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      "body": "Thanks to the author for this article about the API and its functions. At <a href=\"https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/what-is-an-api/\">Cleveroad</a>, we have experience building and integrating APIs that get the job done.",
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      "memo": "CONGRATS! You have a 1:1 BLURT AIRDROP of 0.000 BLURT and 0.000000 BLURT POWER waiting for you. Check out https://blurtwallet.com/@pagz and https://blurt.blog/ TODAY!",
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{
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-11-25T102431.495.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVBFZ6AdfdtuUtHkSh59STQT2RDwSnJkBCvwVsbwVDAt6/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-25T102431.495.png)\n\n\n80% of the world’s central banks are engaged in CBDC research. What gives?\n\nCentral bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are fiat money to be issued digitally by a country’s central bank or centralized financial authority.\n\nThe rise in popularity of decentralized blockchain projects such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and other cryptocurrencies that disrupted conventional financial systems in the process became an enormous challenge that governments cannot choose to ignore. Top financial experts got down to the drawing board and started developing what is to be termed as CBDC.\n\nIn the concept, CBDCs, as a digital counterpart of the fiat money, must continue to be centralized or government-controlled. And since Bitcoin and other altcoins are based on blockchain structure, CBDCs are being explored if it can thrive without using the distributed ledger technology (DLT). Though much of the population of countries still put their trust in fiat money, governments cannot afford to lose that trust now that the digital onslaught is inevitable and is even being accelerated by the pandemic. The Bank of International Settlements (BIS), the bank of central banks, revealed in early 2020 that nearly 80% of central banks around the world are actively working on the possibility of CBDCs in their respective countries.\n\nGoing beyond mere hypothesis, governments are now racing to release their own CBDC versions. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has already released the highly touted digital yuan, and so was the Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBOB) releasing its own digital Sand Dollar.\nHow CBDCs Work\n\nCBDCs are to be issued by the central bank in digital form and works the same as its counterpart paper money and banknotes. It relies on blockchain infrastructure utilizing the distributed ledger technology instead of paperwork.\n\nTwo predominant models constitute CBDCs and they are retail and wholesale. Retail CBDCs are digital cash meant for transactions between the consumer and businesses and for peer-to-peer payments. The wholesale CBDC model is designed for interbank settlements that would facilitate a faster and cheaper way for banks to transact with clients.\nWhy CBDC\n\nMost banks and legacy financial institutions still employ obsolete processes that are already inefficient by today’s standards such as reigning, clearing, settling, and payment procedures. CBDCs can effectively fix these inefficiencies.\n\nRetail CBDC models can empower central banks in totally managing their money supply and directly implement policies like negative interests. Processing fees can be reduced drastically and can instantly be sent anywhere through mobile phones. Wholesale CBDCs, meanwhile, operating on automation can perform optimum interbank settlements while reducing counterparty risks.\n\nA CBDC built on Ethereum can deliver a more efficient, resilient, and transparent service since it can be customized and programmed along with interoperability to adapt to the evolving digital ecosystem.\nConclusion\n\nThe high volatility of the decentralized cryptocurrencies is a constraint that CBDCs can take advantage of knowing that a centralized token can be highly competitive to become a digital counterpart of the fiat money. It could still beat the decentralized cryptos to their game since they are backed up by a central bank reserve. Yet, there is still much work to be done as central banks are new to the technology and dabbling on proofs-of-concept only for the first time. Maybe in the near future we will see CBDCs asserting their place in the mainstream finance signaling that power remains in governments and the big banks.\n\nMaking mistakes is a high price to pay. Get it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your digital business partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our friendly line is open 24/7. https://www.wallexcustody.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"crypto\",\"trending\",\"blog\",\"steemit\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVBFZ6AdfdtuUtHkSh59STQT2RDwSnJkBCvwVsbwVDAt6/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-25T102431.495.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://www.wallexcustody.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "what-is-a-central-bank-digital-currency",
      "title": "What Is A Central Bank Digital Currency?"
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      "permlink": "the-rainbow-in-the-european-grey-zone",
      "voter": "actionmirk",
      "weight": 10000
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  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-11-23T10:20:12",
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{
  "block": 48844212,
  "op": [
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    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Untitled design (14).png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUVaJXzdKUkRMNThkWSXc6C3S1W6LkAFsjQfNTA6x8xt3/Untitled%20design%20(14).png)\n\nThe evolution of new digital technologies has created a new shift in the value proposition for financial products and services. Digital asset management based on distributed ledger technology has opened the gates to financial institutions and regulators, with the aim of disrupting this new wave. Nevertheless, it has also opened the door for the creation of fresh and innovative opportunities and ways of conducting business.\n\nAmidst the beginning of the technological wave, Simone Mazzuca found a missing piece in the grey zone in digital asset management, therefore creating the revolutionary and borderless company Wallex. Constructing the legal-framework of Wallex, Mr Mazzuca carefully projected his views in the various challenges of the existing financial services industry, and with his team of experts put to use distributed ledger technology creating multiple innovative operational features and functionalities. The innovative features are clearly visible in the structural implementations of the company, which presents new forms of conducting business and serving critical advice.\n\nIn a mere year, Wallex has become a next-generation financial solution provider enabling both individuals and businesses to swiftly and securely engage in financial operations, eliminating the regulatory fears of borders.\n\nWho is Wallex, you may ask? Wallex is a group of financial companies based in Europe, Asia and the United States of America. Wallex as a financial institution provides asset protection services, which include a custody service, borderless banking solutions, OTC services, exchange platform, property management, crowd-funding operations and international licenses to operate for business and individuals, therefore, providing the software and operational platforms for anyone willing to bridge the traditional and digital banking operations. This can be done not only due to the technological capabilities, but also due to the banking relationships, regulatory licenses and the companies strict compliance procedures for anti-money laundering (5th Directive Anti-Money Laundry) and know-your-customer (KYC) procedures Wallex puts forth. With a robust stance in the insurance banking sector and wealth management, Wallex has created a decentralised deposit system, significantly increasing the security level of deposits and exponentially increasing the remuneration of active rate accounts. By combining the newest technologies, Mr Mazzuca saw a possibility to create a new form of currency, one he questioned, why it did not exist. As such, EURST was formed.\n\nEURST is a live audited asset-backed stable coin which represents 1€ worth of USD, secured by the accounts of the federal reserve and Wallex Trust itself. The token is issued on the Ethereum network and is well-established to the ERC-20 standards. Furthermore, the stable coin enables users to conduct faster and cheaper financial transactions such as storing funds with a trusted custodian, making online payments and sending remittances around the world. EURST enables quick and easy transactions whilst painting the monetary value of one’s funds. What is more, EURST is fully transparent and live audited momentary as transactions are recorded on the digital ledger.\n\nEnabled by the creation of borderless operations, secure asset management functionalities and the strength of repetitional licenses, the knowledge of Wallex’s constructs have conquered the current nature and future of the digital movement. Therefore, bring light onto Wallex not only proving to be the new invisible giant but has also opened a door for a new organisation.\n\nIntroducing ICBA, the International Crypto-Business Association. The founder being Mr Mazzuca, one can only imagine what as an association ICBA can bring forth. The organisation serves as a catalyst between the digital and traditional world of finance. It brings light into the gap of understanding how blockchain technology and digital asset management can expand one’s understanding of the world we live in today. In current structuring, ICBA is a creation that deems excellent interest.\n\nIn conclusion, it is apparent that the financial and wealth management sector is showcasing a change in movement, presenting fruitful opportunities within the digital asset management sector. What is needed is a trustful partner that can guide you into understanding the movement, and that distributed ledger technology is not a hoax, this Mr Mazzuca portrays within these organisations.\n\nIt is time we have been given the clarity we deserve and the opportunity to expand our financial rights equally. Blockchain technology has been here for a while, and it was created for a reason, it is time to understand what this reason is, and it looks like the Rainbow is the one who will provide us with this.\n\nOur article may also be found on https://news.bitcoin.com/wallex-the-rainbow-in-the-european-grey-zone/",
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      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "the-rainbow-in-the-european-grey-zone",
      "title": "The Rainbow in The European Grey Zone"
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      "sbd_payout": "0.011 SBD",
      "steem_payout": "0.048 STEEM",
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{
  "block": 48703318,
  "op": [
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-11-18T105931.496.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmauD9a1UZPxH8CFf5ahpF3qKuNUQ4Zz6GEy5mL36rJKz3/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-18T105931.496.png)\n\nDo they function the same as traditional ATMs?\n\nSince the invention of Bitcoin in 2008 and the subsequent boom of the cryptocurrency industry, countless other lateral businesses and products were created to support the new asset class. Exchanges began to flourish, as well as crypto wallets, mining computers, gadgets, softwares, websites, blog sites, news, and even terms and language. There came a new way of transacting business through smart contracts, distributed technology, and the removal of third-party mediation such as banks, lawyers, agencies, and government. The duration of snail-paced manual transactions shifted to high gear and now we are riding high at dizzying speeds from localized to borderless negotiations. The one feature to come out of the crypto industry was the bitcoin ATM, otherwise known as BTM.\nWhat are BTMs?\n\nBitcoin ATMs or BTMs, are stand-alone machines that act as internet portals where customers can buy or sell bitcoins with their cash deposits. It is similar to a conventional ATM (automated teller machine), only that it differs in services offered such that you may not deposit, withdraw, or transfer your cash funds. It is where you manage your crypto financials by buying or selling Bitcoin or other coins and tokens using your deposited cash. BTMs typically are not owned or operated by financial institutions and does not connect you as a customer to your bank account. Instead, it connects you directly to a cryptocurrency exchange through the Internet. These exchanges facilitate your buying and selling of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. As such, Bitcoin ATMs function like a physical representation of a crypto exchange, buying and selling bitcoins with cash.\nHow BTMs Work\n\nBitcoin ATMs consist of a monitor, a quick response (QR) code scanner, bill acceptor, and a dispenser. An underlying software activates transactions for an easy, quick, and secure operation.\n\nBitcoin ATMs function like a physical representation of a crypto exchange. The world’s first-ever Bitcoin ATM opened at Waves Coffee Shop in Vancouver, Canada, on October 29, 2013. You will not find it there now but that BTM opened the floodgates\n\nFor other BTM companies to produce their own best versions introducing innovative features in the process.\n\nBitcoins can be dispensed either to your own Bitcoin wallet after your QR code is scanned from your mobile device, or to a paper wallet which the BTM prints and generates at the time of your transaction. Regarding the price, the current Bitcoin exchange rate applies at the time of your transaction as it registers on the BTM in real-time. A service fee is charged to you which is computed into the price.\nCan It Dispense Cash, Too?\n\nThere are some BTMs now that dispense cash in exchange for Bitcoin and can also dispense Bitcoin in exchange for cash. But earlier models that proliferate today are designed for buying Bitcoins only.\nAre there Fees to Pay?\n\nAvailing the services of BTMs carries a fee which today ranges from 7% to 8.93% depending on the location of the BTM. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) cautions that BTM fees can be exorbitant and exchange rate purchases can be as high as 7% than the prevailing market price. It is good practice to read first the instructions flashed on the machine before you commence on any transaction.\n\nThe immense popularity of Bitcoin is reflected in the nearly 9,000 BTMs installed across the U.S. as of the latest October 2020 count issued by Coin ATM Radar. On a worldwide scale, Statista reveals that as of November 1, 2020, there were 11,497 Bitcoin ATMs existing\n\nAs BTMs direct you to exchanges, it is likely that it is owned and operated by companies that offer their own trading platform, or wallet for that matter. Just like banks, you need to open an account before conducting a transaction.\nSimple Steps in using BTMs.\n\nEach BTM is unique from one another, though, the buying process is essentially the same.\n\n    1. Click the “Buy Bitcoin”\n    2. Scan the QR code of your Bitcoin address using the BTM scanner\n    3. Provide the necessary identification required by the BTM\n    4. Enter the amount you would like to purchase\n    5.  Insert the cash into the BTM\n    6. Wait a few minutes as the BTM processes your transaction\n    7. Check your crypto wallet for the confirmation of your transaction.\n\nSelling Bitcoins at a BTM may be a little more complex depending on the BTM. Still, instructions are provided by the machine.\nConclusion\n\nThe convenience that Bitcoin ATMs can bring into your buying and selling transactions include speed and anonymity. For precautionary measures, try taking a video while operating a BTM, which can come in handy just in case you need proof if something turns south. If ever, you can also operate your own Bitcoin ATM business subject to regulations.\n\nMaking mistakes is a high price to pay. Get it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your digital business partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our friendly line is open 24/7. https://www.wallexcustody.com",
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      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "steemit",
      "permlink": "the-work-that-bitcoin-atms-do",
      "title": "The Work That Bitcoin ATMs Do"
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  "timestamp": "2020-11-18T10:11:09",
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{
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-11-16T130018.562.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVAtpW3ZHarZos4eoFzFt5VQBsmrQGZSMfVkCQT7sjSHh/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-16T130018.562.png)\n\n\nDeFi produces a new concept that can change the way investors HODL\n\nThe last decade took us on a crazy crypto ride that disrupted whatever came its way. The DeFi boom became the premier talk of the town whose viability ballooning to $4,000,000,000 in total value locked in DeFi (TVL) and a starting market cap from $500 million to $10 billion in 2020. The power of decentralized finance continued to transform legacy financial instruments into trustless and transparent platforms such as lending and borrowing services, insurance, and exchanges. And amidst the volatility of the crypto space and decentralized finance rose what came to be known as Yield Farming.\n\nSo, what is Yield Farming?\n\nYield farming is the earning of rewards by staking ERC-20 tokens and stablecoins into exchanges to stabilize the growth of the DeFi ecosystem. Otherwise known as liquidity mining, yield farming allows yield farmers to deposit or lend their idle cryptocurrencies within a mining mechanism, injecting the mining pool with digital assets that will accrue interests to lucrative heights. While similar to the concept of staking, yield farming surfs from market to market scouting for the ones with top yields. Yield farmers, or liquidity providers, are usually required to lock up their crypto assets in a smart-contract-based liquidity pool. They are, in turn, incentivized through a percentage in transaction fees, interests from lenders, or a governance token via liquidity mining. The said returns are cumulatively called annual percentage yield, or APY. The more funds are injected into the liquidity pool by yield farmers and liquidity providers, the higher the value of the issued returns becomes.\n\nIs Yield Farming Risky?\n\nAs with all kinds of investment, yield farming associates with it its own risks. The complexities of yield farming alone offer risks to the borrowers and the lenders. The required investment, to be of value, must run to thousands of dollars subject to high Ethereum gas fees. The volatility of the crypto market can cause price slippage and impermanent loss. It can also be targets of hackers and fraudsters who are apt to find smart contracts that are vulnerable enough to be secured due to stiff competition that quick entries are left unaudited.\n\nDefi protocols perform without intermediaries and, therefore, must function flawlessly in automation via applications. Any malfunctioning can unduly compromise investor capital and can impact the ecosystem. Losses are permanent and there is no way it can be undone since the blockchain structure is by nature immutable. Users are strongly advised to take their research seriously before embarking on this high-risk, yet highly rewarding investment phenomena.\n\nCan I Profit from Yield Farming?\n\nAny investor would ask the question to any venture before entering. And they would ask the same with yield farming. Yield farming may reap you rewards by lending your assets in the liquidity pool, but the profitability coming from it is still a topic for discussion.\n\nAs standard, the returns from yield farming are calculated on an annual basis. But it depends on many factors affecting it so that we can come up with more precise analytics. Yield farming profitability can be unpredictable as it depends highly on how much capital you have invested, the strategies you are using, and the liquidation risks incurrence to your collateral. Nevertheless, since yield farming is still in its nascent stage, any risk-taking investor can be rewarded with substantial returns. Even when profitability cannot be nailed yet, yield farming techniques are constantly being developed that not so few testify to the fact that their ROIs are 100 percent. It is not far that with DeFi’s unstoppable growth, expect yield farming to be the crème-de-la-crème among investment instruments.\n\nWhat Metrics are Used to Calculate Yield Farming Profits?\n\nFirst is the APR, or annual percentage rate without the compounding consideration. The calculation, instead, applies the multiplication of the periodic interest rate with the number of periods in a year. The annual return rate is then imposed upon the borrowers but is earned by capital investors.\n\nThe second is the APY, or annual percentage yield in which the return rate based on the APY is imposed on borrowers and paid to liquidity providers instead of investors. Here, the compounding interest applies to provide returns to investors.\n\nConclusion\n\nDecentralized finance has brought out the new concept of yield farming which has taken the digital financial world by storm and has already attracted millions of users to its fold. It allows you to earn passive income via the DeFi money lego system built on the Ethereum infra. You need not let your digital assets sit idle on your wallets but, instead, get them to work for you via yield farming.\n\nThe idea of HODL might just change anytime soon.\n\nMaking mistakes is a high price to pay. Get it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your digital business partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our friendly line is open 24/7. https://wallextrust.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"trending\",\"news\",\"blog\",\"steemit\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVAtpW3ZHarZos4eoFzFt5VQBsmrQGZSMfVkCQT7sjSHh/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-16T130018.562.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://wallextrust.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "what-is-yield-farming",
      "title": "What Is Yield Farming?"
