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Google Searches for ‘Bitcoin’ Drop to Five Month Low

Google searches using the keyword Bitcoin are down since the manic run of buying in late December. This marks the lowest interest based on Google trends since Bitcoin traded at $5,000. Google Searches Match With Market Prices Analysts who use Google searches as an indicator of market trends have noted that since the New Year … Continue reading Google Searches for ‘Bitcoin’ Drop to Five Month Low

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Google searches using the keyword Bitcoin are down since the manic run of buying in late December. This marks the lowest interest based on Google trends since Bitcoin traded at $5,000.

Google Searches Match With Market Prices

Analysts who use Google searches as an indicator of market trends have noted that since the New Year searches with the word Bitcoin have dropped about 80%. This is with fluctuations as the market dropped and then has slowly regained some of its value.

Nick Colas, DataTrek Research co-founder, who called Bitcoin “the gateway drug of cryptocurrency” on CNBC’s “Fast Money” charted the spike and decline of Google searches related to Bitcoin and correlated it with trade activity.

He went on to say that a lot of movement in the market now is lateral as opposed to new investor money. That is investors taking money from Bitcoin and putting it into Ethereum or Litecoin and that the Google search percentages reinforce that by showing gains in those coin names used in searches as the market cap increases.

“So far (google) it’s been a very reliable indicator, it showed us the way up and now it’s showing us the way back down.”

Stated Colas, he added that based on the trends he doesn’t see a price recovery in the near future since he doesn’t see a rebound in search percentages.

Google Searches Can’t Predict all Investment

Though Google searches may closely represent retail investor interest (single person or small groups) and movements, it doesn’t necessarily chart the interests of institutional investors.

Analysts who follow institutional money are seeing hedge funds putting aside large amounts of revenue for crypto investment while they continue to research and study trends in the markets.

One analyst from “Fast Money” called out for Bitcoin to skyrocket again once the institutional funds turn the corner and start to invest heavily in the crypto market, noting there are only $22 million wallets (cryptocurrency storage devices) in the world but a lot more brokerages.

The opposition argues that individual interest in Bitcoin can’t be charted the way traditional market investor interest can be. That there is a large audience, or arguably, a generation of potential investors that would have no need to Google ‘Bitcoin’.

Those who are already interested and invested are going directly to Reddit sub-threads that deal specifically with what they want to know or are following their advisers on Twitter directly. This may be a case of using outdated tools to try and predict a market that has since its inception been unpredictable to analysts who grew up studying trends in the fiat marketplace.

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Virtual currencies are commodities, US judge rules – CNBC

CNBCVirtual currencies are commodities, US judge rulesCNBCVirtual currencies like bitcoin can be regulated as commodities by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein in Brooklyn ruled that…


CNBC

Virtual currencies are commodities, US judge rules
CNBC
Virtual currencies like bitcoin can be regulated as commodities by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein in Brooklyn ruled that the CFTC had standing to bring a fraud lawsuit against ...

and more »

US Regulations May Require ICOs to Report Suspicious Investors

Initial Coin Offerings must comply with laws associated with money laundering and anti-terrorism that require reporting suspicious investors to authorities according to a newly released letter from the treasury department. New Information on Old Regulations In December 2017 Senator Ron Wyden (OR-D) requested information from the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) about its efforts at … Continue reading US Regulations May Require ICOs to Report Suspicious Investors

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Initial Coin Offerings must comply with laws associated with money laundering and anti-terrorism that require reporting suspicious investors to authorities according to a newly released letter from the treasury department.

New Information on Old Regulations

In December 2017 Senator Ron Wyden (OR-D) requested information from the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) about its efforts at oversight and enforcement related to cryptocurrency.

FINCEN’s response to the senator was published yesterday though originally dated Feb. 13. The letter explained that companies offering ICOs may be legally considered as money transmitters and therefore be subject to laws set up to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism which apply to money services businesses under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).

FINCEN goes on to broadly explain that these acts apply to any project involved in “convertible virtual currency” which “either has an equivalent in real currency or acts as a substitute for real currency” as laid out in a 2013 guidance from the Treasury Bureau.

The letter then obfuscates things by adding that depending on the particulars of an ICO project, regulation may fall under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

In order to comply, companies must register with FINCEN as a money transmitter business and will then be held responsible to investigate and report suspicious customer activity to the proper authorities.

