Cryptocurrency has not only given the fastest way to transfer the money, but also a new entity to trade with and to earn money apart from the stocks and other commodities. While you can directly sell and buy Bitcoin, you can also use Bitcoin trading exchanges to continue your trades in cryptocurrency. There are a lot of exchanges where trading Bitcoin is safe and secured and also the customers are facilitated with many extended services. Being a cryptocurrency investor or trader you can choose any of the exchanges for your comfort. It is however recommended to sneak peek into the reviews of some before opting out the one. Below is a brief review of top Bitcoin exchanges around the world.
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CoinBase: It is probably one of the most reputed and largest Bitcoin trading exchanges with dual facility trading directly and through the wallet. CoinBase was founded in the year 2012 as through venture finding of Y-Combinator and since then it has rapidly grown. It has many lucrative services like multiple options to deposit and withdraw cash, money transfers between two CoinBase are instantaneous, Wallet facilities with multiple signature options for more secure transfers, Bitcoin deposits are insured for any loss etc. CoinBase has the wide variety of payment partners of Europe and US, who seamlessly allow the transactions to be carried on through them. It has relatively low transactions fees and offers Bitcoin trade along with a large number of Altcoin trading as well.
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CEX.IO: One of the oldest and reputed exchanges which was started in 2013, London as Bitcoin Trading exchange and also as cloud mining facilitator. Later its mining power grew such enormously that it held nearly half of the network mining capacities; however, it has been now closed. “CEX.IO” allows customers to expand to the much larger amount of Bitcoin trades, and it has the facility to make available the Bitcoin at requested price instantly. However, for this exchange charges a bit high exchange amount, yet this is compensated for the security and facilities of allowing multi-currency transaction (Dollar, Euro, and Ruble) to buy Bitcoin.
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Bitfinex: It is one of the most advanced trading exchanges and it particularly suited to the experienced crypto-currency traders. With high liquidity for the Ethereum as well as Bitcoin, this exchange has better options like leveraging, margin funding and multiple order trading. Apart from this Bitfinex offers the features of customizable GUI, many orders types, like limit, stop, trailing stop, market etc. This exchange also provides about 50 currency pairs that can be traded and with easy withdrawals for all. One of the largest exchanges in terms of volume traded Bitfinex offers pseudonymity for trades and only for some of the services it requires identifications. The only drawback with this exchange is that it does not support the buying of Bitcoin or any other altcoin through fiat transactions.
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Bitstamp: It was founded in 2011 and is the oldest of exchanges who offer cryptocurrency and Bitcoin trades. The most respected because despite being oldest it has never been under security threat and tills recently. Bitstamp currently supports four currencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple and is available with the mobile app as well, apart from website to trade. It has lovely support for the European users or the traders having their account in Euro Banks. The security is advanced and of cold storage type, which means the coins are stored offline.So you can say it is wholly not possible for any hacker to infiltrate. Last of all its complex user interface suggests that it is not for the novice user but for professionals and it offers relative low transactions fees.
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Kraken: It is one of the largest Bitcoin trading exchanges in terms of the liquidity, euro crypto trading volumes and trading figures of Canadian Dollars, USD and Yen. Kraken is most respected exchanges steered through the turmoil of cryptocurrency trades and has managed to keep the amounts of customer safe irrespective of the other exchanges being hacked at the same time. With 14+ cryptocurrency trading facilities, the user can deposit the fiat as well as cryptocurrency along with the similar capacity for withdrawals. However, it is not suited for beginners yet it has better security features and low transaction fees relative to CoinBase. Most important factor for Kraken is that it is trusted in the community and has been first to display the volumes and prices on Bloomberg Terminal.
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Getting Started With Crypto
Investing in the Crypto Currency market space can be a little daunting for the traditional investor, as investing directly in Crypto Currency (CC) requires the use of new tools and adopting some new concepts. So if you do decide to dip your toes in this market, you will want to have a very good idea of what to do and what to expect.
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Buying and selling CC’s requires you to choose an Exchange that deals in the products you want to buy and sell, be they Bitcoin, Litecoin, or any of the over 1300 other tokens in play. In previous editions we have briefly described the products and services available at a few exchanges, to give you an idea of the different offerings. There are many Exchanges to choose from and they all do things in their own way. Look for the things that matter to you, for example:
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– Deposit policies, methods, and costs of each method
– Withdrawal policies and costs
– Which fiat currencies they deal in for deposits and withdrawals
– Products they deal in, such as crypto coins, gold, silver etc
– Costs for transactions
– where is this Exchange based? (USA / UK / South Korea / Japan…)
Be prepared for the Exchange setup procedure to be detailed and lengthy, as the Exchanges generally want to know a lot about you. It is akin to setting up a new bank account, as the Exchanges are brokers of valuables, and they want to be sure that you are who you say you are, and that you are a trustworthy person to deal with. It seems that “trust’ is earned over time, as the Exchanges typically allow only small investment amounts to begin with.
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Your Exchange will keep your CC’s in storage for you. Many offer “cold storage” which simply means that your coins are kept “offline” until you indicate that you want to do something with them. There are quite a few news stories of Exchanges being hacked, and many coins stolen. Think about your coins being in something like a bank account at the Exchange, but remember that your coins are digital only, and that all blockchain transactions are irreversible. Unlike your bank, these Exchanges do not have deposit insurance, so be aware that hackers are always out there trying everything they can to get at your Crypto Coins and steal them. Exchanges generally offer Password protected accounts, and many offer 2-factor authorization schemes – something to seriously consider in order to protect your account from hackers.
