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BITCOIN - THE TRUE FLAG BEARER OF CRYPTOCURRENCY

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SG ANALYTICS’ WHITE PAPER<br />

Business Consulting<br />

SG Analytics<br />

Solve. Synergise. Surpass.<br />

<strong>BITCOIN</strong> - <strong>THE</strong> <strong>TRUE</strong><br />

<strong>FLAG</strong> <strong>BEARER</strong> <strong>OF</strong><br />

<strong>CRYPTOCURRENCY</strong><br />

By Tripti Rastogi Vishnoi<br />

January 5, 2017<br />

Investment Research | Business Research | Data Analytics | Market Research<br />

www.sganalytics.com


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2<br />

Table of content<br />

1. Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3<br />

2. Who created Bitcoin?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3<br />

3. What is Bitcoin?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4<br />

3(a) Preference for Bitcoin: pros and cons-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4<br />

4. Bitcoin transaction lifecycle----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6<br />

5. Interesting statistics--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7<br />

5(a) Bitcoins in circulation--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7<br />

5(b) Bitcoin transaction volume/per day-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7<br />

5(c) Bitcoin’s comparison with other cryptocurrencies-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8<br />

5(d) Altcoin examples-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8<br />

5(e) Bitcoin ATMs---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10<br />

6. Is Bitcoin legal-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10<br />

7. Risks and challenges faced by Bitcoin------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10<br />

7(a) Regulatory challenges------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10<br />

7(b) Bitcoin image---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10<br />

7(c) Time lag----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11<br />

7(d) Consumer protection------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11<br />

7(e) Transaction fees to rise in future---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11<br />

8. Bitcoin’s future - mixed views------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12<br />

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3<br />

1. Introduction<br />

“Every informed person needs to know about<br />

Bitcoin because it might be one of the world’s<br />

most important developments” Leon Louw,<br />

South African intellectual, author, speaker and<br />

policy advisor; and a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee<br />

