Here’s How Cryptocurrencies Could Change the Gaming Landscape

Cryptocurrencies and the blockchain have started to change many aspects of our lives and entertainment in recent years. However, one area that appears to have been slower than others in adopting this approach is that of gaming.

At first glance, there are a lot of areas of crossover between cryptos and gaming. Some people have even suggested that gaming paved the way for these coins to appear as per https://medium.com/singulardtv/how-video-games-helped-pave-the-way-for-cryptocurrency-f930521eef55. Yet, the expected surge in this area hasn’t appeared so far. In what ways could these industries come together in the future to change the gaming landscape?

“a gamer of XboX” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by AleZZitO1

Gaming ICOs Being Launched

There is work being done on numerous new decentralised gaming solutions. These are projects that use the blockchain and introduce their own cryptocurrencies that users can typically earn, buy or exchange.

Among the biggest and most talked about ICOs of this type is Bountie, with full details on it to be found at https://www.bountie.io/tokensale/. This is a platform that promises to use AI and IoT in order to modernise the world of gaming.

Another project of this type is called ALAX. In this case, the idea is that players in developing countries can play on their mobile devices even if they don’t have access to traditional banking facilities. The platform uses their own ALX token to monetise gaming, as described on their site, https://alax.io/tokens/.

Unless an ICO offers something new and useful, the fact that it is decentralised isn’t going to be enough. Let’s not forget that over half of all ICOS fail in the first few months too, according to the Boston College research at https://www.coindesk.com/over-half-of-icos-fail-within-4-months-suggests-us-study. So, there is no guarantee that these new platforms will succeed. Many gamers are happy to play in the ways that are currently available to them.

Indeed, among the most popular gaming options gaining ground right now are online casinos. These are websites where numerous casino games are brought together. For example, at https://casino.betfair.com/c/slots we can see dozens of slots ranging from Hot Gems to Grease and from Big Bear to Captain’s Treasure.

Source: Pixabay

Playing with Digital Currencies

Another possibility is that players start to use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin to fund their games online. This may seem like a natural progression, since many gamers are now used to using in-game tokens and currencies.

However, perhaps the volatility of virtual currencies will play a big part in how widespread this becomes. Since these coins can gain or lose value very rapidly, anyone who pays using them is essentially making an investment rather than simply exchanging tokens.

It seems fair to say more stable cryptocurrency prices are likely to encourage more gamers to use these coins. There are certainly some good reasons for thinking this is a good idea. For example, it allows for virtually anonymous spending and means that no link to a bank account or credit card is needed.

It wouldn’t be a big surprise if the future were to bring a closer relationship between gaming and cryptocurrencies. Having said that, it would appear that we are still waiting for the perfect combination of these technologies that allows gamers to use cryptos to their full potential.

 

 

Could Online Gaming Aid the Growth of Cryptocurrencies?

The growth of cryptocurrencies has been a source of many headlines in the last few years. Yet, research by Finder shows that only 8% of Americans have invested in these digital currencies. What is needed to help them to truly break into the mainstream?

One suggestion is that online gaming could be the key. Could gamers around the world give Bitcoin, Ethereum and other coins the boost they need to move to the next level of popularity?

“Young gamer playing video game wearing h” (CC BY 2.0) by nodstrum

Gamers Are Comfortable with Virtual Money

Perhaps the most important factor here is that gamers were comfortable dealing with virtual money long before most other people had even considered the idea. This has been an important part of many games for some time, but it is the Mesos used in MapleStory from Nexon that are widely credited as being the first gaming currency to really take off.

The most popular games now have giant economies spring up around them. Gamers are happy to spend their fiat money on virtual tokens that can only be used in a certain game. This concept has seen the gold mining industry in World of Warcraft pass the “$2 billion mark”, while in-game revenue in FarmVille is now over $1 billion.

Non-gamers tend to need to make a mental shift to value digital money as much as the paper currency they can hold in their hand, whereas gamers already understand that digital tokens can be just as valuable to them.

The global gaming industry is continuing to grow at an impressive rate. According to a forecast from analysts Newzoo, the $134.9 billion market value in 2018 was a 10.9% increase on the figure achieved in 2017. As more new gamers appear, the concept of cryptocurrencies is likely to be more widely accepted.

Players Spend These Currencies to Buy Games or to Play

It is still a fairly common assumption that Bitcoin can only really be used by gamers. Indeed, it is easy to imagine that some people have failed to invest in cryptocurrencies so far because they believe it is of no use unless they play games.

While there are now many other ways of spending Bitcoin, it is true that gamers can spend or earn these coins more easily than other people. On many sites, it is possible to buy games and there are games where you use virtual coins as you play. Steam has stopped accepting this currency but others, such as MMOGA and Microsoft, let you shop with virtual coins.

