Bitcoin Magician

Mary Meeker’s 2018 Internet Trends Report Shows Interest in Crypto ‘Exploding’ The newly released Internet Trends report, compiled each year by venture capitalist Mary Meeker, puts a Bitcoin course as a top class at Princeton. Former Wall Street analyst Mary Meeker’s well-known annual Internet Trends report for 2018, published May 30, shows interest in cryptocurrency “ exploding ” since January of last year. The report also highlights that a course on Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency technologies made it into the top 10 most popular university classes in 2017. According to the report, “Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Technologies” was one of the top courses of 2017 at Princeton University. The Internet Trends report, which was compiled by with help from Kleiner Perkins Partners, Hillhouse Capital, writes that it “use[s] data to tell stories of business-related trends we focus on. We hope others take the ideas, build on them & make them better.” Meeker’s report also shows that...

Bitcoin Traders Rejoice! Bittrex Launches USD Trading Pairs Seattle-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex has confirmed that it has reached an agreement allowing customers to buy Bitcoin with US dollars. ‘It’s Been A Long Path’ Earlier today, Bittrex CEO Bill Shihara announced that the exchange had reached an agreement with New York-based Signature Bank, which – along with other financial institutions –  will hold customers’ USD funds. Initially available only to corporate clients in Washington, California, New York, and Montana, the first USD trading pairs will be Bitcoin, Tether, and TrueUSD. Shihara told Bloomberg: It’s been a long path. It’s not just about banks being able to trust Bittrex. It’s about banks being able to trust crypto in general. And I think it’s really showing that crypto is turning the corner in terms of mainstream acceptance. The best alternative to having your own banking license. So far only for corporate accounts… Bittrex gets bank agreement t...

Hard Forks May Kill Bitcoin in 100 Years, Says Nobel Laureate American Nobel Laureate, economist, academic, and best-selling author Robert Shiller claims Bitcoin may be extinct in 100 years — and hard forks will be to blame.  A Big Forking Problem Nobody can accurately see 100 years into the future, but prominent economist Rober Shiller claims Bitcoin may go the way of the West African Black Rhinoceros — that is to say: extinct. According to the Yale professor, hard forks will be to blame for the dissolution of the first and foremost cryptocurrency. Shiller told CNBC’s Trading Nation: Bitcoin won’t look anything like it is today [in 100 years]. It will have a different name, if it exists. There will have been many hard forks changing it and changing it. And, it’ll be a matter of dispute whether it exists or not. Indeed, the amount of Bitcoin hard forks already in existence numbers above 30, and most notably includes the likes of Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin Gold (B...

trade.io Announces Upcoming Massive Airdrop Campaign To Trade Token (TIO) Holders Wednesday, 30th May 2018 Lugano, Switzerland –  trade.io announces the upcoming launch of an unprecedented ongoing airdrop campaign, which will enrich the portfolio of existing Trade Token (TIO) holders with potentially hundreds of different altcoins. With this campaign, any TIO holder is automatically qualified to benefit from ongoing token airdrops from high potential ICOs. Such ICOs have undergone an extensive vetting process by the experienced trade.io consulting team for AML processes, technical viability and longevity, and as a result, have been verified as high potential projects by the company. trade.io plans to airdrop as many as 2 million tokens (sometimes more) per verified ICO, specifically to its TIO holders and to its loyal community. Clients who have already passed the strict trade.io vetting processes and who are in line to distribute their altcoins to the trade.io network include:...

China: Calls For Lift On Cryptocurrency Ban After Xi Blockchain Speech Expectations are growing that China will ease its cryptocurrency ban this week after president Xi Jinping called Blockchain part of the “new industrial revolution.” Xi’s Blockchain ‘Breakthroughs’ Commentaries in both the local press and on cryptocurrency social media claim the time is right for Beijing to readdress the ban, which began in September 2017. Xi mentioned Blockchain during a speech at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ nineteenth annual conference in Beijing May 28. Along with other new technologies, he said that “breakthroughs” were constantly coming, echoing China’s ongoing commitment to implementing projects of its own. The country is set to develop national Blockchain standards by the end of 2019. “Ever since the start of the 21st century, a new generation of industrial revolution is substantially reshaping the global economic structure with artificial intelligence, internet of things and Blockc...

Spain: Innovation-Aimed Crypto Regulation Wins Cross-Party Support in Congress Draft legislation that would favorably regulate blockchain and crypto has received unanimous support in the Spanish Congress. Draft legislation that would favorably regulate blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies has received unanimous support in the Spanish Congress, Europa Press reported yesterday, May 30. The draft initiative, agreed upon with the majority parliamentary party Partido Popular (People’s Party), won the support of all parties present at the House Finance and Public Function Committee meeting on Wednesday.   The document calls for a review of regulations pertaining to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) , as well as to blockchain, proposing to introduce the technology to the Spanish market through “controlled testing environments,” commonly referred to as ‘regulatory sandboxes.’ The Congress has agreed to promote blockchain as a cost-efficient and disintermediated system...

