Showing posts with label blockchain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blockchain. Show all posts

Crypto Market Almost FULLY RECOVERED From 2022 Collapse...

Crypto Market Recovery

*Update* Jan 8th 2024 - The market has officially recovered and surpassed levels preceding the 2022 crash.

The cryptocurrency market has almost returned to levels before the damaging collapses of Terra/Luna and FTX in 2022. Bitcoin recently surpassed $39,000 for the first time since May 2022, fueled in part by growing expectations that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could finally approve a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the next few weeks, or even days.

At the time of publishing, Bitcoin is trading around $39,700 - a gain of just $800 to $40,500 would officially represent a full recovery.

2022: A Year So Bad, it Took 2 Years To Recover From...

In 2022, two big hits cut Bitcoin's price in half over just few months.

The first came from the Terra/Luna debacle, triggered by the collapse of TerraUSD, an algorithmic stablecoin that was supposed to maintain a $1 peg but ultimately lost all value. Prior to its failure, the high interest rates offered by Terra through its Anchor protocol had attracted billions of dollars in investments, including from major crypto lending firms like Celsius Network. As the 'stablecoin' hit a liquidity crisis Terraform Labs began rapidly selling its bitcoin reserves in a desperate attempt to maintain the peg. This massive dumping of bitcoin put significant downward pressure on prices, contributing to bitcoin falling from around $30,000 down to below $20,000.

The second big hit came just months later when crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy after questions arose over its financial health and potential commingling of customer funds. As one of the largest and seemingly most reputable exchanges, FTX's failure shook investor confidence and reignited worries of contagion across the crypto ecosystem. Bitcoin fell to under $16,000 amidst the fallout, its lowest level since late 2020.

Since then, the Market has Been Gradually Recovering...  

Some analysts believe bitcoin could soon surmount the key psychological barrier of $40,000 if momentum continues building ahead of a long-awaited bitcoin spot ETF approval.

Others caution bitcoin may retreat to around $35,000 if ETF approval doesn't happen soon, but still bounce past $40k when it eventually happens. 

But all are in agreement - the crypto winter is officially thawing.

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Author: Oliver Redding
Seattle Newsdesk  / Breaking Crypto News

With Competition Like BlockFi, Celsius, and Genesis ELIMINATED, Coinbase Launches Crypto LENDING For Institutional Clients...

 

Coinbase crypto lending

Coinbase, one of the world's most prominent cryptocurrency exchanges, has recently unveiled its new lending service, specifically designed for U.S institutional clients. This move signifies a strategic expansion of Coinbase's offerings, aiming to cater to the growing demand for crypto-backed financial services. Here's an in-depth look at what this new service entails and its potential implications for the crypto industry.

While specific details about the lending service's features are yet to be fully disclosed, it's expected that the service will allow institutional clients to borrow against their crypto holdings, with rates varying based on the type and amount of cryptocurrency used as collateral.

Smart Timing...

The decision to launch their lending service comes in the backdrop of the bankruptcies BlockFi and Genesis within the past year, these would have been their main competition.

Coinbase can enter the market leveraging their established reputation and infrastructure, as most people feel Coinbase would not repeat the mistakes of previous failed lenders. 

Traditional financial markets offer a myriad of lending and borrowing options, the crypto market has been playing catch-up. Coinbase has a chance to now fill this significant gap in the crypto market, which will attract institutional investors that may have been waiting for these options to become available. 

Financial Backing...

According to a filing with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Coinbase has successfully raised $57 million for this new venture as of September 1st. While this isn't a massive amount, it's enough to allow Coinbase to prove their potential and gain confidence in their lending model, if successful, access to more capital will come easily.

Potential Challenges

Coinbase's foray into lending is not without challenges. The company is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the SEC, which has accused it of operating as an unregistered Securities Exchange broker and clearing agency. This lawsuit, initiated in June, could have implications for Coinbase's lending service, especially concerning regulatory compliance and the classification of crypto assets.

Wider Implications:

Coinbase's lending service could benefit the market as a whole, as increased liquidity and  making it easier for institutional clients to leverage their assets is bound to attract new investors, and entice current investors to increase their holdings. 

The one question worth considering - Coinbase isn't the only exchange that offers services beyond trading, many now seem to be aiming to become a "1 stop shop" offering every service that has a demand for it.

