Tag: Crypto

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Crypto Guides

Will Audius be the Next Spotify?

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Nowadays, advanced technology has made it possible for everyone to showcase their talent in front of the whole world without hassle. The Internet also provides you with a platform where you can gain fame and recognition within no time. For both these purposes, you just need three basic things: incomparable talent, correct stage, and proper strategy. While skill and strategy rely entirely on you, finding the right platform has become easy with Audius.

Don’t worry if you haven’t heard the name Audius before. We have collected all the information about this new title in the music industry. So you will be able to see how it can change your life. Let’s get into the details.

What Is Audius?

If you are aware of the concept of Ethereum, that runs the cryptocurrency Ether, it will be convenient for you to understand Audius. Ethereum has used its blockchain-based set up to provide this music streaming service to everyone in the world. Audius promotes its motto that states, “We give everyone the freedom to share and listen.”

Basically, Audius is a music streaming platform that runs on blockchain and provides ample opportunities to everyone who wishes to share their music with the world. This means it has eliminated the hassle and process of indulging with major labels and corporations for music production. Therefore, artists can share their music with their intended audience without any middlemen.

How Does Audius Work?

Audius seems to work the same way as Spotify or SoundCloud. A few steps involved in using this platform include:

Buying Tokens: There is a concept of Audius Tokens that both artists and listeners should be aware of. Being a user, you can either spend money to buy these tokens or earn them just by listening to the ads.

Spend and Listen: Once you have tokens in your wallet, you can use them to listen to your favorite music. For each song that you listen to, a fraction of a cent will get cut from the total amount.

That was from the perspective of the listeners. When we talk about the artists, they will get approximately 85% of the entire money earned on their music. This percentage is higher than almost all similar apps that offer a maximum of 70% cut.

The remaining 15% of the amount will be given to the following people:

  • Song host
  • Audius developers
  • Other associated people

What Is The Benefit Of Audius?

The primary benefit of Audius is that artists can conveniently showcase their talent to the world, while listeners can get a chance to explore more diverse music. However, this isn’t the only perk of this platform.

When we talk about the music industry, most artists often get stuck between corporations and big labels. Most of the earnings on music are taken by these middlemen, leaving a minimal cut for the artists. But with the help of Audius, they can get almost 85% of the total revenue generated by their song. Hence, they will get paid well for their efforts and talent.

All in all, Audius is an excellent initiative by Ethereum because it will be beneficial for both artists and listeners. So there won’t be any hassle or complications associated with producing some quality music.

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Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 16 – Bitcoin to be Censored? Blockseer Mining Pool Enters the Game

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the weekend pretty flat as Bitcoin was experiencing a period of low volatility. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $16,272, representing an increase of 1.37% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 1.19% on the day, while XRP lost 0.69%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the weekend pretty flat as Bitcoin was experiencing a period of low volatility. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $16,272, representing an increase of 1.37% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 1.19% on the day, while XRP lost 0.69%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the weekend pretty flat as Bitcoin was experiencing a period of low volatility. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $16,272, representing an increase of 1.37% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 1.19% on the day, while XRP lost 0.69%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

SushiSwap gained 13.81% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization yet again today. It is closely followed by THORChain’s gain of 9.54% and Curve DAO Token’s 4.80% gain. On the other hand, ABBC Coin lost 45.16%, making it the most prominent daily loser. The Midas Touch Gold lost 8.96% while Ampleforth lost 8.88%, making them the 2nd and 3rd most prominent daily losers.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance has decreased slightly over the weekend, with its value is currently staying at 65%. This value represents a 0.3% difference to the downside compared to the value it had on Friday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has gone up very slightly over the course of the weekend. Its current value is $463.37 billion, representing an $0.51 billion increase compared to our previous report.

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What happened in the past 24 hours?

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Blockseer, a US-based DMG Blockchain Solutions’ subsidiary, has recently announced a private beta version of a brand new Bitcoin mining pool. This particular mining pool is, however, quite unique and different. The Blockseer Mining Pool will, unlike any other mining pool, censor transactions from wallets that are blacklisted. They also plan on mandating the miners to undergo KYC procedure, according to marketing materials.

Any new blocks generated by the Blockseer pool will include only filtered transactions, and the filters will be based on the Walletscore’s data.

While some agree that this way of transacting might be the future, the vast majority of public figures say that this is pure censorship and that it goes against the basic principles of Bitcoin as a free cryptocurrency, where a transaction is a transaction, no matter where it comes from.

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Technical analysis

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Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has spent the weekend experiencing very low volatility while fighting an incredibly important battle. Bitcoin was fighting to stay above the $16,000 mark after the move to the upside has died down at $16,500 on Nov 13, thus triggering a pullback.

An interesting outlook on Bitcoin is that the now won fight for $16,000 has created a higher low, and Bitcoin might push even higher in the following days. Traders should pay attention to volume increases around the $16,400-$16,500 mark.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals are tilted slightly to the buy-side on the 4-hour, daily and weekly time-frames. However, all of these time-frames show signs of neutrality. On the other hand, its monthly overview is completely bullish.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is above its 50-period EMA and at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is near its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (58.99)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $16,500                                 1: $16,000

2: $16,700                                 2: $15,480

3: $17,000                                  3: $14,640

Ethereum

Ethereum has, just like Bitcoin, spent the weekend fighting to stay above its support level. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, however, did not manage to win its fight. Ether has triggered a pullback after bouncing from the $478 level, which caused its price to first hover around the yellow top ascending channel line until it finally broke it to the downside. The move was stopped at $440, and Ethereum has since recovered and is currently trading just below the yellow line.

Our call on Friday for Ethereum dropping below the line was correct, as ETH did exactly as expected. However, the combination of factors at the moment make Ethereum a not-so-good trade, and traders should perhaps look at other options before choosing to trade it.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals are extremely bullish on its weekly and monthly time-frames and very bullish (but not as much as the aforementioned time-frames) on its daily overview. Its 4-hour overview, however, is tilted heavily towards the sell-side.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is slightly above its 50-period and slightly below its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly below its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (47.32)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $470                                     1: $451

2: $490                                     2: $445 

3: $500                                      3: $420

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap had an incredible day on Friday, as its price pushed above 2 of its major resistance levels. XRP has managed to, in a span of around 12 hours, push past the $0.26 and $0.266 levels and took the weekend to consolidate above them and create a strong foundation. The $0.266 level was tested as support twice already, successfully both times.

Traders can finally look at XRP as a crypto that moves somewhere else than sideways, and look for opportunities in places other than the range between $0.2454 and $0.26.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals are slightly tilted towards the buy-side on all time-frames, with more or less neutrality signs. The important change from the last report (and many reports before) is XRP’s monthly overview, which has finally turned bullish.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above its 50-period EMA and slightly above at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is between its middle and top Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (59.63)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.27                                     1: $0.266

2: $0.2855                                 2: $0.26

3: $0.31                                    3: $0.2454

 

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

JWallet Review: Is JWallet The Most Secure Wallet For Ethereum Tokens?

Jwallet is a multi-coin cryptocurrency wallet developed by Jibrel Network and introduced to the crypto community as one of the safest token wallets. It is Eth-specific and specially designed to host ERC-20 tokens, collectibles like ERC-721 tokens, Non-Fungible tokens, and custom tokens.

Jwallet is a multi-coin cryptocurrency wallet developed by Jibrel Network and introduced to the crypto community as one of the safest token wallets. It is Eth-specific and specially designed to host ERC-20 tokens, collectibles like ERC-721 tokens, Non-Fungible tokens, and custom tokens.

Jwallet is a multi-coin cryptocurrency wallet developed by Jibrel Network and introduced to the crypto community as one of the safest token wallets. It is Eth-specific and specially designed to host ERC-20 tokens, collectibles like ERC-721 tokens, Non-Fungible tokens, and custom tokens.

Jibrel website describes Jwallet as an institutional-grade crypto vault that seeks to provide users with an all-in-one platform to store, interact with, and exchange eth tokens. It has since incorporated a wide variety of operational and security features that make it the next generation token-wallet you can use to secure and easily manage your digital assets.

But is Jwallet as safe and easy to use as the Jibrel website claims? We will be answering these issues by looking at the wallet’s key features, the number of supported currencies, vetting its ease of use, and outlining the step-by-step guide on how to activate and use this Jibrel crypto wallet.

JWallet key features:

Cross-platform: Jwallet is a multi-device and cross-platform wallet. It is available both as a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. It is also a web wallet that’s accessible via the computer and phone web browsers.

BYOT: JWallet features the Bring Your Own Token (BYOT) service that allows you to import custom tokens and add them to your wallet. The tokens don’t have to be publicly listed, plus the process of importing tokens to the wallet and adding them to the wallet is easy and straightforward.

Portfolio tracker: The Jibrel network website refers to the crypto vault as an enterprise-grade wallet with banking-grade tracking tools. These allow you to view your transaction history and monitor your crypto balances in real-time.

Address book: JWallet also features an address book that integrates your contact list. This contact feature makes it possible for wallet users to integrate their phone’s address book with the wallet and save more contacts and wallet addresses of the parties you interact with regularly.

Inbuilt exchange (JCash): JWallet features an inbuilt decentralized exchange where wallet users can buy, sell, and exchange eth-tokens for other tokens or stable tokens. The value of these stable tokens is pegged on either fiat currencies or commodities using smart contracts. The exchange service is powered by J Cash, a proprietary currency conversion tool by Jibrel Network.

Integrates DeFi apps: JWallet is built on the Ethereum network and integrates the Decentralized Finance apps and protocols like MakerDAO that wallet users can leverage and use to generate incomes.

JWallet security features:

Passcode + Biometrics: Jwallet is passcode-secured, which you get to set when creating a user account. You can also reinforce this with such Biometrics as the Face or fingerprint I.D.

Non-custodial: JWallet does not collect any user data. It also won’t store your private keys or copies of it on the company servers. Rather, all your sensitive wallet data, especially the private keys and such other sensitive information like wallet passwords, are encrypted and stored locally – in your phone or computer device.

Recovery seed: The crypto wallet also makes it possible for you to backup your private keys and wallet data. You will receive a set of 12 phrases that form the wallet’s recovery seed during installation. Write these down on a piece of paper and keep it safe offline. You will need this backup seed to recover lost keys or open the wallet on a new device.

Highly regulated: Unlike most other crypto wallet apps, JWallet is highly regulated. To use some of the wallet’s core features and interact with its fundamental services, like J Cash, you will be required to first verify your identity by completing the KYC and AML procedures.

Client-side encryption: JWallet also embraces client-side crypto encryption. This implies that all your wallet data and any communication with the Jibrel company servers or third party systems are encrypted before they leave the wallet.

How to activate/ setup the JWallet

Step 1: Start by downloading your JWallet cryptocurrency app compatible with your device on either Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Step 2: Install and launch the wallet app. Click on the “Create a new wallet” icon on the wallets installation page.

Step 3: Agree to the Jibrel wallet’s terms of use and privacy policy.

Step 4: Create and verify the wallet password, and create a hint for the password

Step 5: You now have access to the Jwallet user interface

Step 6: Click on the “settings” icon on the bottom left corner of the wallet and select “Manage wallets.”

Step 7: Select your wallet, click on the three dots on the right side of the wallet, and tap on the ‘Backup’ option to generate the wallet’s recovery seed.

Step 8: You can then use the settings icon and manage wallets option to personalize your Jwallet, like converting it to a multi-address wallet or activating biometric security features

Step 9: Your JWallet is now active and ready for use

How to add/receive Crypto into JWallet:

Step 1: Log in to your JWallet crypto vault and click the “Receive” icon on the user dashboard.

Step 2: Select the wallet address to which you wish to add tokens

Step 3: Copy this wallet address or its QR code and forward either to the person sending you tokens.

Step 4: Wait for the funds to reflect in your JWallet

How to send crypto from JWallet wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your JWallet app, and on the user dashboard, click “Send.”

Step 2: Select the wallet address from which you wish to draw funds

Step 3: If you have multiple tokens store in here, select the currency you wish to send

Step 4: Enter the recipient’s address and amount to send on the ensuing transfer window.

Step 5: Confirm the details of this transaction before hitting send

JWallet ease of use:

Activating the JWallet app or the JWallet web wallet and creating a user account takes less than five minutes. Interacting with most of the JWallet features and services is quite straightforward. The processes of sending and receiving crypto into your JWallet is also easy and straightforward.

More importantly, both the wallet app and web wallet are multilingual and available in both English and Korean languages.

JWallet supported currencies:

JWallet is a multi-coin wallet that supports 1000+ crypto tokens and collectibles. These include ERC-20 tokens, custom wallets, stable coins like J Stable coin, and other Eth-based crypto tokens.

JWallet cost and fees:

Jwallet is a fee-free wallet. You will not be charged for downloading and installing the app, and neither will you be charged for transfers within the Ethereum network.

JWallet customer support:

JWallet maintains a highly responsive customer support team. Both the web wallet and crypto wallet app maintain elaborate FAQ sections that address most user concerns, how-to guides, and troubleshooting guides.

For personalized queries, you can contact the wallet’s customer support team by raising a support ticket on the Jibrel network website or by direct messaging them on such social media platforms as Telegram, Twitter, Kakaotalk, Reddit, and Bitcointalk.

What are the pros and cons of using JWallet?

Pros:

  • It is a fee-free Ethereum wallet.
  • JWallet maintains one of the easiest set and account activation guides.
  • It has a highly responsive customer support team.
  • It is feature-rich and hosts such highly advanced crypto security guides as the proprietary JCash

Cons:

  • It is a hot wallet that’s prone to online threats like phishing attacks.
  • Jwallet will only support eth-based cryptos and tokens.

Comparing JWallet with other Ethereum wallets

JWallet vs. MyEtherwallet

Jwallet and Myetherwallet are bothEthereum-specific crypto wallets. They both are easy to use and host numerous eth-based crypto tokens. Both integrate DeFi apps and protocols that allow their users to earn interest on digital assets and integrate the address book that allows the wallet user to send funds to a username and not necessarily a wallet address.

But while Jwallet will only support Eth-based tokens, Myetherwallet is more versatile and hosts such popular non-Ethereum cryptos as Bitcoins. Similarly, MyEtherwallet hosts an even larger set of features that include integrating third party exchanges like Changelly and Shapeshift that have simpler fiat-to-crypto conversion processes and even allow you to purchase crypto with a card. We nevertheless like Jwallet’s revolutionary stable tokens.

Verdict: Is JWallet safe?

Well, Jwallet has put in place several effective security and privacy measures for both the wallet app and web wallet. Some of these include securing your wallet with a password and fingerprint, client-side encryption tool for the wallet communications with third parties systems, it is non-custodial, and also provides you with a backup and recovery seed. The only downside to this is that both the web wallet and mobile apps are hot wallets and that you need to pass the KYC and AML requirements before using their J Cash feature.

Categories
Crypto Guides

What Should You Know About Bitcoin Miner Capitulation?

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

If you have dealt with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, you must know how uncertain they can be. While they can make you a millionaire within a day, they can also snatch away all your money in a short period. People who mine their money in Bitcoin have to keep a close eye on these fluctuations and ensure they take themselves out while there is still time. The same may be happening with Bitcoin.

You may have heard the experts talk about Bitcoin Miner Capitulation. Some of those also try to explain the concept in their own words. However, there is still a major confusion around the term “Miner Capitulation.” If you also want to learn more about the concept, you have come to the right place. We have collected all the crucial information on the topic to understand what exactly is happening with Bitcoin. So let’s begin.

What Is Bitcoin Miner Capitulation?

Bitcoin mining refers to the completion of verified transactions’ blocks that get appended to the blockchain. For these transactions, miners earn a reward in the form of cryptocurrency. If the miner isn’t able to manage to make out their operational costs from the Bitcoin mining process, they sell a significant amount of their mined Bitcoins. This leads to Bitcoin Miner Capitulation.

On the other hand, Miner Capitulation can also result from sudden drops in the Bitcoin market as this makes miners sell their coins. Hence, we can say that Bitcoin Miner Capitulation is when small miners can’t profit from their mining, and they back out. It creates selling stress in the market, leading to further drops in the price and a lack of buyers.

Is This First Bitcoin Miner Capitulation?

Many people dealing with Bitcoin assume this is the first time Bitcoin is experiencing a Miner Capitulation. But the facts state something different. Miner Capitulation has been seen twice in the history of Bitcoin:

  • 2016: When Bitcoin Halving took place this year, it was seen that miners began selling a significant amount of their Bitcoins.
  • 2018: Bitcoin again crashed by 50%, getting a value of $3,000 from $6,000. This led to low profits for small miners, and they again sold their Bitcoins in massive amounts.

Apart from these, the 2013 effect on Bitcoin’s price also brought in some Miner Capitulation. Therefore, this isn’t the first time Bitcoin is experiencing one such situation. It has happened whenever Bitcoin Halving takes place or the price drops down.

Is Bitcoin Miner Capitulation Something To Worry About?

It is usual for a big market like Bitcoin to host thousands or millions of transactions every day. So when some of the miners sell their coins, how does that make any difference? The answer to this question is simple, i.e., the tension of sale in the market.

With these small miners selling their coins, many other people also begin considering selling their coins. This stress rises with more sales. Moreover, it causes a lack of buyers in the market, and Bitcoin’s price falls further.

People are relating Bitcoin Miner Capitulation to more significant problems that may be seen in the upcoming times. That is why you must learn more about the current situation and take action while there is still time to save yourself from any bigger trouble.

Categories
Crypto Videos

Crypto Mining With Renewable Energy Part 2!

https://youtu.be/aVLnMDP2LF0

https://youtu.be/aVLnMDP2LF0

Crypto Mining and Renewable Energy Part 2 – Renewable Energy Producers

En+ Group, the world’s largest producer of low-carbon aluminum as well as the largest private-sector hydropower generator, has entered its first crypto mining venture.
The new venture, named Bit+, will focus on creating crypto mining facilities that utilize alternative energy sources and have a low carbon footprint.

En+ Group has partnered with Bit+, a subsidiary to the Russian company BitRiver. BitRiver provides hosting services as well as turnkey solutions for institutional and large-scale crypto mining operations.

BitRiver is currently operating the largest data center offering colocation services for Bitcoin mining in Russia. It offers similar services across the country as well as to CIS neighbors.
The first effect of the venture Bit+ made is the installation of a brand new facility close to BitRiver’s existing data center in Bratsk, which is located in the Irkutsk region of Russia. En+ Group has committed 10MegaWatts of electricity to the facility, which is already operational and is composed of modular crypto-mining units. The two companies have plans to scale this facility’s capacity to roughly 40MegaWatts.
The facility is composed of 14 modular units for its initial phase. Each of the units is a converted shipping container as large as a full-scale cryptocurrency mining data center. Each unit should accommodate up to 400 of Bitmain’s S19 Pro miner devices.

En+ Group provided some context regarding how they chose the Irkutsk region and how this region is extremely viable for lower-carbon solutions to cryptocurrency mining in the recent statement:
“Our energy assets in the region produce low-carbon, as well as inexpensive electricity from renewable sources. We are able to offer a surplus of energy to these partnerships. On top of that, the low average annual temperature of the region reduces the energy required, making the process more efficient and further decreasing the carbon footprint.”
As we said in our previous article on renewable energy, high energy consumption remains a major Achilles’ heel for the crypto sector, particularly for proof of work consensus algorithms such as the one Bitcoin has.

Several energy experts have attempted to steer the debate on Bitcoin’s energy problems to another topic. Instead, they have tried to argue that it is extremely important where that energy is produced and how it is generated. They have argued that it is most important to make sure that less harmful choices are made when picking the source of power rather than to argue the whole premise of the whole proof of work consensus algorithm.
With financial and geopolitical forces now entering the sector, it remains to be seen how far renewable energy will improve Bitcoin’s standing if this slow but certain change will be enough to make the mining sector truly sustainable.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

USDX Wallet review 2020: How Safe is The USDX Wallet?

USDX wallet is a multi-coin storage vault and the official wallet for the USDX stable coin and the Lighthouse (LHT) Coin. It was developed by the Lighthouse Blockchain Technology GmbH company and introduced to the crypto world in 2017. According to the wallet developers, USDX is specially designed and dedicated to providing users with a platform that they could use to secure and process crypto payments at “lightning-fast” speeds while maintaining zero fees. They add that the innovativeness level that went into designing and coming up with the USDX wallet is aimed at transpassing the current restrictions (banks, borders, and fees) set by both traditional and digital payments platforms.

USDX Crypto wallet
USDX Crypto wallet

USDX wallet is a multi-coin storage vault and the official wallet for the USDX stable coin and the Lighthouse (LHT) Coin. It was developed by the Lighthouse Blockchain Technology GmbH company and introduced to the crypto world in 2017. According to the wallet developers, USDX is specially designed and dedicated to providing users with a platform that they could use to secure and process crypto payments at “lightning-fast” speeds while maintaining zero fees. They add that the innovativeness level that went into designing and coming up with the USDX wallet is aimed at transpassing the current restrictions (banks, borders, and fees) set by both traditional and digital payments platforms.

USDX wallet is a multi-coin storage vault and the official wallet for the USDX stable coin and the Lighthouse (LHT) Coin. It was developed by the Lighthouse Blockchain Technology GmbH company and introduced to the crypto world in 2017. According to the wallet developers, USDX is specially designed and dedicated to providing users with a platform that they could use to secure and process crypto payments at “lightning-fast” speeds while maintaining zero fees. They add that the innovativeness level that went into designing and coming up with the USDX wallet is aimed at transpassing the current restrictions (banks, borders, and fees) set by both traditional and digital payments platforms.

But how does the USDX wallet hope to solve this? How does it work? We answer these questions and tell you everything else you need to know about the USDX wallet in this user review. We will especially look at its key features, the security features in place, and outline the step-by-step guide on how to interact with the wallet.

USDX Wallet key features:

Mobile wallet: USDX wallet is purely a mobile app available for the Android and iOS operating systems.

Fee-free transactions: One of the USDX wallet’s biggest selling points is the fee-free transaction processing approach. The wallet doesn’t impose the transaction fee when you send USDX Stablecoins or LHT tokens from your USDX wallet to other wallets or exchanges.

Lightning-fast transaction processing: The ultrafast transaction processing and confirmation for both transfers to other wallets and cash withdrawals are another selling point for the wallet. According to the USDX wallet website, their servers can process 100,000+ transactions per second. This is more than the combined transaction processing speeds for Visa and MasterCard.

In-built exchange: USDX wallet integrates Alterdice Exchange that provides you with a platform for selling, buying, and exchanging cryptos and tokens without leaving USDX. The transaction processing speeds are fast and maintain highly competitive fees.

Portfolio tracker: On the USDX wallet’s user interface are the transaction history and balance buttons that you can use to view your recent crypto inflows and outflows as well as the value of your digital assets in real-time.

Charting tools: The third party wallet integrated into the USDX wallet – Alterdice Exchange – features market analysis and charting tools. These come in handy in tracking the value of different crypto coins and determining the best buy and sell points.

Address book: USDX wallet’s versatility makes it possible for users to send altcoins to phone numbers, QR codes, and wallet addresses. And by integrating your phone’s contact list in the featured address book simplifies the process of sending funds to a phone number while avoiding such threats as pastejacking.

USDX Wallet security features:

Password + Biometrics: The USDX wallet is secured with a PIN code that you create during app installation and user account creation. You are also free to boost this app security feature further by adding such biometrics as the Face or Fingerprint I.D on compatible devices.

Two-factor authentication: All outbound transfers to other wallets or exchanges must be subjected to two-factor authentication. You will need a phone number, email address, the Google Authenticator app to receive the transaction authorization codes.

Hierarchically deterministic: USDX wallet uses the hierarchically deterministic functionality to auto-generates a new wallet address every time you initiate a crypto transaction, effectively masking your real wallet address.

Enterprise-grade encryption: Your USDX wallet embraces enterprise-grade technologies in encrypting your user data. All of the wallet communications with the Lighthouse Company servers and all other third systems, especially the third party exchange and wallets, are also highly encrypted.

How to activate/setup the USDX Wallet

Step 1: Download the USDX wallet compatible with your device on either Google Play Store or Apple App Store

Step 2: Install and launch the wallet. Since you are new to USDX, choose to create a new wallet.

Step 3: Choose a unique name for your USDX wallet

Step 4: Create a strong and unique multicharacter password (with a minimum of 10 characters) for the wallet.

Step 5: Create and confirm a 4-digit PIN code for securing the app

Step 6:  Enter and verify your phone number using the confirmation code received

Step 7: Your account is now active and ready to use

Step 8: Log in to your new wallet and use the settings tab to personalize it by activating two-factor authentication and backing up your private keys

How to add/ receive Crypto into USDX Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your USDX wallet and hit “Receive” on the user dashboard

Step 2: The wallet will display the wallet address and its QR code. Copy either and forward it to the person sending you crypto

Step 3: Alternatively, hit the “Buy” button to buy from Alterdice exchange

Step 4: Follow the prompts to make your purchase.

How to send crypto from USDX Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your USDX wallet and hit the “Send” icon on the user dashboard.

Step 2: If you have multiple coins hosted therein, select the cryptocurrency you want to send

Step 3: On the transfer window that pops up, enter the receiving wallet address or choose to scan their QR code

Step 4: Enter the amounts you wish to send

Step 5: Check the accuracy of these transaction details and confirm the transfer

USDX Wallet ease of use:

USDX wallet incorporates several highly effective functional features that make it highly intuitive and beginner-friendly. It, for instance, integrates an inbuilt exchange that eases the process of buying and exchanging cryptos. But more importantly, it maintains a clean and easily navigable user interface.

It will also take you less than two minutes to activate the wallet and create a user account. Similarly, the processes of sending and receiving cryptocurrencies in and out of the wallet are easy and straightforward.

USDX Wallet supported currencies:

USDX Wallet currently supports two cryptocurrencies; the USDX stable coin and the LHT coin. However, you can exchange either of these with virtually any other crypto or token, as well as a few fiat currencies on the integrated Alterdice exchange.

USDX Wallet cost and fees:

Downloading and depositing funds into the wallet is free. Crypto transfers involving the USDX stable coin are also free.

USDX Wallet customer support:

Lighthouse Blockchain Technology maintains a responsive customer support team for the USDX wallet. You can start by consulting the elaborate FAQ page for troubleshooting tips and guides on how to interact with the different wallet features.

However, personalized queries should be directed to the automated Telegram assistant bots or the wallet developers on the wallet’s official social media pages.

What are the pros and cons of using USDX Wallet?

Pros:

  • Sending USDX coins from the wallet is free.
  • Translation processing on USDX Wallet is lightning fast.
  • It embraces highly effective security measures like 2FA.
  • Creating an account and activating the user account is easy and straightforward.

Cons:

  • It supports a too limited number of coins.
  • USDX doesn’t support anonymous user registration.
  • Only USDX coins are exempt from transaction processing fees.

Comparing USDX Wallet with other crypto wallets

USDX Wallet vs. eToro wallet

USDX and eToro wallets are both highly advanced cryptocurrency wallets. Some of the common features between the two include the integration of a crypto exchange and some highly advanced security features like two-factor authentication and enterprise-grade encryption. More importantly, they both maintain highly responsive customer support teams.

But they also differ significantly on how they operate and their mission. For instance, while eToro’s crypto wallet is ideally meant to help the online broker’s investment vehicles, USDX seeks to be the world’s leading payment processor.

Verdict: Is USDX Wallet safe and easy to use?

Well, activating the USDX wallet and creating a user account takes no more than a few minutes. The wallet then embraces a clean, easily navigable, and beginner-friendly user interface. But irrespective of embracing some highly effective safety and privacy measures like making two-factor authentication default and enterprise-grade encryption, USDX wallets are yet to overcome some security challenges. It is a hot wallet, which exposes it to the inherent threats facing online mobile apps and web wallets.

 

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

BTC/USD Weekly Chart Overview + Possible Outcomes

In this weekly BTC/USD analysis, we will be taking a brief look at the most recent events, the current chart technical formations, as well as the possible BTC price outcomes.

In this weekly BTC/USD analysis, we will be taking a brief look at the most recent events, the current chart technical formations, as well as the possible BTC price outcomes.

In this weekly BTC/USD analysis, we will be taking a brief look at the most recent events, the current chart technical formations, as well as the possible BTC price outcomes.

Overview

Bitcoin has spent the week building an ascending channel that took its price from the $14,640 level all the way to $16,500. However, the new levels are mostly unexplored (apart from the late 2017 mini-bubble), and people that already invested in Bitcoin are either holding or taking profits, while new investors are wary of entering due to the price reaching this high. This left Bitcoin with a lot of people holding, a minority taking profit, and even a smaller minority wanting to buy it at $16,500 at the moment, which triggered a pullback. This doesn’t mean that $16,500 is an overestimate of Bitcoin’s worth, but rather that the economic uncertainty around the new US presidency, an unstable stock market as well as regulatory bodies honing in on crypto are all factors in the current minor pullback.

Our previous weekly analysis has predicted the price increase to $16,500 as well as the pullback. This doesn’t mean that the bull season has ended or that bears have taken over for good, but rather that BTC entered a healthy correction phase before establishing a new price target.

Technical factors



Bitcoin has continued moving along the ascending channel started on Nov 7 and gaining in value up until the $16,500 resistance level that we called out. This level has triggered a pullback as BTC could not pass the zone of resistance. While the pullback was mostly sideways and slow, a confirmation of a real pullback happening occurred on Nov 14, when Bitcoin dropped out of the ascending channel as well as below the $16,000 psychological level.

While Bitcoin’s sentiment is extremely bullish overall, its short-term overview points to a pullback that will most likely end at the zone of support near the $15,480 level.

The hash ribbons indicator is still showing miner capitulation (ever since Oct 29), sending out a major buy signal.

Likely Outcomes

Bitcoin has one main scenario that is most likely to play out, which is its price continuing down towards the $15,480 area where it will encounter strong support, which will most likely stop it from going further down. If this happens and Bitcoin does bounce off of the $15,480 area, we may expect another push towards the recently-made highs. In this case, traders should have a clear path towards $16,500 again, and they should pay attention to BTC, possibly making a double top at its most recent high rather than surpassing the level.

A move that will end up below $15,480 is highly unlikely, simply due to the overall sentiment currently surrounding Bitcoin. However, as unlikely as it is, anything is possible, and Bitcoin might fall below the support level. In that case, traders can expect a sharp price decrease and a possible push towards the $14,640.

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic Cryptocurrencies

StakedWallet Review: Is Stakedwallet Legit Or Another Ponzi Scheme?