    }
  ],
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  "timestamp": "2020-11-16T11:03:21",
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  "block": 48509348,
  "op": [
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    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "permlink": "what-is-segwit-segregated-witness",
      "voter": "extie-dasilva",
      "weight": 10000
    }
  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-11-11T13:18:00",
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{
  "block": 48506403,
  "op": [
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    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-11-10T222215.274.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdN4NT1DH4gqv87xFfQHGmq9HWEovCjpDyY9XU3JH16Sf/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-10T222215.274.png)\n\n\nSomething Bitcoin cannot afford to have again\n\nSegWit is a technical process in which the signature data from Bitcoin transactions are removed to increase the block size limit on a blockchain. This removal action frees up a block’s space and additional transactions on the chain become possible. To segregate is to separate, and the term witness means a transaction signature. Therefore, Segregated Witness, or SegWit, is the process of separating transaction signatures.\nWhy SegWit?\n\nSegWit was invented by Bitcoin developer Pieter Wiulle and introduced it during the Scaling Bitcoin Conference in 2015. The development of SegWit was an upgrade to resolve throughput transaction issues on the Blockchain. But though it was intended to increase the scalability of Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency to implement the SegWit layer was Litecoin. The SegWit application in its essence, would effect the reduction of transaction weight on a block in the blockchain by segregating one transaction into two parts, thereby increasing the space for transactions to be included in a block of the same size.\n\nThe first section of a transaction holds the wallet addresses of the sender and the receiver. The second section stores the transaction signatures called witness data. What SegWit does is to remove the witness data from the main block, effectively reducing the size of the transaction. When this happens, free space allows for more transactions on the block which will greatly increase the network’s capacity. SegWit also solved transaction malleability that when the signature is moved out from the transaction data to the witness data, the transaction ID cannot be changed anymore.\nThe Bitcoin Scalability\n\nEven without any major incidents involving Bitcoin occurred during the past 11 years, we can recall many times when Bitcoin’s transaction costs would shoot up to unreasonable amounts. Because of this, developers went back to the drawing table debating on how to best scale Bitcoin to be able to sustain transaction volumes which were growing by the day. The highlight of the clash came in 2017 when the Bitcoin development community was split in the implementation of SegWit. The hard fork pushed through giving birth to Bitcoin Cash.\nSegWit Advantages\n\nWith SegWit being a feature of the Blockchain network, most Bitcoin-based services have now come to adopt its use. Since it serves as the gateway for scalability of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency protocols, SegWit now makes possible the quick and efficient functioning of blockchain networks towards scalability.\nConclusion\n\nWhile transactions via SegWit in the Bitcoin network is growing exponentially, not all are in favor of SegWit transactions, owing to Bitcoin’s significance and sheer size. The problem of Bitcoin’s scalability continues to hound it that is why we have seen hard forks occurring the past few years. After Bitcoin Cash hard fork, it forked again in 2018 via the Lightning Network to increase the 1MB block size limit to 8MB. SegWit2x was proposed during the 2017 debate as a compromise with SegWit to be implemented first before the block size is increased to 2MB. As we all know by now, the proposal was rejected by the majority of the Bitcoin community, the rift of which continues to this day. Altcoin networks may have an easier time and even taking SegWit to higher levels.\n\nGet it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your digital business partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our friendly line is open 24/7. https://www.wallexcustody.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"blog\",\"steemint\",\"trending\",\"news\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdN4NT1DH4gqv87xFfQHGmq9HWEovCjpDyY9XU3JH16Sf/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-10T222215.274.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://www.wallexcustody.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "what-is-segwit-segregated-witness",
      "title": "What Is SegWit (Segregated Witness)?"
    }
  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-11-11T10:47:45",
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{
  "block": 48451025,
  "op": [
    "comment",
    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-11-08T195705.918.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXcrVym4PCt3rGsw8dDa8H6ghcb9dkBTd8EqVSWryUmsF/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-08T195705.918.png)\n\n\nThe Next Step in Token Development\n\nSecurity Token Offering, or STO, share similarities with an initial coin offering or ICO and legacy securities. But more than that, a security token is a crowdfunding strategy that represents an investment contract linked to underlying assets such as stocks and bonds, funds, and also real estate investment trusts (REIT). A security is a fungible and negotiable financial instrument holding a type of monetary value. It means that the investment product is subsidized by real-world asset values such as a property or a company. A security token best represents the ownership information of an investment product that is forever recorded on a blockchain. Ownership information in traditional stocks is printed on a document and issued as a virtual certificate, like a PDF. It is the same with STOs, only that it is documented on a blockchain and issued as a security token. We can conclude that an STO is a hybrid solution between an ICO and an IPO because of both share commonalities as to how STOs function. As it adopts legal protections mainly found in traditional securities offerings, STOs offer a safer investment atmosphere for investors.\n\nThe Need for Security Token Offerings\n\nSecurity Token Offerings were born out of investors’ demand for more secure options after the ICO debacle of 2017 where 80% of ICOs launched were fraudulent. Most countries at that time did not have any regulation for ICO hosting. Anybody can just purchase tokens anonymously while companies need not reveal any information. Transference requirements were non-existent among tokens and burnt investors have no legal entity to turn to for their losses. STOs were invented following this.\n\nThe Invention of Security Token Offerings\n\nThe wild swings that crypto markets were known to be led developers to invent a token with the Securities and Exchange Commission in mind as a legal protection feature. STO-producing companies are obliged to comply with ATS registration together with the proper broker-dealer requirements. Companies now need to have a legal name, address, team members, and other financial information. All information will then undergo a series of process approval to confirm that all entries are accurate and true. In contrast with ICOs without checks and balances, STOs are proving themselves more credible among wary investors for better and safer investment opportunities.\n\nThe First STO\n\nBlockchain Capital launched the first-ever security token offering on April 10, 2017 raising a staggering $10,000,000,000 in just a day. STOs since then began to gain traction up to this date.\n\nAML/KYC Standards\n\nSecurity coins are under the laws of the Know-your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) procedures. These are standard practices within the STO environment wherein both investors and companies must disclose their true identities before any transaction occurs. There are strong indications that it won’t be long before crypto services will soon follow through.\n\nSTO Benefits\n\nSTOs offer investors great benefits while storing tokens of an exchange platform. They can gain voting rights, dividends, and revenue shares, among others. you are sure to be investing in a security token when the ICO you have invested on is offering these. features. Just don’t fail to check it out that the token is SEC-registered before going all out.\n\nSTO’s blockchain-based structure will eliminate the need for layers of intermediaries, lowering fees in the process, and reducing manipulation as well. What’s more, it can be programmed and enforced through smart contracts, giving it universal access compared to limited traditional securities.\n\nConclusion\n\nWith the influx of legacy institutions into the crypto ecosystem seeking future revenues, expect security token offerings to rise and shine and flourish. STOs are out to restore credibility and order after the chaos generated by ICOs victimizing hapless investors stuck with useless tokens, and projects failing to deliver on their promises. STOs, would like to set the record straight. For their part, they will be under regulation, with a fair and true valuation of tokens.\n\nGet it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your digital business partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our friendly line is open 24/7. https://wallextrust.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"trending\",\"news\",\"blog\",\"steemit\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXcrVym4PCt3rGsw8dDa8H6ghcb9dkBTd8EqVSWryUmsF/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-08T195705.918.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://wallextrust.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "what-is-a-security-token-offering-sto",
      "title": "What Is A Security Token Offering (STO)?"
    }
  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-11-09T11:44:30",
  "trx_id": "944d0501d651a23cd81cebcd783dce199c147cca",
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{
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  "op": [
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    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "permlink": "what-are-nfts",
      "voter": "filipino",
      "weight": 1000
    }
  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-11-04T11:32:06",
  "trx_id": "db1d46ae3de1db767837bde6b3e04dc853e0aab1",
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{
  "block": 48308686,
  "op": [
    "comment",
    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-11-04T100832.194.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmahGvQo89ej1gkFTV5ZXraLX8SFfhzTLkyZfUAQqCiW6t/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-04T100832.194.png)\n\nAnother powerful store of value looming on the horizon\n\nThe quiet but explosive entry of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies into the financial world drove people to go gaga over the Satoshi Nakamoto-led revolution. Not only that, the underlying blockchain technology was the main reason other defining technologies came into existence. Taking the case of DeFi, decentralized finance suddenly boomed this 2020, with developers and investors openly locking up to take the technology to greater heights. But underneath the radar was another piece of digital asset trailblazing its way into the mainstream.\nNifty, that is\n\nNon-Fungible Tokens is taking the world by storm and is being flaunted as the future of the art industry, gaming industry, real state, virtual assets, identity, and many more. Last September 0f 2020 alone, NFT sales suddenly blasted to a near-million dollars in volume. Exciting use cases included the blockchain-based fantasy soccer card game Sorare raking in sales of over $221,000 in only seven days. Sorare makes players collect “limited edition digital collectibles” as they manage teams, too. Cryptopunks, an Ethereum-based blockchain project with 10,000 collectibles of unique characters with proof of ownership, added $182,619 to its volume in a week alone. Digital artworks marketplace Superrare was able to sell 493,733 worth of NFTs in only seven days.\nFungible vs. Non-Fungible\n\nFungible is a word rarely heard but its application is very much in the real-life as well as in the digital world. The dollar and the bitcoin are both fungible assets, meaning, that they can be replaced or paid back with any identical value. The dollar has trillions and trillions of identical money; Bitcoin has 21 million identical coins. But it all changes with a non-fungible asset. Each non-fungible token carries unique individual characteristics that set them apart from any cryptocurrency.\n\nNFTs are Unique. The asset contains metadata describing its uniqueness from all the others with a permanent and unalterable record of what that NFT represents. You can compare it with a certificate of authenticity for a painting in all its rarity.\n\nNFTs are Rare. What makes NFTs an attractive store of value is its scarcity. There is not an infinite supply of this kind of asset and so it is but natural that its value can shoot up as it runs out of supply.\n\nNFTs are Indivisible. There is no way NFTs can be divisible into smaller denominations. Its either you buy or sell it as a whole, or not at all. That is the principle of being non-fungible. You cannot own 10% of a painting or 50% of a collectible character.\nNFTS can represent almost anything\n\nFor the most part, NFTs can represent crypto-collectibles, digital artworks, tickets to an event, items in a virtual universe, or real-world assets. The list can go on and on.\nWhy is the NFT craze?\n\nNon-fungible tokens best represent the tokenization of things. Tokenizing proofs of ownership through blockchain technology means that what you own can never be taken or stolen away from you. NFTs will help you enshrine your ownership rights. And what more, you can go anywhere you like with your digital assets. Non-fungible tokens can also be traded and proof of ownership can be transferred. It has also solved the problem of fraud. Counterfeits cannot flourish on the blockchain that is why NFTs carry a badge of authenticity that acquirers count on getting what they paid for.\n\nConclusion\n\nThe invention of blockchain technology gave way not only to trustless coins but also to tokenomics as well. The idea that “nifty” brought is turning the way things are owned even from thousands of miles away and tagging the digital scarcity concept with a lofty price. That alone is already opening floodgates of funds flowing through. Don’t you look now but big businesses and top-tier clubs are seriously looking into these nifties and started dabbling in it. The NFT industry is proving its worth.\n\nGet it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your digital business partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our friendly line is open 24/7. https://www.wallexcustody.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"trending\",\"news\",\"blog\",\"steemit\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmahGvQo89ej1gkFTV5ZXraLX8SFfhzTLkyZfUAQqCiW6t/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-04T100832.194.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://www.wallexcustody.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "what-are-nfts",
      "title": "What Are NFTs?"
