Friday, March 9, 2018

Yelp Announces New Feature For Bitcoin

 


Yelp officially announced on April 10th that it would add a feature for businesses to show if they accept bitcoin.

It is a simple feature but shows that bitcoin is still being adopted.

Quoted from yelps official blog post:

As a business owner, you can let your customers know you're accepting Bitcoin by logging into your free business owner tools on biz.yelp.com and updating your payment attributes.

Rumors about Yelp adding the bitcoin feature started circulating around April 10th. Several small stores have already turned the feature on and show that they accept bitcoin.

The good thing about this announcement is that it means merchant adoption is happening. We saw Xapo who brought bitcoin to a debit card and now Yelp announces further merchant features.

After the bad news from china that caused a dump today we saw an uptrend back up. This announcement definitely helped the bitcoin price today. Currently the buy volume is pretty strong so an uptrend is expected.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Mt. Gox Soap Opera Continues: Karpeles Released on Bail, Shadow Companies, and Whale Dumps

 


Mt. Gox Mark Karpeles' release on bail has produced a new radio program examining the historic hack and heist, but is also raising questions about sister exchanges such as BTC-e and their role in laundering stolen bitcoin. If all that wasn't enough, a Gox trustee decided to dump over 400 million USD in bitcoin core and bitcoin cash in an effort to make Gox creditors whole.

Mt. Gox Money Laundered Through Always Efficient LLP, Claims FBI
Mt. Gox's Mark Karpeles, released on bail in Japan, recently told England's state-run media BBC Radio 4 File on Four how hard reality hit him back in 2014: "It felt like… when you fall from a building and you see the ground getting closer, and you feel like you are about to die. Mt Gox went from interesting project to being, I would say, a daily nightmare of dealing with banks, governments, people I never knew existed." At that time, something like 7 out of every 10 bitcoin transactions were handled by the exchange. "I am very sorry that when I was in charge things happened the way they did."

Mr. Karpeles is charged with data manipulation and millions in embezzlement, though he describes the latter as perfectly legal loans (none of the charges have to do directly with stolen Gox bitcoin). When dust settled, 650,000 bitcoin vanished, billions in value gone. BBC Radio 4 claims to have found out which regional company was used in laundering that loot, Always Efficient LLP. Mt. Gox Soap Opera Continues: Karpeles Released on Bail, Shadow Companies, and Whale Dumps

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claims London's Always Efficient LLP was behind the infamous exchange, BTC-e. US authorities effectively shut down the Russian exchange's site, charging an alleged principal, Alexander Vinnik, with multiple counts of international money laundering, including that derived from Gox. Mr. Vinnik was later arrested in Greece, and is awaiting extradition to the United States or Russia (for lesser charges). For its part, the exchange denies Mr. Vinnik's involvement. Investigators are claiming nearly half of Gox's stolen bitcoin were pushed through BTC-e.

In a statement to the BBC, Mr. Vinnick explained "BTC-e is just a web platform for buying and selling Bitcoin – not an exchange. As such it cannot be held responsible for the source of money used to buy Bitcoin, no more than a [currency exchange bureau] can be held responsible for exchanging a stolen $100 note into pounds sterling." He also denied any connection to Always.

The BBC 4 episode, The Missing Bitcoin Billions, concludes on Sunday 11 March, 20:00 GMT, and includes infuriating details of Gox's ongoings at the time. Mr. Glucksman, a former Gox employee, is quoted at length about Mr. Karpeles' quirks, among them "an interesting passion for quiche. Quiche as in mushroom and onion quiche, or something … in the building that we moved to, Mark had also purchased space at the bottom of the building that was going to be the bitcoin cafe. And initially the concept was for that to be a showpiece for bitcoin where you'd come in, you'd buy your coffee with bitcoin. But then he actually hired a chef who was a specialist in making quiches. He invested quite a large amount of money in an oven that was specifically built to cook quiche. It's quite a big distraction from the whole story of Mt Gox."

Market-Shaking Whale Dump by Mt. Gox Trustee
Mt. Gox Soap Opera Continues: Karpeles Released on Bail, Shadow Companies, and Whale Dumps
Mr. Kobayashi
"I made efforts to sell BTC and BCC at as high a price as possible in light of the market price of BTC and BCC at the timing of sale. I plan to consult with the court and determine further sale of BTC and BCC," Nobuaki Kobayashi, a trustee in the Gox case charged with paying back losses, explaining why 400 million USD in bitcoin core and bitcoin cash suddenly dumped onto markets. It's an effort to make Gox creditors whole, part of ongoing bankruptcy procedures which include nearly 2 billion USD worth of bitcoin core and bitcoin cash yet to be sold off. 

