Carole Lloyd

Carole Lloyd

I'm a highly experienced crypto author. I've been writing about cryptocurrency for over 3 years now and have seen the industry grow and change immensely. I have a deep understanding of the technology behind crypto and can explain complex concepts in simple terms. My blog is followed by thousands of people who are interested in learning more about cryptocurrency.

coinedict

NFT3: Pioneering A Privacy-Focused Identity Monetization System for Web 3.0

A MetaID—Your Portal To The Metaverse The number of decentralized platforms on Web 3.0 is growing exponentially, but all suffer from the same problem – they lack a unified identity verification system that’s both safe and easy to use.  This is also true for the future of Identity across not one but many Metaverses. How do you transfer your identity wherever you go on Web3.0, while maintaining privacy? If many metaverses are coming forth, Web3.0 will also need a MetaID. NFT3 solves this by offering a decentralized identification network for Web 3.0 which operates more like a passport for the new internet than an account name. An identity instead of an identifier.  Not only does this ensure your information remains private while still being verifiable across multiple platforms, but it also gives you control over your identity and introduces seamless navigation through Web3.0 platforms. Whichever Metaverse you travel to, you get to unify your identity (or not, as you choose) and monetise it—at will.  What is NFT3? NFT3 is the first platform to introduce a decentralized identification system for Web 3.0 that can travel across multiple platforms while always maintaining its integrity. By creating an NFT linked to the user’s social identity, the power goes back to the user as he or she can truly control their personally identifying data online. This creates a MetaID—an identity controlled entirely by the individual that they can selectively share info about with each platform as they choose, and that can allow seamless travel throughout the many Metaverses, dApps, IDO Platforms and DEXes that make up Web3.0. NFT3 achieves this through the use of an NFT-based Decentralised Identification (DID) technology and is set to also create a sophisticated credit scoring system based on a user’s social account information. This Credit Scoring system, called NCredit, will be the first Credit Score created for Web 3.0, and a pinnacle point in DeFi’s development.  A user’s reputation score on the NFT3 DID platform is also determined by information gathered across multiple chain addresses in a Web 3.0 internet where decentralized applications make up the bulk of active platforms for users. Therefore, such a system allows a user to enjoy the benefits of a higher credit score on multiple venues, not to mention the ability to move around with their digital identity intact. NFT3’s Use cases  First and foremost, NFT3 DID technology enables users to decouple their identity from the control of centralized entities as is the case with most Web 2.0 platforms.  For instance, the entire business model for companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon is built on gathered user information. These top tech giants can aggregate the total lifetime value of an individual with an internet connection by simply collecting data on time and money spent online purchasing and using various services. This data is key in determining the valuation of these internet giants. As expected, in a race towards gathering the most user information, there has been a steady increase in data security breaches and data privacy violations. NFT3 does away with this by breaking the current model and enabling users to explore the Web 3.0 platform without risking the loss of their identities. In addition to offering a credit score system, NFT3 solves the hard problem of verification while maintaining privacy, and erases the bot problem entirely. They do this by introducing Staked Identity, requiring $ISME to be staked to activate one’s NFT3. By adding a slashing function to NFT3, they ensure that bots cannot replicate humans on Web 3.0 anymore. This way, NFT3 users’ credibility can transfer across Web 3.0 platforms while giving the user power to maintain the privacy of their data and identities. The Tipping Point of Web 3.0 As Web 3.0 becomes more widespread, the need for safe and easy-to-use decentralized identification systems across multiple platforms becomes inevitable. Users on this new frontier of the internet will need easy access to DeFi protocols, decentralized exchanges, and general dApps without the hassle of managing several identities scattered across the internet. NFT3 is pioneering the world’s first decentralized identification system for Web 3.0 thus enabling the DeFi movement as a whole to reach its full potential. Using its advanced DID technology, NFT3 will be the go-to platform for users looking to take control of their data, earn rewards on multiple platforms, and securely manage and monetize their identities across different metaverses, creating a MetaID, their NFT3. Intro article:: https://link.medium.com/vAVkV0eM9jb Website: https://nft3.com/ White paper: https://docsend.com/view/ak4q4petg52rhfad Telegram: https://t.me/nft3com

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coinedict

DeBio Announces IDO Launch – November 2021 at Skyward.finance

Singapore — DeBio Network is a decentralized anonymous-first medical and biomedical platform created for users who want to anonymously submit to tests and various medical samples from the comfort of their homes. DeBio Network is created using Substrate, a blockchain framework behind the Polkadot & Kusama Ecosystem. DeBio Network’s blockchain will be an Appchain on the Octopus Network, a Substrate relay chain on the NEAR Protocol. Online biomedical testing has become increasingly popular, more so due to the recent coronavirus pandemic. With a proven demand worldwide and an incredible market potential, remote medical technologies are proving increasingly attractive to patients wanting to limit contact and travel times. “DeBio assures the sovereignty of your biomedical data,” Pandu Sastrowardoyo, the CEO, was quoted as saying. “Web3 technologies assure that you can even monetize your data while keeping your identity private.” DeBio Network contributes to solving distance, availability, contact challenges and is already working on the release of their platform.  Recently the DeBio Network team concluded their funding rounds which resulted in a 5x oversubscription, raising a whopping $850,000 in the process. The DeBio Network team announced three rounds of investment: Seed investment round of $250,000 Strategic investment round of $500,000 Private investment round of $100,000 During the investment rounds, DeBio Network received a lot of interest from investors, and the private round was closed much earlier than planned due to strong demand. Currently, the DeBio Network team is working on their Initial Dex Offering (IDO). This will be the last chance for investors to buy $DBIO at a bargain price before it is listed on major exchanges. Subsequently, DeBio Network has also announced a partnership with Skyward.finance and Ref.finance for the upcoming IDO. Skyward.finance is an open-source permissionless launchpad for NEAR projects. Skyward.finance allows tokens to launch without any prior liquidity. The DeBio Network team chose Skyward.finance because of their convenience, reliability, and commitment to fairness in regards to price discovery. Ref.finance is the first major DeFi platform in the NEAR ecosystem. The DeBio Network team is planning to allow for the exchange of $DBIO and $NEAR tokens immediately following the IDO. Ref.finance will also provide bonuses for farmers and LPs. The DeBio Network team announced that the IDO will take place in November 2021. If you are interested in this project, you can learn more about it on the official resources: Website: https://www.debio.network/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/debio_network Telegram: https://t.me/debionetwork Medium: https://blog.debio.network/ Media Contact: DAOGENICS, LTD (“DeBio Network”) Singapore marketing@debio.network

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Cointelegraph Magazine

6 Questions for Yoni Assia of eToro – Cointelegraph Magazine

We ask the buidlers in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector for their thoughts on the industry… and we throw in a few random zingers to keep them on their toes! This week, our 6 Questions go to Yoni Assia, the co-founder and CEO of eToro.Yoni Assia is the co-founder and CEO of eToro, the social investing network with over 23 million registered users from more than 100 countries. Yoni is widely acknowledged as a crypto pioneer, having co-written the Colored Coins white paper with Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin in 2013. In 2018, Yoni founded GoodDollar, a nonprofit initiative created to develop a sustainable and scalable framework for bringing a digital, universal basic income to the world via new crypto asset technologies. He has long been a champion of different approaches to wealth and capital distribution, initially introducing the GoodDollar concept in a white paper called The Visible Hand in 2008. Yoni holds a BA in Management and Computer Science, and an MSc in Computer Science from the Reichman University (IDC Herzliya), Israel. 1 — What kind of consolidation do you expect to see in the crypto industry in 2021? We’re nearly at the end of 2021 and what a year it has been for crypto, with many coins reaching new ATHs, the launch of a Bitcoin ETF in the United States, and growing demand for crypto from both retail and institutional investors. We’ve seen more and more traditional companies embrace crypto and the blockchain technology that underpins it, and this will only continue. This year has been about continued growth and the mainstreaming of crypto but, as the industry matures, we will see consolidation. Ultimately, I am hugely optimistic about the outlook for crypto — blockchain technology will revolutionize finance.   2 — Which is sillier: $500k Bitcoin, or $0 Bitcoin? Why? $0 Bitcoin (BTC), easily. I bought my first Bitcoin in 2010, and 11 years later I’m still investing in Bitcoin and running a company that makes it easier for others to do so too. Crypto is still a nascent asset class and Bitcoin, the first and largest crypto, is only 12 years old. It may take some time to hit $500,000, but the future is bright for BTC and crypto more broadly. 3 — Which people do you find most inspiring, most interesting, and most fun in this space? I have to mention my eToro team. I’m lucky enough to work with some of the smartest, most dedicated and inspiring people in the industry. Looking beyond eToro, I recently attended the Milken Institute Global Conference. The event brought together many of the brightest and most influential minds in the world to discuss the most urgent challenges facing us globally. Entitled “Charting a New Course,” the conference focused on how recent disruptions can be “reframed” for a “thriving future.” I left feeling deeply inspired and even more determined to push forward with GoodDollar — a digital blockchain project which aims to make universal income a reality on a global scale. The income gap is a crisis of global proportions, and GoodDollar’s goal is to onboard the next 100 million people into the digital economy. 4 — What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever visited?In 2020, I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Warren Buffett in Omaha, Nebraska. It was an honor to meet one of my heroes and a life changing moment for me. The two key takeaways for me were:Investing can be simple when you invest in businesses you understand and believe in. If you follow the rules of value investing over a long period of time, you can succeed as an investor.The most important investment you can make is in yourself. 5 — Which two superpowers would you most want to have, and how would you combine them for good… or evil?I’m going to cheat and name three. I’ve always said I would want to be able to teleport, heal and have the ability to shake someone’s hand and know everything they know. I’m all about using power for good. 6 — Choose the single most memorable moment from your favorite movie.For me, it would be the scene from The Matrix (1999), directed by the Wachowskis, when the main character, Neo, has to choose between a red pill and a blue pill. 

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coinedict

ETHERNITY and Heavy Metal Entertainment to Release the Heavy Metalverse NFT Collection and Virtual Theme Park

Revealing the next generation of immersive experiences with characters and experiences straight from the Heavy MetalVerse. Heavy Metal Magazine is the first comic studio to enter the Metaverse. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 29, 2021 / Ethernity, the original authenticated NFT platform (aNFT) is excited to announce the first-ever virtual theme park with in-world commerce powered by NFTs and virtual experiences with the iconic publishing and entertainment company, Heavy Metal. Metaverse partners YouCan Galaxy created the Heavy MetalVerse and in-world avatars from the Heavy Metal Universe. On October 30th for 72-hours, Ethernity is auctioning the characters reimagined by top NFT artist, Blunt Action, as NFT “metakeys” that unlock the Heavy MetalVerse virtual world. The characters also exist in the virtual world theme park as “metahumans” on display for guests. Additionally, fans can collect special limited edition art covers animated by the geniuses behind Heavy Metal Magazine. NFT collectors that are lucky enough to get “metakeys”–called Metal Keys–are granted special access to the Heavy Metalverse virtual theme park debuting during Art Basel Miami in December of this year. Not all NFTs come with keys. The NFTs themselves are the Metal Keys. Heavy Metalis the premier storyteller of cutting-edge science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The trend-setting magazine has continuously published since its first issue in 1977 and inspired some of the most famous blockbusters in film history. It is credited as an inspiration behind Blade Runner (Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was originally published in Heavy Metal Magazine) and The Fifth Element and published the official Alien graphic novel in 1979. Known for its stunning visual style, iconoclastic stories, and subversive content, Heavy Metal is a bastion of counterculture in the entertainment industry. Launched at a time when comic book publishers were strictly censored by the Comics Code Authority, Heavy Metal set the standard for how to thrill sci-fi fans through revolutionary storytelling and art. These NFTs are inspired by the iconic stories from the magazine and highlight Heavy Metal’sbeloved characters. “The movement from physical to digital existence is one that is happening all around us in real-time. Whether we know it or not, we are already cyborgs. We can’t live without our technology, which is by definition, a cyborg. What Youcan Galaxy, Ethernity, and Heavy Metal have put together here is another step into that fusion of technology and the human experience. The first-ever digital theme park on the blockchain allows for more evolution than a physical theme park. The ability to quickly and efficiently bring more attractions to our customers will allow for the exponential growth of the Park,” said Heavy Metal Entertainment CEO Matthew Medney. Continued Medney: “We wanted to kick it off by following in the footsteps of our iconic heroine, Taarna-it’s her temple, her universe, her rules. And we’re fusing this world with our sci-fi odyssey series Dark Wing by showcasing Dark Wing’s bridge, allowing fans to soon pilot the Wing. This is the type of story fusion allotted to us by using a digital playground. Fans will be able to explore the first attractions as one of our four avatar characters: Taarna, Adrienne James, Mortermir, or Pon Valdur. The immersive experiences we are providing are unlike anything yet. Be it new avatars, flight simulators, or temple runs with Adrienne James, The Heavy Metal Theme Park on the blockchain is the first of its kind. We expect many other brands will follow because it’s an opportunity to dip your toes into a Metaverse and provide a unique experience for fans.” “Youcan is especially excited about the rising discussions around the Metaverse,” said Youcan CEO Antonio Trincao. Youcan has been featured on Forbes, Yahoo Finance!, GQ, Vogue, WWD, and with more than 80,000 users registered, the Youcan Galaxy is the perfect partner for the Ethernity and Heavy Metal teams. “Bringing to life some of the most iconic Heavy Metal stories of all time in the first virtual theme park is a huge honor,” said Youcan CEO Antonio Trincao. “Ethernity is fueled by our team’s insatiable desire to create incredible digital objects for art lovers, super fans, and beyond,” said Nick Rose, CEO and Founder of Ethernity. “We thrive off exploring opportunities to expand the worlds of existing creations and Heavy Metal is a perfect fit for our great ambitions and endeavors. Our team has nostalgic memories of Heavy Metal Magazine covers throughout their childhood. It’s an incredibly influential organization. We can’t wait to allow Heavy Metal fans new ways to explore the worlds they love.” Past NFT releases from Ethernity cover a wide range of talent includes collections with soccer star Pele, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, skateboard superstar Tony Hawk, NBA Icon and Champion Shaq, Pulitzer Prize-winning photos via Associated Press, and rapper Nas. Upcoming drops to be announced include current G.O.A.T. soccer player Leo Messi who just won Copa America. ABOUT ETHERNITY Ethernity is one of the early groundbreaking authenticated NFT projects that auctions verified artwork and collectibles featuring the top artists and stars from sports, music, film, gaming, tech, history, and entertainment. Working with celebrities and artists, Ethernity creates digital artworks that are solidified on the blockchain as non-fungible tokens (NFT). The pieces feature well-known public figures, and a portion of all funds raised from the endeavor will be donated to charitable causes. Ethernity Chain combines the utility of DeFi and merges it with NFTs to create an exclusive pipeline to rare, collectible content from notable figures and well-established digital artists. ABOUTHEAVY METAL ENTERTAINMENT First published in 1977, Heavy Metal Magazine, the world’s foremost illustrated magazine, explores fantastic and surrealistic worlds, alternate realities, science fiction, and thrillers, in the past, present, and future. Writers and illustrators from around the world take you to places you never dreamed existed. Heavy Metal Magazine was the first magazine to bring European legends like Moebius, Enki Bilal, and Pepe Moreno to the U.S. while showcasing American superstars like Richard Corben, Jim Steranko, and Bernie Wrightson. The magazine continues to showcase amazing new talent and established creators. Now published monthly, Heavy Metal Magazine features serialized and standalone stories, artist galleries, and interviews. Heavy Metal Entertainment is home not only…

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coinedict

Sandlabs Science Lab launches IDO company for Samsara project

IT company Sandlabs announces the launch of its new IDO product Samsara based on the Gnosis Auction platform. Sandlabs is a scientific IT laboratory that specializes in the full development cycle of projects based on machine learning and artificial intelligence, both embodying the ideas of the company itself and on demand.  Sandlabs has extensive experience in development at the highest level. The company has already launched a number of existing projects, such as intelligent video analytics (recognition detectors system in SDK and Cloud formats for various state and business purposes), smart door phone DomoFace (new generation IP intercom with built-in face recognition service and cloud control panel) and many others.  Now Sandlabs is launching a new project – Samsara Samsara is being developed to create a digital image of a person and a chatbot based on their data from online sources after their death. With this bot it will be possible to chat and make video calls.  After purchasing the project token, the client will be able to use a reserved server for his personal needs, while the user’s data will be reliably protected. This server is located on the territory of a separate IT-complex, is absolutely autonomous and supplied with energy from environmentally friendly renewable sources. If you are interested in this project, you can read about its whitepaper  https://api.smrx.io/samsara-wp.pdf Website of the developer’s company: https://www.sandlabs.ru IDO site: https://gnosis-auction.eth.limo/ Website: https://www.smrx.io

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coinedict

PlaceWar Completes its Oversubscribed Private Round for $1.8 Million From Leading Prominent Venture Capitals and Top Blockchain Investors

PlaceWar has announced today that it has completed its private round of fundraising in an oversubscribed funding round of $1.8 Million from industry-leading VCs. PlaceWar is a decentralized strategic play-to-earn game universe deployed on a multi-chain with highly engaging artillery gameplay. It allows players to create and define the outlook of the in-game world through building, battles, and alliances. This oversubscribed funding round solidifies the testimony that there is high demand in P2E crypto games as we see that the rise of crypto games has been seen all around the world, and many have testified to its viability as an alternative source of income. Play-to-earn provides opportunities for both game developers and gamers as both can benefit from a symbiotic relationship where companies create a platform for players to build, trade on, and improve the games, while the gamers earn from their contributions and participation. PlaceWar, which was founded in early 2021 has since achieved a notable milestone with a sizeable community of over 25,000. In closing the private sale round, investors have pumped in over $1.8 million. The notable venture capitals that participated in this round are AC Capital, AU21, Woodson Game, Exnetwork Capital, Icetea Labs, IoTex, Kyros Ventures, LD Capital, Lucid Blue Ventures, Megala Ventures, Metrix Capital, ReBlock, RoseOn, X21, and many more top blockchain investors. As part of celebrating the seed and private closing, Block Tides and PlaceWar’s Blockchain, Crypto & Defi 2021 event for a cause was successfully held at Okada Manila, Grand Ballroom, the Philippines with prominent Key Opinion Leaders in the Blockchain landscape in the Philippines, sponsored by successful Blockchain & Crypto companies, and was covered by huge media outlets such as Manila Times, Manila Bulletin, and a lot more. “We are very grateful, and we would like to thank all our VC and Investor partners for taking part in our private funding round. The oversubscribed closing of this private round gave us a boost of confidence to push the project further and gives us the motivation to deliver exceptional results to our investors and community” Said Myrtle Ramos, Founder of PlaceWar. Blockchain, Crypto & Defi 2021 Conference at Okada Manila, Grand Ballroom, Philippines Some information about our investment partners: AC Capital AC Capital is an investment venture focusing on Blockchain and Fintech. Committed to discovering unicorns and boosting their development. ACE Exchange ACE Exchange is a leading cryptocurrency exchange based in Taiwan. Ace is committed to building the most professional Fiat to Crypto exchange in the Chinese community and providing a channel for all Taiwanese people to have first contact with cryptocurrencies. AU21 Capital AU21 Capital A hybrid venture and hedge fund that invests in high-growth blockchain and AI companies and backs the most brilliant founders in the blockchain. BCA Investments BCA Investments is an investment firm focused on blockchain technology and digital assets founded in 2021 based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Dutch Crypto Investors DCI is a collective of like-minded individuals that aims to promote, educate and inspire crypto enthusiasts. Exnetwork Capital Exnetwork Capital is an investment firm focused on funding innovation in the decentralization movement. A hybrid hyperconnected fund, idea lab, and incubator, Exnetwork Capital has been a key ingredient in the success of numerous projects launched since 2018. Icetea Labs Ice Tea Labs is a blockchain venture capital that supports visionary founders and energetic teams to create a long-lasting positive impact through decentralization technologies. IoTex Founded as an open-source project in 2017, IoTeX is building the world’s leading privacy-centric blockchain platform for the Internet of Things (IoT). Their mission is to build a decentralized trust fabric for a new era of collaboration and data exchange among devices, applications, and people. Backed by a global team of research scientists and top engineers, IoTeX combines blockchain, trusted hardware, and edge computing to realize the full potential of IoT. IoTeX is governed by a non-profit foundation registered in Singapore. Kyros Ventures Kyros Ventures is a conglomerate of the largest and most influential entities in the Vietnamese Blockchain industry. Kyros Ventures is a pioneer in incubating early-stage blockchain and cryptocurrency projects in Vietnam. It is built upon the solid foundation of Coin68. LD Capital LD Capital is the most reputable investment firm in China focusing on Blockchain Investment, Securities, Equity Investment, and Trading. Owing to industrial resource advantages and professional investment research team, LD Capital has successively discovered and invested in more than 200 companies. LD Capital overall achieved more than 100 times return with peak self-owned assets of nearly 1 billion US dollars. Lucid Blue Ventures Lucid Blue Ventures operates as a venture capital firm led by Charlie Hu, Head of Polygon China and invested in many top blockchain and cryptocurrency companies. Megala Ventures Megala Ventures is one of the largest institutional investors of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies in Southeast Asia and has been a key contributor to several leading blockchain projects. Metrix Capital Metrix Capital is an investment vehicle that leverages knowledge, expertise, community contacts, and capital to invest in crypto projects directly or through our strategic partners. Metrix Capital utilizes proprietary research, data engine, and community to invest in the most fundamentally sound projects. ReBlock ReBlock is a full-service digital marketing agency in Korea. They have global team members in Korea, China, the USA, Ukraine, India, and Russia. Our team provides consultation and technical support, advisory service about the project after listed in exchange as well. We provide a full service on blockchain worldwide to bring success to the projects with all the necessary actions. Terabyte Terabyte Capital is a blockchain-focused venture capitalist based in Seoul, South Korea. TK Ventures TK Ventures is a venture capital firm focusing exclusively on early-stage decentralized finance, NFT, and Web3 projects. VBC Ventures VBC Ventures is well known for its reputation as the most active blockchain-concentrated venture capital firm in Vietnam. Woodson Games Woodson Games Co., Ltd is one of the most well-known esports influencers in China. It’s a live streamer recruitment agency that helps platforms to find and manage streamers. On DouYu…