Bitcoin is more than just a new way of making<br />

online payments. Today, there are several<br />

money transfer options available in the market<br />

such as debit cards, credit cards, net banking,<br />

cheques, cash; however all of them suffer<br />

from some limitations such as slower process<br />

(w.r.t. adding a payee, verification of available<br />

funds); time lag due to public holidays; being<br />

expensive due to a convenience fee attached<br />

to the transactions; etc. This has led to the<br />

emergence of Bitcoin, which is an innovative<br />

internet protocol that enables payments to be<br />

transferred over a communications channel.<br />

Transactions here are made without the<br />

involvement of middle men, which enables<br />

anyone to transfer money anywhere across<br />

the globe without using any centralized service<br />

like a bank or PayPal.<br />

Bitcoin is a digital currency (also called<br />

cryptocurrency) that is not backed by any<br />

country's central bank or government.<br />

Bitcoins can be traded for goods or services<br />

with vendors who accept Bitcoins as payment<br />

-TechTarget<br />

2. Who created Bitcoin?<br />

Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto,<br />

an unidentified programmer or a group of<br />

software developers. In October 2008, Satoshi<br />

published a paper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-<br />

Peer Electronic Cash System in which he<br />

described Bitcoin as a digital currency based<br />

on a mathematical process. In January 2009,<br />

Satoshi released the first Bitcoin software and<br />

the first units of Bitcoin. In late 2010, Satoshi<br />

left the project without revealing much about<br />

himself. From then onwards, the Bitcoin<br />

community has grown exponentially with<br />

developers working on this virtual technology.<br />

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3. What is Bitcoin?<br />

Bitcoin is a form of virtual currency that is<br />

created and held electronically. Bitcoin is not<br />

controlled by any organization/ regulatory<br />

body; however it is controlled by all the Bitcoin<br />

users across the globe.<br />

Unlike currency notes Bitcoins are not printed,<br />

they are created digitally by a community of<br />

people that anyone is free to join. Bitcoins are<br />

generated by a competitive and decentralized<br />

process called "mining". According to the Bitcoin<br />

protocol only 21 million Bitcoins can be created.<br />

These coins can be divided into smaller parts<br />

called “Satoshi”, which is the smallest divisible<br />

amount i.e. one hundred millionth of a Bitcoin<br />

(named after the founder of Bitcoin).<br />

Bitcoin is not a physical currency i.e. it does<br />

not have physical notes or coins, but has<br />

value and can be used to buy things on the<br />

internet. It is purely based on a mathematical<br />

formula, which is its foundation of existence.<br />

This technology is also called ‘cryptocurrency’,<br />

because its existence relies on cryptography<br />

i.e. a branch of mathematics related to keeping<br />

information secret. Apart from Bitcoin, other<br />

virtual currencies were also created; however<br />

Bitcoin has sustained till now, capitalizing on its<br />

first mover advantage.<br />

PROS<br />

3(a) Preference for Bitcoin: pros and cons<br />

Highly divisible: Bitcoins are highly divisible; each Bitcoin is divisible to eight decimals.<br />

1 BTC = 10^8 satoshis<br />

Faster transactions: Offers flexibility to send and receive Bitcoins anywhere across the globe, without being<br />

interrupted by bank holidays, physical boundaries, bureaucracy, or any other limitations. As Bitcoins can be<br />

transferred across countries without any barriers, it avoids heavy transaction charges.<br />

Inspite of less transaction fees it is faster when compared to the banking system. For instance, when one pays<br />

a cheque from another bank into your bank account, the bank holds that transaction amount for several days<br />

to verify availability of funds. International wire transfers take a relatively long time. On the contrary, bitcoin<br />

transactions can be instantaneous if they are “zero-confirmation” transactions, meaning that the merchant takes<br />

on the risk of accepting a transaction that hasn’t yet been confirmed by the Bitcoin blockchain. Or, it takes around<br />

10 minutes if a merchant requires the transaction to be confirmed.<br />

Fewer risks for merchant and users: Bitcoin transactions are safe and secure. As these transactions do not<br />

contain customers’ sensitive/personal data; the users are protected against identity theft. Also, the merchants are<br />

protected from losses caused due to fraud or fraudulent charge backs. Merchants enjoy an added benefit here, as<br />

they can offer their services in new markets where either the population does not have credit cards, or the fraud<br />

rates are very high.<br />

Transparent and neutral: All the information related to Bitcoin transactions is available on the block chain. This<br />

allows anyone to verify the transaction data in real-time. As Bitcoin is cryptographically secure, no individual<br />

or organization can control or manipulate it. All this makes Bitcoin transactions known for trust worthiness,<br />

transparency and predictability.<br />

No third-party seizure: Since there are multiple copies of the transactions database, no one can seize Bitcoins.<br />

The maximum extent to which one can go is to force a user to send the Bitcoins to someone else. This means that<br />

governments can’t freeze someone’s wealth, and thus users of Bitcoins have complete freedom to do anything<br />

they want to with their money.<br />

No taxes: It is not possible for a third party to intercept Bitcoin transactions, and therefore there is no viable<br />

way to implement a Bitcoin taxation system. The only way to pay a tax would be, if someone voluntarily sends a<br />

percentage of the amount as tax.<br />

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No tracking: No one can trace the Bitcoin users transactions, unless the users publicize their wallet addresses<br />

publicly. Only the wallet owners know the number of Bitcoins they have. Even if the wallet address is publicized, a<br />

new wallet address can be easily generated. This greatly increases privacy when compared to traditional currency<br />

systems, where third parties potentially have access to personal financial data.<br />

Low transaction fees: Standard wire transfers and foreign purchases typically involve fees and exchange costs.<br />

Since Bitcoin transactions have no intermediary institutions or government involvement, the cost for transacting<br />

is kept very low. This can be a major advantage for travelers. Additionally, any transfer in Bitcoins happens very<br />

quickly, eliminating the inconvenience of typical authorization requirements and wait periods.<br />