The sale carried over the last few months, resulting in JPY 42,988,044,343 (slightly over 400 million USD), after having sold 35,841.00701 in BTC and 34,008.00701 in bitcoin cash. Some analysts have openly wondered if parts of market prices crashing by half, say back on 5 February, had to do with the trustee's sale of 18,000 bitcoin that same day.  

The bitcoin were sold over a three month period, beginning in December of last year. "The matters such as the possibility of carrying out a distribution and the timing and method thereof have not yet been determined," Mr. Kobayashi detailed. Claims and claims against claims will probably push back justice in this case for even more years to come.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Marshall Islands to Issue National Cryptocurrency

 



A small island nation with less than 60,000 inhabitants best known internationally as a former test site for nuclear weapons is joining the hottest new trend – issuing a national cryptocurrency. The planned Marshall Islands' Govcoin is expected to be issued later this year.

Marshall Islands Govcoin ICO
The Republic of the Marshall Islands plans to issue its own cryptocurrency as an official legal tender, to be known as the Sovereign. The local parliament voted this week to proceed with the issuing plan, Kenneth Kedi, a senator and the body's speaker, said in a Bloomberg interview. A council still has several days to object, a step he considers unlikely.

The Sovereign is expected to be issued later this year, David Paul, minister-in-assistance to the president revealed. The Marshall Islands government will arrange an initial coin offering (ICO) and exchanges will be allowed to apply to trade the currency, he said. The move is seen as a way to bolster local budgets, he added. "This was specifically targeted for the long-term needs of the country." A portion of the funds raised in the ICO offering will also be used to finance health care to islanders still affected by US nuclear weapons testing in the area decades ago, Paul said.

The National Crypto Trend
Offshore Tax Haven Marshall Islands to Issue National CryptocurrencyThere have been discussions for the last few years among central bankers about issuing national cryptocurrencies, mainly as an effort to to create a 'cashless society' or to try and answer the attraction to bitcoin by young people, as they see it. However, this trend has gotten a lot stronger recently, apparently because of the government of Venezuela pushing its own Petro.

The actual potential value of such national cryptocurrencies is still in doubt. For citizens, these digital currencies will not offer the alluring freedom from state control of bitcoin if they are really managed by the government. And if they are not run by the state then they will offer no benefit to central bankers. As the Russian Ministry of Finance recently informed President Vladimir Putin, the creation of a centralized coin seems impossible, as cryptocurrencies are based on decentralized ledgers.

Bitcoin Cash Price Surpasses $1,275 Again as Markets Bounce Back

 

With all cryptocurrency markets attempting to transition from a bear market to full-throttle bullish momentum, interesting things will happen in the coming days and weeks. The way things look right now, the Bitcoin Cash price is bound to gain a  fair bit of value throughout the day. Thanks to the current 5.4% gain, the Bitcoin Cash price has already surpassed $1,250 once again.

Given all of the volatility plaguing the cryptocurrency industry right now, any short-term gain needs to be put into its proper perspective. While things may look either decent or terrible for a specific currency, there's a good chance the momentum will turn around before the week is over. As such, the current 5% Bitcoin Cash price gain looks pretty good, but maintaining this momentum may prove to be difficult for this – or any other – market.

Even so, no one will deny the Bitcoin cash price is noting some interesting gains as of right now. Thanks to this small nudge, we are now looking at a value of $1,280 again. Compared to the $1,150 we hit not that long ago, this is a pretty decent gain altogether. Whether or not the Bitcoin Cash price can return to $1,500 or higher, remains to be seen, though.

It is also worth noting Bitcoin Cash is effectively gaining on Bitcoin itself. Given the "correlation" between these two currencies, it is worth keeping an eye on their ratio. Right now, the BCH/BTC ratio has changed by 3.43% in favor of the altcoin. As such, we may see some more Bitcoin Cash price gains later today, as the Bitcoin price is also moving up a bit right now. How all of this will play out, is anybody's guess, though.

