Are you considering investing in cryptocurrencies? With so much hype and excitement surrounding digital assets, it's easy to get caught up in the promise of massive returns and forget about the potential risks and downsides. That's where Beyond the Hype: The Truth About Cryptocurrencies' Downsides and Dangers comes in. This book is a comprehensive guide to understanding the pitfalls and risks of cryptocurrency investment, giving you the tools and knowledge you need to make informed decisions about your financial future. In this book, you'll learn about the many dangers and downsides of cryptocurrencies, from market volatility and security risks to the potential for fraud and scams. You'll also gain a deep understanding of the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies, including blockchain and smart contracts, and learn how these innovative technologies are changing the way we think about money. Whether you're an experienced investor or just starting out, Beyond the Hype is a must-read guide to navigating the complex and rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrencies. You'll learn about different types of digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and NFTs, and gain a practical understanding of how to evaluate them and use them for online purchases and transactions. But this book isn't just a warning about the risks of cryptocurrency investment. It's also a call to action for investors, businesses, and policymakers to take a more thoughtful and responsible approach to digital assets. You'll learn about the impact of cryptocurrencies on society and the economy, and explore the potential of blockchain technology to transform everything from supply chain management to voting systems. If you're considering investing in cryptocurrencies, don't make a move until you've read Beyond the Hype. This book is an essential guide to understanding the risks and potential rewards of digital assets, and will help you make informed decisions about your financial future. So why wait? Order your copy today and start navigating the world of cryptocurrencies with confidence.

A cutting-edge look at how accelerating financial change, from the end of cash to the rise of cryptocurrencies, will transform economies for better and worse. We think weÕve seen financial innovation. We bank from laptops and buy coffee with the wave of a phone. But these are minor miracles compared with the dizzying experiments now underway around the globe, as businesses and governments alike embrace the possibilities of new financial technologies. As Eswar Prasad explains, the world of finance is at the threshold of major disruption that will affect corporations, bankers, states, and indeed all of us. The transformation of money will fundamentally rewrite how ordinary people live. Above all, Prasad foresees the end of physical cash. The driving force wonÕt be phones or credit cards but rather central banks, spurred by the emergence of cryptocurrencies to develop their own, more stable digital currencies. Meanwhile, cryptocurrencies themselves will evolve unpredictably as global corporations like Facebook and Amazon join the game. The changes will be accompanied by snowballing innovations that are reshaping finance and have already begun to revolutionize how we invest, trade, insure, and manage risk. Prasad shows how these and other changes will redefine the very concept of money, unbundling its traditional functions as a unit of account, medium of exchange, and store of value. The promise lies in greater efficiency and flexibility, increased sensitivity to the needs of diverse consumers, and improved market access for the unbanked. The risk is instability, lack of accountability, and erosion of privacy. A lucid, visionary work, The Future of Money shows how to maximize the best and guard against the worst of what is to come.

Since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009 several hundred different ‘cryptocurrencies’ have been developed and become accepted for a wide variety of transactions in leading online commercial marketplaces and the ‘sharing economy’, as well as by more traditional retailers, manufacturers, and even by charities and political parties. Bitcoin and its competitors have also garnered attention for their wildly fluctuating values as well as implication in international money laundering, Ponzi schemes and online trade in illicit goods and services across borders. These and other controversies surrounding cryptocurrencies have induced varying governance responses by central banks, government ministries, international organizations, and industry regulators worldwide. Besides formal attempts to ban Bitcoin, there have been multifaceted efforts to incorporate elements of blockchains, the peer-to-peer technology underlying cryptocurrencies, in the wider exchange, recording, and broadcasting of digital transactions. Blockchains are being mobilized to support and extend an array of governance activities. The novelty and breadth of growing blockchain-based activities have fuelled both utopian promises and dystopian fears regarding applications of the emergent technology to Bitcoin and beyond. This volume brings scholars of anthropology, economics, Science and Technology Studies, and sociology together with GPE scholars in assessing the actual implications posed by Bitcoin and blockchains for contemporary global governance. Its interdisciplinary contributions provide academics, policymakers, industry practitioners and the general public with more nuanced understandings of technological change in the changing character of governance within and across the borders of nation-states.

This open access Pivot demonstrates how a variety of technologies act as innovation catalysts within the banking and financial services sector. Traditional banks and financial services are under increasing competition from global IT companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon and PayPal whilst facing pressure from investors to reduce costs, increase agility and improve customer retention. Technologies such as blockchain, cloud computing, mobile technologies, big data analytics and social media therefore have perhaps more potential in this industry and area of business than any other. This book defines a fintech ecosystem for the 21st century, providing a state-of-the art review of current literature, suggesting avenues for new research and offering perspectives from business, technology and industry.

"Views differ on bitcoin, but few doubt the transformative potential of Blockchain technology. The Truth Machine is the best book so far on what has happened and what may come along. It demands the attention of anyone concerned with our economic future." —Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard, Former Treasury Secretary From Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna, the authors of The Age of Cryptocurrency, comes the definitive work on the Internet’s Next Big Thing: The Blockchain. Big banks have grown bigger and more entrenched. Privacy exists only until the next hack. Credit card fraud is a fact of life. Many of the “legacy systems” once designed to make our lives easier and our economy more efficient are no longer up to the task. Yet there is a way past all this—a new kind of operating system with the potential to revolutionize vast swaths of our economy: the blockchain. In The Truth Machine, Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna demystify the blockchain and explain why it can restore personal control over our data, assets, and identities; grant billions of excluded people access to the global economy; and shift the balance of power to revive society’s faith in itself. They reveal the disruption it promises for industries including finance, tech, legal, and shipping. Casey and Vigna expose the challenge of replacing trusted (and not-so-trusted) institutions on which we’ve relied for centuries with a radical model that bypasses them. The Truth Machine reveals the empowerment possible when self-interested middlemen give way to the transparency of the blockchain, while highlighting the job losses, assertion of special interests, and threat to social cohesion that will accompany this shift. With the same balanced perspective they brought to The Age of Cryptocurrency, Casey and Vigna show why we all must care about the path that blockchain technology takes—moving humanity forward, not backward.

Keeping up with fast evolving technology is a challenge that every business leader faces. As organisations start to wake up to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it’s becoming more important than ever to be able to utilise and exploit new digital platforms. With the simple aim of demystifying blockchain for business leaders, The Executive Guide to Blockchain offers a jargon-free explanation and framework to better understand blockchain technologies and their impact on organizations. Enabling any business leader with or without specific computing knowledge to reap the benefits of blockchain whilst understanding the limitations, this book will empower you to: Identify opportunities for blockchain in your own business sectors Understand smart contracts and their relationship with the law Create a blockchain strategy and business case Implement blockchain technologies and maximise their potential. Written by experts in non-technical language, this practical resource can be applied to any industry, and arm you with the knowledge needed to capture the possibilities of digital business.

If you feel like you've "missed the boat" on Bitcoin. Think again...Because while Bitcoin continues to hit all time highs, this book will show you it's not too late to invest in "Digital Gold" What was once a fringe currency only used by a dark corner of the web... is now the fastest growing financial asset on Earth. And this is just the beginning... You see, we are still in just the 2nd inning of Bitcoin as a financial entity. So while no financial vehicle is making people rich as quickly as Bitcoin... Less than 10% of Americans and 2% of the worldwide population owns it. But now, the major players are taking an interest. Like Billionaire Hedge Fund owner Paul Tudor Jones Internet pioneer Tim Draper, who was an early investor in companies like Hotmail, Tesla and Robinhood. And CEO of Social Capital, Chamath Palihapitiya, who predicts Bitcoin will be worth $1 million within the next 15 years. So even if you've been unconvinced thus far, this book will give you the straight facts on Bitcoin as a financial asset... without any of the hype or noise. Here is just a fraction of what you will discover: The surprisingly small amount of Bitcoin you need to join the top 1% of Bitcoin owners worldwide - Page 15 How a complete technophobe can buy Bitcoin is less than 5 minutes - Page 65 5 Billionaires who believe Bitcoin has a part to play in the world economy - Page 16 Is Bitcoin a legitimate currency? Answered on page 32 A simple way to automate your Bitcoin purchases so you can take advantage of dollar cost averaging - Page 66 The exact percentage of Bitcoin transactions that are used for illegal activities. Anti-Bitcoiners get this wrong all the time - Page 51 Why you should never use Robinhood to buy Bitcoin - Page 70 The downside of purchasing Bitcoin funds like GBTC - Page 71 How much of your portfolio should you dedicate to Bitcoin? Our "one size fits all" solution is on page 102 Plus free video tutorials for safely buying and storing Bitcoin on Page 7 This is not a 600 page theoretical book which you need a math degree to understand. Written in plain English and free from repetitive technical jargon. Every single piece of financial and technical terminology is clearly defined inside. You'll find easy-to-follow advice in how to buy and store Bitcoin yourself... without having to pay expensive fees to middlemen. For everyone who feels frustrated after watching Bitcoin soar in price... this is your chance to get in while the going is good. And not feel like you missed the boat... So even if you're never read a single finance or investing book in your life, you will immediately understand how to become a successful long-term investor. To kickstart your Bitcoin journey today, scroll up and click "add to cart"