While some companies involved in ICOs have already registered anticipating this sort of regulation many more have not. Not doing so according to the BSA can carry up to five years in a federal penitentiary. For states that have not yet created their own regulations on digital currency this ruling may be used as a guideline for the future, requiring newly launching ICOs to obtain a money transmitters license.

Regulations Need Clarification

While some see this as old news that relates to the 5-year-old guidelines laid out by the Treasury Bureau and welcome regulation that looks to curb burgeoning crypto-crimes others are worried about the ambiguous nature of the letter.

“In general it will continue to chill that (ICO) activity in relation with U.S. purchasers,”

Said Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at industry advocacy Coin Center.

ICOs by startups and individuals raised $4 billion in 2017 and judging by projects like Telegram’s TON ICO project, which has raised nearly two billion US alone so far this year, 2018 will see a big uptick.

This information may prove especially problematic for companies that do business in the US but are registered offshore and don’t strictly fall under the guidelines, but may still be held responsible for the actions of their investors.

It may also become a burden that keeps some very small ICO projects, started by just a couple of people, from seeing fruition because of legal costs needed to unravel the various regulations that come into play.

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Ripple Price Technical Analysis – XRP/USD Back to Square One

Key Highlights Ripple price failed to remain in a bullish zone and broke the $0.9450 support against the US dollar. Yesterday’s short-term connecting bullish trend line with support at $0.9400 was broken on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The pair is currently under pressure and it may fall back … Continue reading Ripple Price Technical Analysis – XRP/USD Back to Square One

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Key Highlights

  • Ripple price failed to remain in a bullish zone and broke the $0.9450 support against the US dollar.
  • Yesterday’s short-term connecting bullish trend line with support at $0.9400 was broken on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken).
  • The pair is currently under pressure and it may fall back towards the $0.8800.

Ripple price declined further in the bearish zone against the US Dollar and Bitcoin. XRP/USD may accelerate declines towards or below $0.8800.

Ripple Price Decline

There was no recovery above $1.00 yesterday in Ripple price against the US Dollar. The price extended declines and moved below a major support area near $0.9400. The decline was substantial as the price closed below the $0.9200 support as well. There was even a close below the 100 hourly simple moving average and the price traded as low as $0.8928.

During the downside move, yesterday’s short-term connecting bullish trend line with support at $0.9400 was broken on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair. It opened the doors for more gains and the price is now at a risk of more declined below $0.8900. An initial resistance on the upside is around the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the last decline from the $0.9802 high to $0.8928 low. There are many hurdles on the upside near the $0.9400 level and the 100 hourly SMA. Moreover, the 50% Fib retracement level of the last decline from the $0.9802 high to $0.8928 low is at $0.9356.

Ripple Price Technical Analysis XRP USD

On the downside, the recent low of $0.8928 is a short term support. A break below the mentioned level could push the price towards $0.8800. Any further losses below $0.8800 could be very bearish for XRP in the near term.

Looking at the technical indicators:

Hourly MACD – The MACD for XRP/USD is placed nicely in the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for XRP/USD is currently well below the 50 level.

Major Support Level – $0.8800

Major Resistance Level – $0.9400

 

Charts courtesy – Trading View

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How Zerocoin is Set to Solve the “House Always Wins” Problem?

Online gambling is as popular as ever, with hundreds of new online casinos opening their virtual doors every day on the web. However, despite their seemingly inexhaustible popularity, there is one massive drawback to online casino gaming, and it is inherently linked to the way online casinos operate. We’ve all heard the old saying “The … Continue reading How Zerocoin is Set to Solve the “House Always Wins” Problem?

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Online gambling is as popular as ever, with hundreds of new online casinos opening their virtual doors every day on the web. However, despite their seemingly inexhaustible popularity, there is one massive drawback to online casino gaming, and it is inherently linked to the way online casinos operate.

We’ve all heard the old saying “The house always wins” and it is a saying that goes all the way back to the first brick and mortar casinos in Europe and Asia. The saying remains popular because, in its essence, it is absolutely true. “All casino games, whether they are found in traditional brick and mortar establishments or online, have one thing in common – the odds are always stacked against the player. Players might be winning for a short period of time and think that they cracked the code, but in reality they are just “running hot” and sooner or later the variance will do its job to favour the house” explained Adrian Casey CEO at ZeroEdge.Bet. He also added: “Most of the players are unaware of the mathematical principles that make beating the casino virtually impossible. Therefore, our goal at ZeroEdge.Bet will be to educate players about gambling and prevent them from falling victims to its traps.

The new Zeroedge Casino, which uses its own form of cryptocurrency called Zerocoin, aims to solve the age-old problem of the house always winning by completely doing away with the dreaded “house edge” altogether. This essentially means that, for the first time in the history of gambling, players will have a real, true and fair shot at actually winning their games at Zeroedge Casino.

How the revolutionary model works?

Zeroedge Casino is currently making massive waves throughout the online gambling industry by being the first online casino and gambling destination to launch a true 0% house edge (the advantage the casino has over the player). So how does this new revolutionary model actually work.

Unlike traditional online casinos, where they make their profit directly off the losses of their players, Zeroedge Casino actually avoids this practice altogether. Instead, Zeroedge makes its profit off the rising Zerocoin value. Zeroedge is creating a network made up of thousands of unique game providers, all using Zerocoin as their single currency. Entities will be able to design and build their uniquegames directly on the ZeroEdge platform. All tools and infrastructure will be provided to make this process user-friendly and increase the adoption of Zerocoin, while maximizing brand exposure.Add to that a guaranteed 0% house edge and you have a completely revolutionary concept that is guaranteed to turn the online casino industry on its head and change the way you think of online gambling forever.

How willZerocoin price increase?

The fact that Zeroedge Casino network offers gamblers a true 0% house advantage on all of their games is the spark that will blow the online gambling industry wide open. Of course, no online gambler worth their salt would rather choose traditional online casino games (where the house has anywhere from 1%-10% advantage over the player), over Zeroedge Casino games with a provable 0% house edge.

However, in order to play at Zeroedge Casino, players will need to first buy Zerocoins. Now, as more and more players learn about the incredible 0% house edge, they will want to get their slice of the pie. This will then increase the value and the demand for Zerocoin exponentially.

Pre-ICO is open – 79% discount & low hard cap!

The Pre-ICO is set to start on the 28th of February 2018, closing out on the 15th of March 2018. Pre-ICO bonus are 79% discount with a low hard cap – 1500 eth.
https://tokensale.zeroedge.bet

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The Ultimate Guide To Cannabis Tokens

Disclaimer: The author does not provide investment advice. This article has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for investment advice. By now, Bitcoin is as famous as can be. But deep down, Bitcoin is just blockchain technology disrupting our concept of money. Blockchain … Continue reading The Ultimate Guide To Cannabis Tokens

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Disclaimer: The author does not provide investment advice. This article has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for investment advice.

By now, Bitcoin is as famous as can be.

But deep down, Bitcoin is just blockchain technology disrupting our concept of money.

Blockchain is rapidly revolutionizing more and more industries. And it’s all thanks to tokens, tools that aim to do more than just to replace money.

Nowadays, the legal cannabis industry is just another stage for the blockchain to rock in.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a cannabis enthusiast yourself, an investor or just an up-to-date citizen of the world, the speed at which social and political perception of cannabis are shifting is a sight to behold (see USA and Canada).

Last year, several tokens and coins tied to cannabis emerged, meeting this fast-growing market. Analysts point to an even better development for 2018. Both tokens and the industry are truly flying high.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a user, connoisseur, business-owner or investor, you absolutely must understand how this game will play out.

So, buckle up, because here we are about to break down the cannabis industry, then discuss the most important tokens that will stick to its unstoppable growth. We’ll also get to highlight some talking points along the way.

Because the hard part of this popularity peak of cannabis tokens has led to so many projects and start-ups that choosing the right one has become a huge hassle; so we’ve taken the liberty to do the homework.

Here’s what’s going down.

Cannabis industry

Recreative cannabis was first legalized in 2014 in the state of Colorado. In the following years another 9 states joined the legalization initiative in the US (1). Since then the market has experimented an ongoing boom, creating thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue.

Some years down the line, historians may well call it the green rush.

An enormous user base and no previous legal competition make this a market ripe for investment. The industry of legal cannabis is expected to grow at least by 16% each year until 2025.

By then, it’ll have reached a market cap of $24 billion.

And the growth is fast. Dispensaries’ monthly revenue has increased from $10 million in 2014 to above $70 million in 2016.

This has impacted cannabis price. In that same timeframe, average price per gram has plummeted from $45 to $12.77 in Washington for example (2). This has been ideal to keep a steadily growing demand.

Credits to Frontier Financial Group

But this infant market could grow faster. Indeed, the tricky legal status of the plant hinders the growth of this industry.

