IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v191y2024ics1364032123009954.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Green cryptocurrencies and portfolio diversification in the era of greener paths

Author

Listed:
  • Ali, Fahad
  • Khurram, Muhammad Usman
  • Sensoy, Ahmet
  • Vo, Xuan Vinh

Abstract

The shift towards cleaner fuels from hydrocarbons has influenced nearly all market types and asset classes, and cryptocurrencies are no exception. The complex mechanism of blockchain and mining consumes high levels of electricity and surges environmental footprints in electronic waste generation. Existing studies that examine green and sustainable investments are limited to sustainable equities or green bonds; therefore, this study opens up a new research direction by considering green (energy-efficient) cryptocurrencies. First, this study develops a four-step screening process to systematically select cryptocurrencies that are greener than others. A comprehensive set of green and non-green assets and a battery of empirical tests are then employed to examine the diversification benefits of selected green cryptocurrencies against several well-diversified equity portfolios at the global, regional, and country levels. The diversification benefits of green cryptocurrencies are compared with non-green cryptocurrencies using (i) the four-moment modified value at risk and conditional value at risk, (ii) four different portfolio optimization strategies, and (iii) dynamic correlation-based hedge and safe-haven regression analyses. The results show that green cryptocurrencies provide diversification benefits that are at least comparable to, and in some cases, superior to, non-green (energy-intensive) cryptocurrencies. Cardano and Tezos are identified as green cryptocurrencies offering the most diversification benefits to investors, followed by EOS, Steller, and IOTA. This study provides valuable insights to investors and policymakers, specifically those concerned with achieving sustainability and ESG-compliance (environmental-social-governance) goals and seeking green assets to hedge and diversify various traditional investments.

Suggested Citation

  • Ali, Fahad & Khurram, Muhammad Usman & Sensoy, Ahmet & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2024. "Green cryptocurrencies and portfolio diversification in the era of greener paths," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:191:y:2024:i:c:s1364032123009954
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.114137
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123009954
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114137?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Maghyereh, Aktham & Abdoh, Hussein, 2020. "Tail dependence between Bitcoin and financial assets: Evidence from a quantile cross-spectral approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 2017. "International tests of a five-factor asset pricing model," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(3), pages 441-463.
    3. Bouri, Elie & Lucey, Brian & Roubaud, David, 2020. "Cryptocurrencies and the downside risk in equity investments," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    4. Lim, Chun Hsion & Lim, Steven & How, Bing Shen & Ng, Wendy Pei Qin & Ngan, Sue Lin & Leong, Wei Dong & Lam, Hon Loong, 2021. "A review of industry 4.0 revolution potential in a sustainable and renewable palm oil industry: HAZOP approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    5. Micha Ober & Stefan Katzenbeisser & Kay Hamacher, 2013. "Structure and Anonymity of the Bitcoin Transaction Graph," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Ülkü, Numan & Ali, Fahad & Saydumarov, Saidgozi & İkizlerli, Deniz, 2023. "COVID caused a negative bubble. Who profited? Who lost? How stock markets changed?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Sheng, Xin & Gupta, Rangan & Çepni, Oğuzhan, 2022. "The effects of climate risks on economic activity in a panel of US states: The role of uncertainty," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    8. Dirk G. Baur & Brian M. Lucey, 2010. "Is Gold a Hedge or a Safe Haven? An Analysis of Stocks, Bonds and Gold," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 45(2), pages 217-229, May.
    9. Kapar, Burcu & Olmo, Jose, 2019. "An analysis of price discovery between Bitcoin futures and spot markets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 62-64.
    10. Schinckus, Christophe, 2021. "Proof-of-work based blockchain technology and Anthropocene: An undermined situation?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    11. Bouri, Elie & Gupta, Rangan & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar & Roubaud, David, 2017. "Does Bitcoin hedge global uncertainty? Evidence from wavelet-based quantile-in-quantile regressions," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 87-95.
    12. Corbet, Shaen & Meegan, Andrew & Larkin, Charles & Lucey, Brian & Yarovaya, Larisa, 2018. "Exploring the dynamic relationships between cryptocurrencies and other financial assets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 28-34.
