For the average millennial or at least anyone that pays attention to the business world, the term “cryptocurrency” would not seem like such a strange word. If that is, then the terms Bitcoin, Ethereum or at least Blockchain should ring a bell. One might wonder, why are these terms suddenly so prevalent, especially cryptocurrency news? Computing is getting rather pervasive and the society is leaning towards digital services. The finance world too isn’t spared as the disruption of technology into this sector has fostered the birth and development of Fintech organizations.
These Fintech organizations look to digitize payments and transactions, offering the same services that are currently in existence but in a better, efficient and more effective way.
Blockchain is the network upon which most of these cryptocurrencies operate on. The history of blockchain and bitcoin, in particular, does not have a definite story. In 2009, an individual or group of individuals known to be “Satoshi Nakomoto” developed and published the technology to allow people make digital payments between themselves anonymously without having an external party to verify or authorize the transfer of the currency being exchanged.
Although technologies like this might seem rather complex, understanding how Blockchain works is quite easy, given that one has a basic idea of how networks work. Blockchain is simply a database shared between several users, containing confirmed and secured entries. It is a network, where each entry has a connection to its previous entry.
This technology affords a very secure model whereby every record in the database cannot be tampered with. Apart from the stellar security that this network offers, the transparency and speed at which the network operates give it an edge over the conventional way of conducting transactions.
In simple terms, cryptocurrencies are just monies in digital form, transacted via digital means and over a digital network. The transfer of these currencies is utilized with cryptography and the aforementioned blockchain network. Up until the 2010s, cryptocurrencies were not really known until Bitcoin made its breakout and this gave rise to the birth of new cryptocurrencies.
Cryptocurrencies have had their fair share of bullish and bearish trends, going to show how unstable they can be. The latest cryptocurrency news reports lots of people predicting prices for various cryptocurrencies in the years to come but no-one can say for sure.
Blockchain, on the other hand, is making its way into pervasive computing, especially IoT, giving way for the development of new solutions that embrace data security and transparency.
If blockchain technology wants to continue to enjoy widespread business adoption it needs to address some of the wider issues that have caused concern in the community in recent months, such as delayed transactions and slow processing times
The US State Department and interagency partners will hold a forum on Blockchain on October 10, 2017.
The value of the digital currency continues its upward trend, despite Chinese crackdown on virtual money and uncertainty regarding SegWit2x activation.
Wall Street Investment Bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is considering new trading services for cryptocurrencies as bitcoin for its clients.
Viberate sold its Vibe tokens under 5 minutes in the fist day of ICO. Now the company’s tokens will be listed on the LiveCoin.net exchange on October 6th, 2017 with more exchanges to come later.
According to project founders, the initiative will help to bring greater transparency and accountability for funds raised via initial coin offerings.
Despite the increasing number of investors who recognize the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a long-term investment, high-profile investors have held back on investing massively in this market and hybrid exchanges like Legolas want to change this.
CryptoPay, a Bitcoin payment gateway, wallet & exchange, has already launched it own public token sale, demanded by its customers.
On September 27 this year, in the Plenary Sessions small hall of the Federation Council, experts held a closed meeting of the Federation Council Committee on economic policy with agenda on modern trends in the digital transformation of financial systems, with emphasis on digital money for Russia’s digital economy.
FSA has declared first cryptocurrency exchanges that are now allowed to operate in the country under the recently adopted regulations.
In an interview with Coinspeaker Aeron CEO Artem Orange reveals listing plans and talks flight safety and beyond.
Maecenas has created a platform allowing investors to purchase large-scale investments in tokenized portions.
Confideal is the first service allowing individuals and businesses to create anonymous smart contracts without the need to have programming skills.
After successfully completing pre-sale, the company is preparing for an ICO to enable investors around the world earn dividends from its mining returns.
With a blockchain-based lending platform, millions of underbanked people in Asia will be able to access basic financial services and build their financial reputation.