Bitcoin may split 50 times in 2018 as forking craze mounts

They're just a few of the growing stable of so-called forks -- a type of spinoff in which developers clone bitcoin's software, release it with a new name, a new coin and possibly a few new features. Often, the idea is to capitalize on the public's familiarity with bitcoin to make some serious money, at least virtually.
Some 19 bitcoin forks came out last year -- but up to 50 more could happen this year, according to Lex Sokolin, global director of fintech strategy at Autonomous Research. Ultimately, the number could run even higher now that Forkgen, a site enabling anyone with rudimentary programming skills to launch a clone, is in operation. In a Jan. 14 tweet, hedge fund manager Ari Paul predicted more than 10 per cent of the current value of bitcoin and bitcoin Cash will reside in new offshoots.

Motives behind the efforts vary. Some backers try to improve on bitcoin. Others seek a quick profit. Developers typically score a cache of newly minted coins in a process called post-mining. Yet prices don't necessarily hold up for long.

source :https://m.economictimes.com/markets/stocks/news/bitcoin-may-split-50-times-in-2018-as-forking-craze-mounts/amp_articleshow/62628486.cms