Chinese Central Bank Official Pledges ‘Vigilance’ to Stamp Out Foreign ICOs

The People’s Bank of China committee charged with regulating cryptocurrencies recently gathered to discuss the next phase in their plan.

China hasn’t wavered in its commitment to control cryptocurrencies within its territory — the country shocked the world when it announced a ban on all ICOs, deeming them illegal, back in September 2017. Not too long ago, it was announced China was considering blocking access to all websites related to crypto trading or ICOs, both domestic and foreign.


If You Thought China Was Strict Before, Think Again

Gongsheng emphasized the committee would be focusing on bringing down illegal financial activities while building stronger infrastructures to prevent online financial fraud. They will also be conducting on-site inspections and applying administrative penalties to those who don’t comply.

He also addressed those ICOs who were approached by the committee and fled abroad, where they keep their activities active in China. In the near future, the group will be announcing a new method to block these companies from accessing Chinese people.

The group estimates they will succeed in their effort in the next two years, with the first deadline set for June 2019. By then, the committee hopes to have clearly defined standards for blockchain and the online lending space.



Read more here: https://www.ccn.com/chinese-central-bank-official-pledges-vigilance-to-stamp-out-foreign-icos/

Cryptocurrency 101: Beginner Blockchain eLearning Course


Devslopes is pleased to offer their “Beginner Blockchain & Architecture” eLearning Course to the CCN community. The course is embedded below for your enjoyment and education. The team at Devslopes is a top educator in the developer elearning space. They have been a top Udemy.com instructor for the last 3 years with over 300,000 students. Devslopes has identified a material shortage of blockchain developer training resources currently available in the marketplace and is filling this void.

There are currently 1,900 global job postings on Indeed for blockchain related positions. And there are 8,000+ job postings on LinkedIn for blockchain developers globally. The number of job openings will continue to grow exponentially as blockchain technology moves through the product adoption curve.

With blockchain and cryptocurrencies on the rise, you need to gain a basic understanding of what they are and how they will change the world in the future. Devslopes’ blockchain instructors bring real-world experience with them in the digital classroom to help you learn the ins and outs of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and development. It’s best to learn from industry leaders and professionals rather than to go it alone.

What you will learn:

• What is blockchain?
• History of blockchain
• Current & future potential use cases
• Initial Coin Offerings (ICO)
• Blockchain developer ecosystem
• Cryptocurrency transactions and wallets
• Public and private keys
• Mining & Hashing
• Proof of Work & Proof of Stake
• Public & private blockchains
• Decentralized Application Platforms

Read More Here: https://www.ccn.com/cryptocurrency-101-beginner-blockchain-elearning-course/

May point ka naman Sir. Pero typo error lang naman yan Sir, hindi naman siguro big deal. Tutal numbering lang naman yan. Ang pinaka importante ay nakapag bahagi sya ng magandang impormasyon. Kung gusto mo maging perfectionist, sitahin mo yung mga nag shit post sa labas. Pag nagawa mo yun, maniniwala na ako sayo na ang intensyon mo lang ay maging accurate.

Saka ano po yung sinasabi mong Mas maganda pa basahin yung nasa pic kesa yung naka list? Paano natin maiintindihan kung piktyur lang? Dapat naman talaga na may mabasa tayong word, hindi naman pwede na picture lang.

Pakibasa po ito Kabayan, madami kang matututunan dito tungkol sa katanungan mo na iyan.

[Filipino Guide] Ang Bitcointalk Merit System
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4544266.msg40904432#msg40904432

Pag may iba ka pang katanungan, try mo gamitin yung search bar sa ating forum, lalabas dun yung mga topic o tanong na gusto mo malaman. Minsan, I try to use google too, tina-type ko lang "bitcointalk forum tapos yung topic na gusto ko ma-research".

