Quote from: squatter on October 19, 2017, 09:23:39 PM

Quote from: etraderhart on October 19, 2017, 08:32:29 PM

Ok. So for the past two months, everyday, I have been reading cryptocurrency news from all around the world. (mostly from news.bitcoin and cointelegraph) and I has summed up my top three most supportive and progressive crypto-communities. [Feel free to disagree with me or correct my words]

not in any order

DISCLAIMER
*My reasons came from a compilation of news articles, but the list is purely opinionated.

1. Russia
The conflicting interest b/w Putin and the Central Bank has been slowing up the pace for progress; however, recent news suggest that the guidelines for bitcoin and digital currency will be made both beneficial to the government and the local users. I think Russia will be one of the centers of the blockchain technology in the future. Not to mention that Putin and Buterin have already discussed ways for the Ethereum platform to work well for the government.

2. Scandinavian countries
Not only Russia, but countries in Northern Europe have also integrated the blockchain technology in their university programs. Not only that, but some have now allowed Bitcoin to be a method of payment for tuition fees. Aside from this, countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland are gearing towards a 'cashless' society, and digital currencies are helping them do so.

3. Japan
Of course Japan is in my list. What better way to say it, but Japan is the first to make Bitcoin a legal tender. What makes Japan enter the list is because they didn't end there. As soon as they've allowed Bitcoin to become a mode of payment, authorities then also placed their attention to the miners and ICOs. Leaving no factor behind. As of now, you can even pay utility bills with Bitcoin, and the government is supporting small households to mine digital currencies.

I'm not sure that Russia belongs on the list. Like China, they have flip-flopped on cryptocurrencies for years. The Prosecutor General actually said in 2014 that using Bitcoin was illegal, because it functioned as a "money substitute." This stance was never enforced and indeed seems to evolved into a more progressive stance. However, they have continued to block access to cryptocurrency sites/exchanges, and released a new list of banned domains just a couple months ago.

The government has also made conflicting statements (and there are conflicting rumors). On one hand, the Finance Minister says it makes no sense to ban cryptocurrencies. On the other hand, there are rumors floating around about the "Crypto-Ruble" and that once it is launched, mining other cryptocurrencies will be considered illegal. I wouldn't include Russia simply because we have no idea what their regulations will end up looking like.

Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland are definitely all taking progressives stances and are encouraging innovation and adoption.

I, too, agree with the point about Russia. I have recently read that they are not comfortable using bitcoin as a currency and is even planning to sanction people who use them. Russia's stand is not really in support of the furtherance of bitcoin as currency in the global trading block. Japan, on the other hand, has been a big player that supports bitcoin to be used globally and are even encouraging businesses in their countries to use it, or invest in it. I guess the difference in the innovation mindset is what affects these two countries to have conflicting ideas about bitcoins.