John Law

CoinDesk placeholder image

John Law is an 18th century Scottish entrepreneur, financial engineer and gambler. Having reformed the French economy, invented paper currency, state banks, the Mississippi Bubble and other ideas essential to modern economics, he took three hundred years off in a small cottage outside Bude. He has returned to write for CoinDesk on the foibles of digital currency.

Social

Recent

belgian-statue-2013-09-13
The worst swear word, a risky business, and playing by the numbers
Why is Belgium so nonchalant on bitcoin? Is Kraken right to focus on features over compliance? John Law investigates.
belgian-statue-2013-09-13
computer-security
Bad secrets, why Pi is the answer, and building a regulation-proof exchange
John Law investigates the latest bitcoin vulnerabilities, his inability to play pool, and StrongCoin's solution to exchange regulation.
computer-security
capitol-hill
Bitcoin: a hopeful start, a stunning spurt, and what the Romans did
Twerking, increasing mining activity, and the Bitcoin Foundation at Capitol Hill have all got John Law excited this week.
capitol-hill
osborne-computer
Golden answers to your bitcoin questions
John Law explores Germany's classification of bitcoin and the solution for those tired of answering their friends' bitcoin-related questions.
osborne-computer
surveillance
The staring match between The Man and bitcoin: nobody’s blinked yet
John Law delves into Bitcoin secrecy and subpoenas, Bloomberg's bitcoin ticker, and Casascius coin hacking at Defcon.
surveillance
beach
The bitcoin guide to what to do, eat, read and think on your holiday
John Law interrupts your summer shenanigans with a 'bitcoin holiday guide'; covering Soylent, Raspberry Pi's and career prospects.
beach
thai-baht
Bitcoin’s lessons on the bahts and the bees
Headlines this week wanted to show Thailand being idiotic, or that cryptocurrencies were in serious trouble; ideally, both.
thai-baht
ramen-noodles
Uniting the globe, reigniting old scams, and the power of hungry geeks
An Israeli, an Afghani and an Iranian walk into a bar, and John Law gets hungry for bitcoin-powered noodles.
ramen-noodles
satoshi-dice-sold-3
Bitcoin buy-outs? Time to place your bets
The house definitely wins in bitcoin's first major acquisition, SatoshiDice, and is art the sophisticated man's bitcoin?
satoshi-dice-sold-3
viking
Taxing, hacking and the one key innovation to ensure BTC victory
Vikings and core bitcoin code nurturing - John Law looks at the week's events in the cryptocurrency world.
viking