The document is a presentation by Casey Botticello, president of the Cryptocurrency Alliance Super PAC, on the global emergence of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. It provides an overview of cryptocurrencies and blockchain, discusses how Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were developed, and outlines some of the international adoption and regulation of cryptocurrency. It also describes the Cryptocurrency Alliance Super PAC's strategy of education, political advocacy, and countering propaganda regarding cryptocurrencies.
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CCASuperPAC
Technology
Bitcoinand
Beyond
Financial
Markets
Cryptocurrency
intheUnited
States
International
Adoptionand
Regulation
A brief overview
of The
Cryptocurrency
Alliance Super
PAC.
What is
cryptocurrency
and blockchain
technology?
The creation of
Bitcoin and other
cryptocurrencies.
How are
cryptocurrencies
and blockchain
technology being
used in different
countries?
Cryptocurrency
adoption in the
United States.
International
adoption and
regulation of
cryptocurrency.
Presentation Roadmap
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About The Cryptocurrency Alliance Super PAC
The Cryptocurrency Alliance is an independent
expenditure-only committee (Super PAC),
founded by cryptocurrency investor and
blockchain advocate Casey Botticello.
The Cryptocurrency Alliance Super PAC was
created to raise awareness about
cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology,
counter the relentless propaganda espoused
by the global banking elite who are threatened
by a decentralized currency, and to oppose
legislation and political candidates who intend
to regulate cryptocurrencies at the expense of
consumer privacy.
Cryptocurrency Alliance
Section 1
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Cryptocurrency Alliance Strategy
Education
Cryptocurrencies and
Blockchain Technology
are poorly understood
by the general public.
One of our goals is to
provide resources and
information to help
voters understand
these concepts.
Political
Advocacy
Cryptocurrencies
threaten the existing
financial system, which
has resulted in an
extensive lobbying
campaign by financial
institutions trying to
maintain control of the
global banking system.
We aim to inform
voters of the facts
behind cryptocurrency.
Countering
Propaganda
There are many
politicians and public
figures who have little
understanding of
cryptocurrencies (or
feel threatened by
their existence),
resting in a stream of
political propaganda
we hope to counter.
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“ Bitcoin and the underlying blockchain
technology promote an uncensored
network where all can participate with
equal access ”
Casey Bottice llo
Pre side nt,
Cr yptocurre ncy Alliance
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Section 2
What is Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology?
• What is cryptocurrency?
• What is the blockchain?
• What are the layers of the blockchain?
Topics Cove re d:
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Cryptocurrency is a
medium of exchange
created and stored
electronically in the
blockchain, using
encryption techniques to
control the creation of
monetary units and verify
the transfer of funds.
What is
Cryptocurrency?
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Mining
Proof of work is a protocol by which somebody can effectively prove that they
have engaged in a significant amount of computational work.
Distributed Ledger
A blockchain is a public ledger that provides information of all the participants and all
digital transactions that have ever been executed.
Security
By comparing the hash of the data the authenticity of the data can be
verified which helps in achieving an independently verifiable system.
Disaggregated Network
The distributed ledger is run by a disperse network of participants. There is
no central authority like a traditional financial intermediary.
Blockchain is a distributed ledger of
peer to peer transactions that
allows for secure record storage.
Blockchain forms the technical
backbone for cryptocurrencies such
as Bitcoin but also has broad
applications as a ledger of various
records and contracts.
What is Blockchain?
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Key Features of Blockchain Technology
Propagation
There are many copies
of a blockchain ledger,
and no ‘master’ copy. All
participants have access
to a full copy of the
ledger and all copies are
identical and equivalent.
No one party has control
of the ledger. New
transactions can be
posted quickly and will
propagate to all
participants’ copies
Programmability
Some blockchains
allow for program
code to be stored on
them, as well as
ledger entries –
creating automatic
journal entries that
execute automatically
when triggered.
These are the so-
called “smart
contracts.”
Permanence
With each user having
their own copy of the
ledger, truth is determined
by consensus. Past
transactions cannot be
edited without the consent
of the majority, meaning
that blockchain records are
permanent. The entire
ledger is stored by each
participant and can be
inspected and verified.
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How can we animate the
transaction history so
that events trigger
predetermined actions?
Contract
What kind of transactions
do we accept?
Content
How do we maintain the
integrity of the transaction
history across organizations?
Consensus
How are transactions created
and propagated inside and
between organizations?
