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Series · 15 articles

Time-Capsule Crypto

Fifteen landmark moments in cryptocurrency history, revisited through the lens of 2026. Each post examines a pivotal event — from the genesis block to the Bitcoin ETF — and unpacks what it means for today's markets.

1

The Genesis Block: What Satoshi's First Transaction Still Teaches Us

On 3 January 2009, the Bitcoin genesis block was mined. Seventeen years later, the embedded headline about bank bailouts resonates louder than ever.

Cryptocurrency5 min
2

Mt. Gox to FTX: The Recurring Lesson of Custodial Risk

From 850,000 lost BTC in 2014 to $8 billion vanishing in 2022, centralised exchange failures follow a disturbingly familiar pattern.

Cryptocurrency5 min
3

The DAO Hack: How a $60M Exploit Birthed Ethereum's Philosophy

The 2016 DAO hack forced Ethereum into an existential choice — and the resulting hard fork still shapes how we think about blockchain governance.

Cryptocurrency5 min
4

Bitcoin Pizza Day: The $700 Million Lesson in Early Adoption

On 22 May 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas. That transaction reveals everything about crypto's value evolution.

Cryptocurrency5 min
5

ICO Mania 2017: When Whitepapers Were Worth Billions

The 2017 ICO boom raised $5.6 billion on little more than promises. What survived — and why — holds critical lessons for today's token launches.

Cryptocurrency5 min
6

DeFi Summer 2020: The Yield Farming Revolution That Changed Finance

In just three months, DeFi TVL exploded from $1B to $10B. The composability revolution that started in 2020 now underpins a new financial paradigm.

Cryptocurrency5 min
7

The NFT Explosion: From CryptoPunks to Real-World Assets

NFTs went from $100M to $25B and back again. Beyond the hype cycle, tokenised ownership is quietly reshaping how we think about assets.

Cryptocurrency5 min
8

El Salvador's Bitcoin Bet: Sovereign Adoption Under the Microscope

In September 2021, El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender. Four years on, we examine the data behind the world's boldest monetary experiment.

Cryptocurrency5 min
9

The Merge: Ethereum's Proof-of-Stake Transition by the Numbers

Ethereum's September 2022 shift from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake cut energy consumption by 99.95%. What's changed since — and what hasn't.

Cryptocurrency5 min
10

Stablecoin Wars: How USDT, USDC, and DAI Reshaped Dollar Dominance

With $160B+ in circulation, stablecoins have become crypto's killer app — and the battlefield where decentralisation meets regulation.

Cryptocurrency5 min
11

The Bitcoin ETF Moment: When TradFi Finally Said Yes

January 2024 saw spot Bitcoin ETFs approved after a decade of rejection. The $50B+ inflows that followed rewrote crypto's institutional playbook.

Cryptocurrency5 min
12

Layer 2 Wars: Scaling Solutions and the Battle for Ethereum's Future

Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, zkSync — the L2 landscape is fragmenting as it grows. Who's winning the race to make Ethereum fast and cheap?

Cryptocurrency4 min
13

Real-World Assets On-Chain: The Quiet Tokenisation Revolution

From BlackRock's BUIDL fund to tokenised Treasury bills, RWAs have grown from a niche experiment to a $12B+ market. Here's the state of play.

Cryptocurrency5 min
14

Crypto Regulation: MiCA, the SEC, and the Global Patchwork

Europe's MiCA framework, US enforcement actions, and Asia's licensing regimes are creating a complex regulatory map. Where does clarity emerge?

Cryptocurrency5 min
15

Crypto in 2030: Five Predictions from History's Patterns

Based on the milestones covered in this series, we project five evidence-based scenarios for crypto's next chapter — and what to watch for.

Cryptocurrency5 min