Day: December 7, 2017

By decentralizing, this cloud-gaming company based in Russia aims to expand into the U.S. and Asia.

We have seen multiple Bitcoin hard forks throughout 2017. Some of these have been successful, whereas others have been quickly forgotten about. It seems that more forks will be launching in the near future. If Chandler Guo is to be believed, there will be a fork known as Bitcoin God. How the community will respond to this development remains to be determined. It is another airdrop of free tokens to Bitcoin holders, though, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Bitcoin God is Apparently a Real Thing

Not to be confused with Bitcoin Jesus, Bitcoin God is an actual alternative form of Bitcoin which will be created on December 25th. The goal is to introduce this fork at block height 501,225 on the Bitcoin network, which is expected to be mined around Christmas Day. Given that Bitcoin’s mining difficulty will increase in a few hours from now, that date may be off by a few hours or even days. It all depends on how many miners will stick around.

The news regarding Bitcoin God is brought to us courtesy of Chandler Guo. He doesn’t appear to be the main creator of this fork, though, as he simply shared a message from a chat conversation explaining this concept to non-Chinese Twitter users. There are a lot of different opinions about how Bitcoin should operate, and the Bitcoin Core camp is shrinking pretty quickly, by the look of things. So far, though, none of the hard forks have even made a dent in Bitcoin’s overall market position.

Whether or not Bitcoin God can make an impact in this regard remains to be seen. For all of its issues during its launch, Bitcoin Gold turned out to be rather valuable in the end. In fact, it is still the eighth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, even though its value has dwindled as of late. Bitcoin God will face similar challenges, and it remains to be seen if this altcoin will ever gain traction. We don’t know too much about its technical aspects either, which is a bit worrisome.

Bitcoin God (GOD) will be forked off the main bitcoin chain at the block height of 501225, which will happen on December 25h to be symbolic of me giving candy to all Bitcoin Holders. The total amount will be 21 million. No pre-mine. pic.twitter.com/4T2lwojYTr

— Chandler Guo (@ChandlerGuo) December 4, 2017

From what little information we do know about Bitcoin God, it seems there will be 21 million GOD in circulation at its peak. There will also be no pre-mine, which makes it very different from Bitcoin Gold. So far, no exchanges have confirmed support for this new fork, nor have any wallets committed to providing support at this time.

One question people are asking themselves right now is whether or not there is any point in creating even more Bitcoin hard forks. We have seen quite a few attempts to use the Bitcoin name for marketing purposes, and none of them have seemed worth paying much attention to. Bitcoin Cash is the lone exception in this regard right now, although its long-term success is not guaranteed either. It is an interesting situation, but one that will also confuse a lot of novice cryptocurrency users, unfortunately.

Whether or not forks are a good or bad thing for Bitcoin overall is a question that has proved difficult to answer. After all, every fork seemingly takes away some attention from Bitcoin itself, yet the Bitcoin value keeps soaring despite these hurdles. On the other hand, this is a very precarious ecosystem which can easily be disrupted. Until we see an official GitHub repo for Bitcoin God, it is doubtful a lot of people will pay attention to this particular project.

Taking another bold step in developing a comprehensive P2P lending solution for the Asia-Pacific, Crowd Genie has announced that it will conduct the first-ever ICO token sale of its CGCOIN currency, through its related entity CGSPV Pte. Ltd.

One of only four P2P lending platforms to be awarded a Capital Market Services (CMS) License by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Crowd Genie’s prime focus is to provide easier capital access for borrowers looking to grow their young businesses with the right investors; namely through its end-to-end marketplace lending platform.

Through its ICO sale, Crowd Genie is seeking to raise ETHB100,000 to scale-up its operations – with the objective of developing an end-to-end Pan-Asian tokenised lending platform that facilitates cheaper and easier flows of funds between lenders and borrowers.

What makes Crowd Genie’s token sale distinctive from other ICOs? Not only is Crowd Genie already licensed in Singapore, it has proven track record of cash flows since commencing operations in 2016.

Founded by entrepreneurs Akshay Mehra and Bikash Saha, Crowd Genie is also looking to revolutionise the way in which we perceive lending; as the firm’s unique platform facilitates borrower-lender transactions via token-based lending through the Ethereum blockchain.

CGCOIN token holders will be able to invest in businesses listed on Crowd Genie’s platform. There, holders can use their CGCOINs to invest in assets of businesses that can be fractionalised into smaller portions, while getting higher than bank returns. All of this will be enabled by using the blockchain to keep track of ownership and investments.

Crowd Genie will also continue to ensure its rigorous due diligence processes for both borrowers and lenders. To enable this to be conducted on the blockchain, Crowd Genie is planning to create a ‘digital passport’ that holds verified information for each stakeholder and asset.

Crowd Genie also plans to put a unique utility to its tokens by helping SMEs build their credit histories by incentivising on-time payments, and real-time data sharing, by adding CGCOIN credits to borrowers with strong credit profiles. The more CGCOINs earned this way, the higher the borrower’s reputation; thereby increasing the chances of lower interest rates and receiving higher investments from more lenders.

