Last week Reddit users, including plenty in Aotearoa, took on Wall Street hedge funds. Here’s how they’re feeling now. Aucklander Zoe* is 24, a student, and she refuses to sell her GameStop shares. Her hands are so strong from holding them that, in Reddit lingo, they are made of diamonds. But she’s not holding them … Read more
It’s been touted as the best performing asset of 2020, so what’s been driving Bitcoin’s recent success amid a global pandemic? Janine Grainger from Easy Crypto has a few ideas. The fact that Bitcoin has survived the stress-test of Covid-19 has been indisputable. Not only did it recover much quicker when compared to the other … Read more
After years of trying, The Spinoff today launches Money – its newest section, one aimed at demystifying and making accessible the world of money. For decades, the relationship between most New Zealanders and money was broadly stable, baked into a set of milestones it was assumed all aspired to and would achieve if they strived. … Read more
In the final of our series on the loss of faith in free market economics we ask New Zealand business leaders how they’re grappling with the almighty power of a technology that barely existed 20 years ago. Hands up who’s read the Financial Markets Authority’s website. Come on, be honest. No, of course you haven’t. … Read more
Not calling it ‘Facebucks’ might be a lost opportunity but the giant social media platform’s new form of money could offer benefits to New Zealanders, writes Aaron McDonald. Facebook’s foray into cryptocurrency has a lot of people shaking their heads in unequal parts of confusion, disbelief and misunderstanding. Blockchain is an emerging technology, one that … Read more
It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the once flourishing company that now owes investors tens of millions of dollars. Don’t follow? Here’s a brief recap of Cryptopia’s historic downfall over the last five months. First thing’s first, what is Cryptopia? Cryptopia is (well, was) a Christchurch-based cryptocurrency exchange founded by Rob Dawson and Adam Clark … Read more
If your eyes glaze over at the very mention of the word, purple-haired ‘community strategist’ Savannah Peterson is here to change your mind about blockchain, writes Maria Slade. If Savannah Peterson were Mark Zuckerberg, she’d be transforming Facebook into a social network based on blockchain as we speak. Peterson is no ‘crypto-naut’. With her purple … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Craig MacGregor, one of the founding developers of NavCoin, an alternative cryptocurrency that’s gaining steam around the world. ONE: How did NavCoin start and what was the inspiration behind it? NavCoin first … Read more
Wherever there’s money to be made, the scammers and Ponzi schemes are never far behind. Mark Hattersley gives his three tips on staying vigilant while investing in cryptocurrency. Useless Ethereum Token (UET) launched in mid-2017 with the description “the world’s first 100% honest Ethereum ICO. No value, no security and no product. Just me spending your money … Read more
A key characteristic of so-called ‘exponential technologies’ is that they change what is possible extremely quickly – and it can be fascinating to observe how fast or slowly governments react. Lawyer Steven Moe looks at the developing world of space law, and questions whether similar moves are needed for other exponential technologies on our immediate … Read more
To buy or not to buy isn’t really the question. The real question is, is bitcoin for us? Mark Hattersley argues that seeing bitcoin as an investment is ultimately short-sighted when it’s a potentially life-changing invention for some. At the time of writing this, one bitcoin is worth more than $24,500, having recovered from a weekend … Read more
Bitcoin has experienced an unprecedented explosion in value over the past eight years. Here Richard Meadows outlines just what it is, and why the good times won’t last. In the winter of 1928, Joe Kennedy stopped to get his wingtips buffed on his way to the office. After the shoeshine boy finished, he offered the … Read more