Day: February 19, 2018

Europe’s newest digital currency, the Korona, which runs on the Lightning Network and is being touted as more stable, safer, and cheaper to use than its competitors, was launched in Budapest, Hungary on February 15th. Korona’s ICO is scheduled for March 26th, and the token will be immediately available for payments and transfers. 

According to a recent study by the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, customers are increasingly adopting new forms of payments for cost efficiency reasons. 86% of the payment companies surveyed utilized the Bitcoin network as the main payment source for cross-border transactions. However, it has problems in terms of transaction times, scalability, and the flexibility to build smart contracts on its system.

“Banking as we know it today will eventually evolve into different platforms. We started this project because we saw the opportunity to take cryptocurrency technology into the future,” Jean-Marc Stiegemeier, Korona’s CEO, said during the launch.

Despite being developed primarily by Hungarians, the headquarters of the Korona are in Zug, Switzerland — with plans for the token to be used throughout Europe, and beyond (as per Korona’s whitepaper). According to the team, the token was not incorporated in Hungary because they see Zug as the “crypto-valley” of Europe: Providing a more efficient and stable environment, two things both customers and shareholders are looking for.

“Over the next few years we are going to see a revolution in the banking sector,” Stiegemeier, said. “Within ten years cryptocurrency will be used and accepted worldwide.”

Part of the business model for the Korona is a purpose-built bank and payment platform that will operate under the supervision of Swiss financial authorities. According to the developers, 90% of current cryptocurrencies are “pseudo-currencies,” and not suitable for actual, real-world transactions: “Bitcoin is slow and too expensive for businesses. It costs 20 US dollars for each transaction and it is not efficient for retailers,” Korona’s blockchain advisor and professor at the Corvinus Business School Dr. Tuan Trinh explained.

How does it work?

According to head of technology development Attila Bustya, an e-commerce website will be launched, hosting those websites which normally do not accept cryptocurrency payments. Also, a new integrated Price Comparison System will be created so that users can choose their products for the best and cheapest price globally. “For a top-notch phone we pay more in Europe than in the US, it is not fair,” Bustya said, outlining the value of this new price comparison tool.

“Business clients today find it hard to use cryptocurrency because of high taxation and missing information. We are developing business wallets which will allow businesses to register and receive various services to support their compliance: Support for VAT reporting, invoicing, accounting, and such” he continued.

Recently, China, Canada, and Russia have taken a look at blockchain technology and its national-use potential. And the European Union, although wary of cryptocurrencies, is certainly a supporter of blockchain-based technologies. Earlier this month it created the EU Blockchain Observatory and has also vastly increased funding for related technologies.

The post Korona: Hungary’s Very Own Cryptocurrency appeared first on NewsBTC.

A Visa spokesperson claimed that neither it nor Coinbase were responsible for last week’s charging issue seen by the crypto-exchange’s customers.

With blockchain technology continuing to drive global innovation on a large scale, the telecom industry seems to have been relatively untouched by the crypto wave. According to the World Bank, there are more than 5 billion cell phone users around the world. This number clearly indicates that crypto trading and exchange is more easily facilitated through telecom channels compared to traditional bank-based methods.

Telcoin is an all-new cryptocurrency designed to facilitate digital asset exchange through the use of telecom channels provided by operators worldwide. This makes the currency not only more accessible, but also more usable.

More broadly, Telcoin is one of the first crypto projects that aim to bridge the gap between mobile service providers and blockchain technology. To start off with, Telcoin tokens will initially be made available to the company’s mobile network partners. They will be usable for a number of purposes including:

• Online remittances
• Monetary transfers and payments
• E-commerce

As its whitepaper makes clear, Telcoin does not aim to compete with the existing telecom framework, but rather work alongside it so as to provide customers with increased financial flexibility – especially for people living in lesser developed nations.

Overview of Telcoin

• Telcoin is an innovative solution that brings together the worlds of mobile technology and blockchain.
• It makes use of an incentive-based governance model that delivers rewards to network providers as well as customers.
• The platform utilizes a flexible API which helps increase network interaction and participation.
• Telcoin allows international payments to be completed within a matter of seconds. It also allows for services such as mobile credit top-ups and ad hoc transfers.

Key Features

Firstly, Telcoin is totally compliant with all existing guidelines used by mobile operators across the globe. This means that the platform stays in perfect alignment with international telecom regulations, and can be easily used with GSMA mobile networks.

Overview of the features being delivered by Telcoin (courtesy of the whitepaper)

It should also be noted that Telcoin has teamed up with some of the world’s major network providers, and has thus established an infrastructure that can support approximately 5 billion users. In the same breath, it is important to recognize that this product has good market potential since it inherits the strength of an already trusted system.

Also, through a rewards-based model, the company distributes its native tokens to mobile networks in a way that allows for incentives to be obtained by each and every participant within the network. For example, Telcoin tokens will be doled out to telcos at a rate of 5% annually for a period of 10 years following the ICO. This basically serves as the integration phase during which the native currency can slowly become more acclimated with the mobile market at large.

Transaction model employed by the platform (courtesy of the whitepaper)

Lastly, the platform also comes with a fully customizable wallet called the “TenX wallet”. As a result of all these features being delivered on one platform, Inc Magazine said the following about this venture:

A financially inclusive world, made possible by blockchain startups like Telcoin, will advance an entire new ecosystem of modern finance.

How does Telcoin work?

The system has three major components:

• The Network Provider
• Telco Platform
• Subscribers

Simple overview of how the system works (courtesy of Telcoin)

The starting point for every transaction is the end user. Customers are given full access to their money via their phones. Once one’s digital wallet is linked with the Telcoin platform, a subset of transactions can easily be made from that user’s address.

It is also important to mention that mobile operators will receive their share of Telcoin tokens, which will be stored within multi-signature wallets and have at least two private keys.

In order to simplify management, the network operator wallets are fully governed and handled by Telcoin. This not only helps streamline work and daily business operations for companies, but also reduces the transaction burden faced by telcos around the globe.

About the project

Since its launch, the Telcoin platform has received quite a lot of media attention, as it directly addresses some of the shortcomings that exist within the blockchain world. The project is headed by Claude Eguienta who also serves as its CEO. According to his official LinkedIn profile, Claude has been working with distributed systems and cryptocurrencies for over six years now. He has also been associated with a number of high-profile startups in the past including:

• CyberAgent
• Kabotip
• TenX

Paul Neuner is the current chairman of the company. He has been in the telecom sector for over 12 years and is the person responsible for Mobius, a fraud management solution that is currently used by companies such as Ooredoo and Etisalat.

Lastly, Simo Kinnunen is the lead developer for this platform. He describes himself as a full-stack programmer who has also served as a back end dev for many crypto projects in the past.  

Token Performance History

Since Telcoin (TEL) has only been on the market for a little over a month, it is hard to judge its true market value or future monetary potential.

TEL token lifetime performance chart (courtesy of CoinMarketCap)

While this token was released at a base price of US$0.0048 in mid-January, the peak value of TEL was reached on January 20, when 1 TEL was worth over US$0.01. As of February 17, the price currently stands at US$0.0044.

Final Thoughts

Telcoin offers a highly innovative platform that merges two of the larger digital domains in existence today — blockchain and mobile technology. Thus, it would not come as a surprise if TEL made it onto the top crypto list of 2018, since it comes loaded with a host of revolutionary features.

However, before making any investment in the currency, it is of utmost importance that individuals do a bit of research on their own.

If you’d like to start investing in Telcoin, TEL trading pairs are currently being offered on Kucoin.

The current financial situation in Venezuela is not looking all that great. International relief efforts are direly needed as we speak. EatBCH is a new cryptocurrency-oriented venture trying to feed Venezuelans by collecting Bitcoin Cash donations. So far, the venture seems to have been quite successful, but more help is always welcome.

EatBCH Makes a Positive Impact

No one denies Venezuela is in a bad place right now. The country’s citizens are struggling to make ends meet, the nation’s currency is worth less than the paper it’s printed on, and there is no solution in place. Additionally, there is a lot of opposition regarding the country’s Petro cryptocurrency, as it remains unclear how successful that venture will be in the long run. Therefore, international help is direly needed, yet no one wants to violate the sanctions imposed against this country either.

Consequently, we’ve seen some Venezuelans band together and reach out to cryptocurrency users around the world. More specifically, the group hopes to get some support from Bitcoin Cash community members. EatBCH, as this venture is known, aims to collect donations to help feed those who simply can no longer pay for food themselves. It is a very noble effort, and it showcases the worrying situation in this country.

Information regarding EatBCH is mainly spreading through Reddit and Twitter, where it seems to have really taken off. With the donations raised, the EatBCH team has bought hot meals and delivered them to those in need. Such a venture cannot span the entire country from day one, yet it shows how cryptocurrencies can do a lot of good in the world. More importantly, by using cryptocurrency, no one violates the embargoes enforced upon Venezuela. It’s a win-win for all parties involved.

Various pictures of the EatBCH effort have surfaced on Twitter, indicating this initiative is not about scamming people or using others’ misfortune for personal gain. With one Meetup occurring every single week, we can clearly see this effort is making a positive impact in Venezuela as of right now. More and more people are turning up because they are hungry. While receiving bags of food is far from ideal, it’s preferable to starving.

We weren't expecting so many people. Thank God we had enough food for everyone. Thank you all for the support! #BCH #BCHforEveryone pic.twitter.com/wHy05ROAlD

— Eat BCH (@EatBCH) February 17, 2018

Even though the EatBCH effort seems to have made a positive impact so far, it is still just a drop in the bucket. Virtually everyone in Venezuela is struggling, and there is only so much the EatBCH team can do at this point. It does put a positive spotlight on the Bitcoin Cash cryptocurrency, as its community seems more than willing to contribute to this cause. It will be interesting to see how this situation unfolds in the future.

Anyone looking to contribute to the EatBCH cause can do so using the Tippr Reddit bot or sending them a donation through Twitter. The address has received over US$2,400 worth of donations so far, but there is still a lot more money needed to make this a successful venture in most of Venezuela. The largest donation to date was for nearly US$650, which shows there are a lot of generous individuals in the BCH community right now.

Israel has confirmed that it will treat cryptocurrencies as taxable assets in a new circular published on Monday.

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced today the formation of a platform aiming to provide education on various cutting-edge technologies. The initiative will be known as Future Skills.

Future Skills Platform to Focus on Blockchain Technology

The platform was announced today at the World Congress on Information Technology 2018 (WCIT). The event was attended by ICT associations from over 80 different nations.

NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies), India’s main information technology group, are behind the platform. They are hoping to provide the 18 to 35-year-olds of the nation with a better grounding in cutting-edge technologies. A total of eight areas were mentioned. These included blockchain technology.

The association have previously held workshop sessions on blockchain technology and readily acknowledge its potential. In a post on their website, they write:

“While we have witnessed how the ‘Internet of Information’ has changed our society over the past two decades, we are now entering a phase where Blockchain may do the same by ushering in a new paradigm comprising ‘Internet of Trust’ and ‘Internet of Value’.”

NASSCOM is also amongst those behind India’s first blockchain special interest group. The goal of this is to explore how blockchain technology can impact various industries, both financial and otherwise.

Also today, Narendra Modi Tweeted part of the address he gave to WCIT:

Disruptive technologies such as Block-chain and the Internet of Things, will have a profound impact in the way we live and work. They will require rapid adaptation in our workplaces: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 19, 2018

This was shortly followed by a post from Law & Justice, and Information Technology Minister of India, Ravi Shankar Prasad. Prasad included a brief overview of the Future Skills initiative, as well as a video of Modi’s presentation to the Congress:

Today Prime Minister of India announced a historic initiative to re-skill and up-skill the IT workforce of India as per changing technologies. Future Skills platform will ensure competitive advantage of Indian IT in the world as per changing technologies. #WCITIndia2018 pic.twitter.com/Ph7pMOAZXw

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) February 19, 2018

Despite the news that India seems to be fully embracing the transformative power of blockchain, the leaders of the country still seem opposed to the concept of decentralised cryptocurrencies.

In a budget speech given earlier this month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated:

“The government does not consider crypto-currencies legal tender or coin and will take all measures to eliminate the use of these cryptoassets in financing illegitimate activities or as part of the payment system.”

Also within the speech delivered February 1, Jaitley added:

“… the government will explore use of block chain technology proactively for ushering in [the] digital economy.”

This was followed up by the announcement of a doubling of government spending on the digital economy. Around US$500 million has been reportedly earmarked for the sector.

Despite the Indian government’s focus on the technology behind cryptocurrencies and their perceived hostility towards the first practical application of it, digital currency exchanges in the country have recently made moves to self-regulate. Seven of the major Indian platforms have come together to form the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Committee. It’s hoped that such initiatives will discourage the central government declaring any sort of blanket ban on cryptocurrencies.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The post Future Skills: Indian PM Announces Education Platform for Blockchain Technology appeared first on NewsBTC.

It seems that 2018 is going to be the year that messenger apps stake their ground in driving blockchain and cryptocurrency technology forward. This week, Clementvale Ltd, with its brand, Bubbletone Blockchain in Telecom, announced that they have formed a strategic partnership with Lingualeo, a market leader in online English language learning. Managing Director of Lingualeo, Vladimir Sirotinsky, has agreed to join the Bubbletone team as an advisor, where he will help integrate new services to the platform. Bubbletone, which already enjoys success as a roaming mobile and messenger app, is planning to launch their blockchain component in late February 2018. Coupled with their ability to market third-party online services via their platform, Bubbletone is already poised to be at the head of the pack of messenger-based blockchain technology.

Bubbletone Blockchain in Telecom is hosted on the Graphene platform and is expected to have a capacity of up to 10,000 transactions per second. The project will allow mobile operators and users to bypass intermediaries through the use of smart contracts.

Notably, the platform will also allow service providers of any size or market share to publish their tariff plans within the network. This means that smaller telecoms players will be able to enter the roaming field without the need to deal with infrastructure issues and complex systems integration.

Users will then select any service package and quickly and easily download the operator’s profile over the air directly to their smartphones. This allows users to access mobile services at local tariffs and without the need to change their mobile number or their SIM card.

Bubbletone’s another aim is to provide value-added services for their users who will be able to download music, access online storage and other apps like learning programs directly from any participating providers in the world. The strategic partnership with Lingualeo is a perfect example of how powerful the system can be.

Lingualeo is a multiplatform tool for learning the English language with over 17 million users worldwide, including Russia, Turkey, Brazil, the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Lingualeo’s Vladimir Sirotinsky believes Bubbletone will be a powerful tool for meeting business growth objectives. “We strive to amplify our mobile product with the most advanced technology. The Bubbletone platform allows us to effectively expand our English learning business to international markets, particularly in Turkey and in Latin America where Lingualeo’s service has already been localized,” says Sirotinsky.

Bubbletone’s founder and CEO Yury Morozov welcome this new relationship with the language-learning platform: “We are pleased to add Lingualeo’s educational packages to our platform and encourage our partner operators to feature them as value-added services. It is a great example of the kind of collaboration that boosts customer loyalty,” says Morozov. “And it certainly is an amazing way of learning foreign languages. Lingualeo makes it an enjoyable routine that is always at your fingertips”, he adds.

