Day: January 21, 2018

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. From the hubris and excess of the North American Bitcoin Conference to the gloominess of the crypto markets, it’s been a feel-o-coaster of a week. Fear, uncertainty and doubt were the overarching emotions amidst a turbulent seven days, but there was also space for cheer, schadenfreude and disbelief. Welcome to another week in bitcoin.

Also read: Blockchain Rolls Out Trading Feature for 22 States in the U.S.

High Drama Amidst Low Prices

This week in bitcoin managed to cram in more drama than a Mexican telenovela, with major market drama, regulatory drama, and Ponzi drama to name but three. Things started smoothly enough, with our leading story, as Monday broke, addressing the fact that 80% of all bitcoins have now been mined. Traditional media picked that one up and ran with it. Appreciation of bitcoin’s scarcity failed to stop the rot though, as bitcoin started to slide, taking the rest of the cryptocurrency market down with it.

Everyone had a theory behind the slump that saw bitcoin drop below the champagne threshold of $10k for the first time since early December. It was a price bracket that many thought we’d never see again. Theories postulated included threats to ban crypto in South Korea, threats of China cracking down further on bitcoin mining, historical data which shows bitcoin always performs badly in January, or the fact that bitcoin was “overbought” in the run-up to CME and Cboe futures launching last month, and thus a correction was necessary. Some people even chose to blame falling markets on the cycles of the moon, which seems as good a theory as any.

It Came From Korea

It’s impossible to review a week in bitcoin without acknowledging Korea, so here goes: our most popular story concerned government officials profiting on advance knowledge of regulatory action. That’s right, insider trading. Everyone seems to be at it, though it doesn’t require a man on the inside – simply the ability to sense a storm coming, as futures traders appear to have done, according to Eric Wall. He notes “there was an unusual increase in short positions around January 11. At the same time, the price was just bouncing around in the 12800-14200 range.” In other words, the markets looked normal, but futures traders had an inkling that something was brewing.

On Wednesday, every asset in the cryptocurrency top 100 was in the red. 24 hours later and we were back to fields of green. It was a non sequitur the likes of which hasn’t been since 1986 when Dallas’ Bobby Ewing reappeared in the shower after having been killed off in the previous season. In the words of Biggie Smalls, it was all a dream. The dreaming didn’t last for long unfortunately, as by the weekend the market revival had died out and we were back in the low eleven-hundreds. Quick, someone order more tethers.

Bitcoin Gets a Haircut, Bitconnect Gets Scalped

If bitcoiners thought they had it bad, they should spare a thought for bitconnectors. All those with their wealth locked up in the Church of Ponzi had their assets savagely crushed from $290 a token to $18. It would be heartening to say that everyone who got duped by Bitconnect has learned their lesson, but judging by the number of “victims” who are now piling into the Bitconnect X ICO or Davorcoin – yet another Ponzi – the signs aren’t encouraging.

To finish this week’s highlights, of which there are too many to list as usual, we have another tale from South Korea, suggesting that normal banking service may soon be resumed for cryptocurrency exchanges, which is just as well given the rate at which new exchanges are springing up in the country. While the mantle of crypto-friendliest Asian nation resides with Japan for now, in Europe, Belarus is staking a claim as a new haven for crypto’s rax averse.

If you’ve had the temerity to skip straight to the end of this review for the This Week in Bitcoin podcast, here it is. In it you’ll get the tl;dr on this week’s burning stories, delivered by your amiable host Matt Aaron. Catch you next week for more highlights from the heart-stopping world of bitcoin.

What was your favorite story from this week in bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Dallas.

Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.

The post This Week in Bitcoin: Up, Down and Sideways appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Whenever cryptocurrency exchanges issue their own coins, some people will be wary. After all, such currencies can only be traded on the main exchange, which makes them seem prone to market manipulation. In the case of Binance Coin, things appear to be looking pretty good. It is an interesting cryptocurrency in its own right, especially because it has surged in value by so much.

Why Does Binance Need its own Coin?

That is always the main question to ask when exchanges decide to make moves like this. Native exchange-traded currencies which can’t be exchanged anywhere else also make for an interesting discussion. Binance, one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges to date, decided to issue 197,192,382 BNB in total, even though only 99,014,000 are in circulation at present. This currency is used to pay expenses on the trading platform. Additionally, Binance offers users a rebate when charges are paid in BNB rather than Bitcoin.