Bitcoins cannot be stolen: Unlike the conventional currency system in which few validation details are required<br />

to gain access, the Bitcoin system requires physical access alone for authentication which makes it difficult for the<br />

hacker to steal Bitcoins.<br />

PROS<br />

No risk of charge-backs: Once Bitcoins are sent, the transaction cannot be reversed. Since the ownership address<br />

of Bitcoins is changed to the new owner once the transaction is registered, it is impossible to revert the transaction.<br />

Since only the new owner has the associated private key, only he/she can change the ownership of the coins. This<br />

ensures that there is no risk involved when receiving Bitcoins.<br />

CONS<br />

Low inflation risk: The biggest problem with currencies used across the globe is inflation. Over time, all currencies<br />

lose few percents of their purchasing power as governments keep printing currency every year. This process is<br />

basically a small tax on the accumulated wealth. With the use of Bitcoins, this problem will be erased, as Bitcoins<br />

are designed to be finite i.e. 21 million.<br />

Low collapse risk: Currencies depend on governments which fail occasionally. Such events either cause<br />

hyperinflation or a complete collapse of the currency, which can wipe out a lifetime savings in just a day. Bitcoin<br />

being a virtual global currency is not regulated by any government.<br />

Acceptance levels: Majority of the people are not aware of Bitcoins. Bitcoins are accepted by a very small group<br />

of online merchants. This makes it unfeasible to completely rely on Bitcoin as a currency. Additionally, there is<br />

also a possibility that in future, governments might force merchants not to use Bitcoins to track user transactions.<br />

Wallets can be lost: If a hard drive crashes, or a virus corrupts data and the wallet file is corrupted, Bitcoins will<br />

be “lost”. There is nothing that can be done to recover it. These coins will be forever orphaned in the system. This<br />

can bankrupt a wealthy Bitcoin investor within seconds with no form of recovery. It will also lead to fewer Bitcoins<br />

being available, thus the ones that are left will be in high demand and at an increased value.<br />

No valuation guarantee: Since there is no central authority governing Bitcoins, anyone can influence its minimum<br />

valuation. If a large group of merchants decide to “dump” Bitcoins and leave the system, its valuation will decline<br />

and greatly affect the users who have invested a large sum in it. The decentralized nature of Bitcoin is both a curse<br />

and blessing.<br />

Technical flaws: The Bitcoin system could contain unexploited flaws. As Bitcoin is fairly new, if an exploiter finds a<br />

fault in the system he can gain tremendous wealth at the expense of destroying the Bitcoin economy.<br />

Risk and volatility: Bitcoin has volatility due to the fact that there is a limited number of bitcoins, and its demand<br />

increases each passing day. It is expected that the volatility will decrease as more businesses, media, and trading<br />

centers start accepting Bitcoins.<br />

Regulatory challenges: Lack of properly laid out regulations on Bitcoins increases uncertainty on its adoption.<br />

Government agencies are concerned about the use of Bitcoins for speculative trading, money laundering, and<br />

crime (like buying and selling of drugs and other illegal items), as criminals find Bitcoins an easy way to mobilize<br />

their funds, without their name being attached to the transaction. Tax laws and regulations regarding Bitcoins are<br />

still evolving and will witness many changes before the final version is decided.<br />

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4. Bitcoin transaction lifecycle<br />

Alex opens his<br />

bitcoin wallet<br />

Digital signature:<br />

A digital code (generated and authenticated by<br />

public key encryption) which is attached to an<br />

electronically transmitted document to verify its<br />

contents and the sender's identity<br />

• Scans/copies the address of the person with whom Alex wants to transact<br />

• He sends a private key (digital signature) to that participant<br />

Alex fills the transaction amount<br />

on the blank card<br />

• A crypto character pass key is<br />

generated<br />

• Then Alex floats the transaction<br />

request for validation<br />

Cryptocurrency<br />

A digital currency in which<br />

encryption techniques are<br />

used to regulate the generation<br />

of units of currency and<br />

verify the transfer of fund<br />

Bitcoin mining<br />

Bitcoin mining is the process of adding<br />

transaction records to Bitcoin's public<br />

ledger of past transactions or blockchain.<br />

This ledger of past transactions is called<br />

the block chain as it is a chain of blocks.<br />

The block chain serves to confirm<br />

transactions to the rest of the network as<br />

having taken place<br />

• Bitcoin mining takes place (that includes validation of the transaction-request by any one<br />