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Bitcoin

Bitcoin Attempts Fresh Increase, Why BTC Could Struggle Near $62K

Bitcoin price started a fresh increase above $60,000 against the US Dollar. BTC is rising and it could attempt an upside break above the $62,000 resistance. Bitcoin managed to pump above the $60,000 and $61,000 levels. The price is now trading above $61,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. There is a major bearish trend line forming with resistance near $61,650 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair must settle above $62,000 to start a major increase in the near term. Bitcoin Price Starts Fresh Increase Bitcoin price found support near $58,140 and started a fresh increase. BTC was able to break the $60,000 and $60,500 resistance levels to move into a positive zone. The price even settled above the $60,500 level and the 100 hourly simple moving average. There was also a break above the 50% Fib retracement level of the key decline from the $63,700 swing high to $58,140 low. It is now facing resistance near the $61,650 and $61,800 levels. There is also a major bearish trend line forming with resistance near $61,650 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. Bitcoin is also facing barrier near the $62,000 level. Source: BTCUSD on TradingView.com It is near the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the key decline from the $63,700 swing high to $58,140 low. A clear break above the trend line resistance and then $62,000 may possibly call open the doors for a move towards the $63,000 level. The next major resistance sits near the $64,000 level. Fresh Decline In BTC? If bitcoin fails to clear the $62,000 resistance zone, it could start a fresh decline. An immediate support on the downside is near the $61,000 level. The first major support is now forming near the $60,500 level. A break below the $60,500 support may possibly put a lot of pressure on the bulls in the near term. The next key support is near the $60,000 level, below which there is a risk of a larger decline. In the stated case, the price might slide towards the $58,500 level. Technical indicators: Hourly MACD – The MACD is slowly losing pace in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now above the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $60,500, followed by $60,000. Major Resistance Levels – $61,650, $62,000 and $63,200.

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Cointelegraph Magazine

Guide to New York – Cointelegraph Magazine

This “Crypto City” guide looks at New York City’s crypto culture, its most notable projects and people, its financial infrastructure, which retailers accept crypto, and where you can find blockchain education courses — and there’s even a short history of the controversial regulatory regime required to operate in the city. Fast factsCity: New YorkCountry: United StatesPopulation: 8.8 millionEstablished: 1624Language: English New York City is a bustling metropolis in the American state of New York. The city is divided into five separate boroughs — the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island — each with its own unique geography and culture. While the state’s capital is Albany, NYC is its most widely known city and is one of the most famous cities in the world.The most populous city in the United States, NYC is home to an estimated 8.8 million people, with an additional 1 million people traveling to the city every day for work (pre-pandemic). In 2019, the city also welcomed nearly 70 million tourists seeking to take in the bright lights of Times Square, see a Broadway musical, visit the Empire State Building, and enjoy NYC’s dining and nightlife, among the many other sites and attractions the city offers.New York City has been the setting for countless major films and television shows, which adds to its attraction as a tourist destination. Some of the most famous movies filmed in NYC include The Godfather, Ghostbusters, King Kong, Taxi Driver, West Side Story, Goodfellas, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Saturday Night Fever and many, many others. Sitcom classics Seinfeld and Friends were set in the city, and the long-running live sketch show Saturday Night Live broadcasts every weekend from 30 Rockefeller Plaza.With Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange located in lower Manhattan, the city is generally recognized as the financial capital of the United States, perhaps even the world. It’s also the nation’s fashion capital and one of its major technology, music, film and television hubs. Home to around 3 million immigrants, NYC is widely known for its cultural diversity, with the Statue of Liberty famously inscribed with the words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”  View of New York City skyline. Source: Pexels  The city’s status as a hot location for crypto and blockchain culture has a lot to do with it being a major junction where finance and technology meet, according to Michael Moro, CEO of digital asset prime brokerage Genesis: “New York City has always been the epicenter of the capital markets and, over time, has earned a global reputation for being an innovation and technology hub.”NYC is also a very wealthy city. “The advantage of the city is really Wall Street, right?” says Michael Shaulov, CEO of Fireblocks — an institutional digital asset custody, transfer and settlement platform. “You have a huge concentration of people who understand finance. You have a huge amount of capital flowing in from traditional finance into crypto. All the big venture capitalists are based in New York and are pushing into crypto.”    Crypto cultureNew York City has a long, well-established culture around cryptocurrency and blockchain. Way back on New Year’s Eve 2013/2014, Bitcoin Center NYC, a brick-and-mortar center dedicated to promoting and educating the public on the premier cryptocurrency, was launched by Nick Spanos — a real estate executive turned Bitcoin evangelist. The center quickly became a hub for fans of the still fairly underground cryptocurrency.Spanos tells Magazine that “Bitcoin Center NYC brought Bitcoin from the back alleys to Wall Street, from something hidden to something celebrated, from something unknown to something open and transparent.”Bitcoin Center NYC’s brick-and-mortar space. Source: Bitcoin Center NYCSpanos later also founded the Blockchain Center, which is dedicated to education on the power of blockchain technology. He adds that while Bitcoin Center NYC has been relatively quiet during the COVID-19 pandemic, “we have a new space and are looking at bringing back the popular Satoshi Square gatherings — with an embrace of the growing crowd of Wall Street blockchain specialists and new believers.”The Big Apple hosts a number of major blockchain and crypto conferences, including the annual New York Blockchain Week. Though it was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Blockchain Week 2020 was set to feature Consensus, the Digital Asset Summit, Ethereal Summit, The Block Summit, Magical Crypto Conference, ETH NYC and Smart Contract Summit #0. Some of the events went virtual, and the conference was again put on hold in 2021.In-person conferences reappeared toward the end of 2021, including Blockworks Digital Asset Summit 2021, Mainnet 2021 and SALT, which were held in September, and CoinGeek Conference in early October, while NFT.NYC 2021 is scheduled for November.Alex Mashinsky, a New Yorker who serves as CEO of crypto borrowing and lending platform Celsius Network — which is headquartered just across the river in New Jersey — tells Magazine that New York really is a crypto city: “You have money, you have people, you have tech, and you have a lot of customers who consume this technology. It’s a very cosmopolitan city, so you have people from every country and walk of life.” He adds, “We see a lot of wealth here. If rich people want to put 1% to 5% of their wealth into crypto, it’s going to happen here.”  We are going to the moon pic.twitter.com/66MvxpWW4w— Alex Mashinsky ©️ (@Mashinsky) October 19, 2021  New York City has also been part of the burgeoning nonfungible token art scene. In March 2021, the artist collective Superchief opened what it alleged to be the first-ever brick-and-mortar NFT art gallery, and the Postmasters gallery in lower Manhattan has an NFT-focused division called PostmastersBLOCKCHAIN. Meanwhile, Beeple’s $69-million sale of “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” in March took place via the NYC branch of auction house Christie’s.However, some warn that NYC has been undergoing a “brain drain” that has seen top talent going elsewhere, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.“During the pandemic, other cities and states have been aggressively courting the crypto community with business, tax and regulatory incentives, and…