With $445.823m in 24-hour trading volume, things are looking pretty good for Bitcoin Cash. Although this volume is lower than some people might want it to be, all markets suffer from a decrease in trading volume as of right now. Under half a billion is not stellar for Bitcoin Cash, but it is still a good amount better than most other currencies in the top 10 right now. If this volume can pick up the slack a bit, we may see more Bitcoin Cash price fireworks later today.

As of right now, OKEx is once again the largest trading platform for BCH trading volume. That in itself is pretty interesting to keep an eye on, although HitBTC is not that far behind, all things considered.  With no fiat currency pairs in the entire top five right now, things are not looking all that great, but one never knows what the next few hours or days may bring to the table either.  The first fiat currency market on the list is Bitfinex's USD pair with just $17m in volume.

Whether or not the Bitcoin Cash price will reach a new all-time high at some point in the near future, remains to be determined. For now, it seems anything is possible, although one never knows what the future holds in this regard. It is certainly possible the Bitcoin Cash price will each $1,300 later today, but whether or not this means we will see a push to a higher value by the time the weekend is over, remains to be determined. Anything is possible in the world of cryptocurrency, especially where the altcoins are concerned

Friday, February 23, 2018

Particl’s Security Prevents Meltdown / Spectre From Affecting Proof-of-Stake Blockchain

 

Earlier this year, nearly every device with an Intel CPU was affected by the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. The two vulnerabilities allowed hackers and malicious actors to steal passwords and sensitive information from devices, by accessing the memory and secrets of programs on the operating system of devices.

Meltdown, easier to exploit than Spectre, breaks the basic isolation between user applications and the operating system of devices, leaving memory and private data vulnerable to attacks. Spectre, more difficult to exploit but also harder to detect, allows malicious actors to trick error-free programs to leak secrets, leading sensitive data to be released.

In January, Oleg Andreev, the protocol architect at blockchain company Chain, stated that proof-of-stake (PoS) is an "incompetent" idea because when major vulnerabilities like Meltdown and Spectre are exploited, private keys stored locally in memory are retrievable. When private keys are lost, attackers can easily reallocate massive amounts of funds, getting ahold of the stake and obtaining the ability to attack the PoS blockchain.

"Meltdown/Spectre is why Proof-of-Stake is an incompetent idea: PoS authors ask for an unforgivable amount of money to sit in the online wallets that actively generate signatures," said Andreev.

Last month, almost immediately after Meltdown / Spectre were discovered and utilized to exploit devices, Particl introduced its Cold Staking safeguards, that prevent locally stored private keys of being vulnerable to attacks.

"Particl Cold Staking safeguards your wallet's private keys, and thus your PART, by using a script (contract) between an online staking node and an offline wallet. Both wallets have unique private keys, meaning that if/when the online staking node is exploited by Meltdown/Spectre with a memory leak only the private keys of the node are stolen. If setup properly, the staking node should have 0 PART — thereby eliminating the threat of theft and protecting the PART in your wallet kept offline and secure," explained the Particl development team.

If Particl Cold Staking safeguards are activated and integrated, even when Meltdown / Spectre exploits successfully leave the operating system of devices vulnerable to attacks and the private key from memory is obtained, attackers cannot steal or reallocate funds because staking nodes carry a 0 PART balance. Which means, even if hackers gain access to the locally stored private keys, funds cannot be stolen and remain safe.

"If the Meltdown/Spectre exploit is used on a machine running a Particl Staking Node an attacker could retrieve the private key from memory but it would be of no use since staking nodes typically carry a 0 PART balance," the Particl development team added.

The Particl Cold Staking also prevents quantum computer attacks, disallowing attackers with a quantum computer to obtain a private key from a public key, due to the integration of multiple quantum-resistant one-way hash functions.

Conclusively, the security in Particl prevent two major attacks in Meltdown / Spectre and quantum computer attacks from affecting a PoS blockchain.

Turkish Minister Proposes National Cryptocurrency

 


The deputy chair of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Ahmet Kenan Tanrikulu, has written a 22-page report seeking to highlight the regulatory vacuum that presently exists in Turkey pertaining to cryptocurrencies. The report also makes a number of policy recommendations for the development of a regulatory framework for virtual currencies, including advocating that Turkey develop a national cryptocurrency.

MHP Chair Authors Cryptocurrency Report
Turkish Minister Proposes National Cryptocurrency
Minister Ahmet Kenan Tanrikulu
The MHP deputy chair and former Industry Minister, Mr. Tanrikulu, has written a detailed report seeking to encourage Turkish lawmakers to develop a regulatory apparatus for cryptocurrencies.