    }
  ],
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  "timestamp": "2020-11-04T10:51:00",
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{
  "block": 48252564,
  "op": [
    "transfer",
    {
      "amount": "0.012 STEEM",
      "from": "crypto.piotr",
      "memo": "Dear @pagz, I had quite a long break from publishing my own articles since I've focused my efforts on building Project.hope community and watching it grow. Today however, I would like to share with you link to my recent publication and I surely hope to read your feedback. All valuable comments will be rewarded with solid upvote. Cheers, Piotr // LINK: https://steemit.com/hive-175254/@crypto.piotr/is-crypto-space-is-mature-enough-for-another-bull-run-i-have-my-concerns",
      "to": "pagz"
    }
  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-11-02T11:11:24",
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{
  "block": 48252458,
  "op": [
    "comment",
    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-11-02T095805.011.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWV3rq9U79rXvM1GMvGTvQn4GKZa4Ms6p7xbhBfP8GEGV/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-02T095805.011.png)\n\nCreating your own crypto market via AMMs minus the manipulation\n\n \n\nAutomated Market Makers were invented to replace traditional order books that were made by human hands that manually initiate trades to enliven market liquidity. Traditional market makers were often accused of market manipulation due to occurrences of price slippage and latency. AMMs became a buzz when it was first implemented in the 1990s by the Lehman Brothers and ATD as it served as a welcome solution to all the headaches that human market makers were causing. Today, AMMs are also introduced as featured systems on decentralized blockchain exchanges.\n\n \n\n \n\nLiquidity Pool\n\n \n\nDecentralized exchanges (DEXs) that implement an automated market maker (AMM) apply liquidity pools instead of the traditional order book, pre-funding assets of both the trading pair on-chain. Users, called liquidity providers (LPs), who supply funds on the liquidity pool accumulate passive incomes through trading fees based on percentages of their deposits.\n\n \n\nLiquidity pools are important for AMMs since the more liquidity is provided in the pool, the less there is for slippage to occur on large orders, adding more volume in the process. However, since pricing is determined by an algorithm, slippage cannot be avoided especially when the ratio variant between tokens in the liquidity pool changes by a wide margin after a trade has been made. This is called impermanent loss.\n\n \n\n \n\nImpermanent Loss\n\n \n\nAs we have said, impermanent loss occurs when the ratio variant of deposited tokens in the liquidity pool has changed by a considerable margin after a trade. The change is equivalent to an impermanent loss. It is important to note, therefore, that AMMs can be maximized with coin pairs that are close to the same value, like stablecoins. Impermanent loss is negligible when token pairs fair in range. As there is no guarantee to the similarity between token values owing to the volatility of the crypto market, liquidity providers can just hold on to their tokens until more favorable winds blow their way before entering the liquidity pool. But whatever happens, risks can be mitigated by accruing fees from trades, or if prices revert back when deposits were made.\n\n \n\n \n\nAMMs in the DeFi Space\n\n \n\nKyber Network worked on the first AMMs in the early part of 2018, introducing liquidity pools that are either deployed by the project team or professional market makers. However, their pools are limited and not open to anyone. They can set up the token price on the liquidity pool via external oracles, or it is determined automatically by smart contracts upon the setup. These systems give market makers control of the liquidity pool during market fluctuations.\n\n \n\nUniswap is recognized as the first decentralized AMM in its truest sense when it entered the market in the latter part of 2019. Uniswap empowers anyone to deploy a liquidity pool in its protocol, thereby enabling others to contribute liquidity in the ecosystem. The unique thing about Uniswap’s DeFi character is that its price in the smart contract cannot be controlled or configured. Instead, the tokens’ pool price is only determined by the balance ratio between the token pairs in the pool.\n\n \n\nBalancer is the latest AMM to enter the market. Added to its functions similar to Uniswap are other unique features that make it more than another liquidity pool.\n\n \n\nCurve is another DeFi newcomer belonging to Class 2020. Its AMM protocol’s liquidity pools are exclusively generated by the project’s admin where anybody can supply funds to. Curve’s distinction among the others is that it only supports stablecoins. This feature allows it to complete large orders with low slippage due to the high concentration of deposits in its limited amount of pools.\n\n \n\n \n\nConclusion\n\n \n\nAutomated Market Makers are standards of the DeFi space, offering opportunities for both traders and liquidity providers. Traders can experience instant trades at market price. Liquidity providers can earn from trading fees. AMMs can practically enable anyone to efficiently create markets that make them an invaluable piece of technology in the cryptocurrency market.\n\n \n\nDecentralized exchanges previously mentioned offer different AMM designs. Professional market makers can go along with Kyber Network while the everyday crypto user might be at home with either Uniswap or Balancer. Curve may be attractive to those looking for steady rates. Whatever the case, be vigilant in monitoring your pool and seek market conditions that work in your favor.\n\n \n\n \n\nGet it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your digital business partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our friendly line is open 24/7. https://wallextrust.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWV3rq9U79rXvM1GMvGTvQn4GKZa4Ms6p7xbhBfP8GEGV/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-11-02T095805.011.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://wallextrust.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "the-wonder-of-automated-market-makers",
      "title": "The Wonder Of Automated Market Makers"
    }
  ],
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  "timestamp": "2020-11-02T11:05:57",
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{
  "block": 48110004,
  "op": [
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    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "permlink": "what-is-an-atomic-swap",
      "voter": "elowin",
      "weight": 8000
    }
  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-10-28T10:08:27",
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{
  "block": 48109574,
  "op": [
    "comment",
    {
      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-10-28T174044.449.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPnNdYinDyD1TN8pBvUWtFohrtVS6xorSypWXAjngLpwS/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-28T174044.449.png)\n\n\nAtomic swap is a process of quick transaction and exchange of two different cryptocurrencies, hence, the term “swap”. “Atomic”, meanwhile is the term used for the exchange itself that happens completely, or not at all. If there is a failure of exchange, the cryptos go back to their respective owners. Atomic swaps, therefore, are:\n\n   * peer-to-peer trading using smart contracts\n   * to make possible the trading between users\n   * using their crypto wallets (wallet-to-wallet)\n    * even between different blockchains (cross-chain trading)\n    * without the need for centralized exchanges (trustless).\n\nBrief History\n\nSergio Demian Lerner first drafted a trustless exchange protocol in July of 2012. That same year, Daniel Larimer presented a trustless exchange protocol called P2PTradeX, considered to be a prototype of an atomic swap. Tler Nolan released the full atomic swap procedure in May 2013 and was, thus, credited as the inventor of atomic swaps.\n\nSince then, other developers began dabbling with atomic swap protocols including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Komodo, and Decred, starting in 2014. It was only on September 20, 2017, when Decred and Litecoin implemented the first successful atomic swap between DCR/LTC, that atomic swap became popular across blockchains. It was followed by the successful atomic swap between BTC/LTC in November of 2017.\nWhy Atomic Swaps?\n\nIf atomic swaps can enable users to trade with one another directly on a wallet-to-wallet basis, then a money transfer system revolution is well on its way, because centralized exchanges have a lot of problems themselves that they need to deal with.\n\n1. Centralized exchanges are vulnerable. They all run the risk of being hacked. (ex. Coincheck)\n\n2. They are prone to be mismanaged. They are run by people, by companies who, in one way or another, can fall into any wrongdoing. (ex.Mt.Gox)\n\n3. They become inefficient to address sudden volume demands. Any unexpected increase in demand cannot be dealt with immediately, which can lead to near-disastrous results. (ex. BCH, Bithumb)\n\n4. They have high operational costs. Centralized exchanges usually charge higher trading and withdrawal fees.\n\n5. They are subject to government regulations. If they are under the laws of countries, that means they can be manipulated by the governments.\n\nIf these are the kinds of humps and bumps centralized exchanges encounter from time to time, it would have a difficult time to be a convincing factor for mass adoption.\nHow Atomic Swaps Get to Work\n\nYou cannot cheat on atomic swap protocols. To better understand how it works, let us take the case of the often used Alice and Bob setting.\n\nAlice is interested in trading her Litecoins (LTC) to Bob for his Bitcoins (BTC). She opens a contract address that acts like a safe to deposit her LTC. It then generates an access key for Alice, including a cryptographic hash of the key that she will share with Bob. Bob will not be able to access yet the LTC since he has not the key itself yet, but only the cryptographic hash of the key. That same cryptographic hash will be used by Bob to create his own safe contract address to deposit his BTC. For Alice to claim the BTC, she is required to use the same key which she now needs to share with Bob. Because of a hashlock, Alice will be able to claim the BTC and Bob the LTC. With this, the swap is complete.\nTwo Ways of Operation\n\nThere are two ways atomic swaps operate: on-chain and off-chain. On-chain atomic swaps can occur on either blockchain of the currencies involved. As in Alice and Bob’s case, it happened on the Litecoin exchange). Off-chain atomic swaps, meanwhile, can happen on a secondary layer. Meaning, it is based on a bi-directional payment channel, just like the Bitcoin Lightning Network. These trading systems use smart contracts with multi-signatures and Hash Timelock Contracts (HTLC).\nThe HTLC\n\nThe Hash Timelock Contracts functions, that of a hashlock and a timelock, make atomic swaps possible. The hashlock stops the deposited fund from being spent with the required data (Alice’s key). Timelock functions to ensure that the contract is executable only within an agreed timeframe. HTLCs practically eliminated the need for a third party (trust) because it prohibits any pre-empted move within the atomic swap.\nAdvantages\n\nAtomic swaps count its decentralized character as its biggest advantage. There is no need for a third party like a centralized exchange to mediate, even with two or more parties in cross-chain trading. The security level is high being that funds need not be entrusted to an exchange or trust. Tradings can happen using each other’s personal crypto wallets. When it comes to trading fees, atomic swaps are either charged very low or free. Most of all, atomic swaps can happen very fast due to its interoperable qualities. There is no need to use Ethereum or Bitcoin as a mediating coin.\nConclusion\n\nBeing a nascent piece of technology, atomic swaps can only happen between coins that have the same hashing algorithm. For example, SHA-256 for Bitcoin. It also needs HTLC compatibility. There also concerns with user privacy, wherein, transactions can be traced using a blockchain explorer. One solution to this is making use of privacy-focused cryptocurrencies to keep a low profile. Digital signatures are experimented on as a better solution.\n\nAll in all, atomic swaps are looked upon as a revolutionary technical solution to centralized exchange woes. Its decentralized character and fast wallet-to-wallet monetary transfers can potentially influence the growth of the cryptocurrency industry. Decentralized exchanges are the ones expected to sparingly use atomic swaps in the near future.\n\nGet it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. Our line is open 24/7. https://www.wallexcustody.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"trending\",\"blog\",\"steemit\",\"news\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPnNdYinDyD1TN8pBvUWtFohrtVS6xorSypWXAjngLpwS/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-28T174044.449.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://www.wallexcustody.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "what-is-an-atomic-swap",
      "title": "What Is An Atomic Swap?"
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  "timestamp": "2020-10-28T09:46:36",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-10-26T193438.705.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmem3ot7MaRUimsqPU7TgMZi6wq3bFfT7eGF6kMhL3xDQp/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-26T193438.705.png)\n\nThe world of finance today is not what it looks like before the market crash of 2008. It was because of the crash that gave birth to a new order of finance — the new order of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin broke barriers and introduced a new way of thinking from the traditional ways of transacting business and exchanging cash. Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency that took the world by storm. Since then, countless altcoins came to the fore to make a name for themselves. As many altcoins came from out of the blue, some were the result of forks. Reasons for forks to occur differ. Developers needed to upgrade the network. A debilitating hack just happened. Or there was a major disagreement within the token community. Forks can cause controversies and affect market prices especially the cryptocurrency in question.\n\nAnd so, what is a cryptocurrency fork?\n\nTo simplify, a fork can either be an upgrade or a breakaway, a change that is introduced into the blockchain’s protocol used by the software in validating transactions. There are two breeds to these — soft forks and hard forks.\n\nA soft fork is a backward compatible sort of change that allows older nodes or connected computers to continue recognizing as valid new transactions coming in. Only that any mined blocks will be invalidated by the updated nodes. Soft forks need the majority hash power of the network in order to be successful or they end up becoming the smallest chain and turning into a hard fork.\n\nA hard fork this time is the change which breaks the backward compatibility. The nodes that are running on the old software will recognize new transactions as invalid. They will have to update if they wish to mine new valid chains. If a big chunk of the community still wants to continue with the old rules, that is the time the chain will have to split and would result in two different currencies. A consensus of coin holders is needed to induce a hard fork. Adoption of the hard fork requires a substantial number of nodes updating to the latest version of the software protocol that will allow them the use of the new blockchain and the coin. Any node that does not update will have no way of using the new coin and blockchain.\n\nA hard fork is any change that breaks backward compatibility. Nodes running the old software will see any new transactions as invalid. This means that in order to mine new “valid” chains they will need to update. If a large enough percentage of the community decides that they want to continue using the old rules then the chain will split, resulting in two separate currencies. A hard fork requires majority support (or consensus) from coin holders with a connection to the coin network. In order for a hard fork to be adopted, a sufficient number of nodes need to update to the newest version of the protocol software. This allows them to use the new coin and blockchain. Any nodes that chose not to update will be unable to use the new blockchain. If the intended hard fork fails to reach a consensus, breaking the blockchain can occur.\n\nConsensus Samples\n\nMiner-activated updates are sometimes used for soft forks, wherein the hash power of the new protocol must match a percentage rating before adopting the update. it always goes back to the community agreeing to any change in the blockchain and consenting to a method before it is implemented, or a hard break can result. Masternodes are what Dash uses to adopt changes in their blockchain platform.\n\nA successful upgrade can be seen with a new coin forking off from the block where the upgrade happened. There will be two separate coins with their own separate ledgers coming from the same blockchain. Segwit is an update where all nodes join the update to the new protocol leading to only one coin existing. Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash is a case of hard fork where two separate coins and ledgers are running simultaneously after the fork.\n\nTwo things can result after a hard fork\n\n1. A blockchain becomes dominant over the other blockchain receiving low adoption and value. One example is Ethereum crushing Ethereum Classic.\n\n2. Neither blockchains are dominant but equally adopted, they co-exist, and operate apart from each other; equal in community adoption and value. An example is Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.\n\nForks can divide a community. Traders and miners have to make a choice between two competing visions of a cryptocurrency’s future. The disruptive experience often leads to separation, with bitter feelings that linger. Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash is the same prime example.\n\nIt can also be that because of this disruption, a fork cannot take place. Take the case of the SegWit 2.X which failed to materialize in 2017 because a consensus was not sufficiently achieved for a clean blocksize upgrade. Without total agreement among all nodes, another hard fork is highly probable enough to shake the foundations of Bitcoin. Contending parties conceded not to push through.\n\nConclusion\n\nHard forks make the cryptocurrency unstable. The market becomes volatile and the community is divided. Your decision rests on the stakes you have on the coin and the fork you are leaning to. Whatever currency you have will be the same number you will have on the hard fork, considered a free currency. You may even increase your investment. But if you cannot react quickly to a sell-off like whales can do, it is better that you dispose of your investment before the fork event.\n\nSoft forks are usual upgrades to the functionality and security of the blockchain protocol. You may take advantage of market fluctuations in raising your stakes. But if you think that the fork is not looking good for the cryptocurrency, it is best to sell before the price crash. There is also the chance that the community might be divided if they do not support the fork.\n\nCryptocurrencies sooner or later will experience these kinds of forks. You should already know the facts that the crypto market is of a highly volatile one. Any news on hard forks or soft forks can really rattle values. You need to prepare yourself for the worst. Again, be advised not to put all your eggs in one nest.\n\n\n\n***Get it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. The line is open 24/7. https://wallextrust.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"blockchain\",\"blog\",\"steemit\",\"trending\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmem3ot7MaRUimsqPU7TgMZi6wq3bFfT7eGF6kMhL3xDQp/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-26T193438.705.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://wallextrust.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "hard-fork-in-cryptocurrency-hard-fork-or-soft-fork-it-is-still-your-money",
      "title": "Hard Fork In Cryptocurrency: Hard fork or soft fork, it is still your money."
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  "timestamp": "2020-10-26T13:27:24",
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{
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-10-21T120721.743.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmP4PJ91M81jpgbmdZzuK7ejHLobarjkLXYSr1jPJgjC3q/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-21T120721.743.png)\n\nBeing indifferent to these two matters after knowing who they are and what they can do\nFeelings and emotions can get in the way of level-headed trading. Strong emotional reactions can lead us into decisions that we do not normally do under normal circumstances. But when we get involved too much in bad news headlines that are putting down our investments., we forget the fundamentals. After finding out that we have been played, it might be too late to get out.\nFUD\n\nFUD is the abbreviation of negative sentiments called Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, that affects the value of coins, companies, projects, or even the entire market for that matter. FUD is so powerful that any sound investment made can turn bitter in the blink of an eye after coming full circle. Sometimes FUD can start with forgettable misunderstandings, some legit concerns, or it can go as far as a manipulated sentiment played out on mass or social media. The bad news that was spread, unsubstantiated, and opinionated at best, can drop a coin price.\nFOMO\n\nFOMO means Fear of Missing Out. It is a more personal impulsive act of being afraid to be left out in the cold by not being able to participate in something that others are enjoying. FOMO makes your decision-making irrational by buying an already expensive coin or token which you are anticipating of still shooting up, or holding on in the dip after scooping gains and lose them in the end. FOMO is all about beating a deadline, or jumping on an opportunity before it vanishes, or taking bargain prices without turning to fundamentals and charts. The haste can painfully turn to waste.\n\nFUD and FOMO are fear-based emotional factors that can really interfere with objective trading among investors in the crypto and other financial markets. Arm yourselves with continuing education and training to combat these trading errors. Major points include:\n\nSticking to the fundamentals and the charts. If your basis for decisions is a good-looking chart and the presence of fundamentals, then you need not fear. Keep your emotions out of it.\n\n Identify FUD and proceed with caution. React accordingly if you see that the coin price is sliding in an irrational manner. Set your stop-loss and get ready to buy yourself back in on the dip.\n\nThese are two general advice that may be applied in situations when you feel there is a need for it. In the end, you call the shots when you are either in a long or short trading strategy.\nConclusion\n\nFUD and FOMO are trading schemes which happen every now and then especially to newbies and unsuspecting traders. Both seasoned investing personalities and unknown trading actors can spread seemingly truthful assumptions regarding your investment enough to affect market prices. Once small fries are biting, cheap chips are there for their own picking. Do not fall prey. Avoid FOMO and FUD altogether. Strong character can be developed with training, education, research, and getting your facts right well enough to control blind emotions on your way to becoming a resilient investor.\n\nGet it right the first time with your digital investments. Wallex is a FinTech company that employs strategic blockchain solutions to your needs such as Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management. Make Wallex your partner as you enter into the new normal of things. You will be glad you did. Call us now. The line is open 24/7.  https://www.wallexcustody.com",
      "json_metadata": "{\"tags\":[\"cryptocurrency\",\"news\",\"blog\",\"trending\",\"crypto\"],\"image\":[\"https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmP4PJ91M81jpgbmdZzuK7ejHLobarjkLXYSr1jPJgjC3q/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-21T120721.743.png\"],\"links\":[\"https://www.wallexcustody.com\"],\"app\":\"steemit/0.2\",\"format\":\"markdown\"}",
      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "the-difference-between-fomo-vs-fud",
      "title": "The Difference Between Fomo VS Fud"
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  ],
  "op_in_trx": 0,
  "timestamp": "2020-10-21T11:16:30",
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{
  "block": 47855703,
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![photo_2020-10-19-11.19.25.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeUkyt4vo1zNajzwmbmgq3UcdPFXTYpyz5AB1tQRBYQzV/photo_2020-10-19-11.19.25.jpeg)\n\n\nTreading the field of cryptocurrency is similar to other capital markets like forex and stocks — they are full of traps. The emotional, unknowledgeable, and unsuspecting trader can easily fall prey to any of the most common traps there are — bull traps and bear traps.\n\nBear Traps\n\nA bear trap occurs when a technical pattern in the crypto charts falsely reverses the signal of an uptrend. The rapid price decline is a trap to lure investors into taking short positions in anticipation of price movements after a key support has been broken. The expected price usually does not happen. After the trap, the price goes back to the uptrend leaving the bear traders at the losing end of a bad trade.\n\nWhen A Bear Trap Goes to Work\n\nA bear trap can entice a market player to anticipate a decline in value of an asset, which then executes a short position on the said financial instrument. But when the value remains flat, the player is in for a loss. While a bull trader sells a declining value for gains, a bear investor positions a short on the value and buys it back after the value drops to an ideal price level. When the expected downward trend does not happen or shoots back up after a short time, a bear trap has occurred.\n\nMarket players, in general, read technical patterns in analyzing market trends and evaluating investment strategies. Their analytical tools to map out bear traps include Fibonacci retracements, relative strength oscillators, and volume indicators. These are valuable instruments in aiding traders to understand or predict price trends in their legitimacy and sustainability.\n\nShort Selling\n\nBear traders and investors speculate that the price of an asset or security is on the verge of declining. They believe that the direction of the market overall is on the downtrend. Bears then strategize by executing a short position to profit from the decrease. To implement a short position, traders need to borrow shares or contracts of an asset value from brokers via a margin account. The trader then sells off the borrowed shares intending to buy them back after the price drop, thereby earning a profit thereof. It is when bearish traders mistakenly identify the rapid decline without the necessary tools and knowledge; they run the risk of falling into the bear trap. Short sellers are forced to cover positions during the uptrend to control losses. Their buys will push prices to rise and will only slow down when short sellers have covered their short positions. It is important to execute stop-losses when placing market orders in order to minimize the damage from traps.\n\nBull Traps\n\nThe opposite of a bear trap but the same in intention, a bull trap is the sudden price surge from a downtrend. It provides a false signal of price reversal made to lure emotional investors into executing long positions on a financial instrument. After falsely speculating and implementing a long position, the price drops, and the bull traders are trapped. Bull traps can happen when bull traders failed to support rallies above breakout levels for lack of momentum or profit-taking. If bear investors notice these, they will quickly grab the opportunity to sell the asset that will eventually drop prices below resistance levels, triggering stop-loss orders.\n\nWays To Avoid Bull Traps and Bear Traps\n\nCheck Volume\n\nA price reversal needs a large volume in order to effect a real one. A sudden price reversal without a significant amount of volume to back it is a highly probable trap.\n\nCheck RSI Divergence\n\nRSI, or relative strength indicator (oscillator), precedes any bear or bull traps. It is a momentum indicator that records the weakness and strength of a security price.\n\nCheck The News\n\nGood or bad news in everyday headlines can trigger emotions enough to affect irrational trading choices of inexperienced investors. Market controllers can dictate bull or bear traps by using the news that are so often effective in catching traders off-balanced.\n\nUse Stop-Loss Orders\n\nAny trader for that matter, whether newbies or veterans, should sparingly make use of the stop-loss strategy. Given the high volatility of the cryptocurrency market, it is no respecter of any confident trader. It is imperative that a strict loss allowance must be set to close a position if and ever the trade goes bad. Considering a 1% to 2% of elbow room loss allowance based on your trading capital is wise.\n\nConclusion\n\nLearning cannot stop when it comes to cryptocurrency investing. Delving into the market charts to let your eyes familiarize market movements are crucial in identifying potential bull and bear traps. Understanding analytic tools and utilizing them to maximize strategies to sharpen the mindset take you to winning ways in achieving your financial goals in cryptocurrency.\n\nWallex is a FinTech company that employs blockchain strategies to serve a growing market of cryptocurrencies on a global scale with its Trust, Custody, Exchange, Transfer, and Asset Management suited to fit every customer needs across borders. We employ AML/KYC/CFT procedures to ensure the security of your funds and assets. Give us a quick call, and our friendly Wallex team will be ready to assist you. https://wallextrust.com",
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      "parent_author": "",
      "parent_permlink": "hive-161155",
      "permlink": "of-bull-traps-and-bear-traps-cryptocurrency-is-not-a-walk-in-the-field",
      "title": "Of Bull Traps And Bear Traps: Cryptocurrency is (not) a walk in the field."
