Cryptocurrency is making its mark in almost every leading industry. Page managed by the Founder of Social Brand Investments. A knowledge & resource center for all things blockchain & cryptocurrency related In South Africa.
They say that everyone has at least one brilliant idea; it’s just that most people never do anything with it. It’s one thing to have a eureka moment, but implementing it requires time, effort, and capital. Thanks to the advent of ICOs, at least one of those problems has now been solved. Almost half of this year’s crypto projects launched their ICO with little more than a white paper and an idea.
Crowdfund First, Code Later
It’s no secret that many ICOs launch without an MVP in place, or that many have simply hired a developer to create the smart contract for their token. Recruiting developers and writing code costs money after all, and money’s hard to come without an ICO, hence the eagerness to crowdfund first and code later. New research by ICO Rating shows the prevalence of this trend among crypto projects. Their market research report reveals that 46% of the ICOs that launched in Q1 of 2018 did so with zero development.
Just 26% had an MVP in place, and 15.5% had an alpha release ready at the time of their ICO. It’s become commonplace for projects, especially those working on blockchain infrastructure, to launch with just a roadmap and whitepaper as an ERC20 token before initiating a token swap once their mainnet is ready several months down the line. The difficulty for investors, trying to scrutinize these projects, is that they must trust the claims of throughput and other performance-based metrics, since there is no way of verifying them.
Investors See Diminishing Returns
ICO Rating’s Q1 data also shows that the median return on tokens has fallen more than 10% compared to Q4 of 2017, and now sits at 49%. In addition, only 21% of this year’s tokens have been listed on exchanges so far, versus 33% for the previous period. Perhaps the most telling statistic that demonstrates the difficulty investors have had in turning a profit is the fact that 83% of tokens listed in Q1 traded below their ICO price.
Data shows the sectors where crypto funds are invested
A final finding of interest from ICO Rating concerns crypto funds. These have proliferated over the past 18 months, with a string of major investors from the worlds of VC and traditional finance entering the space. These funds tend to enter the market with great fanfare, but have a tendency to leave with a whimper. ICO Rating notes that only 119 of the 219 crypto funds it analyzed are actively operating, and nine funds closed in the first quarter of this year including Crowd Crypto Fund and Alpha Protocol.
They opine: “We expect that more funds may be closed in the future, due either to inefficiency or legal problems with regulators.” Nevertheless, with the remaining funds overseeing almost $28 billion in assets, crypto funds are big business.
What’s your opinion of ICOs that launch without any code or an MVP? Let us know in the comments section below.
Daar is groot verdeeltheid onder baie van die nasies van die wêreld ten opsigte van blokketting tegnologie en cryptocurrency. Die opsomming van hierdie vertelling kan kortliks uitgedruk word as: "blockchain is goed, terwyl kripto's sleg is."
'n Aantal lande soos China, Indië, Frankryk en die Verenigde Koninkryk wat óf verbod het op kriptokurwes, of wat streng kripto-regulasies bekendstel, is onder die sterkste voorstanders van blockchain tegnologie. Hul negatiewe houding teenoor die kripto-mark stop hulle nie om die potensiële voordele wat inherent is aan die suksesvolle implementering van blockchain-tegnologie vir regeringsaansoeke te erken nie.
Die blokketting is die benaming van die tegnologie wat die werking van cryptocurrencies ondersteun. Dit is nie die geldeenhede self nie. Dit is net een van die vele dinge wat 'n blokketting kan doen. Die ongekende groei in Bitcoin se prys, sowel as die sukses van Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash en ander cryptocurrencies, kan sommige oortuig dat blokketting basies net oor kripto geldeenhede gaan. Die waarheid is egter dat blokkettings meer as 'n virtuele geldeenheid is. Trouens, dit was hierdie idee wat Vitalik Buterin(Ethereum) aangespoor het om 'n nuwe blokketting protokol te ontwerp wat meer robuuste funksies bied as die Bitcoin ketting. Ethereum is in staat om 'n verskeidenheid gedesentraliseerde toepassings en outonome organisasies te ondersteun, en is ontwerp om die gebruikers in staat te stel om hulle eie aplikasies te ontwerp.