I'm honestly undecided on if this is a good or bad thing.  Under responsible leadership there are some clear advantages of a high-volume exchange offering services they can support with their existing resources. 

But it's an unpredictable world, even more so when it comes to crypto and tech - which is why I can't help but feel a bit nervous when I see a single company offering a dozen services, in an industry where companies offering a single service can suddenly find themselves struggling to stay alive. Companies with multiple revenue streams also run a risk of draining resources from healthier portions of the business in order to fill the losses of failed ventures.

However, this isn't a major concern in this specific scenario, as Coinbase has proven themselves a company evaluates long term results and avoids overly risky behavior, which stands out in the crypto world.

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Author: Jules Laurent
Euro Newsroom Breaking Crypto News 

Weekly Wrap-up: This Week's Crypto News that Every Trader Should Know...

Crypto News and Bitcoin Newsroom

U.S Congressional Committee Passed Two Bills to Bring Regulatory Clarity and Remove Hurdles for Crypto Industry:

The U.S. Congressional Committee has passed two bills aimed at providing regulatory clarity for the crypto industry. These bills aim to remove existing hurdles and foster innovation in the sector. This move is seen as a significant step towards mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies.

US Prosecutors Seek to Put Sam Bankman-Fried in Jail Before His Trial:

US prosecutors are seeking to detain Sam Bankman-Fried before his trial. He's currently released under an agreement to remain in his parent's Palo Alto home until trial.

Decentralized Cloud Platform Aethir Closes Pre-A Funding Round at $150M Valuation:

Aethir, a decentralized cloud infrastructure platform, has successfully closed its Pre-A funding round, reaching a valuation of $150 million. A sign major investment is returning to blockchain startups.

Singapore High Court says Crypto is Should be Considered Property:

In a landmark decision, the Singapore High Court has recognized crypto as legal property. This ruling provides protection to cryptocurrency holders and could influence how other nations regulate
 cryptocurrency.

Market Movement:

Bitcoin and Ethereum saw insignificant movement this week with Bitcoin's 7-day change coming to just -0.23%, and Ethereum seeing a small loss of -1.74%

Among the top 10 coins, the largest changes include ADA losing -5.85% and Solana down -7.31%. 

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Author: Adam Lee 
Asia News Desk / Breaking Crypto News

Coming to a feed near you: NFTs are now scheduled to enter social media platforms!

Mushe Token

Ever since its emergence dating back as early as 1997, social media has completely revolutionised the way that we communicate, interact and engage with each other. Social networking platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok are responsible for providing people with opportunities to create businesses, portray their best works, and freely express themselves online. But the fun of social media does not end there. 

NFTs future on social media:

Imagine a world where non-fungible tokens (NFTs) existed within social media platforms. Well, you do not do it any longer. On May 9, 2022, Instagram announced that they will be testing NFTs for the first time. This announcement came from Instagram’s CEO Adam Moressi, stating that the NFTs tests will begin as early as next week. Ever since, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, has also stated that Facebook will follow suit with NFT testing as well. 

Prominent social media platforms such as these will benefit significantly from having NFTs, as this would entice artists to want to use their platform because it provides another outlet where they can distribute their best works without restrictions. Not only that, but Instagram wants to introduce ‘digital collectables’, which are unique editions of virtual items. The plan is to allow users to share these collectables, where participants would be able to display public information, regarding what they have posted. For example, the post could convey the description of the NFT, providing consumers with more context. The NFT idea for Instagram stems back to the summer of last year when they commenced with examples that showcase and facilitates NFTs - an aspect that could lead to the expansion of the digital market.

The NFT Marketplace

The NFT Marketplace is one that is consistently and rapidly growing as blockchain technology is advancing. Particularly within the past few years, non-fungible tokens have virtually struck the Metaverse out of nowhere. It has transitioned from being an element that was almost in complete obscurity, to a fundamental contributor to the growth of cryptocurrencies. 

Crypto experts and financial market analysts have predicted that the NFT market will have a thriving future. According to research obtained by coinmarket.com, the NFT market is estimated to increase by 35% into a $13.6 billion industry by 2027. Key factors to pushing the market forward currently include the development of the gaming community, notable influencers publicly expressing their opinions, and the strong demand for digital goods and services. Additionally, blockchain technology could help the growth of NFTs, through their initiatives and customisation opportunities. 