Napansin ko na may included na link dun sa thread. Na check ko dun yun about sa merit system. Kahit simpleng post lang at comment ay mabibigyan ng merit. Pero wala akong nabasa dun na standard rules kung ano nga ba ang basehan ng mga taga bigay ng merit. Ito lang yung nabasa ko na guide atleast how to create a quality post.

Naiisip ko tuloy, possible na bias yung pag bigay ng merit kasi naka depende yun sa mood lang ng individual na taga bigay ng merit. Based sa point of view ko after ko mabasa yung threads about sa merit system, hindi solid yung rules. Posible na may maganap na anomalya at ilan lang ang makinabang.

Maganda yung pag kagawa mo ng infographics hindi dahil sa design, kundi basic lang yung content pero malaman. Direct to the point ika nga.
Ipagpatuloy mo lang Kabayan ang ginagawa mo. Gaya ng sinabi mo, hindi man ito Solid rock na basehan ng quality post, atleast may idea na kami. Kasi halos karamihan ng nakikita kong post or thread dito ay wala na sa ayos. Halatang hindi pinag isipan at may mai-post lang. As a member of the forum dapat magbahagi tayo ng mga karunungan para mas lalo pang mapaunlad ang forum natin at matuto ang bawat isa. Sana maraming makabasa nito para maiwasan na ang mga shit post.

Crypto Wallet Founder Believes Bitcoin Could Hit $60,000 This Year


Cryptocurrency values have taken a hit as of late, but movement on the regulatory front has lifted many observers’ spirits. One crypto startup executive believes bitcoin’s price could hit $60,000 this year, despite its dip from a near $20,000 high in December to the $6,000 range.

Julian Hosp, co-founder and president of TenX, a crypto wallet, told CNBC during the RISE tech conference in Hong Kong that he expected to see bitcoin’s price fall to $5,000 when it reached its December highs, and he remains confident that a $60,000 price this year is feasible.
Positive Event Needed

Hosp acknowledged that a major positive event will be needed to achieve the $60,000 price this year. Such an event could be a country making a positive announcement about bitcoin or a bitcoin exchange traded fund coming to fruition.

Should such an event not occur, Hosp admitted it will take more time for bitcoin to reach $60,000. He said the price will need to surpass the $10,000 mark by August. Should this happen, media coverage will be positive, making the $60,000 price possible.

While many crypto observers view regulatory activity as positive, regulatory scrutiny has put downward pressure on cryptocurrency prices. Many observers were relieved when the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission stated this month that Ether and bitcoin are not securities.



Source: https://www.ccn.com/crypto-wallet-founder-believes-bitcoin-could-hit-60000-this-year/

Indian Crypto Exchanges Forge Ahead With Solutions to RBI Ban

The crypto banking ban by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) went into effect at the end of last week. The central bank issued a circular three months ago, banning all financial institutions under its control from providing services to companies dealing in cryptocurrencies. The industry was hopeful that the Supreme Court would grant a stay on the ban on July 3 but the court did not and the RBI ban subsequently went into effect.

Wazirx announced on July 4, “We’ve discontinued INR deposits with immediate effect,” adding:

Our banking partner has abruptly stopped supporting our bank account. This is due to the recent RBI circular banning banks from providing support to cryptocurrency exchanges.

Indian Crypto Exchanges Forge Ahead With Solutions to RBI BanKoinex announced on July 7 that users can “submit INR withdrawal requests till 02.00 PM on July 9, 2018 (Monday) after which no further INR withdrawal requests will be accepted.”

Buyucoin announced last week that “Deposit and Withdrawal will be halted until further notice due to RBI circular by midnight 5th of July’18.”

Three of the first crypto exchanges to announce a suspension of fiat deposits and withdrawals were Zebpay, Pexo, and Coinome, as news.Bitcoin.com previously reported. Another major exchange, Unocoin, has yet to announce that it has stopped fiat support at press time.


What do you think of RBI’s ban and crypto exchanges’ solutions? Let us know in the comments section below.



Source: https://news.bitcoin.com/indian-crypto-exchanges-solutions-rbi-ban/
Posted: July 10, 2018
By: Kevin Helms

Global Telecom Blockchain Consortium Unveils Working Group for Remittances

A global blockchain consortium of telecom carriers has announced that six further major international telecoms firms are joining its ranks, CT Japan reports today, July 6.

The consortium, dubbed ‘The Carrier Blockchain Study Group’ (CBSG) has also today unveiled the creation of a new blockchain working group that will focus on global remittance services.

Launched in September 2017, CBSG counts as its founding members Japanese telecoms conglomerate Softbank, Taiwan-based telecoms carrier Far EasTone, and two U.S.-based firms - telecoms-focused blockchain firm TBCASoft and telecoms firm Sprint.

Three further members have since joined, these being South Korean LG Uplus, UAE-based Etisalat Telecommunication Corporation and the state-owned South Korean KT Corporation..

In Asia, the latest leading telecom carriers to join are Malaysia-headquartered conglomerate Axiata, the Philippines’ leading telecoms provider PLDT, Indonesia-based Telin, and Vietnam’s largest cell network operator Viettel.

Zain, which provides cell and data services to almost 47 million consumers across the Middle East and Africa, and Turkey’s leading cell phone operator Turkcell have also joined.

The Director of Viettel International Business, Doan Dai Phong, gave some insight today into the ambitions of CBSG’s global cross-carrier blockchain ecosystem, saying the new services would cover “[cell phone] top-up, roaming wallet, secured clearing and settlement, personal authentication [and] IoT applications.”

Blockchain’s potential, which a Axiata representative argued is “by design [...] extremely well suited” to streamlining global telecoms “across trusted, connected and distributed parties,” is being recognized by increasing numbers of major industry players.

In May, Cointelegraph reported on the successful live testing of a blockchain proof of concept (PoC) that would automate inter-carrier settlement of services across the telecoms industry, completed by two major telecoms firms from Hong Kong and the U.K.

Earlier this spring, Chinese telecoms giant Huawei revealed its latest Hyperledger-fuelled blockchain cloud service, and South Korean telecoms operator SK Telecom also announced two new blockchain tech platforms, one for digital asset management, and one to support the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) investment ecosystem.



Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/global-telecom-blockchain-consortium-unveils-working-group-for-remittances

One of the great advantages of Bitcoin is its international nature. Wherever you are in the world, so long as you have an internet connection, you can use Bitcoin to send and receive money. That said; some parts of the world are much friendlier to Bitcoin users than others.

Anyone seeking to set up a Bitcoin business will naturally avoid those rare countries which actively discourage its use, either through burdensome regulations, harsh taxation, hostile banks, or even outright bans.

The good news is that such hostile nations are rare. Most governments are still deciding on how to approach Bitcoin and have yet to pass decisive legislation. The usual approach is to classify Bitcoin under some pre-existing category so that standing laws can be it applied to it, usually for taxation purposes.

Certain nations are however making a concerted effort to embrace Bitcoin, as they realize that Bitcoin could be of tremendous benefit to their economic future. By encouraging Bitcoin adoption and attracting Bitcoin companies, these nations seek to place themselves at the forefront of financial innovation.

This article examines the best possible countries to establish a new cryptocurrency business. We examine the tax rate on Bitcoin and the attitude of lawmakers and banks towards it. As such facts are subject to changes, sources are dated.

Countries are ordered them from best to worst, based on how low their taxes are, then by the clarity of regulations, then by friendliness of banks and finally how nice and business-friendly the country happens to be.

Tax Tip: If you’re interested in tax treaties between your nation and one of those covered below, this Worldwide Tax Summaries page by PwC should prove enlightening.
Banking Tip: To discover banks around the world which have been rated by users as either friendly or hostile to crypto, check out the
Moon Banking site. Share your own experiences with banks to improve the site.

