The value of a song? Its complicated. Very low if youre an artist or songwriter worried about your streaming royalties. Very high if youre an established musician with a back catalogue, and the likes of Hipgnosis and Round Hill Music waving their wallets in your direction.

Heres another spin on the question: how much are songs worth on the blockchain? In the case of Cotton Eyes by progressive house artist Guy J, the answer is 40 Ethereum around $24.8k.

This new exclusive track sold an ERC721 Royalty income right Music NFT for 50% of future Royalty rights on Rocki, auctioned off on the decentralized auction protocol Bouncefinance for a record amount of 40 Ethereum, to be specific, fromRockis announcement. NFT stands for nonfungible token, if youre wondering, and this is the first example of Rocki selling one based on royalty income rights.

Stuart Dredge

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Rocki explores how much songs are worth on the blockchain - Music Ally

Microsoft and the professional services network Ernst & Young (EY) have announced that they have expanded the Xbox Enterprise Blockchain Platform to provide a financial system of record for gaming rights and royalties management.

The blockchain-based system will be used by the software giant to enable its Xbox gaming partners and network of artists, musicians, writers and other video game content creators to gain increased visibility into the tracking, management and payment processing for royalty contracts.

EY expects its other B2B enterprise clients to follow suit and create similar blockchain platforms to help them automate contract-related calculations and processing.

The firm's global blockchain leader Paul Brody provided further insight on how enterprises could benefit from implementing blockchain technology in a press release, saying:

Blockchains could well become the glue that digitizes interactions between enterprises. This go-live represents another big step on that path, extending the level of automation and cycle time compression all the way from digitizing the contract to posting financial accruals. Blockchain solutions like this help raise the bar for enterprise integration, from point-to-point integration to ecosystem-level automation.

With its expanded blockchain platform, Microsoft will be able to accelerate contact creation using AI based on Microsoft Azure.

The Xbox Enterprise Blockchain Platform is also now able to seamlessly generate and integrate statements and invoices with enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications to process and record royalties with increased speed, visibility and transparency. Accounting entries can even be generated from the blockchain platform into ERP applications as well.

The expanded solution reduces processing time by 99 percent with 100 percent near real-time calculation of royalties using digital contracts across game development partners. The Xbox Enterprise Blockchain Platform has also been tested to support performance under a high volume of usage and is capable of processing 2m transactions per day.

GM of global finance operations at Microsoft Luke Fewel explained how the recent go-live shows the potential for blockchain and smart contract technology, saying:

In this go-live, we successfully generated the first round of partner payments utilizing blockchain and smart contract technology. This expanded solution will help streamline financial and operational processes with the ability to scale, reduce heavy manual overhead and improve the experience for Microsofts gaming partners. We look forward to continuing to scale this solution across our royalties ecosystem improving our processes and the continuation of our modern finance journey.

Read more:

Xbox will now use blockchain for gaming rights and royalties - TechRadar

TipRanks

After a year that most of us want to forget, 2021 is shaping up to start with stability and an even keel. The election is safely behind us, the new Biden Administration promises a no drama approach, a closely divided and hyper-partisan Congress is unlikely to enact any sweeping legislation, reform or otherwise, and COVID vaccines are ready for distribution. Its a recipe for a calm news cycle.Which makes it a perfect time to buy into the stock market. Investors can read the tea leaves, or study the data whatever their preferred mode of stock analysis and use this period of calm to make rational choices on the stock moves. Using the TipRanks database, weve pulled up three stocks that present a bullish case. All three meet a profile that should interest value investors. They hold unanimous Strong Buy consensus ratings, along with a perfect 10 from the Smart Score. That score, a unique measure, evaluates a stock based on 8 factors with a proven high correlation to future overperformance. A 10 score indicates a strong likelihood that the stock will rise in the coming year. And finally, all three of these stocks present with double-digit upside potentials, indicating that they are still undervalued.UMH Properties (UMH)Well start in the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector, with UMH Properties. This company, which started out after WWII in the mobile home industry, later become the premier builder of manufactured housing. Today, UMH owns and manages a portfolio of 124 manufactured housing communities, spread across 8 states in the Northeast and Midwest, and totaling well over 23,000 units. As a REIT, UMH has benefitted from the nature of manufactured houses as affordable options in the housing market. UMH both sells the manufactured homes to residents, while leasing the plots on which the properties stand, and leases homes to residents. The companys same-property income, a key metric, showed 8.6% year-over-year increase in the third quarter.Also in the third quarter, UMH reported a 16% yoy increase in top line revenue, showing $43.1 million compared to $37.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Funds from Operations, another key metric in the REIT sector, came in at 11 cents per share, down from 14 cents in 3Q19. The decrease came as the company redeemed $2.9 million in Series B Preferred Stock.REITs are required to return income to shareholders, and UMH accomplishes this with a reliable dividend and a high yield of 4.7%. The payment, at 18 cents per common share, is paid quarterly and has been held stable for over a decade.Compass Point analyst Merrill Ross believes the company is in a sound position to create value for both households and shareholders."We believe that UMH has proven that it can bring attractive, affordable housing to either renters or homeowners more efficiently than has been possible with vertical rental housing. As UMH improves its cost of funds, it can compete more effectively with other MH community owners in the public and private realms, and because it has a successful formula to turn around undermanaged communities, we think that UMH can consolidate privately-owned properties over the next few years to build on its potential for value creation," Ross opined.To this end, Ross rates UMH a Buy, and her $20 price target implies a 25% one-year upside. (To watch Rosss track record, click here)Overall, the unanimous Strong Buy on UMH is based on 5 recent reviews. The stock is selling for $15.92, and the $18.40 average price target suggests it has room for 15% growth from that level. (See UMH stock analysis on TipRanks)Laird Superfood (LSF)Laird Superfood is a newcomer to the stock markets, having gone public just this past September. The company manufactures and markets a range of plant-based, nutrient-dense food additives and snacks, and is most known for its line of specialized non-dairy coffee creamers. Laird targets customers looking to add nutrition and an energy boost to their diet.Since its September IPO, the company has reported Q3 earnings. Revenue was strong, at $7.6 million, beating the forecast by over 26% and coming in 118% above the year-ago figure. The company also reported a 115% yoy growth in online sales. Ecommerce now makes up 49% of the companys net sales no surprise during the corona year.The review on the stock comes from Robert Burleson, a 5-star analyst from Canaccord. Burleson reiterates his bullish position, saying, We continue to view LSF as an attractive platform play on strong demand trends for plant-based, functional foods, noting LSFs competitively differentiated omni-channel approach and ingredients ethos. Over time, we expect LSF to be able to leverage its brand and vertically integrated operation into success in a broad range of plant-based categories, driving outsized top-line growth and healthy margin expansion.Burleson rates LSF shares a Buy alongside a $70 price target. This figure indicates his confidence in ~63% growth on the one-year horizon. (To watch Burlesons track record, click here)Laird has not attracted a lot of analyst attention, but those who have reviewed the stock agree with Burlesons assessment. LSF has a unanimous Strong Buy analyst consensus rating, based on 3 recent reviews. The stocks $62.33 average price target suggests room for ~39% upside in the coming year. (See LSF stock analysis on TipRanks)TravelCenters of America (TA)Last but not least is TravelCenters of America, a major name in the transportation sector. TravelCenters owns, operates, and franchises full-service highway rest stops across the US an important niche in a country that relies heavily on long-haul trucking, and in which private car ownership has long encouraged the road trip mystique. TAs network of rest stops offers travelers convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in addition to gasoline and diesel fuel and the expected amenities.The corona crisis has been hard time for TA, as lockdown regulations put a damper on travel. The companys revenues bottomed out in Q2, falling to $986 million, but rose 28% sequentially to hit $1.27 billion in Q3. EPS, at 61 cents, was also strong, and showed impressive 165% year-over-year growth. These gains came as the economy started reopening and with air travel still restricted, automobiles become the default for long distance, a circumstance that benefits TravelCenters. Covering TravelCenters for BTIG is analyst James Sullivan, who rates the stock a Buy, and his $40 price target suggests a 22% upside over the coming year. (To watch Sullivans track record, click here)Backing his stance, Sullivan noted, "TA is in the process of moving on from a series of unsuccessful initiatives under the prior management team. The current new management team has strengthened the balance sheet and intends to improve operations through both expense cuts and revenue-generating measures which should boost margins [...] While we expect the 2020 spend to be focused on non-revenue generating maintenance and repair items, we expect in 2021 and beyond that higher spending should generate good ROI All in all, TravelCenters shares get a unanimous thumbs up, with 3 Buys backing the stocks Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares sell for $32.87, and the average price target of $38.33 suggests an upside potential of ~17%. (See TA stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

See the rest here:

DeNations, a Blockchain-Powered Metaverse, Launches the First INO (Initial Nations Offering) Offering Five Nations to the Public - Yahoo Finance

Paxos, a blockchain infrastructure platform, today announced it has closed a $142 millionSeries C round of funding.Declaration Partners, the investment firm backed by the family office ofDavid M. Rubenstein, led the round, with participation from Mithril Capital,PayPal Ventures,RIT Capital Partners plc,Ken Moelis, Alua Capital, Senator Investment Group. To date, Paxos has raised more than$240 millionin funding.

Paxos is building a future where all assetsfrom money to commodities to securitieswill be digitized and can move instantaneously, 24/7. Settlement risk will cease to exist, so trillions of dollars of trapped capital can go to work in a global, frictionless economy. Today, as the first regulated Trust company with blockchain expertise, Paxos is uniquely positioned to mobilize and custody assets digitally.

While speaking about the investment round, Charles Cascarilla, CEO and Co-Founder of Paxos, stated:

In the last year, global adoption of crypto and blockchain-based solutions by enterprises has accelerated. We are proud to count among our clientsglobal leaders in payments, banking, trading and fintech, such as PayPal, Credit Suisse, Societe Generale and Revolut. Paxos is uniquely positioned to address the digital asset needs of global brands and bring our solutions to enterprises with trillions in assets and billions of end users. We are grateful for the support of our new investment partners which helps bring us closer to our vision for a more open, accessible economy.

In a blog post, Cascarilla said their mission is to enable the movement of any asset, any time, in a trustworthy way. Cascarilla added that for the financial system of the future to be truly opened it must be tokenized in contrast to the current account-based system

Paxos has signed up many big names in the digital asset sector. Recently, Paxos was enlisted by PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) in its strategic move into cryptocurrency. Announced in October, Paxos is powering PayPals new service enabling its US users to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency directly from their PayPal digital wallet.

Key to Paxos growth is its compliance first approach as exemplified by the PayPal partnership which was touted by the New York Department of Financial Services.

Brian Stern, Partner, Declaration Partners, issued the following statement on the investment:

Paxos is executing on its ambitious, long-term mission at a remarkable pace. Through its relentless forward-thinking, Paxos has developed products and services that enable trusted access to digital assets, as well as dramatic efficiency and risk reduction to our traditional financial industry infrastructure. We are thrilled to support its continued growth and development of these innovative and inclusive solutions.

Paxos said it will use the investment rounds funding to accelerate growth, including scaling its operations and platform capacity to meet the demands of its expanding customer base. The company also shared plans for 2021.

The company added it plans to double the size of its team and will explore all opportunities for growth. Paxos said its plans were grand and their goals are substantial. In brief, Paxos wants to lead the way in the inevitable digitization of assets. And now it has more funding to pursue this mission.

Excerpt from:

Blockchain Infrastructure Platform Paxos Secures $142 Million in Series C Funding Round Led By Declaration Partners - Crowdfund Insider

In a customer-oriented society, the technologies are competing with each other in convenience, quickness, security, and agility what have resulted in unprecedented acceleration of advanced technologies. Today the IoT promotes a totally interacted world where things can exchange measured data and thus create a fully connected environment.

The IoT can be consistently referred to as the 21st-century technology changing simple appliances into smart ones, common houses seem no longer comfortable without smart facilities, cities are changing into smart cities with full integration of conventional devices and technologies.

The IoT emerges as a bridge between operational and informational technology connecting the network of devices, and home vehicles, and all appliances embedded with electronics, software, sensors to be able to connect and exchange data. As a result, people's involvement is minimized thus providing benefits such as efficiency, quickness, convenience.

However, the IoT has exceeded its infancy time and now it makes steps in a more mature environment. IoT solutions are being deployed in diverse areas, from manufacturing and optimizing production up to digitizing industries. Still, the most tangible impact the IoT has produced is the payment industry revolutionizing the way people buy and pay.

The payment industry with its constant strive for development and improvement has predicted the benefits of the IoT in payments and now we have a unique opportunity to experience frictionless payments. The IoT facilitates removing obstacles and due to interconnectivity, we get a chance to enjoy the smart payments without people's interventions.

COVID-19 on its side has its own impact on the broadening of IoTs appeal in the payment industry when all industries are going through revolutionary changes and the drastic acceleration of contactless payments methods has only served to prompt the integration in payment processes thus leading to a an new term originating from Internet of Things - Internet of Payments.

In short, the Internet of Payment enables payment processing over IoT devices such as automobiles, appliances, and wearables.

Now when most businesses are exploring innovative ways and services to respond to customer needs in this pro-digital time, customers invest with readiness in IoT ecosystem devices. Payments done through specific appliances, gadgets and wearables - all this constitute the core of Internet of Payments. Together with enhanced usage of consumer electronics such as gadgets for IoP coupled with operational and banking technologies can be referred to as the major drivers for such wide adoption of the Internet of Things in the financial services leading to the formation of Internet of Payments. Internet of Payments contributes to increased revenues by virtue of additional volume and opening new ways of payments fulfilling.

However as it always happens the innovations always must overcome barriers and face diverse challenges before widespread adoption. As it always happens the main concern that prevents the widespread adoption of such innovations is security problems.

Since the IoT is the substantial reality of information systems and utilizes the existing wireless sensor networks technologies the privacy and security threats take their own important place. At first instance, It can be fully said that the IoT objects problems begin with poor design matters when at the design and manufacturing phase the security aspects werent properly addressed. The lack of compliance of hardware with insecure internet connection challenges security problems resulting in the lack of secure update mechanism, guessable passwords, unpatched software, hardware issues, and other problems connected with the insufficient quality of the hardware.

Another security problem the IoT is exposed to is the DDoS attacks. Since the IoT objects utilize wireless sensor technologies consequently the ecosystem remains vulnerable to such attacks. The poor data security and privacy is the constant source of threat to the whole IoT ecosystem.

Therefore to safeguard the IoP system and to address major security requirements in IoP the Blockchain system is integrated into the IoT. As it comes out the IoT and Blockchain alone prove to be highly disruptive whereas the IoT requires the strengthening of its security system the Blockchain security mechanisms provide it. Reciprocally the IoT system embodies the disruptive nature of the Blockchain system securing more ordered and well-organized work. Moreover, the use of blockchain would add an extra layer of security that creates another obstacle for hackers that are obliged to bypass for getting access to the network.

Therefore as it comes out Blockchain empowers the IoT devices to enhance security and brings transparency in IoT ecosystems.

In general the combination of the IoP and Blockchain isnt limited just to security measures. The IoP and Blockchain are considered to be the innovations that would improve and develop current business processes and create new business models with shared decentralized distributed ledger that opens up opportunities to provide trust, transparent, secure payments.

Internet of Payments enables better customer-connect, together with the larger IoT ecosystem. And herein an opportunity emerges for Fintechs and Big techs to gain an advantage in the banking and financial industry, by introducing new business models when the combination of IoT and blockchain technology are considered to improve the current business processes due to opportunities the Blockchain structure provides. Blockchain as a distributed ledger can store all kinds of information by means of which the trusted real-time transactions without intermediaries are secured thus providing fast transaction processings and coordination among billions of devices. With the increase in the number of interconnected devices the distributed ledger technology provides a solution that supports these large numbers of transactions. More transactions - more benefits and profit.

Blockchain brings to IoT

Autonomy of IoT systems when IoT devices can interact with each other without the intervention of a third party due to smart contracts enabled by blockchain.

Coordination and Interoperability across IoT devices, due to blockchain technology when all IoT devices interact and exchange information due to layer on P2P network.

Blockchains algorithms mechanisms secure reliability and traceability of the IoT data due to data blocks with history stamp saved in blockchain

We can see that due to the IoT -Blockchains technologies have a revolutionary impact on our lifestyle. The technologies enable full insight into the working process and smoothes it. The manufacturers automate the production process and save money on labor. Daily direct transactions without intermediaries also prevent additional spends and costs. Blockchain and Internet of Payments contributes to increased revenues by virtue of additional volume and opening new ways of payments fulfilling. And herein lies an opportunity for Fintechs to gain a advantage in the banking and financial industry, by introducing new business models.Now we live smarter, we work smarter and we get a chance to streamline our daily life with more flexibility and agility.

View original post here:

How Blockchain promotes the acceleration and adoption of Internet of Payments? - Finextra

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Overline Media Partners (OMP) welcomes Donald Trump Jr. as the first of six founding journalists and public figures in "OG1". Trump Jr., accomplished businessman, author, and political figure, brings a 365-day vision of a rebuilt American media focused on transparency and accountability.

"Americans know the media is broken, we don't have to focus on the negative,"says Donald Trump Jr. "The need for accurate, censorship-proof news is both a fundamental right and an enormous opportunity. Together with Kimberly and the amazing people in OMP, we have the technology, capital, and moral imperative to build this. Let's get it done."

As a special acquisition strategy, OMP is a multi-platform vehicle made of "buy-or-build" assets in cable, print, and digital distribution. In addition to extensive financing capabilities, OMP brings unique blockchain technology called Overline Verified Viewer. "With Overline Verified Viewer, networks use popular blockchains to award viewers with digital coins that prove their viewership of a given segment or news anchor," says partner and blockchainresearch groupOverline'sCEO Patrick McConlogue. "With these coins awarded to viewers, you don't just have more credible reporters, you have more credible viewers. It's a whole new paradigm for thinking about news."

OMP will announce the next part of OG1 on Jan.2, 2021.

CONTACT: https://omp.overline.network| (917) 765-4240 | [emailprotected]

SOURCE Overline Media Partners

https://omp.overline.network

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Donald Trump Jr. Joins Collective Using Blockchain Technology to Make News Credible Again - PRNewswire

TipRanks

After a year that most of us want to forget, 2021 is shaping up to start with stability and an even keel. The election is safely behind us, the new Biden Administration promises a no drama approach, a closely divided and hyper-partisan Congress is unlikely to enact any sweeping legislation, reform or otherwise, and COVID vaccines are ready for distribution. Its a recipe for a calm news cycle.Which makes it a perfect time to buy into the stock market. Investors can read the tea leaves, or study the data whatever their preferred mode of stock analysis and use this period of calm to make rational choices on the stock moves. Using the TipRanks database, weve pulled up three stocks that present a bullish case. All three meet a profile that should interest value investors. They hold unanimous Strong Buy consensus ratings, along with a perfect 10 from the Smart Score. That score, a unique measure, evaluates a stock based on 8 factors with a proven high correlation to future overperformance. A 10 score indicates a strong likelihood that the stock will rise in the coming year. And finally, all three of these stocks present with double-digit upside potentials, indicating that they are still undervalued.UMH Properties (UMH)Well start in the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector, with UMH Properties. This company, which started out after WWII in the mobile home industry, later become the premier builder of manufactured housing. Today, UMH owns and manages a portfolio of 124 manufactured housing communities, spread across 8 states in the Northeast and Midwest, and totaling well over 23,000 units. As a REIT, UMH has benefitted from the nature of manufactured houses as affordable options in the housing market. UMH both sells the manufactured homes to residents, while leasing the plots on which the properties stand, and leases homes to residents. The companys same-property income, a key metric, showed 8.6% year-over-year increase in the third quarter.Also in the third quarter, UMH reported a 16% yoy increase in top line revenue, showing $43.1 million compared to $37.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Funds from Operations, another key metric in the REIT sector, came in at 11 cents per share, down from 14 cents in 3Q19. The decrease came as the company redeemed $2.9 million in Series B Preferred Stock.REITs are required to return income to shareholders, and UMH accomplishes this with a reliable dividend and a high yield of 4.7%. The payment, at 18 cents per common share, is paid quarterly and has been held stable for over a decade.Compass Point analyst Merrill Ross believes the company is in a sound position to create value for both households and shareholders."We believe that UMH has proven that it can bring attractive, affordable housing to either renters or homeowners more efficiently than has been possible with vertical rental housing. As UMH improves its cost of funds, it can compete more effectively with other MH community owners in the public and private realms, and because it has a successful formula to turn around undermanaged communities, we think that UMH can consolidate privately-owned properties over the next few years to build on its potential for value creation," Ross opined.To this end, Ross rates UMH a Buy, and her $20 price target implies a 25% one-year upside. (To watch Rosss track record, click here)Overall, the unanimous Strong Buy on UMH is based on 5 recent reviews. The stock is selling for $15.92, and the $18.40 average price target suggests it has room for 15% growth from that level. (See UMH stock analysis on TipRanks)Laird Superfood (LSF)Laird Superfood is a newcomer to the stock markets, having gone public just this past September. The company manufactures and markets a range of plant-based, nutrient-dense food additives and snacks, and is most known for its line of specialized non-dairy coffee creamers. Laird targets customers looking to add nutrition and an energy boost to their diet.Since its September IPO, the company has reported Q3 earnings. Revenue was strong, at $7.6 million, beating the forecast by over 26% and coming in 118% above the year-ago figure. The company also reported a 115% yoy growth in online sales. Ecommerce now makes up 49% of the companys net sales no surprise during the corona year.The review on the stock comes from Robert Burleson, a 5-star analyst from Canaccord. Burleson reiterates his bullish position, saying, We continue to view LSF as an attractive platform play on strong demand trends for plant-based, functional foods, noting LSFs competitively differentiated omni-channel approach and ingredients ethos. Over time, we expect LSF to be able to leverage its brand and vertically integrated operation into success in a broad range of plant-based categories, driving outsized top-line growth and healthy margin expansion.Burleson rates LSF shares a Buy alongside a $70 price target. This figure indicates his confidence in ~63% growth on the one-year horizon. (To watch Burlesons track record, click here)Laird has not attracted a lot of analyst attention, but those who have reviewed the stock agree with Burlesons assessment. LSF has a unanimous Strong Buy analyst consensus rating, based on 3 recent reviews. The stocks $62.33 average price target suggests room for ~39% upside in the coming year. (See LSF stock analysis on TipRanks)TravelCenters of America (TA)Last but not least is TravelCenters of America, a major name in the transportation sector. TravelCenters owns, operates, and franchises full-service highway rest stops across the US an important niche in a country that relies heavily on long-haul trucking, and in which private car ownership has long encouraged the road trip mystique. TAs network of rest stops offers travelers convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in addition to gasoline and diesel fuel and the expected amenities.The corona crisis has been hard time for TA, as lockdown regulations put a damper on travel. The companys revenues bottomed out in Q2, falling to $986 million, but rose 28% sequentially to hit $1.27 billion in Q3. EPS, at 61 cents, was also strong, and showed impressive 165% year-over-year growth. These gains came as the economy started reopening and with air travel still restricted, automobiles become the default for long distance, a circumstance that benefits TravelCenters. Covering TravelCenters for BTIG is analyst James Sullivan, who rates the stock a Buy, and his $40 price target suggests a 22% upside over the coming year. (To watch Sullivans track record, click here)Backing his stance, Sullivan noted, "TA is in the process of moving on from a series of unsuccessful initiatives under the prior management team. The current new management team has strengthened the balance sheet and intends to improve operations through both expense cuts and revenue-generating measures which should boost margins [...] While we expect the 2020 spend to be focused on non-revenue generating maintenance and repair items, we expect in 2021 and beyond that higher spending should generate good ROI All in all, TravelCenters shares get a unanimous thumbs up, with 3 Buys backing the stocks Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares sell for $32.87, and the average price target of $38.33 suggests an upside potential of ~17%. (See TA stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

See the original post here:

National University Launches Blockchain Initiative to Make Academic Records More Accessible to Learners and Employers - Yahoo Finance

Binance, the worlds largest digital asset exchange, has partnered with a Fintech-focused blockchain firm, called Chiliz, which provides various sports and entertainment services.

Binance, which claims it was an early investor in Chiliz, has now extended the partnership with additional investments which will focus on the Fintech sports space. As noted in the announcement, the first milestone of the initiative will be Fan Tokens allocation via the Binance Launchpool.

As mentioned in a release:

Chiliz operates Socios.com, a fan influence and rewards platform, which has partnerships with [various] sporting [organizations] in the world including football teams FC Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Galatasaray, AS Roma & Atletico de Madrid; Esports teams OG and NAVI, and the UFC.

The Socios platform is powered by a utility token, called $CHZ. Socios is reportedly one of the most active non-financial, consumer-facing mainstream blockchain products in the world.

The Socios software has been downloaded over 370,000 times, over 14 million Fan Tokens have reportedly been sold, and more than 700,000 votes have been registered on the blockchain.

As confirmed by Binance:

FC Barcelonas ($BAR) Fan Token Offering sold out in 20 minutes, generating $1.3m, whilst Turkish team Trabzonspors FTO generated 5 million TRY in less than 5 minutes.

The exchange further noted that with Binance Launchpool, traders and investors can acquire new digital token rewards in exchange for staking different tokens.

Binance added:

The first Socios.com partners to benefit from Binance LaunchPool will be Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Italian champions Juventus (JUV) Fan Tokens. Users will be able to stake BNB, BUSD, or CHZ tokens into separate pools, starting from 2020/12/15 at 0:00 AM (UTC) to 2021/1/14 at 0:00 AM (UTC).

The Binance team confirmed that the exchange will then be listing Paris Saint-Germain Fan Tokens (PSG) and Juventus Fan Tokens (JUV) in the innovation zone, beginning at 2020/12/21 6:00 AM (UTC) and open trading for PSG/BTC, PSG/USDT, PSG/BUSD, JUV/BTC, JUV/USDT and JUV/BUSD trading pairs.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao remarked:

Chiliz became a part of the crypto world through Fan Tokens, which has shown huge potential in bringing crypto to mainstream audiences all around the world. Were delighted to welcome Chiliz to the Binance ecosystem and look forward to empowering both fan engagement and crypto adoption among a captive audience of billions.

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO and Founder at Chiliz, noted that Binance has been a supporter of the company since its launch. However, this recent partnership supports their original goal of tokenizing the sports and entertainment sector in the coming years. Dreyfus claims that in only three years, theyve established their organization as the leading force in this space, but this partnership gives us renewed strength and credibility to create the leading global fan engagement and monetization ecosystem.

Dreyfus added:

Chiliz aims to onboard many more partners from the worlds of sports and entertainment over the next few years. With new features, gamification, leaderboards and (non-fungible token) NFT-based events being released in the coming weeks, Socios.com is the leading venture in this space. While Socios.com is the utility platform, $CHZ the apps exclusive currency is the utility token that sits between hundreds of thousands of branded digital assets.

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Binance Partners with Fintech focused Blockchain Firm Chiliz to Offer Fan Tokens for Teams like FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Others - Crowdfund...

Close-up of One dollar bill and blockchain code. Cryptocurrency, digital money concept.

Based in Utah, the division of Overstock OSTK known as tZero has blockchain-style trading attracting the interest of the cryptocurrency community and other sectors. To find out more, I talked to CEO Saum Noursalehi:

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John Navin: Saum, to begin with, whats the meaning of the word tZero?

Saum Noursalehi: Current public financial markets run on a t+2 (trade date+ two business days) to settle transactions. In the much more manual private markets it can take weeks or even months to settle a transaction.

The t0/tZERO name comes from the fact that on our platform private security transactions settle the same day, and in the near future, will settle in near real-time.

Navin: I read that tZero is "a FINRA member broker-dealer which operates an SEC-registered Alternative Trading System that facilitates the trading of digital securities." Could you elaborate on that? What's the meaning of "alternative trading system?"

Noursalehi: An alternative trading system, or ATS, is similar to a stock exchange. The ATS is the platform that houses the assets, similar to how companies list on Nasdaq NDAQ or NYSE. In order to trade the assets on our ATS, broker-dealers need to subscribe, or plug-in to the ATS, allowing their customers to trade our digital securities.

We also own and operate a retail broker-dealer, tZERO Markets, which went live in October. tZERO Markets subscribes to the ATS, allowing Markets users to trade the digital securities on the ATS. In addition, we work with third-party broker-dealers, such as D.A. Davidson, which are subscribed to the ATS. Seven broker-dealers in total are subscribed to the tZERO ATS.

Navin: What's the connection between blockchain and the trading of illiquid securities?

Noursalehi: Private assets are more challenging to transact than public securities, due to the various trading restrictions that exist (e.g., accredited vs. non-accredited investors, lockup windows, etc).

There tends to be a lot of compliance work involved, fees are relatively high and as a result, liquidity is limited. Through blockchain technology, specifically smart contract technology, we are able to automate much, if not all, of the compliance work.

For example, securities that trade on our platform are reg-aware. Built into the software of the shares are all the rules and regulations of trading that specific asset. For example, can both accredited and non-accredited investors trade, which geographies are allowed to trade, if new investors are allowed into the cap table, or if they want to limit liquidity to just existing investors, etc.

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Navin: What features and benefits would you say make tZero different from competitors?

Noursalehi: tZero offers companies and investors ongoing liquidity. Trading shares of private assets on our platform is similar to how you would trade shares of Apple AAPL and Tesla TSLA . We operate an order management system with associated tickers and bid/ask prices.

Virtually all of our competitors offer one-off liquidity through a bulletin-board approach. Essentially, they have a specific tranche of equity in a specific company available. Once that equity is sold, it is no longer available (unless they have multiple tranches of equity at the same company available).

Transactions on the platform are facilitated by a physical broker, come with large fees (5% - 10%, versus tZEROs 1%), and can take a month-plus to close. Transacting on our competitors platform is similar to buying and selling real estate.

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Navin: tZero started out as a part of Overstock. What's the current relationship between your company and Overstock?

Noursalehi: Overstock currently owns roughly 80% of tZERO (the balance is primarily owned by current and former employees).

Overstock daily price chart, 12 16 20.

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Navin: tZero raised 134 million dollars in an initial coin offering in late 2017. The SEC in March, 2018 asked Overstock about certain issues involving that offering and the tokens. What was the resolution of the inquiry?

Noursalehi We completed a security token offering (STO) and not an initial coin offering. There are several differences, however, the most notable is that STOs are regulated. They register with the SEC and are facilitated through certain exemptions (Reg A, Reg D, etc.). ICOs on the other hand, are unregulated.

The SEC engaged many companies that conducted STOs and ICOs around that time frame. We provided them with all of the requested information, and we have not heard back. Given how long ago this inquiry began, we are working with them to have this inquiry closed.

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Navin: Where are the security tokens involved?

Noursalehi:Not sure I understand what you mean?The tZERO ATS currently has three digital securities available for trading on the tZERO ATS: TZROP (tZEROs preferred equity), OSTKO (Overstocks Digital Voting Series A-1 Preferred Stock), and ASPD (Aspen Digital Inc.s equity).

We are in discussions with approximately 200 prospective issuers, a number of which are in later-stage discussions. We expect to have more assets trading on the platform in the near future.

Navin: Tynton Capital in October arranged a $300 million dollar offering to digitize and trade a tZero proposed "digital infrastructure fund." What's the status of that arrangement?

Noursalehi: We recently signed the tokenization agreement and expect that asset to trade sometime next year. Tynton Capital is in the process of raising capital for this fund.

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Navin: Could you describe the app for digital trading that tZero has developed? Is it now available? Besides cryptocurrencies, what else could be traded on the app?

Noursalehi:Our vision is to provide a one-stop-shop for trading all types of assets. Everything from private digital securities, to cryptocurrencies, to traditional NMS stocks like Apple. We launched tZERO Markets in late October this year. and currently, it is only available via our website.

We are working on a merged mobile app and web experience for trading digital assets and cryptocurrencies in the near future. Following this merge, we plan to add NMS securities to the trading experience.

Navin: As an individual close to the crypto market, what are your thoughts on its future for example, vis a vis other investments such as the dollar or gold?

Noursalehi: You will see more and more institutional money (pension funds, mutual funds, etc.) enter the space, allocating an increasing portion of their assets under management to cryptocurrencies.

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Youve seen it already in some earlier movers, such as the Harvard Endowment fund, but I believe we will see a much bigger move in the next 12 to 18 months, which further legitimizes and validates the space.

I do not hold positions in these investments.No recommendations are made one way or the other.If you're an investor, you'd want to look much deeper into each of these situations. You can lose money trading or investing in stocks and other instruments. Always do your own independent research, due diligence and seek professional advice from a licensed investment advisor.

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Overstocks tZero, Blockchain And Trading: An Interview With tZero CEO Saum Noursalehi - Forbes

source: company website

HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (OTCQX:HVBTF) has been on a tear over the last month, soaring during that time after a period of consolidation from October 12 to November 16.

To give you an idea of how strong the move has been, at the end of 2019 the company was trading as low as $0.05 per share.

Interestingly, while it primarily mines Ethereum, it has move closer in conjunction with the price movement of Bitcoin. Ethereum has traded on a more steady and consistent upward trajectory than Bitcoin over the year, while HIVE Blockchain traded flat during some of the times Ethereum kept moving up in price.

In this article we'll look at some of HIVE's numbers, what it's doing to improve its efficiencies, and a couple of ways to trade the stock while removing some of the risk from the volatile security.

The company generated $12.99 million in revenue from digital currency mining in the quarter, up 8 percent year-over-year. GAAP EPS finished the reporting period at $9.2 million, $0.03 per share, a strong improvement over the loss of $11.5 million, or $0.04 per share year-over-year.

Gross mining margin was at 71 percent. HIVE had an adjusted EBITDA of $10.6 million, against the loss of $4.6 million last year in the same quarter. Management stated that was primarily the result of lower operational costs.

As of September 30, 2020, the company had a net cash position of $1.7 million minus loans payables. Assets associated with digital currencies was at $10.7 million. Working capital stood at $20.9 million as of September 30, 2020

An interesting outcome in 2020 for HIVE has been that it has more closely followed the price of Bitcoin than Ethereum. That's important to take into consideration if you're trading the stock in a shorter time frame, where the stock price could surprise you if you're relying solely on the price movement of Ethereum.

In the quarter the company mined 88,300 Ethereum Classic, 32,800 Ethereum, and 89 Bitcoin.

Interim Executive Chairman of HIVE Frank Holmes, said this:

We've been able to drive down costs, which has led to the highest cash flow in any one quarter since HIVE went public three years ago. This, coupled with higher Ethereum and crypto prices, means that the Company is doing better now than ever before.

Concerning energy costs, Holmes added that the company "recently locked in 50% of our energy costs for calendar 2021 at 1.6 cents per kilowatt hour in Sweden. This data point is one of the lowest in the blockchain mining ecosystem..."

Ethereum price pattern vs. Bitcoin

As I mentioned above, the share price of HIVE Blockchain Technologies moved closer in alignment with the price of Bitcoin than it did with the price of Ethereum.

Ethereum's price movement was cleaner than Bitcoin's, in that its upward trajectory was more consistent than Bitcoin. From May 8, 2020 till the end of October, the share price of HIVE consolidated, trading, for the most part flat. In early November it started making a modest upward move, and on November 17 it started to soar, jumping from about $0.40 per share to $1.4183 per share at the close of December 15.

On May 8, 2020, Ethereum was trading between $211 and $212, and by November 17 had climbed to $483. It was trading at $584 as I write on December 15.

As for Bitcoin, it was trading at about $9829, and by November 17 was at around $17,687. On December 15 it traded higher than $19,500. The point of these numbers is to confirm that the company's share price was trading more in align with Bitcoin than Ethereum, especially during the period from May to the end of October. Again, that's important to be aware of for those trading in and out of the stock because Bitcoin had a prolonged period of consolidation where it traded relatively flat while Ethereum was more steady in its price gains.

This isn't as important for those that are holding HIVE long, but for day traders and swing traders it's definitely a factor.

Two ways to play HIVE

As you've probably gathered from my comments above, I think trading HIVE in the short term is a better play at this time, as the price of Bitcoin and Ethereum has soared, and it's highly probable there'll be a correction in the not-too-distant future.

For those holding long I'm not suggesting to sell, but for those trading the stock, it would be easy to get left holding the bag if you aren't being careful. Another reminder I've made in the past concerning cryptocurrency miners, is that the market never sleeps with them, so holding over night is a huge risk you should be aware of. Let's face it. Trading during normal hours is work enough, or at times in pre-market or after hours. To be watching the price of cryptocurrencies 24/7 doesn't make for a desirable way to live. It's also why we shouldn't take too large of a position in them.

Another reason to trade these stocks for a short period of time is their volatility, Just about every day they'll make a nice dip, which makes for a decent entry point. That pattern is very predictable, but you do have to be aware that many times they'll drop farther than you think, and the return can be fairly small if you get in too early.

Those are things to consider when looking for a day trade.

For the swing trader, the way to play it and sleep at night is to wait for a big correction in the price. I've done that a number of times, and even if I get in in the middle of a big drop and it drops a lot further, I have confidence it'll rebound...and in my experience they do.

The downside there is it ties up capital that could be allocated somewhere else. Even so, the potential reward is high as well, which usually makes the risk worth it. I know it's tempting to take a big position in a stock like HIVE because of the potential upside, but I wouldn't do that myself. If you believe Bitcoin and Ethereum are going a lot higher, it doesn't require a huge percentage of your available capital to make some money.

Once thing I've done is trade some of these stocks in the short term to build up my capital position, and from there I have increased my position based upon the money I made from them; that way I'm playing with more of the house's money, and at worst would lose a small amount of my original investment capital.

Conclusion

HIVE Blockchain Technologies has been getting more efficient by lowering energy costs, while at the same time riding the wave of rising Ethereum prices, and to a much lesser degree, Bitcoin prices.

Over the last year the share price of HIVE has traded closer to Bitcoin than Ethereum, so investors or traders need to watch both prices when considering taking a position in the company.

While I obviously don't know for sure, looking at the price movement of Bitcoin and Ethereum, and seeing some of the price points they've struggled to break through, the longer it can't break above $20,000 in the case of Bitcoin, the more apt we are to get a significant pullback in the price, which would have a direct impact on the share price of Ethereum and HIVE.

I've been moving out of HIVE and other companies operating in the space for that reason. As a consequence I've missed some fairly nice upward moves, but I am taking positions in HIVE and others in order to make money. In order to do that we must trade with some fear, ready to get out of the trade quickly if it goes against us.

For now I've been making smaller percentages of gains on HIVE lately, while waiting for what I think will be an inevitable pullback. What happens if Bitcoin in particular does blow past $20,000? My outlook hasn't changed. It will eventually correct, even if it's from a higher position.

The key is to be patient, take small gains, build up your trading account, and wait for the big corrections where you can make the really good money. Those are the times I feel more comfortable holding for longer because over time, I believe Ethereum and Bitcoin will continue to increase in price, and HIVE will rise with them, although it will do so with a lot of volatility.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in HVBTF over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

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HIVE Blockchain Technologies Picking Up Momentum - Seeking Alpha

Roxe, the Apifiny-developed payments clearing and settlement network, announced on Thursday its partnership with N2Xpress for piloting remittance services to beneficiaries in Nigeria and India.

This move, according to the company, is its step to enter the major remittance markets. The Roxe network currently supports the US dollar and local fiats from Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, India, the Philippines, Mexico and Brazil.

The US to Nigeria and US to India are large, important remittance growth markets for us as Roxe leads the payments industry shift from a traditional account model to a new blockchain-enabled paradigm, Roxes CEO, Haohan Xu said.

Though blockchain is only a decade old, it is seen as a useful technology for cross-border payments. Many companies are trying to tap the remittance industry, making it more efficient with blockchain.

Todays international payment and remittance systems are too slow, too expensive and too unreliable. Our partnership with N2Xpress can enable Roxe customers to send remittances much faster, cheaper and more reliably to these new markets, Xu added.

FTX Selects Capitalise.ai to Provide New Standard of Trading ExperienceGo to article >>

As Finance Magnates reported earlier, Apifiny launched Roxe in June and the network empowers banks, payment and remittance companies to get the speed and cost benefits of crypto-powered settlement without having to transact directly with any cryptocurrency.

On the other hand, N2Xpress is already offering remittance services in several major markets. It will further test the requirements to potentially become a supernode on Roxe Chain.

Our partnership with Roxe reflects our ongoing commitment to providing the easiest, fastest and most cost-effective remittance services to all of our customers, N2Xpress Founder, Kunbi Oguneye said.

Our mission is to make money transfers more meaningful for families and individuals living between countries, so they can save more and do more. Our partnership with Roxe will allow us to advance our mission even further.

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Roxe Ties with N2Xpress for Blockchain-Based Remittance Pilot - Finance Magnates

Jaguar Land Rover has invested in blockchain technology company Circulor as part of its efforts to trace a sustainable supply chain.

The investment, made through its venture capital and mobility services arm InMotion, will enable the car manufacturer to source premium materials with greater transparency from origin to supplier, in addition to assessing the carbon footprint of its supply network.

Circulor already uses blockchain to boost the traceability of minerals used for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

The technology uses a combination of GPS, biometrics and QR codes to digitally verify the movement of raw materials at every step of the process.

Sebastian Peck, Managing Director of InMotion Ventures said: This investment is further evidence of Jaguar Land Rovers commitment to improving the sustainability of its supply chain around the globe and will help authentically trace raw materials from origin to supplier, eventually to vehicle.

The implementation of blockchain technology provides a great opportunity to make a systemic change in supply chain compliance, not just for the automotive world but for other industries, too.

If you enjoyed this story you can sign up to our weekly email forEnergy Live News and if youre interested in hearing more about the journey to net zero by 2050, you can also sign up to thefuture Net Zeronewsletter.

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Jaguar Land Rover invests in blockchain tech firm - Energy Live News - Energy Made Easy

The University of Alabama is teaming up with Chainalysis, a provider of compliance and investigation software of virtual currency transactions. Through the partnership, both organizations will aim to offer cutting-edge education and training for students.

Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis noted in a blog post that it will provide access to its software and training programs which have reportedly been developed by instructional design and training experts for integration into a course offered through the UA Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

According to Chainalysis, students will be learning about the role of cryptocurrencies in the financial system and criminal transactions. Theyll also develop an understanding of the principles of the underlying blockchain or distributed ledger technologies (DLT) that underpins virtual currencies.

Students who manage to do well in the class will be able to take tests and get certified in Chainalysis software, which is extensively used by financial institutions, government departments and law enforcement agencies. Students who obtain a certification will be considered subject matter experts in cryptocurrency and blockchain or DLT analysis, and will be able to perform and lead cryptocurrency tracking and tracing for companies or government organizations, the announcement noted.

UA is notably the first higher education institution to form this type of partnership with Chainalysis.

Dr. Diana Dolliver, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal justice who will be teaching these courses, remarked:

There are not nearly enough individuals with this skillset, so the students who successfully complete the course and obtain the certifications will be extremely sought after by companies and government agencies for employment. No other students in the world currently have this opportunity offered at The University of Alabama.

Dolliver is serving as the Academic Director for the Joint Electronic Crimes Task Force at UA and is responsible for training and working with law enforcement officials on cases involving cybercrime.

Even smaller, domestic police departments come across virtual currencies as, for example, controlled substances might be found with a suspected dealer, Chainalysis noted. However, there might not be cash present or a way to trace the movement of funds to keep the investigation going, the blockchain firm explained.

Dolliver added:

Theres a major component of criminal investigations that can be missing. As criminal activity continues to move to this digital currency realm, more people are needed who can identify and trace the money in this cryptocurrency form.

Jason Bonds, Chief Revenue Officer at Chainalysis, remarked:

Chainalysis is excited to partner with UA to make cryptocurrency education available to students interested in the future of crime and investigations. Government agencies, cryptocurrency businesses, and financial institutions need talent to ensure the future of finance grows safely and securely.

The course is scheduled for this spring semester as a special topics course. However, it will be ingrained in the curriculum as part of the cyber criminology minor thats housed in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, which draws students studying business management information systems and computer science, Dolliver confirmed. (Note: for more details, check here.)

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University of Alabama Teams Up with Chainalysis to Offer Crypto and Blockchain Training Courses - Crowdfund Insider

Enigmas 3MW BTC Mining ContainerEnigmas 3MW BTC Mining Container

Castle Rock, Colorado, Dec. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CASTLE ROCK, Colo., December 14, 2020 Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) ("Riot" or the "Company"), one of the few Nasdaq-listed bitcoin mining companies in the United States, announces an 8 megawatt (MW) pilot project to assess the potential for higher productivity and lower cost mining opportunities in Texas. Riot has teamed up with two leading-edge technology companies, Enigma Digital Assets AG (Enigma) and Lancium, LLC (Lancium) to launch the pilot project. The pilot project has the unique dual focus of evaluating Enigmas next-generation immersion technology to increase mining productivity, in addition to evaluating Lanciums Smart Response software to reduce energy costs.

Bitcoin mining is about scale, low-cost infrastructure and ultra low-cost electricity, stated Michael McNamara, CEO of Lancium. Enigmas innovative solutions appear to offer a very meaningful improvement on installed cost and productivity. Lanciums power-ramping and trading expertise perfectly complements this by delivering an innovative solution to provide the pilot project with low-cost, optimized electricity.

Our new mining modules are amoung the worlds most powerful, efficient and heat-resilient solutions for mining Bitcoin, said Jakov Dolic, Co-Founder of Enigma. Large economies of scale allows rapid ROI, and resilience to heat enhances operating performace in hotter climates, especially where powered with low-cost electricity. We are extremely excited to launch this relationship with Riot and Lancium.

We are pleased to announce the pilot project and look forward to advancing the Companys relationships with Lancium and Enigma, said Jeff McGonegal, CEO of Riot. Enigmas immersion modules provide significant potential benefits and Lanciums Smart Response software helps miners reduce their cost of power by being opportunistic in the local energy market. When combined, both technologies have the potential to reduce Riots bitcoin production costs, increase hashrates and significantly extend the life of the Companys bitcoin mining ASICs.

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During the pilot project, Lancium will provide 8 MW of power for the pilot project. The initial 3 MW will be dedicated to a current-generation Enigma immersion module, for use with S19-Pro ASIC miners. A further 5 MW will be made available for Enigmas next-generation immersion module solution, which is currently in final development and expected to be available in early 2021 for the pilot project. This next-generation immersion module solution involves proprietary ASIC chips and an entirely new cooling solution. Both modules are the first of their kind from Enigma. Riot will control the pilot project with Enigma providing the immersion containers and Lancium licensing its Smart Response software.

The pilot project represents the first Controllable Load Resource in the Houston Load zone, with the energization of the facility planned for Q1 2021. If successful, Riot may seek to expand upon the pilot project at larger-scale sites.

XMS Capital Partners, LLC acted as a financial advisor to Riot Blockchain in connection with the transaction.

About Riot Blockchain

Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ: RIOT) specializes in cryptocurrency mining with a focus on bitcoin. Riot also holds non-controlling investments in blockchain technology companies. Riot is headquartered in Castle Rock, Colorado, and the Company's primary mining facility is located in Massena, New York under a colocation agreement with Coinmint. For more information, visit http://www.RiotBlockchain.com.

About Enigma

Enigma is a technology company creating unique hardware and software solutions for large scale, industrial Bitcoin mining. At 3MW per 40 feet container, Enigmas mining modules have amoung the world's highest power and hashrate density. Next generation Enigma modules are designed to potentially set new performance records in early 2021 with a power density of 6MW per 40 feet container. Enigma is based in Switzerland and produces hardware at its factory in Nuremberg, Germany, under multiple patents pending and in process.

About Lancium

Lancium is a technology company creating software and intellectual property solutions that enable more renewable energy on the nations power grid. Lanciums products include Lancium Smart Response for rapid server power management, and Lancium Compute, a platform for high throughput computing applications. Lanciums solutions help ensure that renewable energy can power our future. Lancium has several issued patents and numerous applications pending http://www.lancium.com.

LANCIUM, LANCIUM SMART RESPONSE, and LANCIUM COMPUTE are trademarks of Lancium, LLC.

About XMS Capital Partners

XMS Capital Partners, established in 2006, is a global, independent financial services firm providing investment banking, asset management and merchant banking services to clients. It has offices in Chicago, London and Boston. XMS provides Involvement Banking, which goes beyond transaction-oriented investment banking and focuses on delivering objective, value-added advice and custom tailored solutions to help clients achieve their strategic goals. It consistently creates value for its clients by giving them access to comprehensive, independent M&A, strategic advisory, financial restructuring, capital structure advisory and private capital advisory expertise. XMS Capital Partners, LLC is a FINRA member and SIPC member. For more information, please visit http://www.xmscapital.com.

Safe Harbor

The information provided in this press release may include forward-looking statements relating to future events or the future financial performance of the Company. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "will," "potential," "hope" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Detailed information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by statements in this press release relating to the Company may be found in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the factors described in the sections entitled "Risk Factors," copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

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Riot Blockchain Announces 8 MW Pilot Project to Evaluate Latest Generation Immersion Module Technology and Innovative Energy Strategies in Texas -...

Bitcoin hit a new all-time on Wednesday, topping the $20,000 level for the first time and in turn has lifted a number of crypto-related stocks.

Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ: RIOT) is focused on building, supporting and operating blockchain technologies. Distributed blockchain technology is a decentralized and encrypted ledger that is designed to offer a secure, efficient, verifiable and permanent way of storing records and other information without the need for intermediaries.

Riot Blockchains stock traded up 8.74% at $11.07 per share at the time of publication. The stock has a 52-week high of $11.66 and a 52-week low of 51 cents.

Marathon Patent (NASDAQ: MARA) focuses on mining digital assets. It owns crypto-currency mining machines and a data center to mine digital assets. The company operates in the Digital Currency Blockchain segment and its crypto-currency machines are located in Canada.

Marathon Patent shares were trading up 17.11% at $8.28. The stock has a 52-week high of $8.85 and a 52-week low of 35 cents.

Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSTK) is a U.S.-based online retailer that provides products and services through websites. The company offers a broad range of products. The home and garden product line accounts for a material part of its total revenue.

Overstock shares were trading up 3.37% at $63.75. The stock has a 52-week high of $128.50 and a 52-week low of $2.53.

MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) is a provider of enterprise analytics and mobility software. It offers MicroStrategy Analytics platform that delivers reports and dashboards and enables users to conduct ad hoc analysis and share insights through mobile devices or the Web.

MicroStrategys stock traded up 6.36% at $303.98. The stock has a 52-week high of $358.94 and a 52-week low of $90.

2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Why Riot Blockchain, Overstock And Marathon Patent Are Trading Higher Today - Benzinga

The illegal recording prevention technology detects near-field recording frequencies that are active through secret recording detection devices (phones, devices), and long-distance call recording via smartphone is a recording detection application that disables recording by activating an illegal recording function using white noise.

GHBwill applythe patent for illegal filming prevention technology and illegal recording prevention technology and defined the position "we will try to commercialize it as soon as possible".

GHB (CEO Ko Ho-bum) actively responds to overseas marketing and advertisements, and tries to complete a new advertisement system that maximizes the effectiveness of advertisements by applying an open advertisement platform system that allows advertisement consumers to directly discover advertisement sponsors and conduct platform business.

Kim Hyung Jung, a head of judging panel (special professor at Korea University), evaluated "Through this screening of the winners, it was an opportunity to confirm that the scope of application of blockchain technology is expanding not only in public institutions, but also in overall society and economy such as music, second-hand transactions, e-sports, fashion, product exports, and M&A between companies".

Through joint awards with prominent lawmakers such as Lee Won-wook, chairman of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communication Committee, and Kim Byung-wook, secretary of the National Policy Committee(Democratic Party of Korea), Lee Jung-moon (State Affairs Commission), Jeon Jae-soo (State Affairs Commission), Yang Ki-dae (Public Administration and Security Committee), and Lee Yong-sun(Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee) , it is expected to contribute to political and corporate issues by discussing and delivering the issues of block chain industry to political circles.

SOURCE GHB

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GHB was awarded new technology at the 2020 Blockchain Awards Ceremony - PRNewswire

Welcome to Forkast Forecasts 2021. In this series, leaders, innovators and visionaries in blockchain-related fields tell Forkast.News what they see as the most noteworthy developments for this industry in 2020 and their predictions for the year ahead.

Alex Tapscott is co-founder of the think tank Blockchain Research Institute and co-author of the best-selling book, Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money Business and the World.

The Toronto-based Blockchain Research Institute, which was co-founded by Alexs father Don Tapscott, has a research program focusing on the strategic implications of blockchain technology in business, government and society. In September, the institute announced its expansion into Europe through a partnership with Blockwall, a leading blockchain investment firm. Commenting on European governments experiments with central bank digital currencies and other blockchain-related efforts, Tapscott recently told Forkast.News that regulations are a necessary evil to innovation in business.

See related article: Why blockchain and crypto regulations are necessary evil for US and Europe

See related article: Proposed US law would require stablecoins to be 1:1 dollar-backed

See related article: Is DeFi a $10 billion Ponzi scheme?

See related article: S&P Dow Jones is adding cryptocurrency indices in 2021

See related article: Are US regulators finally warming to crypto and digital assets?

See related article: Joe Lubin and other prominent crypto leaders decry the STABLE Act

See related article: Why blockchain and crypto regulations are necessary evil for US and Europe

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Blockchain Research Institutes Alex Tapscott on stablecoins, DeFi and more - Forkast News

Microsoft and consulting partner EY have announced the expansion of an Azure-powered blockchain platform for gaming rights and royalty management.

EYand Microsoft previously announced the platform in 2018, initially launching with select Xbox partners such as Ubisoft.

Now the expanded solution will roll out to the wider Xbox ecosystem of content creators and rights holders. The blockchain-based solution cuts royalties management processing time by 99%, allowing for near-instant calculation of royalties and greater visibility into tracking and payment processing.

In this go-live, we successfully generated the first round of partner payments utilizing blockchain and smart contract technology, said Luke Fewel, GM of global finance operations, Microsoft. This expanded solution will help streamline financial and operational processes with the ability to scale, reduce heavy manual overhead, and improve the experience for Microsofts gaming partners. We look forward to continuing to scale this solution across our royalties ecosystem improving our processes and the continuation of our modern finance journey.

The Xbox enterprise blockchain platform uses AI to create contracts faster, integrates statements and invoices with existing ERP applications, and incorporates compliance standards to function as a financial system of record. It is capable of processing two million transactions per day, according to Microsoft.

Microsofts Xbox division recently launched its next generation of gaming consoles with the Series X. Microsofts ownership of Xbox has given the gaming platform a distinct advantage in infrastructure over the years, with Xboxs online experience vastly outpacing Sony and Nintendo. Now the companys partners will be able to leverage superior royalties management processes, benefiting from the specific resource advantages of Xboxs parent company.

The ability to maintain trusted data with near real-time transparency, combined with the flexibility of an application-specific platform, can deliver immediate business value by reducing cost and improving trust, said Dave Padmos, EY Americas TMT leader. We expect that this will continue to be a notable trend and growing need across all industries. The collaboration between EY and Microsoft is another step in our alliance as we team to develop transformative solutions that enable organizations to become adaptive digital enterprises that apply innovative technologies to deliver immediate and long-term value.

