Initial coin offerings (ICOs) continue to rise in popularity; in the first three months of 2018, ICOs have managed to generate more money than they did for the entirety of 2017. According to the data collected by CoinDesk, that figure sits at USD 6.3 billion, 118% of the 2017 total.
It appears that despite the numerous minor and higher profile controversies that ICOs have been tied to, the digital funding method is rapidly gaining confidence across the board. In the winter of 2017, the markets were piping hot and yet, ICOs were cooling off.
Uncertainties caused by ICO bans were partly to blame for the dip in confidence, especially the prohibitions from South Korea and China which are two very prominent market forces. This news further fuelled the doubt of cryptocurrencies and the technology being stifled entirely, but as the numbers show, ICOs are thriving.
ICOs on the rise
The data reveals a month-on-month increase from December, which was at USD 1.44 billion. In January, that figure rose to USD 1.79 billion; in February it grew to USD 2.38 billion, a significant rise which preceded a minor dip in March which brought in USD 2.15 billion.
The leap in the numbers can be attributed to the increased size and rate of the average ICO; Q1 of 2018 has already launched 59% of the total ICOs that were launched the previous year. However, it is important to note that the figure is slightly skewed – Telegram had a gigantic ICO which raised USD 1.7 billion, but minus that figure and Q1 2018 ICOs stand at 85% of the 2017 total, which is still no small feat.
So far in 2018, 200 ICOs have taken place, (343 in total for 2017) and most of them are raising less than USD 100 million.
Growing a global ICO consensus
The US has also provided positive insights into future attitudes towards ICOs; the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Jay Clayton made comments suggesting that ICOs are securities, and can be classified and regulated as such, reducing risk and encouraging blockchain entrepreneurship.
It’s is widely understood that ICOs carry a high risk for investors, especially to those looking in from traditional investment positions. At the heart of the ICO issue is global regulatory uncertainty. Without a global consensus on how to legally operate and tax ICOs, the modern digital fundraising method will still have some hurdles to overcome.
As the year rolls on, conversations regarding ICO and cryptocurrency regulations have gone from skepticism to intriguingly progressive sentiment; France, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and other countries are looking to make ICOs and their related technologies safe and fair for investors. They have the foresight to see that the technology will flourish should the “bad actors” within the industry be forced to work within legal, regulatory frameworks.