Communications
Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology
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Security
Security is achieved at the consensus layer, and
requires building a consensus function that
cannot be fooled into accepting an alternate
ledger without using a majority of all existing
resources
1
Liveness
Liveness is achieved at the mining layer, and
requires there to be enough incentive for
participants in the network to continually
confirm new blocks
2
Stability
Stability is achieved at the propagation layer,
and requires nodes to be able to quickly
disseminate confirmed blocks to other nodes
so that they know to build on the most
recent blocks instead of older, stale blocks
3
4
The Four Layers of the Blockchain
01
The Mining Layer
02
Propagation Layer
03
04
The Consensus Layer
Correctness
Correctness is achieved at the semantic layer,
where blocks have a meaning, which could range
from sending currency between parties as in
Bitcoin to encoding state transitions in a state
machine as in Ethereum, and where this meaning
is validated by nodes to conform to the
specification stating how new blocks must relate
to previous blocks
The Semantic Layer
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The Creation of Bitcoin and Other
Cryptocurrencies
• How was the first cryptocurrency developed?
• How did cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin
evolve?
• What are the applications of blockchain
transactions?
Topics Cove re d:
Section 3
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Background
• It’s late 2008, and the global financial crisis is
causing shock waves around the world. Anger at the
worldwide banking industry, governments and other
centralized authorities has reached fever pitch.
• Enter a mysterious figure named Satoshi Nakamoto,
whose real identity continues to remain shrouded in
mystery, to this day. Satoshi authors and releases a
white paper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic
Cash System.
• The paper outlined the concepts for a new digital
currency system that didn’t rely on banks to
facilitate transactions or governments to create and
disseminate the currency.
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19• No mechanism exists to make
payments over a communications
channel without a trusted party
• Satoshi proposes an electronic
payment system based on
cryptographic proof instead of
trust, allowing any two willing
parties to transact directly with
each other without the need for a
trusted third party
• Unlike traditional currencies like
the US dollar, Bitcoin doesn’t
have a central bank to ‘print’ or
produce more currency
• To introduce more bitcoins into
the network and motivate
people to keep the system
honest, miners are rewarded
with new bitcoins
• To overcome the double spending
problem which results in a reliance
on intermediaries and a whole new
set of issues (inability to make non-
reversible transactions, increased
costs, etc.), Satoshi proposes a new
electronic payment system that
relies on sophisticated computer
encryption (cryptography) instead
of the trust generated by expensive
and slow intermediaries
The reliance on
intermediaries to
facilitate online
transactions
Currency manipulation
and control by central
banks
Double spending
problem and the
updating of digital
records
Satoshi explains how the global financial system is flawed…
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Mining
Authentication
Mining and Incentives
Specify how each feature will be
delivered
Dispute Mediation
Specify when each feature will
be delivered
Proof of Work
Tie each feature to the value it
will provide to users
Cryptographic Hash
Incorporate user stories in the
features roadmap
Timestamp Server
Tie each feature to the ways it will
improve the user experience and
solve users’ problems
Double-Spending
Tie the features to the overall
product strategy
Satoshi also outlines a
cryptographic payment
solution addressing many
of these issues. Some of
the key concepts
introduced are proof of
work, mining and
incentives, and a solution
to the double-spending
problem.
Satoshi’s White
Paper Concepts
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Bitcoin is introduced, solving many of the problems
described…
Payment
Independence and
Low Transaction
Fees
Counterfeit-proof Anonymity and Identity
Theft Protection
Security, Control, and
Transparency
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Hal Finney developed reusable
proof of work (RPOW) using
hashcash as its proof of work
algorithm.
On 18 August 2008, the domain name bitcoin.org was
registered. On October 31st, 2018, Satoshi’s whitepaper is
distributed to an email list.
On bitcoin network came into existence with Satoshi
Nakamoto mining the genesis block of bitcoin (block
number 0) January 3, 2009.
Hal Finney downloaded the bitcoin software the day it was
released, and received 10 bitcoins from Nakamoto in the
world's first bitcoin transaction on 12 January 2009.
Before disappearing from any involvement in bitcoin,
Nakamoto in a sense handed over the reins to
developer Gavin Andresen, who then became the
bitcoin lead developer at the Bitcoin Foundation
01
02
03
05
The Creation and
Early Use of Bitcoin 04
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2009
On January 3, 2018,
bitcoin network came
into existence with
Satoshi Nakamoto mining
the genesis block of
bitcoin (block number 0).
On August 6, 2010, a major
vulnerability in the bitcoin
protocol was spotted.
Transactions weren't properly
verified before they were
included in the transaction log.
This was the only major security
flaw found and exploited in
bitcoin's history.
2010
2011
In 2011, Based on bitcoin's open
source code, other
cryptocurrencies started to
emerge. The Electronic Frontier
Foundation, a non-profit group,
started accepting bitcoins. n June
2011 WikiLeaks and other
organizations began to accept
bitcoins for donations.
In 2012, the Bitcoin
Foundation was launched.
BitPay reported having over
1,000 merchants accepting
bitcoin under its payment
processing service. Bitcoin
is discussed by Jim Cramer
on CNBC’s Mad Money.
2012
2013
In 2013 the bitcoin-based payment
processor Coinbase reported selling US$1
million worth of bitcoins in a single month at
over $22 per bitcoin. China-based bitcoin
exchange BTC China overtook the Japan-
based Mt. Gox and the Europe-based
Bitstamp to become the largest bitcoin
trading exchange by trade volume. the
People's Bank of China prohibited Chinese
financial institutions from using bitcoins.
In 2014, Zynga announced it was testing
bitcoin for purchasing in-game assets in
seven of its games. That same month,
The D Las Vegas Casino Hotel and Golden
Gate Hotel & Casino properties in
downtown Las Vegas announced they
would also begin accepting bitcoin. The
network rate exceeded 100
petahash/sec. TigerDirect and
Overstock.com started accepting bitcoin.
2014
Bitcoin Growth (2009-2018)
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2015
In 2015 Coinbase raised 75 million
USD as part of a Series C funding
round. In February 2015, the
number of merchants accepting
bitcoin exceeded 100,000.
In October 2015, a proposal was
submitted to the Unicode
Consortium to add a code point for
the bitcoin symbol.
In 2016, the network rate exceeded 1 exahash/sec.
The Cabinet of Japan recognized virtual currencies like bitcoin
as having a function similar to real money.In July 2016,
researchers published a paper showing that by November
2013 bitcoin commerce was no longer driven by "sin" activities
but instead by legitimate enterprises. Uber switched to bitcoin
in Argentina after the government blocked credit card
companies from dealing with Uber.
2016
2017
Japan passed a law to accept bitcoin as a
legal payment method, and Russia has
announced that it will legalize the use of
cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. And
Norway’s largest online bank,
Skandiabanken, integrates bitcoin
accounts.[In March 2017, the number of
GitHub projects related to bitcoin passed
10,000. Bitcoin split into two derivative
digital currencies, the bitcoin (BTC) chain
with 1 MB blocksize limit and the Bitcoin
Cash (BCH) chain with 8 MB blocksize limit.
South Korea brought in a regulation that
requires all the bitcoin traders to reveal their
identity, thus putting a ban on anonymous
trading of bitcoins. With two major
improvements, SegWit and the Lightning
Network, live on the mainnet, the challenge
for the Bitcoin development community will
be to continue pushing out improvements in
2018 and beyond.
2018
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Ethereum is a decentralized
software platform that enables
SmartContracts and Distributed
Applications (ĐApps) to be built
and run without any downtime,
fraud, control or interference
from a third party. The platform
is also the basis for its own
virtual currency, Ether.
Ethereum is not just a platform
but also a programming
language (Turing complete)
running on a blockchain,
helping developers to build and
publish distributed applications.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
Bitcoin Cash was created
as a solution to the long-
awaiting debate in the
Bitcoin community in
regards to the Bitcoin
scalability issue. The
Bitcoin Cash proposes
incorporates the simple
solution. While the block
size limit of Bitcoin stands
at one megabyte, Bitcoin
Cash has pushed the limit
to 8 megabytes. This
allows for a greater
number of transactions
processing per day.
Litecoin (LTC)
Launched in the year 2011,
Litecoin is an alternative
cryptocurrency based on the
model of Bitcoin. Litecoin was
created by an MIT graduate
and former Google engineer
named Charlie Lee. Litecoin is
based on an open source
global payment network that
is not controlled by any central
authority. Litecoin differs from
Bitcoins in aspects like faster
block generation rate and use
of script as a proof of work
scheme.
Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin is a digital currency
created in 2009. It follows the
ideas set out in a white paper
by the mysterious Satoshi
Nakamoto, whose true
identity has yet to be verified.
