Exit scam, or just plain bad luck? Investors in one of Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges will be pondering that very question.

There was a staggering rise in criminal activity within the cryptocurrency market last year, despite the decline in the market.

“From the meteoric rise in cryptomining to massive data breaches and DDoS attacks, there was no shortage of cyber-disruption."

New Zealand Police say they are making ‘good progress’ into the investigation of an alleged cryptocurrency theft from Christchurch-based crypto exchange Cryptopia.

Cryptopia has reportedly experienced a security breach that has taken the entire platform offline – and resulted in ‘significant losses’.

"2019 will see many mainstream businesses leapfrogging the initial disruptors."

A brother and sister team is behind one of New Zealand’s newest cryptocurrency exchange platforms designed for everyday investors.

Callaghan Innovation has placed $330,000 into a local cryptocurrency savings and trading startup now called Vimba.

“As this technology becomes mainstream, businesses need to keep up with users’ demand for user-friendly products and platforms that cater to all levels of technical skill."

Cryptocurrencies are here to stay, but New Zealand is not as innovative and agile as we like to think.

The younger ‘digital native’ generation may turn out to be blockchain’s driving force in years to come, argues Dentacoin's Donika Kraeva.

"As blockchain technology continues to develop, new domains and industries will emerge."

Cybercriminals are reaping the benefits of the cryptocurrency hype, bringing in millions of dollars through fake exchanges and fake ICO offers.

"Millennials are eight times more likely to buy Bitcoin than baby boomers so it’s an incredibly large and attractive market for us.”

"We couldn’t issue a digital currency if it might undermine financial stability, and there are considerable risks on this front."

Over the past 18 months, blockchains & cryptocurrencies have emerged from technical obscurity to capture the attention of investors around the world.

NEM Foundation was set up to promote the NEM blockchain technology globally with its recently launched US$40 million development fund.

The New Zealand Bitcoin savings platform that has helped close to 5,000 Kiwis save $7million worth of Bitcoin since 2014.

The company will use the money to grow its New Zealand user base before setting its sights on international expansion to markets such as Singapore.

As well as viruses, trojans, worms and ransomware attacks, IT managers now have a new threat to worry about: cryptominers.

Check Point researchers discovered a previously legitimate video software download site has moved into cryptomining, earning around US$700 a day.

Digital currency exchanges in Austalia must now register with AUSTRAC, and comply with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.

“Cryptomining malware has been quite the success story for cybercriminals, and XMRig’s rise indicates that they are actively invested."

Cybercriminals in Bromium's report were earning up to £1.4m a year and had a number of fascinating spending habits.