A case where future progress is expected is in internet casinos, where Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals make sense. At the moment, there is a limited number of Bitcoin casinos. The big-name casinos, the ones with dozens of slots, table games and live dealer lobbies, such as Paddy Power, have so far tended to stick to traditional payment methods.

If acceptance of cryptocurrencies goes mainstream, with gaming sites like this beginning to adopt them, the demand for them will greatly increase. People will also become more trusting of cryptocurrencies if they begin to use them on a regular basis for something that gives them a lot of pleasure.

Indeed, the world of gaming is still closely linked to cryptocurrencies. There is a good chance that any major growth in the future will be linked to gamers and how they spend their money online.

Take a sneak peak at v1.0.0 of Upfiring’s dApp

Upfiring’s is a blockchain firm were keeping a close eye on here at CoinSpectator, the team recently showcased a demo of the dApp for its upcoming v1.0.0 release.

The firm is looking to revolutionise the P2P file-sharing sector by utilising the Ethereum blockchain.

Take a look at Upfiring’s v1.0.0 demo below:

 

Launch of CEDEX – Blockchain Diamond Exchange going live in Beta mode

TechFinancials a listed fintech software provider of financial solutions including blockchain-based digital assets and traditional financial trading solutions for retail clients, is pleased to announce that the CEDEX blockchain diamond exchange, CEDEX, has gone live in Beta mode, allowing investors to trade diamonds as a financial asset class. TechFinancials has a 2 percent interest and an option to acquire a further 90 per cent of Cedex Holdings Ltd, the holding company for the CEDEX blockchain-based online exchange for diamonds which would give TechFinancials up to 92 % of CEDEX or 87.4 % on a fully diluted basis.

TechFinancials has played a major role in the launch of CEDEX as the main provider of the infrastructure, blockchain and smart contract development on which the CEDEX platform is built.

 

CEDEX allows investors to securely and easily trade in digitized diamonds (DDC – Digital Diamond Certificate), while enabling diamond holders to liquidate their assets. Using the innovative DEX proprietary algorithm and blockchain technology, CEDEX has overcome the three main obstacles that have prevented diamonds from becoming a tradable asset class: lack of transparency, liquidity and standardization.

In order to overcome these obstacles, CEDEX has focused on the following activities over the past six months:

  • Developing the proprietary DEX algorithm and building the diamond commodity exchange in conjunction with TechFinancials;
  • Establishing business relations with diamond dealers in order for them to supply the initial diamond inventory on the CEDEX platform, which will comprise over 2000 diamonds in specific categories, at the time of the launch;
  • Constructing the complex logistic business solution to support the product launch, including setting up business relations with custodians, GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and shipping partners;
  • Obtaining the legal approvals to offer the phase one product worldwide.

Asaf Lahav, Chief Executive Officer of TechFinancials commented: “We are delighted to have played a pivotal part in the launch of the first blockchain-based diamond exchange in the world. This milestone achievement is testament to the innovative capabilities of both CEDEX and TechFinancials to build a new, ground breaking platform and we look forward to updating the market on its progress in due course.”

Saar Levi, Chief Executive Officer of CEDEX stated: “This is a major step forward in our exciting journey to transform diamonds into an asset class. At CEDEX, we are commited to realizing our long term vision in which both institutional and individual investors will be able to trade diamonds as one of the leading commodities.”

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 until the release of this announcement.

Discover how the cream of Europe’s blockchain investors are forging the future in London this month.

Fancy seeing how the top brass in blockchain are laying the foundations for a mind-boggling future we’ll all reap the benefits from? If you can get yourself to London on November 21st, you’ll see it all up close and personal.

Event hosting masters Webrazzi are laying down the gauntlet for the rest of the crypto world to follow, with its Blockchain Venture Summit gracing London with its presence at the central 8 Northumberland venue.

With an intimate and exclusive allocation of just 500 tickets, the summit has already nearly sold out, even though the agenda has just been announced. The word ‘hotcakes’ comes to mind.

Attendees can expect to witness great things as the keynotes, panels and discussions will be delivered from a cluster of those at the very top of the blockchain game, from crypto investors, to venture capitalists, and hedge fund managers to trail-blaising entrepreneurs: it’s an all-star line up that doesn’t pull any punches.

Discussions and speeches will be across a multitude of hot topics, from Equity vs Token investments, unlocking institutional money, blockchain investing, mining, the future of crypto venture capital, corporate ventures, what’s in store for ICOs, security tokens and much more.

Many of the big-hitting blockchain speakers come from an array of heavyweight influential companies in the scene, with the likes of Consensys, StakeZero Ventures, Cambrial, Kryptonite1, Outlier Ventures and more stepping up to deliver the goods.

