BITCOIN

Residents of the United States, South Korea and the Russian Federation have been the most frequent users of centralized exchanges this year, according to a new study. The finding comes after the spectacular crash of FTX, one of the largest such platforms, amid tightening regulations and fewer new users. U.S. Leads by Number of CEX Users, Turkey and Japan Are Also in the Top in Terms of Traffic The U.S., South Korea and Russia together account for 22% of all visits to centralized exchanges (CEX) for cryptocurrencies, according to the 2022-2023 “Global Crypto Industry Overview and Trends” annual report produced by Huobi Research. The estimate is based on data from the top 100 CEXs on active users, trading depth, trading volume, and reliability. With a share exceeding 9%, the United States is the pronounced leader in terms of absolute number of crypto users generating CEX traffic. South Korea, Russia, Turkey, and Japan are next with 7.4%, 6.1%, 5.6% and 3.8%, respectively. The driv

Angel investor Balaji Srinivasan says the collapse of crypto exchange FTX should be treated as “a preview of state failure.” He warned that one day U.S. dollar bank accounts “may be frozen or inflated to worthlessness,” emphasizing that the authorities “will show no interest in prosecuting.” Srinivasan cautioned: “That world is coming and we need alternatives.” Balaji Srinivasan on FTX, State Failure, and U.S. Dollars Becoming Worthless Angel investor Balaji Srinivasan commented on the collapse of crypto exchange FTX in a series of tweets Saturday. Formerly the CTO of crypto exchange Coinbase and a general partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Srinivasan is also the author of The Network State, a WSJ bestseller. “Treat FTX as a preview of state failure,” he wrote, adding: One day, your USD bank account balance may be frozen or inflated to worthlessness. The authorities will show no interest in prosecuting — they’re the ones who ordered it in the first place.