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Cointelegraph Magazine

Powers On… Why US officials ignore ethics and STOCK Act by trading stocks? – Cointelegraph Magazine

About two weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal ran an expose on the number of judges who held or traded the stock of companies over which they presided in legal proceedings. The article identifies 131 federal judges nationwide who did this during the period of 2010 to 2018. Of those 131 members of the judiciary, 61 judges purportedly traded the public company stock of litigants during the case. Imagine that! It’s quite incredible, actually.Powers On… is a monthly opinion column from Marc Powers, who spent much of his 40-year legal career working with complex securities-related cases in the United States after a stint with the SEC. He is now an adjunct professor at Florida International University College of Law, where he teaches a course on “Blockchain, Crypto and Regulatory Considerations.” It seems there would be ethical reasons for judges to not allow themselves to fall into that situation. When I litigated cases, parties were required to disclose the public companies affiliated with the party so that the judges could assess if they had any possible conflict in handling a particular case assigned to them. These conflicts could be that the judge knows the parties in the action personally, or the witnesses. The parties’ written disclosure is also supposed to trigger an obligation for the judge to see if they, or a family member, own stock in the public corporation involved in the lawsuit.    There is also a 1974 law that prohibits a judge from presiding over a case when their family members own shares of stock of a public company litigant. It was passed shortly after the Watergate crisis and President Richard Nixon’s resignation from office. This is an outright ban; it is not discretionary by the jurist. It cannot be waived by the parties. The judge is supposed to disqualify, or recuse, themself from the litigation. So, why does this happen, and should we tolerate it from our judicial branch of government? The Federal ReserveNow, let’s turn to the Federal Reserve, which is part of the executive branch of our government, and its 12 reserve bank presidents. The Boston and Dallas Federal Reserve Bank presidents — Eric Rosengren and Robert Kaplan, respectively — both resigned in the last month, perhaps from allegations coming to light that they traded stocks over the last year while helping direct macroeconomic policy for our country. To me, this was, for sure, ill-advised conduct by these former presidents. They know on a continuous, confidential basis how the Fed might use certain monetary tools that tend to favor certain industries and, as a corollary, the stock prices of companies in those industries. In another publication by The Wall Street Journal just last week, it was reported that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell imposed sweeping personal-investing restrictions on the Fed presidents and the seven governors on the central bank’s board. These include prohibiting the purchase or sale of individual stocks, a one-year holding period, and a 45-day pre-approval process for buying or selling mutual funds. No wonder the crypto crowd is losing faith in our institutions and seeking autonomously driven technology like blockchain to cleanse us and give everyone a level playing field.The STOCK Act of 2012Now, while it may seem to many that there was nothing prohibiting judiciary or Federal Reserve officials from owning or trading stock before this new investment policy by Powell, I disagree. Enter The STOCK Act of 2012, passed by Congress in April of that year during the administration of Barack Obama. “STOCK” stands for “stop trading on congressional knowledge.” Catchy, right? Congress loves its acronyms.The STOCK Act applies to members of Congress, executive branch employees — including the president and vice president — and judicial officers and employees. The stated purpose of the act is: “To prohibit Members of Congress and employees of Congress [and the executive and judicial branch] from using nonpublic information derived from their official positions for personal benefit [or profit], and for other purposes.”It was in part enacted because “political intelligence” companies started popping up, advising hedge funds on the likelihood of governmental action. Sometimes, these companies learned information from government officials, information not otherwise readily available in the public domain, and passed it on to hedge fund managers who traded stocks based on that information. There is also a requirement to report stock transactions.Before the law’s passage, it became a problem for regulators and prosecutors that the securities law on insider trading was somewhat gray as to whether the source of the information — the government officials — did anything wrong by passing it on to the intelligence company. This law makes clear that it is wrong and, in fact, a felony to do so. A section of the act explicitly addresses these government officials, stating that “Each Member of Congress or employee of Congress owes a duty arising from a relationship of trust and confidence.” It also states that the covered government workers are “not exempt from the insider trading prohibitions arising under the securities laws.”     So, with the disclosure of the trading activities by certain jurists and Fed presidents, the question that now arises is whether they were in possession of nonpublic information and used it to trade stocks. For argument, I think a judge is clearly in possession of nonpublic information before they rule in favor of one party in a litigation, before the decision is rendered in writing or orally in court. For a Fed president, it gets even more problematic. Don’t they always possess nonpublic information, meaning any stock trades to avoid losses or to gain profits from upcoming Fed policies can be arguably in violation of this law?To date, I am unaware of even one criminal prosecution under the STOCK Act. The closest thing to using the act was the 2018 indictment of former Congressperson Chris Collins. But the insider trading charge related to his purported learning of information while sitting on a public company’s board, not from his congressional duties. It will be interesting to see if the Securities and Exchange Commission or…

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Ethereum

Ethereum Turns Red, Why ETH’s Recovery Could Be Limited

Ethereum is following a bearish path below $4,100 against the US Dollar. ETH could recover, but upsides might be capped near $4,050 and $4,110. Ethereum extended its decline below the $4,100 and $4,000 support levels. The price is now trading below $4,100 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. There was a break below a crucial ascending channel with support near $4,150 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken). The pair could extend its decline if there is a break below $3,900 in the near term. Ethereum Price Could Extend Losses Ethereum failed to stay above the $4,120 and $4,100 support levels. ETH extended its decline below $4,000 and moved into a bearish zone, like bitcoin. There was also a close below the $4,000 level and the 100 hourly simple moving average. Besides, there was a break below a crucial ascending channel with support near $4,150 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD. The price spiked below the $3,920 level and traded as low as $3,889. Ether price is now consolidating losses above the $3,900 level. The price is trading above the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $4,313 swing high to $3,889 low. An immediate resistance on the upside is near the $4,010 level and a declining channel on the same chart. Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com The next major resistance is near the $4,100 level. It is near the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $4,313 swing high to $3,889 low. A break above the $4,100 level may possibly push the price above the $4,200 level in the near term. Any more gains could lead the price towards the $4,320 level. More Losses in ETH? If ethereum fails to recover above the $4,050 and $4,100 resistance levels, it could continue to move down. An initial support on the downside is near the $3,950 level. The first major support is near the $3,920 level. The main support is near the $3,900 level. Any more downsides could lead the price towards the $3,800 support. The next major support for the bulls is near the $3,720 level. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for ETH/USD is slowly gaining pace in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI – The RSI for ETH/USD is still below the 50 level. Major Support Level – $3,900 Major Resistance Level – $4,100

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The Graph Announces Beta Integration with NEAR Protocol

The Graph Announces Beta Integration with NEAR Protocol

Key Takeaways Blockchain indexing protocol The Graph has announced its beta integration with NEAR Protocol. Proponents hope this will increase decentralization, further paving the way for Web3. The Graph has integrated with several blockchain protocols this year. Share this article The Graph, sometimes described as a “search engine” for blockchains, has announced its beta integration with NEAR protocol, a scalable, inexpensive Layer 1 blockchain. NEAR is among several blockchains The Graph has integrated with so far, with others including Solana, Binance Smart Chain, and Celo.  The Graph Incorporates Yet Another Blockchain The Graph, an indexing protocol designed to organize public blockchain data and make it accessible to consumers, has announced its beta integration with NEAR Protocol, a Layer 1 blockchain protocol that promotes itself as a scalable, less expensive alternative to Ethereum. NEAR is The Graph’s first integrated protocol that does not use the Ethereum Virtual Machine, which can be thought of as a global processor that developers can use to create and execute Ethereum-compatible smart contracts and dApps. This will allow developers on NEAR to have access to The Graph’s blockchain data indexing, and Indexers will be able to establish and run subgraphs for indexing data to NEAR’s protocol.  NEAR’s indexing and query layer can now become decentralized, like its blockchain layer. This integration between NEAR and The Graph might serve as a further step towards a multi-blockchain future. It is hoped that the integrations will allow developers to spend more time working on their core product, rather than having to maintain a custom indexing infrastructure.  On today’s announced integration, Erik Trautman, CEO of the NEAR Foundation, said: “We started NEAR with the goal of enabling more creators to build on blockchain and to create a more innovative and equitable web infrastructure. Integrating with The Graph is an important milestone for NEAR as we continue to eliminate barriers for developers working toward a decentralized web.”  This is not The Graph’s first major integration this year. In February, The Graph Foundation initially announced its plans to integrate with NEAR, as well as with Polkadot, Solana, and Celo. The next month, The Foundation announced its support for Binance Smart Chain.  The Graph was built to be a critical component of Web3, which proponents conceive of as a decentralized Internet built on blockchains. The Graph allows for more efficient searches of blockchain data across different blockchains (such as trading volume data for an automated market maker like Uniswap), and its network consists of Indexers that serve such queries on blockchain data. In other words, the Graph helps developers find and use data on blockchains. There are roughly 23,000 developers in The Graph ecosystem. NEAR is a blockchain on which developers can build decentralized applications, like Ethereum. In contrast to Ethereum, though, it is meant to be quicker, less expensive, and “climate-neutral.” Today’s integration with The Graph comes at the start of NEARCON, NEAR’s international conference meant to celebrate the progress in the NEAR ecosystem. Yesterday, the NEAR team announced $800 million in funding toward cultivating its ecosystem.  Disclaimer: At the time of writing, the author of this piece owned BTC, ETH, and several other cryptocurrencies.  This news was brought to you by Phemex, our preferred Derivatives Partner. Share this article The information on or accessed through this website is obtained from independent sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, but Decentral Media, Inc. makes no representation or warranty as to the timeliness, completeness, or accuracy of any information on or accessed through this website. Decentral Media, Inc. is not an investment advisor. We do not give personalized investment advice or other financial advice. The information on this website is subject to change without notice. Some or all of the information on this website may become outdated, or it may be or become incomplete or inaccurate. We may, but are not obligated to, update any outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate information. You should never make an investment decision on an ICO, IEO, or other investment based on the information on this website, and you should never interpret or otherwise rely on any of the information on this website as investment advice. We strongly recommend that you consult a licensed investment advisor or other qualified financial professional if you are seeking investment advice on an ICO, IEO, or other investment. We do not accept compensation in any form for analyzing or reporting on any ICO, IEO, cryptocurrency, currency, tokenized sales, securities, or commodities. See full terms and conditions. The Graph Adds Support for Binance Smart Chain The Graph is expanding to Binance Smart Chain.  The Graph Expands The Graph, the indexing and querying protocol for the Web3 ecosystem, has added support for Binance Smart Chain. Binance… The Graph Code Review: dApps Need Queries Ok, I’m going to tell you right up-front this is some sexy code, but nobody’s perfect so when I go through this, bear in mind I’m looking for things to… The Graph Expands to Polkadot, NEAR, Solana, Celo The Graph is adding support for Polkadot, Solana, and other Layer-1 blockchains. The Graph Expands The Graph will soon be adding support for Polkadot, NEAR, Solana, and Celo. The Graph…

