Tag: Cryptocurrency

All cryptocurrency related articles are found here. Educative, informative and written clearly.

  • Boerse Stuttgart Exchange Has Started a Regulated Trading Bitcoin

    Boerse Stuttgart Exchange Has Started a Regulated Trading Bitcoin

    Boerse Stuttgart exchange has started trading Bitcoin
    Boerse Stuttgart exchange plans to add litecoin, ethereum, and XRP euro pairs to the end of this year – UPDATED

    By Guy Avtalyon

    Germany’s second-largest stock Boerse Stuttgart exchange (BSDEX) has started a regulated trading venue for digital assets, the company said. It is a fully regulated digital asset exchange under the German Banking Act, said the company in a statement. In the beginning, BSDEX will trade one pair, only the bitcoin-euro.

    In late 2018, the company revealed that it wants to launch a fully regulated digital asset exchange. In the same announcement, BSDEX stated that institutional and retail investors from Germany will have the chance to trade, but later it will be opened for the investors in the whole EU. The trading will be accessible 24/7 like other exchanges on the globe.

    According to CoinDesk, Boerse Stuttgart exchange plans to add litecoin, ethereum, and XRP euro pairs, besides Bitcoin, to the end of this year.

    “The market in cryptocurrencies is worth billions, and more digital assets will emerge on the basis of blockchain,” CEO Dr. Dirk Sturz revealed in the statement. “Our goal is to build up the leading European trading venue for those assets.”

    Boerse Stuttgart Exchange partnered with SolarisBank

    “BSDEX will give retail and institutional investors direct access to digital assets and provide flexible and relatively low-cost trading. We believe blockchain is set to bring about significant changes in the financial industry, and we want to leverage its potential to create the trading venue of the future,” stated Peter Grosskopf, CTO at BSDEX.

    About a year ago BSDEX announced it will launch the ICO platform and began to trade ETNs and litecoin.

    No Brokers Needed

    According to the press, the trading won’t need brokers. The traders will have access to the platform directly. That is nice, but they limited userbase and restricted trading options. For now, traders may set the market and limit orders, but ASAP the rest of the possibilities will be accessible.

    “Earlier, BSDEX has launched Bison. Bison is a mobile app that lets users trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and XRP for euros. BSDEX’s trading platform is a sign of its new strategy to open the path for the trading of tokenized assets,” the reports say.
    This is important news for anyone who would like to invest or trade cryptocurrencies. A true step forward.
    Our concern is restrictions and limitations. But let’s not be so suspicious. What about giving them a chance? It looks like a reasonable decision. But will keep an eye on it.

    What we can say is that Bitcoin’s adoption continues. Nice venture.

    LAST UPDATE

    From 25 February 2020, new ETPs that track the inverse value of Bitcoin is available on the Boerse Stuttgart Exchange. It is still connected to the Euro.
    This tracker product’s value represents the inverse performance of the Bitcoin as an underlying asset. Meaning, when the price of Bitcoin drops, the ETP increases, minus management fee for daily trade. The product is completely hedged with the underlying asset 1:1. The launch of the first inverse is presented as a natural extension to the existing unleveraged range of crypto ETPs. Boerse Stuttgart stated that it offers a bigger choice to investors. This choice lies in the possibility for investors to better manage the grown volatility and changes in the cryptocurrency markets.

  • Bitcoin dominance rate – Why some are concerned?

    Bitcoin dominance rate – Why some are concerned?

    Bitcoin dominance rate - Why some are concerned?
    Why this question about the Bitcoin dominance rate now?

    By Guy Avtalyon

    The bitcoin dominance rate is a very important indicator of crypto market preferences. It is the measure of how Bitcoin is important in the crypto world. To know the Bitcoin dominance rate observe its market cap as a percentage of the entire market cap for all cryptos. The traders and investors pay a lot of attention to it.

    Okay, it isn’t shocking news that Bitcoin is dominant. Everyone knows that. It is here for a long time, it was the first, it has attention like a rock-star.

    So, why this question about the Bitcoin dominance rate now? The alarms are a turned-on because of Bitcoin’s current climbing.

    In the crypto markets, it covers about 70% of the market cap as a whole. The same level was seen in April 2017.
    So, there we have a concern on the scene!

    Some are afraid that this is a sign that the bull run is close. That will accelerate bitcoin’s dominance to over 90%. The existence of any other crypto would be doubtful. That high dominance rate would destroy the others.

    The altcoins are on the edge of return, think others. Or no-return, the opponents are kidding. As always, when it comes to data interpretation you can see and hear literally everything and anything. But to be serious, the bitcoin dominance rate may show us many things. Even the increase isn’t always good news.

    Why increasing dominance rate isn’t good news? 

    Well, Bitcoin’s dominance rate is not an independent measure. It is related to momentum, inclination, confidence. In one word – popularity. Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency without a doubt.

     

    The price of Bitcoin is the measure of its reputation. On the other hand, dominance is related to bitcoin’s relationship to other cryptos. There is one trick: the dominance may increase when the price is going down and vice versa. To repeat, it isn’t an absolute measure.

    Bitcoin’s high dominance

    It could be a double sword.

    Bitcoin is an extremely volatile asset and risky this attribute often led investors to less risky assets and, can we say, safer. But, on the other hand, thanks to its popularity the whole sector of crypto assets may benefit if there are more investors in Bitcoin.