Dit is hierdie robuuste funksionaliteit van blokketting tegnologie wat die oog van regerings oor die hele wêreld aangegryp het. Met baie lande wat voortdurend teen mekaar in die innovasie- en tegnologiese vooruitgangsteater kompeteer, wil niemand agterbly nie. Baie regerings bestudeer talle moontlike blokketting-gebaseerde aansoeke vir staatsaangeleenthede of reeds in die proses om sulke aansoeke te toets, alhoewel slegs op 'n klein skaal.
Blokkettings het die potensiaal om die aktiwiteite van die regering te revolusioneer. Die potensiële gebruiksgevalle van blockchain-tegnologie in die regering sluit onder andere die volgende toepassings in:
* Gesondheidssorg
* Nasionale Identiteitsbestuurstelsels
* Belasting en Interne Inkomste Monitering
* Nasionale of streeks Stemmings prosesse
* Veilige Bankdienste, ens.
Once again we observe how easy it is to manipulate crypto market, having a reputation in the world of business and commerce.
George Soros, who literally 2 months ago was actively criticizing crypto, announced that he would now deal with it. After his first statement the price of bitcoin fell sharply, after the second - it grew. The most interesting thing here is that given the fact that Soros changes his attitude to the crypt like gloves, he can say at least tomorrow that he sold all the crypto-active items and again start to heat crypto.
Last Friday, Venrock forged a partnership with cryptocurrency investor group CoinFund, according to a company official blog post. Venrock represents the venture capital arm of the more famous Rockefeller Foundation. Named after the renowned John D. Rockefeller, Venrock is seemingly following Soros' footsteps by entering the cryptocurrency space. The company is set to provide the Rockefellers with a ready-made list of unique cryptocurrencies the fund already has stakes in. On a tweet Coinfund stated:
"We are excited to partner with @pakman and @Venrock for our work in #decentralization and #blockchain!"
In the meantime, bitcoin domination has stopped around 45%, which does not bode well at all: usually in such a situation (when the domination does not change), overall capitalization is slowly falling.
Nevertheless, according to the fundamental analysis, everything is in order: in addition to the statement of Soros, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began to consider the proposals of the two exchange investment funds (ETF). Last month Chris Concannon (CBOE president) wrote a letter to the Commission asking to consider Bitcoin ETF offers as casual, and not as a class of products. In addition, he noted that CBOE has successfully completed several futures contracts and stated that bitcoin markets are developing rapidly and will soon be able to guarantee ETF.
Hoe Callisto airdrop die Ethereum Classic se prys beïnvloed het en wat sal op 5 Maart met Ethereum Classic gebeur?
Ethereum Classic blyk tans een van die warmste onderwerpe te wees in die wêreld van cryptocurrencies. ETC het daarin geslaag om sy hoogste prys ooit te bereik met die verwagting van die groot opkomende gebeurtenis vir ETC - Callisto "airdrop".
ETC gekant teen harde vurk
U onthou sekerlik hoe Ethereum Classic in die eerste plek ontstaan het, veral as u 'n ETC-houer is. Na die massiewe fiasko met DAO op Ethereum-platform wat die houers miljoene dollars gekos het, toe 'n onbekende hacker dit uit die stelsel uitgevee het, het Ethereum na harde vurk gegaan, sodat hulle hul foute kon korregeer. Die hele stelsel het na 'n tegniese "her-skryf" gegaan, maar tydens hierdie proses was daar 'n rebellie. Terwyl Ethereum uitgesien het na hul harde vurk, waar alle foute wat hul platform uitsorteer sou word en baie geld reggestel sou word met alle nuwe stelselopdaterings, was 'n groot aantal ETC-houers teen hierdie verandering. Aangesien hulle teen die verandering was en die platform gedesentraliseer was sonder sentrale gesag om hierdie gebeurtenis te beheer, het die rebellehouers geweier om aan die harde vurk te voldoen.
Alle Ethereum Classic-gebruikers was geregtig om ETC vir hulle ETH te kry in 'n verhouding van 1: 1 en hulle moes die ou stelsel wat hulle so graag gehad het, gebruik.
Maar nou, ironies genoeg, dat Ethereum Classic aangekondig het dat hulle self deur die proses van 'n verandering moet gaan, sien ons 'n hele nuwe gesig van hierdie "koppig" getroue gemeenskap.
Callisto Airdrop en Ethereum Classic
Baie van julle, ouens, het my gevra om inligting oor ETC te gee, so hier is dit:
Môre sal alle mense wat ETC hou, Callisto (CLO) ontvang (1 ETC = 1 CLO). Dit sal gebeur by die 5 500 000ste blok, ongeveer om 13.30 uur (UTC tydsone)
U kan blokke hier tel: https://bitinfocharts.com/ethereum classic /As jy CLO wil ontvang, moet jy jou ETC hou op ClassicEtherWallet, Trust Wallet OF op HitBtc.
ETC - Ethereum Classic
VIR HOUERS: sodra 5 500 000 blokke ontgin is, sal alle bedrywe vir 30-40 minute gevries word. Hierna verwag ons 'n groot en vinnige dump (ongeveer 10-20%), dan sal die prys stadig begin herstel. Nou is die hype verby en daar is baie min kans dat ons in die nabye toekoms groot groei sal sien, dus moet nie verkoop teen 'n verlies nie - hou vir langtermyn.
VIR KOPERS: daar is 'n geleentheid om hier geld te verdien. Voor die vurk kan jy bestellings plaas 10-15% goedkoper as die huidige prys. In hierdie geval sal jy kan koop vir 'n goedkoop prys en dan verkoop vir + 5-10% wins.
Die meganisme vir die opgradering van 'n blokketting is 'n harde vurk. Callisto verbind hulleself tot 'n maksimum van twee harde vurke per jaar, op 5 Maart en 11 November. As 'n stuk sagteware nie gereed is vir vrylating nie, sal die harde vurk oorgeslaan word en hierdie opdatering sal in die volgende geskeduleerde opgraderingsvenster land. Callisto airdrop is egter geskeduleer vir iewers rondom 2 Maart tot 5 Maart. Dit is nog nie heeltemal duidelik wanneer dit beslis sal gebeur nie, maar daar word aangekondig dat dit vroeg in Maart sal plaasvind.
Alle ETC-houers sal 'n gelyke hoeveelheid Callisto (CLO) in verhouding 1: 1 kry. Die oordrag van ETC na CLO behoort 'n momentopname te kry by die 5500000ste blok. Hierdie verandering moet nie vir 'n harde vurk vergis word nie, soos dit met Ethereum en Ethereum Classic was. Hierdie saak word eerder as 'n "momentopname" gekategoriseer en kan vergelyk word met Bitcoin-goud en soortgelyke "klone" wat oor die jare bekend gestel is.
Met hierdie airdrop wonder baie mense hoe CLO sal werk. Callisto sal ETC se vorige rekords hou wat gemerk is aan die 5500000ste blok en later vanaf daardie stadium sal Callisto sy eie geskiedenis skryf.
Hierdie geval van kloning vind plaas omdat CLO-ontwikkelaars glo dat slim kontrakgebruik op Ethereum Classic aansienlik verbeter kan word. Hulle het ook gesê dat Ethereum Classic nie veilig genoeg is nie omdat ETC-gebruikers nooit die probleem wat hulle met DAO gehad het, regtig opgelos het nie, terwyl Ethereum hierdie probleem opgelos het.