Blockchain Fitness App Partners with Dallas Mavericks as Launch Nears sponsored Dallas Mavericks, a professional basketball team, is partnering with an upcoming, blockchain-based fitness app. A blockchain-based app that motivates people to exercise and lead healthier lives has unveiled new partnerships with a major sports star and professional basketball team as it edges closer to launch. The Lympo app incentivizes everyday users to meet fitness goals – such as burning calories or paying frequent visits to the gym – and they are rewarded with a specially created crypto token when these achievements are reached. Its fitness wallet can be connected to an array of health apps and wearable devices, helping to end fragmentation in the marketplace and enabling users to benefit from an overall view of their progress. The LYM tokens they receive as a reward can then be used to purchase goods and services that will assist them in their quest to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Lympo’s marketpla...

ASUS to Release 20 Graphics Card ‘Mining Master’ Motherboard in Fall 2018 ASUS plans to continue its cryptocurrency mining foray with a giant motherboard later this year, it has announced. U.S . hardware manufacturer ASUS formally announced the release of its “second generation” cryptocurrency mining motherboard on May 30. The new product, dubbed the H370 Mining Master Motherboard, sees the company attempt to corner the increasingly crowded market by targeting high-demand users. It follows the release of the B250 Mining Expert in August 2017. ASUS meanwhile said plans to launch its new offering in North America beginning in Q3 2018. “Since its release last year, the ASUS B250 Mining Expert made ambitious cryptocurrency hobbyist farms more accessible and industrial-scale operations more efficient,” an accompanying press release states, continuing: “It was hugely successful, with a sales volume that far exceeded expectations. With the concept proven in practice and more insight...

Bitcoin Investments Made Simple Considering the swings in volatility, should Bitcoin still be considered an investment? There isn’t a lot of market history for Bitcoin – we know that. It’s only been around for nine years. But we wanted to take a look at just how much investment returns have been moving around if you’ve been in Bitcoin. We took a look at short, medium and the longer term, and yes, it was at $10.00 at one point and it got near $20,000 at one point. Now we’re back down to where we once were, about $7,500 – $8,000. If you got in, say three years ago, back in June of 2015, Bitcoin was around $450 a token. That’s in 3 years. So even with the market moves to the downside over the last couple of months in early of 2018, you still have a $10,000 investment at the time worth $170,000 as of yesterday. We want to then contrast it to the stock market, not because we think they’re comparable in terms of investment or risk or anything else but because other people choose the ...

ContentBox: Empowering the Content Creation Industry Through Blockchain Technology ContentBox delivers a consolidated solution through a prominent, decentralized ecosystem in an attempt to empower the entire digital content industry as a whole. The project is an initiative of CastBox, an award-winning global podcast platform, co-founded by Renee Wang – a former Google Employee and backed by Bo Shen – a legendary blockchain investor . Digital Content – The Industry That Could Throughout the last decade, the digital content industry has seen a massive, explosive growth. Those at the forefront are well-known and incredibly powerful digital influences such as Spotify, YouTube, Reddit, and others alike. It’s undeniable that digital content has managed to become an inseparable part of our lives, regardless of whether it’s a matter of video, audio, text, games, and whatnot. This opens quite a lot of opportunities. People are now more than ever capable and even incentivize to produce valuab...

Ripple CEO: Bitcoin’s Dominance Over Altcoins May Soon End As anyone with altcoins in their portfolio knows, when the price of Bitcoin takes a hit, the rest of the cryptocurrency market gets hit harder. Likewise, when Bitcoin bounces, altcoins tend to outperform. The correlation between the market leader and its supplicants goes both ways — but Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse thinks that’s about to change.  An Irrational Market As the cryptocurrency market’s first and foremost cryptocurrency, Bitcoin determines price action for the wider altcoin market. Ripple’s Brad Garlinghouse, however, sees a separation in the future. The San Francisco-based company’s CEO told CNBC’s Power Lunch yesterday: There’s a very high correlation between the price of XRP and the price of bitcoin, but ultimately these are independent open-sourced technologies. It’s early, over time you’ll see a more rational market and behaviors that reflect that. Fundamental Advancements, Market Losses Ri...

Give Way to Young Talents! How Game Stars’ Platform Will Solve The Problem of ‘Fresh Blood’ Deficiency in eSports (Interview) eSports industry is developing quite fast. Tournaments on principle disciplines gather more and more viewers every year. Young players appear on the stage and become real stars in the shortest possible time. Many cyber sportsmen attend multiple tournaments and become real superstars in no time. Several countries have gone even further and allocated an official status for eSports, equating cyber athletes with traditional sportsmen in terms of issuing visas and simplified control. Still, the industry has many problems that are unsolved. The relationships don’t have a clear structure between tournaments participants: gamers, organizers, sponsors. As a result, gamers often don’t get their payments from tournament organizers. eSports are in need of a comprehensive solution that will make the industry transparent, allow cyber athletes to raise funding for profes...

