Day: November 4, 2017

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has an idea about how to deal with the scaling problem by splitting the network into different kind of shards.

“The ministry … has already conducted a number of research studies as part of efforts to prepare the infrastructure to use Bitcoin inside the country”: Iran’s Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology

Tezos ICO problems continue, as a class action has been officially filed in California.

NAU is a new platform whose primary purpose is to simplify the relationship between consumers and retailers while empowering both with the help of Blockchain technology. The team behind NAU is going to provide the world with a platform through which retailers can directly target consumers and clients without the need for third parties, aggregators, and excessive costs.

The issues in today’s digital advertising and retailer market

As of today, retailers are finding it increasingly more difficult to attract new clients despite the plethora of marketing tools available. Social media advertisements, television commercials, and even Instagram and Facebook ads are beginning to become less effective due to high volumes competition and the amount of offers that users are exposed to. Many of which cannot even be claimed by consumers. Thankfully, the NAU platform functions on a geolocational basis and utilizes a sophisticated filtering system that allows users to find offers, deals, and promotions that are within their vicinity and easy to discover.

Benefits of using NAU

NAU completely removes the need for any intermediaries, third-party advertisers, coupon aggregators, commercials, and social media targeting tactics. Retailers simply register on the platform, launch promotional offers, users see these offers, and can take advantage of them. Additionally, platform consumers can refer their friends to NAU so that they can take advantage of deals and promotions as well. All of the transactions made on the platform are backed by NAU tokens, which can easily be redeemed for fiats and other cryptocurrencies.

As previously mentioned users can enjoy rewards by referring their friends. Users are rewarded with bonuses, new promotions, and NAU tokens for each user that they refer to the platform and a retailer. Basically, the platform can be used to obtain financial benefits by anyone. The platform does a great job of allowing opinion leaders to earn funds from their social media followers as a side effect of NAU while creating a viral effect.

The NAU application and website

The NAU application, which is going to be released in December, will be available for Android and IOS. The team plans to develop native applications by 2017. An invite code is required to use NAU even if the app is found through the app store. NAU utilizes blockchain technology with its application to store user transactions and balances. Additionally, the team has implemented “hot storage” technology which allows for transactions to be executed almost immediately.

Retailers launch their offers either through the application or website. The offers that users see are based on their current location. However, the inbuilt filter system of the app can be used to filter for specific deals. Once a user claims an offer, the exchange is carried out with the use of NAU tokens, this includes fees and commissions. However, what’s great is that users can refer their friends and followers to retailers and be rewarded with NAU tokens through the platforms referral bonus system. This not only allows users to earn profits but helps businesses using NAU grow, effectively adding a lot of value to the platform and community.

NAU platform growth

The team is currently in the processes of opening up regional offices in Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Philippines, and Columbia to help promote adoption of the NAU platform in those locations. Great focus is also being devoted to creating agreements with advertisers, agents, and local opinion leaders that will help the platform grow at a significant rate. The mobile application itself is being actively developed by a team of 8 highly experienced developers, with a beta launch planned for December.

Despite the NAU platform utilizing a private Blockchain backed by MultiChain technology, users can set up their own node and monitor everything that happens on the NAU platform.

NAU has decided to use a private Blockchain in order to avoid rewarding miners for each transaction that they mine, due to the fact this does not really fit the scheme and philosophy of NAU and the microtransaction model used by the company.

ICO and token information

It is imperative to note that NAU tokens are not security tokens and they are used to pay for every transaction within the ecosystem. Additionally, token holders are not shareholders and do not receive any dividends. The team decided not to use the Ethereum protocol as each transactions is always accompanied by a fee, while the whole purpose of NAU is to allow retailers to reach consumers as cost-effective as possible. To add on to this, the team wants to avoid any lag time when the Ethereum Blockchain is under heavy use.

NAU tokens can be purchased starting on the 1st of November during the pre-ICO. One NAU token will cost $0.04 and a 35% bonus will be applied for participating investors.

The public ICO will start on the 10th of November and continue until the 17th of December. During the ICO, 300 million NAU tokens will be available for purchase. The ICO will be divided into 2 rounds and the cost of tokens will increase by the second round to $0.06 per token. Additionally, 45 million tokens will be used to cover marketing expenditures and advisor assistance.

Funds gained from the ICO will be used to help fund research, app development, legal procedures, IT infrastructure development, and other operating expenses. Acquired funds will be used to help finance NAU until the Q4 2019, at which point the platform will break even and generate profits.

To find out more about the NAU ICO refer to:

Projects Website: https://tokensale.nau.io

White Paper: https://tokensale.nau.io/pdf/NAU_WhitePaper.pdf

E-mail: [email protected]

This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views held by any employees of The Merkle. This is not investment, trading, or gambling advice. Always conduct your own independent research.

