Crypto

Global Crypto Leaders: Top Countries Driving Cryptocurrency Usage in 2024

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2024

Global Crypto Leaders: Top Countries Driving Cryptocurrency Usage in 2024

1. United States: The Pioneer of Crypto Innovation

The United States is undoubtedly a global leader when it comes to cryptocurrency. With its robust financial infrastructure and a large number of tech companies, the U.S. has been at the forefront of blockchain development and crypto usage. Major cities like San Francisco, New York, and Miami have turned into crypto hubs, hosting events and conferences that bring together experts, traders, and innovators from around the world.

The U.S. also has a significant portion of the world’s Bitcoin ATMs, making it easy for individuals to buy and sell digital assets. Furthermore, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plays a vital role in regulating cryptocurrencies, ensuring a safer environment for investors.

However, the regulatory framework in the U.S. is complex, with each state having its own set of rules, making it a challenging landscape for businesses operating in the crypto space.

2. Japan: Embracing Crypto with Open Arms

Japan is another major player in the cryptocurrency world. The country has fully embraced digital currencies, even recognizing Bitcoin as legal tender back in 2017. This early adoption set the stage for Japan to become one of the most crypto-friendly countries in the world. The Japanese government has implemented clear regulations, making it easier for businesses to operate and for consumers to trust the system.

One key reason Japan stands out is its regulatory approach, which focuses on protecting consumers while encouraging innovation. This balanced approach has attracted many crypto exchanges and blockchain startups to set up shop in the country.

Japanese investors are also known for their interest in various cryptocurrencies, making Japan a hotspot for those looking to trade the best crypto coins.

3. South Korea: A Crypto Trading Powerhouse

South Korea has long been a hotbed for cryptocurrency trading. Known for its tech-savvy population and strong internet infrastructure, South Korea quickly embraced digital currencies, and today it is one of the largest markets for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

What makes South Korea unique is the level of participation from everyday citizens. Many South Koreans are enthusiastic traders, contributing to the high volume of crypto transactions within the country. Despite occasional government crackdowns aimed at regulating the market, the South Korean crypto scene remains one of the most active globally.

In fact, some of the largest crypto exchanges, like Upbit and Bithumb, are based in South Korea, making it a significant player in the global crypto market.

4. Germany: Leading Europe in Blockchain Adoption

Germany is one of the few countries in Europe that has taken significant steps to integrate cryptocurrency into its financial system. In 2019, the country classified cryptocurrencies as financial instruments, giving them a legal framework and allowing businesses to operate more freely. Germany is also home to one of the world’s largest Bitcoin ATMs, and crypto adoption is steadily growing among individuals and businesses alike.

Berlin, in particular, has emerged as a hub for blockchain innovation, attracting startups and tech companies working on various applications of the technology beyond just currency trading. Additionally, the German government is exploring blockchain for use in various sectors, including energy and supply chain management.

Germany’s forward-thinking approach has made it a leader in both the adoption and innovation of cryptocurrency technology.

5. Singapore: A Crypto-Friendly Haven

Singapore has earned its reputation as a global financial hub, and its approach to cryptocurrency is no different. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has created a clear regulatory framework that allows both institutional and retail investors to trade cryptocurrencies safely. According to this discussion, It has made Singapore a prime location for crypto startups and blockchain research.

The country has seen a steady increase in the number of crypto exchanges and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) being launched. Singapore’s government has also been keen to explore blockchain technology, particularly in areas like digital identity verification and cross-border payments.

With favorable tax laws and an innovative regulatory environment, Singapore continues to attract both crypto enthusiasts and institutional investors, making it one of the most crypto-friendly countries in the world.

6. El Salvador: The First Nation to Adopt Bitcoin as Legal Tender

Perhaps the most surprising entry on this list is El Salvador, which made headlines worldwide in 2021 by becoming the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. This bold move was spearheaded by the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, as part of an effort to boost financial inclusion and reduce the reliance on traditional banking systems.

While this decision faced some criticism, it also marked a significant moment in the global cryptocurrency narrative. Bitcoin is now used for everyday transactions in El Salvador, from buying groceries to paying for services. This step has sparked interest from other countries considering similar moves.

