But to understand the dynamic that led to this year’s depressing year for crypto, we actually should start a few years before 2018. In bitcoin’s early days, Mt. Gox was the go-to service for handling transactions. Then, in 2014, it halted transactions and slowly copped to a crypto-hack to the tune of $473 million, the biggest hack of its kind at the time, and it gave many people pause. But it was still early enough for people to believe that the blockchain system was still getting all the technical kinks out.
Bitcoin’s volatility is more reason for investors to play a steady long game. If you’re buying for long-term growth potential, then don’t worry about short-term swings. The best thing you can do is not look at your cryptocurrency investment, or “set it and forget it.” As experts continue to tell us each time there’s a price swing — whether up or down — emotional reaction can cause investors to act rashly and make decisions that result in losses on their investment.

If you are a merchant, you can also accept digital assets as payment directly or through a payment processor or service that is more convenient and adds capabilities. Some services give the option to convert paid cryptocurrencies into cash automatically on the back end, while there are also some companies that offer crypto top-up debit cards that are indistinguishable from any other plastic card to pay for goods or services.
NEW YORK -- The CEO of Binance.US, the American arm of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has resigned, robbing the company of a heavyweight former regulator as it grapples with increasing scrutiny from authorities around the world.