Market Outlook

A VR penny stock saw 200 percent surge in stock price after announcing a shift in corporate focus to cryptocurrencies.

However, regulators in China reportedly plan to withdraw preferential benefits such as tax deductions and cheap electricity available to mining firms.

The head of one of Japan's largest bitcoin exchanges looks back at 2017, a year he believes the country became a true market leader for the industry.

The New York State Court granted a motion to dismiss a two-year one-man lawsuit that tried to overturn the existing New York bitcoin law.

President Vladimir Putin has reportedly commissioned Russian officials to work on developing a national cryptocurrency dubbed the "cryptorouble."

The man behind the sign steps into the light to reveal his motives. In a year beset by savage infighting, Bitcoin Sign Guy took a stand, with a small action that not only broke the internet, but raised the spirits of a beleaguered bitcoin community then ravaged by a years-long intellectual war. Were we all Satoshi? Maybe not in 2017. But, we were all "Bitcoin Sign Guy."

If crypto assets really are the "Craziest Bubble Ever," then Naval Ravikant is the movement's elder statesman. The founder of AngelList, Ravikant didn't talk much about startups in 2017, instead preaching the gospel of the ICO on Twitter in 140-character bursts that were part roadmap and part prophecy for a burgeoning industry. In the process, he helped open doors for a new wave of innovative cryptocurrency projects, giving a vital boost to an industry that had all but been locked out of Silicon Valley following bitcoin's 2015 correction.

Part sheriff? Part outlaw? Either way, Joe Lubin appears right at home in the "Wild West" of cryptocurrencies. The leader of a company that's part ethereum project incubator, part change-the-world commune, Lubin showed no shortage of influence in 2017, launching some of the first successful ethereum tokens and winning over countless enterprises to the platform. If Vitalik envisioned the new world, Joe Lubin just might be colonizing it.

It's good to be Charlie. After years of working at the first "Bitcoin Unicorn," Lee stepped out on his own in 2017 to take up arms against those who would delay bitcoin technical development. His weapon? The cryptocurrency network: litecoin. With the network – once languishing, now revitalized – Lee pulled no punches, becoming the opinionated voice of reason in a market that's known for its insanity.

Master of the ASICBoost, conjurer of Antbleed... Perhaps no character in the pantheon of industry leaders has been the subject of more conspiracy theories than Mr. Wu, a passionate bitcoin believer who's been reviled for his views. The young co-founder of Chinese mining giant Bitmain, he might not exactly be the villain we all believe. But, what might be for certain is that if there's a title for "most misunderstood," Wu would win hands down.

Bitcoin's price started the year off by crossing $1,000, culminating with a run that brought it close to $20,000.

Privacy may be an issue with major blockchains today, but 2017 saw innovations by leaps and bounds, argues VC Arianna Simpson.