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Given that hackers love to prey on Exchanges and your account, we always recommend that you use a digital wallet for your coins. It is relatively easy to move coins between your Exchange account and your wallet. Be sure to choose a wallet that handles all the coins you want to be buying and selling. Your wallet is also the device you use to “spend” your coins with the merchants who accept CC’s for payment. The two types of wallets are “hot” and “cold”. Hot wallets are very easy to use but they leave your coins exposed to the internet, but only on your computer, not the Exchange server. Cold wallets use offline storage mediums, such as specialized hardware memory sticks and simple hard copy printouts. Using a cold wallet makes transactions more complicated, but they are the safest.
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Your wallet contains the “private” key that authorizes all the transactions you want to initiate. You also have a “public” key that is shared on the network so that all users can identify your account when involved in a transaction with you. When hackers get your private key, they can move your coins anywhere they want, and it is irreversible.
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Despite all the challenges and wild volatility, we are confident that the underlying blockchain technology is a game changer, and will revolutionize how transactions are conducted going forward.
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Prepping for a Cryptocurrency World: China Edition
Over the past year, the cryptocurrency market took a series of heavy punches from the Chinese government. The market took the hits like a warrior, but the combos have taken its toll in many cryptocurrency investors. The market lackluster performance in 2018 pales in comparison to its stellar thousand-percent gains in 2017.
What has happened?
Since 2013, the Chinese government have taken measures to regulate cryptocurrency, but nothing compared to what was enforced in 2017. (Check out this article for a detailed analysis of the official notice issued by the Chinese government)
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2017 was a banner year for the cryptocurrency market with all the attention and growth it has achieved. The extreme price volatility forced the Central bank to adopt more extreme measures, including the ban of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and clampdowns on domestic cryptocurrency exchanges. Soon after, mining factories in China were forced to close down, citing excessive electricity consumption. Many exchanges and factories have relocated overseas to avoid regulations but remained accessible to Chinese investors. Nonetheless, they still fail to escape the claws of the Chinese Dragon.
In the latest series of government-led efforts to monitor and ban cryptocurrency trading among Chinese investors, China extended its “Eagle Eye” to monitor foreign cryptocurrency exchanges. Companies and bank accounts suspected of carrying out transactions with foreign crypto-exchanges and related activities are subjected to measures from limiting withdrawal limits to freezing of accounts. There have even been ongoing rumors among the Chinese community of more extreme measures to be enforced on foreign platforms that allow trading among Chinese investors.
“As for whether there will be further regulatory measures, we will have to wait for orders from the higher authorities.” Excerpts from an interview with team leader of the China’s Public Information Network Security Supervision agency under the Ministry of Public Security, 28th February
WHY WHY WHY!?
Imagine your child investing his or her savings to invest in a digital product (in this case, cryptocurrency) that he or she has no way of verifying its authenticity and value. He or she could get lucky and strike it rich, or lose it all when the crypto-bubble burst. Now scale that to millions of Chinese citizens and we are talking about billions of Chinese Yuan.
The market is full of scams and pointless ICOs. (I’m sure you have heard news of people sending coins to random addresses with the promise of doubling their investments and ICOs that simply don’t make sense). Many unsavvy investors are in it for the money and would care less about the technology and innovation behind it. The value of many cryptocurrencies is derived from market speculation. During the crypto-boom in 2017, participate in any ICO with either a famous advisor onboard, a promising team or a decent hype and you are guaranteed at least 3X your investments.
A lack of understanding of the firm and the technology behind it, combined with the proliferation of ICOs, is a recipe for disaster. Members of the Central bank reports that almost 90% of the ICOs are fraudulent or involves illegal fundraising. In my opinion, the Chinese government wants to ensure that cryptocurrency remains ‘controllable’ and not too big to fail within the Chinese community. China is taking the right steps towards a safer, more regulated cryptocurrency world, albeit aggressive and controversial. In fact, it might be the best move the country has taken in decades.
Will China issue an ultimatum and make cryptocurrency illegal? I highly doubt so since it is pretty pointless to do so. Currently, financial institutions are banned from holding any crypto assets while individuals are allowed to but are barred from carrying out any forms of trading.
A State-run Cryptocurrency Exchange?
At the annual “Two Sessions” (Named because two major parties- National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPCC) both take part in the forumï¼held on the first week of March, leaders congregate to discuss about the latest issues and make necessary law amendments.
Wang Pengjie, a member of the NPCC dabbled into the prospects of a state-run digital asset trading platform as well as initiate educational projects on blockchain and cryptocurrency in China. However, the proposed platform would require a authenticated account to allow trading.
“With the establishment of related regulations and the co-operation of the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) and China Securities Regulatory Commission(CSRC), a regulated and efficient cryptocurrency exchange platform would serve as a formal way for companies to raise funds (through ICOs) and investors to hold their digital assets and achieve capital appreciation” Excerpts of Wang Pengjie presentation at the Two Sessions.
The March towards a Blockchain Nation
Governments and central banks worldwide have struggled to grapple with the increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies; but one thing is sure, all have embraced blockchain.
Despite the cryptocurrency crackdown, blockchain has been gaining popularity and adoption in various levels. The Chinese government have been supporting blockchain initiatives and embracing the technology. In fact, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) have been working on a digital currency and have conducted mock transactions with some of the country’s commercial banks. It is still unconfirmed if the digital currency will be decentralized and offer features of cryptocurrency like anonymity and immutability. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if it turns out to be just a digital Chinese Yuan given that anonymity is the last thing that China wants in their country. However, created as a close substitute of the Chinese Yuan, the digital currency will be subjected to existing monetary policies and laws.
People’s Bank of China Governor, Zhou Xiaochuan. Source: CNBC
“Lots of cryptocurrencies have seen explosive growth which can bring significant negative impact on consumers and retail investors. We don’t like (cryptocurrency) products that make use of the huge opportunity for speculation that gives people the illusion of getting rich overnight” Excerpts from Zhou Xiaochuan interview on Friday, 9th March.
On a media appearance on Friday, 9th March, Governor of People’s Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan criticized cryptocurrency projects that leveraged on the crypto-boom to cash in and fuel market speculation. He also noted that development of the digital currency is ‘technologically inevitable’
On a regional level, many Chinese cities have are driving blockchain initiatives to promote growth in their region. Hangzhou, renown for being the headquarters of Alibaba, have stated blockchain technology to be one of the city’s top priorities in 2018. The local government in Chengdu city have also been proposed the building of an incubation center to foster the adoption of blockchain technology in the city’s financial services.
Local conglomerates such Tencent and Alibaba have also formed partnership with blockchain firms or initiated projects on their own. Blockchain firms such as VeChain have also secured multiple partnerships with Chinese firms to improve supply chain transparency in China.
All clues point to the fact that China is working towards a blockchain nation. China has always had a open mentality to emergent technologies such as mobile payment and Artificial Intelligence. Henceforth, it is without a doubt that China will be the first blockchain-enabled country. Will we see the Chinese government backing down and let its citizens trade again? Probably, when the market has matured and is less volatile but definitely not in 2018.
Panaesha Capital Exchange (PCEX)
Introduction to PCEX
PCEX is a user-friendly crypto-exchange supporting both digital currency to digital currency and digital currency to fiat currency trading. With multiple layers of security frameworks, PCEX is one of the most secure crypto-exchanges in the world. The platform has a superior order-matching mechanism and offers limit trading to allow the customers to trade at the best price the market offers.
One of the biggest drawbacks of crypto-exchanges is the lack of liquidity; PCEX will form strategic partnerships to ensure high liquidity to customers’ assets. The platform has the lowest transaction fees in the market to preserve the traders’ profit margins.
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PCEX’s Broker/Sub-Broker Channels
PCEX’s broker and sub-broker channels are some of the best services that the platform offers.
The platform has a well-trained channel of brokers and sub-brokers who are equipped to guide customers to the best digital currency practices. The channel is also a link between the customers and the platform.
As a broker/sub-broker, help your clients expand their income by leading them to the fastest growing market in the world; the digital currency market. The crypto-industry reached its peak in the year 2017-2018, by growing into a $14 Billion market with hundreds of investors. Known as the fastest growing industry in the current market, the crypto-industry has the highest ROI among all investments, including stock, real estate, and mutual funds. As brokers and sub-brokers, capture a part of this profitable market by assisting your clients in exponentially increasing their returns.
Benefits of being a PCEX Broker/Sub-broker
In addition to the opportunity of entering a booming industry, PCEX’s brokers and sub-brokers have a few attractive advantages:
A high brokerage fee: PCEX’s fee structure is inclined towards benefitting the brokers and sub-brokers and less inclined towards just collecting a profit. By ensuring that the agents are well-compensated, PCEX aims to grow a network to clients rather than just an initial gain.
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Unlimited incentives: The platform offers sizable incentives to the brokers and sub-brokers for each individual service.
Market training: By joining PCEX, the brokers and sub-brokers are entitled to a free training from experts in the field. Panaesha Capital will equip the agents with tricks-of-the-trade to enable them to guide the PCEX customers to successful crypto-trade.
Conclusion
Join the high-income industry of crypto-currency trade as a broker/sub-broker with PCEX. The platform has some of the best features in the market and offers customers high liquidity and the lowest transaction fees. Earn high brokerage fees and attractive bonuses while helping your clients reach their maximum potential in crypto-trade.
Crypto TREND 2017-01
Everyone has heard how Bitcoin and other crypto currencies have made millionaires of those who bought as recently as a year ago. Gains of 1,000% or more are not just possible, they have been common place with many of these crypto currencies. Someone who bought Bitcoin in May 2016 at less than $500, would have had a gain of 1,400% in about 17 months. Then over the past few days, we saw Bitcoin lose almost $1,000, so to say these crypto currencies are volatile would be a massive understatement.
Since the inception of Bitcoin in 2008, we at Trend News have been skeptical of crypto currencies’ ability to survive, given that they present a very clear threat to governments who want to see and tax all transactions. But while we may still be cautious on the actual crypto currencies, we are very aware of the potential of the underlying technology that powers these electronic currencies. In fact, we believe that this technology will be a significant disruptor in how data is managed, and that it will impact every sector of the global economy, much like how the internet impacted media.
Here are some questions & answers to get us started…
Q: What are Crypto Currencies?
The most well known crypto currency (CC) is BITCOIN. It was the first CC, started in 2008. Today there are more than 800 CC’s, including Ethereum, Litecoin, Dash, Zcash, Ripple, Monero, and they are all “virtual”. There are no “physical” coins or currency.
Q: How do CC’s work?
CC’s are virtual currencies that exist in very large distributed databases. These databases use BLOCKCHAIN technology. Because each Blockchain database is widely distributed, it is thought to be immune to hacking, as there is no central point of attack and every transaction is visible to everyone on the network. Each CC has a group of administrators, often called “miners”, who validate transactions. One CC called Ethereum uses “smart contracts” to validate transactions. Crypto TREND will provide more details in upcoming news publications.
Q: What is BLOCKCHAIN?
Blockchain is the technology that underpins all CC’s. Each transaction for the purchase, sale, or exchange of CC’s is entered into a BLOCK that is added to the chain. This technology is complex and will not be explained here, but it has the potential to revolutionize the financial services industry, as transactions can be executed quickly and easily, reducing or eliminating fees. The technology is also being examined for applications in many other industries.
Q: Are CC Exchanges regulated by government?
For the most part, the answer is NO, which, for some users, is a big attractions of this market. It is the “wild west” right now, but governments in most developed countries are examining this market to decide what regulation may be needed. A big decision is whether to treat CC’s as a currency or a commodity / security. Canada and USA have so far declared that CC’s are legal, however the situation remains fluid as for reporting and tax implications. Crypto TREND will be following and reporting on these developments.
Q: How do I invest in this market?
You can buy, sell, and exchange CC’s using the services of specialized “Exchanges” that act as a brokerage. You start by selecting an Exchange, setting up an account, and transferring fiat currency into your account. You can then place your BUY and SELL CC orders. There are many exchanges around the world. Opening an account is fairly simple and these exchanges all have their own rules about initial funding and withdrawals.
Crypto TREND will be recommending CC Exchanges in future.
Q: Where do I keep my CC?
To have the freedom to move your crypto currencies around, and to pay bills, you will need to have a digital wallet. These wallets come in several formats, such as desktop, cloud based, hardware (USB), mobile phone, and paper. Many of them are FREE, however, security is a big factor as no one ever wants to lose their wallet or have it stolen. Crypto TREND will be recommending digital wallets in future.
Q: What can I do with my CC?
As well as investing in CC products, you can also use crypto currency for some financial transactions, such as money transfers and paying bills. The list of companies accepting crypto currency is growing fast, and includes big hitters like Microsoft, GAP, JC Penny, Expedia, Shopify, Bloomberg.com, Dish Network, Zynga, Subway, and WordPress.
Q: What’s next?
As we start off, we will keep each of the Crypto TREND articles short and keep the scope of each one as narrow as possible. As we noted earlier, we believe that the crypto currency technology will be a game changer and potential investment opportunities like this come by once or twice in a lifetime. Make no mistake, early investing in this sector will be only for your most speculative capital, money that you can afford to lose.
Even if you are not wanting to invest at this time, gaining an early understanding of this new disruptive technology will put you in an advantageous position to profit from our recommendations as we move forward.
Expect to see more news and specific recommendations from Crypto TREND as we start this journey into what may seem to be a foreign jungle at first. This is a volatile market and may not appeal to all investors, however, Crypto TREND will be your guide if and when you are ready.
Stay Tuned!
Panaesha Capital Exchange (PCEX) Benefites
The cryptocurrency market boomed in 2017-2018; the total market cap of cryptocurrencies reached $700 Billion USD last year. With the immense market potential offered by cryptocurrencies, digital currency trade is flourishing and several crypto-exchanges were launched within the span of an year and still more are under development. Crypto-exchanges are platforms where traders can exchange cryptocurrencies for other cryptocurrencies or fiat money.
Panaesha Capital Exchange (PCEX) is a cryptocurrency trading platform set to be launched in Quarter 3 of 2018. PCEX is secure, fast, provides high liquidity and employs a broker channel for extra security. The platform is a one-stop trading solution; offering both cryptocurrency to cryptocurrency exchange and cryptocurrency to fiat currency trades.
Benefits of PCEX
Multi-functional Exchange Platform
Many crypto-exchanges, even prominent platforms, support just crypto-to-crypto trades, forcing traders to conduct their activities on multiple exchanges. Crypto-traders first buy cryptocurrencies for fiat money on a particular platform and then distribute the currencies over several trading platforms to ensure liquidity and profit. In order to convert the digital currencies to fiat, the traders have the choice of just a handful of platforms. PCEX is a comprehensive solution offering high liquidity; the crypto-traders can conduct all their trades on a single platform and will also be ensured of significant returns.
High Liquidity
To promote the liquidity of digital assets on PCEX, the platform embodies all the key attributes for a fast-moving exchange;
An easy user interface to simplify the transaction process. PCEX is built similar to the National Stock Exchange format for familiarity.
Low transaction fees (PCEX insists on very few fees for trading on the platform).
A sophisticated buy-sell procedure through a superior matching engine. Trade orders will be matched fast on the platform.
High-Caliber Order Matching
Users on PCEX are offered the limit trading procedure so that they can buy or sell assets at a price they set; the matching engine will try to enhance the sale by matching the users’ trade with a better price in a limited time. The limit time will be set by the traders after which the trade order will be removed from the platform. PCEX has the ability to match orders fast through a superior order-matching engine.
Affordable Fees
To conduct trade on PCEX, crypto-traders will incur just two fees: transaction fees and withdrawal fees. The transaction fee on PCEX is much lower than the fees on other platforms offering similar services. A significant portion of the transaction fees go to brokers and sub-brokers of PCEX; the platform will receive a smaller portion of the cut.
Broker and Sub-Broker Channels
Brokers and sub-brokers for crypto-trade is a unique feature of the PCEX trading platform. Traders on crypto-exchange platforms usually face poor customer support and slow reaction time. PCEX remedies this drawback by employing a fleet of brokers and sub-brokers to assist traders personally on each trade. A single point of contact will be assigned to traders on PCEX whom they can contact at any time for assistance. No dark period of unresponsiveness will ever be associated with PCEX.
Through the broker channel and exceptional services, PCEX aims to build long-term relationships with users. The broker channel also adds a layer of security to the platform.
High Security
Incidentally, PCEX has several layers of security. The platform has a Clark-Wilson Model of security architecture to ensure data integrity. The security system will verify the acceptance of information on PCEX so that data breaches can be prevented all together. Secure operations on the platform require the auditors to collaborate; devices and identities are in place to protect the website. PCEX provides crypto-traders a level of security that is impenetrable and keeps the traders’ identity and digital assets safe from hackers and accidental loss.
All users, brokers and sub-brokers on PCEX have to complete a KYC/AML protocol; PCEX is preparing ahead for any regulations that may arise in future. Traders can also be assured of legal conduct on the platform.
Conclusion
Cryptocurrency trading is a volatile atmosphere with prices peaking and dipping almost daily. The volatility of prices depends on country or state regulations, security, vendor acceptance of digital currencies, big players, etc. Cryptocurrency trade provides a much higher Return-of-Investment than traditional stock exchange; early investors in cryptocurrencies made profits in millions in 2017-2018.
To support the growing demand of digital currencies and digital currency trade platforms, PCEX adopts an advanced framework with full-service tools. Everything a crypto-trader will require to conduct smooth and effortless trade is available on PCEX. In fact, PCEX goes the extra mile.
Explore the new and exceptional crypto-exchange on http://www.pcex.io.
ICO Token Valuation and the Misplaced Emphasis on Blockchain Technical Experts And ICO Advisors
The statistics could no longer be ignored. Most ICOs tank, and stay tanked, once the tokens get to the crypto exchanges, after the frenzy and ‘FOMO’ attending the crowdsale is over.
Most watchers keeping track of the ICO phenomenon universally agree that the trend in the last few months has been for ICOs to lose value post-crowdsale, with many buyers waiting in vain for the ‘moon’ they were promised, once the cryptocurrency hits an exchange portal.
What is however not being discussed is the principal reason why we are witnessing this phenomenon, and what participants in a crowdsale, including the rating companies most of us rely on to make a choice, must be doing wrong in picking which ICO have most value, or has the best probability of rising in value once the crowdsale is over.
While there are a lot of reasons one could legitimately proffer for the phenomenon, there is one fact that I think is probably more responsible for this than most other contending reasons: ICO token valuation and the misplaced emphasis on ‘blockchain experts’, ‘ICO advisors’ or ‘technical whizkids’ for erc20 tokens.
I have always thought the need for blockchain technical experts or ICO technical advisors is exaggerated, or even outrightly misplaced, when a project is judged by that criteria, unless the project is actually trying to create a brand new coin concept. For most ERC20 Tokens and copycat coins, the real important consideration should be the Business Plan behind the token and the managerial antecedents and executive profiles of the Team leaders.
As anyone involved in the industry should know, creating an ERC20 token from Ethereum, or similar tokens from other cryptocurrencies, does not take any great technical skill or require any overrated blockchain advisor (as a matter of fact, with new software out there, an ERC20 Token can be done in less than 10minutes by a complete technical newbie.
So technical should no longer even be a big deal for tokens anymore). The key should be the business plan; level of business experience; competence of the project leaders and the business marketing strategy of the main company raising the funds.
Frankly, as an Attorney and Business Consultant of over 30 years myself to several companies globally, I cannot I cannot understand why people keeping looking for some Russian or Korean or Chinese ‘Crypto Whiz’ or ‘Crypto Advisor’ to determine the strength of an ICO for what is basically a crowdfunding campaign for a BUSINESS CONCEPT…
I am of the strong opinion that is one of the major reasons why most ICOs never live up to their prelaunch hype. In an era where there is an abundance of token creation software, platforms and freelancer, the disproportionate focus on the blockchain experience or technical ability of the promoters is mostly misplaced. It’s like trying to value the probable success of a company based on the ability of its staff to create a good website or app. That train left the station long ago with the proliferation of technical hands on freelancing sites like Guru; Upwork, freelancer and even Fiverr.
People seemed too caught up in the hype and the technical qualifications of people promoting an ICO, particularly ERC20 Ethereum based tokens and then wonder why a technically superior Russian, Chinese or Korean guy cannot deliver the business end of the company after the fundraising campaign.
Even a lot of our ICO Rating companies seemed to allocate a disproportionate number of points to crypto experience of team member, how many crypto advisors they have, and the ICO success experience they have on their team, rather than focusing on the underlying business model to be created with the funds raised
Once one understands that over 90% of the cryptos and ICOs out there are simply tokens created to raise crowdfunds for an idea, and just not a token for token’s sake, then peoples emphasis will shift from technical angles, to the more relevant work of evaluating the business idea itself, and corporate business plan.
Once we move into this era of evaluation before deciding whether to buy or invest in a cryptocurrency, then we will start valuing future prospects or value of our tokens based on sound business considerations such as:
– Swot Analysis of the company and its promoters
– Managerial competence and experience of the team leaders
– The soundness of business idea beyond the creation of a token
– The marketing plan and strategy of the company to sell those ideas
– The ability to deliver the underlying products to the marketplace
– The customer base for the products and services to be created by the company
– and basis for projecting adoption in the market place
What most people failed to realize is that the potential for their tokens to rise in value post ICO is not so much dependent on anything technical but on the good things happening in the company raising the funds and the perceived increase in the valuation of the company as it rolls out its business plan and delivers on its business products.
Of course, buying cryptocurrency is not buying stock, and it’s not buying the security in any company. We get that, but tokens react much the same way as stocks react to good news or bad news about a company. The only difference is that in the case of cryptos, the effect is magnified a 100 fold.
So, when a company meets some financial or business milestone, the price of its token on the exchange will go up… and it goes down fast when nothing good is happening. So, what the company will do and how it will do it after the ICO should of the utmost importance to anyone who does not want to see the value of his Tokens plummet and stay down forever.
Sure, tokens most tokens would plummet once the tokens hit a crypto exchange after the ICO, because of those who want to take immediate profits, but whether it would ever come back up to give you the expected multiple digit profits will always depend on the criteria I already outlined above. After you have purchased a token, the value of the ‘crypto advisor’s and ‘technical whizkids’ go to zero in relation to the potential of your tokens to moon.
Following this reality, I think a smart crypto buyer or investor should focus less on how many crypto advisors a project has or how technically sound the team is (unless the underlining business of the company is technical in nature) and focus more on the managerial, marketing and potential customer base of the company raising funds through an ICO.
In other words, allocate more points on the business and management side of the ICO rather than the technical jargons which won’t help your token in the marketplace when the money has been raised!
Coinbase: A Bitcoin Startup Is Spreading Out to Capture More of the Market
The price of bitcoin skyrocketed in the year 2017. Coinbase, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, was in the right place at the right time to capitalize on the spike in interest. Even so, Coinbase isn’t interested in taking its crypto gains for granted. To stay ahead in a much larger cryptocurrency market, the company is plowing money back into their master plan. Up until 2017, the company’s revenue was reported at $1 billion and over $150 billion of assets were traded across 20 million customers.
Coinbase, a San Francisco based company, is known as the leading cryptocurrency trading platform in the United States and with its continued success, landed at the No. 10 spot on the CNBC Disruptor list in 2018 after failing to make the list the previous two years.
On their path to success, Coinbase has left no stone unturned in poaching key executives from New York Stock Exchange, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. In the current year, the size of its full-time engineering team has almost doubled.
Earn.com was bought by Coinbase this April for $100 million. This platform allows the users to send and receive digital currency while replying to mass market emails and completing micro tasks. Currently, the company is planning to bring a former Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalist, Earns founder and CEO as its first-ever chief technology officer.
According to current valuation, Coinbase valued itself at about $8 billion when it set out to buy Earn.Com. This value is much higher than the valuation of $1.6 billion which was estimated at the last round of venture capital financing in the summer of 2017.
Coinbase declines to comment on its valuation despite the fact that it has more than $225 million in funding from top VC’s including Union Square Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and also from the New York Stock Exchange.
To meet the needs of institutional investors, the New York Stock Exchange is planning to start its own cryptocurrency exchange. Nasdaq, a rival of NYSE is also contemplating a similar move.
• Competition is Coming
As competing organizations look to take a bite out of the Coinbase’s business, Coinbase is looking to other venture capital opportunities in an attempt to build a moat around the company.
Dan Dolev, a Nomura instant analyst, said that Square, a company run by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey could eat into Coinbase’s exchange business because it started trading cryptocurrency on its Square Cash app in January.
According to the estimates by Dolev, Coinbase’s average trading fees were roughly 1.8 percent in 2017. Fees this high could drive the users to other cheaper exchanges.
Coinbase is looking to become a one-stop shop for the institutional investors while hedging its exchange business. To lure in that white glove investor class, the company announced a fleet of new products. This class of investors has been especially cautious to dive into the volatile cryptocurrency market.
Coinbase Prime, The Coinbase Institutional Coverage Group, Coinbase Custody and Coinbase Markets are the products launched by the company.
Coinbase feels that there are billions of dollars in institutional money which can be invested in the digital currency. It already has the custody of $9 billion in customer assets.
Institutional investors are concerned about security despite knowing Coinbase has never suffered a hack like some other global cryptocurrency exchanges. Coinbase president and COO said that the impetus of launching the Coinbase custody last November was the lack of trusted custodian to safeguard their crypto assets.
• Currently Wall Street Shifts from Bashing Bit to Cryptocurrency Backer
According to latest data available from Autonomous Next Wall Street’s, interest in cryptocurrency seems to be increasing. At present, there are 287 crypto hedge funds, while in 2016, there were only 20 cryptocurrency hedge funds that existed. Goldman Sachs has even opened a cryptocurrency trading desk.
Coinbase has also introduced Coinbase Ventures, which is an incubator fund for early-stage startups working in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. Coinbase Ventures has already accumulated $15 billion for further investments. Its first investment was announced in a startup called Compound which allows one to borrow or lend cryptocurrency while earning an interest rate.
At the beginning of 2018, the company launched Coinbase Commerce, which allows merchants to accept major cryptocurrencies for payment. Another bitcoin startup was BitPlay, which recently raised $40 million in venture money. Last year BitPlay processed more than $1 billion in bitcoin payments.
The proponents of blockchain technology believe that in the future, cryptocurrency will be able to eliminate the need for central banking authorities. In the process, it will lower costs and create a decentralized financial solution.
• Regulatory Security Remains Intense
To keep access limited to four cryptocurrencies, Coinbase has drawn a lot of criticism. But they must tread carefully while the U.S. regulators deliberate on how to police certain uses of the technology.
For cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase, the matter of concern is whether or not cryptocurrencies are securities which would be subject to Securities and Exchange Commission jurisdiction. Coinbase is admittedly slow to add new coins because the SEC announced in March that it would apply security laws to all cryptocurrency exchanges.
Wall Street Journal reported that Coinbase met the SEC officials to register itself as a licensed brokerage and electronic trading venue. In such scenario, it would become easier for Coinbase to support more coins and also to comply with security regulations.
Cryptocurrency for Beginners
In the early days of its launch in 2009, several thousand bitcoins were used to buy a pizza. Since then, the cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise to US$65,000 in April 2021, after its heart-stopping drop in mid-2018 by about 70 percent to around US$6,000, boggles the mind of many people – cyptocurrency investors, traders or just the plain curious who missed the boat.
How it all began
Bear in mind that dissatisfaction with the current financial system gave rise to the development of the digital currency. The development of this cryptocurrency is based on blockchain technology by Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym apparently used by a developer or group of developers.
Notwithstanding the many opinions predicting the death of cryptocurrency, bitcoin’s performance has inspired many other digital currencies, especially in recent years. The success with crowdfunding brought on by the blockchain fever also attracted those out to scam the unsuspecting public and this has come to the attention of regulators.
Beyond bitcoin
Bitcoin has inspired the launching of many other digital currencies, There are currently more than 1,000 versions of digital coins or tokens. Not all of them are the same and their values vary greatly, as do their liquidity.
Coins, altcoins and tokens
It would suffice at this point to say there are fine distinctions between coins, altcoins and tokens. Altcoins or alternative coins generally describes other than the pioneering bitcoin, although altcoins like ethereum, litecoin, ripple, dogecoin and dash are regarded as in the ‘main’ category of coins, meaning they are traded in more cryptocurrency exchanges.
Coins serve as a currency or store of value whereas tokens offer asset or utility uses, an example being a blockchain service for supply chain management to validate and track wine products from winery to the consumer.
A point to note is that tokens or coins with low value offer upside opportunities but do not expect similar meteoric increases like bitcoin. Put simply, the lesser known tokens may be easy to buy but may be difficult to sell.
Before getting into a cryptocurrency, start by studying the value proposition and technological considerations viz-a-viz the commercial strategies outlined in the white paper accompanying each initial coin offering or ICO.
For those familiar with stocks and shares, it is not unlike initial public offering or IPO. However, IPOs are issued by companies with tangible assets and a business track record. It is all done within a regulated environment. On the other hand, an ICO is based purely on an idea proposed in a white paper by a business – yet to be in operation and without assets – that is looking for funds to start up.
Unregulated, so buyers beware
‘One cannot regulated what is unknown’ probably sums up the situation with digital currency. Regulators and regulations are still trying to catch up with cryptocurrencies which are continuously evolving. The golden rule in the crypto space is ‘caveat emptor’, let the buyer beware.
Some countries are keeping an open mind adopting a hands-off policy for cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications, while keeping an eye on outright scams. Yet there are regulators in other countries more concerned with the cons than pros of digital money. Regulators generally realise the need to strike a balance and some are looking at existing laws on securities to try to have a handle on the many flavours of cryptocurrencies globally.
Digital wallets: The first step
A wallet is essential to get started in cryptocurrency. Think e-banking but minus the protection of the law in the case of virtual currency, so security is the first and last thought in the crypto space.
Wallets are of the digital type. There are two types of wallets.
- Hot wallets that are linked to the Internet which put users at risk of being hacked
- Cold wallets that are not connected to the Internet and are deemed safer.
Apart from the two main types of wallets, it should be noted that there are wallets just for one cryptocurrency and others for multi-cryptocurrency. There is also an option to have a multi-signature wallet, somewhat similar to having joint account with a bank.
The choice of wallet depends on the user’s preference whether the interest purely in bitcoin or ethereum, as each coin has its own wallet, or you can use a third-party wallet that include security features.
Wallet notes
The cryptocurrency wallet has a public and private key with personal transaction records. The public key includes reference to the cryptocurrency account or address, not unlike the name required for one to receive a cheque payment.
The public key is available for all to see but transactions are confirmed only upon verification and validation based on the consensus mechanism relevant to each cryptocurrency.
The private key can be considered to be the PIN that is commonly used in e-financial transactions. It follows that the user should never divulge the private key to anyone and make back-ups of this data which should be stored offline.
It makes sense to have minimal cryptocurrency in a hot wallet while the bigger amount should be in a cold wallet. Losing the private key is as good as losing your cryptocurrency! The usual precautions about online financial dealings apply, from having strong passwords to being alert to malware and phishing.
Wallet formats
Different types of wallets are available to suit individual preferences.
- Hardware wallets made by third parties which have to be purchased. These devices work somewhat like a USB device which is deemed safe and only connected when required to the Internet.
- Web-based wallets provided, for example, by crypto exchanges, are considered hot wallets which purt users at risk.
- Software-based wallets for desktops or mobiles are mostly available for free and could be provided by coin issuers or third parties.
- Paper-based wallets can be printed bearing the relevant data about the cryptocurrency owned with public and private keys in QR code format. These should kept in a safe place until required in the course of crypto transaction and copies should made in case of accidents such as water damage or printed data fading through passage of time.
Crypto exchanges and marketplaces
Crypto exchanges are trading platforms for those interested in virtual currencies. The other options include websites for direct trading between buyers and sellers as well as brokers where there is no ‘market’ price but it is based on compromise between parties to the transaction.
Hence, there are many crypto exchanges located in various countries but with differing standards of security practices and infrastructure. They range from ones allowing for anonymous registration requiring just email to open an account and start trading. Yet there are others that require users to comply with international identity confirmation, known as Know-Your-Customer, and anti-money laundering (AML) measures.
The choice of crypto exchange depends on the user’s preference but anonymous ones may have limitations on the extent of trading allowed or could be subject to sudden new regulations in the country of domicile of the exchange. Minimal administrative procedures with anonymous registration let users start trading quickly while going through KYC and AML processes will take more time.
All crypto trades have to be duly processed and validated which can take from few minutes to few hours, depending on the coins or tokens being transacted and volume of trade. Scalability is known to be an issue with cryptocurrencies and developers are working on ways to find a solution.
Cryptocurrency exchanges are in two catergories.
- Fiat-cryptocurrency Such exchanges provide for fiat-cryptocurrency purchase via direct transfers from bank or credit and debit cards, or via ATMs in some countries.
