1/ NEM Catapult code is ready for testing and stabilisation, Elephant release came out very recently (Sept 2nd).

Latest release of NEM Catapult blockchain is now on github.

2/ IoDLT announced they have a stable NEM Catapult private network operating on IoT devices and are in validation/testing on Elephant release:

NEM Ventures Announces Investment in IoDLT

Some early media coverage coming in: https://www.the-blockchain.com/2019/07/31/nem-ventures-investments-in-iot-based-startup-iodlt
forum.nem.io

3/ NEMofficial released the second in a three part series explaining NEM Catapult's new features:

Here’s the part 2 of the 3 part series on the latest update to Catapult, Codenamed Elephant!  In this instalment, we’ll teach you about:

✅ Mosaic Restrictions
✅ Metadata
✅ Account Restrictions

Read more: https://forum.nem.io/t/catapult-elephant-update-part-2/23408?u=nemsecretariatoffice

4/ TechBureau released Mijin 2.0 in June 2019 - a private permissioned solution that is available to their customers and the engine is based on the new NEM Catapult code base
Tech Bureau Releases Mijin Catapult v.2 Production Version - NEM News Website
Tech Bureau announced the latest next-generation core engine “mijin Catapult (v.2)”, a production version of the private blockchain "Mijin"...
https://nemflash.io/tech-bureau-releases-mijin-catapult-v-2-production-version/

5/ Current NEM PublicChain project ProximaX announced their public testnet of Catapult is stable at 400tps over 84 nodes, some nodes were targeted at 5000-9000 tps, overall network not yet pushed to hilt. The code is standing up to load testing well

Lon Wong: "This is getting better. ProximaXio Sirius mainnet ramp-up with 84 nodes spread all over. We achieved some very good results, peaking at 443 tps!! We have not pushed it to the hilt yet. Jaguar0625 derivative work with state hashes enabled!"

6/ The first production implementation of the OpenSource Catapult code base is expected by ProximaX imminently and the project has been working collaboratively with the Nem Core Developers - Jaguar0625, gimre & BloodyRookie.

7/ Planning for NEM Catapult PublicChain launch is progressing well, various parties are collaborating solve some tricky challenges ahead of announcing a confirmed plan for full Catapult launch on Mainnet.

8/ NEMVentures has 3 portfolio companies actively building with NEM Catapult; AmpleMeter, IoDlt and Mobirideshare

We are talking to numerous more every day who are creating proof of concepts and building real businesses that utilise DLT & blockchain technology

Source: https://twitter.com/NemVentures/status/1171535251379634177

The Catapult upgrade paves the way for scaling and atomic cross-chain swaps to power private and public blockchains.

Atomic cross-chain swaps will allow companies to run private chains and create new transaction types that can then be reconciled to separate public chains. Potential examples would be patient health data,retail energy trading, and high frequency and log value internal cost movements.

Companies could store that data on private chains, but then reconcile summaries or digests up to public chains for external settlement or record keeping.

NEM Technology Department Update - September 2019:

Link below for details
https://forum.nem.io/t/nem-foundation-technology-department-update-september-2019/23422

Contents:

Summary
Protocol Updates
Client Integrations
Software Development Kits
Peer review of MongoDB Schemas, Configuration and Status Errors
Working Group for Public Release Migration
Experimental Testnet for Catapult
Conclusion

Some articles on NEM.

Real world uses:
https://blog.iodlt.com/gas-pump-skimmer-fraudsters-want-your-credit-card-number-ne-ms-catapult-to-the-rescue

Article for Nasdaq written by Nem Ventures:
https://new.nasdaq.com/articles/blockchain-isnt-a-silver-bullet-but-adoption-is-on-the-rise-2019-08-05

NEM tech update:
https://medium.com/nemofficial/tech-update-august-2019-8c52e722d1c0

With China devaluing its currency.  USD/CNH (China Offshore Spot) now being the highest since 2008.  Watch this space, as capital outflow goes into BTC as China tries to crackdown on outflows.

I don't know about $15K by this week, as I'm long term bullish towards the end of 2021.

Development is very much active see below roadmap:

https://blog.nem.io/nem-foundation-catapult-roadmap-and-vision/

The correlation coefficient for XEM's price and volume between April 2015 through the end of 2018 was 97%. This year, the coefficient is conspicuously down to 68%.

I believe the incongruency between these two metrics will resolve to the upside due to broader sentiment returning.

Developers and users will find on Catapult a new way of using blockchain technology with smart contract functionalities.