New advances in cryptography are propelling privacy on ethereum forward, as evidenced by talks and panels at the project’s Devcon conference this week.

Virtual Reality and live concerts are being fused together as Heardbeats seeks to disrupt the music industry. They aim to raise funds through an ICO that begins on November 3rd, and will sell 88 million tokens at a fixed price of $0.45 per token. The Heardbeats team plans to open an office in Silicon Valley by the start of February 2018, permitting them to grow in the world’s top startup ecosystem.

Now many of you are probably wondering what exactly Heardbeats is. They describe themselves as a “project that breaks down the barriers of the live concert industry.” Simply put, there are too many fans who want to see popular concerts and too few seats. To solve this, they will allow viewers to attend a concert, using multiple devices, including VR headsets. With the added benefits of a more affordable and convenient experience, diehard fans will never have to miss a concert. The Heardbeats team has designed and tested prototypes in North America and Europe for over a year and is in the process of developing their own VR headset, free of wires and supporting devices.

Though booming, the live concert industry fails to reach many potential consumers. For example, 10 million fans attempted to purchase tickets for Adele’s 2016 U.S. tour when only 100,000 tickets were available. The concert industry today is unable to address this issue of excess demand and fails to satisfy millions of music fans around the world. Heardbeats will address the glaring problem of limited supply and tap into two main types of consumers. The first type of consumer is someone who wants to attend concerts, but is unable to pay for expensive tickets. With Heardbeats, these fans will be able to attend a concert virtually by purchasing tickets that are more affordable than traditional concert tickets. The second type of consumer is someone who is unable to attend a concert because of its location. Fans from Seattle may think it impossible to attend a concert in Russia, but with the advanced technology offered by Heardbeats, they can!

Heardbeats promises many unique features to consumers and investors. First of all, they will have multiple cameras positioned throughout a venue to capture the event from every angle. This will allow users to have the best seat in the venue through a 360 degree view in VR! Heardbeats will also offer fans the opportunity to experience an artist’s tour in its entirety from their homes at a discounted price. In addition, by skipping the long security lines and traffic, users will be able to focus on the most important part of the concert: the music! Fans will also have the privilege of accessing exclusive content from artists available only to Heardbeats users.

The future is here and Heardbeats hopes to bring the live music industry along with it. They seek to raise $30,000,000 so they can truly position themselves alongside the biggest names in the industry. This bold venture has a bright future and is sure to succeed.

If you are interested in their ICO, or want to learn more, you can utilize the following   resources:

Website: https://heardbeats.com

Telegram Group: https://t.me/heardbeats_group

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heardbeats

Twitter: https://twitter.com/heardbeatsteam

This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views held by any employees of The Merkle. This is not investment, trading, or gambling advice. Always conduct your own independent research.

Bitcoin’s recent price increase has shocked both longtime believers and skeptics alike. One reason for the price rise likely is the new money flowing into the network and the opening of Bitcoin futures trading. Another reason could be that people are hoping for “free coins” from SegWit2x a la Bitcoin Gold or Bitcoin Cash. Regardless, it is a good time to be holding Bitcoin. It is less of a good time for alt-heavy portfolios, but that may not be the case for long.

While Bitcoin is King, Alts May Have Their Day

Waking up to see Bitcoin at US$7.3k is exhilarating, though the price action of other coins leaves something to be desired in comparison. This is not to say that some altcoins have not seen incredible spikes recently. Bitcoin Cash, for one, is trading at about US$650 again for the first time in a while. EOS has hit US$1.35 a coin at the time of writing, and other alts have seen similarly impressive movement. Gains, even if not as impressive as Bitcoin’s, are indicators of healthy cryptos. This is especially true considering the recent bear run affecting most altcoins.

For these reasons, I think that altcoins may still have their day in the spotlight. Even if their current rise is largely correlated to Bitcoin’s price increase, there may be other opportunities for alts to push even higher. Some crypto traders may want to try and protect their newly-made gains by putting that value into a more stable crypto. This is just one way that alts may stay relevant in the face of an unrelenting Bitcoin bull run.

In Case You Had Any Doubt, Bitcoin is Here to Stay

I’ve written in the past about how Bitcoin and other cryptos have secured their place in history because of the communities they create. I still believe that. However, I do think that the price of Bitcoin and any future increase in alt prices will solidify their longevity even further. These higher prices will prompt more institutional investors and peer-to-peer users to hear about cryptos and begin using them.

I had no doubt about cryptos and Bitcoin being here for the long run, but now it seems that institutional money and even the most skeptical minds are coming around to this fact. This also makes me think that alts may enjoy a similar fate, and sooner than previously anticipated.

I do think that we will see a small price correction at some point in the future before another bull run, but I may be inclined to disagree with those who call Bitcoin and cryptos an outright bubble. Even with the correction that I think will happen, I doubt it will move the price so far down so as to be called a “pop.”

