Day: April 11, 2018

While it may be premature, many are suggesting that a true reversal is finally taking place. As Bitcoin establishes higher lows, and more and more altcoins are seeing huge appreciations, there seems to be evidence to suggest the bears are being driven out. Coupled with abundant, positive news recently, it’s possible that the extended red will soon turn green.

Last week, Bitcoin (BTC) held support at US$6,600. More recently, floors were established at $6,700, and days later $6,800. Today, Bitcoin is holding above the $6,900 mark, and is gradually pushing towards a renewed support at $7,000. This growth has been seen directly following news that the multi-billionaire Rockefeller family plans to invest in cryptocurrency. Controversial globalist billionaire, George Soros, has also announced his plans to invest in crypto.

Far more exciting than Bitcoin is the price movements of altcoins recently. The global cryptocurrency market capitalization has risen from below US$260 billion to above $270 billion in the past day, a growth of about 5%. This growth directly follows the news that the European Commission of the EU announces plan to invest  €300 million in blockchain projects as part of its recently launched EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum. Speculators suggest that European-focused Ambrosus (AMB) could be one of the projects largely supported by this initiative. The “supply chain 2.0” is presenting alongside members of EU Parliament and the European Commission later this month.

#Ambrosus BizDev Rado Dragov to speak in #Brussels alongside Henna Virkkunen of the European Parliament (@HennaVirkkunen), Pēteris Zilgalvis of the European Commission (@PZilgalvis) and John Higgins, Chairman of the Global #Digital Foundation (@john_s_higgins) $AMB #blockchain pic.twitter.com/zGvnjlh8YU

— Ambrosus (@AmbrosusAMB) April 11, 2018

Of the top 100 currencies by market cap, 92 have seen growth in the past 24 hours. 10 of these coins have seen appreciation of over 10%, led by EOS with a 27% growth in the past day. With the exception of one, the coins that have seen loss have only recorded losses of under 4%. The exception is Verge (XVG) which has depreciated by close to 9% since yesterday.

The last major obstacle, many suggest, is the potential for last year’s winners to liquidate cryptocurrency to pay US taxes before April 17. With under a week left, it’s likely that most liquidations have already been made. Furthermore, the adoption of powerhouse investors suggests that now truly is the time when a reversal will finally take place.

Last April marked the precursor to 2017’s massive growth. Global crypto markets quadrupled between the start of April to the first week of June, and, as we know, continued to explode for much of the rest of the year. As was also the case last year, a significant growth in volume is also likely with the start of summer, as many of the college aged crypto enthusiasts become significantly more active during breaks from school. With an increase in volume, a similar increase in price is to be expected.

Most coins are in the green but our focus today is on EOS and NEO. It’s now common knowledge that EOS was April 11 top performer gaining a massive 22 percent. In my view, EOS shall continue to expand but not at the same pace. Remember it was technically a break out so today we expect some lower lows before trend resumes. NEO is also up but I will also shift my attention to Litecoin which is under-performing the market. It is oversold but Litecoin might adjust and sync with the general market trend.

Let’s have a look at these charts:

XLM/USD (Stellar Lumens)

XLMUSD 4HR Chart from Bittrex for April 12, 2018

A 2.43 percent gain is not that impressive but as far cryptos and Stellar Lumens is concerned, it is huge. Not only did this small gain nudge prices above the main resistance trend line and wedge in the 4HR chart but it is actually laying a foundation for buyers to reject further losses.

In my view, and considering yesterday’s Stellar Lumens technical analysis, this gain is likely to continue today especially if there is a surge past our buy trigger line at $0.21 or this week’s highs.

Any moves past this will be a clear break out in the daily chart where prices have been in consolidation mode for a while now. Because of this I expect buyers to expand and test $0.27 in the coming days.

IOT/USD (IOTA)

IOTUSD 4HR Chart from BitFinex for April 12, 2018

Time is money and whether you think IOTA is vaporware or a real solid project, then time shouldn’t be your psychological enemy. It’s better to get in earlier than to regret like many did when prices were topping $5.5 in December 2017.

From recent announcement, IOTA is actually subjecting their recent Trinity Mobile wallet to a 6-7 week security audit led by accessec GmbH as they begin working on a new desktop alpha version in the first half of April 2018.

Both wallets are built on React framework and already 100s of testers are set for this activity where of course a lot of code “borrowing’ will happen.

Of course such announcement is only positive and with that, IOTA continues gaining. It’s up 3.26 percent and a glance at their technicals hints of room for more expansion.

If we base our preview on yesterday’s IOTA technical analysis then we can as well continue trading this minor break out and jump in to the 3^rd phase-the trend resumption phase. This therefore means our immediate target is at $1.25 as per our previous analysis.

EOS/USD (EOS)

EOSUSD Daily Chart from BitFinex for April 12, 2018

It’s always political correct to talk of blockchain when referring to cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies is a disruption for big establishments and since “blockchain”-read EOS- is here to stay, the EU is definitely towing in.

That acknowledgment alone is a $100M purse opener as EOS will channel that amount to FinLab AG towards DApp development. That’s not all though and it is coincidence because EOSApps.net is now live.

Within it are plans for BitFinex for example to build a high performance DEX on EOS.io amongst other across the board apps ranging from healthcare to social media.

Of course EOS is up and the biggest performer in the last 24 hours with a 30 percent gain. If you are already long as per our projections, moving stops to break even and moving take profits to $9.5 as we trade this bullish engulfing pattern can be lucrative.

LTC/USD (Litecoin)

LTCUSD 4HR Chart from CoinBase for April 12, 2018

After LitePay, Litecoin now have LTCPay and their site LTCPay.com is live. Even though it doesn’t support fiat conversion, at-least it does work and supports several APIs just in case you need any form of conversion.

Tweets by LTCPayCom

A good thing but nothing beats news that TenX has a LTC wallet. Because of this, Charlie Lee and Litecoin Foundation shall collaborate with them to launch a Litecoin debit card allowing card holder to make direct payments using Litecoin.

TenX recently added LTC to their wallets, and we are working with them to launch a Litecoin debit card. Stay tuned for more information. LitePay who? #PayWithLitecoin https://t.co/T54jK2Obr9

— Charlie Lee [LTC] (@SatoshiLite) April 11, 2018

Irrespective of news and the pace at which Litecoin is growing their merchant base, price action is slow and in the last 24 hours it continues to under-perform.

Technically, price action continues to accumulate along our minor support line. However, with a stochastic buy signal in place turning from deep the oversold territory, there are chances of higher highs. In that case, I recommend longs with stops at $108.

NEO/USD (NEO)

NEOUSD 4HR Chart from Bittrex for April 12, 2018

Before scaling, blockchain technology should focus on solving real world problems. Otherwise, the technology has no use. NEO does that and through their smart economy, several in-house projects are towing with the same initiative.

Their European tour is helpful and it goes a long way demystifying NEO. Zeepin, a creative smart economy platform utilizing DApps for IP rights, insurance, project management and others will be launching their test-net in April 23.

A big step forward for leading the creative industries towards decentralization, thank you to everyone who has been supporting #Zeepin https://t.co/tPkplim9va @NEOnewstoday #testnet #dApp #progressupdate #crypto $zpt $gala pic.twitter.com/zwNSnQQx6D

— Zeepin (@ZeepinChain) April 11, 2018

That aside, you should look to buy NEO in the coming days now that prices are trading above the middle BB in the daily chart. Everything is according to our initial NEO technical analysis. I recommend buys with targets at $90 and $110.

All charts courtesy of Trading View

The post NEO, EOS, Litecoin, IOTA and Stellar: Technical Analysis April 12, 2018 appeared first on NewsBTC.

Shares of the beverage manufacturer that pivoted to cryptocurrency will no longer trade on the Nasdaq, beginning Thursday.

A project with the goal of developing the world’s biggest collection of genomic information is aiming for a new collaboration in India that will help address inadequacies in the diversity of genomic data currently used in research globally.

Shivom is describing its new relationship with the government of Andhra Pradesh as “hugely significant” because it means access to sequencing the nearly 60 million citizens in India’s eighth-most-populous state. In turn, these individuals will have the potential to benefit from improved health services and a more preventative approach to medicine.

The company aims to enable anyone to get their genome sequenced – with the information uncovered through DNA sequencing providing insights to people about risks of potentially developing certain medical conditions, and learn how to better prevent them where possible, as well as work with healthcare professionals to determine which treatment plans will be most effective.

Data privacy has become a hot topic following on from the scandal involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica – with Shivom emphasizing that its platform puts the ownership of an individual’s data “in their hands.”

Gourish Singla, the company’s COO, says the current controversy at Facebook proves how important it is for the public to be aware of how their personal information is used. Genomic data will be stored securely in Shivom’s Blockchain-based system – and the individuals it belongs to have the final say over who sees it. In some cases, people can be rewarded via tokens if they choose to provide their data to healthcare providers and researchers.

Part of the partnership in Andhra Pradesh will see Shivom open a new development center at Fintech Valley Vizag. Meanwhile, the company also plans to collaborate closely with the local government on issues including cybersecurity and analytics at the International Institute of Digital Technologies.