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EY and Microsoft's Xbox division expand blockchain royalties platform - Consulting.us

NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire --Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc (the Company or Innovative), (OTCQB: IPSI),a U.S.-based fintech company building 21st century digital payment solutions, announced today the launch of a joint venture with blockchain and artificial intelligence company BLGI, Inc. (OTCQB: BLGI) to help expand the Company into global digital payment infrastructures.

The joint venture will ultimately advance the companies mutual efforts towards unlocking blockchain technology for swift funds processing, ensuring simplicity of payment for services at a substantially reduced cost for consumers and secure network to transfer funds anywhere in the world. The companies intend to join forces and facilitate the expertise of each in order to enhance and develop a one-of-a-kind digital payment solution that meets the needs of unbanked and underbanked communities throughout the U.S. and worldwide.

Innovative brings to the joint venture its extensive prior experience of operations in Mexico and is building a fintech ecosystem that uses multiple devices in order to help meet the needs of both consumers and service providers.

Our agreement with BLGI provides our companies with a tremendous opportunity to develop, evaluate and implement a blockchain technology that will expand our distribution ecosystem and coordinate analytical marketing data through our provision of comprehensive financial solutions to unbanked, underbanked and fully banked consumers, said Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc. CEO William Corbett.In addition, Lawrence P. Cummins, current chairman and CEO of BLGI, has recently joined our advisory board to provide his vision and insight to our ongoing business development.

Innovative has built an effective payment rail and a unique business model, stated Cummins. I envision a great opportunity in this joint collaboration and am looking forward to fast-track Innovative into the market and enhance its product proposition.

About Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc.

Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc. (Innovative) strives to offer cutting-edge digital payment solutions for consumers and service providers. Innovatives ecosystem will span multiple devices, such as self-service kiosks, mobile applications and POS terminals, offering alternative payment methods, including money remittance, to meet the needs of consumers and service providers. (www.investor.ipsipay.com)

About BLGI, Inc.

BLGI is a data science company that develops innovative solutions for blockchain technology, machine learning, artificial intelligence and data security. BLGI designs bespoke solutions that can be integrated on the blockchain and are tailored to a clients industry, including but not limited to asset management banking, cryptocurrency, Forex, media publishing and healthcare data management. (www.blgi.net)

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statement of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "can," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should" or "will" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology and include statements regarding the companies mutual efforts towards unlocking blockchain technology for swift funds processing, ensuring simplicity of payment for services at a substantially reduced cost for consumers and secure network to transfer funds anywhere in the world, the intention to join forces and facilitation of its expertise in order to enhance and develop a one of a kind digital payment solution that meets the needs of unbanked and underbanked communities in the U.S. and worldwide.

These forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions as of the date of the press release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, our ability to leverage our extensive prior experience of operations in Mexico and building a fintech ecosystem that uses multiple devices in order to help meet the needs of both consumers and service providers, our ability to position the Company for future profitability, the duration and scope of the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide, including the impact to the economies in California and Mexico, and the other factors discussed in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2019, and the Companys subsequent filings with the SEC, including subsequent periodic reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

For investor inquiries, please call (818) 864-4004 or email: info@ipsipay.com

Corporate Communications:

InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN)Los Angeles, Californiawww.InvestorBrandNetwork.com310.299.1717 OfficeEditor@InvestorBrandNetwork.com

Link:

Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc. Launches Joint Venture with BLGI, Inc. to Expand its Blockchain Technology Application - GlobeNewswire

Blockchain and cryptoassets are booming, and with increased conversation around infrastructure investment, the question needs to be asked; how can blockchain enhance current and new infrastructure?

2019 Bloomberg Finance LP

While the conversation around blockchain and cryptoassets might seem to some as abstract or more conceptual than relevant on a day-to-day basis, the continuing debate around infrastructure investment and rehabilitation is more tangible. Regardless of what statistic is cited, there are concrete and quantitative benefits that come from improved infrastructure. These include reduced commuting time (and pollution), lower risks of failures during high stress situations, and adapting to climate induced changes. These benefits, however significant they are, tend to be focused primarily on the benefits of physical infrastructure investment; what about digital infrastructure?

Especially as the focus on green investment continues to accelerate, and the importance of digital infrastructure rises to prominence in a remote-first environment, developing a digital infrastructure framework is of critical importance. As has been seen time and again however, the security and data protection policies surrounding digital infrastructure and development have not kept pace with the sheer volume of information that is handled by these networks. Blockchain technology, as a digital technology tool developed to secure and transfer information between different network members, seems well positioned to anchor continued growth and development of digital infrastructure.

Lets take a look at some aspects of digital infrastructure that can benefit from increased blockchain integration across the board.

Broadband expansion. When the term infrastructure is mentioned, what often comes to mind are highways, trains, and other physical structures. Important to be sure, but these are only a part of the broader infrastructure conversation. As digitization and remote work increasingly become part of every day life across the globe, access to reliable and secure broadband is critical to personal and professional success. Particularly in the era of data breaches and other network failures, blockchain has an important role to play in the continued development of the internet and equitable access to online resources.

The increased percentage of work, education, and personal lives that have shifted online during 2020 simply highlighted just how important access to secure and high speed broadband is for economic and societal progress.

Smart infrastructure. Much has been written, and much is anticipated, about the emergence of smart cities, smart infrastructure, and smart grids. Whether it is focused around the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), or simply augmenting existing infrastructure and technology tools, the idea of intelligent infrastructure holds significant promise. Building on the first point, however, in order for these benefits to materialize and manifest as promised, the underlying technology platform needs to be secure and scalable. The risks of bad information, whether intentional or not, being spread throughout a digitally-enabled infrastructure, is significant but is something that a blockchain-based system can assist in addressing.

Even simply having autonomous vehicles, which in and of themselves deliver economic savings and benefits, requires a virtual grid to be scalable, responsive, and secure in order to operate as advertised.

Solar power grids. The rise of solar panels, be it for environmental reasons or for cost savings reasons on the side of individuals and businesses that have adopted these tools, has generated wider interest in the renewable or green economy than virtually any other initiative. Peeling back the layers, however, and there are multiple issues that require an integrated, secure, and reliable solutions to operate effectively. Be it the process by which power is sold back to the existing grid, credits being issued for adopting solar panels, or simply monitoring and (hopefully) improving the performance of these panels, data integrity is essential. The green economy holds significant promise, but to operate in a manner that makes sense and is sustainable, having tools to help prevent green-washing is an imperative.

On paper the idea of selling electricity back to the existing grid, and having a more democratized power generation and transmission process, makes perfect sense. What this means, however, is that the already complicated process of power transmission and distribution will be further complicated, and the integrity of this process is absolutely essential.

Financing infrastructure. Infrastructure may be a popular ballot measure, and a go-to tool in the policy toolkit, but when it comes to paying for these projects, there tends to be less consensus. Funding usually comes from government sources via ballot initiatives, special fees and assessments such as charges for air rights, or some sort of public-private partnerships. These methods certainly will remain, but introducing blockchain to the wider infrastructure conversation enables tokenization to come to the forefront. The ability to tokenize and, in essence, crowdfund, certain infrastructure projects, opens the door to new investors seeking to capitalize on increasing interest and appetite for infrastructure projects.

Two of the hottest and most widely discussed topics and ideas in the modern conversation are blockchain and infrastructure, but the connection between these two topics have not to date seemed to be made in a high profile way. Infrastructure is a widely acknowledged economic stimulus, but has routinely been beset with inefficiencies, a lack of transparency, and an inability to consistently measure the impact and data generated by these projects.

Blockchain is not a magic solution to infrastructure issues, but by integrating blockchain-based or blockchain-augmented tools into infrastructure projects, the ability of said initiatives to deliver sustainable, quantifiable, and equitable benefits will only increase.

See more here:

Blockchain And Infrastructure Both Make Headlines, But How Are They Connected? - Forbes