Blockchain is attracting enormous interest on the back of surging cryptocurrency valuations and increasingly high-profile payment integrations. But as a real payment currency, blockchain-based cryptocurrency still must overcome many hurdles before it can truly disrupt the space.

Cryptocurrency: The future of money or too risky to use?

This report covers key events in the global social media market, new data, trends and business activity in Q2 2019. It also includes our updated forecasts for social network users in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and worldwide.

After a year of rumors, Facebook confirmed its plans to create a financial system based off a new cryptocurrency called Libra. While the company derives a majority of its revenues from advertising, it’s clear that it’s been trying to diversify its income, and this new digital currency—along with its new digital wallet feature Calibra—is the next step in executing this strategy.

Ted Dhanik, CEO and co-founder of ad tech firm engage:BDR, spoke about how publishers can use cryptocurrencies to get paid faster.

The news that Starbucks was among the companies working on a platform called Bakkt that will allow consumers to "buy, sell, store and spend digital assets on a seamless global network" was widely interpreted as a sign that the coffee giant was set to accept cryptocurrency payments. Not exactly.

Salon Media Group CEO Jordan Hoffner talks about using blockchain and cryptocurrency mining to fight fraud and ad blockers.