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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Portal, a self-hosted Layer 2 wallet and true cross-chain DEX on Bitcoin that makes atomic swaps between Bitcoin and other digital assets fast, secure, and private, is delighted to announce the closing of an $8.5 million funding round to build a self-sovereign and uncensorable DeFi on Bitcoin.

The funding round saw participation from Coinbase Ventures, ArringtonXRP Capital, OKEx, Republic.co, Shima Ventures, LD Capital, Monday Capital, GenBlock, Taureon, Autonomy Capital, Krypital, B21 Capital as well as the senior executives and founders of Ethereum, DFINITY, MobileCoin, Tether (USDT), Galaxy Digital, Bitcoin.com, Republic, Centre.io, Polymath, Æternity, Hedera Hashgraph, Blockstream, Reef Finance, GlobeDX, FIO, Portion, and 4K.

Michael Arrington, founder of ArringtonXRP & TechCrunch, said, “Decentralized cross-chain bridging is one of the hardest problems in crypto right now, especially as multiple blockchains gain real traction. We're excited to see Portal's Bitcoin-native approach to multichain transfers go live and provide an alternative bridging mechanism to the growing number of active onchain users.”

Brain Johnson from Republic Capital said “Interoperability is a necessity for blockchain to bridge into the mainstream finance world. Republic Capital invested in Portal with this future in mind. Utilizing Bitcoin's security as an anchor, we believe the Portal and its team are in a unique position to build one of the leading bridges in DeFi.”

Portal offers the speed and liquidity of centralized platforms with the trust minimization guarantees of Bitcoin. From spot markets to options, p2p lending and borrowing, all using on-chain, peer to peer contracts and without third party custody or control, Portal unlocks Bitcoin’s potential to actually decentralize finance.

At the core of Portal is its Layer 2 and Layer 3 technology, called Fabric, which is an open-source toolbox for deploying censorship-resistant layers on top of the Bitcoin base layer. Fabric enables the completely private, off-chain execution of “smart contracts” for asset issuance, P2P swaps, staking, liquidity, derivatives, and more.

Portal CEO Eric Martindale said, “By bringing a fast, peer-to-peer, Layer 2 exchange -- with the speed of centralized exchanges but with privacy -- Portal is delivering on the promise of self-sovereignty for everyone. The current centralized exchanges, false "decentralized" DEXs, custodially wrapped tokens, and censorable ecosystems all threaten Bitcoin’s promise of self-sovereignty. Fabric technology enables Layer 3 privacy on cross-chain transactions and eliminates the need for centralized custodians.”

On why they chose to build on Bitcoin, Martindale commented, “We believe Bitcoin provides the much needed financial infrastructure that the free, uncensorable internet-of-the-future will be built on, and although we are starting with a P2P exchange, our mission is to be The Platform for decentralized, peer-to-peer human interactions... be it communications, financial transactions, or social media.”

The platform uses Bitcoin’s “hash time-locked contracts” to ensure that users retain full control over the funds offered up in trade, preventing counterparty risk and loss of funds. It incentivizes anonymous, self-interested third parties to intermediate transactions between mutually untrusting peers while guaranteeing security.

The funding announcement comes ahead of Portal’s public token sale on Republic.co launchpad in October.

Portal is DeFi built on Bitcoin. It makes DeFi unstoppable with anonymous, zero-knowledge swaps via the first true cross-chain DEX that’s genuinely trustless. It eliminates minting wrapped coins (ie wBTC, wETH) or risky staking with intermediaries. With Portal, DeFi becomes a service that anyone can provide, maintaining anonymity within open, transparent markets with a security model as robust as Bitcoin mining.

Fabric protocol is Portal’s Layer 2 and Layer 3 technology that enables building censorship-resistant communications, media and one-click cross-chain swaps, all on Bitcoin.

For further information, visit: https://portaldefi.com/

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The total amount of Ether (ETH) held by all the crypto exchanges fell to its lowest levels, just as its price rose back above $3,000 per token on Sept. 23.

Data collected by CryptoQuant, a blockchain analytics platform, showed that exchanges' net Ethereum token reserves dropped to 18.533 million ETH, compared to 23.92 million ETH a year ago. Meanwhile, the cost to purchase one Ether rose from almost $349 to as high as $3,078, showcasing an inverse correlation between ETH reserves on exchanges and prices. 

Supply-demand factor

Lower exchange reserves point to traders' likelihood of holding the underlying cryptocurrency than trading it for other digital/fiat assets. Hence, if the demand for the token tends to rise, the lack of adequate supply helps to boost prices.  

So it appears, Ethereum's native token has started fitting the classic low supply-high demand bullish model. For instance, Dapp Radar reported that the total value locked (TVL) across the decentralized applications industry reached $142 billion, out of which 68% was concentrated on the Ethereum network as of August 2021.

On the other hand, more and more Ether tokens started going out of active supply after Ethereum announced its staking feature in Nov 2020, as the network geared up to become a full-fledged proof-of-stake blockchain by 2022.

In detail, the TVL inside the so-called Ethereum 2.0 smart contracts rose from 11,616 ETH in November 2020 to 7.75 million ETH on Sept. 23.

Additionally, a major network upgrade on August 5, 2021, dubbed London Hard Fork, added a feature that trimmed the pace at which Ether supply grows. The change, called EIP-1559, started splitting almost 13,000 new ETH issued every day for miner payment fees into three parts.

The network started burning one of these splits—the base fee users pay to miners to process transactions. As a result, more ETH tokens went out of supply. Data tracking portal WatchTheBurn.com noted that the EIP-1559 feature has contributed in the burning of 352,262 ETH to date, which is about $1.1 billion per the current exchange rates.

Lark Davis, an independent cryptocurrency market analyst, stated that the ongoing supply-demand dynamics in the Ethereum market would help to shoot ETH prices towards $10,000.

The macro effect

Cryptocurrency markets this week performed in response to a looming housing crisis in Chinese property sector and its ripple effect across global economies.

In detail, the ETH/USD exchange rate dropped 20.78% in the first two days of this week, going to as low as $2,651 as investors limited exposure in riskier markets and scrapped for safer havens like the U.S. dollar and Treasury bonds. Fears of contagion from the debt crisis at China Evergrande Group, which owes billions of dollars of bonds to global investors, sparked the sell-off.

Ether bounced by as much as 18.82% after bottoming out locally at $2,651, including a 2.33% increase to $3,150 on Thursday. Nonetheless, the cryptocurrency's 50-day exponential moving average (50-day EMA) near $3,191 and 20-day EMA near $3,291 acted as strong resistance targets.

Related: Ethereum forming a double top? ETH price loses 12.5% amid Evergrande contagion fears

Blockchain data tracking service Santiment noted that the Ethereum token might keep bouncing as long as its short-term holders remain unprofitable. The portal cited the market value to realized value (MVRV) ratio—calculated on a seven-day average—behind its bullish analogy.

Excerpt from Santiment's Wednesday report:

"Short-term wise, MVRV 7D is suggesting a bounce, but the real rally is unlikely until we get closer to the next major speculative event - The transition to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) in 2022."

BALI, June 28th, 2021 – NEFTiPEDiA, a decentralized community-driven NFT marketplace, today announced it’s making the platform’s native token (NFT) available for public sale.

Regarding the initial coin offering (ICO) date and instructions on how to buy, CEO and Co-founder Natalia Saputra said:

“As of right now, investors can buy NEFtiPEDiA tokens (NFT)  through the NEFTiPEDiA website. Clients must first sign up through the ICO panel on the main page. All funds raised through the sale of NFT tokens will go towards building the world’s first fully decentralized, community-driven NFT marketplace. The token sale will end on July 31, 2021.”

Interested investors can buy NFT using Ether (ETH), Bitcoin (BTC), credit card, and bank transfer. The total amount of tokens generated will be 750 million NFT out of which 250 million are for sale during the ICO. To learn more about the token generation process and distribution plan, visit NEFTiPEDiA’s whitepaper.

The purchase price is currently 0.0215 USD per NFT, which will be delivered to any Binance Smart Chain (BEP-20) compatible wallet of your choice (we personally recommend Trust Wallet) upon purchase.

In the future, NFT tokens will be available to buy, sell and trade via the top cryptocurrency exchanges. The main use case of NFT will be as a governance token for the community-driven marketplace. Token HODLers will be incentivized to run the marketplace via the token’s value growth while also having the ability to vote on the future of the platform.

NEFTiPEDiA suggests if there are any questions or issues at all during the signup process at the ICO Portal, please contact NEFTiPEDiA customer support at  icopay@neftipedia.com.

About NEFTiPEDiA

The world’s first decentralized and community-driven NFT marketplace created for an all-inclusive environment of artists, investors, collectors, and tech enthusiasts. NEFTiPEDiA’s user-friendly experience makes platform entry easy and interaction with the platform seamless. There are no high-level art or coding skills required to participate in the community. Decentralized governance and participation are not only encouraged, but rewarded via the platform’s NFT governance tokens.

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Bitcoin in India is gaining popularity like never before. As an impact of the major bull run in late 2020 and early 2021, bitcoin has emerged as a top digital asset in the country. People started talking about options to buy bitcoin when the digital currency hit US$65,000 in mid-April this year. Although the record price didn’t last for long in the market, it made a remarkable spot in Indian’s investment plan. Backed by blockchain technology, bitcoin is a decentralized digital token that works without the guidance or monitoring of an authority. The legality of cryptocurrency in India is still at stake. The Supreme Court of India has recently overruled the ban imposed by the Reserve Bank of India on cryptocurrency trading. This has further loosened the regulations on bitcoin investments and led to the emergence of many cryptocurrency exchanges. According to a survey, over 30% of the Indian agreed to have invested in cryptocurrencies. Therefore, investors and traders are keen to buy and sell bitcoin through top cryptocurrency exchanges. These top cryptocurrency exchanges provide a plethora of options to buy, sell, trade, and lend cryptocurrencies. Some even offer user-friendly and customized services at a minimal fee. Analytics Insight has listed top cryptocurrency exchanges that Indians use to buy bitcoin.

Based out in India, WazirX is one of the most popular and successful cryptocurrency exchanges in the country. Launched in 2021, WazirX provides its users with peer-to-peer transaction capabilities and manages a technology that is good at processing millions of transactions at a time. The platform’s easy-to-use venture on web, Android, and iOS mobiles make it the top choice for many investors. In addition to the features, WazirX also leverages an innovative KYC system that verifies the identities in few hours.

Although CoinSwitch is not particularly made for Indian investors, it is one of the best cryptocurrency exchanges in the world that supports and leverages the best services for many countries. The platform has entered India in 2017 and has been operating at every nook and corner ever since. CoinSwitch features over 300 cryptocurrencies and 45,000 trading pairs. Besides providing crypto services, the platform also clears investors by answering their questions.

A big advantage of using CoinDCX is its feature to provide instant fiat to crypto conversions with zero fees. Therefore, users can invest in more investment models both on cryptocurrency and other financial services. Founded in 2018, CoinDCX has gained US$19 million so far in funding. Besides providing crypto and financial service, the platform has its own product called ‘Insta,’ that makes fiat to crypto buying and selling simple.

The Singapore-headquartered start-up launched by Indian origins is one of the most used cryptocurrency exchanges in India. The founders Sandeep Goenka, Saurabh Agrawal, and Mahin Gupta realized the potential of cryptocurrency in India and stepped into the digital asset trading business. Initially launched in 2014, ZebPay has to remodel its functioning and relaunch the portal again in January 2020 ahead of the Indian government and RBI’s decision of bitcoin regulation. ZebPay offices are also located in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, which works to manage the Indian trading routines.

Uncoin trades famous cryptocurrencies like Ether and Tether, but its main focus is still bitcoin. The platform allows users to buy and sell all the featured cryptocurrencies. Besides, Unocoin is famous for its unique OTC (Over The Counter) services that enable bulk trade and the SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) feature, which allows users to customize an amount that will be debited from their account every month without intervention.

BuyUCoin is a trustworthy and convenient cryptocurrency exchange in India. It leverages a seamless trading experience in a variety of cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ethereum, ethereum classic, list, NEM, Civic, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, etc. BuyUCoin also offers a SIP feature, making the functionality of periodic transactions easy. Besides, the platform is using a ‘sandbox’ system to monitor cryptocurrency usage in India.

Bitbns is a growing cryptocurrency platform in India that is highly preferred by new crypto investors. Bitbns offers grade-A security to its investors and accepts payment modes such as UPI and net banking. Created by young and enthusiastic adopters of cryptocurrencies from IIT, Bitbns is designed to serve customers on their financial needs and assistance. The platform was launched in 2017 to give people a smooth entry into the crypto world with easy-to-use security and seamless customer support from the very beginning.

Bit2Me Closes Once Again the Second Phase of Its ICO in Just a Few Seconds: 7.5 Million Euros Raised, Bringing the Total to 15 Million

MADRID, Sept. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bit2Me has closed the second phase of its initial coin offering (ICO) by reaching €7.5 million in just 47 seconds. This milestone comes after the success of the first phase, in which the company raised €5 million in less than a minute (59 seconds).

If we add these first two phases to the private sale that Bit2Me carried out at the beginning of last August, in which it raised €2.5 million, the Spanish cryptocurrency platform has already raised a total of €15 million with its B2M utility token.

Bit2Me now faces the third and final phase of its ICO, which will take place on September 21. Those interested in queuing up and scheduling their purchase can do so through the form available at https://bit2me.com/token

In the first two phases of the ICO, Bit2Me put into circulation 1 billion tokens —at a rate of 500 million in each phase. In this third and final phase, Bit2Me will launch a total of 250 million tokens, for a total of 1.25 billion B2M tokens.

Since the ICO started, Bit2Me has receved such great interest that it has decided to open operations in 13 other countries, in addition to the more than 70 countries in which the company currently operates. Thus, people from Uruguay, Panama, Colombia, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Dominica, Martinique, and Guyana can now purchase the B2M token.

B2M token holders have different benefits in Bit2Me's suite of products, such as discounts of up to 90% on Bit2Me Wallet fees, access to better conditions in the various associated services, exclusive rewards, and the power to decide about certain aspects of the company's future.

About Bit2Me

Bit2Me is an industry-leading company in the cryptocurrency sector in Spain. Its suite of services includes more than 20 solutions to buy, sell and manage virtual currencies and euros from a single place, safely and easily. The company, which has private, professional, and corporate clients in more than 100 countries, has managed operations worth more than €1 billion since its inception in 2015. In January this year, FORBES magazine selected Bit2Me as one of the companies in Spain that will drive change in 2021. Since its creation in 2015, the company has received numerous awards in the financial sector such as 'Winners of the World', in the international competition sponsored by Visa; 'Best Spanish startup 2015', by CaixaBank; and 'Best Business Model', awarded by Deloitte; and has been invited by the European Commission to present and discuss Blockchain and Bitcoin technology on multiple occasions.

One of Bit2Me's first initiatives was the launch of Bit2Me Academy, which trains more than 1.7 million students every year. Bit2Me Academy is currently the largest cryptocurrency training portal in Spanish, with more than 400 free articles, certified courses, and videos for those interested in learning about the birth, operation and evolution of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain world.

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SOURCE Bit2Me

Interview with ProtonMedia 02/27/2012 Industrial IoT Solutions Harmonizing the Data from the Factory Floor Date: 2/09/22 Time: 2:00-2:25pm Solutions Theatre Presentation Details TBA Date: 2/10/22 Time: 1:00-1:25pm Registration Open Date: 2/09/22 Time: 7:30am

’ve always been a bit of a sucker for two-handers. A two-hander is a play or film centred on the two main characters. While you might think of witty verbal duels like in Sleuth or Oleanna, my favourites are actually less conflict-driven. I’m thinking of Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation or Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai’s 60s period piece In The Mood For Love. You could call them romances, but more than anything they’re meditative mood pieces about the loneliness of two individuals trying to find a connection in a setting that heightens their sense of isolation, one a foreign city thousands of miles from home, the other in cramped apartments rife with gossipy neighbours.READ MORE: How ‘Lost Judgment’ became the first global launch for the ‘Yakuza’ franchise

Released between those two films in 2001 and 2002, Ico (pronounced ‘ee-ko’ – but don’t worry if you get it wrong, I did so too for a very long time) is a single-player action-adventure game developed by Sony’s Japan Studio. Except it wasn’t just about controlling one character as you might expect from a single-player game of this era. Yes, here you play as the titular protagonist – a boy cursed with horns locked away in a castle to be sacrificed – but you also encounter a girl, Yorda, another prisoner in this cursed citadel. Like the cinematic two-handers above, the game is made all the more impactful by dynamics between the two unlikely characters.

A boy with horns and a mysterious, tall-but-frail girl side by side certainly makes for an odd couple. I’m not quite sure of it being sold as a ‘boy-meets-girl’ story, even though there are the evident tropes of an able-bodied heroic male protecting the waifish damsel from shadowy creatures trying to snatch her away into a portal. What we do have, however, are two outcast figures alone together in a singular foreboding and oppressive castle; an extraordinary, symmetrical and interconnected structure that’s among one of the most memorable video game environments ever designed.

It was the first PS2 game that I felt truly lived up to the hardware’s oft-hyped Emotion Engine. This wasn’t because it was the console’s most graphically amazing game (though its art direction does give it an ethereal timelessness steeped in the metaphysical), but because the way it felt in my hands really did evoke emotional reactions from me that games hadn’t done before. And it did it seamlessly, with such grace.

Ico can be called a cinematic game, but not in the way that triple-A games obsessed with mimicking film suggest, throwing you into dialogue-heavy cutscenes or walking slowly forwards while things play out around you. Instead, Ico leans the other way. Its cutscenes are as sparse as the game’s dialogue, which also happen to be realised in a fictional language (Yorda’s speech, meanwhile, isn’t even translated initially). Ico takes clear inspiration from adventure-platformers like Another World and Prince Of Persia and, like them, feels lifelike in movement while its semi-fixed camera and a screen uncluttered by icons make every environment feel like a long shot in a movie you love.

You barely notice the lack of an on-screen heads-up display (HUD), too. Ico is straightforward – Yorda’s body language tells you if she can’t cross to where you are, the only weapons you need are the sticks and swords you find while travelling, and that’s about the entire game, short of the big stone gates that can only be opened by Yorda (something else expertly communicated without the need for all that game-y visual language that could so easily rip you out of this gorgeous world).

Ico’s key mechanic is an intimate one. When holding down the right analogue trigger, Ico will grab and hold onto Yorda’s hand. There are essential, mechanical reasons for this, such as pulling her up to a platform or reaching out to save her from being sucked into a portal by one of the shadow creatures. But even when just traversing the castle, it becomes second nature to run together while holding her hand, which can sometimes look clumsy – like he’s dragging and jerking her along – although when you’re not being chased, the more considerate can hold down another button so that you’re at a walking pace.

This physically tender bond comes with all kinds of connotations, sometimes romantic but also familial and protective. And that makes sense when you look at two of the inspirations creator Fumito Ueda had for Ico: one was a woman holding the hand of a child, and the other was manga series Galaxy Express 999, where the ten-year-old hero is accompanied by his mother on his adventures.

Based on their height differences, I personally always viewed Yorda as a kind of surrogate big sister to Ico. Regardless, your emotional bond still comes primarily through that physical connection. Its effect is heightened by one of the most subtle uses of haptic feedback ever (even DualSense doesn’t have anything on this) as well as the fact it’s not a toggleable action. If you let go of the trigger, so too does Ico let go of Yorda’s hand. Suffice to say the bond feels so real that during moments where a bridge collapses and you’re grabbing onto her hand to pull her back up, I’ve never once considered seeing what happens if I was to let go.

It’s interesting to look at Ico as Sony’s road not taken. The same year saw the release of buddy action platformer Jak And Daxter, which laid the ground for future first-party PlayStation games also centered around bonds between characters: from Ratchet & Clank to the introduction of AI companions in the Uncharted series, The Last Of Us, as well as God Of War (2018), you can still see the impact of this original divergence today.

The difference in these more blockbuster-friendly games was the chemistry and relationships felt more based on the script and performances rather than your interactions – putting down ladders sure as hell didn’t make Joel feel more like a father figure to Ellie, and your companions’ seeming invincibility during combat also lowers the stakes somewhat. Then again, these games were also huge hits, so it’s hardly a surprise that this is the direction the platform holder continues to hone in on.

Ico didn’t rely on the highest production values, a bloated campaign, or hundreds of lines of dialogue to make you care about its pair of central characters – it communicated its stakes, its story, and its beating heart through the gameplay. Whether it’s that fundamental instinct to protect Yorda, her quiet gasp when you’re just clinging to a platform with one hand after a risky jump, or the agonising tension of being forced to solve a puzzle in another room not knowing if those shadow fiends will suddenly appear, the game never lets you forget about that central bond.

Despite the critical acclaim at the time, Ico wasn’t a big seller, certainly not in the US – which can partly be attributed to its god-awful box art – whereas the Japanese and PAL release went with a cover painted by Ueda himself, and inspired by Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico’s The Nostalgia of the Infinite. Ultimately, this had been a symptom of Japan Studio’s output; full of innovation and personality but never quite doing the numbers, and that unfortunate mix finally led to its shuttering this year.

While fans of Ueda often cite Shadow Of The Colossus (and its excellent remake) as his masterpiece, or point to The Last Guardian as his most ambitious work, Ico will always be his most perfect game in its beautiful simplicity. While some also criticised its short running time, its brevity has meant that I can always easily sit down and play through it again – just like I can still sit down to watch Lost In Translation and In The Mood For Love – each time transported and transfixed by its quiet meditative story of two lost souls finding a connection and never letting go.

Alan Wen is a freelance journalist and regular news and features contributor to NME. Ico is available via PlayStation Now. You can read the rest of the Remastered series here. 

Stocks represent a percentage of a business. They stand as a company’s value and change their price range based on the organization’s performance in the market. On the other hand, cryptocurrency is a digital asset that has made its debut in 2009 through the famous bitcoin. It can be stored and traded digitally. The value of a cryptocurrency varies based on its market demand, supply, and adoption. For many years, people were confined to the stock market investment models. But the recent emergence of cryptocurrency and bitcoin’s price has attracted or moreover, redirected many investors to try their hand on the digital currency market. Unfortunately, that doesn’t hide the fact that the cryptocurrency sphere is very volatile and carries potential risks. While bitcoin has been in the headlines in May for reaching the record US$60,000, within a month, it almost touched the death cross. The stock market is no different. During the early days of the pandemic, S&P 500 has lost over one-third of its value. Therefore, to investors who want to pick the right investment model, the confusion between cryptocurrency vs stocks remains unsolved. Analytics Insight has aimed to decrypt some of the hidden similarities and differences between cryptocurrency vs stocks to make it easier for investors.

The cryptocurrency market has opted for a digital model of functioning since the very beginning. But the story is completely different for the stock market. Initially, financial guides or brokers used to take money from investors and add them to the stock market. Fortunately, the scenario has changed when the stock market also through a complete transformation. Today, both cryptocurrency and stocks can be accessed through the digital exchange, brokerage account, mobile application, or other online platforms. Besides, they also offer a similar kind of user experience in terms of layout, trading options, and order-book-based liquidity mechanism.

Retail trading options open the door to general trading orders like a market order, limit order, and stop (or stop-loss) order. Even though both cryptocurrencies vs stocks might look similar from the buying and selling point of view, they have underlying differences that need to be addressed.

While cryptocurrency and stocks are both types of investments, they individually carry certain functionalities that make them different from the other. When you buy a stock, you are directly investing in a particular company that you believe will bring growth. On the other hand, you just buy tokens of a certain cryptocurrency to either use them as a digital investment portal or even trade them as payment.

Cryptocurrency maker and stock distributor: One of the reasons for cryptocurrency’s undying popularity is its independent and decentralized nature. Owing to its leniency, anybody can become a miner and try getting their hands on bitcoin. Besides, other cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin were literally born out of bored programmers who wanted to mock the meme. It is completely different for the stock market. Stocks need to be created. They have to be cleared by government agencies and should also be audited.

Stocks are encrypted from hacks while cryptos are not: As mentioned above, the stock market is widely regulated by government agencies and goes through complete yearly auditing. Due to its heavy scrutiny, there is little chance that stocks could be rigged or fraudulent. On the other hand, it is completely different for cryptocurrencies. Because of their decentralized nature, digital currencies are unregulated and prone to fraud. A simple cryptocurrency scam could make you lose all your digital assets.

The void in ownership rights: Stocks are seen as an ownership right. Similar to voting and citizenship card, stock ownership doesn’t change until the owner prefers to sell the stock. When he or she invests in stocks, they are allocated with a percentage of ownership in the company. In the digital currency market, you are allocated with tokens like Ethereum, bitcoin, etc. when you invest in it. They do not represent a legal stake in the organization that issued them.

The difference in transaction fees: Whenever you buy a new stock, even for a very less amount, you are bound to pay a transaction fee. While it is convincingly okay for large investments, transaction fees on small investments will eat up your profits from the stock. But trading cryptocurrency could be remarkably rewarding as it comes with low exchange fees. However, the transaction and gas fees vary based on the crypto exchange you opt for.

Bit2Me, the Spanish company that offers technological financial services based on cryptocurrencies, has closed the third phase of its ICO (Initial Coin Offering) in just 38 seconds.

Raising a total of €17.5 million in less than three minutes between the three public sale phases that took place throughout September 2021.

This is a historic milestone, as it is the first time a company issues a utility token that allows customers, users, and the community to have advantages in the company’s services and governance, as well as liquidity in the market at any time.

The first phase of the ICO closed in 59 seconds (€5 million), the second in 47 seconds (€7.5 million), and the third and last in 38 seconds (€5 million). If we add to these figures the €2.5 million raised in the previous private sale that took place at the beginning of last August.

The result is that Bit2Me has reached a total of €20 million, setting a historical precedent in the history of the cryptocurrency industry in Spain and consolidating Bit2Me as one of the leaders in the sector. This has been possible through the B2M utility token, developed entirely by the Spanish platform.

“We have received great interest in buying B2M tokens in the different phases of the ICO. But this journey has just begun; as of November 1, our tokens will be available for purchase, like any other cryptocurrency, on Bit2Me, Bittrex, and increasingly on more platforms. The success of B2M marks a before and after in the Spanish crypto ecosystem”, explains Abel Peña, Chief Revenue Officer at Bit2Me.

Those who have opted to acquire B2M tokens will enjoy different benefits, such as discounts of up to 90% on fees, better conditions in the various services associated with the platform, and, as mentioned above, governance over the company in certain aspects.

This is the biggest ICO ever launched in Spain, in which the incorporation of top-tier talent has been key to its success. That is the case of Baldomero Falcones, formerly worldwide chairman of Mastercard—between 2002 and 2006—and CEO of FCC, who has been working now for some weeks as Senior Advisor for Bit2Me.

Another of the renowned additions to the team has been that of Zeeshan Feroz, former CEO of Coinbase in Europe and the UK, who has accompanied the Spanish platform throughout the entire ICO process. In addition, Rodolfo Carpintier, the entrepreneur and father of the internet in Spain, is also working side by side with Leif Ferreira, CEO, and founder of the company.

Bit2Me has recently launched a new street advertising campaign to celebrate the success of its ICO. The Spanish platform has installed billboards in different neuralgic points of Madrid: Puerta del Sol, Gran Vía, Plaza de España, Plaza de Colón, Paseo de Recoletos, Plaza de Castilla and Cuatro Caminos.

As icing on the cake, Bit2Me has deployed a giant canvas in one of the best known and busiest places in the Spanish capital, the Puerta del Sol, with the following message: “Bitcoin: Welcome to the Independent Republic of Your Money”. This campaign is in addition to other street advertising campaigns that the company has promoted to raise awareness of Bitcoin technology in places such as Italy (Milan), Portugal (Lisbon), and Andorra.

Bit2Me is an industry-leading company in the cryptocurrency sector in Spain. Its suite of services includes more than 20 solutions to buy, sell and manage virtual currencies and Euros from a single place, safely and easily. The company, which has private, professional, and corporate clients in more than 100 countries, has managed operations worth more than €1 billion since its inception in 2015.

In January this year, Forbes magazine selected Bit2Me as one of the companies in Spain that will drive change in 2021.

Since its creation in 2015, the company has received numerous awards in the financial sector such as ‘Winners of the World’, in the international competition sponsored by Visa. They also won ‘Best Spanish startup 2015’, by CaixaBank; and ‘Best Business Model’, awarded by Deloitte; and has been invited by the European Commission to present and discuss Blockchain and Bitcoin technology on multiple occasions.

One of Bit2Me’s first initiatives was the launch of Bit2Me Academy, which trains more than 1.7 million students every year. Bit2Me Academy is currently the largest cryptocurrency training portal in Spanish, with more than 400 free articles, certified courses, and videos for those interested in learning about the birth, operation, and evolution of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain world.

(Also read: BeInCrypto Decodes the Buzz Surrounding Bit2Me’s B2M Token Sale)

Ethereum price has not had the best past two weeks. Not only has ETH sliced through significant support levels, but it has also shattered a crucial psychological level. While things look dire, on-chain metrics alleviate the pain, bringing hope that an upswing is not outside the realm of possibility.Thailand embraces ETH, Optimism takes scaling to a new level

The Thailand Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) sanctioned a license to Fraction, a Hong Kong-based fintech firm, on September 16. This development is a new step in embracing cryptocurrencies, especially ETH.

Fraction Group, which owns Fraction, has obtained the SEC’s Initial Coin Offering (ICO) Portal license. The company added that it plans to list “iconic real estate properties in partnership with leading developers Magnolia Quality Development Corporation, Charn Issara and Nirvana Daii.”

On a similar note, Optimism, a layer-2 scaling solution backed by Ethereum Foundation, announced on September 17 a new update that will allow developers and platforms to launch Ethereum-native protocols on its network with a single click.

The blog adds,

By precisely enforcing the Ethereum Yellow Paper, anyone who has written code targeting Geth can now deploy without change — even for advanced features like traces and gas. The upgrade removes our custom compiler, and over 25,000 lines of other code, in favor of simply using what already exists.

While the adoption of ETH and DeFi are going splendidly, ETH price continues to make lower lows as the market is stuck in a downswing.

Ethereum price has crashed 33% over the past 16 days and shows no signs of slowing as it hovers below the $3,000 psychological level. If the selling pressure continues, ETH will likely tag the demand zone, ranging from $2,442 to $2,605.

Investors can expect a resurgence of buyers at this support area and a potential trend reversal. However, if the bulls fail to pull through and produce a decisive close below $2,442, it will indicate increased seller activity.

Such a development will most likely knock the smart contract token down to $2,321.

ETH/USD 1-day chart

Supporting the descent to $2,500 or $2,321 is IntoTheBlock’s Global In/Out of the Money (GIOM) model. This on-chain metric suggests that a breakdown of $2,875 could drag Ethereum price to $2,511.

Here, roughly 3.64 million addresses purchased nearly 9.33 million ETH. Therefore, the market participants in this area could probably absorb the selling pressure by adding more to their holdings.

ETH GIOM chart

Moreover, the current sell-off seems to be driven by short-term holders, as seen in the Net Realized Profit/Loss indicator (NRPL). This fundamental index computes the average profit/loss of addresses of ETH that changes hands on a daily basis. 

On September 21, this indicator showed that an estimated 35 million worth of ETH was transferred at a loss.

ETH NRPL chart

The weak hand shakeout that ETH is experiencing might be exacerbated as the 365-day Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) model is still hovering around 33%, hinting at more room to the downside.

This on-chain indicator is used to measure the average profit/loss of investors that purchased ETH over the past year. A higher value often indicates that if those market participants book profit, there is a chance of a sell-off.

ETH 365-day MVRV chart

Moreover, the supply of ETH on exchanges has gradually increased from 19.32 million to 19.47 million. Roughly 150,000 ETH found a way into centralized entities, which could translate into selling pressure. 

ETH supply on exchanges chart

Therefore, a downswing here seems like a high probability setup, especially considering the big crypto’s weak structure. If BTC continues to deteriorate, Ethereum price and altcoins will follow suit.

On the other hand, if Bitcoin price improves and starts to shatter resistance levels to reclaim $50,000, ETH will also flip $3,000 into a support floor. Such a move might be inviting sidelined investors to jump on the bandwagon, pushing Ethereum price to $3,202

A decisive close above this resistance level will invalidate the bullish thesis and trigger a rally to subsequent ceilings at $3,600 and $4,000.

Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.

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Cryptos feed--> BEST CRYPTO BROKERS/EXCHANGES

Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Stellar Lumen (XLM), Cardano (ADA), Compound (COMP) & Uniswap (UNI) Will Be Available on the tZERO Crypto App on October 4, 2021

NEW YORK, September 23, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--tZERO, a leader in blockchain innovation and liquidity for digital assets, announced today that the tZERO Crypto app, a cryptocurrency trading platform, will support Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Stellar Lumen (XLM), Cardano (ADA), Compound (COMP), and Uniswap (UNI) on October 4, 2021, expanding its cryptocurrency offering to a total of 15 coins. Launched in June 2019, the tZERO Crypto App allows investors to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Chainlink (LINK), Dogecoin (DOGE), USD Coin (USDC), 0x (ZRX), Bitcoin SV (BSV), Basic Attention Token (BAT), and Ravencoin (RVN). The tZERO Crypto app is available for download on iOS and Android devices.

tZERO Interim CEO and Chief Legal Officer Alan Konevsky stated, "Our critical priority is to increase the number and range of attractive and compliant assets on our platform and adjacent products. Today’s announcement illustrates our ability to execute against our strategic priorities. We plan to continue to grow our product offerings in near future and add more coins as we create a unified user experience across a range of our securities and cryptocurrency products, including NFTs and other digital assets classes."

Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

Established in 2017, Bitcoin Cash is a fork of Bitcoin with an increased block size that seeks to process transactions faster and add more transaction capacity to the network. Bitcoin Cash aims to deliver on the original promise of Bitcoin as peer-to-peer electronic cash.

Stellar Lumen (XLM)

Launched in 2014, Stellar is a distributed payments network for currencies and payments, enabling quick, cross-border transactions between any pair of currencies. It is designed so all the world’s financial systems can work together on a single network. The native digital currency of Stellar, XLM, powers the entire range of operations on the blockchain network.

Cardano (ADA)

Cardano is a decentralized blockchain platform for smart contract development, which is built on Ouroboros, a proof-of-stake consensus protocol. ADA, the native token of Cardano, is used for transacting and paying for smart contract operations. The token is named after Ada Lovelace, a nineteenth-century mathematician who is recognized as the first computer programmer.

Compound (COMP)

Compound is an Ethereum token that enables community governance of the Compound protocol, one of an emerging number of decentralized finance protocols. The protocol is a series of decentralized interest rate markets that allow users to supply and borrow Ethereum tokens at variable interest rates.

Uniswap (UNI)

Uniswap is a protocol for creating liquidity and trading ERC-20 tokens on the Ethereum Blockchain. Uniswap tokens are exchanged through liquidity pools that are defined by smart contracts, which facilitate the swapping of tokens and enable liquidity.

For more information on the tZERO Crypto app, visit https://www.tzero.com/trade-assets.

Important Risk Information

Investors should note that trading securities could involve substantial risks, including no guarantee of returns, costs associated with selling and purchasing, no assurance of liquidity, which could impact the price and ability to sell, and possible loss of principal invested. Further, an investment in single security could mean lack of diversification and, consequently, higher risk. Potential investors are urged to consult a professional adviser regarding any economic, tax, legal or other consequences of trading any securities as described herein.

No Offer, Solicitation, Investment Advice or Recommendations

This release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy, or a recommendation for any security, nor does it constitute an offer to provide investment advisory or other services by tZERO or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors or employees. No reference to any specific security constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold that security or any other security. Nothing in this release shall be considered a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security, future, option or other financial instrument or to offer or provide any investment advice or service to any person in any jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this release constitutes investment advice or offers any opinion with respect to the suitability of any security, and the views expressed in this release should not be taken as advice to buy, sell or hold any security. In preparing the information contained in this release, we have not taken into account the investment needs, objectives, and financial circumstances of any particular investor. This information has no regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs of any specific recipient of this information and investments discussed may not be suitable for all investors. Any views expressed in this release by us were prepared based upon the information available to us at the time such views were written. Changed or additional information could cause such views to change. All information is subject to possible corrections. Information may quickly become unreliable for various reasons, including changes in market conditions or economic circumstances.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, tZERO, its subsidiaries, or its representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. These forward-looking statements are based on expectations and projections about future events, which is derived from currently available information. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance, including financial performance and projections; growth in revenue and earnings; and business prospects and opportunities. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as "may," "should," "expects," "anticipates," "contemplates," "estimates," "believes," "plans," "projected," "predicts," "potential," or "hopes" or the negative of these or similar terms. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including, without limitation: the ability of tZERO and its subsidiaries to change the direction; tZERO’s ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; and competition. These and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are only predictions. The forward-looking events discussed in this release and other statements made from time to time by tZERO, its subsidiaries or their respective representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. tZERO, its subsidiaries, and its representatives are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this release and other statements made from time to time by tZERO, its subsidiaries or its representatives might not occur.

About tZERO

tZERO Group, Inc. (tZERO) and its broker-dealer subsidiaries provide an innovative liquidity platform for private companies and assets. We offer institutional-grade solutions for issuers looking to digitize their capital table through blockchain technology, and trade on a regulated alternative trading system. tZERO, through its broker-dealer subsidiaries, democratizes access to private assets by providing a simple, automated, and efficient trading venue to broker-dealers, institutions, and investors. For more information on tZERO, please visit https://www.tzero.com/.

tZERO is not a registered broker-dealer, funding portal, underwriter, investment bank, investment adviser or investment manager, and is not providing brokerage, investment banking or underwriting services, recommendations or investment advice to any person, and does not provide any brokerage services. tZERO takes no part in the negotiation or execution of secondary market transactions for the purchase or sale of securities and at no time has possession of investor funds or securities in connection with such transactions.

About tZERO Crypto

tZERO Crypto, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of tZERO Group, Inc. tZERO Crypto, Inc. and tZERO Group, Inc. are not registered broker-dealers, underwriters, investment banks, or investment advisers, and are not providing brokerage, investment banking or underwriting services, recommendations or investment advice to the users of the tZERO Crypto app. No broker-dealer affiliate of tZERO Group, Inc. is involved in the transactions and services offered by the tZERO Crypto App. tZERO Crypto, Inc. is licensed as an authorized money transmitter in every jurisdiction in which it does business that requires such authorization. tZERO Crypto relies upon third-party services to provide fiat and virtual currency custody services to its customers. See the legal disclosures and list of tZERO Crypto, Inc.’s licensing authorities on https://www.tzero.com/crypto-app/licenses.pdf for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: tacts

tZERO Alexandra Sotiropoulos, +1-347-293-1416 asotiropoulos@tzero.com

The cryptocurrency market is one of the most fascinating financial markets to watch. The market is not only filled with volatile assets but is very much shrouded in mystery.

Investors looking to make profits from cryptocurrency trading are often at a loss on the best ways to go about it. While some may take the leap to buy and hold crypto coins, others are not sure it is worth the risk.

Our aim in writing this guide is to help you understand some of the winning strategies for cryptocurrency investments. Read here for more information on that.

Advertisement1.  Always DYOR

The excitement of holding crypto, the joy of making profits, and the future projections of the market can make you start investing in crypto immediately.

Yet, you mustn’t forget that the market is volatile. Bitcoin (BTC), the leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization remains a major force to reckon with. The rally of BTC can send other coins pushing for a new price discovery mission. Likewise, a depreciation of Bitcoin’s value can send the entire crypto market crashing like a pack of cards.

The rule of thumb is to always Do Your Own Research (DYOR) before investing in any crypto. Some of the factors worth considering when researching are:

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·         The market capitalization of the crypto coin.

·         The maximum supply of the coin.

·         Find out the long-term prospects of the relevance of the crypto coin.

Cryptocurrency trading can help you make more money. Talk about multiplying your money! That notwithstanding, be careful with your investment decisions, because the market can be “funny” at times.

Do not invest your savings or money that you will need urgently. Instead, consider investing only “what you can afford to lose.”

This way, you wouldn’t be overly bothered if the crypto market tanks and your funds go down the drain.

. Don’t Buy Bitcoin

This seems awkward, right? Why should we advise you not to invest in Bitcoin? There are several reasons for that and they include:

·  Buying Bitcoin should only be for long-term investment. So, if you are looking for short-term trades, investing in Bitcoin is not ideal.

·  The second reason is that some Alternative Coins (Altcoins) with potentials tend to rally more than Bitcoin. For example, it may take Bitcoin two months or more to gain 50%. This is the reverse with Altcoins, as some of these can do 50% or more in 2 weeks or less.

Risk management is an important skill for successful cryptocurrency trading. To be a smart crypto investor, consider spreading your risks by diversifying your portfolio.

Do this by buying more than one crypto. The idea is that if one of your crypto coins is tanking, the other might be “mooning.”

Besides, it is advised to invest in more than one crypto coin because it will help balance your portfolio.

Take note that portfolio diversification can be risky, as well. This is usually when you invest in crypto coins with no “real value.” It is therefore important to only invest in cryptocurrencies that have working products and are building something beneficial for the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Try not to overdo the portfolio diversification thing. It is better to hold 4 crypto coins than to hold 10 or more. The fewer and more prospective the coins are, the higher your chances of making a decent profit.

The majority is not always right, as far as cryptocurrency investment is concerned. It will interest you to know that some crypto projects hire the services of influencers to promote or “shill” the projects.

Do not overly rely on what most cryptocurrency investors are saying. The cryptocurrency market is both volatile and unpredictable.

Thus, it is quite hard to make informed investment decisions from what most investors are saying.

Arm yourself with the right knowledge so you can understand the current trends in the market before investing in any crypto.

A successful cryptocurrency investor does not limit all he or she does to making profits from crypto trading.

A majority of successful investors learn as well. This usually starts with the development and maintenance of an investment discipline.

Some investors prefer to stick to the Spot market. For some others, trading crypto Futures is the best. While some cryptocurrency investors simply buy and hold crypto coins for years.

The general rule is to develop an investment discipline that works for you and stick to the same.

Storing your crypto coins is very essential. You don't want to lose it or be tempted to sell it when you are not ready.

The popular option is leaving the crypto coins on a cryptocurrency trading platform/exchange.

Due to the hacks on some of these exchanges, it became imperative to use “soft wallets,” such as Trust Wallet and the Blockchain Wallet.

You may also want to consider hardware wallets, which essentially help you store your crypto coins in a handheld, offline device.

Trading smartly is important to help you maximize profits as a cryptocurrency investor. The tips above have been used by some of the notable personalities in the crypto ecosystem and it has been working for them.

Have you tried any of those cryptocurrency investment options? Which of them worked best for you?

This article contains sponsored links.

How will blockchain technology help fight climate change?

Published

2 weeks ago

on

September 13, 2021

“Bitcoin isn't environmentally friendly – it uses as much electricity as Sweden!” This is one of the common objections to the new technology of cryptocurrency. It is an over-simplification. Bitcoin is the first-generation crypto: other more recent projects in the sector use far less energy[1] . Bitcoin miners are also using renewables: and if miners created all BTC with zero-carbon energy, there would be no problem.

Any new technology comes with advantages and disadvantages as well as teething troubles. Slow connections plagued the early internet – that was even if you could get online: you needed to be a geeky whiz sometimes to boot up the user-unfriendly systems just to send an email. So we should expect that cryptocurrencies will have hiccups as the sector matures.

Blockchain – The Backbone Technology

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), commonly called the blockchain, is the facilitating system that makes crypto possible. It is simply a digital ledger or Rolodex of index cards that hold information in a transparent, unbreakable, and decentralized way. This doesn't sound much, but it heralds a data revolution. Every computer on the network validates each piece of the blockchain so there can be no error. It is a highly ingenious way to assemble and validate information. It has considerable application to the biggest issue of our age: climate change[2] .

AdvertisementSmart contracts and complete transparency

Starting with the second cryptocurrency, Ethereum, a programmable layer was added to the blockchain. Confusingly called “Smart Contracts” - it means that an application can be triggered from the blockchain and have something happen in the physical world.

For example, imagine that a wastewater processing company has sensors linked up to its pipes and wastewater treatment plant. Previously it used to have people reading the sensors and inputting data into a spreadsheet, which was then sent to the official industry regulator. So if a waste parameter exceeded a legal level, an alarm went off, this was recorded, and some days or weeks later, the regulator might take action. Of course, the alarm could be turned off, and the spreadsheet faked to cover up the pollution incident.

A blockchain-based system linked to the sensors would record the alarm, alert the regulator, and issue a fine in cryptocurrency immediately. The public would know, and the transparent record could not be faked. Why would anyone do this: it will be very much cheaper to operate and more flexible than the older method. The blockchain will be essential to a "Smart City" future where numerous data flows are monitored in real-time to improve all sorts of negatives like emissions, energy consumption, waste and recycling, pollution, traffic gridlock; the list is endless.

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The blockchain is transparent, unfakeable, and does not need "Trusted Third Parties" like banks, insurance brokers, or real estate agents. In particular, tracking carbon emissions and other climate events like deforestation or reforestation will be facilitated by blockchain technology.

The UN has identified four areas[3]  where blockchain could help fight climate change:

Improved carbon emission tradingFacilitated clean energy tradingEnhanced climate finance flowsBetter tracking and reporting of emissions reductionImproved Carbon Emission Trading

Although there are critics of "carbon trading" - where polluters buy carbon credits off low emitters, it does have a place in any carbon reduction system. Energy Blockchain Lab and IBM created a blockchain platform to trade carbon assets in China, which was a significant improvement on the previous design.

Facilitated Clean Energy Trading

Blockchain technology is being used for the development of peer-to-peer platforms for renewable energy trading. Consumers would be able to buy, sell or exchange renewable energy with each other, using tokens or digital assets representing a certain quantity of energy production. If you have solar panels on your roof or own an Electric Vehicle (EV) which can sell electricity from its battery back to the grid, then this will be coming your way sooner than you think.

Enhanced Climate Finance Flows

Financing ecological projects can be challenging for conventional lenders, e.g., banks. A new peer-to-peer lending system called DeFi or Decentralized Finance could be used to create capital for green projects. DeFi projects have only been around for a few years but skyrocketed in popularity in 2020 as the sector blossomed.

Better Tracking And Reporting of Emissions Reduction

As discussed above, blockchain technology can ensure more transparency around pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and make it easier to track and report emissions reductions, including addressing data quality issues. Massamba Thioye, a co-Chair of the Climate Chain Coalition and Manager, Regulatory Framework Implementation sub-division, Mitigation division at UN Climate Change, says: "In climate policymaking, transparent measurement, reporting, and verification of climate action is important. It enables policymakers to understand where they need to incentivize greenhouse gas emission reductions while being confident that they comply with the requirements set in its standards."

Use Cases

Another criticism of crypto-token-powered blockchain schemes is that they are impractical or have little real-world benefit, as opposed to lovely brochures and PowerPoint presentations. Here are a few actual projects which point the way forward:

Supply Chain Initiatives

The pandemic has clearly shown how much we rely on complex global supply chains. Much of the West's manufacturing comes from the Far East. This involves the carbon emissions of physically shipping things, but also massive amounts of paperwork as cargo transits the customs systems of different countries. It's a nightmarish and wasteful process. As Brexit Britain is finding out, not ticking the correct checkbox on a customs declaration is the ticket into a world of costly frustration. Blockchain-based documentation will be a step-change in efficiency, increasing productivity and reducing costs, and therefore emissions.

Unilever has a pilot project working with a tea retailer, a packaging company, and several banks. The consumer goods giant is developing a system to track and reward tea suppliers for sustainable farming practices. Data about their produce, including tea quality, ecological impact, and price, is stored on the blockchain, enabling them to be rewarded by banks with lower charges.

Food safety and security is a serious concern for both consumers and retailers. Walmart, JD.com, IBM, and Tsinghua University tested a blockchain program for leafy vegetables in 2017-2019. The outcome was improved tracking of shipments from suppliers to retail outlets.

Electricity Supply, DER, and IoT

Power generation is going through its technology revolution. Previously, energy was generated centrally at large power stations, then distributed through a national grid to arrive in your home or business when needed, as electricity is difficult to store. A central control room ran everything and could bring backup power stations online if required - perhaps a flood or fire took down part of the network. It's just the flick of a switch, and a giant power plant can "spin up."

Nowadays, things are much more complex. Intermittent renewables make up an increasing part of the grid. Anybody can generate their own electricity: solar panels are popular, wind turbines can be erected in many locations, and EVs have the potential to be a huge battery on wheels. In Virginia, Dominion Energy is rolling out a fleet of 50 electric school buses. Twice a day, they will take schoolchildren to school and back. The rest of the time, the vehicles are intended to sit in the depot linked up to the power grid as a large battery reserve! Each bus saves 24,000 kg of CO2 over a diesel bus.

These technologies are known as "Distributed Energy Systems" or DERs. They will need complex computer and payment systems to work well. You need to track everything, ensure that incentives exist if the system needs more (or less) power, and pay fairly. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are integral to this future Internet of Things (IoT). It involves a lot of bi-directional machine negotiation. One of the biggest household users of power is the washing machine. Usually, it's a small chore to load it up and start it washing. But what if you put the dirty clothes in and let the machine decide when to run, under various parameters. It could begin at 3 am when electricity was cheap, for example. Or the smart grid might have an excess of wind power, so ask the washing machine to commence immediately so as not to waste it. Such systems will be more energy-efficient in a leaner grid but need the tracking, low transaction cost, and transparency that only the blockchain can provide.

Local energy systems have a great potential for anti-climate change innovation. EnergyWeb.org[4]  estimated that there were 100 pilot projects worth over $320 million in 2018, and there will be more each year.

Automate and Incentivize Sustainable Practices

There are a lot of issues with fighting climate change globally. Particularly in the developing world, there are monitoring difficulties. Not to mention the simple fact that a massive number of people do not have bank accounts: 1.7 billion adults remain unbanked in 2021. If they are the poor of the global south, paying them to do something green or sustainable has a double benefit: diminishing their poverty as well as reducing climate change. Many have smartphones now, so conventional banks are not essential. Let's imagine a scheme that pays subsistence farmers to plant trees on their land. Satellites monitor the planting. The farmers get paid through a smart contract in a cryptocurrency token app on their phone redeemable for organic seeds or farming equipment. This will subsidize them to move to an organic or "no-till" emissions-reduced form of agriculture, which they couldn't do otherwise because the loss of productivity in the changeover period would result in their starvation.

More advanced blockchain-based systems will enable many types of sustainable practice, and we are at the beginning. Some systems will fail because we are at the early stages of a learning curve. Many, however, will succeed. They will set the standard for global "Best Practice" in their field, encouraging similar projects elsewhere.

Decentralized blockchain systems are the future[5] . In five or ten years, they will likely amaze us with their potential.

This article contains sponsored links.

How to get a house valued without an estate agent

Published

3 months ago

on

June 27, 2021

So, you’ve decided to sell your home. Before you put your property on the market, one of the most important things to do is decide on a realistic asking price. To do this, the current market value of your home will need to be determined so that you don’t undervalue your home or have it on the market for longer than it needs to be with an unrealistic price tag.

You may wish to use a local high street agent to complete all aspects of the sale of your home, including the valuation. Whilst it can certainly be reassuring to hand over the reins to an industry expert, particularly if this is your first property sale, doing so will also come at a significant cost. Indeed, estate agent fees are generally the most expensive aspect of moving home and can cost anywhere in the region of 0.75-3% of your total property price. 

You will also need to factor in the cost of solicitor fees, stamp duty, energy performance certificate and removals, not to mention any redecorating, remortgaging and extra costs such as the additional fees for selling a buy-to-let property or second home. If you do not factor in all of the costs which your sale will incur you many leave yourself without enough money to purchase your next property or free up necessary capital. Since the average cost of selling a property in the UK is a not unsignificant 2% of the total property price, it is important to make the process as cost effective as possible.

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When it comes to valuing your property, some local estate agents will offer this service free of charge. However, always check the fine print as arranging a valuation with a high street agent could mean you are obliged to market your property with them should you choose to proceed with a sale within a certain timeframe of the valuation date. Unless you have signed a no sale, no fee contract it can also cost you money if an agent is then unsuccessful in selling your property.

Alternatively, you can undertake the valuation yourself by researching the local housing market and the recent sold prices of properties which are of a similar type and location to your own. Local planning authority websites will also provide further information on any renovations and extension work undertaken for a given property. However, this will likely only give you a rough estimate in terms of an asking price to place on your own property since no two properties (or prospective buyers and their budgets) are entirely the same.

For a more comprehensive valuation of your property, there are now a number of free of charge online valuation tools available. However, it is very tricky to sell your home completely independently unless you already have a buyer lined up, since your ability to reach prospective buyers will be very limited for a private sale. This is because the main online property portals like Zoopla, Rightmove and On the Market do not list properties for individual vendors.

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If you are keen to put in more effort for a higher financial reward, an alternative option is to use an online or hybrid agent. An online only agent offers fees from as little as £99 for selling your property (with some even undertaking the sale free of charge and recouping their costs through optional extras) but you will still need to undertake a lot of the leg work yourself and your property valuation will generally be based on online data only rather than a physical appraisal.

A hybrid agent is the middle ground between an online and high street estate agent. They offer a fixed fee for the sale of your property in the region of £999-£1999 so you know exactly how much the sale will cost you from the get-go and can budget accordingly. There are also pay now or pay later and no sale, no fee options available and services such as property photographs, creation of listings, hosted viewings and support with buyer negotiations so you are not doing all of the legwork for the sale. Most importantly, they will also undertake in person valuations via a dedicated and knowledgeable local agent to ensure an accurate asking price for your property.

This article contains sponsored links.

How cashbacks have become a powerful marketing tool

Published

3 months ago

on

June 21, 2021

Of all the different types of customer bonuses or incentives available, a cashback is possibly the most attractive. We all love to get money back when we spend, which is why this technique has become a powerful tool for companies that want to attract and retain customers.

Banking with a Cashback

One of the earliest cashback schemes came from Discover Financial Service, a part of Morgan Stanley. Starting in 1986, they gave their cardholders a sum of money at the end of the year, based on the overall charges that were applied throughout the year.

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There are now many credit cards, from numerous banks, that provide cashback to their users. American Express has some of the highest cashback rates, at up to 5% if you spend up to £10,000 in a year. Others like Sainsbury's Bank and Tesco let you collect points that can be turned into cash or other rewards.

You will also see special rewards-style bank accounts on offer, with a monthly cashback. These include Barclays Blue Rewards, Santander 123 Lite, and TSB Spend & Save Plus. In these cases, the cashback is typically based on the monthly bills paid or other activities carried out on the account.

Retail offers with cashbacks

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Another great idea is to get money back as you shop. This is something that can be done on sites like Quidco and TopCashback. They each work with thousands of retailers, with Quidco giving up to 160% cashback and TopCashback giving you as much as 165%.

These sites work by passing on part of the commission that retailers give them for sending you to them, so, in theory, everyone wins. You can also get cashbacks directly from retailers. Among the brands that have realised the potential of offering rewards are H&M and New Look.  

Travel, games and other leisure activities  

No matter how you like to spend your free time, there are probably ways of getting a cashback as you do it. If you love to travel, then you could look at those cashback sites in the last point. You will find cashback offers are available from the likes of Expedia, Travelodge, and British Airways.

Another example comes with online casinos, where you can pick up a no-deposit bonus UK 2020 with £10+ free cash and new bonuses for slots on certain sites. This lets you try the games at Pink Casino, Monster Casino, or other sites without using any of your own funds to get started.

Among the other companies you will find on cashback sites are Ticketmaster, GameStop, and Netflix. As you can see, there is something to suit every taste and lifestyle, so you should look to take advantage of the deals that are of most interest to you.

The surge of cashback offers in recent years is proof of how effective these deals are, for the businesses that offer them as well as for the clients that use them. Before spending any money, you should take a look to see who could give you the best cashback right now.  

This article contains sponsored links.

In the early days, there were only a few web portals with cryptocurrency statistics and data tied to these ever-changing digital asset markets and blockchain metrics. More than ten years later, however, data and analytics tethered to the world’s most popular and most used digital currencies have swelled with growth. The following article delves into a myriad of web portals that offer insights into the innovative land of cryptocurrencies.

Charts, Onchain Metrics, and Coin Market Cap Aggregation

Over a decade ago, there were a couple of websites that shared information concerning bitcoin (BTC) and the small number of digital assets that traded beside BTC in the early days. A few websites displayed BTC’s price and a handful of onchain statistics, so people could get a sense of crypto markets and the utility of these blockchains. Web portals in the early days consisted of price chart pages like zeroblock.com, onchain metrics from blockchain.info (now blockchain.com), and crypto coin market aggregators like coinmarketcap.com.

Now with more than 10,000 crypto assets worth around $2.21 trillion on September 12, 2021, there’s a plethora of data and analytical websites that help guide crypto supporters with various forms of insight. Coinmarketcap.com has a number of competitors now such as coingecko.com, coincap.io, markets.bitcoin.com, and messari.io. All of them are very different and they each give a contrasting perspective on crypto coin market cap aggregation, alongside insights into different kinds of market data. Coingecko.com and messari.io, for instance, show metrics like percentages for crypto coins over 24 hours, one week, two weeks, 30 days, 90 days, and year-to-date.

Markets.bitcoin.com offers a unique perspective of coin market caps and individual insights to different coins with professional tradingview.com charts. Furthermore, the cryptocurrency market aggregator from Bitcoin.com also shows token summaries stemming from intotheblock.com. The portal coincap.io is similar to markets.bitcoin.com and coingecko.com, as it shows an aggregated list of cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Coincap.io is also interesting because visitors can swap tokens by connecting a decentralized finance (defi) wallet like Metamask, Portis, Torus, and the Coinbase Wallet.

Track, Compare, Access Important Ecosystem Platforms

Another website that helps users explore cryptocurrency markets is coinread.com, which offers insight into 1,752 cryptocurrencies and metrics from more than 100 crypto exchanges. Coinread.com provides a few distinct methods to look at key metrics like rank, volume, circulating supplies, and the top exchanges where these digital currencies are traded the most. Users can compare different crypto assets to view price movements in a chart showing a myriad of choices.

Further, coinread.com users can track different coins and follow the market changes tied to the user’s portfolio. Individual crypto assets are broken down into different time intervals, like one hour, 24 hours, seven-day, one month, and annual changes. Users can view an individual crypto asset to get a description of the token, alongside important information like the project’s website, white paper, source code, blockchain explorers, social media links, and forums.

All of these web portals offer different perspectives when it comes to the vast land of crypto assets and there are many more helpful websites to keep you informed. Defillama.com, for instance, is a defi dashboard that shows the aggregate total value locked in defi applications across multiple blockchains. Users can get further insights on crypto derivatives markets like options, futures, and perpetual swaps from the web portals skew.com and bit.com as well.

Dune Analytics offers insights to onchain Ethereum data, ether-based products and market statistics tied to things like defi, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralized exchange (dex) platforms. Dappradar.com also shows a plethora of factoids and market stats tethered to defi, NFTs, and NFT markets.

The aforementioned list of web portals that inform crypto investors barely scratches the surface when it comes to data sites and analytical products. The best part, however, is that all of these crypto applications are free to use even though some of the sites offer more tracking depth for paid subscribers.

What do you think about the web portals that offer crypto supporters insight into the growing world of cryptocurrencies, markets, and onchain statistics? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Kochi: Athey Nallatha, a Kerala startup that sells fusion pickles to the domestic as well as a global clientele, becomes the first company in Kerala which is ready to accept cryptocurrency for its payments. It is also the seventh firm in India to enter into cryptocurrency-based transactions, the startup claimed. On Aug 28, 2021, the startup opened its payment gateway by CoinBase to customers. Digital currencies accepted on this portal are Ethereum, Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, DAI, and USDC, though a transaction is yet to happen. When questioned why they included cryptocurrency as a mode of payment, apart from cards, UPI and Google Pay, while it is yet to gain popularity in the country, Akshay Raveendran, co-founder and director, Athey Nallatha said, “The promoters have been involved with cryptocurrency right from the inception itself – we used to keep track and invest in them. Also, if we implement blockchain technology on the operations side, it is going to save us a lot of money and customers are also going to benefit from this. There are major scaling plans but as a starting step, we have done this.” Interestingly, the startup doesn’t accept cash due to the pandemic. Founded in June 2020, during the pandemic, by two management graduates Hafez Rahman and Akshay Raveendran, Athey Nallatha also aims at providing employment opportunities to mothers. “We source vegetables and meat products from local farmers in and around Kochi. And during the initial days of the pandemic, we couldn’t group the people to work together at a single place to process these raw materials. Hence, we distributed the jobs between various groups of women. While one group took care of vegetable peeling, another took care of cleaning fish. Finally, we collected the products and brought them to a centralized kitchen where it was prepared,” Raveendran said. At present, Athey Nallatha employs 70 women from Panangad, Paravur or Tripunithura – places in and around Kochi. And a number of farmers around Kochi benefitted from local sourcing. “We wanted to stimulate the local economy. During the initial days of Covid, the inter-state trade was disrupted and farmers were affected. So, we decided to source locally only,” said Raveendran. Athey Nallatha sells its products online through its website and Amazon. It also sells them via 30 retail stores. For serving the Middle Eastern clientele, the startup is tying up with online portal Noon.com. Raveendran said he got the first direct order from Germany and the shipments are going soon. FacebookTwitterLinkedinEMail

This past weekend at the Market America Worldwide Shop.com 2021 International Convention (MAIC2021), the president of the e-commerce firm, Steve Ashley, announced Shop.com sites from around the world will be accepting cryptocurrencies via Bitpay. This means that bitcoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, and several other digital assets can be used to purchase products via Shop.com’s websites.

Shop.com Now Accepts Digital Currencies via Bitpay

Shop.com is accepting cryptocurrencies via Bitpay, the largest crypto payment service provider in the world. Steve Ashley the president and COO of Shop.com announced “the use of cryptocurrency as the next chapter in purchasing products on all Shop.com sites.” Ashley revealed the crypto support at the Market America Worldwide Shop.com 2021 International Convention (MAIC2021).

“Today I’m announcing that Shop.com is going to be offering bitcoin, ethereum, and several other cryptocurrencies through Bitpay,” said Ashley. “We’re going to be offering this at Shop.com sites worldwide in all of our Market Countries,” Ashley added.

Shop.com is a fairly popular e-commerce web portal that’s ranked 26,133 worldwide and 191 against “E-commerce and shopping” websites, according to similarweb.com statistics. Shop.com is owned by Market America, a multi-level marketing (MLM) firm that was created in 1992. Market America purchased Shop.com for an undisclosed sum at the end of 2010. Market America also specializes in manufacturing a line of Isotonix it introduced to the public the year after the company started.

“Shop.com and Market America are such great brands,” Sonny Singh, Bitpay’s chief commercial officer said in a statement sent to Bitcoin.com News. “What I really like about them as such a great fit is because of your international presence. The fact that you’re only doing 40% of your volume in America means it’s a really global brand,” Singh added. The Bitpay chief commercial officer continued:

In countries like Taiwan, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil, and Indonesia, it’s very hard to make payments. Credit cards are not everywhere and in those countries, Bitpay and crypto is the cheapest, quickest payment option to accept Bitcoin and to receive crypto payment options as well.

JR Ridinger, the founder and CEO of Market America, said that Shop.com, thanks to Steve Ashley’s leadership, continues to be a trendsetter. “As different online retailers scramble to create a plan of action to implement things like accepting cryptocurrency as a method of online payment, thanks to Steve Ashley – we’ve already done that,” Ridinger said.

When visiting the Shop.com website, the web portal displays a newly added message about the crypto acceptance. The message leads to a page that describes how Shop.com customers can leverage the Bitpay crypto payment system to pay for items. The website also details that Shop.com customers can “earn cashback on thousands of products with Bitpay.”

What do you think about Shop.com announcing that the firm has implemented crypto acceptance across all of its websites? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

PRESS RELEASE. AscendEX, a leading cryptocurrency trading platform, is excited to celebrate Polygon (Curve) Yield Farming on their staking portal by offering an increased APR for active participants. For a limited time, AscendEX users will earn extra returns while Yield Farming with Polygon for any accounts under $10,000 USDC.

AscendEX originally announced the launch of Yield Farming with the Polygon stablecoin in July. Starting this week, users can deposit their USDC into Polygon DeFi Yield Farming and receive interest paid in USDC, MATIC, and CRV, earning up to 20% APY with a 10% bonus from September 1st to 7th! In addition, by farming on AscendEX, users enjoy the benefit of no gas fees and a seamless farming experience by offering a simple “one-click” solution.

Yield Farming Explained:

Yield Farming can be a resource-intensive process where a user allocates capital to a supported DeFi protocol and is rewarded for their liquidity contribution. The rewards are granted to the user in various tokens, depending on the operating DeFi protocols.

Right now, one of the easiest ways to participate in Yield Farming is through AscendEX. The AscendEX team handles all backend integration and removes the technical hurdles associated with DeFi protocols, allowing users to simply click and farm using high-quality tokens and enjoy a timely yield distribution mechanism with no predetermined lock-up period.

Polygon and the Ethereum Blockchain

Most current DeFi applications, including Polygon’s, are built on Ethereum, the world’s second-largest digital asset blockchain. Ethereum is unique because its blockchain makes it easier to create different decentralized applications beyond simple transactions.

Polygon and DeFi Yield Farming:

Polygon is a protocol and a framework for building and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks. Aggregating scalable solutions and supporting a multi-chain Ethereum ecosystem, Polygon combines the best of Ethereum and sovereign blockchains into a full-fledged multi-chain system.

Polygon solves pain points associated with Blockchains, like high gas fees and slow speeds, without sacrificing security. In celebration of the Polygon project, AscendEX users will now be able to participate in Polygon DeFi Yield Farming with up to a 30% APR from September 1st to the 7th.

Users can start Yield Farming Polygon HERE.

This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.

Die Analysefirma Glassnode stellt einen erhöhten Bitcoin Outflow von zentralisierten Krypto-Börsen fest. Gleichzeitig werden weitere Banken zum Portal in den Krypto-Space.

Nachdem Bitcoin vor zwei Tagen einen Höchststand seit dem Flash Crash Mitte Mai erreicht hatte, schlug der digitale Wertspeicher nun wieder den Weg gen Süden ein. Über Nacht muss die Krypto-Leitwährung fast 4 Prozent einbüßen. Dadurch schmälert sich auch die Wochenperformance. Im direkten Vergleich liegt BTC damit zwar noch im grünen Bereich, der Abstand schmilzt jedoch zusehends und befindet sich nun bei etwas über 3 Prozent. Zu Redaktionsschluss handelt Bitcoin bei 38.315 US-Dollar.

Auch der Altcoin-Sektor zeigt sich leicht im Minus. Unter den Top-10 der wertvollsten Kryptowährungen nach Marktkapitalisierung schreiben alle Coins rote Zahlen. Die Verlust-Range liegt dabei zwischen 3 und 4 Prozent.

Dass die Rallye jedoch noch nicht vorbei sein dürfte, zeigt sich in den Bitcoin Outflows, die einige Krypto-Börsen verzeichnen. So stellt beispielsweise der The Week On-Chain Report vom Schweizer Analyseunternehmen Glassnode fest, dass diesen Monat etwa 100.000 Bitcoin den Weg auf Hardware Wallets gefunden hätten. Damit schätzt der On-Chain-Analyst, dass nur noch 13,2 Prozent der zirkulierenden Bitcoin im Besitz von Krypto-Börsen seien – ein neues Jahrestief.

Erst vor wenigen Stunden meldete die Tracking-Plattform Whale Alert, dass 2.001 BTC, über 78 Millionen US-Dollar, von Coinbase auf eine unbekannte Wallet transferiert wurden. Verfolgt man den Newsticker auf Twitter, fällt auf, dass vor allem von der US-amerikanischen Krypto-Börse die Bestände in die eigene Tasche fließen. Anleger scheinen also eher im Hodl- beziehungsweise Akkumulationsmodus zu sein.

Wells Fargo ermöglicht Kunden Einstieg in Bitcoin

Derweilen schreitet die Adoption von Kryptowährungen weiter voran. Erst vor einem Monat berichteten wir von einer zunehmenden Akzeptanz gegenüber Krypto-Assets, als eine Partnerschaft in den USA den Handel mit Kryptowährungen für 650 Banken freischaltete. Nun schlägt Wells Fargo in die gleiche Kerbe und ermöglicht seinen Kunden den Handel mit Bitcoin und Co. Das bestätigte ein Unternehmenssprecher gegenüber Business Insider. Zugegeben, der Service steht aktuell wohl nur vermögenden Kunden zur Verfügung.

American Bankers Association empfiehlt Partnerschaften mit Krypto-Unternehmen

Dass Banken in Zukunft vermehrt ein Portal in die Krypto-Welt sein sollten, empfiehlt zudem die American Bankers Association in einem aktuellen Bericht. Durch das wachsende Interesse auf Kundenseite und die steigende Rentabilität des Krypto-Sektors müssten Geldhäuser vermehrt Möglichkeiten implementieren, die Zugang zu Bitcoin und Co. schaffen. Dazu sei eine Partnerschaft mit Krypto-Unternehmen zwingend erforderlich. Auch bei der Abwicklung grenzüberschreitender Zahlungen könne man von der Schnelligkeit der Blockchain-Technologie profitieren. Andererseits seien Krypto-Dienstleister auf den Bankensektor angewiesen, um Ein- und Auszahlung von Fiat-Geldern auf ihrer Plattform zu gewährleisten.

Guilherme Beltrami, juiz da 7ª Vara Federal de Porto Alegre (RS), deferiu uma solicitação do Ministério Público Federal (MPF) para que 3.537,21 BTC apreendidos em uma operção conjunta da Polícia Federal com o FBI sejam vendidos nos EUA, informou o portal Gaúcha ZH na segunda-feira.

O valor equivale a aproximadamente R$ 883 milhões, e, depois de negociado, deverá ser transferido ao Brasil para compensação das vítimas da empresa Indeal.

De acordo com a investigação da Polícia Federal e a denúncia do MPF, cerca de 25 mil clientes da Indeal foram lesados em um valor total inicialmente estimado em R$ 1,1 bilhão. Conforme noticiou o Cointelegraph anteriormente, a empresa sediada em Novo Hamburgo, na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre, prometia aos seus clientes investimentos com retorno mensal de 15% através de aplicações em criptomoedas.

Os Bitcoins terão de ser vendidos nos EUA porque as leis locais de transferência de criptoativos proíbem o envio de valores expressivos a países da América Latina. A legislação antifraude dos EUA foi a justificativa utlizada pelo juiz para autorizar a venda das criptomoedas em solo americano e a posterior repatriação dos valores obtidos com a negociação..

As restrições da legislação americana fariam com que o processo de envio dos Bitcoins demorasse 6.192 dias. Ou seja, 17 anos.

Em sua decisão, o juiz também determina que "deverá ser formado juízo universal de credores da InDeal, a fim de que os valores obtidos com as medidas assecuratórias de natureza criminal sejam postos à disposição, informando os pedidos de reserva de crédito e penhoras no rosto dos autos averbados."

O advogado de defesa dos sócios da Indeal, William Albuquerque de Sousa Faria recorreu da decisão, informou o portal Gaúcha ZH. Ele pleiteia que os Bitcoins sejam vendidos no Brasil para que não haja uma possível desvalorização.

O lance faz parte da estratégia da defesa de propor um acordo com os clientes para tentar a liberação dos valores apreendidos através de um pedido de recuperação judicial.

A investigação da Indeal resultou na Operação Egypto, deflagrada pela Polícia Federal em maio de 2019. Na semana passada, o Cointelegraph relatou que a Polícia Federal desencadeou uma nova operação para apurar crimes de lavagem de dinheiro por parte dos sócios da Indeal.

LEIA MAIS

Brasil vai aderir a Convenção sobre Crime Cibernético e 'apertar' o cerco com transações em BitcoinCoréia do Sul: crimes relacionados com criptomoedas arrecadaram mais de US$ 2.28 bilhões desde julho de 2017Ministério Público pode acusar Bolsonaro de crime contra a Constituição por cancelar plataforma em blockchain do Exército

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London, UK, 23 Aug 2021, ZEXPRWIRE, MobilityGuru is a blockchain-based project born out of the belief that every human being living with a disability deserves access to inclusive, reliable and competitively priced online marketplace. With an already running website and over millions of dollars’ worth of listed services and products, MobilityGuru is a one-of-a-kind venture.

We are seeking to capitalize on our first mover’s advantage and leverage what is now a strong bull market for altcoins. The Guru token holds a lot of potential for gains both for users of the platform as well as investors through its direct utility and relation to the existing online marketplace.

We see this as an ideal opportunity to integrate the needs of people with disability and professionals to create a platform that can store, transfer and validate all kinds of product and service data. The Binance Smart Chain can be employed to become the basis for a token that draws its value from user interactions in the MobiltyGuru marketplace. Thus fuelling a free and decentralized economy where buyers and sellers connect and exchange products and services directly.     

Decentralization and the means to transact freely globally – these are the two core aspects behind the online platform. The large size of MobilityGuru’s user base and market means a blockchain-based marketplace is theoretically scalable, secure and decentralized. Right now MobiltyGuru doesn’t seem to be very scalable but deploying blockchain technology will allow us to take the development of the marketplace further in its journey. And the current moment couldn’t be better to do so.

Investor interest in cryptocurrencies is growing rapidly and many are looking to go beyond Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). MobilityGuru offers investors exclusive access to the returns and benefits of diversification. We are happy to bring our real-world expertise to this new digital asset class. GURU tokens is based on the BEP-20 protocol that will facilitate a world wide market portal designed to develop project growth and inspire potential investors.

MobilityGuru’s business model targets commercial enterprises, government institutions and the individual user. This opens many opportunities for revenue by promoting a new level of sales with ongoing service to facilitate all mobility disability. Our experiences during this pilot time, combined with deep understanding of the crypto sector and the struggles of people with a disability puts us in a unique position to build the integral components of the ecosystem. An ecosystem, which benefits both users and professionals in this fragmented and niche field.

The advanced functionality and strong backing of the MobilityGuru project present investors with a significant cryptocurrency investment opportunity that isn’t directly tied to BTC and ETH. As the altcoin space continues to mature, and with widespread adoption of popular altcoins on recognized markets, the GURU token is the key to scoring potentially life-changing returns in the crypto market. Now on Exmarkets.com/launchpad/guru-btc.

American telecom giant AT&T is being sued after one of its customers was allegedly scammed out of cryptocurrency in a SIM swap attack. Jamarquis Etheridge, a Texas, US-based man sued AT&T after he lost cryptocurrency tokens worth $560,000 (roughly Rs. 4 crores) from an account linked to his phone number. As per reports, Etheridge fell prey to a SIM Swap attack in which scammers dig out the numbers of potential victims and get them changed by network operators. After losing his Ether (ETH) tokens, Etheridge decided to take legal action against AT&T, questioning its user security provisions and demanding compensation.

As per a report by news portal BeingCrypto.com, the complainant has alleged that AT&T was aware of the threat involving these SIM swapping attacks. In the police report filed on 15 September, Etheridge claimed that the network operator had been posting warnings against such attacks but did not do anything to tighten security against such breaches.

Hackers managed to make an unauthorized entry into Etheridge's wireless account on September 10. By the time AT&T processed the attack, the hacker(s) stole ETH 159.8 tokens from the number-linked account.

As is typical in such attacks, the notorious actor(s) may have found Etheridge's phone number and convinced the network provider, in this case AT&T to issue and activate a new SIM. Later, the hacker(s) must have extracted the linked financial information with the new number.

Etheridge has demanded that AT&T must compensate him for the theft, the report said.

In December 2020, hardware wallet player Ledger servers witnessed a spike in SIM swap threats. Personal financial data of several users were leaked around that time and the victims remain uncompensated.

AT&T itself, has frequently been a victim of SIM swapping attacks. Between 2018 and 2019, three AT&T users collectively lost over $26 million after their crypto assets were stolen in similar SIM swapping attacks.

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