Day: January 3, 2018

Cryptocurrency ecosystems are still dependent on the very financial system they vilify for daily support and stability, says Tim Swanson.

The headliner of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Philippines, which will be held on January 25 in Manila, will be one of the largest investors in Singapore, co-founder of the venture company Intrepid Venture and crypto evangelist Zach Piester. The expert who has worked with hundreds of startups will tell the audience how to get the maximum profit from investing in blockchain projects and ICO tokens.

Zach Piester ranks among Top 50 most influential fintech experts in Singapore, according to Нabiletechnologies. He is deeply involved in the organizational design and growth of a variety of FinTech, InsurTech, & non-financial blockchain and emerging technology companies across Asia. His company Intrepid Ventures has access to over 5,000 developers in their global network of blockchain solution builders.

At Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Philippines, the expert will explain to investors key aspects of the blockchain technology: bitcoin, blockchain, and ICOs; their application and operation principles.

Zach Piester will give answers to the following questions:

– will blockchain transform the Internet & the global economy or is it merely a fad?
– what are Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and other investment schemes?
– should you invest in ICO?

Zach Piester is Chief Development Officer at Intrepid Venture, venture development company. Early stage investor in emerging technologies e.g. Blockchains, DLT, AI, IoT, Data & Analytics, Digital Health. Mr. Piester helps Fortune 500 companies leverage the innovation of startup disruptors in blockchain and fintech. He is also a well-known speaker for Blockchain, Cyber Security, Innovation, Human Factors, Organizational design and AI. In 2017, he reported within such events as Techsauce Global Summit, Digital Thailand Big Bang, THE SUMMIT, TechXLR8 Asia, etc.

About the Conference

The conference in the Philippines is one of the events from the large international network Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference organized by Smile-Expo. The company has carried out over 30 successful events dedicated to cryptocurrencies, ICO, and blockchain, including the largest blockchain conference in the world, Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Moscow, which in 2017 gathered more than 2000 participants. More than 20 events from this series are planned for 2018.

The conference in the Philippines will involve speakers from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition to investment, the event will discuss legal regulation of the industry, e-commerce, and implementation of blockchain and cryptocurrency in the financial services sector. The event will also feature a demo zone: the participating companies will present mining equipment and blockchain-based software.

Learn more on the website of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Philippines.

Media Contact

Nick Besedin
Smile Expo
[email protected]

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Extra Credit has announced the launch of its XTRA token sale, starting January 1, 2018 as the platform strives to educate people about cryptocurrencies and drive its adoption while helping them grow with the ecosystem.

Cryptocurrencies and their underlying blockchain technology can easily be labelled as the most disruptive technology of this decade. While it is making waves in the technology sphere, many people are still unaware of many things about them, as their exposure to the crypto-world has so far been only through the mainstream media outlets. However, on many occasions, the information presented by these outlets aren’t always accurate, which causes more damage than good.

Extra Credit recognizes the need to educate the masses about Bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies and their underlying blockchain technology. At present, there is no single ecosystem that is designed exclusively for such purpose. Most of the online course platform offer one or two courses on cryptocurrencies and sometimes include complex jargon, mathematical equations and even code snippets. These courses, not only adds to the confusion but makes it more complicated for the users. But with a dedicated course delivery platform specializing in cryptocurrencies, things will be different and Extra Credit is doing just that in association with BitcoinHomework, a leading cryptocurrency learning platform.

Extra Credit is an initiative of a 9-member team, whose main goal is to make cryptocurrency education easily accessible to everyone, irrespective of their prior exposure to the digital currencies. By joining forces with BitcoinHomework, the team aims to offer comprehensive courses on the technology and the sector starting from what are cryptocurrencies, how to use cryptocurrencies and more.

Extra Credit is currently in the process of raising the necessary funds through the ongoing crowdsale. The funds raised from the token sales will be utilized to set up an educational store with BitcoinHomework gear and other tools to encourage learning among the students. Apart from adding new courses, Extra Credit will also incentivize newcomers to learn about cryptocurrencies. The token sale is Extra Credit’s first step towards fulfilling its vision to empower everyone with the knowledge required to invest and manage their cryptocurrencies with ease.