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  "timestamp": "2020-10-19T10:16:18",
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  "block": 47713068,
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-10-14T165855.419.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdAWCn4Y2EuKP7pyYieXZPqcF8Kyou8xW2gDnyUfz8Unk/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-14T165855.419.png)\n\nIs it the hidden gateway to a massive crypto adoption?\n\nSince the advent of the Internet, revolutionary technologies disrupted a whole lot of ways industries go about their businesses, including an interaction between societies and behavioral patterns of mankind. Studies show that smartphone adoption’s compound annual growth rate is 24.3%, with social media adoption at 13% and industrial robots 10.9%. It only goes to show the rapidity of technological adoption has been swift and sweeping the past decade.\n\nTwo Worlds Into One\n\nInnovations also took the financial world by storm. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies were the loudest buzzwords. Many financial experts are now working on the possibility of merging two of the latest in innovation — ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency ETFs will still yet to be approved by the SEC due to the high crypto market volatility. But once it gets the green, ETFs will be given direct access to invest in core digital assets, giving investors more control. Putting the top cryptocurrencies in one crypto ETF basket would have their prices tracked on an exchange within a specified period.\n\nSEC In The Way\n\nIn 2019, the US ETF became the biggest ETF market in the world, with 1,988 products and assets worth $3.4 trillion. The crypto ETF products are nowhere near yet as only a handful are available and still to be approved by SEC. There is a strong sentiment, however, that a Bitcoin ETF may yet be the first to get a regulatory nod come 2021. Meanwhile, the nearest to a Bitcoin ETF is the Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC), owning bitcoins representing investors and trades shares of the trust. Once the Bitcoin ETF hits a US exchange, subsequent crypto regulations will trigger investments to flow into the digital asset market, advancing the industry towards massive cryptocurrency adoption.\n\nETF At Work\n\nAs with any exchange-traded funds, a cryptocurrency ETF works the same. A cryptocurrency ETF is there to track one or more digital tokens when standard ETFs are tracking indices or baskets of assets. The tokens would also be traded like a common stock in the exchange subjected to price fluctuations all through the day while investors trade, buy, and sell.\n\nThe cryptocurrency ETF managing company would have to own a stake of each of the digital assets that it is tracking. Commensurate ownership of the tokens will be represented as shares that investors will be buying and have indirect ownership. They will have the advantage of gaining from any potential the token might achieve in the market.\n\nCryptocurrency ETF Benefits\n\nDue to the issues of security and volatility, wary investors are aiming for ETFs to be able to try their hands in the crypto apace. They want to take advantage of what coins and tokens are promising them, while cryptocurrency ETFs take care of security and management. When wallets and exchanges are risky enough to be hacked, the cryptocurrency ETF will leave investors their funds adequately tucked with the custodian that protects the ETF.\n\nOne more advantage that cryptocurrency ETFs can present is that it can track different tokens at once. Without it, investors will have to contend with having to operate multiple accounts and wallets among the different crypto exchanges.\n\nHard Work Ahead\n\nAs of the moment, we still see the cryptocurrency market as volatile as ever and with scams and frauds interrupting the growth of the novel asset market, we do not see the Securities and Exchange Commission giving cryptocurrency ETF a much-sought-after approval.\n\nBut even without successful lobbies, cryptocurrency ETF launches are never ceasing. The Chicago Board Options Exchange is making efforts to open one. The Winklevoss Twins of Gemini Exchange have a petition in waiting to approve a Bitcoin ETF. Coinbase is also trying via a small-scale ETF-like index funding that hopes to become a full-blown cryptocurrency ETF. European and Asian markets are rather more open to cryptocurrency ETFs based on different regulations which we can see thriving.\n\nIn the meantime, US investors will need a little more patience.\n\nVisit us at: https://www.wallexcustody.com",
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      "permlink": "cryptocurrency-etfs",
      "title": "Cryptocurrency ETFs"
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      "body": "![photo_2020-10-12-11.16.21.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPJxoKAJ1C8cvLEYPoVAYydpFnaYSVyJzk8nUGvKysKLn/photo_2020-10-12-11.16.21.jpeg)\n\nThe code that we have come to call WEB 2.0\n\nAPI is the acronym for Application Programming Interface, a code that serves to allow different applications to interact and share information with each other.\n\nIf you come across an aggregator site for hotel bookings, that is one good example of an API. The aggregator site utilizes APIs to contact the different hotels as advertised to provide the information that customers may request. The interface may contain the booking date, place, and cost. The APIs process the information and sent to the system server of the hotel chosen and formats it into a language that it can understand. The reply is again interpreted by the APIs to match the request. The API serves as the interpreter of languages that pass through it between different companies with different technologies in a quick and easy way. Without the API, it will be much difficult or even impossible to obtain data between parties.\n\nCrypto APIs\n\nAPIs are too important for developers to ignore as it builds around the functionality and data of existing systems without costly and time-consuming built-up from scratch. APIs enable softwares to interact with one another, and because businesses run well whenever data is available, APIs most often are free to use.\n\nBlockchain has free APIs that allow developers to access Bitcoin payments processing, wallet services, market data, and transaction data to be used on their applications and websites.\n\nAPIs are also a valuable part of cryptocurrency exchanges. Traders use it for their algorithmic trading or bot trading. APIs are used to infuse market data to trading bots so that they can make trades in place of the traders according to preset instructions.\n\nOther Uses\n\nApple iOS operating system is full of APIs to help you introduce applications on the iPhone. You can use the WKWebView API to embed a WebKit browser in your application instead of programming your own browser from scratch. The camera API is used to embed the iPhone’s built-in camera into your app when you want to take videos or photos from the iPhone camera. Without APIs, then you would have to create your own camera software to be able to interpret hardware inputs. Apple APIs took the hard work so that you can just use the camera to embed a camera and go on with your app. When Apple upgrades its camera API, your app will benefit automatically. All platforms, on Windows or Android, for example, have an API for developers to exploit to their advantage.\n\nAPIs play a big role in security because they are used to control access to softwares and hardwares. When APIs ask for location when you visit a website, it is to control access to the hardware and limit what apps can do depending on whether you allow or deny the request. If you deny permission, there is no way the app can access your hardware. It is the API, not the app, that has the power to access.\n\nAny Google Maps object that you see embedded on a website made use of the Google Maps API to be able to use it. Without the API, website developers will have no recourse but to create their own maps and data altogether. The API will help Google control the way the Maps are used to protect it accordingly.\n\nAPIs also enable Facebook comments or Twitter tweets to be embedded on a website.\n\nThese are just a few of the many that APIs can do to facilitate connectivity, interoperability, and integration among the many existing applications.\n\nConclusion\n\nAn application programming interface (API) is there to simplify programming in building applications by hiding or abstracting the technical implementation and only showing only the actions or objects that are to be used. APIs will only give the functionality without the requirement of understanding how everything works behind the scenes.\n\nAn API for cryptocurrency trading will enable you to connect with an exchange and allow you to access real-time market data, help you make trades, and efficiently manage your own account.\n\nAPIs are now realizing the solution to a problem that many struggled with for so many years. Software connectivity, interoperability, and integration are becoming standardized as APIs continue to revolutionize not only the way we interact on the Internet, but also between apps.\n\nThe code that we have come to call Web. 2.0.\n\nVisit us at : https://wallextrust.com",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-10-04T185940.837.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQme9q3osDixhYhNevLrA1iSTjCqrKB6mj8CaDTysSDMyL4/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-10-04T185940.837.png)\n\n\nThe first crypto whitepaper defined an era. Doing it right can draw you investors with million-dollar commitments\nWhite paper, according to Investopedia, is defined as “an informational document, usually issued by a company or not-for-profit organization, to promote or highlight the features of a solution, product, or service.”\n\nWikipedia’s definition of a white paper is “an authoritative report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body’s philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.”\n\nOrigins\n\nThe first time the term “White Paper” appeared was with the Churchill White Paper of 1922 in the British Government. British explorer Gertrude Bell was the first to write a whitepaper in 1920. It actually refers to the document’s cover color, and during those times, it is a less extensively written document compared to the blue book.\n\nThe evolution of the whitepaper from the halls of parliament to business ventures made whitepaper an entrepreneur’s best friend. A whitepaper contains the main reasons for your business’ existence, stating the problems to be solved, how your business will solve those problems, and how your business will evolve and stay relevant in the future.\n\nWhy Whitepaper?\n\nSeveral surveys conducted reflect the importance of “white papers along with trial software as the most utilized forms of content for researching IT problems and solutions, and the most effective at that (Savvy B2B Marketing, 2008).” 77% of potential investors read whitepapers, and 84% said that whitepapers are influential in making purchasing decisions on technology.\n\nA research conducted by Eccolo Media in 2013 collected some interesting conclusions. A whitepaper is the most frequently consumed content type wherein 49% of respondents use whitepaper as a basis in evaluating a tech before purchasing.\n\nWhitepaper is the most influential form of content marketing ahead of case studies, success stories, product brochures, datasheets, detailed tech guides, and video or multimedia files.\n\nDuring presale. Whitepaper counts as the best form of content when investors are not even aware of the problem that is being solved.\n\nPost-sale sentiment shows that whitepaper is the most preferred content as 7 in 10 respondents look forward to continue receiving content from vendors after sale.\nThe Satoshi Nakamoto White Paper\n\nA nine-page document written by Satoshi Nakamoto released in 2008 entitled, “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System,” introduced Bitcoin to the world. After only 11 years, that single whitepaper went on to become a game-changer and massively revolutionized the entire financial landscape with more than 1,600 kinds of cryptocurrencies and the defining blockchain technology worth billions and billions of dollars. It only goes to show that whitepapers can be a very effective tool for marketing. It is there where you can get a glimpse of what a product or a project is all about, the influence it can wield to sway decision-making, and the interaction it can create with potential investors leading to an ICO (Initial Coin Offering).\n\nWhitepapers are publicly available to make understandable the complexities and relevance of an ICO. Any diligent investor would need its help to evaluate the legitimacy and merits of an upcoming project and the necessity of a token for the project’s implementation and growth.\n\nTable of Contents\n\nWriting a credible whitepaper is all about data, and so requires a lot of hard work in terms of research and gathering of all available information, including graphs and statistics to back your claims. You need to read other whitepapers and identify your target audience as the basis of the language you will use. Organizing the structure should include the project’s main aim, viable business model, the problems the project is going to solve, its difference from other competitors, how to handle the funds, the token’s real utility, blockchain requirements, team members and their credentials, theories, and business prototypes. The important sections that your whitepaper should have must include the following:\n\n    1. Headline and Abstract\n    2. Introduction\n    3. Problem, Solution, and Product Description\n    4. Token Economics\n    5. Token Usage Guidelines\n    6. Team and Advisors\n\nConclusion\n\nWhile businesses are back writing their business plans away from a whitepaper, blockchain start-ups still are writing whitepapers describing their dreams and technical visions. And so with fraudsters and scammers who write down their fake promises to raise money that easy minus the accountability, taking advantage of contributors gullibility and lack of understanding. Compared to the diligent and painstaking undertaking to prepare an IPO, ICOs are nowhere yet to that level of maturity to be able to represent true and legit undertakings. Get it right the first time. The future and fortune of your company relies on the quality of your whitepaper whose effect can draw you millions of dollars. It would be wise to learn from successful cryptos whose well-thought out, and well-crafted whitepapers were enough to define an era.\n\nVisit us at https://www.wallexcustody.com",
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      "body": "![b057281b-a9c9-4137-9642-36855b536d51.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWc5dGkKJUrizw6SRZ4YCCfHT17HrAMxSyP3iCgHABQ2F/b057281b-a9c9-4137-9642-36855b536d51.jpg)\n\nThe current global financial system is inevitably headed to the future domination of cryptocurrency given the fiat’s collapsing power and the current coronavirus crisis. As the dreamt mass adoption has a long way to go still with all the education and regulation that must take place, as it is already taking place in certain countries, fraud, theft, and scams keep hounding the fledgling asset class and seemed bound to stay and feast on unsuspecting traders and investors, to the detriment in crypto market trust.\n\nWhile learning the ways of crypto trading, it is equally important to listen to what the devil’s advocates are saying. Sometimes they have one warning or two that are worth heeding, and we could thank them for that.\n\nOne is the pump-and-dump scheme.\n\nP & D\n\nPump-and-dump fraudsters organize themselves into a team whose goal is to artificially inflate the price of a crypto asset using false statistics and misleading information via ads and promotions using different social media platforms. They do this by buying together a low-priced asset, which will prompt its market price to rise. The sudden increase in the asset’s nominal value will reflect a bullish reading that will cause gullible traders to participate and start buying the said asset. Upon reaching a desirable price, the fraudsters will start selling or dumping the assets and running away richer many times over. Duped traders can end up losing their entire investment without hope of recovery with this fraudulent kind of supply-and-demand scheming.\n\nFraudsters at Work\n\nIt all starts with the organizers shopping for a potential coin and an exchange to perform their scheme. The idea is to pump up the market volume of the coin, which must be low so that they can lock up all the available liquidity as much as possible. By doing this, they can control and increase and then fix the coin price. After which, they can now dump or sell their assets. All participants are tiered, with the organizers who are insiders occupying the top, obviously, to get the most of the profit since they know when the P & D will happen. Those ranked lower, or the outsiders won’t stand a chance.\n\nTiming Is Key\n\nP & D token price can start increasing around five minutes before a P & D activity begins, which is anywhere close to 5%, coupled with an unusually high volume. Select investors can buy in advance since they receive pump signals as premium members. These insiders are the ones who will benefit great returns calculated to be as high as 18%. Those who are able to trade within 10 minutes after the P & D started has a 13% chance. Outsiders who do not know when the time of the P & D are bound to lose more than 2%. If ever, you need to buy and sell quickly in seconds to gain. A minute you are late, you lose.\n\nStay Away From The Sway\n\nEmotional traders are usually the first ones to get swayed by fantastic promotions in the hope of getting a big chunk by a seemingly great opportunity to earn big bucks quickly or regret missing it. Emotions are a very unreliable way of reading the market or uncovering any truth or untruthfulness of any crypto ad. Have a nose for news on the latest in cryptocurrency trends, together with substantial market research, can give you enough leverage to make a wisely informed decision. It will be fairly easy for you to flag any potential pump-and-dump schemes.\n\n“We Tried To Warn You.”\n\nBefore jumping waterfalls, it is best took around for telltale signs of a potential pump-and-dump scheme. Not all are here, but some can already be of great help to you.\n\n1.Get to know the team or the company behind the promotion. Track record is important, and any encounter with the US Securities and Exchange Commission at any time can cast doubt as to the legitimacy of the current promotion.\n\n2. Abort any purchase once you discover that the asset’s value is unusually shooting the rafters while the advertising promotion is hot on track. They must not go together, or something is being cooked.\n\n3. False advertising is what usually precedes a scheme. Events of magnitude promoted heavily are not actually happening.\n\n4. If the company is not in for some legit business operation, you can simply conclude that they are out only to parade themselves as legit as only to lure.\n\n5. Unscrupulous individuals hide under many disguises. A frequent change in management, business type, or even a company’s name is a sign of bad business.\n\nConclusion\n\nPump-and-dump schemes were all-time high during the ICO times, and we still need to be wary. This price manipulation can make investors lose money. P & Ds are illegal in the stock market, as the US Securities and Exchange Commission deems it so. The problem lies in the cryptocurrency market, where investors lay prey to different schemes without the protection of a law or regulation. Since cryptocurrencies are traded on a global scale, it calls for a globally-coordinated regulation to make it work. This is a very difficult and complex thing to do. In the meantime, regulation at the exchange level can matter. It can drive token price up and liquidity on the exchange that bans it.\n\nVisit us at https://wallextrust.com",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-09-29T202334.162.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQXVa5dkZ3hTfkPQ14zgJ3sjQjNNg4UtCWYT3wQEfMJ7i/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-09-29T202334.162.png)\n\nIf there are privacy coins, does it mean Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not private?\nPrivacy coins are a special kind of cryptocurrency that you can use to maximize your data privacy when engaging in blockchain transactions. You are guaranteed total anonymity including activities surrounding your transactions. Buyers and sellers are protected by privacy coins to stay anonymous and private with your wallet addresses, transaction balances, and payments.