of the miners). Here validation means that a miner has verified the transaction (for eg. in<br />

this case the miner will check whether Alex has enough amount for conducting the<br />

transaction). The miner gets the transactions fees for validating the transaction<br />

• In this whole process, the pass key is also validated (crypto characters) generated by both sides<br />

• The miner adds a new<br />

block to the block chain<br />

and the ledger is updated<br />

Bitcoin transactions are sent to and<br />

from electronic Bitcoin wallets, and are<br />

digitally signed for security. The Bitcoin<br />

protocol keeps a record of all transactions<br />

between different addresses in the<br />

network, showing either an increase or<br />

decrease in balances just like in a normal<br />

bank account. Every transaction that has<br />

taken place is recorded in a public ledger<br />

called the block chain.<br />

• All the participants generate<br />

an approval ticket and raise<br />

it on their own system<br />

• The beneficiary accepts the<br />

amount by entering the<br />

password private key (digital<br />

signature) sent by Alex<br />

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5. Interesting statistics<br />

5(a) Bitcoins in circulation<br />

10,625,175<br />

12,211,525<br />

13,682,825<br />

15,039,125<br />

8,023,200<br />

5,300,500<br />

1,644,000<br />

50<br />

3/1/2009 3/1/2010 3/1/2011 3/1/2012 3/1/2013 3/1/2014 3/1/2015 3/1/2016<br />

Source: Datamarket<br />

As of 6 February 2016, 15.2 million bitcoins are already in circulation compared to the finite number of 21 million.<br />

72% of the bitcoins are already in circulation.<br />

5(b) Bitcoin transaction volume/per day<br />

142,608<br />

82,227<br />

42,309<br />

60,980<br />

0 186 1,128<br />

5,773<br />

3/1/2009 3/1/2010 3/1/2011 3/1/2012 3/1/2013 3/1/2014 3/1/2015 3/1/2016<br />

Source: CoinDesk<br />

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5(c) Bitcoin’s comparison with other cryptocurrencies<br />

Bitcoin<br />

USD12,243,835,817<br />

Ethereum<br />

Ripple<br />

Litecoin<br />

Monero<br />

Steem<br />

Ethereum Classic<br />

Dash<br />

NEM<br />

MaidSafeCoin<br />

USD526,784,959<br />

USD232,024,186<br />

USD173,168,392<br />

USD98,091,963<br />

USD66,805,185<br />

USD66,140,201<br />

USD60,062,475<br />

USD28,106,820<br />

USD26,475,266<br />

Source: Coin Market Cap (Accessed on 6 Dec 2016)<br />

Based on a peer-to-peer network, Bitcoin<br />

introduced a decentralized currency where the<br />

currency is mined with advanced computers.<br />

Bitcoin can be termed as a trendsetter, as its<br />

success has spurred the launch of many other<br />

virtual currencies (~over 150 cryptocurrencies).<br />

The currencies inspired by Bitcoin are collectively<br />

called altcoins and are trying to present themselves<br />

as improvised and modified versions of Bitcoin. These<br />

currencies are easier to mine, but involve greater<br />

risk in terms of lesser liquidity, acceptance and value<br />

retention.<br />

5(d) Altcoin examples<br />

Ether is the first decentralized platform capable of executing ‘smart contracts’. The<br />

