Leigh Cuen

Freelance reporter

Leigh Cuen is a tech reporter covering blockchain technology for publications such as Newsweek Japan, International Business Times and Racked. Her work has also been published by Teen Vogue, Al Jazeera English, The Jerusalem Post, Mic, and Salon. Leigh does not hold value in any digital currency projects or startups. Her small cryptocurrency holdings are worth less than a pair of leather boots.

Latest from Leigh Cuen

Finance

Bitcoin Usage Among Merchants Is Up, According to Data From Coinbase and BitPay

Although bitcoin adoption may move at a glacial pace, merchants are seeing sustained traction regardless of market dips.

Feb 3, 2020

BTC ACCEPTED HERE: Lola Luna lingerie saw a steady stream of bitcoin payments in 2019. (Courtesy photo)

Finance

Why Lightning Payments Aren't Clicking for Porn Companies (Just Yet)

Bitcoin may finally achieve broader traction through the adult entertainment industry in 2020, but the chips aren’t stacked in its favor.

Jan 28, 2020

Policy

Notes From the WEF: Oil-Producing Nations Want Dollar Alternatives, Just Not Bitcoin

Middle Eastern elites at the World Economic Forum are highly skeptical of bitcoin, but there are whispers about its potential for cross-border settlements in the energy sector.

Jan 24, 2020

SOVEREIGNTY: At Davos, Iraqi President Barham Salih said it is his nation's right to have relations with its neighbors on its own terms. (Photo by Leigh Cuen for CoinDesk)

Policy

Notes From the WEF: Cash Is Dead, Long Live Digital Cash

Consensus is building on one issue at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland: Cash is dead.

Jan 24, 2020

COMPLIANCE NOW: RegTech expert Diana Paredes speaks at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. (Photo by Leigh Cuen for CoinDesk)

Policy

Notes From the WEF: The Coming Battle Between Surveilled and Private Money

Most Davos experts appear to agree that blockchain technology is best for data collection rather than self-sovereign finance.

Jan 22, 2020

Blockchain thinker Glen Weyl (center, gray blazer) speaks with other attendees of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. (Photo by Leigh Cuen for CoinDesk)

Finance

Swiss Banks Enter the Age of Bitcoin

An emerging trend in wealth-stashing Switzerland: crypto-friendly banks.

Jan 22, 2020

Finance

2019's DeFi Boom Raises New Questions for Tax Filing Season

A number of startups are now trying to help retail investors make sense of the tax implications of decentralized finance.

Jan 17, 2020

TaxBit co-founders Justin and Austin Woodward

Policy

Currency 'Cold War' Takes Center Stage at Pre-Davos Crypto Confab

Cryptocurrencies could be at the heart of a new Cold War, at least according to some investors at the Crypto Finance Conference in St. Moritz.

Jan 16, 2020

Young Sohn, Kavita Gupta and Cameron Winklevoss pose for a selfie at the CFC St. Moritz conference. (Photo courtesy of CFC St. Moritz)

Markets

'The Internet Was Illegal' and Other Early Stories With Zooko Wilcox

In this wide-ranging conversation, CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen and early cypherpunk Zooko Wilcox discuss what crypto can learn from technology successes and failures in the '80s and '90s.

Jan 12, 2020

Tech

Is Bitcoin in 2020 Really Like the Early Internet?

Bitcoin may be behind the internet’s timeline in terms of commercial use cases, but it has already achieved comparable social functions.

Jan 11, 2020

World's first web server image via Wikimedia Commons

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