Cutting the risk of misdiagnosis

When it comes to genomic data, insufficient diversity has been a long-running issue – with many databases lacking adequate sample sizes from ethnic minorities. These gaping holes in knowledge mean that patients from such communities can run the risk of being misdiagnosed, while researchers are left unable to learn more about variants in diseases and how different groups react to the medication.

Dr. Axel Schumacher, the CEO of Shivom, says this partnership has the potential to prevent under-represented groups from missing out on personalized and predictive medicine in the future.

The prices associated with DNA sequencing have decreased substantially over the past decade, which will make it possible to sequence large populations more rapidly. Shivom confirms that it is currently engaged in discussions with other governments, including those in Europe and the United Arab Emirates, about how its technology can be used to help modernize their health services.

Preparing for a presale

Shivom has announced that after a successful private sale, its public presale for OmiX tokens, the fuel which will power its ecosystem, will open on April 16 and run for six days. The company has opened a registration page on its website for interested parties.

The presale and progress in Andhra Pradesh come a month after the company revealed it has signed a collaboration with publicly-traded (Nasdaq: Gene; ASX: GTG) molecular diagnostics company Genetic Technologies Limited (GTG).

This partnership will help boost GTG’s development of predictive cancer tests by allowing them to use Shivom’s large data sets, which will feature significant quantities of data from underrepresented ethnicities and new countries. Simultaneously, Shivom stands to benefit by gaining access to its partner’s accredited laboratories in Australia and the United States.

The post Major Collaborative Effort to Diversify Genomic Data by Sequencing Population in India appeared first on NewsBTC.

Managing director of Crypto Asset Management, Timothy Enneking, said Monday that he believed the poor trading conditions in the cryptocurrency market were largely over.

He cited several reasons behind his prediction. Firstly, he theorized that many investors benefitting from the massive gains in the market last year, notably Bitcoin, chose to consolidate their profits and sold off their cryptocurrency assets. A significant number of traders doing this could viably create the recent market slump.

As well as this, Enneking noted that regulatory concerns were discouraging investors. Although he did not refer to any specific circumstance, India recently prohibited banks from handling cryptocurrency transactions, while the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) subpoenaed multiple startups holding initial coin offerings (ICOs). The SEC confirmed dozens of investigations were being carried out.

Enneking also mentioned that to a lesser extent, the massive liquidation by an exchange platform user under the handle ‘Mt. Gox’ encouraged the market decline. He believed that startups selling off assets to cover salaries and expenses could also have been a contributing factor.

Market rebound

While these components have mostly been priced into the market already, Enneking commented on Bitcoin’s overall falling market share. He sees this contraction of Bitcoin dominance as directly related to the decline in correlation between Bitcoin and other currencies, as alternatives are beginning to have their value determined more by their own quality and popularity.

Despite the recent trough, Enneking’s report acknowledges that the cryptocurrency market is still up by over 600% in the last 15 months. The nature of recent contributing factors to the slump, combined with the larger scope of growth, are indicators for Enneking that the market will soon be rebounding.

Enneking’s firm, Crypto Asset Management, was founded last year and is responsible for managing approximately USD 20 million in assets. From its high in January, the company’s CAMCrypto30 index experienced a fall of 69%.

The post Crypto Asset Manager Says Bear Market Coming to an End appeared first on BitcoinNews.com.

Taklimakan Network, the Singapore-based business and cryptocurrency educational platform that connects experts, analysts, and blockchain enthusiasts, has announced that they will be further developing their cryptocurrency literacy tool in collaboration with Achain. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding that both say will expand their research and development capabilities.

The Taklimakan Network team has been actively connecting with partner companies who share their values to bring cryptocurrency and blockchain literacy to the mainstream. Taklimakan’s project was developed with a goal of increasing financial literacy among people who have an interest in cryptocurrency but who need access to reliable tools and analysis to help them make sound decisions when buying or trading tokens in the crypto market. Their web- and mobile-based app allows enthusiasts of any level to interact and connect with experts and avail themselves of sophisticated trading and analytical tools and educational materials, all aimed at increasing mainstream participation in the blockchain market. Taklimakan offers both a moderated news aggregator and an analytical service, and even allows their users to participate in crowdsourced predictions

Achain was founded in 2015 with a mission of bringing blockchain to everyone. Their public Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) platform was designed to give enterprises and companies the ability to issue their own tokens and to create smart contracts and their own blockchain systems. The project itself was a blockchain community-driven idea that resulted in the non-profit Achain Foundation. The platform currently supports the Lua programming language and will expand to Java, Python, Go, and others later this year. Their relationship with Taklimakan will likely increase demand for the very type of platform development envisaged by Achain.

Taklimakan Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Rashid Yussup, who was an early crypto and blockchain adopter, has first-hand knowledge of how difficult entering the crypto sphere can be for novices and even experts in more traditional types of trading. He says he is excited to be collaborating with another company that recognized early on the potential of blockchain to make a difference in the everyday world. “We’re excited to have this opportunity to work with Achain as we continue to develop our product,” he says. “They have been committed to building a boundless cryptocurrency world based on a belief that blockchain is the innovation reform that will pave the way for a more democratic economic structure for future generations. With the help of Achain, we can create a world where people are directly connected through a trusted, collaborative, peer-to-peer-exchanged and value-driven platform under social consensus.” Yussup adds that he believes the Taklimakan platform will attract more than a million users over the next two years. This makes strategic partnerships with companies like Achain even more important, as both companies strive to enhance their research and development capacities to accommodate the needs of their users.

Taklimakan has just launched its public ICO which will be active until June 9, 2018. Their Ethereum ERC20 standard TKLN token is priced at USD 0.05 per 1 TKLN, and they offer ten bonus levels for various bulk purchases. For more information on Taklimakan Network, visit their website at taklimakan.io

Find out more about Achain at achain.com

The post Taklimakan Joins Forces with Achain to Develop New Tools That Improve Cryptocurrency Literacy appeared first on NewsBTC.

Vice president of the European Commission (EC) Andrus Ansip has called for Europe to become a world leader in blockchain technology. Ansip said this at the EC’s Digital Day 2018 convention in Brussels on 10 April.

Ansip, who is also European Commissioner of the Single Digital Market, told the convention that Europe’s position as a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) positions the EU to take a prominent role in blockchain technology.

He urged EU governments to invest in blockchain technology both “politically and financially” as it emerges “out of the lab” and goes mainstream as other regions outside of Europe are clearly positioning themselves as business competitors. He pointed out that financial investment would be key and that “none of this comes for free”.

Talking specifically about blockchain technology, the conference’s Blockchain Partnership Initiative referred to “impressive investments in blockchain start-ups” in its preamble. It read:

“A significant number of member states have already started to pioneer blockchain initiatives with the aim of developing and reinforcing local innovation ecosystems and aiming to create governmental services on the blockchain.”

In total, 22 European countries have signed a declaration on the establishment of a European Blockchain Partnership, including Germany, France, and the UK. A significant project underway is in the field of healthcare. The EU’s My Health My Data (MHMD) project “aims to use blockchain technology to enable medical data to be stored and transmitted safely and effectively”.

Another blockchain project, DECODE, is “exploring and piloting new technologies that give people more control over how they store, manage and use personal data generated online”.

The Digital Day event aimed to bring together professionals from across the spectrum of digital technology and communication to promote the building of a “digitally strong EU”.

The EU has already invested more than EUR 80 million in projects supporting the use of blockchain in technical and societal areas. It promised that another EUR 300 million more is to be allocated to blockchain support by 2020.

The post EU Urged to Embrace Blockchain Technologies appeared first on BitcoinNews.com.

An Idaho resident has sued the bank on behalf of “hundreds or thousands” of affected cryptocurrency investors.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

As more and more blockchain projects flood the market, investors have become accustomed to the task of filtering out scam projects from those that actually build on the tech. As Verv founder and CEO Peter Davies puts it, “The most disappointing [thing about cryptocurrency] is the amount of scams drowning out real projects that could have a hugely positive impact on the world.” I managed to get some time with Davies for an interview in which he outlined Verv’s potential impact.

Verv is a blockchain-based system for people to make and save money by trading energy with others in their area, using machine learning AI to automate optimization of the entire process for everyone. Verv uses ERC-20 compliant VLUX tokens as currency on its energy trading system.

“Verv is an all-in-one energy monitoring, control and trading system. Using signal processing and machine learning techniques, it disaggregates energy readings taken from your home’s main lines to determine how much energy each appliance in your house is using. From this information it can predict energy consumption and allows homeowners with solar panels and home batteries to trade energy with other neighbors using the blockchain-based Verv Energy Trading Platform facilitated by VLUX tokens,” Davies explains.

Some Background

Davies is the founder and CEO of Verv, an energy-trading startup based in England with an already usable home system and years of testing machine learning on their product. Davies is an electrical engineer and former data consultant. He founded Verv under the name Green Running in 2009. At the time, he was focused on the ways in which commercial businesses like hotels and restaurants could reduce their energy use.

Verv’s Home Energy Focus

In 2017, Davies shifted his focus to the home energy market, filing a UK patent for Verv’s blockchain-based P2P energy trading system. Davies wants to bring energy savings to homeowners using blockchain technology and the power of AI.

Artificial Intelligence and Energy Savings

Both of those things are appealing if you’re interested in merging sustainable energy with machine learning capabilities. Since the emergence of smart home energy products like the Nest thermostat, it’s not a surprise that there’s interest in doing so. As for his project, Davies hopes to “improve access to green energy and incentivize the uptake of renewables.” Verv allows homeowners who produce more energy than they consume to trade it in an AI-automated peer to peer (P2P) trading platform running in the background on a smart hub device.

Verv’s trading platform is meant to ensure that homeowners only trade energy when their pricing is competitive with the grid. Sellers never sell for less than they pay to produce energy, while buyers only pay when prices are lower than their normal energy costs. “Our algorithm automates a sort of auction which will ensure this is the case. Over a year, all of these automated trades will result in substantial savings.” P2P trading means homeowners who buy solar panels get a faster return on their investment, he explains.

Predicting Energy Needs

“At Verv we are focused on setting ourselves apart through high frequency sampling of electricity data and applying deep learning AI via our Verv smart hub [IoT device] to generate advanced energy consumption and production forecasts,” says Davies. According to him, these predictions allow for more efficient trading, making green energy more affordable.

AI can make quick decisions about energy that can have a significant impact on peak energy times. As homeowners return from work in the evening, energy demand peaks. Davies explains, “Verv can predict future energy requirements based on previous patterns of use. We could automate the switching off of a customer’s fridge for one hour which, if we turn off enough fridges, could have a big impact on the grid.” As fridges keep their contents cold for up to 24 hours even after they are turned off (as long as they remain closed), this could produce substantial savings with negligible changes to one’s daily habits.

Built on Ethereum, but Centralized

Currently, Verv distributes its AI-automated energy trades as smart contracts on a customized version of the Ethereum blockchain. “Our system uses a proof-of-authority algorithm and runs on private nodes so we reach consensus faster than an international public system,” Davies tells me. While VLUX tokens are decentralized as ERC-20 tokens, its energy trading platform is controlled directly by Verv.

According to Davies, his team “built the platform with flexibility in mind so that we can switch to a more effective system in the future if the need arises. At the moment, Ethereum is Verv’s blockchain of choice due to its global traction, high-caliber team, and flexible, open source software.” This means they’re leaving their options open for a potential switch in the future.

Making AI Learning Affordable and Accessible

Machine learning and AI are often more expensive to deploy than traditional systems. Verv’s low-cost Smart Hub connects homeowners with deep learning AI, lowering costs. Davies tells me, “We’ve gathered a huge amount of data from several years of trials and home testing.” This testing, combined with a low-cost hub, helps get around this frequent barrier to entry.

Meet the Competition: PowerLedger

Verv faces competition from a number of competitors seeking to be the world’s energy trading blockchain. These include EnergyCoin, WePower, and GridPlus, which have all raised money in ICOs.

The most viable competitor, the Australian PowerLedger, offers a similar P2P distributed renewable energy model. PowerLedger tracks energy consumption and trades autonomously, much like Verv does. After a year of testing, PowerLedger is now in trials with some of Australia’s largest energy companies. It raised $20 million in its ICO last year, but the price of its token, POWR, has dropped significantly from a high of around two dollars to $0.31.

While PowerLedger also shows promise, Verv seems to be ahead of the pack, with more years spent on complex machine learning algorithms for home energy use and a readily usable home hub system. Davies explains, “We believe this provides a critical first-mover advantage which will enable accelerated product development and customer acquisition.”

The Future

In such a bearish market, it remains to be seen who will survive the current Crypto Winter. Verv’s token pre-sale started on March 20 and runs until May 28, followed by a regular sale ending on May 30. Verv has been running on private funds and multiple government grants and is hoping to raise about $35 million in this sale.

Competition among these energy platforms will hopefully cause all of them to generate even better solutions, ideally leading to an accessible form of renewable energy trading on blockchains worldwide.

Ripple has invested $25 million of its XRP token into a fund created by notable industry venture capital firm Blockchain Capital.

A crypto startup is challenging credit cards by creating a Blockchain protocol where crypto payments are “just as flexible” and less expensive #SPONSORED

A company is betting on breaking the dominance of institutional investors in commercial real estate, and opening it to many others including small individual investors. #SPONSORED