J.P. Koning

Crypto’s Privacy/Commingling Dilemma

"Mixing is a less-than ideal way to gain privacy. In solving for privacy, mixing introduces another problem; commingling. When you use a mixing tool, you're introducing your licit funds into the same pot as potentially criminally-derived funds." ~ J.P. Koning

There’s More than One Way to Make Stablecoins Safe

"The PWG’s worries for the safety of stablecoin users are most applicable to one set of stablecoins: the set including USD Coin and Tether. A 'banks-only' model may be an improvement for some stablecoins, but it certainly isn’t the only way to ensure stablecoins are safe." ~ J.P. Koning

Was Satoshi Nakamoto Right about Bitcoin Payments?

"Satoshi was correct that card systems work 'well enough for most transactions' and thus bitcoin had but a bit part to play in payments. But he was wrong about bitcoin being useful with retailers for small payments and non-reversibile retail payments." ~ J.P. Koning

Fast Payments Enable Lightning Kidnappings in Brazil

"The only way that the Banco Central do Brasil could completely end PIX-based lightning kidnapping would be to slow the entire system down. That would mean cutting regular Brazilians off completely from the benefits of real-time payments." ~ J.P. Koning

How Tether Can Improve Its Pie Chart

"Tether will be publishing its next pie chart sometime in the middle of August. Given its flagging issuance, Tether has every reason to do a better job than before. The whole cryptocurrency world will be watching." ~ J.P. Koning

To CBDC or Not to CBDC?

"The risks of building a US or Canadian CBDC are all worth taking on if the problems that they solve are significant. Unfortunately, some of the problems that CBDC advocates want to target, like the threat of China, aren't really problems. Others, like the stimulus payments problem, can’t be solved by a CBDC." ~ J.P. Koning

Hyperbitcoinization: By Choice or by Force?

"It's hard to avoid the conclusion that bitcoin's culture is changing. Getting to 100% bitcoin adoption remains a core plank of the bitcoin community. But now all routes to that goal seem open, including the use of government force." ~ J.P. Koning