Month: February 2019

Latin America’s Largest Investment Bank to Launch Its Own Security Token

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Latin America’s largest investment bank Banco BTG Pactual SA is releasing its own blockchain-based security token, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 21. The token dubbed “ReitBZ” — which will be backed by distressed real estate assets in Brazil —  will reportedly enable the bank to provide its real estate business to international investors at lower costs than with traditional means. ReitBZ will be perpetual, with the initial offering period of around 90 days, while proceeds will be reinvested in the distressed portfolio. Andre Portilho, BTG’s partner responsible for the project, reportedly…

What Is an STO, Explained

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A closer look at STOs and how the process compares to the more familiar ICO and IPO. What is an STO? STO stands for security token offering. Similar to an initial coin offering (ICO), an investor is issued with a crypto coin or token representing their investment. But unlike an ICO, a security token represents an investment contract into an underlying investment asset, such as stocks, bonds, funds and real estate investment trusts (REIT). A security can be defined as a “fungible, negotiable financial instrument that holds some type of monetary…

Crypto Markets Show Slight Decline, as Do Dow Jones Industrial and S&P 500

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Thursday, Feb. 21 —  cryptocurrency markets are slightly sliding down, with most major coins seeing some noticeable losses, according to CoinMarketCap. Market visualization from Coin360 The top cryptocurrency Bitcoin (BTC) is trading around $3,944, having lost just 1 percent on the day at press time. Bitcoin’s weekly and monthly gains are positive, at about 8.92 percent and 5.1 percent respectively. Bitcoin 24-hour price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap Top altcoin Ethereum (ETH) is trading around $145.38 at press time, down around 1.42 percent over the past 24 hours. Earlier today, the coin…

Samsung Galaxy S10 Breaks into the Cryptocurrency Space

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Less than 24 hours ago, Samsung Mobile announced the release of its next-generation Galaxy smartphone. The new Samsung Galaxy S10 is beautifully designed, and it includes a new feature that many crypto enthusiasts might appreciate. Meet the Next Generation Galaxy. #GalaxyS10Learn more: https://t.co/UstjA79jjF pic.twitter.com/hXOOfafTH1 — Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 20, 2019 Samsung Galaxy S10 In the official press release Samsung explains: “Galaxy S10 is built with defense-grade Samsung Knox, as well as a secure storage backed by hardware, which houses your private keys for blockchain-enabled mobile services.” That’s right. The…

UAE’s Largest Real Estate Firm Emaar Denies Reports That It Accepts Crypto: Bloomberg

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The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) largest real estate development firm, Emaar Properties, has officially denied reports that it enabled crypto payments for property, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 20. Known for developing the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa — located in Dubai — the firm told Bloomberg that it currently accepts only fiat currencies, such as UAE Dirhams (AED) or United States dollars as payment for property purchases. The publication cited an Emaar Properties spokesperson as providing the confirmation. In the report, Bloomberg cited Australian crypto-focused website Micky as one of…

Malta to Store Education Certificates On a Blockchain

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In Malta, all educational certificates will be stored on a blockchain, local English-language local media MaltaToday reports on Feb. 21. The initiative is reportedly the scaling-up of a two-year-old pilot project to include all the nation’s schools, including secondary school certificates issued by the state, church and independent schools. According to the report, the Maltese government signed a two-year contract with software company Learning Machine, to build on the aforementioned pilot project. During the signing ceremony at Castille, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat reportedly claimed that Malta is the first country…

Bitcoin Will Hit $1 Million, Says IBM’s VP of Blockchain Jesse Lund

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The vice president of blockchain and digital currencies for IBM, Jesse Lund, said that he expects Bitcoin’s (BTC) price to eventually hit $1 million. Lund made his prediction during an interview with comparison and news platform Finder.com, published on YouTube on Feb. 20. Towards the end of the interview, Lund was asked what he expects the price of Bitcoin to be on this new year’s eve. He answered that he thinks it is going to be higher than the current price, clarifying, “I’ll go with $5,000.” He then continued his…

CME Group’s Bitcoin Futures See a Surge of Institutional Interest

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The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group) has seen a big spike in bitcoin futures volumes according to an internal investors email sent to clients on Feb. 19. CME Group’s note explains that last Tuesday’s BTC-based futures volumes touched a new record with 18,338 contracts traded and the firm says increased volumes may be due to gradually rising institutional interest. Also Read: This ‘Faketoshi’ Signature Tool Lets Anyone Become Satoshi Nakamoto Bitcoin Futures Volumes Spike in 2019 Cryptocurrency derivatives kicked into high gear in 2017 when two of the largest FX exchanges…

Ethereum Condemns ‘Toxic’ Behavior That Caused Developer’s Abrupt Exit

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In an open letter, tens of prominent Ethereum community leaders have spoken out against the “toxic” behavior prefacing Parity developer Afri Schoedon’s recent resignation. Heartfelt, it references Jameson Lopp, swatted in 2017. Lopp’s case is an “awful example of the intimidation that can be wrought in the midst of very heated debates.” Afri Schoedon ‘Far From The First’ Crypto Casualty The Ethereum price is on an upswing, but all is not well in this crypto community. It also lists other examples within the Ethereum community, such as Taylor Monahan’s alleged…

Ethereum Condemns ‘Toxic’ Behavior That Caused Developer’s Abrupt Exit

boss

In an open letter, tens of prominent Ethereum community leaders have spoken out against the “toxic” behavior prefacing Parity developer Afri Schoedon’s recent resignation. Heartfelt, it references Jameson Lopp, swatted in 2017. Lopp’s case is an “awful example of the intimidation that can be wrought in the midst of very heated debates.” Afri Schoedon ‘Far From The First’ Crypto Casualty The Ethereum price is on an upswing, but all is not well in this crypto community. It also lists other examples within the Ethereum community, such as Taylor Monahan’s alleged…