Day: August 9, 2018

There are many potential use cases for blockchain technology. Most of those opportunities can be found within the financial industry, although one should look well beyond that sector as well. SWIPE is designed to solve the trust deficit in data monetization. Building a decentralized mobile engagement data platform to improve app engagement will be a very big challenge.

The Idea Behind SWIPE

Various companies have begun targeting the mobile data monetization industry. Consumers share a lot of personal information using their mobile devices, often without even realizing it. Unfortunately, this means users are not rewarded for their data, and no one knows how their data is used. Solving this problem may require the use of blockchain solutions such as SWIPE.

How Does it Work?

The primary purpose of SWIPE is to build a new data platform and infrastructure that lets developers improve overall app engagement. It does so by collecting data from apps through the SWIPE SDK. Users will be given the option to share specific information, while keeping the rest of their information away from prying eyes.

For users, being able to opt in or out of data monetization campaigns will be quite helpful. It gives users full control over their privacy and helps them influence overall data sharing policies. All of the data passed through SWIPE is end-to-end encrypted, which will ensure all information is managed in a secure manner.

SWIPE will also make use of smart contracts. Data requests and reward distributions will be logged in a transparent manner, and smart contracts will fully automate this process accordingly. Additionally, once a user gives permission to share specific information, the data will be re-encrypted for requesters’ access. An extra layer of protection can only be considered a good thing.

The Road Ahead

It is evident SWIPE has a lot of potential, although it remains to be seen whether any company or project will embrace this technology. A few pilot projects exist already, including AGILA Rewards in the Philippines, Cepatswipe in Indonesia, and Blockpost globally. These are all examples of how this technology can make a big impact on existing businesses, although there is still a long way to go prior to making a mainstream impact.

By now, most blockchain enthusiasts are familiar with the term “whitepaper.” After Satoshi Nakamoto’s seminal work on peer-to-peer electronic cash — the Bitcoin whitepaper — it has become almost synonymous with a business proposal in the space. It’s the first thing any individual or institutional investor will ask for since It contains the details of what, how, and why something is being developed.

However, this doesn’t mean that whitepapers are the only necessary documentation a project should provide to ICO participants. Any savvy investor will dig deeper than first appearances and not take what a team proposes at face value. After all, if we are to take them as business proposals, then a fair amount of due diligence is required.

Any serious blockchain startup should make this process much easier by providing supplementary documents that help investors get a better idea of what they’re getting into. More so, it should also find ways to communicate this information clearly, in simple terms. This is why there is a set of documentation that has become customary for these projects.

Whitepaper

The main document of a blockchain startup is divided into three important components.

• Description of the token
• Description of the business model
• Profiles of the core team and advisors

A professional team will also strive to include translations of the document into different languages.

One-pager

One-pagers are a short summary of the startup. As the name makes clear, they’re usually only one page long and work as an “elevator pitch” for the project. Their role is to provide any investor with cursory knowledge on the project without the need for an expert analysis of the white paper. Therefore, it should touch on similar points.

• Demonstration of the token economy in terms of supply and demand
• Model of how real demand will be created through its business model
• Profiles of the core team and advisors

Presentation

Somewhere between a whitepaper and a one-pager, we have the presentation. This document is usually meant to inform investors, funds, and final token holders on the project’s goals and how its token is connected to it. In many ways, it is the thesis of the whole project and should be approached as such.

Landing Page

The link structure of the startup’s online presentation is called the landing page. Although simple, it is actually very important because it serves as an entrance door for new users and investors. The landing page should be intuitive, user-friendly, and allow easy access to all of the startup’s documentation.

• Whitepaper
• One-pager
• Presentation

Legal Opinion

Every startup should inform investors that the token is in full compliance with regulations. This can be done by the project’s legal team after they have reviewed the token structure.

Issuer Registry

It’s also key to determine where the issuer of the token is registered. This gives us important information on what jurisdiction a project will operate under. Blockchain investment experts such as Nick Evdokimov also recommend using this information to make sure that a project is not fraudulent.

Promotional Material

This is usually the information a startup will feature most prominently. It gives us an idea of how well its marketing team is doing. Good promotional documentation usually contains links to many different sources that help drive user engagement.

• “Roadshows”
• Publications
• Optimistic feedback
• Official social media accounts

In this section, it is also important to pay attention to the fund arrangements a blockchain startup might have. These funds buy tokens in bulk and then help the startup sell them and increase their user base.

Technical Documentation

Finally, there is a technical description of how the startup will develop the project. This is sometimes referred to as the “yellow paper” and requires the assistance of experts to analyze thoroughly. Usually, this type of documentation will be published on GitHub as the code for the startup’s smart contract.

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Disclaimer: This information is the opinion of the provider and is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as and does not constitute investment advice or legal or tax advice or an offer to sell any securities to any person or a solicitation of any person of any offer to purchase any securities. This information should not be construed as any endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company or security.  There are inherent risks in relying on, using or retrieving this information.  Seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, to evaluate any opinion, advice, product, service or other information provided.

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The global video game industry is one that has continued to push the boundaries of expansion, creating a $100 billion industry marked by top-notch technological breakthroughs and showing so signs of slowing down.

As gamers all over the world continue to enjoy new possibilities and experience new ways of gaming, blockchain gaming represents the next stage for the future, with the incredible potential to disrupt the industry across a global scale with the next generation of decentralized gaming that empowers gamers and developers at the heart of its ecosystem.

Blockchain gaming is XAYA

Among the forerunners to bring this reality closer to fruition is XAYA, the ultimate gaming platform formerly known as Chimaera. From the same people who developed and invented the first true blockchain game, the Huntercoin project in 2013, XAYA is the culmination of the brightest lights in the gaming and blockchain industry.

Powered by a custom blockchain tailored specifically for the demands of gaming, XAYA will enable cost-free and real time gameplay operated in a completely decentralized and trustless manner that will be able to scale infinitely as the need arises. Using XAYA, gamers will discover what it means to be truly empowered, with full and sole ownership of all their digital characters and assets.

XAYA is now live

With the mainnet ready and live, all gamers can access wallets, both for assets and integrated gaming – once registered, these can be used across all games integrated with XAYA.

The first game on XAYA is Treat Fighter, which will launch shortly on mainnet. Brought to gamers by TrickyFast Studios, Treat Fighter lets users pit their strategies against each other as they complete expeditions, hunt for resources, craft treats and go head to head against others to build their candy armies and dominate the competition.

Previous CHI purchases will not be available until the coin sale has concluded. However, all pre-sale contributors will receive a placeholder of 50 CHI so they can start registering their names and playing.

That’s not all. Users who sign up on the forums will receive free CHI to play, allowing everyone fair and equal access to gameplay and other interactions on the system.

Adding to that, the next game to be released on XAYA by the end of 2018 is Soccer Manager Crypto – tipped to be the most successful and popular blockchain game upon release with more than 50 million downloads and counting.

Developers! XAYA wants you!

With the XAYA Mainnet live, the project is now ready to take on external developer activity. XAYA’s simplicity means that no prior knowledge of Solidity or any other blockchain programming language is required. Simply use the XAYA platform to code in any language and discover how easy it can be for experienced and novice developers to publish their own creations alongside XAYA gaming studios.

The XAYA public token sale

Having successfully concluded private and public pre-sale rounds before the launch of mainnet, XAYA now plans to begin its general public sale on August 29th, 2018. The 6-week sale will offer up the biggest sum of CHI yet, hosted on Qryptos exchange.

To learn more, visit the XAYA website and join the public sale. Chat with the XAYA team on Telegram or connect with the community on Twitter and Facebook.

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A Chinese cryptocurrency trader who was sent bitcoin in error must repay an exchange even if it broke domestic rules, a Beijing court has ruled.

A lot of industry experts have high hopes for Bitcoin ETFs. These investment vehicles are primarily designed to attract more institutional investors, assuming such a vehicle ever gets approved. At the same time, there are several downsides to ETFs which could hinder the long-term growth of the Bitcoin industry.

4. Intraday Price Concerns

In the traditional financial world, ETFs are priced according to intraday price changes. In a more volatile industry such as cryptocurrency, intraday price changes can look very different from one day to the next. Bitcoin investors with a long-term perspective do not benefit from intraday price changes, and they may even make them question their investment.

3. Higher Costs

While a Bitcoin ETF would be a very good way to invest in BTC without buying cryptocurrency directly, it may come at a price. More specifically, the cost of trading Bitcoin through an ETF could be a lot higher compared to dealing with the cryptocurrency directly. This will mainly depend on which Bitcoin ETF gets approved and is used by investors, but it is something which speculators need to be aware of at all times.

In traditional finance, it is not uncommon for ETFs to incur higher prices than the underlying assets, mainly because of the management fees associated with such vehicles. Once a Bitcoin ETF is approved – assuming the SEC ever does so – there will be strong competition in terms of overall fees and charges. The cheapest service provider will undoubtedly gain a lot of traction, although users still need to be aware of any additional fees that may be part of the agreement.

2. Lower Dividend Yields

In the volatile Bitcoin industry, it will be interesting to see whether any ETFs ever explore the dividend-paying option. These programs reward investors with dividends based on the day’s price movements. Investors will probably never see gains in the form of dividends, which is only to be expected.

Should a Bitcoin ETF pursue the dividends option, investors need to be aware that they will not see the same yields as they would if they owned Bitcoin directly. ETFs track broader markets, which will always result in less profits despite overall market gains. It is another drawback of the ETF investment vehicle, although this point only concerns the dividend-paying ones. Convenience has its price, especially in the cryptocurrency industry.

1. Leveraged Returns

In the world of Bitcoin, leveraged margin trading is very common. As such, it seems reasonable to expect leverage ETF returns to make their mark on this industry. Any ETF provider engaging in leverage puts its investors at risk of losing a lot more money compared to the actual market loss. This also means one could potentially score bigger gains if market prices rise, although this is a very risky game to play in the Bitcoin world. This type of ETF also seems to benefit traders holding the investment vehicle for just one day, which will only serve to create more market volatility.

UK financial regulators focus attention on second fraud operation this week involving a crypto company claiming to be an authorized firm

In Thailand, initial coin offerings (ICOs) may soon be finding their legal footing after approximately 50 ICO projects displayed interest in applying for licenses to operate.

Application progress

According to local media outlet The Bangkok Post, the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has seen a growing interest in those wishing to raise funds through the crowdfunding method. Although, according to the SEC secretary-general Rapee Sucharitakul, it remains yet to be seen as to how many of those will be given the operating license.

Furthermore, there are roughly twenty other companies who have made applications for the licenses to operate as cryptocurrency exchanges.

He said, “Licence approvals are being processed,” adding, “Many companies interested in opening digital asset exchanges have said digital assets and cryptocurrency trading in the Thai market are quite active.”

ICO portal

Before the SEC licenses these projects, “ICO portals” will be the first to be selected. The portals are essentially online ICO marketplaces, offering platforms for ICO issuers to operate their sales. According to Sucharitakul, three out of five companies who are seeking to operate as ICO portals have filed their applications already.

In early May, proposals for cryptocurrency tax and regulations were slowly coming to fruition. This came at a time when many international governments and financial regulators were also beginning to formalize appropriate crypto-laws and legislation.

Chief executive Thuntee Sukchotrat of digital asset exchange JIBEX said, “I believe that investors will invest in digital assets instead of stocks in the future. The performance of ICOs will rise in line with ICO project performance. The investment ratio of ICOs to stocks will be on par within two years.”

Recent months

In late May, the Thai SEC established that it would monitor ICO operations and cryptocurrency related businesses. Furthermore, a regulated SEC ICO Portal was further discussed, which would allow for domestic ICOs to be issued legally.

In June, the SEC made further inroads upon the announcement of its cryptocurrency laws, though there are only seven legal cryptocurrencies, which are Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, Stellar, and Ripple.

Shortly after, the SEC took five out of 50 ICO projects and announced they would be running them as pilots. Later on in August, Thailand reaffirmed its crypto-positive stance after the Bank of Thailand made it legal for local banks to issue digital tokens, provide crypto brokerage services, operate crypto-related businesses and invest in cryptocurrencies via subsidiaries.

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Some countries are far more welcoming than others when it comes to their cryptocurrency regulations and business climate. Where is the best place to start a blockchain project?

There’s been a storm brewing all year on social media and this week it hit with a vengeance. Wave after wave of protest has lashed the ocean liners Twitter, Youtube, Apple, and Facebook after controversial passengers were forcibly ejected for speaking out of turn. As the censorship cyclone has intensified, cryptocurrency users have begun fleeing to safer havens, with Mastodon and Gab the leading the charge.

Also read: Decentralized Apps Might Be the Future but They’re Not the Present

Censorship Aboard the Good Ship Social Media

For the left, the right, and everyone caught in the middle, it’s been a wild seven days on social media. Trouble has been fomenting for months, but it hit fever pitch with the permabanning of the right’s most notorious agent provocateur. Alexander Emric Jones, better known as Alex Jones, was effectively booted from the internet without warning in a pincer movement orchestrated by Apple, Spotify, and Youtube, leaving the Infowars firebrand displaced and disenfranchised.

The left immediately began toasting his ousting, as the left are wont to do with designated enemy combatants who don’t accord to their worldview. The right countered, fighting for the Alex Joneses of the world to be allowed to speak, regardless of how misinformed or offensive their views might be. On crypto Twitter, meanwhile, something that had been known for a long time was revisited with a sense of urgency: it is no longer safe to rely on tech giants for access to the internet.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, to his credit, refused to join the internet monopolies in forcibly ejecting Alex Jones, despite the usual howls of protest. In other cases, however, Twitter has been every bit as supine as its peers, shadow banning and temporary blocking users for the slightest infringement at the drop of a hat. Alex Jones might have survived the latest Twitter cull, but with members of the cryptocurrency community less fortunate, the flight to a safer haven has begun to gather momentum, with Mastodon a primary option.

First They Came for the Alt Right

When Twitter initiated its first wave of permabans last year, ousting conservative figures such as Milo Yiannopoulos, free speech-based alternative Gab.ai was billed as the logical replacement. Led by young conservative Andrew Torba, it’s basically Twitter without the censorship. Gab has had a very good week, both on Twitter and on its own platform as the free speech furor has thrust it into the limelight. Premium members of Gab are able to cross-post to Twitter, enabling them to effectively retain their followers while enjoying the safety of a less censorship-prone platform.

A similar feature is available on Mastodon, a distributed social network housed on independently operated servers. More than 500 members of the crypto community have now moved to an instance parked at Bitcoinhackers.org. “No Scams, no impersonation, no begging, and no illegal content. Keep it civil and we should all survive :)” it proclaims. It remains to be seen whether social media alternatives such as Mastodon, Gab and (for BCH proponents) Memo retain traction once this latest free speech debacle dies down.

The events of the last few days, however, have reaffirmed something bitcoiners have known all along: decentralization is the only long-term solution to the states and shadow states that are intent on silencing, surveilling and shadowbanning those of us with the temerity to step out of line. Just as “neutralize” became the chilling term for murdering enemy combatants, social media giants can now “unperson” an individual, ejecting them and the digital allotment they have spent years tilling. It’s been a bad week for free speech, but perhaps, once the dust has settled, it may come to be seen as a good week for the fledgling decentralization movement.

Have you tried Mastodon, Gab, or Memo and if so what are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Pixabay, Gab, and Twitter.

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The uneasy market momentum maintains its grip on the cryptocurrency industry. None of the top currencies are looking great as of right now. It would appear the Ethereum Classic price is taking the brunt of the assault, which is entirely expected after its recent pump out of nowhere.

Ethereum Classic Price Returns to Normal

During the past week, very few cryptocurrencies have seen any real positive momentum. One big exception in this regard was the Ethereum Classic price, which successfully benefited from a lot of hype and excitement surrounding this altcoin. The impending addition to Coinbase and the listing on Robinhood sparked a lot of FOMO which eventually cost a lot of people money.

Fast forward to today, and it has become apparent the Ethereum price is slowly returning to a more normal level. That is a very positive development for the industry, as pump-and-dump cycles need to be weeded out first and foremost. In the case of the Ethereum Classic price, a 10.16% setback in the past 24 hours is not entirely surprising, as its value dropped below $14.75 again.

As one would come to expect from this current Ethereum Classic price momentum, it is primarily fueled by a decline in the ETC/BTC ratio. Due to a 6.78% setback in this regard, it is only normal the Ethereum Classic price will continue to decline for quite some time to come. How long the Ethereum Classic price will go over the weekend, remains to be determined.

Unlike most other altcoins, Ethereum Classic notes some strong volume in the past 24 hours. Thanks to $338.7m in trades, the demand for ETC is not slowing down However, it is clear as day the sellers are dominating the volume right now, as they took profits when everyone else jumped in a few days ago. That sell-off marked the end of the recent ETC pump as it was bound to happen sooner or later.

CoinMarketCap still excludes BitForex’s trading volume, even though it sits in third place. OKEx’s USDT pair leads the pack ahead of Binance’s BTC market and USDT markets offered by Bitforex and Binance. OKEx closes the top five with a Bitcoin market. No fiat currency support in the top nine can become a very big problem for the Ethereum Classic price in the coming hours and days. The only support in that department comes from South Korea, and even those traders are not too excited about ETC right now.

If there is one lesson to be learned, it is how the Ethereum Classic price remains subject to pumps and dumps in 2018. This trend has been present for a while now, and it will continue to hurt this currency for quite some time to come. Even so, the overall cryptocurrency momentum is not awe-inspiring at this point, and ETC will continue to suffer from this bearish pressure for the foreseeable future.

A lot of new users have entered the cryptocurrency industry over the past 18 months. As a result, the search for proper mobile Bitcoin wallets has been ongoing for some time now. Several good wallets exist, and the companies making an impact in the past are maintaining their position without too many problems. The following wallets are listed in alphabetical order.

6. Blockchain

This wallet created by Blockchain.com – formerly Blockchain.info – has always been a go-to solution for cryptocurrency enthusiasts on mobile devices. It is a wallet which not only supports Bitcoin, but also Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum. Blockchain has been used by over 15 million people worldwide and continues to increase its overall user base every quarter.

5. Bread

Users of the iOS ecosystem have flocked to Bread from day one. It was one of the first Bitcoin wallets to arrive on the iOS platform, and it is still one of the more popular Bitcoin wallets among Apple users. Bread only supports Bitcoin at this time, as the team has no plans to integrate additional cryptocurrencies.

4. Coinomi

When it comes to supporting a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, Coinomi knows no equal in the mobile ecosystem. It is a wallet solution capable of supporting the likes of Bitcoin, Dash, Ethereum, Digibyte, and several dozen other tokens, assets, and currencies. Coinomi has always been a very popular solution among Android users, mainly because of the many different currencies it has supported.

3. Edge

Formerly known as Airbitz, the Edge wallet has shown the world how mobile wallet services can be offered without relying on centralized infrastructure. Edge currently supports a dozen cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Monero. It has become apparent that multi-currency support is the way to go in the cryptocurrency world.

2. Electrum

Everyone who has used Bitcoin for more than a year will know about the Electrum wallet. It is not just a mobile client, as it also has a desktop version. This lightweight Bitcoin wallet lets users store their BTC balance in a convenient and secure manner without going through a lengthy blockchain synchronization process.

1. GreenAddress

One of the older Bitcoin wallets for mobile goes by the name of GreenAddress. It is designed for Bitcoin storage only, and it has built-in two-factor authentication to provide an additional layer of security to its users. From a convenience point of view, GreenAddress provides all of the functionality one would expect, without any extra bells and whistles.

Microsoft has rolled out an additional consensus mechanism for clients building ethereum-based apps on Azure that does away with mining.