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Wolf Of Wall Street Says Bitcoin Could Hit $50K Before Crashing – Cointelegraph (Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain News)

Cointelegraph (Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain News)Wolf Of Wall Street Says Bitcoin Could Hit $50K Before CrashingCointelegraph (Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain News)According to Belfort, Carlson-Wee sold all of his Bitcoin, bought Bitco…


Cointelegraph (Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain News)

Wolf Of Wall Street Says Bitcoin Could Hit $50K Before Crashing
Cointelegraph (Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain News)
According to Belfort, Carlson-Wee sold all of his Bitcoin, bought Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and then gave a televised interview saying that BTC was dead and that Bitcoin Cash was the future, causing its price to skyrocket. CT could not confirm that Carlson ...

Wolf Of Wall Street Says Bitcoin Could Hit $50K Before Crashing

The “Wolf of Wall Street” speaks negatively of Bitcoin again, warns against the ease of scamming and calls it a “perfect storm for manipulation”. #NEWS

The “Wolf of Wall Street” speaks negatively of Bitcoin again, warns against the ease of scamming and calls it a “perfect storm for manipulation”. #NEWS

Hong Kong Initiative to Educate Public On Cryptocurrencies and ICOs

Advertisements, videos, infographics, articles, and more are part of Hong Kong’s push to educate the public on cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs). Earlier this week, Hong Kong’s Financial Services and Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and Investor Education Center (IEC) launched a public campaign to educate cryptocurrency enthusiasts in Hong Kong about the potential risks associated … Continue reading Hong Kong Initiative to Educate Public On Cryptocurrencies and ICOs

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Advertisements, videos, infographics, articles, and more are part of Hong Kong’s push to educate the public on cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs).

Earlier this week, Hong Kong’s Financial Services and Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and Investor Education Center (IEC) launched a public campaign to educate cryptocurrency enthusiasts in Hong Kong about the potential risks associated with this new and booming industry. According to Under Secretary for the FSTB, Joseph Chan, the aim of the program is to provide a “correct and comprehensive understanding of ICOs and cryptocurrencies” to help give the public the tools to make informed decisions on their investments.

The campaign has many facets, including television and radio ads, ads that will be displayed in Hong Kong’s public transit system, and government-sponsored educational videos which will be posted on social media. Also included in the campaign will be articles and infographics on ICOs and cryptocurrencies provided by the public financial education arm of the IEC, the Chin Family. Information is already live on their website, which has educational tools in a variety of arenas, including protection from scams and wallet security.

Hong Kong has generally been more open toward cryptocurrencies, contrary to the opposition faced in mainland China. One of the larger cryptocurrency exchanges, Gatecoin, operates in Hong Kong, and regulators have generally held a cautious but open approach. As illustrated by this new campaign, their concern is focused primarily on protecting and informing investors, rather than shutting the door on this emerging asset class.

One of the main drivers behind the educational push is due to the volatility of the cryptocurrency markets, which some traditional investors are not prepared for. “ICOs and cryptocurrencies are high-risk products that are not suitable for everyone,” said Dr. Kelvin Wong, Chairman of the IEC. “Cryptocurrencies are highly speculative and are associated with various kinds of risks. Their prices may be susceptible to significant fluctuations due to speculative activities.”

This isn’t the first time that a government has pushed for state-sponsored educational programs on cryptocurrencies and related technology. Last year, the Russian government announced it hoped to include cryptocurrency in its financial literacy improvement strategy in order to help better educate the Russian people.

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Cryptos you can still mine from home on a computer

While mining bitcoin on your computer is no longer viable, there are other cryptocurrencies that you can still mine using a CPU. In this article, you will discover four cryptos you can still mine using a standard laptop or PC. When bitcoin creator Sato…

While mining bitcoin on your computer is no longer viable, there are other cryptocurrencies that you can still mine using a CPU. In this article, you will discover four cryptos you can still mine using a standard laptop or PC. When bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto first introduced the digital currency he detailed how the peer-to-peer digital payment network would work to enable fast, secure and trustless transactions.