Bitcoin offers the promise of
lower transaction fees than
traditional online payment
mechanisms and is operated
by a decentralized authority,
unlike government-issued
currencies. There are no
physical bitcoins, only
balances kept on a public
ledger in the cloud, that –
along with all Bitcoin
transactions – is verified by a
massive amount of
computing power.
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Applications of Blockchain
Walmart is
improving the way
food is tracked,
transported and
sold to consumers
across China by
harnessing the
power of
blockchain
technology.
SupplyChain
The FDA is
working with IBM
Watson Health to
define a secure,
efficient and
scalable exchange
of health data
using blockchain.
Healthcare
Northern Trust is
working with IBM
and other
stakeholders to
launch the first
commercial use
of blockchain
technology for
the private equity
market.
Financial
The Government of
Dubai is developing
smart contracts that
can facilitate all
trade that passes
through its port,
totaling $344
billion, shift all
transactions to
blockchain by 2020.
Government
Many business use cases can be improved and/or solved by using distributed
ledger technology. It can be used in many cases where trust services are
needed by business applications. This can be utilized by using blockchain
technology as an application platform to build the underlying trust
infrastructure of the system.
Maersk is using
blockchain to manage
and track the paper
trail of tens of millions
of shipping containers
across the world by
digitizing the supply
chain process from
end to end.
Transportation
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$7,013.97
Per BTC
Price of Bitcoin
4th
1st
$60.79
Per LTC
Price of Litecoin
$279.18
Per ETH
Price of Ethereum
3rd
$538.27
Per BCH
Price of Bitcoin Cash
2nd
There are over 1700
cryptocurrencies,
however, the market
is very top heavy,
the top 20
cryptocurrencies
account for 89% of
the total market.
Prices of Leading Cryptocurrencies
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Market Cap of Leading Cryptocurrencies
Litecoin
$4.5 Billion
Bitcoin Cash
$12.3 Billion
Ethereum
$45 Billion
Bitcoin
$102 Billion
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Bitcoin Friendly States
California
Bitcoin was officially recognized as legal tender in June
2014 when Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill
129. San Francisco is considered the world's most
bitcoin-friendly city with 177 merchants that accept it
for payment as of April 2015.
Colorado
Denver lists 56 merchants that accept bitcoin payments.
Bitcoin is also being examined as a potential solution to
legal marijuana dispensaries that have to deal in cash
and cannot access traditional banking.
New York
New York City has 149 vendors that accept bitcoin
payments, which is second only to Los Angeles and five
bitcoin ATMs. Many of the best funded cryptocurrency
companies are based here, including: Coinbase, Circle,
21 Inc. and Bitreserve.
Texas
Under regulations published by the state's Department
of Banking in April 2014, digital currencies such as
bitcoin are not considered money. This means wire
transfers and purchases or sales are not subject to the
regulations that govern equivalent transactions in
dollars. Two of the top 10 cities in the United States for
vendor acceptance are in Texas.
New Hampshire
There are no limitations on making purchases in
bitcoin, and the state reportedly has the most per
capital bitcoin purchases in the United States.
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70
57
79
77
71
70
67
61
55
50
38
66
62
34
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Have You Ever Heard of “Cryptocurrency” Survey
Yes or No Responses
European Average
Austria
USA
Australia
United Kingdom
Spain
Italy
Germany
Poland
Belgium
France
Netherlands
Yes No
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The share of people owning cryptocurrency in Europe is still
relatively low – 9% said they had purchased bitcoin or any other
crypto, with the data for Australia (7%) and the US (8%) showing
similar results. Luxembourg (4%) and Belgium (5%) are at the
bottom of the table, while Eastern European countries, like
Poland (11%) and Romania (12%), are among the leaders in the
survey. Turkey, with its staggering 18%, tops the chart
7%
About
of Australians have purchased cryptocurrency.
Australia
Cryptocurrency Usage
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Latvia
Lithuania
Belarus
Ukraine
Moldova
Romania
Montenegro
Serbia
Hungary
Croatia
Bosnia
Kosova
Slovakia
Czechia
Poland
Austria
SwitzerlandFrance
eland
United Kingdom
Belgium
Netherlands
Slovenia
Bulgaria
Germany
Germany
European Institutional Exchange
Germany is opening its first crypto exchange for whales.
The company VPE Wertpapeierhandlesbank AG (VPE)
explained that they are launching a cryptocurrency
trading service for institutional investors. The exchange
has got a license that makes of it secure and regulated
for its customers.
