acceptance of it, which will allow the government to regulate it and raise its value. But the beauty of crypto is that it is decentralized and doesn't have a single controlling entity. Governments can influence the price of the cryptocurrency in a variety of ways. First, they can control the price of digital assets by purchasing and selling them on international exchanges. Second, they can enact strict rules, ultimately resulting in a cost increase. Governments could make some modifications to these two methods, but they are unlikely to impact cryptocurrencies. Because cryptocurrencies are purchased and sold worldwide, the regulation would necessitate concerted efforts from several governments. Crypto regulation's goal would be to safeguard investors, prevent fraud, and minimize speculation in crypto assets, which would boost investor trust. When people realize that cryptocurrency is valuable, they will put in the effort to understand it truly. 

Bitcoin and other digital currencies are damaging to the environment. Cryptocurrency is decentralized, meaning that no single person or group has authority over it, but instead, all users do. Decentralized [blockchains](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blockchain.asp) are immutable, meaning that the data input cannot be changed. Cryptocurrency supporters claim that the decentralized structure has several advantages over centralized currency systems because cryptocurrency networks may function without the need for a trusted intermediary such as a central bank. Miners use vast quantities of computational power to operate and maintain the security of a cryptocurrency network in place of any centralized authority. If prices and user acceptance continue to rise, the quantity of energy needed by cryptocurrency mining is likely to increase. 

Mining cryptocurrency is a competitive field; as the value of the block reward rises, so do the incentives to begin mining. Higher cryptocurrency values indicate that crypto networks consume more electricity. According to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, bitcoin-mining operations worldwide now use energy at nearly a hundred and twenty percent terawatt-hours per year. This is the total annual domestic power usage in Sweden as a whole. According to the Web site Digiconomist, a single bitcoin transaction uses the same amount of power that the average American household consumes in a month and is responsible for roughly a million times more carbon emissions than a single Visa transaction. It is unreasonable to devote Sweden's worth of electricity to a virtual currency when the world desperately needs to reduce carbon emissions. Researchers at the University of Cambridge report that most Bitcoin mining—around 38% in Dec. 2021—took place in the U.S. following China's crypto ban. Digiconomist predicts that the Bitcoin network emits approximately 114 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is equal to the amount produced by the Czech Republic, based on the geographical spread of the mining hash rate on data through May 27, 2022. A blockchain's mining should not result in the same carbon emissions as a single country. 

There are valid methods that can help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide caused by the [mining of cryptocurrency](https://pixelplex.io/blog/green-cryptocurrency-mining/). The proof-of-stake method of authenticating cryptocurrency transactions and minting new coins is a non-computing-intensive alternative to bitcoin mining. Instead, validators are granted authorization to confirm transactions and manage the crypto network depending on the cryptocurrency they have "staked" or promised not to trade or sell. Proof-of-stake is a cryptocurrency consensus mechanism for processing transactions and creating new blocks in a blockchain. A consensus mechanism is a technique for validating and securing entries in a distributed database. In the case of bitcoin, the database is known as a blockchain, and the consensus mechanism ensures the blockchain. This will save electricity, but it will also make cryptocurrencies a safer and more valuable means of payment. Proof of stake is becoming more popular as a consensus technique in the cryptocurrency industry. PoS is being used as the consensus method in around 80 different cryptocurrencies. Cardano (ADA), Tron (TRX), EOS (EOS), Cosmos (ATOM), Tezos (XTC), etc. This will make the industry more efficient, but it will also lower the quantity of energy used, making it more socially acceptable. 

Hackers and scammers are constantly devising new ways to steal cryptocurrencies, posing a severe threat to the industry's growth. They can hack investors' cryptocurrency wallets and steal their funds, create counterfeit wallets to defraud counterparties, and create fake crypto exchanges to defraud clients. "The most common telltale sign of an investment scam is an offer of guaranteed high returns with no risk. It is important for investors to understand what they are investing in and with whom they are investing," said Melanie Senter Lubin, NASAA President, and Maryland Securities Commissioner. Cryptocurrency theft grew even more, with roughly $3.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen in 2021, which increased by 516% compared to 2020. Approximately $2.2 billion of those funds, 72% of the 2021 total, were stolen from DeFi protocols. Another issue with theft in the industry is that The classic pump and dump strategy, in which stock owners try to push up the market before dumping off their shares at a pre-determined peak, could be given a new twist with cryptocurrency. This is common in the crypto world, especially during the initial coin offering (ICO) stage or later when false promises can raise demand and allow the cryptocurrency's developers or majority holders to profit. 

As the cryptocurrency market expands and evolves at a breakneck pace, so do the methods used by hackers to steal tokens and coins. Investors who are attentive and prepared can take preventative measures to protect their digital assets. Securing a wallet is one of the most acceptable ways to safeguard your investment. Although new designs are constantly being introduced, there are two primary sorts of wallets. Hardware devices are generally the better of the two sorts. Online wallets have non-recoverable private keys, so a password safe is required to maintain your wallet's security. Many online wallets are already in place for cryptocurrency protection, such as Coinbase Wallet, Electrum, Mycelium, Exodus, and Crypto.com. Crypto is growing increasingly aware of these difficulties and is exploring all options for resolving them. 

As we know it, the rise of cryptocurrencies represents the future of our current market. Although there are several difficulties with this progress, such as how widely it is accepted, how safe it is for our environment, and linked to online security risks, these issues can be addressed. To address these challenges, we as a community, including our government, must become more open-minded to expanding this sector and educate ourselves to comprehend how it operates appropriately. We should use technologies like "proof of stake" to reduce our carbon emissions when exchanging cryptocurrency. Last but not least, we must ensure that our assets are safeguarded by utilizing online wallets to avoid our funds from being stolen. If we want to use this new kind of digital currency to build a more efficient and productive economy, we must all strive together as one.