Day: April 30, 2018

George Town, Cayman Islands, April 30, 2018: Cryptfunder, a new, decentralized funding source for startup ICOs and blockchain companies, is creating a new way for pre-ICO startups and other blockchain entities to receive the required funding for success in today’s market.

Employing expert analysts to identify the projects with the greatest potential market value based on factors such as the quality of their team and the real-life application of their technology, Cryptfunder will fortify and expand the world’s latest, most innovative concepts for a more productive and revolutionary future.

“We’re here to be the funding source for startup ICOs that every blockchain project desperately needs today,” said Kevin Sarisky, CEO of Cryptfunder. “Through our provided crypto-capital at pivotal points of the ICO startup building phase, the now fully funded ICO or blockchain company can now fully realize its goals and dreams, enabling delivery of their new, disruptive technology.”

Cryptfunder will provide seed crypto-capital at a crucial phase in return for pre-ICO tokens at a discounted rate, as well as through other methods of compensation. Additionally, Cryptfunder’s backing will enable these startups to kick-start their projects, boost their security, obtain and solidify better servers, and develop better overall technology for sustained success. In exchange for funding, pre-ICO tokens will be provided following the close of the ICO or prior.

Releasing a new kind of ICO contingency model, Cryptfunder’s business plan will be successful depending on the success of the funded startups and their success downstream, which guarantees integrity, transparency, and fairness for Cryptfunder and its’ token holders.

Cryptfunder’s cryptocurrency will be the CFND token. As an ERC20-based token, CFND is built on the Ethereum blockchain according to the industry’s latest protocols. It will serve a dual purpose:

• Fund other startup ICOs and blockchain companies
• As a store of token value and growth

“We selected Ethereum as a tried and tested blockchain with an infallible track record, an increasing volume of tokens in circulation, and a transparent approach to their 100% verified crypto-community,” said Sarisky. “From the start of Cryptfunder’s inception, we wanted this to be a valuable platform that all community members can trust and believe in the vision, the growth and success of the token.”

With statistics detailing an enormous increase in the amount of ICOs and funds raised since their introduction in 2016 ($94 million raised by 30 ICOs in 2016; $6 billion raised by 891 ICOs in 2017), the market saturation has contributed to fraudulent activity, mistrust, and hesitation to delve into new startup ICO platforms. Cryptfunder connects with ICOs during their early stages, providing legitimacy before a negative stigma is attached to the new venture due to a possible lack of proper funding. With these needed funds, startups can now expand their platforms and pursue their future endeavors and achieve their full potential.

“We want to develop newer, better technologies. Sometimes, the only thing standing between a life-changing creation and its widespread adoption is funding,” said Sarisky. ”We’re proud to be officially launching our new platform, sporting the tagline: Cryptocurrency Funding of the Community and for the Community.”

The main objectives of Cryptfunder in today’s cryptocurrency market is to repair ICO public perception, reduce ICO failures due to lack of funding, kick-start promising and innovative projects, and boost the overall crypto-community moving forward.

For more information about the company and the upcoming Cryptfunder ICO launch on May 25, 2018, visit: https://www.cryptfunder.io/.

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.

A Team of Morgan Stanley researchers, led by analyst Sheena Shah, after conducting a study of cryptocurrency exchange distribution, have concluded that local crypto businesses regulations are one of the main factors that exchanges take into account when selecting where to register.

In terms of popularity Malta, with its well defined regulatory framework, has become a crypto-hub, now accounting for the largest share of cryptocurrency volume globally.  The announcement that crypto exchange giant Binance has now made Malta home, followed by similar plans from other exchanges has the industry looking in its direction.

According to the recent Morgan Stanley research, based largely on volume data from Coinmarketcap, the top countries by trade volume are Malta, Belize, Seychelles, the US and South Korea. The largest number of exchanges are found, in order of number, in the UK, Hong Kong, USA, Singpore, and Turkey.

Although both Malta and Belize showed to have far fewer exchanges than many other countries listed, they had the highest volume of trade. The researchers accounted for this by suggesting that the two biggest exchanges are located there; Binance in Malta and OKEx in Belize. Shah suggested:

“The largest exchange called Binance announced intentions to set up headquarters there, so if we take that company out, Malta would be much further down the list.”

Notably, the research showed that the UK, the country with the most exchanges, only accounted for one percent of the total trading volume. The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently commented that cryptocurrencies as a means of payment or exchange were not within its regulatory perimeter, and that the “landscape was complex.”  This is clearly language which is not encouraging for exchanges looking for a new home.

Shah commented that companies need to know what to expect on choosing a country to do business in when planning for the future, arguing “Defined but also attractive regulation makes an exchange decide to choose one country over another.”

She said that exchanges felt that they needed to follow a set of laws of when handling customer assets and they didn’t necessarily need to be lenient, but they should be well defined.

Image Courtesy:   https://pixabay.com/en/europe-gdpr-general-regulation-3246346/ TheDigitalArtist

The post National Regulations Main Factor When Choosing Crypto Exchange Says Morgan Stanley appeared first on BitcoinNews.com.

The Crypto Invest Summit announces yet another partnership to help educate the general public about opportunities in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. CNBC Africa will join the summit, not just to cover events, but to participate as a premier partner.

CNBC Africa’s Crypto Trader Show will take a lead role in promoting the conference to network viewers in the lead up to the opening. The show will then broadcast live from the conference and also use the recorded material in future segments. Live interviews from a special media booth will help programmers keep the audience updated on important information shared at events.

This media partnership with the Crypto Invest Summit will bring attention to more than just cryptocurrency and blockchain issues. The summit also provides an important opportunity for investors to meet ideas and make deals while the summit participants and the world watch. The excitement will boost interest and draw more people with capital and vision into the cryptocurrency and blockchain fields.

The Crypto Trader Show, hosted by Ran Neu-Ner, has kept audiences informed about the growing cryptocurrency field since 2017 and his prominent list of guests includes successful international figures such as Richard Branson. The iconic show focuses on news, issues, and opportunities surrounding the fast expanding field of cryptocurrencies. The Crypto Trader Show is no stranger to live events, having organized six conferences in South Africa.

Cryptocurrency and blockchain experts will converge on Los Angeles from April 30th to May 2nd for the Crypto Invest Summit. The summit offers two and a half exciting days of presentations, special programs, investment opportunities, networking opportunities and much more. The Crypto Invest Summit has scheduled a broad variety of speakers who will fill panels that cover topics of strong interest to those working in cryptocurrency and blockchain. Also, the summit will allow innovators to pitch their best ideas to potential investors while the audience gets to watch as the deals go down.

Supporters who helped to make the Crypto Invest Summit possible include lead sponsor Hedera Hashgraph. Hedera Hashgraph represents the future of online transactions, providing a safe and secure platform for negotiation and agreement. Other sponsors include American Airlines, Dream Team, DNA, Wavemaker Genesis, and Spice Venture Capital.

We’ve partnered with Crypto Invest Summit to make this event the most memorable one yet, and awarding our community with 30% discounts on all general admission tickets when using TheMerkle30 at checkout. For more info and to register, please visit Crypto Invest Summit’s Eventbrite page.

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.

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) have outlined plans to replace its current clearing and settlement system with a DLT model within the next two years.

The current system, the “Clearing House Electronic Subregister System”(CHESS) which has been used by ASX since the 1990’s, will be replaced with blockchain technology possibly in 2020.

The idea of using distributed ledger technology has been in the pipeline since 2015, but it was only recently in December of last year that the Australian stock exchange felt ready to announce that it would become the world’s first stock exchange to use the technology for post-trade settlement. The technology was developed in partnership with Digital Asset, led by former JPMorgan Chase executive Blythe Masters.

Chess was scheduled for an upgraded prior to ASX considering adopting DLT, so the exchange views the switch to the new system as a “marginal cost” according to ASX chief Dominic Stevens. Speaking at the end of last year, Stevens commented, “The costs in rolling out this system I don’t think are too dissimilar to us having rolled out a traditional system.”

“The CHESS system’s been around since the ’90s,” said Gareth James, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. “Imagine if you’re using any software on your PC from the ’90s,” suggesting that the system was well overdue for an update.

CLS Group CEO David Puth claims that ASX’s embracing of distributed ledger technology will be significant in that will provide an example, by “demystifying” DLT for others considering implementing blockchain across the sector, arguing that the move will, “…establish standards by itself.”

Cryptocurrency

As blockchain is increasingly being developed and employed in new sectors across the country, cryptocurrency is increasing in popularity. While Australia may not be the largest market for Bitcoin and other digital currencies, it is one that is quickly growing. It is currently ranked the 13th in the world for Bitcoin trading volume by currency, with the AUD seeing around BTC 276 trading via the AUD in a 24-hour period. Comparatively, it is not uncommon for Japan to process BTC 301,404 in the same period.

Image Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/en/blockchain-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-3357567/ The DigitalArtist

The post Australian Stock Exchange To Roll Out Plans For Blockchain appeared first on BitcoinNews.com.

For those people who are fed up with cryptocurrency hard forks, ignoring Anonymous Bitcoin may be the best course of action. This yet-to-be created currency will take the best aspects of Bitcoin and ZClassic and combine them into a powerful currency. Creating a full-privacy alternative to Bitcoin is not necessarily something new, but Anonymous Bitcoin claims it can do a better job than others have.  

The Purpose of Anonymous Bitcoin

It is commendable to see developers take a different approach when it comes to dealing with Bitcoin and privacy. More specifically, most cryptocurrency users are all too aware of how Bitcoin itself is neither private nor anonymous by any means. While some government officials may claim otherwise, anyone can see that Bitcoin is not the tool with which to hide one’s financial activity.

Even so, there is a growing demand to bring more privacy to Bitcoin itself. We do know that some Bitcoin developers and contributors are bringing Monero-like features to the world’s leading cryptocurrency, although nothing has been set in stone just yet. Until those changes are officially introduced, Anonymous Bitcoin may offer some relief to cryptocurrency enthusiasts, assuming this project offers something people are actively looking for.

What makes this upcoming hard fork so interesting is that it combines aspects of Bitcoin and ZClassic. ZClassic itself is a fork of Zcash, a currency primarily focused on privacy. When forks create new forks, we are living in the Forkening itself. Even so, Anonymous Bitcoin will offer zkSNARKs technology to facilitate anonymous transactions. Additionally, it will introduce faster transactions by increasing the overall block size, similar to what Bitcoin Cash is doing.

As one would almost expect by now, Anonymous Bitcoin will also offer a masternode feature to let users stake their coins and make a profit from providing valuable network services. It seems most cryptocurrencies focusing on privacy and anonymity rely on masternodes to a certain extent, although there are always some exceptions. It will be interesting to see if this business model benefits BTCA in the long run.

It is expected that the BTCA testnet will go live in early August of this year. That test will determine whether the infrastructure can succeed in a real-world environment, or if any further changes will need to be made in the coming weeks. Assuming the test is successful overall, Anonymous Bitcoin will go live on September 9, although that date is subject to change. The associated airdrop will occur around the same time.

As is always the case, it remains to be seen whether or not there will be any interest in Anonymous Bitcoin. Given the upcoming addition of privacy features to Bitcoin itself – albeit with no official timeline – it is doubtful too many people will pay attention to this upcoming fork. Even so, there is a genuine demand for privacy and anonymity where cryptocurrencies are concerned. It is likely we will see another massive ZClassic price pump as the airdrop of BTCA draws near.

A crypto lending startup backed by TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington launched a U.S. dollar credit platform on Monday.

Venezuela’s Petro cryptocurrency has been off to an interesting start. Despite clear opposition from various countries, the Venezuelan governments want to improve the widespread use of this currency. As such, the government is now looking at India to purchase crude oil from Venezuela at a 30% discount. This discount will only apply if India uses the Petro for the payment, which remains a troublesome topic of conversation.

Can the Petro Succeed?

It is evident Venezuela’s cryptocurrency is a topic of debate. This new form of money is met with resistance from within the government and other countries alike. Especially the United States isn’t too happy about this project given the sanctions imposed upon this country many moons ago. With the Petro, Venezuela would effectively be able to bypass these sanctions, which can open up a   completely new can of worms in the future.

Despite this opposition, Venezuelan officials still want to improve the overall use of Petro. By offering India a 30% discount on crude oil purchases, an important first step is taken. This discount can only be obtained when India pays for the crude oil using the Petro cryptocurrency.  The news comes at an interesting time for this new cryptocurrency. Venezuelan blockchain experts recently visited the country to sign a pact with Coinsecure.

Due to this agreement, Coinsecure would begin selling the Petro in India. This would allow users to trade this new cryptocurrency against both Bitcoin and the Indian Rupee. As such, it is normal Venezuela wants to improve the appeal of their own national cryptocurrency even further. Offering such a crude oil deal is a very interesting decision, although one that hasn’t been accepted by the Indian government as of yet.

Potential Implications of Such a Deal

Despite the initial interest in the Petro, the currency hasn’t made much of an impact. No official deals are in place to promote the use of this national cryptocurrency. A partnership with India would certainly elevate the Petro to an entirely new level. However, there are also a lot of concerns regarding sanctions and other types of repercussions for getting involved in this “unsanctioned” form of money.

For now, there is no indication the Indian government will accept this offer. Given the earlier talks between both parties, that situation may come to change fairly soon. The Petro still hasn’t launched, as it will only happen after the upcoming presidential elections. Those are scheduled to take place on May 20th of 2018. Venezuelan vice-minister for hydrocarbons Angel Gonzalez expects a “huge interest in the Petro from countries like India”.

With President Trump already issuing a ban on this cryptocurrency, it remains unclear what the future will hold. Venezuela wants to make this currency its official form of money between now and 2020. It is an ambitious goal, yet one that may be feasible to achieve. The Petro will remain a topic of debate for quite some time to come. It is the world’s first cryptocurrency tied to national oil reserves. However, it’s also an “illegal” way of bypassing existing sanctions.

The post Venezuela Coaxes India to Pay For Crude Oil With Petro Cryptocurrency appeared first on NewsBTC.

It is already evident today that cryptocurrencies have a great potential to grow. But thanks to the volatile nature of the crypto-market, reflected by constant price fluctuation, there is a lot of doubt and criticism surrounding the market’s future. These existing conditions have created the need for tokens will relatively stable values which could act as both store of value as well as a unit of account. APOD is one such token fitting the needs of the present-day crypto-markets.

AirPod, the platform behind APOD tokens is passionately working to bring stability to their own token through the implementation of a Sponsorship program, which is set to boost liquidity. AirPod’s unique ecosystem will help make it one of the most profitable and stable business opportunities in the crypto-market right now. The base of the platform — APOD token’s main function is to act as a mode of payment for using AirPod “private resting capsule”. The token is a vital fuel for AirPod renting and platform services. With time, APOD token will become the fluid of self-sustainable economy on AirPod platform, enabling their holders to order, reserve or lease AirPod Services.

By holding on to these tokens, users will get a stable passive crypto-income opportunity. ICO participants will be able to convert APOD tokens to a sponsorship program for each installed AirPod unit over an indefinite time period. This will help establish a profit-sharing relation, giving them the opportunity to manage units and collect fees. The sponsorship program stage will be implemented during the first year or after the installation of the 400^th AirPod unit.

Opportunity to Manage Units and Collect Fees.

