1) More Bitcoin ATMs
Bitcoin ATM, as the name suggests, is like a regular Automated Teller Machine but for Bitcoins. One can purchase bitcoins using cash or debit cards from these machines. Some ATMs even lets individuals sell the bitcoin for cash.
The first machine of the kind was installed in Canada back in 2013. Since then, more than 5300 such Bitcoin ATMs are established across various countries, including the United States, Canada, Austria, the United Kingdom, Spain, and many others.
The increasing popularity of Bitcoins, especially since the tail-end of 2017, has boosted the installation of such ATMs across different geographics. And the fact that the bitcoins are hundreds of billions of dollars worth market today stacks up as a proof for such requirement.
Therefore, one of the for-sure trends of 2019 is the addition of Bitcoin ATMs across the globe.
2) Crypto Education boost:
Crypto Education is a timeless trend since Bitcoin’s introduction.
One of the many development-barriers for the crypto ecosystem is the scarcity in educational resources. Indeed, many sources have been made available to the layman, but it is still far from the “common understanding”.
Again, thanks to the 2017 uprise of bitcoin, many bloggers and crypto experts have started sharing the knowledge and the expertise on the internet.
Today, there are numerous credible sites on the internet to know everything crypto. General sites like Forbes, CNBC, and a few others; and more niche sites like Coindesk, Cointelegraph, etc. broadly covers crypto news and resources for those intending to learn and stay updated. And these sites are only going to grow in numbers and content throughout 2019.
In short, crypto educational resource availability is a trend of 2019.
3) Stablecoins capture the market:
Most people came to know of cryptocurrencies during the Bitcoin’s historic 2017 rise and fall. Many profited and many squandered lots of money during that run of a few months.
Though the knowledge of the existence of bitcoin was widely spread during that time, it had several adverse effects too. People’s perspective on bitcoin grew to something like a fad or gambling.
This negative effect led to something called “Stablecoins”. Stablecoins, unlike bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies, are meant to be non-volatile. This cryptocurrency started to gain traction in 2018 because it provided the advantages of crypto such as speed, transparency, security, etc. and eliminated the fearful disadvantage, i.e., volatility.
Sure, a minor fluctuation is possible, but it happens in the traditional, stable currencies like dollars or euros too. The reason behind the “stability” of Stablecoin is that it is bound to some underlying asset such as gold or other physical resources.
And due to this reason, Stablecoin via tokens.net is a trend to look for in 2019 and upcoming years.
4) Bitcoin on the rise:
Every trend we discussed until now had some mention of the 2017 boom-bust Bitcoin story. It rose from $900 to $20,000 and dropped to ~$3000 within months. It has been in that $3000-$4000 range since then until Mar-2019.
From March 2019 it has grown at a tremendous rate and has touched $12,000 mark in few months. Currently, it trades around $10,000, which is a big jump from where it started in the first quarter of this year.
Therefore, factually, Bitcoin is and has been on the rise in 2019. And that’s an updated crypto trend of this year.
5) Emphasis on Security Token Offerings(STO):
Most of 2017 and some part of 2018 were a trend of ICO(Initial Coin Offering) system. An ICO is a type of funding companies organize to get initial investment. Though it’s an easy way for companies to raise capital, there are some obvious disadvantages for the investors. Drawbacks such as High volatility, Low Liquidity, No regulations, No compliance with Security and Exchange Commission(SEC), etc. makes ICO a big let down.
On the other hand, STOs started gaining traction in the crypto market throughout 2018. Security Token Offerings(STOs) are a mature and regulated form of ICOs, basically. Pluses such as the investors acquire a part of company assets, compliance with the law, less speculation, less probable market manipulation, and more makes it a better offering for the investors.
Indeed, both ICO and STO has its give and takes, but the rising popularity of STO over ICO makes it a 2019 trend.
