2. DISCLAIMER
Information provided here is general and is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as a recommendation to engage in any transaction or be taken to suggest a
strategy in respect of any digital assets or the developers thereof. We do not provide advisory services regarding investment, tax, legal, financial, accounting, consulting, or any other
related services. This content should not be the basis for making decisions or be interpreted as recommendations to buy, sell, use or hold any digital asset. We cannot guarantee the
accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein. This information may include opinions, estimates, projections and other information that might be considered forward-
looking. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment on what the future holds, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect our opinions only as of the date of this publication. Please keep in
mind that we will not revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events.
IDEX Quarterly Insights Report
July-September 2019
3. “We've been charging ahead on all fronts and have
seen great developments in Q3. However, it all pales
in comparison to our plans for Q4.”
Alex Wearn
Ceo/ Founder
4. 1. Key Takeaways
2. Market Dynamics
• Global Market
• IDEX Listings
3. Regulatory Developments
4. Buzz
5. Next Steps to Consider
Quarterly Insights
Report
Q3 2019
5. BLOCKCHAIN
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
We’re quickly closing the third quarter of 2019, and
the blockchain industry continues to show signs of
strength. Crypto winter was a great release of sorts,
stress testing the market and creating opportunities
for those who could weather the storm.
Breaking into Q4 and onwards, we anticipate
increased enterprise and government investments
and participation in blockchain tech; improved
visibility and application, heightening consumer
adoption; and a firming regulatory environment.
Key
Takeaways
IDEX Quarterly Insights Report, Q3 2019 1
BALANCING
DECENTRALIZATION AND
COMPLIANCE
Facebook’s Libra is a prime, live example of the struggle with
navigating against tangible forces that can ultimately shut down
a project.
In order to see the passage of a potentially world-changing
blockchain product, Head of Calibra, David Marcus, had to
rethink the scope of decentralization of Libra amidst a regulatory
inquisition, citing that the Libra Association will be regulated by
the Swiss government, and the Calibra wallet will be in
compliance with US regulations for anti-money laundering.
Because of Facebook’s influence and visibility with consumers,
we think they have a substantial level of accountability not
necessarily held up against other smaller companies. In many
ways, this is exhilaratingly positive for the blockchain space, but
it could also easily set a poor precedent for current and
upcoming blockchain initiatives depending on how Facebook
plays their hand and how regulatory bodies react.
BLOCKCHAIN DEBUTANTES
BATTLING WITH INCUMBENT
BEHEMOTHS
We believe that startups in the blockchain space have historically been
at the forefront of trying to push projects and use cases to the limits of
what is possible, without regard to regulatory compliance. As a result
of stakeholders taking on risks, blockchain has weathered through
multiple crashes and against doomsday prophecies. Now, headlines
feature these projects year after year and everyone from consumers to
government bodies is participating in the discussion.
Companies like Facebook, Amazon, and IBM are giving blockchain
their vote of confidence, investing heavily into existing projects as well
as building their own. While it may seem that these companies have a
stranglehold in their respective industries, there are boundless
opportunities for startups to find ground, innovate, and flourish.
6. TOTAL MARKET CAP
Total market cap indicates the value of the entire cryptocurrency market. It is the sum of
the market cap of all coins that are in existence in the cryptocurrency space. There are
currently a total of 2915 coins and tokens, and total market cap measures the size of this
entire market. This value can help identify the strength and potential of the
cryptocurrency market at a given point in time. Currently, the total market cap stands at
USD $225B which is a far cry from its previous high of nearly $800B at the start of 2019.
GlobalMarket
IDEX Quarterly Insights Report, Q3 2019
Market Dynamics
2
TRADING VOLUME
Trade volume is the total amount of assets traded during a given period of time. Trading
volume can be a gauge for user trust, market stability, and liquidity.
The third quarter of this year opened with trade volume around $90B and closed at nearly
$65B.
Source: coinmarketcap.com
8. Regulatory
Developments
Cryptocurrency regulation varies from state to state, and that gap only gets bigger as we compare policies from country to country.
While several have declared an official ruling on legality, many are still conducting research and weighing their options.
Regulators have a few choices: enforce stringent standards that altogether prohibit the use of cryptocurrency (such is the case in
Bolivia and Nepal), limit its use to some capacity (e.g. like China), or make it completely legal and taxable (e.g. like Israel).
As regulators continue considering their approach, markets will continue to swing at every headline. Here are the major ones we saw
this quarter.
07/31/19
UK Financial Regulator FCA Won’t Regulate
Bitcoin and Ether
07/11/19
Senate moves Blockchain Promotion Act
forward
08/07/19
S. Korean Financial Regulator Planning to
Directly Regulate Cryptocurrency
Exchanges
09/06/19
Japan Grants Crypto Exchange License to
Messaging Giant LINE
IDEX Quarterly Insights Report, Q3 2019 4
09/30/19
EOS Maker Block.One Settles With SEC
Over Unregistered Securities Sale
9. 5
Buzz Crypto communities namely exist in the online sphere but
that has not deterred the rapid spread of news, debate, and
hot topics. Rather, it has fueled robust conversation and
rapid spread of controversial topics.
Here are several of this quarter’s buzzworthy topics.
CP2000
In early August, the IRS began
issuing Notice CP2000 to crypto
traders. While the notice was
not a formal audit notication, it
still sent traders into a nervous
frenzy.
IDEX Quarterly Insights Report, Q3 2019
DAOs
As more companies bet on
and adopt blockchain, the
topic of decentralized
autonomous organizations is
once again rising in
popularity.
STABLECOINS
Stablecoins remain a hot topic.
During a spectacular drop in
Bitcoin price at the end of
September, stablecoin Tether
become the 4th largest
cryptocurrency by market
capitalization. PBOC
DIGITAL CURRENCY
Researchers at the People’s Bank of
China have been working on
systems development since last year
and may be close launching the
bank’s own cryptocurrency.
10. Make a Trade
Make your next trade IDEX and see why we’re the
#1 DEX.
Next Steps to Consider
Watch the Market
Do you see the same trends repeating this quarter? See
how they affect performance.
ABOUT IDEX
IDEX is the #1 DEX on Ethereum, providing retail and institutional customers with a secure, trustless, and real-time trading experience backed by transparent blockchain
settlement. By managing trade matching and Ethereum transaction dispatch off-chain, IDEX eliminates mining delays and enables continuous trading, multiple
simultaneous orders, and zero-fee cancellations.
IDEX Quarterly Insights Report, Q3 2019 6