Day: August 4, 2017

Paris, France August 4th, 2017—Powered by Ethereum smart contracts, Dether is a revolutionary new way for anyone on Earth to buy ether using cash and spend it at physical stores nearby. Unlike existing solutions, a user doesn’t need a bank account, only a mobile phone with internet access.

While the Ethereum blockchain opens the doors to a trustless digital world where its applications don’t have any kind of censorship, fraud or third party interference, its hurdle is mass adoption. Buying ether is currently a long and difficult process. Dether wants to change that.

For the first time, a decentralized application (Dapp) is creating a worldwide ecosystem of ether buyers, sellers and physical stores willing to trade ether for fiat cash and accept it as a means of payment.

Creating a peer-to-peer bridge between fiat currency and Ethereum cryptocurrency

With Dether, any ether owner can become a teller and have an accessible way to make money. Ether sellers can become mobile ATMs by being on the Dether map and selling ether for fiat currency anywhere in the world at any time.

Users interested in buying ether can discover ether sellers near them on the Dether map, the app’s built-in location system. Users can view a seller’s ether/fiat rate and fees and chat anonymously via an encrypted peer-to-peer messaging solution to agree on the trading conditions and the meeting point to carry out the exchange.

On the Dether map, users can even locate physical stores that accept ether as a means of payment, or who wish to trade ether for cash. This represents a unique opportunity for merchants. As Ethereum popularity explodes across the globe, more and more businesses are accepting ether.

“Our mission is to break barriers to foster Ethereum mass adoption,” said Hamid Benyahia, Dether co-founder. Frustrated at the fact that his family members in Algeria, restricted by the Algerian dinar, weren’t able to interact with the Ethereum blockchain, he searched for a solution that would make Ethereum accessible to anyone on Earth. Dether was born.

A fully decentralized solution that brings more security to buyers and sellers

Unlike existing solutions, Dether has a technology roadmap that integrates different key elements of decentralization on each integrated feature, in order to propel Dether towards full decentralization. No central entity has any control over the user’s accounts, funds, conversations etc. Conversations are fully decentralized and peer-to-peer. No funds are held, and users are anonymous.

“From its outset, we envisioned and built Dether to be a fully decentralized solution,” said Mehdi Amari, Dether co-founder. “We strongly believe that having a trustless solution is the key to Dether’s success. Users must be able to exchange and trade with one another with trust, despite not knowing each other beforehand. In other words, we’ve decided to align our strategy with blockchain’s core principles, where the power of its users, and not a central entity, determines its success.”

Powered by Ethereum smart contracts, the reputation system is also fully decentralized. Buyers and sellers have their own public reputation rating based on the transactions they have successfully achieved and their volume of transactions.

From the Arab Spring to a decentralized peer-to-peer ether network.

“I remembered the huge demonstrations that happened in North Africa and the Middle East back in 2011. I thought that if these populations had had the chance back then to have a decentralized social network, for example, it would have prevented a lot of activists from going to prison, as they were constantly identified through social media. And when I look at all of the decentralized applications that are being developed on top of Ethereum, it only consolidates my initial idea that more and more people will use it, and that one of its challenges is mass adoption,” said Hamid.

For months, a team of eight Blockchain and Ethereum enthusiasts have been working on Dether. The team will release an alpha version this summer and is already looking for testers. Users will be able to create their Dether Wallet, communicate anonymously with each other and start trading together.

About Dether:

Website: http://dether.io

Join Dether’s community on Slack: http://slack.dether.io

Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of any The Merkle employees. This is not investment or trading advice, always do your own independent research.

Some people talk about FinTech disruption and how payments and banking is being attacked and unbundled by start-ups, but we often look at banking too simplistically. Global banks and investment banks are far more complex creatures than their high street counterparts, which is why we’ve seen far less disruption in corporate, commercial and wholesale banking that we are seeing in retail, but don’t be complacent or closed here. There are things happening in the more complex areas too.