List of countries:
1. Malta
2. Bermuda
3. Switzerland
4. Gibraltar
5. Slovenia
6. Singapore
7. Estonia
8. Georgia
9. Belaurs
10. Hong Kong
11. Japan
12. Germany

From Complete List - Bitcoin Friendly Countries for Cryptocurrency Businesses in 2018
https://99bitcoins.com/bitcoin-friendly-countries/

In a major breakthrough, South Korea has legitimized the cryptocurrency sector as an industry. Soon, the country will have "a set of classification standards for the South Korean Blockchain and cryptocurrency industry."

According to local website BChain, the Korean government is set to release new blockchain industry classification norms by the end of this month. Three ministries - the Ministry of Information and Communication, the National Statistical Office and the Ministry of Science and Technology - are said to have been working been working on a draft for a couple of months.

The industry will be divided in three categories, which will deal separately with decentralized apps (like the ones made on top of Ethereum technology), mining activities of different tokens and the third will include crypto exchanges and brokerages.

Meanwhile, Malta and Japan have also come up with legislations which are being touted as quite cryptocurrency and blockchain-friendly. The Financial Services Agency of Japan is working to improve a law that requires digital assets to be stored separately from other securities. Recently, Malta also announced a new legislation that is aimed at attracting blockchain-based businesses to the country.



Source: https://bcfocus.com/news/south-korea-cryptocurrency-exchanges/17812/

As of this weekend, the news went public that the Polish Bitcoin Association is not letting crypto consumer rights be threatened without a fight. They have reportedly appealed to a Polish government wing called the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, which is an antitrust authority of sorts for the country.

 
The primary goal of this appeal is to convince the office to investigate what the PBA deems to be an illegal blockage of competition in the banking space.
 

What this refers to is the fact that many Polish consumers and businesses have been affected by banks refusing to run any sort of transaction that has to do with Cryptocurrencies.
 

The appeal specifically mentions 15 different banks and financial service providers that seemingly refused 52 different bank account applications, while also closing 25 accounts of various businesses that had dealings in Cryptocurrencies.
 

One of the biggest defendants related to the appeal is MBank, which the PBA alleges has personally blocked nine account applications and closed three business accounts.


At this point, the OCCP has not responded to the call, at least not publicly.
 

What could be good news for the PBA  and the Crypto industry at large, is that the Polish government seems to be behind Crypto regulation.
 

Unlike some countries, Poland has indicated that it is against what it government deems, “excessive regulation.”
 

Therefore, if this appeal is accepted and argued correctly, then the government’s current stance on Crypto and the Blockchain could be used to support the rights of Crypto consumers.


If not, at the same time, it could be used to block the appeal from going any further.

 
In the end, it all comes down to whatever the Polish government decides to do with the PBA’s first filing. For the appeal to move forward, it will first have to be accepted as legitimate.



Source: https://www.bitcoinglobalnews.com/single-post/2018/07/03/Polish-Bitcoin-Association-Goes-Up-Against-Banks

European blockchain trading platform we.trade confirmed it had completed its first live operations today, July 3, involving twenty companies and five major banks.

 
The blockchain platform, which claims to provide a “more efficient and cost effective way” for banks and businesses to trade worldwide, uses IBM’s Blockchain Platform, powered by Hyperledger Fabric.
 

Part of various blockchain solutions currently under appraisal by the banking sector, the platform counts Deutsche Bank, HSBC, KBC, Natixis, Nordea, Rabobank, Santander, Société Générale and UniCredit as its founding members.

 
Together, according to Dutch institution Rabobank, the collaboration highlights the banks’ ability to “innovate.”

“These trade(s) represents a great example of traditional banks innovating to meet their clients’ needs by working with we.trade,” the bank’s chief digital transformation officer Bart Leurs commented in a press release.

 
Currently available in eleven European countries, the platform’s expansion plans appear to depend on further lenders coming on board.

 
Meanwhile, bank-sponsored blockchain platforms are becoming an increasingly crowded space both in Europe and beyond. Spain’s Santander became the first to offer blockchain settlements for retail customers using Ripple in April, while remittances also form the basis for a major project between banks in Asia, also involving technology from IBM.
 

At the same time, other plans appear to have fallen by the wayside, Rabobank remaining silent on its ‘Rabobit’ cryptocurrency wallet project since March.


As Cointelegraph reported in June, some sources fear banking demand for blockchain services is overrated, and the technology actually has less to offer to the sector than many assume.



Source:https://www.bitcoinglobalnews.com/single-post/2018/07/03/IBM-Powered-Blockchain-Platform-Completes-First-Live-Trades-Via-Five-Major-Banks

Japanese financial regulator the Financial Services Agency (FSA) is considering to change the legal basis for how it regulates cryptocurrency exchanges, local media Sankei reports July 3.

 

The FSA reportedly is considering to regulate crypto exchanges by the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA), instead of its current legal foundation, the Payment Services Act. According to Senkai, this means that the exchanges will have stronger customer protections. The FIEA obliges securities companies to manage customer funds and securities, such as stocks, separately from corporate assets.

 

Under the current legislation, cryptocurrencies are legally positioned as the same means of payment as electronic money. Should the FSA start regulating exchanges under the FEIA, crypto will be treated as a financial product. The FIEA will also open up the possibility of introducing crypto derivatives like exchange traded funds (ETF).

 

Sankei writes that the 523 million NEM hack at Coincheck early this year contributed to the FSA considering a different legal foundation for crypto exchanges. Following the hack, the FSA launched investigations into 15 unregistered exchanges, where it found a variety of security and regulatory shortcomings in the exchanges’ business operations.

 

Earlier this month, the Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) announced a new set of voluntary rules. The self-regulatory exchange body aims to better align with existing anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, and will also prohibit the trading of anonymity-based cryptocurrencies like Monero and Zcash.



Source: https://www.bitcoinglobalnews.com/single-post/2018/07/03/Japanese-Financial-Services-Agency-to-Change-Crypto-Exchange-Regulations

Two new cryptocurrency wallets are being planned for release by Robinhood and Jaxx, which promise new features to make using cryptocurrencies easy for non-technical consumers.

Robinhood, which already offers commission-free trading on their app, is reportedly working on an in-house cryptocurrency wallet that will “build out new functionality for our crypto product, such as adding new currencies or providing wallet functionality”. The report is based on a job hiring post for a new crypto engineer.

Jaxx is building Jaxx Liberty, currently beta testing in Canada, to expand on their current offerings of the Jaxx cryptocurrency wallet. According to Anthony Di Iorio, CEO and founder of Decentral & Jaxx, “Jaxx Liberty is the web browser for your digital assets, empowering the masses to adopt the benefits of cryptocurrency and blockchain”. The new wallet will employ three features to engage users; Decentral Unity (JXX) Loyalty Token to encourage users to engage with platform partners, Decentral Academy to educate users about decentralized technologies, and MyJaxx to gamify the user experience and encourage them to engage with the platform.

Improving user experience is key to wider adoption

Cryptocurrencies have thrived within the communities of computer scientists, cypherpunks, libertarians, and individuals currently suffering from hyperinflation, but has struggled to achieve wider adoption among average consumers. Cryptocurrencies have received a lot of mainstream media attention with its price movements, so it is doubtful to attribute its lack of widespread adoption to a lack of media. More likely, using theories of economic switching costs, it can be attributed to average users being intimidated to enter an unknown field with little help.

