Day: July 11, 2018

Crypto exchange WEX – formerly known as BTC-e – saw its BTC/USD market spike to nearly $9,000 on Wednesday.

Banco Santander’s new blockchain-dedicated research team will explore the technology’s potential to change securities

NAGA is already well-known as a leading ecosystem in the cryptocurrency space. Now, the comprehensive platform is launching an addition to its popular NAGA WALLET service — the ICO-Hub.

Curated ICOs

NAGA WALLET’S new ICO-Hub feature does more than simply compile a list of random ongoing and upcoming ICOs. Rather, it provides a specially curated list of ICOs, all of which are handpicked by NAGA’s team of advisors and resident experts. Said team conducts thorough due diligence and ensures that only those with the highest trust rating are selected as part of the ICO-Hub.

Participating in ICOs is now easier than ever, as NAGA’s ICO-Hub lets users participate in the hottest and most exciting coin offerings with just a few simple clicks. Investors may also use NAGA COIN (NGC) as the method of payment, making the process even easier.

NAGA’s ICO-Hub also provides users with special discounts and other special sale conditions and automatically distributes tokens to their NAGA WALLETs upon the completion of the chosen ICO. There is no delay, and there are no complications.

Good for Everyone

NAGA’s ICO-Hub not only benefits users and those looking to invest in initial coin offerings but also those running the fundraising ventures — as the new platform offers ICOs the highest level of protection via NAGA WALLET’s foremost security solution. This helps eliminate fraudulent activity and scams.

The ICO-Hub also provides coin offerings with maximum coverage for their token sales, thanks to the fact that the NAGA ecosystem boasts one of the fastest growing international cryptocurrency user bases in the world — with up to 50,000 investors seeing the listed ICOs on a daily basis.

NAGA also provides the backing of a reliable partner, since the platform knows know to get ICOs done. In 2017, NAGA completed the second largest token sale with 63,000 investors and more than 50 million USD raised — so it’s clear the platform knows how to raise funds.

NAGA also provides access to a large community of traditional traders and investors, with a massive user base of more than 400,000 stock, forex and commodity traders.

NAGA WALLET’s ICO-Hub is providing its loyal user base with yet another opportunity to get ahead of the game in the ongoing quest for financial freedom. To learn more, check out the official website here: https://naga.com/wallet/ico-hub/.

The post NAGA WALLET Launching New ICO-Hub appeared first on NewsBTC.

CoinGate has announced a new pilot program, allowing 100 merchants to test a Lightning Network-enabled version of their service, making Bitcoin transactions faster and cheaper.

Since the Lightning Network is only now becoming a reality and is still very untested, CoinGate will cover any funds that are lost due to glitches or bugs in the software that may occur.

Other caveats apply too, such as the BTC 0.042 per transaction limit (around USD 270 at time of writing). Transactions larger than this limit will have to be made on the original layer, but USD 270 still covers the majority of everyday transactions.

Coffee, groceries, gas, and even small electronic purchases could all be done on the blockchain. With transaction fees becoming more expensive than a Western Union transfer during times of traffic congestion, the Lightning Network will greatly alleviate the number of transactions the blockchain has to handle.

Despite the unfinished nature of the network, CoinGate still believes there is much benefit in testing out its capabilities anyways, as it will provide valuable feedback for not only CoinGate but those working on the Lightning Network.

CoinGate’s CTO, Rytis Bielauskas, told CoinDesk:

“It’s a very new technology. Inevitably there will be some bugs, either in our implementation or in the Lightning Network. It will help, not just us, but the whole community because the bugs we find might help the whole protocol.”

Coingate is a payment processor that already accepts over 50 different cryptocurrencies and is partnered with companies like ShapeShift, Simplex, and PrestaShop.

With more purchases being made online, and a growing percentage of those online transactions being made with cryptocurrency, long-term scaling solutions like the Lightning Network are a necessary step in order to remain a viable payment method against credit and debit cards.

Lightning also opens up a new set of possibilities, such as micropayments or in situations where transactions are made repeatedly to the same recipient.

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Web browser developer Opera is introducing a built-in digital wallet called “Crypto Wallet” for Android which will permit users access to decentralized applications (dApps) as well as storage for Ether and Ethereum-based tokens. As a platform, Opera Browser offers a similar experience to other browsers, but gives access to unique features like a built-in VPN and ad-blocker.

Opera’s Crypto Wallet

What sets Oslo-based Opera aside for a cryptocurrency storage solution is its user-friendliness, as most competitors require users to install browser extensions or generate lengthy, complicated passwords. By comparison, Opera’s Crypto Wallet doesn’t need an extension or a separate app, and it secures the wallet’s contents with Android’s system lock, which can be activated via fingerprint if desired.

The wallet supports tokens and collectibles, including CryptoKitties. It also features integration with the Ethereum Web3 API, so users will be able to visit decentralized web apps known as dApps that have been built on the Ethereum blockchain.

