The risks and rewards of paying off student debt on the blockchain – MIT Technology Review

Even so, its really up to the end user, the developer, and the borrower or lender to really assess the stability and riskiness of the smart contract, says Reid Cuming, Compounds vice president and general manager. I think were still in a state where theres a lot of room for improvement here.

Anyone who knows your wallet address can see how much you borrowed.

DeFi platforms also provide little privacy to borrowers, meaning anyone who knows your wallet address can see how much you borrowed and when.

Crypto skeptic Molly White says this divides users into three camps: people who protect their privacy at the expense of being able to use the major crypto platforms, people who give up some privacy to use them, and people whose identities and crypto wallets are publicly linked.

As the choice of platforms comes down to liquidity versus privacy, many of the purported benefits of decentralizationprivacy, anonymity, and independence from corporationsno longer apply. And managing these risks requires technical expertise that most borrowers simply dont have.

On one hand, White says, some believe these platforms are making financial transactions, once the domain of experts, available to anyonebut on the other hand, people are getting sucked into making risky decisions that they dont have the knowledge to be able to make responsibly.

To support MIT Technology Review's journalism, please considerbecoming a subscriber.

Kim remains optimistic. He compares the situation to the early days of the internet and says that even with the risks, DeFi has the potential to go mainstream. I think DeFi will meet parity with centralized finance just because of the transparency and openness of it, he says. The ecosystem does have to mature, but I think thats the case with any emerging technology.

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The risks and rewards of paying off student debt on the blockchain - MIT Technology Review

Welcome to BoomLand: The Future of Blockchain Gaming! – GlobeNewswire

Gdansk, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, BoomBit, a highly successful video game company, is launching the first mainstream blockchain gaming platform.

BoomLandis a cutting-edge Blockchain Gaming Platform delivering a new gaming experience. The vision is to create a fresh Web 3.0 Community for players by players, with its own Metaverse, Marketplace and Play And Earn ecosystem that is accessible for all.

BoomLand will allow the first-ever direct interaction between multiple game developers and players on the blockchain, where they will be able to earn NFTs and cryptocurrency in the form of $BOOM and $BGEM Tokens.

In BoomLand's Metaverse, players will connect directly with game developers and with one another and help steer the course for the future of the Platform.

The idea for BoomLand arose from the massive market demand for quality games in the blockchain gaming world. A lack of quality among current titles inspired BoomLand to enter the market for Web 3.0 game development, a.k.a. Blockchain video games.

The BoomLand platform operates as a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) where gamers play a major role in deciding how the platform evolves.

BoomLand has a very experienced development team capable of delivering highly enjoyable Blockchain games. The Play and Earn Blockchain gaming market is in its infancy, but already has a staggering $21 billion valuation. This rapid success is partly due to the high sales of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens); in 2021 there were$25 billion dollars in NFT sales.

BoomLands Founders, Hannibal Soares and Marcin Olejarz, are very positive about the launch of BoomLand as a landmark innovation,With 200+ games published to date and over 1 billion downloads under our belt in the last decade, we are confident of achieving similar success in the blockchain gaming sphere. - says Hannibal SoaresFun Blockchain games are finally here!

About BoomLand

BoomLandis a cutting edge Blockchain Gaming Platform delivering a new gaming experience. The vision is to create a fresh Web 3.0 Community for players by players, with its own Marketplace and Play And Earn ecosystem that is accessible for all. In BoomLand's Metaverse, players will connect directly with game developers and with one another and help steer the course for the future of the Platform. Fun Blockchain games are finally here!

For more information:

https://www.boomland.io/

https://linktr.ee/BoomLandGames

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Welcome to BoomLand: The Future of Blockchain Gaming! - GlobeNewswire

Evanston Capital Announces Final Closing of Blockchain Venture Fund of Funds – Business Wire

EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evanston Capital Management, LLC (Evanston Capital), an alternative investment management firm, announced that it completed the final close of ECM Blockchain Fund I LP with $58 million in capital commitments. The fund closed above its original target of $50 million.

Evanston Capital believes that blockchain technology has the potential to contribute to breakthrough advances in a variety of business applications globally across industries. The fund provides investors with access to what Evanston Capital believes are leading blockchain venture capital managers that are primarily focused on early-stage investing. The fund intends to provide global exposure across blockchain investment verticals, including infrastructure, gaming, NFTs, Web3, decentralized finance and other segments that have the potential to deliver asymmetric returns.

Weve been following the rapid developments in the blockchain space and investing in strategies with blockchain exposure for more than five years, said Adam Blitz, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Evanston Capital. We established a dedicated investment committee to develop expertise, source and underwrite ideas in this space, leveraging our longstanding private markets network. Members of the blockchain investment committee include Blitz, Maneesh Gandhi and Michael Liddy, all partners at Evanston Capital.

A concentrated fund-of-funds approach allows greater diversification, providing exposure to a wider spectrum of emerging blockchain investment opportunities than a single manager approach. We are very optimistic about how blockchain technology can be applied to create new disruptive business models in financial services, real estate, consumer services and other industries, and we are starting to see glimpses of this occurring, said Maneesh Gandhi.

Blockchain has become a magnet for entrepreneurs and software development talent, and we think that foreshadows rapid advancement of real-world applications that investors should want exposure to early in their lifecycles, added Michael Liddy.

Evanston Capital expects the funds capital to be nearly fully committed to underlying funds by the middle of 2022.

About Evanston Capital

Evanston Capital Management, LLC (Evanston Capital) is an active investor in hedge funds, private equity, venture capital and blockchain and other strategies such as thematic equity that it believes can meet investors needs for total return, alpha, and diversification. Since Evanston Capitals inception in 2002, a key focus of the firm has been identifying early-stage investment managers it believes are capable of generating long-term value-added returns in complex, innovative strategy areas. Today Evanston Capital has more than 175 institutional investor relationships entrusting the firm with approximately $4.8 billion in assets under management (including uncalled capital commitments). For more information, please visit http://www.evanstoncap.com

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Evanston Capital Announces Final Closing of Blockchain Venture Fund of Funds - Business Wire

Polygon will invest $100M in projects that use its Supernets blockchain – VentureBeat

GamesBeat Summit 2022 returns with its largest event for leaders in gaming on April 26-28th. Reserve your spot here!

Polygon has launched a new kind of dedicated blockchain network dubbed Supernets and said it will invest $100 million in projects that use it.

The company will put money into projects that are interested in increasing their growth through a dedicated Polygon Supernet chain.

Polygon is an Ethereum-based blockchain that uses various techniques to scale to millions of transactions and lower environmental costs. It has more than 7,000 applications including a lot of games and it has processed a billion transactions.

A supernet is an internet network that is formed by combining multiple networks, or subnets, into a larger network.The benefits include conservation of address space and efficiencies in routers in terms of memory storage and associated processing overhead.

The push to become more efficient is a never-ending task for blockchain companies. Polygon said earlier this year that a transaction on its network uses the equivalent energy of two Google searches. But this analysis found flaws in Polygons assessment and the energy used could be 1,000 times more. I asked if that assessment were correct multiple times, and the company finally answered yesterday by pointing to an announcement. In April, Polygon announced it would be carbon negative in 2022 by donating $20 million for tree planting and other ways to offset energy usage.

Polygonrecently raised $450 million for its blockchain protocol and hired YouTube Gaming chief Ryan Wyatt to build its blockchain gaming platform.