For those desperate to get tickets, luckily there are still a few ‘hotcakes’ for folks who act fast to get their hands on. And how’s this for an extra bonus, use the promo code “BVSLDN18” and you’ll receive a discount on the ticket price… if you’re quick off the draw.

Register to check the agenda, VIP line-up and all other details over at https://blockchainventuresummit.com

How one company is giving power to the people to help limit climate change before it’s too late.

With climate change and various environmental factors threatening our way of life and those of our children, there’s been a huge increase in recent years of people striving to live a green, clean life that minimises any adverse impact they have on the world. There are many different ways people are able to change their lifestyles. Limiting energy consumption and recycling and two easy and quantifiable ways to help the environment, but the tricky aspect of lowering one’s carbon footprint has been a much more difficult beast to tackle in any measurable terms, until now.

Ecoingot, a group of environmental tech experts, are busy creating a platform which helps eco-conscious individuals gather and assess their carbon impact data across everything from their everyday purchases to activities and lifestyle choices. And they’re doing it on the blockchain.

 Ecoingot,

Their solution, titled the Internet of Carbon, is said to use cutting-edge technological methods to gather the data and process it in a way that makes it easy to access by everyone with the aid of an app. This is all made transparent and secure by building the platform on the blockchain, so every piece of data is accounted for and can be tracked. It aims to provide carbon usage data on everything from a cup of coffee to taxi rides, to Amazon deliveries or doing your laundry.

Ecoingot’s platform could not be coming at a better or more urgent time, since the IPCC have reported that a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees will have truly catastrophic consequences for mankind, that monumental changes are needed in the world to ensure this doesn’t happen, and that time is drastically running out before it’s too late to implement these changes. The world needs everyone to club together and help make the changes needed.

And currently, it is not happening fast enough, especially when it comes to industry level changes, which take years to implement due to the arduous processes they need to go through, and the many people deliberately trying to put roadblocks in the way so they can hang onto their profits at all costs. This is why Ecoingot is doing its best to put pressure on big-wig industries and retailers. But as they know they have a long battle ahead of them, they’re currently focussing their attention on those they can rely on to help: the public.

Ecoingot uses three main approaches in its mission to reduce carbon footprints: education, reduction and offsetting. Not only will their app tell its user about the different carbon impacts their choices have on the environment, it will give them an easy opportunity to redress any carbon-heavy lifestyle choices by providing alternatives.

 Ecoingot,

The team are currently developing a data engine, ECOSISTM, using a carbon impact calculation model created by climate change expert Professor Mike Berner-Lees and his team. As no such data is currently available for consumers to assess what their personal carbon footprints is, this looks to be the first of its kind. With a variety of big data already available about large parts of our lives, such as fitness trackers and sleep monitors, having access to data that can potentially save the world should be at the top of the list of things we require.

Their EGT token is launching at the Malta Blockchain Summit, while their app is due to launch in April 2019, coinciding with Earth Day, which focuses attention on environmental factors threatening the planet. If it’s a success, there’s a chance it could make a real difference to one of the biggest issues facing humankind.

Canadian Court Ruling Epitomizes the Issues Facing Real Estate Data Sharing

Earlier in May of this year, a monumental case regarding real estate data was brought forward to the Canadian Supreme Court. Prior to the ruling, websites were restricted from listing detailed information on data pertinent to real estate sales. Although this data if often available in other jurisdictions such as the United States, Canadian firms operating within the industry were unable to access it.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that real estate platforms can now list more detailed information on home listings. The court battle, which dates as far back as 2011, involved the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB), who claimed that by publishing data linked to real estate selling prices, home owner privacy was being violated.

Commenting to the Financial Post, Daniel Steinfeld, a Toronto based realtor, explained that the real estate industry has been in a state of stagnation for some years now regarding access to data. Steinfeld noted that the court ruling has cleared the way for those operating in the industry to obtain important data and bring innovation to the industry.

In fact, following the ruling a real estate agency based in Toronto called Zoocasa experienced an increase of 3,000% in traffic.

Just three years prior, Zoocasa were ordered to stop posting information showcasing recently sold properties alongside their respective value. Failure to adhere to these demands would have resulted in them losing access to the Multiple Listings Service which is crucial for Canadian based real estate agencies.

Nevertheless, although the ruling is a step in the right direction, real estate data is still extremely difficult to come by. Moreover, even when data is available, there are no mechanisms in place ensuring the validity, relevance and accuracy of the data.

For example, in Spain, accessing real estate data on the prices of properties sold is virtually an impossible task. Although the Spanish land registry does in fact collect this information, they do not allow stakeholders to access it. Even if one were to obtain a Nota Simple – which is a paid-for document outlining a range of data linked to a specific property, it does not detail previous sale prices.

