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Cryptocurrency ‘Oracle’ Lingham thinks bitcoin cash will outpace actual bitcoin in the future – CNBC


CNBC

Cryptocurrency ‘Oracle’ Lingham thinks bitcoin cash will outpace actual bitcoin in the future
CNBC
Internet entrepreneur Vinny Lingham predicted on Thursday that bitcoin cash — the offshoot of the popular cryptocurrency — will be in greater demand than actual bitcoin in the future. “Bitcoin and bitcoin cash are focusing on two totally different
Bitcoin Is Taking Growing Regulatory Scrutiny, From Some, in StrideBloomberg
This Is What the Average Bitcoin Owner Looks Like | FortuneFortune
Bitcoin latest: Theresa May ‘very seriously’ considering taking action against digital currenciesThe Independent
CoinDesk –Express.co.uk
all 66 news articles »

CNBC

Cryptocurrency 'Oracle' Lingham thinks bitcoin cash will outpace actual bitcoin in the future
CNBC
Internet entrepreneur Vinny Lingham predicted on Thursday that bitcoin cash — the offshoot of the popular cryptocurrency — will be in greater demand than actual bitcoin in the future. "Bitcoin and bitcoin cash are focusing on two totally different ...
Bitcoin Is Taking Growing Regulatory Scrutiny, From Some, in StrideBloomberg
This Is What the Average Bitcoin Owner Looks Like | FortuneFortune
Bitcoin latest: Theresa May 'very seriously' considering taking action against digital currenciesThe Independent
CoinDesk -Express.co.uk
all 66 news articles »

North Korea securing its place as a global crypto hacker

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been largely cut off from the international community due to its position as a totalitarian socialist state. This has led to severe economic distress thanks to the twofold effect of a punishing internationa…

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been largely cut off from the international community due to its position as a totalitarian socialist state. This has led to severe economic distress thanks to the twofold effect of a punishing international sanctions regime — and having almost no trading partners. Not surprisingly, North Korea has been reportedly looking into other ways of generating income — with stealing crypto currently a hot favourite.

Serenity Prepares for ICO on 25 January

Serenity blockchain platform announces the start of the main ICO period, which will start on 25 January 2018 and will last for a total of six weeks, ending on 7 March. The main ICO period offers a unique opportunity for investors to purchase Serenity tokens with a 40% discount. The pre-sale round (Pre-ICO period) that … Continue reading Serenity Prepares for ICO on 25 January

The post Serenity Prepares for ICO on 25 January appeared first on NewsBTC.

Serenity blockchain platform announces the start of the main ICO period, which will start on 25 January 2018 and will last for a total of six weeks, ending on 7 March. The main ICO period offers a unique opportunity for investors to purchase Serenity tokens with a 40% discount.

The pre-sale round (Pre-ICO period) that previously took place, resulted in $524,790 being raised.

Vasily Alexeev, CTO Serenity:

“At the Pre-ICO stage, we received valuable feedback from our investors and thank all for the constructive criticism. After the Pre-ICO, we worked on improving the website and positioning the project, making it more understandable for all market participants. I think we managed to change this, as there are already a large number of applications for participation in the ICO and the community actively supports the idea.”

Serenity is the first escrow broker-platform for financial markets that protect investors’ funds from fraud and trading interferences by using smart contracts.  The project is a platform that includes several functional modules: escrow, blockchain transaction recording, quote verification and a trading exchange.

The idea is based on the practice of segregated accounts, that is, keeping deposits separate from the funds used for trading, which is required by the FCA (the British financial regulator), and is translated into the language of the blockchain. The idea of recording transactions in the blockchain has also emerged under the influence of traditional regulations, such as financial legislation in the EU (MiFID II and EMIR). These regulations have always demanded reports on all trade operations, but have had no way of storing them efficiently and reliably.

In addition, the project’s scope will include the creation of a proprietary trading exchange for quick entry into the Serenity system and cryptocurrency purchases.

The company plans to raise $19 million to develop the platform. The project will be launched in separate stages, with the exchange’s launch being promised for May 2018. The prototype has already been published on the website.

The ICO will be held in one stage, from 25 January to 7 March. The opening price of a token is 0.0001 ETH. The token name is Serenity. The stock ticker is SRNT. Meanwhile, the token’s release on stock exchanges is planned for immediately after the completion of the ICO, i.e. just after 7 March.

At the time of writing this press release, the SRNT token has been listed by the largest Russian exchange, Yobit. Talks with several more exchanges are currently underway.

The project has been supported by major brokers from the Forex and binary option industries, including IQoption, Liteforex, NordFX, as well as Alexey Kutsenko (Founder of Tools for Brokers), Yagub Rahimov (adviser of the ICO project nagaico.com and founder of AtoZForex), and many others.

During the ICO, tokens will be sold at a discount of up to 40%.

The ICO started on 25 January and will go on until 7 March 2018.

We cordially invite you to take part.

The post Serenity Prepares for ICO on 25 January appeared first on NewsBTC.

Bitcoin: Not A Store Of Value But A Creator Of It, And Perhaps Not A Bubble After All – Seeking Alpha

Bitcoin: Not A Store Of Value But A Creator Of It, And Perhaps Not A Bubble After AllSeeking AlphaMicrosoft has appreciated by over 100,000%, Berkshire Hathaway is up by an impressive 1,700,000% but Bitcoin is up by a staggering 500,000,000% since its …


Bitcoin: Not A Store Of Value But A Creator Of It, And Perhaps Not A Bubble After All
Seeking Alpha
Microsoft has appreciated by over 100,000%, Berkshire Hathaway is up by an impressive 1,700,000% but Bitcoin is up by a staggering 500,000,000% since its infamous "Pizza Transaction". No asset in history has appreciated so rapidly. Therefore, Bitcoin ...

Nousplatform Is Set To Revolutionize The Investment Sector

A huge number of use cases for blockchain technology are currently under investigation, primarily driven by the wave of initial coin offerings (ICOs) to have hit the markets over the last twelve months and the relatively easy access to capital that this funding model affords the entities behind the offerings. Many of these are unlikely … Continue reading Nousplatform Is Set To Revolutionize The Investment Sector

The post Nousplatform Is Set To Revolutionize The Investment Sector appeared first on NewsBTC.

A huge number of use cases for blockchain technology are currently under investigation, primarily driven by the wave of initial coin offerings (ICOs) to have hit the markets over the last twelve months and the relatively easy access to capital that this funding model affords the entities behind the offerings.

Many of these are unlikely to ever gain any real traction fro a disruption perspective – at least in their initial iteration. A handful, however, are quickly attracting huge amounts of market interest.

The common qualities exhibited by those that comprise this handful are rooted in simple, blockchain-based solutions to existing problems, with said problems rooted in the inefficiency of legacy technology.

Ripple, for example, is using its technology to bring cross-border value transfer up to date.

Another company, Nousplatform, is trying to do the same with the investment space.

Nousplatform is currently conducting an ICO (it’s in the pre-sale phase right now) to raise capital for the development of a technology that could be a game changer in the fund and fund management sector.

So what’s it all about?

To explain, it’s worth touching on how this industry works right now. Investment funds are set up to allow people to invest money that other people (professional investment managers, generally.) They are great (and often incredibly rewarding investment vehicles for many) but there are some downsides.

For example, individual investors who want to invest smaller amounts won’t generally be available to access funds and, if they are, they are limited to poor or low-performance funds.

Nousplatform is designed to overcome these issues.

It’s a blockchain-based technology that allows fund managers to create a fund, which they can they offer to investors as an investment vehicle. This fund can be rooted in anything – real estate, currency, land, stocks, anything – and investors can gain access through the blockchain technology that Nousplatform has created.

The best performing funds (the performances of this individual funds are recorded using blockchain technology and are completely transparent) are available to view through Nousplatform’s interface, meaning investors can check which funds are likely to provide the best returns on their capital.

What role does the ICO play in all of this?

As mentioned, the ICO will allow the company to raise the funds required to get the platform (and a couple of initial funds, one real estate and one cryptocurrency based) up and running.

And why participate?

Participants in the ICO will receive NST tokens in return for the funds they contribute in the ICO. These NST tokens, once listed on cryptocurrency exchanges (so, once the ICO is complete) should rise in value for a number of reasons, including limited Emission of the NST tokens, capital infusion of new funds created on Nousplatform and Tokens used as utility to buy services on Nousplatform.

In addition to these reasons, however, and what we see as the primary driver behind NST upside revaluation going forward, anyone that wants to invest in a fund must buy equity in the fund with NST tokens. In other words, if an investor wants to gain access to a forex fund, he or she has to buy NST on the open market and then use the NST to buy equity in the fund in question.

As such, as the platform expands and more funds become available, expectations are that more investors will seek to gain access to the funds and, in turn, demand for NST tokens on the open market will increase.

Increased demand for NST translates to an increased open market price, which will boost the value of the tokens that participants in the ICO receive.

As noted, the pre-sale is underway and there’s a 20% bonus available for early subscribers.

To take part, click here.

To check out the Nousplatform white paper, click here.

The post Nousplatform Is Set To Revolutionize The Investment Sector appeared first on NewsBTC.

Indian Government Turns Fiat Currency War on to Cryptocurrencies

The cryptocurrency marketplace in India is facing a siege from multiple parts of the government as several incidents amount to a buildup of the Narendra Modi–led government’s actions on regulating cryptocurrencies. If the reports out of India are tr…

india-crypto-reg.jpg

The cryptocurrency marketplace in India is facing a siege from multiple parts of the government as several incidents amount to a buildup of the Narendra Modi–led government’s actions on regulating cryptocurrencies. If the reports out of India are true, the IMF’s “fastest growing country among emerging economies” may have to meet its 7.4 percent GDP growth target in 2018 without the boost that the digital currency industry has provided in the past.

The Prequel: PM Modi Demonetized Rs 500 and Rs 1000 Notes in 2016

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in late 2016 a “demonetization policy” in which the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes would no longer be considered “legal tender” as of November 9, 2016. The reasoning given for the move: curbing the impact of fake currency, “black money,” corruption and terrorism on the nation’s economy.

While the effectiveness of the campaign has been debated and politicized, the same reasoning the prime minister used on fiat currency bills is now being echoed about on the subject of cryptocurrency regulation.

Finance Minister Jaitley to Parliament: Cryptos Not “Legal Tender”

On January 2, 2018, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley answered questions before Indian parliament, in which he stated that “bitcoins or such cryptocurrencies are not legal tender and those indulging in such transactions are doing it at their own risk.”

Aman Kalra, marketing head of New Delhi–based Bitcoin exchange Coinsecure, stated:

If we listen to Mr. Jaitley’s comments carefully, we’ll notice that he never referred to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as illegal, and always mentioned that they are waiting for the report from the group that was formed for this purpose …

Kalra’s point is an oft-repeated one in the industry, that excluding cryptocurrencies as “legal tender” doesn’t necessarily make their trade and usage illegal. However, parliament member Muthuvel Kanimozhi asked the minister during Question Hour if the government would be seeking to regulate cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether given that India “accounts for more than 11 percent” of cryptocurrency trading globally.

While actions to regulate major cryptocurrency coins by Indian heads of state may concern outside investors, given India’s voluminous participation in the markets, Kalra indicated that “not calling it a legal tender doesn’t worry us [Coinsecure] at all. If the [government] had to ban it, they would have done it a long time ago.” Kalra also took the stance that the industry understands it takes time for the government to understand technology like Bitcoin “before coming out with regulations around it.”

Frozen Bank Accounts — Fake News?

On January 21, 2018, news reports from the Times of India indicated that several Indian banks (the State Bank of India, the ICICI, the HDFC Bank and Axis Bank) had frozen bank accounts associated with cryptocurrency trading. Users on Reddit debated the news with one user by the name of ubiquitous_raven, who stated (on reports inclusive of the frozen bank accounts notices):

This is why the nation can never ride the wave towards growth and be early adopters of world-changing tools/tech/ideas … I believe in the blockchain and its successors and have no intention to scare people out of cryptocurrency. But it is extremely agitating/saddening to watch the largest democracy in the world with the second largest population take steps towards the dark ages.

When asked about the topic, Kalra hinted at two words Americans have tired of hearing: “fake news.” According to Kalra, it appears there is “very little truth” to those news reports. Kalra went on to add, “I cannot comment upon other exchanges in India, but Coinsecure hasn’t been contacted for any such issues from its banking partners.” Some users on the /r/cryptocurrency subreddit agree with Kalra’s statement, noting the reports were either “clickbait” or referencing earlier actions, stating, “This is the explanation of the issue that happened with Zebpay and Koinex one month ago.”

The news, fake or not, has had a negative impact on Indian trading volume for BTC. Conflating the issue even further were rumors and speculation that the banks that were freezing accounts did so to promote their associations with altcoins.

Coinsecure, via Kalra, notes that they have “noticed a significant drop in daily volumes since the beginning of this year.” Kalra speculated that the lack of volume was endemic to all Indian Bitcoin exchanges, stating, “It looks like the users are scared for the safety of their funds after reading such news/reports, and are reluctant to invest before the regulations are out or at least till the time there is a clear message from the government.”

Income Tax Department Sends Notices to Cryptocurrency Market Participants

Another of the main thrusts of the 2016 demonetization efforts seems to have turned toward cryptocurrencies: taxation. While not strictly an Indian issue, the Income Tax Department (IDT) took active measures this week, reportedly sending notices to those who have traded in cryptocurrencies. First reported on Jan 19, 2018, this batch of notices occured after a nationwide survey showed that more than $3.5 billion worth of transactions were conducted during a 17-month period, according to the IDT.*

To Kalra, it appears the IDT’s “only concern is to make sure that every individual who has generated some income though trading of cryptocurrencies [knows they are] liable for taxes.” Whether you agree with Kalra’s optimistic outlook, there is a negative fallout he also notes, namely that “users also get scared after such incidents and stop trading online.”

* Please Note: The Income Tax Department also reportedly sent notices out in December. This does not seem to be the same event, and the Income Tax Department releases data on monthly tax collection results.


This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

Crypto Hedge: Exchange Will Pay Dividends Even if Prices Drop ICO to Hedge Risks of Crypto Price Shifts

No one is making easy money on Bitcoin crash as well as on its rise but cryptocurrencies exchanges. They successfully collect transaction fees for every payment. However, in April investors could get such an opportunity too. Crypto exchange CoinSpark will share 25 percent of its net profit with coins owners.  A dividend on a token … Continue reading Crypto Hedge: Exchange Will Pay Dividends Even if Prices Drop ICO to Hedge Risks of Crypto Price Shifts

The post Crypto Hedge: Exchange Will Pay Dividends Even if Prices Drop ICO to Hedge Risks of Crypto Price Shifts appeared first on NewsBTC.

No one is making easy money on Bitcoin crash as well as on its rise but cryptocurrencies exchanges. They successfully collect transaction fees for every payment. However, in April investors could get such an opportunity too. Crypto exchange CoinSpark will share 25 percent of its net profit with coins owners.  A dividend on a token could reach $1.125 every quarter, experts say.  

Valentine’s Day for crypto investors

CoinSpark tradings exchange, allowing users to move assets around the Blockchain, is launching the ICO on Feb. 14, 2018. It’s going to offer to the public 25 mln Spark coins, which accounts for 25 percent of the business. Coins owners will be able to receive dividends every quarter– 25 percent of the exchange’s net profit proportionally to all holders of spark coins.

“Unlike other coins, you might own, you don’t have to worry about the price of spark coin raising and falling. All you have to do is to collect your quarterly dividend. No submitting tokens, no transferring coins. Just sit back and collect your dividend,” according to the company’s presentation.

Either way– make money

The exchange will be launched in April so holders would get their first dividend payment in July. Owners will basically profit from all trading activity on CoinSpark exchange: “If a coin is bought, you profit, if the coin is sold, you profit. Either way, you make money,” it said.

So far the exchange announced to list 14 most popular coins for trade: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, IOTA, NEO, Monero, Cardano, NEM, Tron, Bitcoin Gold, and Spark. The number may grow before the exchange launches in April, and will certainly increase after that. According to project’s whitepaper, the trading platform is developed jointly with AlphaPoint, known as a leader in the Blockchain and crypto exchange technologies.

How much to get?

The potential profit of Spark coins holders depends on how much people would be trading on the exchange. Over the last year, the daily transaction volumes of Bitcoin to USD has increased more than 100 times and it will keep on rising.

The crypto market continues to hit new historic highs. According to Billionaire trader Mike Novogratz, it will reach $2 tln by the end of 2018 representing a sixfold to sevenfold increase over its current level.

Michael Taylor, cryptocurrency investor, and trader claims that CoinSpark should have no issue in reaching $250 mln in daily trading volume. “In fact, I’d be surprised if they don’t reach $500 mln in a very short amount of time,” he says. According to his calculations, even a minimum trading volume will give the exchange $112.5 mln net profit per quarter. “If one were to buy 5,000 tokens during the ICO, they could expect a $5,625 payout per quarter or $22,500 per year,”he says.

The question is whether CoinSpark exchange can become a go-to solution for cryptomarket. So far the developers have announced transaction speeds at one mln transactions per second.

Far from trouble

It is important to note that CoinSpark is based in the Cayman Islands, not in South Korea, where the future of crypto exchanges is unclear. Although South Korean officials have announced there would be no cryptocurrency trading ban in the short-term, the future of Asian market still worries the crypto investors.

As for US investors, they will not be allowed to participate in the ICO, unless they buy tokens via a Private Placement Memorandum, according to the exchange’s website. It shows that CoinSark takes the regulations seriously and adopts necessary measures to comply with existing securities laws, says Michael Taylor.

Tokens will be on sale only for a month, from Feb. 14 to March 14. One Spark coin will cost 0.0025 ETH during the ICO. If Ethereum price remains at the $1,000 level, CoinSpark can raise about $60 mln.

The post Crypto Hedge: Exchange Will Pay Dividends Even if Prices Drop ICO to Hedge Risks of Crypto Price Shifts appeared first on NewsBTC.

Despite its name, bitcoin is not really a currency, says digital currency entrepreneur – CNBC

CNBCDespite its name, bitcoin is not really a currency, says digital currency entrepreneurCNBCThe power of bitcoin lies in its value as an investment, said cryptocurrency entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan. "Bitcoin has a lock on the digital gold appl…


CNBC

Despite its name, bitcoin is not really a currency, says digital currency entrepreneur
CNBC
The power of bitcoin lies in its value as an investment, said cryptocurrency entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan. "Bitcoin has a lock on the digital gold application, for which longevity is very important," said Srinivasan, co-founder and CEO of Earn.com ...

Bitcoin Is Taking Growing Regulatory Scrutiny, From Some, in Stride – Bloomberg


Bloomberg

Bitcoin Is Taking Growing Regulatory Scrutiny, From Some, in Stride
Bloomberg
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May kicked things off by suggesting that “action” on cryptocurrencies may be needed. Her contemporary, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, also said at Davos Thursday that there should be caution. A governor
Cryptocurrency ‘Oracle’ Lingham thinks bitcoin cash will outpace actual bitcoin in the futureCNBC
This Is What the Average Bitcoin Owner Looks LikeFortune
Bitcoin latest: Theresa May ‘very seriously’ considering taking action against digital currenciesThe Independent
CoinDesk
all 52 news articles »

Bloomberg

Bitcoin Is Taking Growing Regulatory Scrutiny, From Some, in Stride
Bloomberg
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May kicked things off by suggesting that “action” on cryptocurrencies may be needed. Her contemporary, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, also said at Davos Thursday that there should be caution. A governor ...
Cryptocurrency 'Oracle' Lingham thinks bitcoin cash will outpace actual bitcoin in the futureCNBC
This Is What the Average Bitcoin Owner Looks LikeFortune
Bitcoin latest: Theresa May 'very seriously' considering taking action against digital currenciesThe Independent
CoinDesk
all 52 news articles »

Will The Price Of Bitcoin Keep Dropping? – Forbes


Forbes

Will The Price Of Bitcoin Keep Dropping?
Forbes
That doesn’t mean it can’t become one, but it does mean that you have separate classes of investors, each with different goals for what Bitcoin should be. Miners and hodlers want it high, and the currency crowd wants it low. Those forces will pull at


Forbes

Will The Price Of Bitcoin Keep Dropping?
Forbes
That doesn't mean it can't become one, but it does mean that you have separate classes of investors, each with different goals for what Bitcoin should be. Miners and hodlers want it high, and the currency crowd wants it low. Those forces will pull at ...