How Crypto and Blockchain Are Influencing Geopolitics

Secondly, it is prompting some enthusiasts to passionately advocate for crypto and blockchain taking a bigger role in the economy.

That said, crypto and blockchain are also creating new geopolitical challenges.

India has also been resolute in its decision to push ahead with a crypto ban.

While some countries like India are taking a hardline approach by proposing jail terms for anyone found handling these coins and tokens, the likes of Japan and Canada have been far more laidback - encouraging innovation, enabling taxes to be paid using Bitcoin, and creating so-called "Regulatory sandboxes" where new crypto products can be tested on a small portion of the population before being rolled out.

There is a real and pressing divide when it comes to the attitudes surrounding crypto and blockchain.

One such country is China - which is already set to embark on a rapid acceleration of blockchain usage at the behest of President Xi Jinping.

What of the future?Reading the tea leaves to figure out what the future holds for crypto and blockchain is a challenge.

With so many unknowns, conferences have gained popularity as a way of hearing valuable insights from some of the best-known practitioners in the crypto and blockchain industries.

One of them is the Crypto Finance Conference, which is taking place from Jan. 15 to 17 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

The first day will explore the global impact of crypto and blockchain, and offer predictions for the future.