To build these capabilities, Crowd Genie’s team has grown significantly. It has assembled a team of individuals with extensive experience in banking, technology, and cryptocurrency.

Down the road, Crowd Genie is planning to expand its platform to include a regional exchange where any asset can be traded at a fraction of the cost, from any country across the region.

“We are looking at building a blockchain-based lending exchange for the Asian market that could dramatically improve the flow of capital, while continuing to be compliance with the regulations,” says Mehra. “We believe think that the efficiencies of blockchain fits very well with our target of the underbanked population of SMEs in Singapore and in the region more broadly.”

Building on the success of its first ICO, Crowd Genie will initially prioritise optimising its service for its Singapore clients. The greater aim, however, is to tap into the underbanked populations of regional developing markets. thereby making the P2P platform a leading token-based lending hub in the Asia-Pacific.

For Mehra, Crowd Genie is “Driven by the fact that we want to target the underbanked population. We feel that the underbanked have all the right credentials to be given loans or have some kinds of financial products, but are still underserved.”

About Crowd Genie

Crowd Genie is a Singapore-based P2P lending platform which brings together borrowers (registered SMEs) with lenders (capital providers) under a single ecosystem. Founded in 2016 the platform facilitates blockchain-based transactions via the use of Crowd Genie’s very own CGCOIN cryptocurrency. It is one of the few licensed P2P lending platforms in Singapore to be granted a “Dealing in Securities” license by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Crowd Genie was established with the clear goal of creating a more accessible lending marketplace over traditional finance institutions. The platform was initiated by Akshay Mehra and Bikash Saha – who collectively hold around 40 years of experience in enterprise and banking – and are backed by a team of seasoned advisors and consultants who have backgrounds in capital markets, technology and marketing.

ICO Page: www.genieico.net

Company Page: www.crowd-genie.com

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 or no Bitcoin for India? Let’s analyze the views of the Govt of India, its Supreme Court and the Reserve Bank of India.

Purchasing cryptocurrency remains one of the biggest problems to be overcome in this industry. Signing up for an exchange and verifying one’s identity is very cumbersome. Moreover, there is no convenient and fast way to buy cryptocurrency either. Square is looking to make an impact in this regard, as its Bitcoin purchase option is coming to more app users very soon.

Square Expands Bitcoin Functionality

A lot of people were taken aback when Square suddenly announced in-app support for purchasing Bitcoin a few weeks ago. Given the global attention Bitcoin is getting right now, it is not surprising to see companies scrambling to provide some degree of support for cryptocurrency. For now, this feature is only available to select Square app users, but that situation will change very soon. After all, more and more consumers want access to this cryptocurrency.

To cater to this demand, the Square team will allow more users of its Cash app to purchase Bitcoin. It is unclear how many people this will affect, but it is good to see the company taking this step during such an exciting time for the world’s leading cryptocurrency. Being able to buy and sell Bitcoin using the Cash app is pretty significant, although it remains to be seen how much BTC people are actually buying in this way. After all, the Bitcoin price is soaring to new heights, making it more expensive to own even a small part of one.

Companies such as Square are setting the tone in the world of finance right now; that much is certain. Although the Cash app may only target a very niche market right now, there will be more competitors offering Bitcoin-related services in the future. This will bring much-needed competition to all Bitcoin exchanges, which often have horrible infrastructures and can’t keep up with customer demand. Kraken is a notorious example of this, as its service continues to degrade every week. A big update will come to this exchange in the future, but no one knows for sure what to expect.

So far, it seems Square has gotten a lot of positive feedback regarding its Bitcoin purchase feature. If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason to roll out this feature to even more users. With the Bitcoin price now comfortably over US$12,000, it is evident even more people will be demanding ways to buy cryptocurrency in a convenient manner. A lot of things are happening in the cryptocurrency world right now, and no one wants to miss out on this craze.

How all of this will play out in the long run has yet to be determined. Although Square is certainly setting the tone in this regard, it is evident Bitcoin is still a very niche market right now. Most people see it as a speculative tool first and foremost, rather than an actual currency. The lack of regulation in the US and Europe isn’t helping matters either. The Bitcoin market is firing on all cylinders, but it still represents chump change in the world of finance right now.

Speaking of regulation, this service provided by Square could eventually harm the company’s reputation. If US regulators suddenly decide to crack down on trading platforms providing customers access to Bitcoin, Square will have a full plate of issues on its hands. At the same time, now is the most opportune time to take a gamble in this regard, as the demand for Bitcoin has never been higher. 

In a new application released by the USPTO, Apple describes how it might use a blockchain-based platform to generate and secure timestamps.

DALLAS, TX – In February 2017, more than fifty of the most respected players in the blockchain industry are coming together for three days at Dallas/Fort Worth airport to show private investors and crypto enthusiasts where the “smart money” will be in 2018.