“This opens up new possibilities for merchants and content creators alike,” Opera cryptocurrency product lead Charles Hamel said, according to PC Magazine.

Sending and receiving cryptocurrency is as easy as tapping a QR code-generating button. And thanks to integration with digital currency exchange Coinbase, users can pay for goods in supported online stores — like the Opera Crypto Store — directly from Crypto Wallet.

“Having a Crypto Wallet in the browser brings the cash experience to the world of online payments,” Hamel said. “Paying with the Crypto Wallet is like sending digital cash straight from your phone, and we’ve just made it easier.”

Opera envisions the new wallet opening the door for more consumers and merchants to begin using and building around cryptocurrencies.

“Our hope is that this will accelerate the transition of cryptocurrencies from speculation and investment to being used for actual payments and transactions in our users’ daily lives,” Hamel added.

Opera’s Initial Public Offering

Earlier this month Opera filed for a Nasdaq initial public offering (IPO) that looks to raise $115 million in capital. Controversial cryptocurrency mining pool operator Bitmain is expected to buy approximately 43% of the shares, totaling to a value of $50 million.

It is unclear what exactly the cryptocurrency mining company plans to accomplish with these soon-to-be-acquired shares, but it is speculated that Bitmain is doing this in attempts to expand and diversify its circle of influence. After raking in profits of approximate $4 billion last year, a logical next step for the company is to diversify its holdings and secure footholds in other markets.

According to Statcounter, Opera currently holds 3.5% of the world’s browser market share. In March, the company noted that its desktop and mobile browser applications have drawn in an average user base of over 300 million users. Although these numbers may sound impressive, comparatively speaking the company is rather small. Google and Apple currently hold on a much larger share of the industry, with 59% and 14% respectively.

Opera expects to use the proceeds from the IPO for research and development, distribution and marketing, strategic partnerships, and working capital.

Featured image from Shutterstock.

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The government will make available an additional £394 million every week for the NHS, with the aim being to cut waste, improve survival rates for cancer patients and deliver better mental health services.

The extra money will certainly boost service provision, but to effectively meet these targets, the NHS needs to embrace digital technologies, and fast. The latest research shows that chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes now account for a startling 90 percent of annual deaths in the UK. In fact, the World Health Organization predicts that chronic disease prevalence is expected to rise by 57 percent by the year 2020.

Digitisation in Healthcare

Digitisation and technological advancements offer new ways to fight back against these so-called lifestyle diseases. For instance, in 2017, 90% of households in Great Britain had internet access, with 73% of adults accessing the internet “on the go” using a mobile phone or smartphone. Easy access to technology and its prevalent use worldwide means that new delivery models are emerging to address growing chronic care demands.

Reaching out to patients, and the general public via technology is the way forward. Immediate communication, as well as the ability to harness the resulting patient data, can help doctors, nurses, GPs and medical researchers treat many illnesses quicker and more efficiently. Curaizon uses the blockchain to deliver such technologies that can save lives. Its enhanced and standardized data analysis can be effective in areas such as predictive medicine, patient relationship management, management of healthcare and measuring the effectiveness of certain treatments. And, as the amount of data grows, it helps the health sciences have a better understanding of the precise nature of diseases and pathways to develop personalised treatments. Use of these new technologies will place a greater emphasis on preventive health solutions and patient-centric care.

Big data, artificial intelligence & machine learning tools such as those offered by Curaizon are critical to improving healthcare provision. For instance, real-time patient data can help doctors, researchers and caregivers understand the underlying reasons for medicine non-adherence, which stands at only 50% worldwide. These insights can be used to remind patients to take their medications on time, as well as help researchers develop better medicines, with fewer side effects for example, and ultimately drive up adherence rates.

As disease prevalence continues to rise, so will the need for collaboration as nationwide pressures on our healthcare systems increase. Digitisation gives the central government, local authorities and healthcare providers across the country the opportunity to work closely together to offset growing financial burdens, enhance service efficiencies and deliver better outcomes.

Curaizon’s data and information will drive major changes in healthcare, improving the quality of care, drastically improving patient outcomes while reducing waste. By providing healthcare services with effective tools, the NHS can help deliver the kind of services patients and healthcare providers want and need.

The post More Money, No Problems for the NHS and Local Government as Digitisation Brings the Two Together appeared first on NewsBTC.

As analysts Todd Colvin and Bart Smith point out $5,000 as an important price point for “sophisticated” investors to get into Bitcoin, let’s take a look at the charts and see where the markets are going

As reported by Bitcoin News this week, Sir Richard Branston is hosting this year’s ACTAI Global’s Fourth Annual Blockchain Summit in Marrakesh, with sustainability on the agenda.

Reputedly some of the brightest minds in the blockchain space are assembled at the Kasbah Tamadot in Marrakesh to discuss how to use blockchain to impact issues that will change lives, according to Forbes.

With the Atlas mountains as a backdrop, Bill Tai of the Bitfury Group and the man who conceptualized the Blockchain Summit four years ago sees the location as totally appropriate. Bitfury’s CEO Valery Vavilov said:

“These regions are cradles of innovation, home to communities with the ambition and perspective to solve some of the oldest (and newest) challenges facing our world today… Working together, we have one goal — to bring global leaders from every sector to the table to speak openly about our greatest challenges and take meaningful steps to fix them.”

Vavilov explained that he saw blockchain as very much part of that scenario. A panel titled ‘Saving the Planet (A Bit at a Time)’ presented sustainable chains to solve one of the region’s burning issues: how to achieve transparency so consumers can base purchasing choices on accurate facts about a given product.

Gigi Brisson, founder and CEO of Ocean Elders explained the problem with the current status quo:

“As a consumer, I can see who fished that fish, where they got it, if it was reported, if it was legal. As a consumer, I can start supporting those companies and those people I want to support… I can support the products and companies that I feel good about. It’s the transparency that is missing.”

Another sustainability topic discussed at the desert setting was renewable energy and carbon credit trading with Power Ledger advisor Maria Atkinson explaining that buildings represent a massive greenhouse gas footprint with 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. One proposed solution to this problem was to connect buildings power supplies via the blockchain and enable trading between buildings.

Carbon crediting was also discussed and how blockchain could be used to track the credits efficiently. Similar projects are underway in California’s biggest multi-story car park in amalgamation with Silicon Valley Power.

While at the summit, Tai also announced his initiative called Barking Dog to assist national governments with land recognition.

Ingenious ways to tackle carbon crediting are out there. In Australia, feral camels have become an environmental problem according to The Telegraph. States have decided to tackle two problems in one; too many camels and too many emissions.

The animals supposedly belch out a ton of methane annually, so NorthWest Carbon, a carbon trading company, has allocated carbon credits for widespread camel culling to take place. The company has argued that the plan to cull the camels and feed them to crocodiles would benefit the Outback while helping to save the planet.

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Leading smart contracts blockchain Waves has initiated an overhaul of the design, user interface, and internal engine of its decentralized exchange to attract both casual and professional crypto traders.

Benefits of Decentralized Exchanges

In 2018, data privacy has become one of the most-widely discussed topics in both politics and the technology sector, primarily because of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal. Consequently, an increasing number of individuals have started to become aware of the importance of data privacy and the value of personal information to advertisers and governments.

On cryptocurrency exchanges, even on cryptocurrency-only trading platforms that do not deal with bank accounts and fiat deposits, users are asked to submit a significant amount of personal data, such as passport scans, address, social security number, and more. The acquisition of user information leaves cryptocurrency exchanges vulnerable to security breaches and hacking attacks, and potentially to costly lawsuits.

The evident weaknesses of centralized exchanges have led traders to decentralized exchanges – and over the past few months, the demand for decentralized trading platforms has only intensified. Indeed, demand has reached a point where centralized trading platforms like Binance have entered the sector to compete against existing decentralized trading platforms like the Waves DEX.

Changes in Waves DEX

The struggle for decentralized exchanges regarding adoption and growth has been their inefficient user interfaces and complex engines that create a difficult ecosystem for day-to-day traders and casual users.

In its major update, developers of the Waves DEX implemented significant changes to the watchlist, order book, open orders, and order submissions, to facilitate the growing demand for the Waves DEX and its increasing liquidity.

Already, the Waves decentralized exchange has seen more than $5 million in average daily trading volumes, which is primarily attributable to its low fees, fast execution, unlimited withdrawals, and support for trading of any cryptocurrency pair.

To appeal to professional traders, the Waves DEX has also implemented major changes to enable traders to easily evaluate previous trades, access detailed trading history, balances of coins and tokens held, and more efficient categorization of crypto trading pairs.

In an interview with former Goldman Sachs executive turned CEO of Coinfi, Timothy Tam, Kyber Network CEO Loi Luu stated that user experience has been the main weakness of decentralized exchanges. Luu explained:

“I think it’s because the UI isn’t good enough. The users aren’t familiar with the Decentralized Exchanges; they’re more familiar with Binance or Bittrex. So that’s why we wanted to make it really easy for the user to use. So we don’t focus on the decentralized aspect of it. We focus more on the usability aspect of it.”

Similarly, Waves has also focused on the user interface and usability aspect of their decentralized exchange to ensure that users have a platform on which they can seamlessly trade digital assets.

https://t.co/GsyNsEuQZi $waves community wants #waves DEX as a separate full scale decentralized exchange

— sasha ivanov (@sasha35625) June 30, 2018

Moving forward, the internal engine and base layer can be improved to enhance the overall performance of the exchange, but in the current phase, improving user accessibility is a priority.

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Lawmakers in South Korea are said to be racing to make laws to regulate the sector.