    This new increasing Bitcoin dominance is proof that investors’ sentiment that this crypto is relatively safe to invest in.  The sentiment indicator is just a current opinion, be careful with that.

    How can you be sure the trend will continue? With what energy? What sentiments do is give power, to push things to go further, to build a chain of very convinced investors and traders who are buying bitcoin. 

    The added importance is market trust, particularly at the initial steps of institutional engagement.

    Big traditional funds are not worried about the relative value of one token related to another. Their consideration is their portfolio. They will decide what is better to invest in, crypto, or some other asset. Having that in mind, it is more likely they will invest in Bitcoin if they want to have crypto in their portfolios. 

    Why is that?

    Bitcoin has the liquidity, active derivatives market and is registered in most jurisdictions. With the rising dominance rate, Bitcoin has the opportunity to boost investors’ trust in the overall crypto market. 

    But nothing would last forever.

    Prior run-ups in the dominance rate were followed with a change altogether with investors’ attention to new choices. That is a calculation. When market leaders grow extremely, wise investors take profits and re-invest in other winning assets. The last bull market noticed bitcoin’s dominance decline from above 85% to under 40%. This time it is something else.

    How? During the previous bull market, we had plenty of new tokens. Where are they now? They are not exciting anymore? No, they are not existing anymore.

    Moreover, the interest of institutional investors with a focus on bitcoin will launch bitcoin’s dominance to jump even more.

    Stay tuned and keep your eye on what is happening behind the stage. Traders-Paradise has a fantastic example of how to MONETIZE BITCOIN

  • Project Libra: Facebook’s new currency based on a blockchain

    Project Libra: Facebook’s new currency based on a blockchain

    3 min read

    Project Libra is the internal name for Facebook’s plan to launch its own cryptocurrency. For now, it is known that it should be a stablecoin backed by government currency.

    Facebook has still to state those plans about Project Libra openly. But media news about its crypto aims has risen over the past half year or so. Now, since the information is secret, we have part of them. The very well-known part is that Facebook has been planning ways of how to capitalize on blockchain technology.

    Did you update your WhatsApp? Do it now!

    Former PayPal president David Marcus is on the head of the team that has to build this asset-backed crypto. As far as we know, that crypto will be made to operate within Facebook’s messaging infrastructure such as WhatsApp, FB Messenger, and Instagram.

    Facebook has planned blockchain long time ago

    Facebook will represent plans about Libra this summer, as it is assumed. Mark Zuckerberg has already talked to Bank of England governor Mark Carney.

    The discussion was about the potentialities and risks involved in launching a crypto-currency.

    Facebook has also asked details and advice on regulatory issues from the US Treasury.

    Facebook’s plan is to launch a full payments network including Visa, Mastercard,  payments processors such as First Data as well as large e-commerce merchants. This social network asked them to support the launch with $1 billion in investments collectively.

    Facebook is trying to involve these firms in order to provide support and strengthen a stablecoin that will be connected with the payments network.

    The main goal is to eliminate credit card fees for merchants. Also, to avoid the volatility of bitcoin and ether.

    Facebook is also in consultations with money transfer firms like Western Union because it tries to find cheaper and faster alternatives for people who don’t have bank accounts.

    How will Facebook’s Libra work?

    Project Libra
    Will we have a new icon after Project Libra finished?

    Facebook aspires to design a cryptocurrency that gives secure ways of making payments, notwithstanding users have or not have a bank account.

    They are expecting to upset the other networks by cutting financial limits. The new Libra is good for competing with banks and decreasing user’s costs. The point is that this project will provide people to change dollars and other foreign currencies into its stablecoin. That’s why the arrangement with other banks is necessary.

    In the next several weeks a group of co-founders would launch the Swiss-based association in the coming weeks, as it is expected.

    Meanwhile, Facebook bans all cryptocurrency ads.

    According to the Financial Times, it is still unclear how Facebook’s cryptocurrency will be issued, stored, and transferred.

    Libra will be valued on a fiat

    Geneva’s commercial register displays Libra Networks was registered on May 2 with Facebook Global Holdings as a stakeholder. Reuters first reported the development.

    You would like to know which money app to use in 2019

    The LLC is attempting to develop software and infrastructure connected with investment activities and data analysis. Among other services, there are some relating to finance and technology, according to the register.

    Facebook has not yet confirmed the foundation of Libra Networks.

    What we know is Facebook Global Holdings is a stockholder in the new company and it will, according to Reuters, “provide financial and technology services and develop related hardware and software, plans submitted on the Swiss register reveal.”

    More about Project Libra

    Facebook’s shift to crypto has been gradual and constant. Facebook’s latest move, was the hiring of two Coinbase compliance managers. That happened on May 14.

    Blockchain expert David Gerard said that Facebook would get access to important spending data by creating its own payment system.

    The question is why Facebook needs that, instead to use some conventional payment platform.

    Garrick Hileman, a researcher at the London School of Economics, said the Libra project could be one of the most important developments in the short history of cryptocurrencies.

    He estimated that around 30 million people use cryptocurrencies. And Facebook has 2.4 billion monthly users. So, just count!