NFTs in Mushe Token (XMU) 

The Mushe Token (XMU) is a decentralized financial network, that is in its first phase and currently allowing users to register for their presale. It has the intention of migrating to Stellar’s open networks, allowing users to have low transaction costs and inclusion. In their litepaper, Mushe states how they plan to join “the fastest-growing ecosystem for NFTs and play to earn gaming”. If the Mushe Token (XMU) follows suit with its claim, incorporating NFTs and P2E in games they're involved in, could allow users to passively exchange and gain financially - giving people a firm incentive to get involved with this cryptocurrency. The blockchain's official launch is set to be on Independence Day (July 4), an intriguing gift not just for Americans, but for everyone to discover. 

More information about the Mushe Token (XMU):

Website: https://www.mushe.world/
Presale: https://portal.mushe.world/sign-in
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mushe_World
Telegram: https://t.me/musheworldXMU
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mushe_world/

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Information Provided Via Guest Post Submission

Content not created, evaluated, or endorsed by Global Crypto Press Crypto & NFT Press Release Distribution


Can You Spare $100? 3 Game-Changing Cryptos To Invest In...

 

Seesaw token SSW

To get started in crypto, you don't necessarily need a lot of money. While investing in stocks has historically been catered towards wealthier people with financial understanding, crypto has emerged as the accessible alternative for everyone. 

The terminology and charts utilised by the crypto market can easily put off a newcomer, but the truth is, nobody can predict which crypto will explode. Meme coins continue to surprise people with explosive gains until this day.

Thus, a $100 initial investment could help lay the groundwork for massive long-term gains. Let's look at why Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP) and Seesaw Protocol (SSW) appear to be long-term winners. 

Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum (ETH) is the second-largest public crypto, with a market cap of $345 billion, accounting for nearly 20% of the entire crypto market. The Merge, a platform upgrade that could make running the blockchain more environmentally friendly and sustainable, is being worked on by the platform's developers to keep its dominant position.

Ethereum (ETH), as you may be aware, has fallen behind newer blockchains. Consider Solana (SOL), which can process 50,000 transactions per second versus Ethereum's (ETH) meagre 15.

This discrepancy is due in large part to Ethereum's (ETH) proof-of-work (PoW) block validation mechanism, which requires miners to solve computational problems in order to verify transactions. This is a time-consuming process that uses real-world resources. These problems will be addressed in a future update.

Ethereum's (ETH) main blockchain will merge with a parallel network known as the beacon chain and transition to a full proof-of-stake (PoS) system, where miners verify transactions using existing coins rather than solving puzzles, according to its developers. This change could result in a 99.95% reduction in Ethereum's (ETH) total energy consumption, as well as the possibility of future improvements aimed at speed and scalability.

The Merge's release date is unknown, but the developers say it could be a few months after June.


Ripple (XRP)


Do you want crypto with real-world application? Ripple (XRP) is where to look. Despite ongoing legal uncertainty, the well-defined niche and impressive technical capabilities of this finance-focused blockchain position it for long-term success in the competitive crypto industry.


While almost all cryptos can store and transmit value, Ripple (XRP) goes above and beyond by optimising its design for this purpose. Transactions are quick and inexpensive, taking three to five seconds to complete for a fee of 0.0001 XRP tokens (each XRP is currently worth $0.65).

Ripple Labs, the blockchain's creator, also offers RippleNet, an enterprise-level payment solution that allows large companies to move money across borders using Ripple's (XRP) native token, XRP, as well as other traditional currencies. So far, the protocol has a number of high-profile partners, including Santander, a Spanish multinational bank, and American Express, a global payments giant.

The real-world utility of Ripple (XRP) has piqued the interest of US regulators, who are investigating whether the blockchain's creators broke security laws when they launched it. Nobody knows how this situation will turn out, but investors should keep in mind that Ripple's (XRP) developer is distinct from the XRP tokens you buy or sell on exchanges.


Seesaw Protocol (SSW)


Before its launch, Seesaw Protocol (SSW) had a hugely successful presale, with its price increasing by an incredible 8000%. Seesaw Protocol (SSW) started at $0.005, but its popularity quickly grew, and the token's presale ended at around $0.40, much to the delight of its holders.

Seesaw Protocol (SSW) has generated a lot of buzz due to its transformative goals, which have contributed to its skyrocketing presale price. According to its White Paper, Seesaw Protocol (SSW) aims to connect other blockchains, including Binance Smart Chain (BNB), Polygon (MATIC), and Ethereum (ETH), allowing users to use whichever blockchain network they prefer.