In recent history, the Turkish government has struck a dismissive regarding cryptocurrencies, describing such as akin to a Ponzi scheme and warning prospective investors against seeking exposure to the virtual currency markets. Mr. Tanrikulu is concerned that Turkey is failing to embrace the revolutionary technology, telling media outlet Al-Monitor that "The world is advancing toward a new digital system. Turkey should create its own digital system and currency before it's too late."

The minister asserted that cryptocurrency adoption is growing among Turkish citizens despite the country's current legal vacuum regarding virtual currencies. "The need for regulation is obvious," Mr. Tanrikulu stated, adding that "the use of those currencies in illegal activities must be prevented."

Minister Advocates Development of National Currency "Turkcoin"
Turkish Minister Proposes National CryptocurrencyMr. Tanrikulu makes a number of policy recommendations aimed at strengthening both the competitiveness of Turkey's distributed ledger technology sector and the government's regulatory capabilities regarding cryptocurrencies. "We need to create the infrastructure for the blockchain database. There are nearly 1,400 digital currencies in the world today and many countries are using them […] Opposing those currencies is meaningless. This is a national issue which requires a national consensus," Mr. Tanrikulu said.

The minister also advocated that Turkey develop a state-administered virtual currency. Mr. Tanrikulu stated "We, too, can create a digital currency, based on companies in the Wealth Fund. Since the demand exists, we should create and release our own digital currency."

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister, Mehmet Simsek, also recently indicated that the country may be making preparations for the development of a national cryptocurrency. In an interview with CNN earlier this month, Mr. Simske stated "We are planning to start our own work on digital currencies. We place high importance on digitalization."

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Lisk Price Retakes $23.5 Level With Solid Gains Over Bitcoin

 

As all cryptocurrency markets show a sign of life again, things are looking pretty good all across the board. So far, the Lisk price has seen some positive changes over the past week. Even though there was a big dip along the way, the overall trend seems to be intact right now. With the current Lisk price of $23.83, things are looking rather interesting for this particular altcoin. Maintaining a positive trend will prove to be difficult in the long run, though.

It is quite interesting to see how things evolve in the world of cryptocurrencies. More specifically, we have seen several weeks of negative pressure, but things are certainly heading in the right direction once again. Even the Lisk price is noting some solid gains, as this particular altcoin has been on the rise for quite some time now. With a solid 16.83% gain over the past 24 hours, the Lisk price is making up a lot of lost ground in quick succession. All of this is achieved despite a rather low trading volume, though.

While the current Lisk price momentum appears to be positive, the past week has been subject to a massive dip as well. A few days ago, the LSK price went from $23.5 all the way to $12 in quick succession. Considering how Bitcoin and other currencies saw losses of up to 45% during this time, that is no big surprise whatsoever. In fact, the Lisk price lost nearly 50% of its value as well, indicating the currency is just following the general trend of major cryptocurrencies right now.

With a solid 16.83% gain in USD value and a 13.56% increase in the LSK/BTC ratio over the past 24 hours, things are looking pretty good for Lisk right now. While this results in solid Lisk price gains as of right now, it is certainly possible the momentum will turn against most cryptocurrencies again in the near future. With such strong gains in just 24 hours, it seems a small correction will become apparent in the coming weeks hours and days.

One thing to keep in mind is how Lisk has virtually no trading volume to speak of. Although $78.21m in 24-hour trading volume is not all that bad, it is a rather disappointing number first and foremost. Especially given the current Lisk price, one would expect there to be an even bigger interest in LSK, things are not adding up by the look of things. It is possible we will see a bigger interest in Lisk over the next few days, especially if this Lisk price trend continues at this rate.

Most of the Lisk trading volume comes from Upbit, which is quickly becoming the go-to exchange for most altcoins right now. Bittrex is in second place, with a marginal difference compared to both Upbit and CoinEgg in third place. It is good to see the current volume being spread out a bit across multiple trading platforms. Binance is barely in the top five right now and they value Lisk nearly three dollars lower. An interesting trend well worth keeping an eye on.

For the time being, it remains unclear what the future will hold for the Lisk price. So far, the uptrend is in place, but the cryptocurrency markets remain extremely volatile first and foremost. It is evident interesting things are bound to happen in the next few hours and days, but no one knows for sure if it will be a positive or negative outcome. Always take profits whenever the opportunity arises, as any gains can be wiped out extremely quickly in this industry.

