Day: July 11, 2017

British and Chinese scientists have been developing a new type of ceramic material. In their opinion, this product will allow us to enjoy hypersonic air travel in the future. It is an impressive breakthrough. However, it remains to be seen if hypersonic, commercial air travel is even possible.

Should We Care About Hypersonic Air Travel?

That appears to be the primary question on everyone’s mind right now. Air travel has become a lot quicker over the past few decades. Flying from one end of the planet to the other still takes up a lot of time, but things used to be far worse about sixty years ago. Additionally, planes have become slightly more comfortable, although the leg space still leaves much to be desired. This is why it is so important to cut down air travel time as much as possible.

One way to achieve that goal comes in the form of hypersonic air travel. As the name suggests, it would allow users to travel at much higher speeds than currently possible. However, sustained such a travel rate for an extended period of time requires special components capable of withstanding heat and pressure. A new type of ceramic material may provide us with that specific piece of the puzzle in the coming years. The new ceramic carbide coating deals with high temperatures of flying at five times the speed of sound with relative ease.

The concept of hypersonic flight has been proposed quite some time ago, but making it work is something else entirely. An aircraft capable of dealing with Mach 5 or slightly higher cannot simply be created on paper. It needs to exist in the real world, and scientists have worked on this problem for some time now. This new ceramic material may bring us a big step closer toward making hypersonic air travel a reality. The impact of the surrounding air alone generates temperatures in excess of 5,300 degrees Fahrenheit, and this material can apparently withstand that.

With most materials, the best possible outcome would be a warped wind edge. However, materials used in modern day aircraft would simply melt.  Even if they were to survive with acceptable damage, they will degrade quickly. Thanks to this new material developed by British and Chinese scientists, we now have a concept of something capable of withstanding oxidation and ablation.

Even though this is a major breakthrough, it does not necessarily mean this new ceramic will be implemented into aircraft anytime soon. It is certainly possible certain industries will make use of this solution before the others do. NSA and others, for example, may see a lot of value in this new material. Aircraft carriers may hold off on experimenting with this technology for a few more years to come. No one knows when hypersonic air travel becomes accessible to consumers.

This is another big scientific breakthrough which helps our society connect with each other. Hypersonic air travel may not sound all that appealing to everyday people, but it can become the new way of getting from point A to B pretty quickly in two decades from now. Scaling such a concept to an industrial scale to replace 200+ passenger aircraft will be a very, very big challenge.

Banks and large-scale commercial companies including Daimler are starting to replace fax machines and the traditional method of communicating with one another using Blockchain.

The director of a well-known bitcoin hedge fund has opened up about his views on the future of initial coin offerings.

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There are many interesting projects in the world of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. One of those projects is LedgerX, which is an institutional trading and clearing platform. The company has been seeking regulatory approval for some time now and officially received it from the SEC last week. Let’s take a look at what the company has to offer and how their approval will affect the global appeal of Bitcoin.

A Closer Look at What LedgerX has to Offer

Positioning itself as an institutional trading and clearing platform, LedgerX wants to bridge the gap between cryptocurrency and traditional finance. That is a lot easier said than done and the company will need to obtain regulatory approval first. Luckily for them, LedgerX has received regulatory approval to act as a Bitcoin swap exchange. It is a positive development, but LedgerX has bigger goals in mind.

To put this into perspective, we have to look closer at what LedgerX aims to bring to the table. While the company is focusing on financial, regulatory, and legal work, engineering will be their first priority. Even the LedgerX CEO is still actively coding the platform and project. That is different to what we see with most projects, cryptocurrency related or otherwise. Most firms outsource the coding to others, rather than the CEO doing the legwork.

Creating the future of finance will not be easy. In fact, the LedgerX team feels it will be an engineering-first problem. There will be no major change brought to finance without a proper platform and technology to enforce that change. Blockchain technology can certainly help bring about that change, but a holistic solution still needs to be developed. If LedgerX cannot even show off their project before seeking regulatory approval, their chance is receiving approval will dwindle spectacularly.

Assuming LedgerX can receive full regulatory approval, the team is hopeful they can become the world’s first platform to trade and clear options on Bitcoin. This will heavily hinge on how the CFTC views this project. The swap execution facility part is already taken care of, but there is no regulatory approval for running a derivatives clearing organization. Assuming the CFTC will grant the company that status, things will get very interesting.