Not only do they have to fight against social prejudices and federal laws in conflict with state regulation. Cannabis businesses still have no access no banking. Their multi-million dollar industry runs mostly on cash.

Besides, there are no standards for product quality, use of pesticides and origin.

It is wild.

But where governments and regulation have failed to make room for a strong, growing industry, blockchain has come to the rescue. Many tokens and solutions have sprung last year, ready to give the cannabis market a turbo boost.

First, let’s check why tokens can be catalyzers for change.

The Tokens: An Overview

agritechfarm

 

You’re probably asking yourself how on earth can a big business flourish without access to banking.

Picture gas stations, fast food chains or pharmacies working on cash only.

Sadly the federal ban on cannabis prevents banks from servicing cannabis dispensaries and related businesses.

That’s why many cannabis tokens are basically payment solutions like bitcoin is.

This means they’re straightforward ways to facilitate payments between industry players like dispensaries, clients and growers. In a way, then, most cannabis tokens are basically cannabis-related money.

Thanks to a reliable, secure, digital tradable value coin, the logistics nightmare of cash-only dealing may be over.

We can call these tokens cannabis-money.

But there are others which aim even higher.

Projects like Paragon, Hemp Coin, Smoke Exchange and Budbo are trying to not just solve major hurdles in logistics and management. They want to tangibly improve the infrastructure of the whole cannabis industry.

How? By

  • Making supply chains more efficient and manageable,
  • Allowing payments between different parties
  • Increasing transparency when it comes to the origin of seeds and produces

And of course, there’s the odd one out. There’s one blockchain project from AgroTechFarm, that is about cannabis production.

That’s how we will divide the guide: production, cannabis-money, and infrastructure

Production

You’re probably wondering how can a token affect cannabis production. Although it’s not so straightforward, you’ll see that blockchain can be used in many ways.

The cool part: changing how cannabis is produced will transform the industry. Especially if it can disrupt the distinction between industrial producers and individual users.

AgroTechFarm

 

budbo

AgroTechFarm occupies a blue ocean in the cannabis industry. The aim of the project is to provide a zero-chemical, zero-environmental impact way to grow cannabis and other crops.

Their product uses aeroponics in their smart appliance for organically growing cannabis, tomatoes, peppers and other large crops at home. The appliance allows people to become self-sufficient and produce their own fruits and vegetables. Everything is automated, the yield is optimized and less resources are used.

Since everything grows in the user’s kitchen there is no need for transportation neither for farming land. Considering that these two are among the biggest contributors to global warming.

We could not find any other cannabis token that was dealing with production. And it’s a nice combination of the cannabis industry with organic farming. In one sense, it implies diversification (the art of not putting all your eggs in one basket).

This means that in case the cannabis industry goes down, their other clients will be intact.

More about it in their whitepaper or on their website.

Industry Boosters: Infrastructure

[HempCoin][Paragon][Budbo]

Infrastructure is the backbone of all industries.

A market’s growth potential is worthless without proper infrastructure. Without it, nothing can happen. Think about it this way: even if you have the fastest car in the world, it would be good for nothing if there were no roads.

That’s why some visionary projects want to create a stronger base for all cannabis-related businesses to flourish.

The boost can come in many ways, as we’ve seen. And some projects focus one some over others, but each has something to contribute. This showcases blockchain’s amazing capability to change our markets!

Let’s jump in and see what these projects can offer.

Budbo

budbo

Budbo has created a global cannabis blockchain, on which any ancillary service or cannabis related business can utilize and harness its immutable ledger.  

Budbo has been an operating company since 2015, offering an enterprise level suite of business products.  Budbo has a consumer mobile application that focuses primarily on product discovery, a dispensary and product manufacturer dashboard that breaks down predictive AI consumer analytics, and a GPS enabled program it calls Budbo Trax that monitors commercial cannabis shipments through geofencing technologies and electronic documentation.

Their app already has 75,000 individual active users and 2,000 dispensaries within their network. Their application has an interface similar to “Tinder”, in the way it allows users to quickly swipe through 100s of locally available strains and products.  Allowing for online ordering, or getting directions to the dispensary that has the desired product.

Budbo wants to integrate all players in the industry, with a stated mission of bringing together a solid global community.

Their platform currently involves seed suppliers, growers, dispensaries, users, and patients.

The platform will provide not just information, but tracking as well to help with complex local, state, and federal compliance regulations, which will benefit all recreational and medical cannabis users and patients.

Budbo is currently closing out their token sale, having sold more than 130,000,000 utility tokens. The tokens act as the API key for access to the transactions stored on the ledger.

Learn more about them from their whitepaper or on their website

HempCoin

The Hemp Coin project is a bit of a hybrid. It combines a payment solution with a mission to rebrand the industries they serve. In contrast with Dope Coin and Smoke Exchange, this project is one whole thing.

Their eight-page whitepaper does not shed much light on what they mean by this rebranding. The only explanation we get in their roadmap is that implies: “Connecting with agriculture industry to accept HempCoin’’.

A user on Reddit defended the team saying that the information was not made public due to pressure from competitors.

So, what we can make out of this is that they seek to develop a community of people who will be actively pushing pro-cannabis materials like artwork, blog posts and articles. This would, in turn, improve the image of cannabis and its industry.

Paragon

paragon, budbo

Paragon intends to put the cannabis industry on blockchain through its extensive suite of solutions

Paragon successfully launched its initial platform and functionality in late 2017 and is now progressing towards a fully-fledged release in mid 2018.  

Importantly, Paragon aims to do a lot more than just solve part of the cash problem that the cannabis industry currently faces. Paragon is developing a seed-to-sale tracking solution for cannabis products. All users and governments will be able to verify the entire life cycle of a product for free and be certain that no data was manipulated or deleted. These solutions are all made possible by smart-contracts and fueled by PRG to incorporate all elements of the supply chain.

On top of the extensive blockchain-based solutions that Paragon is creating, the company is also launching Paragon Spaces – these are co-working spaces that serve the cannabis industry with flex desks and office space – all paid for in PRG.

Learn more about them from their whitepaper or on their website

Payments Solution

[PotCoin][Cannabis Coin][Canna Coin][Dope Coin]

All of these tokens are peer-to-peer cash systems devoted to payment within the cannabis industry. The -coin in their names says it all.

But do we really need a cannabis-bitcoin?

As we explained earlier, the industry is handicapped without access to banks. Security becomes a headache, logistics are nightmarish and your consumer base is hindered. This is all because of bad policy.

Crypto has always been praised as a way to go around governments and banking institutions. It’s even how most illegal trading is paid for, sadly.

So it’s inevitable that this new tech can now serve as the safe, easy to use money this industry so desperately needs.

As a bonus, a specialized payments solution allows for reward programs and community building and integration. So, if they become widely used, they do offer some benefits over money.

Let’s take a look at this new cannabis money!

Cannabis Coin and Canna Coin

cannabis coin, budbo

We bundled these two together since we found them to be quite similar in terms of what they do, when were they launched and how they perform.

Both projects market themselves as the peer-2-peer cash systems for cannabis and aim to facilitate payments to cannabis businesses in a secure way. Similar to a cannabis bitcoin.

Yet, their websites do not offer enough information about the projects or the teams. Information is good, always.

We could not find a dedicated whitepaper for either of them. Whitepapers have become the bread and butter of tokens market for a reason: they’re professional tools that explain all aspects of any token-venture.

The main issue is that dispensaries may not benefit from a dedicated token only for them. They have to pay for for most of their supplies and logistics in cash. It is possible that they will need something more widely used or more liquid.

If you are interested in the code, you can take a look over at Github, where you’ll find both.

Pot Coin

Pot Coin stands out among other tokens in this section. Their website looks professionally made and contains all the information you’ll need.

Also, its whitepaper is well laid out and there is a thorough explanation of how the company aims to reach every milestone on their roadmap.

PotCoin offers some key bonuses: it aims to tokenize seeds and strains through a reward program. People will be able to convert their PotCoins into real cannabis seeds. Also, those who develop a new strain will have the opportunity to sell it on their platform and earn tokens.

These two reward options sound like good incentives to prefer Potcoins over bitcoin or fiat money.

The resources we found were conflicting, one quoting them as the best among the cannabis bitcoins and another that was not so flattering.

So, what can we make out of them? It seems Pot Coin’s success or failure will largely depend on their skill and effort at creating and maintaining an engaged community.

Dope Coin/ Smoke Exchange

Just as the name suggests, Dope Coin is made to serve the underground world.

Their mission is to provide a payment solution for both the legal cannabis market and the illicit one like the darknet silk road.  

Since last year, when governments around the world announced they could now track bitcoin, privacy coins have been big. For example, the price of Monero (a secrecy-oriented cryptocurrency) skyrocketed from around $50 to around $300. This came about because the darknet was switching from bitcoin to Monero, to avoid wary eyes.

Just recently the Dope Coin team announced that they are starting a new project called Smoke Exchange that aims to be a marketing and advertising platform specifically for cannabis businesses. They will integrate dope coin and bitcoin as payments on this platform.

Smoke Exchange is to release a working demo in Q1/2018.

Get more information about Smoke Exchange from their whitepaper. Sadly, Dope Coin does not have one.

The future is even wilder

The cannabis industry is a wild place.

Cannabis tokens have come as a much-needed relief for its main issues, a powerful boost to its infrastructure, and as a new paradigm in its production.

These tokens are definitely a good buy in 2018.

But be cautious when it comes to projects without a working product or that have too much hype around them. We all know that sometimes huge profits can come from investing in tokens with a lot of FOMO surrounding them. Other times, it’s just a loss.

There are many ways to improve your decisions, but the key to all is basically the same: acquire as much reliable information as you can.

Pro tip: look at the whitepaper!

Think about the product, the solution they offer. Whatever your plans for the future, make sure to keep an eye out for the legal cannabis industry. It’s size, its potential and individual characteristics make it one of the most interesting of our times.

And if you’re looking to invest, think about real-world problems and real-life solutions.

Often the not so flashy looking projects turn out to be, you know, the big hits.

The post The Ultimate Guide To Cannabis Tokens appeared first on NewsBTC.

World Wi-Fi Start-Up to Offer Free Decentralized Wi-Fi Access to Users

Despite living in the 21st century, internet availability remains a problem for people throughout the world, given the lack of infrastructure in certain regions, alongside the costs being charged by internet service providers. World Wi-Fi represents an exciting start-up, founded by the creators of Radius Wi-Fi and the Adrenta project, which aims to fix this issue, by granting people free internet access, through a decentralized Wi-Fi network that works by integrating residential routers. To put things better into perspective, the operation scheme of the project, consists of three main key links, these being the guest user, the router owner, and

Despite living in the 21st century, internet availability remains a problem for people throughout the world, given the lack of infrastructure in certain regions, alongside the costs being charged by internet service providers.

World Wi-Fi represents an exciting start-up, founded by the creators of Radius Wi-Fi and the Adrenta project, which aims to fix this issue, by granting people free internet access, through a decentralized Wi-Fi network that works by integrating residential routers. To put things better into perspective, the operation scheme of the project, consists of three main key links, these being the guest user, the router owner, and the advertiser.

Guests will therefore be able to browse the Internet via the World Wi-Fi network, without having to pay anything. Rather, in exchange for the internet access, users will simply see advertisements.

Router owners who wish to take part in the project, will create a dedicated Wi-Fi network, capable of generating passive income, by profiting from the ad sales made when other users are logged into the router.

Lastly, advertisers who are responsible for deploying the ads that users will view, will get access to several advantages, such as being able to deliver a more fine-tuned advertising campaign to users. In return, advertisers will find it easier to target their audience, while also analysing ad performance on the available Wi-Fi networks. Not only this, but ad campaign managers will also get access to detailed information regarding the history of their campaigns, which products/services have been advertised, conversions, and more.

As World Wi-Fi represents an Ethereum-based platform, several solutions meant to collect and analyse sets of anonymized data have also been deployed. All transactions will be carried out through the help of smart contracts, hence guaranteeing the speed, security, reliability and transparency of all campaign data. Router owners will be paid via the WeToken (WT), which, based on choice, can be converted for fiat currencies via supporting digital currency exchanges.

It is expected that the alpha-testing phase will begin this March. So far, a total of 500 routers have already been connected to the network, and internal testing shows that the network works as advertised.

According to Yan Sepiashvili, a co-founder of the World Wi-Fi project, “In the next three years, it is projected that at least 20 million Wi-Fi routers will be connected to the platform. We’ll bring blockchain into every home.”

As part of the effort to raise funds for the project, World Wi-Fi is holding an ICO, where investors, can purchase WeTokens, which can either be sold for a profit, or be used as payment for advertisement services. The start-up is planning to raise $5 million during the pre-sale, with $2.7 million already raised.

For more information on World Wi-Fi, feel free to check out the project website, and white paper.  

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.