Bitcoin Cash Markets Recover — While Infrastructure Support Increases

 


This past week bitcoin cash (BCH) markets have been suffering from the bearish sentiment plaguing cryptocurrencies across the board. On February 6 the price of BCH reached a low of $740 per coin but has since bounced back to the $950-1,050 region on Bitstamp Tuesday evening.

Bitcoin Cash Markets Begin to See Recovery Ahead
This week bitcoin cash markets took a hit as BCH had lost roughly $588 USD (-39%) in value over the past seven days. At the moment the price has rebounded and is coasting along at just between the $950-1,050 zone after bouncing back much of Wednesday's trading sessions. BCH trade volume has been averaging roughly $650 million to $1 billion over the past week. Exchanges swapping the most bitcoin cash today include Okex, Bitfinex, Hitbtc, GDAX, and Huobi. Currently, the top currencies traded with bitcoin cash include BTC (57%), USD (21%), tether (USDT 11%), the Korean won (4%), and the euro (2%).

On February 7, 2018, the price of bitcoin cash is hovering around $1,020 at the time of publication.
New Localbitcoincash Features, Openbazaar Integration, and a Bitcoin Cash SMS Application  
Bitcoin Cash Markets Recover — While Infrastructure Support Increases
Cointext screenshot.
Even though markets were down this past week, the bitcoin cash community got a bunch of infrastructure support and new applications. For instance, everyone in the BCH community is talking about a new app called Cointext which aims to create the ability to send bitcoin cash through text (SMS). According to the creators, all texts are on-chain transactions like the tipping platform Chaintip. However, with the platform being so new, some BCH supporters are skeptical of this project being secure when used via text messages.

Another interesting BCH feature announced this week came from the Localbitcoincash exchange which announced it had added skycoin and smartcash services to the platform. The implementation features no fees to these types of trades, explains the exchange developers. "No fee exchange is exactly what it is, it's totally free, and you can keep exchanging the different cryptocurrencies supported by our platform, and there are no trading fees involved," Localbitcoincash reveals on February 7.

Openbazaar integrates bitcoin cash, and zcash this past week.
Just recently the decentralized cryptocurrency infused marketplace Openbazaar integrated bitcoin cash and zcash into the latest 2.1.0 version.

"This release is the first step towards allowing more options for cryptocurrencies in Openbazaar — It includes native support for nodes using one cryptocurrency at a time, bitcoin, bitcoin cash, or zcash," explains the Openbazaar developers.

The AcceptBitcoin.Cash website has added an adult section to the portal.
Another addition to the BCH infrastructure is the AcceptBitcoin.Cash website has added an adult section to the portal. The developers of the website believe there is a demand for adult merchants to start accepting bitcoin cash. Further, the team said it has seen over 70 submissions since it implemented a request form, and the team added nearly every single merchant to the site in under three weeks of usage.

BCH Supporters Remain Optimistic
In other news this week a fake bitcoin cash token was created on the Omni layer chain. According to reports, the Omni chain's ability to generate asset tokens was used to create a misleading BCH token. BCH supporters think the token was created to cause confusion while adding to the growing list of scammy snapshot forks that have come into existence over the past few months.

Overall the BCH community is in high spirits even with the past few weeks of bearish market sentiment. The protocol continues to get support nearly every day from exchanges, wallets, and merchants. Bitcoin cash markets are also starting to gather steam again alongside the rest of the cryptocurrencies who got hammered this past weekend.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Wolf Of Wall Street Says Bitcoin Could Hit $50K Before Crashing

 


Jordan Belfort, known colloquially as the "Wolf of Wall Street", has yet again cast doubt on Bitcoin, this time in a video interview with entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David, posted on Bet-David's Facebook Jan. 31.

Belfort told Bet-David that he doesn't believe Bitcoin (BTC) itself is a scam, referring to it as the creation of "financial anarchists". He does think, however, that the way the cryptocurrency was built is a "perfect storm for manipulation".

Belfort believes that the rising price of BTC can be attributed to wild speculation because of what he sees as improper use of the cryptocurrency:

"Something [BTC] was designed to be used as a currency, and it's being used as an investment vehicle [...] As a currency, Bitcoin is no more useful at $20,000 or $100."

Belfort spoke negatively about the potential for manipulating crypto markets due to the thinness of the market, specifically referencing the case of Olaf Carlson-Wee, an early adopter of BTC who was paid in crypto when working at Coinbase in 2013.

According to Belfort, Carlson-Wee sold all of his Bitcoin, bought Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and then gave a televised interview saying that BTC was dead and that Bitcoin Cash was the future, causing its price to skyrocket.

CT could not confirm that Carlson-Wee ever mentioned dumping all of his BTC for BCH, although he did give an interview to CNBC about Ethereum that some Reddit users misconstrued as Carlson-Wee moving all his holdings to Ether.

Belfort predicts that while Bitcoin is, in his words, a "wolf in sheep's clothing,"  it also "might go to $50,000" before what he is certain will be its eventual fall to zero.

In September 2017, Belfort had said that Bitcoin was problematic because of the potential ease for hackers to steal virtual currency. In October, he commented that ICOs were the "biggest scams ever".

Belfort told Bet-David he had invested "not a penny" in cryptocurrency.

The Cryptocurrency Markets Are Having an Interesting Week

 


The crypto markets have been having an interesting week to put it mildly. Seas of red and deep cuts have had the vultures circling, the weak hands folding, and the naysayers expending their lifetime's allocation of "I told you so's". While the last two weeks have been painful for anyone who bought bitcoin in December or ripple in January, they've been welcomed by many as "a necessary correction" and an opportunity to pick up cheap coins.


Flash Sale for a Limited Time Only
Ripple.
At times of sudden upward or downward movements, market psychology is fascinating to watch. The giddy highs of December, when crypto traders found themselves stupidly rich and refreshing their portfolio apps in disbelief, feel like a lifetime ago. Only three weeks ago CNBC were shilling $3 ripple and a token designed for the global dental industry had a billion dollar market cap. Something had to give, and when it did, it was inevitable which coins would bear the brunt of the collapse.

It's bitcoin which has attracted the apocalyptic headlines though. As the market leader and the "face" of cryptocurrency, it earns the praise in good times and bears the scorn in bad times. And right now, for many crypto investors, it is the worst of times. For those with short memories and shallow pockets, the past week has taken its toll, both financially and emotionally. But for crypto believers who got in before 2017's peak mania, the current cycle is nothing to be alarmed at.

For one thing, they got into crypto before it was all about money, and thus don't measure its success by its dollar value. And for another, they've seen it all before and know not to confuse current pain with terminal illness. The crypto markets will bounce back, and when they do, the recovery will likely be strong and sudden. Quite when that feat occurs though is anyone's guess. When mass panic sets in, TA and FA go out the window and emotions reign supreme.

Iron Hands Show Their Might
Just as times of oppression spawn the best protest music, art, and culture, bear markets spawn the best memes. Morbid humor has been in plentiful supply on crypto trading forums of late complete with the obligatory "pink wojak" reaction images and talk of seeking new employment. While jokes about burger flipping remain little more than that at this stage, the Lambo dreams have been put on hold for now. "I unironically sent an email to my ex manager this morning," confessed one forum user. "I feel like a total idiot and she didn't respond yet". Crypto Feels, which displays a scrolling page of red markets against a sombre orchestral soundtrack, is beautiful in its bleakness at times like these.

It's hard to find a capable performer in the cryptocurrency market right now. Even ETH, which had weathered the worst of the storm this week, has succumbed to the red tidal wave, dropping 30% in the past 24 hours. The less said about ripple (-40%), the better. Sites such as Coincodex chart the market movements in real time and for anyone who's all in altcoins, it's not a pretty sight. For those watching from the sidelines – either because they've yet to buy in or because they've long since switched to tethers – the slump is an extremely comfortable one to observe.

Speaking of tethers, they're by no means the only cause of the market capitulation and may not even be a major cause (the truth is no one knows). It would be fair to say that the lingering uncertainty surrounding the solvency of Tether and the U.S. subpoena of its records aren't helping. While some people have praised pseudonymous critic Bitfinexed, who first shone a spotlight on the company, others are deeply critical.

Tethering for Dear Life
The Cryptocurrency Markets Are Having an Interesting WeekIt has been speculated that Bitfinex and Tether may be solvent but may also be engaged in dubious financial practises due to banking issues or other reasons. The companies aren't headquartered in the U.S., so can't be shut down by U.S. regulators, but exchanges such as Kraken and Bittrex, which are reliant on tethers, are within their reach. It has also been speculated that events as diverse as a regulatory "raid" on Coincheck's Japanese HQ and the Chinese New Year are to blame for the tumbling markets.

For all the hysteria, schadenfreude, and obligatory FUD, it is worth noting that the cryptocurrency markets, currently valued at around $350 billion, were worth just $200 billion as recently as November. What goes up must come down, and when the capitulation gives way to consolidation, iron hands will begin to rebuild and reaccumulate.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

The intelligent investors guide to Particl (PART): Part 6 - What does Particl as a privacy platform have over Monero and other privacy currencies?

 


What does Particl as a privacy platform have over Monero and other privacycurrencies?

Monero is a decentralised currency that is currently reliant on centralised services for its use. Thus in its practical implementation it is not fully decentralised and there is a central point of failure when transacting.

In contrast under the Particl network and client listings, transactions, escrow services and settlement are fully integrated and decentralised; this includes:

Network security where the nodes can be obfuscated via tor integration.

Transactions security where the buyer, seller and amount can be obfuscated yet verified by RingCT.

Seller security whereby the nature of listed items being sold can be made private and obfuscated to the rest of the Particl network and only viewable if the viewkey is disclosed (i.e. the seller discloses this via private communication to potential buyers).

Communications security. The client nodes have the capacity for sending encrypted messages between each other allowing for truly private communications between individuals on the Particl network.

Settlement security by providing a trustless third party free escrow service (the mutually assured destruction escrow) whereby both seller and buyer deposit a bond that can only be released when both sides agree goods/services have been delivered as specified.

I'd just like to point out that many of Particl's competitors (syscoin, district0x, openbazaar) do not offer this level of security or integration in transacting, listing, exchange and settlement, because they lack one or more features that are already built into Particl by default; this includes the integration of exchanges and direct currency conversions via atomic swaps
..
Whilst Monero and other private currencies offer anonymous settlement security with the benefits of decentralisation, they do not provide the other forms of decentralised security I've just listed which Particl and currently Particl alone proposes to.

Yes decentralised marketplaces could accept monero currency but they would have to provide decentralised, trustless privacy centric escrow, communications and private listings to provide the same level of service and flexibility of selling/buying options that the Particl platform intrinsically provides.

This is because in addition to what I've described Particl also enables anonymous or public settlement of public listings.

By:Joske

QTUM is Proud to Announce the First Matchpool Developer Challenge

 


Matchpool has announced a 50,000 USD development challenge, in which entrants develop an MVP QTUM app for Matchpool's platform. A winner of the challenge will be announced on February 18th, 2017. After a successful launch, community and connections network Matchpool seek to develop their Asia outreach, developing the QGUP model specifically for this market. Asia is formidably important within the cryptocurrency market and Matchpool endeavours to expand operations in this huge market region. Matchpool believe running a competition to develop an app will provide them with sufficient coverage.

The contest is called "QTUM Dev Challenge." It is expected that experienced developers from all over the world will take advantage of this rare opportunity to compete alongside the best in the industry. Matchpool is looking to develop a social app. Recognising the importance of social media and how pervasive it is in everyday life. Viral marketing and platform basis is the way to go. Matchpool has shared some specifics of the platform they would like to see:

Paid "in-app" services
Multiple forms of cryptocurrency accepted including $QGUPs
Fully designed and operational
Multilingual (Japan / China / Korea )
The team that develops the best MVP for the app will win a $50,000 cash prize as well as 5% of all QTUM tokens. The competition is already live, having started on the 8th of January and will run up to the 8th of February. Once the MVP is complete the 50,000USD prize will be paid in 4 monthly payments upon MVP delivery.

The Matchpool vision is to create and give everyone matchmaking tools that incentivise positive connections between all of us all over the world. Matchpool uses cryptocurrency as its payment method. This will aid the community in providing value to the entirety of the network. We will offer products that provide solutions for community owners to run successful businesses.

QTUM is a blockchain project that was created with the intention of facilitating the inter-connectivity of other mainstream cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The Qtum Foundation has recently announced that it will be combining its efforts with '360 Blockchain Research Center' and BTN Foundation in a bid to create China's first ever blockchain laboratory.

This collaboration will aim to promote the continued development and commercialization of blockchain technology. Previous to this news QTUM recorded a rise in value from $26.67 USD on December 17, 2017, to $56.06, capping off an increase in the value of 189% within 24 hours.