The bitcoin cash (BCH) community understands key principles: Bitcoin should be a peer to peer Electronic Cash system; most users can use SPV wallets instead of running their own node; "second layer" scaling solutions are often unnecessary and problematic. While important, and it places the BCH ahead of others, education isn't only about the scaling debate. It's important to understand all aspects of Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Cash Knowledge is Power

If I were to ask a question: "Why did Bitcoin (BTC) fail its mission to become Peer to Peer Electronic Cash?" — you would likely hear many answers.

Some would say "censorship". Others would point to "centralization of protocol development" or "apathetic, complacent miners"… or even "Nakamoto Consensus doesn't work".

Those answers may be correct to a certain degree. I'll address each of them throughout this series, but there's an overarching principle that connects all of these.

And that principle is this: Not enough people in the Bitcoin community actually understood how Bitcoin is supposed to work.

I say that humbly — it's not that I'm so smart that I can explain how it's all supposed to work, but here's the point: Bitcoin is like a school of fish. We all have to be swimming together. Maybe not in perfect unison, but at least in the same direction.

Isn't it amazing how a school of fish can move together with coordinated body positions and synchronized movements? Scientists do not fully understand it, but it's believed to be rooted in genetics.

So how can we, the BCH community, be like the school of fish, and move together toward our destination without getting chewed apart by predators? Ultimately it boils down to this: Knowledge is power. The most important tool for liberty has always been a well informed populace.

Another word that means the same thing, is: Education.

A Deeper Problem than the Blocksize Debate

Many in the BCH community understand key principles… like how Bitcoin should be a peer to peer Electronic Cash system. Or that most users can use SPV wallets instead of running their own node. Or that "second layer" scaling solutions are often unnecessary and problematic.

Those things are very important. By understanding those (and other) fundamental principles, the BCH community is already well ahead of other communities, and that understanding goes a long way toward the goal of all swimming in the same direction.

But education shouldn't stop with knowledge of the scaling debate. We should understand all aspects of Bitcoin. Technical, economic, social… everything. The more we know, the better prepared we'll be against whatever form a future spectre takes to try to destroy Bitcoin.

As individuals, we should first take the responsibility to educate ourselves, and then educate others. And, perhaps education about the importance of education is the widest-scope principle we can formulate. It's a meme-worthy idea.

In Part 2, we'll take a closer look at consensus, decision making, and the social aspect of Bitcoin.

The Indian bitcoin community keeps fighting for their rights to operate freely in the country like any other industry. The latest show of defiance is a petition to the court against the actions of the Reserve Bank of India by the operators of a local exchange.

Indian Exchange Takes Central Bank to Court Over Bank BanKali Digital Eco-Systems, the company behind the upcoming cryptocurrency exchange Coin Recoil, has appealed to the High Court in Delhi against the recent crackdown on banks providing services to bitcoin related companies by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

According to the petitioner, the RBI directive is arbitrary and a violation of the Constitution of India and the court should therefore quash it. The document presented to the count, which news.bitcoin.com has obtained, explains that due to the RBI Circular the company will not be able to secure banking services that are imperative for the business' operations rendering it "stillborn." It argues that the ban is unconstitutional on two main grounds.

Indian Exchange Takes Central Bank to Court Over Bank BanArticle 19 of the Constitution of India guarantees citizens' rights to carry on any occupation, trade or business. But by preventing exchanges' access to baking services the government is in affect preventing people from engaging in the business of their choice.

Article 14 prohibits discrimination based on arbitrary and unreasonable classification. The petition explains that the RBI did not provide a clear definition of what constitutes 'virtual currency' and that this ambiguity dilutes any reasonability in what may be alleged as a classification. For instance, reward points such as airline miles may also be unreasonably construed as virtual currencies.

Two months ago the Supreme Court of Israel issued an injunction order forbidding one of the biggest banks in the country from halting the account activity of a local bitcoin exchange. This was a major victory for the Israeli cryptocurrency industry that set a precedent for other bitcoin businesses struggling to get banking services in the country. Hopefully the Indian high court will follow this example, even though there is a difference between the authority of a commercial bank and a central bank. Meanwhile, over 42,000 Indians have now signed an online petition that against the RBI directive.

Could this year's crypto winter be nearing an end? That's the opinion of some experts, and while bullish predictions are easy to come by, there are signs that a thaw could be underway. In today's Bitcoin in Brief, we examine the market forecast for the weeks ahead.

Bears Abate While Bulls Congregate

While market uncertainty has persisted for weeks, a few experts have felt bold enough to pop their heads above the parapet and predict the worst is over. On Monday, Crypto Asset Management's Timothy Enneking asserted that the bull market has largely run its course. On crypto Twitter, many traders are also cautiously optimistic. For the first time in a long time, they've actually begun sharing calls with their followers, something they'd hitherto been hesitant to do.

Bitcoin has scarcely moved in days, but altcoins, including ethereum and NEO, have started to show green shoots, and EOS is positively blossoming, up 27% in 24 hours. That being said, it's too early for celebrations. As one trader sagely put it, "The markets will bounce when everybody stops celebrating every single green candle and random shitcoin spike."

Bitfinex Dispels Money Laundering Rumors

Bitcoin in Brief Thursday: Crypto Winter Is Almost OverNo crypto exchange wants to be mentioned in the same breath as "money laundering", and even if those rumors are false, they need to be addressed. Bitfinex has asserted that there is no connection between it and the shell companies alleged to have been involved in laundering money in South America. Polish media had reported how Polish authorities seized $371 million linked to companies associated with Colombian cartels, and alleged a Bitfinex link, something the exchange has strenuously denied.

Litecoin Is Getting a Debit Card

Crypto debit card Tenx recently integrated litecoin into its wallet, and Charlie Lee now claims a dedicated litecoin debit card will be next, also coming courtesy of Tenx. If so, LTC will be following in the footsteps of BTC and BCH in getting its own crypto card. The news will help atone for the collapse of Litepay, a litecoin payment processor that folded due to impropriety on the part of its CEO.

Asicboost Adoption Receives a Boost

ASIC miners are controversial for a number of reasons, and so is the patented Asicboost technology that a number of mining pools have now adopted. Asicboost can improve mining performance by up to 20%, and there's now an easy way to track its prevalence among newly mined bitcoin blocks. Asicboost.dance is a block explorer that records instances of the overt "version-rolling" Asicboost in action. In related news, Samsung is reported to be developing 10nm chips for Halong Mining to use in its ASICs. Big if true.

Gavin Andresen and Craig Wright Part Ways

Bitcoin in Brief Thursday: Crypto Winter Is Almost Over

Gavin Andresen

The act of one bitcoiner unfollowing another on Twitter ought not to be news, and yet Gavin Andresen's decision to unfollow Craig Wright has got people talking. It was Andresen who first met with Wright in 2016 and "confirmed" that the Australian was Satoshi Nakamoto – a decision Andresen later rescinded and expressed regret over. Andresen's simple act of unfollowing may indicate their already strained relationship is over.

Bitcoin Is Not a Bubble

December's insane price run aside, bitcoin has been going steady for some time now. Or at least it has if you remembered to zoom out. Tetras Capital's Brendan Bernstein just went on a tweetstorm to explain his reasoning why bitcoin is not in a bubble – unlike the government-controlled fiat markets. The entire thread is worth a read, but we'll leave you with this tweet to ponder: