Xapo CEO Foresees A Single Blockchain To Move All Value, ‘Most Likely’ Bitcoin’s




During a Facebook Live interview between Xapo CEO and Paypal board member Wences Casares and PayPal CEO Dan Schulman on Jan. 12, Casares explained his vision of a single “robust” Blockchain to move value globally, saying Bitcoin (BTC)’s Blockchain would likely play this role. He also predicted that BTC could become an apolitical standard of value.

Casares, who grew up in Patagonia, Argentina, explained during the interview that he had seen his family lose everything three times during his childhood due to banking failures and hyperinflation. He, like many tech pundits, compares the creation of Blockchain technology to the creation of the Internet in terms of its innovative potential.

Earlier this year, Casares had predicted that the price of Bitcoin would eventually reach $1 mln. During the Jan. 12 interview, Casares repeated the same prediction, but in a modified form, calling Bitcoin and crypto in general an “interesting experiment” and predicting BTC’s $1 mln price if that experiment should succeed:

    “I also think that there is a higher than 50% chance that this experiment succeeds...If that happens the world is going to look very very different... I happen to believe that if it succeeds that one bitcoin is going to be worth one million dollars.”

He also said he thinks there is an “at least a 20 percent chance that this experiment fails”.

Casares’s optimistic views on the digital currency, however, are bigger than price gains:

    “I can imagine a world in which bitcoin becomes a global standard of value — it’s the first global and non-political standard of value — coupled with the first global and non-political standard of settlement [...] It would be the biggest leap forward in the democratization of money we’ve ever seen.”

According to Casares, the future of crypto lies in the cooperation around a singular, robust Blockchain, and in his opinion Bitcoin’s is the most likely to be the Blockchain of choice:

    “There is a huge incentive to have one very, very robust blockchain. At least for any process that, in the end, will be moving value of any kind [...] There may be other use cases that do not entail value that may merit a different blockchain, but in terms of value, it’s most likely, in my opinion, that we’re going to have one. And right now, the most likely one seems to be the Bitcoin blockchain.”

Casares’s focus on Bitcoin underlines the importance of miners being able to successfully rely on transaction fees as incentives to replace block rewards, once the 21 mln Bitcoin mining cap is reached. 80 percent of bitcoins had already been mined on Jan. 13, leaving 4.2 mln coins left until the supply cap.


Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/xapo-ceo-foresees-a-single-blockchain-to-move-all-value-most-likely-bitcoins

Blockstream Launches Micropayments Processing System for Bitcoin Apps



Bitcoin startup Blockstream has released a micropayment processing system that it claims makes it simpler to build bitcoin apps on top of its Lightning Network.

Called Lightning Charge, the system complements Blockstream’s existing Lightning Network implementation "c-lightning" and is intended to make life easier for developers creating Lightning-powered payments applications, the firm said.

According to a company blog post:

    "Together, these additions make it easy for developers to use c-lightning to create their own, independent web-payment infrastructures."

Lightning Charge is written in node.js and its features can be accessed using an API via its JavaScript and PHP libraries, both of which are part of Blockstream's Elements Project.

"Web developers will ... get expanded functionality such as currency conversion, invoice metadata, streaming payment updates, and webhooks," the post states.

To demonstrate its technology, Blockstream has also announced the launch of e-commerce store powered by Lightning Charge, which enables users to make use of Lightning micropayments on the bitcoin mainnet. However, since Lightning is still at the testing stage, the company says use of the store is "at your own risk."

While still not ready for general use, the Lightning Network is one of the most-watched bitcoin-scaling solutions.

Rather than changing bitcoin's underlying code, Lightning effectively adds an extra layer to the network by which transactions would theoretically be made more cheaply and more quickly than directly on bitcoin's blockchain.

Last month, prepaid phone payment provider Bitrefill reportedly used Lightning to top up a cellphone.


Source: https://www.coindesk.com/blockstream-launches-micropayments-processing-system-for-bitcoin-apps/

As Bitcoin's Slide Continues, Prices Look Towards $8K




Bitcoin looks like it might soon test near-$8,000 levels, as December's record-breaking rally continues to unravel.

With major losses over the last few days seemingly brought about by negative regulatory news from China and South Korea, bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $10,280 levels at the time of writing, according to Coindesk's Bitcoin Price Index.

A slight recovery from the 1.5-month low of $10,064 hit yesterday ran out of steam at $11,698 at 00:20 UTC today, and price once more started to drop. The cryptocurrency has depreciated by 14.35 percent in the last 24 hours, according to data provider CoinMarketCap.

With the indicators still all in bearish territory, the technical charts indicate scope for a drop to $8,000 levels.

Bitcoin chart




The above chart (prices as per Coinbase) shows:

    * Bitcoin closed (as per UTC) well below the Dec. 30 low of $12,500 yesterday, marking a bearish breakdown.
    * Bitcoin has breached the support of the ascending trendline (drawn from Sep. 15 low and Nov. 12 low).
    * The 5-day and 10-day moving averages (MAs) carry a strong bearish bias (sloping downwards).
    * The relative strength index (RSI) also remains bearish.

The above technical factors clearly favor a further drop towards $8,690 – the support of the trendline sloping upwards from Jul. 16 low and Sep. 15 low.

However, the bears are struggling to take bitcoin below $10,313 (50 percent Fibonacci retracement of 2017 rally) in a convincing manner, and yesterday's dip below that level was short-lived. As for today, prices quickly recovered from the $10,070 (intraday low) to above $10,313.


4-hour chart





As seen in the chart above, yesterday's long-legged doji candle was accompanied by a surge in trading volumes, indicating strong dip demand at $9,928 (doji candle low).


View

   * The broader outlook remains bearish as indicated by the daily chart. Prices look set to test $8,690–$8,052 (61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement of 2017 rally) in the next few days.
   * A close (as per UTC) today below $10,313 (50 percent Fibonacci retracement) would boost the odds of a convincing break below $9,928 (4-hour doji candle low) and a slide towards $8,690–$8,052 levels.
   * However, a brief recovery to $13,000 levels cannot be ruled out, courtesy of the strong dip demand below $10,000 and an oversold RSI on the 4-hour chart.
   * Bullish reversal scenario: Only a close above the descending trend line (drawn from Dec. 17 high and Jan. 6 high) would signal a bullish trend reversal and once more open the doors for $20,000


Source: https://www.coindesk.com/as-bitcoins-slide-continues-prices-look-towards-8k/

Sometimes, things don't really make sense. We just have to sit back and watch what is really happening.

U2 Frontman Bono Directs Investment Fund into FinTech



Bono’s investment startup, The Rise Fund, is diving into fintech, with its maiden investment in the segment going to a robo advisor. The Rise Fund, of which Bono is a co-founder alongside Bill McGlashan and  Jeff Skoll, is backing micro investing app Acorns Grow Inc., taking a page out of the books of Ashton Kutcher (who incidentally said that the best investment he ever made was in relationships) and Kevin Durant, both of whom have equity positions in the fintech startup.

The Rise Fund may be a startup, but it has the backing of private equity shop TPG Growth, which oversees more than $8 billion. Rise, with Bono’s help, has raised a war chest of $2 billion to invest with a focus on projects that are designed to have a positive impact society and generate profits for the fund, all of which fits the persona of musician/activist/investor Bono. Kind of sounds like Vitalik Buterin’s blockchain. Meanwhile, in addition to the U2 frontman, the Rise board roster extends to the likes of Richard Branson.

Acorns’ chief Noah Kerner said of the Rise backing:

    “I believe in the American Dream; in the idea that no matter where you start, anyone can grow wealth. This investment and support from TPG’s Rise Fund, which has brought together some of the world’s most influential thought leaders committed to driving social change, will help us further deliver the tools, knowledge and inspiration to champion that idea.”

Newport, Calif.-based Acorns is a digital wealth manager that appeals to millennials in particular, comparable to fintech Betterment but on the micro level, boasting AUM of $500 million across millions of accounts and account sizes as low as USD 175.

US-based Acorns likely appeals to millennials for its ease of use and low fees. Users connect their cards that they use for everyday payments onto the Acorns platform. From there, they go about their daily spending habits, and the spare change from those investments is automatically directed toward investments by Acorns across thousands of stocks and bonds. Considering that Bono transcends generations, his affiliation with Acorns should raise the micro wealth management app’s profile even higher.

It’s no wonder that Bono’s Rise is drawn to robo-advisory, with Cerulli Associates having predicted the size of the digital-advice market of $220 billion at year-end 2017, up almost threefold from the previous year’s levels.

