Bitcoin Magician

CME Group to Launch Bitcoin Futures Trading The CME Group announced plans today to launch Bitcoin futures later this year as Bitcoin’s price reaches a new all-time high. The CME Group, renowned as the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, plans to launch Bitcoin futures trading in the fourth quarter of 2017,  assuming all relevant regulatory review periods are passed successfully. The announcement was published on the company’s  website . The futures contracts will be cash-settled and based on the CME CF Bitcoin Reference rate (BRR) which acts as a once-a-day reference rate of the USD price of Bitcoin. The group cites increasing client interest in cryptocurrency markets as the reason behind the move. CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy states: As the world’s largest regulated FX marketplace, CME Group is the natural home for this new vehicle that will provide investors with transparency, price discovery and risk transfer capabilities. The Bitcoin Reference

Confideal – More Than Just the Sum of Its Parts Confideal boasts a vibrant ecosystem where the core features of the integrated platform, such as smart contracts and arbitration, unite to form an application that is far more than just the sum of its parts. [Note: This is a sponsored article.] International trade has existed since ships first sailed upon the seas and caravans crossed mountains, but the increasing pace of technological innovation has led to a massive surge in international trade. Contracts and manufacturing details can be hammered out over video conference calls while documents can be digitally signed and sent across the world without a person having to move from their office desk. Of course, this increased amount of trade can have potential headaches, especially if a dispute arises, which is where Confideal comes into play. Confideal is an integrated platform based upon the Ethereum blockchain that features an amazing ecosystem of core features that helps facilitate

SportyFi Boasts an Impressive Roster of Sports Advisors SportyFi has assembled an amazing team of professional, world-class athletes to serve as advisors to the upcoming blockchain-based, decentralized sports ecosystem. [Note: This is a sponsored article.] For many people around the world, sports is an integral part of their lives. Young athletes dream of becoming pros, fans love to cheer on their favorite team or club, and investors hope to share in the financial success of an industry that generates hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Yet such goals are often left unrealized as the financial hurdle to become a part of the sports world is often out of reach for most people. SportyFi will eliminate this barrier when its ICO launches on November 14th, 2017, and the decentralized sports ecosystem has assembled an impressive roster of professional athletes to serve as advisors. Tapping the Experience and Wisdom of World-Class Athletes It takes a lot more than sheer luck to be

Blockchain Will Keep Growing Even After the Bans, Chinese AI Startup The infamous Chinese “ICO ban” made quite a stir among the global Blockchain community. Atmatrix, an AI project from China, gave us an insight into the current situation and shared some plans. In early September, China banned initial coin offerings ( ICOs ) and a week later Chinese authorities shut down major cryptocurrency exchanges in the country. In this article, we will delve into how this ban impacted the whole crypto economy not just in China, but around the world. Currently in China, many are still concerned about ICO regulation . Despite this worry, business keeps on going as usual with companies saying they cannot stop now that the trend has begun. Even with the bans on the technology the market should keep going. Although the marketing has been paused everyone is waiting to see what happens next. Hope dies last Yet, it seems China’s ban will be temporary. Countries like the US and Japan are looking to

The Blockchain Next Generation Alternative to PayPal Has Arrived sponsored UTRUST is the Blockchain alternative for consumers who have been stung by PayPal. Most online users have been burnt by PayPal or another digital payment system at one time or another. Perhaps you’ve tried to withdraw money someone has sent to you, only to find that you’ve been blocked from that service. Or maybe you’ve tried to receive money, only to discover that the fees can be pretty steep once you start using other services. And, the greatest sin of all - PayPal doesn’t accept cryptocurrencies. UTRUST , the first-of-its-kind Blockchain based payment platform, intends to bring the best parts of PayPal-type services and the best parts of the  cryptocurrency world together into a single, seamless platform. Blockchain solutions limited The cryptocurrency world has virtually exploded in the past six months. Just ask someone who purchased Bitcoin in January at $800, only to find their investment worth a stun