Following the launch of PancakeSwap, holders can expect the multi-chain bridge and swap, cross-chain deployment across Ethereum (ETH) and Polygon (MATIC), and the UniSwap launch later this year. 


Find out more about Seesaw Protocol (SSW) here:

Swap: https://swap.seesawprotocol.io/

Website: https://seesawprotocol.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/SEESAWPROTOCOL

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SEESAWPROTOCOL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seesaw.protocol

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Information Provided Via Guest Post Submission

Content not created, evaluated, or endorsed by Global Crypto Press Crypto & NFT Press Release Distribution

Voyager Crypto App Review: Claim $25 FREE Bitcoin Now - If Voyager Wasn't Available in Your State Before, it Probably is NOW!

Voyager App Review

Voyager has expanded support to include *almost* every state in the US!  But even if you're not in one of these states but still in the US, we suggest signing up because soon it will be available where you live. So today, we're doing a Voyager app review.

Throw in that they'll give you $25 to start off with (if you register here before downloading the app) and it's official, you have no excuses!

Note: You must sign up on the website before installing the app, then download the app and use the same e-mail address on both. 

That's because the app automatically does the price hunting for you.  You'd be surprised how much the price of the same coin can vary from exchange to exchange. The price we're generally seeing is really just the average number, taken from a variety of sources. So if BTC is around $3980 on some exchanges, and closer to $4020 on others, sites that give you the current price will simply say $4000.

Most traders have their exchange of choice, and don't even bother checking the price elsewhere.  If you decide to start, get ready to spend a lot of time signing up to all these exchanges, if you do it on the fly, by the time you've opened an account on the exchange with the lower price, you may have already missed your chance.

With Voyager, not only will it find the lowest price - but you don't even need an account anywhere else.  From 1 app you'll be buying from multiple exchanges seamlessly. This was one of the the best features I discovered while doing this Voyager app review.

The next thing people assume is that a tool like this comes with some kind of membership fee, or high trading fee, but Voyager has neither.  Membership is free, no monthly or annual costs, and they only make money if they can find a coin for you below market prices - taking a cut of the savings.  No savings means they they make nothing - so they have an incentive to aggressively find the best deals.

“Our vision to bring the crypto brokerage experience in line with what investors have come to expect from equity markets is now a reality,” said Stephen Ehrlich, Voyager Co-Founder and CEO. “We knew there was a better way for investors to access a cost-efficient and transparent platform validated by our overwhelmingly positive feedback and demand from investors who are eager to start using our platform.”

The company as a whole has been making some pretty big moves, recently becoming publicly traded and buying out universal wallet creator Ethos.

You can sign up for the $25 credit and get the Voyager crypto app here.

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Author: Justin Derbek
New York News Desk
Voyager Crypto App Review

Inside Twitter Project Code Named "Bluesky" - Building A Blockchain Where Content Will "exist forever"...

Twitter blockchain

For years, the Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter has praised Bitcoin and blockchain technology. On several occasions when speaking about the topics of crypto and blockchain he has shared his thoughts on some of the potential upsides of bringing blockchain technology to Twitter .

Now we have learned it's not just a dream, it's actually in the works right now.

The project is known internally at Twitter as "Bluesky"...

They're keeping it all within the doors of Twitter, using their developers and financing. The team has one goal - developing a new decentralized standard for social networks. The intention is to create a protocol that the social network runs on, and have it be completely decentralized. 

On this decentralized protocol Twitter would simply run as a client, so that users "have a wider conversation, that anyone has access and anyone can contribute."

For the entrepreneur, Twitter is no longer in the business of hosting content (tweets) or images. Dorsey points to a new way of sharing information through blockchains where content "exists forever" and will exist on every node that is connected to the network.

Dorsey is convinced that Twitter would improve in various aspects, including security, if it operates under a decentralized protocol. Dorsey referred to the fact that this type of distributed systems can be useful when it comes to combating threats on the platform , improving the identification of users and that the participants contribute to a public blockchain.

"If we are able to do that it would be something really powerful, something that responds to the power and original intention of what the Internet could be" he said.

After Stepping Up Censorship, Could Twitter REALLY Give That Power Away? 

Content on the blockchain cannot be changed, deleted, censored. But Twitter and other Silicon Valley tech giants have spent the last 3 years censoring more than ever. 