Decentralized Autonomous Organization lost USD60 million ethers due to a hack, which<br />

resulted in the split of Ethereum into Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC). Ether<br />

was developed by Vitalik Buterin and launched in mid-2015 as the "next generation<br />

cryptocurrency and decentralized application platform".<br />

• Ethereum: Is known for peer-to-peer smart contracts i.e. short computer programs<br />

that run on blockchain. It is this feature that has immense potential to transform<br />

business processes across industries.<br />

• Ethereum Classic: Decentralized platform that runs smart contracts, applications that<br />

run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or<br />

third party interference.<br />

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5(d) Altcoin examples (continued)<br />

Litecoin: Released in 2011, Litecoin conducts transactions faster i.e. in 2.5 minutes<br />

compared to Bitcoin transactions completed in 10 minutes.<br />

Monero: Released in 2014, Monero focuses on privacy, decentralization and<br />

scalability. Monero uses the ring signature technology to facilitate secure, private and<br />

untraceable transactions.<br />

Steem: Steem is a blockchain-based social media platform where anyone can earn<br />

rewards by posting, commenting and curating content.<br />

Dash: Focuses on privacy (using anonymization technology) and speed of transaction.<br />

It was initially named as XCoin followed by Darkcoin. In an attempt to stop associating<br />

it with the ‘dark web’, the cryptocurrency was rebranded to Dash on 25th March, 2015.<br />

Augur: An open-source decentralized prediction market platform built on<br />

Ethereum. Augur utilizes an underlying unit known as reputation (REP), which is<br />

used by the platform's referees to report event outcomes (whether predictions<br />

were successful or not).<br />

MaidSafeCoin: Also known as Safecoin, it is used in the SAFE (Secure Access For<br />

Everyone) network, which is a security-centric data platform. It is a ‘crowd-sourced<br />

internet’, i.e. it allows the user to provide space in their computer in exchange for coins.<br />