Proof-of-Asset Protocol by BANKEX – a New Era in the History of Banking Services BANKEX , founded in 2015 by Igor Khmel, Ilham Hatypov, and Dmitry Dolgov, aims to meet the demand of improving asset liquidity using a proprietary Proof of Asset protocol designed to enable information to be passed in real time directly to and from the blockchain. [Note: This is a sponsored article.] This technology is transferring the information about an asset to the blockchain enabling fast transactions and avoiding cumbersome rules and regulations of a traditional stock exchange. By taking advantage of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to create Internet of Assets (IoA) BANKEX is building a new standard of decentralized financial market.   The PoA protocol can be used by various entities from Fintech providers, including AI and IoT labs, and traditional financial institutions to any asset owner. BANKEX, based on Bank-as-a-Service (BaaS), is ev

Winklevoss Twins Bitcoin Fortune Calculated The Winklevoss twins could be the world’s richest celebrity Bitcoin holders, with their 1% BTC share now worth over 1 Billion USD.  The Winklevoss twins, infamous for their legal feud with Mark Zuckerberg over his alleged stealing of their original idea for the Facebook social network, could rank as the world’s richest Bitcoin investors. As Bitcoin touches $100 billion in value, don't forget that the Winklevoss twins are officially Bitcoin billionaires (1% BTC supply) — Sid Kalla (@sidkal) October 30, 2017 $1 Billion If the Winklevoss twins have kept all of their initial investment since buying what they claimed was to be 1% of the total supply (120,000 BTC) of Bitcoin back in 2013, then their investment could now be worth north of $1 billion USD. During an interview at the end of 2013, they stated that they have not sold any of their Bitcoins and that they keep their wallets in various safes around the world on USB drives. The Wi

Smart Contracts, Explained Everything you wanted to know about smart contracts. What is a smart contract? A smart contract is a protocol for regulating contracts. A smart contract is a special protocol intended to contribute, verify or implement the negotiation or performance of the contract. Smart contracts allow to perform credible transactions without third parties. These transactions are trackable and irreversible. Smart contracts contain all the information about the contract terms and execute all envisaged actions automatically. How did smart contracts appear? The idea was originally described by computer scientist and cryptographer Nick Szabo in 1994. He defined the main principles of work, but at the time there was no appropriate environment to realize them. A lot has changed since Blockchain technology emerged. Bitcoin laid the basis for contracting on the Blockchain. However, its tools couldn't meet all needs. The appearance of Ethereum put smart contracts into oper

Bitcoin Hits New All-Time High as CME Group Announces Futures Trading Bitcoin has hit a new all-time price high after CME Group says it will offer futures trading. Bitcoin has hit new all-time price highs on its ninth birthday today as CME Group announces futures trading. Investors still celebrating the weekend’s record-breaking $6,300 have little to fear this Halloween as renewed momentum coming from CME takes Bitcoin within reach of new heights. We're launching #Bitcoin futures to provide a regulated trading venue for the #digitalasset market. https://t.co/5RRvVCGtjB http://pic.twitter.com/zcbCAUriUd — CMEGroup (@CMEGroup) October 31, 2017 The move appeared broadly expected Tuesday even without the news, analyst Tone Vays and investor Max Keiser both predicting imminent peaks. $7,000 staring us in the face. #Bitcoin http://pic.twitter.com/SHKAJB4lg0 — Max Keiser (@maxkeiser) October 31, 2017 According to data from Bitcointicker, Bitcoin advanced 2.1 percent in the

Four Weddings and a Funeral, Blockchain Style The permanence of smart contracts has led to the development of a number of services that allow marriage and marriage contract on the Blockchain. Smart contracts have brought the Blockchain closer to real life. After the smart contract is signed, it's submitted for permanent storage as a secure record. This permanence has led to the development of a number of services that allow marriage and marriage contract on the Blockchain. Blockchain is forever The first marriage was registered in the public registry of Blockchain on Oct. 5, 2014. The wedding of David Mondrus and Joyce Bayo took place at a private Bitcoin conference at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. To legalize the marriage, the couple had to scan and confirm the QR code, which was then written directly to the Bitcoin Blockchain. The oath of the newlyweds was: "Life is not eternal and death can separate us, but the Blockchain is forever." Witnessing to eternit