Bitcoin For America: Cryptocurrencies In Campaign Finance In the wake of the 2018 election cycle, candidates turn to crypto donations to fill their coffers. Last week, Secretary of State of Colorado Wayne Williams proposed a new set of rules for financing political campaigns , which now includes a section on cryptocurrencies. The original edition of the draft introduces the same caps for crypto donations as for fiat ones, while limiting anonymous contributions to $20. The move renders the overall picture of individual states’ handling political crypto contributions spottier than ever, as the last few months saw states adopting divergent approaches to the issue. Although a 2014 advisory opinion by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) remains a major reference point for anyone who seeks to boost their chances for election with digital money, this non-regulatory document is barely fit to serve as a definitive guide into the world of crypto campaign finance. The FEC came up with a se...

TOP-3 Underrated ICOs Within Last 2 Years: What Makes a Difference? Once a blockchain startup takes off, it follows the goal to raise money for further development. Luckily, since 2017 there is a tool for crowdinvesting in new crypto businesses named ICO (Initial Coin Offering). What goes on during an ICO is the following: a startup, looking for funding, issues digital tokens. Tokens are available for purchase during the ICO by every person in the market. Once you buy the token, you are the only owner of it and can sell, keep or withdraw it as you like. No governmental regulations may restrict the process. In January — March 2018, there was raised about $6.3 bln via different ICOs . This amount already exceeds last year. It means the interest in ICOs is growing, and every young business is looking forward to it. Let’s see what ICO is like for some start-ups. ICO #1: Spectrecoin saves your budget making transactions anonymously ICO date: November 18th, 2016 — January 6th, 2017 Cry...

Boston College Study: ICOs Offer Huge Returns, Investors Show Savviness Researchers from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management recently published a study of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and their significant underpricing. The study finds that significant returns are all but guaranteed for those willing to participate in the controversial new form of crowdfunding and early investment, while also noting that such investors are savvy.  Massive Returns Leonard Kostovetsky and Hugo Benedetti from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management recently published a study of initial coin offerings (ICOs), which confirms what many in the cryptocurrency space already know — namely, that there is a lot of money to be made by participating in the controversial new form of crowdfunding and venture capitalism. Even when factoring in failed projects, the average gains in the ICO space are significant, to say the least. The study concluded: We find evidence of significant IC...

Could Government Issued Cryptocurrencies be the Future? Prominent economist Mohamed El-Erian sees a future in which an “officially sanctioned” cryptocurrency will exist. Going Cashless “We are moving away from cash,” El-Erian says. “Go to Sweden and you’ll see how fast.” In Sweden, just 2% of the country’s transactions are conducted with cash, and that number is expected to decline further down to 0.5% by 2020. Countries like Canada, the US, and the UK show similar stats. Despite his predictions , El-Erian understands that we are still years away from cryptocurrency US dollars: Change in consumer habits and trust in the new medium doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not something that we’re going to see in the next three to five years. Who Benefits from Government Issued Crypto? Governments launching their own cryptocurrencies via private blockchains seems like a smart move as the dollar and other fiat currencies continue to lose value and more citizens discover Bitcoin.  ...

Bitcoin Is the Traditional Market’s New ‘Fear Gauge,’ Says Market Maker As credit risk increases and traditional investors look to safeguard their money, one market maker believes Bitcoin may be a more reliable “fear gauge” than the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX). ‘Storing Their Money Under Their Pillow’ According to Equity Armor Investment’s Brian Stutland, the future movement of financial markets may be best predicted by monitoring Bitcoin. The market maker and regular CNBC contributor told the network’s post-market show Fast Money yesterday that “Bitcoin is sort of becoming the new VIX, in sort of getting ahead of credit risk in the banking industry.” VIX, which stands for the CBOE Volatility Index, is a popular and trusted measurement of both volatility and fear in the traditional financial market. It utilizes S&P 500 stock options prices and is often referred to as the stock market’s “fear gauge.” Stutland, however, thinks Bitcoin might be better than the VIX. He explai...

BlockShow in Berlin Sets New Record With Largest Turnout Yet BlockShow Europe 2018 has ended after a two-day conference that included a 50,000 euro award for best startup. The BlockShow Europe 2018 conference ended yesterday, May 29, after two days of panels and speakers, including Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and BTCC co-founder Bobby Lee. Speaking about the conference, Bobby Lee told Cointelegraph: “I think conferences are important to get the word out there, to educate people and help them learn about cryptocurrency and blockchain . This is how we get on-board the next billion people.” Sarah Jordi, Marc P. Bernegger, and Olga Feldmeier at BlockShow Europe This year’s BlockShow Europe was five times bigger than the previous one in Munich last spring, and twice as large as BlockShow Asia this past fall. 3,000 people attended, 93 companies had exhibitions at the event, and over 90 companies supporting it as sponsors. Leading up to the event, BlockShow Europe held meetups in P...