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5(e) Bitcoin ATMs<br />

A Bitcoin ATM allows a person to exchange<br />

Bitcoins/cash without human intervention.<br />

Bitcoin ATMs act as web-based exchange<br />

platforms which allow users to convert their<br />

money to BTC and vice versa. The number of<br />

Bitcoin ATMs present globally are 907.<br />

• US has the largest number of Bitcoin ATMs<br />

globally at 56.9%; followed by Canada at<br />

14.9% and UK at 4.9%<br />

• Currently, the majority of Bitcoin ATMs are<br />

one way; while 37.93% are two way Bitcoin<br />

ATMS<br />

Breakdown of Bitcoin ATMs by region<br />

Oceania<br />

1.9%<br />

Asia<br />

4.4%<br />

Europe<br />

20.8%<br />

South<br />

America<br />

0.3%<br />

Africa<br />

0.1%<br />

North America<br />

72.4%<br />

Source: Coinatmradar (Accessed on 7 Dec 2016)<br />

6. Is Bitcoin legal:<br />

Countries across the globe have different<br />

views on Bitcoin. While some countries have<br />

a positive outlook towards Bitcoin, others hold<br />

diverging views as represented below:<br />

7. Risks and challenges faced by Bitcoin<br />

Bitcoin does not offer a perfect payment<br />

experience as the digital currency is just seven<br />

years old and needs to mature. Trading in<br />

Bitcoin is considered a very risky proposition by<br />

majority of the people. Bitcoin faces some of the<br />

challenges as listed below:<br />

7(a) Regulatory challenges: Lack of properly laid out<br />

regulations on Bitcoins increases uncertainty on<br />

its adoption. Concerns for illegal applicability<br />

of Bitcoins grow with speculative trading and<br />

money laundering as criminals find Bitcoin an<br />

easy way to mobilize their funds, without their<br />

name being attached to the transaction. Tax laws<br />

and regulations regarding Bitcoin is still evolving<br />

and will witness numerous changes before its<br />

final version is decided.<br />

• GhostSecurity, a group formed to attack<br />

ISIS websites, discovered that ISIS uses<br />

cryptocurrency to fund their operations. The<br />

group uncovered a single ISIS address worth<br />

USD3 million in Bitcoins in 2015.<br />

7(b) Bitcoin image: For mass adoption of Bitcoin,<br />

it is imperative for its users to be assured that<br />

Bitcoins are safe and guarded against fraud, theft<br />

or losses. Recurring security breaches at various<br />

Bitcoin exchanges (eg.Coinapult, Bitfinex,<br />

Bitstamp etc.) in which Bitcoins were stolen and<br />

the exchange collapsed, has tarnished Bitcoin’s<br />

image even though the security breaches had<br />

nothing to do with the Bitcoin protocol.<br />

Bitcoin acceptance level by country<br />

Permissive Contentious Hostile Unknown<br />

Source: Bitlegal<br />

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Recent prominent thefts from Bitcoin exchanges<br />

January 2015<br />

March 2015<br />

May 2015<br />

June 2015<br />

August 2016<br />

Bitstamp<br />

Coinapult<br />

Bitfinex<br />

Scrypt.CC<br />

Bitfinex<br />

20,000 Bitcoins worth USD5 mn<br />

150 Bitcoins worth USD43,000<br />

1,500 Bitcoins worth USD330,000<br />

Undisclosed sum stolen<br />

119,756 Bitcoins worth USD70 mn<br />

Source: Financial Times<br />

• In the above incidents, Bitcoins were<br />

stolen from the users' Bitcoin wallets.<br />

The real reason for this theft was not the<br />

breach of the Bitcoin protocol, but hackers<br />

who exploited the vulnerabilities of the<br />

exchange’s systems and wallet providers.<br />

7(c) Time lag: Bitcoin's performance of<br />

conducting seven transactions per<br />

second will greatly impact its adoption<br />

pattern, as this number is not even close<br />

to its alternatives. For eg., credit card<br />

authorization networks handle 10,000s of<br />

transactions per second.<br />

• The current challenge faced by Bitcoin users<br />

is the time taken to complete the payment<br />

process; which ranges between 40 mins to<br />

several days.<br />

7(e) Transaction fees to rise in future: This fee<br />

provides miners the incentive to bucket<br />

transactions in a block to get transaction<br />

confirmation across the Bitcoin network.<br />

Being a miner, they want to maximize<br />

their income and would want to include<br />

transactions that involve high fees.<br />

• Thus, as the number of mined Bitcoins<br />

will reach 21 million, the block reward of<br />

new Bitcoins to miners will become an<br />

insignificant percentage of miners’ overall<br />

earnings. At that time, mining fees paid<br />

by users who transact on the network will<br />

make up the majority of miners’ earnings.<br />

Thus, transaction fees are expected to rise<br />

later.<br />

7(d) Consumer protection: Bitcoin users are<br />

not protected against their transactions, as<br />

Bitcoin transactions are not insured, and<br />

can only be reversed if the person who has<br />

received the payment refunds it.<br />

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12<br />

8. Bitcoin’s future - mixed views<br />

People have diverging views on Bitcoin which<br />

stands at a market size of USD19.5 milion in<br />

2016. Bitcoin believers feel it to be the future of<br />

money, privacy and payments; marked by the<br />

end of greedy banks and the fall of government<br />

fiat currencies. Being the currency of cyber<br />

villains, it’s an elaborate scam for critics; while<br />

for the remaining audience it means nothing and<br />

is practically a dead solution. People across the<br />

world express strong opinions on the world’s first<br />

digital cash. Some of them are:<br />

Bitcoin views by industry experts<br />

̔ ̔ I do think bitcoin is<br />

the first one of these<br />

that has the potential to<br />

change the world.<br />

̔ ̔ I am very intrigued<br />

by Bitcoin. It has all the<br />

signs. Paradigm shift,<br />

hackers love it, yet it’s<br />

derided as a toy. Just like<br />

microcomputers.<br />

Peter Thiel<br />

PayPal Co-Founder<br />

Paul Graham,<br />

Venture Capitalist &<br />

Co-Founder of Y Combinator<br />

̔ ̔ From the start, I’ve always<br />

said the same thing: Bitcoin<br />

is an experiment and like<br />

all experiments, it can fail.<br />

So don’t invest what you<br />

can’t afford to lose. But<br />

despite knowing that Bitcoin<br />

could fail all along, the now<br />

inescapable conclusion that<br />

it has failed still saddens me<br />

greatly…<br />

̔ ̔ Bitcoin is a remarkable<br />

cryptographic<br />

achievement and<br />

the ability to create<br />

something that is not<br />

duplicable in the digital<br />

world has enormous<br />

value.<br />

Mike Hearn<br />

Author of Bitcoinj and a Contributor<br />

to Bitcoin Core<br />

Eric Schmidt<br />

Former CEO of Google<br />

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̔ ̔ Money at its core is<br />

simply a ledger for keeping<br />

track of debts, and Bitcoin<br />

is truly the best iteration<br />

of a universal ledger we’ve<br />

ever seen.<br />

̔ ̔ It feels strange to think<br />

of a world without cash,<br />

no more coins or notes<br />

for us to find down the<br />

back of the sofa, but it<br />

appears that’s the way<br />

things are heading.<br />

John Reed<br />

Former Chairman and CEO of Citibank<br />

Richard Branson<br />

Founder of Virgin Records, Virgin<br />

Galactic, and 400+ other businesses<br />

̔ ̔ I really like Bitcoin. I own<br />

Bitcoins. It’s a store of value,<br />

a distributed ledger. It’s a<br />

great place to put assets,<br />

especially in places like<br />

Argentina with 40 percent<br />

inflation, where USD1 today<br />

is worth 60 cents in a year,<br />

and a government’s currency<br />

does not hold value.<br />

̔ ̔ Bitcoin is exciting<br />

because it shows how<br />

cheap it can be. Bitcoin<br />

is better than currency in<br />

that you don’t have to be<br />

physically in the same place<br />

and, of course, for large<br />

transactions, currency can<br />

get pretty inconvenient.<br />

David Marcus<br />

CEO of PayPal<br />

Bill Gates<br />

Founder, Microsoft<br />

To complement our research on Bitcoin, we will be delving deep into the aspects of<br />

'Bitcoin mining' in our upcoming whitepaper.<br />

It explores the key pillars of Bitcoin, including how they are created and how the price<br />

levels are determined.<br />

Bitcoin - The true flag bearer of cryptocurrency by Tripti Rastogi Vishnoi<br />

www.sganalytics.com


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SG Analytics<br />

Business Consulting<br />

At SG Analytics, we help our clients understand the strengths of diverse markets<br />

and how to exploit opportunities. As businesses need to access current, accurate<br />

and actionable inputs for strategic decision-making in a dynamic environment, we<br />

at SG Analytics, provide global clients strategic insights, which help them achieve<br />

their business objectives keeping costs under control. We provide market entry<br />

strategies, feasibility studies, competitive intelligence, and country analysis, as<br />

well as create investment memorandums and support mergers & acquisitions. Our<br />

actionable insights add value to a business throughout its lifecycle.<br />

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Contact Us<br />

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Avenue of the Americas,<br />

New York, NY 10019<br />

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Tel: +1 844 622 4488<br />

42, Berkley Square,<br />

London, W1J5AW,<br />

United Kingdom.<br />

Tel +44 808 189 1395<br />

Limmatquai 80, 8001<br />

Zürich, Switzerland.<br />

Tel +41 44 724 41 92<br />

+41 79 576 15 86<br />

601 & 602, 6th Floor,<br />

Wing “2”, Cluster C,<br />

EON Free Zone,<br />

Kharadi,<br />

Pune – 411 014,<br />

Maharashtra.<br />

Tel +91 20 6730 7223<br />

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Banjara Hills,<br />

Hyderabad – 500 033<br />

Tel +91 40 4338 7700<br />

Bitcoin<br />

www.sganalytics.com<br />

- The true flag bearer of cryptocurrency by Tripti Rastogi Vishnoi<br />

www.sganalytics.com

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