Aangesien Callisto 'n fonds het om ontwikkelaars te betaal om op die blockchain te werk, is dit verstandig om vroeg in die toekoms opgraderings te verwag. Harde vurke word tipies te laat in die ontwikkelingsiklus aangekondig, wat probleme veroorsaak vir gebruikers wat hul geld in toepaslike beursies moet oorplaas, vir mynwerkers, wat sagteware op hul mynbouriggings moet opgradeer, en vir die uitruil, wat sagteware moet opdateer.
Callisto Projek Voorspellings
CLO het reeds groot planne met die aangekondigde airdrop en hul hoofdoel is om hierdie platform veiliger, selfregerende, self befondsde en volhoubare blockchain-gemeenskap te maak.
Ethereum-stigting, die organisasie wat op Ethereum blockchain werk, is finansieel sterk as gevolg van korporatiewe borgskap, ondernemingskonsultasies, en meer belangrik, 'n massiewe voorafgemynde ETH.
Vir 'n ander organisasie wat op blokketting tegnologie kan innoveer, kan dit moeilik wees om fondse te beveilig. Die neem van 'n gedeelte van die blokbeloning om die ontwikkeling van die blockchain te finansier, is egter 'n slim en goed beproefde idee.
Ons weet reeds dat DASH en Decred albei 10% van die blokbeloning aan hul ontwikkelingspanne gee.
Callisto neem dit 'n stap verder, en boonop om 10% aan die Ethereum Commonwealth-ontwikkelingspan te gee, neem hulle ook bykomende 20% en versprei dit onder belanghebbendes met langtermein beleggings moet aanspoor en CLO so as 'n waardevolle bate van waarde te vestig.
CLO ontwikkelaars beplan om 'n amptelike slim kontrakafdeling te skep wat beide deur CLO en ETC onderteken is. Die kloning sal dus beskou word as 'n uitbreiding of verbetering vir die ETC-gemeenskap. Met die implementering van nuwe ingeboude slim kontrakstelsels, nuwe verbeterings en implementering van geskikte protokolle, behoort Callisto sonder enige probleem hul doel te bereik.
Callisto-ontwikkelaars vestig ook aandag op die feit dat ETC geen beloningsprogramme vir muntehouers het nie, terwyl hierdie platform op dieselfde tyd meer geleenthede vir mynwerkers het, met die feit dat hulle die hele netwerk bestuur.
So, CLO beplan om aansporings vir muntehouers by die pakket te voeg deur die implementering van nuwe protokolle om beloningstelsels vir alle lede wat tot die netwerk bydra, wat houers in staat sal stel om belongs te verdien vir hulle bydraes tot die netwerk.
If you are still one of those people who thinks that Blockchain is just a currency bubble waiting to pop, watch this:
Its time has come. So says a video by Porche introducing their work on blockchenifying cars in a partnership with Xain, an ethereum based blockchain start-up that won a Porsche Innovation Contest.
“The car becomes part of the blockchain, making a direct offline connection possible – that is, without diversion through a server,” Porche says in a statement before adding:
“Taking 1.6 seconds, the process of opening and closing the car via an app is up to six times faster than before. In addition, efficient cryptographic encryption takes place.”
By using smart contracts, third-parties can be easily integrated without requiring any hardware, Porche says, with the blockchain technology further allowing temporary access to the car for, say, parcel deliveries.
“We can use blockchain to transfer data more quickly and securely, giving our customers more peace of mind in the future, whether they are charging, parking or need to give a third party, such as a parcel delivery agent, temporary access to the vehicle,” Oliver Döring, Financial Strategist at Porsche, says.
The company has tested a blockchenized app to lock and unlock a vehicle, for temporary access authorisations as well as for encrypted data loggings:
“Through auditable data logging, the data to be processed is encrypted locally in a distributed blockchain… With this basis, the future of autonomous driving will see improved functions on offer: Local data can be used to obtain regional learning effects, which can be shared securely with other vehicles. The customer can make use of swarm data, which is protected at the same time.”
