2018 'Mature' Crypto Market Will Draw More Investment, See Less Volatility, Analyst Says
April 10 2018 - 6:34AM
ADVFN Crypto NewsWire
Adrian Lai, founding partner of Hong Kong-based crypto investment
firm Orichal Partners, has forecast that in 2018 the crypto market
will “mature” and increase its trading volume, particularly among
institutional investors, the South China Morning Post reported April 9.
Lai characterized both last year’s eye-popping market
cap growth — reaching an all-time high of over $800 bln
by early Jan. 2018 — and its subsequent first quarter spiral to
$256 mln, as of today, April 9, as “irrational.” He
attributed this staggering volatility to a lack of regulatory
oversight and institutional investment, but struck a decisively
optimistic tone about the future, saying that:
“Regulators are not banning the development of
cryptocurrencies, but are trying to better regulate the market,
which should help the industry mature (…) If the regulatory stance
gets clearer, large funds will be more assured and willing to
commit significant capital.”
2018 has already seen considerable regulatory momentum
pertaining to the crypto sphere, lending credence to Lai’s
position. The US Commodities Futures Trading
Commission (CFTC) and Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) hearings in Feb. 2018 were
devoted to crypto regulation.
The US, Japan, and South Korea are all currently
debating and issuing regulation for virtual currencies, Blockchain, crypto exchanges and ICOs, as well as considering
taxation frameworks, with some
admitting that regulatory measures are not fully developed.
In January, Cointelegraph reported that venture capital (VC) Blockchain
investment in 2018 is already on track to exceed 2017’s
numbers, with notable investments including $140 mln VC already
raised from Goldman Sachs, Baidu, and CICC for Circle’s recent acquisition of the Poloniex
crypto exchange, as well as VC Firm Digital Currency Group’s
investment in crypto-friendly Silvergate Bank.
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