Bittrex, one of the most important exchanges in the United States and number 23 in the world, announced yesterday that they would be listing an ETH-USD FIAT pair to its trading platform. The popular exchange tweeted about this decision, also adding a link to its official website for those who want more information: (https://t.co/n0RfkvUPYa) According to the blog, the business move is a new stage in a general expansion plan that the company is developing. By the end of May, Bittrex reported on the start of operations to support FIAT trading. This phase is particularly complex due to the regulatory framework that exchanges must comply with. In fact, the addition of a FIAT pair would put Bittrex in a privileged position by being able to offer an option that most exchanges prefer to avoid, thuis being prone to attract corporate and institutional clients who require a certain level of security. Bittrex CEO Bill Shihara, in addition to explaining how sensitive the issue is, also emphasized the company’s commitment to providing the best business solutions for its customers. “Expanding fiat markets to the top digital currencies on our exchange should further drive adoption of this revolutionary technology by providing customers even more options for purchasing and trading digital currencies in a secure, robust and reliable environment with high liquidity.” - Bill Shihara According to Bittrex, the expansion process is gradual. Initially, FIAT trading was available only to “approved corporate customers in qualified states and international regions.” Now, with the announcement of the new stage, ETH-USD pair will be available to retail customers in Washington State, California, New York and Montana as well as qualified international regions. ETH-USD Will Soon Have Other “Fellow” Pairs Users are pleased with the news, most of the commenters on twitter ask for the addition of FIAT pairs for their favorite altcoins. However, in Reddit, the enthusiasm was even greater: Some users even pointed out that this strategy could give Bittrex the final push to become a serious competitor to Coinbase and even Binance. Reddit user MrHinDoG said that this decision, besides helping boost the global adoption of cryptocurrency, could make Bittrex an all-in-one option for personal finance management in the future: Bittrex mentioned that its expansion plan does not stop at this ETH-USD stage, subsequently planning to provide trading options to people located in other states. They also said the intention to list BTC, USDT, and TUSD, as well as the possibility of registering other altcoins later. #Ethereum #ETH #USD #Bittrex Source: https://ethereumworldnews.com/bittrex-adds-crypto-fiat-eth-usd-pair/ By Jose Antonio Lanz

The first version of the much-anticipated Casper update has been released — representing a critical step forward for Ethereum’s transition from Proof-of-Work (PoW) to Proof-of-Stake (PoS). The v.0.1 Casper code was announced by developer Danny Ryan on GitHub, who said that the release will allow auditors and existing Ethereum clients to review the code and experiment with integrating it into their software. Ryan wrote on Reddit: "More than just the research team is using the contract now — auditors, client devs, etc — so we wanted to start issuing clearer versioning and changelogs to help everyone stay organized." Since Casper will not be compatible with earlier versions of Ethereum, the release gives Ethereum software clients an opportunity to “track changes” and integrate the updated scripts into their system before the event of a hard fork. While there is no definite timeline for the transition, the move signals that Ethereum's race to reinvent its blockchain is gaining momentum. But as this is only the first iteration, it is likely to be followed by others before we see the launch of a fully-fledged Casper protocol. Casper - the friendly consensus mechanism Casper, which has been in development since 2014, represents a radical change in how the Ethereum network forms consensus. The upgrade is the amalgamation of two research projects - Casper the Friendly Finality Gadget (FFG), and Casper the Friendly Ghost: Correct-by-Construction (CBC), led by Vitalik Buterin and Vlad Zamfir respectively. This release pertains specifically to Casper the Friendly Finality Gadget (FFG) —which is a hybrid PoW/PoS consensus mechanism that will assist in the transition to PoS. The mechanism aims to benefit the Ethereum network by securing it against would-be hackers, helping it to scale more effectively, and mitigating the “wasted electricity” used in mining. The FFG (Friendly Finality Gadget) will not replace PoW, but will act as a stepping stone to the adoption of PoS. This is achieved by an overlay that positions a PoS mechanism on top of the PoW chain. In this way the Casper FFG makes use of both PoW and PoS to validate and create new blocks. In the initial stages of the transition, Casper will retain Ethereum's current PoW protocol to process most of the demand, only using PoS to validate "checkpoints" periodically. In subsequent releases, we can expect the PoS algorithm to take on a heavier workload, until eventually the hybrid consensus algorithm moves to a completely PoS system. Secure transaction scaling for Ethereum Much of the Casper specification is aimed at mitigating the disadvantages of PoS, which critics argue depends on risky economic theory for network security—rather than the reliable computing power model of PoW. This is addressed by establishing explicit finality (as opposed to probabilistic finality). Finality in this instance means that once an operation is complete, it cannot be reversed. Explicit finality allows the underlying chain to determine how final the transaction is, and enables the security of the network to be maintained while scaling through sharding. This should allow the Ethereum network to move away from the issues associated with mining, and securely scale beyond the current ~10 transactions per second. Goodbye miners? Ethereum development stops for no one, and the transition to PoS will make Ethereum mining a thing of the past. While it might remain viable for a short time as the transition happens, it will already be less lucrative—the Casper specification states that the block reward will be reduced to 0.6 ETH from the current 3 ETH. To prevent miners from rebelling and creating their own PoW fork, the developers have stated they will detonate a “difficulty time bomb” on the PoW chain shortly after Casper is implemented. This would exponentially increase mining difficulty until it becomes impossible—a scenario that has been termed the ‘Ethereum Ice Age’. Because the updated network will only be able to handle so many validating nodes, those keen to support the Ethereum network in its new form will need around 1,500 Eth for staking as a solo validator— a cool $1.1 million at the current price. Alternatively they can join a staking pool. Creator of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin is positive as ever, and addressed the upgrade at an Ethereum conference last week as what should be “hopefully one of the more joyous experiences in Ethereum in a fairly short time.” #Ethereum #Casper Source: https://bravenewcoin.com/news/ethereums-move-to-pos-first-version-of-casper-released/

Chicago Mercantile Exchange & Chicago Board of Trade (CME Group Inc) announced a partnership with Crypto Facilities Ltd to list the price of ether in real-time dollars. Information from major cryptocurrency exchanges Bitstamp and Kraken will be used to determine the CME CF reference rate. This could be a hint of things to come for the second most popular crypto in the world, including possible US futures. CME Strikes Deal for Ether-Dollar Reference Rate “CME Group’s experience and knowledge in bringing the Bitcoin Reference Rate and Real-Time Index to market,” Chicago Merc’s website pithily stated, “has enabled us to launch an Ether-Dollar Reference Rate and Real-Time Index […] and the CME CF Ether-Dollar rates will provide a standardized reference rate and spot price index to bring confidence to any trading strategy. Major cryptocurrency exchanges Bitstamp and Kraken provide the pricing data to bring our dependable rate to the market.” In the final quarter of last year, to much fanfare and hype, CME, along with crosstown rival Cboe, created a first of its kind: crypto futures. The experiment in running bitcoin core (BTC) in more mainstream financial contexts has been decidedly mixed. Some analysts even believe futures were a significant drag on digital asset prices due to allowing speculators to short BTC. CME’s Tim McCourt explained, “The Ether Reference Rate and Real Time Index are designed to meet the evolving needs of this marketplace. Providing price transparency and a credible price reference source is a key development for users of Ethereum.” Aiming for Institutional Investors CME is among the most trusted derivatives market makers in the world, as is a well-known player. Crypto Facilities Ltd is a crypto trading platform. The two have teamed to offer the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate (Ether Reference Rate) and Ether Real Time Index. Crypto Facilities will rely upon Kraken and Bitstamp order books as principal references. It hopes to add something like a daily benchmark in US fiat, real-time. Rollout is expected by CME Group and Crypto Facilities’ respective websites May 14, but formal CME market data platform distribution won’t begin until June 4th of this year. London-based Crypto Facilities’ Timo Schlaefer noted, “Ether, the second largest cryptocurrency, experienced incredible adoption and growth in 2017, evolving into the leading blockchain for smart contracts. We are excited to be contributing to the strong community that has developed around the Ethereum network by providing a reliable reference rate and real-time Ether-Dollar price.” Earlier this week, Crypto Facilities detailed its other partnership with Chicago-based Akuna Capital and London-based market maker B2C2 in an effort to make ethereum futures contracts. The triumvirate hopes it can bring liquidity to ethereum futures. Aimed at institutional investors, such futures would allow long and short positions without dirtying hands (having to hold the actual coin). Akuna’s Toby Allen insisted his company is “looking forward to seeing this much-needed product fill a gap in the market. The addition of a futures product enables crypto traders to take both long and short positions in ETH and is another giant leap in the development of the crypto asset class.” #ethereum #CMEGroup #CryptoFutures Images: Images via Shutterstock, Pixabay, Ethereum, CME Group Inc. Source:https://news.bitcoin.com/ethereum-futures-in-us-one-step-closer-as-cme-deal-is-struck/

DX.EXCHANGE is launching the very first crypto exchange that will be powered by NASDAQ’s infrastructure. The CEO Daniel Skowronski commented on the key advantages to using NASDAQ tech. He said: “The advantage of this cooperation is threefold: the brand name, the technology and the regulations,” The decision also enables the exchange to use NASDAQ’s matching engine which currently operates on 70+ exchanges around the world. Working with NASDAQ ensures that the exchange will meet the highest regulation standards. This will in turn prevent fake volumes, common errors, bugs and double count trading. Among those standards is a Estonian licence and a market maker licences from the Cypriot regulator CySEC. This will allow DX to offer trading options to its clients and allow for a variety of crypto trading options. However the platform will have to exclude US customers, although the management is said to be in talks with US regulators with the intention of gaining a federal license. The platform is expected to provide users with the ability to purchase crypto with fiat and allow for token-to-token trading. During the first phase of operation the platform is expected to list the top six coins such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin. The second phase is expected to bring 20 to 25 more tokens on board. “We are supporting blockchain technology. And the way we can help this ecosystem to progress is by vetting the tokens and making sure the good ones are promoted. We are not going to list coins, just because they pay us. Those who are worthy – will be listed” The platform is said to offer feeless trading, instead users will pay a monthly subscription of 10 euros. The company itself is led by very experienced veterans of the financial industry and currently has 72 employees in its Israeli R&D team. Source: https://thecryptograph.net/first-nasdaq-powered-crypto-exchange-launching-next-month/

The Telecommunication company Madstar Mobile has created its own cryptocurrency called "MADSTAR" on the blockchain that immediately listed on several decentralized exchanges worldwide. MADSTAR is a decentralized cryptocurrency that uses the Graphene protocol, technology and blockchain. Graphene was chosen as it's believed to be the most advanced, the most secure and user friendly. Graphene decentralized exchanges allow for easy registration with users having complete control over their funds and wallet allowing them to buy, sell or trade MADSTAR worldwide. The cryptocurrency MADSTAR is being offered to existing Madstar Mobile customers for purchasing products, services and because of their monthly patronage. We also provide MADSTAR on madstar.com to those who are not yet a customer for a contribution. The use of proceeds go towards our continued growth and expansion as a national and international wireless carrier. You must create or already have an account on one of the approved decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges. Madstar Mobile will then interally provide MADSTAR to your exchange account on the blockchain in approximately 24 hours. Madstar Mobile is a wireless service provider that activates handsets and data devices with national coverage on the same LTE cell towers as the other major wireless carriers. David is the developer and creator of the cryptocurrency MADSTAR. He is also the founder of two previous electricity suppliers grossing over 100M in revenue. David has been an investor of several other companies including ownership in sports franchises in the US & UK. For more information read the whitepaper or visit madstarmobile.com & madstar.com #MadstarMobile #NationalWirelessCarrier #Blockchain #Madstar Madstar Mobile - Bring Your Own Mobile Device Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr2YcmbMGLw READ MORE: https://madstar.com/blogs/news/the-cryptocurrency-madstar-is-now-available

26th April 2018, the day the 17 Millionth Bitcoin was mined. One of the main reasons the value of Bitcoin is so high is the fact there is a finite supply of them. Fiat currencies such as the Dollar, Pound or Euro technically have no limits to the amount which can be printed. The privately owned central banks such as the Federal Reserve or The Bank Of England decide how much they print each year. The more that is printed, the less said currency is worth. With Bitcoin however, there can only ever be 21 Million Bitcoins in circulation, and the last one wont be mined until around 2140. If you think about the fact there are 7.6 Billion people in the world, yet only 17 Million Bitcoins, that means only 0.22% of the worlds population could own a full Bitcoin. The 17 Millionth Bitcoin The famous code written by Satoshi Nakamoto that keeps Bitcoin working should mines a new block every 10 minutes and rewards miners with 12.5 new Bitcoins every time. Using this we can predict with a fair amount of accuracy how much Bitcoin will be in circulation on any given date. Today the 17th Million was mined which is about 700,000 more than this time last year when there was 16.3 Million in circulating supply. You can track the exact amount of Bitcoin in circulation on blockchain.info here. We will have to wait another year until the 18th Million one will be mined. Every 2 years, the mining reward is halved so as time goes on, the amount of Bitcoin going into circulation will slow down. Technically the last Bitcoin will never actually be mined though it will get very close. That’s assuming the reward protocol carries on unchanged, though depending upon the value of Bitcoin, smaller denominations may well need to be used by then considering the price of 1 Satoshi could well be more than the current price of 1 Bitcoin. #bitcoin #4toGo Source: https://www.bitguru.co.uk/the-17-millionth-bitcoin-has-just-been-mined/

Ripple has invested $25 million in XRP to Blockchain Capital Parallel IV, LP — the first fund to accept capital calls in digital assets — and focus entirely on the development of the blockchain space. The $150 million fund managed by Blockchain Capital will invest in entrepreneurial teams that are building businesses using blockchain technology. The investment will also provide an opportunity to identify new use cases for the XRP Ledger and Interledger Protocol. As open source platforms, the XRP Ledger and Interledger Protocol provide an avenue for developers to work directly with the technology and build on it. While Ripple’s primary focus has been to remove friction from cross-border payments, the investment in Blockchain Capital’s fund provides an opportunity to support and develop additional use cases beyond payments. “As pioneers in the blockchain sector, we have been on the frontlines and in the trenches with our portfolio companies, like Ripple, building a new crypto ecosystem,” said Bart Stephens, co-founder and managing partner of Blockchain Capital. “There are entire verticals — such as healthcare or identity management — that could benefit from blockchain or distributed ledger technology.” “Whether it’s using XRP, bitcoin or just the underlying blockchain technology, our goal is to find the best projects and give them the resources to be successful companies that deliver value to customers for the long term.” As the ecosystem around blockchain continues to expand and develop, Ripple will look to support new use cases of the technology including more investments in business use cases developed by entrepreneurial teams and funds. “Blockchain Capital is the premiere fund for any project looking to get off the ground in the blockchain space. They have a proven track record for finding and funding the projects that matter,” said Patrick Griffin, SVP of Strategic Growth at Ripple. “This is the first fund that we’ve contributed to, and it won’t be the last. We plan to be major players in shaping the future generation of blockchain or crypto companies.” Ripple believes in supporting the XRP Ledger and Interledger Protocol and will continue to look for opportunities to support entrepreneurs, companies and funds that share this vision. To learn more about the fund visit Blockchain Capital’s website. Source: https://ripple.com/insights/ripple-invests-25-million-to-drive-innovation-in-blockchain-and-digital-assets/

Test Driving the Komodo Platform Barterdex A few weeks ago in Mexico news.Bitcoin.com had a chance to see a walkthrough of an atomic swap between bitcoin cash and two other cryptocurrencies. A Komodo developer showed us the ropes of how to trade and how the platform’s decentralized order book works. When returning from Mexico news.Bitcoin.com decided to see how easy it was to use without any guidance so our readers can get an in-depth look at this technology. The Komodo project is a public blockchain with an associated token called KMD, and the team has also created a decentralized exchange platform called Barterdex. The open source software allows users to trade cryptocurrencies across multiple blockchain networks using a technique called atomic swaps. An atomic swap is a method of trading between two blockchain networks without relying on the use of a third party intermediary. The platform has a user-friendly interface but needs more liquidity across most trading pairs. Peer-to-Peer Order Book What’s interesting about Barterdex is in contrast to other Dex protocols like the NXT and Bitshares competitors is that the platforms order books are peer-to-peer and decentralized. Komodo developers say the order book system is “analogue of a full relay node and a node that doesn’t relay.” All buys and sells are displayed for traders and updates are frequently propagated throughout the network. There is a wide variety of cryptocurrencies to swap with, but some have a lot more volume than others and trading these coins will produce faster results if you are experimenting. When Barterdex app loads, users are given a twelve-word mnemonic phrase and asks you to copy the information like any other private wallet seed. After writing down the mnemonic phrase, users are greeted with a window that displays a portfolio data, and recently visited markets. There’s also a window for trade history, a debug menu, and a settings section where you can change the theme and language. A Successful BCH for KMD Swap In order to get started, you need to choose which currency you want to use to trade and which digital asset you want. You then need to deposit the coin to a smart address if to complete an atomic swap offer across the exchange’s network of peers. A full confirmation for the transaction is needed to see the deposit and get started using Barterdex. After the deposit confirms you can then select which currency you want to buy with the cryptocurrency you just added. To find some markets with good volume, you can peruse through a lot of well-known coins to offer a trade or look for peers by populating the list of offers. After roughly 30 minutes of testing the platform and waiting for a trade to execute the coins had finally swapped. Given the fact that one of the Komodo developers gave us some instructions it helped make the process run a touch more smoothly. Otherwise, it’s good to have some knowledge on how to use any cryptocurrency exchange and understand a basic order book process. More Traders Needed Much like Bisq, and the new Bittorrent application Joystream, the Barterdex platform needs more active traders. Most of the waiting is due to figuring out which coins have better liquidity, and waiting for a trade to be accepted across the network. The platform definitely works, the interface is sharp and charts are updated regularly. The use of decentralized exchanges is still light across the board, and this factor is the case for all of the trading platforms that enable cryptocurrency swaps without a third party. It’s safe to say it’s going to take some time for traders to leave centralized exchanges for platforms like these. Images: Images via Barterdex, Shutterstock, and Jamie Redman. Source: https://news.bitcoin.com/testing-cryptocurrency-atomic-swaps-with-barterdex/