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Avalanche Integrates Ampleforth to Boost DeFi Ecosystem

Avalanche Integrates Ampleforth to Boost DeFi Ecosystem

Key Takeaways Ampleforth has launched on Avalanche. The move will allow DeFi protocols on Avalanche to use the AMPL token as a stable unit of account. Total value locked in DeFi protocols on Avalanche is currently at an all-time high. Share this article Ampleforth has completed its integration with Avalanche, allowing the AMPL token to be used in DeFi protocols on the network.  Ampleforth Arrives on Avalanche Ampleforth is the latest protocol to integrate with Avalanche. Fragments Inc., the development company behind Ampleforth, announced Tuesday that it had joined the rising Layer 1 network. The AMPL token, an Ethereum-born unit of account, can now be used to denominate stable contracts on Avalanche DeFi protocols.  Ampleforth markets itself as a direct competitor to centrally-backed stablecoins. While most stablecoins in the crypto space rely on traditional banks or lenders to back their stablecoins, the AMPL token takes a different approach.  The Ampleforth protocol’s algorithms translate price volatility into supply volatility. This means that while the price of AMPL tends to cycle around $1, the number of tokens in a holder’s wallet increases or decreases depending on whether the network grows or shrinks. This mechanism aims for AMPL to be used as a stable unit of account that is more decentralized than other existing stablecoins. By integrating with Avalanche, DeFi protocols on the network will be able to denominate stable contracts using AMPL tokens instead of existing stablecoins, providing a higher level of decentralization. Evan Kuo, CEO of Fragments Inc., said of the update:  “It is ironic that the DeFi ecosystem currently relies so heavily on centralized stablecoins for liquidity and lending collateral. With the changing regulatory landscape, it’s important for DeFi to have a financial building block that’s decentralized, uncensorable, and has some aspect of price predictability or stability.” For Avalanche, the move comes as the total value locked in DeFi protocols on the network is at all-time highs. Avalanche currently supports $8.6 billion of liquidity on the network and has attracted several DeFi blue chips from Ethereum, including Aave and Curve.  Since August, Avalanche has rallied to new highs along with several other chains amid a boom among Layer 1 ecosystems. The EVM-compatible network has climbed quickly and is now ranked 13th by market capitalization.  Disclaimer: At the time of writing this feature, the author owned BTC, ETH, and several other cryptocurrencies.  Share this article The information on or accessed through this website is obtained from independent sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, but Decentral Media, Inc. makes no representation or warranty as to the timeliness, completeness, or accuracy of any information on or accessed through this website. Decentral Media, Inc. is not an investment advisor. We do not give personalized investment advice or other financial advice. The information on this website is subject to change without notice. Some or all of the information on this website may become outdated, or it may be or become incomplete or inaccurate. We may, but are not obligated to, update any outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate information. You should never make an investment decision on an ICO, IEO, or other investment based on the information on this website, and you should never interpret or otherwise rely on any of the information on this website as investment advice. We strongly recommend that you consult a licensed investment advisor or other qualified financial professional if you are seeking investment advice on an ICO, IEO, or other investment. We do not accept compensation in any form for analyzing or reporting on any ICO, IEO, cryptocurrency, currency, tokenized sales, securities, or commodities. See full terms and conditions. Avalanche Meets Resistance After 24% Rally DeFi protocol Avalanche has been in the spotlight after a series of announcements that may have helped push its native token, AVAX, toward higher highs.     Avalanche Reaches Key Resistance… Avalanche Is Launching on Coinbase Pro Avalanche’s native token AVAX will soon be available to a wider audience thanks to a Coinbase Pro listing. Coinbase Pro to List AVAX Avalanche is heading to Coinbase Pro. In… How Bumper’s Price Protection Helps DeFi Users Earn Yield on Their A… Is it possible to build a DeFi protocol that counters crypto’s inherent volatility while also letting holders enjoy the upshot of their assets? Bumper Finance is a DeFi price-protection protocol that aims… Avalanche Breaks All-Time High on News of $230M Raise Avalanche has closed a $230 million funding round led by Polychain Capital and Three Arrows Capital. Leading Crypto Investors Back Avalanche Ecosystem Avalanche has landed a $230 million investment to…

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