\n\nThe Way with Bitcoin\n\nBitcoin is actually not that anonymous in the sense that it is an open-sourced public ledger that puts to record every single Bitcoin transaction. Each user is represented by a quasi-pseudonymous character sequence, called a public address, to conceal the user's true identity. Bitcoin's Blockchain protocol espouses peer-to-peer network of nodes connected to each other. The KYC verification alone can trace transactions back to the user. The distributed ledger technology (DLT) opens any transaction to everyone due to the public addresses. The hash makes it possible to connect transacting nodes and render the verified transaction immutable.\n\nThe Way with Criminality\n\nPrivacy coins are meant for users who highly value the privacy of their digital assets, and, for the most part, all users for that matter. Since Bitcoins inherent properties such as DLT and record immutability will not allow much for any criminal to hide their heist, they turn to privacy coins to cover their tracks. There is seen an actual increase of privacy coin use within the dark markets and its popularity is gaining traction and usability despite being low on liquidity.\n\nThe Way with Regulation\n\nLaw and justice are not sleepers on the many different ways criminals keep running scot-free and outwitting their long arms. Dark activities involving tax evaders, market manipulators, money launderers, drug dealers, gun runners, financiers of terrorism, etc. can be quelled with well-thought-of regulations coming into place in the crypto world. Anti-money laundering initiatives, know-your-client procedures, and combatting the financing of terrorism policies are a two way-process which include the protection of the crypto system so that legit users can utilize its premium mechanisms to advance wealth and economies, both personal and universal.\n\nThe Way with Privacy Coin Projects\n\nAmong the more than 60 different privacy-oriented crypto projects active in the market today, 4 projects stand out each with progressive privacy features to guarantee use privacy and anonymity.\nMonero. Its headlining popularity attracts dark users to acquire Monero tokens. Proven features include unlinkable and untraceable transactions by the use of ring signatures and stealth addresses, thereby concealing the identities of both the sender and the receiver. Its Ring Confidential Transactions enable transfer of payments amount between transactors to remain hidden. As being the most trusted privacy coin in the world makes Monero also the 18th most valuable token with a market capitalization of $1.5 billion.\n\nDash. Dash is the coined word for digital and cash, forking form the original Bitcoin code. It distinguishes itself as being cryptocurrency's first-ever privacy coin. PrivateSend is its main strategic feature that conceals transactions by cumulating them together and represented as one single transaction on the blockchain. The popularity of its anonymization value Dash to be a $741 million project, ranking 28th in market cap.\n\nZcash. This privacy coin employs non-interaction as its key strategy by using the Zero-Knowledge Proof concept called zk-SNARKS, that allows transactions between users without address revelation, and that includes the transaction amount. Zcash even granted power to users the ability to deny or reveal their own addresses accordingly, a control feature nobody else offers. With a market cap of $608 million, Zcash is ranked #30 in the crypto list.\n\nVerge. This privacy coin protects the privacy of users differently by using The Onion Router (TOR) technology and the Invisible Internet Project (I2P), which renders it fit for daily use. Its open-source volunteer-driven protocol allows for fast, efficient, and decentralized transactions directly without losing privacy. TOR facilitates communications via a volunteer-run public network, while the I2P protects the data by encrypting it first before being sent through the global distributed network. All user addresses are hidden and renders all transactions completely untraceable. Verge currently ranks #119th in crypto market capitalization worth $81.2 million.\n\nConclusion\n\nPrivacy has become a very scarce commodity given the power of the Web's countless social media portals that can literally expose and steal anyone's information and identity at any given time. A conglomeration of commercial and economic giants exploits personal data to the hilt to the point of tilting wealth inflow to their favor only just by using bigdata gathering of individual's thoughts, habits, actions, and ideas.\n\nThe importance of privacy coins cannot be emphasized enough given the present scenario. That is why the crypto space was born, and out of it came the cryptocurrency advocacy led by Bitcoin to finally give control back to us our stolen identities, and our stolen privacy.\n\nThis is an idea whose time has come.\n\nVisit us at https://www.wallexcustody.com",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-09-28T104637.152.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQRqD1KRaNrSYroMCmDducBFosVAhSQKzicp8py2Fwd6V/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-09-28T104637.152.png)\n\nCan it solely paint a picture of the overall health of a cryptocurrency?\n\nThe value of a crypto coin or token is not measured by price alone. There are a number of metrics used to understand the value of a digital asset. One of them is Market capitalization, or commonly termed as market cap, an original stock market buzzword with the equation:\n\nTotal number of shares x current price = company stock market cap\n\nFor cryptos, market cap indicates the size and market value of a cryptocurrency using the equation:\n\nCurrent market price x circulating supply = crypto market cap\n\n(circulating supply is the total number of coins in the market)\n\nExample:\n\n$10,926.64 (Bitcoin price) x 17,300,000 (circulating supply) = $189,030,872,000 (market cap)\n\nThe result of the equation will give you a picture of the value of a cryptocurrency in comparison with other cryptos. It is important to consider the market cap when measuring the total value of a cryptocurrency aside from its price before making an informed investment decision.\n\n3 Metrics\n\nNow, three metrics are used in calculating the market cap for cryptocurrencies: circulating supply, total supply, and max supply.\n\nCirculating supply is the most basic metric wherein these are the coins or tokens circulating in the market and made available to consumers.\n\nTotal supply is the total number of tokens in existence, which can include those that are locked, reserved, or not sold in the market.\n\nMax supply is the total number of coins that will ever be created throughout the cryptocurrency’s entire lifespan.\n\nCirculating supply is widely considered to give the most accurate measure since it only counts what is in active circulation.\n\nWrong Mistake\n\nIt is a common error to read that a coin’s market cap is the reflection of the total amount of fiat currency being invested in it. It is a false reading, and the following cites the reasons why:\n\n1.If the total number of coins is 10,000,000, and somebody buys one coin priced at $1, the total market cap is still $10,000,000.\n\n2.The price of $1 will increase once there is demand, and the coin is bought more aggressively. It means the price bidding will push the price up, thereby increasing the value of other owners’ coins. The result is a larger market cap.\n\n3.Inversely, when the 10-billion dollar market cap is achieved, and people start to sell their coins, the sell off will drive the price down, with the possibility of even less than $1 per coin.\n\nThis only goes to show that the total market cap is hugely different from the total fiat investment.\n\nIn 2009, for example, Bitcoin’s market cap was 300 billion dollars compared to the total amount invested, which was 6 billion dollars. It meant that the market cap increased by $50 for every dollar of Bitcoin investment.\n\nThe Importance of Market Cap\n\nSince crypto developers don’t publish financial statements as stock market counterparts do, all the more market caps become important to fast-check how valuable coins are. The volatility of a coin is revealed depending on the largeness or smallness of its market cap. Coins with small market caps can take a beating every single time there is an affective headline market news. The market movement of large traders, called whales, contribute to the high volatility of the crypto market as a whole. But those with large market caps such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple will not easily be swayed and manipulated.\n\nConclusion\n\nIt should be noted, however, that as market caps are the cumulative amount of the coin price and its circulating supply, it does not reflect who owns how many for how much to have the influence to sway the market price just to project the robustness of its market health. It can be misleading and a dangerous way to solely base your investing judgment on. You can make a quick look at a coin by its market cap then weigh your options together with other significant metrics before deciding.\n\nOne hint to calculate market capitalization is to consider the total coin supply then add the inflation factor metric to your evaluation chart. This way, you can get a clearer picture of the future valuation of your crypto asset of choice.\n\nJust do not compare your crypto asset with other crypto assets. Each coin is uniquely designed for different users, segments, and purposes. To compare their market caps is an exercise in futility.\n\nVisit us at https://wallextrust.com",
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      "permlink": "the-metric-that-is-market-capitalization",
      "title": "The Metric That Is Market Capitalization"
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  "timestamp": "2020-09-28T09:18:30",
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-09-23T160913.379.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmT96NJCBN3EXTgipScMsMV3L6RBqiFeHMruZjmSiUzvVH/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-09-23T160913.379.png)\n\nUnderstanding arbitrage trading possibilities and opportunities in the crypto world.\n\nThe crypto market, as in the stock market, exhibit price imbalances across different cryptocurrency exchanges that can be an opportunity to gain profit from. This market imperfection is essential in executing an arbitrage in which an astute trader with a trained eye can spot, exploit, and decide upon in a split of a second. But it takes a comprehensive understanding of how the cryptocurrency market as a whole breathes and operates to be able to make a successful arbitrage judgment call.\n\nWhat is Arbitrage Trading?\n\nPrice fluctuations frequently occur in an often-volatile crypto market. Another is the difficulty in synchronizing the same prices in all exchanges. Your cryptocurrency, for example, Bitcoin, can register at different prices when comparing two exchanges. Therefore, you buy the lower-priced Bitcoin from one exchange and sell it to the higher-priced Bitcoin exchange. You can also buy in large quantities which can give you handsome gains once sold in the market at a higher price. This is essentially the principle of arbitrage.\n\nTwo major kinds of crypto arbitrage exist. Let us explore them one at a time…\n\n1.) Inter-Exchange Arbitrage — Arbitrage between exchanges.\n\nThis is, obviously, the simplest kind of arbitrage. As we have already mentioned, a single coin can be priced differently between two exchanges. You can earn a profit by buying from the exchange that sells the coin at a low price and then selling it at the other exchange that buys the same coin at a higher price. By analyzing the market price, if Bitcoin, for example, is being traded from $10,152 to $10,865, you start by scouting for the crypto exchange that sells the $10,152 Bitcoin and buys it, then sell it to the exchange that buys the Bitcoin at $10, 865. You earn a profit margin of $713.\nOpportunities\n\nYou can identify opportunities in arbitrage between exchanges by taking into consideration the following factors:\n\na. Listings. The cryptocurrency being listed on a major crypto exchange can affect its price difference from a lesser-known one.\n\nb. Liquidity. Market price fluctuations tend to be steadier on more established crypto exchanges than less popular, smaller, and newer crypto exchanges. Liquidity also involves the market volumes of the different exchanges and the supply and demand from each that greatly affects market price volatility.\n\nc. Geography. Trading intensity usually heightens or drops at certain times of the day. Time zones can affect market prices depending on the crypto demand in that region.\nStepping Up\n\nOnce you have decided to try crypto arbitrage, you need to register on both the exchanges you chose. Then you have to deposit fiat currency on one exchange and buy Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies you intend to sell. Transfer what you bought to the other exchange, then sell your cryptocurrency for fiat, and then you can withdraw your profit. Engaging in arbitrage means paying the necessary fees for trading and withdrawals, which ranges from 5%-15%. Completing the arbitrage process usually will take you up to five days, which is critical due to the highly volatile characteristic of the crypto market. In such a case, your arbitrage venture for profit-making might fall short of expectations or simply shoot beyond.\n\nSince the trading fees involved and the amount of time spent in arbitrage can make or break your chances for profitability, it is best to deposit fiat and cryptocurrencies on both exchanges of choice. This method will reduce the amount of waiting time during fund transfers, thereby increasing your arbitrage opportunities. But remember that they will still charge you with withdrawal fees each time you intend to cash out on your gains.\n\n2.) Intra-Exchange Arbitrage — Arbitrage within a single exchange.\n\nIntra-exchange arbitrage makes use of one single exchange, as with forex trading. It is close to a triangular or cross-currency arbitrage. To make a profit, you begin by opening an account and depositing fiat on an exchange of your choice and buying a selected cryptocurrency and selling it in exchange for another cryptocurrency, which you sell in exchange for fiat. That’s the time you withdraw your profits. You can repeat the process for more rewards or by buying and selling different cryptocurrencies and, thereby, engage in polygonal arbitrage. But then, engaging in this type of arbitrage can decrease your chances of yielding high profits. It is best to first study and measure your success via the risk and reward equation. The advantage of intra-exchange type of arbitrage is the elimination of withdrawal fees. Only that, profitability is not that rewarding compared to two-exchange arbitrage.\nFew Things to Remember\n\nAlways do the math before going through the arbitrage process. Transaction fees and withdrawal fees exist whenever there are engagements. Be sure that what is left is still substantial to be called a profit. The Anti-Money Laundering and Know-Your-Client procedures can strain your transactions on cross-border arbitrage. Prepare the necessary documents beforehand so as not to be delayed by stringent verification requirements. Time is of the essence every time withdrawal execution is concerned. The volatility of the crypto market calls for quick fund transfers or else the opportunity is gone, or worse, your capital can be wiped out. There are a lot of exchanges in the crypto market, but that does not mean all are reliable. Some sell below the market rate that could be enticing to pursue, but withdrawal processes are hellishly slow, or security is shallow. Proceed with calculated caution.\n\nVisit us at www.wallexcustody.com",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-09-21T174954.415.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNPUUnsTdDNnnomnnCdW3cpqHg5R94cUiUwScSziTkx5H/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-09-21T174954.415.png)\n\n\nIntroducing crypto escrow services and why we need them.\n\nThe age of the coronavirus pandemic will be remembered as the time when most individuals and institutions have gone online to connect and communicate, to transact business and to transfer funds.\n\nAs we are all now crowding the digital space at a fast rate, a lot of thieves and scammers have also proliferated and preyed on unsuspecting people’s errors and natural defects like greed and neglect, to the tune of millions and millions of funds and assets lost forever.\n\nThe care community of the Internet offered countless counteractions to combat digital vandalism and cybercriminality through apps and softwares positioned to protect and guard each and every Internet activity. Government regulations are closely following, but even then, the large measure of success is still based on user smartness.\n\nThe virtual market has evolved so much, especially now that we are in the blockchain technology and cryptocurrency times.\n\nEnter Escrow\n\nMillions of investors and traders engage in the business of buying and selling of cryptocurrencies albeit anonymous to one another. As nothing is guaranteed as to the personality of actors involved in agreements from common to complex except the ability of one to deliver and the other’s capacity to pay, the power of escrow comes into play.\n\nEscrow is a third-party service that legally binds two agreeing parties entering into a contract to honor their part of the agreement as either the buyer or the seller and safe keeps the funds involved and causes its release once obligations are met.\n\nThe word escrow comes from the Old French word escroue, which means a scroll of parchment or a scrap of paper that an intermediary holds secure until the completion of the contract.\n\nEscrow on Blockchain\n\nSales processes are trusted highly by buyers whenever escrow services are present. It means that the sellers have enough capital to participate credibly. Traditional escrow services are bank-based and use their banks accounts which can be vulnerable and risky to their reputations. A new emerging breed of escrow services have virtually eliminated the use of bank accounts and, instead, utilize blockchain technology.\n\nEscrow on Crypto\n\nIf you are dealing with different kinds of cryptocurrencies in trades and fund transfers, it is advisable to avail of a third-party crypto escrow service to facilitate payments. The escrow service will keep the funds for a transaction between anonymous parties until the cryptocurrency or products are turned over. The escrow service is there to protect buyers from becoming victims of fraud by requiring sellers to deposit cryptocurrencies up front first before other steps are to be taken, such as payments to be made. When disputes do occur, the escrow service will arbitrate and determine the rightful recipient of the stored crypto.\n\nMany crypto exchanges have automatic escrow services. But the thing is, while you are protecting your funds from strangers, you are also entrusting it to an escrow service stranger. It is best to do your research to find out reputable companies to act as your crypto escrow service provider. As all are beginners in the field and track records are rather short, there is no other way than to try their legitimacy and reputation. The following guidelines are offered to give you a glimpse of what to look for in an escrow service:\n\nSecurity. An escrow service is considered secured if the entrusted funds cannot be transferred to anyone else except for the seller and the buyer.\n\nPassivity. The escrow service takes a passive stance in the negotiations between contracting parties and would only be activated in case of disputes, or when it is time to pay.\n\nPrivacy. Sensitive business dealings and secret information can inadvertently be leaked on the blockchain if privacy protocols are not well-placed. Escrow services must not let their guards down, and only those allowed in the contract are given the keys to scrutinizing documents.\n\nGroup Escrow. Trust becomes an issue when adjudicating disputes in all honesty. It is a risky measure to entrust it to a single arbitrator even with highly reputable objectivity. A group escrow model is suggested where the buyer and the seller assemble a group of ad hoc mediators.\n\nConclusion\n\nScouting for a credible crypto escrow company and finding one is your best and safest option. Transacting parties will have peace of mind in knowing that funds, assets, data, or products are securely kept in a cold storage, offline, free from hacks, untouched by any internet connectivity, and running on blockchain.\n\nVisit us at https://wallextrust.com",
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      "voter": "yuxi",
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  "timestamp": "2020-09-16T09:36:09",
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{