NEM’s Catapult Upgrade

The new Catapult upgrade introduced several new features. Two of the most important ones are called Aggregated Transactions and Multi-Level Signature Accounts. This is certainly something revolutionary for the whole crypto ecosystem. 

With Aggregated Transactions, it is possible to merge several transfers into just one. This is very positive for NEM users because they will be able to perform trustless swaps, automatic cross-chain transactions, and many other things. 

In order for this to happen, the new blockchain network generates a one-time disposable smart contract. Once all the parties approve the transaction, they are executed at once. There are no other blockchain networks in the market with the feature implemented by Catapult. 

With Multi-Level Multisignature Accounts, it is possible to add “AND/OR” logic to multi-signature transactions. This allows for different business applications that would make processes more streamlined and also more efficient. By using a four-layered architecture, Catapult keeps each layer free from getting slowed down by others. With these improvements, API calls and data queries can also respond quickly, even when the network registers high traffic. 

This new upgrade includes other improvements related to speed, reliability, and scalability. There are more than 27 different use cases for Catapult and the new blockchain network. Some of these use cases include exchanges, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and utility tokens, social media, logistics tracking, medical records, sharing economy, international remittance, voting, time logs, and many others.

It seems NEM developers have been working for a long period of time in order to be able to develop Catapult. With the aforementioned features being released the network becomes a much more relevant player in the industry.

Read more at: https://coinspace.com/news/altcoin-news/all-you-need-know-about-nem-version-20-catapult-upgrade

Scheduled for release later this year, NEM’s upcoming Catapult protocol will enable atomic cross-chain swaps and include support for the emerging security token market.

According to NEM Ventures co-founder Dave Hodgson Catapult is a full re-write of the NEM protocol - with several new features. “We’ve applied all the learning that comes with running version 1 in production for four years,” he says. “It is a more performant, scalable and feature-rich protocol as a result. Catapult will become the core NEM engine, powering both private and public blockchains.”

Catapult’s features will include unique smart contract plug-ins to enable a wide range of capabilities such as digital asset creation, atomic cross-chain swaps, advanced account systems, and business logic modeling.

Hodgson says that enabling atomic cross-chain swaps will “allow companies to run a private chain, and create new transaction types which can then reconcile to the public chain. Examples would be patient health data, retail energy trading, and high frequency and log value internal cost movements. You could store that data on a private chain, but then reconcile a summary up to public chain for external settlement or record keeping.”

Read more:
https://bravenewcoin.com/insights/nem-launches-nem-studios-to-support-its-next-generation-'catapult'-protocol

A private key wallet can only be created if you already have a private key for a previously created NEM address.

You should use this wallet type if you need to import an old account or paperwallet to a new NanoWallet.

You can import private key using Add Account -> Enter Key (put here private key from nano wallet).

You could also get help in the tech support forum, as they're more active on the NEM forum than on this forum.

https://forum.nem.io/c/tech-support

A report on the status of Security Tokens STO in the blockchain industry. This report was written by Paul Reiger and Julian Richter on behalf of the NEM Foundation.

Check it out👉 https://forum.nem.io/t/security-token-report/22969?u=nemsecretariatoffice

There's some documentation on how to import private key on the NEM forum:

https://docs.nem.io/en/nanowallet

Malaysia has launched a work visa program to target blockchain talent. The initiative results from a joint-partnership between NEM (NEM) Foundation, job marketplace Jobbatical, and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). MDEC is a government-owned organization that oversees Malaysia's tech sector.

Through this program, it hopes to attract foreign professionals with blockchain expertise by permitting them to stay in the country for up to 12 months to provide blockchain-related services or undergo training at a Malaysian company.

https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2019/06/18/mdec-piloting-tech-freelancer-work-visas/

Need assistance with anything related to NEM (e.g. general queries, deposit/withdrawal issues, partnerships)? Feel free to drop a message at http://t.me/nemhelpdesk  or email at support@nem.help and they’ll be happy to assist you!

Credit: https://i.redd.it/ukoomhu28h331.png

https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/crypto-market-overview-altcoins-rule-the-day-nem-gains-48-in-recent-24-hours-201905160306

There's still some volume/price update not shown from the XEM/USDT pair for ZB.com exchange, the 24H volume with them included should be around $100M+. https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/nem/#markets

NIP-0008 - Catapult technology release for Public Network progress

https://github.com/nemtech/NIP/issues/22#dataset-migrations

Had a read through that, it reads a lot like fake news.

Thanks, excellent article.

Very in depth and balanced.  I recommend anyone who wants a more in depth and balanced understanding of NEM to take a read.

I think they should go to the ones who hodled since the beginning, and throughout till now