    13. Akhtaruzzaman, Md & Boubaker, Sabri & Lucey, Brian M. & Sensoy, Ahmet, 2021. "Is gold a hedge or a safe-haven asset in the COVID–19 crisis?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    14. Harry Markowitz, 1952. "Portfolio Selection," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 7(1), pages 77-91, March.
    15. Muhinyuza, Stanislas & Bodnar, Taras & Lindholm, Mathias, 2020. "A test on the location of the tangency portfolio on the set of feasible portfolios," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 386(C).
    16. Urquhart, Andrew, 2016. "The inefficiency of Bitcoin," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 80-82.
    17. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 2015. "A five-factor asset pricing model," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(1), pages 1-22.
    18. Leng, Jiewu & Ruan, Guolei & Jiang, Pingyu & Xu, Kailin & Liu, Qiang & Zhou, Xueliang & Liu, Chao, 2020. "Blockchain-empowered sustainable manufacturing and product lifecycle management in industry 4.0: A survey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    19. Lu Wang & Ferhana Ahmad & Gong-li Luo & Muhammad Umar & Dervis Kirikkaleli, 2022. "Portfolio optimization of financial commodities with energy futures," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 313(1), pages 401-439, June.
    20. Hafner, Christian M. & Reznikova, Olga, 2012. "On the estimation of dynamic conditional correlation models," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 56(11), pages 3533-3545.
    21. Ali, Fahad & Sensoy, Ahmet & Goodell, John W., 2023. "Identifying diversifiers, hedges, and safe havens among Asia Pacific equity markets during COVID-19: New results for ongoing portfolio allocation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 744-792.
    22. Huynh, Toan Luu Duc & Hille, Erik & Nasir, Muhammad Ali, 2020. "Diversification in the age of the 4th industrial revolution: The role of artificial intelligence, green bonds and cryptocurrencies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    23. Umar, Muhammad & Su, Chi-Wei & Rizvi, Syed Kumail Abbas & Shao, Xue-Feng, 2021. "Bitcoin: A safe haven asset and a winner amid political and economic uncertainties in the US?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    24. Kim, Yeong Jae & Cho, Seong-Hoon & Sharma, Bijay P., 2021. "Constructing efficient portfolios of low-carbon technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    25. deLlano-Paz, Fernando & Calvo-Silvosa, Anxo & Antelo, Susana Iglesias & Soares, Isabel, 2017. "Energy planning and modern portfolio theory: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 636-651.
    26. Nazifi, Amin & Murdy, Samantha & Marder, Ben & Gäthke, Jana & Shabani, Bardia, 2021. "A Bit(coin) of happiness after a failure: An empirical examination of the effectiveness of cryptocurrencies as an innovative recovery tool," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 494-505.
    27. Ren, Xiaohang & Li, Jingyao & He, Feng & Lucey, Brian, 2023. "Impact of climate policy uncertainty on traditional energy and green markets: Evidence from time-varying granger tests," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    28. Bouri, Elie & Molnár, Peter & Azzi, Georges & Roubaud, David & Hagfors, Lars Ivar, 2017. "On the hedge and safe haven properties of Bitcoin: Is it really more than a diversifier?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 192-198.
    29. Baur, Dirk G. & Hoang, Lai T., 2021. "A crypto safe haven against Bitcoin," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    30. G. Andrew Karolyi, 2016. "Home Bias, an Academic Puzzle," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 20(6), pages 2049-2078.
    31. Borri, Nicola, 2019. "Conditional tail-risk in cryptocurrency markets," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1-19.
    32. Symitsi, Efthymia & Chalvatzis, Konstantinos J., 2019. "The economic value of Bitcoin: A portfolio analysis of currencies, gold, oil and stocks," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 97-110.
    33. Ratner, Mitchell & Chiu, Chih-Chieh (Jason), 2013. "Hedging stock sector risk with credit default swaps," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 18-25.