Katharina Strenski, VEP spokesperson, explained that
institutional investors have been facing high entry
barriers to the crypto market and virtual currency
trading services. According to her, VPE is now offering a
much more convenient alternative for institutional and
important investors.
VPE is known as a centric exchange-based OTC trader.
Different clients, including financial enterprises,
investors, and institutions are able to have access to
investment advice and portfolio management.
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Croatia
Italy
Cze
Aus
Switzerland
Belgium
Netherlands
Slovenia
France
Germany
France
Cryptocurrency Taxation
France has more than halved its
cryptocurrency income tax rate on capital
gains, incentivizing citizens to invest and
even take some profits in the market.
The French Council of State has decided to
change the classification of cryptocurrency
capital gains, thereby lowering the tax rate
from as high as 45% to a flat rate of 19%, a
French online publication revealed. With the
added generalized social contribution (GSC)
for most incomes, the tax rate would rise
but still falls well below the 40% threshold.
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Spain
Early Regulatory Phase
Currently, there is no regulatory
framework for cryptocurrencies in
Spain. Bitcoin is thus not considered
legal currency in the country.
Due to the absence of a supervisory
framework, the draft calls for a review
of regulations pertaining to Bitcoin and
altcoins, as well as to blockchain,
proposing to introduce the technology
to the Spanish market through
“controlled testing environments,”
commonly referred to as “regulatory
sandboxes.”
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India
Cryptocurrency Crackdown
Cryptocurrency is currently legal in India, but in
July the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned the
country’s banks from servicing businesses involved
in exchanging or processing digital assets. At the
time, RBI cited risks to financial stability and the
security of investors as being the main reasons
behind the ban.
Following the crackdown, commentators were
quick to note that, while banking activities for
crypto business were suspended, it was not a ban
on crypto in India outright. The country’s supreme
court continues to uphold the ban even after
hearing a raft of petitions.
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African Cryptocurrency Usage
Ethiopia
The Ethiopian Ministry of Science and
Technology signed an agreement with the
cryptocurrency startup Cardano earlier this
month. The memorandum of understanding
signed by the two parties intends to guide
blockchain development and training for the
country’s agritech industry.
South Africa
Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are popular in
South Africa, where financial institutions are
taking notably progressive steps toward
involvement in the industry. The Blockchain
Africa Conference has convened every year
since 2015 in Johannesburg, and partners with
IBM and Microsoft, which have been the
biggest contributors to Africa’s technological
development over the past century.
Rwanda
The National Bank of Rwanda published a
document earlier this year detailing the
bank’s position on cryptocurrency and the
potential risks associated with the new
cryptocurrency market in regard to
established financial institutions. The bank
concluded that its preparations for
mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency
include creating and regulating a bank-
owned currency.
Rwanda
The National Bank of Rwanda published a
document earlier this year detailing the
bank’s position on cryptocurrency and the
potential risks associated with the new
cryptocurrency market in regard to
established financial institutions. The bank
concluded that its preparations for
mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency
include creating and regulating a bank-
owned currency.
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South America
Latin Americans are
increasingly turning to
cryptocurrencies which
many perceive these as
a more stable store of
value and means of
transaction.
Brazil
Bolivia
Paraguay
Uruguay
Venezuela
Guyana
Suriname
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Argentina
Chile
Panama
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Venezuela
In hyperinflation-crippled Venezuela, privacy-
focused cryptocurrency Dash is rising in
popularity among locals with some 200
merchants signups and thousands of wallet
downloads per month. A recent survey
conducted by blockchain and cryptocurrency
startup Ripio found that Latin Americans are
confident that blockchain technology “will
build a more reliable and participatory
system” and “change the rules.”
Argentina
Argentines have been some of Latin
America’s earliest adopters of
cryptocurrency, with 6.1 businesses that
accept Bitcoin per million people in Buenos
Aires. However, the use of blockchain-backed
currencies is not necessarily sanctioned by
the Argentine government. Instead, citizens
have adopted the technology as a safety net
against the extremely unstable Argentine
peso, the restrictions on foreign currency
exchange within the country, and the 32
percent yearly inflation rate.
Brazil
Brazil’s largest investment bank, XP
Investimentos, is setting up an OTC
cryptocurrency trading desk, according to a
recent report by Portal do Bitcoin. With over
500,000 clients and $35 billion under
management, XP’s move into cryptocurrency
trading would open the door for high-volume
Bitcoin trading.