Is there any Reason to Value Binance Coin so High?

While it sounds convenient to use Binance Coin as a way to pay expenses on the trading platform, the currency is currently valued at over US$16. That seems like quite a steep value for an ERC20 token with only one specific purpose. It’s good to have a currency to pay for most expenses rather than be forced to deduct them from your trading balance. Users who do not use their BNB for this purpose can always sell it to other users of the exchange. Whether or not that is enough to warrant a US$16 valuation per coin is still a bit unclear.

Furthermore, it seems Binance will continue to buy back BNB later this year. Although not too many details have been made public, it is expected there will only be 100 million coins left in total. This seems to indicate the total supply will be cut in half very soon. The purchased coins will be burned, rather than held by the team. It is an interesting plan, but it would also explain the high valuation associated with BNB right now.

Given the current popularity of the Binance exchange, it seems fair to assume that plenty of users rely on BNB to pay for most trading expenses. As its popularity continues to rise, even more people will learn about BNB and its value, and it is unclear if that will spark more interest in this particular currency. So far, it seems the interest in BNB is warranted, although its use cases are still very limited in nature.

Is There a Future for Binance Coin?

Assuming the aforementioned buyback occurs, it is evident there is good reason to be interested in this particular ERC20 token. Since Binance offers a fair amount of cryptocurrencies to trade, settling fees in a completely different currency is an option well worth checking out. Storing the currency can only be done on the exchange itself, which may make it less appealing to some users. It will be very interesting to see what the future holds for Binance and its native currency.

The initial coin offering industry is still very popular as of right now. It is evident this business model has also created a few more problems in terms of regulations and lawsuits. Cointopia aims to become a new ICO-oriented platform which focuses on creating a stronger community for this sector. Moreover, Cointopia wants to become a comprehensive solution for token sales and post-ICO management. It’s a very interesting concept which could help legitimize the industry as a whole.

Cointopia Focuses on the ICO Industry

The main bread and butter of Cointopia is matching users with the best upcoming ICOs. Rather than presenting individuals with a long list of upcoming ICO projects, users will only see projects which match their preferences. Additionally, individuals will be able to form “syndicates” for group purchasing, and there’s an option to follow ICO influencers. The latter point is rather interesting, but it also bears some risk. After all, influencers won’t always make the best decisions that match your specific needs.

Unlike similar platforms, Cointopia is fully compliant with existing regulations and guidelines. It also assists projects well beyond the organization of their token sale with post-ICO management. So far, we have seen multiple projects struggle because their post-ICO management was rather terrible. There’s a lot of work to be done once money is raised, including issuing tokens, keeping investors informed, and ensuring that teams reach their predetermined milestones.

Other services which will be provided by Cointopia include scaling businesses, authoring white papers, marketing, and even legal services. It is evident this upcoming platform can bring a lot more legitimacy to the concept of initial coin offerings in the near future. Legal aid and white paper authoring will be of particular interest to a lot of companies out there. It’s better than hiring someone on Fiverr to take care of the job, as you often only get what you pay for and nothing more.

Cointopia’s team may not necessarily include any well-known names. However, its advisers include some household names including Jed McCaleb, Brock Pierce, and Jeremy Gardner. Michael Terpin is also involved – which is only normal these days – and Marco Santori also sees the merit of what this platform has to offer. On paper, it seems like Cointopia will check a lot of the right boxes for the ICO industry as a whole.

It is also worth mentioning that Cointopia is the brainchild of Charles Michael Yim. Some people may recall this name, as he was the first competitor on Shark Tank to have all five sharks invest in his company. With Yim now launching a sort of AngelList for initial coin offerings, it is evident this project is well worth paying attention to. This marketplace connecting entrepreneurs with the resources they need in order to be successful will be appreciated by a lot of people. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Cointopia.

Whether or not this platform will bring more legitimacy to the overall ICO industry remains to be seen. The SEC has certainly shown a keen interest in initial coin offerings, although its approach is still very strict when it comes to such projects. With more companies opting to take care of legal support, it seems only a matter of time until this industry will fully mature. With over US$4 billion raised by hundreds of projects before this platform came to be, things can only get better from here on out.

[Singapore – 21 Jan 2018] Singapore-based MegaX introduces first-of-its-kind global millennial online mall having raised USD2.5M from a token sale concluded on 16 November 2017.

MegaX, a partnership between iFashion Group and MC Payment, has launched an online mall (Megaxstore.com) targeted at millennials. Having been in the retail industry since 2009, the mall has served over 1 million customers worldwide. The mall will provide visitors with access to over 1,500 global brands and 80,000 products, featuring items such as the Google Pixel 2, the Oculus Rift Touch VR System, iPhone X and even adrenaline-pumping toys like the hydro jet that allows you to hover above the sea. The online mall will also include exclusive concierge service which aims to provide shoppers looking for a getaway with unique holiday experiences. Expect packages such as exotic stays in Irish castles, silver mines, airplane fuselages and even ice hotels.

The ability to transact using MGX coins and other cryptocurrencies will provide crypto-savvy millennials with the opportunity to experience a new retail phenomenon in the future of cashless society. MegaX envisions and has been working towards a future where ultimately MGX, the native currency, will be the cryptocurrency of choice for millennials to earn, spend and transact. A fresh and emerging retail network, MegaX will pave the way for emerging retailers to engage with millenials.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is an example of an evolved cryptocurrency that is ready for real-world use and is able to cater to retailers’ needs such as having faster transactions and lower fees. “By only accepting MGX and BCH instead of fiat for payments, we are determined to bring about real-world adoption of cryptocurrencies,’ said Jeremy Khoo, Group CEO, iFashion Group. “Despite a market cap of 728 billion USD in cryptocurrencies right now, most retailers do not accept them as a form of payment. Retailers looking to resonate with the new generation of consumers should be fearlessly agile and open to adopting new payment forms. Cryptocurrencies has seen unprecedented growth in 2017 and we believe that growth will continue.”

Megaxstore.com is piloting a rollout by accepting Bitcoin Cash. MegaX aims to help new-age retailers and cryptocurrencies reach out to a large addressable market, the millennials. A 2016 Accenture report states that within Asia alone, millennials are expected to collectively constitute USD 6 trillion in disposable income by 2020. According to a CBRE survey, 30% of this income is spent on leisure activities such as shopping and eating out.

MGX as a cryptocurrency revolves around the millennial movement and aims to create a retail revolution by better engaging with these segment of customers and being their currency of choice. The retail companies behind MegaX have served more than 10 million customers and will use an omni-channel approach in spurring real world adoption of MGX. Token holders can also expect to pay with MGX at multiple native offline events such as the next installation of Artbox Singapore – a creative market concept popularised in Thailand, which attracted over 600,000 attendees and totaled 30 million USD in transaction volume during its inaugural Singapore outing over 2 weekends in April 2017.

Visit http://megaxstore.com / http://megax.io for more information or the following contact points Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megaxcoin

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/megaXcoin

Telegram: https://t.me/Megaxcoin

Medium: https://medium.com/@megaXcoin

About iFashion Group

iFashion is a leading venture conglomerate company focused on investing and acquiring fashion and lifestyle e-commerce ventures based in Southeast Asia. To create synergy among businesses, the Group aggregates highly complementary businesses via mergers and acquisitions in its sectors of interest. The Group acquired, most notably, local O2O brands Dressabelle and Megafash, in the lead up to an IPO.

About MC Payment

Founded in Singapore in 2005, MC Payment is a leading innovative fintech company that has a strong regional presence with end-to-end value-chain of commerce transactions, ranging from suppliers and merchants to consumer payments. Its technology entails both retail to online payments, mobile to Distributed Ledger Technology. MC Payment has become the bridge that facilitates commerce transactions across the region, with payment acceptance ranging from credit and debit, to locally preferred alternative payments, while serving regional merchants and financial institutions alike.

About Megaxstore

Megaxstore is a multi-label online mall dedicated to inspire and motivate customers with creative goods found around the world. Megaxstore now operates over 7 stores across Asia, offering experiential retail spaces and a well-curated mix of tech products, hotel stays, homeware, food items, stationery, novelty goods, travel essentials, apparel for men, women and children; as well as accessories.

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.

It is never good to see the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission go after virtual currency operators. This is especially true when the charges revolve around defrauding customers. Even though interest in cryptocurrencies has soared recently, there are still a lot of people looking to steal your money. With the CFTC now getting involved, it will be interesting to see what type of regulation gets introduced in the future.

The CFTC Flexes its Muscles

No one should be allowed to defraud investors, no matter what industry they are involved in. As far as the world of cryptocurrency is concerned, we have seen a fair few companies and users scam others, leading to major financial losses. Now that the Commodities Futures Trading Commission has filed fraud charges against three virtual currency operators, things have taken another worrisome turn. Bringing the bad apples to justice is the only rightful course of action, though.

To put this into perspective, there is genuine concern over the risks that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies may pose to investors. Not only that, but this new form of money may turn out to be a threat to the global financial system as well. As a result, we’ve seen multiple efforts to regulate Bitcoin and similar currencies, although none of these measures have been overly successful as of yet. It is very difficult – if not impossible – to regulate something without a central authority or institution. That doesn’t mean people who perform fraud in the cryptocurrency world will not be brought to justice in the long run.

A New York resident named Patrick McDonnell and a company called CababgaTech have been in the CFTC’s crosshairs recently. It seems the company, which offers crypto trading and other services, stole money from its customers. So far, it is unclear how much money was involved, but it was more than sufficient to get the CFTC riled up. 

Secondly, there is the case of Colorado’s Dillon Michael Dean. This individual, as well as Entrepreneurs Headquarters LTD, a company registered in the UK, seemingly operated a cryptocurrency-related Ponzi scheme. Through this nefarious operation, they successfully collected US$1.1 million worth of Bitcoin from over 600 investors. Their claims of pooling these funds and using them to invest in other projects were false, which led to the investors losing their money. A third case has not been made public as of yet, but more information is expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.

It is evident that the CFTC does not take kindly to any individual or company looking to defraud investors, and it is good to see them pay attention to the cryptocurrency industry as well. Even though some enthusiasts may not like to admit it, there are a lot of scams and Ponzis out there. Avoiding these pitfalls has proven to be rather difficult so far, but it’s good to see government agencies crack down on these illicit offerings. Whether or not we will see more fraud charges over the coming months remains to be determined.

This is the first time the CFTC has decided to get involved in such an aggressive manner. Considering that the agency recently allowed the launch of Bitcoin futures, this sudden change seems rather unexpected. It is a welcome turn of events, though, as there is a growing need to crack down on illicit programs and Ponzi schemes. Many people also see this as a way for the CFTC to get back in the good graces of Wall Street, after hastily approving Bitcoin futures products without any industry feedback.

It has certainly been an interesting and busy week for Blockstream. Earlier this week, Gregory Maxwell publicly announced his departure from the company. To many people, said news came as a big shock, although it may be better for Bitcoin in the long run. There’s some good news for the company too, though. They are partnered with Intercontinental Exchange Inc to launch a new cryptocurrency data feed. A major feather in the cap for Blockstream, as they continue to make cryptocurrencies more mainstream.

The new partnership between Blockstream and the NYSE parent company is a big deal. Their mission is to launch a  new cryptocurrency data feed focusing on real-time information. These price details will be scraped from over 15 different cryptocurrency trading platforms around the world. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc opted to partner with Blockstream for this particular venture. The company’s long-standing status in the Bitcoin world probably has something to do with it.

Some Positive News For Blockstream

This new data feed will not just focus on the prices of individual currencies. It will also include the trading volume and order book for all of the leading cryptocurrencies. It is unclear which currencies that list will include but the top 10 currencies are likely candidates. Given the volatile nature of these markets, the rankings tend to get shaken up rather regularly. Some of the most technically sound currencies aren’t even in the top 10 ranked by market cap. It will be interesting to see how this new data feed solves this problem in the future.

Furthermore, it seems the data feed will quote prices in US Dollar as well as other major currencies. ICE is the most recent US exchange operator to go all-in on cryptocurrencies. Big things are happening behind the scenes in the financial world in this regard. Even though Bitcoin is slipping in price, the interest in cryptocurrencies is still tangible. It is a positive development for the company and Blockstream as well, that much is certain.

The cryptocurrency industry needs institutional money to come in sooner rather than later. It is evident the markets are slipping rather quickly. Just this weekend, we have seen a massive $80bn market cap swing of all cryptocurrencies combined. Money is made and lost very quickly in this industry unless new investors get on board. Right now, that is not happening. This new venture by Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. and Blockstream may help change all of that.

Header image courtesy of Shutterstock

The post ICE Taps Blockstream to Create Real-time Cryptocurrency Data Feed appeared first on NewsBTC.

Pinnacle is the trading and investment platform that will become your primary point of access to the growing world of crypto, CFD, stocks, futures, and options investment. Pinnacle will be a full featured investment multiplex with truly automated trading features for beginners, and the very best trading tools for professionals. This platform will revolutionize trading cryptocurrency and world markets. Every single person can become a successful trader as long as they use the right tools and choose the trading style that fits their strengths and weaknesses.

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Pinnacle Key Features include:

Pinnacle will allow traders to perform all trading tasks on one single platform. There are some websites and applications that will do some of the things that Pinnacle will do, but traders always end up having to login to multiple sites to get all of the functionality that they need. Pinnacle will be THE ONE application that traders need to perform all aspects of trading.

The moment I hear a person list out 5-6 sites where you can get these services, they have made my point. Why depend on 5-6 sites, when you can use one with more functionality and reliability that any of the others put together.

• Access to every major trading exchange from the single Pinnacle platform and ability to execute all trading functions within the platform (PC, Mac, Android and iOS). Pinnacle users will be able to add and control all trading functions on all crypto exchanges plus many CFD, forex, commodities, stocks, and futures exchanges. Pinnacle will also allow users to set many different orders for trade execution on their chosen exchanges. Many exchanges don’t even have trailing stop loss orders. Pinnacle will solve that problem and allow for “uniform” trading options between all exchanges.

There are some websites and applications that have similar functions. But they do not include the massive number of exchanges that Pinnacle will support. There are currently no crypto based applications that allow a user to add API control of accounts with major forex, stock, bonds, futures, and options exchanges. Many exchanges lack a full set of trade orders. Many do not have trailing stops or other more specialized orders. Pinnacle will include every major order that the world markets employ.

• Fully automated arbitrage trading within and between all exchanges.

Users will be able to “set and forget” this module to perform arbitrage trades on individual exchanges, or many exchanges at once. Pinnacle will also allow users to place arbitrage trades between separate exchanges. This module will operate as an automated trading bot, performing all functions from start to completion. This includes transferring coins between exchanges prior to the actual arbitrage trade. It can also be set to alert traders and allow them to execute the trading opportunities manually.

There are no other applications that can do this effectively up to now.  

• Copy/follow professional traders as they place trades across multiple platforms simultaneously (with multi-month performance based qualification system and automated commissions).

Users will be able to copy pro traders while they trade across  multiple exchanges simultaneously. This will include non-crypto exchanges that allow stock, bonds, and futures trading. Pinnacle will automatically execute the exact same trade for each user and deduct trading commission in BRIL. Pinnacle will track traders over the course of their history and provide a non-biased certification rating that users can refer to and know what to expect when copying.

There are a few exchanges that offer a similar function. The difference between Pinnacle and the competition is the ability to copy trades between dozens of separate exchanges. Most websites that offer a rating feature, allow for members to rate them at whatever level they choose. This allows for “friends” to artificially boost a traders performance rating. Pinnacle will make arbitrary ratings based on actual trading performance over time.  

• YamaCat Trading Course For Beginners to learn all skills necessary to be a competent trader in real time. YamaCat will interactively lead beginners through basics and intermediate skills to help them become profitable traders. Users can follow the step by step instructional course, or use YamaCat any time they want to make a trade. It will assist users to know whether they should or should not get into their chosen market. This feature will be very helpful for all traders who want a second opinion before they place a trade.

There are no crypto sites or exchanges that currently have this feature. There are some sites that teach stocks/bonds/futures trading, but the course are usually very expensive. The only other options out there require that a person pay a lump sum or monthly fee to attend online courses and be taught be a person at specific times. With the YamaCat Trading Course, users can learn anytime that choose, day or night, and continue using it for as long they feel the need.  

• Extensive charting app for all exchanges with advanced AI trade pattern recognition/identification, automated trade execution, and trade setup alerts for professionals. This module will actively search your charts for technical analysis market patterns in both standard form and candlestick patterns. When a pattern is found, the chart will highlight the pattern and include projected price movements to plan your trades. This will be a visual drawing on the chart along with an alert box with information about the pattern and what tends to happen when it appears. Pinnacle will allow users to set this module to automatically execute trades on its own based on trading patterns, or display the patterns for traders to manually execute their trades. Charting app will include all major indicators and tools to be used on their charts. Users can also use a full suite of drawing tools to mark ideas on their charts and save them.

There are some applications and websites that have indicators that can do some forms of this feature. They usually are weak in performance and do not correctly identify market patterns on a consistent basis. Most people end up ignoring them because they can’t be relied upon. Pinnacle will use AI to search and find market patterns and fractals and then provide instructions and predictions for users to plan their incoming trades. Many exchanges have terrible charting features. Pinnacle will allow users to utilize our incredible charts to track their trades on any exchange.

• Pinnacle proprietary trading strategy signals (80%+ accuracy) with programmable execution for any exchange and any market. Pinnacle will allow users to include proprietary trading strategies developed by Roman over the course of 30 years. They are based on time and price action and have a very high rate of accuracy. Over the years, many users have told me that these systems seem like magic. I have posted basic time movement predictions for BTC as a demonstration on my twitter feed for the past 3.25 years. These systems will be available for in the Traders Market for monthly subscriptions.

No one has these systems. I developed them over the past 30 years and they are proprietary. I have shared aspects of them with my Whale Watchers trading group, but the public has not had access to them until now.

• Encrypted group messaging and monetized communications feature for professionals to offer trade recommendation subscriptions (trading strategies/tips, group based training, etc.). Users can set up private chat rooms to share their ideas with other traders. Pros can offer subscription based services using this module, and receive payment in BRIL. Messages can include charts and drawings to illustrate their trading recommendations. Pros can set up automated messages to be sent to their subscribers, or can create private subscription based chat rooms for their members. There will also be public chat rooms for those that want a lively discussion while trading the markets.     

There are other sites that include public and private chat rooms. There are very few competing services that allow users to sell their advice or membership through a simple interface.

• Specialized Pinnacle automated trading systems geared toward 1:1 trading of crypto and stocks with exceptionally low risk and consistently high rates of return. This is an easy one to understand. 1:1 trading is the most safe way to consistently make profit in the markets. It may not make a large return as when using leverage, but traders who prefer to reduce stress can use this module and relax, knowing that they are making consistent profit. Users can choose their preferred markets, set trading parameters, and turn on this module to enjoy low stress trading every day. We think different people excel in different trading environments. If a person is not suited to the stress/pressure and fast decision making in forex, then 1:1 trading would be perfect. Especially for people who don’t have a lot of time to trade.

Few sites and applications have this specific service. Some can be set to follow specific parameters, but that can take a lot of time, and most users prefer to get started right away. Pinnacle allows for users to get started within minutes and capitalize on markets movements in the safest way possible.

• Portfolio Investment Management Suite to track your holdings and actively help you build them for the short and long term. Users will be able to enter specific goals for near term or even retirement and this module will create a investment plan to make those goals a reality. This will be especially powerful when applied to crypto markets. We will be employing a specialized AI that can predict future market performance, track past behavior, and automatically execute trades within parameters set by the user.

No other crypto sites offer this feature. Some non-crypto sites offer these services, but they do not include crypto, and most of them require that you meet and discuss your needs with a planner. Pinnacle will do all of this for you.

• Trading Strategy/Indicator Builder that will allow users to create their own tools, bots, and strategies for use with their accounts. This module will be simple to use and feature drag and drop rules to create your strategies. Users will also be able to create chart indicators and tools with drag and drop rules and drawing tools. Users may sell their creations in the Traders Market for BRIL.

No other crypto sites or apps offer this feature.

• Traders Market for users to buy and sell their own tools, indicators, bots, subscriptions, and private group memberships. Users will have access to a market where they can purchase any number of trading tools and subscriptions that will increase their trading performance. Users can use the strategy and bot builder module to create their own tools and then sell them to other users. Pros can offer their subscription trading recommendations and private group memberships as well. We will continue to expand the store to allow for users to sell accounting services, retirement planning, and even tax preparation.

Some sites have similar markets to purchase tools and indicators. We will strive to make our Traders Market simple and easy to use for both buyers and sellers. It will be a user-friendly experience with full descriptions of services/tools offered, and instructions for use once a purchase is made.

Why is BRILLIANCE (BRIL) worth purchasing and what can we expect to see on trading exchanges?

Brilliance (BRIL) is an Stellar based token that will perform a multitude of utility functions within the Pinnacle Investment Platform. BRIL will be the backbone of Pinnacle. Brilliance has quick 3.5 second block times so that users will experience blazing fast execution for trades and arbitrage. Brilliance will be the token that acts as a high speed vehicle to initiate and complete core transactions within the Pinnacle platform.

All major features within the Pinnacle platform will require that users hold a balance of BRIL to meet requirements for transactions, fees, commissions, bonuses, subscriptions, and purchase of other users services/tools in the Pinnacle Traders Market.

A token is necessary in order  to play certain computational functions which require consensus. Pinnacle will be a decentralized trading and copy trading platform, the first of its kind, and certain information which is necessary to truly verify trading records and copy trading records in an unfalsifiable manner needs to be transmitted on the stellar blockchain. This will give us a unique advantage over centralized platforms like TV and over Ethereum based platforms that contain corollaries of certain of our features (though by no means all). Furthermore, its necessary to use stellar rather than Ethereum in order to do this. Ethereum based trading platforms are often not truly decentralized, you are right, due to practical concerns of computational cost and speed, could be done without tokens, and in some cases are not what they real appear to be. But Pinnacle can properly utilize a token, as the transaction cost of stellar means that it can be used for the real purposes that blockchains were designed.

Ethereum currently has an issue with computational cost, as well as inherent issues in the solidity language that lead to the recent parity disasters (among many others.) The way we will achieve this is no different to the way it would be achieved in any stellar network architecture and doesn’t require elaboration if you are familiar with how stellar (or blockchains in general for that matter) for that matter work and interact with centralized components. The only real novelty is how we achieve consensus for “single instance events” such as trade placement – this is not obvious but the solution will become obvious to blockchain architects with some reflection and thinking outside the box. This is the part I can’t really give away, as its copyrightable.

As well as this the token is necessary in order to transcend boundaries between areas of differing financial regulation, which is why a project like this has not been possible prior to blockchain, and why what I have called the “problem of exchange separation” in some of the articles on the site which has existed since  the beginnings of trading 6000 years ago in Mesopotamia, was not resolved by the rise of computerized trading that began with the Nasdaq era. You need true decentralization to do this, not just abstract mainframe style computation, and Pinnacle, via stellar, will make this a reality. And you need stellar rather than ethereum for practical considerations of speed and cost.  For many Ethereum based platforms a token is not really necessary, except as a fundraising mechanism to getting around SEC legislation, but with us it is completely necessary and is the very backbone of what we will do. Brilliance is one of the best examples of a true utility token that exists.

The tokens will facilitate key trading functions between exchanges and the Pinnacle platform when executing trades and investing between various coins and tokens. They will also be a payment for “follow/copy” trading commissions, subscription service fees, transfer fees, trading bonuses (for pro traders), and tips.

After launch, Pinnacle users may purchase or sell the Brilliance utility tokens from any major crypto trading exchange. The requirement for BRIL tokens to be held and used for Pinnacle services will ensure a consistent increase in value and price of these tokens. We will be constantly working to expand Pinnacle and acquire accounts with major banks and trading firms to further boost BRIL value on a consistent basis. BRIL has a huge potential for the public to accumulate and hold into the future.

We love crypto and we are passionate about helping people learn to become successful traders. Pinnacle will revolutionize trading cryptocurrency and world markets.

Get out of the rat race. Choose Pinnacle, and take back your life.

ICO pre-sale: Jan 15th thru Jan 30th  

ICO: Jan 31st thru Feb 25th  

https://pinnacle-brilliance.com/

If there is one particular token in the cryptocurrency world which sparks the most debate, it has to be Tether’s USDT. Although this is supposed to be a digital representation of the US dollar, there have been numerous concerns over its rapidly increasing supply and the financial assets required to back it. As of right now, the Tether supply is over 2 billion USDT. It’s a remarkable milestone, albeit one that is heavily criticized.

Two Billion Tethers are in Circulation

It is evident the creation of Tether’s USDT tokens has always been considered rather controversial. Every USDT in circulation represents one US dollar. One would expect the Federal Reserve to oversee the issuance of such pegged tokens, rather than a company known as Tether. So far, there has been no negative backlash, although it may only be a matter of time until the US government decides to pay closer attention to this particular project. It doesn’t seem as if Tether violates any regulations, though.

What has most enthusiasts concerned, however, is that the USDT supply is increasing very rapidly. A few weeks ago, daily “prints” of 10 million USDT were not all that uncommon. It seems Tether has ramped up production quite significantly, as it issued an additional 400 million USDT this week alone. That is a very steep amount of currency being brought into circulation. As long as the company has the financial assets to back these tokens, there is no cause for concern. So far, we don’t know if that is the case, which fuels even more speculation.

Thanks to its increasing rate of issuing new USDT, Tether has reached a major milestone. With over 2 billion USDT in circulation at the time of writing, there seems to be an endless supply of these tokens. The company also recently announced that its USDT tokens now exist on the Ethereum blockchain as well, which may explain the sudden increase in demand. Whether or not this is a driving factor has yet to be determined at this point.

One thing a lot of cryptocurrency users have pointed out in recent months is that new USDT tokens are always printed at “convenient” times. When the Bitcoin price faces major adversity, Tether brings more currency into circulation than it would otherwise. When the Bitcoin price rises, it will issue USDT in order to keep the trend going. This all sounds like a major conspiracy, as no wrongdoing has been proven to date. However, there seems to be no such thing as coincidence in the cryptocurrency world these days. People are suspicious by nature, and it’s only normal they would voice such concerns publicly these days.

Whether or not Tether’s recent “milestone” is a good thing remains to be seen. Given the negative focus on this company prior to this event, it is very likely it will receive even more negative press because of this development. At the same time, if the company simply is succeeding by legitimate means, there is absolutely no cause for concern. Given that there is no arbitrage opportunity with Tether, or any chance of it appreciating in value, it remains to be seen where this demand for USDT is coming from. One USDT will always be valued at approximately US$1, although there has been a 7% discrepancy in the past. Only time will tell whether or not this is all on the up-and-up, but for now, no one can fault Tether through anything other than circumstantial evidence.

Letting Your Wallet Pay You

Most people have credit cards or loyalty cards for various companies, and many of those cards provide rewards for loyal users. Whether the rewards are points, airline miles, or cash back, some system is in place to reward the most active users. These perks are something that most consumers have come to expect as customary.

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In the crypto economy, however, there are very few such platforms. Instead, using wallets and exchanges often comes with a fee, and crypto holders have gotten used to paying without receiving.

All this is about to change however, as Bread, a multi-coin cryptocurrency wallet has announced their rewards program through a proprietary token called BRD. The BRD token has already sold out, with $12 mln sold in the pre-sale, and then $20 mln during the crowdsale in just under 2 hours on December 15. The sale was so popular, it clogged the ETH network for a few moments. Such response shows the potential for a truly customer-focused rewards program among cryptocurrency holders.

Get paid for bread

Bread is a venture-backed company based in Switzerland. The company boasts more than 1 mln users from more than 140 countries, and is already a huge market leader among wallets, protecting billions in Bitcoin.

With a large user base and consistently strong security and service, the Bread app has moved from a simple Bitcoin wallet in 2015, to a fully functional decentralized financial platform. The wallet has the capability to hold all Ethereum tokens (ETH, ERC-20, ERC-223, ERC-644), as well as Bitcoin and many more digital assets coming soon.

Having built such a large and comprehensive system, the Bread team has now created a way to give back to users, and particularly those users that are most active on the platform.

The newly created Bread tokens (BRD) will bring substantial benefits for current and future Bread users. For example, users who pay with BRD will receive increased discounts on service fees when purchasing Bitcoin or Ethereum through the app.

Additionally, the more BRD a customer holds in their wallet, the more benefits they’ll receive. These include a dedicated support phone number, early pre-sale access for qualified ICOs, and exclusive invitations to events around the world. Additional premium services will be rolled out over time. The BRD token will have utility within the Bread app as soon as tokens are released.

Simple enough

The Bread app is particularly helpful for new users since it provides an simple point of entry for purchasing Bitcoin. This simplicity and elegance has already led to the widespread usage the Bread app enjoys.

With the addition of the multi-wallet features, as well as the aggressive new rewards program built using the newly created BRD tokens, the Bread app is looking to continue increasing its reach. To find out more, check out the website here.

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