Stakedwallet is a DeFi-focused crypto project that provides you with a platform where you can securely store your digital assets and earn guaranteed interest. It is a highly innovative cryptocurrency wallet that integrates several operational and security features. And they all are aimed at ensuring the wallet is highly secure and easy to use. It works by providing wallet users with an opportunity to stake their cryptocurrencies and earn a fixed daily interest. The interest is deposited to your account daily, and the percentage earning for your staked assets is largely dependent on how long you have kept your funds on the platform.

Stakedwallet is a DeFi-focused crypto project that provides you with a platform where you can securely store your digital assets and earn guaranteed interest. It is a highly innovative cryptocurrency wallet that integrates several operational and security features. And they all are aimed at ensuring the wallet is highly secure and easy to use. It works by providing wallet users with an opportunity to stake their cryptocurrencies and earn a fixed daily interest. The interest is deposited to your account daily, and the percentage earning for your staked assets is largely dependent on how long you have kept your funds on the platform.

Stakedwallet is a DeFi-focused crypto project that provides you with a platform where you can securely store your digital assets and earn guaranteed interest. It is a highly innovative cryptocurrency wallet that integrates several operational and security features. And they all are aimed at ensuring the wallet is highly secure and easy to use. It works by providing wallet users with an opportunity to stake their cryptocurrencies and earn a fixed daily interest. The interest is deposited to your account daily, and the percentage earning for your staked assets is largely dependent on how long you have kept your funds on the platform.

A debate that questions the legitimacy of Stakedwallet has emerged online, especially on Reddit. Some crypto community members are now advising caution when dealing with the wallet, while others call it out as an outright Ponzi scheme designed to swindle naive crypto-enthusiasts.

In this Stakedwallet review, we will be vetting this passive income-generating platform cum crypto wallet to determine if it indeed is a secure crypto vault or another Ponzi scheme. And to achieve this, we detail all its features, a step-by-step guide on activating and using the wallet, check its ease of use and supported currencies, and compare it to other crypto wallets.

StakedWallet key features:

Cross-platform: Stakedwallet is a cross-platform crypto vault available as both a mobile wallet and a web wallet. Both the web wallet and the website associated with Stakedwallet are, however, inaccessible at the moment.

Inbuilt exchange: Within the StakedWallet user dashboard is the exchange icon that gives you access to the platform’s crypto exchange. You can use it to convert one supported crypto to another at a fraction of the cost charged by most other third-party exchanges.

Stake and Earn: You get to earn by engaging in the proof of stake programs offered by most blockchains networks and protocols through Stakedwallet. You can also earn by completing the numerous tasks on the platform, like inviting your friends and acquaintances to join the platform through its referral program. And for every successful referral, you earn SWL Tokens that you can then convert to any of the supported cryptocurrencies on the inbuilt exchange.

Multi-blockchain: Staked wallet is unlike most DeFi-focused crypto wallets that will only support Ethereum based DeFi apps and protocols. It supports a wide range of altcoins drawn from different Blockchains, including Bitcoin.

Portfolio/Income tracker: Stakedwallet integrates the “My Statistics” tool that you can use to monitor your crypto portfolio and earning trends. It is an automated tool that displays your crypto balances in real-time, transaction history to help you understand inflows and outflows, and the earning trend for all your staked coins on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis.

StakedWallet security features:

Password: Like most other crypto storage vaults, Stakedwlalet is secured with a multi-character password that you set when activating the app or web wallet and creating a user account.

Multi-factor authentication: Stakedwallet employs a three-step authentication process that integrates 2FA and multi-signature functionalities for your outbound transfers. Here, every transfer out must be subjected to two-factor authentication and signed by both the app and the company servers.

Enterprise-grade encryption: According to Stakedwallet, both the crypto app and web wallet use a 256-bit enterprise-grade encryption cipher and 25,000 PBKDF2 hash rounds in encrypting your PIN and all other user data in the wallet. They boldly claim that it would take a modern computer a million days to bypass these tools and hack into your account.

Non-custodial: Stakedwallet doesn’t collect any of your personal data, especially the PIN code or private keys. These are highly encrypted and stored locally on your computer or mobile device.

Vulnerability monitoring: According to Stakedwallet’s development team, both the wallet app and web wallet are being constantly monitored for bugs and vulnerabilities around the clock. It is subjected to regular security audits by some of the leading crypto security firms in the world.

VPN Access: Unlike most other crypto storage wallets that don’t support VPN access, Stakedwallet sets no restrictions on logging into your account via a VPN.

How to activate/  setup the StakedWallet

Step 1: Start by downloading the Stakedwallet app compatible with your phone on the Google play store or Apple app store.

Step 2: Launch the app and click on the “Create a New Wallet” on the installation page.

Step 3: Enter your email address and create a unique password for the account.

Step 4: Read and agree to the wallet’s terms of use and user privacy

Step 5: Verify that you are not a robot, and you want to proceed with the registration by clicking the verification button and completing the puzzle.

Step 6: Your account is now active and ready for use

Step 7: Click on the three bars on the top-left corner of the wallet app to access the settings section that you can then use to personalize the wallet.

How to add/receive Crypto into Poketto Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Stakedwallet app

Step 2:  Click on the three bars on the top left corner of the app’s user dashboard to access the app menu.

Step 3: Click on the “Deposit” tab and click on the “Add Money” on the deposit page that pops up.

Step 4: The wallet will now present you with a QR code representing the wallet address

Step 5: wait for the funds to reflect.

How to send crypto from StakedWalletwallet:

Step 1: Log in to the Stakedwallet app

Step 2: On the user dashboard, click on the “Send” button

Step 3: Select the altcoin you want to send and enter the recipient wallet address

Step 4: Decide on the amount you wish to send

Step 5: Confirm that the transaction details are correct and hit send.

StakedWallet ease of use:

Stakedwallet has a clean and intuitive user interface. You will find navigating through the app and interacting with most of its features, like depositing and sending crypto coins in and out of the wallet, quite easy. It also has a rather straightforward wallet activation and user account registration process.

It is quite beginner-friendly, and you don’t need help in staking different coins or monitoring your portfolio. The portfolio and earnings tracking processes are rather straightforward.

StakedWallet supported currencies:

Stakedwallet currently supports a significant number of the leading cryptocurrencies and tokens. These include Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, Ethereum, and Dash. Plus the wallet’s native token, SWL.

StakedWallet cost and fees:

Downloading the wallet app, creating a user account, and interacting with its features is free. You also get to earn 0.6% – 1.5% of the staked digital assets daily in addition to the bounty program earnings like inviting friends to join the wallet and other microtasks.

However, you will have to part with the blockchain network fees like GAS, charged when you send crypto in and out of your wallet to Stakewalet.

What are the pros and cons of using Stakedwallet?

Pros:

  • It presents wallet users with multiple streams of earning passive income.
  • It is a beginner-friendly wallet.
  • It supports some of the most popular crypto wallets.
  • It has highly advanced security measures around the website, web wallet, and wallet app.
  • It is a free wallet

Cons:

  • There have been a lot of negative reviews about the wallet.
  • One may consider the number of supported cryptos to be limited.
  • It has a poor and unresponsive customer support team.

Comparing StakedWallet with other multi-blockchain wallets

StakedWallet vs. DexWallet

Both Stakedwallet and Dexwallet help their users generate passive income from their digital assets. They, however, differ significantly in the income-generating strategy. While Stakedwallet earns you guaranteed interest via the proof of stake protocol, DexWallet integrates different DeFi apps to make you money by either staking or lending to other app users.

Stakedwallet, however, has a soiled reputation due to a lack of transparency on how they handle client funds and the effectiveness of this income-generating strategy.

Verdict: Is StakedWallet safe?

Staked wallet app has considerably effective and advanced security and privacy measures around the app and private keys. Questions are, however, abound concerning its legitimacy. Most reviewers on crypto discussion platforms like Reddit and Quora and user reviews on the app store pages have termed it a scam and a Ponzi scheme.

Twitter has even suspended the Stakedwallet account. And instead of addressing these allegations, the company has taken its website and web wallet offline. We recommend that our readers avoid the wallet until the company satisfactorily addresses all the allegations levels against their wallet.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 13 – Bitcoin Above $16,000: What’s Next?

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day equally divided between cryptos that ended up in the red and the green. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap pushed past its $16,000 mark and is currently trading for $16,291, representing an increase of 3.26% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 0.15% on the day, while XRP gained 0.45%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day equally divided between cryptos that ended up in the red and the green. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap pushed past its $16,000 mark and is currently trading for $16,291, representing an increase of 3.26% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 0.15% on the day, while XRP gained 0.45%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day equally divided between cryptos that ended up in the red and the green. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap pushed past its $16,000 mark and is currently trading for $16,291, representing an increase of 3.26% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 0.15% on the day, while XRP gained 0.45%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

Blockstack gained 33.78% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization yet again today. It is closely followed by Dash’s gain of 13.33% and Decred’s 8.98% gain. On the other hand, ABBC Coin lost 12.08%, making it the most prominent daily loser. Ampleforth lost 11.75% while Aragon lost 10.85%, making them the 2nd and 3rd most prominent daily losers.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance has increased since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 65.3%. This value represents a 0.8% difference to the upside compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has gone up over the course of the day. Its current value is $462.86 billion, representing an $8.70 billion increase compared to our previous report.

_______________________________________________________________________

What happened in the past 24 hours?

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_______________________________________________________________________

Technical analysis

_______________________________________________________________________

Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has tested the $16,000 mark for a long time, failing a couple of times as profit-taking chipped away too much bull power. However, BTC has officially broken the $16,000 resistance today, turning it into support. The move that pushed it past this mark has ended right at the $16,500 resistance, which held up quite well. Many say the reason for the move past $16,000 is that banks and firms are moving their funds into BTC due to uncertainties in the traditional markets (major indexes traded slightly in the red yesterday). An engulfing candle that followed the last green candle of the move, as well as RSI bouncing off of the overbought area, show that a correction is the most likely option at the moment.

Slow and steady increases in volume accompanied each of Bitcoin’s moves. Traders can use this info to enter and exit trades safely.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals are bullish overall but are split between the 4-hour and weekly time-frames, which are more tilted towards the neutral position, and daily and monthly time-frames, which are completely bullish.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is well above its 50-period EMA and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is near its top Bollinger band
  • RSI is near the overbought territory (64.03)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $16,500                                 1: $16,000

2: $16,700                                 2: $15,480

3: $17,000                                  3: $14,640

Ethereum

Ethereum has continued its upward path, supported by its ascending channel top line. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap managed to hold itself above this level, effectively slowly increasing in price due to the slope of the support line. However, it is yet to be seen if ETH can stay above this level for long, and a potential drop below the line is quite possible.

Ethereum traders should look for ETH dropping below the top line of the ascending channel and trade off of that.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals are bullish on all time-frames, with its 4-hour time-frame being more tilted towards the neutral position and longer time-frames being completely bullish.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above its 50-period and slightly above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (53.64)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $470                                     1: $451

2: $490                                     2: $445 

3: $500                                      3: $420

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has had a slow day of sideways action within the range it is in for almost a week. XRP has moved slightly towards the middle of the range after it failed to break the $0.26 resistance level, entering a period of low volatility.

Traders shouldn’t really be interested in XRP at the moment due to its low volatility. However, those that want to trade XRP can enter trades with targets and stop-losses that correspond to the current support/resistance levels.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals on the 4-hour and daily time-frame have changed its stance from bullish/neutral to straight bullish, while its weekly time-frame is still almost completely neutral. Its monthly overview shows strong bearish sentiment.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above its 50-period EMA and at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (50.34)
  • Volume is slightly below average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.26                                     1: $0.2454

2: $0.266                                   2: $0.235

3: $0.27                                    3: $0.227

 

Categories
Crypto Guides

Heard of Suterusu? One of the most interesting cryptocurrency!

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Cryptocurrencies have come into the limelight even since Bitcoin hyped in the market. As the demand for cryptocurrency increased, a few new names also joined the list. One of the well-known titles from those is Suterusu. It is a bit different from the usual cryptocurrencies, which makes it more exciting and beneficial for people.

You may or may not have earlier heard about Suterusu. Either way, we are here to help you out. Here, we have brought all the crucial information about Suterusu to help you learn more about it, making the concept clearer to you. So without further ado, let’s begin with the details.

What Is Suterusu?

Security and anonymity is a big concern for almost all blockchain platforms. In order to resolve this, Suterusu has brought in a new concept. It allows these blockchain developers to implement an additional layer of zk-SNARK-based privacy without any hassle. That is why its motto of “launchpad for privacy-preserving interoperable blockchain” gets appropriately fulfilled.

In other words, Suterusu helps bring new privacy to blockchain platforms or apps that match the ZCash level. Moreover, they need not implement this security layer to their protocol level. Therefore, even mainstream blockchains like Ether, Bitcoin, and Decentralized Finance can benefit from this new concept.

How Is Suterusu Different From Other zk-SNARK Implementations?

The other applications of zk-SNARK called for the need for one of the following:

  • Logarithmic proof sizes
  • Trusted setup: Under this, a set of original parameters are created. These are further used to generate a key, which makes and verifies the proofs of future transactions within the network.

These two factors contradict the anonymous cryptocurrency’s transparent and decentralized nature.

On the other hand, Suterusu undertakes zk-SNARK’s updated version to get rid of both of these concerns. This version is called zk-ConSNARK. So, basically, there is no trust set up promoted by Suterusu that destroys the trusted set up entirely and keeps the proof size low. It not only amplifies the throughput but also maintains security and privacy by keeping the transaction participants anonymous.

What Is Suterusu’s Cryptocurrency?

Suterusu runs its own cryptocurrency named the SUTER Token, which has a total of 10 billion supply. It is further divided into percentages made for different sections:

  • Suterusu’s team has over 4.8% of the tokens.
  • 2% of the tokes are specified for the foundation.
  • 16% of the total tokens are for participants of a private sale.
  • Stake miners can go up to 76% tokens.

Like any other cryptocurrency, SUTER is also subjected to an annual supply halve seen every couple of years. Moreover, these tokens have the lowest inflation rate as compared to other anonymous coins in the market.

In case you want to run a validator node for Suterusu, you will need to deposit at least 1 million SUTER Tokens. Based on your mortgage token and voting token, your mining power will be determined. Further, this will decide the total reward you can receive as a validator node.

Conclusion

By maintaining the anonymity factor, Suterusu has a high chance of becoming the next big thing in the cryptocurrency market. Now that you have learned its basics, we recommend you to get into more details and see how to benefit from this rising concept.

Categories
Crypto Videos

Bitcoin Is Digital Gold & Not Currency: Mike Novagratz!

https://youtu.be/ihjH1IZzU-Y

https://youtu.be/ihjH1IZzU-Y

 

Bitcoin is Digital Gold, Not a Currency – Mike Novogratz

Billionaire investor Mike Novogratz has recently doubled down on a call that Bitcoin serves as digital gold rather than as currency, at least at the moment.
“I don’t think that Bitcoin is going to be used as a currency anytime in the next five years,” said Novogratz, Galaxy Investment Partners’ founder and chief executive officer, in an interview with Bloomberg TV. He added that Bitcoin is currently being used as a store of value, similar to gold, and that it will most likely remain that way for some time.

Crypto fans have argued that Bitcoin can serve as currency as they raised concerns about central banks worldwide printing money during the pandemic and about the potential for inflation to shoot much higher. They point out that central banks are looking into creating CBDC’s, their own digital assets, while China is at the forefront of development as it is already testing its digital yuan.
“And Bitcoin as a gold-like asset, as digital gold is going to keep going higher and higher,” said Novogratz. “As time passes, more and more people are going to want Bitcoin as some portion of their portfolio very soon, if they don’t want it already.”


Bitcoin has rallied more than 93% in 2020, climbing beyond $13,000 and even reaching past $14,000 at one point, just a week after PayPal Holdings Inc. announced that it would allow its customers to buy, sell, hold, and eventually use cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is currently preparing for a big move as it has recently failed to break the $13,900 resistance and stay above it with confidence.

Novogratz, as well as many other crypto fans, heralded the PayPal news as game-changing, mostly citing PayPal’s large user base that can be used to gain mass adoption. Customers on the platform will have the option to buy, sell and hold several cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin, as well as use these cryptocurrencies to shop at the 26 million merchants on its network, including its popular payment app Venmo.

Novogratz forecast that companies including Visa, E*Trade Financial, Mastercard, as well as American Express will follow PayPal’s initiative “within a year” and that they will offer platforms where their merchants will have the option to transact in stablecoins as well as non-stable cryptocurrencies.
“It’s no longer a debate of whether crypto is a thing, if Bitcoin is an asset, or if the blockchain is going to be a part of the financial infrastructure,” said Novogratz. “It’s no longer a matter of if, it’s when, and every single company has to have a plan very soon.”

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic Cryptocurrencies

What’s Carry (CRE) All About? 

Today’s commerce environment is extremely fragmented: merchants don’t know what consumers want, consumers don’t have control over their own data, and advertisers’ campaigns are ineffective. It’s particularly unfair for consumers, who, by clicking “I agree” to terms and conditions, effectively hand over the rights to their data. 

Today’s commerce environment is extremely fragmented: merchants don’t know what consumers want, consumers don’t have control over their own data, and advertisers’ campaigns are ineffective. It’s particularly unfair for consumers, who, by clicking “I agree” to terms and conditions, effectively hand over the rights to their data. 

Today’s commerce environment is extremely fragmented: merchants don’t know what consumers want, consumers don’t have control over their own data, and advertisers’ campaigns are ineffective. It’s particularly unfair for consumers, who, by clicking “I agree” to terms and conditions, effectively hand over the rights to their data. 

Blockchain has the potential to change this skewed state of events. The Carry Protocol, launched in 2018, is a project that’s using blockchain technology to fulfill this endeavor. Carry allows every participant of the commerce ecosystem to benefit in a transparent, fair, and trustless environment. 

This article studies the Carry Protocol more closely. 

Understanding Carry 

Carry is a data management ecosystem where data owners are accorded complete control over their own data, plus the ability to monetize that data. On the Carry, the platform is consumers, advertisers, stores, and more players in a collaborative and transparent environment where everyone gets their fair share. 

Carry provides a bridge between offline merchants and consumers. This is in cognizance that despite a surge of e-commerce in recent years, most consumption still happens offline. And the offline market is, to a large extent, yet to embrace technology in so many ways. Offline commerce faces the following challenges: 

  • Due to fragmented data, merchants have very little understanding of the behavior and preferences of customers
  • Customers have little control over their own data, with powerful corporations benefiting from it instead
  • Offline advertising is ineffective and lacks transparency

Carry aims to solve this through the following initiatives: 

  • Provide an environment for merchants and customers to communicate and understand each other better
  • Empower customers to have full control over their own data and be able to monetize it 
  • Offer more effective and transparent advertisement channels

The Carry Protocol

As we’ve noted already, Carry brings together merchants and consumers through the blockchain. These two are the most important participants in the ecosystem. The other participants are advertisers. 

The protocol consists of two major parts: 

  • the blockchain, which hosts the transaction database and smart contracts
  • APIs that connect the blockchain to third-party applications such as wallets

The transaction database is the storage location where data is uploaded by consumers and generated by merchants. Carry smart contracts are in charge of issuing the protocol’s token: CRE. Carry wallets allow users to manage their crypto, control their transaction data, and manage their privacy. 

Carry’s Data Ecosystem

Carry wants to create a system where merchants, customers, and advertisers can all benefit. Stores can have a better understanding of their consumers with the purchase data they willingly share. Advertisers can create more effective ad campaigns, and consumers can own the rights to their data and monetize it. 

#1. Merchants

Merchants can better understand the preferences and expectations of consumers.

#2. Consumers

Consumers can control their information and get rewarded in CRE tokens for sharing it and viewing ads.

#3. Advertisers

Advertisers can better target the right consumers through better analysis of their information.

Smart Contracts

Users can get access to the Carry protocol features through smart contracts. To do so, they must first stake in Carry tokens (CRE). This can be done in a one-off or pay-as-you-go way. Staking in a certain amount of tokens, allows usage up to a certain level. When usage exceeds that level, the user must pay for excess usage. 

The rationale is that executing smart contracts uses up the protocol’s resources, which incurs costs. The staking model also protects the protocol from attacks – whether abuse by malicious participants or denial of service attacks. 

The per-use fee can always be set higher than the stake’s opportunity cost, which would encourage users to stake in more CRE. If a merchant wants to conduct more transactions than their stake allows, they can offer perks to other platform users, e.g., customers, who will then stake in more tokens on their behalf. 

Community Growth Strategies

The Carry team plans to expand the growth of their protocol by engaging in the following strategies: 

  • Participates in high-profile industry events and conferences
  • Conduct regular online and physical meetups
  • Conduct social media Ask Me Anything sessions
  • Monthly project updates through Medium posts and newsletters
  • Regular airdrops to reward top participants of community projects
  • Engage traditional companies looking to onboard blockchain services

Future strategies include: 

  • Engage in cross-marketing activities with other blockchain and crypto-projects 
  • Share data-sharing processes with the community

CRE Token Uses 

The CRE token is Carry’s native utility cryptocurrency, playing the following roles: 

  • As a staking mechanism to qualify to use various Carry features to build smart contracts
  • Merchants can use it to come up with their own branded tokens
  • Advertisers must pay CRE tokens to consumers for accessing the transaction history
  • As payment to consumers for watching ads

Token Distribution

The Carry token was distributed in the following manner: 

  • Token generation event tokens: 40%
  • Partner program tokens: 25%
  • Market activation tokens:15%
  • Team tokens: 10%
  • Reserve tokens: 5%
  • Advisors’ tokens: 5%

Key Metrics

CRE’s marketplace figures were as follows on Oct 28, 2020. The per-token value was $0.001614, with a market cap of $9,357,848 and a market rank of #528. The token’s 24-hour volume was $431,939, while its circulating and total supply were 5,799,469,081 and 7,329,872,058. CRE’s all-time high was $0.079546 (Jun 05, 2019), and its all-time low was $0.000810 (Mar 13, 2020).

Where to Buy and Store

The Carry token is listed against currencies such as KRW, USDT, BTC, and HT on several exchanges, including Upbit, Huobi Global, BiKi, Bilaxy, UPEX, and Oasis Exchange. 

You can store CRE in a wide range of wallets, including Trust Wallet, Atomic Wallet, MyEtherWallet, Ledger, and Trezor. 

Closing Thoughts

Carry is one of many blockchain protocols that want to do better for millions of consumers whose data is generally used without their authorization. And it doesn’t stop at just consumers; it aims to improve things for every other player in the commerce arena. Will it stand out in the years to come? That will depend on if they can continue to innovate. If not, they risk being phased out by more forward-thinking similar protocols. 

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

Trust Wallet review: Safety, Ease of Use, Features, Pros, and Cons

Trust Wallet is a crypto mobile app developed and introduced to the crypto market in November 2017 by Viktor Radchenko. It is an open-sourced crypto project that seeks to provide users with a balance between trust, security, and usability. To this end, this crypto wallet app has embraced a wide range of highly advanced features that seek to boost user privacy and ease of use. Some of these include a Web3 Dapp browser, a decentralized exchange, block explorer, and biometric security features.

Trust Wallet is a crypto mobile app developed and introduced to the crypto market in November 2017 by Viktor Radchenko. It is an open-sourced crypto project that seeks to provide users with a balance between trust, security, and usability. To this end, this crypto wallet app has embraced a wide range of highly advanced features that seek to boost user privacy and ease of use. Some of these include a Web3 Dapp browser, a decentralized exchange, block explorer, and biometric security features.

Trust Wallet is a crypto mobile app developed and introduced to the crypto market in November 2017 by Viktor Radchenko. It is an open-sourced crypto project that seeks to provide users with a balance between trust, security, and usability. To this end, this crypto wallet app has embraced a wide range of highly advanced features that seek to boost user privacy and ease of use. Some of these include a Web3 Dapp browser, a decentralized exchange, block explorer, and biometric security features.

In July 2018, the Trust wallet was acquired by Binance, who made it the official wallet for the Binance Chain and Binance DEX. They also replaced the Kyber Network that previously powered its exchange with Binance decentralized exchange, enhanced the wallet’s security features, and revamped how different users interact with the wallet by cleaning up the user interface.

In this Trust Wallet review, we want to vet the wallet’s security and operational procedures while helping you determine if it is really safe and easy to use.

Trust Wallet key features:

Multi-blockchain wallet: Unlike most crypto wallet apps that will only support one coin or coins built on a specific blockchain, the Trust Wallet is a multi-coin crypto vault that supports a wide range of digital currencies drawn from multiple blockchains.

Buy with card: Trust wallet works in tandem with such payment processing companies as Changelly and Shapeshift that facilitate the purchase of crypto using a debit or credit card.

In-built exchange: Today, Binance DEX handles all the in-app crypto exchanges for the Trust Wallet. It is relatively fast in processing transactions and presents users with a wide range of crypto coins and tokens.

Integrates Wallet connect: Wallet connect is a crypto interaction tool that helps Trust Wallet interact with virtually any Dapp. It is relatively safe as wallet-to-Dapp communications are secured with end-to-end encryption.

Earn via staking: Trust wallet allows you to stake different altcoins and earn up to 7.21% APR. Use the staking calculator on the Trust wallet website to check the staking tokens and the maximum interest.

Portfolio tracker: You also get to track your crypto portfolio and digital asset balances using the transaction history and balance tabs on the Trust Wallet user interface.

Integrates block Atlas: Trust wallet features a blockchain explorer API that anyone can use to explore different blockchain and gain information about tokens, ICOs, Staking, and even track crypto prices.

Trust Wallet security features:

Password + biometrics: You will need to secure your Trust wallet with a strong multi-character password. You are also free to reinforce this with such biometric security features as Fingerprint and Face I.D on compatible devices.

Recovery seed: Trust wallet will also provide you with a recovery/backup seed phrase when you create a user account. Use it to backup your private keys and digital assets.

Non-custodial: Neither Trust wallet nor Binance will collect any information personally identifiable to your wallet. More importantly, the wallet developers do not store your private keys on your behalf. These are stored within your device.

Anonymous user registration: You can register and trade anonymously when using a Trust Wallet. The crypto vault-app doesn’t request any personal information during registration.

Open-source: Trust wallet is a fully open-sourced crypto project that allows both wallet users and crypto security experts to vet and audit the wallets source code for bugs and other vulnerabilities. This code is available on both the wallet website and the GitHub repository.

Regular security audits: In addition to the wallet’s open-sourced nature and the numerous integrated security features, it is also subjected to regular security audits led by some of the most popular crypto security firms.

Watch-only mode: You can log in to the Trust Wallet’s watch-only mode when using an unsecured internet connection. This allows you to view incoming crypto flows and monitor wallet without exposing such sensitive wallet information as your private keys and passwords.

How to activate/ setup the Trust Wallet

Step 1: Start by downloading the Trust wallet app compatible with your device on the company website.

Step 2: Launch the Trust Wallet and click on the “Create a New Wallet” tab on the installation page.

Step 3: Read and agree to Trust Wallet’s terms of use

Step 4: Create a strong multi-character password for the wallet

Step 5: You will now receive the wallet’s backup and recovery seed. Write it down and keep it safe offline.

Step 6: Verify the recovery phrase and click continue.

Step 7: Your Trust wallet is now active and ready for use

Step 8: Log in and personalize the wallet by choosing a username, reinforcing the password with biometrics, and create multiple wallets.

How to add/receive Crypto into Trust Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Trust wallet and click on the “Buy Crypto” tab on the user dashboard.

Step 2: Select the platform from whence you would like to buy cryptocurrencies from the drop-down list. You can choose Changelly or Shapeshift if you wish to buy it with a card.

Step 3: Follow the prompts to make the purchase.

Alternatively:

Step 1: Log in to the Trust wallet and click on the “Receive” tab.

Step 2: Copy your wallet address or the QR code displayed and forward it to the party sending you cryptos.

Step 3: Wait for the funds to reflect in your wallet.

How to send crypto from Trust Wallet wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Trust wallet and click on the “Send” tab on the user interface.

Step 2: If you have multiple crypto assets stored therein, select the altcoin you want to send

Step 3: On the transfer window, enter the recipient’s address or scan their QR Code and the amount you wish to send

Step 4: Review the transaction details and confirm the accuracy of these transaction details before hitting send.

Trust Wallet ease of use:

Trust Wallet has a highly intuitive and beginner-friendly user interface. It also provides you with easy access to most blockchain services, including the Dapp browser, an exchange that presents you with hundreds of cryptocurrencies and tokens. More importantly, you can easily integrate the Ethereum network that allows you to access and benefit from ICOs and token airdrops.

Setting up the wallet, creating a user account, and interacting with all the features and service offers integrated within the wallet is easy. Plus, the wallet is also multi-lingual (available in 10+ international languages).

Trust Wallet supported currencies:

According to the Trust wallet website, this crypto vault supports 160k+ assets drawn from 40 blockchains.

Trust Wallet cost and fees:

Trust Wallet is free to download and install. You will, however, have to part with the transaction-processing fee charged by the blockchain network.

What are the pros and cons of using the Trust Wallet?

Pros:

  • The wallet stores the widest range of cryptocurrencies
  • It embraces highly advanced security features, like ensuring the wallet is hierarchically deterministic.
  • Allows you to earn from the crypto-assets through staking
  • It is feature-rich yet easy to use
  • Encourages user anonymity

Cons:

  • It is a hot wallet
  • Some integrated services, like Changelly and Shapeshift, demand user verification.

Comparing Trust Wallet with other Multiblockchain wallets

Trust Wallet vs. eToro wallet

Trust and eToro are both highly popular and feature-rich crypto wallets. They both feature built-in exchanges and facilitate the purchase of cryptocurrencies using a debit or credit card. Both are also multi-coin and multi-blockchain.

There, however, are several fundamental differences between the two crypto-exchange-backed wallets. For instance, while Trust Wallet encrypts user private keys and stores them in the phone, eToro stores the digital assets on the user’s behalf. Similarly, eToro requires that all users satisfy the globally set KYC and AML requirements by verifying their identity when creating a user account, while Trust Wallet asks for no personal user information.

Verdict: Is Trust Wallet safe?

Well, the Binance DEX backed crypto wallet has put in place adequate security and protection measures around your private keys. These include embracing the hierarchically deterministic protocol when it comes to generating wallet addresses, open-sourcing the code for viewership and auditing by the crypto security experts, and integrating advanced deterrence measures for unauthorized access to the wallet. However, we must mention that the wallet is online-based, making it susceptible to online threats and malicious malware.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 12 – Bitcoin Formed a Triple Top? Ethereum Accidentally Hard Forks

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day mostly consolidating, with roughly the same amount of cryptocurrencies ending the day in the green and the red. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,802, representing an increase of 2.68% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 0.24% on the day, while XRP gained 0.60%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day mostly consolidating, with roughly the same amount of cryptocurrencies ending the day in the green and the red. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,802, representing an increase of 2.68% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 0.24% on the day, while XRP gained 0.60%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day mostly consolidating, with roughly the same amount of cryptocurrencies ending the day in the green and the red. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,802, representing an increase of 2.68% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 0.24% on the day, while XRP gained 0.60%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

Blockstack gained 17.15% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. It is closely followed by OMG Network’s gain of 12.03% and ICON’s 11.46% gain. On the other hand, yearn.finance lost 10.37%, making it the most prominent daily loser. Loopring lost 9.34% while Synthetix lost 8.90%, making them the 2nd and 3rd most prominent daily losers.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance has increased slightly since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 64.5%. This value represents a 0.6% difference to the upside compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has gone up over the course of the day. Its current value is $454.16 billion, representing an $8.04 billion increase compared to our previous report.

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What happened in the past 24 hours?

_______________________________________________________________________

Ethereum had quite a bad day, as its consensus reached an unexpected hard fork. This issue is considered the one holding the most weight ever since the DAO debacle from 4 years ago. The developers are still looking into the issue, and things will be fully understood at a later date.

Ethereum essentially hard forked right when its developers introduced a new update to the chain, and those who haven’t upgraded yet (including Blockchair, Infura, and other miners) got stuck in a minority chain for around 30 blocks (2 hours).

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Technical analysis

_______________________________________________________________________

Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has pushed towards the upside, reaching as far as $15,990 but not being able to break the $16,000 mark. This failure to break its immediate resistance level has caused another (third) top to form, marking a possible short-term trend reversal as a possibility if Bitcoin doesn’t move up quickly.

Traders should trade carefully around this level and be prepared to trade the pullback or the spike. While these “, ride the trend” trades are hard to predict in terms of when they start, they are easy to trade once the entry happens.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals are bullish on all time-frames. However, its 4-hour and monthly time-frames are completely bullish, while its daily and weekly overviews are showing signs of neutrality or even slight bear presence.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is above its 50-period EMA and slightly above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is near the overbought territory (64.15)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $16,000                                 1: $15,480

2: $16,400                                 2: $14,640

3: $16,700                                  3: $14,100

Ethereum

Ethereum has stayed above the top line of its ascending channel but could not break the resistance zone above $470. However, its price didn’t react negatively to the news of the algorithm failure and an unplanned mini hard fork, which is quite a bullish outcome of events.

Ethereum traders should watch out for how the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap navigates the range between the top line of the ascending channel and its $470 resistance level.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals are bullish on all time-frames, with its 4-hour and monthly time-frames being completely bullish and its daily and weekly overviews showing signs of neutrality or even slight bear presence.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above its 50-period and slightly above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (60.34)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $470                                     1: $451

2: $490                                     2: $445 

3: $500                                      3: $420

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has suffered a minor pullback after failing to break its immediate resistance level ($0.26). XRP is still trading within a range bound by $0.2454 to the downside and $0.26 to the upside, while its range is even more narrow lately, as its price is hovering only the top portion of the range.

Traders still have the opportunity to trade XRP’s sideways action without much risk. On the other hand, if the volume does increase drastically, a move towards the upside is much more likely, unless Bitcoin’s potential move down brings every other crypto down with it.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals on the 4-hour, daily, and weekly time-frame are bullish with slight hints of neutrality. On the other hand, its monthly overview is heavily tilted towards the sell-side.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price above its 50-period EMA and slightly above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (55.12)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.26                                     1: $0.2454

2: $0.266                                   2: $0.235

3: $0.27                                    3: $0.227

 

Categories
Crypto Guides

What Should You Know About Non-Fungible Tokens?

Introduction 

Introduction 

Introduction 

The word tokens mostly bring the concept of currency in our minds, i.e., something that we can exchange for something else. However, this isn’t entirely correct. Rather than just being a currency, a token represents any fact, feeling, quality, etc. visibly and tangibly. A few common examples of a token can be:

Voters ID: It is a token of the fact that you are eligible to vote.

Driving License: It is a token that shows you have undergone the process of proving that you can dive responsibly.

Coins: These are the tokens that show the value of something like a pair of glasses is $10 worth.

There can be several such things that can be considered as tokens. Now, these tokens can be divided into two categories: Fungible and Non-Fungible. You must be aware of the concept of fungible tokens that can be exchanged for something. Let’s now learn what Non-Fungible Tokens are.

What Are Non-Fungible Tokens?

If we dive into the cryptocurrency market, you will see that the most prominent tokens are fungible. For instance, you can exchange a Bitcoin for another Bitcoin without affecting its price. On the other hand, Non-Fungible Tokens are the ones that don’t hold this property of being exchangeable. Each of them has its own value, like your car and watch has its own.

In simple words, fungible tokens can be replaced by something identical to it, while Non-Fungible Tokens can’t be. Another difference between the two is divisibility. Like you can divide a Bitcoin into two parts, you can’t split a non-fungible token due to its uniqueness.

Where Did The Concept Of Non-Fungible Tokens Arise?

Many people still don’t know how Non-Fungible Tokens came into the market. If you are one of them, then it is time to get aware of this factor. Non-Fungible Tokens’ concept came into notice when a blockchain-based platform, CryptoKitties, made $12 million worth of transactions of virtual kittens. As each cat has its own features and traits, it was sold and bought at different prices.

Therefore, these kittens followed with the two essential qualities of Non-Fungible Tokens:

  • One kitten can’t get exchanged with another one as their price differs.
  • One kitten can’t get divided into two or more parts.

And all these transactions took place in Ethereum. After CryptoKitten came into the limelight, several gaming platforms seem to opt for this method of transaction.

What Is The Future Of Non-Fungible Tokens?

Non-Fungible Tokens or NFTs hold a significant market in the gaming industry. Plus, more and more gaming platforms are now incorporating cryptocurrencies, giving more space for the use of NFTs. Players can make in-game purchases conveniently with the help of these NFTs, just like the kittens were sold on CrytoKitten. For example, buying and selling game skins, armours, and other similar assets will become even more accessible. But this isn’t the only use case of NFTs. With their advancements, they indeed will find a place of their own in the world.

We hope all this information will make the Non-Fungible Token’s concept clear to you. So now you can see how you can benefit from them and use them wherever possible.

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic Cryptocurrencies

Introducing Certik (CTK): Bringing Safety to DeFi

The blockchain is a new and welcome idea: decentralizing transactions, securing funds with high-level cryptography, and more. The only problem is that today’s blockchains exist in separate environments, hindering interoperability. There’s also the issue of security concerns. While cryptography goes a long way, blockchain transactions are still vulnerable to security threats, such as the hypothetical 51% attack and malicious actions by network participants. 

The blockchain is a new and welcome idea: decentralizing transactions, securing funds with high-level cryptography, and more. The only problem is that today’s blockchains exist in separate environments, hindering interoperability. There’s also the issue of security concerns. While cryptography goes a long way, blockchain transactions are still vulnerable to security threats, such as the hypothetical 51% attack and malicious actions by network participants. 

The blockchain is a new and welcome idea: decentralizing transactions, securing funds with high-level cryptography, and more. The only problem is that today’s blockchains exist in separate environments, hindering interoperability. There’s also the issue of security concerns. While cryptography goes a long way, blockchain transactions are still vulnerable to security threats, such as the hypothetical 51% attack and malicious actions by network participants. 

The Certik Protocol is a blockchain-based interoperability and security solution for blockchain networks. On the network, users can access various security solutions to protect their crypto assets. Certik launched its testnet in March 2020 and its mainnet on October 24, 2020. 

This article is a closer examination of the Certik Protocol. 

Breaking Down Certik

Certik is a blockchain effort that wants to build a safer blockchain infrastructure and decentralized applications’ environment. Based on a Delegated Proof of Stake, Certik wants to offer a more trusted and safer environment for executing decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and even IoT applications. 

The project will offer cross-chain compatibility so that blockchain projects are better off with the Security Oracle, which provides a real-time and thorough check on all transactions by flagging down any potential security threats. Below, we’ll look more closely at the Security Oracle and other key features of the Certik ecosystem. 

Certik: Key Components

#1. Security Oracle

The Security Oracle is a combination of decentralized network operators who rely on cutting-edge security technologies to identify any security threats on the protocol. These operators receive CTK tokens as a reward for this contribution. The Security Oracle can work with various blockchains, allowing users to make informed decisions before interacting with on-chain smart contracts. Smart contracts incorporated into the Security Oracle can flag and prevent malicious transactions from taking place, preventing funds’ potential loss. 

#2. CertikShield

This is a tool that enables flexible and decentralized reimbursements of crypto losses. These losses could have arisen from theft or pure inaccessibility due to security breaches. The CertikShield is made of a decentralized network of members who combine the Security Oracle’s scores with the governance system to provide collateral and vote on claims to protect blockchain networks. 

The CertikShield system is made of two types of members: collateral providers and shield purchasers. 

Collateral providers are members that deposit crypto funds into the CertikShield pool. These funds can be used to reimburse valid claims, meaning the providers can exit with less crypto than they deposited – in case of major security breaches. However, they get to earn staking rewards and a portion of the fees paid by shield purchasers. 

Shield purchasers are members who pay for the protection of their funds. Shield purchasers need to decide how much protection they want for their assets and pay a fee that directly corresponds with the level of protection. This fee goes directly to collateral providers. 

The CertikShield utilizes several safeguards to prevent manipulation. These safeguards include the following: 

  • A voting threshold that meets a majority
  • Claim requests must pay a fee to be processed
  • Approved claim requests are processed over 56 days
  • Claim requests can be stopped through a veto voting proposal of at least a 75% majority
  • Only projects with a security score of more than 80% can become CertikShield members
#3. DeepSEA

This is a secure programming language and compiling tool compatible with the Certik virtual machine, Ethereum’s WebAssembly, and Ant Financial’s Antchain. DeepSEA is the recipient of funding from Ethereum, IBM-Columbia, and Qtum so that it can accelerate its extremely secure programming language. 

#4. Certik Virtual Machine (CVM): 

The Certik Virtual Machine, which is also compatible with Ethereum’s Virtual Machine, allows users to access, check, and utilize security info to gauge smart contracts’ safety. This enables smart contracts to adjust their behavior to the security record of other smart contracts. For example, a lending contract can only approve a loan to a DAO contract if the latter provides a provable security record. Also, CVM supports a smart contracts sandbox system, whereby smart contracts whose security is yet to be verified operate in a separate environment from the rest of the network. 

The CTK Token 

CTK is the native utility cryptocurrency of the Certik platform, and it fulfills the following roles: 

  • As gas fee for executing smart contracts
  • As governance mechanism to participate in the network’s governance 
  • As a rewards mechanism for participating in the Security Oracle
  • As collateral and reimbursement for the CertikShield system
  • As a staking mechanism to participate in network consensus

The CTK token was distributed in the following manner: 

  • Binance launchpool tokens: 1.50%
  • Private sale 1 tokens: 29%
  • Private sale 2 tokens: 9%
  • Team tokens: 10%
  • Foundation tokens: 25%
  • Community pool tokens: 25%
  • CertikShield pool tokens: 8%

Community Growth Strategies of Certik

The Certik team will carry out various activities in a bid to expand the growth and reach of Certik: 

  • Collaborating with various blockchain protocols to provide security scores for users in those protocols
  • Partner and integrate with various Binance Smart Chain projects 
  • Conduct tutorials, digital and physical meetups
  • Regularly update the public through social media

Future strategies include the following: 

  • Partner with crypto aggregator sites to integrate security scores
  • Conduct both local and global hackathons

Tokenomics of CTK

As of October 28, 2020, CTK traded at $0.945717, with a market cap of $20,900,338 and a market rank of #318. The token has a 24-hour volume of $7,979,974, a circulating supply of 22,100,000, and a total supply of 100 million. CTK’s highest price ever was $1.94 (Oct 27, 2020), while its lowest ever was $0 (October 23, 2020), according to Coinmarketcap. 

Where to Buy and Store CTK

Currently, CTK is listed on the Binance exchange as a market pair of USDT, BTC, BNB, and BUSD. 

Certik provides its official wallet, the Deepwallet. 

Closing Thoughts 

Certik is a welcome idea in what’s a fragmented blockchain space, where every network operates as a lone island. This lack of interoperability holds back the mainstream success of blockchain. Certik’s solution, along with its industry-leading security offerings, puts it in an interesting position. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this project. 

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

NAGA Wallet Review 2020: Features, Security, Customer Support, Pros and Cons

Naga Wallet is described as the ultimate simple and secure storage for your fiat and cryptocurrency assets on the Naga.com website. It is a hybrid custodial vault for digital assets that integrates a wide range of highly advanced and innovative features. For instance, it is one of the few digital wallets that allows users to send crypto via email and provides users with a social investing platform for crypto, stock, forex, and commodity traders. Naga wallet also provides users with real-time access to the markets and equips you with the necessary investing and portfolio monitoring tools.

Naga Wallet is described as the ultimate simple and secure storage for your fiat and cryptocurrency assets on the Naga.com website. It is a hybrid custodial vault for digital assets that integrates a wide range of highly advanced and innovative features. For instance, it is one of the few digital wallets that allows users to send crypto via email and provides users with a social investing platform for crypto, stock, forex, and commodity traders. Naga wallet also provides users with real-time access to the markets and equips you with the necessary investing and portfolio monitoring tools.

Naga Wallet is described as the ultimate simple and secure storage for your fiat and cryptocurrency assets on the Naga.com website. It is a hybrid custodial vault for digital assets that integrates a wide range of highly advanced and innovative features. For instance, it is one of the few digital wallets that allows users to send crypto via email and provides users with a social investing platform for crypto, stock, forex, and commodity traders. Naga wallet also provides users with real-time access to the markets and equips you with the necessary investing and portfolio monitoring tools.

NAGA wallet started as an online forex and commodity trading platform, created and launched by NAGA Markets LTD in 2015. For the past few years, the online broker has reported explosive growth that saw it incorporate such new features as social investing tools and a crypto wallet to the platform.

But how safe is this multi-asset investing and storage platform? How do you activate and use NAGA wallet, what are its pros and cons, and how much does it cost? We answer all these and tell you everything else you need to know about NAGA Wallet in this review.

NAGA Wallet key features:

Cross-platform: Naga Wallet is a cross-platform storage vault currently available as a web wallet and a mobile app. It is also available on the MT4 and MT5 desktop and web terminals.

Multi-currency wallet: Naga is a hybrid and multi-asset wallet that stores both Fiat and cryptocurrencies. These are mainly major international fiat currency, popular cryptos, and tokens.

Send crypto via email: You don’t have to memorize an acquaintance’s wallet address when you can send cryptocurrencies and tokens via the email address used to create a Naga investor account.

Buy crypto with card: Naga wallet integrates a payment gateway that allows the residents of over 100 countries to purchase cryptos instantly with a credit/debit card. The payment gateway also facilitates the purchasing of crypto via bank transfers and e-Wallets as Neteller and Skrill.

Instant crypto transactions: The custodial nature of the Naga Wallet ensures that cryptocurrency transfers from one Naga account to another are free and instantaneous.

Social investing: Social investing is an interactive trading tool that allows you to engage other Naga Wallet users. It makes it possible for pro crypto traders to share insights with the rest of the community. You can even copy the trades or portfolios of these traders and replicate their success in your account.

Free curated investment portfolios: In addition to copying highly successful trades and portfolios of the pro traders, Naga wallet also presents you with expertly curated crypto portfolios that you can invest in while incurring zero administration fees.

Inbuilt exchange: Naga wallet also features a built-in exchange where you can buy, sell, and exchange cryptocurrencies and tokens with other platform users.

Integrates NAGA Card: Naga Markets LTD recently launched the contactless NAGA prepaid card. They have since integrated it with the Naga wallet, allowing you to load it with cryptocurrencies before using it to pay for goods and services at thousands of crypto-friendly stores across the world.

NAGA Wallet security features:

Password: Naga Wallet is secured with a strong multi-character password that not only seeks to deter unauthorized access to the wallet but also encrypts user data.

Identity verification: Naga Wallet requires that all users verify their identity and pass the KYC and AML verification protocols before they start using the platform.

Two-factor authentication: The wallet allows you to tweak its settings and create a two-step login guide that requires a user password and an authentication code received via SMS or Google Authenticator.

Decentralized data storage: Unlike most other custodial crypto wallets that store your cryptocurrencies in centralized company servers, Naga Wallet embraces the decentralized data storage system. This means that it stores its client funds and private keys in highly decentralized servers.

Backup 2-step key: Naga wallet makes it possible for you to create a backup for your wallet’s login verification code. It comes in handy if you ever change or lose your phone or can’t access the google authenticator.

Highly regulated: Naga wallet is the product of a highly regulated online trading/investment company, NAGA Markets LTD, which is registered in Cyprus and St. Vincente and Grenadines. The company is also authorized and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CSEC).

How to activate/setup the NAGA Wallet

Step 1: Open the Naga wallet website and click on the “Sign up” icon on the top left corner of the web page

Step 2: Complete the user profile by keying in your personal details (name, email, country of residence, and phone number) on the account registration page.

Step 3: Answer the query about your trading experience and start the platform tour.

Step 4: Complete the detailed investor profile that asks for more detailed personal information and personal finance information like income and tax details in U.S residents.

Step 5: Verify your identity and country of residence by uploading a Driver’s license

Step 6: Allow them time to verify your identity and activate the account while you practice trading and familiarize yourself with the web wallet using the free Demo account

Step 7: You will receive a confirmation email notifying you that your account is now active and ready for use

Step 8: You will have 14 days to make your first deposit

How to add/ receive Crypto into NAGA Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Naga wallet and click on the “Add Funds” tab on the user dashboard’s top left corner.

Step 2: Choose your preferred deposit method from the list provided. You could choose to deposit funds using a credit/debit card, wire transfer, or transferring cryptocurrencies.

Step 3: If you choose crypto, select the coin that you would like to add to your New Naga wallet and hit the “Receive” button

Step 4: Copy the wallet address or QR code and forward it to the person sending you crypto and wait for the funds to reflect.

How to send crypto from NAGA Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your NAGA wallet and click on the ”Send To” icon.

Step 2: Select the destination of the funds. It could be an exchange or another wallet via wallet address or email.

Step 3: If you choose the send by email option, enter the receiving email address and the amount you want to send

Step 4: Select the mode of payment for the network fee and the message accompanying the transfer (optional)

Step 5: Confirm that these transfer details are correct and hit send.

NAGA Wallet ease of use:

Naga wallet embraces a simplistic design that is characterized by a clean and decongested user interface. When you create a user account, you will be given a free demo trading account that you can use to practice crypto investing and to familiarize yourself with the wallet’s most popular features.

NAGA Wallet supported currencies:

Currently, Naga wallet supports 15 popular cryptocurrencies and all ERC-20 tokens and is available in over 200 countries.

NAGA Wallet cost and fees:

Naga wallet is free to download. You also won’t be charged for opening an account here, depositing, and storing your cryptocurrencies therein. You will only be charged network fees when you send crypto from your wallet to another wallet or exchange. Plus, you stand to benefit from a 10% reduction in transaction fees when you choose to pay for the transfer using NAGA coins.

NAGA Wallet customer support:

Naga wallet maintains a highly responsive customer support team that is available online 24/7. You can contact them via email or the live chat tool on the company website, web app, and the wallet app.

What are the pros and cons of using the NAGA Wallet?

Pros:

  • It is highly innovative and allows traders to send crypto to email addresses.
  • It a multi-asset wallet that hosts numerous forex pairs, popular cryptocurrencies, and ERC 20 tokens.
  • The wallet embraces highly effective safety features, including decentralizing data storage.
  • Naga Markets LTD is authorized and regulated.
  • You get to interact with such revolutionary trading tools as social investing.

Cons:

  • It doesn’t support anonymous crypto trading.
  • It supports a limited number of cryptocurrencies.

Comparing NAGA Wallet with other Multi-Asset wallets

NAGA Wallet vs. eToro wallet

Naga and eToro multi-asset wallets were both started by online brokerage service providers. Other similarities include the fact they both support a limited number of cryptocurrencies, encourage social investing, store the private keys on behalf of their clients, and allow wallet users to purchase crypto with a card, bank wire, or eWallets. Both are also maintained by highly regulated online trading platforms.

Naga, however, goes a step further when they introduce and integrate the NAGA contactless card into the wallet. It also facilitates free crypto transfers within the network while discounting outbound transfers paid by Naga Coin. Plus, unlike eToro, it provides users with a backup for the 2FA key/code.

Verdict: Is NAGA Wallet safe?

Well, Naga Markets LTD has put in place several highly effective security and privacy measures around the Naga Wallet. And it all starts with the online brokerage-cum-crypto wallet demanding that all prospective wallet users verify their identity and complete the KYC and AML protocols. It then extends to storing private keys in decentralized data centers on behalf of their clients and activating two-factor verification for wallet logins. The only downside to using Naga Wallet is that it deprives you of control over your private keys.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 11 – Mempool Cleared! Bitcoin Fees Plummet

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day consolidating and preparing for the next move and setting up valid technical formations. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,377, representing an increase of 0.01% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.08% on the day, while XRP gained 1.14%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day consolidating and preparing for the next move and setting up valid technical formations. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,377, representing an increase of 0.01% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.08% on the day, while XRP gained 1.14%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day consolidating and preparing for the next move and setting up valid technical formations. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,377, representing an increase of 0.01% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.08% on the day, while XRP gained 1.14%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

Loopring gained 30.64% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. It is closely followed by UMA’s gain of 24.45% and yearn.finance’s 17.59% gain. On the other hand, Decentraland lost 13.96%, making it the most prominent daily loser. Decred lost 9.94% while HedgeTrade lost 8.76%, making them the 2nd and 3rd most prominent daily losers.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance has decreased slightly since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 63.9%. This value represents a 0.3% difference to the downside compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has gone up slightly over the course of the day. Its current value is $446.12 billion, representing a $4.38 billion increase compared to our previous report.

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What happened in the past 24 hours?

_______________________________________________________________________

Bitcoin’s transaction fees have plummeted as its mempool got cleared, reaching its smallest size since the middle of Oct. This means that hundreds, if not thousands of unconfirmed transactions, got included in the recent blocks, leaving the blockchain clear and unclogged. The mempool clearing has been attributed to a 42% increase in hash rate, which happened just a couple of days ago as Chinese miners completed their migration from the Sechuan region.

At the moment, the median transaction fee is 3 sat/byte, or roughly $0.11.

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Technical analysis

_______________________________________________________________________

Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has spent the day trading in a narrow range between $15,100 and $15,500, trying to pass the $15,480 level with confidence. However, as this did not happen, we are seeing a possible lower high forming. The flat RSI and volume dropping signal a “calm before the storm,” which means that traders should prepare for a sharp move soon.

Traders should wait for Bitcoin to choose its short-term direction and trade only if Bitcoin confidently goes above $15,480 or below $15,420 with significant volume.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals are bullish on all time-frames. However, its shorter time-frames are showing signs of neutrality, or even slight bearish presence, while its monthly overview is completely bullish.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is above its 50-period EMA and right at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (54.44)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $15,480                                 1: $15,420

2: $16,400                                 2: $14,640

3: $16,700                                  3: $14,100

Ethereum

Ethereum has, unlike Bitcoin, had a great day as its price propelled past the top line of the ascended channel. The price increase is mainly attributed to great news regarding its 2.0 update adoption, as its deposit contracts top 22.5 million only one week after launch.

However, while the price increase is certainly a great thing, Ethereum is currently entering a strong resistance zone (above $460), which may cause problems for the ETH bulls.

Traders should pay close attention to how (and if) Ethereum pulls back or continues upwards. If Bitcoin doesn’t make any moves, it’s safe to assume that Ethereum will pullback in the short future.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals show “extreme buy” daily, weekly, and monthly time-frames, while its 4-hour overview is slightly more neutral.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above both its 50-period and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its top Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (60.73)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $470                                     1: $451

2: $490                                     2: $445 

3: $500                                      3: $420

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has continued trading within a range, bound by $0.2454 to the downside and $0.26 to the upside. XRP has spent the day slowly increasing its price, but the one attempt it had of pushing past $0.26 got shut down quickly.

Traders are safe to assume that XRP will trade within the same range and that they can trade the sideways action. On the other hand, if the volume increases drastically, a move towards the upside is much more likely than one towards the downside (unless fueled by Bitcoin’s move).

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals on the 4-hour and weekly time-frame are slightly bullish with slight hints of neutrality, while its daily overview is bullish. On the other hand, its monthly overview is tilted towards the sell-side.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price above its 50-period EMA and slightly above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (52.36)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.26                                     1: $0.2454

2: $0.266                                   2: $0.235

3: $0.27                                    3: $0.227

 

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic Cryptocurrencies

What’s Troy Trade (TROY) All About?

With decentralized finance edging closer to the mainstream every day, all manner of DeFi products have been launched to cater to a fast-growing user base. You can now carry out your usual trades and a raft of other activities in a decentralized, secure, and borderless environment powered by the blockchain. 

With decentralized finance edging closer to the mainstream every day, all manner of DeFi products have been launched to cater to a fast-growing user base. You can now carry out your usual trades and a raft of other activities in a decentralized, secure, and borderless environment powered by the blockchain. 

With decentralized finance edging closer to the mainstream every day, all manner of DeFi products have been launched to cater to a fast-growing user base. You can now carry out your usual trades and a raft of other activities in a decentralized, secure, and borderless environment powered by the blockchain. 

Troy, launched in 2018, is one such platform. Troy claims to “redefine trading beyond exchange,” signaling to the many possibilities it avails to users. Troy incorporates modern technology like artificial intelligence to achieve safe and frictionless interactions with its products. The Troy platform currently runs on Ethereum but plans to switch to its mainnet in December 2020. 

This article is a deeper dive into the Troy ecosystem. 

Breaking Down Troy 

Troy is a full-stack, blockchain-powered environment for financial and brokerage services. Both individual and institutional traders can access a raft of services such as spot and margin trading, derivatives, lending, borrowing, and staking. Troy wants to achieve this main objective: provide users with decentralized, diversified, and affordable brokerage services for people of all regulatory backgrounds and financial habits.

Some of the project’s highlights include: 

  • Aggregated trading: Troy offers users direct access to the aggregated liquidity of multiple exchanges. Some of the functions on offer include dark pools, assignment services, and smart order routing. 
  • Data analytics: Troy helps customers make informed trading decisions by providing them with blockchain, trading, market, and media data. This data is optimized by artificial intelligence and quantitative models. 
  • Diversified brokerage services: Users can access a range of brokerage services from real-time fund transfer to settlement to OTC trading
  • Broad range asset management solutions: Troy users have access to a full-stack solution complete with straight-through processing, historical data, and a strategy assessment tool

Troy: Architecture

The Troy network is divided into smaller core subsystems, with each running independently of the other but all interoperable. Some of the core subsystems include, but are not limited to: user subsystem, market subsystem, trade subsystem, management subsystem, and gateway subsystem.

The trade subsystem is the most important of the subsystems, hosting the order transaction module,  scheduled scheduling module, etc. Users can create new trading accounts on the platform and immediately get to depositing, withdrawing, and sending and receiving crypto assets. They can also link existing trading accounts on various crypto exchanges to the Troy protocol through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). 

You can also authorize other users to trade using your account and generally manage your account using the risk management module. Troy’s trading interface also allows you to move seamlessly between accounts and carry out cross-exchange trades. 

The platform’s data monitoring interface allows you to keep tabs with real-time market movements and utilize the mainstream trading execution algorithm to make better trades. And lastly, the data analysis module allows you to access real-time data from the most popular exchanges, as well as spot and margin trading data. 

Community Growth Strategies of Troy

The Troy team will deploy several strategies to expand the project’s growth and recruit more members into its fold. The Troy community is made of these participants:

  • Crypto investors, which are the main user base of Troy
  • Stakers and relayers: Network participants who update and record orders on the blockchain
  • Exchanges: These are liquidity and custodial service providers
  • Ecological partners: These are projects both in the blockchain and traditional finance space which contribute to the Troy ecosystem one way  or another

Troy will engage with these community groups in the following ways: 

  • Partner with programs such as the Global Financial Partnership Program to help expand global reach
  • Expand user base through programs like the Troy Token Challenge and the Troy Hercules Ambassador Program
  • Offer users incentives like mining rewards, staking rewards, etc. to attract more users

Future strategies include the following: 

  • Partner with product-oriented platforms such as quantity providers, wallets, and exchanges 
  • Open access for more Fiat channels such as JPY, EUR, USD, etc

The Troy Token

The native token of the Troy network is stylized as TROY. The token has these use cases: 

  • As a means of access to various Troy services 
  • As a deflationary mechanism: the Troy token will be occasionally burnt to rebalance supply and demand
  • As gas fees for interacting with the protocol
  • As fees for various functions, like trading and settlement
  • As an incentive mechanism for brokers for their contribution in maintaining the platform
  • As an incentive mechanism for relayer nodes to update, broadcast and  synchronize orders in a timely and accurate manner
  • As a staking mechanism for brokers to maintain global networks

Token Distribution

The Troy token was distributed in this fashion: 

  • Private sale tokens: 12%
  • Binance launchpad sale tokens: 8%
  • Team and advisors’ tokens: 10%
  • Ecosystem tokens: 10%
  • Mining rewards tokens: 60%

As of 27th October 2020, the TROY token traded at $0.002708, with a market cap of $24,854,424 that placed it at #293. The token had a 24-hour volume of $828,108, with a circulating and total supply of $9, 176,552, and 10 billion, respectively. TROY’s highest-ever price was $0.010834 (Dec 06, 2019), while its lowest-ever was $0.001330 (Mar 16, 2020). 

Where to Buy and Store TROY

TROY token is listed as a market pair of BNB, USDT, BNB, and KRW on exchanges such as Bilaxy, Binance, Binance DEX, XTheta Global, Bitribe, and HBTC. 

Troy is an ERC-20 token, meaning you can store it in any Ethereum-compatible wallet. Great choices include MyEtherWallet, MetaMask,  Ledger, Parity, Guarda, Atomic Wallet, Coinomi, and Trust Wallet.