Obviously, this is not and should not be taken as investment advice. It is important that everyone conducts their own independent research.

Stock picker Ronnie Moas is even more bullish on Bitcoin price

It appears the Bitcoin Cash party is over for the time being. Over the past week, we have seen this altcoin surge in value for no apparent reason. After peaking at nearly US$700, the correction is setting in as we speak. With a 6.29% loss over the past 24 hours, the Bitcoin Cash price has dropped to US$627.  At this rate, it may return to sub-$600 levels pretty soon.

Bitcoin Cash Price Returns to Normal

It has to be said that the past week has been a very fun and wild ride for Bitcoin Cash. With the Bitcoin Cash price climbing from US$350 all the way to nearly US$700 in short order, there was some good money to be made. For the people who purchased BCH at the top, however, reality will be setting in very shortly. After being rejected at US$680, the Bitcoin Cash price quickly dropped below US$600. We knew this correction would be coming sooner or later, although it may not be over yet.

This steep dip to US$571 created a good buy opportunity for anyone chasing quick profits. People who bought in at that time quickly made US$70 in profit when the price bounced back to US$642.05. However, that bounce was swiftly followed by another dip, and the price is currently struggling to find stable ground above US$600. It is not unlikely we will see the Bitcoin Cash price go back below US$600 before the day is over, even though nothing has been set in stone just yet.

Whenever a cryptocurrency gains in value for no apparent reason, everyone knows a retracement is bound to occur sooner or later. While it seems unlikely the Bitcoin Cash price will drop to US$350 again anytime soon, the possibility is certainly there. It will be interesting to see if this momentum can be maintained for now, although the market is slowly turning against BCH as we speak. People are cashing out and taking profits, as they should be doing whenever the Bitcoin Cash price shows signs of weakness.

The Bitcoin Cash trading volume is also starting to dry up a bit. Although weekends traditionally generate less trading volume for all major cryptocurrencies, the price decline combined with dwindling trading volume may spell a rough patch ahead for BCH. Over the past 24 hours, there was US$1.49 billion worth of trading volume. That is pretty solid for an altcoin, although this number will continue to drop in the coming days by the look of things.

Bithumb is still the largest market for BCH trading right now. With over US$756 million in 24-hour volume, it is well ahead of Bitfinex and Coinone. It is interesting to see so much fiat currency support for this altcoin right now. Then again, the bigger question is whether or not that can be maintained for much longer. Particularly with Western exchanges valuing BCH at US$610 or less, it seems additional volatility is on the horizon. Another push toward US$700 isn’t out of the question either, though.

All things considered, speculators and market manipulators need to keep an eye on Bitcoin Cash this weekend. There is plenty of room to make some quick profits while all other markets are trying to stabilize. Whether or not things will improve or head south for BCH is anybody’s guess right now. Things could easily swing in either direction with a little bit of momentum. It’s an interesting moneymaking opportunity, to be sure, albeit one that also carries a lot of risk.

The UK Royal Mint reveals a live gold tracking mechanism built with Blockchain tech.

MicroMoney has another influential fund in its corner. Alex Mashinsky’s Governing Dynamics, a U.S.-Israeli venture fund investing into Israeli biotech startups, AI, cybersecurity and energy to scale up in the U.S., has taken MicroMoney in as a strategic partner, instrumental to increasing the impact and the heft of its portfolio companies’ operations.
Mr. Mashinsky’s track record in finding perfect matches for tech opportunities is impressive. Just recently, he was the lead of the group that won NYC’s MTA (subway operator) open bid to provide Wi-Fi underground. The project, called Transit Wireless, has a 25-year franchise and will add Wi-Fi to 300 stations. Mr. Mashinsky’s biggest project to date was launching and developing Arbinet, one of the largest telco exchanges in the world. With 2,500 phone companies as members and 20 billion transactions a year, the company merged with Primus Communications in 2011, generating a whopping $1.5 billion in annual revenues, only to sell its assets in 2012 and distribute $800 million to shareholders.
Mr. Mashinsky sees MicroMoney as a strategic player, fitting to join Governing Dynamics’ universe. The first portfolio partnership Mr. Mashinsky engineered is with decentralized credit lending platform Celsius Network.
Founded in 2015, MicroMoney has embarked o a mission to provide access to the unbanked audience for banks, trade, and financial organizations. It is a fast-growing company valued at $1.85 million (before the token distribution campaign), with over 85 employees in six international locations.
MicroMoney makes lending decisions using a proprietary, A.I. algorithms, machine learning, and Big Data based mobile scoring system. Its lending process doesn’t require any collateral or paper-based documentation. The company collects customers’ opt-in mobile phone data to establish potential borrowers’ credit score. After that, it uses the score to generate credit profiles, stored with MicroMoney Blockchain Credit Bureau, which in turn shares this data with financial institutions worldwide.

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