For example, there’s a new clearing bank that is just an API; there’s a global trading social network, that is far more effective and fun than day trading on your own; there’s a clearing and settlement engine being built, supporting billions of transactions through blockchain technologies; there’s a whole range of crowdfunding ventures that are allowing start-ups to get started far faster and easier than ever before; equally there are reams of new firms offering SME financing support, allowing small businesses to flourish and prosper; and there’s a lot more. In fact, the landscape of change in this more specialised market of markets is massive, but often overlooked.

150 Bitcoin ATMs will be installed in Ukraine this year, including 20-30 machines set to be installed on the streets of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, by the end of the summer.

Also read: Coinbase Reverses – Plans to Allow Bitcoin Cash Withdrawals in January 2018

Approximately 20-30 Cryptomat Bitcoin ATMs (BTMs) will be installed in Kiev by the end of the summer, Michael Chobanian, founder of Kuna Bitcoin Agency and Kuna Cryptocurrency Exchange, told UBR this week. He also said:

By the end of the year, around 150 Bitcoin ATMs will be installed throughout Ukraine. This is at the request of one customer who contacted us. Plus, there is a constant demand from entrepreneurs across Ukraine who want to engage in this business, that is, buy terminals and sell cryptocurrencies.

Currently, there is only one BTM in Ukraine shown on Coinatmradar, a website that tracks BTMs globally. This 2-way BTM was installed in late April and is located in Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. It is the first BTM in the country, according to UBR.

Other than this BTM, there are approximately 4,000 street terminals that reportedly sell bitcoin, the bitcoin service provider BTCU announced in 2014. They are not BTMs but customers can buy vouchers from them to redeem for bitcoin on the BTCU website.

The 150 Cryptomat BTMs to be installed later this year support the sale of bitcoin, ether, waves, and golos, according to its website. In addition, “unlike many competitors, Cryptomat does not require user identification.” Ukrainians will be able to purchase cryptocurrencies using the hryvnia, Chobanian detailed.

He also explained that anyone can get into the Bitcoin ATM business. “There is no need to obtain any licenses for this activity,” he detailed, citing the lack of cryptocurrency regulations in Ukraine. “No one gets licenses for coffee machine businesses. This is the beauty of Ukraine,” UBR quoted him saying.

Do you think bitcoin adoption will increase in Ukraine with all these BTMs? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and itc.ua

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The price of bitcoin has risen sharply, exceeding the $3,200 level for the first time on the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (BPI).

BetKing, a popular Bitcoin gambling platform known for making profits worth over 7400 BTC during its previous stint has announced the ICO of its BetKing Bankroll tokens. The four-week long crowdsale is set to go live on August 7, 2017, and end on September 4, 2017. During the period, investors and cryptocurrency enthusiasts can purchase … Continue reading BetKing ICO, an Opportunity for Investors to Gain a Share in Casino’s Profits

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Intis Telecom is a young but experienced company, which has gained an impressive result in IT world since it was launched in 2010. It is a team of talented developers, who create mobile software for both perspective and advanced entrepreneurs.

Today it is a huge company with 2 offices in 2 big European countries – UK and Lithuania. The program, developed by Intis Telecom is used by more than 500 companies globally. And the number is growing from year to year.  So, what’s the point of www.intistele.com/solutions/finance_organizations/ SMS software?

SMS Solutions from Intis Telecom

Intis Telecom created a software, which helps customers in sending SMS notifications and mass texting all over the world. The SMS platform is working with the main technologies and protocols like smpp, ss7, SMTP, web applications, etc.

The software was created as a multi-purpose solution for entrepreneurs of all levels and markets. The Intis Telecom platform allows sending text messages, contact information, and links to Internet resources. Any of these messages c be sent internationally and will be delivered in the period of 20-180 seconds in case of proper network coverage. There are no limits to the number of messages one customer can send per day. The only requirement is to stick to the company’s Anti-SPAM policy.

Intis Telecom is currently working with the most leading mobile operators in the world. The company doesn’t ask payment for registration and personal accounts, which is a huge plus for newcomers. Customers get an opportunity to monitor SMS traffic in real time to get hard data about any concrete period of time.