Despite the challenges, El Salvador’s experiment with Bitcoin has positioned it as a leader in the global crypto space, with many watching to see how this decision impacts its economy in the long run.

7. Switzerland: The Crypto Valley of Europe

Switzerland, known for its strong financial sector, has fully embraced cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The country is home to “Crypto Valley,” a region in Zug that has become a hub for blockchain startups and innovations. Switzerland’s friendly regulatory environment, combined with its political neutrality and stable economy, makes it an attractive destination for crypto companies.

The Swiss government has been proactive in creating a legal framework that supports the use of cryptocurrencies, making it easier for businesses and individuals to operate in this space. The country has also seen a growing number of crypto exchanges and ICOs, further solidifying its place as a global leader in the crypto industry.

*This article was paid for. Cryptonomist did not write the article or test the platform.

Crypto

An Easy-to-Miss Radio Traffic Jam Is Behind Many Home WiFi Slowdowns

Published

6 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Press Room

An Easy-to-Miss Radio Traffic Jam Is Behind Many Home WiFi Slowdowns

Key Takeaways

Your WiFi can feel rock-solid at midnight and oddly sluggish by breakfast, even when you have not touched a single setting. The culprit is often outside your walls: a crowded slice of public radio spectrum where your router has to negotiate space with every nearby network, plus a grab bag of household gadgets that leak interference. Add peak-hours demand and the signal-blocking quirks of building materials and weather, and “slow internet” starts to look less like a billing issue and more like an invisible traffic problem you are forced to share.

When WiFi slows down without warning

One day your home WiFi feels snappy, the next it drags, even though your router hasn’t moved and your internet plan hasn’t changed. That swing is real, and it’s usually not your imagination or a “bad day” from your ISP. WiFi lives on shared airwaves, and those airwaves get crowded, noisy, and sometimes just plain finicky.

Think of your connection as a conversation in a busy room. Your laptop and router may be talking just fine, but the room itself can fill up fast with other chatter. What looks like a mystery slowdown is often the result of invisible competition and interference that changes hour by hour.

The battle of competing networks

Most homes still rely heavily on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi bands, which are unlicensed spectrum in the US. That “free for everyone” reality is convenient, but it also means your network shares space with your neighbors, their smart TVs, their work laptops, and every nearby router doing the same thing.

Congestion has a rhythm. During common work-from-home and school-from-home windows, especially 8-10 AM, and again in the evening 6-10 PM, more devices are streaming, video calling, syncing, and downloading updates. Even if you pay for fast broadband, your WiFi link can become the bottleneck when the local radio environment gets packed.

Interference inside your home

Your own house can sabotage you. A microwave is the classic culprit because it can leak noise near 2.4 GHz, exactly where many WiFi networks still operate. Older cordless phones, some baby monitors, and even dense clusters of Bluetooth gadgets can add more clutter, especially in smaller apartments where everything sits close together.

Then there’s physics. Concrete, metal, and even water (think aquariums or thick pipes in walls) absorb and scatter radio signals. A router shoved behind a TV, tucked into a cabinet, or stuck in a far corner forces your devices to “hear” through more obstacles, lowering speeds and making dropouts more likely.

Weather, channels, and what you can do tonight

Environmental changes can matter too. Higher humidity and rain can slightly increase signal loss, and shifting temperatures can change how radio waves propagate around a neighborhood. You might never notice on its own, but paired with congestion it can tip a marginal connection into a frustrating one.

The 2.4 GHz band is also channel-limited. In the US there are 11 channels, but only 1, 6, and 11 don’t overlap. Many routers default to “auto channel,” so nearby networks can hop around trying to escape interference, sometimes creating instability. Practical fixes: prefer 5 GHz (or 6 GHz if you have WiFi 6E/7 gear), place the router centrally and higher up, and use a WiFi analyzer app to pick a less crowded channel instead of leaving it on auto.

