A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.

More than 800 crypto coin offerings have failed in 18 months

800 to 1,000

Between 800 and 1,000 cryptocurrencies have failed and are now worth close to nothing, but ICOs (the main method to create new coins) are still ramping up.

Published   |  Photo by Reuters/Kim Hong-ji
A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.
800 to 1,000

Despite the sky-high failure rate of ICOs, nearly $12 billion has been raised in coin offerings through May this year—more than doubling the 2017 ICO haul.

A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.
800 to 1,000

Other estimates are as high as $13.7 billion, with the US accounting for $1.1 billion in 56 registered token sales.

A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.
800 to 1,000

But even with billions to gain in the crypto market, pitfalls are everywhere. Scams, hacks, regulation swerves, and poor execution are building up a ridiculously long list of dead coin offerings.

A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.
800 to 1,000

ICO or “Initial Coin Offering” Mentions

A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.
800 to 1,000

According to ICO advisory firm Satis Group, a mere 8% of ICOs get to trading status—and just 2% worth $50 million to $100 million look “promising” for investors.

A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.
800 to 1,000

In the digital gold rush, it’s harder than ever to predict a successful ICO. At the moment, the only real secret to crypto investing is that there’s no secret.

A university student, a member of a club studying cryptocurrencies, attends a meeting at a university in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2017.
800 to 1,000

Bitcoin price

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