This time last year, Bitcoin was trading for less than $800, and, as Bitcoin rapidly approaches $12,000, investors who bought in then have effectively multiplied their wealth by more than 1,300%. Yet, according to Richard Jacobs, organizer of the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blockchain Super Conference, there could be even bigger opportunities in store for 2018 beyond Bitcoin.

“Everyone’s stoked about Bitcoin right now. And I don’t blame them, because we’ve seen it go from less than a thousand bucks to more than $10,000 in just one year”, said Mr. Jacobs. “However, what your regular, Average Joe guy doesn’t know is that there are at least a dozen other cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies that are set to explode in a way that will make Bitcoin look like a firecracker – and, if you know how to play it smart, you can get in for virtually pennies. That’s why the Super Conference is about – showing folks where the smart money is, so they won’t miss out on this in 2018.”

What makes this Super Conference different from other cryptocurrency and blockchain events?

First – the line up of confirmed speakers, which include John McAfee, creator of McAfee (the world’s first commercial antivirus software), Tim Draper, the Billionaire venture capitalist, Erik Voorhees, who was featured in the Netflix documentary Banking on Bitcoin, Charlie Shrem, founder of the Bitcoin Foundation, and dozens of other developers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists – i.e. the very people behind the “next Bitcoin”, as opposed to commentators and pundits.

Second – as well as the main conference, there is also an optional “beginners track” for people who are new to cryptocurrency, so they can get up to speed on the fundamentals of this unique industry.

Third – there is also a complimentary “hackathon” for kids, teenagers, and young adults. Several of our featured speakers, who are founders and advisors of actual blockchain startups, will put them into small teams and coach them through the process of designing and developing a working prototype.

Registration for the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blockchain Super Conference is still open. However, those who interested in attending are advised to register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, since more than 80% of allocated spots have been sold and barely 100 tickets remain available.

Ready to reserve your spot? Purchase your tickets over here:

Want to learn more about the conference? Join the free notification list over here:

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Press contact:

Richard Jacobs

[email protected]

(888) 984-0070

About the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blockchain Super Conference:
This three-day conference will be held at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport from Friday February 16th to Sunday February 18th, 2018. We are expecting more than 800 attendees, at least 50 headline speakers, and upward of 50 exhibitors – with talks from founders, developers, and early-stage investors of blockchain startups, including many that are planning ICOs throughout 2018.

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.

Bitfinex has faced a lot of scrutiny over the past few months. While it is the world’s leading Bitcoin exchange, there have been some interesting developments behind the scenes. Many people are concerned about the relationship this exchange has with Tether, a company issuing digital tokens backed by fiat currency reserves. To counter  the claims leveled against it, the exchange has hired a major law firm.

Steptoe & Johnson LLP is Representing Bitfinex

In a way, it was inevitable that Bitfinex would have to respond to the many allegations the company is dealing with right now. The company has quickly risen through the ranks to become the world’s top Bitcoin exchange platform. It also supports a wide variety of altcoins, most of which can be exchanged against both Bitcoin and the US dollar. However, that is not what most people are worried about right now. It is the company’s close relationship with Tether which has been raising a lot of eyebrows.

More specifically, sources have claimed Tether has issued far more USDT tokens than it has assets to back up. Whether or not that is the case remains unknown at this stage. The company has yet to undergo an independent and legally binding audit of its reserves, and it remains unclear if and when that will happen. Until such an audit occurs, there will always be allegations which border on conspiracy theories.

Since a large chunk of those USDT tokens have ended up on Bitfinex, some people fear the exchange is essentially manipulating the Bitcoin price. Such allegations cannot go unchallenged, which is why the company has hired Steptoe & Johnson LLP to put an end to these claims and undertake legal action against those individuals attempting to discredit the company. False claims and related activities by various parties will be scrutinized, although the repercussions remain unknown at this point in time.

Steptoe & Johnson LLP is not a stranger to either cryptocurrency or blockchain technology. The company leads the Blockchain Alliance, a group of over 60 companies focused on combating illicit activity on the blockchain. Bitfinex is also a member of the Blockchain Alliance, and thus it makes sense for both companies to join forces in this time of need. The exchange has also worked hard to aid law enforcement and regulatory agencies in their efforts to fight criminal activity involving cryptocurrencies.

Bitfinex counsel member Stuart Hoegner commented as follows:

“To date, every claim made by these bad actors has been patently false and made simply to agitate the cryptocurrency ecosystem. As a result, Bitfinex has decided to assert all of its legal rights and remedies against these agitators and their associates.”

How this situation will play out remains to be seen. It is evident the meteoric Bitcoin price increase has sparked fear in the hearts of many, and anything that looks remotely suspicious will be shared with the public. Very few of those claims will actually be proven true, though. Whether or not there is any collusion between Bitfinex and Tether remains to be determined. For now, the evidence says “no”, but some of the claims made by these “bad actors” raise interesting questions.

Bitcoin will be legal in Russia, while the government plans to regulate mining.