    34. Ali, Fahad & Jiang, Yuexiang & Sensoy, Ahmet, 2021. "Downside risk in Dow Jones Islamic equity indices: Precious metals and portfolio diversification before and after the COVID-19 bear market," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    35. Das, Debojyoti & Dutta, Anupam, 2020. "Bitcoin’s energy consumption: Is it the Achilles heel to miner’s revenue?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    36. Corbet, Shaen & Lucey, Brian & Yarovaya, Larisa, 2021. "Bitcoin-energy markets interrelationships - New evidence," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    37. Scharnowski, Stefan, 2021. "Understanding Bitcoin liquidity," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    38. Ali, Fahad & Bouri, Elie & Naifar, Nader & Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain & AlAhmad, Mohammad, 2022. "An examination of whether gold-backed Islamic cryptocurrencies are safe havens for international Islamic equity markets," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    39. Brauneis, Alexander & Mestel, Roland, 2019. "Cryptocurrency-portfolios in a mean-variance framework," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 259-264.
    40. Yousaf, Imran & Suleman, Muhammad Tahir & Demirer, Riza, 2022. "Green investments: A luxury good or a financial necessity?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    41. Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain & Anas, Muhammad & Bouri, Elie, 2022. "Price explosiveness in cryptocurrencies and Elon Musk's tweets," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    42. Li, Sile & Lucey, Brian M., 2017. "Reassessing the role of precious metals as safe havens–What colour is your haven and why?," Journal of Commodity Markets, Elsevier, vol. 7(C), pages 1-14.
    43. Ma, Yechi & Ahmad, Ferhana & Liu, Miao & Wang, Zilong, 2020. "Portfolio optimization in the era of digital financialization using cryptocurrencies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    44. Aaron Yelowitz & Matthew Wilson, 2015. "Characteristics of Bitcoin users: an analysis of Google search data," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(13), pages 1030-1036, September.
    45. Jana, Rabin K. & Ghosh, Indranil & Das, Debojyoti & Dutta, Anupam, 2021. "Determinants of electronic waste generation in Bitcoin network: Evidence from the machine learning approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    46. Di Silvestre, Maria Luisa & Gallo, Pierluigi & Guerrero, Josep M. & Musca, Rossano & Riva Sanseverino, Eleonora & Sciumè, Giuseppe & Vásquez, Juan C. & Zizzo, Gaetano, 2020. "Blockchain for power systems: Current trends and future applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    47. Conlon, Thomas & Corbet, Shaen & McGee, Richard J., 2020. "Are cryptocurrencies a safe haven for equity markets? An international perspective from the COVID-19 pandemic," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    48. Yang, Lu & Hamori, Shigeyuki, 2021. "The role of the carbon market in relation to the cryptocurrency market: Only diversification or more?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    49. Bredin, Don & Conlon, Thomas & Potì, Valerio, 2017. "The price of shelter - Downside risk reduction with precious metals," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 48-58.
    50. Goodell, John W. & Goutte, Stephane, 2021. "Diversifying equity with cryptocurrencies during COVID-19," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    51. Li, Jing-Ping & Naqvi, Bushra & Rizvi, Syed Kumail Abbas & Chang, Hsu-Ling, 2021. "Bitcoin: The biggest financial innovation of fourth industrial revolution and a portfolio's efficiency booster," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    52. Naeem, Muhammad Abubakr & Karim, Sitara, 2021. "Tail dependence between bitcoin and green financial assets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    53. Dyhrberg, Anne Haubo, 2016. "Hedging capabilities of bitcoin. Is it the virtual gold?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 16(C), pages 139-144.
    54. Inzamam Ul Haq & Apichit Maneengam & Supat Chupradit & Chunhui Huo, 2023. "Are green bonds and sustainable cryptocurrencies truly sustainable? Evidence from a wavelet coherence analysis," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 807-826, March.
    55. Baur, Dirk G. & Hong, KiHoon & Lee, Adrian D., 2018. "Bitcoin: Medium of exchange or speculative assets?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 177-189.