BitCoen Is Setting a Course for Israel

With Israel’s Finance Ministry and the Bank of Israel considering issuing a state-sponsored digital currency, the focus of the BitCoen project is to fill this important role in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The main objectives of this initiative of the Israeli government are to reduce black market activity, which comprises an estimated 22% of the country’s … Continue reading BitCoen Is Setting a Course for Israel

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With Israel’s Finance Ministry and the Bank of Israel considering issuing a state-sponsored digital currency, the focus of the BitCoen project is to fill this important role in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The main objectives of this initiative of the Israeli government are to reduce black market activity, which comprises an estimated 22% of the country’s GDP, and to reduce paper cash, which is largely used to facilitate untaxed transactions. Thus, Israel joins Russia in the creation of a national token; but unlike in Russia, cryptocurrency use is generally legal in Israel. A tentative legal framework for a new state-sponsored currency has been under review by the Israeli government since the beginning of the year.

“After all these discussions, the requirements for the blockchain technology of the new Israel state-sponsored currency are very clear: high network speed for immediate transactions, protection from spam and false transactions, and a ready-to-use digital wallet,” says Vyacheslav Semenchuk, founder and CEO of BitCoen. “We can say that BitCoen blockchain is perfectly meeting these requirements. The LCPoA blockchain algorithm reliably protects the network, while it does not require large expenditures of computing resources. The BitCoen technology provides a high network speed (up to 25,000 transactions per second), which is 3500 times faster than the Bitcoin blockchain. The BitCoen digital wallet was ready in December and has been undergoing testing by our token holders for several months.”

“State-sponsored digital currencies like a new “digital shekel” may compete with all cryptocurrencies, even Bitcoin. We look forward to seeing how digital currencies will affect the lives of consumers in Israel and other countries,” says Semenchuk.

At the same time, since the beginning of the year, anyone can purchase BitCoen tokens at a special automated teller machine (ATM) at Bitcoin Change, a shop co-founded by Abe Ziv in the Bauhaus Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. BitCoen is the first altcoin that can be purchased from this ATM. “This collaboration is extremely important for us, because of the geo-strategic location and because it makes buying BitCoen tokens accessible to all,” says Semenchuk, who notes that the ATM installed in the shop is fully compliant with Israeli AML regulations.

Seeking to exploit new opportunities for the BitCoen project, the BitCoen team decided to strengthen the team with the addition of a young and talented advisor. Edward Zillan, the founder of Cryptocurrency Financial, a cryptocurrency consulting firm, and a successful trader, joined the BitCoen team as a project advisor in early January.

Zillan was 16 when he invested his bar mitzvah money in cryptocurrency. Two years later, he has made close to a million dollars trading in various cryptocurrencies. As a student, he has established his own cryptocurrency consultancy business, capitalizing on his investment success. Zillan sees high potential in altcoins, especially BitCoen, because “those are the ones nowadays that have the largest exponential growth.”

“We are glad to see Eddy as our advisor. His experience and energy will help the BitCoen project to reach its strategic goals,” says Semenchuk. “We have prepared some more team updates and interesting news. Stay tuned for more important announcements about BitCoen.”

BitCoen is the first Kosher crypto-token and blockchain ecosystem. British company BitCoen has declared that its strategic goal is to help interaction between representatives of Jewish communities around the world. The BitCoen ecosystem is a system of services, qualitatively improving the life of the Jewish community. The Token sale of the BitCoen blockchain project is being held at http://bitcoen.io and will last until February 15, 2018. To date, the BitCoen project has raised a total of $2 million at the price of $1 per BEN.

 

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Zerocoin Aims to Become a Standard Crypto Currency for Online Gambling

There seems to be a sudden surge of ICOs in the gambling space, and Zero Edge has caught our attention. It aims to create a cryptocurrency for the online gambling space and they have an ICO coming up. Zero Edge is a decentralized online casino and an open protocol which aims to offer players 0% house edge … Continue reading Zerocoin Aims to Become a Standard Crypto Currency for Online Gambling

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There seems to be a sudden surge of ICOs in the gambling space, and Zero Edge has caught our attention. It aims to create a cryptocurrency for the online gambling space and they have an ICO coming up. Zero Edge is a decentralized online casino and an open protocol which aims to offer players 0% house edge casino games, fee-less sports betting and an open source platform for building online games.

Zero Edge will be creating their own token named Zerocoin which is the fundamental part of their business model. Adrian Casey, CEO of ZeroEdge, says, “The Zero Edge Casino model is based on Metcalfe’s law and factual Bitcoin price growth. Casino players, i.e. Zerocoin holders will not only be able to play 0% house edge games, which offer a truly equal odds of winning against the house but will also see their Zerocoin value increase as a result of increased demand and adoption of the token.”

The blockchain use case for Zero Edge is mainly in providing decentralised trust. All games will be publicly verifiable on the Ethereum blockchain without negative effects on user experience during the game session. Furthermore, Zero Edge Casino will have a sophisticated and audited random number generator (RGN) mechanism to ensure complete randomness of its games.

The need

Adrian Casey, the CEO of Zero Edge believes that The main problem with online gambling industry today is that its purely profit-driven enterprise with marginal consideration for consequences of its practices.

He says, “The simple solution to the problem is creating a platform where playing games is “free”. Players are not required to pay any fixed amount of money to be able to play at the casino. This can only be achieved by creating a closed loop economy with its own token where players purchase the token with fiat or crypto. Since the supply of ZERO is limited, its value is directly proportional to demand.”

They claim that their main difference that makes Zero Edge stand out from its competitors is that its business model is based on its token’s value growth rather than the cash flow generated from casino’s games.

The Team and product

The team at Zero Edge is lead by a CEO who has spent 6 years with two of the biggest names in the betting industry, namely William Hill and Centrebet. Adrian is supplemented with a good tech and marketing team, many of whom have had past experiences in the betting industry.

The advisory team is dominated by legal experts, professionals in the betting industry and other entrepreneurs in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. A good thing to note here is that there isn’t anyone mainstream big name on the team and advisors, but preliminary LinkedIn verification shows a very focused emphasis on the betting industry.

As far as the product goes, you can check out some of the games in the casino section on their website, with some other verticals such as sports betting, are still under construction.

Our Take

An interesting fact I came across recently was that gambling has been part of human life even before written history. The earliest six-sided dice date to about 3000 BC in Mesopotamia. This has translated to a huge betting industry in today’s day and age, where the global online gambling market was 37.91 billion USD in 2015 and is estimated to reach 59.79 billion USD by 2020, at a CAGR of 9.5%

Zero Edge ticks all the boxes when it comes to the market size, the problem it is solving, the team and product. The fact that they have a working product is particularly reassuring. There’s also a good incentive for early investors. The company will organize its early token sale (pre-ICO) in February when the public will be offered to purchase a limited supply of Zerocoins for a discounted price.

Join their Telegram Channel – https://t.me/zeroedgecasino
Visit Zero Edge – https://tokensale.zeroedge.bet

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Eticket4: A Blockchain Based Online Ticketing Ecosystem.

The ease of online commerce has significantly impacted the Online Event Ticket Sales industry in size, scope, and profitability. The economy is anticipated to continue its expansion and consumer disposable incomes are expected to rise. Online ticket sellers will remain the primary source of tickets for sporting events -such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup … Continue reading Eticket4: A Blockchain Based Online Ticketing Ecosystem.

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The ease of online commerce has significantly impacted the Online Event Ticket Sales industry in size, scope, and profitability. The economy is anticipated to continue its expansion and consumer disposable incomes are expected to rise. Online ticket sellers will remain the primary source of tickets for sporting events -such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2018 in Moscow, Russia, music concerts, cultural festivals, public appearances and more.

The Online Event Ticket Sales industry has, contrary to expectations, experienced steady growth amid a global shift away from traditional physical ticketing and at-home printing to a fully digitized mobile ticketing experience. The secondary ticket market, being a derivative of the online ticket sales industry, is undergoing the same shift and growing proportionately.

According to a report published by the Economist Magazine, secondary ticket market sales volumes reached $8 billion, of which approximately $5 billion in sales was from the United States market alone. Estimates show that in Western markets, the secondary ticket market share is 20-25% of the Primary market. However, all is not well with the industry. The market is flooded with an outbreak of bots, fakes and frauds, scalpers, lack of transparency among other problems.

If we consider the key sensitivities and success factors of the industry, growth rate projection, and analysis of key market players and their market share, we release that the only reliable solution the online event tickets sales market can rely on, is a blockchain backed solution. A decentralized network can lead to industry disruption.

A Blockchain Solution.

Blockchain technology is increasingly gaining widespread adoption across industries, due to the level of automation it offers through smart contract implementation, security from its immutable nature and the unprecedented transparency. All these ensures easy auditability and accountability of all the parties involved in any transaction.

Eticket4, as it sets out to solve the challenges faced by the event ticketing market has found the cryptocurrency’s underlying technology more than capable of fulfilling almost all the requirements of a new platform.  The use of blockchain technology and cryptotokens also drastically reduces the transaction costs, while erasing the geographical boundaries to create a universal platform.

Armed with these features, Eticket4 plans to incentivize black market ticket dealers to operate under international legal standards. Its long-term goal is to become the most secure blockchain-based B2B and B2C ticket distribution and exchange platform with powerful analytical tools and an automated flexible loyalty program.

Since September 2016, Eticket4 has spread across the Russian Federation via partner courier services. The online platform acts as a binder and an arbitrator in transactions verifying the seller, delivering tickets to customers’ doors, and withholding the funds received for tickets until customers attend the events. By the end of November 2017, Eticket4’s had more than 17,000 customers and more than 3,500 sellers.

The peak of sales was reached in the period prior to FIFA Confederations Cup when accredited ticket brokers were able to distribute their tickets among the football fans across Russia and European countries.  The Eticket4 blockchain-based service is powered by its own ET4 tokens, which provides for a number of incentives on the platform. In contrast to other proposed blockchain based solutions scheduled for launch this year both in the US and UK, Eticket4 stands out as an already operational business backed with real liquidity and a team experienced in scaling to foreign markets.

The ET4 Token is a utility instrument in the novelty Eticket4 ecosystem. The tokens will be generated after the Token Generation Event. The total token supply is 30 million. The Token conforms to the widely distributed standard ERC20. The emission will be conducted in cooperation with Phenom using a smart contract written on Solidity. Smart contracts will ensure transparency of the entire process of token distribution. Every single transaction will also be recorded into smart contracts. The function of the token depends on the role played by the token holder. The token holder can be a platform participant, including event organizers, ticket brokers, and ticket buyers.

Solution for Different Market Participants.

Event Organizers are representatives of the primary ticketing market on the Eticket4 platform. With an account balance of 10,000 ET4 and above, the event organizer will be granted the power to regulate the secondary ticket market through smart contracts, by setting the price and volume limits of tickets issued via the ETicket4 platform and receive fees from secondary market transactions. The platform allows them to seal the loop holes that can be used by single brokers using bots to purchase tickets.

Ticket brokers with a balance of more than 1,000 tokens get access to advanced analytical tools and ticket price forecasting features that can allow them to scale their businesses to greater heights. On the other hand, ticket buyers are participants in the secondary market on the Eticket4 platform. They can use ET4 tokens to pay for their tickets for a 2% fee instead of 30% in accordance with the commission agreement and are protected from fraudulent issues such as ticket duplication, tickets to fake events, counterfeit tickets among others.

Token Generation Event.

The Token Generation Event — 27th February to 23rd March 2018, will be held after the private offer — 30th January 2018, and presale — 30th January to 21st February 2018. The private offer will be reserved for an exclusive group of cryptocurrency market pioneers, representatives of both the ticketing and event industries. Once the ecosystem is fully operational, the first customers will receive a reward of 40% bonus.