Every week provides a unique opportunity where major events will shape the price and utility of specific cryptocurrencies. This week provides major news events and platform updates to SNOV (Snovio), MTH (Monetha), NAS (Nebulas), TRX (Tron) and SC(Siacoin). The 5 Alts to Own This Week This week’s coins likely to see significant returns based on upcoming events include: SNOV (Snovio), MTH (Monetha), NAS (Nebulas), TRX (Tron), and SC (Siacoin). [You can check out how the previous analysis and predictions fared here.] With major platform updates, coin burns, and important announcements the above cryptocurrencies should provide above-average returns when compared to BTC’s price movement in the upcoming few weeks. Each of the events outlined for the above cryptocurrencies should provide publicity and increase the utility of the underlying crypto. Utility in the crypto space equates to value. SNOV, MTH, NAS, TRX, and SC, are all increasing their utility and publicity in the following week making them opportune targets for acquisition. SNOV and MTH are the two cryptos most likely to increase in value due to their upcoming marketplace launches and first product milestones. SNOVIO – SNOV (MARKETPLACE LAUNCH) SNOV is currently trading at $.025 with a market cap of $10 million. It is likely SNOV sees a Northward trend begin when they release their marketplace and establish utility for their token within the week. SNOV is likely to have a run-up leading to their marketplace launch, or immediately following it when they publicize the total number of users and their successful launch. The next five days will provide an unprecedented addition of utility to the SNOV token. The platform SNOV is about to release is a decentralized lead generation service that rewards contributors in tradable SNOV tokens for participating in their ecosystem. The last two months have seen the total SNOV profiles grow to over 1,000,000 users. The following week is even more exciting for SNOV with the launch of their proprietary mailing module. The most important event is scheduled to occur before the conclusion of quarter one: The Blockchain Marketplace Launch. This platform will connect businesses and Data Research Analysts. This entire ecosystem will be powered by smart contracts using the SNOV token as a means of exchange. The SNOV token has had no utility to date. By March 31, 2018, the SNOV token should be fully utilized allowing for its value to increase as more users adopt the SNOV marketplace. MONETHA – MTH (FIRST PRODUCT MILESTONE) MTH has their first product milestone on March 31, 2018. Such a significant milestone coupled with the surrounding publicity should increase the value of MTH in the short-term while solidifying a utility for the MTH token over the long-term. If the MTH payment system is adopted the added utility that comes this week will only amplify the value of the underlying MTH coin. MTH is unique in taking the standard crypto payment system one step further. They have developed a blockchain based algorithmic ranking system the analyzes the reputation of the purchaser and seller in every transaction. This ranking system will alleviate common issues in sales regarding problems such as fraud and sending defective goods. MTH is valued at $0.10 per coin with a market cap of $23.36 million. When they released their first product milestone the utility of the MTH token will increase. When cryptos add the slightest bit to a well-respected coin, the underlying coin tends to respond by increasing in value. January 12, 2018, MTH was trading at $0.59 — more than 590% higher than where it is priced today. MTH has a great product but they also have a very impressive team. Andrey Rutskiy is the former vice-president of the development department of Adform. The other members of the team do not disappoint as they include former executives from Paypal Mobile and reputable authors in the digital trust and reputation risk management sector. The team speaks for itself and with their first milestone on the horizon, it is a very exciting time for everyone. Look for MTH to rapidly appreciate leading up to their product milestone March 31, 2018. If the first product milestone launches without any issues or delays expect MTH to further increase in value. SIACOIN – SC SC (Siacoin), is currently trading at $0.015 per coin with a market cap of $480 million. SC specializes in cloud storage on the blockchain for a fraction of the cost of what competitor’s charge. This week may be one of the most important for SC as they have multiple developments that will not only increase the value of SC but also increase the underlying utility while making SC more attractive to cloud storage users. Three features will make SC much more feasible as a competitor to current cloud storage facilities and offerings: increase speed of contract formation, private key file recovery, and file sharing. By increasing the speed of contract formation the users will have a more seamless experience using the SC platform. Currently, the method for recovering lost files is extensive but by incorporating a private key feature similar to how crypto wallets work it allows the user to recover their lost files. File sharing is an important part of many cloud storage users experience and now the user will be able to share their files with other members of the SC cloud storage platform. These three pertinent upgrades all increase the utility of SC and the appeal of their cloud storage system. TRON – TRX (BETA LAUNCH AND COIN BURN) TRX (Tron) is a crypto valued at $0.045 per coin with a market cap of over $3 billion. What makes TRX so very unique is they suffered multiple major FUD attacks at the beginning of 2018. When major FUD attacks occur it places the crypto in a prime spot for accumulation leading to major news events. This week provides multiple major publicity events for TRX. TRX has their first Beta version (Exodus) being launched on March 31, 2018. This is a very important period for TRX because a successful BETA will likely lead to a successful Testnet and eventual Mainnet launch later in quarter two. TRX is also conducting a token burn this week to decrease the supply of total TRX. This week will not only see the TRX crypto increase its utility, but the total supply will also decrease of outstanding TRX. By decreasing supply while increasing utility; TRX is positioning itself for a rapid ascension in value. Demand should increase as utility increases and by decreasing supply the price should rapidly climb North barring any setbacks. NEBULAS – NAS (MAINNET LAUNCH) Prior to the mainnet launch, NAS was a token with minimal to no utility beyond trading. NAS intends to be a decentralized search framework with a search engine and upgradable smart contract properties. To successfully do this NAS will have to move away from the ERC-20 format. The initial steps would be to launch the NAS mainnet and convert ERC-20 tokens to the NAS mainnet tokens. This step begins later this week. If the NAS mainnet is launched successfully and the token conversion takes place without delays expect NAS to appreciate very nicely when compared to the rest of the crypto markets. NAS (Nebulas), has their mainnet launch on March 29, 2018, and soon after plan their swap from their ERC-20 format to nebulas blockchain. The transferability of the NAS token will decrease in the short term as it will not be able to be held by ERC-20 friendly wallets, but if market adoption takes place NAS will have the ability to increase in value substantially. Key features of Nebulas include the Nebulas Rank, Nebulas Force, Developer Incentive Protocol/Proof of Devotion, Search Engine, and Lightning Network Wallet. The Nebulas rank sets up a universal blockchain measure of value. Nebulas Force is a developer-friendly solution that supports smart contracts. Developer Incentive Protocol and Proof-of-Devotion are systems to award developers for contributions to the NAS platform. The Search Engine will allow users to find desired data in a massive decentralized market. The Lightning Network Wallet will allow atomic swaps. This will allow for convenient “swapping” of your NAS for any lightning network enabled coin. NAS is currently trading at a coin value of $6.29 with a market cap of $222 million. These numbers should increase substantially following the successful launch of the Nebulas Mainnet. HALF A WEEK, PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES The last four days of the week provide some exceptional opportunities in the crypto space. There are many coins with major events planned that should shift the entire cryptocurrency markets. The coins requiring immediate attention due to events occurring in the short term include SNOV (Snovio), MTH (Monetha), NAS (Nebulas), TRX (Tron), and SC (Siacoin). Source: Author: JAKETHECRYPTOKING https://dollardestruction.com/2018/03/28/5-altcoins-likely-to-outperform-bitcoin-for-march-28-2018-a-midweek-analysis/

BOSTON (CBS) – A giant gift is making the dreams of thousands of students and teachers all across the country come true. The gift came from technology startup Ripple, in the form of $29 million. That money will pay for about 35,000 classroom crowdfunding projects posted on the website donorschoose.org. WBZ spoke to local teachers who say the funding will make a big difference. Stephen Colbert made it public on last night’s Late Show. “I have a huge announcement about one of my favorite charities, donorschoose.org,” he told the audience. Students at a classroom benefited by DonorsChoose.org (Photo credit: DonorsChoose.org). Donors Choose is a nonprofit where teachers post requests for things their students and classrooms need. Anyone can give money to any project. Donors Choose just got a $29-milllion donation from a California company called Ripple, that will pay for every single classroom project on the site. That’s 35,000 projects. “It’s a million students and teachers who are getting books, art supplies, field trips, robotics kits,” says Charles Best, the website’s founder. Felicia Spencer, an English Language Arts teacher, and Tom Shull, a speech pathologist, team teach at Snowden International High School in Boston. The huge donation will fund six projects for them. “Chairs. I needed enough chairs for my classroom. We don’t always have enough places for people to sit,” says Shull. Felicia Spencer and Tom Shull (WBZ-TV) Spencer will get “no fear” Shakespeare books for her class. “It puts the original version next to a modern day translation so that it makes the text more comprehensible for my students,” she says. It’s not the first time they’ve posted requests on Donors Choose. Between them they’ve had nearly 60 projects funded. “I’ve gotten Donors Choose donations for bookshelves, tables, chairs, paper, printer ink,” Spencer says. In a world where public school teachers dig into their own pockets to buy supplies, this system fills a growing gap. “To make a difference in more than one student’s life at a time, it’s priceless,” Spencer says. “It gives us the tools to do it. It gives us the tools to dream,” adds Shull. Now that the current project requests are covered, a new round of funding requests will begin to be posted on Donors Choose. And they’ll be looking for donations to pay for those. Best says teachers’ classrooms dreams have come through in one fell swoop. That’s evident in the jubilant comments on DonorsChoose.org’s Facebook page. #Ripple #Charity #GiantGift #SchoolProjects #BestSchoolDay Source: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/03/28/donorschoose-ripple-classroom-projects-funded-donors-choose/ https://cbsloc.al/2J0MZC5

WHAT IS ETHEREUM & HOW IT WORKS Ethereum is an open-source, decentralized network that allows smart contracts to be deployed on a blockchain with the use of ether. It’s a blockchain app (Dapp) platform that uses gas to run – in short. The network was created by Vitalik Buterin in 2015 although the white paper was proposed 2 years earlier. WHAT IS ETHEREUM & HOW IT WORKS Ethereum is an open-source, decentralized network that allows smart contracts to be deployed on a blockchain with the use of ether. It’s a blockchain app (Dapp) platform that uses gas to run – in short. The network was created by Vitalik Buterin in 2015 although the white paper was proposed 2 years earlier. That’s a mouthful though! Let’s convert that into plain English by dissecting each word at a time: WHAT IS ETHEREUM BLOCKCHAIN Ethereum blockchain is a distributed database that is constantly growing and therefore adding a new block to the chain every ≈17 seconds on average. Each new block contain records such as transactions and contracts. The operations and transactions are executed and then calculated on the go thanks to the computing nodes. These are tens of thousands of computers spread around the world (users who opted-in to be part of the blockchain network). All participant computers use a client that performs validating and relaying transactions on the blockchain. It’s worth noting that no decentralized technology would exist without them. These computers are incentivized for their work with Ether which is rewarded to them every time a block gets solved (≈5 ETH = $1,600 at the moment of writing). ETHEREUM AS AN OPEN-SOURCE PLATFORM That’s basically a source code that is freely available to the public and can be modified as long as you have access to a computer where that program is stored. If Amazon was an open-source online retail store, then people with access to the source code computer could implement modifications to the website, for instance: how it looks like, what it sells or how much commission it gets per sale etc. However, before any changes take place, the majority of its users would have to agree on particulars and reach so-called consensus by “voting” prior to carrying out any adjustments to the source code. Ethereum is an open-source based platform which means that everyone can see its code and the mechanics behind it which leads us to discoveries of possible flaws. Code adjustments aim to improve the platform – be it security, efficiency or scalability. The code can be altered in two ways – either by implementing a soft or hard fork. DECENTRALIZED PLATFORM No middle-man, no administrative center, no institution. Nobody controls anything – at least it might seem this way. In simple words – if Amazon was decentralized, then it wouldn’t have been solely owned and therefore controlled by Jeff Bezos, its shareholders or any other singular entity. It would have been run by the majority of its users. Ethereum is decentralized and spread out through the network of public nodes that are connected with each other on a peer-to-peer basis. These are simply people and their computers that run the Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum’s decentralized network is a free-for-all kind of thing, you can do whatever the heck you like on it. It’s not censored by anyone, there’s no administrators or moderators to ban you. Create as you see fit – this is the beauty of the dynamic behind it. And that’s all thanks to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) which is responsible for processing the network requests and data storage. WHAT ARE SMART CONTRACTS Smart contracts are IF/WHEN/THEN agreements executed autonomously in timely manner on the Ethereum blockchain in order to exchange money, transfer property between contracted parties, render services for money or any other possible transaction of worth. This simply means that contracts execute themselves automatically if certain conditions (specified beforehand) are met – see the Amazon example below. You can read about smart contracts in detail in our dedicated article over here. To give you an idea of what they are and how they work, presume this scenario of a sample smart contract: You order item A from Amazon for amount X Amazon delivers item A to you Amount X is released to Amazon for item A You can also say that in certain situations smart contracts act as escrow. Simplifying, they are pre-defined procedures that are executed without stopping them once the conditions are met. Sounds familiar? I’m talking about Skynet below. WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF ETHEREUM Ethereum’s main purpose is to serve as a platform to create and run decentralized applications. To ensure that the network runs smoothly, Ethereum needs crypto-fuel (called gas or ether) to perform operations. Think of this as payment which rewards the nodes for solving blocks in the chain. Any centralized service that you can think of, be it bank accounts, mortgage brokers, car dealerships etc. could be decentralized by Ethereum and become immutable. Cool word, huh? I’ll explain in a minute what’s up. The possibilities are endless. The odds are that we might face the world where nearly everything is decentralized. This will ultimately put YOU in charge of your faith and your personal and professional affairs. WHAT ARE ETHEREUM DAPPS For example, even though Ethereum derived from Bitcoin, the latter itself could be referred to as a Dapp (decentralized application). That’s because Bitcoin is, in fact, a Dapp – its aim is to provide widespread decentralized peer-to-peer payment service. It serves the same purpose as, let’s say Paypal, except there’s no middle-man to impose control of the funds and/or various restrictions on the users. BENEFITS OF DAPPS Ether (gas) is also used as cryptocurrency to make payments and it has already become Bitcoin’s main rival, even though this wasn’t intended. The growing popularity doesn’t seem to face an end which can only help Ethereum get even more traction. Some experts believe that it’s just a matter of time before Ethereum surpasses its ancestor and becomes no. 1 in the crypto-world. 3 Key Benefits of Decentralized Applications: 100% uptime guaranteed – the apps or the network can’t be switched off because it’s run by tens of thousands of nodes spread around the world Immutability – a middle-man, or any other singular entity, cannot make any changes to the data that is recoded on the blockchain without reaching the network consensus Security – because the network is decentralized, it makes it near impossible to hack the data WHAT’S THE CATCH? Very similarly to the Neural Net-based Artificial Intelligence (Skynet), Ethereum and its Dapps aren’t perfect. If the code contains a major flaw, like it was the case with The DAO project, it could turn out to be disastrous – you can read more about The DAO here. The major downside of this is that once a Dapp is released and runs on the network, it cannot be stopped immediately – sometimes resulting in what has happened in the above example. There’s no cure nor is there a quick fix that could change the bad outcome. In such scenario, the blockchain would have to be amended manually by reaching consensus to get rid of the error. This ultimately contradicts its decentralized ambitions, but as of yet, there’s no other option. CONCLUSION Since Ethereum is still a relatively new proposition in the crypto-world, it has already proven its vast potential and usability to become more popular than Bitcoin itself. Whilst these two coins have different purposes, the scalability of Ethereum far exceeds any other crypto-coin. Will Ethereum and its smart contracts become Skynet 2.0? You might say that’s exactly where it’s headed. And you probably wouldn’t be wrong. For now though, Ethereum is one of the most promising blockchain technology available on the market and will most likely revolutionize the world. WHAT’S NEXT? You might want to find out where and how to buy and store Ether – this is part two of the new Ethereum – The Ultimate Guide. New articles are coming out every other day. Subscribe to your newsletter to stay informed! Source: http://sebfor.com/what-is-ethereum-explained/

If you did not send bitcoins because Bitcoin (BTC) fees where too high, now it is time to make that transaction. Bitcoin transaction fees reached the cheapest point in nearly 12 months. In this way, some bitcoin alternatives do not seem as attractive as before. BITCOIN LOW FEES According to the twitter account, Bitcoin Core Fee, BTC transaction fees have reached a new record low on March the 25th. The price was 1 satoshi per byte in order for the transaction to be accepted into the next block. Furthermore, the transaction times have been reduced and take less than 10 minutes to be processed. According to bitinfocharts, the average Bitcoin transaction fee has reached new low levels not seen since almost one year ago. When Bitcoin reached $20,000 dollars during December 2017, the average Bitcoin fee was $55 dollars per transaction. One of the various reasons that can explain this fee reduction on Bitcoin’s network is the fact that important entities are using practices like transaction batching to reduce fees. Another important development that has been reducing bitcoin fees is Segregated Witness (Segwit). This scaling solution applied to Bitcoin and adopted in August 2017, has been designed to optimize block sizes and reduce transaction fees and times. Coinbase and Bitstamp are just some of the cryptocurrency platforms that have added support for these scaling solution. As of right now, 31% of the transactions are processed using SegWit addresses. The rate is steadily increasing and it could help the network to reduce transaction fees. At the moment, the Bitcoin community is waiting for the off chain scaling solution known as Lightning Network. The proposed solution would allow the Bitcoin network to scale and allow many more transactions (millions) to be processed per second. With this implementation, fees would be near to zero (in theory), and transactions would be processed almost instantly. In this way, more merchants, retail shops, and other commerce stores would start to use the famous cryptocurrency as a means of payment. Meanwhile, we can enjoy the low fees that the network is offering right now. Author: CARLOS TERENZI International Relations and Cryptocurrencies. https://www.cryptocurrencyguide.org/bitcoin-transaction-fees-reach-a-record-low/

Coinbase has traditionally been extremely selective when it comes to adding new coins on its platform, but it appears things might be about to change: the San Francisco-based company has announced plans to support Ethereum-based ERC20 tokens on its cryptocurrency exchange desk in the near future. For those unfamiliar, ERC20 is a technical protocol developers can use to create utility-based tokens on the Ethereum network. Among hundreds others, the list of ERC20-powered tokens includes popular currencies like EOS, Golem and QTUM. Indeed, the technical standard has often been employed by fraudulent startups seeking to launch their own tokens in an easy and swift way. Coinbase took to Medium to reveal its plans to support the ERC20 technical standard, but has so far kept the lid on when the implementation will go live – or which tokens will get listed first. “This paves the way for supporting ERC20 assets across Coinbase products in the future, though we aren’t announcing support for any specific assets or features at this time,” the company wrote in the blog post. According to the announcement, ERC20 support will be gradually implemented across the full suite of Coinbase products, including hedge fund tool Custody, GDAX, its Asset Management platform, and of course its main platform – but only after assets have made their way to GDAX. The only exception seems to be the Commerce payment system for which there are no immediate plans to add ERC20. One curious detail is that Coinbase took a moment to stress that it is making this information public so as to comply with its process for adding new assets – and perhaps to avoid yet another insider trading scandal. In late December last year, the exchange desk was in the middle of an insider trading controversy after Bitcoin Cash (BCH) experienced an abrupt jump in price moments before Coinbase announced support for the currency. As a result, CEO Brian Armstrong launched an internal investigation, which ultimately concluded there was no foul play in the sudden price surge of BCH. #Coinbase #Ethereum #ERC20 #Tokens #AltCoins #GDAX Source: https://thenextweb.com/hardfork/2018/03/27/coinbase-ethereum-erc20-tokens/ https://blog.coinbase.com/adding-erc20-support-to-coinbase-fe9cba6782b

And how do you get started on receiving them? So, first off. What is an airdrop? A​ ​cryptocurrency airdrop​ ​is​ ​when​ ​a​ ​blockchain project distribute​s ​free​ ​tokens or​ ​coins ​to​ ​the​ crypto ​community to bring attention to their project. To​ ​receive a cryptocurrency ​airdrop, typically​ ​the​ ​only​ ​requirement​ ​is​ ​that​ ​you​ ​have​ ​coins from the relevant currency in your wallet. Examples of this format of an airdrop are: BitcoinCash, Byteball, Stellar Lumens, or OmiseGo. These airdrops required you to prove you were the owner of the Bitcoin or Ethereum at a "certain time or snapshot of the blockchain". Other smaller airdrops, which have become much more popular recently are when a cryptocurrency project distributes a predetermined amount of tokens to the community who signs up for the airdrop. Sometimes these need social media tasks whether it be follow them on different social media sites like FB, TWTR, TG, etc. As of recently, some of them require KYC (Know Your Customer) uploaded to receive them. Personally I never participate in these because I don't trust anyone asking for KYC for just an airdrop- it's ridiculous in my opinion. To get started up on getting airdrops you will need some things to get started off: Telegram account Twitter/Facebook Account BitcoinTalk Account MEW or Metamask wallet to store ERC-20 tokens. - a link for metamask's website can be found here: https://metamask.io/ WAVES platform wallet (only for some airdrops) https://wavesplatform.com/ Once you have this all set up you are ready to get started to sign up for some airdrops! If you are looking to join a channel to get updated on airdrops and bounties you are free to join this channel https://t.me/cryptoaidrops You can also sign up for Earn and get paid in BTC to sign up for their exclusive airdrops! Check out this article I wrote on it. You can sign up by clicking on the link in the article: https://steemit.com/crypto/@ansteadm/earn-a-new-way-for-businesses-to-communicate-and-users-to-make-money If you have any questions feel free to ask me on TG (@ansteadm) or just post a comment on here and I'll be happy to get back to you! #ico #crypto #airdrop #token #cryptocurrency Source: Steemit Author: ansteadm https://steemit.com/ico/@ansteadm/what-exactly-is-an-airdrop-and-how-do-i-get-started-on-receiving-them

To understand the difference between a blockchain and a traditional database, it is worth considering how each of these is designed and maintained. Distributed nodes on a blockchain. Traditional Databases Traditional databases use client-server network architecture. Here, a user (known as a client) can modify data, which is stored on a centralized server. Control of the database remains with a designated authority, which authenticates a client’s credentials before providing access to the database. Since this authority is responsible for administration of the database, if the security of the authority is compromised, the data can be altered, or even deleted. Traditional Databases. Blockchain Databases Blockchain databases consist of several decentralized nodes. Each node participates in administration: all nodes verify new additions to the blockchain, and are capable of entering new data into the database. For an addition to be made to the blockchain, the majority of nodes must reach consensus. This consensus mechanism guarantees the security of the network, making it difficult to tamper with. In Bitcoin, consensus is reached by mining (solving complex hashing puzzles), while Ethereum seeks to use proof of stake as its consensus mechanism. To learn more about the difference between these two consensus mechanisms, read my earlier post. Integrity and Transparency A key property of blockchain technology, which distinguishes it from traditional database technology, is public verifiability, which is enabled by integrity and transparency. Integrity: every user can be sure that the data they are retrieving is uncorrupted and unaltered since the moment it was recorded Transparency: every user can verify how the blockchain has been appended over time A map of Dashcoin masternodes distributed across the world. CRUD vs Read & Write Operations In a traditional database, a client can perform four functions on data: Create, Read, Update, and Delete (collectively known as the CRUD commands). The blockchain is designed to be an append only structure. A user can only add more data, in the form of additional blocks. All previous data is permanently stored and cannot be altered. Therefore, the only operations associated with blockchains are: Read Operations: these query and retrieve data from the blockchain Write Operations: these add more data onto the blockchain Validating and Writing The blockchain allows for two functions: validation of a transaction, and writing of a new transaction. A transaction is an operation that changes the state of data that lives on the blockchain. While past entries on the blockchain must always remain the same, a new entry can change the state of the data in the past entries. For example, if the blockchain has recorded that my Bitcoin wallet has 1 million BTC, that figure is permanently stored in the blockchain. When I spend 200,000 BTC, that transaction is recorded onto the blockchain, bringing my balance to 800,000 BTC. However, since the blockchain can only be appended, my pre-transaction balance of 1 million BTC also remains on the blockchain permanently, for those who care to look. This is why the blockchain is often referred to as an immutable and distributed ledger. Centralized vs. peer to peer. In short, the difference is Decentralized Control Decentralized control eliminates the risks of centralized control. Anybody with sufficient access to a centralized database can destroy or corrupt the data within it. Users are therefore reliant on the security infrastructure of the database administrator. Blockchain technology uses decentralized data storage to sidestep this issue, thereby building security into its very structure. Though blockchain technology is well-suited to record certain kinds of information, traditional databases are better suited for other kinds of information. It is crucial for every organization to understand what it wants from a database, and gauge this against the strengths and vulnerabilities of each kind of database, before selecting one. #Blockchain #Database #BlockchainTechnology #BigData #DatabaseAdministration Author: Shaan Ray LinkedIn| Twitter | Ray Advisors Helping companies with blockchain education, strategy and integration. Blockchain product development advisor. Certified Ethereum Developer. Building and training enterprise sales teams. Over a decade of global consulting experience across multiple sectors. Technology entrepreneur, founded and sold two companies. MBA 2011. Helping companies with blockchain education, strategy and integration. Blockchain product development advisor. Certified Ethereum Developer. Building and training enterprise sales teams. Over a decade of global consulting experience across multiple sectors. Technology entrepreneur, founded and sold two companies. MBA 2011. Source: https://towardsdatascience.com/blockchains-versus-traditional-databases-e496d8584dc

Malta Prime Minister Welcomes Binance to Its “Blockchain Island” The world’s largest cryptocurrency has found a new home on one of the world’s smallest island states. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat warmly welcomed the cryptocurrency platform and spoke of his desire for Malta to become “global trailblazers in the regulation of blockchain-based businesses and the jurisdiction of quality and choice for world class fintech companies”. Colleagues joined him in welcoming Binance and spoke of a desire for Malta to become known as “the blockchain island”. Switzerland’s Crypto Valley If Zug in Switzerland is Europe’s crypto valley, Malta is bidding to come its island equivalent. The Mediterranean island, with a population of 450,000, is a major hub of banking and finance and is a global leader in the online gambling industry. On March 23, Binance announced that it would be moving its operations to the island, which is a European Union member. The cryptocurrency exchange, the world’s largest by trading volume, has been searching for a home after regulatory action in China, Hong Kong, and Japan forced it to look elsewhere. Binance is seeking to introduce fiat payment facilities, and in Malta it has found a country that is plugged into Europe’s banking sector and rated by the IMF as having an advanced economy, placing it in the world’s top 32 countries. Binance explained that it settled on Malta “due to its existing pro-blockchain legislation and the stability that it offers financial technology companies through its regulatory framework.” The news comes on the same day that Japan’s Financial Services Agency published an order for Binance to cease its operations in Japan, stating that it was breaking regulations on funds settlement. Malta Opens Its Doors to Crypto Businesses Many European nations, such as the UK, have been sceptical of cryptocurrencies, and reluctant to embrace tech companies working within this burgeoning sector. While the British government has dragged its heels, going only so far as to commission a task force to “manage the risks around crypto assets”, Malta has drawn up a regulatory framework to encourage their use. It’s in the process of enshrining a Virtual Currency Act into law. “Binance’s presence in Malta sustains our vision, that of making Malta ‘The Blockchain Island’,” said Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy & Innovation Silvio Schembri, joining his Prime Minister in welcoming the exchange. With Binance seeking to recruit 200 staff as soon as possible, the move will provide an instant boost to the island’s economy, and bolster its quest to become a center for crypto innovation. “Binance will soon start a “fiat-to-crypto exchange” on the European island nation, and is close to securing a deal with local banks that can provide access to deposits and withdrawals,” said CEO Changpeng Zhao. He also encouraged other crypto businesses to follow Binance’s lead and consider relocating there. The move will be particularly beneficial to European customers, who should soon have another major exchange that will accept fiat deposits. Binance strengthening its grip on the market raises just one concern: if the exchange were to suffer a hack or technical problem, it could significantly disrupt the crypto markets. Do you think Malta can position itself as Europe’s most crypto-friendly nation? Let us know in the comments section below. #Bitcoin #Binance #Malta #crypto #exchange Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Source: https://news.bitcoin.com/malta-prime-minister-welcomes-binance-to-its-blockchain-island/

Major cryptocurrency exchange Binance has announced that it will be opening an office in Malta in the wake of yesterday’s news that Japanese regulators had issued a warning to the exchange, Bloomberg reports today, March 23. Hong Kong-based Binance, which is the number one exchange by 24 hour volume listed on CoinMarketCap, will work with local Malta banks for deposits and withdrawals for a “fiat-to-crypto” exchange. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, known in the crypto community as “CZ”, told Bloomberg that he had been invited to Malta by the government in order to look at an upcoming bill “favorable” to crypto businesses: “We are very confident we can announce a banking partnership there soon. Malta is very progressive when it comes to crypto and fintech.” According to the local news outlet Malta Independent, the country’s government had launched the Malta Digital Innovation Authority in February 2018 in order to provide legal clarity for companies developing Blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). The prime minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, tweeted his excitement for Binance’s Malta move earlier today: Zhao responded to the prime minister’s tweet, adding a sentence about the overall possibilities for crypto in Malta: Binance had opened an office in Japan while in the process of trying to receive a license to operate in the country before. On March 23, Japan’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) issued a warning on Binance’s unregistered status led the company to move, according to Zhao. In early February of this year, Hong Kong regulators had posted a notice to investors on the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies, noting that they had issued letters to seven Hong Kong-based exchanges as a warning against not trading in crypto considered “securities" under local law. Bloomberg reports that Binance was one of the seven exchanges to receive the warning letter. Zhao also separately told Bloomberg that Binance will soon launch a decentralized exchange once the technology is ready. #BlockchainNews #Binance #CryptocurrencyExchange #Malta #Japan Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/major-crypto-exchange-binance-to-open-office-in-malta-after-japanese-regulator-warning

The progress of Ripple (XRP) happens so quickly that major news gets buried under FUD on a basis of seconds, but XRP transaction speeds have nonetheless surpassed VISA transaction speeds at a rate of more than two-to-one while few were noticing. Because of recent updates to XRP, the alt-coin can now process 50,000 transactions per second compared to VISA’s 24,000 transactions per second. The number of VISA transactions per second is publicly available information published at the VISA website portal, which cites testing of transaction speed that was conducted in 2010. XRP’s 50,000 transactions-per-second is information available at the Ripple company’s website portal that was updated in July 2017. However, recent XRP potential COBALT updates and system health decentralization improvements promise to further increase the transaction speed/capacity that the altcoin is capable of, as well as improve the safety of XRP transactions. The improvement of transaction speed improves the likelihood of XRP (Ripple) adoption by the more than 100 banks that have confirmed the trial of Ripple technologies in their systems. Banks have embraced the Ripple system so frequently that Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse commented in a recent interview that the company would not announce more bank adoption numbers until they reach 200. For those who are not aware of the difference between the Ripple company and the XRP alt-coin, Ripple is an international financial transaction company whose owners maintain the majority of the XRP alt-coin for business use—HODn XRP to ensure that banks and financial institutions that it conducts business with will have a sufficient amount of XRP to carry out cross-border fiat-to-fiat conversions and other similar uses of XRP that relate to financial transactions. Although many in the cryptocurrency community interpret this business decision of the Ripple company to HOD their available XRP as an inherent flaw, for the average XRP investor, this decision is a boon since it permanently reduces the amount of the XRP alt-coin that is in circulation any given day in the trading community, and, most importantly, it ensures that the Ripple company can provide a sufficient amount of XRP to its financial partners. Thus the value of XRP as an artifact and not as a utility increases, and thus the qualities of XRP an alt-coin simultaneously increase in its capacity to bridge artifact value and use-case value. In the valuation analysis of alt-coins, two valuation systems have emerged. One that acknowledges the artifact value of an alt-coin that is tied to the limited number and the consequent desirability of cryptocurrency—such as the highly limited number of Bitcoin (BTC) that is available and that therefore makes the coin valuable for the simple fact that the number of Bitcoin (BTC) is limited (now at merely 21 million). The other emerging consideration to the value of alt-coin involves the use-case of cryptocurrency. In this respect to use-case valuation, XRP is considerably in the forefront of most if not all cryptocurrencies because of the adoption of XRP by the financial sector—most notably to date by the Cuallix financial system, an international company that uses XRP to bridge cross-border fiat transactions and payments. Also, however, this use-case valuation is solidified by the Ripple company’s partnership with SBI Holdings, the leading financial service company in Japan. Their subsidiary, SBI Securities, is Japan’s largest online securities company with more than 4 million brokerage accounts. SBI Virtual Currencies launched in beta on January 30 and is expected to soon launch in real time. The exchange is designed to provide a respected and reliable exchange for both its institutional customers and individual digital asset buyers in Japan. SBI Virtual Currencies will use XRP as the only digital asset supported at launch. LIMITATION IS GOOD FOR ARTIFACT VALUE According to statistics available at coinmarketcap.com, the number of XRP in circulation equals approximately 39 billion, having already neared the number of the alt-coin that is available to the public. According to information from the Ripple company, there are 55 billion of the XRP alt-coin that have been placed into escrow, with the allowance that the Ripple company can sell up to a billion per month. However, the Ripple company seems to be HODn its available XRP, and selling only millions of the alt-coin each month and placing the remainder back into a posteriorly-dated escrow, which means that the XRP that is not sold each month is then positioned to be sold at later than the original escrow timeline dates set by the company, decades down the line. Although each month the Ripple company releases some of the alt-coin to fund its business activity, the number that is sold monthly is low. Thus there are only really about 6 billion XRP available to the general public, plus the few million that the company sells each month to fund its business activities. SPEED IS DEADLY Because XRP can process transactions twice as fast as one of the leading credit card companies in the world, and with more than a hundred banks looking at XRP as a potential artifact to execute cross-border transactions, and with most of the XRP that is available to the public now exhausted, the current undervaluation of XRP is self-evident. Look to XRP in the coming years to become the standard of value for alternative currencies, positioned to continue to lead the cryptocurrency world in use-case valuation. #Ripple #xrp ADVISORY: Some information in this op-ed was used verbatim from industry websites. Other information referenced comes from news reports. I am not a financial advisor and I do not recommend speculating in cryptocurrency. I own some XRP and other alt-coins, but I don’t day trade. Source: https://oracletimes.com/xrp-ripple-surpasses-visa-transaction-speed/

A recent study on Americans and cryptocurrencies, commissioned by Finder.com in February, shows that 8 percent, or around 26 mln, of Americans have purchased cryptocurrency. Finder’s survey was answered by 2,001 Americans adults using Pureprofile, a site that gives cash rewards to users that participate in its surveys. The survey found that out of the 92.05 percent of Americans that have not purchased crypto, almost 8 percent reported that they are planning on doing so in the future. According to the survey, men are more than double as likely as women to own cryptocurrency -- 11.86 percent of all men to 4.27 percent of all women -- as well as more likely to own more crypto in terms of dollar value. Cryptocurrencies are disproportionately owned more by millenials as opposed to baby boomers--17.2 percent of millenials and 2.24 percent of baby boomers reported having crypto holdings. A study from December of last year by Blockchain Capital also showed that millennials favor Bitcoin (BTC) over traditional bank accounts. The survey also address the reasons why Americans are not buying cryptocurrencies. The majority of both men and women think that “there is no need or they are disinterested,” while the least popular reason for both genders is “there are too many fees.” More than twice the amount of men as opposed to women consider crypto to be a bubble or a scam, but both genders see it about equally “too difficult to use” and “too complicated to understand.” Different generations have different reasons for their lack of owning any cryptocurrencies. As for the most popular kinds of cryptocurrency bought by American adults, Bitcoin comes in first place, with Ethereum (ETH) almost four percentage points lower in second, and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) in third with less than one percent. #EthereumNews #Cryptocurrencies #USA #BitcoinCash Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/new-survey-shows-around-26-mln-americans-own-and-8-percent-plan-to-buy-cryptocurrencies

A Dutch court classifies Bitcoin as a “transferable value” after the court ruled in favour of a plaintiff who was owed 0.591 Bitcoins (BTC), according to a court document published March 20. The claim was filed in a Dutch court by Mr. J.W. de Vries on 2 February 2018 against Koinz Trading BV, a non-public company, which was previously ordered by a lower court of Midden-Nederland to pay mining proceeds in the amount of 0.591 BTC owed to the petitioner, or a penalty payment up to a €10,000 maximum. As a consequence of the company’s failure to comply with its obligations to pay the required volume in BTC, the court ordered that the company either pay up or be declared insolvent. The court judgement explicitly states that Bitcoin demonstrates all the characteristics of a “property right”, and hence a claim to transfer BTC under property rights is legitimate: “Bitcoin exists, according to the court, from a unique, digitally encrypted series of numbers and letters stored on the hard drive of the right-holder’s computer. Bitcoin is ‘delivered’ by sending bitcoins from one wallet to another wallet. Bitcoins are stand-alone value files, which are delivered directly to the payee by the payer in the event of a payment. It follows that a Bitcoin represents a value and is transferable. In the court’s view, it thus shows characteristics of a property right. A claim for payment in Bitcoin is therefore to be regarded as a claim that qualifies for verification.” The court found that there was an undisputed contract between Mr. Vries and Koinz Trading BV: since the obligations were taken in BTC, the amount should also be paid back with the same currency. The court considers the legal relationship as a civil obligation to pay. While the Dutch court may be making gradual steps toward crypto being recognized as a currency, other organizations do not recognize it as such. The G20 Financial Stability Board (FSB) released a document March 20, in which it is implied that the FSB considers cryptocurrency to be assets, rather than currency. The document claims that cryptocurrencies, “lack the traits of sovereign currencies.” Last month, Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney said that, "It [cryptocurrency] has pretty much failed thus far on... the traditional aspects of money. It is not a store of value because it is all over the map. Nobody uses it as a medium of exchange." #bitcoin #cryptocurrencies #court #transactions #adoption Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/dutch-court-finds-bitcoin-a-legitimate-transferable-value