The Extra Credit Pre-sale went live on January 1, 2018 and will continue for a period of one month, before coming to an end on February 1, 2018. Following the completion of Pre-sale, the public token sale of Extra Credit tokens will be held later in Q1, 2018. Those interested to take part in the crowdsale can do so by visiting https://extracredit.io/

More information about BitcoinHomework is available at – https://bitcoinhomework.com/

Media Contact: [email protected]

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It is just another friendly nudge to say that The Crypto Con 2018 is around the corner. Mumbai, the Financial Hub of India and South Asia, will host the Asia’s First and Biggest Crypto Currency Event on 3rd March 2018.

Blockchain technology has created waves around the World, bringing transparency and massively reducing costs in sectors like Banking, Finance, Logistics and Manufacturing, among others.

The Crypto Con Event is bringing together hundreds of passionate Blockchain and Cryptocurrency experts around the world to talk about the technology, the currencies, and the future of this evolving industry.

You will get a unique opportunity to ask questions, have one to one discussion and networking. Our agenda comprises but not limited to

• The Bitcoin Boom: why and how did it happen?
• Central Banks giving way to smart contracts: Myth or Reality
• Blockchain and Virtual Reality, the opportunities and the challenges of Cryptocurrencies.

And many more.

Agenda Notification

For Speaking Opportunity, Contact : [email protected]
For Sponsorship Opportunity, Contact : [email protected]

The post Currency Representation on The Crypto Con 2018: USD 56 Billion appeared first on NewsBTC.

Bitcoin is strongly bid today amid reports of institutional buying, and has climbed 10 percent in the last 24 hours.

A lot of countries around the world are actively contemplating Bitcoin regulation. When that happens, one of two things will happen. Either the government bans cryptocurrency altogether, or they allow it to thrive. In Malaysia, there have been conflicting reports about what the future may hold for Bitcoin. Deputy finance minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani stated how there is no plan to effectively deem cryptocurrencies to be illegal. That is good news, although the actual regulation has yet to be presented to the world.

Malaysia is not a region most people associate with major cryptocurrency activity. That is not surprising whatsoever. The lack of clear Bitcoin regulation makes it difficult for consumers and businesses to embrace cryptocurrency. Thankfully, that situation will come to change very soon. The local central bank is actively working on regulation. The big question is how positive or negative these new guidelines will be in the end.

Malaysia Won’t ban Bitcoin After all

Some sources claim Malaysia wants to ban all cryptocurrencies. It would appear to be the most logical outcome, after all. However, the local deputy finance minister surprised us all by contradicting such statements. More specifically, there is no plan – or reason  -to consider cryptocurrencies as illegal. The country wants to pursue every option for financial innovation. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies can certainly play a big role in this process.

Deputy finance minister Johari comments as follows:

“The government is fully aware of the need to strike a balance between public interest and integrity of the financial system, similar to any financial and investment schemes, there is a need to have proper regulation and supervision to ensure any risk associated with such schemes are effectively contained.”

This semi-positive approach to cryptocurrency regulation is somewhat surprising. After all, Asian countries are mainly leaning toward banning cryptocurrency activity altogether. Malaysia may reap some of the economic advantages of taking this approach. It will be interesting to see what the actual Bitcoin regulation will entail when it is made public, though. For now, there is still no official ETA on when these guidelines will be presented.

The post Malaysia Will not Consider Cryptocurrencies as Illegal, Says Deputy Finance Minister appeared first on NewsBTC.

Subsequent to a major correction that occurred on December 17, the bitcoin price has struggled to recover to $15,000, remaining stable in the $13,000 region.

Analysts Optimistic

From December 22 to January 2, with the exception of December 27, the price of bitcoin has remained below $14,000 for nearly two weeks, sparking concerns from long-time investors and analysts.

Some cryptocurrency researchers and investors have predicted the price of bitcoin to fall below $10,000, prior to regaining momentum and surging towards $20,000 and establishing a new all-time high. While many investors have predicted the price of bitcoin to surpass $40,000 in 2018 by achieving a trillion dollar market valuation, analysts have claimed that the price of bitcoin would likely suffer a big correction before initiating a rally.

“Bitcoin could be at $40,000 at the end of 2018. It easily could. There’s a big wave of money coming, not just here but all around the world. What’s different about these coins than other commodities … there is no supply response here. So it’s a speculator’s dream in that as buying happens there’s no new supply response that comes up,” said Novogratz.