While guidelines felt fairly clear a few years ago, we've now seen Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube delete accounts that simply expressed political views different from the typical Bay Area tech worker.

Could a company like Twitter really handle a disruption so large where the staff would be rendered powerless to remove content deemed 'offensive'.

There's also a large segment of the users who feel the site is 'on their side' and are quick to report even a slightly rude response to a tweet as 'hate speech' and successfully getting accounts deleted or warned.  These people will not respond kindly to being told 'there's nothing we can do'. 

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Author: Justin Derbek
New York News Desk






Global Survey of 1000+ Executives Shows Shocking EXPLOSION In Companies Adopting Blockchain...

Blockchain popularity survey
The survey included 1,488 executives, based on their organizations' annual earnings, and one thing is becoming crystal clear - the future of blockchain is VERY bright! The data comes from the just published  'Global Blockchain Survey 2020' conducted by Deloitte, a consulting company.

Important to note, the data doesn't reflect only western nations, it includes companies from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and South Africa. Singapore and Hong Kong represented the Asia Pacific region.

Exploding In Popularity...
39% of respondents say their organizations already have blockchains in production, with larger companies coming in above that average - 41% those with incomes of more than 100 million(USD) , and 42% those with incomes greater than 1,000 million are already on board.

Fear Of Being Left Behind...
One key figure behind the rise, was the question "I believe my company will lose a competitive edge if it does not adopt blockchain technology" was a statement 82% of them agreed with.

China With A Wide Lead...
We've heard China is aggressively developing blockchain technologies and implementing them in a variety of ways, but according to this survey 31% of respondents in the United States say that blockchains are already in production at their companies, and China nearly doubles this amount, coming in at 59%.

China also topped another interesting question - can they see blockchain/cryptocurrency replacing fiat cash? 93% said yes. Which would explain why they're also first to be testing a national cryptocurrency.

One We Weren't Expecting...
But the one people were most surprised to see, a nation rarely mentioned when it comes to blockchain, Ireland - 48% of companies there say they're already using, or actively working toward implementing blockchain tech.

A full PDF report of the data can be downloaded here.
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Author: Matt Miller
London News Desk

IBM's New Blockchain Powered App Traces Coffee From The Cup To Farm...

IMB believes consumers, especially young adults, want to know that their coffee has been processed “in a sustainable way and in a fair way" - and soon Coffee lovers be able to trace their daily brew back to the farmer by using a Swiss-made mobile app based on blockchain technology called "Thank My Farmer”.

Video courtesy of CNN Switzerland

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YouTube DESTROYS Crypto Channels... By MISTAKE? Employees Screw Up While Supervisors On XMas Vacation....


*UPDATE: The theory we outlined here turned out to be correct! Details at the end of article. 

That headline isn't just to grab your attention, I mean it - and somebody at YouTube deserves to lose their job.

If you haven't heard, YouTube, out of nowhere, began mass deleting videos on the topic of cryptocurrency.

Sure, a small percentage deserves it, the scams and other bad investments that target the more gullible viewers can be found there, but I would bet you most scams of any kind have been turned into a video-version for YouTube.

Put in search terms like "Earn PayPal" and "CashApp Money" and you'll be flooded with search results of scam investments and sites that use standard USD and a Visa/Mastercard.

That aside, they're not just deleting scams.

The YouTube employees behind it have taken things to the extreme, so far that videos about blockchain technology (which does not necessary mean cryptocurrency is involved) is also being removed. 

Blockchain can be used to keep track of virtual coins, that's cryptocurrency, but it can also track packages, Walmart uses it for inventory, and a number of digital voting systems uses it to stop voter fraud.  Anything that involves keeping a record that you want to prevent being altered or manipulated, blockchain is how to do it.

Literally NOTHING within these videos could be twisted to claim they're violating YouTube's terms of service. There's nothing to invest in, only information on how the tech works in many.

Being Based in Silicon Valley,  I Can Verify Google is Full of Crypto Fans...

Being based in the SF Bay Area and working in tech, I've met countless people from every big name tech firm you can think of.  It's probably no surprise to hear - crypto is extremely popular here.

Remember, Silicon Valley is also home to the biggest companies in the US crypto industry - Coinbase, Kraken, Ripple, and Binance US are all within a short drive to Google. 

I would even bet crypto these exchanges easily employ 100+ former Google employees, thats just how things are here with people jumping from one company to another.  Exchanges pay top dollar for engineers, especially these last couple years as crypto entered the mainstream, and Google is a stop many seem to make even if it's just for a year or two.

Google's Top Executives Actually LOVE crypto...

Google-made billionaire and former CEO  Eric  Schmidt calls Bitcoin an "amazing advancement" and praised Ethereums "huge potential".

Schmidt was replaced by new CEO Sundar Pichai - who said in a recent interview that him and his son mine Ethereum.

and Litecoin's creator Charlie Lee is a former Google Engineer.

Does this sound like a company that won't tolerate blockchain even being mentioned?

That's why i'm convinced - this is a huge blunder, and was never supposed to happen.

I'd like to explore a possibility other members of the media haven't - somebody screwed up. 

Knowing what I know, I just can't picture a room full of Google/YouTube staff and a proposal as far-reaching as 'We're going to delete all videos about cryptocurrency, and even the underlying tech it uses (blockchain)' getting the thumbs up.  In fact, I imagine it met with swift opposition.

Also - is it really just coincidence this happens during Christmas week, when those in positions of power typically take some time off?

Reviewing videos is not a high ranking job, and I'm guessing the person/persons who typically would have been watching these lower-level employees and stopped it, were on Christmas vacation.

The question is - how stubborn is YouTube? 

While i'm confident we will soon see YouTube correct what went so wrong, and clear guidelines  implemented that allow for videos merely on the topic to exist if done correctly (something where they perhaps only target videos with an unrealistically high promise of return on investment. Things that are unquestionably scams, or even legitimate cryptocurrencies but promoted in an irresponsible 'get rich quick' way).

But anytime YouTube does changes it's mind it becomes headlines, now more than ever as recently implemented policy updates has a lot of channels angry about disappearing videos. 

My concern is that while YouTube may correct things moving forward, channels that got wiped out during this short, confusing phase, may not see their videos restored and strikes removed.  Simply to avoid fueling the flames with channels in other niches.  I can already see the Tweets crying 'well you gave THEM their videos back!' - making a blanket policy of 'what's done is done' sound pretty appealing.

Ironically, I reach out to my contact at YouTube. A management-level employee, and big surprise - they're away on vacation.  It's the foxes running the hen-house over there until next week.

* UPDATE! (And... I told you so!  )
It was one big mistake  - Crypto YouTuber Alex Saunders just shared:"We're back! Still no contact from Youtube but the 250 removed videos & strikes have been revoked. Amazing to see the community rally behind everyone affected. This situation highlights the importance of educating the masses on decentralised systems."

Other channels are experiencing the same. 


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Author: Ross Davis
E-Mail: Ross@GlobalCryptoPress.com Twitter:@RossFM

San Francisco News Desk




TEDx Talk: A Blockchain-based Decentralized University...


I believe that with blockchain technology we can create a radically new type of university: a DAO University. A DAO is a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation which operates with no central control and no humans in the loop and are based on Smart Contracts: pieces of computer code on a blockchain which can represent and enact financial and legal contracts. 

In a DAO University value and reputation associated with teaching and learning would be accounted for through a blockchain with no central control. Instead the whole learning community would agree how the educational elements, for example, learning materials, teaching resources and teaching delivery are shared and recompensed.

A DAO University is a next step evolution in higher education. A born digital community owned educational institution for the 21st Century. Open University Professor. Director of the Knowledge Media Institute and President of STI International. Published over 270 articles in the areas of semantics, the Web, distributed ledgers and eLearning. Instrumental role in the EU-funded project, QualiChain, which aims to revolutionise public education and its relationship to policy making and the labour market. Fellow of the British Blockchain Association. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Video Courtesy Of TEDx.

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Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak's Big New Project - Powered By Blockchain, Funded With Crypto!

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak's latest project is 100% blockchain and cryptocurrency based! It's called EFFORCE, and via a security token, the public will be able to invest in, and fund large-scale energy efficiency projects.

With the most expensive part of switching to renewable energy sources now covered by investors instead of their budget, companies will be more willing to participate.  The investors reward comes when the company shares some of what they save on power costs with the investors, as dividends paid to holders of their security token.

In the short clip above, Wozniak explains why they decided the project should be tokenized!

Video Courtesy of Efforce




Blockchain in Chains: It's Time To Strip The SEC Of Authority Over Cryptocurrency - and Some SEC Officials Agree!

SEC and cryptocurrency


Before you think this is an extreme view - you should know that members of the US Congress from both political parties, and even some of the SEC's own leadership agree - the SEC, and the regulations for trading securities are both the wrong agency, and wrong laws, to oversee the emerging cryptocurrency space.

Let's look at how we got to where we are now, what's going wrong, and the path we can take to correct it.

The big boom, and the SEC's entry into crypto...

Back in 2017, there was a lot of money flying around, we had a flood of new people rush the market, each wanting their piece of the pie.  Unfortunately, with the masses comes those who target them.

The cryptocurreny world really was the perfect target, people felt they needed to get in quick, and a lot of people had no idea what they were buying.

As the media talked about how rich people who bought Bitcoin years ago are now, scammers were right behind them promising their new coin would be next to follow this path.  The lies went viral, I remember seeing conversations between people online, where literally not 1 person involved knew what they were talking about - it was the blind leading the blind on social networking, and many of the scams were spread from victim to victim because of this.

Then as these various scams began collapsing, the SEC appeared.  Issuing cease and deists, and in some cases pressing charges against company founders.

Things had gotten so bad, even people typically against government involvement could be found cheering on some of the SEC actions.  It's hard to feel bothered by one of these companies being taken down, and at the time the SEC seemed like the lesser of two evils.

But things have changed...

Since then, the crypto world didn't just 'wise up' to scammers - we've become downright paranoid.

Today practically every startup in crypto is considered a scam until they prove otherwise, guilty until proven innocent. This doesn't really bother me, legitimate projects will have no problem proving themselves.

But one thing I know for sure - the scams of 2017 would never get off the ground today.

So, what is the SEC up to now?

Well, you've likely heard the news this week, they're targeting a well known and established tech company, KIK. They have a messaging app under the same name, and in 2017 they launched their own cryptocurrency called "KIN".

The SEC is suing them for $100 million, the amount the company raised.

While the SEC has laid out the case of a company losing money turning to an ICO to stop the bleeding, which they summarized in court documents with:

Faced with a shrinking financial “runway,” Kik decided to “pivot” to an entirely different business and attempt what a board member called a “hail Mary pass”: Kik would offer and sell one trillion digital tokens in return for cash to fund company operations and a speculative new venture.

Well, that sure sounds shady.  That's why initially, I didn't have negative reaction to this news.

Then it hit me - that's total bullshit.

That happened when I read another headline a couple hours later, saying that since becoming a publicly traded company, UBER has just released their first earnings report - a loss of $1 BILLION!

Investing in companies losing money is actually extremely common, and as far as the actual numbers go - Kik is actually on the low end, with an estimated $3 million per month operating cost. Uber loses that in a few days. So does companies like Tesla, which lost nearly $500 million so far this year - and that's an improvement for them over 2018.

In the case of Kik, it's supporters were seen pushing Kik and implementing it into their app as a way to turn things around.  Another very common, thing for a company to do - seek new investors to fund an improvement, that could turn a company losing money into a profitable one.

So what did Kik really do? Sold an "unlicensed security" - and people over estimate how easy it is to earn that label.

If someone from the company leadership implies that their cryptocurrency could go up in value - that's it, you've crossed the line and turned your token into a 'security'.

The SEC is no longer taking down scams for our own good...

What we're really getting is the SEC yelling "leave America, or else" at every company that could be considering implementing tokenized assets.

And they are leaving the country - taking their jobs, and tax dollars with them.

America's loss has been other nation's gain. Governments that have embraced the cryptocurrency and blockchain explosion are reaping massive rewards. 

There's a whole area of Switzerland now being called 'crypto valley' - they found an easy way to give their economy a huge boost - just do what Silicon Valley should have been doing this whole time.

There's hope - if the US Congress would do their job...

Already introduced in Congress by Congressmen Warren Davidson (Republican) and Darren Soto (Democrat) - the Token Taxonomey Act would officially remove the 'security' label from many digital assets.

This does not mean the crypto market becomes the wild west.  Digital assets would be treated as a commodity (like gold or silver) and regulated by the CFTC.

Think of it this way - every scam ICO violated laws beyond being an unregistered security. Lying to investors is fraud, disappearing with their money is fraud and theft - these would still be illegal, and there would still be an agency in charge of preventing this, or punishing those who do it.

Even some of the SEC's own leadership are open to the idea...

In a surprising turn - in a speech from SEC commissioner Hester M. Peirce, he highlighted the Congressman's proposed solution, saying:

"Congress may resolve the ambiguities engendered by Howey by simply requiring that at least some digital assets be treated as a separate asset class. Congressmen Warren Davidson and Darren Soto recently introduced a bill in the House intended to amend the federal securities laws to do just that, provided that the token truly operated in a decentralized network."

So where do things stand? The last update on the bill was following it's official introduction into the Congress, this is typically followed by various committees evaluating it, proposing possible changes/amendments, then it goes up for a vote.

How long this process takes greatly varies, but it's becoming clear that this should be treated as an urgent matter.

What US lawmakers need to understand...
Artificial Intelligence and blockchain own the title of today's 'hottest' emerging technologies, and there's no way to put a number on the long term economic damage caused by one of these fleeing the United States to avoid SEC overreach.

It's years too early to even guess who will be the Apple or Microsoft of blockchain, and release that blockchain powered product that includes implementation of a native token  - but until things change we can be sure it won't be an American based company.

As the reporter who broke the story on the Token Taxonomy Act, I have been informed members of Congress have shared, and even used some of my arguments in it's favor internally.

We will make sure this reaches the offices of those we have contact with already, and with the utmost respect I would like to suggest - research Switzerland's Crypto Valley, and see the results of the government doing things right.

This is the model we should aim to replicate in the United States. 

*Details updated 7/19/19
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Author: Ross Davis
E-Mail: Ross@GlobalCryptoPress.com Twitter:@RossFM

San Francisco News Desk

US Crypto Traders - Claim Your $25 BTC...

President of Blockchain-Powered Micronation to Attend TNC Launch in New York...

TNC IT Solution Group, a multinational blockchain development company that envisions to unite the cryptocurrency world, will be having a launching event on July 16 at the Rockefeller Center in New York City. Approximately 200 influencers and personalities in the blockchain industry and selected esteemed figures from different sectors of society are expected to attend.

One of the key speakers who will be present during the TNC launching event is Vít Jedlička, the President of Liberland, a micronation located between Croatia and Serbia. As of April 2019, there are currently 800 registered citizens of Liberland.

Established in 2015, the Free Republic of Liberland was only considered before as a ‘no man’s land’ located on the west bank of the Danube River. Jedlička envisions it to become a crypto-powered land having a decentralized government, voluntary taxes, and personal and economic freedom for its citizens — staying true to its motto, “to live and let live.” This territory has also been accepting digital currencies for funding like Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), and Bitcoin Core (BTC).

Liberland strongly stands that in a world filled with over-taxation and over-regulation, their citizens will progress through the help of forward-looking technologies such as cryptocurrencies and DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) incorporated systems. At present, Liberland has opened representative offices in more than 80 countries and established permanent diplomatic missions in numerous states in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia, among others.

Jedlička expresses his support for TNC’s mission of providing comprehensive solution and expert appraisals to projects which have the highest potential. Liberland is also involved with spreading decentralized and innovative new technologies like cryptocurrencies. It has its own unit of currency — Liberland Merit — which is now listed on the Altilly exchange and is traded with USD.

In line with this, TNC will collaborate with the governing body of Liberland and will offer its services on blockchain consulting and will assist Liberland in integrating blockchain technology and finding global standard developers suitable for its administration.

TNC IT Solution Group is a blockchain-based company that has offices in different parts of the world. It is always on the lookout for quality blockchain projects to fund and guide through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). So far, TNC has already gained valuable collaborations with industry leaders, blockchain experts, and technology-inclined enterprises.

Further updates regarding the TNC launching event will be announced soon.

Keep in touch with the latest developments regarding TNC through its official channels!

Website:    https://tncitgroup.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tncitgroup
Twitter:      https://twitter.com/tncitgroup
Linkedin:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/tncitgroup
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Now Home To 800+ Companies, Switzerland Dominates Blockchain. They're so Ahead, the Only Competition is Between Their Own Cities...


You've probably heard of Crypto Valley, a region in Switzerland that runs a 20 mile stretch from the cities of Zurich to Zug, that blockchain based companies have flooded into.

Thanks to a government that's chosen to stay educated on emerging tech, rather than fear it - companies feel supported, instead of targeted by regulators.  Basically everything the US government should have done to keep tech in Silicon Valley, is actually being done in Switzerland.

However - Crypto Valley finally has a rival... and it's another area of Switzerland.

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