2021 was crypto's wildest year yet
Here is a look at some of the major trends
1// Bitcoin is still no.1
The original cryptocurrency soared over 120% from January 1
to a then-record of almost $65,000 in mid-April
Fueling it was a growing acceptance by major corporations
such as Tesla and Mastercard
and an increasing embrace by Wall Street banks
Yet the token stayed volatile
It slumped 35% in May
before soaring to an all-time high of $69,000 in November
2// The rise of memecoins
Dogecoin launched in 2013 as a bitcoin spinoff
It soared over 12,000% to an all-time high in May
before slumping almost 80% by mid-December
Shiba inu is a spinoff of dogecoin
It briefly muscled its way into the 10 largest digital currencies
'Memecoins' have their roots in web culture
but often have little practical use
3//Regulation is the (large) elephant in the room
Regulators globally are cracking down on cryptocurrencies
In September, China banned all crypto trading and mining
Global regulators worry the rise in privately operated currencies
could potentially enable money laundering
and threaten global financial stability