Crypto

U.K.’s sanctions on cryptocurrency exchanges signal new focus on illicit digital financing – Compliance Week

Published

16 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Press Room

U.K.’s sanctions on cryptocurrency exchanges signal new focus on illicit digital financing – Compliance Week

Cryptocurrency exchanges believed to be financing Russia’s war in Ukraine have been sanctioned by the U.K. government in the first attempt to prevent evasion via “dark networks.” The move indicates a new focus on digital sanctions evasion, and compliance teams should expect these rules to develop further, potentially in the EU and other jurisdictions.

Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine…
More by Ruth Prickett

Crypto

Trader Turns $2 Million of ETH Into $14,208 as Lighter Token Rallies 53%

Published

1 day ago

July 6, 2026

Press Room

Trader Turns Million of ETH Into ,208 as Lighter Token Rallies 53%

Key Takeaways

Paying 140 Times the Market Price

The transaction was flagged yesterday and the math behind it was brutal. At $2.01 million for 5,776 tokens, the trader paid an effective price of roughly $348 per LIT, about 140 times the token’s market price of $2.46 at the time of the trade. Had the same 1,126.44 ETH, implying an ether price near $1,784, been routed through a deep venue at market rates, it would have bought roughly 817,000 LIT. The wallet received 5,776.

Onchain data showing 1,126.44 ETH ($2.01M) being swapped for only 5,776 LIT ($14,208), resulting in a $2M loss.

Losses of this scale typically occur when a large market order is routed through an onchain liquidity pool with minimal depth and no slippage protection. Slippage refers to the gap between a trade’s expected price and its executed price; most decentralized exchange ( DEX) interfaces let users cap it, automatically canceling any order that would move the market beyond a set percentage. Whether the trader disabled that protection or used a custom route remains unclear.

The setup was especially dangerous because LIT’s float is unusually tight, given roughly 57% of the circulating supply is staked and another 145 million LIT sits locked in liquidity programs (while the token’s deepest markets sit on centralized exchanges and on Lighter’s own platform rather than in public pools).

In those conditions, a $2 million market order can exhaust a pool’s inventory within a single block, with arbitrage and maximal extractable value (MEV) bots capturing the difference almost instantly.

Why LIT Is Red-Hot

Lighter is an Ethereum-based decentralized exchange focused on perpetual futures, the derivatives category that turned rival Hyperliquid into one of crypto’s defining stories. The project describes itself as “the first exchange to offer verifiable order matching and liquidations while delivering best-in-class performance on par with traditional exchanges.”

LIT traded near $2.60 at the time of writing, up 22.5% in 24 hours and 53.3% on the week, making it the second most-searched coin on Coingecko. The token commands a $675 million market capitalization on 250 million circulating tokens, with $533.6 million in total value locked (TVL) on the platform and $116.76 million in daily trading volume.

Trader Turns $2 Million of ETH Into $14,208 as Lighter Token Rallies 53% — Coingecko’s most trending coins as of July 7

Even after the rally, LIT sits 65.7% below its all-time high of $7.86 set Dec. 30, 2025 and roughly 245% above the $0.78 low it printed on March 31.

The surge follows a July 1 tokenomics overhaul in which Lighter said all LIT repurchased with protocol fees will be permanently burned. The first burn destroyed 15.5 million LIT, about 6.3% of the circulating supply, on July 2, and the team set a 6% staking yield target, with the platform directing more than 70% of its daily revenue to the buybacks.

Retail access is widening at the same time. Robinhood Wallet integrated Lighter’s perpetual futures last week, a catalyst that pushed LIT up 24% in a single day, while public praise from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin added further momentum.

Thin Markets Keep Claiming Victims

Sunday’s botched swap is not the first fortune lost on Lighter’s order books this year. In February, a whale lost $8.2 million attempting to squeeze the platform’s illiquid ARC perpetuals market, with about $2 million of the position liquidated directly on the order book.

Skeptics also note that only a quarter of LIT’s 1 billion total supply is in circulation, leaving a $2.7 billion fully diluted valuation and a long unlock runway once emissions resume. Whether the trader recovers anything is doubtful. MEV operators have occasionally returned funds captured in extreme slippage events, but such refunds are voluntary and rare.