Polygon said the Polygon Supernets is a dedicated network that organizations and projects can run at no added hosting or operational costs. The tool will fast-track blockchain adoption in new private and public blockchain networks for decentralized apps (dApps) and enterprises alike, the company said.

With the complete absence of operational and hosting costs, Polygon Supernets brings the barrier of entry lower for developers who previously used Polygon Edge (previously Polygon software development kit, or SDK, announced in 2021) but want to have their own secure, decentralized, and highly performant blockchain network.

Polygon Edge is a customizable blockchain stack that enables devs to build and launch dedicated blockchain networks tailored to needs. It is a modular framework designed to support a variety of scaling and infrastructure solutions, from sovereign and enterprise EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) chains to full-blown Layer 2 solutions.

Scaling and throughput present the biggest challenges for developers with public networks. Polygon Edge offers solutions that allow fast and smooth scaling even in the case of extreme transaction load, enabling developers to build applications with millions of daily active users and manage tens of millions of transactions per day.

Polygon thinks of Supernets as Polygon Edge networks on steroids. Supernets are blockchain networks with several important characteristics that aim to mitigate the aforementioned challenges and enable mainstream adoption of Polygon and blockchain technology in general. Here are the most important of those characteristics. The Supernet is built and run for a specific application.

Polygon Technology incentivizes the professional validators those that use their computer networks to validate blockchain transactions by rewarding them an amount in Matic token, based on their amounts staked, which is more than enough to cover all operational and hosting expenses accrued by the validator.

On each supernet, validators verify all transactions. Formed by third-party staking companies, validators stake Matic tokens on the mainnet before validating the network. A high degree of security can be achieved because validators are vetted by Polygon, Polygon said.

Starting with the release of Polygon Supernets, developers will be able to apply for two types of chains a Polygon Supernet Sovereign Chain or a Polygon Supernet Shared Security Chain. A Polygon Supernet Sovereign Chain is a network managed by a single professional validator, for cutting down deployment and maintenance costs. A Polygon Supernet Shared Security Chain is the easiest path towards decentralization and high-security of your network with professional validators who staked Matic tokens to validate the network.

Polygon Supernets uses Polygon Edge as the underlying infrastructure solution. All the features and characteristics of Polygon Edge are made to work in a highly secure and decentralized environment within supernets.

Polygon Edge is a development tool with configurable options that enable users to create networks tailored to specific needs. At the moment, scaling and throughput present the biggest challenges for developers with publicly available networks.

At the time of publication, over 20 dApp projects and enterprises are using Polygon Edge to achieve higher performance, constant and predictable throughput for their use case and customization by configuring every aspect of their blockchain network, the company said.

To understand the potential of Polygon Edge, the company said it pays to look at how the cloud transformed website performance. A shared hosting service was the most apparent option for publishing a new website more than a decade ago. That resulted in unpredictable loading speed due to the limited bandwidth of a shared server. The so-called cloud revolution has since made it easier for websites to perform consistently by having their own servers with the same level of security, and not be affected by other parties.

Like the cloud, Polygon Edge allows developers to deploy dApps on a blockchain network without risking security or performance, the company said.

Sandeep Naliwal, the cofounder at Polygon, said in a statement: We are proud of the success Polygon Edge has had so far and were thrilled to have built on this success to give you supernets. The infrastructure tooling enables users to achieve desired outcomes easily and quickly. Polygons goal is to bring mass adoption to Web3 as the key to blockchain adoption is to provide a comprehensive range of options for enterprises. Empowering developers to build what they want has always been in our DNA and were excited to be able to offer a tool that achieves just that.

Using Polygon Supernets is in line with other scaling solutions already in Polygons offering. As Polygon Edge will continue pursuing the mission to bring the latest zero-knowledge, privacy, security features, and systems developed at Polygon to the public, supernets will allow developers to bring these to life on their own chains.

Supernets can be secured by Polygons Matic. For Edge users that want to use Proof of Stake as a security mechanism, we are introducing a shared security layer in the form of a Matic-staked validator marketplace. Projects that opt in for this service will instantly get access to a decentralized, reliable Proof of Stake validator set and skip the challenges of bootstrapping a validator network. Additionally, Polygon validators will stake Matic and receive rewards in Matic, so there is also no effort required from application/project teams when it comes to validator incentivization and sustainability. With this service, projects can enjoy all the benefits of Proof of Stake security, whilst not wasting any bandwidth or resources on it; they can fully focus on their core product and goals. This service is not mandatory; nonetheless, we expect it to be very popular given the advantages it offers, the company said.

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Polygon will invest $100M in projects that use its Supernets blockchain - VentureBeat

The Impact of Blockchain on the Cryptocurrency Market – Baltic Times

Cryptocurrency and Blockchain are two related concepts that work hand-in-hand. Many of the successes recorded in the cryptocurrency market are due to its reliance on a major technology- Blockchain.

Blockchain: Technology behind Cryptocurrency

For those who have been in the cryptocurrency market for a long time, blockchain technology is no news to them. As a result, many crypto enthusiasts know as much about blockchain technology as they do about cryptocurrencies. For others, it isn't easy differentiating between cryptocurrency and Blockchain.

While these two terms may seem alike because they often appear in the same sentence, they mean different things, especially for those who buy Dogecoin. For example, cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that have a unified value globally. Unlike conventional fiat currencies, digital currencies are not controlled or regulated by any central authority.

On the other hand, Blockchain is a database of information upon which transactions in digital currencies take place. Understanding what blockchain technology is and how it functions is essential for the beginner who wants to get into the cryptocurrency market. With this understanding, you can make the most of your cryptocurrency investments.

What Is Blockchain and How Does It Function?

The best way to understand what blockchain technology is to see it as a database. A database is a platform or system that stores data till they are needed for further processing. However, unlike the many other databases, Blockchain works uniquely.

Information on the Blockchain is stored in groups often referred to as blocks. These blocks are connected to themselves in a chain-like manner which is why it is called the Blockchain. These blocks of information are available to users across different computer networks. However, unlike regular databases, Blockchain is highly decentralized.

By decentralization, no one can claim ownership of information, and activities on the Blockchain can be done without the help of a third party. As we will come to see later, the decentralized nature of the Blockchain is why many cryptocurrency-related activities are carried out on it.

Worthy of note is the security of information entered in the Blockchain. However, altering information provided on the Blockchain is near impossible. This is why it is difficult to reverse transactions carried out on the Blockchain; this is both the strength and the weakness of the Blockchain.

To alter any information on the Blockchain, every block of information preceding it will be affected. An attempt to alter information on the Blockchain is an effort in futility, even before you commence it.

The Relationship between Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency

From the first digital currency - Bitcoin - created in 2009, the cryptocurrency market records over 11,000 digital currencies in circulation. Have you ever paused to think - why the exponential increase in so short a time? The simple answer to that is that the cryptocurrency market leverages the Blockchain for growth.

In the early years of the rise of Bitcoin, one of the many challenges it experienced was the activities of hackers, crackers, and scammers. It was reported that people were using digital currencies to facilitate money laundering. Relying on third parties for transactions also meant some people had to be scammed of money.

All of these security-related challenges were almost drowning Bitcoin until certain measures were put in place. One of such measures is the introduction of Blockchain - a decentralized database that records information in blocks.

Since then, many cryptocurrencies have been built and sustained on this transforming innovation - blockchain technology.

Ethereum, the second most traded digital currency, has leveraged Blockchain to create smart contracts. Other virtual currencies have created their blockchain platforms as well. The transforming power of blockchain technology continues to provide a solid foundation upon which digital transactions thrive globally.

How Does Blockchain Benefit the Cryptocurrency Market?

The benefits of Blockchain to the cryptocurrency market cannot be overemphasized. While several of these benefits exist, transparency seems to be the most important. Since the introduction of Blockchain, transactions have been more accurate and transparent. As a result, traders do not have to go through third parties to manage their cryptocurrencies, as the Blockchain gives them full control of that.

The creation of decentralized apps, popularly referred to as dApps, resulted in the market's massive growth. Many startups, through these apps, have been able to design an initial coin offering for their businesses and make tokens available to the public. As a result, blockchain moves digital currencies up the technology ladder and creates a brighter future for different cryptocurrency networks.

Then, there is the global acceptability of digital currencies. Despite the high volatility of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and Litecoin, the market records an influx of traders. As a result, experts have opined that it is impossible to separate the impact of Blockchain from the growth and global acceptability cryptocurrencies have enjoyed over the years.

Interestingly, beyond cryptocurrencies, many sectors have started embracing the many opportunities blockchain offers. For example, music, sports, entertainment, and fashion industries are examples of sectors leveraging Blockchain and investing in the cryptocurrency market.

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The Impact of Blockchain on the Cryptocurrency Market - Baltic Times

Blockchain technology should be the backbone of an e-signature solution – Healthcare IT News

If your businesss legal health depends on signed agreements with clients were looking at you, healthcare organizations, law firms, financial service providers you know the federal E-Sign ACT gives electronically signed contracts the same legal status as those signed on paper. But what you might not know is that the law does not treat all electronic contracts equally. Understanding these distinctions should influence the e-signature app you choose.

Imagining the worst

Lets play out the type of hypothetical thats probably leading you to research electronic-signature solutions in the first place. Imagine your company finds itself in a legal dispute with a client (or patient) over the validity of a signed agreement. You will need to prove not only that you have the electronically signed document, but also that:

If the e-signature solution you used to secure the signed agreement doesnt allow you to meet any of these (or other) conditions, you might not be able to legally enforce the contract.

Not all technologies used to secure e-records are created equal

To satisfy the above elements of the E-Sign Act (signers affirmative consent, record integrity, etc.), and prevail in a legal dispute, youll need your e-signature app to offer advanced digital protection and anti-fraud measures, including:

Taken together, these make up the unique characteristics of blockchain, which is why government agencies and corporations are increasingly turning to this technology to secure their most valuable and sensitive electronic data. Here are just a few examples.

Government agencies secure their data with blockchain

The National Institutes of Health issued a paper in 2020 recommending the use of blockchain to track and secure COVID-19 data, calling it trusted tracking system. The papers key statement:

Blockchains decentralized platform is tamperproof due to its underlying cryptographic technology, which is used to authenticate participants in the network.1

The Department of Defense awarded a cybersecurity contract to longtime military contractor SIMBA Chain in 2020 to secure sensitive research-and-development records. As the announcement explained:

Using blockchain, the DOD aims to improve integration, security, auditability, and controlled access of this critical data. 2

Corporations secure their data with blockchain

A report by Concord Law School, explaining blockchains legal admissibility as digital evidence, notes that several large corporations are already using the technology to secure highly sensitive data. For example:

If international corporations with billions of dollars at stake and even federal agencies with data as sensitive as the Defense Department trust their electronic records to blockchain technology, why would you want to record and store your companys signed contracts with anything less proven and secure?

The only viable answer

Until now, you didnt have any choice but to entrust your electronic signatures to more traditional cybersecurity protocols, because no e-signature app offered blockchain technology.

Even DocuSign, one of the worlds largest e-signature solutions, has acknowledged as recently as December 2020 that although the company finds blockchain technology intriguing it is still too expensive for the kinds of things [our] company does.4

But today, you no longer have that challenge. jSign can protect your companys electronic records in a digital environment that leverages all the security, decentralization and anti-fraud benefits of the blockchain.

To learn more about jSign, download this free white paper:

A Key Capability to Demand from Your E-Signature Solution

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Blockchain technology should be the backbone of an e-signature solution - Healthcare IT News

Sequence by Chain Looks to Capture the Permissioned Blockchain Market – GlobeNewswire

CHARLESTOWN, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dec. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chain, a ledger-as-a-service blockchain launched in 2014, is ready to bring its flagship product, Sequence, to the hands of institutional and business clients. Chain was a prominent blockchain start-up that received funding from, and partnered with major financial institutions, such as Visa, Citibank, and others, to launch custom blockchain products. Chain was acquired by Stellar back in 2018 for what was at the time one of the largest M&A deals in the entire blockchain space, at reportedly $500M.

Since then, Chain has been reacquired to continue developing its ledger-as-a-service product, Sequence. There is also an open source version aptly named Chain Core, available for developers.

The code base is undergoing a major overhaul by the new team with an expectation to launch Sequence v2 and Chain Core v2 in 2022.

"We are absolutely committed to bringing blockchain technology to major financial players in the legacy banking space. The original Chain team built novel software that was piloted by many until they ultimately merged with Stellar to create Interstellar, running on a public blockchain. However, legacy clients want close-ended systems, ones they can control. If we bring the efficiency of a blockchain and give them the close-ended tools they require, the space can be widely disrupted by Chain's products. We are keen to bringing this to fruition," said Deepak Thapliyal, Chain's Chief Executive Officer.

Chain has also launched its native Chain Token, a self-described Ethereum based token that grants users access to discounts on Sequence as well as access to premium services on the product line. Chain Tokens will eventually enable governance and control over its DAO and public network.

Chain is positioned within a very niche area where there is low competition. Most highly used blockchains are public networks that require smart contracts to operate in a centralized manner in order to build out close-ended systems. These public blockchains can result in outages, delayed processing, and/or hard forks which can disrupt how legacy institutions conduct business. This is where Chain's products can be leveraged to benefit from blockchain technology within their own environments.

To further promote its branding and products, Chain has teamed up with Twitter to launch a custom branded Chain Emoji featuring 5 hashtags: #ChainProtocol #SequenceLedger #CHNToken #ChainCore & #ChainTxVM. Chain aims to bring its market-ready products to the hands of clients looking for more control through higher efficiency of a blockchain.

About Chain

Chain is cloud blockchain protocol that enables organizations to build better financial services from the ground up powered by Sequence, a ledger-as-service product that can be deployed within minutes through the Sequence Portal, and Chain Core, a permissioned open-source blockchain for developers. Learn more at chain.com

Press Inquiries

For all press, analyst, and speaking opportunities contact press@chain.com

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Sequence by Chain Looks to Capture the Permissioned Blockchain Market - GlobeNewswire

XELS to offer carbon credit backed NFTs on new blockchain platform – PRNewswire

TOKYO, Dec. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --XELS, a company utilizing blockchain and other breakthrough technologies to promote a greener planet, today revealed its industry-first platform for minting carbon credits as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs (ERC-721). Known in popular culture for their association with lucrative digital collectibles, NFTs are, at their core, one-of-a-kind digital assets that serve as an immutable proof of ownership. NFTs offer transparency and public traceability, making them the perfect vehicle by which to mint the world's next generation of fully digital voluntary emissions reductions (VERs, or voluntary carbon credits).

The XELS Platform will benefit from the company's existing technology, which utilizes cutting-edge satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to map out and quantify the actual amount of carbon being neutralized by protected lands and reforestation efforts in Japan and Australia. XELS' enterprise blockchain and eponymous token provide the infrastructure for businesses and individuals alike to interact with the global carbon offset markets in a simple, cost-effective, and energy efficient way.

"One of the most powerful features of the XELS platform is the ability for projects to create an infinite amount of digital carbon credit NFTs in a single transaction, saving gas fees while reducing the energy usage associated with multiple blockchain transactions," explains XELS founder and CEO Takeshi Nojima. "This is huge for the NFT community and takes NFT creation to the next level. We now have a standardized method by which decentralized applications track ownership of a massive amount of NFTs. Creating carbon credits is a great use case for batch minting NFTs, which are secure and can't be duplicated. Ownership and authenticity can be securely tracked, and you can programmatically transfer ownership and invalidate a credit after it has been retired."

Users will simply deposit, or "stake," one XELS token per 10 tons of carbon to mint a custom carbon offset NFT equal to the amount of carbon they wish to sequester. Upon retirement (or "burning") of the offset backed NFT, the XELS tokens will unlock, thus forming the basis of the XELS Platform's consensus mechanism. XELS also provides proof of the amount of carbon sequestered by issuing an official certificate after each NFT is burned on its platform.

Not only will XELS offer the platform for minting carbon offset NFTs, but the company will also introduce a marketplace where users can sell and trade them based on a user's individual needs. XELs has already partnered with green-tech industry leaders across to globe to make its vision of a healthier, more sustainable planet a reality for anyone who wishes to partake in the carbon offset markets

XELS website: http://www.xels.io

SOURCE XELS Limited

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XELS to offer carbon credit backed NFTs on new blockchain platform - PRNewswire

The Champions in the Blockchain – Chessbase News

NFTs and the Blockchain

NFTs are more than just a technically exciting twist of contemporary art. Their significance is much more fundamental. NFTs are about to become the essential form of ownership in the digital world. There are those who say that the explosive development of NFTs may become more importantthan the Internet.

The acronym NFT stands for "Non Fungible Token."NFTs can forever record ownership of things as diverse as artwork, real estate, music, or even used cars. They are stored in a blockchain.

Download it nowand save 69 million Euros: "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" by Beeple

Why are NFTs written into a "blockchain"? The blockchain is one of the greatest technical innovations of our time because it establishesindestructible and unforgeable accounting. Deeds can be stolen, lost or burned. Databases on servers can be attacked and manipulated by hackers. A blockchain, on the other hand, is distributed worldwide on thousands of computers that monitor each other, making it the most secure storage of information ever. One can confidently say: What is once written in a recognized blockchain like "Ethereum" will be valid for eternity.

Today, a main purpose of NFTs is indeed still the ownership of digital art. NFTs have sparked a huge surge of creativity this year and started a commercial hype of which two things can be said with certainty: the billions of sales currently in play are exaggerated. But the art world is forever changed by it. Some artists become enormously popular because their works can be reproduced 1:1, i.e. copied as files, without any loss of quality. Still, you can clearly own such a work andresell it with a few clicks.

Do you think it's crazy for someone to bid for exclusive ownership rights of a freely copyable image? I'm sure you do, but imagine the following analogy: You are a soccer fan, and FIFA transfers ownership of the 2014 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina to you via NFT. Everyone knows the game, but you are the only person in the world who can say "Mine!".

And this is where the classic world champions come into play. They are the outstanding protagonists of our chess culture, each of whom has shaped an era. Their games are not only great sports performances, but often exhibita beauty that we all perceive as art. That's why ChessBase has launched a series of NFTs for these players. Two things were important: first, as many players as possible should personally authorize "their" NFT, thus giving it substance and exclusivity. Second, the series should be artistically valuable and beautiful. In addition to the creative achievement of the players, there should be a visual aesthetic that does justice to their chess significance.

This "Chess World Champions" NFT series is now up for auction on the Opensea.io platform. It is the first series about the world chess champions, which was mainly authorized by the players themselves. It will remain so for all times, no matter who produces what in the future on this subject. After all, it was entered into the blockchain with a clear time stamp. Think about it as a kindof "Blue Mauritius" of chess NFTs.

But that is not the focus here. There are certainly people who see the NFT market primarily as a store of value or as speculative investment. However, the technical hurdles to participating in an auction are not trivial:one has to be able to handle cryptocurrencies in a wallet. For those who believe that the opportunities of such a pioneer market are worth the effort, we will write a detailed guide later. The auction will run until Januar 11, so there is plenty of time to get to know it at leisure.

For now, this is simply about the World Championship Series as a tribute to the creative efforts of the players and the artist Carl Eriksson. It belongs to all of us. Anyone can visit the auction, view the animations and download them with a right click. That's the exciting thing about NFTs: they are often traded for high prices, but you can appreciate the actual works for yourself as JPG or, for example, GIF practically in original form.

Authored by Miyoko Watai, Bobby Fischer's widow.

The implementation of the Swedish artist Carl Eriksson relies on four elements. The format isof course squarish, suggesting the geometry of a chessboard or square. The notation of the game constitutes a fragmented plane that carries the entire design. It hovers vividly above a powerfully vibrating red texture. On the notation, the portrait of the player alternates with a ray-traced view of the critical position of the game. Thus, either the view of the player or the position can be printed out and hung on the wall. Both pictures stand for themselves. Or you can experience the NFT in GIF format as a concise animation.

For connoisseurs, it is appealing to identify the selected games on the basis of the notation. Or even to name the illustrated position fragment. With Fischer you can certainly do that, Black has just moved 17... Be6! and the white bishop on c5 will now capture the black queen.

On the site nft.chessbase.com the whole series is presented. In addition to the short portraits of the world champions, you'll find all selected games to replay.

At launch, the series includes 14 titles. The NFTs of Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, Anand and Kramnik are personally authorized, and a substantial portion of the proceeds go to the players or their families. We hope to complete the series with Kasparov and Carlsen at a later date.

For valuable NFTs, all rights and authorizations must be anchoredon solid legal ground. The auction's "Unlockable Content" includes appropriate certificates. Part of the joy of bringing such a project into the world was the exciting research of the photographers to agree on and honor the image rights for this project. Also the character font used is Carl Eriksson's own development.

The project at nft.chessbase.com

Auction at Opensea

About crypto currencies and the blockchain

Disclaimer: Even if the author himself would really like to own Capablanca, this text does not represent investment or tax advice.

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The Champions in the Blockchain - Chessbase News

What is Web3? The blockchain-based next era of the internet – Business Insider

In the next era of the internet, you won't have a social account for each platform.

Instead, you'll have a single social account, able to move with it from Facebook and Twitter, to Google, shopping websites, and more.

Your moves may be cataloged on the same digital backbone that supports cryptocurrencies like bitcoin blockchain instead of massive corporate servers like Amazon Web Services. And this new iteration of the internet won't be controlled by a central power, meaning no single entity will govern it as Facebook, Google, and others govern their own empires.

Welcome to Web3, the successor to Web2 which is what we're in now, where tech giants hold the majority control of the market. Web1 spawned Web2 when we went from merely reading information on web pages to a more social internet.

Like so many other ponderings about the internet's evolution, Web3 is still merely a thought, or perhaps even vaporware, a name for ultra-hyped tech that has yet to materialize. It also may not prove to be as benevolent as is hoped (look at how social media turned out.)

But proponents say it, like cryptocurrencies and the metaverse, is the future.

One aspect of the metaverse is that users will hopefully be able to go virtually from platform to platform with one single account just like we will in Web3.

And NFTs, one-of-a-kind tokens representing your ownership of a virtual good, could be more easily bought and sold with cryptocurrencies within a space like Web3.

Web3, a name coined by Ethereum cofounder Gavin Wood, will be about evenly distributing online power, sucking away control from the Big Tech platforms. It'll exist on the blockchain, a virtual spine built by a network of computers housing data that's open to the public (Ethereum is an example of a blockchain, though it also has its own cryptocurrency called Ether.)

How you use Web3 won't look very different than how you use the internet now though, Wood wrote in 2018.

The idea is that if you participate in Web3, such as perhaps posting a photo on a network that lives on the blockchain, you'll get a token, as NPR reported. That token will give you a stake of ownership and will let you weigh in on decisions made on said platform, such as whether a certain post containing misinformation should be removed.

That'd be a big departure from how things operate now, where internet platforms make their own rules and carry them out online, much to the chagrin of critics, including conservatives with unproven allegations of censorship.

That's also why Web3 could be a balm for antitrust woes and monopolistic business practices. This next-gen web would inherently strip power from big corporations since they would no longer be the only prominent platforms to use and would give that power back to the people, at least hypothetically.

Tesla CEO and bitcoin enthusiast Elon Musk has notably decried Web3 as "BS."

But venture capital firms and large corporations are already investing time and money into building it out.

Twitter is working on a project dubbed Bluesky to build its own decentralized social media platform, which would be a step toward Web3. And in November, Twitter said it would launch a dedicated crypto team to be "a center of excellence for all things blockchain and web3."

GameStop was looking for Web3 gaming leaders in October, and Reddit is tinkering with Web3 features on its platform.

And famed Silicon Valley VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, which is working to thrust crypto into the mainstream, is putting sizable leg power into lobbying Capitol Hill to embrace Web3.

"It's time to begin," reads a blog post on the firm's website. "It's time to build a better internet."

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What is Web3? The blockchain-based next era of the internet - Business Insider

Everse Capital launches $30M fund dedicated to Web3, blockchain gaming and metaverse – Cointelegraph

All things cryptocurrency are booming, from decentralized finance (DeFi) to nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to the Metaverse. In fact, from startups launching to globally recognized brands joining the metaverse space, the total addressable market is projected to grow to over $1.5 trillion by the end of 2030. Due to its meteoric rise in popularity this year, there is no shortage of capital funding for blockchain entrepreneurs looking to build the next big project in the space.

However, the crypto industry remains a challenge to navigate because of its infinite variables that can potentially make or break an early-stage startup, such as tokenomics, the strength of a grassroots community and legal complexities.

The Everse Capital team believes that obtaining funding, even in large amounts, is simply not sufficient for success for crypto-startup founders. They have to understand how all of the puzzle pieces fit together when launching a project to build and grow traction within the crypto community.

That is why Everse Capital has launched a $30 million fund dedicated to committing a full suite of resources to entrepreneurs and founders working on growing Web 3.0 and the Metaverse. To date, Everse Capital has invested in over 200 early-stage startups contributing to the Web 3.0 space in various specialties, such as NFTs, play-to-earn gaming, GameFi, metaverses and more.

Over the years, Everse Capital has gained its edge in the market because of its hands-on approach when working with founders. The firm doesnt just deploy capital but proactively incubates early-stage companies from ideation to complete go-to-market success.

Everse Capitals impressive portfolio of investments in reputed projects such as Star Atlas, AlienWorlds, Coin98, Defi Land, Cryowar, Realy, Wilder World, Holoride, Star Sharks, DeHorizon, Bit Country and Chumbi Valley, among others, has persuaded crypto entrepreneurs that Everse Capital is more than just a fund, and they are partners on the journey.

Additionally, Everse Capital has rapidly grown into a desirable investing partner for its portfolio companies because of its proven ability to accelerate community traction, such as garnering over 87 million impressions per month from its own in-house assets on platforms such as Twitter and Telegram. Furthermore, the firms network of growing influencers and media partners adds about a further 350 million impressions per month.

Everse Capitals unique advantage in attracting eyeballs is a strong selling point for most projects that are looking for significant community growth. For example, with the meteoric rise in popularity this year of blockchain gaming, the firm helped several of its top projects achieve in excess of 500,000 in community expansion and in reaching global markets.

The Everse Capital team believes the world of Web 3.0 still has plenty of room to grow and looks forward to seeing their firms thesis play out with the industrys anticipated exponential growth in the coming years.

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This is a paid press release. Cointelegraph does not endorse and is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy, quality, advertising, products, or other materials on this page. Readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company. Cointelegraph is not 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 the press release.

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Everse Capital launches $30M fund dedicated to Web3, blockchain gaming and metaverse - Cointelegraph

BSV blockchain’s association signs an R&D agreement with University of Sharjah to develop blockchain-based academic certification and accreditation…

ZUG, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The BSV blockchain's Switzerland-based association and University of Sharjah (UAE) have launched a joint research agreement to develop a blockchain-based system to validate the academic certifications and the accreditation of higher education institutions.

Commenting on the signing of the agreement, His Excellency Prof. Maamar Bettayeb - Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, stressed the importance of this project in strengthening the relationship between the university and the industry while providing a very useful use case of the Blockchain Technology that helps not only the University of Sharjah but all the academic institutions around the world to authenticate academic credentials. In UAE, it is extremely prohibited to use fake academic certificates or credentials issued by an unauthorised academic institution, and the Federal National Council (FNC) has recently proposed in February 2021 a federal law to penalize anyone who uses false education certificates to secure jobs in the country with fines reaching 1 million dirhams and imprisonment from 3 to 24 months. The development and deployment of blockchain technologies has been a key priority for the government in the UAE, with the Emirates Blockchain Strategy 2021 aiming to transform government services by putting 50% of transactions on-chain by the end of the year.

Commenting on today's announcement, His Excellency Mr. Jimmy Nguyen - Bitcoin Association for BSV Founding President, said: "With a firm mandate from the government to build and implement world-leading blockchain technologies for the benefit of all of its citizens, UAE represents one of the most forward-thinking and innovative destinations for blockchain and data technologies globally. We are very excited and pleased with the partnership with a premier institution in the UAE such as the University of Sharjah to develop an innovative solution that can help current and former students in the UAE and across the world to enable fast verification of their academic and professional credentials, plus prevent fake certificates circulation."

Story continues

The R&D project is led by Dr. Mohamed Al Hemairy and Dr. Manar Abu Talib, from the University of Sharjah. Dr. Al Hemairy added: "We are excited to work with the BSV Blockchain ecosystem on a project that advances the UAE government's commitment to transition data activities to the blockchain to achieve a more efficient and trustworthy world. We have chosen our project to be implemented on BSV Blockchain due to its powerful features and capabilities, i.e., its massive scaling power, significant data capacity, low transaction fees and its public transparency, which makes it the perfect choice for the used case for our study. Once the Proof-of-Concept is competed; the second face of the study is to establish a Joint Venture to commercialize the research outcomes by launching a startup company within the University to provide the service to public & private universities."

In the United States alone there are around two million fake degrees or certificates in an actual use, and more than 300 unauthorized universities in operation, while in UK there are around 270 fake institutions. Globally, the cost on employers associated with the academic certificate scam is estimated to 600 billion dollars/year.

Dr. Manar Abu Taleb added: "The integrated system will not only improve the authenticity of a wide array of certifications and documentations, but it will also reduce risks of invalid certificates via the "immutable properties" of the blockchain. BSV Blockchain will be used as a public Blockchain "Open Source" that has thousands of peers distributed all over the world which validate the transactions and store the ledger in a decentralized environment.

The agreement will see the University of Sharjah undertake a multi-phased research and development program, beginning with the creation of a framework for validating and authenticating academic and professional certifications by leveraging the benefits of a public blockchain. This will be followed by the development of a prototype proof-of-concept application, implementing the principles and functionalities resulting from the research phase, and deployed on the BSV blockchain.

Mr. Muhamad Anjum, the Head of the BSV Hub for MESA, also commenting and said: "Developing relationships and supporting the academic institutions is a key goal of our regional BSV Hub and an impactful way that the blockchain technology can grow in the Middle East. The University of Sharjah has brought very strong used case to utilize the powerful features of the BSV blockchain. We are confident that we will see numerous engagements between BSV Ecosystem, and the University of Sharjah in the near future.

About Bitcoin Association for BSV

Bitcoin Association for BSV is the Switzerland-based global industry organisation that works to advance business on the Bitcoin SV blockchain. It brings together essential components of the Bitcoin SV ecosystem enterprises, start-up ventures, developers, merchants, exchanges, service providers, blockchain transaction processors (miners), and others working alongside them, as well as in a representative capacity, to drive further use of the Bitcoin SV blockchain and uptake of the BSV digital currency.

The Association works to build a regulation-friendly ecosystem that fosters lawful conduct while facilitating innovation using all aspects of Blockchain technology. More than a digital currency and blockchain, BSV is also a network protocol; just like Internet protocol, it is the foundational rule set for an entire data network. The Association supports use of the original Bitcoin protocol to operate the world's single blockchain on Bitcoin SV.

About University of Sharjah

For more than twenty years, the University of Sharjah has provided its academic, scientific and research services as a comprehensive public university for all academic disciplines. The University was established in 1997 with the kind patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah. It is currently considered one of the major universities locally and regionally, and it occupies a high national ranking according to the latest international rankings.

The University of Sharjah includes 14 colleges and offers 112 accredited academic programs in various scientific disciplines, which are 57 undergraduate programs, 38 Master's programs, 15 PhD programs and 2 Postgraduate Diploma programs. The number of students studying at the University of Sharjah in the various stages of bachelors, diplomas and postgraduate studies is more than 16,400 thousand students, and the number of graduates exceeds 32 thousand graduates from different regions of the world.

Cision

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SOURCE Bitcoin Association

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BSV blockchain's association signs an R&D agreement with University of Sharjah to develop blockchain-based academic certification and accreditation...

Peter Molyneux’s Next Game Is A ‘Blockchain Business Sim’ Featuring NFTs Because The Future Sucks – Kotaku

Photo: Kevork Djansezian (Getty Images)

Have you been wondering what ol Peter Molyneux has been up to lately? Well, in a move that very few will find surprising, the infamous designer is jumping into the world of blockchain gaming and NFT bullshit. His next game, Legacy, is built entirely around the technology and crypto gaming.

Molyneux, who once got a bunch of people to tap a cube for fun, announced yesterday at the weekend-long Gala Games Galaverse in Las Vegas that his companys next video game is Legacy, which is described as a blockchain business sim. Raise your hand if you knew there was a Galaverse happening in Las Vegas.

According to Molyneux, he and his company22 Canshad been working on Legacy when he was contacted by the folks over at Gala Games about possibly making something powered by the blockchain. It turns out Legacy was a perfect fit for crypto gaming. As Molyneux explains it, every mechanic in Legacy was tailor-made for the blockchain environment. How exciting..?

In a blog post from Gala Games and Molyneux, they explained what Legacy actually is. Or at least tried to explain it...

Image: 22 Cans / Gala Games

In Legacy, players will create digital products and buildings from thousands of available parts. These plans are then manufactured by an army of workers and after that players are free to trade anything and everything with other players around the world to dominate the open market.

Apparently, there will be in-game events and competitions that will (maybe one day...) reward players with money and other prizes. But before you begin playing this game, youll need to buy a Land NFT before you can start your own in-game blockchain business. And all of this will be powered by a new cryptocurrency, LegacyCoin, which exists on the Ethereum blockchain.

Legacy and another recently announced FPS, Last Expedition, are described by the creators and Gala Games as play-to-earn with the idea being that players can create digital content and goods and then trade or sell that stuff via the blockchain to make money. Which is an interesting idea that has existed without the blockchain for years in various games like CSGO, Roblox, and more.

Mixing blockchain technology and video games has quickly become a new hot idea among publishers and devs looking to make a quick buck wanting to innovate and change how players interact with games. We recently saw Ubisoft joining the NFT bandwagon, though as usual, the response from most folks was a mix of confusion or disgust.

NFTs, blockchains, and cryptocurrency have been heavily criticized by many over the last few years for a host of reasons, including the horrible amount of e-waste created by digital mining facilities, the continued strain miners have put on the chip shortage and of course, the fact that all the energy blockchains eat up is potentially accelerating global warming and is extremely wasteful.

But ignoring all that, much of what NFTs and blockchains promise, the ability to create and sell digital goods in games or virtual worlds, already exists and has for years without the world-burning technology. But as long as there are some folks out there willing to buy into all this, there will be folks like Molyneux willing to invest in it.

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Peter Molyneux's Next Game Is A 'Blockchain Business Sim' Featuring NFTs Because The Future Sucks - Kotaku

Blockchain and the Future of Medicine [Infographic] – hackernoon.com

Many online health providers are beginning to use blockchain applications in order to strengthen the security that protects patients' data. With data breaches on the rise, the protection of data should be a priority, especially in the medical field, and data security is prioritized when using blockchain applications. This system is mutually beneficial because it fosters healthy habits in patients and also gives patients motivation to continue attending their doctors appointments, whether remote or physical, which brings back trust to providers. The providers are using cryptocurrency rewards as a way to orient patients towards their goals.

Founder @ NowSourcing. Contributor @ Hackernoon, Advisor @GoogleSmallBiz, Podcaster, infographics

Healthcare professionals are trying to find better ways at protecting patients' data during a time where data breaches are on the rise. With telehealth, or remote health services, on the rise, it has never been easier for third parties to have access to patients' sensitive information. Even though remote healthcare could leave data vulnerable, during uncertain times like these in regards to the pandemic, it is important that patients have the option of remote care in order to get the treatment they need while keeping themselves and others safe.

Many online health providers are beginning to use blockchain applications in order to strengthen the security that protects patients' data. Blockchain applications are a more secure online security system that keeps ledgers of data so that there is full transparency regarding who has access to what information. Providers who use blockchain applications have noted a positive change in the level of security they have within their business, and the benefits are countless. Making this switch is greatly beneficial to both providers and patients, but with the increase of data breaches in telehealth in the past few years, not everyone is ready to trust telehealth providers again so quickly.

In order to repair this trust, many providers are using blockchain applications to use cryptocurrency rewards as a way to orient patients towards their goals. By engaging in healthy behaviors such as attending doctor's appointments, completing surveys, taking medication, or even simply following the doctors orders patients can receive cryptocurrency tokens. This system is mutually beneficial because it fosters healthy habits in patients and also gives patients motivation to continue attending their doctor's appointments, whether remote or physical, which brings back trust to providers.

Providers who make the change to security systems that use blockchain applications and cryptocurrency rewards are inherently set up for a more secure future. Not only are they repairing relationships with their patients by rewarding them for basic tasks, but they are adding a new layer of protection to their patients' sensitive information. With data breaches on the rise, the protection of data should be a priority, especially in the medical field, and data security is prioritized when using blockchain applications.

Blockchain and health go hand in hand - learn more in the infographic below:

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Blockchain and the Future of Medicine [Infographic] - hackernoon.com

$100k worth of coin prize is given away for all users via downloading TAGO – the World’s first Blockchain enabled Spiritual & Mental Care platform…

People across the globe are now more encouraged to express their issues and seek mental solutions on the internet, especially in this Covid-19 era when lockdowns happen globally. TAGO has seen an enormous rise of 400% in their number of new users since Covid-19.

To continue the 2021 achievements, TAGO has made their advanced move by implementing Blockchain using KardiaChain Blockchain infrastructure, thus becoming the world's first Blockchain-enabled spiritual & mental care platform. Their vision is to become a spiritual & mental care metaverse (or Tagoverse).

TAGO's kick-start event in January 2022 is their first ever Initial DEX Offering (IDO) fundraising platform in the crypto space, followed by consecutive new feature launches throughout the year. Those new launches include Loyalty program, Affiliate system, AI Chatbot & spiritual social matching, spiritual social network, etc.,

""AI technology is indisputably impacting the future of virtually every industry. Every customer is able to benefit from every other customer that we bring onboard because our systems start to learn more processes and detect more things that are relevant and important. Mental consultation using AI therefore can be provided anywhere, anytime with any form of mental issues. Besides, AI match-makers in the coming decades will surely play a daring yet significant role in guiding people and offering suggestions through the process of social matching. Here at TAGO, we intend to further enhance our AI match-maker to pair people based on spiritual and emotional indicators, not just on regular ones", stated by Mr Tam Ho, Co-Founder & CTO of TAGO.

Tago's token is a utility token, issued to fund Tago Blockchain project and can be kept and used within Tago Community for Tago's users and mental advisors. It enables community members to buy, sell and trade as well as vote within the Tagoverse. Token holders can use it as loyalty or membership points for redemption and staking to gain additional returns.

"Evolve to Earn" is the main message. Users and Mental Experts on TAGO receive rewards when they create transactions by using its services of 1:1 Consultancy & attending or contributing to TAGO Courses and other activities to "evolve" (develop) oneself to become the better version. More on TAGO Tokenomics can be found here.

Mr Tuan Ta, Co-Founder of Tago, also an Entrepreneur & Influencer twice honoured by Forbes 30 Under 30 (Vietnam, Asia), said: "This Blockchain implementation enables TAGO to pursue its mission to take care of mental health of Customers in the most convenient & transparent manner. Despite the growing concern over the general & ecological impact of Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, experts are predicting the steady rise of them in near future. An increase is expected in the number of investors who actively seek to invest in the cryptocurrencies that are sustainable in growth."

Therefore, along with promoting their coin, TAGO is going to pay large attention to building its Community and sharing benefits of Blockchain integration back to the Community.

To kick-off the launch of TAGO coin, an Airdrop giving away chances to win up to $100k worth of coins is now open to all global users. To participate, all you need to do is to Download TAGO app here and follow instructions.

For more knowledge & investment opportunities, please visit their page at:

Tago Official

Tago Telegram Channel

Tago Telegram Global Groupchat

Media Contact: [emailprotected]

SOURCE TAGO VIETNAM

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$100k worth of coin prize is given away for all users via downloading TAGO - the World's first Blockchain enabled Spiritual & Mental Care platform...

Binance to Set up Blockchain Hub in Singapore but Withdraws Local Exchange Application – CryptoPotato

The worlds largest digital asset trading venue Binance considers doubling its presence in Asia by setting up a blockchain innovation hub in Singapore.

On the other hand, the company intends to withdraw its application for a crypto-exchange license in the city-state. Binance.sg will shut down its operations on February 13, 2022, as all accounts will be closed by that date.

According to a statement seen by CryptoPotato, the cryptocurrency firm aims to create a blockchain center in Singapore through its Binance Asia Services (BAS). The move is expected to boost the global crypto ecosystem. In line with its mission, Binance will explore a variety of Singapore-based initiatives, such as blockchain education, incubation programs, and further investment opportunities.

Philbert Gomez Vice President of Digital Industry Singapore (DISG) commented:

We look forward to working with Binance to develop a vibrant blockchain ecosystem that will benefit Singaporeans and Singapore-based companies to create world-class innovation for the region and globally.

Not long ago, Binance launched a similar initiative in Europe. In November, it joined forces with France Fintech and created a $116 million blockchain project on the Old Continent.

The enterprise came under the name of Objective Moon, and it was focused on the following key points: establishing a Binance Research and Development hub in France and designing a Decentralized Ledger Technology (DLT) accelerator. Additionally, the project had to set up a new online Education Programme that will look for talented people in the crypto space.

Separately, Binance also said in the announcement that it plans to withdraw its application to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a license to operate a regulated cryptocurrency exchange in the country. As a result, Binance.sg will shut down by February 13, 2022.

As of today (December 13), the entity will no longer allow new user registrations, while accounts that have not passed KYC will be suspended. Customers can continue buying and selling bitcoin and altcoins by employing their existing assets until January 12, 2022.

February 13, 2022, is the deadline by which users must close their accounts. After that date, they will no longer have access to their holdings. Richard Teng Chief Executive Officer of Binance Singapore explained:

We always put our users first, so our decision to close Binance.sg was not taken lightly. Our immediate priority is to help our users in Singapore transition their holdings to other wallets or other third-party services.

PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to get 50% free bonus on any deposit up to $1750.

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Binance to Set up Blockchain Hub in Singapore but Withdraws Local Exchange Application - CryptoPotato

Why Polygon, Silvergate Capital, and Riot Blockchain Are Getting Crushed Today – The Motley Fool

What happened

The broader cryptocurrency market is seeing another day of bearish momentum. Polygon's (CRYPTO:MATIC) MATIC digital currency token was down by roughly 15% over the previous 24 hours of trading as of 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. Meanwhile, crypto-focused companies Silvergate Capital (NYSE:SI) and Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ:RIOT) also got hit hard, falling roughly 12% and 9.7% on the day, respectively.

Bitcoin and Ethereum are experiencing some significant sell-offs, down roughly 6.6% and 7.5% over the last day. That momentum has extended to top altcoins and stocks with major exposure to the cryptocurrency space, and it looks like more volatility may be in the cards.

Image source: Getty Images.

The overall crypto space has posted fantastic growth across 2021, with leading tokens delivering stellar returns for investors who held on across the stretch. But the market has been displaying elevated volatility lately, and multiple catalysts are shaking up cryptocurrency pricing.