Categories
Crypto Guides

Brief Introduction To Flexa And SPEDN Crypto Payment Apps

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Cryptocurrencies are becoming bigger and bigger with each passing year. While they were an unknown topic a decade back, they have now become a prominent income source for many. But have you imagined if these cryptocurrencies overtake the physical currencies entirely? Well, Flexa has made this possible by bringing in the use of crypto payments in the retail world.

This means the cryptocurrency usage won’t be limited to investment purposes, and retailers will benefit from it. Flex has now begun its work with a mobile application named SPEDN. There is nothing to worry about if you haven’t heard about Flex and SPEDN before because we will provide you with all the necessary details on these two.

What Are Flexa And SPEDN?

As stated above, Flexa is a mobile payment startup that has been working to develop a unique cryptocurrency payment network for retailers. Its primary motive includes the following factors:

  • Reduce frauds
  • Eliminate processing costs
  • Build better relationships between buyers and sellers
  • Preserve privacy

Flexa offers one of its kind platform for payments that is entirely decentralized, making commerce more efficient and accessible. In straightforward terms, it can be stated that Flexa works to cut out the unnecessary hassle that is often incorporated into the payment processes of retailers. Thus, reducing the overall complexity and costs of conventional payment systems.

The startup is doing so with its first app called SPEDN. The application will be available for both Android and iOS platforms. It will serve as a digital wallet that uses cryptocurrency as the payment method. So you can use it for direct payments in retail stores.

Which Cryptocurrencies Are Supported By SPEDN?

The very first factor people notice in a digital wallet is the type of currencies supported by it. And it is the same for SPEDN. It is vital to know whether this platform provides you with the flexibility to use your preferred cryptocurrency for the purpose.

Currently, it supports the following cryptocurrencies:

  • Bitcoin
  • Bitcoin Cash
  • Ethereum
  • Gemini

However, Flexa has assured the users that they will soon be able to use a variety of coins on SPEDN as they are working towards the development.

How To Use The SPEDN App?

Using the SPEDN application is as simple as using any other digital wallet. You just have to follow four simple steps:

  • Deposit Money: You first need to have enough cryptocurrency in the app to function further. For this, you can choose the amount that has to be deposited, and SPEDN will provide you with a deposit address.
  • Shop: Once you have enough cryptocurrency in the wallet, you can shop for whatever you want from any specific retail store.
  • Get Barcode: You will then have to select the store name from the app, and you will receive a unique barcode.
  • Scan: The shop’s cashier will then scan the code, and the payment will get debited automatically.

Currently, it may be challenging for you to spot retail stores that accept cryptocurrency payments. But once this platform becomes popular and people become aware of its benefits, you will be able to use it like any other digital wallet.

Conclusion

Flexa is working to change the entire retail shopping experience for you. Plus, they are making the transactions more beneficial for the shopkeepers. SPEDN is its first app to fulfill the initiative. However, this is just the beginning, and people expect Flexa to bring up more ideas to make the platform even more convenient.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

Omni Wallet review 2020: How Safe is Omni Wallet?

On the web wallet website, this crypto storage vault is described as a web wallet dedicated to bridging the gap between “security, usability, and multi-currency support.” It is an open-source web wallet developed by OmniLayer Technology Company in 2013.  Originally referred to as Mastercoin, the Bitcoin-based protocol rebranded to Omni in 2016. Since then, Omniwallet’s development team has committed to the continued improvement of this multi-currency wallet’s features and functionalities that the team considers a work in progress.

On the web wallet website, this crypto storage vault is described as a web wallet dedicated to bridging the gap between “security, usability, and multi-currency support.” It is an open-source web wallet developed by OmniLayer Technology Company in 2013.  Originally referred to as Mastercoin, the Bitcoin-based protocol rebranded to Omni in 2016. Since then, Omniwallet’s development team has committed to the continued improvement of this multi-currency wallet’s features and functionalities that the team considers a work in progress.

On the web wallet website, this crypto storage vault is described as a web wallet dedicated to bridging the gap between “security, usability, and multi-currency support.” It is an open-source web wallet developed by OmniLayer Technology Company in 2013.  Originally referred to as Mastercoin, the Bitcoin-based protocol rebranded to Omni in 2016. Since then, Omniwallet’s development team has committed to the continued improvement of this multi-currency wallet’s features and functionalities that the team considers a work in progress.

On the Omniwallet website, this crypto vault is described as a protocol layer that is built on the Bitcoin blockchain. It is a custodial wallet that stores digital assets in highly secure company servers but also allows you to create personalized servers to host your private keys.

In this Omniwallet review, we want to determine if the wallet lives up to its security and usability promise. And to achieve this, we will detail its key features, the safety measures it has put in place, provide you with a step by step guide on how to use Omninwallet, and tell you everything you need to know about this hot wallet.

Omni Wallet key features:

Multicurrency support: Though it is built on the Bitcoin blockchain, Omniwallet is considered a multicurrency wallet that supports both Bitcoin and Omnilayer native tokens.

Built-in exchange: OmniLayer runs a decentralized crypto exchange that it has integrated on the Omniwlalet. It is fast in processing crypto transactions, maintains competitive transaction fees, and introduces wallet users to a wide range of cryptocurrencies, tokens, and stable coins.

Web-based: Omniwallet is purely web-based and compatible with virtually all popular browsers. Therefore, you don’t have to download or install crypto apps to access the wallet or interact with its services.

Own hosting: Omniwallet stores all the data, especially the private keys, in the highly secure OmniLayer servers. You nevertheless are free to create personalized servers like Amazon AWS that you can then use to host your private keys.

Omni Wallet security features:

Password: Like virtually all other cryptocurrency vaults, Omniwallet is secured with a wallet that you set when creating a user account. You will need it, alongside the wallet ID, to access the Omnilayer servers and interact with your private keys.

Open-sourced: According to Omniwlalet, everything about their wallet “is open source from the ground up.” Anyone can, therefore, view and critique their source code that is currently accessible on both the company website and GitHub repository.

Multifactor authentication: You can add a second and even a third layer of protection around your wallet using compatible platforms like Google Authenticator or email address to receive special codes that you can use to log in to the wallet.

Integrates Bitcoin armory: Bitcoin Armory is a specialized online Bitcoin wallet that stores your private keys in offline cold storage. Bitcoin armory also allows you to transact offline and only come online to broadcast the transaction.

Client-side encryption: The fact that Omniwlalet stores private keys on your behalf implies a lot of communication between the wallet and company servers. Client-side encryption here implies that communications between your Omni wallet and Omnilayer servers, as well as third-party systems, are encrypted before they leave your browser.

Hierarchically deterministic: By ensuring that the process of generating new wallet addresses is hierarchically deterministic, Omniwallet helps you mask your online crypto transactions by hiding your real wallet address, effectively throwing off crypto trackers.

Watch-only mode: When logging into your Omniwallet from an unsecured browser or compromised internet connections, you can opt to log in to its watch-only mode. This allows you to view crypto balances and crypto history but makes it impossible to view the private keys, alter the wallet settings, or transfer cryptos out.

How to activate/ setup the Omni Wallet

Step 1: Open the Omniwlalet.org website and click on the “Create Wallet” tab

Step 2: Create a unique password for the wallet and enter a valid email address

Step 3: You will receive your unique wallet ID in your email. You will need it together with the password to log in to your user account.

Step 4: Log in to the Omniwallet. Click on the three bars on the top left corner of the user dashboard, and under wallet options, select Backup to generate the backup for your wallet.

Step 5: You will be prompted to enter the wallet password for verification, after which you can download the wallet backup. Copy it to a USB stick or PC and store it safely offline.

Step 6: Your Omniwallet is now active and ready for use

How to add/ receive Crypto into Omni Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Omniwallet and click on the My Wallet tab.

Step 2: Use the My Address tab to see all the wallets hosted on the wallet.

Step 3:  Select the coin you want to receive to reveal the wallet address and QR code

Step 4: Copy either and forward them to the individuals sending you cryptocurrencies.

How to send crypto from Omni Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Omniwallet and click on the My Wallet tab.

Step 2: Use the My Address tab to see all the cryptocurrencies hosted on the wallet

Step 3: Click on the “Send” button at the far right of the user dashboard.

Step 4: On the “Send from” section, select the wallet address from whence to send the cryptos, then enter the recipient’s wallet address and the amount to send

Step 5: Confirm that the transaction details are correct and hit send.

Omni Wallet ease of use:

The process of creating a user account on Omniwallet is easy and straightforward. The wallet also maintains one of the cleanest, intuitive, and beginner-friendly user interfaces. The fact that it is a web wallet also means that it is easily accessible from virtually any browser and on the move.

The process of sending and receiving cryptocurrencies in and out of the wallet or backing up its contents is also easy and straightforward.

Omni Wallet supported currencies:

Omniwlalet will only support three cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Omni token, and Test Omni Token.

Omni Wallet cost and fees:

Omniwallet is free. However, you will be required to pay a small and highly variable transaction fee every time you send cryptos out to another wallet or exchange.

Omni Wallet customer support:

On the Omniwallet website is the FAQ section that hosts how-to guides for the wallet. It also highlights some of the common challenges faced by Omniwallet users and how to overcome them.

You will also find the ‘Contact Us’ page that provides users with the support email and hosts the wallet’s knowledge base. For technical queries, consider direct messaging Omniwallet’s customer support team on Facebook or Twitter.

What are the pros and cons of using the Omni Wallet?

Pros:

  • It is ultralight and doesn’t require you to download a node or app.
  • It is highly transparent as it embraces an open-sourced design.
  • It embraces such advanced crypto security features as client-side encryption and Bitcoin Armory.

Cons:

  • It stores private keys on your behalf.
  • It will only support a limited number of crypto.

Comparing Omni Wallet with other Custodial crypto wallets

Omni Wallet vs. eToro wallet

Omni and EeToro are similar because they both are custodial wallets, storing private keys and other sensitive data on your behalf. They have also integrated similar functional and security features, such as a decentralized exchange. They are also free and maintain very competitive transaction fees.

However, while Omniwallet is a Bitcoin-only crypto storage vault, eToro is more versatile and supports 100+ cryptos and tokens. Similarly, Omniwlallet’s customer support team may be considered a little lackluster and sluggish than the highly responsive team maintained by eToro.

Verdict: Is Omni Wallet safe?

The most significant blow to Omniwlalet’s claim of maintaining one of the most secure crypto wallets is that it is a web-wallet exposed to the inherent threats facing hot wallets. It has tried to address this challenge by introducing client-side encryption, self-hosted servers, and even the ultra-secure Bitcoin Armory.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 10 – Bitcoin Miners Migrated: BTC Hash Rate Up 42%

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day mostly consolidating and preparing for the next move and setting up technical formations. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,288, representing a decrease of 1.14% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 1.70% on the day, while XRP lost 0.8%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day mostly consolidating and preparing for the next move and setting up technical formations. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,288, representing a decrease of 1.14% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 1.70% on the day, while XRP lost 0.8%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the day mostly consolidating and preparing for the next move and setting up technical formations. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,288, representing a decrease of 1.14% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 1.70% on the day, while XRP lost 0.8%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

Civic gained an astonishing 101.35% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. It is closely followed by Golem’s gain of 29.25% and Decentraland’s 22.26% gain. On the other hand, Loopring lost 9.76%, making it the most prominent daily loser. Synthetix lost 7.39% while Energy Web Token lost 7.35%, making them the 2nd and 3rd most prominent daily losers.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance has decreased slightly since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 64.2%. This value represents a 0.1% difference to the downside compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has gone down slightly over the course of the day. Its current value is $441.50 billion, representing a $4.29 billion decrease compared to our previous report.

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What happened in the past 24 hours?

_______________________________________________________________________

The past 24 hours were characterized by a slow price movement of the crypto sector. However, a lot of important news reached the public’s eye. Bitcoin Miners finished up on Sichuan’s migration, triggering a hash rate spike of 42% in the past 2 days. Ethereum has been performing great, and news of its 2.0 version is all over the place, with the most recent one being that the number of addresses surpassing 32 ETH (the amount required to be a validator) is at an all-time high. On the other hand, Bitcoin SV brought bad news to the sector, as its multi-sig feature got compromised, causing enormous losses for its users.

_______________________________________________________________________

Technical analysis

_______________________________________________________________________

Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization is trading in a very uncertain zone at the moment. Its price has most likely created a double top formation, indicating a possible pullback in the short-term. This prediction is even more convincing as we can see that Bitcoin can’t get past the $15,480 resistance after trying for over 12 hours. However, the overall sentiment around the cryptocurrency is extremely bullish, and its downside is protected by the ascending (yellow) line.

With that being said, traders should wait for Bitcoin to choose its direction and trade only if Bitcoin spikes above $15,480 or below $15,420 with significant volume.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals are bullish on all time-frames. The only difference compared to yesterday was that every single time-frame is completely bullish and with almost no neutrality present (as opposed to yesterday, when neutral sentiment could be seen on some overviews).

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is above its 50-period EMA and right at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (53.60)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $16,400                                 1: $15,480

2: $16,665                                 2: $14,640

3: $17,260                                  3: $14,100

Ethereum

Ethereum has been playing around the upper line of the ascending channel (yellow dotted line) and constantly going above and under it. At the moment, its price is under the line, and any attempts of getting past it have been extinguished quickly. This most likely means that Ethereum failed to establish itself above the $451 level, which could trigger a correction towards the 50-period moving average, and ultimately the bottom channel line.

Traders should pay close attention to volume, as they will not have a lot of time to join in on the trade towards the downside. Placing a stop-loss right above the ascending channel top line should be a “safe bet.”

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals are tilted heavily towards the buy-side on its 4-hour and monthly overview, while the neutral sentiment is heavily present on its daily and weekly charts.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above its 50-period and slightly above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (55.58)
  • Volume is slightly elevated
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $451                                     1: $445

2: $470                                     2: $420 

3: $490                                      3: $415

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap continued its consolidation phase right above the $0.2454 level, which is considered a major pivot point in XRP’s trading in the recent past. XRP created a double bottom at this level, possibly indicating a push towards the $0.26 in the short term.

Traders should still be safe to assume that XRP will trade within the range and that they can trade the sideways action. However, if the volume increases drastically, a move towards the upside is much more likely (if not fueled by Bitcoin’s move).

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals on the 4-hour, daily, and weekly time-frame are all tilted towards the buy-side. However, neutral sentiment can be seen in all of them. On the other hand, its monthly overview also has the same neutrality amount but is tilted towards the sell-side.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price slightly above its 50-period EMA and at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly below its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (49.69)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.26                                     1: $0.2454

2: $0.266                                   2: $0.235

3: $0.27                                    3: $0.227

 

Categories
Crypto Videos

Microstrategy Will Hold $250 Million Worth Of Bitcoin For 100 Years!

https://youtu.be/upjPzFUWBCM

https://youtu.be/upjPzFUWBCM

 

This company will hold $250 million worth of Bitcoin for 100 years!

Microstrategy has announced that it has purchased a whopping 21,454 Bitcoin (worth $250 million) on Aug 11. The company’s CEO, Michael Saylor, announced publically that he will hold his company’s Bitcoin for 100 years, and that he has no intention of selling it.
This investment is now worth more than $290 million, representing a 16% increase in just over two months. On top of that, Microstrategy has purchased even more Bitcoin since.
In an interview with Real Vision CEO Raoul Pal, Saylor stated that the investment was not speculation, nor a hedge, but rather a deliberate corporate strategy with the goal of adopting the Bitcoin standard. The decision to invest over $250 million was discussed between its board of directors and the firm’s investors, as well as auditors.

Microstrategy decided to restructure its investment strategy in response to recent global economic uncertainty. The company is looking to explore assets better-suited to providing a long-term store of value, and they stated that Bitcoin is one of them.
After considering a variety of options and looking at it from a 100-year investment perspective, Saylor decided that Bitcoin was the only option. Taxes and fees kill almost all other assets, he concluded, and those that remain are instead severely crippled because they are controlled by either a CEO, government, or country.

Bitcoin, however, is evolving and gets harder, stronger, and faster over time, Saylor concluded. He described Bitcoin as a “hive of cybernetic hornets that are protected by a wall of encrypted energy.”
When asked about Ethereum as an alternative to Bitcoin, Saylor told Pal that it didn’t compare, as Ethereum is “still chasing after functionality.” He added that “it still has to be proven, as there are centralized competitors to it.”
Saylor’s bullishness on Bitcoin is clear, especially when he said that the fact that Bitcoin is so big when compared to all other cryptocurrencies, literally, “the market is screaming to you that this is a winner and that it’s eating the world.”

Saylor asserted that Bitcoin is the world’s best collateral and that it doesn’t even compare to gold or any other commodities in the long run. He said that if you hold $100 million in fiat currency for 100 years, you will lose 99% of it. If you held gold, you would still lose 85% at best.
Saylor described Bitcoin as an asset that is performing similar monetary utilities as gold, except better and without the fear of dilution.
Among many things he likes about Bitcoin, Saylor said that he thinks it’s important that anybody can inspect the fact that he owns the Bitcoin in one second and that it can be sent anywhere in the world for not even $5. He added that he could if he wanted, liquidate $100 million Bitcoin on “a Saturday afternoon.”

His thoughts about the crypto community were that many people believe he has weak hands, as they were saying that he will dump it very soon. However, Saylor added that the people calling him out don’t understand the mindset of long.
Saylor finished the two-hour-long interview by stating that his executives are paying close attention to developers in the crypto space and that any further opportunities will be exploited by him and his team.

Categories
Crypto Videos

The UK Bans Retail Investors From Using Crypto Derivatives!

https://youtu.be/uM5UC93NUsI

https://youtu.be/uM5UC93NUsI

The UK Bans Retail Investors From Using Crypto Derivatives Starting January 2021

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has banned the sale of cryptocurrency derivative products to retail investors. This move was followed by the statement that the ban will save its targeted customers £53 million (or $68.9 million) of losses each year. The ban will be in effect starting Jan 6, 2021.
In a statement that came out on October 6, the FCA declared that the sale, marketing, as well as distribution of any derivatives by any local or foreign company operating in the UK is banned. This includes contracts for difference, futures, options, and exchange-traded notes.
The Authority said that derivatives based on digital assets such as Bitcoin or Ethereum are “ill-suited for retail consumers due to the risk they pose.” The FCA outlined numerous risks that it considers are originating from trading such products, including a lack of “reliable basis for valuation,” possible market manipulation, as well as “extreme” price volatility.

It stated that retail clients generally lacked a “legitimate investment need to invest in these products,” as well as that the average retail investor did not fully understand derivatives trading. The ban was first proposed in July 2019, and it doesn’t affect the trading of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which are not FCA regulated, but only the derivatives of such assets.
Retail investors currently holding crypto derivatives will be allowed to keep them for as long as they want. Sheldon Mills, FCA’s interim executive director of strategy and competition, said that the significant price volatility, combined with the difficulties of valuing crypto assets reliably place retail consumers at a high risk of suffering major losses from trading crypto derivatives.

Shares of companies that offer the banned derivatives plummeted in London trading on Tuesday, Oct 20. CMC Markets dropped 2.8%, Plus500 fell 2.1%, while IG Group Holdings slid as much as 3.3%. An executive at Coinshares, a UK-based exchange that offers a variety of crypto derivatives, criticized the FCA’s decision. They also stated that the ban “will not result in more savings and benefits, but it will rather simply drive UK retail investors to unregulated crypto exchanges.”

The FCA ban can be seen as further evidence of the UK turning its back on innovation and on regulatory coordination with other jurisdictions,” said the aforementioned executive.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

Muun Wallet Review:  How Safe Is Muun Bitcoin And Lightning Wallet?

Muun is a bitcoin and Lightning wallet that strives to presents its users with a balance between usability and security. It integrates highly intuitive usability features with advanced security features to achieve this. The wallet was developed and maintained by a team of 15 highly experienced blockchain technology and crypto security experts based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some of their strengths include maintaining the most responsive customer support team and their commitment to transparency.

Muun is a bitcoin and Lightning wallet that strives to presents its users with a balance between usability and security. It integrates highly intuitive usability features with advanced security features to achieve this. The wallet was developed and maintained by a team of 15 highly experienced blockchain technology and crypto security experts based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some of their strengths include maintaining the most responsive customer support team and their commitment to transparency.

Muun is a bitcoin and Lightning wallet that strives to presents its users with a balance between usability and security. It integrates highly intuitive usability features with advanced security features to achieve this. The wallet was developed and maintained by a team of 15 highly experienced blockchain technology and crypto security experts based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some of their strengths include maintaining the most responsive customer support team and their commitment to transparency.

According to the wallet’s development team, the Muun project started in 2013 as a ”commitment to building the most secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet” in the world. Seven years on, and though Muun is still a work in progress, the team has made significant strides towards accomplishing this goal.

In this review, we will be vetting this progress by looking at the quality of the integrated features and determining if Muun is indeed the safest and easiest to use Bitcoin and lightning wallet.

Munn Wallet key features:

Mobile wallet: Muun wallet launched as a crypto app for both android and iOS devices. And even though the same team developed both iOS and Android Muun wallets, we couldn’t help but notice a difference in the number of integrated features.

Transaction tracking: Muun wallet’s user dashboard features the transactions history tab that outlines all your recent crypto inflows and outflows. This, plus the balance tab, play a crucial role in helping you track your expenditure and portfolio.

Address book: Muun wallet also features an address book that integrates your phone’s contact list, effectively making it possible for you to send Bitcoins to another mobile number while avoiding pastejacking. The feature is, however, native to the android app.

Off-chain payments: The wallet is compatible with the lightning network and makes it possible for users to make instant payments and pay off-chain invoices with zero-channel configuration by leveraging submarine swaps. The wallet is, however, yet to allow users to create lightning invoices.

Segwit enabled: Muun integrates the Segwit bitcoin wallet technology that makes it possible for users to send Bitcoins to Bench32 addresses and saves them on the transaction costs.

Munn Wallet security features:

Password + Biometrics: Munn wallet requires that you set a highly unique password for your wallet when creating a user account. Plus, you can always boost the wallet’s safety by integrating Face and Fingerprint I.Ds on compatible devices.

Two-factor authentication: One of the personal details Muun wallets asks for when creating a user account is the email address. You can use it to activate two-factor authentication or simply integrate the Google authenticator app.

Backup and recovery: Unlike most other Bitcoin or lightning apps that provide you with a recovery seed for the wallet, Muun backs up the wallet to your email with a special recovery password. You will need these two to restore lost private keys or login to your Muun wallet on a different phone.

Multi-signature: Muun wallet is a multi-signature Bitcoin and lightning wallet that requires two signatories for transaction confirmation. One is created by your phone while the other is provided by Muun. Both are highly encrypted and stored within your device to ensure that you never get locked out of your wallet, even if the Muun servers were compromised.

Open sourced: Muun Bitcoin wallet is designed using a fully open-sourced technology. Anyone can view and audit their source code by clicking on the “Audit Us” icon on the top right corner of the Muun wallet website that directs you to Muun’s repository on GitHub.

Non-custodial: Muun Bitcoin and Lightning wallet won’t store private keys on your behalf. Rather, all the wallet data, especially the private keys and passwords, are highly encrypted and stored on your phone.

Hierarchically deterministic: Every time you initiate a crypto transaction, Muun Wallet will open a new hierarchically deterministic wallet address. This masks your real wallet address and makes it possible for crypto trackers to monitor your crypto activity.

Secure enclave: When using a Muun wallet, your private keys will always be stored in a secure enclave. You will need to enter the wallet password or use the Fingerprint to view this key.

How to activate/setup the Munn Wallet

Step 1: Start by downloading the Muun Wallet app on Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Step 2: Install and launch the app. Muun wallet will now ask to create and confirm the PIN code for the wallet.

Step 3: A new window will pop up, displaying a congratulatory message informing you that your Muun wallet has been successfully created.

Step 4: You will now want to backup your wallet. Provide the Muun Wallet app with a valid email address and follow the link sent to the mail to verify it.

Step 5: Proceed to create a strong and unique backup password.

Step 6: On the next page, read and agree to Muun wallet’s terms of use and the privacy policy

Step 7: Your wallet is now active and ready to use

How to add/receive Crypto into Muun Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Muun wallet and click the “Receive” tab on the user dashboard.

Step 2: Decide if you want to load funds to the Bench32 Native Segwit or legacy wallet.

Step 3: Copy the wallets address or its QR code and send either to the party sending you Bitcoins

Step 4: Wait for the funds to reflect in your Muun wallet.

How to send crypto from Munn Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to the Muun wallet and on the user dashboard, click the “Send” icon

Step 2: Decide if you want to pay a lightning wallet through the Segwit wallet or transfer funds from the legacy wallet.

Step 3: On the transfer window, enter the recipient’s wallet address, the amount you want to transfer, and select the transaction fee

Step 4: Alternatively, use the drop-down menu on the “send to” section to choose the recipient’s phone number from your phone’s contact list

Step 5: Check the transaction details and confirm that they are correct before hitting send

Munn Wallet ease of use:

Muun wallet has one of the straightforward app activation and account creation process. You also don’t need an expert to teach you how to interact with some of the wallet’s key features. We especially appreciate the integration of an address book and ability to send Bitcoins to a phone number. Similarly, we like the fact that one can pay Lightning wallet invoices using onchainBTC through the Submarine swap transaction technology.

Munn Wallet supported currencies:

Muun is a Bitcoin-only wallet. You are, however, able to send and receive different Bitcoin denominations, including Millbitcoins, Microbitcoins, and Satoshis.

Munn Wallet cost and fees:

Muun wallet is free to download and install. You will nevertheless pay the highly variable transaction fee every time you send cryptos out. The fee is also dynamic and allows you to decide how much you want to pay for a transaction depending on urgency. In such a case, priority transactions attract higher pay and have faster confirmation speeds than regular transactions.

Muun Wallet customer support:

Muun wallet has one of the most responsive customer support team. Write them an email or direct message them on Twitter or better still, address your concerns on the comment section of their wallet’s page on google play store.

What are the pros and cons of using the Muun Wallet?

Pros:

  • Customer queries are addressed fast and satisfactorily.
  • It hosts both Segwit and legacy wallet addresses with automated payment conversion.
  • Transaction processing fees on Muun wallets are incredibly low and dynamic.
  • It embraces highly effective security features like biometric support and multi-signature functionality.

Cons:

  • It is a hot wallet and, therefore, exposed to the inherent threats facing hot wallets.
  • It will only support Bitcoin cryptocurrencies.

Comparing Munn Wallet with other Bitcoin-only wallets

Munn Wallet vs. Mycelium wallet

Muun and Mycelium are both Bitcoin-only wallets. Other similarities between the cryptocurrency wallet apps include the fact that they both have host Legacy and Sewit addresses. They are highly transparent as they have open-sourced their code. And they are non-custodial.

However, they differ significantly when it comes to wallet backup and recovery strategy whereby, Muun Wallet uses an email address and password while Mycelium provides users with a recovery seed. Muun Wallet, nevertheless, carries the day when it comes to responsiveness to customer queries and transparency on the features supported by the different phone operating systems.

Verdict: Is Munn Wallet safe and easy to use?

Yes, Muun wallet has a very intuitive and beginner-friendly user interface. Most app users have reported having an easy time interacting with the wallet’s key features, especially when sending funds to the native bench32 Segwit address. However, while the wallet developers have integrated some highly advanced security features around, two flaws about the wallet stand out; its insistence on backing up the Muun wallet with an email and password and the fact that it is online based and, therefore, exposed to such online threats as phishing and malware.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 9 – Bitcoin at $15,500; What Will Biden’s Win Bring to the Crypto Sector?

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the weekend trying to recover and regain previous highs after most cryptocurrencies briefly dropped in price due to the election uncertainty. The most recent spike was triggered by the end of the US presidential elections, which caused mass uncertainty in the markets, as well as by now-President Biden hiring pro-crypto Gary Gensler as a member of his team. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,433, representing an increase of 2.73% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.94% on the day, while XRP gained 0.34%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the weekend trying to recover and regain previous highs after most cryptocurrencies briefly dropped in price due to the election uncertainty. The most recent spike was triggered by the end of the US presidential elections, which caused mass uncertainty in the markets, as well as by now-President Biden hiring pro-crypto Gary Gensler as a member of his team. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,433, representing an increase of 2.73% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.94% on the day, while XRP gained 0.34%.

The cryptocurrency sector has spent the weekend trying to recover and regain previous highs after most cryptocurrencies briefly dropped in price due to the election uncertainty. The most recent spike was triggered by the end of the US presidential elections, which caused mass uncertainty in the markets, as well as by now-President Biden hiring pro-crypto Gary Gensler as a member of his team. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15,433, representing an increase of 2.73% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.94% on the day, while XRP gained 0.34%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

Aave gained 20.05% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. It is closely followed by THORChain’s gain of 17.75% and NEAR Protocol’s 17.57% gain. On the other hand, Celo lost 7.03%, making it the most prominent daily loser. The rest of the cryptocurrencies barely suffered any losses in the past 24 hours.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance has decreased slightly since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 64.3%. This value represents a 1% difference to the downside compared to the value it had on Friday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has gone up slightly over the weekend. Its current value is $446.21 billion, representing a $4.85 billion increase compared to our previous report.

_______________________________________________________________________

What happened in the past 24 hours?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Technical analysis

_______________________________________________________________________

Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has entered a state of uncertainty due to how close the US presidential election process was, and even had a brief drop due to less crypto-friendly Joe Biden winning. However, a new announcement regarding Biden hiring crypto-friendly advisors, as well as general stabilization of the political sphere, has triggered a spike in both stocks and Bitcoin.

Bitcoin has, after a brief drop below the yellow ascending line, come back above it, but only slightly as the move to the upside was stopped by the $15,420-$15,480 level.

Traders should wait for Bitcoin to “decide” whether it will go above $15,480 or below $15,420 and trade off of that.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals are bullish on all time-frames, with smaller time-frames showing a bit of neutrality and longer time-frames being completely bullish.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is above both its 50-period EMA and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (60.66)
  • Volume is slightly elevated
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $15,480                                 1: $14,640

2: $16,665                                 2: $14,100

3: $17,260                                  3: $13,900

Ethereum

Ethereum has had an amazing weekend, with its price skyrocketing past the top line of the ascending channel. While most analysts thought that the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap couldn’t get back above this line after the Nov 7 drop, Ethereum has proven them wrong and went above $450.

However, the immediate area above $450 is a zone of strong resistance, and Ethereum traders have to watch out how they enter trades here. The safest pick when it comes to trading Ethereum right now would be “riding the wave” towards the upside when ETH decides to spike.


ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals are almost completely neutral on the 4-hour and daily time-frames, while its longer time-frames are heavily tilted towards the buy-side.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above both its 50-period and its 21-period EMA
  • Price slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (62.07)
  • Volume is elevated
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $451                                     1: $445

2: $470                                     2: $420 

3: $490                                      3: $415

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap had ended its ascension on Nov 7, when most cryptocurrencies dropped heavily in price. However, while most cryptos managed to get back near its previous highs, XRP failed to do so. It is currently trading in a wide range between $0.2454 and $0.26, after stopping its upward move at the ~$0.256 level.

Traders can consider trading XRP’s sideways movement as the volume is now reduced, and the possibility of a strong move is low. However, if such a move does happen, it could be easily predicted due to XRP’s current position.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals on the 4-hour, daily, and weekly slightly bullish, with some hints of neutrality. Its monthly overview, however, is still tilted towards the sell-side.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price slightly above its 50-period EMA and at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly below its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (53.59)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.26                                     1: $0.2454

2: $0.266                                   2: $0.235

3: $0.27                                    3: $0.227

 

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

Counter Wallet Review 2020: Is It Safe? Is It Easy To Use? Here Is What We Found Out

CounterWallet is the official crypto wallet for Counterparty – a peer-to-peer financial services provider launched in January 2014. It is highly innovative and seeks to revolutionize how we store and interact with crypto wallets and private keys by providing an alternative to standard backup or recovery options. It is built on the bitcoin blockchain and is one of the few crypto wallets, and protocols by extension, that provides users with the tools required to create Bitcoin network tokens.

CounterWallet is the official crypto wallet for Counterparty – a peer-to-peer financial services provider launched in January 2014. It is highly innovative and seeks to revolutionize how we store and interact with crypto wallets and private keys by providing an alternative to standard backup or recovery options. It is built on the bitcoin blockchain and is one of the few crypto wallets, and protocols by extension, that provides users with the tools required to create Bitcoin network tokens.

CounterWallet is the official crypto wallet for Counterparty – a peer-to-peer financial services provider launched in January 2014. It is highly innovative and seeks to revolutionize how we store and interact with crypto wallets and private keys by providing an alternative to standard backup or recovery options. It is built on the bitcoin blockchain and is one of the few crypto wallets, and protocols by extension, that provides users with the tools required to create Bitcoin network tokens.

In this Counterparty wallet review, we will be expounding on these features. We will also vet the safety measures put in place by Counter wallet and tell you everything else you need to know about the Bitcoin focused crypto-storage vault.

Counter Wallet key features:

Light node: Unlike most crypto wallets that require you to download apps or desktop clients to store private keys, Counterwallet is a light wallet. It is web-based and accessible via any browser. You are, however, free to create personalized servers for hosting your Counterwallet.

Built-in exchange: Counterwallet integrates a crypto exchange within its platform that allows for the purchase, sale, and exchange of bitcoins and tokens. Unlike most other wallets with proprietary exchanges, however, Counterwallet integrates ShapeShift – a third-party fiat-to-crypto exchange.

Buy crypto with fiat: Counterwallet users can leverage Shapeshift to buy cryptocurrencies and tokens using fiat currencies via card or bank transfers. And though it isn’t as liquid as most proprietary crypto exchanges like Binance, it is highly convenient.

Custom build tokens: Counterwallet is one of the few Bitcoin-focused crypto vaults that provide you with the necessary app builder tools to build tokens for the bitcoin network.

Counter Wallet security features:

Passphrase: The Counterwallet passphrase is the single most important security feature for your wallet. It does not store your private keys in any device. Rather it calculates them every time you log in to your wallet. Anyone who has the password can, therefore, access and interact with the private keys.

Open sourced: Counterparty has open-sourced the technology used to create the Counterwallet. Crypto security experts can view and audit this code for vulnerabilities, while wallet users can use it to create personalized servers for holding their private keys.

Hierarchically deterministic: Counterparty is hierarchically deterministic. It automatically generates a new wallet address for every crypto transaction. This masks your real wallet address and makes it hard for crypto trackers to monitor your crypto activity.

Multi-signature: You can create a multi-signature Counterwallet that requires signatures from several Bitcoin private keys to spend the wallet’s funds. This increased safety feature comes in handy when setting a multiuser and institutional wallets.

Client-side encryption: The wallet data and all communications with Counterparty foundation servers or other third party systems are highly encrypted. Client-side encryption implies that information is encrypted before it leaves your wallet.

Anonymous user registration: Counterwallet encourages anonymous user registration and bitcoin trading. It does not ask for your personal information when creating a user account.

Integrates Bitcoin Armory: Not satisfied with Counterwallet’s no backup policy or worry about forgetting the passphrase and losing your Bitcoins forever? Take advantage of their collaboration with Bitcoin Armory – a cold storage Bitcoin wallet – that stores your private keys in ultra-safe, air-gapped, and distributed cold storages.

How to activate/setup the Counter Wallet

Step 1: Open the Couterwallet.io website and choose between Official Counterparty or CoinDaddy Counterwallet servers.

Step 2: Since you are creating a new wallet, click on the “Create a new wallet” icon

Step 3: The wallet will now provide you with a PASSPHRASE required to access your wallet and calculate your digital asset balances

Step 4: The wallet will then provide you with a choice of creating a Quick Access Code. You don’t need to create one.

Step 5: The wallet is active and ready to use. Login using the Counterwallet’s keypad to fund the account and start interacting with some of its features

How to add a wallet address on Counterwallet

Your Counterwallet will have one Bitcoin wallet address automatically generated during account creation. Here is how to create a new wallet address for XCP altcoin and supported tokens:

Step 1: Log in to the wallet and click on the “My Balances” tab.

Step 2: Click on the “Create New Address” icon on the top left corner of the user dashboard.

Step 3: Select the type of wallet address you want to create from the drop-down menu.

Step 4: On the popup menu, enter the name of the new address on the “Description” section and click on “Create New Address” to finish

How to add/receive Crypto into Counter Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Counterwallet and click on the “My Balances” tab.

Step 2: From the list of wallet addresses, select the wallet to which you would like to deposit funds

Step 3: A popup window will provide you with an address and QR code for the wallet.

Step 4: Send either to the party/individual sending you bitcoins.

How to send crypto from Counter Wallet:

Step 1: Log in to your Counterwallet and click on the “My Balances” tab.

Step 2: From the list of wallet addresses hosted on the wallet, select the crypto/token you want to send

Step 3: Click on the “Address Actions” tab on the far right of the wallet address section.

Step 4: From the drop-down menu, select send and both the wallet address and the number of cryptos to transfer

Step 5: Check the accuracy of the transaction details before hitting send

How to Backup and Restore Counterwallet

Step 1: Log in to your Counterwallet and click on the “My Balances” tab.

Step 2: Click on the “Address Actions” tab on the far right of the ‘My Address’ bar

Step 3: Select the “Show Private Key” option to reveal your wallet’s private key. Copy it and keep it safe offline

Step 4: To restore your digital assets, open a new account and click on the “Import Funds” tab on the user dashboard and select “From Old Wallet” on the drop-down menu

Step 5: Paste the private key.

Counter Wallet ease of use:

Cunterwallet is quite easy to use as it features one of the most intuitive user interfaces. Creating a user account on the Counterwallet and the processes of sending, receiving, and backing your account is straightforward.

Counter Wallet supported currencies:

Counterwallet supports Bitcoin cryptocurrency, Counterparty’s native token XCP, and 500+ tokens. You are also free to create customized Bitcoin network tokens and add them to the wallet.

Counter Wallet cost and fees:

Counterwallet is free to use. However, you will be charged the transaction processing fees that go to the Bitcoin network miners every time you send crypto from the crypto wallet to another wallet or exchange.

Counter Wallet customer support:

There are three primary ways of contacting Counterwallet’s customer support team. You can use the Live chat feature on the wallet and counterpart website, interact with both wallet developers and experienced users on the Counterparty Forums, or direct message them on such social media platforms as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

What are the pros and cons of using Counter Wallet?

Pros:

  • It is highly intuitive and beginner-friendly
  • It is feature-rich and makes it possible for users to custom-build Bitcoin-based tokens.
  • Counterwallet is security-focused and integrates a wide range of advanced security features.
  • It integrates the Bitcoin Armor cold storage.

Cons:

  • It will only support Bitcoin-based cryptos and tokens.

Comparing Counter Wallet with other Bitcoin-only wallets

Counter Wallet vs. Mycelium wallet

Both Mycelium and Counterwallet are highly intuitive and beginner-friendly crypto wallets. They are Bitcoin focused, implying that they will only support cryptocurrencies and tokens built on the Bitcoin blockchain.

But while Mycelium will only support Bitcoin crypto, Counterwallet supports Bitcoin, XCP, and hundreds of tokens built on the Bitcoin network. Counterwallet also supports a wide range of features, including the custom token builder tools and the Bitcoin Armor cold storage integration.

Verdict: Is Counter Wallet safe?

Well, the open-sourced wallet embraces highly innovative privacy and security features. For instance, it doesn’t keep a copy of your private keys on either your device or the counterparty servers. Rather, it calculates the balances of your assets when entering the wallet passphrase. The process of generating crypto addresses is hierarchically deterministic and the Bitcoin armory cold storage.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

How Coti (COTI) can change Payments and Money Transfers

The traditional payment system is defined by long waiting periods, expensive fees, and error-prone transactions due to the single point of failure inherent in centralized systems. Blockchain was supposed to help with most of these problems, e.g., by facilitating peer-to-peer, fraud-free transactions. However, the first and second-generation blockchains, i.e., Ethereum and Bitcoin, face challenges like low scalability that prevent them from competing with the fastest traditional models such as Visa. 

The traditional payment system is defined by long waiting periods, expensive fees, and error-prone transactions due to the single point of failure inherent in centralized systems. Blockchain was supposed to help with most of these problems, e.g., by facilitating peer-to-peer, fraud-free transactions. However, the first and second-generation blockchains, i.e., Ethereum and Bitcoin, face challenges like low scalability that prevent them from competing with the fastest traditional models such as Visa. 

The traditional payment system is defined by long waiting periods, expensive fees, and error-prone transactions due to the single point of failure inherent in centralized systems. Blockchain was supposed to help with most of these problems, e.g., by facilitating peer-to-peer, fraud-free transactions. However, the first and second-generation blockchains, i.e., Ethereum and Bitcoin, face challenges like low scalability that prevent them from competing with the fastest traditional models such as Visa. 

However, it’s doubtless that blockchain tech offers the best possible alternative to the traditional payment models. For this reason, a litany of blockchain projects seeking to provide better scalability, security, etc. than Ethereum and Bitcoin’s blockchain has sprung up over the years. 

Coti is one of these. Formed in 2018, Coti wants to fix traditional finance issues such as high fees, low latency, and lack of inclusiveness. 

This article is a deep dive into the Coti ecosystem. 

Coti: Core Elements

COTI supports the following elements to realize a safe and cost-efficient payment structure:

  • Scalability: The COTI network can support up to 100,000 transactions per second (TPS), which is incomparable with the 25,000 TPS managed by traditional payment systems and 20 TPS by most blockchain protocols
  • Simplicity: COTI has designed its user and merchant-facing tools to be friendly and very easy to use
  • Buyer-seller protections: COTI provides a dispute resolution system to act as a safeguard against fraud, errors, and so on
  • Cost-effectiveness: On the COTI platform, there’s no need for intermediaries or power-intensive mining, which drastically cuts costs.
  • Price stability: The COTI team is creating price stability technology, an indispensable factor for blockchain to realize wide adoption
  • Instantaneity: COTI’s architecture makes for fast transactions, payments, and remittances, as opposed to the hours or days common with the traditional system
  • Security

Thanks to its use of a distributed ledger, COTI eliminates the possibility of a single point of failure

COTI: Infrastructure

Below, we’ll be taking a look at some of the core technologies on the Coti platform.

#1. Trustchain

This is a consensus algorithm based on machine learning. Trustchain decreases transaction costs while increasing transaction processing speed. Trustchain utilizes a directed acyclic graph (DAG) data structure to maximize scalability, supporting up to 100,000 TPS. The Coti team wants to revolutionize crypto by having decentralized payment solutions built on Trustchain. The Trustchain will offer the following innovations: 

  • Single-click payment requests

Coti will use the Trustchain to realize one-click payments. Merchants will be able to embed the functionality on the websites for easy checkouts.

  • Buyer-seller protection

The Coti team has developed an arbitration service in readiness for potential disputes. The arbitration service is made of a decentralized collective of trusted network members.

  • Node manager

Through the node manager, anyone can join the network as a node operator and start running various types of nodes.

  • Privacy

Coti has enabled privacy specifications that prevent transactions from being tracked down to their originator. These specifications include implementing a multi-address for transactions through a one-way hash function.

  • Proof of Trust (PoT) consensus

Coti implements a DAG-based decentralized ledger that achieves scalability through the use of Trust Scores. The higher a user’s Trust Score, the faster the confirmation time.

  • Fees

Coti implements a transparent and equitable fee structure where all fees are distributed in a balanced manner amongst network participants.

  • Trust Score Update Algorithm (TSUA)

This tool is designed to collect data on user behavior and transfer the info to Trust Score Nodes. Trust Scores are used by Trustchain Algorithm to verify and confirm transactions quickly.

  • Smart contracts

Coti will introduce smart contracts for a DAG distributed pledger, the first-of-its-kind. Smart contracts are recorded in the MultiDaG Cluster and are verified severally before being confirmed. 

  • Stablecoin framework

COTI’s MultiDAG, coupled with Coti smart contracts and the infrastructure for genesis transactions, creates the possibility for high-performance stablecoins

#2. Loyalty Networks

Coti has developed an end-to-end solution on which businesses can build blockchain-enabled loyalty networks. Such networks allow businesses to retain customers and earn more revenue. 

Marketplaces are currently proliferated with loyalty programs, which lead to customers accumulating loads of loyalty cards, all with different terms and conditions. 

On their part, businesses have to manage their own loyalty programs, a task that’s often demanding in terms of money and time. And even those loyalty programs often never maximize their potential due to low account activity, low redemption rates, account maintenance costs, and time limitations.

Coti’s solution

Coti provides cheaper, time-saving, and more interactive solutions for loyalty programs. These solutions are as follows: 

  • Branded wallet and token

Coti will allow businesses to build a branded wallet complete with customized tokens. Users will be able to hold multiple loyalty tokens from different businesses.

  • Simple integration

Businesses will have the ability to create a loyalty program fast and easily. 

  • Tradability

Users will have the ability to trade their loyalty tokens. 

  • Earn tokens

Uses will be able to earn tokens as a reward for purchases, referrals, and engaging with businesses.

  • Global alliance

Businesses will be able to collaborate with other companies to exchange tokens and share ways to enhance customer loyalty and retention.

#3. Stablecoins

Coti also provides the first-ever blockchain-powered environment for creating stablecoins. Users can issue their own stablecoin that they can have total control over. Stablecoins are a kind of cryptocurrency that is not volatile. They cushion users against the potential losses that could happen overnight with a regular cryptocurrency. Coti enables companies to create their own stablecoins and apply a stability mechanism to any asset of their choice. The stablecoin feature will benefit users in the following ways: 

  • Higher profits

Businesses can dramatically increase revenues by not having to depend on external stablecoins

  • New markets

Businesses can reach entirely new markets by offering stablecoins as a means of payment.

#4. Community and Advanced Nodes 

These are a mainnet full nodes that utilize a delegated staking mechanism to verify and confirm real-world merchants’ transactions. These nodes are technically operated by a node operator who has the requisite skills for the task. To become a community node, you must first stake in 5,000,000 COTI. 

There are also advanced nodes, which are also mainnet nodes in how they function. However, advanced nodes will need to stake between 500,000 – 5, 000,000. 

#5. COTI Pay 

COTI Pay is a digital payment tool that can process online and offline payments, including crypto, stablecoins, businesses’ native coins, and credit cards. On the tool, users can also earn passive income through interest on deposits. 

Coti Pay seeks to solve the following problems with traditional finance payment models: 

  • Long settlement periods, sometimes taking even weeks
  • Costly processes
  • Cross-border transaction constraints
  • Involvement of costly third-parties
  • Error-prone transactions
  • Millions of people excluded from the global finance system

Community Growth Strategies of Coti

The Coti team plans to undertake several growth strategies to expand the growth of the community: 

  • Partner with similar projects such as Cardano, Chainlink, Celsius, and Fantom
  • Launch a Community Ambassador Program
  • Work with platforms like Xangle and Binance Info V-Label for data transparency partnerships
  • Carry out regular community updates via a bi-weekly newsletter, GitHub updates, etc
  • Conduct AMAs on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook
  • Create and disseminate visual content such as tutorials, 3D videos, and more
  • Have Telegram groups hosted by community members in a variety of languages, including Korean, Vietnamese, and Brazilian

Future strategies include: 

  • Push the project to the global stage through global ambassador activity
  • Conduct joint AMAs with leading blockchain projects 
  • Conduct and participate in hackathons
  • Launch Coti Pay Business mobile app

COTI’s supply distribution was done this way: 

  • Seed sale tokens: 2.90%
  • Private sale tokens: 10.04%
  • IEO tokens: 2.31%
  • Team tokens: 15.00%
  • Advisors tokens: 10.00%
  • Ecosystem reserve tokens: 59.75%

Key Metrics

On October 20, 2020, COTI traded at $0.029472, placing it at #380 with a market cap of $16,740,885. The token had a 24-hour volume of $2,492, 122, with a circulating supply of 568, 032, 883, and a total and maximum supply of 2 billion. COTI has an all-time high of $0.127076 (July 02, 2019) and an all-time low of $0.006226 (Nov 09, 2019). 

Where to Buy and Store COTI

You’ll find COTI listed as a market pair of USDT, BTC, BNB on exchanges such as Binance, CoinDCX, KuCoin, BitMax, BitHumb Global, Bidesk, Coinbit, Gate.io, and Binance.DEX. 

Coti provides its official wallet known as the COTI Pay VIPER. See here. 

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

BTC/USD Chart Overview + Possible Outcomes

In this weekly BTC /USD analysis, we will be taking a look at the most recent events, the current technical formations, as well as discussing possible outcomes.

In this weekly BTC /USD analysis, we will be taking a look at the most recent events, the current technical formations, as well as discussing possible outcomes.

In this weekly BTC /USD analysis, we will be taking a look at the most recent events, the current technical formations, as well as discussing possible outcomes.

Overview

Bitcoin has spent the week vigorously pushing towards the upside. The move went parabolic as soon as BTC crossed the $13,900 mark and entered the $14,000 zone. While the surge got stopped just before it hit $16,000, there is a lot of potential upside as there is practically no resistance holding Bitcoin from reaching its all-time high. However, many traders are taking profits and playing it safe out of fear of ending up the same way they did in 2017/2018. This has caused BTC to lose momentum and, most likely, look for a pullback soon.

Technical factors


Bitcoin has conquered the ~15,000 level after a week of constant pressure to the upside. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently consolidating right above the $15,480 support level, which will act as a pivot point and a trading direction decider. The next day or two will be crucial for Bitcoin’s price movement in the short future.

While Bitcoin’s sentiment is extremely bullish at the moment, there is no denying that a pullback is quite possible (and maybe even optimal). As there are no set resistance levels to the upside (because Bitcoin only visited these price levels during the bull run of 2017), we are using Fib retracements as well as small consolidation points from that time to determine possible consolidation/direction change spots.

Another thing to note is that, as of Oct 29, the hash ribbons indicator is showing miner capitulation, sending out a major buy signal.

Likely Outcomes

Bitcoin has two main scenarios it can play out, and both end up with the price pulling back to stabilize and consolidate a bit. The possibility of these plays happening is slightly in favor of the second scenario, but it mainly depends only on where Bitcoin ends up (above or below its pivot point).

  1. If Bitcoin remains above $15,480, we may expect further attempts of conquering the upside. The next target to the upside are the $16,000 psychological resistance, 23.6% Fib retracement level (sitting at $16,570) and $16,665. If Bitcoin pushes towards the upside, we are almost certainly expecting strong resistance at these levels and an almost certain pullback in the short-term.
  2. The other scenario may be slightly more likely, and involves Bitcoin rejecting the current level and falling below its pivot point. In this case, the largest cryptocurrency by market cap will look for a support level, and will most likely find it at the $14,640 level or the 38.2% Fib retracement level (sitting at $14,380).

While moves which include Bitcoin moving straight up or down and ignoring these support/resistance levels are possible, they are far less likely and would have to be caused by some fundamental even rather than just price action and technicals.

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic

How Chainanalysis Helps Crack Down on Crypto Crime

Since the inception of cryptocurrency tech, cybercrime has spiked in the space tremendously. And with cybercriminals devising methods every day to obtain crypto illegally, companies and individuals are seeking solutions to protect themselves and their funds. Even governments are pumping a lot of resources into cracking down on such individuals. 

Since the inception of cryptocurrency tech, cybercrime has spiked in the space tremendously. And with cybercriminals devising methods every day to obtain crypto illegally, companies and individuals are seeking solutions to protect themselves and their funds. Even governments are pumping a lot of resources into cracking down on such individuals. 

Since the inception of cryptocurrency tech, cybercrime has spiked in the space tremendously. And with cybercriminals devising methods every day to obtain crypto illegally, companies and individuals are seeking solutions to protect themselves and their funds. Even governments are pumping a lot of resources into cracking down on such individuals. 

What’s Chainalysis? 

As the saying goes, there’s a reaction to every action. As crypto crime intensifies, other forces are working to counteract the trend. One of the most visible of these is Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics company that harvests and analyzes crypto-related data by studying the history of blockchain transactions. 

The birth of Chainanalysis resulted from one of the biggest crypto hacks in history – Mt. Gox, which resulted in the loss of around 650,000 Bitcoins worth around $500 million then. 

Michael Gronager, CEO and founder of Chainanalysis, decided to create tools to prevent or mitigate such losses in the future. In 2017, Jonathan Levin – Chainanalysis co-founder, confirmed that Chainanalysis had tracked down 650,000 stolen Bitcoins to BTC-e. This successful case skyrocketed Chainanalysis’ reputation as more and more entities began approaching the company.

Chainanalysis received its first government contract in 2015 when the FBI paid $9000 for data software services from the company. The recent spike in criminal activities within the crypto world has prompted the federal agencies to invest more money in Chainanalysis. Today, Chainanalysis is receiving contracts from 10 U.S government agencies willing to pay millions of dollars for their assignments. According to CoinDesk, federal agencies have spent $10,690,760 in American tax dollars on Chainanalysis tools and training since 2015. 

Cryptocurrency Crime Rates and Activities

Criminals worldwide have taken advantage of crypto to engage in illegal activities. These criminal cases surged from 3.5% in 2016 to 7% in 2017. In 2018, according to Cointelegraph Group-IB, CipherTrace and Carbon Black reported that hackers had stolen cryptocurrencies amounting to $1.1 to $1.7 billion. Out of this amount, $960 million had been sourced from exchanges. 

In September last year, losses from cryptocurrency hit a whopping $4.4 billion,  per CipherTrace. This was a 150% increase from the year 2018. A report compiled by Chainanalysis indicated that cryptocurrency criminal activities spiked from 0.04% in 2018 to 0.08% in 2019. 

A more recent report presented in June by CipherTrace shows that crypto criminals are still finding new ways to accrue wealth illegally. In July, hackers posed as President Obama, Bill Gates, and Kanye West on Twitter and convinced followers to send $1000 in Bitcoin with a promise of accruing $2000 in return. They milked this scheme for a while before getting shut down, but not before accruing Bitcoins worth $100,000.

Pseudonymity of Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s pseudonymity makes it harder for stolen crypto to be tracked. Therefore, tracking these transactions is tedious and, at times, impossible. This fact makes Bitcoin more appealing to criminals. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation has flagged Bitcoin as the most popular cryptocurrency used for criminal activities.

While tracking the movement of thieves is fairly simple, tracking the money movement is not as easy. The criminals are usually aware that their movements can be traced.  To ensure the stolen money is not recovered, these criminals transact to the targets of hundreds and thousands within a short time. According to Chainanalysis, some criminals have a plethora of wallets that they use to move their illicit money back and forth. Some of them use the ‘mixer’- software that can break Bitcoin into smaller pieces and then ‘mixes’ it with other people’s transactions. In the end, the criminals acquire the same amount they put in but not the same Bitcoin.

How Chainanalysis Helps Track Down Crypto Thieves

When Gronager was starting Chainanalysis in the year 2014, his main idea surrounded the creation of a tool capable of combing through public blockchains to track down stolen money and suspicious transactions.

The blockchain records all the transactions made using crypto coins. The tools designed by Chainanalysis can go through these records and trace Illicitly acquired funds.  

More intricately, Chainanalysis identifies the flow of transactions of a known address to an exchange and then notifies the exchange that they have received illicit funds. In other instances, Chainanalysis can notify law enforcement when they identify a suspicious address transferring Bitcoin to another address. It gets easier to nab the thief if the recipient address happens to have posted their wallet address on any social media platform.  

The Kryptos tool invented by Chainanalysis is used by financial institutions to establish whether some cryptocurrency businesses are genuine or not. Another popular tool from Chainanalysis is the Know Your Transaction (KYT) software. This software is used by various entities such as law enforcement agencies and crypto exchanges to trace illicit cryptocurrency transactions. 

On the other hand, Reactor is the most widely used tool.  This tool, also by Chainanalysis, is used by agencies to trace cryptocurrency movements across a blockchain. Additionally, the Reactor also flag addresses that are involved in shady activities. 

The Downsides of Chainanalysis

Since the allure of privacy is what draws in most cryptocurrency investors, there has been concern over the close relationship between governments and Chainanalysis. Simply put, Chainanalysis undermines the privacy promise of cryptocurrency.

Final Thoughts

Crypto crime is dwindling with Chainanalysis tools, closely watching the movements of Illicitly acquired funds.  Chainanalysis estimates that the total fraction of cryptocurrency transactions heading to the dark web has significantly fallen since they started their company in 2015. Will this trend continue, or will we see crypto crime surge again? That seems unlikely. 

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic Cryptocurrencies

Is Helium (HNT) the Future of Wireless?

The Internet of Things is already a billion-dollar industry, with billions of connected devices as of today. Also, IoT spending is on track to reach almost $1.4 trillion by 2021. While the IoT industry continues to grow, it needs a secure and readily available internet to flourish. However, the available solutions, i.e., cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth, are either too expensive, too energy-intensive, or too limited in range. 

The Internet of Things is already a billion-dollar industry, with billions of connected devices as of today. Also, IoT spending is on track to reach almost $1.4 trillion by 2021. While the IoT industry continues to grow, it needs a secure and readily available internet to flourish. However, the available solutions, i.e., cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth, are either too expensive, too energy-intensive, or too limited in range. 

The Internet of Things is already a billion-dollar industry, with billions of connected devices as of today. Also, IoT spending is on track to reach almost $1.4 trillion by 2021. While the IoT industry continues to grow, it needs a secure and readily available internet to flourish. However, the available solutions, i.e., cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth, are either too expensive, too energy-intensive, or too limited in range. 

The Helium network is a blockchain-powered wireless network that allows devices from anywhere in the globe to connect to the internet and establish their location without needing power-intensive satellite location hardware or costly network plans. Helium wants to utilize the blockchain to bring decentralization to an industry long dominated by powerful monopolies. The result is that an affordable wireless network becomes a commodity available to anyone. 

Helium’s secure and open-source network also allows developers to build energy-saving, internet-connected devices in a fast and low-cost manner. With this, the project wants to ‘Start a Wireless Revolution.’ 

At the time of writing, the network had 10,426 total hotspots, with close to 8 billion credits spent, per its website. 

Breaking Down Helium

Launched in 2013, Helium is a decentralized wireless network that seeks to offer a secure and cost-effective way for low-power devices to join the IoT industry. The Helium protocol runs on blockchain technology and uses the HoneyBadgerBFT consensus model. 

Helium has the following core features: 

  • Helium hotspot – A tool that’s both a miner and users’ pathway to the Helium blockchain
  • Proof of coverage – A novel mining mechanism that uses radio waves to verify the location of Hotspots
  • LongFi – a technology that combines the wireless protocol LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) with the Helium blockchain so compatible LoRaWAN devices can transfer data over the Helium network

Helium: Existing Products

#1. Helium Hotspot

The Helium Hotspot is a wireless router by Helium. Just like other LoRaWAN devices on Helium, the Hotspots support miles of wireless network for anyone to carry out mining and help maintain and support the network. 

#2. Helium Console 

This is an internet-based management tool through which developers can register, verify, and manage their devices in the network. The Helium Console is responsible for managing user-level permissions, registering devices IDs, onboarding new devices securely, and utilizing data credits. 

#3. LongFi

This tool combines LoRaWAN with the Helium blockchain, so any LoRaWAN device can plug in and start transferring data on the network. LongFi supports the following: 

  • Easy device onboarding: Users can onboard as many devices as possible without them having to undergo endless configurations or verification by third parties
  • Device roaming: Devices on the network have IDs that are stored on the blockchain, allowing them to transfer data to the network through any Hotspot 
  • Earning HNT tokens: Via LongFi, device owners can earn HNT tokens for transferring data over the network
  • LoRaWAN Support: Any LoRaWAN device can transfer data through the network with little configuration required
#4. Helium Tabs

These are location trackers enabled by Helium. They can track all sorts of things: from pets to luggage, to keys, and pretty much anything that’s covered by the Helium network.

Helium: Technical Infrastructure

Here, we look at the infrastructural highlights of Helium. 

#1. Proof of Coverage (PoC)

PoC is a variation of the Proof of Work consensus algorithm that utilizes radio waves to verify hotspots’ location on the Helium network. PoC constantly requires routers to prove their wireless coverage quality by decrypting and transferring LongFi data over the network. Helium Hotspots stand to earn HNT for submitting valid coverage proofs. 

#2. The Helium Consensus Model

Helium’s consensus mechanism involves 16 participants – who form the Consensus Group (CG) – elected once every epoch. Any active Helium Hotspot on the network is eligible for election to become part of the CG, although they’re more likely to be chosen if they pass the PoC challenge. 

For every election, 4 new CGs are added to 12 members from the previous election. A Hotspot can participate in no more than 4 consecutive CGs. If a CG member performs poorly, they’re likely to be removed before the 4 epoch limit. Mining rewards are distributed among participating members at the end of every epoch. 

Participants in the Helium Network

The participants of Helium can be thought of as these below: 

#1. WHIP

This is an open wireless protocol that is long-range, low-power, and most fitting for use with commodity open-standards hardware. Hardware that’s compatible with WHIP can communicate over many square miles, whether in dense urban settings or rural areas. Such hardware can also last for many years using standard batteries. WHIP utilizes public-key cryptography for security, with verification taking place on the Helium blockchain.

#2. Hotspots

These are physical network devices that transfer data back and forth between routers and various devices. Hotspots also generate proof of coverage, and they can also geolocate devices through the Helium network without any additional apparatus. 

#3 Devices

Devices are hardware products embedded with a WHIP-compatible radio transceiver and can interact with Hotspots on the network. Devices are powered by the typical battery and can last for several years with them. Devices can exist in many forms depending on their use case, and the performance and battery life can be optimized through a variety of transmission strategies.

Helium: Community Growth Strategies

The Helium team is currently undertaking several strategies to advance the growth of the project. These strategies are as follows: 

  • Rewarding network participants who deployed more than 15 Hotspots
  • Educating IoT developers on how to use the Helium platform
  • Hosting Helium Hacks, a weekly video chat session by the Helium team
  • Carrying out local and online meetups
  • Engaging with the community via social media channels

Future strategies include: 

  • Releasing blockchain and IoT-related content via podcasts, videos, blogs, and interviews with industry experts
  • Providing the community with sponsorships to empower them to build apps on the Helium network

Who’s on the Helium Team? 

Helium is the brainchild of Amir Haleem, Shawn Fanning, and Sean Carrey. The trio began working on the idea in 2013. 

Haleem has a strong background in game development. Fanning is known for creating the popular music sharing platform Napster, one of the first of such platforms to employ a peer-to-peer approach. Carry has several years of development experience, including Where, an advertising platform since acquired by PayPal. 

The product team comprises members with combined experience in “radio and hardware, manufacturing, distributed systems, peer-to-peer and blockchain technologies.” 

Future of Helium

The Helium team considers where they are to be just the beginning. They view decentralized wireless networks as a still novel concept that needs more research so it can meet the demands of the modern-day internet. Given this, the team has or intends to undertake the following initiatives: 

  • Identify whether it’s possible to apply blockchain and the decentralized wireless service idea to WiFi Bluetooth and cellular networks
  • Add the possibility for more proofs of coverage to strengthen the Helium network as it grows
  • Formally illustrate the algorithm behind Proof of Coverage
  • Investigate the possibility of deploying smart contracts beyond their current limitations

The Helium Token

HNT is the native cryptocurrency of the Helium network. The token has several uses, including the two most important ones: 

  • Mining rewards: Hotspots earn HNT for contributing to the running and security of the network by transferring data
  • Payment: HNT is used by users to generate data credits with which to pay for network services

HNT: Tokenomics 

On October 20, 2020, HNT traded at $1.12, with a market cap of $57,123,035 and a market rank of #131. HNT’s 24-hour volume was $1,848,021, and it had a circulating and total supply of 51,005,233 and a total supply of 55,960,199. And finally, the token had an all-time high of $4.03 (Sep 24, 2020) and an all-time low of $0.0253391 (June 10, 2020). 

Where to Buy HNT 

HNT is listed as a market pair with USDC, USDT, PERP, and USD in exchanges like Bilaxy, Binance, Binance.US, Hoo, FTX, and Serum DEX. 

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 6 – Bitcoin Zooming Past $15,000: How Far Can it Go Before Pulling Back?

The cryptocurrency sector has exploded to the upside as Bitcoin keeps paving the path towards highs only seen during the bull run of 2017/2018. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15.632, representing an increase of 10.1% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 7.74% on the day, while XRP gained 4.5%.

The cryptocurrency sector has exploded to the upside as Bitcoin keeps paving the path towards highs only seen during the bull run of 2017/2018. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15.632, representing an increase of 10.1% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 7.74% on the day, while XRP gained 4.5%.

The cryptocurrency sector has exploded to the upside as Bitcoin keeps paving the path towards highs only seen during the bull run of 2017/2018. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $15.632, representing an increase of 10.1% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 7.74% on the day, while XRP gained 4.5%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

Uniswap gained 28.39% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. It is closely followed by Aave’s gain of 25.21% and NEAR Protocol’s 23.87% gain. On the other hand, The Midas Touch Gold lost 6.16%, making it the most prominent daily loser. It is followed by Numeraire’s loss of 5.03% and Celo’s loss of 3.94%.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance level has increased slightly since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 65.3%. This value represents a 0.4% difference to the upside when compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has skyrocketed in the past 24 hours. Its current value is $440.94 billion, representing a $28.77 billion increase compared to our previous report.

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What happened in the past 24 hours?

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Technical analysis

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Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has surged past the $15,000 psychological resistance and entered the zone last seen in Jan 2018, right before the BTC crash. Bitcoin scored double-digit gains on the day and destroyed the $14,640 resistance on the way, turning it into support. While it is currently slowing down as it is approaching $16,000, many analysts call for $17,000 before a pullback.

Traders should wait for Bitcoin to start pulling back if they want a safer trade, or they can ride the wave whenever Bitcoin’s price spikes if they are quick on their feet to enter and leave the trade.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals are extremely bullish on all time-frames, and no time-frame is showing any signs of bearishness or neutrality.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is well above both its 50-period EMA and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its top Bollinger band
  • RSI is heavily in the overbought zone (79.75)
  • Volume is elevated
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $15,420                                 1: $14,640

2: $16,665                                 2: $14,100

3: $17,260                                  3: $13,900

Ethereum

Ethereum has, due to Bitcoin pulling it up as well as due to the hype created around its 2.0 version coming out, surged and almost scored a double-digit gain on the day. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has established itself back in the ascending channel after briefly dropping out of it. However, that wasn’t enough for the Ethereum bulls as they tried to push its price above the channel completely.

As the upper channel line held amazingly and stopped Ethereum’s rise, we can conclude that (unless Bitcoin doesn’t have any extreme surges), Ethereum traders can safely trade within a range bound by the ascending channel.


ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals are somewhat neutral on the 4-hour and daily time-frames, while its longer time-frames show a heavy tilt towards the buy-side.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is well above both its 50-period and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its top Bollinger band
  • RSI is extremely overbought (78.03)
  • Volume is elevated
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $445                                     1: $420

2: $451                                     2: $415 

3: $490                                      3: $400

Ripple

As we predicted in our previous article, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has broken the triangle formation that was forming from Nov 3. The price has sparked up by Bitcoin’s push towards the upside, moved to the upside as well, reaching past the $0.2454 resistance level and up towards $0.25.

One thing to note is that, while XRP has managed to break $0.2454, it needs to confirm its position above it in order to be safe in the short-term.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals on the 4-hour, daily, and weekly chart are slightly tilted towards the buy-side but are not completely bullish. Its monthly overview, however, is tilted towards the sell-side.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is well above its 50-period EMA and its 21-period EMA
  • Price at its top Bollinger band
  • RSI is on the verge of being overbought (68.49)
  • Volume is elevated
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.26                                 1: $0.2454

2: $0.266                                     2: $0.235

3: $0.27                                  3: $0.227

 

Categories
Crypto Guides

What Should You Know About The ‘Concordium’ Blockchain Platform

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Business payments have to be made secure and transparent. It is true that blockchain and its products have always helped businesses in providing the right efficiency. Yet again, a blockchain-powered product has made its inception into the industry, offering better privacy and accountability of the payments. Concordium platform is a reformed open-source and permissionless blockchain product made with business applications. In this article, we are going to talk about the Concordium articles and everything you need to know about it.

What is Concordium?

It is a proof-of-stake blockchain that has been created with business applications. Concordium is also the first blockchain that comes with identification embedded in the protocol that helps in meeting the requirements facilitating a user-friendly platform. It is primarily designed to be cost-effective, secure, and fast. The identity layer offers on-chain identity compliance centric payments and better privacy for the users.

What About Its Structure?

The two-layer consensus protocol comprises Nakamoto-style blockchain, and the finality layer is meant for faster transaction confirmation. The sharing design facilitates high transaction throughput and enhanced privacy for the business’s sensitive data. Another feather in the cap is designing two new languages for the smart contract code, making the development much easier. The platform also has a transparent incentive structure with predictable fees and cost-effective transactions.

What Are The Best Features of Concordium?

Now that you have understood the platform, let’s take a peek into the feature that will give you a better understanding.

Regulatory Compliance By Design: It is primarily designed to make business transactions faster, secure, and cost-effective. Concordium is designed in a way to integrate the financial system with the user’s identity. It helps the developers, businesses, and individuals to build blockchain products that comply with regulations.

Privacy and Verification of Users: The identity layer of Concordium offers a compliance-centric balance in accountability and anonymity. The user’s identity will remain anonymous, but it can be revoked against a valid request from the government or legal channels.

Fast Transactions: The most important takeaway of this platform is its fast transactions. It has set a benchmark by making the transactions fast enough in accordance with transactions per second. Concordium is made to meet the ever-evolving needs of businesses on a global scale. The platform has taken a major leap compared to other blockchain technology.

Consistent Uptime: The platform is designed for dynamic business use cases with a focus on the uptime requirements. The two-layer consensus is designed to ensure that the platform is secure and available for the changing conditions. So far, the platform has achieved speedups and efficiency.

The Bottom Line

Concordium is created to bring innovation and efficiency to the business transaction. The platform vision to unlock blockchain’s potential and put it to best use for the future economy. The community of Concordium currently involves developers, investors, business leaders, and technologists who are advocating it throughout the world. If you are also willing to enter the arena, you can connect via attending the event, joining the online communities, or entering the ambassador program.

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic Cryptocurrencies

Is Bitcoin Cash a Good Investment?

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is a cryptocurrency created in 2017 as a result of attempts to improve the performance of Bitcoin. BCH was spun off from Bitcoin (BTC) – the original cryptocurrency. 

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is a cryptocurrency created in 2017 as a result of attempts to improve the performance of Bitcoin. BCH was spun off from Bitcoin (BTC) – the original cryptocurrency. 

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is a cryptocurrency created in 2017 as a result of attempts to improve the performance of Bitcoin. BCH was spun off from Bitcoin (BTC) – the original cryptocurrency. 

The idea of forking one crypto from another is not strange. However, what makes the BCH spin-off noteworthy is that the fork involved an update to Bitcoin Core. Whereas some nodes accepted the update, others declined. Those that accepted the update formed the BCH network. The number of Bitcoins that each node had in their Bitcoin wallet at the time of the fork was duplicated on their BCH wallet.

The main motivation for starting the Bitcoin Cash project was to make Bitcoin more transactional-friendly. In other words, the pioneers of Bitcoin Cash were of the opinion that Bitcoin transactions took too long to settle; hence, it was better suited as an investment tool than a transactional currency. That was a good observation, but stakeholders widely disagreed on how to make these enhancements on the original Bitcoin, and that’s how Bitcoin Cash came to life.

This article explains what Bitcoin Cash is and evaluates whether it is worth investing in it.

How Is BCH Different from Bitcoin?

Considering that Bitcoin Cash is a fork of Bitcoin, one would expect striking similarity between the two. In fact, many crypto enthusiasts have described the former as nothing more than a newer version of the latter. So, are they one and the same thing? Well, not quite.

As earlier mentioned, the pioneers of Bitcoin Cash wanted Bitcoin transactions to be settled as fast as possible – just like traditional payment methods. The solution to this problem was to increase block sizes so that each block could accommodate more transactions. So, fundamentally, the difference is the block sizes. 

Nevertheless, the following are the notable differences between the two. Some came about as a result of increasing the block sizes and the sequence of events that were set in motion. 

  • Block size: This is the fundamental difference. The maximum block size of Bitcoin is 1 MB, while Bitcoin Cash blocks can grow up to 8 MB. Larger block sizes mean increased capacity to handle more transactions per second
  • Value: BCH has a lower dollar exchange rate than BTC. For comparison, at the time of writing, BCH was worth $269, while BTC was valued at $12,850.
  • Transaction processing time: Bitcoin transactions typically reflect after at least 10 minutes. For BCH, you can expect far shorter times.
  • Cheaper transaction fees: Crypto networks usually deduct a small percentage of the transaction value as network fees. While a network fee of $0.20 is common for BCH transactions, BTC transfers charge an average of $1.

BCH proponents believe that these differences give Bitcoin Cash an edge over Bitcoin.

Disadvantages of BCH

BCH seems to address most of Bitcoin’s challenges, making it seem more appealing. However, it is not without fault. The following are some of its notable disadvantages:

  • Less trading pairs – Since BCH is relatively new, you might find it a little cumbersome to get an exchange pair for your BCH. In comparison, you can exchange BTC or Ethereum with almost any other coin.
  • Less appeal among investor circles – BCH has not yet won investors’ confidence because it is relatively new in the market.
  • Lower mining profits – Mining BCH takes almost the same effort as mining BTC, but the network fees are much lower, thereby making the venture less profitable.

Investing in BCH

Bitcoin faces scalability challenges, and investors are increasingly showing optimism that BCH will save the day. But before investing in Bitcoin Cash, you need to find an exchange where you can buy and sell BCH and a secure wallet to keep your crypto. These two quick tips below will help you get started:

  • Finding an exchange: There are many crypto exchanges, but not all will work for you. You need to consider their exchange rates, supported payment methods, reputation, how fast they send the crypto to your wallet, and so on. Coinsutra has summarized the best exchanges for BCH here.
  • Getting a good wallet: Getting a secure and reliable wallet is a key pillar in your investment journey. You can find a comprehensive summary of the best BCH wallets on Wallets.com.

Now that you know where to buy your BCH and where to keep them safe, you can confidently join the club of BCH investors. 

Remember that BCH was created purposely as a transactional currency and not for long-term storage of value like stocks. This means that hoarding a large volume of BCH waiting for its value to grow might not be a wise thought. Nevertheless, you can still make some profit through buying and selling BCH. The idea is simple – you buy at a low price and sell when the price goes up. However, you will realize that this is a double-edged sword when you buy at a low price, and the price continues to drop even further. 

Coinbase is one of the best exchanges to buy and sell BCH since it offers a wide variety of exchange pairs. eToro is also worth considering as it facilitates social trading. Social trading allows you to learn trading from experts who are currently trading on the platform. So, you have a chance at trading profitably even if you have no experience. 

There is no magic formula for getting this right. However, you might want to play around with exchange pairs to find the best margins. For instance, if BCH/USD has low margins, you could try exchanging your BCH with BTC instead. 

Mining Bitcoin Cash

Mining cryptocurrencies is one of the ways one can generate revenue. It is, however, not for the faint-hearted. Just as is the case with Bitcoin, mining Bitcoin Cash requires mining rigs, which are special computers designed specifically for that purpose. You can get an Antminer R4, which is among the most powerful, at about $1,000. Antminer has a processing power of roughly 8.6TH/s (trillion calculations per second). You also need to prepare for huge power costs as this machine is rated at 845W. 

According to Bitinfocharts.com, mining Bitcoin Cash at 1TH/s earns an average of $1.35 per day. So, you’re looking at returns of $10.8 per day for the sort of investment above.

Overall, mining Bitcoin Cash is not the most lucrative of all alternatives, but at least you are guaranteed some returns. 

Final Remarks 

Bitcoin Cash is among the new cryptocurrencies. It is fast gaining popularity, making it worth considering for investment. It is cheaper than Bitcoin and allows faster transaction settlement. On the flip side, BCH is not yet widely accepted by investors. This makes it harder to find convenient trading pairs. 

Also, if you’re looking to invest in mining Bitcoin Cash, it isn’t as profitable as mining Bitcoin. If you’re considering investing in BCH for the long term, please understand that you will only make a profit if people want to buy BCH, more than they want to sell. So, if you are optimistic about this crypto’s steady growth, go forth in confidence and join the club of BCH investors.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 5 – Bitcoin Finally Above $14,000 as the Bull Run Continues; Ethereum 2.0 Contract Release Live

The cryptocurrency sector has explosively pushed towards the upside as Bitcoin broke the $14,316 and entered the territory explored only during the 2017/2018 bull run and last seen in July 2018. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $14,316, representing an increase of 5.54% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 4.78% on the day, while XRP gained 0.67%.

The cryptocurrency sector has explosively pushed towards the upside as Bitcoin broke the $14,316 and entered the territory explored only during the 2017/2018 bull run and last seen in July 2018. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $14,316, representing an increase of 5.54% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 4.78% on the day, while XRP gained 0.67%.

The cryptocurrency sector has explosively pushed towards the upside as Bitcoin broke the $14,316 and entered the territory explored only during the 2017/2018 bull run and last seen in July 2018. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $14,316, representing an increase of 5.54% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 4.78% on the day, while XRP gained 0.67%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

HedgeTrade gained 38.24% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. It is closely followed by Celsius’ gain of 9.37% and CyberVain’s 7.78% gain. On the other hand, Uniswap lost 16.95%, making it the most prominent daily loser. It is followed by yearn.finance’s loss of 16.73% and ABBC Coin’s loss of 9.35%.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance level has increased slightly since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 64.9%. This value represents a 0.6% difference to the upside when compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has increased over the course of the day. Its current value is $412.17 billion, representing a $7.35 billion increase when compared to our previous report.

_______________________________________________________________________

What happened in the past 24 hours?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Technical analysis

_______________________________________________________________________

Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization had finally broken the $13,900 resistance with confidence and confirmed its position above it. Not only that, but it has entered the price level last seen in July 2018. This means that there will be a lot of uncertainty and unset support and resistance levels, and also a lot of random volatility due to various entities taking profit and new investors FOMOing in.

However, a couple of potential resistance levels have formed, one of them being at $14,640. Traders should pay close attention to this level as well as use Fib retracements to create possible targets when trading.

BTC/USD 1-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals on showing a strong buy at all time-frames. No neutrality is being shown as Bitcoin is currently in an extremely favorable place price-wise.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is above both its 50-period EMA and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly below its top Bollinger band
  • RSI is coming out of the overbought zone (69.10)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $14,640                                 1: $14,100

2: $16,665                                 2: $13,900

3: $17,260                                  3: $13,570

Ethereum

Bitcoin’s push towards the upside has fueled Ethereum, and the hype surrounding its version 2.0 launch, managed to surge above the ascending channel bottom line and re-enter the channel once again. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap reached as high as $409 before pulling back. It is now consolidating at slightly below $400.

If we don’t see any explosive moves from BTC and ETH in the short term, we can expect Ethereum to pull back slightly more and test the ascending channel’s bottom line as support. Traders can wait for the results of the “test” and trade off of that.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s technicals on all time-frames are tilted towards the buy-side. However, its shorter time-frames (4-hour and daily) are showing hints of neutrality, while its longer time-frames are completely bullish.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is above both its 50-period and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is between its middle and top Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (57.63)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $400                                     1: $378

2: $415                                     2: $371

3: $420                                      3: $361

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap hardly even moved in the past 24 hours despite the rest of the crypto market booming. As we mentioned in our previous article, if Bitcoin’s next explosive move doesn’t fuel XRP, it will move within a range bound by $0.235 and $0.2454, exactly what happened.

XRP seems to be creating a triangle formation on its 4-hour chart. If that is the case, it is bound to move above or below it extremely soon. However, the move will most likely be stopped at its immediate support or resistance level.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals have improved slightly, as they were extremely bearish the last time we reported. While its daily overview is still heavily tilted towards the sell-side, its weekly and monthly overviews are almost neutral (though still slightly tilted towards the bear side), and its 4-hour time-frame is even showing some bullishness.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is below its 50-period EMA and at its 21-period EMA
  • Price at its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (48.73)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.2454                                 1: $0.235

2: $0.26                                     2: $0.227

3: $0.266                                  3: $0.221

 

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

What Ankr Network (ANKR) can do for Cloud Computing? 

Businesses worldwide are using cloud computing to reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and increase deployment. Cloud service providers (CSPs) like Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, and others have been providing online storage services to companies worldwide for years. 

Businesses worldwide are using cloud computing to reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and increase deployment. Cloud service providers (CSPs) like Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, and others have been providing online storage services to companies worldwide for years. 

Businesses worldwide are using cloud computing to reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and increase deployment. Cloud service providers (CSPs) like Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, and others have been providing online storage services to companies worldwide for years. 

But even as these big companies dominate the industry, the potential of data centers remains vastly underutilized. There remains so much idle computing power around the globe that could be harnessed to provide cheaper and more efficient cloud computing services. 

What is Ankr?

Ankr is a cloud computing platform backed by the power of the blockchain. With blockchain comes increased speeds, transparency, and more inclusivity. The Ankr team believes idle computing power needn’t go to waste and that it can actually replace the need for CSP’s altogether. 

In view of this, they want to create a system where people from everywhere can utilize others’ idle computing power. And it’s not just setting its sights on repurposing idle computing resources: Ankr wants to go beyond and provide an infrastructure to power the Internet of Things (IoT) and other emerging economies.

Suppliers of idle computing power will be able to make money off it, whether they’re using a mobile phone, an on-premise data center, a private cloud, etc. Ankr wants to help companies create a production environment where they can leverage people and the latest technology independent of a centralized entity and vendor contracts. 

As of the time of writing, Ankr has over 8,000 nodes deployed all over the world. 

Breaking Down Ankr

Ankr is a decentralized cloud computing platform supporting all manner of players in an industry that includes resource providers, end-users, app developers, and more. The Ankr team believes that cloud computing is the best way of the future, and that should be avoidable for everyone instead of being monopolized by tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Alibaba Cloud, and Amazon AWS. 

Ankr will give developers the ability to deploy more than 100 types of blockchain nodes. The idea is to offer a pragmatic business model where data owners monetize their idle cloud resources, and developers can utilize them to run various services more effectively. 

Some of the highlights of Ankr include: 

  • Single-click node deployment
  • Truly decentralized infrastructure
  • Automated management based on cloud-native tech and Kubernetes

Ankr: Architecture

The Ankr blockchain runs on four core layers:

#1. Core Layer

The core layer supports the network’s full nodes. It uses the Proof of Service Level and Stake Byzantine Fault Tolerance (SLSBFT) consensus mechanism. SLSBFT ensures that bandwidth, computation, and distributed storage maintains the highest quality standards. 

On this layer, blocks are generated until the block producers reach consensus. Users interact with this layer in either of two ways: as validator nodes or regular nodes. Validator nodes are approved by the network’s DCCN (Distributed Cloud Computing Network), while the regular nodes are open to everyone. 

#2. Relay Layer

This layer supports fast network routing. All nodes on the relay layer support full nodes, except these full nodes will not produce blocks or participate in the consensus. Users have the option to add more efficient networks on top of this layer. They also stand to earn ANKR coin rewards for Proof of Network Contribution (PNC). The amount of rewards will depend on a node’s relayed packet number, network bandwidth steadiness, and service quality. 

#3. Access Layer

This layer supports data center nodes, mining nodes, and edge computing nodes. All these contribute to the safety of the network by preventing illegal node access. 

#4. Micro-node layer

This layer supports device nodes and transaction hashes. Smaller nodes, such as phone-based ones, are the ones referred to as micro-nodes. 

Ankr’s DCCN System 

Ankr’s DCCN system is deployed across various computing resources over varied geographic locations. The Kubernetes system manages these resources, arranging them in clusters through the Ankr Hub. The Hub is responsible for relaying and dispatching tasks to working clusters. 

The Ankr team wants to utilize DCCN to offer an experience like that of centralized computing platforms. Through its Graphic User Interface and Command Line Interface, users can deploy apps, services, or even infrastructure for supporting such. 

Resource Scheduler (and Fairness Algorithms)

A Resource Scheduler on Ankr selects and assigns tasks to nodes, who will then run them in the desired state. The scheduler will utilize the Weighted Dominant Resource Fairness Algorithm (WDRF), which evenly distributes the available resources to nodes depending on availability and the degree of urgency. 

SLSBFT Consensus

Ankr utilizes the Proof of Service Level and Stake Byzantine Fault Tolerance (SLSBFT) consensus mechanism. It verifies transactions through these three phases: 

  1. Propose
  2. Prevote
  3. Pre-commit

The SLSBFT and the standard BFT differ in that the former features Block Producer ‘BP’ nodes. BP nodes are selected based on their contribution to the network as well as their stake. This promotes decentralization and fairness in that not just large token holders can participate in the network, but any node that contributes positively. To protect the network against attacks, validator nodes are chosen in a random fashion. 

Smart Contracts 

The Ankr network supports smart contracts. The smart contract system has the following characteristics:

  • Support for multiple programming languages including C/C++, JavaScript, Rust, Python, and more
  • A virtual machine compatible with WebAssembly 1.0
  • When smart contracts are being executed, the Ankr protocol is capable of invoking the contracts’ application programming interface tools via a service bus
  • Ankr charges transaction fees according to the smart contract instructions
  • Support for smart contracts’ interaction with the Ankr blockchain
  • Support for smart contracts’ interactions with the off-chain system

Incorporation with DCCN 

The DCCN blockchain supports the functions of Ankr’s communication in several ways, which include:

  • Providing the payment interface for cloud service providers and users
  • Rewarding users with returns upon their completion of computing tasks
  • Rewarding validators for their formation in the maintenance of the blockchain and processing transactions
  • Facilitating communication between the DCCN hub and DCCN daemon

Ankr: Incentive Mechanism

Ankr utilizes an incentive mechanism to promote healthy development of the platform and provide users with high-level services. The rewards are measured based on several yardsticks, including: 

  • Rewards for ANKR staking
  • Rewards for utilizing the ANKR stake  
  • Rewards for producing and offering services
  • Rewards for node reputation

The ANKR Token

ANKR is the native cryptocurrency of the Ankr platform. It’s the mechanism through which network users pay fees. Enterprise clients can pay for hosting fees via the token. Such enterprises could be crypto exchanges, staking platforms, fund management companies, etc. Individuals can also use the ANKR token to donate to non-profit Cloud computing platforms such as BOINC. And lastly, cloud service users can use ANKR to pay for the service. 

Supply Distribution of ANKR

The ANKR token was distributed in the following fashion: 

  • Public sale tokens:5%
  • Private sale 1 tokens: 3% 
  • Private sale 2 tokens: 12%
  • Private sale 3 tokens: 15% 
  • Team tokens: 17%
  • Advisor tokens: 1.5%
  • Marketing tokens: 5%
  • Mining rewards: 40%

Key Metrics

On October 20, 2020, the ANKR token traded at $0.007870, with a market cap of $45,876,543 that placed it at #156 in the market. The token has a 24-hour volume of $9,728,854, a circulating supply of 5,829,566,044, and a total supply of 10 billion. ANKR’s all-time high was $0.018332 (August 10, 2020), and its all-time low was $0.000711 (Mar 13, 2020). 

Where to Buy and Store ANKR

You’ll find ANKR listed as a pair with BTC, ETH, USDT, KRW, BNB, BTC, TWD, HT, on either of these exchanges: Binance, Upbit, MXC, CoinDCX, Huobi Global, HotBit, BitMax, WazirX, CoinTiger, Gate.io, Coinone, BiKi, Sistemkoin, BitAsset, BinanceDEX, BurgerSwap, and ViteX. 

Once you grab some ANKR, you can store it in any of several wallet options, including Trust Wallet, Atomic Wallet, MyEtherWallet, Trezor, and Ledger.

Categories
Crypto Videos

Best Free Bitcoin Indicator Ever Gaining Over 5000% Returns! Free Indicator In The Description!

https://youtu.be/HUwTDvz5xt0

https://youtu.be/HUwTDvz5xt0

 

Best Bitcoin Indicator Ever? 5000% Returns

Bitcoin’s mining is adjusted for difficulty every 2016 blocks, which translates to roughly every two weeks.
However, Bitcoin’s effective Hash Rate is being calculated daily and is based on the number of blocks found by the miners each day. Because when the hash rate and mining difficulty are calculated, the difficulty effectively may lag behind the hash rate by a maximum of two weeks. The difficulty is, therefore, a somewhat lagging indicator for miner capitulation.

When looking at how ribbons work, we can notice the green and blue simple moving average lines of the difficulty and hash rate on the ribbon indicator. When they cross each other, miners are considered to be “capitulating.” On top of that, most times, the chart will show that there is roughly a two-week lag from the hash rate identifying miner capitulation to the difficulty identifying capitulation. The simple moving average periods chosen are not that important, and the same effect can be seen regardless of the periods used.
However, miner capitulation periods can last for weeks. As a result, the lag between mining difficulty and hash rates doesn’t have such a huge impact on the Bitcoin investor, but rather just on traders.

The hash ribbon indicator

Because of the effect of negative sentiment as well as price action during bear markets and times where miners reach capitulation, the best time to buy Bitcoin is somewhere in the middle of the “miner capitulation” period. However, this cannot be fully known until after the fact.
A simple 1- and 2-month period simple moving average of Bitcoin’s Hash Rate can be used to, with great accuracy, identify market bottoms, miner capitulation, and even great times to buy Bitcoin. The moment when the 1-month hash rate SMA crosses over the 2-month hash rate SMA, the worst of the miner capitulation is over most of the time, and the recovery has begun. Initiating a buy at these points in time yields incredible results so far.

Of the 9 historic buy signals in the table shown, the average gain to the next market cycle peak, which was historically less than 3 years away, is over a whopping 5000%. Returns are even greater than shown in the table for positions held indefinitely.
What is interesting is the drawdown through all time. The average maximum drawdown for each of these entries is a mere 11%. These results are achieved without considering anything else but this indicator. No indicators, metrics, or intelligence, rather just two simple moving averages on Bitcoin’s hash rate.
We have to note that there is one “bad” purchase, which dates to January 2015, where a maximum drawdown of 42% occurred. However, this is still considerably less than half of Bitcoin’s various 80%+ drawdowns. Nonetheless, the majority of drawdowns can be eliminated by simply adding a price action indicator. This indicator could include the famous Bitcoin 10-day and 20-day SMA cross over, for example.

Purchasing Bitcoin during miner capitulation, as the hash rates are starting to “recover” combined with buying only once price momentum has gone positive, yields insanely good results.
As shown, the maximum drawdown is reduced significantly, while the returns have stayed relatively the same. The difference between the first and second table is made possible with the simple addition of the price momentum indicator and using these two indicators as a signal to purchase Bitcoin.

This brings us to the question of can you use this indicator often. Miner Capitulation doesn’t happen that often: in fact, it happens only once per year on average. However, it has started to occur a bit more often in 2020, which may be a great thing for Bitcoin investors.

This indicator has proven itself a great tool for finding Bitcoin bottoms, while it does need help when it comes to timing the sale of the previously bought coins. Hash ribbons should be one of the key components of every Bitcoin trader’s tool belt, simply due to its amazing track record.

Categories
Crypto Guides

An Introductory Guide To NEAR Protocol

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

NEAR Protocol is a smart contract compatible cryptocurrency, a highly scalable and low-cost platform for developers, allowing them to create dApps or decentralized apps for various purposes. In the cryptocurrency space, the competition can turn out to be vicious. Nevertheless, cooperation is also widespread in the crypto space, particularly because it is a new asset class.

Crypto creators and experts have understood that it is highly beneficial to cooperate rather than to compete for the time being. And you will struggle to find any crypto project better than NEAR Protocol when it comes to cooperation in the cryptocurrency space. If you are interested in understanding what NEAR Protocol actually is, including its elements and features, this post will explain everything you need to know about it. Let’s get started.

What is NEAR Protocol?

NEAR or NEAR Protocol is a cryptocurrency blockchain that features smart contract functionality. NEAR Protocol is designed and developed to facilitate the creation of decentralized applications. It is also developer-friendly and is interoperable with Ethereum as well.

Coming down to its functionality, NEAR Protocol uses a block generation mechanism known as ‘Doomslug’ that processes over 100,000 transactions per second and a Sharding mechanism known as ‘Nightshade’ that splits the entire cryptocurrency network into multiple portions. The transaction fees on NEAR Protocol are so low that it requires a special unit of measurement for quantification called ‘yocto.’

Furthermore, the developers at NEAR Protocol are working to make the platform secure enough to handle valuable assets like identity or money. And with the likes of proof of stake, combined with sharding, the platform can prove useful for everyday customers.

How does it work?

NEAR Protocol is a dedicated proof of stake blockchain, which, to optimize performance, uses sharding. Sharding is quite different in NEAR Protocol as compared to other cryptocurrencies. That is, all shards on NEAR Protocol are considered a part of the same network. Using Nightshade, the cryptocurrency is interoperable with ETH using Rainbow Bridge. The Nightshade works to add a single snapshot of each shard’s existing state on the NEAR Protocol blockchain. Each shard has its own set of validator nodes that broadcast the shard’s existing state each time a block is produced.

Elements and Features of NEAR Protocol

NEAR Protocol comes with numerous functionalities that cater to the validators, end-users, and developers differently.

  • NEAR Protocol allows the developers to prepay and sign the transactions in the end-users’ best interest, significantly reducing the need for the users to know about how the decentralized application works and other technical anomalies.
  • It boasts a ‘Progressive UX,’ which is specifically designed for users so that they can use the platform without requiring to use tokens or wallets.
  • When we talk about the validators, NEAR Protocol allows them to create an assortment of offerings for the users.

Conclusion

It is still too early to say whether people will accept NEAR Protocol or will it dethrone Ethereum. But it is certainly not impossible. Given the features and functionalities of the cryptocurrency, it can be said that NEAR Protocol is the future of the cryptocurrency market, especially because it can help create state-of-the-art decentralized applications.

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic

Investing in ICOs – What You Need to Know

An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is a strategy startups use to raise capital to fund a project by selling digital tokens. The project’s nature could vary from building an app to creating a new service to developing a new cryptocurrency. It is a similar concept to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) – the sale of shares by corporations to raise lump sum capital. 

An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is a strategy startups use to raise capital to fund a project by selling digital tokens. The project’s nature could vary from building an app to creating a new service to developing a new cryptocurrency. It is a similar concept to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) – the sale of shares by corporations to raise lump sum capital. 

An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is a strategy startups use to raise capital to fund a project by selling digital tokens. The project’s nature could vary from building an app to creating a new service to developing a new cryptocurrency. It is a similar concept to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) – the sale of shares by corporations to raise lump sum capital. 

ICOs, just like IPOs, often excite investors, which is why: at the launch of an ICO, tokens are usually sold at an outrageously discounted price. If the project goes well, the startup will become attractive to investors, and so will be the tokens. At this point, early-bird investors can sell their tokens at much higher prices and walk away with their newly-acquired wealth. This is the same thinking IPO investors have.

Despite the potential to gain massively from these investments, the risk of losing everything always lingers. If the project is a false start, the startup behind the ICO will fail to attract investors, and the tokens will be, at best, a little more than useless.

This article explains ICOs in detail, the benefits of investing, and the risks involved. Read on to know if they are a worthy venture.

How ICOs Work

First, it’s worth noting that cryptocurrency startups typically offer iCOs. Startups have limited access to funding. To make it worse, crypto startups lack the assets to back up liabilities such as credit, and this fact makes them particularly unattractive to creditors. 

When such organizations want to raise capital, ICOs come to their rescue. It all starts with publishing a technical paper detailing their idea. The whitepaper will explain the capital requirements, what the project will achieve at the end, how many tokens investors will keep, how the tokens can be redeemed, and so on. An elaborate paper is crucial in convincing investors to jump aboard. 

During the offering, those who have read the paper and see potential in the idea will buy the tokens using fiat money or crypto. In the future, issued tokens can be redeemed for cash. However, there are cases where the tokens only represent a stake in the organization and only entitle the holders to dividends. 

If the ICO fails to raise the amount needed to pursue the project, the startup may refund investors. Otherwise, it will use the funds collected to implement the proposed project. It is important to note that ICO activities are not regulated – and that’s a huge risk. Luckily, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) can intervene if it believes the ICO is illegal and may harm investors, as was the case with Telegram’s 2018 ICO. Nonetheless, the SEC’s jurisdiction is limited to the United States, something that you need to keep in mind. 

Comparison with IPOs/ Stocks 

ICOs and IPOs have a lot in common, especially in terms of how they work. Below are some of how the two compare:

  • Both are used to raise funds from the public 
  • Investors receive a token that represents their contribution. In ICOs, digital tokens are issued while IPOs feature shares
  • Both are supposed to be tradeable or redeemable 

Despite the similarities, there are notable differences between the two. For instance: 

  • ICOs are not regulated, while stocks are regulated by government agencies (SEC does this in the US)
  • Returns on IPOs are straightforward – stockholders reap annual dividends. On the other hand, ICO tokens do not grant investors ownership of the project. Still, they can be redeemed at a fixed rate, grant buyers access to the startup’s offices, entitle them to a share of the company’s profits, or whatever the whitepaper says – it’s usually all in the whitepaper.
  • IPOs are restricted to specific stock markets, while ICOs can be purchased anywhere the internet has reached.
  • IPOs usually have a high minimum amount of shares that one can purchase. ICOs, on the other hand, offer more flexibility when it comes to the minimum number of tokens that can be purchased.

How to Participate in an ICO

There is no specific process for venturing into ICOs. However, the general guide below can help you get started.

  1. Search online for upcoming ICOs. Using Google search terms like “upcoming ICOs” should be sufficient. You can also check out icodrops.com. The website provides a summary of active, upcoming, and concluded ICOs. When contemplating which ICO to settle for, take your time to read and understand the whitepaper. If you can, consult an investment expert for advice.
  2. Once you have made a comparison and settled on an ICO of your liking, register with an exchange. Since you are likely to purchase the tokens using crypto, you will need to exchange your fiat money for the said crypto. Most ICOs can be paid for using Bitcoin or Ether – that’s if they are not accepting fiat money.
  3. Buy crypto from the exchange and transfer that to your private wallet. 
  4. Go to the ICO’s official website and follow the participation guide. Most of them have simple well-explained guides. That’s it.

Pump-and-Dump ICO Schemes

Not all ICOs are established with genuine intentions. Like it is the case with any other investment alternative, you should be extra-careful when approaching an ICO investment. Pump-and-dump schemes involve overly hyping an idea to mislead investors into thinking that the proposed project will be super successful. In a typical pump-and-dump scheme, ICO owners will make outrageous claims about the potential of their idea. Then, clueless investors will buy the tokens in large quantities. Naturally, the project will fail after the capital collected has been spent, meaning the startup will have no money to pay investors.

It might be difficult to read the intentions of ICO owners from the start. However, if you see an influencer promoting a certain ICO, you should be vigilant. Using authoritative figures to market ICOs is among the best-known tactics pump-and-dump schemers use.

The ICO Bubble

ICO critics have long speculated that the concept is just a fanfare whose curtains are due to close. In 2017, Wired predicted that the ICO bubble was about to burst, but obviously, it didn’t. In 2018, cryptocurrencies saw an all-time decline in market capitalization, with Bitcoin losing over 70% of its value. The thing is, cryptocurrencies ride on speculation, and speculation cannot be predicted. Therefore, we cannot validate claims of a looming ICO bubble burst. What’s more important is to do your due diligence before diving into this unpredictable business.

Final Thoughts

ICOs present an exciting investment alternative to crypto enthusiasts. They offer many benefits that traditional IPOs lack. For instance, you can invest for as low as a few dollars. You are also not restricted to any country – provided you can access the ICO’s website, you can participate. Generally, ICOs have opened up investment opportunities to more people. However, it would help if you exercise caution when dealing with them. Their unregulated nature means if anything goes wrong, legal redress might be impossible. But since all investments are risky anyway, you might want to give it a try regardless.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

What Venus (XVS) can do for DeFi? 

Project after project is now rushing to cash in on the DeFi wave as the new blockchain-powered industry takes over the space. One of the latest DeFi projects to enter the scene is Venus Protocol, a liquidity pool and money market based on the Binance Smart Chain. 

Project after project is now rushing to cash in on the DeFi wave as the new blockchain-powered industry takes over the space. One of the latest DeFi projects to enter the scene is Venus Protocol, a liquidity pool and money market based on the Binance Smart Chain. 

Project after project is now rushing to cash in on the DeFi wave as the new blockchain-powered industry takes over the space. One of the latest DeFi projects to enter the scene is Venus Protocol, a liquidity pool and money market based on the Binance Smart Chain. 

What’s Venus all about, and what innovations does it bring to DeFi? Let’s dive in. 

Understanding Venus 

Venus is a DeFi protocol on the Binance Chain that supports digital asset lending, borrowing, and generation of synthetic assets. Venus wants to provide a much better financial ecosystem than both centralized and current decentralized platforms.

The Problem with Today’s Finance Protocols

In the traditional finance system, users have to go through a multitude of steps just to get a loan from KYC processes to a credit history check to days or weeks of awaiting confirmation. Also, the centralized lender can decide to deny you a loan arbitrarily. And let’s not forget about centralized platforms’ security concerns, thanks to their single point of attack. 

For its part, DeFi has revolutionized the crypto space by introducing blockchain-based products and services that are transparent, cryptographically secure, and not controlled by third-party authorities/decision-makers. But there’s a problem with DeFi: most of these platforms are built on Ethereum, which has faced scalability challenges since the beginning. Lack of scalability means slow, costly transactions and a poor user experience.

Again, these protocols lack the high market cap that could attract more users or put them at the top of the chain. There’s also the less-than-obvious issue of some of these platforms being not fully decentralized – mostly at the beginning. Such a platform will have equity investors controlling the platform, not users, and the community. 

Venus’s Solution

Venus seeks to address these problems by providing an environment where a traditional approach is woven into a synthetic stablecoin generation process. Users will be able to enjoy high-speed transactions with low minimal transaction costs on the Binance Smart Chain. The possibilities are many: deposit collateral, earn interest on the collateral, borrow against the collateral, and mint stablecoins in seconds. 

Venus: Highlights

  • Ability to borrow cryptocurrencies without intrusive KYC and credit checks
  • Ability to deposit crypto and stablecoins as collateral and earn good annual percentage yield returns 
  • Mint stablecoins from your collateral, with the collateral having the ability to be used more than 60 million places in the globe.
  • Governed by the Venus token for fair and transparent coin launch and distribution 

How Can You Use the Venus Protocol? 

You can take advantage of the Venus platform in several ways. From depositing assets and earning from them to borrowing crypto at competitive rates. 

#1. Depositing Assets

Venus users can deposit any of several supported digital assets in the protocol. Borrowers will take out these funds and use them to speculate in the market. In return, suppliers of the funds – or stakers, will earn interest on their deposit. 

When users supply collateral, they participate as lenders while contributing to the security of the protocol. All deposited assets are put together in a pool so that users can take out part of/the whole of their supply at any time, provided the protocol balance is positive.

Supplying crypto to the protocol will get you a vToken (vETH, vBTC, vUSDC, etc.) Only vTokens can be used to redeem the underlying deposited crypto. Redeeming the crypto will allow you to hedge against other assets in the market or move them to offline wallets that support Binance Smart Chain.

#2. Borrowing Assets

To borrow assets from the platform, you need to stake in collateral. The collateralized assets should be over-collateralized, making for at least 75% of the amount to be borrowed. The community will determine the collateral ratio through a governance process. Once you deposit the collateral, you can proceed to borrow an amount based on the collateral ratio of the particular asset. 

Usually, collateral ratios are anything between 40% to 75%. For instance, if ETH has a collateral ratio of 75%, it means you can borrow up to 75% of the value of your ETH. But if your collateral value drops below 75%, it could cause your assets to be liquidated. To return the collateral, a borrower must pay the borrowed amount together with the compounded interest.

Protocol Architecture

Venus’s code is forked off both the MakerDao and Compound protocols. The architecture is made of these elements: 

#1. Controller Smart Contract

Binance Smart Chain’s controller contract is much like a 

decentralized processor, facilitating the interactions between all other smart contracts on the platform. The Venus protocol does not automatically support tokens. Rather, it will support specific markets that are whitelisted by the Controller contract. The controller contract accesses whitelist markets by deploying the support Market admin function on the protocol. Every interaction and function on the protocol must be verified on the controller contract before it’s executed. 

#2. Collateral value

When a user deposits, borrows, or mints from the protocol, they’re usually using the underlying asset, usually held as collateral. The underlying assets are held as collateral and have dollar values that are also tied to the vTokens. For this to work accurately, these collateral values are taken from prevailing market rates. 

Governance Approach of Venus

The Venus team takes community governance very seriously. There were no pre-mined tokens for the team, foundation, and developers. As such, users who mine the Venus Token will get to control how the network runs. 

Governance features include, but are not limited to: 

  • The introduction of new assets on the protocol
  • Adjustment of market rates
  • Fixing interest rates for synthetic assets
  • Voting on protocol upgrade proposals

Venus Token

Venus is governed by the platform’s native token, the Venus Token (XVS). The token was designed to be “fair launch,” meaning there were no pre-mined tokens for the team, advisors, or the Foundation. You can only earn tokens through the Binance Launchpool project or by injecting liquidity into the protocol.

Initially, 20% (6,000,000) of the total supply will go to the Binance Launchpool project. The remaining amount will be dedicated to the protocol, with 23,700 000 XVS being mined in the next four years at 18,493 per day. 35% of the award will go to borrowers, 35% to suppliers, and 30% to stablecoin minters. XVS will officially become the governance mechanism of the protocol after 10 million tokens have been mined. In the meantime, an interim token, ‘Swipe Token’ (SXP), is being used to fulfill this purpose. 

Community Growth Strategies

The Venus team is going to implement various strategies in a bid to expand the community. 

  • Conducting Ask Me Anything (AMAs) to shed more light on the project to the community.
  • Regularly publishing DeFi-related news.
  • Hosting/co-hosting DeFi and blockchain events
  • Putting out weekly updates on Medium
  • Engaging with the community and the public via social media
  • Coming up with governance protocols

Future strategies include the following: 

  • Launching a governance protocol
  • Launching an incentive campaign to attract liquidity investors
  • Increasing the number of supported tokens

Tokenomics of Venus

At the time of writing, the Venus token’s market performance was as follows: its price was $3, and its market cap was $12,696,581, which placed it at #453. XVS had a 24-hour volume of $6,606,914, with a circulating supply of 4,227,273 and a total and maximum supply of 30 million. Finally, the token’s highest price ever was $4.77 (Oct 17, 2020), while its lowest ever was $2.22 (Oct 13, 2020). 

Where to Buy and Store XVS

XVS is currently listed on the Binance exchange. 

As a Binance chain token, the XVS token can be stored in Ledger Nano S, Guarda Wallet, Enjin Wallet, Atomic Wallet, Trust Wallet, Edge Wallet, and Coinomi Wallet.

Closing Thoughts 

On the Venus Protocol, users from everywhere can supply crypto and earn returns, take loans, and mint synthetic assets. Since it runs on the Binance Smart Chain, its transactions are fast, low-cost, and transcend the native blockchain. Active participants will get to contribute to the future direction of the protocol in a truly decentralized fashion. Venus joins multiple protocols offering the same product – will it stay ahead of the curve? We’ll be watching to see how it evolves.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 4 – Bitcoin Contesting $14,000; Crypto Sector in the Green

The cryptocurrency sector has explosively pushed towards the upside as Bitcoin is contesting the $14,000 level yet again. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $13,863, representing an increase of 3.81% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.93% on the day, while XRP gained 3.67%.

The cryptocurrency sector has explosively pushed towards the upside as Bitcoin is contesting the $14,000 level yet again. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $13,863, representing an increase of 3.81% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.93% on the day, while XRP gained 3.67%.

The cryptocurrency sector has explosively pushed towards the upside as Bitcoin is contesting the $14,000 level yet again. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $13,863, representing an increase of 3.81% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 2.93% on the day, while XRP gained 3.67%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

The Midas Touch Gold gained 13.90% in the past 24 hours, making it the most prominent daily gainer out of the top100 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. It is closely followed by ABBC Coin’s gain of 11.68% and Ampleforth’s 9.31% gain. On the other hand, CyberVain lost 9.64%, making it the most prominent daily loser. It is followed by NEAR Protocol’s loss of 9.57% and VeChain’s loss of 8.87%.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance level has increased slightly since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 64.3%. This value represents a 0.3% difference to the upside when compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has increased over the course of the day. Its current value is $399.05 404.52 billion, representing a $10.79million increase when compared to our previous report.

_______________________________________________________________________

What happened in the past 24 hours?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Technical analysis

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Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization had a great day as its price moved above the $13,900 mark. While the move got stopped out near $14,000, its price is still above the level it just passed.

Due to no strong pullbacks happening at the moment and Bitcoin staying within a very narrow range ($13,000-$14,100), we can expect a strong move to either side very soon. Traders should pay attention to any attempt to break its support/resistance levels Bitcoin makes.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s technicals on all time-frames are bullish, with the weekly overview being the only one with a considerable amount of neutrality.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is above both its 50-period EMA and its 21-period EMA
  • Price above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (58.89)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $13,900                                 1: $13,570

2: $14,000                                 2: $13,180

3: $14,100                                  3: $13,000

Ethereum

Ethereum has bounced off of its $371 support level and started moving back towards its ascending channel. However, the channel bottom line was too strong to pass, and Ethereum ended up consolidating slightly below it. As time passes, the possibility of Ethereum breaking the level will be diminished due to the constant increase in the line’s price position.

Ethereum is now trading in a range between $378 and the ascending channel bottom line, which can be taken advantage of. However, Bitcoin is preparing a move, and Ethereum will most likely respond to it by following its direction and intensity, which can be used by the traders.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s short-term technicals are unclear (4-hour overview being slightly bearish while daily overview is slightly bullish), while its longer-term technicals are heavily tilted towards the buy-side.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is below its 50-period and at its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (49.02)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $400                                     1: $378

2: $415                                     2: $371

3: $420                                      3: $361

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap took the day to push back above $0.235 and consolidate above it. This returned XRP back within a range bound by $0.235 to the downside and $0.2454 to the upside.

As we mentioned in our previous articles, if the next Bitcoin’s explosive move does not fuel XRP, traders can comfortably trade sideways action within this range. If, however, Bitcoin’s price moves to either side and XRP follows the direction, traders can use this event to trade alongside the direction XRP is moving in.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s technicals on all time-frames are heavily tilted towards the sell-side. However, the longer the time-frame, the more neutral the technicals are, with the monthly indicator being very close to being completely neutral.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price below its 50-period EMA and above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is close to the oversold territory (50.52)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.2454                                 1: $0.235

2: $0.26                                     2: $0.227

3: $0.266                                  3: $0.221

 

Categories
Crypto Guides

Looking For Easy Crypto Payment? Switch To NOWPayments!

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Digital payment has undoubtedly blessed the financial industry by offering a seamless transaction mode. With the inclusion of blockchain, things have become even more efficient. More and more blockchain platforms have been introducing their tokens and coins to facilitate blockchain-based transactions. Crypto holders are making use of their crypto coins to conduct everyday financial transactions.

Owing to the increasing demand for crypto payments, blockchain platforms are designing their currency. ChangNow has also been working to introduce NOWPayments to offer a convenient blockchain payment service that will accept crypto coins all over the globe. In this article, we are going to talk about NOWPayment and everything that has to be discovered regarding this revolutionized payment service.

What is NOWPayments?

NOWPayments is powered by ChangeNOW and has been operating in the industry since 2019. It is also tied up worth Ledger, Binance, and Atomic Wallet to increase its services’ efficiency. NOWPayments has been designed to primarily offer a crypto payment gateway for both customers and merchants and make transactions seamless. It allows merchants to accept crypto payment on their online stores, social media accounts, and website. Being a non-custodial service, NOWPayments will not store funds in any means. It supports more than 50 cryptocurrencies and facilitates transactions at lower fees.

What Are The Benefits of Choosing NOWPayments?

As online/offline merchants and crypto coin holders are increasing at a staggering rate, it has become essential to introduce a hassle-free payment gateway. NOWPayment is that one-stop destination where you can conduct crypto transactions without any hassle. It has partnered with all the popular crypto exchanges to strengthen its potential and meet customers’ needs. Here are a few crucial benefits of using NOWPayments-:

Faster Payments: NOWPayments is known for its lightning-fast payments. Unlike other gateways, NOWPayments will complete the transaction within minutes.

Non-Custodial Services: There are no intermediaries involved in the transactions except holding the fees. So, the payments are directly forwarded to the merchants.

Comprehensive Support: Complete guidance and inclusive support is another major takeaway of this payment gateway. From installing plugins to integrating API, you can get all answers to your queries via a 24/7 support team.

Transparency Compliance: NOWPayment prioritizes the safety of the clients and partners. The legal team dedicatedly works to ensure compliance. It secures all the transactions and safeguards it from illegal acts, and protects the users’ rights.

How To Integrate NOWPayments?

NOWPayment claims to be the easiest and best way to accept crypto payments. The easy-to-use interface makes NOWPayments offers hassle-free, secure, and simple API that you can integrate into any platform. Follow the below steps-:

  • Sign up for NOWPayment with email and set up your account
  • Access the Dashboard after signing up
  • Go to Add New Key and save the API
  • Visit the Outcome Wallet page to access your digital wallet
  • Use the API to send and accept crypto payments

The Bottom Line

NOWPayments has established a safer, reliable, and faster crypto payment gateway that everyone needed. It can be embedded in online stores and websites to make payment easier for customers and merchants. The above mentioned were all the vital information you need to know about this amazing payment gateway.

Categories
Crypto Videos

The Amazing Chainlink – Solving Real-World Problems!

 

 

 

Chainlink – Beginners Guide

During the long and hard crypto winter of late 2018, many projects failed to stay afloat, but during all this, Chainlink managed to actually keep growing and defied the bearish market. At the moment, Chainlink is one of the leading cryptocurrencies in the DeFi sector. How did it manage to grow as consistently, and what sets is apart?

Problem

Blockchains use math–cryptography and practically guarantee security, trust, and decentralization. However, the problem is that each blockchain is its own universe, which means that getting information from and to another blockchain would require a trusted source. To retrieve information about event outcomes or even something as simple as Bitcoin’s price meant that you are required to trust a source to tell the truth.

What is Chainlink?


Chainlink figured out how to get any type of information in and out of a blockchain while remaining secure and decentralized, but also trustless. Sources of data between the blockchain and the “outside” world, known as oracles, are no longer a single point of failure for a smart contract. Chainlink created a network of nodes that can provide information to and from the blockchain, which created a vital part of smart contract infrastructure as a result. This “blockchain middleware” meant that Chainlink oracles could provide essential information without sacrificing on decentralization or security.
Chainlink essentially created a secure bridge to the “outside” world.
To minimize the potential failure of the aforementioned oracles, Chainlink focused on the distribution of data sources, distribution of oracles, as well as the use of trusted hardware.

Origins of Chainlink

Chainlink was founded by the current CEO Sergey Nazarov and the current CTO Steve Ellis. The project started in Sept 2017, when the project raised $32 million in an ICO, thus creating 1 billion LINK tokens. In May 2019, Chainlink launched on the Ethereum mainnet. At the moment, Chainlink is the 7th largest cryptocurrency by market cap, as well as the largest DeFi cryptocurrency by market cap, and is very close to the $4 billion dollar mark.

Use Cases

Chainlink is different from most projects in terms of having real use cases, as it is demonstrated by its list of partners, with most notable being Polkadot and Synthetix from the crypto sector and SWIFT and Google coming from the traditional business world.
As an example, Chainlink could be used to send a real-world money transfer from SWIFT and via Chainlink. The proof the payment could then be sent back via Chainlink to SWIFT. This use of Chainlink by SWIFT has created a seamless interaction between the traditional world and the crypto world, all while minimizing the potential points of failure.

So how does it all work?

Chainlink can be defined as a decentralized oracle network that consists of purchasers and data providers. Purchasers request data, while providers return it in a secure way.
Purchasers select the data they want to obtain, while providers bid to provide that data. Providers have to commit a stake of LINK tokens when making a bid, which serves as proof that they are honest. Once providers are selected, their job is to bring the correct answers on the chain.

Chainlink uses something called “oracle reputation system” to aggregate as well as weigh the data provided. If everything goes well, providers get paid, and everyone is happy, but if the providers misbehave, they lose their stake.

How do you get Link tokens?

The Chainlink network uses an Ethereum-based ERC-677 token that inherits the ERC-20 token standard’s functionality while allowing token transfers to contain a data payload. This token protocol is also used for payment of data providers who are bringing and translating data into the blockchain.
Besides earning LINK tokens by being a provider, you can also buy LINK tokens on various exchanges, such as Coinbase, Binance, and Huobi.

The Future of Chainlink

Two of the key objectives Chainlink focused on to ensure the security of its network are the distribution of data sources and the distribution of oracles. Like all networks, Chainlink’s main goal is to add more people and operators to become more robust and valuable.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

GoChain (GO): Where Reputation Matters

Blockchain has so much potential to transform not just how we do business but society itself. Its qualities of decentralization, immutability, and distributedness make for transparent, trustless, and fraud-free interactions. 

Blockchain has so much potential to transform not just how we do business but society itself. Its qualities of decentralization, immutability, and distributedness make for transparent, trustless, and fraud-free interactions. 

Blockchain has so much potential to transform not just how we do business but society itself. Its qualities of decentralization, immutability, and distributedness make for transparent, trustless, and fraud-free interactions. 

And while this potential is huge, blockchain is currently hindered by issues like low scalability, lack of true decentralization, and excessive consumption of power. 

GoChain is a decentralized platform that wants to bring blockchain closer to businesses while solving the issues encumbering it. The platform is designed for its apps to be immediately integrable with Ethereum. 

Before we delve deeper into Gochain, let’s see why the current blockchain setup is problematic.

The Issues With Existing Blockchains

#1. Speed and Volume

Current blockchains suffer from slow transactions and low throughput. For instance, Bitcoin can process just 7 transactions per second, while Ethereum can process 15, at the time of writing. On top of that, it can take anything from minutes to hours to verify a transaction. This is a sharp contrast with Visa, which can process 1700 transactions per second. This demonstrates that the current blockchain setup is too slow for real-world and high volumes of transactions. 

#2. Power Consumption

As in proof of work (PoW consensus, the process of approving and verifying transactions gobbles up massive amounts of energy. The computational work that goes into the process is meant to protect the network against bad actors, but it comes at a cost. For instance, Bitcoin today uses the equivalent of the power that would run 3.5 million US households. This is just unsustainable in the long run.

#3. Questionable Decentralization

Decentralization is a central tenet of cryptocurrencies. Decentralization means any single company or government does not control a blockchain network. However, true decentralization remains a pipe dream. For example, the largest number of Bitcoin miners is situated in China, where electricity is cheap. In true decentralization, miners would be spread proportionately all over the world. 

#4. Rigid Contracts 

Ethereum supports smart contracts, which are contracts that are self-verifying and enforcing. Smart contracts operate so that all parties must commit to a set of rules before the contract is enforced. However, smart contracts are not that smart in some ways, especially when it comes to a fast-paced world. The parties to a smart contract cannot change the contract in any way, whether to upgrade the terms or fix a security bug. Smart contracts are also known to have been victims of attacks, meaning they’re not as safe as touted.

What’s GoChain?

GoChain is a decentralized, peer-to-peer network that uses Proof-of-Reputation consensus mechanism to power smart contracts and DApps. The network is 100% compatible with Ethereum wallets, and it had the mission of being “10x more decentralized, 100x faster and 1000x greener than Ethereum.” By greener, GoChain means utilizing a consensus model that does not consume as much power as PoW. 

Here are some of the main features of GoChain: 

  • GO-20 tokens, which are compatible with Ethereum
  • 1300 transactions per second with low to very minimal gas fees
  • A Proof of Reputation (PoR) consensus mechanism that relies on participants’ good reputation to secure the network
  • ‘Authorized Signers,’ who are 50 reputable companies picked from various industries and countries
  • Malicious nodes can be removed from the network

GoChain’s Fees and Rewards

Just like on Ethereum, GoChain users need to pay ‘gas’ to conduct transactions on the network. Authorized signers are in charge of creating, signing, and distributing blocks to nodes, for which they earn GO tokens in return. Reward tokens were 4.4% of the total supply, and they will decrease over time. 

The Voting Process 

GoChain will use a two-phase voting process. Initially, GoChain will have the first 50 signers enforcing decentralization and protecting the network against any outside interference. These signers will be picked from varying industries and jurisdictions. This is in line with the PoR consensus mechanism, in which a signer must already possess a reputation that’s too valuable to jeopardize/lose. When these signers are established, the network will hand complete control to them in a true self-governing version. 

GoChain will choose signers based on these credentials: 

  • Number of years in operation
  • Number of company employees
  • Annual revenue
  • Brand recognition
  • Company’s annual revenue

Proof of Reputation

GoChain uses a Proof of Reputation consensus mechanism to keep the network secure. A participant must already have a reputation that’s too prized to risk with any dishonest behavior. It’s why the PoR mechanism chooses larger companies – which have more to lose, over small companies. 

Once a company submits its reputation credentials, they may be voted in as an authoritative node, after which they can approve and verify blocks. GoChain is based on Ethereum’s network because the team believes that it’s “much more than just a store of value.” As well, Ethereum apps such as wallets and tools will be interoperable with GoChain. 

Why Reputation? 

GoChain relies on reputation because it’s one of the most crucial aspects of a business. For a company, acting unethically could bring consequences such as fines, a customers’ walkout, PR disaster, and so on. Trust is a key part of any business, and once that trust is lost, it can take years to repair. 

Hence, GoChain utilizes this model to keep companies in check and keep the network secure. PoR works for more risk-averse companies and wouldn’t be inclined to a PoW or Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus model. In PoR, everyone knows who the other is, and they know who they’re trusting with their data. 

GO Tokens 

GO is the native token of the GoChain ecosystem. The token’s distribution was done this way: 

  • Private and public sale: 51%
  • Team tokens: 10%
  • Advisor tokens: 6%
  • Token treasury: 10%
  • Marketing and legal expenses: 14%
  • GoChain fund: 10%

Key Metrics of GO Token 

Go token rounded up at these figures on October 14, 2020. Its price was $0.008448, with a market cap of $8,800,176, which placed it at #522. It had a 24-hour volume of $489,598 and a circulating supply of 1,041,653,540, and a total supply of 1,106,653,550. The token has an all-time high of $0.116462 (July 09, 2018) and an all-time low of $0.003994 (Mar 13, 2020). 

Where to Buy and Store GO

You can find GO listed on several popular exchanges, including Binance, VCC Exchange, KuCoin, Bilaxy, Bittrex, CoinDCX, DragonEx, Beaxy, and Coinall. BTC, USDT, and ETH are some of the currencies it’s listed against. 

For storage, options include ZenGo, CoolWalletS, Coinomi, Trezor Model T, and Ledger Nano S. 

Final Thoughts

GoChain is a solution for the persistent issues in blockchain, and its ready-to-go approach makes it an immediate DApp and smart contracts solution for users across the globe. GoChain promises a faster, more scalable, and more decentralized blockchain. The only caveat is, it’s not the first or the last project to offer that promise. Will it stand the test of time in the competitive crypto space? Only time will tell. 

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 3 – Crypto Sector in the Red; Altcoins Plummeting

The cryptocurrency sector experienced an overall price drop as Bitcoin pushed down towards sub-$13,500 levels. Most cryptocurrencies ended in the red as they lost quite a bit more than Bitcoin itself. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $13,411, representing a decrease of 1.88% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 5.68% on the day, while XRP lost 3.96%.

The cryptocurrency sector experienced an overall price drop as Bitcoin pushed down towards sub-$13,500 levels. Most cryptocurrencies ended in the red as they lost quite a bit more than Bitcoin itself. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $13,411, representing a decrease of 1.88% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 5.68% on the day, while XRP lost 3.96%.

The cryptocurrency sector experienced an overall price drop as Bitcoin pushed down towards sub-$13,500 levels. Most cryptocurrencies ended in the red as they lost quite a bit more than Bitcoin itself. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading for $13,411, representing a decrease of 1.88% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum lost 5.68% on the day, while XRP lost 3.96%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

The Midas Touch Gold gained 8.44% in the past 24 hours, making it the cryptocurrency to gain the most in a day (out of the top100 cryptos by market capitalization). The rest of the cryptocurrencies experienced close to no gains. On the other hand, Reserve Rights lost 17.14%, making it the most prominent daily loser. It is followed by SushiSwap’s loss of 14.07% and Compound’s loss of 12.86%.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance level has increased since we last reported, with its value is currently staying at 64%. This value represents a 0.9% difference to the upside when compared to the value it had yesterday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has decreased over the course of the day. Its current value is $388.84 404.52 billion, representing a $5.32 million decrease when compared to our previous report.

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What happened in the past 24 hours?

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_______________________________________________________________________

Technical analysis

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Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market cap has (as said in our previous article) moved away from the sideways trading as it could not stand trading in such a narrow range. Bitcoin pulled back below $13,570 and even went as low as ~13,200 before bouncing back to ~$13,400 (where it is currently consolidating).

The recent days have brought us a lot of support/resistance hopping, which is what we may expect in the near future as well. Traders should focus on capitalizing on these movements as they almost always overextend. The trades can be made both while Bitcoin is creating overextension (riskier but a bigger profit potential) or during the pullback (safer but less profit potential).

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s 4-hour technicals are showing a bear tilt, while its longer time-frames are tilted towards the buy-side (longer time-frames have less neutrality and more of a buy-tilt than the shorter ones).

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is far at its 50-period EMA and below its 21-period EMA
  • Price below its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (43.90)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $13,570                                 1: $13,180

2: $13,900                                 2: $13,000

3: $14,000                                  3: $12,870

Ethereum

Ethereum has plummeted after failing to break the $400 mark, and losing all the most recent gains in the process. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has left the ascending channel since the end of September. Its price drop was stopped at the $371 resistance level, which has held up quite well.

Ethereum is now trading in a narrow range bound by $371 to the downside and $378 to the upside. Traders should look for any breakouts to enter trades, while the ones that want to trade the sideways action should wait and see if Ethereum is likely to stay within this range.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s 4-hour and daily technicals are tilted towards the sell-side, while its weekly and monthly overviews remain bullish.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is far below both its 50-period and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its bottom Bollinger band
  • RSI is close to being overbought (35.83)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $378                                     1: $371

2: $400                                     2: $361

3: $415                                      3: $358

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has had a red day as well, with its price falling through major support levels. A failed attempt to break the $0.2454 level has triggered a pullback, which pushed XRP’s price below $0.235 and even attempted to break $0.227. However, this support level held up, and XRP is now trading slightly above it.

If not fueled by Bitcoin’s explosive move towards either side, XRP will most likely trade sideways between $0.227 and $0.235. While traders could trade the sideways action without much problem, the lack of intra-range volatility is low, which brings the profit potential way down.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s daily, weekly, and monthly technicals are all showing a strong tilt towards the sell-side, while its 4-hour overview is slightly bullish with hints of neutrality.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price far below both its 50-period EMA and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its bottom Bollinger band
  • RSI is close to the oversold territory (31.89)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.235                                   1: $0.227

2: $0.2454                                 2: $0.221

3: $0.26                                    3: $0.217

 

Categories
Crypto Daily Topic

What is Ripple, and Should You Buy It?

Introduced in 2012, Ripple aimed to facilitate seamless, fast, and cheap global money transfers. It is different from other cryptocurrencies in the way it works and what it aims to achieve. Bitcoin came as a digital currency and Ethereum as a smart contracts platform. But Ripple entered the scene as a payments infrastructure. Today, its digital currency is among the most popular – only surpassed by Bitcoin and Ethereum in market capitalization.

Introduced in 2012, Ripple aimed to facilitate seamless, fast, and cheap global money transfers. It is different from other cryptocurrencies in the way it works and what it aims to achieve. Bitcoin came as a digital currency and Ethereum as a smart contracts platform. But Ripple entered the scene as a payments infrastructure. Today, its digital currency is among the most popular – only surpassed by Bitcoin and Ethereum in market capitalization.

Introduced in 2012, Ripple aimed to facilitate seamless, fast, and cheap global money transfers. It is different from other cryptocurrencies in the way it works and what it aims to achieve. Bitcoin came as a digital currency and Ethereum as a smart contracts platform. But Ripple entered the scene as a payments infrastructure. Today, its digital currency is among the most popular – only surpassed by Bitcoin and Ethereum in market capitalization.

In this article, we take a deep dive into this fascinating cryptocurrency network. We will look at how Ripple works, its pros and cons, compare it with Bitcoin, and even look at how you can use it. Read on to find out more about Ripple.

Understanding Ripple

We’ve just said that Ripple is different because it is a payment infrastructure. But what exactly is a payments infrastructure? In the interest of simplicity, let’s say it is any platform that facilitates the transfer of funds between individuals. For Ripple, this transfer happens in real-time and on an individual order basis. In other words, this network is a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system. 

The Ripple platform consists of the XCurrent messaging technology and the XRP currency. SWIFT is currently the most popular inter-bank funds transfer system. However, the recent adoption of the XCurrent messaging technology by some leading global banks has created uncertainty over SWIFT’s future. 

Ripple was created by Ripple Labs Inc. Unlike another crypto, which is usually generated through mining, Ripple Labs created the entire 100 billion XRP that circulates within the network. The company, strangely, holds 55 billion of these. 

While Ripple runs on open-source software, the network is not really decentralized – which the executives of Ripple Labs’ vehemently refute. The CTO is quoted saying that the XRP ledger existed even before Ripple Labs was founded, and that XRP will continue to circulate even if the company collapses. Cryptocurrencies are loved because they are decentralized. For Ripple, the company’s involvement in developing the network complicates the matter. Nevertheless, it remains the third most popular crypto going by total value of coins in circulation. 

Current Applications

Ripple’s utility extends beyond sending crypto from one person to another – the company’s recent partnership with Banco Santander demonstrated its potential in facilitating RTGS in mainstream banking. According to the Financial Times, this partnership allows the bank’s customers to send money across the globe in different currencies. That said, Ripple is mainly used for currency exchange and remittances. 

While the banking industry may be shy in adopting XRP because it’s volatile – like all other cryptos, it is likely to embrace Ripple’s payment infrastructure. Should that happen, Ripple will enable banks to make instant transfers and in different currencies while avoiding the high costs associated with SWIFT.

Ripple Versus Bitcoin

Ripple and Bitcoin are both blockchain-based technologies. This similarity should not make you think that Ripple is simply another cryptocurrency, just like Bitcoin. These two fundamentally differ in the following ways:

  • Mining: Bitcoin miners get rewarded with new coins. Ripple is not mined as all the coins were created when the network was built.
  • Underlying technology: Bitcoin transactions are verified using the proof-of-work concept (mining), while Ripple uses an iterative consensus.
  • Speed: Bitcoin takes an average of 10 minutes to commit transactions, while Ripple needs only 5 seconds. Ripple’s fast speed is what makes it suitable for RTGS.
  • Transaction cost: Bitcoin charges upwards of $2 per transaction, while Ripple costs about $0.004. The low transaction fees give Ripple an edge over SWIFT for remittances.
  • Supported currencies: The Bitcoin network supports only once currency while Ripple was built to support any currency.
  • Ownership: Bitcoin is decentralized, while Ripple is controlled by Ripple Labs Inc.

How to Use Ripple

Ripple can be used by both individuals and financial institutions. For individuals, it works like other cryptocurrencies – you can invest in it or use it to make payments. For banks, Ripple’s usefulness lies in its payment infrastructure technology. Let’s take a closer look at how the platform plays out in these two scenarios. 

For Individuals

As mentioned above, you can invest in Ripple (XRP) or use it for payments – just as you would with any other crypto. For this, you will need a digital wallet that supports XRP. There is a good review of XRP wallets on this page. Secondly, you need to identify a reliable exchange from where you can buy XRP; Bitstamp, Kraken, and GateHub are good options. Most of the exchanges offer XRP/USD, XRP/EUR, and XRP/BTC exchange pairs. Also, most of them will deposit the purchased XRP on your account on that website. Always ensure you move the funds to your private wallet soonest possible. 

For Banks/ Financial Institutions 

Ripple was developed with banks and other financial institutions in mind. The aim was to make cross-border fund transfers fast, cheap, and transparent, which banks have been unable to achieve for decades. 

Ever since, banks have been using SWIFT, an interbank telecommunication system, to send money across borders. SWIFT is expensive. Also, its transfers take about 1-4 business days to reflect. People seeking to make cross-border remittances have had to endure this reality for the last four decades. However, things are changing. Several major banks have seen the light and are now using Ripple’s messaging system to achieve the same function as SWIFT, but faster, more cheaply, and transparently. 

Just like SWIFT, Ripple’s payment infrastructure does not hold any funds – it is simply a messaging system. This means that banks do not have to overhaul the entire remittance process when adopting Ripple, and thus, the switch to Ripple should be swift (no pun intended).

Having cheap, instantaneous cross-border transfers is everyone’s wish, but until all banks adopt Ripple’s platform, such transfers will have to stay on the wishlist. 

Ripple’s Pros 

  • Fast transactions – Transactions on Ripple are among the fastest among cryptocurrency networks. Within 3-5 seconds, the transfer of funds from person A to person B can be complete.
  • Supported by a reliable technical team – Ripple is supported by a team of world-class engineers because the company can afford them.
  • Reliability – The platform has been tested by some of the world’s largest banks, meaning it is a reliable solution.
  • Low cost – Transaction fees on Ripple are very competitive.

Ripple’s Cons

  • Centralized – Ripple Labs owns 55% of the total coins in the network, which makes it too powerful. Decentralized governance is one of the characteristics that have made cryptocurrencies attractive. 
  • Focus on banks/ financial institutions – Ripple was largely designed to benefit banks and financial institutions. Individuals might be unable to leverage the platform’s full range of capabilities. 

Closing Remarks

Ripple is an original, fresh, and unique solution to the age-old problem of cross-border money transfers and, as a digital currency, an alternative to Bitcoin. We have seen that the crypto network is primarily focused on financial institutions. However, you can still use XRP to make payments or invest in it. So, if you are a crypto enthusiast, XRP is a good alternative to other altcoins. 

For financial institutions, Ripple introduces speed, low-costs, and transparency in international money transfers. Many of the world’s largest banks have already tested its payment infrastructure – giving it the seal of approval that other financial institutions can rely on. Ripple promises faster and cheaper money transfers. However, we might have to wait for long as banks consider its adoption. Until then, we will have to endure the slow and costly SWIFT transfers.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

Introducing Electra (ECA)

Before blockchain, people had to contend with slow and expensive cross-border transactions, and merchants had to give up high percentages of their revenue in the payment process. Well, it’s still pretty much that way, but it doesn’t have to be any longer. The revolutionary features of blockchain, such as decentralization, high-level security, and transparency, should change the game. 

Before blockchain, people had to contend with slow and expensive cross-border transactions, and merchants had to give up high percentages of their revenue in the payment process. Well, it’s still pretty much that way, but it doesn’t have to be any longer. The revolutionary features of blockchain, such as decentralization, high-level security, and transparency, should change the game. 

Before blockchain, people had to contend with slow and expensive cross-border transactions, and merchants had to give up high percentages of their revenue in the payment process. Well, it’s still pretty much that way, but it doesn’t have to be any longer. The revolutionary features of blockchain, such as decentralization, high-level security, and transparency, should change the game. 

Electra (ECA) is a blockchain effort that seeks to revolutionize how the world views payments. Founded in 2017, Electra is a financial management system that will allow merchants everywhere to use an alternative payment method free from intermediaries or centralized control. The protocol will offer users what traditional systems have failed to do for ages: friendly fees, instant transactions, immediate access to funds, state-of-the-art security, and more. 

The Electra protocol is embedded with the Lightning Network, atomic swaps, and PoS 3.0e. In the future, it intends to integrate SegWit as well as smart contract functionalities. 

Understanding Electra

Electra (ECA) is an open-source crypto and blockchain project for facilitating peer-to-peer payments across the globe. The project wants to provide a secure, cost-effective, and more flexible alternative to the traditional payment model where merchants pay up to a 3% processing fee. 

Using Electra, merchants can pay for transactions at the negligible rate of 0.0001 ECA. This is compared with the flat merchant discount rate (MDR) rate that gives businesses, especially small businesses, the shorter end of the stick. And, they usually have to wait for days to receive payments. 

Electra seeks to facilitate micropayments. To achieve this, the Electra blockchain can process up to 800 transactions per second (TPS) with a confirmation time of 64 seconds. This allows merchants to receive payments in milliseconds. Just like on Bitcoin, merchants can ultimately decide their transactions’ finality based on how many blocks have passed. Electra also removes the need for intermediaries between merchants and customers, providing for a leaner and more cost-effective process. No intermediaries mean more secure transactions as well, since the possibility of fraud is vastly reduced. 

Electra: Existing Products

Over the years, Electra has rolled out various products to realize its mission of more affordable and secure payments. Let’s look at each one by one. 

#1. ElectraPay

This is a tool that allows merchants from anywhere in the world to register and accept e-commerce payments. When they sign up, they generate an API key – a unique identifier that authenticates payment and billing requests. Currently, Electra supports the WooCommerce plugin. The WooCommerce plugin can be used on WordPress sites. 

With the plugin, a merchant can track the status of every order via the portal. They can also track their account information and update it if necessary. Finally, they can see all changes made in the order records and by whom. Transactions via the Electra network can be seen by both the merchant and the customer in near real-time. 

#2. Point-of-Sale System

Electra also supports a Point-of-Sale solution that’s directly linked to the ElectraPay merchant account. This integration allows the merchant to plug in on both the online and physical environments. 

User Benefits

The Electra protocol provides multiple benefits for users – whether active users or just fans of the project: 

  • Ability to join the community and contribute to the monetary value and market standing of the project and coin
  • Seamless installation of ElectraPay complete with a plugin for both online and offline environments
  • Enjoy safe and secure payments based on the NIST5 algorithm.
  • Negligible transaction fees of 0.00001% – way lower than debit or credit card options
  • Near real-time transactions with a 64 seconds confirmation time
  • Worldwide ATMs for easy integration with the Electra debit card
  • Zero exchange fees
  • Rewards upon staking Electra coin

Key Metrics of Electra Coin (ECA)

ECA is the native cryptocurrency of Electra. It plays a pivotal role in the ecosystem, from facilitating payments to staking. Let’s see the coin’s current market standing: 

As of October 16, ECA traded at $0.000173, with a market cap of $4,954,908 that placed it at #713. The coin had a 24-hour volume of $383.80, a circulating and total supply of 28,712,458,937, and 29,579,615,490, respectively. The coin’s all-time high was $0.010651 (Jan 04, 2018), while its all-time low was $0.000001 (Dec 01, 2017). 

Where to Buy and Store ECA

ECA is listed on several legit exchanges, including CoinFalcon, Crex24, HitBTC, Coindeal, STEX, Fatbtc, Altilly, and Coinbene. 

The Electra team provides several official wallets, including a Windows Wallet (32 and 64 bit), MacOs wallet, Linux/RPi wallet, and wallets for Android and iOS. The team also recommends these third-party wallets: Magnum, My Staking Wallet, Ellipal and Secux. 

Closing Thoughts

Electra is one of several blockchain projects that are making things easier for merchants all over the world. With near real-time settlements, fast speeds, and incredibly cheap transactions, it helps bring blockchain benefits to real-life use. Hopefully, projects like these can push blockchain to wider use and acceptance.

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

Daily Crypto Review, Nov 2 – Ethereum’s Price Explodes; Bitcoin’s Whitepaper Celebrates its 12th Birthday

The cryptocurrency sector was full of volatility over the weekend as Bitcoin tried to break the $14,000 mark. Bitcoin is currently trading for $13,735, representing a decrease of 0.13% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 3.12% on the day, while XRP gained 1.31%.

The cryptocurrency sector was full of volatility over the weekend as Bitcoin tried to break the $14,000 mark. Bitcoin is currently trading for $13,735, representing a decrease of 0.13% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 3.12% on the day, while XRP gained 1.31%.

The cryptocurrency sector was full of volatility over the weekend as Bitcoin tried to break the $14,000 mark. Bitcoin is currently trading for $13,735, representing a decrease of 0.13% on the day. Meanwhile, Ethereum gained 3.12% on the day, while XRP gained 1.31%.

 Daily Crypto Sector Heat Map

Taking a look at the top 100 cryptocurrencies, Ocean Protocol gained 20.20% in the past 24 hours, making it the crypto to gain the most in a day. Aave (10.97%) and Ox (8.84%) also did great. On the other hand, ABBC Coin lost 10.72%, making it the most prominent daily loser. It is followed by CyberVain’s loss of 7.62% and Ren’s loss of 3.92%.

Top 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bottom 10 24-hour Performers (Click to enlarge)

Bitcoin’s market dominance level had stayed at the same place since we last reported, with its value is currently 63.1%. This value represents a 0% difference when compared to the value it had on Friday.

Daily Crypto Market Cap Chart

The crypto sector capitalization has increased slightly over the weekend. Its current value is $404.52 billion, representing a $4.91 million increase compared to our previous report.

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What happened in the past 24 hours?

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_______________________________________________________________________

Technical analysis

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Bitcoin

The largest cryptocurrency by market cap had quite a volatile weekend, with its price breaking the $13,900 mark at one point and even reaching as high as $14,100. However, this price didn’t hold up, and Bitcoin fell back below $13,900, where it is consolidating at the moment. Bitcoin is now trading within a tight range, bound by $13,570 to the downside and $13,900 to the upside. History has shown us that BTC doesn’t stay range-bound for long; thus, we may expect a large move soon.

Traders should look for a trade when Bitcoin breaks one of its immediate resistances.

BTC/USD 4-hour Chart

Bitcoin’s overview on all time-frames is slightly bullish, with hints of neutrality. The neutrality is more present on the shorter time-frames as opposed to less neutrality on longer time-frames.

BTC/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • Price is far above its 50-period EMA and above its 21-period EMA
  • Price slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (53.43)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $13,900                                 1: $13,570

2: $14,000                                 2: $13,180

3: $14,660                                  3: $12,870

Ethereum

Ethereum had spent the weekend slowly following the ascending channel bottom line until Sunday when its price bounced off and pushed past $400. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap managed to reach as high as $405 before pulling back and consolidating. The fight for $400 will continue, and it will decide if Ethereum will push towards $415 and $420 in the near future or not.

Traders should look for Ethereum’s break (or the failure to break) the $400 level and trade off of that.

ETH/USD 4-hour Chart

Ethereum’s 4-hour technicals have changed to a strong buy after Ether’s price spike, while its daily, weekly, and monthly time-frames are all slightly bullish with hints of neutrality.

ETH/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical Factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price is far above both its 50-period and its 21-period EMA
  • Price is at its top Bollinger band
  • RSI is close to being overbought (64.51)
  • Volume is slightly above average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $400                                     1: $378

2: $415                                     2: $371

3: $420                                      3: $361

Ripple

The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap spent the weekend consolidating below the $0.2454 level, which it has dropped below just before the weekend started. XRP tested both the $0.235 downside and $0.2454 upside, and both have proven to be strong support/resistance levels, which has left XRP range-bound.

XRP will take a lot of buying power to break above $0.2454 again, which means that the traders should consider trading sideways inside the range XRP is currently in.

XRP/USD 4-hour Chart

XRP’s daily, weekly, and monthly technicals are all showing a strong tilt towards the sell-side, while its 4-hour overview is slightly bullish with hints of neutrality.

XRP/USD 1-day Technicals

Technical factors (4-hour Chart):
  • The price below its 50-period EMA and above its 21-period EMA
  • Price is slightly above its middle Bollinger band
  • RSI is neutral (50.10)
  • Volume is average
Key levels to the upside          Key levels to the downside

1: $0.26                                     1: $0.2454

2: $0.266                                   2: $0.235

3: $0.27                                    3: $0.227

 

Categories
Crypto Market Analysis

BTC/USD Chart Overview + Possible Outcomes

In this weekly BTC /USD analysis, we will be looking at the most recent events, the current technical formations, as well as discussing possible outcomes.

In this weekly BTC /USD analysis, we will be looking at the most recent events, the current technical formations, as well as discussing possible outcomes.

In this weekly BTC /USD analysis, we will be looking at the most recent events, the current technical formations, as well as discussing possible outcomes.

Overview

Bitcoin has spent another week pushing towards the upside. This time, it has passed the resistance zone at ~13,200 and pushed further towards the 2019 yearly high of $13,900. Breaking this level signifies a crucial move towards reaching all-time highs as the zone between $13,900 and the $20,000 level has close to no volume, meaning that it is “air-filled.” The moves in this zone will include a lot of volatility due to people taking profits as well as FOMO-ing in.

Technical factors



Bitcoin has conquered the ~13,200 zone after a week of trading above it and a couple of retests. However, a new high is in sight, the 2019 yearly high of $13,900.

Bitcoin is booming with bullish indicators, with its downside being guarded by the 21-period moving average, as well as hash ribbons making a crossover into miner capitulation (a huge bullish signal).
Hash Ribbons are great for detecting market bottoms or preparations for another spike, and it is one of the indicators that has provided traders with the most stable and predictable returns (and with low drawdowns).

However, the technicals factors will have no effect on the strength of the move once it happens, and Bitcoin’s short-term direction will remain unclear until it confidently breaks or pulls back from the $13,900 level.

Likely Outcomes

Bitcoin has two main scenarios it can play out, which will depend on how the “fight” for $13,900 ends.
1: If it confirms its position above the level, we can expect the unexpected, as there is close to no sell pressure above. However, many will start taking profits so unexpected downswings might happen. With that being said, the most likely target after breaking $13,900 is $13,640, which is one of the small consolidation points which happened during the 2017/2018 spike.
2: The other scenario is just as likely, and involves Bitcoin rejecting $13,900, thus creating a double top and a short-term pullback. This pullback might end at the $13,200 zone, which historically has a lot of buy and sell pressure, or even further down towards $12,470.

We also have to note that, whichever of these scenarios play out, Bitcoin’s overall sentiment is extremely bullish and that investors that do not like trading should just stick with what they are comfortable with.

Categories
Cryptocurrencies

What’s Alpha Finance Lab (ALPHA)?

DeFi is the hottest topic in the crypto and blockchain space now, and the reason it’s so popular is the countless benefits it affords users. Financial instruments have been a preserve of the top few elites for too long, and DeFi is set to change that. As of now, we have multiple DeFi projects aiming for the top spot in terms of offerings, user experience, and more. 

DeFi is the hottest topic in the crypto and blockchain space now, and the reason it’s so popular is the countless benefits it affords users. Financial instruments have been a preserve of the top few elites for too long, and DeFi is set to change that. As of now, we have multiple DeFi projects aiming for the top spot in terms of offerings, user experience, and more. 

DeFi is the hottest topic in the crypto and blockchain space now, and the reason it’s so popular is the countless benefits it affords users. Financial instruments have been a preserve of the top few elites for too long, and DeFi is set to change that. As of now, we have multiple DeFi projects aiming for the top spot in terms of offerings, user experience, and more. 

Less than a year old, Alpha Finance Lab is one of many DeFi contenders emerging. The Alpha tram wants to empower people to “reclaim control over their digital presence.” So what does it offer potential users? We answer that question in this article. 

Breaking Down Alpha Finance Lab 

Alpha Finance Lab is a DeFi ecosystem that will integrate various products and bring users the experience of different blockchains, starting with Binance Smart Chain and Ethereum. The Alpha team wants to “drive cross-chain DeFi and cross-chain liquidity through building interoperability among Alpha products and integrating with leading ecosystem partners to drive the next stage of DeFi.” 

The Alpha team wants to achieve the following: 

  • Sustainable yield generation upon users’ depositing of supported assets
  • Eliminate or reduce the risk if impermanent loss (IL)
  • Facilitate privacy-oriented asset exchange
  • Support lending with already-provisioned interest rates 

Alpha: Existing Products 

The Alpha platform is building a mix of products that will be interoperable across Binance Chain and Ethereum and will support more blockchain platforms in the future. With that, let’s look at the platform’s current offerings: 

#1. Lending

Alpha supports lending through its Alpha Lending protocol. On the protocol, users can earn interest by depositing supported assets. Deposited assets will be transferred into a smart contract that will allow users to borrow money for trading. When borrowers pay back interest, it will be pooled and proportionately awarded to liquidity providers depending on their contribution. 

If you want to be a lender, they can deposit any of the supported tokens, e.g., Ethereum, into the protocol. After this, you’ll receive aITokens (such as aIETH), which are interest-generating tokens that will represent your share of the deposited ETH. 

#2. Borrowing

If you wish to borrow from the Alpha protocol, you first have to deposit supported assets as collateral. After that, you’ll receive aITokens. Assets eligible for collateralization have been assigned a Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio. Let’s say the LTV for ETH is 70%. If you deposit ETH as collateral, you can borrow any asset in the pool and up to 70% of the value of the ETH you deposited. 

#3. Interest rate 

The interest rate will be determined by the asset’s utilization rate; in other words, the amount of deposited assets that have been borrowed. The bigger the utilization rate, the higher the interest rate. 

#4. Risk and Liquidation

Risk of liquidation is when the total value of the assets you borrow exceeds the maximum value you can take. Due to the volatility of cryptocurrencies, it’s recommended that you borrow at a lower value than the maximum value you can borrow. This will cushion you against the risk of liquidation. 

#5. Alpha Homora 

This is a protocol that allows users to leverage their position in liquidity mining pools. As a user, you can participate in the protocol as a yield farmer, lender, or liquidator. You can also participate by finding bugs in the protocol for which you’ll earn rewards. 

ALPHA Token 

ALPHA is the native cryptocurrency of the Alpha protocol, and it has the following current and planned roles: 

  • Liquidity mining: Users can earn ALPHA tokens for providing liquidity to the platform
  • Staking: Token holders can stake ALPHA tokens and get a share of the platform’s revenue
  • Governance: ALPHA token holders can participate in the governance of the platform by voting on project proposals

The Alpha token was distributed in the following manner: 

  • Binance launchpad sale tokens: 10%
  • Binance launchpool tokens: 5%
  • Private sale tokens: 13.33%
  • Liquidity mining tokens: 20%
  • Team and advisors’ tokens: 15%
  • Ecosystem tokens: 36.67%

Community Strategies of Alpha Finance Lab

The Alpha team intends to conduct several strategies to expand the growth of the project. 

These strategies include: 

  • Hosting and co-hosting DeFi conferences and related events to engage with potential users
  • Publishing blog posts every two weeks to update the community on technical updates
  • Engaging with the community via social media channels 

Future strategies include: 

  • Launching the Alpha Finance Lab Program to promote partnerships with similar projects
  • Launching yield farming programs 
  • Launching joint yield farming programs with other industry players

Key Metrics

The ALPHA token was trading at $0.034681 on October 16, 2020. It had a 24-hour volume of $2,489,546, an all-time high of $0.106884 (October 10, 2020), and an all-time low of $0.033573 (October 16, 2020) per Coinmarketcap. 

Where to Buy Alpha Tokens 

ALPHA has been listed on Coinone, Binance, and VCC Exchange. 

Closing Thoughts 

The Alpha team wants to push DeFi to the next level by focusing on cross-chain interoperability. Like many other DeFi protocols, Alpha provides an opportunity for people everywhere to make money by simply staking in crypto. The project is still young, so let’s see its future innovations.