The ET4 token sale has various bonus slabs in place, classified into “Time-Frame Bonus Premiums” and “Volume Bonus Premiums. The former provides an 8% bonus to participants during the first 5 days of token sale, 6% for the next 5 days (Day 6 till Day 10). It will further reduce to 4% from day 11 till Day 20 and 2% for the last 10 days (Day 21 till Day 30). Similarly, the Volume Bonus Premium is calculated based on the total number of tokens purchased by the participants. Those purchasing between 1000 and 5000 ET4 tokens receive a 10% bonus, 15% for 5001 to 10000 tokens, 20% for 10001 to 15000 tokens, 25% for 15001 to 20000 tokens and 30% for those purchasing more than 20001 ET4 tokens.

ET4 tokens will be sold at a fixed price of 1/1000 ETH. Based on the results of private and public offers, the maximum fund is 13,800 ETH for pre-sale, 13,000 ETH for TGE. The pre-sale soft cap is 100,000 ET4. Tokens can be purchased with both Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The platform recently concluded its 2-day private token sale, during which it raised about $400000 by selling about 500000 ET4 tokens (including 40% private sale bonus) among participants.

More information about ETicket4 is available at – https://eticket4.com/

Details of ETicket4 Token Generation Event is available at – http://et4.io

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Blockchain Observatory and Forum to Bring EU to “Forefront” of Blockchain Tech

The European Commision (EC) has launched the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum (BOF) to consolidate and grow blockchain initiatives within the European Union (EU).With the support of the European Parliament, the BOF is a pilot project proposed by …

EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum

The European Commision (EC) has launched the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum (BOF) to consolidate and grow blockchain initiatives within the European Union (EU).

With the support of the European Parliament, the BOF is a pilot project proposed by Member of the European Parliament Jakob von Weizsäcker, who is responsible for the recent report on virtual currencies. The project is intended to support the Commission’s work on financial technology. This new initiative will highlight key developments of blockchain technology and promote European actors to accelerate the growth and adoption of blockchain within the EU.

“Among the many technologies that are driving digital innovation, blockchain has the potential to be truly transformative for financial services and markets. The Blockchain Observatory and Forum will monitor developments and also inform our policy making,” said EC Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, who is responsible for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.

Many EU member states have announced initiatives with blockchain technology, and the EC wants to ensure those projects can work across borders, consolidate expertise and address challenges such as disintermediation, trust, security and traceability by design. Of concern are the many initiatives from banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges and other business sectors, leading to diverse systems that cannot work together.

“I see blockchain as a game changer and I want Europe to be at the forefront of its development. We need to establish the right enabling environment — a Digital Single Market for blockchain so that all citizens can benefit, instead of a patchwork of initiatives. The EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum is an important step in that direction,” said Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society.

Following a call for tenders in July 2017, the EC selected ConsenSys as their partner to support the Observatory’s outreach in Europe.

“It is a mission of ConsenSys to enable open, transparent cooperation between citizens, institutions and governments,” Ken Timsit of ConsenSys France said to Bitcoin Magazine. “The EU was created to enable cooperation between member states.” This shared vision made the partnership a good fit.

According to Timsit, ConsenSys will manage the initiative in cooperation with the Commission, coordinate the preparation of a number of research reports, and organize workshops and events in order to collect input and feedback from a large number of stakeholders.

The Commission has been funding blockchain projects throughout the EU since 2013 and expects to fund up to $425 million through 2020.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

New Crypto-Platform Will Help Beauty Salons Make Easy Bookings

Online beauty bookings startup JOLYY is building a Blockchain-based platform, which will improve the way beauty salons manage their appointments. The system is already operating as a scaled-down version, and now the company plans to build its next generation with the help of the blockchain. This will extend its capabilities beyond salons and to the … Continue reading New Crypto-Platform Will Help Beauty Salons Make Easy Bookings

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Online beauty bookings startup JOLYY is building a Blockchain-based platform, which will improve the way beauty salons manage their appointments.

The system is already operating as a scaled-down version, and now the company plans to build its next generation with the help of the blockchain. This will extend its capabilities beyond salons and to the wider market.