In late December however, Novogratz stated that he has halted his cryptocurrency hedge fund because of the market conditions. He stated that the price of bitcoin could drop to $8,000 in the short-term as a result of a major correction.

“We didn’t like market conditions and we wanted to re-evaluate what we’re doing. I look pretty smart pressing the pause button right now,” Novogratz added.

Fast forward two weeks, a major correction has not occurred and the momentum of bitcoin has started to build up with a staggering 15 percent increase in value within the past 24 hours.

Given the recent rally of bitcoin, analysts have started to express optimism towards the mid to long-term price trend of bitcoin throughout 2018. The integration of bitcoin by some of the largest financial institutions in the global market including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) have also triggered the demand for bitcoin from investors in the traditional market.

Most recently, billionaire entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel invested a massive amount of money in bitcoin, demonstrating his confidence over the entire market entering 2018.

Potential Factors For Surge

Analysts are particularly optimistic in regard to the filing for six bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by NYSE and Cboe, as the introduction of ETFs will further increase the liquidity of Bitcoin especially for accredited investors in the traditional finance sector.

Things to look out for in 2018 in #Bitcoin:

1. Nasdaq Bitcoin Futures
2. NYSE Bitcoin ETFs
3. Cboe Bitcoin ETFs
4. Scaling / Lower Fees
5. More Adoption Due to ↑
6. Many Billion of Institutional Money Coming to Bitcoin / Crypto

No wonder analysts are so optimistic!

— Joseph Young (@iamjosephyoung) December 26, 2017

Despite its recent price slump, investment in bitcoin by key players within the finance sector such as Peter Thiel demonstrate that the cryptocurrency has the potential to increase by large margins throughout 2018, especially if it can improve in terms of scalability and market infrastructure.

The post Bitcoin Price Finally Recovers to $15,000, Factors For Another Surge in 2018 appeared first on NewsBTC.

It is safe to say we live in a very interesting time when it comes to cryptocurrencies. More specifically, a lot of money is flowing into this ecosystem, although not all of it may end up where it should be. While diversification in the cryptocurrency world is always advised, it is still unclear what drives the Cardano price. Especially now that it has surpassed $1, there are still a lot of questions which need to be answered.

Cardano Price Surges to $1

In the world of cryptocurrency, most people think of Bitcoin and ‘everything else”. As we have seen in the past few months, this “everything else” category encompasses a lot of currencies which seemingly go up in value on a whim’s notice. One of those currencies is Cardano, a project which still has everything to prove to the masses. Although it remains unclear if this concept will ever go anywhere, the Cardano price has appreciated in value by quite a margin in the past four weeks.

More specifically, we have seen the Cardano price go from $0.118 all the way to $1 today. Achieving such massive growth in less than four weeks is pretty spectacular, to say the very least. Most of this value is based on hype and speculation, by the look of things, but that is not uncommon in the world of cryptocurrency these days. At the same time, Cardano is one of the top 5 cryptocurrencies by market cap right now, which is somewhat worrisome.

Thanks to solid Cardano price gains over the past few days, the value has more than doubled compared to December 25th. For a currency with a circulating supply well below the total supply [which is below the maximum supply[, it is a bit unclear if this $1 price point can be sustained for long. More specifically, it is the first time we see the Cardano price reach $1, yet no one knows for sure how long this momentum can be maintained. For now, things are looking pretty good for the Cardano price, though.

With over $489m in 24-hour trading volume, it is evident things look pretty good for Cardano right now. The demand to both buy and sell this altcoin is certainly there, as the trading volume has picked up in recent weeks as well. Especially now that the $1 milestone has been reached, the question becomes whether or not massive profit taking will set in later today. It seems the most logical outcome for an altcoin which still has everything to prove first and foremost.

As one would expect, most of the Cardano trading volume originates from the Binance exchange. This platform has quickly grasped its fair share of market share when it comes to altcoin trading. Bittrex is in second large, followed by the Ethereum pairs of both Binance and Bittrex. The first fiat currency market for Cardano comes in sixth place, courtesy of Korean exchange Coinnest. Whether or not the lack of fiat currency support will hinder the Cardano price growth moving forward, remains to be seen.