Having a federally regulated Bitcoin options exchange and clearing house will open new doors and lead to exciting opportunities. In fact, LedgerX would provide fully-collateralized, physically-settled Bitcoin options for the traditional market. It may not sound as major as an official Bitcoin ETF, but the impact of the services provided by LedgerX could lead to similar results. Exposing institutional investors to Bitcoin through traditional vehicles will -probably- have a positive effect on the Bitcoin

All things considered, services such as LedgerX will have a positive impact on the financial sector, as well as Bitcoin. We can only hope they receive full regulatory approval. With the CFTC approving their request to launch a Bitcoin swap exchange, things are certainly heading in the right direction. A fully regulated Bitcoin clearing house and options exchange would certainly shake things up.

Many people still struggle with the concept of buying Bitcoin. That is not entirely surprising, as there is no convenient way to do so. Signing up for an exchange takes time and can be quite cumbersome, all things considered.That situation will come to change in Austria over the next few months. More specifically, several hundred … Continue reading Austrian Post Offices Will Facilitate the Purchase of Bitcoin

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A new report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies details how blockchain could be used to protect government supply chains.

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An Israeli official gave a talk in Tel Aviv today regarding the challenges with regulating ICO’s and bitcoin. Professor Shmuel Hauser, Head of the Israeli Securities Authority, expressed fear and concern about cryptocurrencies. He seemed to see digital tokens as representing a threat, and he urged regulators to be more “paternalistic” in their oversight of ICO’s. 

Also read: Protestors Will Watch Mt Gox CEO Face Criminal Trial This Week

Investors Cannot Look After Themselves and do Not Understand Cryptocurrencies

Hauser elaborated on his position, saying, “We have to address today what is happening with bitcoin, blockchain and ICOs that are challenging the current regulation around the world. It is here at the gates of the stock exchange. It is a new economy where the companies have no faces, and the investors have no faces. Our task is to get ready now in a proactive fashion before an event will occur that will hurt Israeli investors.”

In this sense, it appears Hauser is attempting to alert regulators of the world to prepare for more digital currencies and ICO’s to spread. Hauser suggested many people invest in digital currencies and they do not understand them. He implied they need government protection, because 67% of people cannot look after themselves. Overall, 60% of the public have been exposed to digital investment opportunities.

Does the World Need Regulators?

Hauser mentioned bitcoin is not a passing fad. It is here to stay. Regulators have to be prepared. He said the SEC recently rejected a bitcoin ETF. He said this because regulators do not yet comprehend cryptocurrency. They do not know how to go about creating a regulatory framework. He also mentioned there are already IPO’s without a prospectus.

Gentlemen, this is not a passing phenomenon. It is here at the gates of the capital market. It is here at the gates of the stock exchange. Is it a widespread phenomenon, is it a phenomenon that requires the protection of the state? Regulators? In this new economy, there are no faces for investors and there are no faces for companies. 

He finished his thought by asking one important question: does the world even need regulators anymore?

How Should Regulators Handle ICO’s?

Hauser answered his own question by bringing up the topic of ICO’s and how they should be regulated. Currently, he said ICO’s are funds that are generated via the creation of blockchain, bitcoin, and similar cryptocurrencies, and they ignore the current supervisory system. In other words, there is no oversight or protection for investors or speculators.

Hauser then detailed all the different ICO’s and the kind of revenue they have generated, saying, “Israeli Bancor, which raised $153 million in three hours for a conversion protocol; Gnosis, which raised $12.5 million in ten minutes for building a perform for predicting events; Brave, which raised $35 million in 24 seconds for developing a browser; Aragon, which raised $25 million in 15 minutes for decentralizing companies; and more” 

He asked what these new tokens should be considered for regulatory purposes. He started thinking out loud. They are not like business IPO’s. Investors do not actually gain ownership in the company. Nor did the startup undergo any kind of organizational process or submit a prospectus to a regulatory agency. The ICO simply generates new tokens and people invest in it because it could harbor value in the future. Hauser admitted these new digital assets are not like a stocks or bonds. They are a different animal entirely. In his final analysis, Hauser said cryptocurrencies in an ICO are closer to an IPO in some regards, and he believes that is a starting point to begin thinking about outlining some regulations.

Do you believe regulators will have more challenges regulating Bitcoin and ICO’s in the future? Let us know in the comments below.

Images via Shutterstock and financemagnates.com

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Chinese citizens’ limited access to global websites looks set to end as VPNs get a full ban in 2018.

Only three cryptocurrencies are in green as of 08:00 GMT. The carnage is brutal like the Rwanda Massacre some 27 years ago.

A government advisor’s report will today recommend a clampdown on the UK’s cash-in-hand economy.

The rising number of reported cases of phishing will not bode well for startups conducting ICOs and for the entire crypto industry as a whole

A new bear market has seen billions of dollars disappear from crypto markets in 24 hours.

A mysterious Ethereum trader has boasted about earning $283 mln in just one month which renewed concerns about the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies.