Japan’s Internal Affairs minister has denied her participation in a government investigation into the operation of a unregistered crypto exchange

An Australian startup has launched the beta of its decentralized marketplace for labor hiring. The company aims to protect workers from inflation and enhance transparency in wages #SPONSORED

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone is looking to invent a new contract agreements system based on blockchain technology.

During a subcommittee for the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, California Democrat Brad Sherman boldly declared his belief that all cryptocurrency mining and trades should be banned across the US.

Sherman’s arguably excessive comments went so far as to inaccurately determine the primary use of cryptocurrencies for tax evasion, and even for rogue states to avoid US sanctions, claiming the only way to deal with this must be banning all US citizens from dealing in cryptocurrencies.

His controversial position quickly sparked criticism from pundits who noted that Sherman’s largest political donor is the corporation Allied Wallet – a credit card processing firm. The traditional financial industry, particularly businesses that provide payment services, face a significant threat from the cryptocurrency industry as it moves capital out of their own accounts.

Reactions from the subcommittee

Norbert Michel became the voice of reason during the debate. The director of the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation called into question Sherman’s analysis of cryptocurrency as a tool of criminals. He pointed out that indeed, while some criminals may utilize Bitcoin in their crimes, they may well also use automobiles and airplanes, yet one couldn’t justify banning all of these instruments.

Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University, Dr Eswar Prasad, noted that the potential positive benefits of cryptocurrencies on the financial industry war outweigh their criminal component. He said that payment systems could be improved, making transactions easier and more cost-effective. While Prasad said he could not imagine the US dollar being replaced by Bitcoin, the Federal Reserve should in no way act as a barrier to stop people using ”their preferred medium of exchange“.

Although the meeting was prematurely concluded dues to a house vote, chairman Andy Barr finished the session by saying “[cryptocurrencies] will continue to have a greater and greater impact on our financial system”, determining the committee must again revisit the issue.

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Global semiconductor manufacturer TSMC has agained lowered its annual revenue forecast due to slowing demand from cryptocurrency miners

At press time, the world’s top cryptocurrency is up to $7,400. This is a massive spike over where it was during the beginning of the week (high $6,000’s).

Bitcoin’s price seemingly jumped out of nowhere and within hours. It went from $6,800 to about $7,200 in 30 minutes on Tuesday amidst speculation that Coinbase would possibly add up to five additional coins to its trading platform.

In addition, top financial management firm BlackRock expressed interest in blockchain technology, which may have potentially given bitcoin the price boost it needed. The coin is likely to take a rest before exploding any further, though analysts believe $7,500 is easily in our midst now that $7,000 has been breached.

But even if bitcoin stays right where it is for a while, Barry Silbert – chief executive officer of the Digital Currency Group – believes the worst is over, and bitcoin isn’t likely to incur any drops in the immediate future. Speaking at the Delivering Alpha Conference in New York recently, Silbert explained of bitcoin:

“This is a new infrastructure layer of the internet. It will replace what operating systems do. It is the future of the internet. This isn’t just about digital gold.”

One source explains that “seasonality” may be playing a role in bitcoin’s ascension. It discusses summer action since 2012, and says that in July and August of each year, bitcoin prices are hot, and spiking on a regular basis. The only exception to this rule was 2014, where prices increased in July, but fell the following month, resulting in what some call a “cold summer” for the coin. In the past, July has typically been a stronger month than August, as most people tend to be on vacation during the latter period.

Another source suggests that bitcoin is poised to go even higher, and potentially test $8,000 in the coming weeks, though it agrees that July and August typically tend to be stellar months for the father of cryptocurrencies, and that the present rally is nothing unique.

The good news, however, is that bitcoin is not alone in its recent spikes, and has seemingly taken all top 100 cryptocurrencies along with it. Ethereum, for example, recently rose to the $501 mark, breaking the coveted $500 barrier that had so many analysts and traders worried, though at press time, the second-largest cryptocurrency has fallen back down into the high $400 range.

Still, bitcoin’s performance is proving to be relatively solid, though volatility can always strike when one least expects it. Thus, investors are asked to remain cautious and vigilant, and to never play with funds they can’t afford to lose.

Bitcoin Charts by TradingView

Fundamentally, Cardano (ADA) is solid and from the charts, it looks like odds of further upsides are high. In that regard therefore, we shall hold a positive picture and aim for first targets at 40 cents.

From the News

In a matter of days, we have seen this exponential growth in Cardano’s value. Currently- on a weekly basis, Cardano is up 45 percent and less than $1 billion away from flipping Litecoin and becoming the seventh most valuable coin in the world. Nevertheless, here’s the thing.

Coinbase is Exploring Cardano, Basic Attention Token, Stellar Lumens, Zcash, and 0x#etoro #Coinbase #BTC #cryptocurrency #ETHhttps://t.co/bXAylQr5iU

— Copy-Trading (@SmartInvest4) July 15, 2018

Bitcoin jump in valuation is definitely behind this revival but then again, the prospects of being listed at CoinBase could be another reason. Fact is ordinary investors don’t care about the nitty gritties from CoinBase. The mention of ADA was enough to spur a frenzy of buying activity pumping prices to these new levels.

On another angle we can be the research findings of eToro, the Israeli based social trading platform. Regardless of the state of development-remember Cardano is still in development-they went ahead concluding that the project is indeed promising and important.

So this eToro Market Research on Cardano #ada $ada has so many gems! cc: @MatiGreenspan | Read it Here: https://t.co/PX12obGthP

— KLD (@CryptoKeish) July 18, 2018

Cardano describes itself as a product of research and its PoS consensus is peer reviewed and would probably define a new standard of consensus that other coins would follow. In the words of Mati Greenspan, a market analyst at the exchange, he said Cardano is “flexible” and “scalable” than Bitcoin and Ethereum and that they are leading the charge creating this “blockchain 3.0”.

By all account, this is a shill but until the smart contract and Ethereum’s competitor goes live, we shall remain conservative if not cautious.

Cardano (ADA) Technical Analysis

Weekly Chart

Cardano Weekly Chart By Trading View

Before this bull teaser, ADA was literally collapsing. By late June, ADA was down 95 percent from its ATHs and dabbling with 12 cents, our key support line and 2018 lows. Then, our projection was clear, any break below it and ADA would probably test its ATLs at 7 cents.

Luckily though, prices didn’t.  Instead this spike precedes a three week consolidation moving inside week ending June 24 high low.

What we have now is not only some sort of a three bar reversal pattern, a Morning Star, but a break out pattern above resistance at 12 cents. From our analysis, 12 cents was our buy trigger and that means our ADA longs are now live.

Daily Chart

Cardano Daily Chart By Trading View

In reality, what we have in the daily chart is this nice triple bottoms bouncing off main support at 12 cents. Now, in line with our previous analysis, our long trigger are now live and in that case, my recommendation is to buy at current prices with stops at July 17 lows at 15 cents.

Those who bought ADA earlier should instead move their stops to break even and shift their take profits from 20 cents to 30 cents with aims of cashing out at 40 cents.

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are those of the author and aren’t investment advice. Trading of any form involves risk and so do your due diligence before making a trading decision.

The post Cardano (ADA) Technical Analysis: ADA Immune To Sellers, Bulls Edging Closer To $0.50 appeared first on NewsBTC.

Yesterday’s altcoins price movement is a normal occurrence often happening after periods of rapid gains/losses.

Stellar Lumens is leading the charge. On the other end though, EOS, Litecoin, Tron and IOTA are relatively flat and retracing. Regardless, we still remain upbeat expecting fundamental events to stimulate the next wave of buy pressure.

Let’s have a look at the charts:

EOS Technical Analysis

EOS Daily Chart By Trading View

Scalability is one area that EOS is excelling at. Before their mainnet launch, it was one of their main agenda. That’s apart from offering free transactions and simplifying this whole blockchain thing. In line with their objective, yesterday we saw their TPS spiking to 2822 surpassing that of Visa—which processes transactions at 2,000 TPS but capable of much more.

Congrats to the #EOS community on becoming the fastest growing, highest performing (2000+ TPS w/ 500ms block times), most efficient (1% inflation and no fees), and most aligned blockchain ecosystem in the world… in just 6 weeks https://t.co/R0OR0hIqU4

— BrendanBlumer (@BrendanBlumer) July 18, 2018

This is definitely a new high coming straight from a blockchain project and reflects the cumulative efforts from the community and the team behind EOSIO. At this rate, EOSIO is open for even higher TPS all thanks to the 21 super nodes allowing for speed.

At the charts, EOS is stagnant and even if it is down four percent in the last day, we still hold on a bullish skew for obvious reasons. Well, as long as price action oscillates inside July 17 high low we expect buyers to be in charge and drive prices above $9 our buy trigger line. Before then, we shall be neutral and trading in line with our laid out trade plan.

Litecoin (LTC) Technical Analysis

Litecoin Daily Chart By Trading View

A few days after flappening, Litecoin is in risk of dropping to position eight in the liquidity list. Its market cap is only $700 million away from that of Cardano’s at $7 billion. Anyhow, from the way charts are set up, there is more room for further gains especially now that we are net bullish after yesterday’s up-thrust above $90, our main bull trigger line.

The thing is, despite yesterdays slow down and low level consolidation, LTC prices are still trending within July 17 candlestick supporting our assertions. In any case, my recommendation is to load at current prices with stops at $80 or July 17 lows.

Alternatively, conservatives can wait for strong close above $90 before initiating buys with stops at $80 and targets at $110 as before.

Stellar Lumens (XLM) Technical Analysis

Stellar Lumens Daily Chart By Trading View

In the past week, Stellar Lumens has been a resilient if not an interesting pair to trade. Yes, it’s likely that we shall have a damping effect going on to the week as price action and traders in particular respond to the explosion of prices mid week but that is normal.

That is a characteristic feature following this kind of explosions. Now, the deal is, XLM might retrace slightly and in that regard I suggest setting buy limits anywhere between 25 cents and 30 cents with immediate targets at 50 cents. In any case, and considering the break above at 22 cents, that’s where we should set up our stop loss.

Tron (TRX) Technical Analysis

Tron Daily Chart By Trading View

After deliberation, Justin Sun is expressing his interest and wants to run as a SR candidate. To be clear, this is going to be a personal decision and neither would be the 33.25 billion TRX coins under Tron Foundation escrow would be used to influence voting in any way.

Of course, it’s going to be interested and in the spirit of governance and demonstration of how the system works, let’s see if he shall wade of competition and be slotted as one of the 27 SR.

Price wise though and we have this mid range Evening star complete with a bear pin bar right at 4 cents. From our analysis, our ideal long would be triggered if TRX buyers edge and close above 4 cents. If not, then we shall take a neutral stand expecting bears to drive prices towards 2.5 cents as before.

However, considering the general positivity, taking a neutral position would be better as we wait for buyers to drive prices above this minor resistance line triggering longs in line with our other trade plan. This might happen either today or the weekend and at worse, next week.  However, this condition applies only as long as prices are within July 17 high low.

IOTA (IOT) Technical Analysis

IOTA Daily Chart By Trading View

So far, IOTA is down seven percent and in the process it appears as if sellers are rejecting any gains above July highs. In that case, it remains obvious that we shall remain neutral as IOTA continues with this consolidation.

90 cents remain our anchor price tag and movement above $1.3 open doors for upsides. Without any movement in either direction, we remain neutral.

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are those of the author and aren’t investment advice. Trading of any form involves risk and so do your due diligence before making a trading decision.

The post EOS, Stellar Lumens, IOTA, Litecoin, Tron Technical Analysis: Litecoin (LTC) is $700 Million Away From Dropping to 8th appeared first on NewsBTC.

The UK’s Barclays, arguably the most powerful international corporate bank in the world, filed two crypto-related patents this week. The 300 year-old legacy bank gobbled up exclusivity over cryptocurrency transfers and distributed ledger data storage. There appears to be a trend for companies, both in and out of the ecosystem, aiming to lock up the potential of money’s future.

Also read: Philippines Embraces Cryptocurrency: Exchanges Issued Provisional Licenses

Barclays Files Two Crypto Patents

Maybe it’s a sign of things to come. Barclays, founded in London around the late 17th century, filed two patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office this week. One concerns a method “and system for transferring digital currency from a payer to recipient comprising receiving an identifier of data describing the first entity,” application number 1511964.7 reads.

The other is a method “and system for recording data describing a first entity, the data endorsed by a second entity comprising the second entity validating data describing the first entity, wherein an identifier is associated with the data, the identifier being generated from a public key of the first entity,” crediting inventors Julian Wilson and David Fulton, both of Cheshire, Great Britain.

It doesn’t get more legacy financial than Barclays. It is a staple on English stock exchanges, along with a definitive seat on the New York Stock Exchange. At least one study published just a few years ago pins it as the most powerful bank in the world.

The bank has been particularly active in the cryptosphere the past two years. Summer of last year, it openly worried about crypto’s threat to its industry. Spring of the present year saw it team with Coinbase, and rumors are it’s considering its own crypto trading desk. The above patents will only add to speculation the bank is positioning itself in light of future fiscal reality.

Patents All Around

This week, no less than Mastercard appears to be flirting with crypto patents. Ecosystem company, Nchain, has steadied in this way, collecting three more recently. Another bank, Bank of America, officially became the crypto patent king this year.  

The Barclays patent, “Secure Digital Data Operations,”  involves retrieving “an entry from a block chain based on the received identifier. Authenticating the entry using a public key of the second entity. Extracting the data describing the first entity from the retrieved entry. Authenticating a block in the block chain containing the entry using a public key of a third entity,” it reads choppily.

Its other patent, “Data Validation and Storage,” seems to be cryptographically “signing data corresponding with the data describing the first entity using at least a private key of the second entity. Posting a transaction to a block chain including the cryptographically signed data. Method and system for obtaining data describing a first entity the data endorsed by a second entity comprising. Receiving an identifier of data describing the first entity. Retrieving an entry from a block chain based on the received identifier. Authenticating the entry using a public key of the second entity. Extracting the data describing the first entity from the retrieved entry,” it listed.

Are patents such as Barclays’ meaningful? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Pixabay, Barclays.

Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.

The post Barclays, 300 Year-Old UK Legacy Bank, Files Crypto Patents appeared first on Bitcoin News.

In a 19 July press release from the Yeongdeungpo-gu administrative district in South Korea, a new standard of administrative procedure is to be implemented via a blockchain-based “Proposal Evaluation system”.

The press release reports that this is the first time a technology of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR)has been established in the nation.

First of its kind

Chung Hyun-il, the head of Yeongdeungpo-gu said, “We expect that the integrity and reliability of the city will be further improved by utilizing the new technology of the fourth industrial revolution, the blockchain… We will continue to use the blockchain, big data, we will continue to pursue more reliable and better policies.”

The administrative district based in southwest Seoul is seeking to reinvigorate the transparency, reliability and credibility of proposal assessment as well as evaluation procedures with blockchain technology. This includes real-time result disclosure, publishing results of negotiations and holding proposal review meetings.

In practice, all proposal evaluations would make their way through the blockchain evaluation system. Once the evaluation committee digitally signs the results, it is uploaded to the blockchain and the result is displayed on the Yeongdeungpo-gu homepage in real-time.

The press release also goes further on to describe how this new implementation can internally streamline administrative procedures for ‘all existing evaluation processes such as proposal review meeting, publishing results, reporting results, notifying negotiations, and auditing future proposals.

The first use of the new system is scheduled for next month when proposals for improving indoor air quality and the establishment of the energy management internet, which is an Internet of Things project, another key technology in the 4IR.

Preparations for the new era

South Korea has been one of the nations at the forefront of blockchain technology and the4IR. In late June, the South Korean Ministry of Science Technology (MSIT) and the US State Department announced their intentions to coordinate and corporate bilaterally with their IT policies, cybersecurity and privacy in preparation for the 4IR.

Again, in preparation for the new technological era, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission recently revealed a new governing body named the Financial Innovation Bureau to help protect financial consumers against risks that will be ushered in by emerging innovative financial technologies in this time.

Furthermore, the government has intentions to catalyze the successes of businesses and enterprises described as “new-growth technologies” by introducing special tax rates for those invested in the space. This covers 157 technologies across 11 areas which includes blockchain and quantum computing.

Until the 26 July, major political parties in South Korea are making draft bill submissions to clarify the status of blockchain, cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings in the nation. The nation appears to be proactively scrambling to prepare for a new age, with the potential of setting the global standard.

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It is safe to say now that Bitcoin and the Blockchain technology are here to stay. It is very likely that in the near future we will heavily rely on them to store and exchange value; we are confident that many other applications will come up from this groundbreaking invention. In short, the Crypto revolution is to us now what the Internet represented in the early 2000’s: a huge promise to transform our lives in ways we could not fully comprehend at the time.

The buzz around the Crypto industry brings around a flood of information full of enthusiasm since it advances the conversation on the development of digital economy. However, it seldom helps investors choose among the different features and technicalities that exist on the exchange market. Should one prioritize a high-level security by using a decentralized Exchange, or is it better to entrust a third-party for the sake of high liquidity and considerable cutbacks on delays?

To pinpoint the very reason why Bitcoin seduces so many, we must recall the impact that its decentralized, “trustless” system made. The peer-to-peer technology relies solely on the Internet, thus eliminating the need for an intermediary, but because Centralized platforms allow higher trade volumes and shorter delays for trades, DEXs are being overlooked even though they offer a greater level of security. We always believed that crypto traders should not be forced to choose between liquidity, low-latency and safety.

This is where Blockchain.io comes into play.

Meet a new generation of Cryptocurrency Exchanges: combining the best of DEX and CEX features for a brand-new trading experience

At Blockchain.io, we tackled the challenge of providing our community with a centralized Exchange platform that also offers what is referred to as “Decentralized Settlement.” This feature allows our users to benefit from a high-performance centralized orderbook without giving up the control of their crypto-assets. It means that Blockchain.io’s users are protected against counterparty risk and have the best guarantee that their coins will remain under their control thanks to “cross-chain atomic swaps” technology. This focus on security is inherited from our parent company Paymium, where 98% of our customers’ crypto-assets have been in cold storage since 2013.

Decentralized and Centralized exchange platforms each have their own perks, depending on the user’s preferences and priorities. Still, it is not always simple for investors—especially newcomers—to decide which type of platform to start with. Throughout the building process of Blockchain.io, we maintained a simple, albeit essential objective to provide the best of both worlds by not skimping on safety, trade volume and speed.

At Blockchain.io, we are aware big changes are ahead and we want to be part of the wave that will engulf and transform the way we envision markets—should it be innovation-wise, or in terms of financial inclusion. All along, we wanted to provide our community with a sleek, user-friendly platform that could also help democratize the technology by simplifying the process for newcomers. This is precisely what the Internet of Value stands for.

Compliance as a differentiator: Encouraging trade while ensuring trust

Blockchain.io aims to become the most reliable crypto-assets marketplace in Europe, where crypto-currencies and tokens will be traded safely among institutional and individual users. Our platform is specifically designed for ready-to-trade investors. The MVP is already live and the interface will be fully operational shortly after the ICO’s end. Users will be able to start trading select tokens at 0.1% fees for both makers and takers, and even less for BCIO tokens holders.

On top of that, Blockchain.io will also provide ICO consulting services—guiding projects from start to finish to ensure their success. Moreover, the handpicked tokens featured on our listing after a thorough audit will provide our investors with a wide range of solid projects.

Last but not least, the Blockchain.io ICO is also registered with the SEC for US accredited investors and has been presented to France’s “Autorité des Marchés Financiers.”  

So, join in! We look forward to experiencing the Internet of Value with you.

This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views held by any employees of NullTX. This is not investment, trading, or gambling advice. Always conduct your own independent research.

HSBC’s Global Head Of Digital said that at this stage the bank does not recognize crypto as a genuine investment asset, but is “cautiously looking”

On September 11, the international company Smile-Expo will conduct a large crypto event Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Stockholm for the second time. In the framework of the conference, experts will meet in the capital of Sweden to talk about the decentralized technology usage in various sectors.

What is Waiting for the Guests?

The conference will unite 16 speakers known all over the world. The traditional demozone will feature 20 companies and startups this time. They will share their innovative ideas and introduce latest products for crypto environment.

At the event, guests will have a chance to visit 2 panel discussions where partakers will make clarifications about “Blockchain in the energy sector” and “The Era of New Technology: Blockchain in various spheres.”

What Else Will Be in the Center of Attention?

Invited experts will elaborate on many topics regarding DLT, mostly paying attention at its potential for various use cases.

Main topics:

• analysis of DLT regarding the implementation into different spheres;
• real cases of digital assets regulations in the world;
• DLT for entrepreneurship;
• preparation and launching of ICO.

How Is This Conference Different?

This event will not only focus on popular DLT uses but also on its innovative applications globally. Specialists will exchange views on the Blockchain in energy industry, climate changes and global warming.

Experts will touch upon such topics as invasion of Blockchain in the real estate industry, DLT in the healthcare sector and new opportunities for transport and logistics with decentralization.

Apart from that, speakers will also pay attention at Blockchain integration into journalism sphere and land business.

The organizer of the event is Smile-Expo, the company holding a series of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conferences all over the world.

Don’t miss the chance to attend the large crypto event and get firsthand information about the DLT use in different industries! Registration >>>

This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views held by any employees of NullTX. This is not investment, trading, or gambling advice. Always conduct your own independent research.