    56. Corbet, Shaen & Hou, Yang (Greg) & Hu, Yang & Larkin, Charles & Oxley, Les, 2020. "Any port in a storm: Cryptocurrency safe-havens during the COVID-19 pandemic," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    57. Ren, Boru & Lucey, Brian, 2022. "Do clean and dirty cryptocurrency markets herd differently?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    58. Bastian-Pinto, Carlos L. & Araujo, Felipe V. de S. & Brandão, Luiz E. & Gomes, Leonardo L., 2021. "Hedging renewable energy investments with Bitcoin mining," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Osman, Myriam Ben & Galariotis, Emilios & Guesmi, Khaled & Hamdi, Haykel & Naoui, Kamel, 2023. "Diversification in financial and crypto markets," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    2. Ali, Fahad & Bouri, Elie & Naifar, Nader & Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain & AlAhmad, Mohammad, 2022. "An examination of whether gold-backed Islamic cryptocurrencies are safe havens for international Islamic equity markets," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    3. Ali, Fahad & Sensoy, Ahmet & Goodell, John W., 2023. "Identifying diversifiers, hedges, and safe havens among Asia Pacific equity markets during COVID-19: New results for ongoing portfolio allocation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 744-792.
    4. Just, Małgorzata & Echaust, Krzysztof, 2024. "Cryptocurrencies against stock market risk: New insights into hedging effectiveness," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    5. Hanif, Waqas & Areola Hernandez, Jose & Troster, Victor & Kang, Sang Hoon & Yoon, Seong-Min, 2022. "Nonlinear dependence and spillovers between cryptocurrency and global/regional equity markets," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    6. Gambarelli, Luca & Marchi, Gianluca & Muzzioli, Silvia, 2023. "Hedging effectiveness of cryptocurrencies in the European stock market," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    7. Al-Shboul, Mohammad & Assaf, Ata & Mokni, Khaled, 2022. "When bitcoin lost its position: Cryptocurrency uncertainty and the dynamic spillover among cryptocurrencies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    8. Jiang, Yonghong & Lie, Jiayi & Wang, Jieru & Mu, Jinqi, 2021. "Revisiting the roles of cryptocurrencies in stock markets: A quantile coherency perspective," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 21-34.
    9. Ren, Boru & Lucey, Brian, 2022. "A clean, green haven?—Examining the relationship between clean energy, clean and dirty cryptocurrencies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    10. Bedi, Prateek & Nashier, Tripti, 2020. "On the investment credentials of Bitcoin: A cross-currency perspective," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    11. Flori, Andrea, 2019. "News and subjective beliefs: A Bayesian approach to Bitcoin investments," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 336-356.
    12. Abakah, Emmanuel Joel Aikins & Wali Ullah, GM & Adekoya, Oluwasegun B. & Osei Bonsu, Christiana & Abdullah, Mohammad, 2023. "Blockchain market and eco-friendly financial assets: Dynamic price correlation, connectedness and spillovers with portfolio implications," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 218-243.
    13. Kamal, Javed Bin & Hassan, M. Kabir, 2022. "Asymmetric connectedness between cryptocurrency environment attention index and green assets," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 25(C).
    14. Xu, Lei & Kinkyo, Takuji, 2023. "Hedging effectiveness of bitcoin and gold: Evidence from G7 stock markets," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    15. Wang, Pengfei & Zhang, Wei & Li, Xiao & Shen, Dehua, 2019. "Is cryptocurrency a hedge or a safe haven for international indices? A comprehensive and dynamic perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 1-18.
    16. Aurelio F. Bariviera & Ignasi Merediz‐Solà, 2021. "Where Do We Stand In Cryptocurrencies Economic Research? A Survey Based On Hybrid Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 377-407, April.
    17. Chu, Jeffrey & Chan, Stephen & Zhang, Yuanyuan, 2021. "Bitcoin versus high-performance technology stocks in diversifying against global stock market indices," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 580(C).
    18. Hsu, Shu-Han & Sheu, Chwen & Yoon, Jiho, 2021. "Risk spillovers between cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies and gold under different global economic conditions," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    19. Sharif, Arshian & Brahim, Mariem & Dogan, Eyup & Tzeremes, Panayiotis, 2023. "Analysis of the spillover effects between green economy, clean and dirty cryptocurrencies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    20. Umar, Zaghum & Usman, Muhammad & Choi, Sun-Yong & Rice, John, 2023. "Diversification benefits of NFTs for conventional asset investors: Evidence from CoVaR with higher moments and optimal hedge ratios," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:191:y:2024:i:c:s1364032123009954. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.