For the time being, it remains unclear what the future holds for the Cardano price. More specifically, this rapid valuation increase is a cause for concern, especially since the developers have yet to deliver on most of their initial promises. That doesn’t mean the project has no bright future ahead, mind you, but it’s always best to remain cautious when it comes to new projects like these. For now, it’s always advised to take profits whenever the opportunity arises, as it is the general advice for any cryptocurrency right now.

Analysts from Japanese financial holdings company Nomura have estimated that the rise bitcoin prices could boost Japan’s economic growth.

“Community” is a word that is synonymous with cryptocurrency projects, but aside expressing a desire to develop a strong user base, what does it actually mean? For exchanges, having a community-oriented model means consulting customers on new tokens, incentivizing participation, and creating a revenue-sharing system. Binance and Kucoin are two platforms that have tried this model, and it’s been paying dividends.

Also read: Koreans Deposited 64 Times More Fiat Into Crypto Exchanges in 2017

From Tiny Acorns to Billion Dollar Unicorns

Unicorns – startups valued at over $1 billion – are almost as rare as the magical beasts they’re named after. Uber, Airbnb, and Xiaomi all fit that definition. But 2017 created another unicorn, one that the average man in the street will not have heard – Binance. A recent article postulates that the cryptocurrency exchange could be “the fastest profitable unicorn in history”. It took just 143 days for Binance to ease its way into the top three and the exchange has since cemented its place there, regularly claiming the top spot for trade volume. In the last 24 hours, $5.5 billion was traded there.

The numbers alone don’t tell the true story of Binance’ success however. It, like Kucoin, has been prospering thanks to a business model that is based on listening rather than simply dictating. The traditional model, as used by the likes of Bitfinex, Bittrex, and Poloniex, sees exchanges add new coins and tokens at their discretion, with scant regard for what the community wants. There are reasons why it is prudent not to seek consultation or post prior notice of every new coin listing. However, there are also cases where there are clear benefits to seeking user input.

Breaking the Wall of Silence

Up until summer of 2017, Bittrex was the preferred exchange of many altcoin traders. Its popularity came with a price though: the platform’s support channels were constantly badgered by developers and fans clamoring to have their coin listed. Bittrex eventually seemed to wash its hands of altcoins and tokens; since bitcoin gold, it has only made room for Enigma and Unikoingold. Binance has gratefully stepped into the void left by Bittrex’s moratorium on new coins. Each month the community gets to vote on one new addition to the site.

Instead of putting up a wall of silence, the new breed of exchanges, which also includes the likes of Gate.io and Cobinhood, appear more inclined to listen. Poor customer support and unwillingness to countenance customer feedback are two recurring motifs among exchange users. With Twitter traders earning a passive income from referral links to exchanges such as Binance and Kucoin, it is in these platforms’ interests to keep their users sweet and incentivized. Those incentives can include reduced trading fees and even a share of the platform’s revenue.

Tokenize All the Things

In an era where there is a token for everything, it was inevitable that cryptocurrency exchanges would launch their own tokens. Binance and Kucoin have been successful with theirs because there is a genuine use case for them and they add value. The former’s BNB token gained an astonishing 8,000% in 2017 and is currently trading for over $9. Kucoin Shares, which have enjoyed a similar trajectory, see holders paid a dividend of 50% of platform fees.

The route many tokens issued via ICOs now follow is Etherdelta > Kucoin > Binance, with each new exchange adding liquidity and a commensurate bump in price. In a crypto market where startups such as Cardano can achieve an multi-billion dollar valuation without having released an MVP, Binance is that rarity: a unicorn that is profitable and whose valuation is based on current performance rather than future promises.

CEO Zhao Changpeng has shown that he’s not afraid to take on established players such as Coinbase and create a viable alternative. A 100 million BNB coin burn is earmarked in future, which will further boost the remaining tokens’ valuation, and Binance also intends to introduce features such as margin trading and a decentralized hybrid model by year four. Bitfinex spin-off Ethfinex is also going down the hybrid route, showing that there’s more than one way to run an exchange.

What’s your favorite crypto exchange and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, and Coinmarketcap.

Need to know the price of bitcoin? Check this chart.

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