Planning to invest your hard-earned money and looking for the most profitable investment? If yes, then you must consider investing in cryptocurrencies. The reason being, cryptocurrency is one of the easiest and fastest ways of earning huge amounts of profit and comes in various types. However, all types of crypto are profitable and risk-free, but we recommend you invest in Chainlink. The Chainlink is that type of cryptocurrency which motivates the global networks. The decentralized oracle network provides reliable temper proofs inputs and outputs for smart contracts on the blockchain. Chainlink crypto price has dramatically expanded the intelligent contracts capability by enabling access to real-world data, payments, events, and more without sacrificing security.

Together with this, you can invest in Chainlink in just a few steps for the purpose of earning maximum profit. If you plan to trade your Chainlink frequently and only plan to hold a small amount of the Chainlink you can leave it on the exchange wallet. But it is mentioned that this is the least secure way to store your Chainlink. And also the reliability guarantees of the Chainlink inherent to the blockchain technologies. If you want some more about the Chainlink, continue reading this article.

Chainlink is a cryptocurrency that has aimed to motivate the global network computers to provide real-world and reliable data to smart contracts running on top of the blockchain. Smart contracts are agreements that are programmed to execute when and if certain conditions. These smart contracts searching to replicate bonds and assurance agreements may need access to APIs reporting on the market price. Every oracle in the chainlink network is motivated to provide accurate data since the reputation score is assigned to reach. Concerning the security level it offers, a chain link fence is referred to as hurricane or cyclone fencing. It is just because it is made up of interlocked steel wires and securely coated. It is made to have a vertical zig-zag pattern that is connected to form a shape of a diamond.

The Chainlink project aims to provide compatibility amongst Ethereum, Bitcoin and allow the bank and the system’s payment services. The primary purpose of Chainlink is to secure the interest of users who are investing in the crypto world. The Chainlink is preferred for its economic advantages, affordability, and durability. One of the main aims of Chainlink is to decentralize intelligent contracts and increase the security of data as well as accuracy. The smart contracts company, referred to as the backbone of Chainlink developers, has been engaged since 2014 in contract automation. Besides, it has cooperated with the most prominent companies like Oracle, Google Cloud, SWIFT inspires confidence. The LINK tokens can be a good investment tool given by the technological capabilities and the goals set by the Chainlink project.

Who has watched the crypto charts as of late can speak well on the popularity of Chainlink. This popularity stems from a variety of different sources, including the firm’s unique business model. Instead, the cryptocurrency platform wants to advance the entire sector through its unique protocols. For many other space projects, Chainlink does not seek to compete against another cryptocurrency. Chainlink is a very safe and secure platform that anyone can invest in this fearlessly. If you also want to make an investment in Chainlink, it can be the right one to buy LINK.

The Chainlink attempts to rectify the big problem facing the blockchain sector is communicating information from and to the blockchain. This task was accomplished by the sensors known as the oracle, which can be set to monitor anything nearly. The oracle provides a reliable way to initiate the smart contract when the outside parameters are met. If the oracle becomes corrupted, it puts the whole network at risk.

The Chainlink is quite different from purely speculative projects, and it is safer as the Chainlink can bring substantial returns. The cryptocurrency is suitable for long-term investment as well as a short-term investment. If you are searching for something to invest in, Chainlink can be the best option for you. The Chainlink is a secure platform that converts your funds to maximum profit. The Chainlink provides various security features intending to save the interest of users.

The Chainlink is referred to as the most prominent cryptocurrency and shows tremendous growth. It presents the ideal combination of the project with the right technologies and has enough resources for further developments. And you know the best part of the Chainlink is it possesses an excellent community. Investing in the Chainlink will be beneficial for you as it trades in the crypto ecosystem. With a five year investment, the total revenue of Chainlink is expected to be around 390.12%. Read about – Binance Coin Price

Last few years, Chainlink burst into the list of top 10 cryptocurrencies in the market of capitalization. At the beginning of this year, the Chainlink cryptocurrency price increased by 830%, overtaking bitcoin and other liquid coins. At the beginning of the year 2021, the Chainlink again hit the previous records. Some experts have said that the reason for this success and burst is the demand for a service. In the decentralized oracle market, Chainlink becomes a monopolist, and their oracles are the industrial standards. Changelly treats the Chainlink as a cryptocurrency concerning it is a promising project. The coin is traded against several cryptocurrencies and is always ready to be swapped over 160 digital assets on this platform. According to the long forecast service, Chainlink will gain momentum and reach $125 by the end of 2025.

Chainlink Price in USD or INR Calculator

The Chainlink is a cryptocurrency that has been going absolutely to the symbolic and shooting the previous records, and now it is at the 5th biggest crypto. If you are also looking for something to invest in, the Chainlink is safe and secure for you. Chainlink price in USD or checkout the Chainlink price in INR or other currency before investing. I hope this article will help you and you get the entire content you are searching for.

Cryptocurrencies must be connected to the real world, and oracles solve this task. And so what is Chainlink oracle network? Chainlink network is one of the most trusted in this industry. Keep reading to understand what is Chainlink crypto and how oracles work.   

Blockchain oracles are a trusted data source that sends information to the blockchain for use by other smart contracts. This agent can be software, hardware, or human.

An oracle is a means for smart contracts to access data from the world outside the blockchain. As a type of smart contract itself, oracles take data from the outside world and place it on the blockchain to fulfill conditions within other smart contracts. Oracle offers the potential for blockchains to interact in real-time with everyday objects, including smart devices and other digital information.

It is worth noting that the oracle itself is not a data source, but rather one layer that queries, verifies and authenticates all readings from external sources and then relays this information. The data transmitted by oracles are various. This can be price information, successful completion of a payment, or temperature measured by a sensor.

Oracles open up smart contracts for a wide range of applications:

The Chainlink crypto provides data for smart contracts. It can be used to link real events to the terms of a contract. The project is called a bridge between the real world and blockchain technology.

According to Chainlink news, its ICO ended in September 2017, the project raised $32 million.

This altcoin is based on the Ethereum blockchain and is an ERC-677 standard token. It is used to pay node operators for providing data for smart contracts and also for deposits placed by node operators.

Storage on cryptocurrency exchanges is acceptable if the user works with a small number of coins. However, this option does not have a sufficient level of reliability. So, it is better to use wallets for this purpose. To store LINK cryptocurrency, it is recommended to use any wallet that supports Ethereum. 

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network, which connects blockchain with apps and platforms in the real world. With oracles, data can be uploaded to the blockchain, allowing Chainlink smart contracts to interact with the external world.

Oracles are necessary to create and run decentralized applications and smart contracts based on all sorts of external data. Chainlink builds a robust environment for oracles that can be used by blockchain, providing a link between the digital and real world. 

Moreover, smart contracts need a connection to form inputs that affect their work and can change their state and outputs to trigger actions in the external world, such as the transmission of rights to assets.

Chainlink developers do their best to create a decentralized oracle network that is more reliable than centralized platforms that provide similar services.

The oracle services on Chainlink create movement in the blockchain space through their broad functionality. They act as bridges that allow multiple blockchains to interact with internal and external resources, such as market data.

When news broke that China’s blockchain service network (BSN) was integrating Chainlink decentralized oracles into its network, the price of communication rose to new heights. Plus, the integration has been made easier with the IRITA service.

Chainlink aims to accelerate the adoption of smart contracts as the dominant form of digital payments by enabling them to use popular tools such as DeFi. Chainlink has been active in the blockchain space and has recruited over 300 projects.

As for Chainlink coin news, the most recent integrations include Agoric, which links Chainlink’s technology for developing smart contracts with JavaScript. This attracts more developers who can invest their time in creating faster, more customizable data streams.

Chainlink is a promising asset. The LINK crypto price is volatile. The World Economic Forum rated it one of the top 100 startups in the latest list of technology innovators. So, this project is promising, and oracles are a robust mechanism that simplifies communication between smart contracts and the outside world. They have great potential to introduce safeguards that could remove much of the systemic risk from the blockchain ecosystem. 

You should remember that no one knows for 100% what the future will bring to the Chainlink project.

If you believe in the Chainlink crypto coin, need to exchange it, or want to know how the LINK coin price changes – Chainlink Price Prediction 2021, use StealthEX. The platform allows users to read recent Chainlink (LINK) news and exchange more than 350 tokens. 

Exchange LINK crypto on StealthEX with a low fee. 

You can study a detailed article with an exchange guide, watch a tutorial video on our YouTube channel, or just go to StealthEX and follow these easy steps:

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author. Every investment and trading move involves risk. You should conduct your own research when making a decision.

March 10, 2021

TL;DR Breakdown

Today’s Chainlink price prediction is bullish as the market has retraced almost 35 percent from the last all-time high of $53. Therefore, we expect LINK/USD to reverse latest his week and start to head towards further all-time highs.

The crypto market trades with substantial loss over the last 24 hours and sharp spikes lower were seen across the board overnight. Bitcoin trades with a loss of 7.6 percent, While Ethereum is down almost 8 percent. The rest of the market follows this pattern with various degrees of bearish price action.

LINK/USD opened at $40.72 after slight bearish close yesterday. Overnight, the Chainlink price moved towards further lows until support was found at the $35 mark. From there, bulls regained control and pushed LINK to retest the $40-$41 previous support area as resistance.

The LINK/USD price moved in a range of $35.24 – $43.88, indicating severe volatility. Trading volume has increased by 25 percent and totals almost $3 billion. The total market cap stands at $16.8 billion, ranking the cryptocurrency in 13th place overall.

On the 4-hour chart, we can see the market rejecting further downside after a brief test of the $35 mark overnight, indicating that the market might reverse back to the upside this week.

Chainink price action continues trading in a bearish momentum over the past days after setting a new all-time high around the $53 mark on the 10th of May. Since previously LINK/USD gained more than 70 percent from the $30 low at the end of April, we can expect a similar upswing once the current retracement ends.

Right now, LINK/USD still retraces and is in a bearish short-term trend. However, since the market has already retraced more than 30 percent to the $35 low, we expect a reversal to be seen soon.

Currently, the Chainlink price action retests previous major support around $40-$41 as a resistance. If the market fails to move above this resistance, we can expect further downside later this week, with the next support around the $33 mark.

Alternatively, if the $40-$41 resistance breaks, LINK/USD should start moving sideways and set a higher low, from which to establish a base to move higher later this week.

Chainlink price prediction is bullish as the market rejected further downside overnight and currently trades below the $40-$41 resistance. Therefore, if bulls can push LINK/USD above this price point, we expect further upside over a week.

While waiting for further Chainlink price action development, read our latest guides on investing in Bitcoin, Litecoin mining software, and Ethereum mining pools.

Disclaimer. The information provided is not trading advice. Cryptopolitan.com holds no liability for any investments made based on the information provided on this page. We strongly recommend independent research and/or consultation with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.

LONDON , July 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UK-based cryptocurrency exchange coinpass has launched its new flagship crypto trading platform.

The new platform, coinpass Trade, lets users trade crypto with a cryptocurrency exchange listed on the FCA temporary crypto-asset business register.

Users will benefit from top-tier security, deep liquidity, a large choice of tradable tokens and excellent service and support.

Voted Best Cryptocurrency Exchange Platform 2020 at CityAM's CryptoAM Awards, coinpass is preparing for exponential growth to service its growing UK and European user base.

Investors can sign up and register as an individual user or a corporate entity in minutes.

Jeff Hancock , co-founder and CEO, said: "Our goal was to design a crypto trading experience for our users that was easy to use, beautiful to interact with and provided access to the most important data when investing in crypto.

"Typically, exchanges leave you looking at charts and order books instead of the important data to monitor and grow your crypto portfolio. Our new innovative trading platform will enable our users to actively monitor their trading positions, crypto market trends and overall portfolio performance, which are essential to investors to continue to grow their portfolio."

At launch, coinpass Trade will support the following trading pairs and markets:

British Pound (GBP), European Euro (EUR), Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Polkadot (DOT), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM).

Post-launch, the following markets are scheduled to be added:

Crypto-crypto markets for BTC and ETH

Additional alt-tokens vs fiat currencies markets

Additional alt-tokens vs cryptocurrencies markets

The platform is aiming to offer over 100 tradable crypto markets to its client base.

Launched in 2018, coinpass has become a leader in the UK cryptocurrency space since the launch of its GBP-crypto fiat on-ramp gateway.

The new platform opens publicly on July 1st 2021.

Logo: dia contact Marketing Team marketing@coinpass.com +44 (0)203-475-9316

What do Vladimir Putin and Burger King have in common? 

For starters, they both have a cryptocurrency named after them. Actually, PutinCoin and Whoppercoin might be the only thing they have in common. But their namesake cryptocurrencies are among the thousands of different virtual currencies making up a growing marketplace grabbing investors’ attention.

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have a growing track record of holding and increasing in value over time, though recent dips have wracked the market, while lesser-known cryptos are considered much more speculative and unpredictable. And while PutinCoin and Whoppercoin belong to a category of cryptocurrencies marked more for their absurdity than their potential as either an investment or cryptocurrency, they show just how unique different types of cryptocurrencies can be.

Here’s Where to Start:The Most Popular CryptocurrenciesDecentralized FinanceDigital GoldDigital Cash or Internet MoneySoftware Platforms Stablecoin or Digital FiatMemecoins, and Other Strange Cryptocurrencies

In general, cryptocurrencies can be grouped by utility: What is the purpose of the cryptocurrency? What is its value proposition? What is it for?

“They all have different utilities, they all have different founders who have different visions for where that cryptocurrency is going,” says Mike Uehlein, founder and financial planner of WealthU advisors. Uehlein regularly talks to clients about investing in cryptocurrency. 

The Most Popular Cryptocurrencies

There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, most with very little value and unclear potential. Many advisors recommend investors stick to Bitcoin and Ethereum — if any — and pass on the smaller cryptos. 

Leading cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk maintains a Coindesk 20 list of the most popular cryptocurrencies currently being bought and sold. This list includes cryptocurrency assets and networks by their most common names. Some, like Bitcoin (BTC), have one name for both the blockchain network and the cryptocurrency. Others, like Ethereum, are named for the broader blockchain network, but have a different name for their associated native cryptocurrency (Ether, or ETC, in the case of Ethereum).

Updated quarterly, the list ranks cryptocurrencies based on dollar volume and other data from third-party cryptocurrency exchanges, where people can buy and sell different cryptocurrencies.

BitcoinEthereumXRPCardanoStellarUSD CoinChainlinkUniswapPolkadotBitcoin Cash

Note: This list was last updated – using the Coindesk 20 – on July 1, 2021.

1. Bitcoin

As the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC) is also the most popular and highly valued, despite high volatility over the course of its history. Bitcoin was initially created to be used as a digital payment system, but experts say it is still too volatile to be used for that.2. Ethereum

Ether (ETH) is the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network, an open-source blockchain upon which developers can build apps and other cryptocurrencies. It’s also the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, behind Bitcoin. Ether’s value has risen sharply since its creation in 2013, to nearly $3,000 for one token as of late May, but still lags well behind Bitcoin’s value of nearly $40,000 per coin. 

3. XRP

XRP is the cryptocurrency of the Ripple digital payment network. Built for digital payments, XRP touts itself as a faster and more efficient way to power global payments. Ripple and XRP also allow for third-party development on other uses for XRP.

4. Cardano

Cardano (ADA) uses a technology called Ouroboros, a peer-reviewed blockchain protocol. It describes itself as a more secure and scalable way to maintain decentralization.

5. Stellar

Stellar’s native cryptocurrency is the Lumen (XLM). Stellar is designed as an “open network for storing and moving money” that allows people to create, send, and trade digital money. It’s designed to sell and trade all digital monies, not just Stellar’s own associated cryptocurrency, the Lumen — although you’ll need to own some Lumen to make transactions.

6. USD Coin

USD Coin (USDC) describes itself as “the world’s digital dollar.” Created by a global financial firm called Circle, USDC is the result of work that has been invested in by Goldman Sachs, Baidu, and IDG Capital, among others. USD Coin is tied to the U.S. Dollar, which makes its price much more stable than other cryptocurrencies. That stability lends itself more toward digital payments, while other cryptocurrencies have more potential to increase in value as investments (along with more risk of losing value, of course).

7. Chainlink

Chainlink (LINK) uses “real-world data and off-chain computation while maintaining security and reliability,” according to its website.

8. Uniswap

Uniswap (UNI) is a decentralized crypto exchange that operates on Ethereum’s blockchain. Its developers promise to get rid of unnecessary intermediaries, which it says gives users more control.

9. Polkadot

Polkadot (DOT) says its mission includes allowing different blockchains to exchange information and transactions with one another. Its website plays up data and identity security and users being in control.

10. Bitcoin Cash

Bitcoin Cash is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, which was the original intention of Bitcoin. The currency allows you to send money anywhere for very low fees.

While each of these top cryptocurrencies is unique in its own way, they all tie into an underlying principle called  decentralized finance (DeFi).

Decentralized Finance 

In its simplest terms, decentralized finance refers to financial activities conducted without the involvement of a traditional bank. 

Think about all of the activities in which you’d normally use a bank or some other financial institution — getting a loan, insurance, investing, even using a credit card. “All of these [activities] are traditional-finance based and have intermediary companies,” says Ollie Leech, learn editor at CoinDesk. “Now people are creating these products in a completely autonomous way with [cryptocurrencies].”

It can seem counterintuitive — where else would you go for a loan, if not an established lender? But that’s one of the appeals to DeFi, says Leech. 

In the same way people have increasingly brought “smart” technology into their homes, proponents say cryptocurrency has potential to automate and digitize more and more aspects of the financial system. The appeal of this happening outside the conventional — or centralized — finance system depends on who you ask. 

Many Americans may not understand the appeal of a finance system that operates beyond government control. But things can be very different in countries with less financial stability, says Roger Aliaga-Díaz, principal and senior economist with Vanguard Investment Strategy Group. If cryptocurrencies offer as much or more stability as a given national currency, it’s an entirely different equation than if your national currency is the safe and stable U.S. dollar.

Just like there are different types of accounts and tools in conventional finance — from savings accounts to investment accounts to credit cards — that are used for different purposes, different cryptocurrencies can have similarly unique uses in this emerging decentralized finance system.

Instead of going to a bank to draw out a loan, you might “go to a decentralized application that’s not owned or operated by anyone in particular,” says Leech. 

Where conventional loans involve humans at a bank who take part in processing, reviewing, and approving loans, a DeFi loan — with funding in the form of cryptocurrency — could run via app on a network like Ethereum with an algorithm processing it. The borrower would put up some cryptocurrency as collateral, which they’d get back minus interest when they repay the loan.

“The code runs autonomously using smart contracts,” Leech says. “So once the developers release the data they’re pretty much hands-off, and everything runs automatically so there’s no intermediary.” 

Ethereum’s website offers a comparison chart contrasting decentralized from traditional finance. Along with these technical differences, a big consideration to keep in mind is that the conventional financial system is regulated to serve the interests of everyday customers, while cryptocurrency and decentralized financial systems are largely unregulated, and subject to governance and oversight only by their creators/users.

Unlike the money kept in a bank account, money you have in crypto may not be FDIC insured. Some exchanges offer this insurance while others don’t — something you’ll want to look into before buying crypto from one or another. For exchanges that don’t offer this insurance, there’s no guarantee you will be repaid if there is a hack or the exchange goes out of business.

You hold your moneyMoney held by financial institutions Transfers happen in minutesPayments can take days to processTransactions are pseudonymous Financial activity is coupled to your identity (social security number, name, address, etc.)Market is always openMarket closes Built on transparency – anyone can inspect the systemFinancial institutions are closed books.comparison-table tr td:nth-child(){border-left: 10px solid #5bffb1;border-right: 10px solid #5bffb1;}.comparison-table tr:first-child td:nth-child(){border-top: 10px solid #5bffb1}.comparison-table tr:last-child td:nth-child(){border-bottom: 10px solid #5bffb1}

With that in mind, here are some of the broad categories of cryptocurrencies that tend to organize the market.

Digital Gold

Digital gold refers to cryptocurrency comparable to real gold in its ability to store and increase in value. There’s a limited amount of gold on earth, in the same way that digital gold cryptocurrencies have a limited supply. 

“People buy gold not because they expect to be able to go to the store and spend it, but because they expect it to hold its value and maybe, probably, increase in value over time,” says Galen Moore, director of data and indexes at CoinDesk. 

The primary example of a digital gold cryptocurrency is Bitcoin, though that was not its original intention. Bitcoin was originally put forth as an electronic peer-to-peer cash system, but its volatility, among other things, limited its potential for that purpose. 

In use, such digital gold cryptocurrencies are bought and held, “for the same reason people would have diamonds, or some $100 bills, or some gold coins in a safe,” says Moore. Litecoin is another example — it’s been described as silver to Bitcoin’s gold.

Digital Cash or Internet Money

Internet money is exactly what it sounds like — you use it to buy things over the internet. 

Bitcoin was originally intended to be digital cash, but speculation led to the creation of another cryptocurrency, Bitcoin Cash (a variation of Bitcoin). Bitcoin’s price was too volatile for it to be a suitable currency, which proponents for Bitcoin Cash argued was the entire point of the currency to begin with. 

“There was a big debate about what the future of Bitcoin was going to be. Was it gold or was it cash? The people who wanted it to be more like gold won out,” says Moore. The decision was a “turning point for Bitcoin where it really went down to be digital gold.” 

But the group that wanted Bitcoin to remain internet money split off — or forked, in crypto parlance — the currency and created Bitcoin Cash. The network is devoted to digital payments (with faster processing and lower fees). In these ways, Bitcoin Cash is “meant to be cash. That’s the value proposition,” says Moore.

Though Bitcoin Cash is designed and intended for transactions, its price is still volatile and probably not your best option for making or receiving payments. 

Software Platforms  

Ethereum represents another type of cryptocurrency: It operates as a cryptocurrency network and along with its native cryptocurrency, Ether, offers a programmable crypto environment for developers. Similar to how smartphones allow third-party apps to be downloaded and used, Ethereum allows developers to create “dapps” — Ethereum-based apps that tap into the network. 

Investors can buy Ether just like they can buy Bitcoin, hoping it increases in value. Ethereum’s programmable network allows for other, more customizable uses. One example is the creation of NFTs — nonfungible tokens — that caught the attention of people far beyond the cryptocurrency community this year. NFTs are Ethereum-based digital assets, which hold value based on demand and supply on the Ethereum network.  

Stablecoin or Digital Fiat

A stablecoin pegs its value to some other currency or commodity. A digital fiat represents a fiat, or government-backed, currency on the blockchain, says Moore. One of the most popular examples of a digital fiat is Tether, a cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to the U.S. dollar. 

Tether is a system that enables you to have a cash-like currency that is always worth $1 — but only on cryptocurrency exchanges. A digital fiat like Tether comes in handy when you want to quickly move your assets within a cryptocurrency exchange. For example, if you think the market for smaller, more unpredictable coins is going to crash, you might put your money in a stablecoin like Tether, and then buy back at a lower price after the crash, says Moore. 

Stablecoins enable the exchange to flow better, says Moore. Taking the previous example, you could theoretically cash out your smaller coins for actual dollars, and then reinvest those dollars after the crash, but it could take days to convert your coins into dollars and back again, says Moore. 

Memecoins, and Other Strange Cryptocurrencies

There are thousands of cryptocurrencies available. Many of them have little to no value, and no discernable value proposition, which lands them in the category of memecoins. Experts recommend avoiding investing in this category of coins and sticking with more well-known options like Bitcoin or Ethereum, if you decide to invest in crypto at all. 

Whoppercoin and PutinCoin fall into this category of cryptocurrencies, as does another famous memecoin of recent fame: Dogecoin. While Dogecoin has seen a rise in demand — and thus value — in recent weeks, it still is highly volatile, as evidenced by its drop in value when Tesla CEO Elon Musk made it the subject of a joke on a recent episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

Any cryptocurrency that’s not Bitcoin is referred to as an “altcoin.”

Bitcoin, Litecoin

Bitcoin Cash, XRP

Ethereum, Cardano, Polkadot

Tether, USD Coin

Dogecoin, PutinCoin, Whoppercoin

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Disclaimer: The findings of the following analysis are the sole opinions of the writer and should not be taken as investment advice

The crypto-market has been on a roll lately, with Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, leading the charge with its price performance on the charts. Thanks to the correlation it shares with the rest of the market’s alts, when BTC rallied to $47,500-$48,000, so did the rest of the altcoin market, including the likes of Chainlink.

At the time of writing, having finally breached the much-anticipated psychological resistance level of $30, the crypto was trading at $30.82.

Chainlink daily chart

Chainlink’s daily chart highlighted bullish momentum coursing through its market. While the digital asset’s value did hit a price peak, the trend did not change, indicating that users are still holding their alts close and are unlikely to sell anytime soon.

However, the market may soon see a drop in value, one before it can continue trading at the same price level.

Reasoning

The price of Chainlink has been pushing higher for a while, and it was doing so even during Bitcoin’s consolidation phase. However, now that the price is surging on a daily basis, LINK has reached its peak. At this point, the volatility in the market will hike, as suggested by the divergence of the Bollinger Bands. Meanwhile, the signal line highlighted the upwards trending price on the charts.

The 50 moving average may act as support in case of a breakdown. However, this would be only possible if the selling momentum increases. Further, the Relative Strength Index suggested that LINK had moved into the overbought zone, at the time of writing.

At a high price, the volume has to support the value of the digital asset, therefore, even if there is selling pressure in the market, the bullish trend may ward it off and make sure LINK is positioned higher on the charts.

Conclusion

Although bullish, there might be small corrections visible in the Chainlink market. Given the bullishness, the change of trend in the long-term may not last. It will be taken over by the buyers in the LINK market. Given strong network activities, the LINK community has been supportive of the developments which have translated into the high value of the digital asset. This momentum may push LINK’s price further along the price scale.

Bitcoin will not replace gold, but is it trying to?

This is why DeFi’s growth in 2021 isn’t a fluke

Namrata is a full-time journalist at AMBCrypto covering the US and Indian market. A graduate in Mass communication, while majoring in Journalism, she writes mainly about regulations and its impact with a focus on technological advancements in the crypto space.

Chainlink Price Analysis: 18 February

Chainlink Price Analysis: 11 February

Chainlink Price Analysis: 05 February

Chainlink Price Analysis: 27 January

Chainlink Price Analysis: 23 January

Chainlink Price Analysis: 16 January

Disclaimer: The findings of the following analysis are the sole opinions of the writer and should not be taken as investment advice

Chainlink’s price has been on the rise since the start of the week. In fact, this has been the trend across the larger crypto-market lately, especially on the heels of Bitcoin’s bull run. Interestingly, even after having risen by over 11 percent, LINK may now be heading towards a trend reversal, one which may result in a slight correction on the charts. 

At press time, LINK was being traded at $28.1 with a registered market cap of over $11 billion, making it the 9th-largest cryptocurrency in the market.

Chainlink 4-hour chart 

According to the 4-hour chart for LINK, the coin has been trading within the confines of an ascending channel since the start of the month. In the short-term, this may result in a minor price correction as the breakout of an ascending channel formation is often in the bearish direction. 

The coin was enjoying a strong resistance level in the $27-$28 range and if the price fails to go past this level, the coin may retrace towards the support at $25.7.

Rationale

Chainlink’s price may soon see a price correction in the short-term if the resistance remains strong. The RSI indicator had moved away from the overbought zone momentarily and at press time, was retracing its steps back into the overbought zone. 

Further, the MACD indicator witnessed a bullish crossover at the start of the week, but at press time, showed that there was a slightly higher chance that it may soon register a bearish crossover as the Signal line was close to going past the MACD line.

Important levels to watch out for

Resistance: $27.7, $28.6

Support: $25.7, $23.7

Entry: $27.9

Take Profit: $26.2

Stop Loss: $28.3

Risk/Reward: 3.9

Conclusion

After having traded within an ascending channel formation, LINK’s breakout may be slightly bearish if it fails to go past the key range of resistance highlighted on the chart. In such a scenario, the crypto may head towards the support at $25.7 in the coming days. However, if the range is breached, the coin may continue to head upwards, with LINK likely to flip the resistance into a strong support for the cryptocurrency. 

How bullish really are Ethereum, Chainlink?

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Jude Gerald Lopez is a full time News Editor at AMBCrypto covering the US and Indian market. He is a post-graduate in English literature with around 4 years of teaching experience in Indian literature.

Chainlink Price Analysis: 18 February

Chainlink Price Analysis: 13 February

Chainlink Price Analysis: 05 February

Chainlink Price Analysis: 27 January

Chainlink Price Analysis: 23 January

Chainlink Price Analysis: 16 January

TL;DR Breakdown

A report released by a Citi Group team earlier this week has suggested that Chainlink may surpass Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency named Bitcoin was at a juncture and could become the desired currency for international Trade in about seven years from now. 

The report further likened Bitcoin to the “North star evolving in the digital space,” giving bearings to “enhancing the wide crypto commerce ecosystem.”

In the report’s climax section, the role Chainlink plays in the smart contract space of blockchain technology was explored. They cited that Chainlink was listed in the 100 most promising technology pioneers list of the World Economic Forum for 2020. And this stands as a significant recognition coming from such Forum.

Also, Chainlink progressed beyond the mere Ethereum network by being adopted on other blockchains like Tezos and Polkadot. Due to this, the platform’s technology’s continual usage would birth the potential of making the LINK token gain an edge, and Chainlink may surpass Bitcoin as described below. 

“Utilization of the chain-link network by developers requires a payment by the protocol’s native token, which is LINK. Thus any token which helps the growth of the on-chain ecosystem could also move the development of Bitcoin as time passes, as this becomes a critical key to the operation of the blockchain infrastructure.

It is now possible for anyone to visualize commerce-linked or infrastructure-linked coins that could later catch up with Bitcoin. As a result of this, an increasing number of possibilities could emerge. Advancement in terms of innovations in the chain-based ecosystem is rapidly increasing. 

Today’s offerings may provide a path to a new invention that would gather more considerable amounts of assets and attention than Bitcoin. With this analysis, Chainlink may eventually surpass Bitcoin. 

Chainlink has helped to produce dynamic NFTs that are being used for multiple activities in blockchain today. To further analyze the contributions of Chainlink to the evolution of NFTs, it is important to understand the concept of NFTs.

NFTs are blockchain-based tokens that represent ownership of a particular asset. With NFTs, tokenized ownership can be claimed on a variety of digital assets, such as unique digital trading cards or digital art. Besides, NFTs vary from fungible tokens due to their uniqueness.

Bitcoin, as a fungible token, can be traded for another BTC. In the case of NFTs, each one is unique and has a representation of digital scarcity. This implies that multiple types of a particular NFT can hardly be found. These unique items can be stored as data on the blockchain. These NFTs are listed and traded on the blockchain to make them globally accessible, more liquid, and transparent.

NFTs are gradually evolving from static NFTs to dynamic NFTs. Therefore, it implies the use of oracles by smart contracts to interact with systems and data. Through such oracles, NFTs can use these systems and data as a means to promote peer-to-peer trading, burning/minting of NFTs, etc.

Through Chainlink oracles, developers have been able to link their NFTs to web APIs, IoT data, and other data providers. Developers can also leverage on the Chainlink Verifiable Randomness Function (VRF) to achieve verifiable randomness, promote cyber-physical systems, and connect to back-end systems.

These connections can be used in the creation of dynamic NFTs. These dynamic NFTs interact with data and can be integrated with infrastructures that already exist on blockchain. Chainlink uses off-chain data sources to enable dynamic attributes to NFTs. One of these attributes is the creation of randomness using NFTs.

Chainlink VRF helps to create dynamic NFTs that seek a secure source of randomness. Chainlink VRF “utilizes verifiable random functions to generate randomness that is verifiable on-chain.” Unlike other random number generator (RNG) solutions, Chainlink VRF is both auditable, secure, and also accessible on-chain to all users.

It has a system of operation which goes thus: the NFTs will send requests for randomness. Then, Chainlink will generate randomness and send proofs to the VRF contract. In turn, the VRF contract will verify the randomness before the NFT will receive verified randomness.

When smart contracts submit an NFT to Chainlink, Chainlink nodes will use that seed to generate a random number. After that, the result will be published on-chain. Alongside the result will be an associated cryptographic proof which will verify the accuracy of the computation.

This computation will undergo verification by using the oracle’s public key. Not only that, the NFTs will also be employed in the verification process. With Chainlink VRF, accessing random numbers in NFTs has become very easy and secure. Some online gaming platforms and conflict resolution processes have leveraged on Chainlink VRF to promote fairness.

In addition to achieving randomness, Chainlink oracles also leverage on NFTs in reward systems. Therefore, NFTs can now be used to reward customers with digital tokens. Companies can decide to mint special coupons as NFTs for their users instead of giving out paper or digital coupons.

As a means of reward, these minted NFTs can be linked to the participation of the customer. This is where Chainlink comes in. Chainlink uses IoT data in minting these coupons, according to verifiable attendance. Also, NFTs can be used to represent unique digital assets that interested hobbyists can collect, such as rare cards, digital media, etc.

Chainlink also helps in utilizing NFTs for verification of authenticity. Once NFTs are interfaced with existing systems, they can be used to track and verify unique assets. This shows how well dynamic NFTs can be used in different use cases.

Overall, Chainlink has been very instrumental to the evolution of NFTs to become dynamic NFTs, capable in carrying various purposes. To this effect, Chainlink always calls on developers to come build dynamic NFTs on its platform.

Before now, Fuse Network entered into a strategic partnership with Chainlink to guarantee secure, reliable. and efficient minting and auditing of its collateralized stablecoin, FuseDollar (fUSD).

As of the time of publication, Chainlink (LINK) price was $28.20 with a 24-hour trading volume of $869,214,274. LINK price also dropped by 0.1% over the last 24 hours. Besides, it has a circulating supply of 416 million LINK coins and a max supply of 1 billion.

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For more cryptocurrency news, check out the Altcoin Buzz YouTube channel.

We are pleased to announce that Chainlink (LINK) will be listed on LCX Exchange.

Chainlink connects decentralized peer-to-peer networks and smart contracts to real-world data, events, and payments. LINK token is Chainlink’s utility token, developed on Ethereum Blockchain, which powers the Chainlink decentralized oracle network.

Chainlink is one of LCX’s long-term partners. LCX is a data provider to the Chainlink network, providing reliable and compliant reference prices to the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. LCX is doing this in our role as registered Price Service Provider at the Financial Market Authority and in accordance with the Liechtenstein Blockchain laws. 

Deposits: 

Starting on March 23rd 2021 at 1:00pm CET, customers will be able to transfer LINK into their LCX account. Customers will not yet be able to transfer this to their LCX Exchange wallet or place orders as trading has not started. 

Trading Pairs:

LINK / LCX starting on March 24th at 10:00 am CET

LINK / BTC starting on March 25th at 10:00 am CET

How to deposit?

LINK deposit processing times 

30 confirmations are required before deposits will be visible in your wallets. This will take approximately 6 minutes.

Important Note: Trading cryptocurrency is complex and comes with a high risk of losing money.  You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you and take the time to learn how trading works and decide how much money you are prepared to lose. This content is not financial advice and should not form the basis of any financial investment decisions nor be seen as a recommendation to buy or sell any good or product.

Crypto lending platform BlockFi is cutting interest rates on a number of crypto asset deposits, just about three months after the company lowered rates in March.

BlockFi says its decision was made based on the changing market dynamics and borrowing demand from institutional investors.

But unlike the last time, other leading top crypto lending desks such as Genesis and Canada-based Ledn are not following BlockFi’s lead move, at least for bitcoin deposits. Some of the executives at the firms are seeing increased borrowing demand compared with the previous quarter, so they need to attract the deposits to lend them out.

BlockFi announced June 25 the lower interest rates on deposits of crypto including bitcoin, ether, chainlink, litecoin and a few others will go into effect July 1. The annual percentage yield (APY) for bitcoin deposits larger than 20 BTC, for example, will go down to 0.25% from 0.5%.

BlockFi, in the announcement, said the decision was made due to “shifting market conditions.” 

“Rates on cryptocurrencies held in BIA (BlockFi Interest Account) are primarily driven by demand by institutional investors for borrowing these assets,” Rishi Ramchandani, director of business development at BlockFi in Asia, told CoinDesk in an email response. “When institutional investors demand changes, that affects the rates we can offer our BIA clients.”

Ramchandani said borrowing demand from BlockFi’s clients “continues to be stronger than ever,” but that the tenure of the loans “has gone down” along with the rates.

BlockFi’s decision led to a string of snarky comments on Twitter. 

More significantly, other major lending desks told CoinDesk they are not planning to lower their rates in the near future.

“Genesis is not lowering bitcoin rates on July 1, despite BlockFi’s rate reduction,” Matthew Ballensweig, head of institutional lending at Genesis, wrote in an email to CoinDesk. “Genesis can still pay 2.0% and more with no maximum quantity, as it still sees a robust institutional bitcoin lending market.” Genesis is owned by Digital Currency Group, which also owns CoinDesk.

The Canadian crypto lender Ledn will also keep interest rates for bitcoin deposits unchanged, according to an executive at Ledn. Ledn’s APY for bitcoin accounts with at least 2 BTC is 2.25%. Ledn is cutting deposit rates on the stablecoin USDC to 9.5% from 12% starting on July 1.

Hong Kong-based crypto lender Babel told CoinDesk via a spokesperson that it is not lowering interest rates for bitcoin deposits. Babel cut rates for tether deposits in May.

All three companies told CoinDesk they are seeing increased bitcoin borrowing demand from clients.

Some traders are betting the premium between spot cryptocurrency prices and futures, which has flattened recently, could widen again. So they’re borrowing bitcoin to short the spot market against a long position in the futures market.

That’s a contrast with the “cash and carry” arbitrage strategy that some traders pursue when futures draw a significant premium to the spot price; in that case, they buy bitcoin and short the futures to bet on a convergence of the two prices when the futures contract matures.

“Given the compression in the near-dated futures and spot basis spread, there are actually more opportunities to deploy bitcoin than last month,” Ballensweig said.

In Genesis’s first-quarter report in 2021, the company cited the wide spreads between bitcoin futures and spot markets as one reason for “lackluster” borrowing demand in the quarter. The company dropped its interest rates in March along with BlockFi.

“Borrowing BTC to short spot and long futures to bet on a widening curve doesn’t make sense when the basis is trading wide,” the report read.

According to data source Skew, bitcoin’s July expiry futures listed on major exchanges such as Binance, Huobi, OKEx, Deribit and Kraken are currently drawing an annualized basis of -20% to 3%.

Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, co-founder of Ledn, said that a lowered interest rate for USDC helps to reduce the cost of bitcoin-backed loans.

Dan Burke, managing director of institutional sales in Asia-Pacific at BitGo, said decentralized finance (DeFi) offers another source of borrowing demand for bitcoin from institutional clients, who are looking to convert bitcoin to wrapped bitcoin. These “synthetic” versions of bitcoin are configured to run on the Ethereum blockchain, where they can be deployed in DeFi trading and lending protocols for extra returns or yield. 

“From our institutional client base, we are seeing quite the opposite” from BlockFi, said Gary Pike, director of sales and trading at B2C2. “This may be because we only deal with institutions whereas BlockFi deals with retail as well.”

BlockFi’s CEO Zac Prince recently said the average balance held in an account on the platform rose fivefold in the past year, with the average balance of a retail client having jumped from $10,000 to $50,000.

“BlockFi largely borrows from retail and lends to institutional,” BitGo’s Burke said. “Some of the other lending platforms are also trading the assets themselves. It’s up to the users to decide what is riskier.”

Another possible factor behind BlockFi’s decision is the so-called Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) arbitrage trade, several market participants said.

The Grayscale arbitrage trade refers to a strategy used by investors to borrow bitcoin and deliver those to the trust in exchange for GBTC shares – relevant when the Grayscale trust shares used to trade at a premium to the net asset value (NAV) of the fund, which is more closely tied to the value of its assets, or the underlying bitcoin. 

After a six-month lockup, the shares could be sold in the secondary market to retail investors at a premium. After paying back the lender for the borrowed BTC, the investors would take the rest for profit. (Grayscale is also owned by DCG, CoinDesk’s parent company.).

As CoinDesk reported, BlockFi was one of the biggest GBTC holders as of February, when the company revealed that it holds $1.7 billion in shares of GBTC, about 5.66% of the total outstanding. 

Max Boonen, director and founder of B2C2, said in a recent interview with New Money Review that some firms had taken advantage of the GBTC arbitrage trade in order to offer attractive interest rates on crypto deposits. 

“They could borrow bitcoin from their clients (with or without collateral), put the bitcoin into GBTC, hold the GBTC shares for the six-month lock-up period, then sell them on the secondary market with a premium attached,” Boonen said.

At press time, GBTC shares are trading at a discount to the NAV, so the Grayscale carry trade has lost its charm.

The arbitrage trade “used to be a cash cow when GBTC was trading at a large premium,” said Jeff Dorman, chief investment officer at Los Angeles-based Arca.

BlockFi did not immediately respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment about GBTC trading.

On its Terms of Service page, BlockFi tells depositors:

BlockFi raised $350 million in a Series D funding round in March and there have been rumors it is raising another round of funds worth several hundred million dollars at a valuation near $5 billion.

Dorman speculated the additional funds might serve “until revenue opportunities return.” 

BlockFi declined to comment on the new funding round. But Andrew Tam, chief marketing officer at BlockFi, told CoinDesk his company is “on track” to exceed its $500 million revenue goal for 2021.

“BlockFi’s business is healthier than ever,” Tam said.

The company has faced challenges as it grows. Most recently, it incorrectly deposited to users’ accounts as part of a botched round of promotional payments. Instead of rewarding users with the stablecoin gemini dollar (GUSD) as planned, it sent BTC, sometimes millions of dollars’ worth, to certain users. In March, the platform was attacked with fake sign-ups and abusive language on its web page.

If you asked 10 random people if they ever used cryptocurrency, you’d likely get 10 nos, but it seems like the digital alt-money is trending more every day. It’s easy to understand why. Bitcoin, the first and most famous cryptocurrency, is the investment story of the decade and perhaps of all time. Bitcoin was worth a fraction of a cent when it first emerged in 2009. In March 2021, it peaked above $60,000. When a penny turns into a Porsche in a little more than a decade, it tends to draw attention. Here’s what you need to know about cryptocurrency.

Find Out: Where Does Cryptocurrency Come From? Read More: Binance Coin (BNB): Why It’s So Interesting to the Cryptocurrency World

Cryptocurrency is often described as a “digital asset,” but don’t mistake it for a digitized version of cash like the kind you spend with PayPal. You can pay for things with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, just like dollars, yen and euros, but the difference is that those and all other traditional currencies are issued and backed by central authorities like governments or banks.

The Economy and Your Money: All You Need To Know

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are not. Instead, they’re awarded as digital tokens to “miners” for their work in maintaining blockchains, the encrypted ledgers where cryptocurrency ownership is recorded, stored and validated.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH): How’s It Differ From Bitcoin and What’s It Worth?

Cryptocurrency is:

Decentralized, traded on a peer-to-peer basis and exchanged with neither the scrutiny nor the security that comes with a central authority like a bank or government

Anonymous — privacy is one of crypto’s primary selling points

Secured in a special digital wallet, not a bank account

Cryptocurrency is not yet a realistic day-to-day alternative to money as the world knows it for the average person, but it has certainly come a long way from its early days in the online underground. Most recently, Visa announced it would accept cryptocurrency. Before that, PayPal added crypto capabilities to its own platform. Everyone from Burger King to Overstock.com accepts it as payment and several big, publicly traded companies — most notably Tesla — have added large crypto positions to their portfolios.

But it’s not just big corporations. A 2020 HSB study found that more than one-third of small- and medium-sized businesses accept cryptocurrency, too.

Find Out: What Is Chainlink and Why Is It Important in the World of Cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and it’s still the most widely known and widely used by far. Its success has spawned thousands of crypto spinoffs. Among the best-known challengers are Ethereum and Binance Coin, but Bitcoin is still the king of the hill. In fact, all cryptocurrencies that aren’t Bitcoin are known collectively as “altcoin.”

Read: Dogecoin: Is It a Worthwhile Investment?

Bitcoin’s first decade was a story of fairytale gains spun out of pinball-machine volatility that would send the average investor scrambling for cover. Along with wild price swings, the first years of cryptocurrency were riddled with headline-grabbing cases of fraud, theft, hacking and other scandals.

Ethereum (ETH): What It Is, What It’s Worth and Should You Be Investing?

Not only is crypto investing a highly speculative and turbulent undertaking, but the actual process of investing is unfamiliar and outside the mainstream. Unlike the stock market, which is heavily regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, there is no central authority that oversees the exchange of cryptocurrency. Some crypto exchanges are regulated, some are not. Big ones like Coinbase and Kraken are located in the U.S. Many others are scattered across the globe.

Since the SEC doesn’t recognize the exchanges where cryptocurrency is traded, there are no ETFs that track cryptocurrency directly the way there are for gold and traditional currency. So-called crypto ETFs only track companies that are indirectly connected to cryptocurrency.

Read: The Hype Around NFTs: What Are They? And How Pricey Do They Get?

In short, crypto is still fast-lane investing that constitutes a minority position, if any, in most portfolios. What can be said today that could not in years past, however, is that it’s now clear that cryptocurrency is here to stay.

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Last updated: March 31, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Cryptocurrency: Breaking Down the Basics

Sometimes I feel like a designated driver at the cryptocurrency party. Everyone else is talking loud and having a blast, and I’m in the corner taking photos and checking to see if the pretzel bowl needs a refill.

If you’ve also been watching as new digital currencies with names like Polkadot, Chainlink, and Cardano emerge, and as insiders talk about the limitless potential of “DeFi” (that’s decentralized finance, which operates without traditional intermediaries such as banks), this column is for you.

I asked a group of Boston-area cryptocurrency experts — primarily entrepreneurs and venture capitalists working in the arena — a set of three questions, and tried to get them to answer as clearly as possible.

Caveat: These are all cryptocurrency advocates, not skeptics. But some of them, like analyst and writer John Robb, bought bitcoin when it was priced at a buck; today it trades at about $32,000 per coin. Perhaps some are worth listening to?

What’s important about cryptocurrencies, from an individual investor’s point of view?

Robb, author of the Global Guerillas Report, a research series: “It’s a long bet on a realm of technological innovation that could transform the global financial economy.” Some cryptocurrencies exist primarily to store and transfer value, but others exist to enable financial activities like lending and borrowing, or sending remittances to family members around the world. Robb calls it “a new system that has the potential to radically compress and reduce the steps needed to do everything we do today, while adding a bewildering variety of new capabilities, impossible with the current system.”

Dave Balter, CEO, Flipside Crypto, a startup that provides analytics and data visualization related to cryptocurrencies: “For any investor to get access to sophisticated, transformative investment vehicles, there’s a distinction between the us and them. If you wanted to do a really interesting lending strategy, and you called Fidelity, they’d say, ‘Are you accredited? This is risky.’ ” One example: earning higher interest rates through loans made using cryptocurrencies, with none of the downside protections of a federally insured bank account.

“The belief that there’s downside protection for investors is a fallacy of belief,” Balter says. “I’m not a hardcore libertarian, but downside protection is just faith that your government is going to do the right thing at the right time, and right now they’re printing trillions of dollars.” Many look at cryptocurrencies as a good hedge against the inflation of government-issued currencies.

Matthew Walsh, venture capitalist, Capital Island Ventures, and former vice president, Fidelity Investments: “Money has been represented by shells and commodities” like gold in the past. “Now, money is controlled by governments, but we’ve only been in that paradigm for 150 years or so.” Cryptocurrencies, Walsh says, are digital forms of non-sovereign money, and the software code underlying it is “open source,” which means it can continually evolve to support new capabilities, and has a high level of transparency. That, he says, “is a powerful idea.”

What is overhyped at the moment?

Walsh asserts that some of the more established cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, have proven their worth, and are accepted and used widely. But, he says, “It’s dangerous to go down the list of cryptocurrencies and try to find an underpriced coin, and hope that it’s going to be the next Bitcoin or Ethereum. That’s not a winning strategy.”

As one example, Walsh says he looks at Dogecoin, a parody of Bitcoin that was created in 2013, “more in the broader context of meme stocks, where you’ve got groups of people coordinating to make something more valuable. It’s almost like an organized pump and dump,” he says, referring to schemes where people promote an investment to elevate its value, then cash out their stake.

Balter says that trying to find the next cryptocurrency that will leap in value is “just like the stock market — it’s gambling.” But before doing that, he advises learning about what you’re buying and understanding the range of options. “Chasing what you don’t know is probably not a smart idea,” he says, citing a friend who didn’t want to have to figure out how to put money into the cryptocurrency Polkadot, but had heard it had good upside potential and wanted Balter to make the investment on his behalf.

Robb: “On the surface, crypto is a massive penny stock boiler room that has successfully convinced millions of people to invest.” That can make it feel a bit like buying into the “hot” Internet stocks of the late 1990s, he says. But some cryptocurrencies, and the new financial and tech systems they enable, will generate lots of wealth, Robb argues, in part because so many talented people are now working to improve this new kind of financial technology. It’s possible that some day soon, “cryptosystems will rapidly swallow up huge sections of the existing financial and economic system,” he says. “At that point, the hype becomes reality.”

Semyon Dukach, venture capitalist, One Way Ventures: “I can’t tell you with any certainty that anything is overhyped. It’s a weird world, where in some cases actual hype itself can become a core source of long-term value, which would normally be a total contradiction in terms.” But when a new cryptocurrency is launched, he says, “cult-like belief is exactly the thing necessary to reach critical mass, disrupt centralized finance, and shift some power from governments to non-hierarchical tribes of individual participants distributed globally.”

What percentage of your assets are in cryptocurrencies, and why?

Manasi Vora, vice president at Skynet Labs, a Cambridge data-storage startup that uses a cryptocurrency called siacoin for payments: “More than 50 percent of my liquid assets are in crypto right now. My background is in traditional asset and portfolio management, having worked at various banks and financial institutions in the past,” including Santander Bank. “I look at crypto as an alternative asset class in my overall portfolio, and similar to dollar-cost averaging stocks and exchange traded funds, I have a disciplined way of purchasing and building my crypto portfolio with coins I strongly believe in.” Vora says that the appreciation in value of her cryptocurrency assets over the past few years is one reason they’ve surpassed that 50 percent level.

Drew Volpe, venture capitalist at First Star Ventures in Cambridge: “I have roughly half my liquid investments in crypto. We’re early in a fundamental new technology that will change how the financial system, marketplaces, the core of Internet, art, and many other large parts of our world work.” He adds, “Obviously, this is not investment advice.”

Dukach: “Less than 1 percent, because I’m very conservative with personal assets outside of my own investment in One Way Ventures, and mostly stick to index funds and real estate, as I don’t have the time outside managing the fund to do the research necessary to make high-risk bets.” (Dukach, I should mention, is a former professional blackjack player who figures in the book “Busting Vegas.”)

Balter: “More than my traditional investment adviser recommends today, and less than they’ll recommend tomorrow.”

Last week, Chainlink capped off an eventful month by awarding a Chainlink Community Grant to support the UNICEF Innovation Fund, which finances early stage, open-source technology benefiting children in emerging markets, and the UNICEF CryptoFund – a new financial vehicle that allows UNICEF to receive, hold and disburse cryptocurrency.

The Chainlink Community Grant will help UNICEF support startups building blockchain-based solutions through funding, mentorship and technical expertise, with the goal of accelerating blockchain as a force for good, especially in areas of the world where innovative solutions are needed most.

“We’re looking forward to working with Chainlink to provide domain-specific expertise related to data and smart contracts and additional resources to help expand the capabilities of startups in emerging markets who are building digital public goods for those who need them most,” said Sunita Grote, Venture Lead at UNICEF. 

In exploring the applications and benefits of blockchain technology, UNICEF is focused on three main initiatives: leveraging innovative financing models to distribute resources, increasing the efficiency and transparency of processes, and incentivizing and encouraging the creation and maintenance of open-source digital public goods.

Grote said UNICEF is tackling this three-pronged approach by researching and prototyping both internally and with collaborators. “We always look to work with partners that share in our vision of narrowing the gap between technologies and the people we need to reach,” she said. 

“With Chainlink, we will continue exploring – through our Innovation Fund, but also our larger blockchain initiatives – how blockchain and cryptocurrency can drive more transparent and globally accessible investment in open source solutions that solve the most pressing challenges facing children and young people.”

One of the biggest challenges facing blockchain projects is being able to connect and utilize various off-chain data. “Chainlink will help our teams better understand and leverage the benefits of decentralized oracles and utilize smart contracts efficiently,” Grote said. Furthermore, bringing off-chain data on-chain will help UNICEF establish more fair and transparent systems.

One such use case for smart contracts is Giga, a global initiative to connect every school and every student to the internet. Smart contracts can automatically execute payment to internet providers when pre-established conditions are met based on real-time, transparent connectivity data. 

Chainlink’s support of UNICEF’s Innovation Fund and CryptoFund will also benefit companies that are developing and adapting solutions to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. For example, StaTwig, which previously received funding from the Innovation Fund, is piloting a blockchain-based app to track and improve the delivery of rice to millions living in poverty in India – a need greatly amplified by Covid-19.

In the coming weeks, UNICEF will announce several companies constituting its first blockchain cohort to receive investments in fiat and cryptocurrency. Selections will be made from 450 submissions from 77 countries. Grote said that chosen companies share a clear theme of “financial inclusion,” a vision made possible by oracles and smart contracts: “We look forward to Chainlink and other industry experts joining us in shaping these solutions for bigger social impact.” 

For more information about the projects UNICEF supports, visit strong> and trong>.  

Listen to UNICEF’s Sunita Grote talk about the Chainlink Community Grant on The Decrypt Daily podcast.

As a decentralized film financing network Mogul is working towards freeing the independent film industry of the existing challenges. The current independent film financing is opaque, lacks standardization and closing costs are high. Mogul is using blockchain technology to bring transparency and cost optimization to film financing. Furthermore, Mogul uses its STARS utility token for reward distribution and voting mechanism. Now it will use Chainlink oracles as a bridge between CAM and smart contracts.

Due to the lack of standardization, Mogul was facing costly financing procedures prior to using blockchain. That’s because the collection, analysis, and distribution of profits are difficult due to budget complexity and disparate parties. However, with the help of blockchain, Mogul has been able to lower its financing procedure costs. According to Mogul Productions’ Co-Founder and film advisory board member, blockchain in the film industry finds a perfect use case. That’s because it brings transparency to profit-sharing, expenses projection, crew, cast, and vendor payments.

Collection Account Manager (CAM) is an unbiased third-party auditor of all Mogul films. It ensures the revenue accounting is correct and profit is distributed timely. After the Chainlink partnership, CAM will leverage Chainlink oracles to relay data to the smart contracts. Moreover, the oracles will ensure the data is delivered to the smart contacts in a transparent, accurate, and reliable manner. With the Chainlink oracle integration, the investors of Mogul films will also receive reliable exchange rates on payouts.

According to Chainlink Business Development’s Head Daniel Kochis, “A Chainlink-powered decentralized oracle network will bring reliable on-chain data to Mogul’s democratized film financing solution, ensuring that financers are fairly compensated for their investments.”

Entering new verticals for blockchain and film together

Mogul is looking forward to exploring more opportunities with Chainlink. Interestingly, it is already using a digital asset token, a decentralized voting setup, a smart wallet, an in-app currency token system, and blockchain. However, the Chainlink integration will now facilitate the fair selection of investors and fair distribution of rewards. That’s because Chainlink oracles promise guaranteed transparency in film financing.

Mogul is quite excited about the partnership. To celebrate the same, it is conducting a $100 BTC super easy giveaway. Moreover, to participate in the giveaway, a user needs to sign-up in Mogul production and Chainlink Telegram. According to the announcement, Mogul plans to conduct more giveaways in the same group.

To celebrate our collaboration with @chainlink we've this super-easy giveaway! We'll contact 4 lucky winners Sat 14 Feb. Now we're accelerating towards our Platform Launch with lots of excitement to come. Join us!https://t.co/CukGVknnpL pic.twitter.com/JdkXOK9Ze5

— Mogul Productions (@we_are_mogul) February 11, 2021

In the last 30 days, the LINK token has enjoyed a price pump of 96.4%. Moreover, at the time of press, the LINK token is trading a little over $27.