The beauty industry has been growing steadily in the past decades, recently enjoying a healthy boost from different online channels. As consumers shift their focus online, so does market demand.

The global beauty and personal care products market is expected to grow to $750 billion by 2024, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.15% between 2016 and 2024, according to a report by “Inkwood Research”. The market size was $432.7 billion in 2016.

The Platform

E-commerce, social media and different online channels are playing an increasingly important role in the industry’s growth. The current market however, is stifled by “lack of efficiency, high commissions and unreliability”, the company COO Ognian Genev says.

To a great extent, salon managers still rely on phone, pen, and paper to manage their bookings. This ineffectiveness leads to considerable financial losses and missed opportunities for all stakeholders.

JOLYY is aimed at addressing the bulk of these issues.

Upon launch, it will offer bookings free of charge. Later, the company plans to introduce a 1% commission, much below the industry standard of 20% or more.

Salon managers will have access to data about their rating on the platform. Detailed analytics will help them improve their listing and go up the search results.

A dedicated social network, integrated within the platform, called JOLYY Live, will allow them to post content, promote their business and interact directly with their clients. The company hopes to turn the social network into the go-to place for the beauty industry with users uploading and sharing content, following experts, finding deals, etc. Salons and vendors will be able to advertise their products.

The JOY token

They will receive secure and instant payments in the system through a native token called JOY.

The company plans to launch JOY, based on the Ethereum blockchain, which will act as the main payment method in the network. Ad space will also be available for sale in exchange for tokens. By attributing an advertising value to tokens, the company hopes to increase the intrinsic value of the currency, long-term. Tokens used for buying ad space will get burned, reducing the total supply.

Clients will be able to book their preferred salons 24/7, paying in JOY tokens or fiat money. In addition, they will receive tokens as rewards for their participation, e.g. writing reviews and comments, referring new customers and salons, etc. The social network module will enable them to interact with their favorite salons and experts, follow and ask questions, read relevant content, etc.

JOLYY Store

Cosmetic product manufacturers, in turn, will get access to a direct marketing channel through the so-called JOLYY Store component of the platform. They will reach thousands of salons, filtering their search by geography, type, and other criteria. Vendors will promote their products to beauty experts through precisely targeted ads. For any sale, they will arrange cosmetics deliveries through cashless payments and a smart contract, saving time and money, the company says.

The platform will be based on the Origin Protocol, which uses the Ethereum blockchain to help buyers and sellers transact in a decentralized environment without traditional intermediaries.

JOLYY was founded in 2016 and operates out of Bulgaria.

The JOY token is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2018.

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Bee Token ICO Stung by $1 Million Phishing Scam

Due to a phishing scam, investors in the Bee Token ICO have actually sent nearly $1 million to malicious actors instead.

Due to a phishing scam, investors in the Bee Token ICO have actually sent nearly $1 million to malicious actors instead.

Bitcoin Prices Fall Below $9000 as 2018 Continues to Pummel Crypto – Fortune

FortuneBitcoin Prices Fall Below $9000 as 2018 Continues to Pummel CryptoFortuneBitcoin prices slid 12% to $8,897 Thursday, deepening a selloff that has persisted since the start of 2018. Investors who bought Bitcoin at its peak of about $20,000 in Dec…


Fortune

Bitcoin Prices Fall Below $9000 as 2018 Continues to Pummel Crypto
Fortune
Bitcoin prices slid 12% to $8,897 Thursday, deepening a selloff that has persisted since the start of 2018. Investors who bought Bitcoin at its peak of about $20,000 in December have consequentially seen their asset lose over half its value over the ...
The WIRED Guide to BitcoinWIRED
Bitcoin slides as Facebook ad ban, India clampdown unnerve investorsReuters
Bitcoin Hits 2018 Low as Concerns Mount on Regulation, ViabilityBloomberg
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all 429 news articles »

Birdchain Brings Mass-adoption of Crypto

Birdchain is a decentralized app (dapp) that will create universal basic income by allowing regular people to monetize their phone. Users are not required to have specific knowledge or skills, all they have to do is to download the app. Although the idea is quite straightforward, successful implementation of it will have a tremendous effect … Continue reading Birdchain Brings Mass-adoption of Crypto

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Birdchain is a decentralized app (dapp) that will create universal basic income by allowing regular people to monetize their phone. Users are not required to have specific knowledge or skills, all they have to do is to download the app.

Although the idea is quite straightforward, successful implementation of it will have a tremendous effect on the crypto universe. Birdchain has all the right traits to bring about mass adoption of blockchain technology, especially with today’s world boasting of more than two billion monthly active Android devices.

Mass-adoption                                                            

The team estimates that one person can earn up to 150 USD[1] per month by simply allowing to sell their unused SMS. If this isn’t exciting enough, the Dapp will have more ways to earn. Birdchain will also facilitate earning by participating in surveys, watching video content, and winning at in-app mini-games.

The best part for you – and the masses – is that Birdchain makes earning cryptocurrency seamless and easy. All you have to do is download the Birdchain dapp and tick some boxes in the settings.

This super easy, intuitive and sensible approach was designed to promote mass-adoption. Today most ICOs pitch grand ideas about a better future. But in reality, people need simple solutions. Easy-to-understand, ergonomic and convenient solutions are the reason why Apple emerged and became a successful global business. Birdchain is, in a similar fashion, following the lesson of simplicity.

Not only will the Birdchain project be a successful venture in itself because of what is written above, allowing people to effortlessly earn monthly passive income but it will also attract outsiders to the crypto universe. The influx of new people means an influx of new funds, the growth of the market, which will serve to develop other blockchain-based products and expand the reach of the cryptocurrency market.

History and Objectives of Birdchain

Although mass-adoption of crypto is a very appealing outcome of Birdchain, it was not the intention from the very beginning. It all started with the A2P SMS aggregation business they already successfully run – VertexSMS. In almost 10 years of operation, they delivered 2.6 billion text messages and they were (and still are) trusted by companies like Western Union,  SalesForce, and TransferGo.

Through the years the team learned the market in and out, and in the end, got fed up with corruption and unfairness within it. For example, the operators increase the price every year and decrease speed and the overall quality of SMS delivery. And then there are competitors who deliver messages only to a fraction of contacts and invoices clients in full. Furthermore, there are middlemen that exploit the market and increase the price of single A2P SMS even more.

The lack of transparency, huge maintenance costs, and the middlemen got the guys from VertexSMS thinking how they can avoid all of these drawbacks. And their solution was sending these messages through the phones of regular people. That would solve the problems of unnecessary middlemen and unfair pricing.

Fiat transfers would cost too much to develop a sustainable business, fortunately, Blockchain and crypto offer relatively quick and cheap transfer to Birdchain app users. As it turned out, the blockchain technology was exactly what the Vertex team was looking for, a ‘simple’ solution to the lack of transparency in the industry.

As the Vertex team developed the project, many other ideas arose in order to help people earn more money. Interestingly, those ideas came from other companies that belong to the parent company Vertex. Specifically, their social network with 1 million unique users and the first in the region rent2buy service.

Demand for BIRD tokens

As the idea of Birdchain was born to solve real-life business problems, BIRD tokens were designed to be the mechanism by which that objective is accomplished. In order to access the amazing features of the Birdchain project, companies, merchants, and users will have to buy BIRD tokens from exchanges.

This means that there always will be a demand for the token, and an inherent valuation with room for growth as Birdchain aims at very big markets. It will start with the A2P SMS market which in 2017 was estimated to be worth $63 billion and expand from there. For example, the mobile games market that Birdchain also targets was worth $46 billion in the last year. Capturing even a fraction of these markets would result in huge token price.

BIRD token runs on Ethereum’s blockchain and conforms to the ERC-20 token standard. The maximum supply is 580,263,158 tokens and during ICO Birdchain will distribute 441,000,000 tokens. The hard cap of the ICO a very reasonable 10,500 Ether.

