Global crypto ranking: Which countries influence the crypto economy?
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Globally, governments are now working to integrate cryptocurrencies into the mainstream economy. But which countries will be future leaders in delineating crypto's role in the world's financial systems?
Dublin, Ireland-based financial tech start-up Coincub has released its global crypto ranking for 2021.
It used 18 criteria -- such as government regulation, number of overseas exchanges, banks' crypto activity and DeFi (Decentralised Finance) acceptance -- to determine how crypto-friendly a country is.
It includes a government's openness to crypto trading, the levels of legislation it has produced, and its acceptance of digital currencies generally to calculate its ratings.
The company also uses qualitative parameters to cover the general level of institutional acceptance and openness to cryptocurrency within a country.
The results show that the US leads in the global crypto economy with expanding opportunities for new investors. Trends indicate that US, Canada, and Singapore take the lead as economic influencers while the UK and Germany are middling.
Most online crypto advice currently tends to be US-centric, often leaving non-US visitors to read between the lines for their own country and situation which can be discouraging and confusing for non-professional investors and crypto first-timers.
Coincub Chief Executive Sergiu Hamza said:
"Most crypto rankings out there deal with quantitative criteria, such as search stats or the number of bitcoin ATMs available.
"But we go further – we look at the whole scene including legislation, tax, institutional stance, and social outlook. Whoever wants to learn about the crypto economy can learn and be aware of regulation.
"Like any financial space, there are legislative pitfalls. We're addressing questions about regulatory issues, by country, with up to the minute data."
Having a global view of how crypto is viewed in your country can benefit those who are new to cryptocurrency and regulatory impacts such as security, legislation, and compliance. However, there are opportunities for the "crypto-curious" – as long as you do your research.
And, like the crypto economy, the ranking criteria for countries will evolve and adapt as new legislation appears in countries, and new exchanges appear on the market.
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Crypto newbies need to do their work to obtain an objective view of the crypto economy in their country – to avoid falling foul of Ponzi-like scams, fake tokens, and 'vapourware'. Not every investor in crypto will get rich quick – as many cryptocurrencies seem to promise.
How accepting is your government towards crypto? No matter how cheap the electricity is, if the government bans crypto you might find yourself in a difficult situation when you come to trade.
Which countries are you most likely to find a secure place to buy and invest crypto?
Countries with a higher number of reputable crypto exchanges that can operate in any country around the world mean more choices for consumers and a better chance of being able to buy and sell crypto easily.
For many, their 'sure fire' investment in the latest and greatest crypto might turn out to be the biggest mistake they ever make – unless they do their homework and make sure they realise that the value of any investment can go way down as well as up.