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Opinion: Why there will never be another Bitcoin

By Pete Rizzo, Kraken Editor at Large Pete Rizzo is a leading Bitcoin Historian and author of over 2,000 articles on cryptocurrency. He is also an Editor at Bitcoin Magazine. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Kraken or its management.…

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Ethereum Shanghai Upgrade: What you need to know

The Shanghai upgrade is a set of changes to the Ethereum protocol that will allow users to unstake, or withdraw, their staked ether (ETH). Before the Shanghai upgrade, any ETH dedicated to staking remained locked within the Ethereum blockchain. The Shanghai upgrade will include a change to the Ethereum protocol that allows this staked ETH…

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Crypto 101: What is a consensus mechanism?

A blockchain consensus mechanism is a type of automated system that aims to accomplish two objectives: Provide a distributed, leaderless way to unanimously agree on data stored on a blockchain ledger. Make sure all network validators follow the rules of the protocol and perform their roles honestly. While it may be tempting to trust a…

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Happy Genesis Block Day!

On January 3, 2009, the anonymous creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, launched the Genesis Block – the first block in the Bitcoin Blockchain. The event at the time wasn’t celebrated – it was arguably considered a blip in the long history of cryptography and digital currency – but today we know the Genesis Block was…

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Kraken’s 2022 year in review

There has never been a dull moment in crypto, and this year was no exception.  In 2022, Kraken celebrated 11 years of our mission to accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrency so that you and the rest of the world can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. It’s been quite a ride. Our singular focus on this…

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Busting Crypto Myths: “Bitcoin is Destroying the Environment”

Bitcoin’s appetite for energy needs little discussion. For years it’s been a top-of-mind topic for regulators, a major concern among critics, and a frequently misreported feature of the protocol. The specific point of contention lies with bitcoin mining — a resource-intensive, cryptography-based competition that repeats approximately every ten minutes. Each winner is rewarded with transaction…

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Honeymoon Phase Is Over

Following several months of headwinds for the crypto space, the crypto market trended lower in September. ETH fell significantly more than BTC as Ethereum transitioned from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) via The Merge. ETH sold off sharply post-Merge in classic “buy the rumor, sell the news” price action. The downtrending crypto market and bleak…

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Silver Lining

Hot on the heels of August, September 2022 also trended negatively for cryptoassets overall. Based on market capitalization, all sectors saw negative returns for the month, ranging from -14% to -1%. Following the overall crypto market trend, NFT market activity also slowed in August. Average daily users and average daily transactions fell -5.7% and -3.1%…

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Ethereum 2.0: Does ETH become deflationary post-Merge?

We’re quickly approaching The Merge, the most notable upgrade in Ethereum’s history and a crucial turning point for the wider crypto industry. As the Ethereum blockchain transitions from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS), The Merge is expected to be the bedrock upon which Ethereum’s scalability improvements are built. As this highly anticipated event draws closer,…