Additionally, the author can draw on real world experience of setting up new individuals with Dash Wallets on behalf of Dash Force News. Many individuals wanted to get into cryptocurrencies but languished about how little they knew and how little time they had to learn the inner workings of cryptocurrencies. However, after receiving an easy and intuitive crash course, they whole-heatedly dived into the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Robinhood has pitched itself as an investment app for millennials with hip and intuitive user interfaces and user experiences. The traditional Jaxx wallet leaves much to be desired, but Jaxx Liberty appears to be bucking this trend by focusing on improved UI/UX to make cryptocurrencies accessible for the average non-technical consumer. The wider move to focus on consumer usability replicates the actions of the Dash community to allow individuals to feel comfortable to adopt a relatively new technology that can appear intimidating at first.

Dash focuses on being accessible to all

The Dash community has already recognized that to achieve wider adoption, switching costs have to be minimized to allow individuals to benefit from decentralized money without having to invest the time to learn the technicalities of cryptocurrencies. The treasury of Dash allows professional organizers to attend trade shows, community events, and even organize in-house events to introduce new individuals to Dash and give them a crash course on how to use Dash and how they benefit from using Dash. This allows consumers to learn about Dash and cryptocurrencies without investing large amounts of time, which makes them more likely to become involved in the space.

Additionally, Dash has been steadily working on the development of the Copay wallet to integrate new features, as well as the Evolution platform to make using Dash easily accessible for all consumers. Evolution wants to give consumers a familiar wallet experience that mimics what they are already used to with features like contact lists, user profiles, messages, notification history, and more. Dash wants to be able to give consumers the benefits of decentralized money, while also moving the technicalities to the backend so they do not need to be seen nor known if that is what consumers desire. Dash wants to allow the average consumer to simply spend money quickly, cheaply and securely, while also escaping government censorship, manipulation, inflation, and to be responsible for their own financial lives.



Source: https://cryptoyum.com/news/exchange-using-ai-and-blockchain-to-tackle-ad-industrys-19-billion-fraud-problem/

If there’s one constant about cryptocurrency, it’s volatility. Many people wonder if it’s possible to track the things that cause price fluctuations, asserting that if they could, making the all-important decision about when — or if — to invest would be more straightforward.


According to a research paper about Bitcoin prices by a finance professor and graduate student from the University of Texas at Austin, coordinated efforts from cryptocurrency exchanges may be the driving force behind the jumps upward.


Details of the Study

The scientists realized when the Bitfinex exchange used a cryptocurrency called Tether to buy Bitcoins, they could push the Bitcoin prices up by four basis points per 100 Bitcoins.

They also point out the research shows these purchases were not randomized, and they were most likely to happen after Bitcoin prices fell. During those times, Bitfinex bought 72 extra Bitcoins.

The team also looked at 87 hours representing the largest flows of Tether and Bitcoin, and found the following periods showed a price increase of about $7,000 — more specifically, a jump from $1,000 to $8,000.

However, an analyst with an opposing view on the published paper points out the four-basis-point change represents less than 1 percent of the total variance associated with Bitcoin.

Also, although the researchers used 20 data points to support their finding of the purchases of 72 Bitcoins, that’s about 10 short of the amount per parameter that typically translates to reliable results.
Contrasting Findings Related to Bitcoin Prices

When investigating Bitcoin rates and what influences them, people also keep a close eye on the so-called “whales” — individuals or entities that hold substantially higher-than-average amounts of cryptocurrencies. Since the ocean is a metaphor for the cryptocurrency market, the analogy makes sense.

It’s not difficult to find opinions from people who think the Bitcoin bubble is about to burst. One common line of thought was that a growing trend suggested whales were hastily selling off their assets to new and less-informed Bitcoin investors, hoping to get rid of the Bitcoins before the bottom dropped out and the whales lost their accumulated wealth.

There was speculation such quick sell-offs were another factor causing market manipulation, especially since 1,000 whales account for approximately 40 percent of the Bitcoin market.

However, a person or group using the BambouClub handle on Twitter cited evidence that the whales are holding onto their wealth and not selling it.

Then, in case anyone wanted more food for thought on this issue, representatives from the Stevens Institute of Technology released a study concluding that the “silent minority,” or the social media users who took time to infrequently post positive comments about Bitcoin, influenced prices up to 10 times more than the people who regularly and vocally weighed in on Bitcoin.

Part of the research involved collecting 3.4 million tweets about Bitcoin, plus analyzing posts from Bitcointalk, which is considered the most popular online Bitcoin forum.

The scientists cautioned one of the reasons some social media users are particularly excited about something related to cryptocurrency is because they’ve invested in it, and they therefore have an agenda.

Other academics have looked for signs of manipulation related to the best-known Bitcoin crashes and found suspicious — though some argue inconclusive — evidence. They point out that even the possibility of price manipulation could make would-be investors wary and reluctant to put their trust in cryptocurrencies.
Still a Lot to Learn

These conflicting findings about Bitcoin prices emphasize how there is a significant amount people don’t understand regarding the cryptocurrency market at large. That’s partially because it’s still a relatively new investment option and the long-term data about price changes — and anything else about the topic — doesn’t exist yet.

However, as more information becomes available, it should gradually get easier for people to draw well-informed conclusions about cryptocurrencies, their prices and whether now is a good time to invest.

---

Kayla Matthews is a cryptocurrency and technology writer. Her work has been published on Bitcoin Magazine, The Cointelegraph and Nasdaq.com, among others. To read more posts by Kayla, visit her blog Productivity Bytes or check out her About Me page to see her latest projects.

Exchange Using AI and Blockchain to Tackle Ad Industry’s $19 Billion Fraud Problem

A company is creating cognitive ad banners which use AI and blockchain to reward consumers with tokens – increasing engagement with advertisers.

An ad exchange network is combining an artificial intelligence (AI) system with blockchain technology to tackle eye-watering levels of fraud in the industry and stop consumers from being bombarded with irrelevant ads at inappropriate times.



Read all details here: https://cryptoyum.com/news/exchange-using-ai-and-blockchain-to-tackle-ad-industrys-19-billion-fraud-problem/

Tokyo, Japan, July 02, 2018: The Japan Blockchain Conference 2018 took place from June 26-27 at the Tokyo International Forum. The conference, one of the largest blockchain conferences in Japan, is being organized by the General Incorporated Association Global Blockchain Council.

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Several luminaries from the blockchain world have been confirmed as guest speakers, including the founder of Bitcoin.com Roger Ver, co-founder and Head of Digital Assets at Galaxy Digital, David J. Namdar and Sam Cassatt from ConsenSys, with a whole host of other blockchain innovators scheduled to speak.


The Japan Blockchain Conference 2018
The aim of the Japan Blockchain Conference 2018 is to assist blockchain business corporations and organizations, thereby raising the profile of cryptocurrency. The conference will bring together native Japanese and international companies and blockchain fans to encourage cooperation and the sharing of expertise.


About Roger Ver (founder, Bitcoin.com)
A maverick by nature, Roger Ver has been involved with cryptocurrency for many years.  Following the founding of several successful companies in Silicon Valley, Roger turned his attention to Bitcoin in February 2011. Long before traditional venture capitalists showed any interest, he was the first to start investing in Bitcoin-based startups, financing the first wave of Bitcoin companies. Roger’s investment portfolio includes Bitcoin.com, Blockchain.com, Bitpay.com, Kraken.com, to name just a few.

About David J Namdar (founding partner, Head of Digital Assets, Galaxy Digital)
David has extensive international business and financial market experience with companies of all sizes, as well as considerable knowledge of private and public equities, derivatives and foreign currencies.  He is also skilled in the application of fundamental and quantitative analysis
in global investing.
In addition, he has significant expertise in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency investments and the emergent decentralized economy. David is a founder of SolidX Partners.

About Sam Cassatt (Chief Strategy Officer, ConsenSys)
Sam Cassatt main role is CSO at ConsenSys, a global group of technologists and entrepreneurs that is spearheading the development of the Ethereum ecosystem.  Sam’s expertise lies in venture capital, software development methodology, enterprise architecture, and growth strategy. These skills assist him in developing company business strategies in the fast-growing blockchain economy.  Before ConsenSys, Sam was CTO at mobile identity company Atmospheir and also undertook voluntary work for Engineers Without Borders in South Africa. Now based in Brooklyn, he advises a number of tech companies, as well as being a member of Venture One’s investment committee.



Source: https://cryptoyum.com/news/blockchains-major-players-to-meet-at-japan-blockchain-conference-2018/

You probably know that quite a number of ICOs fail every year, most of them after collecting a few million dollars from investors. However, according to a new report, the number is much higher than one would think, and it’s those that live up to expectations that are the rare breed. The failed projects are diverse, with some turning out to be outright scams, others being abandoned after little or no progress, and others being shut down by regulatory authorities such as the SEC. Using data from two websites that track crypto projects that have met their demise a little too soon, the report revealed that in 2017, $1 billion was lost to scam and dead ICOs.
Dead Too Soon

The report was compiled by TechCrunch and used data from Coinopsy and DeadCoins. The former defines a dead coin as one that has no social updates or nodes, whose website is dead, which has turned out to be a scam, or which has been abandoned by its developers. It has 247 projects which it lists as dead. DeadCoins has an even bigger number of projects that it categorizes as dead coins, with its total standing at 830.

The report attributes the high failure rate of crypto projects to the nascence of the industry as well as the high amount of money that’s being thrown at these new projects. With the industry not even mature enough for well planned-out policies, investors have continued to pump huge amounts of money into the sector, and this has overwhelmed the founders of various startups.

While the ICO concept was designed to circumvent the traditional crowdfunding model, the report suggests that ICO issuers can learn a thing or two from Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Through their high integrity and ethical standards, these companies “have made trust an art.” Unfortunately for crypto-based projects, the ICO model has inspired greed by unscrupulous founders who are in it to make some money and leave. This is counterproductive for the industry as it leads to a loss of faith in genuine projects.

The report corroborates the findings of research carried out in March by the Satis Group which indicated that 81% of ICOs were scams. The research only considered ICOs that had raised at least $50 million and indicated that a further 6% had failed while 5% had raised funds and begun the development process before they were quietly abandoned by the founders. Only 8% had gone on to successfully trade on an exchange and deliver most of the promises they had given to their investors.

The failure rate of crypto projects having raised funds has become a great concern to many industry experts as well as the overall crypto universe. With the industry already being shunned for many other reasons including its connection to criminal activities, failed ICO projects are the last thing it needs. Nevertheless, contrary to expectations, investors have remained upbeat and continued to invest in the ever-increasing number of ICOs. According to ICO tracking site CoinSchedule, ICOs have raised close to $12 billion in 2018, three times as high as the amount raised in all of 2017.



Source: https://cryptoyum.com/news/over-1000-icos-have-failed-in-2018-new-report-claims/

Same story, different week. The cryptocurrency market has continued its slow and steady decline. We’ve had week-after-week of losses for the entire month on June, and May wasn’t much better. All of that to say, we haven’t bucked the downtrend yet, folks, and there’s not much to indicate that we will in the near-future.

At $234 bln, the entire market has shed 8% of its value over the week. Bitcoin is also treading below its previous lows in February and April. No one has a crystal ball, but breaking below these previous support levels should not inspire confidence.

Bitcoin: Crypto’s golden boy has lost 4.5% of his value this week with a price of $5,900.

Ethereum took a pretty heavy hit this week. With 13% knocked off of its price. It’s currently priced at $411.

Ripple: At $0.43, Ripple isn’t fairing much better than Ethereum, as it’s down 12% on the week.





Source: https://investmentsrevolution.com/2018/07/international-stocks-and-other/this-week-in-crypto-2nd-july-2018-down-and-droppin/