Ethereum Price Technical Analysis – ETH/USD Sell on Rallies

Key Highlights ETH price extended declines and traded below the $828 support level against the US Dollar. There is a major bearish trend line forming with resistance at $818 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via SimpleFX). The pair is currently correcting higher, but it is likely to face sellers near the $815 … Continue reading Ethereum Price Technical Analysis – ETH/USD Sell on Rallies

The post Ethereum Price Technical Analysis – ETH/USD Sell on Rallies appeared first on NewsBTC.

Key Highlights

  • ETH price extended declines and traded below the $828 support level against the US Dollar.
  • There is a major bearish trend line forming with resistance at $818 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via SimpleFX).
  • The pair is currently correcting higher, but it is likely to face sellers near the $815 and $818 levels.

Ethereum price is under renewed selling pressure against the US Dollar and Bitcoin. ETH/USD is likely to remain in a bearish zone as it turned sell on rallies.

Ethereum Price Decline

There was no major upside move above $830 in ETH price against the US Dollar. On the contrary, there was an increase in selling pressure and the price moved below a major support at $828. It ignited further losses and the price even moved below the $810 level. At the moment, the price is trading well below the $828 pivot level and the 100 hourly simple moving average.

The recent low formed was $792 before the price started an upside correction. It has moved above the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the last drop from the $839 high to $792 low. However, there are many hurdles on the upside around the $820 level. There is also a major bearish trend line forming with resistance at $818 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD. Moreover, the 50% Fib retracement level of the last drop from the $839 high to $792 low is around the $816 level. Therefore, it seems like the $816-818 levels are important barriers for buyers.

Ethereum Price Technical Analysis ETH USD

The chances of ETH failing to move above the $818 level are high. On the downside, the recent low of $792 is a short term support. Below the mentioned $792, the price may move back towards the $775 level.

Hourly MACD – The MACD is solid in the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI – The RSI is recovering, but it is well below the 50 level.

Major Support Level – $792

Major Resistance Level – $818

 

Charts courtesy – SimpleFX

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Bitcoin Price Technical Analysis for 03/07/2018 – Short-Term Reversal Signal?

Bitcoin Price Key Highlights Bitcoin price seems to be running out of steam on its recent climb as it tests resistance around $11,500. Another drop to the nearby support at $9,500-10,000 could create a double top pattern. If price breaks below the neckline, bitcoin price could fall by the same height as the chart formation. … Continue reading Bitcoin Price Technical Analysis for 03/07/2018 – Short-Term Reversal Signal?

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Bitcoin Price Key Highlights

  • Bitcoin price seems to be running out of steam on its recent climb as it tests resistance around $11,500.
  • Another drop to the nearby support at $9,500-10,000 could create a double top pattern.
  • If price breaks below the neckline, bitcoin price could fall by the same height as the chart formation.

Bitcoin price could be due for a selloff as it formed a double top pattern on its 1-hour time frame.

Technical Indicators Signals

The 100 SMA is still above the longer-term 200 SMA to signal that the path of least resistance is to the upside. This suggests that the uptrend still has a chance of resuming.

Stochastic is also climbing to indicate that buyers have the upper hand and could allow bitcoin price to revisit the highs close to the $12,000 major psychological level. RSI is just pulling up from oversold conditions, also indicating a pickup in buying pressure.

A break below the neckline, on the other hand, could lead to a drop of around $2,000, which is the same height as the double top. A bounce off support could lead to a test of the highs or creation of new ones.

Market Factors

Fears of a trade war seemed to be abating as more U.S. government officials started reassuring the general public. However, the announcement of economic adviser Gary Cohn’s resignation brought these jitters back to financial markets, weighing on higher-yielding assets.

As it is, opposing factors seem to be in play for bitcoin price, which explains the hesitation to follow through on the inverse head and shoulders upside break. On the one hand, shifting risk sentiment has allowed the cryptocurrency to regain some of its safe-haven status, but traders are still understandably on edge.

One factor that could revive the stronger rally might be more updates on launching an ETF or its Index Fund. Of course it is pending regulatory approval, so any signs of being denied could lead to more bitcoin weakness.

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Slush Pool is Now Compatible With AsicBoost Bitcoin Miners – Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin MagazineSlush Pool is Now Compatible With AsicBoost Bitcoin MinersBitcoin Magazine“The protocol extension we propose and already implemented allows [miners] to use overt AsicBoost over stratum protocol, which was not yet possible,” Slush Pool C…


Bitcoin Magazine

Slush Pool is Now Compatible With AsicBoost Bitcoin Miners
Bitcoin Magazine
“The protocol extension we propose and already implemented allows [miners] to use overt AsicBoost over stratum protocol, which was not yet possible,” Slush Pool CTO Pavel Moravec told Bitcoin Magazine. “Mining can now get even closer to the theoretical ...

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Slush Pool is Now Compatible With AsicBoost Bitcoin Miners

Slush Pool, Bitcoin’s first and oldest mining pool, announced support for AsicBoost today, March 6, 2018. Slush Pool users that have the technology embedded in the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips in their mining hardware can con…

https://slushpool.com/home/

Slush Pool, Bitcoin’s first and oldest mining pool, announced support for AsicBoost today, March 6, 2018. Slush Pool users that have the technology embedded in the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips in their mining hardware can connect to the pool to mine more efficiently and, thus, more profitably.

“The protocol extension we propose and already implemented allows [miners] to use overt AsicBoost over stratum protocol, which was not yet possible,” Slush Pool CTO Pavel Moravec told Bitcoin Magazine. “Mining can now get even closer to the theoretical lower limit on power consumption so that there is less space for finding optimization.”

AsicBoost was invented by former CoinTerra CTO Timo Hanke in 2016. The technology takes an advantage of a quirk in Bitcoin’s proof-of-work algorithm, which lets miners take a sort of “shortcut” to find a new block. This can be done both overtly as well as covertly — though the latter variant is currently not as effective on Bitcoin.

The update to the Slush Pool software is technically modest. It essentially allows Slush Pool miners (or “hashers”) to slightly change what a Bitcoin “block header” looks like: the part of the block that includes data about the block itself. Similar data has been used to signal readiness for soft fork upgrades, but it can be also used for AsicBoost and potentially for less obvious things (like internal accounting).

Although Slush Pool, which currently claims about 11 percent of total hash power on the network, is compatible with AsicBoost starting immediately, there is currently no known mining hardware that takes advantage of the technology — yet.

Patent Controversy

Earlier this week, Little Dragon Technology LLC, the current holder of the patented AsicBoost technology, publicly announced that it would be the first company to join the Blockchain Defensive Patent Licence (BDPL) initiative. This commitment makes the AsicBoost patent available to any company that also joins the BDPL — on condition that these companies share their own patents under the same license.

“We knew that the AsicBoost licence would be available within a defensive patent pool, so we started to prepare the extension some time ago,” said Moravec on the timing of the Slush Pool announcement. “We didn’t want to publish anything before the AsicBoost patent is really out and available.”

While AsicBoost has been subject to much controversy in the past, most of that controversy surrounded the patent on the technology — which could skew competition — and the alleged covert use of it. By making the technology equally available to any company that joins the BDPL, Little Dragon Technology hopes this controversy will come to an end.

Slush Pool, too, believes the BDPL could play a key role here.

“Patents are a problem if they’re not available to all equally,” Moravec said. “Mining is about having an edge. A participant with significant advantage leads to single dominant miner. So it’s actually better if everyone uses AsicBoost. If the patent exists and is made available, then it is fine. It equals the playing field.”

Furthermore, Little Dragon Technology believes that the AsicBoost patent is so powerful that all mining hardware producers must join the BDPL if they wish to remain competitive. As such, these hardware producers must then also share their own patents with other licensees, effectively rendering mining hardware patents altogether obsolete.

“We definitely expect that all manufacturers will use AsicBoost in future. It’s just more efficient and if it is available, then it would be bad for them to not use it,” Moravec said. “The only reason not to use it would be a desire to engage in patent wars.”

For more background and information on the Blockchain Defensive Patent License and Little Dragon Technology’s decision to join the initiative, read Bitcoin Magazine’s cover story for this month: There Is a Bitcoin Patent War Going On, but This Initiative Could End It.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

Litecoin Price Analysis – High risk and reward

Litecoin (LTC) has had a quiet February after the Litecoin Cash fork. The market cap now stands at US$11 billion, with US$640 million traded on exchanges in the past 24 hours.

Litecoin (LTC) has had a quiet February after the Litecoin Cash fork. The market cap now stands at US$11 billion, with US$640 million traded on exchanges in the past 24 hours.

PBoC’s Yao: Chinese Digital Currency Should Be Crypto-Inspired

Yao Qian, digital currency research director at PBoC thinks a central bank digital currency should incorporate some features of cryptocurrency.

Yao Qian, digital currency research director at PBoC thinks a central bank digital currency should incorporate some features of cryptocurrency.