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-09-16T114427.778.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYZpnfGCUzyRFiA3MSs636fqU58Jc3KXR8d2kPyccWmKg/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-09-16T114427.778.png)\n\nThe private-asset-dominated legacy industry stands to benefit from blockchain applications.\n\nTrading has been a part of man’s commerce since time immemorial to primarily provide for his subsistence and the subsequent generation of his wealth. Governments and authorities are tasked to manage the order of industries for the general sustenance of economies. The various exchange of monies to acquire and dispose of assets are called Payments. Payments facilitate money movement called cashflow liquidities so that products and services are availed to serve its purposes. While the questions to the who, what, where, and why of things are established even on the project proposals stage, the assurance of when will things get paid beyond how much usually ends up in grey territories. It applies to both local and international transactions. People of their times have had a different deployment of systems and mechanisms for better payments schemes to improve cashflow. But none came close because it is not that easy.\n\nPayments Solutions\n\nThe invention of blockchain technology came about to answer that question of “when specifically will I get paid?” where present scenarios involve slow, old, and expensive system of payments. Blockchain technology will disrupt just that through fast, cheap, and safe and secure processing of payments using the distributed ledger technology, or DLT. It can verify transactions in real-time, eliminating the need for third-party mediation such as correspondent banks, clearinghouses, and legal counsels.\n\nInternational Payments\n\nThe area of international payments wants excellent client experience in terms of more efficient processing, reconciliation, and transparencies regarding fees. It needs to evolve into blockchain capabilities in order to facilitate faster payments across borders. DLT can play an integral part in realizing this concept since the central character of international payments is reachability which enables banks to facilitate payment anywhere in the world. The SWIFT network is currently functioning as such with 11,000 banks attached to its borderless operations. Still, it takes days to complete transactions with an average of 10% processing charges for correspondent banks with inefficient infrastructures.\n\nTrade Finance\n\nPain points of trade finance are the unbelievable delays in payments from weeks to months due to outdated paper-based and manual processes involved. The digitization of documents through the blockchain is currently being studied through the Digital Trade Chain Consortium where members include Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Rabobank, UniCredit, KBC, and Natixis. The project aims to connect all actors in the international trade such as sellers, buyers, transporters, insurers, financiers, and others. This decentralized solution will not only be technologically challenging but also from a regulatory point of view. But it is worth the shot given that other banks from any geographical location will soon be welcome to join the Consortium.\n\nSmart Contracts\n\nSmart contracts are digital, programmable, and self-executing contracts embedded in the DLT that are automated to deliver payments after conditions are verified. When applied in trade finance, smart contracts will execute an automatic payment processing mechanism after and when an entity confirms the veracity of a shipment delivered. The fast-tracking payment system will, thus, eliminating any error caused by manual intervention in reconciliation processes.\n\nConclusion\n\nThe payments industry stands to enjoy the benefits of blockchain technology adoption given the application possibilities in cross-border payments, foreign exchange settlements, trade finance settlements, card payments, and so much more. Cryptocurrencies built on the blockchain also stand in wait to further accelerate the progress of the payments industry by potentially becoming the standard mediums of exchange.\n\nVisit our website: https://www.wallexcustody.com/",
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-09-14T133026.812.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTcX3zRRrEa57WSkdgd7VtsKmA8av32GgL4aMYBkV7ZFX/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-09-14T133026.812.png)\n\nOpen-source protocol set to upset the present status quo\n\nThe revolutionary technology that is blockchain continues to disrupt and dominate entire service landscapes with reckless abandon. Whether realistic or theoretical, case study, or real-life application, blockchain is cutting sectors into bits and pieces like an icebreaking ship navigating through ice-covered waters to provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. It has brought in a fresh wind of change on how to face our immediate digital future with faster, more secure, transparent, tamper-proof, and automated decentralized mechanisms with more than enough capabilities to replace antiquated and centuries-old processing systems which are, sadly, still in operation across economies, administrations, and governance.\n\nBlockchain\n\nBlockchain is a cutting-edge digital technology applied on the Internet with the success of Bitcoin as proof of concept. The core structure of blockchain is the distributed ledger technology, or DLT, that records and stores transactions between two parties in an efficient and permanent manner. A blockchain is formed by separate blocks of data involving related transactions and chained together accordingly in order by a hash. Participating parties, through their computers called nodes, share the same open-sourced ledger without any controlling centralized authority or intermediary. Blockchain brings speed, transparency, and security to a whole new level of efficiency.\n\nUse Cases\n\nSmart Contracts\n\nRegular contracts become smart contracts when imposed on a blockchain as it outrightly eliminates the need for third parties while adding more accountability to contracting parties deemed not possible when using legacy agreements. The smart contract set-up sets compliance at a higher rate and saves a lot of time and expenses. The execution of smart contracts have brought immense benefits to sectors who chose to implement it such as healthcare, real estate, and the music industry.\n\nBurstIQ is a big data blockchain company in Denver, Colorado helping doctors and patients facilitate the secure transfer of sensitive information via smart contracts with established parameters on what needs only to be shared, including a patient’s personal health plans. Propy from Palo Alto, California, uses a global blockchain operation with a decentralized title registry system for instant title issuance and selling real estate properties, which can be bought with cryptocurrency. Mediachain from New York protects musicians’ rights, revenues, and royalties by entering into smart contracts. They receive payments they deserve in full, on time.\n\nMoney Transfers\n\nBitcoin is the first to prove the efficiency of blockchain-powered fund transfer whose success created a huge following by thousands more cryptocurrencies with different cause-cases. The financial industry benefitted most as it took the lead in testing and proving blockchain’s worth by eliminating bureaucratic red tape, reducing intermediary fees, and using distributed ledgers in real-time.\n\nChainalysis is a fintech company based in New York providing the necessary tools designed to support governments and financial institutions in monitoring the exchanges of cryptocurrencies including the detection of fraud, money laundering, non-compliance and other violations. Chain is another fintech company from San Francisco, California, that builds cloud-based blockchain protocols to aid financial services. Financial institutions can safely handle the transfer of their cryptocurrencies efficiently by using Chain’s cryptographic ledgers. From Boston, Massachusetts, Circle employs blockchain in its investment and money transform platform enabling it to facilitate over 2 billion dollars of monthly exchanges and cryptocurrency investments.\n\nInternet of Things\n\nInternet-enabled gadgets, appliances, and a wide range of other products are a booming lot whose applications are found to be prone to data theft. The use of blockchain in the Internet of Things solves security compromise and, thus, keeps them smart, incorruptible, and transparent.\n\nCalifornia-based Xage Security took the challenge to be the world’s first blockchain-powered cybersecurity platform serving IoT businesses engaged in energy, transportation, and manufacture. The protocol is able to manage billions of devices all at once with self-diagnosis and self-healing abilities whenever breaches are found. Hypr from New York outsmarts cybersecurity hacks by decentralizing IoT passwords off a centralized server and using biometrics, rendering IoTs virtually hack-free.\n\nPersonal Identity Security\n\nIdentity theft is such a rampant crime in the US that identities are stolen at an alarming rate of 1 per two seconds. Blockchain can be a tamper-proof ledger of choice for social security numbers, birth dates, birth certificates, and other sensitive personal information, whose deployment will disable document forgery, personal file hacking, and other means of identity fraud.\n\nThe Illinois Blockchain Initiative is a government-led blockchain experimentation in Springfield to secure sensitive official records from birth certificates and death certificates to social security numbers, voter registration cards, and other important data. Civic is a fintech company in California specializing in identity security that alerts users when their personal files are illegally accessed. Features regarding the extent of personal file sharing are entered into by smart contracts in the blockchain ecosystem. Evernym is a software company from Utah whose Sovrin identity ecosystem allows users to self-manage their identities using DLT. Sovrin then brokers stored personal information between the owner and the entity needing the information and its veracity in real-time.\n\nLogistics\n\nThe shipping industry, being an ancient-old trade, is naturally crowded with thousands of logistics companies whose interspersing transactions can be nightmarish, especially in data, communication, and transparency. US docking ports alone make trades with more than 500,000 shipping companies. After a careful study, DHL and Accenture jointly recommended blockchain strategic solutions to finally break out from the industry’s age-old logistics and supply chain management plagues. The transparency that blockchain provides can produce authentic data sources that can be acknowledged by all actors, thereby rebuilding greater trust and confidence within the industry. Tons of paperwork and manual stamps can now be automated thereby streamlining a lot of snail-paced processes, which are not only safe but also cost-effective.\n\nLogistics giant DHL is a frontliner in blockchain deployment by its sparing use of a digital shipment ledger that maintains a high degree of integrity to each and every transaction. One of the largest shipping companies to adopt blockchain, DHL holds major influence in the US. Maersk is another shipping giant based in Denmark who smartly partnered with IBM to provide digital blockchain solutions to its global trade on supply chain management and good tracking anywhere in the world in real-time.\n\nGovernment\n\nWho would have known that blockchain can improve systems of government? While governments are challenged by the decentralizing effect of cryptocurrencies, they can use the underlying blockchain structure to their advantage to reduce red tape and improve bureaucratic processes, reduce financial burdens, and restore accountability. Blockchain solutions can shorten the service chain, accountability of public officials through smart contracts, and information transparency of every public record. The use of blockchain in voting every election can immensely improve citizen participation by securely voting through mobile services and the consequent high level of integrity in incorruptible vote counting and results.\n\nThe State of Delaware, like Illinois, has also launched their own blockchain initiative, starting with the archiving of public documents and the safe and secure storage of private records. What will follow will be the initiation of smart contracts between the government and corporations. Voatz runs on blockchain as a mobile voting platform using an encrypted biometric security system that allows secure voting cast through a mobile device anywhere in the world free from any data corruption of hacking.\n\nMedia\n\nSince the digitization of media, countless headaches have simultaneously cropped up regarding widespread illegal sharing of the content resulting in copyright infringement, invasion of private data, unpaid royalties, and intellectual property piracy. Blockchain’s power to save the media industry is displayed by preventing an mp3 file from existing in several sites. Digital music can be distributed and shared without losing ownership, virtually eliminating crimes of piracy due to DLT. Data integrity is preserved which can enable advertising agencies to launch effective niche marketing and musicians receiving their rightful royalties from their original works.\n\nSteem utilizes blockchain in its social media platform with a Proof-of-Brain community that incentivizes its users with tokens for the creation of original contents. The upvotes received by each article is the basis of the amount of tokens to be distributed. Steem has already paid original creators with over $40 million worth of tokens. Civil is empowering journalism through blockchain and uses CVL tokens to encourage a community of journalists to create and run decentralized newsrooms with independent news reporting that is free from a centralized editorial censorship. The non-profit Open Music Initiative is a blockchain platform that allows original music creators to register their music rights data into its open ledger so that they can be recognized and, therefore, be paid correctly for their works. The open source protocol worked well for the initiative which have drawn credible support from virtually all sectors of the music industry, from radio stations and producers, to Spotify and Netflix.\n\nConclusion\n\nThe widest array of use cases is in banking, which we will tackle in another article. But nonetheless, blockchain in the context of banking is almost like overhauling the whole banking processes, an idea that gave birth to blockchain in the first place. Imagine how banking will become when blockchain is employed in each and every area- Faster payments, clearing and settlement systems, buying and selling assets, fundraising, credit and loans, trade finance, digital identity verification, accounting and auditing, hedge funds, and peer-to-peer transfers. It will take a longer time before banking executives can be convinced as to what blockchain technology can present on the table, and conditions met before it is accepted and embraced for mainstream adoption. As a back-end technology, the banking industry may be needing its own restructuring to conform to blockchain adoption, like a ship about to hit a lighthouse.\n\nVisit our website: https://wallextrust.com/",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 - 2020-09-09T124154.867.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXSaG4r27BipHPCNTtcdTM6QwoZa6ccuUFsSAieYgDrUR/Wallex%20draft%202%20-%202020-09-09T124154.867.png)\n\nThe advantages of decentralized finance\n\nDecentralization is a concept that dates back to the 1800s after the centralization idea came into popular usage during the post-French revolution government restructuring. Advocates pushed for the idea to give opportunities to French citizens to be more participatory in socio-political and agro-industrial affairs to the extent of fully exercising their freedom. Centralized power is more or less distributed and delegated, such as decision-making, planning, and execution. Applications of decentralized models have long been the foundation of many types of governance in the many areas of politics, public administration, legal affairs, economics, technology, and finance.\n\nState of Decentralized Finance.\n\nDecentralized finance, or defi, for its part, is making a strong statement in our present econocentric culture and money-oriented mentality, especially in the growing cryptocurrency industry. The defi boom was very impressive this 2020, coming from a crypto collateral of only 275 million dollars only last 2019, the numbers rapidly leapt to $4 billion as of July. So why the gaga behind defi?\n\nWhat makes Defi Defi?\n\nDefi companies are defined by their core structure with the following features: distributed ledger technology, or DLT, in the storage of records, as opposed to a centrally controlled storage; decentralized authority empowering holders to use the platform to control their funds instead of a ruling board of directors; and, the sparing use of algorithms and decentralized info feeds determining currency values and interest rates. Defi platforms perform through decentralized apps, called Dapps. Since Dapps are run by computer code, its neutrality eliminates any kind of bias in using smart contracts to initiate automated financial transactions that are far more efficient, faster, and much more affordable than traditional contracts.\n\nNo Central Authority.\n\nDefi forms a blockchain-based industry identical to traditional financial products and services but without any central authority to run those services. We speak of services that include credit and lending services, decentralized exchanges for stablecoins, payments, insurance, custody, and others. Services are provided by decentralized autonomous organizations, or DAOs, without the involvement of middlemen. DAO growth recently trajected to 660% owing to the popularity of flash loans. The interoperability of defi protocols regarding their adaptability and evolution from each other makes them cruise to an accelerated progress.\n\nAccessibility, and Interoperability.\n\nDapps can integrate with other platforms without asking permission. Such interoperability has given people control and autonomy over their funds in so many interesting ways. They have been used to the traditional financial institutions with centralized authority that has barred the low of income to avail of many services and instead reserving their best instruments to those with large accounts that have further increased the wealth gap. Defi seeks to address it by making trading and investment more accessible with easy-to-use smartphones with an internet connection so anyone can transact anytime wherever they are. Accessibility will not be an issue as anyone can open an account anytime, anywhere.\n\nNo KYC.\n\nWithout a central authority, defi allows users to lend and borrow from each other. The Know-Your-Customer procedure, credit score, etc. do not apply, but not without the security provided for the lender and their assets. It is also non-custodial that makes users able to control and use their money; however they may want. Traditional processes would have had required pertinent papers. The only thing with legacy firms is they allow collateralization of an assortment of assets such as houses. But soon, defi will tokenize every kind of asset to facilitate the use of collaterals.\n\nSecurity.\n\nWhen it comes to security, DLT makes all information public given that it is stored in the blockchain, albeit pseudonymous. The DLT protocol will render all records unhackable. The immutable nature of defi is that once transactions are verified, they cannot be reversed or tampered with. Unlike banks, wherein transactions can still be reversed and papers tampered, which can be threatening.\n\nOther Major Issues.\n\nThere are still some major issues to deal with before defi can really operate on a mainstream basis. Usability is still a constraint since many platforms are yet to be translated into multiple languages, making them still a challenge to access. Another is its liquidity. While billions are locked in defi, it is still hard to get a loan or an interest for an asset. Also, the congestion and scalability of defi on most Ethereum-based projects can slow down transaction time and increase transaction fees. Ethereum 2.0 is still under development.\n\nConcluding…\n\nTake It Or Leave It.\n\nWithin the profiles of the two opposing forces in \"defi\" and \"oldfi\" is a narrowed down hybrid solution to keep both running. The transition period both are into makes one cannot exist without the other. Different client base and different needs can separate the two for optimal output. As of the moment, the one thing interoperable for the two is the credit delegation that defi must represent to become the source of liquidity for the entire financial world.\nWithout knowledge, the financial market can leave you confused and intimidated. It's either you get scared or won't invest at all. We may even invest based on the gut and opinions of others that can prove catastrophic at best. Scams abound. Education, therefore, is a must for anyone who wishes to get things safely going within the defi world to avoid the loss, but instead, the preservation and accumulation of generations of wealth.\nDefi's success can be ensured with the placement of self-policing measures and a well-balanced dose of legislation to keep consumers protected without infringing freedom.