Through AirPod’s own DApp, token holders will be able to access AirPod’s Sponsorship Program. The application will enable token holders to make a financial analysis of an individual AirPods free of charge, helping them decide which AirPod they choose for the Sponsorship Program, sign a Smart Contract and start gathering profits.

The Sponsorship Program provides an opportunity for the ICO participant to gain profit shares for the selected AirPod unit. They stand to earn up to 80% returns on the unit’s profits month after month as a Stable Passive Income.

Blockchain technology and the use of smart contract – complete transparency and an available overview of the unit’s business.  Sponsorship participants will also be able to invest in future deals of a particular AirPod unit and even trade them with other participants or sell your share anytime to anyone.

About AirPod

AirPod is a firm that is involved in design and placement of capsule-style privacy units in public spaces including Airport terminals hotel hallways railway and bus stations etc.

It’s an ideal solution for people who are seeking to find an area to relax in private while still in a public place. AirPod units incorporate technologies that will enable users to perform a range of tasks in total privacy and comfort. The APOD token sale is set to go live in May 2018.

More information about AirPod is available at – https://air-pod.io/

The post AirPod: Reintroducing Stability to the Cryptocurrency Market appeared first on NewsBTC.

Ripple has been a very peculiar company in the world of blockchain and digital currency. Their desire to strengthen the financial ecosystem rather than replace it has created some bad blood among cryptocurrency diehards. Even so, Ripple is making a positive impact on the market, and their XRP asset should not be overlooked. India’s Koinex exchange will use XRP as a base trading market for all supported currencies.

Another Notch in the Belt of XRP

Although not all cryptocurrency supporters see eye-to-eye when it comes to XRP, no one can deny the success of this digital asset. After a very rough start, the value of XRP has risen gradually and now sits near the $0.85 mark. With the Ripple team locking up over half of the XRP supply in time-locked contracts, there is no risk of anyone dumping large amounts of it on the open market.

The rise in the XRP value has attracted a lot of cryptocurrency speculators over the years. XRP has seen some price spikes – reaching as much as $3 – and bigger price dips in the past eight months. The demand for XRP has not slowed in the slightest, even though it is not the traditional cryptocurrency which some people might expect it to be.

With major financial giants such as MercuryFX and Western Union trialing Ripple technology, more focus is brought upon XRP. Ripple’s xRapid liquidity solution hinges on XRP’s ability to provide instant cross-border fiat transaction settlement. This has caused the demand for XRP to go up even more, although there’s still a long way to go until this digital asset is mainly controlled by entities other than the Ripple team itself.

Despite all of these successes, XRP cannot be found on every major cryptocurrency exchange. Coinbase, for example, openly rejected the listing of XRP, even when the Ripple team was prepared to offer them a great deal of money. To this day, no one outside the company knows for sure why Coinbase decided not to list this asset. Regulatory concerns regarding XRP being labeled a security – alongside Ethereum – may have influenced that decision to a certain extent.

Big was people’s surprise when Koinex, an Indian exchange, announced they would support XRP as a base trading market. All other currencies and assets listed on this platform will have XRP pairs. That is a very unique take on things. Alternative currency-based trading markets are nothing new, as Ethereum is a market for most ERC20 tokens. For XRP, however, it is a major step toward becoming a mainstream digital asset.

@Ripple (XRP) has always been a crypto-crowd favourite because of its high liquidity and ease to transact. For the first time in the crypto world, Koinex proudly presents XRP-based trading market with 8 XRP pairs going live tonight. #XRPTheStandard#WhatsNextOnKoinex #Ripple

— Koinex (@koinexindia) April 28, 2018

It is evident that this decision by Koinex will set a very peculiar precedent in the world of cryptocurrency and digital assets. While it’s unclear if any other major exchange will enable XRP as a base currency, there is certainly a valid reason for doing so. Bringing more liquidity to this particular asset is always a good thing, although it remains to be seen how all of this will pan out.

Blockchain author William Mougayar is teaming up with Jabre Capital Partners to launch a blockchain investment fund for startups.