Understanding Cryptocurrencies

Arbeitspapier

Cryptocurrencies refer to a type of digital cash that use distributed ledger - or blockchain technology - to provide secure transactions. These currencies are generally misunderstood. While initially dismissed as fads or bubbles, many large central banks are considering launching their own version of national cryptocurrencies. In contrast to most data in nancial economics, there is a plethora of detailed (free) data on the history of every transaction for the cryptocurrency complex. Further, there is little empirically-oriented research on this new asset class. This is an extraordinary research opportunity for academia. We provide a starting point by giving an insight into cryptocurrency mechanisms and detailing summary statistics and focusing on potential future research avenues in nancial economics.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IRTG 1792 Discussion Paper ; No. 2018-044

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Econometrics ; Financial Econometrics ; Monetary Systems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System; Payment Systems ; Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers ; General Financial Markets: General (includes Measurement and Data) ; Cyber Law ; Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law ; Information and Internet Services; Computer Software ; Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
• Subject: Cryptocurrency ; Blockchain ; Bitcoin ; Economic bubbles ; Peer-to-Peer ; Cryptographic hashing ; Consensus ; Proof-of-Work ; Proof-of-stake ; Volatility

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Härdle, Wolfgang Karl ; Harvey, Campbell R. ; Reule, Raphael C. G.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, International Research Training Group 1792 "High Dimensional Nonstationary Time Series"
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2018

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/230755
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET