Just announced at the International Congress on Information and Communication Technologies, the President of Colombia Ivan Duque surprised the crowd with what may be the boldest offer to entice cryptocurrency based businesses to relocate to a nation thus far.

No taxes for 5 years - just bring your business to Colombia and hire some of it's citizens.

"We want companies to be formed so that Colombia can be a great player in the sector, but many times the country’s tax policy has been designed to make this type of approach an obstacle course for entrepreneurs. That is why I want us to take forward the exemption from income tax for five years for all companies that are set up for these sectors and generate a minimum number of jobs in the country” says Duque.

Also included in his plan is a new position of a "High Councillor" that would oversee the whole thing, and work with companies to help them set up shop in their country.

Duque isn't new to the topic, he also campaigned on using blockchain to 'increase transparency' of the government should he win.

Geneva will host the second Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland!

On October 9, 2018, Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland will take place for the second time in Geneva, the European fintech hub. The event is dedicated to blockchain and cryptocurrencies uniting blockchain project developers, investors, analysts, financiers, specialists in marketing and legal support of business. The first Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland was held in February and gathered more than 300 participants.

Background, topics, experts
Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference is a series of events held in different countries of the world by Smile-Expo. In 2018, more than 20 events are planned including the recent conferences in the Philippines, Australia, India, Thailand, France and upcoming events in Sweden, Switzerland, Belarus and Malta. The event in Geneva combines a conference featuring foreign experts and a demo zone where companies will present their products. The program includes a panel discussion and a pitch session for participants of the demo zone.

The team of Smile-Expo, the international event company, includes in the program of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland reports of international experts as well as bright representatives of the Swiss blockchain community. In February, speakers of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland were representatives of CERN and investor listed in Forbes 30 under 30.

Pioneer in financial technologies
Switzerland is a country with the developed banking system and great interest in fintech innovations. Today the country has its own “crypto valley” – the city of Zug, where a functional blockchain ecosystem has been developed and many famous projects are based, such as Ethereum Foundation, Monetas, Lykke. Zug is known for several business accelerators and HSLU-I university that teaches blockchain specialists. Besides, one can use Bitcoin to pay for goods and services here and exchange it for fiat money in one of three Bitcoin ATMs. At the end of July, the voting via the eID system based on the distributed ledger will take place in Zug.

In 2018, Procivis startup has successfully tested and implemented the eID solution and a number of e- Government services. Now users can file tax declarations, register residence, and use passport services with their smartphones.

Furthermore, there are blockchain platforms for over-the-counter securities trading launched by major financial organizations in Switzerland. As for the business application of blockchain, 75% of Swiss companies plan to integrate the technology in the next three years (according to the report of PwC). A

Attend the second Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Switzerland!
Smile-Expo’s blockchain conference in Switzerland gives an opportunity to meet global blockchain and cryptocurrency experts. It is a comfortable networking space, where one can exchange experience with companies that have already developed and implemented real-life blockchain-based solutions.

The event will be interesting for:

- specialists working in the field of blockchain and cryptocurrencies that want to receive new and
relevant information firsthand

- those striving to build a career in the field of blockchain and cryptocurrencies;

- entrepreneurs that plan to integrate decentralized technologies in their business.

Now you can get Early Birds tickets on the website of the event: https://switzerland.bc.events/

Full Access Conference Pass – 300 EUR only until September 3, 2018.
Student Conference Pass – 100 EUR until October 8, 2018.

Just passed by both houses of the California state legislature, the bill is designed the lay the groundwork for pretty much anything the state does in the future in regards to blockchain technology, as well as define how the state will legally view the word "blockchain" entirely.

The bill's intentions are outlined as:

"This bill, until January 1, 2022, would require the Secretary of the Government Operations Agency to appoint a blockchain working group on or before July 1, 2019.

The bill would define blockchain. The bill, on or before July 1, 2020, would require the working group to report to the Legislature on the potential uses, risks, and benefits of the use of blockchain technology by state government and California-based businesses, as specified."

The full text of the bill is now on the state legislature website here.

Review.Network, a blockchain startup improving the review and market research industries that has been referred to as “the Yelp! Of Blockchain,” recently announced that is has secured $1.4 million (USD) in Seed Funding. The funding, which includes investments from private investors, is being used to help grow the team and further the development of the platform. The company, which amassed 100,000 beta users in just five days, boasts a team with deep experience in tech, academia and financing.

“Worldwide, consumers often form opinions and make decisions -- like where to eat, sleep, drink, play and even work -- based on online reviews,” said Filip Karaicic, CEO and Co-Founder of Review Network. “However, as it stands today, there are two major problems with the review industry – efficacy and transparency. Reports and data have proven people are more inclined to leave reviews when there is a negative experience, which means there is not an accurate representation of all experiences; and that many reviews are often fake. However, thanks to distributed ledger and AI [artificial intelligence] technologies, we have figured out a way to incentivize reviews – positive and negative – and ensure their accuracy. We also figured out a way to allow brands to tap into our validated reviewer base for market research. This funding, which we’re thrilled to announce, validates our approach and will help us develop this event even faster.”

Review Network’s platform, which is outlined in great detail in the company’s whitepaper, improves the efficacy and transparency in two basic ways. First, they have a well-designed token economics system that provides monetary incentives to those who contribute in a way that benefits the community as a whole and punishes those who do not. Second, the platform has a decentralized community consensus system in which the community self regulates. For example, when someone writes a review, it is then validated by chosen community members (either at random, by reputation, by blind auction, or even depending on the size of their stake in the system).

The network will also allow companies to directly interact with people providing reviews for the most straightforward and accurate market research. The platform, which will work across all industries (restaurant, hotels, etc.), will launch in Beta in Q4 this year. At that time it will be made available to its 100,000 Beta users, who signed up in less than five days.

Review Network has already amassed a team of over 30 very qualified staffers and advisors, including Robert Golladay, former head of IBM’s digital business automation business in Europe; Reinhard Fellmann, Ph.D., a former investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Lecturer at The London School of Economics and Political Science; and Ivan Bjelajac, a former Director at GoDaddy (EU).

About Review Network

Directly connecting companies and consumers, Review Network transforms the way companies do market research. A heavily segmented and targeted user community is rewarded when replying to surveys and reviewing products and services. A social network will be created with valuable feedback through this reward system and will give companies impartial and valuable data on their key demographics.

For more information visit https://review.network/

A study conducted by researchers at CoinBase have found that student requests for official courses on cryptocurrency and blockchain have been answered - well, in at least in 42% of the top 50 universities.

The study highlights these key findings...

● 42 percent of the world’s top 50 universities now offer at least one course on crypto or blockchain.

● Students from a range of majors are interested in crypto and blockchain courses — and universities are adding courses across a variety of departments.

● Original Coinbase research includes a Qriously survey of 675 U.S. students, a comprehensive review of courses at 50 international universities, and interviews with professors and students.

The universities leading with the most courses on the subject are Stanford with 10, and Cornell with 9.

David Yermack of New York University Stern School of Business was one of the first - beginning his courses on cryptocurrency back in 2014 says "A process is well underway that will lead to the migration of most financial data to blockchain-based organizations. Students will benefit greatly by studying this area.”

The full findings of the report can be found here.

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Mark Zukerberg's sister Randi worked at Facebook for nearly 7 years. She's a Harvard graduate and other previous work experience includes 2 years at marketing firm Ogilvy & Mather, as well as serving as a correspondent for CNN during the 2008 election.

After all that, she ended up staring her own company called Zuckerberg Media, which has produced content for the Clinton Global Initiative, Cirque du Soleil, the United Nations, and Bravo TV.

Her latest move however though is a direct move into the world of crypto, joining the team at the international cryptocurrency exchange Huobi.  Her advisory role is outlined as:

"As a member of the Huobi Chain Expert Advisory Committee, Zuckerberg will assist in the development of Huobi’s public blockchain and will further lend her expertise to the governance of Huobi Chain itself.

The Huobi Chain Advisory Committee will provide comprehensive professional advice and insights on the underlying technology, industry application, business model construction and other dimensions of the blockchain. They will also offer advice and support during the election of the Huobi Chain Leader Championship."

It's hard to say if this it's a direct result of this announcement, but following the announcement Huobi's native token which trades under the symbol 'HT' rose nearly 10%.  Maybe the expectation now is - if Facebook does one day officially enter the cryptocurrency world, he's going to have to include the company his sister is at.

Outlining his theory on CNBC's Trader Nation, Tom Lee of Fundstrat Global Advisors says he's found a direct correlation between emerging markets and Bitcoin.

Lee says "Both really essentially peaked early this year, and they both have been in a downward trend. Until emerging markets begin to turn, I think in some ways that correlation is going to hold and tell us that sort of the risk on mentality is those buyers aren't buying bitcoin."

Emerging Markets ETF index (iShares MSCI specifically) is down about 8% this year, and Lee believes that's headed for a turnaround and soon - and when that happens Bitcoin will follow. The reason a turnaround is soon expected is that based on the belief the Federal Reserve will announce a pause in recent interest rate hikes.

Then the correlation between Emerging and Cryptocurrency markets comes from the idea that while large fund's investments in emerging markets are moving downward, they also hold off on other high risk investments - like cryptocurrency. When Emerging Market losses are no longer hanging over their heads, they'll expand investments - and many have already stated they have their eyes on an entry into cryptocurrency.

"I still think it's possible, Bitcoin could end the year explosively higher." says Lee.

He estimates the rise could send BTC prices to the $25,000+ zone.

Tom Lee is a Managing Partner and the Head of Research at Fundstrat Global Advisors. He is an accomplished Wall Street strategist with over 25 years of experience in equity research, and has been top ranked by Institutional Investor every year since 1998. Prior to co-founding Fundstrat, he served most recently as J.P. Morgan’s Chief Equity Strategist from 2007 to 2014, and previously as Managing Director at Salomon Smith Barney. His areas of expertise include Market Strategy.

MAKEAFOLIO, INC. aims to be a leading cryptocurrency platform that provides a comprehensive ecosystem, capable of tracking and managing blockchain investments with ease.

Their unique platform caters to the expectations of all experience levels, from novice to professional traders. Users will be able to share and exchange potential management skills through their portfolios in an efficient manner. The registration process will be simple and comprehensive, compared to other web portals so users will not feel overwhelmed.

MAKEAFOLIO, INC. is the first company to take advantage of Apollo Blockchain technology to conduct an ICO. The presale is currently live and contains an attractive bonus of 30% to users who purchase until September 1st. Unlike other cryptocurrency management platforms, Makeafolio offers one of the highest bonuses in their ICO phases.

Exclusive features of Makeafolio
The platform will be comprised of features that will help create a step towards eliminating intimidating factors regarding cryptocurrency portfolio diversification by hosting a suite of tools and creating a social media platform for crypto-enthusiasts. CEO, Spencer Howell, stated that: “First time users can easily learn how to harness the power of cryptocurrency by being involved in our social media platform, built by utilizing the Apollo blockchain. Users will be able to post status’, interact with other cryptocurrency enthusiasts, and earn MAF for their participation on the platform. We will also offer services such as a oneclick diversification tool that will allow users to take one cryptocurrency and create a completely diverse portfolio. MAKEAFOLIO, INC. will help newcomers by giving them access to cryptocurrency experts through the mentorship program, enabling users to easily learn how utilising cryptocurrency can be beneficial”.

The team behind MAKEAFOLIO INC. aims to educate users that need help overcoming the obstacles related to cryptocurrencies. Traders will be regularly updated on new projects via the token directory, which will analyse and rank projects on many different factors.

Conversion to MAF
Members utilising the platform will be required to exchange a certain amount of Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ethereum to be converted into MAF. Users may choose any currencies on the platforms directory to transition their MAF into a complete portfolio via the one click diversification system. Certain input fields will be made available to help the movement of tokens to personal wallets a seamless process. When users are ready to convert, they will be presented with the 'MAKEAFOLIO' button, which will then automatically convert their MAF into the portfolio percentages of the individuals choosing.

Monitoring the status of cryptocurrency portfolios
The MAF track feature enables traders to monitor the overall health and performance of their investment portfolios. A live chart is displayed on the screen describing the user's performance, token name, amount, existing price, and much more. The leaderboard is a crucial element of Makeafolio as it is capable of ranking each user based on their performance, portfolio values, and accomplishments. Furthermore, statistics are made available to keep everyone updated about the system ranking in an accurate manner.

MAF leaderboard
The MAF leaderboard will host a variety of different statistics relating to each individual participating on the Makeafolio platform. Stats such as ROI, achievement points, cryptocurrency portfolio allocation, and overall rank are easily accessible on the leaderboard. Through the gamification of cryptocurrency, this feature will allow users to compete with their friends and families to have the best performing portfolio on the platform. Makeafolio will make it easy to “mimic” other top performing portfolios directly from the leaderboard. Once you “mimic” another portfolio, you will then have the same portfolio allocation percentages as another user on the platform regardless of its value. For more information on the leaderboard, the whitepaper can be downloaded through the official website.

About MAKEAFOLIO, INC.

The main objective of MAKEAFOLIO, INC. is to educate the community about various subjects associated with cryptocurrencies while making it easy to understand. Appropriate information can be shared amongst the platform members, such as blogs, articles, featured mentor videos, and top performing cryptocurrency portfolios.

Visit the official website of Makeafolio: https://www.makeafolio.com

Coinbase Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Brian Armstrong talks about the outlook for cryptocurrencies with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang at the Players Technology Summit in San Francisco.

Announced by the head of cyber security & digital architecture at the Justice Ministry, Balaji Anbil posted to his official government hosted blog, that they are now officially "Investigating Digital Ledger Technologies to secure digital evidence".

The blog post reads in part:

"Digital Ledger Technologies, such as blockchain are perhaps best known for their use in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. As an architectural style, distributed ledgers enable new innovative data solutions that support both high degrees of integrity and de-centralisation. At HMCTS, we are passionate about the application of novel solutions to traditional challenges including evidence sharing, identity management and ensuring citizens have maximum control over their own information. Our service designs are focused on value, simplicity and use of the best modern technology approaches. This brings numerous benefits including cost effective and timely delivery and future proof solutions."

They aim to do a trial run of inter-agency evidence sharing before the year is over.

There's definitely a thing in the cryptocurrency world where everyone has to pretend to know everything.  I've seen a lot of heated online arguments where people are going back and forth, then there's a strange pause where you know someone took a minute to Google a term their opponent used so they could reply pretending they knew the whole time.

I knew the basics of what an ETF was, but only because I played around in the traditional stock market a bit before cryptocurrency grabbed my full attention.

Then during a recent conversation with some of my very bright friends here in the Silicon Valley tech world where they confessed they have no idea what an ETF is, I realized a lot of crypto investors have never invested in anything else - so this "ETF" thing we keep talking about is a new term to them.

So for everyone too afraid to ask, and those who tried to look it up... but only found 10 page long answers - here's the "what you need to know" on ETF's from experts in the field.

I reached out to some of the most respected people in the world of finance, and asked them share the most important things those of us in the crypto world should know - before our two worlds come together (assuming a Bitcoin ETF gets approved soon - personally I think it will happen before the end of the year).

Lee Kranefuss, CEO of The Kranefuss Group told me:

"One of the things that makes stock stock is that it trades, all day, on a stock exchange. This is a central place for buyers to find sellers and vice versa (at least virtually).

An ETF is nothing more or less than a stock that allows the same thing. The difference is that an ETF isn't a company that makes widgets, or provides services. It simply invests in one or more other things - like stocks and bonds in companies.

So, with an ETF, you are buying (maybe) a fund that holds 500 stocks, or at the other extreme a security that invests in crude oil, or (possibly) BitCoin. (The latter, by the way, would technically be Exchange-Traded Products, or ETPs in the U.S. due law; in Europe they could be ETFs)."

President of ProChain Capital, David Tawil explained it to me like this:

"An ETF enables easy investment in assets. The ETF is listed on a stock exchange and given a ticker. The assets included in an ETF can range from liquid assets, that an investor could easily invest in directly, such as stocks, but the ETF might offer the valuable feature of being diversified or targeting a particular industry or geography. Additionally, as it relates to Bitcoin and other crypto-assets, an ETF can offer investors a very easy way to invest in those assets, which are otherwise difficult or administratively challenging to access. The bottom line is that a Bitcoin ETF should create massive additional liquidity in Bitcoin (or other crypto-assets, to the extent that they are included)."

And Morris Armstrong, founder of Armstrong Financial Strategies added this important note:

"An ETF can be something that simply tracks the value of either one or many cryptocurrencies and is traded throughout the day. If you own the Exchange Traded Fund, you do not own the underlying crypto assets but you can make a profit or loss on the way those assets move."

I think that about covers it!  If you have any more ETF related questions you'd like me to ask the experts, drop me a line!

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So, what makes BitStarz so special?
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An Award-Winning Casino Experience
If you aren’t already aware, since 2014 BitStarz has been widely been recognized as the best cryptocurrency casino. Awards have been falling in its direction since then as well. BitStarz was recently named “Best Casino of 2017” at the prestigious AskGamblers Awards. This isn’t all, as it has also been nominated for "Best CRM Campaign of the Year" and "Innovation in the Casino" awards at the EGR Awards. Truly dedicated to it players, the critics are recognizing this brand’s hard work that’s for sure.

Giving Players All They Can Handle
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Affiliate Marketing as Easy as A-B-C
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This week articles popped up with headlines like "Alleged head of BitConnect cryptocurrency scam arrested in Dubai" (link) along with many others using similar wording that would have you thinking someone of importance behind the Bitconnect scam was now behind bars.

But make no mistake - the man they arrested is a nobody, and the kingpins who walked away with hundreds of million worth of people's money are still out there enjoying their freedom.

If you're one of the long time readers here at Global Crypto Press you know Bitconnect and myself go way back.  I was one of the more vocal people in the cryptocurrency world trying to warn Bitconnect users that this wasn't going to end well for them.

I was also the only one to ever confront Bitconnect reps in person, at the Silicon Valley Blockchain Expo (That video here).

Bitconnect was a standard pyramid scheme, meaning anyone could sign up and make money from getting others to sign up as well.  The man arrested in India is nothing more than a simple Bitconnect member who signed up a bunch of people under him on the pyramid.

The accused, Divyesh Darji is being called the "head of Bitconnect in India" but is not one of the people behind Bitconnect, at all. In fact, the site was up and running and fairly popular months before the dates of Darji's first posts promoting it.

What he's guilty of is just being one of the more aggressive promoters of their referral program. Darji's mistake was going all out, loving the spotlight, and even holding seminars to entice others to join the scheme.

“Darji was living in Dubai. A look-out circular was issued against him. The Immigration Department alerted us when he was on the way from Dubai to Ahmedabad, after which he was arrested today evening. The company came into existence in 2016, and in 2017, it launched the Bitconnect coin. It remained active till January this year. It released 2.80 crore coins, out of which 1.80 crore coins were sold to investors. The accused held seminars, events in India and other countries promising high interest — daily interest rate of 1 per cent — on investment in Bitconnect coins. The cost of one Bitconnect coin on January 16, 2018, when the company shut down, was USD 362.” a spokesperson for Police stated.

The real people behind Bitconnect never showed their faces, and Darji is a perfect example of why.  Remember - the people behind it knew it was a scam from the beginning, they knew one day it would end and people would be trying to hunt them down.

I have very little pity for Bitconnect "victims" since things reached a point months before Bitconnect ran off with their money, where I believe everyone involved had heard it was a scam - and decided to ignore the warnings while they were still making a profit.

But that doesn't mean those behind the whole operation shouldn't still be punished.

That's perhaps the wildest part of this whole aftermath.  So far we have Bitconnect promoters who had popular YouTube channels promoting Bitconnect getting sued here in the US, and this guy in India getting arrested - but really, these low-level people got their money stolen in the end too.

Then when it comes to the people who actually created Bitconnect - not only have they faced no consequences, but it appears they did such a good job on concealing their identity - no one even knows their names, or what country they reside in.

So just clearing things up from the misleading headlines, no - the "head of Bitconnect" was not arrested.

The FBI's case is still officially "open" though, so maybe there is still hope.

Adult video streaming site "Tube8" has announced plans to move their entire operation to the blockchain, and reward it's users for using the site.

“For as long as I can remember, getting paid to watch porn was always a pipedream; one that was always dreamed about, but never fully realized. Now however, with the introduction of VIT, we are marking a paradigm shift in how people consume adult entertainment. As opposed to having to fork over money to consume content, which some sites require, our users will get paid to consume our free content, the more they interact with our videos, the more money they earn” Tube8 spokesperson Robin Turner told TheNextWeb.

The token they're choosing is the Vice Industry Token, which is currently taking some heat as Playboy takes them to court over breach of contract, as outlined by the LA Times:

"The lawsuit, recently filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims that Playboy reached an agreement in March with the Canadian company Global Blockchain Technologies, under which GBT would implement the third-party cryptocurrency Vice Industry Token on Playboy’s sites. Playboy said GBT hasn’t made good on the deal and also failed to pay the $4 million it promised as part of the agreement."

But I wouldn't expect this to be something we see within the next few weeks. Currently, the Vice Token is an ERC20 token built on Ethereum - which can only handle about 15 transactions per second. A site like Tube8 rewarding millions of users with tokens would be enough to bring Ethereum to a grinding halt.

The creators of the Vice Token plan to move to a forked version of Steem's blockchain - and that would have to happen first.  No date is set but the Vice Token team says it's in the works and they're still fixing 'minor bugs'.

We're way past the point of wondering if something big is right around the corner - we've been talking about a lot of familiar names this month jumping on board and officially making their entry into the cryptocurrency world. Microsoft, Starbucks, NASDAQ, NYSE to name a few - and yes you may have heard these names mentioned before in a cryptocurrency or blockchain article, but this is the month they all put their money where their mouth is.

The latest is AirBNB co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk. While this one is an individual (not acting on behalf of AirBNB) the concept behind what he just invested in is all about bringing in even more large investors.

The company is called SFOX and their focus is "large-scale investors such as funds, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals".

"We've seen high interest from our clients in expanding their exposure to crypto assets. Institutions need a full service asset management platform that meets the unique needs of cryptocurrency. This is not being fulfilled by traditional tools and current platforms. We're in a great position to provide these rails. This investment will allow us to pursue this evolution." says SFOX CEO Akbar Thobhani.

Blecharczyk who co-founded AirBNB in 2008 was part of a $22.7 million series-a funding round that announced it's closure yesterday.  While it's not a company mentioned often, SFOX has been around since 2014 and boasts over $9 billion in total transactions.

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Coinbase launched their wallet project "Toshi" last year, and a couple features got it noticed pretty quickly - it could store "crypto collectibles" like CryptoKitties, and included the first mobile dApp browser.

Now, Coinbase believes the wallet is ready to officially bare their name, and have announced from now on it'll be known as "Coinbase Wallet" - here's how they outline everything it does:

"With Coinbase Wallet, you have the ability to:

- Manage ETH and all your ERC-20 tokens (very soon we’ll be supporting BTC, BCH and LTC).

- Receive airdrops and ICO tokens.

- Buy and store crypto collectibles — non-fungible tokens that are unique — and use them in games, or trade them on marketplaces.

- Send payments to anyone anywhere, without geographical borders or fees.

- Access leading decentralized exchanges and relayers to buy and sell tokens.

- Explore the full universe of third party dapps that enable everything from taking out a loan or lending to others on the blockchain to earning crypto by answering questions, performing services, or completing tasks."

You can check it out for yourself at https://wallet.coinbase.com

I was one of the lucky few people to first have the ability to purchase Bitcoin in my Square Cash app, when they randomly selected users in the San Francisco Bay Area to test it out. I made a video then showing it in use, and explained some of my theories for what Square may do with this long term.

Finally, as of this week any user in the United States can now use the Square Cash app to purchase BTC, and with no fees... for now. 

Announced in a tweet by the company:

Red, white, and bitcoin. Now you can use Cash App to buy bitcoin in all 50 states. pic.twitter.com/D4fhVRz7WL

— Cash App (@CashApp) August 13, 2018

UPDATE: Originally stated the ability to transfer BTC out of the app to another wallet wasn't available, but this feature has indeed been added!  It's just tucked away a bit.  You must click on the profile settings, then your Bitcoin balance. From there you will see options to 'enable withdraws' and it will ask for a photo of your ID for verification before they enable it.

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CargoCoin and SKYFchain has signed the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) and reached an agreement to work on the integration of both blockchain-powered platforms for unmanned logistics.

The platforms are highly complementary to each other – while SKYFchain provides a platform for industrial logistics operations of unmanned cargo vehicles – drones, trucks and ships, CargoCoin offers a paperless solution for the document flow in cargo transportation. SKYFchain deals with unmanned vehicles and CargoCoin takes care of the load, which together is a total autonomous logistics solution.

Users of both platforms will get access to the services and providers on both, doubling the speed of adoption of the unmanned approach.

CEO of CargoCoin Bogomil Alexandrov said: "SKYFChain is a pioneer company in the field of unmanned drone flights and we find their products to be of outstanding quality and technology, which will be a future of transport. We have great expectations for the benefits of this cooperation for both CargoCoin & SKYFchain, together we will shape the future of blockchain based cargo and logistics."

CEO of SKYFchain Alexander Timofeev said: “We are happy to find a reliable partner in the emerging field of blockchain-based logistics. CargoCoin is an industry pioneer and can provide our clients with an easy global service. Together we are offering an end-to-end solution to our customers.”


About SKYFchain
SKYF is a heavy-lifting unmanned aerial carrier vehicle with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. It allows the development of different drones with various modifications for diverse tasks ranging from cargo logistics to fire fighting. At present the maximum useful load is 400 kg (880 lbs) and the maximum the flight range is 350 km (220 miles) or up to 8 hours. In 2018 SKYF team launched the spin-off project named SKYFchain which develops the first Business-2-Robots Operating Platform in the cargo logistics industry. SKYFchain is an open blockchain platform for keeping and exchanging data of all cargo robots’ operations and transactions. Any action on the Operating Platform has an own price depending on the type, frequency and complexity of transactions and is denominated in a traditional currency. All calculations within SKYFchain will be processed in SKYFT tokens, as required by the smart contract logic.

The first cargo robot to start operations on SKYFchain will be SKYF. SKYF will use SKYFchain to operate hundreds of freighter drones that have already been pre-ordered by the largest oil/gas and logistics companies around the world. SKYFchain is open to any other manufacturers of unmanned drones, including cars and cargo ships. It is also open to logistics providers and financial organizations and has every chance to become a universal tool, a standard for the unmanned logistics industry. Within 5 years, SKYF plans to spend over US $50 million to buy SKYFT tokens on the open crypto-exchange. The funds will be used for the further development of SKYFchain. The SKYFT tokens emission conforms the international legislative regulation of the blockchain and is compliant with the SEC of the USA.

More info: SkyfChain.io

About CargoCoin
CargoCoin is designed to be a smart contract, crypto currency platform, decentralizing global trade and transport. The platform target is to facilitate and optimize the interaction amongst traders, freight forwarders, shipping lines, booking agents as well as all other parties involved in the international trade and transport of commodities and cargoes. The platform users experience outlines well-balanced ecosystem based on cutting edge crypto security and frictionless interaction.

CargoCoin objective is to provide a global marketplace environment and utilities for facilitation of trade, transport, exchange of documents and payment options at low cost in real time. The platform architecture is based on the principles of high level of security, transparency, traceability and accountability. It is set up in a way that the participants can take advantage of any part of it alone, or in combination with other sections. It can be used as a very simple platform or as a complex smart contract utility with various payment options. The link between physical trade and transport with online crypto technologies delivers the opportunity for implementation of a large-scale project and allows for further expansion.

CargoCoin platform provides infinite possibilities for added value to the users and the participants. All utilities on the platform operate with CargoCoins. The aim is boosting demand and facilitating the usage of the tokens. CargoCoin Team interest is set in line with the interest of the ICO supporters!

More info: TheCargoCoin.com

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The cannabis industry is no stranger to the cryptocurrency world. In states like the one i'm in (California) where marijuana is legal by state law - it's still banned by federal law.

But because it's still illegal under federal law, banks won't touch the now multi-billion dollar cannabis industry.  They've resorted to a variety of creative solutions, varying from holding mountains of cash in secure locations protected by armed guards, and of course - cryptocurrency.

High Times is best known as a magazine about everything marijuana, but as the product becomes legal in more and more places they're out to take a larger role in the industry, and part of that plan is doing an IPO and becoming listed on the stock market.

Which is why it wasn't a huge surprise a company like High Times would be the first to think of accepting cryptocurrency in their Initial Public Offering (IPO).  Today they have retracted this previous announcement, saying:

"This press release was distributed in error as the Company will not be accepting Bitcoin as payment for shares. As provided in the Company’s subscription agreement related to the offering, the Company will only be accepting check, credit card, ACH or wire transfer as payment for subscription to shares."

Personally, i'm not buying the "distributed in error" excuse - the press release that said they would accept cryptocurrency even included quotes from the CEO such as:

"High Times has been at the forefront of popular culture for more than four decades. Now we’re taking another step into the future, not only as one of the first cannabis-related brands to go public on the Nasdaq but also as the first to allow Bitcoin and Ethereum as part of our public capital raise."

It looks more like they simply just changed their mind. Not to mention, if a press release is sent in error, the correction doesn't come nearly two weeks later.

While they offered no other reasons, Bitcoin was worth $7400 when they said they'd accept it, today (at time of publishing this article) it sits at $6211. To be fair, it's no surprise that volatility scared them away from using it as a source of funding. 

Of course the counter argument would be that when Bitcoin rises again - High Times may seriously regret this decision.

Do you remember Zabercoin? If not, it’s probably because the ICO failed in December of 2017. If you do, it’s most likely because you invested money—and got a unexpected refund. While this may not seem like the type of history you want behind a their new ICO, let me explain why Mobu is a special case that may warrant your attention.

Mobu is an ICO in the business of launching security token ICOs. What is a security? Think of securities as assets similar to stocks. When you purchase stock in a company, you expect to receive dividends based on that company’s performance in the future. A security token acts just like company stock, but for cryptocurrency projects and ICOs.

This is often in contrast to a utility token, in which the purchase of such an asset can be used as a function of that cryptocurrency, network, system, or software application. In other words, utility tokens get used in participation. Basic Attention Token doesn’t represent the business health of the company, but is meant to be shared, traded, and given as a reward to users of the Brave browser.

In the Spring of this year, the U.S. SEC made it clear that security tokens will be heavily regulated, which scared hundreds of newly launched ICOs into finding utility purposes of their tokens, which were most likely intended as a fundraising method from the beginning. The truth is, registering as a security shouldn’t be detrimental to an ICO’s success. Mobu proposes to pave the way for dozens of security tokens to achieve that legal status and ease the growing pains associated with getting a security off the ground.

Mobu will provide access to legal advisors, technical support, KYC/AML guidance, and auditors. Essentially, everything necessary for a security token ICO Mobu will offer support for. The Mobu token will be the medium of exchange for so-called issuers, developers, KYC providers, investors, and legal representatives. It will be the currency of their own network of professionals available to make sure your ICO is operating legally and efficiently.

If you are familiar with security tokens in crypto, there’s a good chance Polymath comes to mind. They are the main competitor offering a similar service to budding ICOs. While both tokens are smart contracts that offer assistance with KYC and legal support, Mobu claims an advantage in two significant ways. Firstly, they will offer an escrow service that would protect investors from frauds, scams, and failed ICOs. Second, they will have bank support for conversion of fiat to crypto. More information is necessary to understand exactly what this entails, but it’s not hard to imagine the convenience such a service when considering the traditional methods of sending ethers off in exchange for promises of future ROI.

So why would the creators of Zabercoin be well suited to this? For one, they know first-hand the difficulties with an ICO launch, and specifically to do with securities. Perhaps they learned from their detrimental mistakes. Zabercoin was an attempt to create a security token for real estate, where the tokens were backed by property and therefore maintained inherent value. In a sense, Mobu is taking all their lessons and focusing them on assisting new ICOs encountering the same problems. While Polymath claims to offer a similar service, one could argue that their team simply doesn’t have the battle-tested experience of Mobu.

The pre-ico commenced on September 1st, while the main ICO isn’t scheduled until Decmber, and token launch later in the Spring of 2019. Compared to most of the ICO roadmaps we’ve seen this year, Mobu is quite conservative and realistic with their estimates. Keep in mind this would be a long-term investment for those so-inclined.

For more information, video, and the Mobu whitepaper, please visit https://mobu.io/

João Amoêdo is a candidate for President in Brazil, and he recently spoke with Brazilian based crypto news site "Portal Do Bitcoin".  We learned he's a fan of the tech in general, speaking first on the overall subject of Blockchain he explained his views:

"I see the blockchain as a protocol that increases the reliability and integrity of the data. There are obvious applications, such as for interbank transfers or to register as a notary. Another, not so commented, is to use the blockchain to follow the productive chain of products. No matter how much ANVISA strives, it could hardly find out where they put cardboard in the meat. With the blockchain, this would not be a problem. We could follow every step of the production chain of a product, ensuring less bureaucracy and more intelligence.

But this is just the beginning. The possibilities of using the blockchain go much further. 
It is possible to establish digital identities online, electronic voting platforms, increase transparency and accountability in public management. Facilitate and make transparent bidding processes, among many other things."

When asked if he sees cryptocurrency as a threat to government issued currencies, he said:

"I do not think they are a threat to the traditional banking system. I see advantages in providing another means of payment for consumers."

He was also asked if he'd consider declaring Bitcoin a legal payment method in the country (treating it the same as USD or the Euro) he answered:

"As a means of payment I see no doubts that bitcoin can be understood as a legal payment method. If both parties want to exchange a product via bitcoin, I do not see any legal barriers to doing so. But it must be clear that the country has only one national currency, one that has a legal course, that is, the one that people are obliged to accept, the real. No other currency, including the dollar, has this characteristic. Only the real. In addition, there are restrictions on the use of the dollar for payments and as currency of account, which are the same for any other foreign currency, including crypto-coins. The Internet is as if it were another offshore and it is fair that governments compel people to give information about what they have there, as they force them to report on assets abroad. The internet is not meant to be tax haven."

The election takes place in October, and it's already getting nasty.  With candidates now questioning the results before voting has even taken place, as reported by Bloomberg.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been monitoring the use of cryptocurrency for 5 years now, one of the people in charge of this is Special Agent Lilita Infante.

Now she says a complete flip of the statistics has taken place.  When she began monitoring things, up to 90% of bitcoin transactions were for illegal activity - mostly purchases of products from the dark web. Speaking to Bloomberg, Infante says that number has dropped to just 10% currently.

“The volume has grown tremendously, the amount of transactions and the dollar value has grown tremendously over the years in criminal activity, but the ratio has decreased The majority of transactions are used for price speculation." says special agent Infante.

Also interesting, the DEA isn't just tracking how much is being spent, they're also serious about learning the tech - and it sounds like they have a pretty strong grasp on things.

"The blockchain actually gives us a lot of tools to be able to identify people, I actually want them to keep using them." she added.

So basically, people still do use cryptocurrency on the dark web, we're not saying that's gone away - but cryptocurrency has become so popular the overwhelming majority of those involved are law abiding citizens. Which is why we should be treated as such.

On that note, while all this comes as no surprise to those in the cryptocurrency world, it does make me think about Democrat Congressman from California Brad Sherman. 

Last month I covered a story of him calling for a total ban on cryptocurrency after he implied everyone involved in cryptocurrency is part of the underworld, saying "It a solution ONLY to the problems of tax evaders, criminals, and terrorists!"  going so far as to say cryptocurrency supporters even "delight in that" at a congressional hearing with House of Representatives Financial Services Committee.

The congressman now seems at odds with the official data being provided by other government agencies, specifically the ones that oversee some the very crimes he said was a concern.

Like I've said many times before, and I don't see changing any time soon - Bitcoin's main feature, the public ledger is also the main reason it's a horrible choice for criminals. A record of who sent how much, and to who, all out in the open where law enforcement won't even need warrant to see it.

This is why cash will always be criminal's preferred money transfer method.

Back in April we published an article on China's massive $1.6 billion budget towards blockchain technology development (read that here).

Their aggressive moves to dominate this emerging tech sector is getting results as well, over the last 2 years the amount of blockchain related patents filed by Chinese companies is more than double the number of patents filed by American companies.

This week there's been 3 new moves step things up even further.

First, China now even wants a piece of America's blockchain industry, with a Chinese Private Equity Firm announcing a $270 million investment in Overstock.com's blockchain subsidiary tZero.

Then on the Chinese domestic front, Bank of China has announced their intentions of increasing their investments in several sectors of emerging technology, including both blockchain and Internet Of Things (IoT).  “Mainly focusing on data sharing, cross-border payment, digital currency, digital bills, etc” says Bank of China’s Chief Information Officer Liu Qiuwan.

Lastly, China's Ministry of Information Technology has said their goal is now to accelerate the implementation of blockchain in government and business in China - they believe the tech is ready to be launched on an 'industrial scale'.

As a guest speaker at the National Expert Forum on Manufacturing Powerful Countries, deputy director of China's Ministry of Information Technology Xin Guobin said:

"Blockchain can make up for the deficiencies of traditional credit system, prevent information tampering and forgery, and save society money. In finance, e-commerce, smart medical care, social security, Internet of Things, energy and other fields, and will have an important impact.”

What's clear is that the race is on between the US and China to determine which will be named the 'leader' in blockchain tech. 

The question that will be answered soon is: which is more powerful? Chinese companies backed by their government? Or Silicon Valley backed by venture capital?  At this point, things are too close to call, while China leads in total patents - quantity doesn't necessarily beat quality in the world of tech.

Last week Microsoft announced their role in a partnership with the owners of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Starbucks and the launch of the new cryptocurrency based company Bakkt (that story here)

Today, Microsoft unviled their new Ethereum Proof-of-Authority Algorithm, which works along side Azure’s original proof of work algorithm (Azur is Microsoft's cloud computing service).

"We’ve had great traction with our support of Ethereum on Azure. The existing Proof-of-Work solution has been deployed tens of thousands of times across a variety of industry verticals. Through the extensive development on our platform, we’ve received great feedback from the community that has helped us shape our next Ethereum ledger product. I’m excited to announce the release of Ethereum Proof-of-Authority on Azure.

Proof-of-Work is a Sybil-resistance mechanism that leverages computation costs to self-regulate the network and allow fair participation. This works great in anonymous, open networks where competition for cryptocurrency promotes security on the network. However, in private/consortium networks the underlying ether has no value. An alternative protocol, Proof-of-Authority, is more suitable for permissioned networks where all consensus participants are known and reputable. Without the need for mining, Proof-of-Authority is more efficient while still retaining Byzantine fault tolerance." says Microsoft Azur engineer Cody Born.

However it's important to note - this algorithm is for use by larger enterprise operations looking to run decentralized applications (dApps) built on the Ethereum blockchain, but unlike typical dApp's which use miners as their consensus participants, the miners here are replaced with a network of 'known and trusted' participants for confirmations.

Sounds like bad news for miners at first, but in reality they simply aren't needed for dApp's being used by companies internally “In private/consortium networks the underlying ether has no value.” added Born. So it's not as if mining rewards that were going out to miners are now going to themselves, there's simply no mining fees at all in this case.

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