2021 has been a roller-coaster ride as a crypto journalist. Things moved fast, and stuff broke. That being said, in my opinion, there is not another space as interesting and fascinating to cover, and I truly enjoy it through the good and the bad. Below are my top 5 stories of 2021. These pieces are […] The post Nick’s Top Five Stories of 2021 appeared first on CryptosRus.

Nick’s Top Five Stories of 2021

2021 has been a roller-coaster ride as a crypto journalist. Things moved fast, and stuff broke. That being said, in my opinion, there is not another space as interesting and fascinating to cover, and I truly enjoy it through the good and the bad.

Below are my top 5 stories of 2021. These pieces are emblematic of the year and crypto in general; the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

5. Fiat Exposed: Global Bank Pleads Guilty to Looting an Entire Country

A central theme of crypto is how we see the space in the context of the fiat economy. In fact, most consider crypto in its most idealistic form to be a direct rebuke of the current financial paradigm. This story detailed how Credit Suisse, a billion-dollar investment bank, literally looted the entire country of Mozambique and was forced to pay hundreds of millions in fines.

Fraud, kickbacks, bribes, deceit were the main threads of the story. The bank fraudulently attempted to coerce the government into borrowing billions for infrastructure. As you may have guessed, the motives were to bilk the country and line their own pockets. It was a stark reminder of why we are here in crypto.

4. September Dips Have Historically Paved the Way for Big Runs

One of the major reasons we at CRU News Desk are so committed to our work is because information in the crypto space can be like scrolling through land mines. So when Bitcoin was dipping hard at the end of September, we penned this article which highlighted how the data showed Bitcoin was primed to rise in October. 

We are not always right, but in this case, just 10 days after this article, Bitcoin began its ascent to all-time highs. The article pointed out how Bitcoin had logged negative returns in September 6 out of the last 8 years. This article was in line with our goal to try and drive home the concept of staying the course and being sober and forward-looking.

3. First Ever Tier-One Bitcoin ETF Approved in Europe

We try to find hidden gems for you as the reader, but rather than stories on coins themselves, hidden gems can often be stories that tell a larger story. This article came hot off the press when we found out that a Bitcoin ETF in Europe had been approved, which actually had Fidelity as the custodian. It was big news.

It was the first ETF of its kind in Europe, and the fact that it was a spot ETF was another important factor. The fact that regulators in Europe and Fidelity were signing off on a spot Bitcoin ETF was an important step for the space. Some of the key details, like how the ETF’s managers were renowned regulatory experts, are the type of nitty-gritty stuff we like.

2. Did You Know El-Salvador’s Chivo App Runs On Algorand?

Arguably the biggest story of 2021 was El-Salvador accepting Bitcoin as legal tender. The celebratory headlines missed some important details about some of the players behind the Chivo app. Months went by until we found information proving Alogrand was the app’s official blockchain provider. 

Forbes and others reported on this, but it was buried. Yet another example of how news in crypto can be like trying to drink water from a firehose. Our job here is to provide quality information that isn’t already saturated in the media. Algorand being behind the Chivo app was a story many people didn’t expect, know, or believe.

1. New Images of Chinese Miner Exodus Go Viral

The Chinese mining exodus was a monumental event in 2021. Hardware, people, and entire infrastructure were rooted up and out of mining facilities across the entire country. So when we found the powerful images of miners packing up out of China, we wanted to bring that to the forefront and display how much this space means to those involved.

Bitcoin, of course, survived, and the network went on unabated, yet another sign that even nation states can’t “turn off” the network. But what was most powerful was not only the resilience of Bitcoin but the resilience of the Chinese miners who helped build Bitcoin into what it is today. The subsequent embrace of the Chinese miners worldwide displayed that Bitcoin is bigger than borders, politics, and software.  

Chinese Miners In Texas. Credit: BBC

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