    You may also like to read how Apple Is Not a Tech Company Anymore

    risk disclosure

  • What is a Trade and how to Trade

    What is Trade
    To understand what is the trade we must have some historical and economic facts in our minds.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    What is trade? For some of you, this question may seem like nonsense. But, do we all know what is a trade for sure? So, let me explain this. Trade is a basic economic concept that involves the buying and selling of goods and services. Trading points to the buying and selling of securities, for example, buying and selling stock.
    Answer to this question could be: Trade is a transfer of goods or services in return for money, services or goods. In other words, trade refers to give and take. In the old days, trade took place with the exchange of goods without the exchange of money. With the invention of money, the trade appeared as an exchange of things for money.

    Trade is buying and selling on stock market transactions with the help of stock market brokerage houses. To trade in capital markets, one has to learn technical analysis first. Then apply those learned technical analysis concepts through paper-trading for a few weeks then open a trading account thru a broker and slow start the first real trade.

    Everybody knows what the term “trade” means. We are trading in our everyday life, while we may not even register that we have done so. Basically, everything we buy in a market is trading money for the goods we need.

    So, what is the trade?

    The word “trade” simply means “exchange one thing for another”. We normally get this to be the changing of goods for money or in other words, simply buying something. The same principle is applied when we trade in the financial markets. Let’s say someone trades shares. What traders and investors are really doing is buying shares of some companies. When the value of the shares rises, they will make money if sell them at a higher price. This is trade. You buy something for one price and sell it again for another, hence making a profit or loss.

    Why traders trade

    Every single trader is buying the shares in the hope that the price will rise. But why would the value of the shares go up? The answer is simple: the value changes due to supply and demand, meaning the more demand there is for something, the more people are willing to pay for it.

    Trade is conducted not only for the sake of earning a profit; it also provides service to the consumers. Trade is an important social activity because society needs an uninterrupted supply of goods forever increasing and ever-changing but never-ending human wants. Trade exists from the beginning of human life and will obviously last as long as human life exists on the globe. It enhances the standard of living of consumers. Thus we can say,  answering the question of what is the trade, that trade is a very important social activity.

    The examples of what is a trade

    Trade is when two parties agree on the price of a financial instrument but they perceive it’s valued differently.

    For example, say, trader A wants to buy stock with the current market price of $800. So, when trader A buys a stock at $800 there is a seller trader B at the same price. Hence, both of them have an agreement at the price of $800. But the buyer, trader A values is higher than the seller, trader B at that point.

    Let’s say that suddenly the owner of another stock comes into the market and has even more stocks to sell. The supply of stocks has now increased dramatically. Now, it’s reasonable to expect the second trader will want to sell that stock at a lower price than the first one to attract the other traders to buy that stock. And such will be right. The other traders would reasonably want to buy at the lower price, why not. Let’s see what happened with the first trader. The first trader will lower the stock price also.
    Can you see how the sudden increase in supply has brought the price of the stocks down?
    When the asset’s price at which demand matches supply is known as the “market price”. In other words, that is the price at which traders agree on both sides, sellers and buyers both.
    Trade is executed with the payment of money, the transaction of goods and services, or virtual currency.

    What is the trade of virtual currencies

    Those who want to trade cryptocurrency should start by picking a company with a good status that gives an exchange and wallet. The beginners should start by trading leading coins. Currently, we are referring to coins like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). In the future, this could change.

    Cryptocurrencies are still new to some people, so trading in this novelty can certainly generate good outcomes. But it is important that you know very well what any virtual currency gives and know the features of each coin. It is necessary for you to make trading informed decisions, evaluating carefully the risks/benefits of each coin. Using a reputable cryptocurrency exchange platform could support you in order to take the best possible of cryptocurrency trading.

    Virtual currencies

    Virtual currencies do not expose holders to foreign exchange risks and provide anonymity between trading partners.  Some online resellers provide buyers to conduct their transactions using virtual currencies. If you want to trade cryptos you can also find platforms that convert virtual currencies into gift cards. Virtual currencies are often popular with small businesses, because of the lack of processing fees.

    Trading cryptocurrency isn’t hard to start, but there are some basic aspects to understand before you start trading with a wallet-exchange.

    The main thing to note is that there are countless options for setting up wallets and trading currency.

    The bottom line

    When we ask what is the trade we should have some historical and economic facts in our minds. The process of economic specialization and trade leads to much higher levels of production of goods and services. It is this process that creates and sustains the markets of the “free market” system. The development of this system brought about the dramatic and revolutionary improvements in living standards that characterize the modern age.
    Free and open trade has fired competition, innovation, and economies. It allows individuals and businesses to take advantage of lower prices and increased choice. As a consequence, millions of people all over the world have overcome the restrictions of subsistence farming and severe poverty that defined the lives of most of humankind during history.

     

  • Anniversary to Bitcoin – Ten Years After

    Anniversary to Bitcoin – Ten Years After

    2 min read

     Anniversary to Bitcoin!

    • The first known transactions were in May 2010 for 10,000 Bitcoins
    • Ten years ago today, Bitcoin was born. Today October 31, 2018, marks the 10th Anniversary of Bitcoin. One of the most promising. But still widely misunderstood technological spread of the 21st century: Bitcoin.

    “I’ve been working on a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party” Satoshi Nakamoto, Oct. 31, 2008, 06:10:00 PM.