The regulatory climate has been a driving narrative force behind token sell-offs recently as investors weigh whether new regulations, recently passed laws, and potential future legislation will create headwinds for crypto. China led the regulatory charge earlier in the year by introducing new guidelines that banned cryptocurrency trading, mining, and transactions, and it has continued to roll out enforcement mechanisms that have spooked investors. India has also introduced legislation that could effectively ban the trading and use of all cryptocurrencies within its borders.

Similar pressures also appear to be mounting in the U.S. as well. President Biden's recently passed infrastructure bill includes provisions that will tax cryptocurrency trades, and based on comments from the leaders of regulatory agencies and calls from legislators for new governing standards and tax designations on digital currencies, these assets are looking riskier. On Wednesday, CEOs of cryptocurrency trading and services companies testified before the House Financial Services Committee, and the tone and content of that session pointed toward possible new regulations that could adversely impact token valuations.

High volatility has been the norm in the crypto space since its inception, and that doesn't appear likely to change any time in the near future. In addition, cryptocurrency prices are heavily impacted by cyclical trends. Silvergate Capital is down roughly 27% over the last month, while Riot Blockchain is down roughly 30.5%. On the other hand, Polygon's MATIC token is actually up by roughly 17%.

However, it's important to put recent pricing trends in context. Despite those sell-offs, Bitcoin's price per token is still up roughly 72% year to date. Silvergate Capital and Riot Blockchain have posted strong gains as well.

SI data by YCharts

MATIC has been on an even more impressive run -- the token is up roughly 12,000% year to date.

Investors looking at cryptocurrency-related investments should keep their personal tolerance levels for risk and volatility firmly in mind. Bitcoin has gained credibility as a store of value, which has helped power gains for crypto-based stocks including Silvergate Capital and Riot Blockchain. MATIC has gained appeal because its underlying blockchain network can provide services that augment the functionality of the Ethereum network.

Cryptocurrencies have come to be viewed as potential hedges against inflation, and are useful for decentralized finance, gaming, and non-fungible token (NFT) applications. In that sense, the fundamental value cases for crypto and blockchain-based projects seem to have improved significantly. However, investors should proceed with the understanding that there are significant risk factors that could trigger additional crypto sell-offs.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

Excerpt from:

Why Polygon, Silvergate Capital, and Riot Blockchain Are Getting Crushed Today - The Motley Fool

Global Aviation Blockchain Market 2021-2030: Increasing Adoption of AI-Based Smart Technology Creating Significant Demand – ResearchAndMarkets.com -…

DUBLIN, December 13, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Aviation Blockchain Market by Application, End Use and Function: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Aviation blockchain is a digital solution for recording as well as updating the transactions related to aviation related assets for ensuring the advanced safety and security of airline activities.

Under the scope of the research, the aviation blockchain study includes the various blockchain functions including record keeping and transactions.

Aviation blockchain is majorly used by the airport authorities, MRO organizations, and aircraft solution providers to ensure the update of digital-based aviation related transactions. Cargo and Baggage Tracking, Passenger Identity Management, Flight and Crew Data Management are the key application areas for Aviation blockchain technology.

The growing adoption of air transportation and increasing adoption of AI-based smart technology are creating significant demand for aviation blockchain in the near future.

Asia-Pacific is the leading consumer of the aviation blockchain in the global market and it is expected to maintain its dominance by end of the forecast period.

For purpose of analysis, the global aviation blockchain market is segmented on the basis of application, end-use, function, and region. Depending on application, it is segregated into cargo and baggage tracking, passenger identity management, flight and crew data management, supply chain management, and others.

By end-use, it is categorized into airlines, airports, and others. Depending on function, it is fragmented into record-keeping, and transactions.

Region-wise, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

The key players analyzed in the global aviation blockchain market include:

Aeron Labs

International Business Machine Corporation

Infosys Limited

Leewayhertz

Moog Inc.

Safeflights Inc. (14bis Supply Tracking)

Sweetbridge Inc.

Volantio Inc.

Winding Tree

Zamna Technologies Limited.

KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS

Story continues

This study presents analytical depiction of the global aviation blockchain market analysis along with current the trends and future estimations to depict imminent investment pockets.

The overall aviation blockchain market opportunity is determined by understanding profitable trends to gain a stronger foothold.

The report presents information related to the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the global aviation blockchain market with a detailed impact analysis.

The current aviation blockchain market is quantitatively analyzed from 2020 to 2030 to benchmark the financial competency.

Porter's five forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers and suppliers in the industry.

MARKET OVERVIEW

Market definition and scope

Key findings

Top impacting factors

Top investment pockets

Top winning strategies

Porter's five forces analysis

Key player positioning, 2020

Market dynamics

Drivers

Rise in number of airline passengers, coupled with increased disposable income

Improved Safety, Tracking and Transparency for Aviation Logs

Restraint

High installation cost

Opportunities

Contracts and agreements with Aviation Industry Players

Usage of artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) in aviation industry for track recording

COVID-19 impact analysis

Evolution of outbreaks

Macroeconomic impact analysis

Microeconomic impact analysis

Impact on industry analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8pihjh

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211213005376/en/

Contacts

ResearchAndMarkets.comLaura Wood, Senior Press Managerpress@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Global Aviation Blockchain Market 2021-2030: Increasing Adoption of AI-Based Smart Technology Creating Significant Demand - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

Know about the great benefits of using blockchain technology! – Cyprus Mail

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Know about the great benefits of using blockchain technology! - Cyprus Mail

NFTs, Crypto Wallets and More Explained by Putting My Son’s Art on the Blockchain – The Wall Street Journal

Personal Technology With Joanna Stern

Season 1 Episode 97December 13, 2021

Sometimes you just have to make an NFT for mom

Terms like nonfungible token, minting, gas fees and more sound like a foreign language to you? To better understand itand explain itWSJs Joanna Stern turned her sons art into an NFT on the Ethereum blockchain. Photo illustration: Jacob Reynolds

Technology is overwhelming and making decisions about what gadget to buy is harder than ever. WSJ personal tech columnist Joanna Stern makes it all a bit easier in her lively and informative videos.

Trapped in the Metaverse: Heres What 24 Hours Feels LikeEveryone is blabbing about the metaverse. But what does this future digital world look like? WSJs Joanna Stern checked into a hotel and strapped on a VR headset for the day. She went to work meetings, hung out with new avatar friends and attended virtual shows. Photo illustration: Tammy Lian/The Wall Street Journal

Apple MacBook Pro 2021 Review: The 21-Hour Laptop? Apples switch from Intel to its own M1 Pro and M1 Max chips pays off big time in battery life. But how much extra juice do you really get with the new MacBook Pro laptops? Does it really last the 21 hours Apple claims? WSJs Joanna Stern tested it all. Photo illustration: Adele Morgan/The Wall Street Journal

Facebook and Big Tobacco: Why Social Media Is (and Isnt) Like CigarettesMembers of Congress have likened Facebook and Instagrams tactics to that of the tobacco industry. WSJs Joanna Stern reviews the hearings of both to explore what cigarette regulation can tell us about what may be coming for Big Tech. Photo illustration: Adele Morgan/The Wall Street Journal

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NFTs, Crypto Wallets and More Explained by Putting My Son's Art on the Blockchain - The Wall Street Journal