NBA All-Star and MVP Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors has similarly been drawn to fintech and through his tech-focused investment firm counts Acorns as well as on-demand delivery service Postmates in the portfolio.

In addition to celebs, Acorns has the backing of other well-known backers including fellow fintech PayPal. The Acorns app is currently being integrated into PayPal, which stands to bolster the latter company’s profile among a field of growing payments companies. Acorns acquired Portland-based Vault, which allows app users to direct some of their paychecks into a retirement savings account.


Source: https://www.ccn.com/bonos-rise-backs-rock-star-robo-advisor/

Cryptocurrency Market Suffers Another Major Correction as Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple Fall



The cryptocurrency market experienced yet another major correction for the second time this week, as the price of both major and small cryptocurrencies fell by large margins.



Cryptocurrency Market Endures Large Correction

On January 12, almost immediately after South Korea’s Justice Minister Park Sang-ki falsely claimed that the government is drafting a law to effectively ban cryptocurrency trading, the price of nearly every cryptocurrency in the global market fell in value.

Particularly, cryptocurrencies with their daily trading volumes heavily concentrated in the South Korean market such as Qtum, EOS, and Zcash fell by larger margins.

Subsequent to the initial cryptocurrency trading ban incident, the price of most major cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, and Cardano plunged, recording over 10 percent in daily losses.

Although the market seemed to recover shortly after the cryptocurrency trading ban rumors were refuted by the South Korean government and the Blue House, the executive office of President Moon Jae-in, the market suffered another major correction today, on January 15.

Within the past 24 hours, the valuation of the cryptocurrency market fell from $742 billion to $683 billion, by nearly $60 billion.Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Stellar, and IOTA recorded almost 10 percent in daily decline, while smaller cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin Gold and Tron demonstrated larger losses in value.

Even cryptocurrencies with trading volumes heavily concentrated in the South Korean market, which tend to trade with high premiums, have plummeted in value. In the South Korean market, the price of bitcoin fell by around 12 percent, while Ripple fell by 12.65 percent.



Price of cryptocurrencies on Korbit, third largest exchange in South Korea


Market is Still Growing Rapidly

Song Eng, a cryptocurrency research, revealed that Binance has become a billion-dollar startup in the shortest time in history. Within six months, it has become the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the global market, with a market valuation of nearly $2 billion.

   “What determines its market cap? In August, Coinbase raised $100m from prominent VCs at $1.6bn, confirming its status as the first ‘Bitcoin’ unicorn. While their business models are not identical, Binance likely has surpassed Coinbase in trading volume and at its current rate should take global #1, given that it operates in Asia (Japan/China) and Asia is 40%+ of global Bitcoin trading,” wrote Eng.

Exchanges like Kraken, Bitstamp, Coinbase, and Binance are said to be adding over 100,000 users on a daily ba, is, and consequently are struggling to meet the demand from their users.

Evidently, given the exponential increase in the growth rate of cryptocurrency exchanges, there exists a significant demand for cryptocurrencies. But, it is also important to consider the rate of the growth of the market.

Short-term major corrections prevent bubbles from forming, by shaking off weak hands and solidifying the market. After a 20 percent decline in the valuation of the cryptocurrency market, a large number of weak hands or speculators tend to exist, while strong hands remain in the market.

Given sufficient demand for cryptocurrencies from the global market, it is likely that the market will recover in the upcoming days, as it recovers from the South Korea trading ban controversy.


Source: https://www.ccn.com/cryptocurrency-market-suffers-another-major-correction-as-bitcoin-ether-ripple-fall/

Bitcoin Halts Week-Long Slide But Battles With Regulatory Pressure



After four days of straight losses from Monday to Thursday, Bitcoin seems to have leveled off somewhat. However, 2018 has not started well as this marks the second week in a row of poor performances.

While Bitcoiners have become accustomed to spikes and rallies, this flattening out of the price graph should still be seen as a positive. It comes over news of the South Korean justice minister’s backtracking of a proposal to ban local cryptocurrency exchanges in the country.

Regulators have long been behind the eightball when has come to controlling digital currencies as they work on a case-by-case basis. Time has now moved along swiftly as governments and officials have had their chance to put plans together which have affected the market.


A week of lows

The past four days have seen Bitcoin down as much as 23 percent at a point in his second week of 2018, but far from being a dip, it has been a steady decline - far more nerve-wracking.

Cryptocurrencies across the board have had some tough times in general, as Bitcoin price is inexplicably linked to most of the top altcoins.

Talks of a bear market brewing due to patterns derived in the graphs have many searching for answers as to why the cryptocurrency has taken such a plunge since the highs of mid-December last year.


Regulatory rush

One factor that has historically laid big blows on Bitcoin has been regulatory stirrings. The announcement by China that it would be banning ICOs and then following that exchanges, sent the market spiraling.

This week, there were similar fears realized - albeit falsely - when the South Korean Ministry of Justice announced independently that they would be banning trading in cryptocurrency. This was done without the consent of the Ministry of Strategy and Justice and other government agencies involved in the South Korean cryptocurrency regulation task force.

The, however, reacted to the news which has since been clarified by the Blue House, the executive office and official residence of the South Korean President.

According to a spokesperson from the South Korean cryptocurrency task force, there are no plans to ban cryptocurrencies.

    “The South Korean government has no other choice but to follow the regulatory frameworks and trends established by other leading governments. While there certainly exists a negative reputation attached to the cryptocurrencies, the government’s stance is to allow what has to be allowed, for the benefit of the South Korean market.”


China’s third strike

After banning ICOs, and then exchanges, Chinese regulators are now looking to go after miners in the Socialist Republic, a country that holds the majority of Bitcoin mining power.

The reason for China being a powerhouse of mining has to do with the cheap and often subsidized power, which miners tap into. The plans are now to make this essential power more expensive, cutting into the profit margins.


SEC watchdog

In the US, the SEC, which has had a bit of a history in the cryptocurrency space already, is starting to make a lot more noise in its attempt to regulate.

Fears of money laundering and the use of cryptocurrencies for other fraudulent uses, has seen Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo take up the mantle of federal overseer of digital currencies.


It’s only weakness

Regulators, even in China, have never been able to kill off Bitcoin. However, it is clear that they have a lot of clout when it comes to affecting the market price.

This latest bout of regulatory muscle-flexing shows that there is a need for some parity between the regulators and the digital currency economy before things can continue on their merry way.


Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-halts-week-long-slide-but-battles-with-regulatory-pressure

Metropolitan Bank Halts All Cryptocurrency-Related Wire Transfers



In a move that will have far-reaching implications, Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp has halted all cryptocurrency related wire transfers, effective immediately, per a report from Fortune. The information came from statements by Metropolitan customers who were informed that the bank would be “ceasing all international crypto-related wire transfers.”

The decision is highly significant for the cryptocurrency industry. Metropolitan Bank has earned a reputation for being Bitcoin-friendly, according to Fortune, which will likely impact its stock price.

For example, Metropolitan is reportedly one of the main service providers for US-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase.
Sign of future regulation

The bank’s official position has not yet been made clear, but it appears that the risk of inability of verification for international cryptocurrency transactions has led to the move. The need to meet Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations has increased the potential for increased regulation in the currently loose cryptocurrency climate.

Friday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicated that an international effort to control and manage transfers in cryptocurrency could be forthcoming.



Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/metropolitan-bank-halts-all-cryptocurrency-related-wire-transfers

Cryptocurrency Markets Falling After Recent Rise, Most Coins In The Red



The cryptocurrency market is experiencing lows across the board today, Jan. 14, with only three of the top 20 coins on CoinMarketCap in the green.

The total market cap remains around $692 bln, still recovering from the Jan. 11 drops to around $630 bln.


Big drops

Altcoin Ripple (XRP), which had been up 18 percent as recently as Jan. 12, showed about a 10 percent loss over a 24-hour period to press time.



Ripple Charts

XRP had seen a significant rise after the altcoin had announced news of a partnership with MoneyGram on Jan. 11, but may have fallen after MoneyGram’s clarification that they are strictly using the altcoin for a pilot program:

   Hello, This is a pilot program being tested on internal MoneyGram International processes and is not intended for consumer use.
    — MoneyGram (@MoneyGram) January 11, 2018

Altcoin IOTA has experienced a similar drop in early December after clarifying that Microsoft was not officially their partner, as the altcoin’s blog had indicated, but rather a participant in their marketplace.

