A blockchain-based tender bidding platform that was designed by female university students has been named the third-best entry in a Saudi Arabian womens coding competition. The competition is said to be part of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman Universitys broader goal of supporting and empowering women in Saudi Arabias technology sector.

A blockchain-based bidding platform created by female students at the Saudi Arabian learning institution Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University was recently recognized as one of the three best projects in this years coding competition. Known as Bidchain, the bidding platform came third in the competition.

According to a report by Laraontheblock, the coding competition, also known as She Codes 2022, was conducted under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education along with Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University. The competition is said to be part of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman Universitys broader goal of supporting and empowering women in Saudi Arabias technology sector.

In addition to working with the government on the coding competition, Enas bint Suleiman Al-Issa, the president of the university, revealed at the award ceremony that her institution is also organizing local and international partnerships as well as holding exhibitions and specialized forums for women.

Meanwhile, in one of the videos of the event shared by Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, one of the students behind the blockchain project said she was pleased with the recognition. The unnamed student who spoke in Arabic added the bidding platform, which was created to solve problems in tender processes, is just the beginning.

While the blockchain-enabled Bidchain platform is this years competitions bronze-winning project, two projects that use artificial intelligence (AI) came first and second. The winning entry, Sonbul, is an edutainment application which teaches kids the principles of saving and investment. An application designed for early detection of metastatic breast cancer in lymph nodes using AI came in second.

What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Terence Zimwara is a Zimbabwe award-winning journalist, author and writer. He has written extensively about the economic troubles of some African countries as well as how digital currencies can provide Africans with an escape route.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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Blockchain-Based Platform Created by Saudi Students Places Third in National Women's Coding Competition Blockchain Bitcoin News - Bitcoin News

AARHUS, Denmark and ZUG, Switzerland, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Concordium Blockchain, COBRA, Aarhus University, the Alexandra Institute, and the IT University have been granted DKK 3.6 million by DIREC, to investigate how to create the best possible online voting system for Greenland.

Due to a change in the law in 2020, many Greenlanders will likely have to cast their vote online in upcoming national elections.

A group of researchers from Concordium Blockchain, Aarhus University, the Alexandra Institute, and the IT University will investigate whether a blockchain-based system will be a more trustworthy e-election on the world's largest island.

DIREC, a collaboration between the computer science departments of eight Danish universities and the Alexandra Institute, has just granted the group DKK 3.6 million for the ambitious Privacy-Preserving and Software-Independent Voting Protocols project. The Department of Social Affairs, Labor Market and Home Affairs of Greenland is going to work closely together with the group on it.

"There are of course many advantages in an online election, however distrust and a lack of regulation ready and secure solutions has prevented the vast majority of countries from moving forward. From Concordium, a science based Decentralized blockchains with the ID at the protocol level, we are eager to participate and solve the potential problems in building online elections on our chain. In Greenland, where enormous distances make it difficult for people to cast their vote, an online solution could potentially increase voter participation, and this is one of the reasons why a change in law in 2020 paved the way for the Greenlandic government to give Greenlanders the opportunity to cast their vote online in the future." says Kre Kjelstrm, CTO at Concordium.

"My goal is that we can give the Greenlandic decision-makers good conditions for deciding which system they should use to hold online elections. From a research point of view, the project can also be valuable. Technologically speaking, we are moving into unknown territory and depending on our results, you can easily imagine that the many, many countries that can see the benefits of an election will be able to use our results as well. And finally, Greenland with its limited population and great distances is an optimal place to start from, says professor at the IT University, Carsten Schrmann, who is Principal Investigator on the project.

Story continues

Is blockchain the solution?

Bas Spitters, associate professor at Aarhus University and researcher at Concordium Blockchain Research Center Aarhus,who is internationally recognized for his research related to the verification of blockchain technologies, sees great potential in the project:

"Electronic election protocols use a kind of bulletin board, and Blockchains can be used as a private and secure bulletin board. They are already used in minor elections to ensure that voters can check that their votes have been registered correctly. In this project we will explore whether it can also be used in larger elections. In particular, we aim to verify that the protocols used to verify the votes are inaccessible to outsiders and that they are secure. In addition, in cooperation with Concordium, we must investigate whether, by integrating MitID in their blockchain, it will be possible to give voters the opportunity to identify themselves at the same time that their private information is protected," concludes Bas Spitters.

Carsten Schrmann, who many consider one of the world's leading experts in election technology, has previously been critical of the internet. He is, however, convinced that online voting will become widespread in the coming years and recognizes the importance of creating a trustworthy system for it, which this project can create the best possible conditions for.

"Blockchains provide some relatively new opportunities to create security and increase transparency, which can be really interesting when we talk about internet elections. With this project, we will concretely investigate how blockchain technologies can be used to curb attacks on the election process, detect technical and human errors and preserve the secrecy of the vote. We will do this by developing some protocols for a system which can be verified and which is what we call software-independent," says Carsten Schrmann.

CONTACT:

ConcordiumMaria Amalia RojasMarketing Directormar@concordium.com

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Concordium

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Greenland, together with Top Universities and Concordium Blockchain, is investigating the possibilities of a blockchain-based election system in the...

Leading MPC protocol pivots to TSS-BLS, building better permissionless computation infrastructure

SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / October 18, 2022 / ARPA Chain, a blockchain-based solution for secure privacy-preserving computation enabled by Multi-Party Computation (MPC), is rebranding as ARPA Network (ARPA) as it switches its focus from general-purpose MPC to Threshold BLS Signature Schemes (TSS-BLS), a subset of MPC.

ARPA Chain was founded in 2018 as a privacy-preserving MPC network, and its Alpha Mainnet has completed over 224,000 computation tasks in the last 2.5 years alone. Its experience in MPC and cryptography laid the groundwork for its innovative TSS-BLS system design and led the team to the new ARPA.

ARPA is a blockchain-adapted decentralized secure computation network employing matured cryptographic algorithms. It aims to further push the boundaries of blockchain and ultimately enable more blockchain use cases via Threshold Signature Scheme - from serving as verifiable random sources for metaverse, games, and NFTs, powering wallets with social recoverability and flexible key management policy, and safeguarding cross-chain transactions. Since TSS networks are sometimes criticized for being slow, ARPA designed a unique grouping mechanism that enables multiple groups of nodes to participate in the completion of BLS signature tasks simultaneously, which significantly increases the throughput.

On top of that, to better cater to developers' needs across multiple ecosystems, ARPA builds the network to support multiple blockchains and allow developers to customize their signature policy according to different security levels required by different applications. Meanwhile, its property of decentralization allows the participation of individual node operators in a permissionless manner, which helps disperse risk by eliminating the possibility of a single point of failure.

While ARPA's nature of decentralization strengthens physical tamper protection, its token economics design stemmed from game theory also helps to distinctly restrain malicious intent and greatly improve the network's security level. Therefore, the network's utility token $ARPA plays a critical role in maintaining a permissionless and self-sustaining ecosystem. For example, $ARPA token can serve as incentives for BLS computation task completion. When a client initiates a computation task, ARPA system distributes the task and summons participants to help fulfill it, promising ARPA tokens if successful. On the other hand, the client may need to pay a service fee or make a security deposit when setting up computation nodes in $ARPA as well.

Going forward, ARPA will serve as the infrastructure for many blockchain applications, including verifiable Random Number Generator (RNG), secure wallet, cross-chain bridge, and decentralized custody across multiple blockchains. While working intensively on the development of the network, the team is also building ARPA's first showcase, Randcast, a verifiable RNG that offers on-chain generated random sources while being secure and verifiable under low-cost. Randcast can be utilized across multiple blockchains in a wide variety of use cases where fairness and transparency are essential, including metaverse gaming, lottery, NFT minting and whitelisting, key generation, and blockchain validator task distribution. The ARPA team is working on the Devnet launch in Q4 2022, and the Mainnet launch in Q1 2023.

For developers interested in building on ARPA, please feel free to sign up for updates. The full-text whitepaper is available on the new website.

About ARPA

ARPA Network (ARPA) is a decentralized secure computation network built to improve the fairness, security, and privacy of blockchains. ARPA threshold BLS signature network serves as the infrastructure of verifiable Random Number Generator (RNG), secure wallet, cross-chain bridge, and decentralized custody across multiple blockchains.

ARPA was previously known as ARPA Chain, a privacy-preserving Multi-party Computation (MPC) network founded in 2018. ARPA Mainnet has completed over 224,000 computation tasks in the past years. Our experience in MPC and other cryptography laid the foundation for our innovative threshold BLS signature schemes (TSS-BLS) system design and led us to today's ARPA Network.

Randcast, a verifiable Random Number Generator (RNG), is the first application that leverages ARPA as infrastructure. Randcast offers a cryptographically generated random source with superior security and low cost compared to other solutions. Metaverse, game, lottery, NFT minting and whitelisting, key generation, and blockchain validator task distribution can benefit from Randcast's tamper-proof randomness.

For more information about ARPA, please contact [emailprotected].

Official Website: https://arpanetwork.io/Discord: https://dsc.gg/arpa-networkGitHub: https://github.com/ARPA-NetworkTwitter: https://twitter.com/arpaofficialMedium: https://arpa.medium.com/Telegram: https://t.me/arpa_communityLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arpachain/

SOURCE: ARPA

See the article here:

ARPA Chain Rebrands as ARPA Network Aiming to Spur Blockchain Evolution - AccessWire

South Korea is planning to introduce blockchain-based digital IDs for its citizens with a smartphone by 2024, according to Bloomberg. These digital IDs will be installed on smartphones and work as efficiently as physical resident registration cards.

The call for digital IDs is not new as its importance was realized as soon as the world embraced a digital economy and more and more people began making cashless payments.

Cautious of being seen as a Big Brother, the South Korean government plans to adopt a decentralized identity system. Suh Bo Ram, the Director-General of South Koreas Digital Government Bureau, said that the government would have no direct access to information stored on phones, including the digital ID and their usage.

Every service that hasnt been able to fully transition online will now be able to do so.

In January 2018, the South Korean government attempted to control cryptocurrency trading by limiting trade to real-name bank accounts exclusively. Simply put, a cryptocurrency trader was needed to have a bank account in order to trade.

Notably, South Korea amended the Act on the Reporting and Use of Specific Financial Transaction Information (the March 2020 Amendment) on 5 March 2020. The legislation establishes a legislative framework for cryptocurrencies, as well as associated services and activities, legally legalizing cryptocurrency in South Korea and requiring specific compliance requirements.

The country has previously successfully implemented blockchain-based digital driving licenses. A 2020 report said that one million citizens have foregone their physical driving license in favour of a blockchain-powered digital alternative, used in conjunction with the PASS smartphone app.

A June 2021 report published by ReportLinker mentioned that the blockchain identity market will grow a further $3.58 billion by 2025, at a compounded annual growth rate of 71%.

Koreans currently rely on resident registration cards similar to a U.S social security card to identify themselves. Under the proposal, an app would embed those IDs into mobile devices.

South Korea will launch digital IDs in 2024 and seeks their adoption by 45 million citizens within two years.

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South Korea to provide blockchain-based Digital IDs to its citizens - AMBCrypto News

Zug Switzerland, 17 October 2022: The BSV Blockchain Association is excited to announce that it will be hosting an exclusive informational luncheon during the upcoming Southern California Blockchain Summit. The event is being held in partnership with SmartLedger, a company which specialises in building blockchain solutions for enterprises across several sectors.

During the event, participants will learn about how blockchain is capable of disrupting almost any industry, with presentations focusing on the music, entertainment, retail, and food sectors. Participants will have exclusive access to using Web3 applications, as well as pitch decks and demos. Creators will also showcase their applications, offering seamless client and consumer engagement at its finest.

Shawn Ryan Co-Founder and CEO of SmartLedger said: This is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote and introduce key decision-makers and innovators to what blockchain technology can do.

SmartLedger envisions a world transformed using blockchain technology and its mission is to contribute and accelerate the coming of this newly born era of full accountability, and optimised efficiency by assisting in the implementation of blockchain solutions across all sectors.

Full event details can be found below. You can find out more about signing up for the event here.

What: The BSV Blockchain Association and enterprise blockchain solutions provider SmartLedger will be hosting an informational luncheon during the Southern California Blockchain Summit about how to leverage blockchain as a scalable utility.

Martin Coxall Marketing Director at BSV said: Whilst there will be a focus on the blockchains leverage and scalable utility, we will also be highlighting key BSV companies creating revolutionary solutions in the music industry and gaming.

Who:

When: Friday, October 28th from 12-3:30pm PDT

Where: The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in The Heart of Hollywood

7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

About the BSV Blockchain Association

BSV Blockchain Association is a non-profit association (Verein) in Switzerland, and the global industry organization which advances the BSV blockchain (BSV). It brings together enterprises, start-up ventures, developers, merchants, exchanges, service providers, blockchain transaction processors (miners), and others in the BSV ecosystem. The Association supports BSV as the original Bitcoin, with a stable protocol and massive scaling roadmap to become the worlds new money and global blockchain for enterprise. The organization seeks to build a regulation-friendly ecosystem that fosters lawful conduct while encouraging digital currency and blockchain innovation.

Lightning Sharks on behalf of BSV Blockchain AssociationKey contact: Haris Khan, PR, and Media ManagerEmail: [emailprotected]Mobile: +44 (0) 7503 581 563

The luncheon will be held at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles, California on Friday, October 28 from 12pm to 3:30pm PDT. During the event, a select group of VIP attendees will learn how the BSV blockchain is disrupting their respective industries, with a focus on the music, entertainment, retail, and food sectors.

New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeeksBitcoin for Beginnerssection, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoinas originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamotoand blockchain.

Go here to see the original:

BSV Blockchain Association and SmartLedger to host luncheon during the Southern California Blockchain Summit - CoinGeek

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

There is a lot of talk in the crypto world about mass adoption. But what does that mean? And how can we make it happen? Plenty of products are being created in the crypto space ranging from DeFi protocols to NFT marketplaces, and now there is a move towards Web3-ready browsers. Furthermore, crypto forecast data states that the number of cryptocurrency users will reach 350 million by 2027.

This considerable increase will only happen if we see mass education on crypto, blockchain and Web3 technologies. So how can this be done?

Most experienced crypto users who participate in the market are already familiar with it and use their knowledge to create solutions that ease business processes for others. However, these users almost exist in a bubble surrounded by people with the same level of understanding.

If you have spent any time in the crypto world, you have probably realized that even within a community of less experienced crypto enthusiasts, there is a lack of effort to self-educate despite the availability of resources such as FAQs, beginner guides and other forms of content.

The problem is that the average person does not even know where to start when it comes to crypto learning. They are intimidated by the technical jargon and do not have time to sift through all the information.

Related: 10 Incredible Uses for Cryptocurrency and Blockchain You Probably Haven't Thought of

The world as we know it is cyclical, and the crypto industry does not exist in a vacuum. We can learn from the successes and failures of TradFi to better understand how to achieve mass crypto adoption.

Since its first appearance 200 years ago, the traditional finance market has evolved to become an essential part of our everyday lives thanks to its process of education. Education in TradFi has given the masses an explanation of how the system works in simple terms, raising understanding and increasing adoption.

The education system in TradFi goes back to early childhood when kids learn to participate in TradFi through play. They learn the value of money and how to save. A more formal education follows this in schools where children study different financial concepts such as budgeting, loans, and investments. But there is no such thing for crypto yet.

There is a need to raise a comfortable and familiar generation around crypto. Many crypto-educated American parents are already investing about $766 into extra-curricular crypto education for their children.

Related: Mass Adoption of Blockchain Technology by Entrepreneurs? Major Challenges Are Involved.

In addition, some companies have already started to invest in educational tools and resources to help people understand crypto. Binance and Coinbase, for example, have "Learn" sections on their websites to help users get to know different cryptocurrencies and even earn crypto rewards.

Withal, top universities, such as Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Oxford, are starting to incorporate blockchain and crypto courses into their curriculum. Despite the positive trend, many crypto-related programs teach only the basics with a focus on financial literacy. Unless the students learn how the tech works, they will not become crypto natives, get hired by market players after graduation, or develop the most sought-after skills within the sector.

There are also "anti-cases'' like the one with El Salvador, which became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as a legal tender. It was only in 2022 that the "My First Bitcoin" program was launched to educate children and adults about cryptocurrencies. The Salvadoran government should have started this educational program much earlier.

The same can be said about the UK, where the country's Digital Minster is looking to make the nation a "crypto hub," while nearly half of young adults in the country do not know how cryptocurrencies work. The discrepancy is further exaggerated by the fact that more than half (56%) of the UK's young adults are willing to invest in crypto in the future, yet another 60% believe there is inadequate information available regarding learning about digital assets.

As it seems, countries across the globe are in a crypto arms race to be the first to achieve mass crypto adoption. However, no one is thinking about how ordinary people can understand and use cryptocurrencies in their everyday lives.

Having a few companies invest in educational tools and resources is not enough. There needs to be a coordinated effort by all crypto institutions to explain the concepts of digital assets in simple terms so that everyone can understand. True mass crypto adoption can only be achieved when the population adequately understands the industry.

At first, as a crypto entrepreneur, you may think that creating a high-quality product is enough. But it is wrong; people using your platform need proper training about it first.

As the crypto world expands, so does the range and palette of financial instruments. Every socially responsible business should therefore think beyond its product or service and consider its impact on the greater good.

It is the responsibility of CEOs and founders to learn from TradFi history and think about crypto education and how to make it accessible to everyone from an early age, thus guaranteeing future growth and adoption.

After all, to get a mature crypto community in the next 5-10 years, we need to carry knowledge about blockchain to the next generation, the future native users of the technology.

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Educating Consumers on Crypto Will Lead to Mass Adoption - Entrepreneur

Young woman working at modern office. Technical price graph and indicator, red and green candlestick chart and stock trading computer screen background.

It has been a rotten time to own shares in Argo Blockchain (LSE: ARB). The Argo Blockchain share price has crashed 88% in the past year. It now trades as a penny share.

The chart is not pretty not only has the price fallen recently, it has been on a downward trend for much of the 12 months.

So, will the price drift even lower or could it start to regain ground? As an Argo Blockchain shareholder myself, this is not just a theoretical question. I need to decide whether to sell at a loss or hang on hoping for an improvement in the share price.

Argo was riding high for parts of last year, when crypto prices were more robust and the broader economy seemed less fragile than it does now.

But the US dollar value of Bitcoin has tumbled 69% last year (the pound value has fallen by 61%). A lot of tech-related shares saw heavy price falls in the final months of 2021 and have yet to recover their old levels.

That matters for Argo because optimism about tech and a strong crypto price helped support its share price. As a crypto miner, lower prices for Bitcoin and its peers equate to smaller profits for Argo or none at all.

That environment is reflected in some of the challenges that the company is currently facing.

This month it announced plans to sell thousands of unused mining machines and raise capital by issuing new shares. That will dilute existing shareholders. I see a risk that in order to boost liquidity further in future, shareholders could be diluted again.

Part of the justification for this move was to ensure that the Company has the working capital necessary to. . . meet its obligations over the next twelve months. Although the company is working to stay viable, the language used seems ominous to me. Apparently the board is concerned that some tough medicine is needed just to meet the firms short-term obligations.

However, all is not lost.

The company has proven it can make a mining profit. That could be the foundation for future profits. Just as a fall in crypto prices has hurt the Argo Blockchain share price, any future increase might help it.

Story continues

Argo also has a number of data centres I think could be used to earn revenue even if not by mining crypto. Demand for data centre space remains high and I expect that to continue.

Despite that, the company clearly faces challenges. Its recent moves are prudent but shoring up the balance sheet in that way may further hurt investor sentiment. Indeed, since the announcement, the Argo Blockchain share price has moved downwards.

With positive news and higher crypto prices, the price could recover in future. But I think there is a real risk it could end up going to zero. Even if it does recover, I do not expect that to happen any time soon.

For now I still hold my shares. But if the outlook does not improve in coming months, I will consider selling them.

The post Will the Argo Blockchain share price recover? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

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C Ruane has positions in Argo Blockchain. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

The content in this article is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended to be, neither does is constitute, any form of investment advice. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are highly speculative and volatile assets, which carry several risks, including the total loss of any monies invested. Readers are responsible for carrying out their own due diligence and for obtaining professional advice before making any investment decisions.

Motley Fool UK 2022

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Will the Argo Blockchain share price recover? - Yahoo Finance UK

DevRev, a Palo Alto-based startup that has built a developer CRM for product-led growth, has raised $20 million and did so by tokenizing its fundraising process.

Why it matters: By putting investments on the blockchain, DevRev believes it can open its fundraising process to customers and other advocates for its platform.

Context: DevRev was founded by former Nutanix CEO Dheeraj Pandey, along with Nutanix tech lead Manoj Agarwal, both of whom left that company early last year to build the startup.

How it works: The DevRev SAFE token is being offered under a Reg D filing with the SEC and represents a digital version of a typical SAFE security.

Yes, but: Its important to note that DevRev is not putting tokens out on the open market or allowing them to be traded or sold on a public exchange.

What were watching: While its still early, DevRev is not ruling out the possibility of making tokenized fundraising a part of its product suite, potentially helping its customers to raise money from their customers.

Editor's note. This story has been updated to show that DevRev has already raised the $20 million.

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DevRev puts its fundraising on the blockchain - Axios

If you listen to crypto haters like Peter Schiff, theyll tell you Bitcoins been left behind and looking lost amid the latest little stocks surge. Under the surface, though, it looks like BTC whales are accumulating.

And its true that Bitcoin and the crypto market as a whole are struggling for a bit of direction at this present moment. In fact, if there was an award for the best-performing sideways-moving asset outside of stablecoins, then Bitcoin would be in with a great shout.

Here was Peter I Bar Up Over Gold More Than Francisco Pizzaro Schiffs latest Bitcoin-related comment, by the way:

However, theres the odd bit of on-chain research popping up here and there in our content feeds that would indicate at least some potential for a positive break out of the excruciatingly low Bitcoin/crypto volatility were currently in.

For instance, data from the blockchain research firm Santiment indicates whales (holders of large amounts of a given asset) are accumulating Bitcoin at these US$19k-ish levels.

As BTCs price continues its crab impression, addresses holding between 10,000 to 100,000 BTC have apparently reached their highest level since February 2021. That, by the way, turned out to be a pretty bullish month for crypto, although past performance is not indicative of future resu ah, you know.

And another little nugget of possibly positive info has come from another blockchain analytics firm, CryptoQuant, which suggests that about US$940 million worth of Bitcoin (48k BTC) has just moved off major crypto exchange Coinbase.

This sort of large BTC movement is sometimes regarded as a good sign, indicating whale holders are looking to secure their asset in cold storage reducing the likelihood of selling/trading.

Additionally, more than 121,000 BTC (over US$2.3 billion), has left exchanges in the past 30 days.

The red lines on the CryptoQuant chart below indicate exchange outflows. It doesnt always follow that the outflow spikes are harbingers for price rallies, but that big outflow that occurred in mid June certainly saw some subsequent positive price action.

This latest exchange outflow is the biggest since June.

Onto some daily price action.

With the overall crypto market cap at US$966 billion, down about 1% since this time yesterday, heres the current state of play among top 10 tokens according to CoinGecko.

As indicated above, Bitcoin and its fancy top 10 friends are still hanging out somewhere on the Nullarbor Plain, dreaming of mountain-range visual stimulation.

Clocking into some well-known go-to Crypto Twitter analysts, and the feeling is mixed. Justin Bennett, for one, doesnt actually sound so confident any more that a rally is particularly imminent, citing unfinished business sub $19k.

However, il Capo of Crypto is satisfied theres been a double touch of support around the low $19k level and is going, er, long and strong on a potential double bottom

Meanwhile, just touching on the leading layer 1 smart-contract blockchain for half a second, Aussie Ethereum educator Anthony Sassano points out some post-Merge issuance reduction for ETH in this tweet below. A very good thing for the cryptos deflationary-asset narrative.

Aptos, yet another layer 1 blockchain hitting the crypto space has made its highly anticipated mainnet debut.

Anticipated, because its borne from Metas defunct Diem blockchain project, and there has been millions of VC dollars pumped into this one from the likes of Parafi, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), FTX, and Multicoin Capital.

The blockchains native APT token is now set to make its debut on the market, however, Aptos has been copping a barrage of criticism for its lack of transparency so far with regards to its token distribution model.

News has leaked that some 51% of the initial 1 billion APT supply is sitting with VCs, with another 190 million going to core developers for the project.

This hasnt gone down well.

At the time of writing, the APT token is listed on crypto market aggregation sites such as CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap, however, there is no price data available yet, and the project will be featured as an untracked listing for the moment until full support is integrated from crypto-trading platforms.

Sweeping a market-cap range of about US$7.16 billion to about US$392 million in the rest of the top 100, lets find some of the biggest 24-hour gainers and losers at press time. (Stats accurate at time of publishing, based on CoinGecko.com data.)

DAILY PUMPERS

Frax Share (FXS),(market cap: US$453 million) +10%

Aave(AAVE), (mc: US$1.17 billion) +5%

Arweave (AR), (mc: US$515 million) +3%

Curve DAO(CRV), (mc: US$500 million) +2%

Polygon (MATIC), (mc: US$6.45 million) +2%

DAILY SLUMPERS

Quant (QNT), (market cap: US$2.68 billion) -11%

EthereumPoW (ETHW), (mc: US$738 million) -5%

LEO Token (LEO), (mc: US$4 billion) -4%

Lido DAO(LDO), (mc: US$4 billion) -1%

The Graph (GRT), (mc: US$618 million) -4%

A selection of randomness and pertinence that stuck with us on our morning moves through the Crypto Twitterverse

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Mooners and Shakers: Bitcoin flat, but whales are stacking; Aptos blockchain makes rocky start - Stockhead

Japanese anime-inspired NFT initiative Azuki is expanding its presence in Web3 with the launch of a physically-backed token (PBT). The PBT will allow users to generate digital tokens to represent real objects on the Ethereum blockchain allowing on-chain ownership of tangible assets.

The PBT will give businesses and content creators a tool for creating experiences and next-generation storytelling for their audiences.

Creating digital representations of real-world objects is not a new concept. However, maintaining the link with the object throughout its lifetime is still a challenge and that is what Azukis new PBT token standard aims to solve.

The Physical Backed Token standard technology provides complete on-chain, decentralized identification, and monitoring of the entire ownership history of physical goods through their digital representations. It introduces trustless authentication where anyone and everyone can freely authenticate, validate, and construct interactions with the objects.

Azukis PBT offers a scan-to-own experience that allows users to generate digital tokens by simply scanning real objects. The person who scanned the physical item (who is also the owner of a physical item) then becomes the owner of the generated digital token.

According to Azuki, several Web3 projects have developed ways of developing digital tokens for physical products but in most cases, the physical product and the generated digital token are immediately separated after the digital token is minted. Azuri has gotten around this drawback by providing decentralized authentication and tracking of the physical product throughout its lifetime.

Read the rest here:

Azuki launches physically backed token linking real objects to blockchain - CoinJournal

For Ws annual The Originals portfolio, we asked creativespioneers in the fields of art, design, fashion, comedy, activism, and moreto share their insights on staying true to themselves. See this years full class of creatives here.

After three years of working as an artist and illustrator, you entered the NFT space and created a collection of diverse PFPs [NFT profile pictures]. What is World of Women, and why did you start it?

I entered the Web3 space [a nascent iteration of the Internet that emphasizes decentralization and blockchain technology] early last year, selling my single-edition art pieces through these NFT platforms. I saw there was a huge lack of representation in this space, which really frustrated me. As the movement of NFT profile-picture collections, like the Bored Apes, started booming, I thought, Im going to do the same thing, but its going to be a collection of women of all skin colors, all ethnicities. The response to them really showed me this problem was much bigger than I thought. There were a lot of women hiding or being quiet in this space because they didnt feel appreciated or seen. Now were an established company with almost 20 employees, and its only been a year.

Do you think its easier to be original today than it was 20 years ago?

Technology is a double-edged sword. It has allowed us to achieve incredible things, and as weve seen with Web3, it has enabled communities from all around the world to connect and to form ideas and resources to be shared more efficiently and directly. But at the same time, technology has disconnected us from certain things and has made us lazier. Maybe before, people made more of an effort with certain things that now we just take for granted.

How do you think Web3 has changed the game for artists?

Youre able to put your art out there in front of collectors around the world, and people dont care where youve shown, who you are, or where you come from. Its all about the art and how it touches people. It is harder to make a living from your art when you dont have the right connections. This allows anybody to do that.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about NFTs and blockchain technology?

A lot of people assume that this is just speculation, and that its all about making money really fast and the same people getting richer and richer every day. And while it is true that a lot of the same people are getting richer, blockchain technology is an opener for so many more things that we can do as individuals in the long term. Another misconception is that this is all made just for dudes.

Where in the world, and doing which activity, are you happiest?

I love cooking with my momits like therapy. Or being in the desert at night, looking at the grandness of the sky and sharing a meal with my husband, friends, or family members.

Hair and Makeup by Julia Krmer.

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World of Women CEO Yam Karkai Brings Inclusivity to the Blockchain - W Magazine

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Dublin, Oct. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Growth Opportunities for Blockchain in Cyberwarfare and National Security" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The increasing frequency of attacks on national assets and the sophistication of cyberthreats threaten a nation's ability to defend itself from cyberwarfare strategies. The expanding application of deepfake AI against dominant political figures, social media hijacks of persons of national interest, unauthorized defense network penetration, and ransom demands that threaten complete network outages have forced government administrators to expand their defense horizon.

Despite the ever-increasing threat landscape and their incredibly high-risk profile, government organizations remain far behind where they should be in terms of cybermaturity and digital resilience strategies, necessitating a rapid push to fortify cyber-defenses and manage their cyber-risk profiles.

Cyberattacks on important assets will increase, and blockchain will be at the core of successfully averting them. Blockchain adoption will enable administrators to gain better visibility of procedures at various junctions of the governmental value chain. The technology will be extremely beneficial for segments such as managing digital identities, regulating international financial settlements, and securing defense procurements and weapon systems. Moreover, future battlefields will use computer-controlled and IoT-based communication platforms. Blockchain will be a vital component in encrypting and safeguarding battlefield strategies.

Blockchain will play a pivotal role in helping administrators gain better visibility and develop strong data management guidelines. These guidelines will help administrators transition toward a digital economy, counter various administrative challenges with respect to urbanization (smart city infrastructure), and regulate the supply chain for defense procurements.

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Extensive use of IoT-driven communication across various services generates a huge amount of data, which are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Smart city solutions, such as smart grids, digital healthcare, and intelligent traffic solutions, deploy many IoT devices and sensors that require permissioned blockchain networks to safeguard the city's data. Blockchain technology will be pivotal in safeguarding critical infrastructures, such as smart grids, healthcare records, and mobility.

Key Issues Addressed

What is the role of blockchain in securing national defense strategy?

How can blockchain tackle issues around border and immigration management?

What is the application potential of blockchain in securing critical infrastructure?

What are the best practices among developed nations that have embraced eGovernance platforms?

What are the top growth opportunities for participants in this space?

Key Topics Covered:

1. Trends Strategic Imperatives

Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative 8T

Our Mega Trend Universe: Overview

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline EngineT

About the Growth Pipeline ModelT

2. Executive Dashboard

3. Strategic Context

National Security Threat Horizon: The Future

Definition of Blockchain

Types of Blockchain

Blockchain-driven National Cyber Resilience: The Why

What Blockchain Can Offer National Administrators

Blockchain for Strengthening National Cybersecurity

Blockchain Usage Framework in a National Ecosystem

Strategic Pillars Driving a Blockchain-powered Nation

Smart City Platforms: A Catalyst for Blockchain's Growth

CI Attacks: Threats to Internal Security

Evolution of Cyberthreats: The Blockchain Imperative

Impact Matrix of Attacks on National Assets: Global

Role of Blockchain in Securing Future Battlefields: 2030

Future of National Defense Lies in Technological Readiness

4. Regional Implications

Trend Opportunity: Regional Exposure

Significance of Blockchain in Governance Ecosystem

Key Trend Opportunity Levers

Trend Opportunity: Attractiveness Analysis

5. Blockchain in Cyberwarfare and National Security: Areas of Application

Blockchain in National Defense Resilience

Blockchain in Securing National Borders

Blockchain in Securing CI

Blockchain in Building a Nation's Economic Resilience

Blockchain in Creating eGovernance Models

Blockchain-based Digital Identity for eGovernance

6. Trend Impact Analysis

Trend Opportunity Impact and Certainty Analysis

Trend Opportunity Disruption Index

Trend Disruption Attractiveness Score

Trend Opportunity Growth Index

Growth Attractiveness Score

Trends BEETS Implications

7. Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1: Blockchain to Help in Smart Policing Solutions

Growth Opportunity 2: Blockchain to Fortify Military Strategy

Growth Opportunity 3: Blockchain to Enhance Physical Security for National Borders and Critical Infrastructure

Critical Success Factors for Growth

Conclusion: The Way Forward

8. Appendix

9. Next Steps

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/exrdxo

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Growth Opportunities for Blockchain in Cyberwarfare and National Security 2022: Blockchain to Enhance Physical Security for National Borders and...

PARIS, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when the music business is going through unprecedented changes in uses and distribution methods, Sacem's innovative approach is consistently putting technological opportunities into practice to better serve its members. Today, via its URights subsidiary, Sacem is launching Musicstart, a service that allows all authors or composers, including beginners, to create proof of anteriority for their creations in just a few minutes.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/9097851-musicstart-new-blockchain-based-service-helps-creators-music-business/

The protection of works: the first essential step in the creation process.

Today, music creators can write, compose, distribute and even promote their works independently, but the question of protecting their rights remains a central issue, closely linked to that of remuneration.

Musicstart is a 100% digital service that allows you to easily generate a proof of anteriority of a work using blockchain technology.Users provide the main information about their creation, transmit the associated file (lyrics, score, music) and receive a certificate of anteriority, linked to a forgery-proof fingerprint in the blockchain, which can be used in the event of a legal dispute.

A simple, fast and eco-responsible service offered to creators, anywhere in the world.

Musicstart is for all creators novices or experts, beatmakers or bedroom producers and especially for those who are not yet members of a collective management organisation like Sacem.

In an effort to meet everyone's needs, two pricing schemes are available:

- One-off protection (per file): 3.99

- Monthly subscriptions (unlimited protection): 4.99 per month (cancel any time)

With this simple, low-cost service, Sacem, through its URights subsidiary, is reaching out to young creators who do not have the reflex to protect their works before they distribute them.

The service will evolve in the future on two fronts: internationalisation, with the addition of new languages and currencies; and enhancements of the service including the possibility to add co-creators and their IPI numbers; then their respective splits in the work. Sacem members will also be able to access it directly from their portal in the coming months.

Sensitive to environmental issues, Sacem has chosen to use Tezos, a blockchain with a consensus mechanism based on proof of stake. This technology allows for energy-efficient transaction validation.

Find out more about Musicstart on the website

Ccile Rap-Veber, CEO of Sacem: "Musicstart marks a new stage in Sacem's quest to develop more and more value linked to the diffusion of music for the benefit of those who create it. We have become a global leader in collective management because we have always been able to respond to the constant changes in the way music is created and distributed through technological innovation and our ability to negotiate with the major players of the web. Today, as new challenges arise with the emergence of uses such as NFTs and the metaverse, and as the challenges related to transparency and the traceability of works persist, Sacem is providing this new answer to the essential question of the protection of works, especially for creators who are starting their careers."

Julien Dumon, Director of Development, Phono and Digital, and CEO of the URights subsidiary: "The launch of Musicstart marks a turning point for Sacem and a first step in the development of its URights subsidiary. For many years, Sacem has repeatedly demonstrated its expertise and ability to adapt to a constantly changing music market. In addition, we have always been committed to supporting creators and educating them about authors' rights. Musicstart fits perfectly into this philosophy: It is a simple and scalable service that is adapted to the challenges of today's creators. Our ambition is to make this service accessible to as many people as possible, both in France and abroad, in particular through partnerships with key players in the music industry.

Read the digital version of our press release

Press contact

[emailprotected]

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1918820/Musicstart.mp4Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1919388/MusicStart_Logo.jpg

SOURCE URights, a Sacem subsidiary

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Musicstart: a new blockchain-based service for protecting works that helps creators get off to a good start in the music business - PR Newswire

DUBLIN, Oct. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ The report "The Quantum Threat to Blockchain: Emerging Business Opportunities" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This new research report identifies not only the challenges, but alsothe opportunities in terms of new products and services that arise fromthe threat that quantum computers pose to the "blockchain" mechanism.According to a recent study by the consulting firm Deloitte,approximately one-fourth of the blockchain-based cybercurrency Bitcoin in circulation in 2022 is vulnerable to quantum attack.

The analyst foresees major commercial opportunities arising toprotect blockchain against future quantum computer intrusions and agreeswith the White House National Security Memorandum NSM-10, released on May 04, 2022,which indicates the urgency of addressing imminent quantum computingthreats and the risks they present to the economy and to nationalsecurity in the latest report "The Quantum Threat to Blockchain: Emerging Business Opportunities".

Although the main focus of this report is on the quantum threat tothe integrity of cybercurrencies, the applicability of blockchain (andtherefore the threat of quantum) is much broader than the newer types ofmoney. Blockchain technology has been proposed for a wide range oftransactions, including insurance, real estate, voting, supply chaintracking, gambling, etc.

A quantum computer-compromised blockchain would allow eavesdropping,unauthorized client authentication, signed malware, cloak-in encryptedsession, a man-in-the-middle attack (MITM), forged documents, andemails. These attacks can lead to mission-critical operationsdisruption, reputation, and trust damage, as well as loss ofintellectual property, financial assets, and regulated data. Note thatthis report covers both technical and policy issues relating to thequantum vulnerability of blockchain.

As things stand now, blockchains are secured with relativelygarden-variety encryption schemes. However, quantum computers will havethe computational power to break these schemes as they grow in power.Predictions of when quantum computers will attain such power vary fromfive years to never, but, the threat hangs over the cryptocurrency industry as a whole and is a dampener to its prospects.

Quantum computers directly threaten classical public-key/private keycryptography blockchain technologies because they can break thecomputational security assumptions of elliptic curve cryptography. Theyalso significantly weaken the security of critical private key or hashfunction algorithms, which protect the blockchain's secrets.

Also, some of the early expenditures on quantum-safe technology inthe cybercurrency market will undoubtedly go to protecting data fromattacks later, when quantum computing resources become mature. Thisissue becomes more important as we grow closer to the day when powerfulquantum computers become a reality. But preemptive action on the quantumthreat means that the business opportunities in this space are emergingright now.

As this report makes clear, the publisher sees major commercialopportunities to protect blockchain and the technologies dependent onblockchain against future quantum computer intrusions. One area thatthis report focuses on especially is post-quantum encryption (PQC), inwhich relatively traditional encryption schemes are devised that aresimply much harder to break than currently used encryption schemes. WithNIST announcing a new set of PQC standards in July 2022,the publisher believes that PQC firms will be receiving majorinvestments in the near term as a result of the growing concerns aboutbad actors with access to quantum computing resources.

The publisher believes there is also a need for relatively low-costinformation-theoretically secure (ITS) solutions that instantlystrengthen standardized cryptography systems used in blockchains. Thus,this report also discusses quantum-enabled blockchain architecturesbased on Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNG) and Quantum KeyDistribution (QKD).

Key Highlights:

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter One: Introduction1.1 Objective and Scope of this Report1.1.1 The Threat of Quantum Computers to Blockchain1.2 Cryptography Background to this Report1.2.1 Concerned Organizations1.2.2 NIST PQC Efforts and Beyond1.2.3 Addressable Market for Quantum-safe Cybercurrency1.3 The Goals of this Report

Chapter Two: Classical Blockchain Cryptography and Quantum Computing Attacks2.1 Overview of the Quantum Threat2.2 NIST and Post-quantum Cryptography2.2.1 Structure of the NIST PQC Effort2.2.2 Importance of Asymmetric Digital Signatures2.2.3 Impact of Doubling Key Size2.2.4 Algorithm Security Strength2.3 Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)2.4 Quantum Attack Resources Estimates to Break ECC and DSA2.5 Quantum Resistant Cryptography for Blockchains2.5.1 Taproot and Bitcoin Core2.5.2 Impact of NIST-based PQC Algorithms2.6 Post-quantum Random Oracle Model2.6.1 Modeling Random Oracles for Quantum Attackers2.7 Summary of this Chapter

Chapter Three: Quantum Opportunities of the Blockchain Kind3.1 Blockchain Basics3.1.1 What are Classical Blockchains?3.2 Quantum-Enabled Blockchain3.2.1 Role of Quantum-safe Security Technologies3.3 Blockchain Security3.3.1 Role of Conventional Cryptography3.3.2 Attacks on Classical Cryptography3.3.2.1 Some Known Attacks Against ECDSA3.3.2.2 ECDSA Key Pair Generation:3.3.2.3 Signature Computation:3.3.2.4 Recommendations:3.3.2.5 Blockchain Security Summary:3.4 Mitigating Cyberattacks on Blockchains3.5 Blockchain Security: Entropy/Randomness3.5.1 Examples of Low Entropy Attacks3.6 Random Number Generator Product Evolution3.6.1 PRNGs3.6.2 TRNGs3.6.3 QRNGs3.6.4 OpenSSL 3.03.7 Summary of this Chapter

Chapter Four: Quantum Impacts on the Cryptocurrency Business4.1 Qubit and Quantum Gates4.1.1 Qubits4.1.2 Quantum Gates4.1.3 Quantum Fourier Transform4.1.4 Oracle4.1.5 Amplitude Amplification4.2 Quantum Algorithms4.2.1 Shor's Algorithm4.3 Specific Quantum Threat to Blockchains4.3.1 Risk of Quantum Attack in Authentication4.3.2 Grover's Algorithm and Hashing4.4 Risk of Quantum Attack in Mining4.5 Nonce Attacks4.6 Blockchain Data Structures4.7 Summary of this Chapter

Chapter Five: Quantum Hash and QKD5.1 Classical to Quantum Hashing Functions5.1.1 Summary: Quantum Hashing Functions5.2 Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)5.2.1 Technical Issues5.2.2 Issues Needing Work in Blockchain Enabled QKD5.2.2.1 Summary: QKD Technical Issues and Blockchain Integration5.2.2.2 Software-defined Networking QKD and Blockchain5.3 Notes on Interface Protocols5.3.1 Southbound Interface5.3.2 Northbound Interface Protocol5.3.3 Resource Allocation5.4 Steps Blockchain Organizations Can Take Now5.5 Summary of this Chapter

About the Publisher

About the Analyst

Acronyms and Abbreviations Used In this Report

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lh4alo

SOURCE: Research and Markets

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New Research Report Predicts Blockchain and Quantum Threat Will Quickly Spread Beyond Cybercurrencies; Surge in New Product and Services Opportunities...

Bitcoin Online Casino The Future of iGaming

Gambling preferences often affect the types of games and the possibilities of influencing the process. So someone chooses video slots, while others select Live games or sports betting. A modern online casino can quickly satisfy the taste for specific simulators or themed slots. But a separate conversation requires the availability of payment methods on the site and ways to withdraw your winnings. With Wild tornado casino in Australia, you can use all available tools, including cryptocurrency.

Blockchain technologies have changed the idea of the possibility of mutual settlements. According to gambling expert K. Czerwinska, the growth in the popularity of cryptocurrency transactions in 2022 is increasing. The use of other secure payment methods, including Paysafecard (https://www.paysafecard.com), has become optional for online casinos. As a result, the gambling business is massively integrating crypto-currency technologies for transactions.

We are talking about the complete eradication of fraud and the absolute security of user data. This can only be achieved by entirely isolating payment and complete migration information. Any virtual establishment must comply with security standards, which implies using reliable means of payment. Otherwise, an online casino has every chance of being left out of the current gambling industry.

The most popular types of currency:

Next, we will try to highlight a few points that the introduction of this payment mechanism has most significantly affected. Using the example of an online casino, the advantage of blockchain will be noticeable compared to other services, which makes it convenient for the site and the user in equal measure.

Information security and confidentiality are integral parts of the user agreement of the gambling site and the potential user. Therefore, non-disclosure of information about its operations on the service is decisive in choosing a site for betting on money. Most users are afraid of public rejection of their leisure time. The general condemnation of gambling has a devastating effect on an individuals psychological health and social status.

Today, fiat currencies, mutual settlements with cards, and PayPal funds cannot fully guarantee security on gambling sites. In this case, Bitcoin is ideal for leisure due to the lack of user identification to confirm the payment. It will also eliminate the hassle of currency conversion and additional fees and commissions held by banks and the casino site.

The reaction speed significantly impacts where exactly the gamer will spend his evenings spinning the reels. The availability of rates within a few minutes after the deposit has excellent advantages, especially when you do not have to additionally provide a scan of payment receipts and other personal documents.

In the crypto casino, it must be possible to withdraw funds to keep both the deposit and the withdrawal of winnings secret. Undoubtedly, the choice will fall on the virtual institution where both options are available, and adequate transfer limits are set. The institution should not artificially limit the speed of the operation, and it usually takes no more than a couple of minutes. Digital money is instantly credited to your wallet, and the technology eliminates the occurrence of errors in the process.

You probably havent heard of Bitcoin online casino hacks in the last few years. All this is possible due to the absolute inaccessibility of information to a third party in the process of mutual settlements. Only the end user of the service can manage the balance and conduct transactions, without whose knowledge nothing happens.

Thanks to cryptography, an online casino, like any interested party, receives only the address of your digital wallet. This information is not related to the state of the account, much less to its use. This feature absolutely eliminates the leakage of your data or funds from the account.

Digital money has completely changed the attitude of software developers towards creating programs. With the use of slot machines on Bitcoin, you can count on severe winnings without significant limits on bets. Considering this type of currency as an investment, online casino operators do their best to attract users to their sites. Counting on the growth in the value of cryptocurrency in the future, there is considerable potential for its use in iGaming.

The absence of taxes allows casinos online to make more generous offers to potential users. This is reflected in bonus offers and promotions in order to attract attention and keep the gamer for a long time. In addition, mutually beneficial conditions allow you to enjoy your favorite video slots and get a solid profit from winnings.

Any money bets promise the pleasure of excitement but the risk of losing money. Therefore, the main rule in online casinos in Australia is that users must be at least 21 years old. It is worth taking full advantage of modern platforms responsibly. Use free savings that do not affect the familys welfare for money bets.

CryptoMode produces high quality content for cryptocurrency companies. We have provided brand exposure for dozens of companies to date, and you can be one of them. All of our clients appreciate our value/pricing ratio.Contact us if you have any questions: [emailprotected] None of the information on this website is investment or financial advice. CryptoMode is not responsible for any financial losses sustained by acting on information provided on this website by its authors or clients. No reviews should be taken at face value, always conduct your research before making financial commitments.

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The impact of cryptocurrencies on online gambling. Blockchain Development Trends - Crypto Mode

The cryptocurrency market is the only truly free market that exists in the financial universe, said Dan Tapiero, CEO of 10T Holdings, during a recent video discussion with Cointelegraph Research.

A major concern of venture capital (VC) and investment firms as of late has been centered around regulation from different countries around the globe. While the theme of the discussion was on regulation, the conversation also touched upon how these different members of the crypto space see the future of the industry.

Each of the panel members brought their own perspective: Dan Tapieros 10T Holdings is a mid-stage private equity investment firm and has decades of experience. Smiyet Belrhiti is the managing partner for Keychain Ventures, which provides institutional investors exposure to the blockchain and Web3 ecosystems through funds and co-investment opportunities. The CEO of layer-1 protocol Devvio, Tom Anderson, brings the perspective of a crypto company that is getting ready for the potential regulations.

The panel also discussed the current state of the crypto market, VC activity in the crypto space, trends during the second quarter of 2022 and what may be on the horizon in the future. Even with all the FUD looming over different parts of the blockchain industry, the panelists in the interview remained positive that regulation would either help the space in general or would be impractical in its enforcement.

This article is for information purposes only and represents neither investment advice nor an investment analysis or an invitation to buy or sell financial instruments. Specifically, the document does not serve as a substitute for individual investment or other advice.

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Building the blockchain industry despite market drops and regulation threats - Cointelegraph

Waiting for digital currency.

The Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, Jon Cunliffe, who is overseeing the banks work on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), recently said the Bank plans to release a research paper at the end of the year about how a retail CBDC might look. He expects it will be five or more years before digital pounds are available to consumers and Im sure that this is a conservative estimate, because a retail CBDC has to satisfy the demands of many competing stakeholders and it will take a long time to elucidate and reconcile as such.

The Deputy Governor further said that any proposed digital pound would likely be managed through some sort of account rather than working like coins or banknotes. His comments seemed to imply that tokens on a blockchain were not all that when it comes to a population-scale cash alternative or some form of electronic legal tender.

Those remarks were greeted with dismay by many cryptocurrency devotees who imagine some form of blockchain to be at the heart of any digital currency system. But the Bank of Englands views in this respect echo the findings of The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Digital Currency Initiative (DCI). Their Project Hamilton Phase 1 executive summary notes that they found "a distributed ledger operating under the jurisdiction of different actors was not needed to achieve our goals."

In plain English they said that no blockchain is needed to implement a CBDC. Whats more, they said that a distributed ledger did not match the "trust assumptions in Project Hamilton's approach" which assumes that the platform would be administered by a central actor (eg, a central bank) and they found that even when run under the control of such a single actor, the architecture creates "performance bottlenecks".

(In other words, the core of their discovery was that a blockchain is a very specific solution to the problem of forming consensus in the presence of untrusted third parties but in a Federal Reserve digital currency of any kind there would be no such parties.)

Also, as the Project Hamilton people note, CBDC design choices are more granular than commonly assumed and the tokens or accounts" categorization is limited and insufficient to surface the complexity of choices in access, intermediation, institutional roles, and data retention in CBDC. Generally speaking, the distinction between the two as noted in various reports from the BIS, Bank of Canada, IMF and so on is that an account-based system requires verifying the identity of the payer, while a token-based system requires verifying the validity of the object used to pay.

In reality, however, no central bank is going to allow a token-based system that operates anonymously and therefore digital identity will be integral to CBDC roll-out. This is why I think it will take some time for all of these architectural choices to be worked through even after the requirements, goals and constraints of a national digital currency have been agreed. I do not see this wide spectrum of design choices as a problem, but rather an optimistic shout out to the policy makers and regulators: if you can actually tell us (i.e., the digital financial services industry) what you want from a digital currency, then we can deliver it because we know that all the technologies needed to build it already exist (unless your requirements include time travel or perpetual motion.)

(To pick an example at the customer interface, wallets can support both an account-balance view and a coin-specific view for the user regardless of how funds are stored in the wallet, database or AI-powered quantum blockchain in the cloud.)

To summarize, then: the Bank of Englands apparent view that a retail CBDC is best implemented through the transfer of account balances accords with other findings. Whats more, in my view, the ability to transfer limited balances directly between devices that are offline is central to making a CBDC that viable population-scale alternative to cash.

One of the reasons why some people think that a blockchain is needed for a digital currency is because of the potential for smart, programmable money. I agree that programmability will surely be one of the most interesting characteristics of retail digital currency, but that does not mean smart contracts and blockchains.

(I am talking about retail CBDC here. When it comes to wholesale CBDC for institutions, trading more complex instruments, then the full panoply of smart contract capabilities may well be appropriate.)

The Bank of England, and as far as I can tell pretty much every other central bank, has no interest in running a digital currency scheme themselves. They all envisage two-tier schemes whereby they control the scheme but have it delivered through third-parties. The Bank of England calls these third-parties Payment Interface Processors (or PIPs), which I think is a little too generic: I would have gone with Currency Connectors (CCs) or something like that, but no matter.

Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Jon Cunliffe (Photo credit JONATHAN BRADY/AFP via Getty ... [+] Images)

Lee Braine and Shreepad Shukla from the Chief Technology Office at Barclays Bank have a paper "An Illustrative Industry Architecture to Mitigate Potential Fragmentation across Central Bank Digital Currency and Commercial Bank Money which expands on the Bank of Englands platform model of CBDC to make some suggestions as to what the PIP ecosystem will look like. They point out that implementing programmability in this ecosystem, instead of on a blockchain using smart contracts should "reduce security risks and complexity and I am sure that they are right.

Smart contracts (or persistent scripts, as they should be called) have some interesting capabilities. But they impose an incredible degree of responsibility on their creators, who are required to write perfect code to implement perfect logic. Should there be a flaw in the logic or a mistake in the code, it will inevitably be exploited by attackers. This goes on all the time, as even a cursory glance at cryptocurrency news feeds will confirm. I simply cannot imagine a central bank forking a nations currency to correct an error made in a smart contract!

Instead of smart contracts what if the intermediaries (i.e., PIPs/CCs) provide a rich and well-defined set of APIs for the wallet providers to use to deliver services to end consumers then we have the basis for creative new products and services without the problem of testing, certifying and policing smart contracts. Given the frequent and serious nature of the smart contract errors we see on public blockchains, such APIs are very attractive.

All things considered, then, it seems that blockchains are neither necessary nor desirable for a retail digital currency and since according to the Bank of England, the Fed, the Bank of Japan and others there is no burning platform for retail CBDCs and it will take time for them to reach the general public, there is plenty of time to explore other architectures more suited to an electronic fiat alternative.

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When The CBDC Revolution Comes, It Won't Be On The Blockchain - Forbes

According to recent media reports there have been several instances of blockchain bridges being hacked this year, including reports on August 2 that a bridge lost close to $200 million to upwards of 40 hackers who exploited a bug in its protocol, and reports in June that another bridge lost $100 million from hackers allegedly exploiting a weakness in the bridge to seize a number of different tokens, including Ethereum, Binance Coin, Tether, and Dai.

A blockchain bridge is a protocol connecting two or more different blockchains, thus allowing the blockchains to interact. Interaction can enable an exchange of information across blockchains, as well as an exchange of cryptocurrency or NFTs. In order for funds to be moved between blockchains via a bridge, the assets to be transferred are locked on one blockchain and minted on another. To achieve this, bridges often hold large stores of cryptocurrency; maintaining these large stores of liquidity has made blockchain bridges a popular target for criminals. Successful attacks on blockchain bridges have become increasingly common as cryptocurrency grows in popularity and use. According to forensics firm Elliptic, more than $1 billion was stolen from bridges in the first half of 2022.

These hacks are occurring in the wake of a Chainalysis report finding that North Korean cybercriminals had a prolific 2021, extracting nearly $400 million in digital assets through at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms. These attacks targeted primarily investment firms and centralized exchanges, but highlight the issue of cybersecurity in the broader crypto community.

Consumers are also beginning to take note of the alleged lack of security on some platforms. In a first-of-its-kind class action lawsuit filed earlier this year, Sarcuni et al v. bZx DAO et al. (S. D. Cal., May 2, 2022), plaintiffs allege that a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) failed to implement security measures that it knew were reasonably necessary to secure the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol. The alleged negligence resulted in the theft of $55 million from user accounts. Notably, plaintiffs allege that all the DAO itself, its co-founders, and its members are jointly and severally liable for negligence by failing to implement adequate security. DAOs typically lack legal formation or recognition and decision-making authority is vested in all holders of the token native to the DAO (members), where the number of tokens a member possesses correlates to the number of votes that member has. In Sarcuni, plaintiffs allege that members are jointly and severally liable because, while there is no legal formation or recognition, the bZx DAO fits the definition of a partnership under the Uniform Partnership Act and is thus a general partnership among token holders.

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Recent Exploits of Blockchain Bridges Highlight Need for Cybersecurity in Crypto and Risk of Liability - JD Supra

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Razorfish, a global leader in marketing transformation, today announced an addition to the Korea Blockchain Week 2022 lineup with a panel discussion focused on the connection between cultural relevancy and mainstream adoption of NFTs.

Hosted by FactBlock and co-hosted by Hashed, Korea Blockchain Week 2022 brings together leaders from around the world for keynotes, panel discussions, and workshops that explore the foremost cutting-edge technologies and innovations impacting brands today, including blockchain, cryptocurrency, DeFi, NFT, metaverse, Web3, and more.

Presented by Razorfish, Cultural Relevancy and Mainstream Adoption of NFTs will be produced and moderated by Drew Kim (founder, Sleepy Tiger) and features a curated slate of panelists that will generate an authentic and engaging discussion about what it will take to drive mainstream adoption by both individuals and brands alike. Panelists include:

Razorfish was founded on the premise that disruptive technology would become ubiquitous, which no one would disagree has held true, says Josh Campo, president, Razorfish. With ubiquity comes pressure for brands to not only nimbly flex into the emerging spaces their customers are embracing, but to resonate through purpose, relevance and innovation. Our nearly 30-year heritage is grounded in partnering with our clients to do exactly that, which is why were proud to bring together these pioneering entrepreneurs to have this powerful conversation at Korea Blockchain Week 2022.

Since creating the first animated website and banner ads in the early 1990s, Razorfish has been a leader in driving marketing transformation for clients around the world, illustrated this year through several, high-profile client activations oriented around the metaverse and broader Web3. Furthermore, findings from research by Razorfish and VICE Media Group have reinforced both the magnitude and importance of the opportunity for brands in the emerging technology of the metaverse and Web3, particularly when underpinned by clear and resonant brand purpose.

Korea Blockchain Week 2022Asias largest blockchain eventtakes place during the week of August 7 at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas, with the Razorfish panel taking place on Monday, August 8th from 4:00-4:30 PM on Stage Busan.

About Razorfish

Razorfish is a global leader in marketing transformation. We help brands and businesses grow by creating unforgettable experiences that connect and enrich peoples lives. A digital pioneer since the dawn of the internet, were back to write a new chapter. Everything we make starts with people. Our 1,400 strategy, data, creative and technology experts combine digital innovation, data and cultural insights to help us understand what people want at every part of the journey. Through capabilities in products & platforms; physical & digital; and campaigns & content, we turn ideas into experiences that make a difference for our clients, their customers, and the world we all live in.

Learn more at razorfish.com. Twitter: @wearerazorfish | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook. Razorfish is part of Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40], a global leader in communication.

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Razorfish and Korea Blockchain Week Explore Cultural Relevance as a Catalyst for Mainstream Adoption of Emerging Technology - Business Wire

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Governments are turning to blockchain technology to secure, optimise and digitalise traditional operations. Columbia recently announced its plans to maintain land registries on Ripple's XRPL blockchain.

Cryptocurrency is not the only use case for blockchains. Today, distributed ledger technology is being implemented across industries, transforming many everyday processes.

Even governments have begun to take notice, turning to blockchain technology to secure, optimise and digitalise traditional operations.

For instance, Columbia recently announced its plans to maintain land registries on Ripple's XRPL blockchain.

This move is a pilot test for further expansion of blockchain-based governance plans in the country.

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The land registry system was developed in collaboration with the Barcelona-based blockchain development company, Peersyst. The process is just an extension of the existing method. When someone applies for a land registry, a computer and camera are added to the process for photo verification.

After confirmation, the collected data is added to an unmodifiable hash on the blockchain. This data can be validated through a simple QR code.

The project can be a significant breakthrough for land registries in Columbia, one of the world's most densely populated countries. Moreover, Columbia has also suffered the effects of a long-standing civil war that raged from 1964 until 2016.

In fact, one of the major causes of the unrest was the unequal distribution of land. "This

Fortunately, with the implementation of Ripple's public ledger system, things could see a drastic change. The long and winding queues and the under-the-table hurdles might give way to a cleaner perception of governance in Columbia that is faster and more efficient.

Once the land registry details are added, they cannot be tampered with or removed. This is the entire premise of blockchain technology. "That's the most important part. If the government system is blown up, the owner of land will still be in a blockchain because it is held around the world in different nodes," said Antony Welfare, a senior adviser at Ripple Labs.

The leadership of this pilot project is undertaken by Colombia's Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies, which presented its plan at a Peersyst's event called 'For a More Digital State: Blockchain at the Service of the Public Sector.'

The land registry system will help more than 100,000 Columbians who do not have the proper documentation of ownership of the land they currently inhabit.

Columbia finds itself leading the blockchain revolution for several reasons, starting with the country's high inflation rate. At an average of 8% per annum, inflation has moved public trust from the existing fiat currency to cryptocurrencies.

The country has one of the world's highest crypto adoption rates, with most of the population seeing cryptos as the future of money.

The second probable reason why Columbia is bullish on blockchain technology is the rampant corruption that has washed away people's trust. People are sure to rally around decentralisation and the idea of corruption-free processes.

This was one of the manifesto promises of the newly elected government.

In the other developments concerning blockchain and crypto adoption in the country, Columbia has allowed for partnerships between banks in the country and crypto exchanges. Bitcoin ATMs have become commonplace thanks to these partnerships.

And if this pilot project gets the expected results, we can see many more world-firsts of blockchain-based governance in the country. What's been applied to land registries can soon be used for birth certificates, death certificates, wills, and other important documentation.

A great outcome of this will be the inclusion of the unbanked and underserved populace.

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Blockchain & governments: A look at how Colombia is using blockchain technology to store and maintain records - CNBCTV18