In a video they show other use cases, such as potentially allowing cars to communicate with each other through smart contracts, or securely connecting cars to blockchenized charging stations.
The provided technical details are, however, sparse, but Xain has an interesting yellow paper where they describe the blockchain architecture.
The core of it is Ethereum, with its Turin complete capabilities and smart contracts, but the consensus method used is what they call a Practical Proof of Kernel Work.
Xain’s description of the consensus method.
The permissioned blockchain requires a whitelisting of nodes that can take part in the network. However, instead of all these nodes “fighting” with each other to find the next block, a node or a group of nodes is randomly chosen to do the Proof of Work calculations.
The “miners,” therefore wouldn’t need to engage in an arms race with each other, but only in a “race” to complete the proof of work calculations.
It appears this specific method was used rather than Proof of Stake because the blockchain has no token, therefore does not have something that can be staked.
It also seems to be a preferred method over Proof of Authority because a little bit of work might provide a little bit more security.
The general architecture, however, appears to be similar to ethereum. Therefore one could imagine the permissioned chain “communicating” with ethereum’s public blockchain just as one can image it could all somewhat easily be transferred to the public blockchain once it reaches the necessary scalability level.
As such, the car industry is now seemingly beginning to get comfortable with this new technology, so exploring its implementation within cars and perhaps other transport methods to see what benefits vehicles with smart contracts can provide to services and individuals.
IOTA was conceived and designed with a vision further into the future than most of us can comprehend. Its features will turn into major benefits as time progresses and it is a question of when, not if, IOTA will take over as the standard in cryptocurrency and industry 4.0.
The Ethereum ecosystem completely obliterates the rest of crypto by all metrics but market cap at this point!
Ethereum stands out amongst the current crop of Blockchain technologies
Ethereum stands out among the current crop of Blockchain technologies in their offering of so-called Smart Contracts. Smart Contracts are protocols or platforms which use Blockchain technology to allow two or more parties (people, companies, NGOs, governments or whatever) to effectively automate the creation and ongoing evolution of agreements or contracts in such a way that everyone involved can be sure that what was recorded as said, agreed or done cannot be changed, accidentally or deliberately, without all parties being aware. Ethereum is the most developed existing platform for creating big public Blockchains. Additionally, Ethereum has also created smart alliances with big players. The escalation in the value of Ethereum has led to the second most significant cryptocurrency garnering a good deal of media headlines, although it is still dwarfed by Bitcoin. Applications are necessary in order to run on its platform-specific cryptographic token, which is referred to as ether. According to Ethereum, it can be used to “codify, decentralize, secure and trade just about anything.” With a trading price in the region of $1,300 per unit, it seems that the future of Ethereum is very bright.
XRP only processes ~$500mn. Ethereum processes ~$25bn, so thats ~50x of XRP. And that doesn't even include ERC20 tokens and the fact that only part of Ripple ledger volume even involves XRP. So yes, XRP completely disappears on this chart. Its on-chain transaction volume is about on par with DOGE.
It’s no secret that many ICOs launch without an MVP in place, or that many have simply hired a developer to create the smart contract for their token. Recruiting developers and writing code costs money after all, and money’s hard to come without an ICO, hence the eagerness to crowdfund first and code later. New research by ICO Rating shows the prevalence of this trend among crypto projects. Their market research report reveals that 46% of the ICOs that launched in Q1 of 2018 did so with zero development.
Just 26% had an MVP in place, and 15.5% had an alpha release ready at the time of their ICO. It’s become commonplace for projects, especially those working on blockchain infrastructure, to launch with just a roadmap and whitepaper as an ERC20 token before initiating a token swap once their mainnet is ready several months down the line. The difficulty for investors, trying to scrutinize these projects, is that they must trust the claims of throughput and other performance-based metrics, since there is no way of verifying them.