    That’s the introductory line in the first email that Satoshi Nakamoto sent. This may be a pseudonym for one or more programmers of Bitcoin. This pseudonym sent a mysterious cryptography email list.

    It was Halloween 2008. Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” He detailed how the system would mean online payments being sent directly between people. Without having to rely on a bank.

    Did he, she or they had any feeling of what was being unleashed?  Today, ten years after, the digital currency is valued at more than $6,250. Even with the wild fluctuations of the past year.

    Since the first Bitcoins were sold privately, it’s not clear how to assign an original value.

    The first known transactions were in May 2010 for 10,000 Bitcoins to indirectly buy two pizzas for about $30. Or less than a cent for each Bitcoin.

    After 10 years on the 10th bitcoin anniversary, the size of the cryptocurrency market is estimated at more than $200 billion.
    The mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto appeared out of nowhere. He invented a new form of currency that is 100% digital. Not under the control of any government or bank on earth.

    And it is worth billions and billions of dollars.

    Then he or she or they unexpected vanished.

    Weird but true. Even bizarre!

    The story is even more fascinating because Satoshi mined the first bitcoins. At the beginning when it was simple to mine Bitcoins quickly and easily. There is some estimate that Satoshi owns approximately 1 million Bitcoins.

    A decade after, who uses it to trade? And why is Bitcoin itself which started trading at 30 cents apiece, nowadays costs thousands of dollars?

    Bitcoin means freedom

    With Bitcoin people get the liberty to exchange value without intermediaries. That leads to greater control of funds and lower fees. It’s faster, cheaper, more secure and immutable. So, cash is under control by banks while bitcoin has owners. 

    Bitcoin is very useful as service for fast remittances for the international system of payments, for example. Bitcoin can help us do online shopping too. It’s like an e-wallet which can be created blockchain technology to store, track and spend digital money.

    Bitcoin’s influence on the finance industry 

    Bitcoin is making the biggest revolution in the finance industry in the last 200 years. Leading all cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin is at the forefront of the bleeding edge of blockchain innovation.

    Bitcoin is celebrating 10 years anniversaryOver the past decade bitcoin’s popularity has soared. But so has the number of its critics. But, the market found the weakness: volatility of Bitcoin. The trading community lap up the wild price swings. Those pushing for mainstream use have had to withstand a collapse in the price of the No. 1 digital currency.

    The future of bitcoin

    One of the most vocal critics is prominent New York University economics professor, Nouriel Roubini, compared blockchain with a glorified excel spreadsheet.  Roubini has called bitcoin ”the mother of all bubbles.” He criticized the crypto community as a bunch of “self-serving white men”. Claiming they are ”pretending to be messiahs for the world’s impoverished, marginalized, and unbanked masses.” 

    And now, coming upon 10 years since the inception of cryptocurrencies? The decentralizing technology began with bitcoin. It started a path where the so-called trusted third parties are mining bitcoin. Instead of printing money.

    “I see bitcoin becoming the most important and most transacted currency in the world, not just for remittances, or cross-border transactions, but for every use currency. It won’t be long before bitcoin eclipses the dollar as the most popular currency,” said Tim Draper,  founder and director of Draper Associates.

    We think it is necessary to stay patient and witness history first hand.

    Nothing can stop that!

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)

  • Bitcoin is Digital – How To Use It?

    Bitcoin is Digital – How To Use It?

     

    2 min read

    Bitcoin is both: currency and commodity

    What bitcoin is maybe the best describes this. Bitcoin cannot be held or kept in a pocket or wallet like currency.

    Bitcoin is a digital currency (also called crypto-currency) that is not backed by any country’s central bank or government. You can trade Bitcoin for goods or services with vendors who accept it as payment.

    What is bitcoin else? Bitcoin is a worldwide payment system and decentralized virtual currency.  It offers quick, cheap, and highly private payments for everyone.

    Do you see? Bitcoin is both of this. How?

    As Bitcoin is separated into two components, it might cause some confusion.

    Bitcoin – with a capital letter is a decentralized P2P network which helps to facilitate transactions between people without a middleman. The Bitcoin protocol is openly published. Developers can review the code as well as easily adapt an open source software and modify it to their own needs.

    bitcoin – with a lowercase ‘b’ is the coin which exists on the Bitcoin network. It can be perceived as a currency for the internet. In the same way as dollar or euro are currencies for the United States and Europe. Bitcoin-the-coin is the first cryptocurrency.

    Also known as virtual or digital currency and BTC is an abbreviation of it. 

    What is Bitcoin?

    In 2009, Bitcoin was developed and launched as an open-source protocol. It was based on a whitepaper written by Satoshi Nakamoto. He described the bitcoin as a digital currency. That is to say, backed up by the idea of an electronic payment system. But such that should be secure, verifiable and independent of any central authority. The first Bitcoin transaction was for two pizzas costing 10,000 BTC (a cool $190,000,000 at the high point of 2017).

    Since the Bitcoin release, it has experienced highs and lows. However, it stayed as the preeminent cryptocurrency in the world.

    Unlike regular fiat currency, there is no central Bitcoin bank to print and regulate the flow of currency. Bitcoin is held by users linked together by a central ledger. The ledger is a core Bitcoin feature known as the blockchain. The blockchain records every single transaction made using Bitcoin. It validates transactions and ensures the integrity of the network.

    Bitcoin is Digital - How To Use It?

    What is bitcoin in comparison with fiat currencies?

    It’s like an online version of cash. You can use it to buy products and services. But not many shops accept Bitcoin yet.  And some countries have banned it altogether.

    The physical Bitcoins you see in photos are a ornaments. They would be worthless without the private codes printed inside them.

    Fiat currencies are a physical medium of exchange with an unlimited supply. It is issued and controlled by a government. Bitcoin, on the other hand, has a set maximum supply of 21M coins.  And as on first place, it is not controlled by any government or entity. Both crypto and fiat currencies coexist alongside each other. And have their advantages and disadvantages.

    Bitcoin is digital

    Bitcoin has some resemblances to fiat money: value changes according to market variables.  As Bitcoin is digital people can use them to buy things or pay for services. Also, people already use it in their daily lives as any other fiat currency, but this is where similarities end.

    Bitcoin has several attributes that set it aside from traditional currencies as a pan-global means of exchange. Central banks or monetary authorities do not control the number of Bitcoins.

    It is decentralized making it global. Anyone with a computer can set up a Bitcoin address to receive or transfer Bitcoins in seconds.

    Bitcoin is anonymous.

    The cryptocurrency allows users to maintain multiple addresses and setting up an address requires no personal information.

    DLT technology makes Bitcoin completely transparent. It stores complete details by an address of every transaction that ever occurs. Transfers of Bitcoin are immediate and when you make it once, they are final. At the same time, there are some fees.  And international and domestic transfers are not subject to foreign currency exchange rates and fees for the transfer. There are no borders when it comes to Bitcoin. 

    Bitcoin is a fixed asset.

    However, Bitcoin is divisible so the growth potential for the exchange medium is unlimited. Certainly, one of the most interesting inventions that came alongside Bitcoin is blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT). DLT has amazing potential when it comes to traditional operations.  And also as settlement results for businesses in the financial as well as other industries.

    What bitcoin is maybe the best describes this. Bitcoin cannot be held or kept in a pocket or wallet like currency.

    So, what is bitcoin if you can’t touch it?

    It is purely a computer-based means of exchange. Bitcoin has morphed from a fledgling digital currency into an asset or commodity. In fact, Bitcoin somewhat straddles the median. Its use of a currency is limited, it is too volatile to be considered a solid asset. But it is traded similarly to regular stocks and shares.

    Golden rules for investing in stock market for beginners 2

    Can we, on the question what is bitcoin, say it is currency?

    There is a great deal of debate about whether Bitcoin is a currency. We called The Merriam-Webster Dictionary for help and found that this dictionary defines currency as:

    Circulation as a medium of exchange
    General use, acceptance, or prevalence
    The quality or state of being present
    Something (like coins, treasury notes, and banknotes) that is in circulation as a medium of exchange
    Paper money in circulation
    A comment article used for barter
    A medium of verbal or intellectual expression

    The official definition of currency may leave you more confused about whether what is bitcoin. Is it a currency or something else? It certainly meets some of the characteristics in the definition, but not all.

    In September 2015, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the United States officially designated Bitcoin as a commodity.

    What is Bitcoin? The Guide to Cryptocurrency 1

    Can we, on the question what is bitcoin, say it is a commodity?

    Bitcoin is one of those assets that does not quite fit well into any definition. In addition, and a historical understanding of what is a currency and what is a commodity.

    While throughout history, many commodities and even some manufactured products have served as currency. The best examples are gold and silver. Central banks and monetary authorities around the world continue to hold vast gold reserves. Moreover, they are categorizing their holdings as “foreign exchange reserves.” Hence, both gold and silver are off in the same class as Bitcoin. 

    As you can see, the classification what bitcoin is as a commodity is both dubious and understandable, at the same time. It is not easy to categorize Bitcoin. Because it is so new and different from other assets available to the market participants.

    What is bitcoin in the future?

    Bitcoin is a child of the technological revolution.

    As the first global currency that people can use all over the world as a method of exchange without involving governments. This cryptocurrency will continue to attract interest and resistance.

    For people in countries where currency flows are subject to stringent government control, bitcoin offers a method to transfer fortune to parts of the world where restrictions are less difficult.

    Bitcoin appears here to stay, at least for the time being.

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)

  • ESMA: European Commission to regulate the crypto space with existing legislation

    ESMA: European Commission to regulate the crypto space with existing legislation

    1 min read

    ESMA: European Commission to regulate the crypto space with existing legislation

    The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)  new report recommends to the European Commission that it regulate the cryptocurrency space with existing legislation.

    Rather than instilling new rules and laws. This the Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group (SMSG) wrote in their report.

    According to bitcoinmagazine.com, the report identifies that most crypto assets are covered by the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. That regulates unfair business practices in the European Union.  

    Therefore, requires correlated laws. As a result, to incorporate it into each member state’s legal system.

    Questions

    The report asks several questions about payment tokens, utility tokens, and asset tokens. It wants to determine whether they can or should fall under present statutes.

    The SMSG focuses this report on financial regulation in the remit of ESMA. In order to determine what crypto-assets are or should be covered by what regulation, the SMSG has classified crypto-assets on the basis of the following questions (see decision tree below):

    1. Does it give the owner an entitlement against the issuer? If so, is it an entitlement in kind or a monetary entitlement? If it is a monetary entitlement, is it profit sharing, a predetermined entitlement, or undetermined other kinds of entitlement?

    2. Is it transferable?

    3. Is it scarce, and how is scarcity controlled?

    4. Does it give decision power on the project of the issuer?’

    The SMSG concluded that MiFID doesn’t cover payment tokens.

    The report mentions that MiFID doesn’t cover payment tokens like bitcoin.

    This is the EU legislation that regulates companies providing services to clients. Likewise, clients related to stock shares and bonds. 

    The Prospectus Regulation, which rules businesses’ shareholding structures don’t these tokens are not included in. Or the Market Abuse Regulation.  

    The report suggests that these assets carry the same risks as other investment objects. And thus the authors urge the EU to place cryptocurrencies under MiFID II control.

    Speaking about utility tokens

    The report stated they are a completely different ballgame.  ESMA’s report, these currencies did not classify as investments.

    According to the report, they provide investors to access a company’s products and services. ICOs or initial coin offerings are responsible to issue utility tokens.

    To raise capital, a new company or startup usually sell a utility token to investors. In return, they gain access to a new coin. 

    EU financial regulations don’t cover utility tokens.

    Because they are not transferable and are only usable in a relationship between the user and the issuer. Thus, the report says MiFID II should not cover these currencies. Unless they are considered transferable.

    For example Filecoin, which builds and runs data applications and helps build smart contracts. It has the potential to become an investment object in the future. 

    Consequently, it would have many of the same risks as traditional stocks. 

    Tokens

    The report examines asset tokens, which are physical goods. Companies can use it to finance new business projects or transfers of goods. In that case, they are recorded into the blockchain.

    In that way, they provide stronger security measures for both parties,  the receiving, and offers.

    The report examines which assets are financial instruments or transferable securities. If a token offers a user financial entitlement of some kind. In other words, it bears the same features as both bonds and shares. It is thus transferable.

    And the report’s suggestion is it should fall under MiFID II and the Prospectus Regulation.

    Examples include EOS and any other ERC20-based tokens. It is possible to purchase and trade via digital exchanges. They are transferable between rewards programs, compatible wallets, etc.

    ESMA doesn’t have the power to implement new laws and regulations regarding any financial instruments. ESMA can’t change existing laws. The report is intended to advise ESMA on how to discuss such changes with the European Commission.

    Read the whole report here

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)

  • Should You Leave Crypto, Get into Cannabis and ‘ Buy high’?

    Should You Leave Crypto, Get into Cannabis and ‘ Buy high’?

    Should You Leave Crypto, Get into Cannabis and 'Buy high'?
    This topic is a small semantic game with words. But it seems to be a serious business.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    I want to be a clear, cannabis business is serious business.

    Marijuana is a commodity, and commodities markets are subject to boom and bust, amazing and caught.

    Canadian marijuana company Aurora Cannabis Inc.’s shares rose about 4% Thursday, October 18, after it said shares have been approved for trading on the New York Stock Exchange starting October 23. Even earlier, the hype around cannabis stocks was catching up to the crypto craze.

    There’s a huge new trend that is sweeping the investment world. The rise in the legalization of marijuana caused the development of a new investment opportunity. Cannabis Shares, for example, allows investors to buy shares in many legal cannabis-based projects, including the sale of cannabis itself, or products of cannabis.

    Merida Captial Partners, a New York investment firm, said its cannabis fund had been approached by around 50 cryptocurrency investors. “They are looking at cannabis and crypto as an emerging sector,” said Merida managing partner Mitch Baruchowitz, “they might not be connected as industries but they are seen as outside the traditional investment field. High risk and high reward.”

    On the market, the stock ACB ( Aurora Cannabis Inc.), +1.40% ACB, +1.40%, will trade under the ticker symbol “ACB”. The shares are also traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. This news came one day after Canada fully legalized cannabis for adult recreational use, the first G-7 country to do so, and only the second in the world to do so after Uruguay.

    Canada changes the world following the passage of the Cannabis Act on June 19.

    Which country first legalize recreational marijuana?

    Canada became the first industrialized country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana.

    In the process, it opens the door to possibly $5 billion in added annual sales. This industry is already generating from domestic medical weed and exports to foreign countries where medicinal cannabis has been given the green light.

    Finance barons like to turn any commodity into an investment opportunity. This move was inevitable with the international changes in cannabis legislation. But, many are willing to see similarities between cannabis shares and cryptocurrencies. And they starting to worry that the cannabis industry could wipe out the need for crypto-investment.

    Within the stock market, no asset class has been hotter than pot stocks over the past few years. Many of the largest marijuana stocks by market cap have doubled or tripled in value over the past year, and are up by more than 1,000% over the trailing two-year period.

    Why cannabis stocks are so interesting?

    The fundamental lure of marijuana stocks is its impressive sales growth potential. ArcView, a leading cannabis research firm, suggests that North American legal weed sales could grow by 28% between 2018 and 2021. That would lead to almost $25 billion in annual legal cannabis sales.

    And the public all over the world is in favor of marijuana legalization. All major marijuana polls demonstrate strong favorability toward legalization.

    All six-pot stocks have enjoyed outsized gains in the last few months as Canada legalization appears. These pot stocks generate quarterly and annual profit:  Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACB, +1.40% , Cronos Group Inc. CRON, +0.66% was up 3.8%, Canopy Growth Corp. CGC, -3.51% WEED, -2.77%  was up 2.1% and Tilray Inc. TLRY, +2.89%  was up 3.2%. GW Pharmaceuticals Plc GWPH, -1.30%  was down 0.7% and Aphria Health Inc. APH, +0.26%  was up about 2%.

    Why people love cannabis stocks?

    Tilray is a Canadian cannabis firm, one that announced in September that they traded around $6.5 billion worth of shares on United States exchanges, at the same period Amazon, traded around $7.6 billion on the same exchanges. Amazon has a stock 47 times the size of Tilray, therefore, we can truly appreciate the full scale of this as an investment opportunity.

    Some skepticists are suggesting that the crypto craze is coming to an end, but we know that this isn’t the case. Markets are stagnant because of a transition period. Frankly, they should know that the crypto craze hasn’t yet begun. Cannabis shares are more like traditional commodities and traditional stocks, therefore they are more attractive to a high level and institutional investors. Because institutions are investing in them, the level of cash flowing into Cannabis shares is such. Cryptocurrency has not yet penetrated the mainstream and therefore, there can’t be a threat from Cannabis Shares.

    Investment advice website. Proactive Investors has started a dedicated Telegram channel for investors interested in cryptocurrency, the blockchain, and cannabis. The SEC stated: “Fraudsters may try to use media coverage about the legalization of marijuana to promote an investment scam.”

    On the social messaging app Telegram, some cryptocurrency forums, where users trade investing tips and advice on the anonymous network, have now turned their attention to shares in cannabis growers.

     

    Cannabis Stocks vs Bitcoin

    Why should anybody go to think that individual and personal Cannabis Shares investors, couldn’t also invest in cryptocurrencies as both are new and exciting ventures? Overall, it’s not fair to compare the two. They aren’t a threat to each other. A lot of investments can exist side by side. Because Cannabis Shares are big and popular for many reasons, it doesn’t mean people will stop investing in Bitcoin. Yes, their attention may be rerouted, but this will constantly change.

    “Crypto traders I know are getting into pot stocks,” Jeffrey Van de Leemput, founder of investing-education platform Cryptocampus, said in a message, reported Bloomberg. “But I don’t know if that’s a pattern or just coincidence.”

    Who’s been behind the buying of pot stocks? I have a hunch that its investors tend to be young. It’s the millennials.
    There is the potential for marijuana to be traded as a commodity, similar to how corn and other agricultural products are now bought and sold, or as asset-based security, similar to the way mortgages have long been bundled and sold to investors. Who knows, the cannabis futures market might be the largest futures market in the world.

    But Bitcoin has no plan to become mainstream on the market, it isn’t in its nature.

    Going in bitcoin’s favor, retail investors predominantly control the show. The most bitcoin trading occurs on decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges, and institutional investors usually want nothing to do with these decentralized exchanges, bitcoin is driven by the emotions of retail investors, rather than by fundamental reason. And emotions can be the most powerful tool in pushing Bitcoin’s valuations higher.

    Which investment should you buy with your last $50? Cryptocurrency or marijuana stock?  Both of these investment opportunities are like a plane, they are getting everyone on board and they are ready to fly with or without you.

  • India Could Treat  Unregulated Crypto Assets as Illegal

    India Could Treat Unregulated Crypto Assets as Illegal

    2 min read

    India’s Top Court Refused To Lift Ban On Cryptocurrency Exchanges

    According to Moneycontrol, a report which is being prepared by a committee headed by India’s Economic Affairs Secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg, may propose amendments to the existing laws with a view of making it illegal to hold crypto assets that are not approved by the government.

    Does it mean that could soon be illegal to hold cryptocurrencies that lack the government’s seal of approval in the world’s largest democracy?

    The panel will propose legislative amendments and recommending punishment for those holding unapproved crypto assets and also will penalties for those who flout the law.

    This move is the result of the government’s attitude that crypto assets which are unregulated should be kept out of the Indian financial system to prevent them from being used to aid illegalities. Under this formulation, they mean evading taxes as well as in Ponzi and multi-level marketing schemes.

    According to the same source, holding unregulated crypto assets like bitcoin in India could attract punishment.

    India Could Treat Unregulated Crypto Assets as Illegal

    India treats crypto as illegal.

    Why this isn’t surprising?

    The Subhash Garg-committee was placed last year and have to submit its report in December. Besides the Economic Affairs Secretary, the other members of the committee come from India’s central bank and the country’s securities markets regulator.

    It is expected the Subhash Garg-panel report be adopted. Having in mind their previous attitude, there will not be a surprise.

    Anti-Cryptocurrency opinions have various government agencies in India. This spring, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)  barred banks and financial companies dealing with virtual currencies and banned these financial institutions from allowing their clients to buy cryptocurrencies. They were given three months’ time (ending June 2018) to exit from any such services if they were offering.

     

    “…with immediate effect, entities regulated by RBI shall not deal with or provide services to any individual or business entities dealing with or settling VCs [Virtual Currencies],” read part of a statement issued by the RBI as reported by CCN. “Regulated entities which already provide such services shall exit the relationship within a specified time.”

    The consequences after the ban are still felt today.

    In September one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in India, Zebpay, announced that it was shutting down after it found itself unable to operate without access to banking services. That is the indicator that India treats crypto as illegal.

    The negative consequences of the ban have not been limited to cryptocurrency exchanges, however, and have spread to the wider blockchain ecosystem. As CCN reported in September, this was leading to a ‘blockchain brain drain’ as well as ‘blockchain capital flight’ to jurisdictions with more conducive environments such as Malta, Estonia, Switzerland, and Thailand.

     

    India Could Treat Holding of Unregulated Crypto Assets as Illegal 1

    What can be expected from these last stages of deliberation?

    The government view is that unregulated crypto assets should not be allowed to move into the financial system. In short, India treats crypto as illegal. So, it is expectable that the Garg-panel is likely to recommend appropriate amendments in existing laws, defining the punitive measures for those found holding illegal crypto assets.

    In his budget speech for 2018-19, finance minister Arun Jaitley had pointed that cryptocurrency was not legal tender in India, but hinted that the government was open to adopting the underlying technology, called blockchain, to bring in more efficiencies in India’s digital payment systems because it allows keeping a record of a chain of transactions, eliminating the need of intermediaries.

    According to Moneycontrol, officials of the capital markets watchdog, the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) have also organized tours to Japan’s Financial Services Agency; the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, and Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority,

    The study tours “help engage with the international regulators and gain a deeper understanding of the systems and mechanisms,” SEBI said in it’s in the annual report for 2017-18.

    And December is near. The trail of the devastation of cryptocurrency exchanges is visible.

    But despite these moves of various governments, which are understandable in some sense because they have no control over the crypto, cryptocurrency will survive. We will be witnesses.

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)

  • Bitcoin experienced a distinct decline in its volatility!

    Bitcoin experienced a distinct decline in its volatility!

    1 min read

    Crypto-Endorsements Gone Sour | A Celebrity Special

    Bitcoin experienced a distinct decline in its volatility during a period in which the volume of the largest cryptocurrency achieved a new yearly low. The volume of Bitcoin dropped from $4.2 billion to $3.2 billion on October 7, by more than 23 percent. Since then, the volume of BTC has recovered substantially, back to $4.2 billion, but it still remains substantially lower than previous weeks. The overall decline in trading activity in the cryptocurrency exchange market due to the uncertainty in the short-term price trend of Bitcoin is said Bitcoin experienced a decline in volatility.

    Mike McGlone, a commodity strategist, stated that as the cryptocurrency market matures, the rate of Bitcoin volatility will continue to rapidly decline. He explained that an emerging asset class often sees a large discrepancy in its daily price movements and volatility in volume until it finds strong infrastructure to support and solidify its market.

    “This is a maturing market, so volatility should continue to decline. When you have a new market, it will be highly volatile until it establishes itself. There are more participants, more derivatives, more ways of trading, hedging, and arbitraging.”

    Since August 9, the price of Bitcoin has remained relatively stable in the range between $6,400 and $6,800. In the middle of September, BTC surpassed the $7,000 mark, but the asset has shown no signs of solid momentum, mostly due to the lack of volume in the cryptocurrency exchange market. After that, on October 6, the cryptocurrency exchange market recorded its lowest daily volume in over 12 months. That occasion made traders be concerned regarding the short-term trend of the market.

    Stability of bitcoin

    The stability of BTC allowed investors in the market to initiate an accumulation phase in a low price range, enabling more investors to enter the market and acquire BTC. That’s why is so important for Bitcoin to experience a decline in volatility.

    The eminent venture capital investor Garry Tan, said, a low price range helps investors enter a new market or an asset class with significantly less risk: 

    “The crypto winter generally makes it safer for super-long-term oriented Yale-model institutions to enter at a price that isn’t dangerous. You know what is scary? Investing and then immediately seeing an 80% drop. That is hard to recover from.”

    It is surprising that the cryptocurrency market is not reacting to many of the positive developments that have emerged in the sector over the past few months.

    The Reaction of the market 

    Bitcoin experienced a distinct decline in its volatility!

    It is possible, that the market will begin to respond to most of the progress that has been made in the sector over the last three months. Bitcoin has not shown a high level of stability in a long period of time. Considering that Bitcoin has recovered beyond its previous high point, it is more likely for it to move to the upside.

    Many analysts and traders in the cryptocurrency market stated that extended periods of stability and consolidation often lead to a strong upside movement.

    Generally speaking, when you’re analyzing charts, higher highs and higher lows are the indicators of a positive move up. Lower highs are not pointed where you can expect a rally. However, we are speaking about Bitcoin and it is so unpredictable.

    Investor Mike Novogratz has emphasized $6,800 as a major resistance level for Bitcoin throughout the past month, and if it comfortably surpasses that level, then it will be able to eye resistance levels in span $7,000 and $8,000.

    If Bitcoin breaks out of the $6,800 mark relatively quickly, Novogratz said it is possible for Bitcoin to demonstrate a 30 percent increase in price by the end of the year.

    The question is if this the right time to start accumulating Bitcoin?

    On the end of August, when the price of BTC was around $6,600, we all can read expert’s statements that the bear market is not over yet but it is a viable period for new investors in the space to start accumulating Bitcoin.

    Following that opinion, it is highly unlikely for Bitcoin to decline far below its current price range and we may conclude that it is an appropriate time to start accumulating BTC.

    Risk Disclosure (read carefully!)