This  program doesn’t require any other additional software. You can easily run the campaigns without any problems and bugs from anywhere.

Intis Telecom works with the most popular payment methods. The transparency is guaranteed by PayPal, MC, Visa, and Skrill. No extra charge. Customers pay only for messages they send.

One more bonus is an incoming message service. The company provides it too. All you have to do to start using it is to sign one more agreement and send its original to the company’s office in Vilnius. For more information apply to the service center.

If you have any problems using Intis Telecom SMS software or simply want to get additional information, you can always apply to the company’s support team. The technical support team is reachable via Skype, phone, or email. Or simply visit the website, mentioned above and leave a message. The managers will answer your request as soon as possible.

If you are interested in the service provided by Intis Telecom, feel free to contact the managers anytime to get the fullest information and further directions.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of any The Merkle employees. This is not investment or trading advice, always do your own independent research.

An increasingly popular option in ecommerce right now is the ability to shop, order and buy a product online from a merchant and then pick it up at a nearby store, as there are quite a few advantages to this omnichannel option. For retailers, particularly those who have both many physical locations and an ecommerce site (e.g. Walmart), it offers the lucrative potential of in-store shopping.

Since the customer is already in the store, they may buy additional items. Customers on the hand don’t have to worry about missing a package delivery (or package theft from their doorstep while they’re at work), and can pick up their merchandise at the retailer’s location closest to them.

The challenge of hybrid shopping

This seemingly easy process, however, exposes online retailers to a range of fraud-related vulnerabilities. Take for example the fact that there’s no shipping address for them to utilize in their fraud prevention system. Shipping addresses are useful for cross-checking against the billing address (in turn verified via AVS), matching against 3rd party databases, and matching against the proximity of the IP address.

Furthermore, since customers pick up their purchase in a store, retailers could theoretically protect themselves and work around the shipping address issue by verifying that the person picking up the merchandise actually has the credit card that was used to place the order and that they have a valid ID which matches the name on the card. Yet in practice, there are legitimate reasons why the person picking up the product at the store isn’t the same person who ordered it online. A parent could have placed and paid for the order, but sent their son or daughter to retrieve it. A small business could have placed an order and sent an employee to pick it up. Such cases prevent retailers from successfully using ID or possession of the credit card as proof of identity.

Therefore, the burden of fraud prevention shifts to the online portion of the process.

The lack of a shipping address for these kinds of transactions makes fraud prevention harder, and therefore, fraud easier. That’s why retailers try employ more manual review for these types of orders, but that’s not a real fix since it just makes their job harder. After all, they’re just trying to connect dots and figure out the story behind the order. It’s a time and resource-intensive undertaking, which can easily create a backlog during times of high sales volume.

A defense built on data?

To protect themselves from fraud while at the same time offering convenience to their customers, online retailers can employ two basic tactics:

Collect more data during the online ordering: Website beacons (small pieces of additional code which track and gather info from visitors) are particularly useful for this. Useful data includes device fingerprinting, proxy detection and browsing history (what was their browsing session like? Does it match what you’d expect from a legitimate order?). Of course, more data collected means more data to weigh and consider. It’s no wonder that machine learning is becoming a standard tool in this space.

It’s the quintessential big data problem: plenty of data points about each order, and plenty of orders means plenty of computation. A case in point is Riskified, which employs a range of ecommerce fraud prevention tools based on self-optimizing machine learning models that look at the relationships between hundreds, even thousands of data points before producing a clear “accept” or “decline” decision on every reviewed order.

Use manual review only for extremely tricky cases which get declined: Remember the old advice about credit cards: “only use in an emergency”? Adopt that as your new mantra for manual review.

The combination of online ordering and in-store pickup can be the perfect situation for both retailers and their customers, but only if the right solutions are in place and manual review is carefully handled. Shopping flows can be smooth and offer a great experience for customers, fraud can be prevented, and revenue can easily grow.

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