The Birdchain team recently successfully completed their pre-ICO. The team will use the funds for further MVP development and marketing of the main ICO event. The date of the ICO is not yet announced as the team evaluates the market conditions and will inform investors about the date on their website: www.birdchain.io. The BIRD token will begin listing on exchanges roughly four weeks after the end of the ICO.

Some of the key points about the Birdchain platform are:

  • Decentralized app to facilitate universal basic income for the crowd
  • Earn money just be having a phone with an unlimited SMS plan
  • Over 2 billion monthly active Android devices worldwide
  • Birdchain allows it’s users to earn up to 150 USD by allowing to sell their unused SMS
  • Fast & easy: Download the app and allow access
  • Promotes mass-adoption of cryptocurrency through an easy and intuitive process

More information about Birdchain is available at – https://www.birdchain.io/

[1] The earnings will depend on average A2P SMS price in each country, penetration of the dapp, and price of the BIRD token.

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India’s Finance Minister: Country Proactively Exploring Blockchain Technology Applications

The Indian government isn’t looking too kindly on cryptocurrencies, but the country has certainly caught on to the potential applications for blockchain and associated technology. Blockchain technology is becoming a favourite in India, Asia’s third-largest economy, for solidifying information, sharing records, and preventing tampering. In his budget speech on February 1st, the country’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley … Continue reading India’s Finance Minister: Country Proactively Exploring Blockchain Technology Applications

The post India’s Finance Minister: Country Proactively Exploring Blockchain Technology Applications appeared first on NewsBTC.

The Indian government isn’t looking too kindly on cryptocurrencies, but the country has certainly caught on to the potential applications for blockchain and associated technology.

Blockchain technology is becoming a favourite in India, Asia’s third-largest economy, for solidifying information, sharing records, and preventing tampering. In his budget speech on February 1st, the country’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the following: “The government will explore the use of blockchain technology proactively for ushering in the digital economy.”

Stripping away the financial application, blockchain is essentially a bookkeeping platform that can be accessed by anybody on the internet but at the same time is owned by nobody. “Once you have a blockchain, the big spreadsheet in the cloud serves as a recordkeeping system that can’t be forged and can’t be reversed,” said Nicolas Cary, the Co-founder and President of Blockchain (the company).

In some cases, such as in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the technology is already being applied. The government there is working with Swedish startup ChromaWay to set up a blockchain based land registry system that allows people to collateralize property, receive loans, and invest in that asset. Tracking property ownership using blockchain allows people to avoid disputes, frauds, and errors, while also lessening the administrative hassle of registrations and title transfers. Andhra Pradesh’s neighbour, Telangana, is also digitizing its property documentation system.

Registries around the world are currently laid-out in one of three ways: on paper, in a database, or as digital files in machine-readable form. The latter of these three is where most land registries ultimately hope to end up. According to August Botsford, Chromaway’s chief security analyst: “It’s more efficient, and you can do more with your data, including analytics and automation,” (this according to Quartz).

Beyond land registries, blockchain can also help put a stop to other fraud, such as identity theft. To reduce the chances of getting hacked, a growing concern in India, the platform can manage digital IDs. Currently, if you pay for something online, you turn over unencrypted personal information that gets stored all over the web. With blockchain, only encrypted, relevant information will be released — and only when necessary.

A step ahead of other states in implementing the technology for land registries, Andhra Pradesh also entered into a partnership with Swiss cybersecurity firm WISekey, making it a frontrunner in securing citizen’s data as well.

The post India’s Finance Minister: Country Proactively Exploring Blockchain Technology Applications appeared first on NewsBTC.

UPS Might Be Making a Locker That Accepts Bitcoin – Coindesk

CoindeskUPS Might Be Making a Locker That Accepts BitcoinCoindeskGlobal shipping giant UPS may be looking at accepting bitcoin through an item-exchange locker service, newly published patent filings show. UPS is eyeing a system of locker banks that can…


Coindesk

UPS Might Be Making a Locker That Accepts Bitcoin
Coindesk
Global shipping giant UPS may be looking at accepting bitcoin through an item-exchange locker service, newly published patent filings show. UPS is eyeing a system of locker banks that can take digital forms of payment, according to an application ...