Altcoins Cardano and Tron have both seen about 13 and 17 percent drops respectively over 24 hours, with Cardano selling for about $0.76 at press time and Tron selling for about $0.92.

The largest drop today is altcoin RaiBlocks, down around 16 percent over 24 hours and in 20th on CoinMarketCap, selling for $21.19 at press time. RaiBlocks was also one of the only two coins in the red on Jan. 12 when the rest of the market was up.

RaiBlocks’s fall could be attributed to recent reports of a compromised web wallet for the altcoin, which has since been taken offline.



RaiBlocks Charts


The only gains

Ethereum Classic (ETC) has seen the most growth over 24 hours, up more than 17 percent and selling for $44.32 at press time. This growth was likely caused by a Jan. 12 CNBC interview with Michael Sonnenshein, director at Bitcoin (BTC) and ETC investment fund Grayscale, speaking about the future of digital currency investment in terms of ETC.

Altcoin Neo also saw a small rise, growing almost three percent over 24 hours and selling for $137.45 at press time, with Bitcoin Gold also slightly up with 0.37 percent growth over 24 hours and selling for $297.98 at press time.

Bitcoin is down about seven percent over 24 hours and is trading at press time for an average of $13,474.70, higher than the Dec. 22 market low price of $12,850.


Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/cryptocurrency-markets-falling-after-recent-rise-most-coins-in-the-red

This is the most wonderful news I heard all day. But there is one big question that still remains - when will the Lightning Network is going to be fully implemented on bitcoin network? So that every bitcoin user around the world will start enjoying the sweetness of the Lightning Network. I don't like seeing many people looking down to bitcoin for higher transaction fees. 

US Treasury Secretary Addresses Anonymity, Sanctions And Digital Currencies



The US Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, made a number of statements regarding the international use of digital currencies at a meeting of the Economic Club of Washington on Friday.

The Secretary expressed his concern that Bitcoin wallets could potentially become the modern equivalent of the anonymous Swiss bank account. He intends to work with the G20 nations to offer US tracking abilities in order to prevent such misuse from occurring. He said:

    “If you have a wallet to own Bitcoins, that company has the same obligation as a bank to know [you]. We can track those activities. The rest of the world doesn’t have that, so one of the things we will be working very closely with the G-20 is making sure that this doesn’t become the Swiss bank account.”

Mnuchin doesn’t seem to understand that not all wallets are hosted by “companies.”


Industry opinion

Cryptocurrency industry experts, however, aren’t so thrilled about the idea of more regulations. For example, Sergei Sevriugin, CEO, and Founder of risk-sharing platform REGA told Cointelegraph:

    “I think the regulation already exists for cryptocurrency but, regulation by the community not central authorities, which is the best type of regulation that can ever exist. Centralized regulation will kill the idea of cryptocurrencies; and, without any control from the community, this type of regulation will lead to several problems, including corruption. We can all remember the last crisis, including the mortgage system collapse in 2008, was under full control and regulation. To put cryptocurrency under full control, the authorities must first put the Internet under control.”


Skirting sanctions

Mnuchin also addressed the potential that countries may use digital currencies to skirt existing financial sanctions. He expressed a belief that there’s little risk of such activities, saying that he is ‘not at all’ worried that countries such as Russia and Venezuela would be able to function in that way.


Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/us-treasury-secretary-addresses-anonymity-sanctions-and-digital-currencies

Central Bank of Indonesia Warns Against All Cryptocurrency Use, Cites High Risk



Bank Indonesia issued a press release on Jan. 13, warning its citizens against the use of selling, buying or trading cryptocurrency and reiterating that virtual currency is not legitimate within Indonesia.

This statement comes after the September reassertion that Bank Indonesia will not accept Bitcoin (BTC) as payment, leading to the voluntary closure of two Indonesian-based crypto exchanges, BitBayar and TokoBitcoin. Bank Indonesia cites concerns over potential use in money laundering and funding terrorism as reasons behind their anti-cryptocurrency campaign:

    “Virtual currencies are vulnerable to bubble risks and susceptible to be used for money laundering and terrorism financing, therefore can potentially impact financial system stability and cause financial harm to society.”

While there is no official ban on Bitcoin within the country, per Wikipedia, the press release forbidding all activity relating to cryptocurrency takes a harsher tone than previous statements that merely advised citizens to be careful around Bitcoin.

Algeria’s government has also taken steps towards a crypto ban, with reports that the 2018 Finance Bill will make Bitcoin ownership and trading illegal within the country. In early January, Egypt’s top Religious Official, Grand Mufti Shawki Allam, declared Bitcoin unlawful according to Sharia law citing concerns about money laundering and terrorism funding as well.


Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/central-bank-of-indonesia-warns-against-all-cryptocurrency-use-cites-high-risk

Wonders of Naming the Company ‘Blockchain’ or ‘Bitcoin’



Bitcoin and Blockchain is all the rage in more than just individual investors’ circles, and companies are trying to cash in on the craze. While some are launching their own ICOs, such as Kodak, others have merely tacked ‘Blockchain’ onto their name and seen success.

In a move that seems dangerously similar to what happened in the 90s with the dot-com boom, the ‘Blockchain revolution’  taken on by some companies requires careful scrutiny as much of it is smoke and mirrors.

Speaking of smoke, the cannabis revolution that followed its legalization in a few states also came with a similar warning from the SEC about business cashing in on that hype.


Bitcoin services

Among the host of companies trying to wrangle their way into the hyped market is the company formerly known as Tulip BioMed - now Bitcoin Services. This change in name and direction saw the company's stock increase by a massive 43,500 percent last year.

To their credit, the name change came back in 2016 and only took off last year in November with the hype that came with the cryptocurrency market in the mainstream.

Bitcoin Services financial filings from around that time offer few clues that the company was doing anything specific to justify the hysteria. The same can be said of its website, which generally lacks press releases and other investor information, apart from contact information.


Not alone

Bitcoin Services probably takes the top spot in terms of growth thanks to its name change, but there is a host of others that have made anywhere between 309 and 20,445 percent gains thanks to the change.



Quick buck

Another worrying trend that is reminiscent of the dot-com boom is that these gains do not last long as people quickly catch on or regulators step in.

Hong Kong-based UBI Blockchain Internet—previously known as JA Energy—soared more than 20,000 percent before regulators halted buying and selling.


Bubble signs?

Those who believe the entire cryptocurrency market is one big bubble often point to the similarities in hype between the dot-com bubble and these happen around companies taking advantage of the mania and speculation.

It remains to be seen if the cryptocurrency market can weather this mania better than other similar bubbles.


Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/wonders-of-naming-the-company-blockchain-or-bitcoin

I like the bitcoin because of few things:

1. Decentralization
2. Global payments
3. Value appreciation
4. Instant transaction
5. Privacy and security

These are the best things I like about bitcoin.

Well, if you want to buy a full bitcoin you are little bit late but still you can buy a portion of bitcoin. If you don't want to buy a portion of bitcoin then you should try in investing in ethereum. Ethereum is currently the most profitable coin in the market.

The offline wallets are the best wallets for storing your bitcoins and altcoins.  

1. Trezor waller | https://trezor.io
2. Ledger wallet | https://ledgerwallet.com

With the offline wallet your coins are 100% secure! Hope this information is helpful.

The bitcoin is a digital currency that is fast, secure, and decentralized. The bitcoin gives freedom to people by giving them total control for their money. The bitcoin has limited supply of only 16.7 million bitcoin in circulation around the world. Therefore, the demand for bitcoin is higher than the supply and that makes bitcoin very valuable today. People should invest in bitcoin because the value of bitcoin grows over time due to high demand.  

Russia Proposes First Multinational Cryptocurrency called: Pax Crypto

Recently the Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a cyber-initiative grander in scale than Pax Mongolica after consulting with Ethereum co-founder Blockchain expert Vitalik Buterin and experts from fifteen other countries- including the US, India, Israel, Armenia and Turkey- about their Blockchain and cryptocurrency initiatives. Putin’s first of it’s kind cyber-initiative will connect some of the most promising emerging market economies stretching across Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and South America, via Blockchain and smart contract technology by using a new multinational cryptocurrency to be collectively adopted by the BRICS and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) countries (Member States).

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/pax-crypto-russia-proposes-first-multinational-cryptocurrency-expert-blog

Sorry, I don't believe any exchange can give you up to $500 for free without putting your money first. Think about it. So, be very careful these days.

Trading and mining requires capital for investment. We are talking about an absolute beginner here with no capital and knowledge about cryptocurrency. Both trading and mining requires capital, and knowledge to do them successfully.