\nVisit our website: https://www.wallexcustody.com/",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 (100).png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYJk47N4zSpAiXT92sfKWfginqnrE9J4uS2zo61oVmdMr/Wallex%20draft%202%20(100).png)\n\nWhat we do not know can be costly.\n\nBlockchain technology’s coming of age can be marked by the need to facilitate its mass adoption by companies, businesses, and industries who have not the capacity to implement its IT infrastructure. Enter Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, and other big companies who discovered an all-important bridge being BaaS vendors supplying infrastructure and service tools for the management and maintenance of the buyers’ blockchain applications, digital services, and their other core functionalities. BaaS features include platform architecture management, modular, easy setup workflow, preconfigured networks and infrastructure, middleware for monitoring & development for app building, dashboard to view and analyze chain code, auditable transaction record, built-in connections to needed services, and consultatory or any other related professional services. Some or all these may sound foreign to prospectors; that is why BaaS providers can take full charge of the back-end technology while their clients continue functioning on,.\n\nFactors to Consider.\n\nWhen choosing the right BaaS platform for a certain kind of business, it is important to consider some of the following factors:\n\nIntegration into Smart Contracts.\n\nIf your blockchain solutions include smart contracts, a working mechanism is required since smart contracts go beyond any typical contract. There is also the enforcement of penalties to any party who does not honour contractual obligations. The immutability feature of smart contracts are complicated and, therefore, must already be included upon the blockchain’s test deployment.\n\nIdentity Access Management (IAM) Platforms.\n\nThe IAM platform is a facilitating framework for the management of digital identities wherein a single, double, or multiple ID authentication steps are implemented before users can access internal information, especially when it is considered sensitive or confidential. The IAM integration enables you to share only the information required to permissioned personnel, rendering your blockchain network highly secure. You may ask for this integration from your BaaS provider.\n\nInteroperability.\n\nNot all BaaS providers are offering versatile features that enable you to transfer to another blockchain platform while running on a different blockchain framework. Mostly still operate on a single blockchain deployment enterprise. Make sure your choice of a BaaS provider can offer such flexibility for your kind of business, which requires interoperability between runtimes and frameworks.\n\nConsensus Mechanisms.\n\nConsensus mechanisms such as Proof of Stake and Proof of Work do not offer much when it comes to scalability due to its limitations to computation, which may not serve solutions needed for enterprise levels. Shop for BaaS providers who could offer you identity-based consensus model algorithms that allows you to scale up your network for faster technology integration. Authorized identities scale up operations better than computation.\n\nSeriously consider these factors before making a move to integrate blockchain solutions into your ecosystem.\n\nMyBlockchain or YourBlockchain?\n\nSure integrating blockchain solutions to your business comes with a high price. The relevance of your business to stay in the pack or well ahead into the digital future can really compel you not to be complacent but thoughtfully decide on game-changing matters. If it matters to you to keep everything private, analyze the cost of hosting a blockchain application. Owning a blockchain app can make you dig deep from your pockets as the deployment of a single contract alone has a tag price of up to a hundred thousand dollars. It is like creating a separate IT business to run your existing business. Overhead expenses can shoot up due to start-up costs such as personnel, infrastructure, software, hardware, licensing, training, consultation, maintenance, support, etc., operational costs such as bandwidth expenses, transaction costs, monitoring, salaries, etc., and retirement and decommissioning costs.\n\nBlockchain-as-a-Service offering can include a cloud-hosted application that you can pay for more-or-less 0.29 US dollars per CPU per hour. You only pay for using the units of service. The financial advantages of a BaaS-based model are that costings depend on the number of live transactions, transaction rates, transaction payload, network membership, data written, data transfer, peer nodes, peer node storage, among others.\n\nConclusion.\n\nBlockchain-as-a-Service is a Backend-as-a-Service that third-party providers provide so that you can concentrate on your front-end business logic without losing focus. With this set-up, BaaS is set to accelerate the expansion of blockchain technology adoption across and beyond industries, companies, businesses, and other sectors of society. Outsourcing BaaS companies will have them responsible with all the technical complexities of infrastructure and maintenance while you keep a close watch on your core workflow, to your massive benefit.\n\nVisit our website: https://wallextrust.com/",
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      "body": "The possibilities of integrating these two powerful technologies together\n\n![Wallex draft 2 (59).png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQmVWVUqx9ARUga5CCrjuqi3m9WiqwvF99azXmgEFqm8Q/Wallex%20draft%202%20(59).png)\n\nEvery time we talk about the future, it is always nearly at hand because of the hype created around the two powerful technologies we are about to discuss — Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain. Both are unique in their own ways as they are both foundational and disruptively dominant in their own fields. But can they exist side by side and work together?\n\nAI.\n\nSince the beginning of computer technology, there has not been a time when man did stop to find the ultimate solution to make a computer mimic human thinking. Much effort has been poured in to realize this tech dream to fruition for commercial purposes. Many versions do come out, but most, if not all, fell short of becoming fully intelligent. They were robotic enough to function only within programmed systems. AI took the car industry by storm with newly designed cars driving without drivers using only opticals, sensors, GPS, and other state-of-the-art tech without human input. It would really be pretty thrilling to witness how these cars operate and decide based on gathered data. Only missing is the complete free will to be truly intelligent.\n\nBlockchain Technology.\n\nThe success reaped by Bitcoin today is due to the Blockchain protocol upon which it was built. Its blueprint was the basis for the proliferation of many other cryptocurrency ventures. Many blockchain solutions were introduced along the way to sustain scalability in the crypto king’s development leading other industries to adopt its infrastructure. The autonomous smart contracts created upon the blockchain technology is of paramount importance as it implements decisions within fed information from contracting parties, anonymous as they are.\n\nAI and Blockchain Integration.\n\nSmart contracts as decision-makers are now being tested to be integrated with Artificial Intelligence systems that would function as storage of information. As of the moment, smart contract execution is slow and far from real-time application. And while there are possibilities for integration, it is not the time yet. AI, for its part still has a long way to go before achieving its purest form. But the sophistication and processes around it are already bearing the resemblance of what an AI should be. And once it is in place, the reliance on the blockchain will increase. Blockchain has already brought itself to near perfection to be an asset class of its own. It’s the smart contracts’ turn to make things happen for itself.\n\nThe Feeling Is Mutual.\n\nAIs are learning machine models which can be shared on the blockchain without controlling intermediaries. Anyone interested can learn collaboratively by using an integrated AI within the blockchain. AI can also use the blockchain instead of a centralized server as a keeper of unbiased data as it is securely provided between like businesses to improve customer experience and better pricing. Data sequencing is an important aspect of deep learning neural networks. With blockchain, everything is recorded in a sequence and it would be easier to go back to see where things went wrong from an untampered record. AI can also serve to improve blockchain security, reliability, and efficiency. AI systems can detect and flag anomalies and unusual patterns enough to alert participants.\n\nConclusion.\n\nThese two technologies are powerful in their own environments and the thought of combining the two for some useful purposes is still very much too early to create an impact in some real and tangible ways. There are too few yet experimenting on it but not applicable yet for viable commercial advantages to form part of any solution business-wise. Until then, we keep on experimenting.\n\nVisit our website: www.wallexcustody.com",
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      "author": "pagz",
      "body": "![Wallex draft 2 (36).png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXWiANUnkBxbbdHQ9kcF2iaoxHRFGqAzsExAPzJA96DNz/Wallex%20draft%202%20(36).png)\n\n\nThere is no doubt that the prevailing pandemic is accelerating everything towards automation, and blockchain is leading the way.\n\nWhether like it or not, the financial industry is again at a crossroads due to the economic impact brought about by the current coronavirus crisis. The unforgettable economic recession of 2008 exposed many industrial flaws that rendered traditional financial processes antiquated and out of form. The shakedown awoke businesses and consumers to their senses as to how money was reliably handled based on value and trust. That was when the climate of change massively disrupted the entire financial landscape caused by the blockchain technology and the cryptocurrencies. The trust enjoyed or at the least monopolized by the fiat currencies are now gravely threatened and has shifted leverage to blockchains and cryptos. The natural tendency to seek alternative options beyond established legacies are now at breakneck speed.\n\nBlockchain and Cryptocurrencies: A Disruptive Force.\n\nSince then, blockchain and cryptocurrencies became buzzwords of trending innovative technologies. Bitcoin led the cryptocurrency boom while its underlying blockchain protocol, oozing with DLT (distributed ledger technology) power was found to be of great value even beyond just a backend technology reserved for cryptos. Its main features were outstanding to cries of freedom and liberty from unseen global financial control machinations as displayed by cryptocurrencies.\n\nDecentralized.\n\nBlockchain holds transactional digital data through a decentralized public ledger that is open to all participating computers around the world. The participating computers are called nodes chained to one another in that same network, which enables a peer-to-peer system of transaction. Blockchain’s open system makes it public and transparent, and therefore, decentralized, as there is no centralized authority having control over the system.\n\nSecured.\n\nA block is formed every after a verified transaction has occurred and connected to one another by a hash. It is a unique code tagged to a node that would make it impossible to manipulate a record without bypassing each and every encrypted information on a participating computer’s node and hashes. Transactional data is safe and secure.\n\nPeer-to-Peer.\n\nThe decentralized character of blockchain makes transactional parties directly contact one another without the need for intermediaries. Third parties such as banks and lawyers, make transactions more expensive due to charged service fees added to the transaction process.\n\nTransparent.\n\nSince blockchain is an open system, everyone has a copy of the data contained in the system. Stability is assured because of data accuracy.\n\nAnonymous.\n\nTransactions remain anonymous as blockchain uses cryptographic addresses for all users.\n\nUse Cases.\n\nBlockchain technology was found to be a necessary tool to change many antiquated systems across diversified markets beyond the financial industry. Blockchain adoption can improve the international food supply chain in its entirety, which, until today, still use galleon-ship systems. Energy, travel, insurance, healthcare, education, politics, and more are sure to benefit from the principles and applications embedded in the blockchain technology.\n\nThe Use of Automation.\n\nAutomation makes use of any technical, economic, and mathematical methods, means, and control systems without full human intervention in the processing cycle for purposes of acquisition, conversion, and transmission. Automation includes robotics and the automation of production machines, artificial intelligence, software algorithms and systems, big data, neural networks, and open systems called blockchains.\n\nConsequences of Automation.\n\nThe use of automation can mean a drastic decrease in human labor and the loss of jobs, albeit temporarily. Here we can make a comparison between human intervention and automation.\n\n   Cashiers — Vending Machines\n   Lawyers and legal specialists — Smart Contracts\n   Artists, Designers, Authors — Artificial Intelligence\n   Healthcare specialists — reduced on-field labor demand\n   WorkForce — Machines\n\nThe problem of automation lies in the field of liability when these autopilots fail to function. It is where legal and institutional intervention is still needed.\n\nBenefits of Automation.\n\nAutomation speed up the delivery of goods and services and optimizes their quality and quantity as compared to human labor. Time is of the essence when demands are high due to increasing human needs. Stiffer competition requires that faster deliveries should be made. Manual labor consumes valuable time, and rushing is prone to errors. Automation reduces risk, and quality output remains consistent. Workers need not be retrenched but rather be assigned to non-automated projects, thereby improving the company overall output. It is much better to re-skill workers towards automation to survive. Changes into automation can help companies restrategize their targets to minimize overheads, increase revenue, expand customer satisfaction, and strengthen brand loyalty.\n\nSurvival of the Fittest.\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic is bringing companies into serious consideration of automating their businesses and industries over rehiring labor. Matters of social distancing and pandemic control measures have them accelerating their automation plans. Business without automation options sadly has to close down due to the uncertainties of a post-coronavirus scenario. The longer the uncertainties, the slimmer the chances of normal jobs to recover.\n\nBlockchain at the Forefront.\n\nThe pressure to automate will certainly bring blockchain to the forefront of change in the Great Reset, the world as we would be after the pandemic recession, which is now costing us close to exceeding $4 trillion. The World Economic Forum has included the role of cryptocurrencies and blockchain as world economies are set to reopen. Even the definition of an accredited investor has been changed by the SEC that would include “professional certifications, designations or credentials, or other credentials issued by an accredited educational institution.” It would boost the number of crypto traders into the fold. Whereas, before, the designation required a net worth of a million dollars or a stable income starting at $200,000 per year.\n\nClosing Notes.\n\nThe relevance of blockchain technology cannot be overemphasized. By 2027, 10% of worldwide Gross Domestic Product will be stored through the blockchain via cryptocurrencies, according to World Economic Forum estimates. The call to decentralization and personal financial control may well have arrived, including two aggravating circumstances: the loss of manual jobs and climate change. The economic downturn in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis will undoubtedly be focused on these two things. But blockchain serving as a backend technology of almost everything we can think of, a new generation of manual set skills might, after all, be needed, and a well-streamlined use of natural resources by a corrective blockchain protocol can ultimately preserve and heal a wounded environment.\n\nVisit our website: https://wallextrust.com",
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      "body": "Is the lack of regulation doing the decentralized crypto market a disservice?\n\n\n![Wallex draft 2 (35).png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXf9kHs1CBWGbs95UtuueBusuiFkggiv9DpqP3GTGNWqm/Wallex%20draft%202%20(35).png)\n\nAt any point in time, a regulation is borne out of a necessity to put order to an activity, such as an industry or business that caters to growing market demand. Regulations protect all actors involved in the business cycle, including owners, managers, investors, manufacturers, intermediaries, and most especially the consumers. Accountability counts most within regulatory statutes among initiators who are responsible as to the soundness of the project in all its aspects, be it a product or a service, whose ultimate goal is to improve and sustain a quality of living. Regulations will deter those whose intent is only to profit from deceit and carry appropriate police or legal power to penalize or prosecute those who are found liable. A government or an authority is tasked to carry it out.\n\nOnce a fragmented fundamental, a new way of thinking in the Internet emerged with a face - crypto space and blockchain culture. The disruptive force created by these nascent technologies was enough to create for itself an asset class of its own. The blockchain blueprint that bitcoin used to launch the first decentralized digital currency in 2009 was the same platform protocol copy that gave birth to many other independent cryptocurrencies. It was almost like a frenzy that many were enticed as to the different uses tokens and coins and cryptocurrencies have that ICOs began propping up. No regulation whatsoever was there to put things to order as nobody really knows what is happening. Rather than risk people's wealth to an unknown investment, many countries resorted to banning cryptocurrencies altogether. Others like the US allowed it to flourish as the government and lead authorities watch them mushroom while on the sidelines. The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies left it to become as untouchable as can be together with the distributed ledger technology it boasts of including being free from censorship, anonymous but traceable transactions, no intermediating parties, secure and immutable records.\n\nAfter 11 years in existence, many unforeseen problems came to the fore, which would now merit the need for self-regulation or an authoritative rule of law if the asset class would like to keep its integrity intact.\nThe continued lack of regulation allowed many startups to run away with invested funds in ICOs without keeping their promises. If we cannot run after the ICOs, there must be a regulation that would provide guidelines as to the conduct of the people behind the ICOs.\n\nIn all actuality, there were already countries who are initiating their own guidelines for cautious management of the crypto system. the problem is it is so fragmented as regulations from one country differ much from one another. We have not got the right formula yet for a global acceptance, so the status quo remains. Slowly as crypto relationships are developed between countries, appropriate interregional regulations will gather momentum and eventual participating countries will be covered.\n\nFinal notes.\nEducating retail investors must also be part of regulating the crypto space if they choose to cryptocurrencies as part of their portfolio. Awareness as to the high risks involved, dangers of illegitimate ICOs, and product failures should be part of the regulation, not to mention the inherent failure of government systems. The continued lack of regulation allows for unscrupulous ICOs to thrive and adversely affect the operations of legitimate ones.",