DTC? Try BTC, Brian Kelly Tells CNBC Viewers in Mainstream Bitcoin Shill CNBC host Brian Kelly continues his Bitcoin lobbying with investment advice for mainstream viewers. Bitcoin is going to “Amazon the banks,” CNBC host Brian Kelly told viewers Monday in a mainstream plug for the cryptocurrency. As part of the network’s Fast Money segment, Kelly, who is a well-known proponent of Bitcoin and frequently advises investment, outlined three reasons why consumers should buy now. “Demonstrated demand for the product” and a “massive addressable market” are the two other key factors making Bitcoin a good bet, Kelly explained. “Amazon comes in, they go direct to the consumer… ‘DTC,’” he said. “Well, this is ‘BTC’ - the Bitcoining of the banks.” Why buy #bitcoin ? @BKBrianKelly has three reasons to get in http://pic.twitter.com/0acYhvDfe2 — CNBC's Fast Money (@CNBCFastMoney) October 30, 2017 Kelly has become increasingly vocal on Bitcoin’s virtues in recent months as the crypt

Believe the Hype! Blockchain Integration Sends Shares Soaring… Again Another company has seen its shares max out as a result of Blockchain integration this month. Canadian startup Mogo has joined UK-based On-Line PLC in seeing its share price rocket from Blockchain integration. The online lender saw its biggest rise since it launched an initial public offering (IPO) two years ago on hints cryptocurrency functionality could soon come to user wallets. Mogo to Provide Canadians with a Secure and Trusted Way to Own Cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin https://t.co/7gm78Mqnyc — Mogo.ca (@mogomoney) October 30, 2017 From a low of CAD$3.93 ($3.06) Oct. 26, Mogo took off to a high of CAD$5.15 ($4.01) in two days following the announcement. "Canadians, especially tech-savvy millennials, want a safe, trusted and easy way to own and ultimately use Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies," president and CFO Greg Feller said in a press release about the integration Monday. “...We bel

Next Generation of Tech Geniuses Signing Up to Study Cryptocurrencies Top US universities are seeing a huge influx of students wanting to study cryptography and cryptocurrencies. In a nod towards the direction cryptocurrencies are heading, the youth of the globe are surging towards university courses that offer teaching in cryptography, as well as cryptocurrency. The value of Bitcoin is soaring , and students are identifying a new market that is emerging that they are trying to ready themselves for with university accredited courses . Hugely popular Dan Boneh, co-director of the Stanford Computer Security Lab and a professor of cryptography has noted that security and cryptography represent the second-most popular subject in the university's computer science department, behind only machine learning. He added : "A lot of people are attracted to the huge valuations in these currencies. Cryptocurrencies are a wonderful way to teach cryptography. There are a whole bunch of n

Arkansas Police Generates Its Own Cryptocurrency to Track Child Porn The Cyber Crimes Division of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas launches a program involving the mining of Bitcoin to monitor the activities of criminals. The Cyber Crimes Division of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas has launched a pilot program involving the mining of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to monitor the activities of criminals online. The division has generated its own digital currency to track such crimes as the proliferation of child pornography. Combating cybercrimes Based on data from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) , there has been an increase in the number of individuals who use Bitcoin and secret web browsers to trade or distribute child pornography, to illegally purchase drugs, as well as to engage in prostitution or human trafficking and other unlawful activities. In an interview with television news station KHBS in early October 2017, Benton County