Bubbletone is currently gearing up to hold its ICO which will run from March 20, 2018. Bubbletone is a brand of Clementvale Ltd, Ireland, and is a member of the Crypto Valley Association established to build the world’s leading ecosystems for crypto and blockchain. To learn more about Bubbletone be sure to visit www.bubbletone.io

You can also discover more about Lingualeo’s language-learning platform at www.lingualeo.com

The post Bubbletone and Lingualeo Announce a Strategic Partnership That Will Help Drive the Future of Blockchain Technology appeared first on NewsBTC.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

Long Blockchain announced it would appeal a notice by Nasdaq informing it that its stock was at risk of being delisted.

Bitmex Research reports shows that while Tether probably has enough fiat reserves, it is at risk of a regulatory shutdown. #NEWS

Kepler Technologies, a blockchain-based startup backed by the Government of Georgia, has announced the development of the world’s first decentralized ecosystem for the incubation and development of AI and robotics projects. The platform will provide inventors and developers with seamless access to financial and technical resources for the advancement of their inventions and ideas. Kepler Technologies’ platform is powered by a community-based on meritocracy and the decentralization of opportunity.

The Objective

Kepler Technologies will connect talented developers and innovators from all around the world with investors, thereby breaking down barriers to entry. The platform is backed by both tangible and intangible assets ranging from cutting-edge equipment to state-of-the-art lab and factories, and a university and campus where the best minds can teach and study.

By using tokenizing these assets, Kepler is set to become the decentralized vehicle accelerating the rapid development of robotics and AI solutions. The platform will also go beyond the traditional nation-state borders to create a global tech marketplace for everyone involved.

Backed by smart contracts and powered by proprietary analytical algorithms, Kepler enables investors to locate and fund prospective projects, while innovators can connect with each other from anywhere in the world to develop their project.

The company has also established a blockchain tech incubation platform for the users to showcase their ideas and connect with global investors to gain financial support. They can team up with the talented people to present, polish, patent, prototype and market the ideas using the platform’s global resources.  Every proposal presented to Kepler Technologies will be recorded to the blockchain through its’ innovative Proof-of-Creation network protocols.

The KEP Token

The platform’s innovative KEP token is the driver behind all voting and funding on the ecosystem. The community can vote and fund any project through these utility tokens. The KEP tokens will be used to incentivize behaviors on the platform in a decentralized way. It will also let users buy products at a discount, vote for or against projects to be developed, and funding proposals that are accepted.

KEP tokens are ERC20 standard tokens used to fund projects through a monetized voting mechanism, which requires users to vote in a specified amount defined by a smart contract.

Partnerships & Support

Kepler Technologies, in view of the significant recognition of its’ novel platform, has already won the support from the University of San Diego, while the team is currently working to extend its partnerships with universities and pioneering companies.

The Token Sale

The pre-sale of KEP tokens is currently going on and it will end by May 10th, 2018.

A total of 201 500 000 KEP tokens have been created by ecosystem developers. During Pre-ICO, 5 000 KEP will be sold with a 30% bonus while during ICO stage 1,  11 500 000 KEP will be awarded a 15% bonus. 16 500 000 KEP will be available with a 10% bonus during the ICO phase 2, while 21 000 000 KEP with a 5% bonus will be offered to the public during the ICO stage 3. The final stages of ICO will have 21 500 000 KEP without bonus. Users can buy tokens using Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

The Pre-ICO is going on, while the main ICO will take place from March 1th, 2018.

To participate in the pre-ICO or know more about the platform, please visit https://www.keplertek.org

The post Kepler Technologies to Bring Blockchain-Based Solution for AI and Robotics appeared first on NewsBTC.

Could we put an end to mining energy wastage through hydro and wind power? #SPONSORED