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      "body": "The flight from fad to fancy to the necessity\n\n\n![dd656250-dfd6-4e36-af4e-6a5f2718c695.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSgfrN7rAYbvGkqQWA3R5gnjs3u4vyE4NUQv8tujJLogT/dd656250-dfd6-4e36-af4e-6a5f2718c695.jpg)\n\n\nAfter only 11 years, blockchain technology has been riding high with the success mainly of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. But it is not as if it is the latest of the Internet of Things, a phone, or tablet, or a gadget that you can physically see or hold at least at the front end. It is a backend technology that is the structural engine of a system of operation. This underlying protocol enables the seamless transactional exchange of something or things of value worth storing.\n\nBlockchain’s aim is to eliminate the middleman by promoting direct peer-to-peer transaction on a universal ledger based on smart contracts which are transparent, secure, and immutable. With all the hype that went with it, blockchain is now thought to be the digital solution to anything traditional for the safe storage of data and information, and the speedy delivery of products, assets, and services across all sectors of society, from finance to shipping to food chain to government. It was the answer to everything needing change. Blockchain was to be called the greatest invention of the century.\n\nOr is it?\n\nThe hype generated by the blockchain technology caused many to jump blindly into the bandwagon without nary a research and development protocol to start with. As with many new technologies that were met with enthusiasm, dangers lurked at the curve. CAICT (China Academy of Information and Communications Technology) has claimed that of the 80,000 blockchain projects launched, only 8% survived to this day. Nevertheless, the massive failure of these blockchain projects cannot be attributed to a blockchain failure but the lack of knowledge, vision, strategy, and fitness of the project to a blockchain augmentation that caused a collapse.\n\nMany have not thrown in the towel, though. Referring to Bitcoin as blockchain’s first successful use case, many governments of countries have begun exploring the many possibilities blockchain applications can be expanded to accelerate the much-needed delivery of services to improve the lives of people. Service slowdown has been marked by decades of bureaucratic and commercial red tapes. The world, as we know, it is dependently reliant on intermediaries such as banks, financial institutions, legal firms, government, media, and other industries to keep a high level of trust in the economy. These middlemen engage the public in all kinds of business transactions, beginning with the identification and authentication of individuals. Byways of clearing and settling and record-keeping, our sensitive personal data are captured, rendering us powerless to keep our right to privacy and the power to monetize it. Blockchain will have these provided with value through a distributed ledger transparent to any transacting party across the globe, in which, every kind of asset imaginable from fiat to digital, from real estate to data, could be kept and stored, transferred or exchanged, moved or managed, all through smart contracts, without costly mediating third-parties.\n\nSmart contracts in themselves serve as killer apps on the blockchain operating system. It automates the traditional contract management system and digitizes payment. Smart contracts execute data exchanges and program governing rules covering the execution of agreements.\n\nSmart contracts can be used in a variety of ways such as digital identity, records, securities, trade finance, derivatives, financial data recording, mortgages, land title recording, supply chain, auto insurance, clinical trials, cancer research, voting system, and certain aspects of legal obligations, including the mobility and transportation industry. Though smart contracts are decentralized, it seems likely that a regulatory insight should be in place for the sake of interpretation.\n\nDisruptive, augmentative, or whatever they may call it, blockchain technology has graduated from a fad to a fancy to a necessity. Seeing open-source, self-executing contracts improving on an ever-strengthening blockchain superhighway, whatever the Internet has done to one (publishing), blockchain will do to hundreds and hundreds of industries.\n\nJust give it time.\n\nAnd a chance.\n\nOur website: https://wallextrust.com/",
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      "body": "Liberation from antiquated systems can be a healing experience.\n\n![Wallex draft  - 2020-08-19T134744.048.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbBsLRA2GVRPJXFjpvs89v713qbQ8MLXUUrdYvQxjqxao/Wallex%20draft%20%20-%202020-08-19T134744.048.png)\n\nThe survival rate of businesses across all sectors are recording all-time lows that USA Today reports that as many as 25,000 stores in America will shut down this 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19, based on a Coresight Research. And many more are expected to follow.\n\nWhatever business you are engaged in, it is essential to shift gears and adjust to the current pressure of realities around if you want to survive. One such adjustment is to go the way of the blockchain.\n\nBlockchain is a very powerful emerging technology that we have not fully harnessed yet. And many small and medium enterprises have not understood the impact it can create on their operations, not unlike economic giants. Too few still have found how beneficial blockchain is to their lines of businesses that they cannot live without it. All that the average knows is its synonymity with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Well. It’s high time we go above average.\nProcessing of Payments.\n\nThe most basic way to be introduced into the blockchain culture is by opening your business doors to Bitcoin and altcoins at your point-of-sale system. The decentralized character of the blockchain eliminates any traditional intermediary that charges high processing fees. Accepting cryptocurrencies as payments or to pay employees with as salaries become a simplified and cheap process. You can also invest in the coins you use by buying bitcoins and grow it to maturity. This is a great way to protect your business assets and exponentially profit from them.\nStoring Data.\n\nData storage nowadays rely on the cloud that made it easier for data to be easily accessed while securely stored no matter the size. Though the cloud is a very effective server, its singularity poses a risk of being breached one-time big time and all your documents are compromised. Blockchain is made up of thousands of servers to gain access to that makes hacking your accounts virtually impossible.\nUtilizing Smart Contracts.\n\nTraditional contracts have perpetually included expensive third parties in order for it to be a fair and trusted document that is executory and enforceable. The invention of smart contracts on the blockchain will render third parties without further use. Smart contracts become a trustless system that, once verified, will never be tampered or censored. What takes days or weeks to finish can be now be done in seconds with an authentic same contract visible to the contracting parties.\nThe Internet of Things.\n\nThe IoT is a network of smart devices that automatically transports in real-time electronic data to the surface to aid in informed decision-making. This interconnectivity and interoperability will drive your business to a more competitive edge as any needed information is fed for consumption at any given time to generate effective strategies.\nManaging the Supply Chain.\n\nThe beauty of blockchain use in the supply chain is the transparency and traceability of every component’s source needed in the creation, growth, and manufacture of a product. This transparency guarantees the authenticity of the product as the same as advertised and marketed as it is displayed on the shelves.\nTaxation and Transfer Pricing.\n\nTracking the fiscal chain of events between trading companies recorded on the blockchain will allow for correct taxation, and proper profit splits.\nBackground Checking.\n\nEmployers will be saved the time and burden of a taxing background, checking a job candidate of his or her work history, qualifications, and other credentials. The unalterable blockchain data records the proof of claim a person may possess regarding skills, expertise, and line of work. Of course, there may be regulatory limitations as to the record of information one may allow himself to. But it comes with it the unalterable truthfulness of personal records that may be needed to authenticate an individual’s claim he says he is.\nConclusion.\n\nA lot can still be said regarding blockchain but for the time being, credence may lean more to use cases as adopting blockchain can be expensive to handle and maintain, including which blockchain company can be trusted and knowingly implement the technology to the client’s given business structure.\n\nSince 2008, 80,000 blockchain projects have flooded the crypto space. Today, only 8% survived and were actively maintained. That means 92% were abandoned after an average of 1.22 years of existence.\n\nBut this does not mean that we better look the other way or bide our time till blockchain matures to widespread use. It might be too late by then. Our business is on the line. It would be beneficial to educate ourselves about how blockchain can be possibly integrated into our business, even just in a department that needed it most. Blockchain is a backend technology that can simplify the complexities of existing systems without even telling your customers how it works. It’s just about business going as usual with unusual intangible perks.\n\nVisit our website: https://wallexcustody.com",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft  - 2020-08-17T121902.416.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQ29GtWWwMwuewfzFLVCa7YAhTRsL6sRV7jd1jzwnbvoJ/Wallex%20draft%20%20-%202020-08-17T121902.416.png)\n\n\nA great way to avoid being reduced to poverty\n\nComplacency is an offshoot trait that comes from the state of comfort that we achieve once we become familiar with a given environment or stimulus. A driver, for example, can be overly cautious in navigating a rugged terrain he is negotiating for the first time. He can be so calculating and, thus, would travel slow. Once the driver passes that same terrain over and over, he becomes more familiar with it and would drive a little faster. His built up confidence can make him complacent enough to ignore simple and basic safety rules to the compromise of his safety. I once heard a manager voicing out his observations concerning workplace employee output between contractual and regulars. Contractual employees would always put their best foot forward in doing their assigned jobs, knowing that not by doing so would jeopardize their stay in the company. But once they are hired and regularized, over time they would tend to become complacent because of the comforting thought that security of tenure brings them, the familiarity of the surrounding environment, and the developed mastery of the task with its predictable and routinary nature. But instead of a more efficient result, performances ironically are snail-paced, and results graded below quality. Processes and procedures consequently suffer from human error, along with health and safety policies being ignored. End-users are short ended with substandard service when complacency in the workplace becomes a hard habit to break.\n\nGovernments are historically conservative. Piles and piles of paperwork do still crowd the tables of offices and departments whose interrelation requires a paper needing authentication to be read, studied, recorded, stamped, and signed by numerous officers in charge in a maze of trails before coming out, in days, weeks, or years. The effort of governments to be transparent and safekeep sensitive data lends it a bureaucratic character, a system it cannot shake off. Complacency can easily set in.\n\nIntroducing Blockchain.\n\nThe invention of the blockchain technology as the backend infrastructure of any kind of business imaginable is being hailed as the greatest invention in contemporary history. Though only a very recent invention (2008) whose use cases are mostly in the financial world particularly bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, blockchain’s potential to disrupt incumbent systems in other sectors of society became widely talked about and now major entities have begun operating under the blockchain protocol. News comes out daily regarding its ease of use and the challenges that arise being it a nascent technology.\n\nWhat keeps Governments from Adopting?\n\nBlockchain technology, despite its disruptive popularity, has yet to reach a superstar status point of mass adoption before it can convince governments to follow suit. Until there is mainstream mass adoption until there are enough use cases to base from, and until problems and solutions plateau, governments, conservative as they are, would remain conveniently watching from the sides.\n\nIn one way or the other, the bureaucratic process of government has been working in their favor due to the massive data that need to be protected and secured. Human intervention in the processes sees to it that it is effectively and efficiently managed. The fearful scenario that the impending blockchain encroachment is the implementation of smart contracts. If smart contracts do away with human intervention, what would happen to the sea of people flooding every department and protected by law via security of tenure? That was the same thinking we had when the Internet and all its supporting technology came to disrupt our complacent lives. Fear was completely dispelled when our qualified worries did not materialize. The age of the internet made us more creative, improving our lives and made our work more fulfilling than ever. A Deloitte and Oxford collaboration that studied the impact of technology on jobs in the United Kingdom revealed that in the last 15 years, technology erased 800,000 jobs, but created 3.5 million new ones that required high skill and creativity.\n\nWhere to adopt Adoption.\n\nAs taxpayers, we deserve fast and efficient services that we know governments also dream of doing but cannot because of the entrenched systems and status quos. Bureaucracies are costly and waste a lot of people’s money every year. With with blockchain adoption, governments can study the possibilities of introducing them to service sectors that need it most, saving a lot from its coffers.\n\n1.) Land and property registries.\n\nThis is a very complex sphere of property management, especially in buying and selling. A simple land deal can be overwhelming with all the physical paperwork and authentications it requires. Even legal documents can have mistakes. Blockchain technology can correct age-old errors and guarantee clean transactions in seconds using smart contracts. Only concerned parties can openly search and verify specified documents.\n\n2.) Voting.\n\nThe political exercise can be more credible with blockchain keeping the elections transparent and free of fraud. Voting through blockchain ensures voters’ authentic virtual identity, and vote count results in real-time are impossible to alter.\n\n3.) Taxes.\n\nBlockchain transparency in smart contracts eliminates error and fraud and simplify tax filing and collection.\n\n4.) Virtual Identity.\n\nCollecting and verifying all information about us in a secure and centralized way makes government transactions fast and efficient.\n\n5.) Healthcare.\n\nHealth records through blockchain can be handled more securely and efficiently. Only authorized healthcare institutions can access sensitive medical records for secure collaboration, thereby saving patients from costly fees due to bureaucratic processes.\n\nBlockchain Countries to look up to.\n\nThe UK and Ukraine\n\nBoth these countries are on the verge of blockchaining their own respective land registries.\n\nEstonia\n\nEstonia built the KSI blockchain, a custom distribution ledger to make citizen-state transactions efficient and immutable. It includes healthcare, financial, and other public services.\n\nKorea\n\nKorea is about the operation and storage of all the population’s personal data for blockchain management. It also includes used vehicle records and allowances for the unemployed. Municipal administration is moving towards blockchain operation.\n\nSweden\n\nSweden looked to the land registry as a recipient of an effective private blockchain system with the database available to all land authorities and banks with transparent and verified changes allowed without extra charges or paperwork.\n\nDubai\n\nDubai’s movement into smart-city solutions is unprecedented. This year, all city government documents will have been stored in the blockchain, including workflow operations. It will result in a yearly savings of 25.1 million hours of economic productivity and control of CO2 emissions after Dubai follows all other areas in the Emirates, implementing the same smart-city solution.\n\nTo Blockchain or not to Blockchain. Final Notes.\n\nGovernments of nations sooner or later will have to face the inevitable. As of the moment, the only viable technology that can change the way they serve their people is via the blockchain technology. Technological advancement come out every now and then, and developers are working 24/7 to address remaining concerns that affect the full efficiency of blockchain technology especially data protection, privacy, and transparency. The speedy delivery of services through the help of the blockchain technology will greatly aid any country adopting it by the billions it can save in terms of time and money.",
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      "body": "![Wallex draft  - 2020-08-12T132455.008.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmekk42BCuudWxZCXoGe1mzwiFwES8vyckK9Au5CmQt1fN/Wallex%20draft%20%20-%202020-08-12T132455.008.png)\n\nWhat are they and how do they function?\n\nIf you are an enthusiast of cryptocurrency and digital assets, you are sure to be a regular user of cryptocurrency exchanges.\nWhat are Cryptocurrency Exchanges?\n\nCryptocurrency exchanges are internet market platforms that facilitate the trading of cryptocurrencies or digital currencies. It allows for the buying and selling of currencies, whether digital or fiat. For some, they are limited to crypto to crypto, while others allow for the exchange of fiat to crypto, or crypto to fiat. Cryptocurrency exchanges, in general, are independent of the creators of digital tokens. They are entities that only facilitate and administer the coming in and going out of different cryptocurrencies and trading thereof. Profits are earned from commissions from transactions or straight up charge fees.\nGoing digital?\n\nFor newbies, if you do decide to participate by investing your fiat currency, say US dollars, into cryptocurrencies, you need to set up an online account, called a wallet. By doing so, you can now be able to use it to receive coins or even send coins to other wallets. But if your crypto wallet is only limited to Bitcoin or Ethereum and is not capable of buying and selling other cryptocurrencies, you would need to go to a cryptocurrency exchange and set up your account, put in coins, and start trading. But cashing in your altcoins for profit may not be that easy as there are no wallets yet that function both as a storage and a fiat gateway. You will need to trade altcoins back to Bitcoin or Ethereum. Then from your exchange account, you may send them back to your wallet wherein you can now be able to cash them out.\nLearning the trade.\n\nCertain legalities vary from country to country when it comes to trading across borders. The United States of America, for example, categorize cryptocurrencies as property and, therefore, are subject to capital gains taxes. Other countries consider the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies as illegal and have issued blanket bans. One must study first the regulations governing cryptocurrencies among nations before embarking on knowledgeable crypto trading.\nCEX and DEX.\n\nCryptocurrency exchanges (CEX) mostly are centralized intermediaries that require the custody of your digital assets before making trades on their platforms. The custody of your digital assets will accrue interests to your favour. Decentralized exchanges, on the other hand, give you full custody of your digital assets. DEXs do not keep or store user funds that make them resistant to problems of security, unlike CEXs. Instead, they facilitate peer-to-peer transactions through smart contracts and atomic swaps. Some centralized crypto exchanges are adopting features that these decentralized exchanges are offering, which can be factors that are making DEXs experience low trading volumes. Trading volumes affect the volatility of the currency in that exchange. High trading volumes can mean that crypto price fluctuations are unlikely to occur.\nFinal Notes.\n\nDue to the relative newness that cryptocurrency features offer as alternatives to fiat or hard cash money, most people will still rely on centralized exchanges, being the obvious experts in the field, as custodians.\n\nUntil such time that people become confidently empowered to take control of their assets, learning as they go, centralized and hybrid solutions will continue to be the norm.\n\nVisit our website: https://www.wallexcustody.com/",
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      "permlink": "this-thing-called-cryptocurrency-exchange",
      "title": "This Thing Called Cryptocurrency Exchange"
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