- Cryptocurrency only.There crypto exchanges dealing in cryptocurrency only, meaning customers must already own a cryptocurrency – such as bitcoin or ethereum, – to be ‘exchanged’ for other coins or tokens, based on market rate
Fees are charged to facilitate the purchase and sale of crypto currencies. Users should do the research to be satisfied with the infrastructure and security measures as well as to determine the fees they are comfortable as different rates charged by various exchanges.
Do not expect a common market price for the same cryptocurrency with difference exchanges It may be worthwhile to spend time doing research on the best price for coins and tokens that are of interest to you.
Financial transactions online carry risks and users should factor in the caveats such as two factor authentication or 2-FA, keeping updated on the latest security measures and being aware of phishing scams. One golden rule on phishing is not to click on links provided, no matter how authentic a message or email is.
The Beginners Guide to Crypto Currency Exchange
Cryptocurrency Exchange or Digital Currency Exchange is a business that involves the exchange of cryptocurrency with other assets such as money or any other digital currency. It is a web service that provides electronic transactions in electronic forms and taking fees for them.
Any transactions or operations to Digital Currency Exchange can be made through debit and credit cards, postal money order or any other kinds of money transfer. This article is about discussing the various cryptocurrency exchanges which facilitate crypto currency trading for beginners and what they offer in terms of availability, ease of use, security, deposit/withdrawal methods and fees. We hope this guide to cryptocurrency trading can help you get started with cryptocurrency exchanges.
Coinbase/GDAX
Coinbase is one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges based in San Francisco, California. It is available in 32 countries and currently serves over 10 million customers. Launched in 2012, it has an easy to use interface that makes Digital Currency Exchange an easy task for a non-technical person. It is also available for both iOS and Android. Unfortunately, Coinbase doesn’t provide crypto currency mining for beginners and is only an exchange.
As of now, it offers four coins, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin. It exchanges digital currency with US dollars, Euros and Great British Pounds. With minimum transfer fees, Coinbase has never experienced any security breach which makes it a perfect platform for digital currency exchange. In addition to that, Coinbase also offers a fully-fledged advanced exchange called GDAX. It offers more advanced features and different and better trading fees than Coinbase.
Bitstamp
Bitstamp is another platform that provides digital currency exchange. It is relatively easy to use and offers more advanced features via TradeView. Bitstamp offers coins such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and ripple. It exchanges digital currency with US dollars and Euro. You can put into practice all the latest crypto currency trading techniques in this exchange.
It offers Flat deposits via bank transfers and supports debit/credit cards. Perhaps the only drawback one can find in Bitstamp is slightly high fees and the fact that it suffered one security breach in 7 years of its operation. Nonetheless, it is one the most reliable exchanges. It is available in both iOS and android.
Gemini
Gemini is a UK based company launched in 2015 by Winklevoss twins. It is available in few countries including U.S, Canada, Hong-Kong, Singapore and South Korea. One of the downsides to this platform is that it is not particularly user friendly. So, beginners are not recommended to use this platform.
It offers two coins and 1 FLAT currency Bitcoin Cash, Ehtereum and US Dollars. Gemini follows strict protocols when it comes to security and as of 2018, it has not encountered a single security breach thus making it one of the most secure and reliable digital currency platform. However, it is important to have digital currency investment strategies before you start trading.
Digital Ticks
Digital ticks is a modern crypto exchange that aims to be a game changer in this sector. They have implemented many of the latest techniques which makes it easy for anyone to get started with trading.
It has a unique feature called a Single Portfolio View that would enable the traders to see all the holding positions on one single portfolio. It would be easy for traders to make informed decisions regarding the cryptocurrency exchange by using this unique feature. It also supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Dashcoin.
Kraken
Kraken is one of the oldest cryptocurreny exchange platform. Launched in 2011, kraken is the biggest exchange in terms of volume and liquidity for EUR trading pairs. It serves worldwide including the US.
Kraken offers a variety of coins including Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Monero, Augur, Litecoin and many more. It also supports deposit/withdrawals via bank transfers and cryptocurrencies. Having a not so friendly user interface, it also suffers from stability and performance issues but nonetheless, it is good platform for cryptocurrency exchanges.
Bitfinex
Bitfinex is the largest cryptocurrency exchange platform. Launched in 2012, it has an easy to use interface and offers advanced number of features such as margin trading, margin funding etc. It is available for both iOS and android platforms. It offers BTC, BCH, ETH, LTC, IOTA, XMR and NEO.
Just like the previous cryptocurrency exchanges, it supports withdrawals using US dollars and Euros via bank transfers. Bitfinex has suffered two security breaches, the first one was in May 2015, which resulted in a loss of $330,000. And the second one on August 2016 that resulted in a loss of worth $72 million.
EtherDelta
EtherDelta is a decentralized exchange that directly supports peer to peer connection. It is very different from the previously discussed cryptocurrency exchanging platform. Here, funds are held in a smart contract on a Ethereum network which you are solely responsible for depositing and withdrawing from. Currently, EtherDelta only supports Ehtereum based tokens.
EtherDelta has a rather confusing interface that makes it difficult for users to perform cryptocurrency exchange operations. In one occasion, someone tried to buy 750 Kyber for 0.007 ETH each but ended up buying 0.007 KNC at 750 ETH.
Conclusion
After looking at the various cryptocurrency exchanging platforms, we can safely say that Coinbase and Bitstamp stands out in terms of its good features like security, user friendly interface, multiple withdraws/transfer methods and many more.
I would not call them perfect but I would recommend that it is the safest bet you can make. Every cryptocurrency exchanging platform are unique in its own way and has both advantages and disadvantages. We just have to select the one that suits our needs. We hope that this guide on basic crypto currency exchange and trading would give you a head start in your journey of Cryptocurrency trading.