Ethereum Co-founder Lubin: ‘Wait and See’ Seems to Be Tech Giants’ Crypto Plan Apple, Google and others are impossible to predict when it comes to crypto, Ethereum’s co-founder has implied. Even Ethereum’s co-founder has admitted it’s hard to know what interaction the world’s tech giants are planning with cryptocurrency. Speaking at the launch of Quartz’s What Happens Next film series last week, developer and ConsenSys co-founder Joseph Lubin said that out of Amazon, Google and Apple, no sure signs were present of a major relationship with the technology. “Apple seems to be largely uncaring and unaware. Google is making investments, but it’s not clear that they have lot of activity going on,” he said. “Amazon, we’ve not seen that much, so we’ll see.” Lubin made the comments the same week as a hotly-anticipated conference call from Amazon turned out to be a red herring once again. No mention was made of Bitcoin integration, which had caused no end of buzz both inside and out

Devcon3 Attendees’ Blockchain Insurance Can’t Stop Mexico Police Corruption Devcon3 attendees get automatic flight delay compensation but police arrest several in bribe shakedown. Travellers attending the Devcon3 Conference in Cancun, Mexico are among the first in the world to get licensed Blockchain insurance cover. As part of a rollout from Blockchain startup Etherisc, those flying to Mexico can get automatic refunds for delayed flights via smart contract. The trial is underwritten by Atlas Insurance and allows conference-goers to “share the risk of a delayed or canceled flight with fellow travelers,” a press release explains. “Passengers can choose their preferred premium, view their estimated payout, and make their purchase in ETH or major fiat currencies.” Devcon3 is an Ethereum-focused gathering of top developers from the cryptocurrency development and business space, running from Nov. 1 through Nov. 4. The core Ethereum team will be in attendance, with co-creator Vita

What If Satoshi Nakamoto Sold All His Bitcoin Today? If Nakamoto was to move his coins, what would happen with the market? Essentially, the mysterious nature of Satoshi Nakamoto , Bitcoin's creator, means that the entire ecosystem is sitting on a potential volcano. It lays dormant at the moment, but if the creator had the inkling, he could flood the market with one mln coins and destroy its value. One of the biggest mysteries in the technology world is the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. No one knows who he is, where he is or what he is doing with his millions. That is millions, as in millions of Bitcoins as it has been reasonably estimated that  Nakamoto could own over one mln coins . The power of one man Matt Green , a cryptocurrency professor at Johns Hopkins University, says Nakamoto has the power to tank the currency if he wants to. Bitcoin has a finite supply of 21 mln which is expected to be reached by the year 2140. Nakamoto's one mln Bitcoins amount to five perce

Bitcoin-Related Jobs Booming Along With Bitcoin In Q3 2017, Bitcoin-related jobs have jumped up 82 percent. International employment marketplace Freelancer has noted that Bitcoin-related jobs are the highest growers, hitting 82 percent growth in the third quarter alone. Work relating to Bitcoin , Blockchain, and other related markets is skyrocketing as the cryptocurrency currency heads towards the mainstream , pulling in more and more to feed the ecosystem. The company's periodic report tracks top trends in online jobs based on the listings on its Freelancer.com platform. ICO boom Freelancer notes that a lot of the growth is coming from companies that are looking for freelancers to design new coins, essentially helping them launch ICOs. "People are getting freelancers to design new types of cryptocurrencies," Matt Barrie, CEO of Freelancer, said . One of the main skills for which companies are looking is the ability to manage an ICO. ICOs have been seen to be hig

Confideal Announces Cooperation with district0x Smart contract creation platform Confideal announced today that they have entered into a cooperation agreement with district0x , the network of decentralized marketplaces and communities. [Note: This is a press release.] district0x’s cooperation with Confideal will provide uncompromised benefits for both companies. district0x’s experience in creating “districts” as marketplaces that are operated by a lot of smart contracts is priceless, and Confideal will get a lot of experience and recognition by taking part in the creation of the smart contracts for new “districts.” Thus, it will allow Confideal to get more client-flow through their platform, and it will allow districts to simplify their smart contract creation processes, because all of their d0xINFRA framework is comprised of Ethereum smart contracts and that is what Confideal is specialized in. The district0x Network is a collective of marketplaces and communities, which we ref

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Litecoin: Price Analysis, October 30 Bitcoin trading might be back to China; Warren Buffett fearing the bubble, and more. How has the market responded? The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of authors/contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision. * BTC/USD, ETH/USD and LTC/USD market data is provided by the HitBTC exchange . A bullish rumor doing the rounds was that the Chinese ban on bitcoin trading is likely to be lifted. That news boosted Bitcoin’s price higher yesterday. However, a parting message by Huobi poured cold water on the expectations. As a result, Bitcoin prices are correcting from their highs. While Warren Buffett , Jamie Dimon , and a few others are warning of a bubble in Bitcoin, the legendary investor Bill Miller is smiling away to the bank. His fund is up 70% this y

Norwegian Company Launches First ICO for Asset-Backed Token The Norwegian mining company Intex Resources ASA has announced its plan to launch the first ICO for an asset-backed token. Companies are Turning to ICOs for Fundraising Initial Coin Offerings have become the new popular method for companies and startups to raise money. This year most prominent ICO was conducted by the Canadian-based messaging app Kik . The token sale by Kik, which is also called Kin, was able to raise the amount of $125 million in a matter of days. The Kin ICO was the first token sale that made by a big and very-known company in the tech space. Other big corporations have also planned their very own token sales. The famous online-retailer shop, Overstock.com , is planning to launch an ICO for its distribute ledger platform called tZero . The ICO participants and holders of the tZero token will be paid dividends by Overstock.com, similar to stock dividends. The Norwegian mining company Intex Resources ASA i

UTRUST are Promoting a Cryptocurrency Payment Solution to 2.5 Billion ‘Unbanked’ People, Announcing ICO Details Cryptocurrency payment solution UTRUST is a relatively new application of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies that are being developed independently by a few companies around the world. The main focus is the same: to develop a credible payment solution that accepts all popular cryptocurrencies and incorporate some level of buyer protection mechanism in the system. UTRUST was the first company to come up with a practical working model of such a buyer protection with the guarantee being made in fiat currency according to the exchange rate at that time. [Note: This is a press release.] This novel technique was implemented practically by UTRUST and they have since launched an initial version of their cryptocurrency payment solution. Recently, they made headlines by announcing a partnership with Soma, a cryptocurrency social marketplace where their groundbreaking paymen

Dedicated Gaming Blockchain Xenio Announces Platform Development The future of gaming is decentralization. A dedicated peer-to-peer network system that supports real-time video streaming, chat, and other P2P features, such as distributed encrypted storage optimized for gaming. A system that has been designed with powerful, smart contract-based features to allow game publishers and server operators to provide gamers with the highest possible gaming experience. [Note: This is a press release.] This future is Xenio . Xenio is a decentralized, open-source gaming network with its own distribution platform and game-optimized blockchain. The platform builds on and extends the distributed computing and smart contract concepts first described in the Ethereum white paper, enabling on-chain tokenization of in-game assets. The Xenio gaming ecosystem uses distributed computing to solve the problems inherent in existing game distribution and asset management systems through a single, distributed

Moya Networks – Africa’s Underwater Internet Cable Revolution in the Works via Blockchain? Africa is the world’s least developed continent despite having no shortage of talented people, land, and inspiration. One of the most problematic issues in bringing the continent to par with the rest of the world is lack of availability of high-speed internet due to a shortage of cutting-edge underwater cable networks. These internet cables are privately owned and orbit the world connecting each and every internet-enabled nation with each other. Without these cables, the internet would be a slow, inefficient form of communication. Moya Networks is aiming to lead this project and distribute the high-speed capacity throughout Southern Africa through its Backhaul Networks. [Note: This is a press release.] Africa is working on an Africa-Europe underwater cable network The Africa Coast to Europe Submarine (“ACE”) and it started back in 2009. More than 17,000 km in networks will be laid from South A