Bitcoin

The secretive industry is notoriously hard to track, but an economics-based model could help researchers and policymakers estimate just how much electricity the cryptocurrency requires.

• By Kate Wheeling

Unless energy efficiency improves dramatically, demand for cryptocurrencies will eventually be self-limiting.

• By Richard Heinberg

Want to grab some Bitcoin with your beer? Bitcoin teller machines across the country are making that a reality.

• By Chris Chafin

Can cryptocurrency destabilize pretrial detention? Bail Bloc thinks so—and it's harnessing collective computer power to do just that.

• By Benjamin Powers

Greece could take a lesson from Estonia.

• By Kyle Chayka

After a week of reporting and writing on booms and busts—everything from the economy of big oil boomtowns to the growth of the mental-health counseling field—Jamie Wiebe considers five of the biggest booms—and five of the biggest busts—of the past year.

• By Jamie Wiebe

The recent notice is a surreal step that brings what was once an anarchist’s dream come true closer to being a tool of the state.

• By Kyle Chayka

And how Bitcoin is learning from the mistakes of those that came before it so it can avoid the same fate.

• By Kyle Chayka

After watching it survive Chinese legislation that attempted to ban the use of virtual currencies, we’re much closer to positive that Bitcoin is here to stay for good.

• By Kyle Chayka

Why not? YOLO.

• By Kyle Chayka

Contract killing doesn’t pay, for either side of the equation.

• By Lauren Kirchner

Fear not, virtual currency enthusiasts: Recent legal activity surrounding Bitcoin will only help to better integrate it into our financial system and make it more accessible.

• By Kyle Chayka

Worldwide mobile payments are estimated to exceed $235 billion this year, but North America only accounts for a small slice of that. Your phone is your camera, calendar, favorite gaming device, and more. When will it finally become your wallet?

• By Kyle Chayka

Activism. Education. Publishing. Now it's time for the Internet to revolutionize our outdated banking system. Meet some of the cryptocurrencies vying for a spot in your digital wallet.

• By Kyle Chayka