Can Blockchain Technology Solve the Reluctance to Share Data?

In the real estate industry there is an underlying issue of data hoarding. Essentially, private sector organizations that receive useful real estate data are reluctant to share it with their industry counterparts, preferring to keep it close to their chest.  The industry is also fragmented, with no single platform on which to search for, purchase and sell data and very little means to verify existing data already available. This is where blockchain project ReBloc is stepping in.

ReBloc are in the process of developing a decentralized marketplace on which real estate data can be shared. Vendors who share data are compensated with tokens which they can then trade for more data, or convert into another form of currency.  If one realtor wants to find out how much a particular property sold for, they can formulate a request on the platform.

The data which is held by another user can be autonomously exchanged in a direct peer-to-peer way, via a smart contract. Before the data is released to the user it needs to be verified by the platform’s validation protocol. Once it has been approved, it’s released by the smart contract, which then automatically sends payment to the data owner. This way buyers receive accurate data and vendors feel secure sending it.

By using the Enigma’s secret contracts protocol, sensitive data is encrypted and all inputs and outputs are hidden. As a result, data sharing through the ReBloc platform is kept confidential which is why organizations that have previously shown reluctance to share real estate data are hopping onboard.

Ultimately, the change in the way data can be accessed, evaluated and shared will have a positive and significant impact on the way real-world real estate decisions are made and the ease with which real estate information can be accessed. 

  

One Million gamers set to embrace PlayChip’s new blockchain token

PlayUp, the Australian-based gaming firm behind one of the most promising token sales this year has already clocked over one million users across its ecosystem before the forecasted date.

The platforms universal gaming token, PlayChip will revolutionise the online gaming industry when integrated into its seven platforms which are already fully licensed with a growing user-base.

When the blockchain platform launches on the 19th of December 2018 the user-base will be able to participate in the seven different gaming platforms whether they are looking to take part in sport betting, casino games, fantasy sports or eSports, it will all be streamlined with the PlayChip token.

playchipPlayChip’s ecosystem has gained traction in the USA, UK, Australia and India with a presence in 70 countries around the world.

The initial coin offering has bucked the current trend of projects launching with merely nothing more than a website, PlayChip have done this with what’s called a ‘reverse-ICO” whereby the current ecosystem is tokenized and integrated into a fully operating business with a user-base and revenue.

playchip

“PlayChip is truly a unique token offering because while others write white papers about potential audiences and hypothetical use cases, PlayChip is well positioned with a very active global audience on multiple platforms that are already part of the PlayChip family,” Luke Lombe, Head of Blockchain with PlayChip said.

“The team at PlayChip are thrilled about hitting the million-user mark earlier than expected, and we look forward to continued strong growth. We are in the middle of our pre-sale and very much focussed on delivering a quality product that surpasses the expectations of our loyal following.”

The seven gaming platforms in the PlayChip ecosystem include PlayUp, DraftStars, Betting.Club, ClassicBet, TopBetta, MadBookie, and 123Bet. All players will be able to seamlessly move between platforms via the integrated PlayWallet and instantly cash out via the PlayXchange. In FY2018, these platforms are on track to exceed a turnover of US$430 million.

For more information, please visit: https://www.playchip.global/ or read the PlayChip Whitepaper: https://www.playchip.global/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/PlayChip-Technical-Whitepaper.pdf

 

PAKET: Find out how this Blockchain firm aims to create a decentralised global delivery network

paket logoEarlier this week we had the pleasure of speaking with the team behind PAKET. In an exclusive CoinSpectator interview, to find out more about a blockchain startup aiming to create a decentralised and global package delivery network that gives power back to the people.

PAKET is going full speed ahead with a token sale on the Stellar platform, BUL their digital token will be used to pay for deliveries.

Let’s begin:

1. Many delivery firms already offer a tracking service where customers goods can be tracked in real-time. what benefits will Paket bring to this with Blockchain technology?

The real-time tracking is only one part of the protocol we offer, not the main part. To be more precise, we hope other apps on the protocol will develop and offer a much more blockchain sophisticated tracking solution. For example, we can cooperate with protocols like FOAM to ensure a provable location that can’t be manipulated.

But our main goal is to join all of these different solutions and create a single global mesh of delivery, without a central authority.

2. Can you explain why Stellar was the blockchain of choice? many other ICO’s are lured by Ethereum.

We are blockchain agnostic. Ethereum didn’t meet our engineering standards for a robust production platform. We chose the Stellar network as it connects payments, systems, and people, it can move value quickly, reliably, securely, and at almost no cost. Stellar is a perfect match for our need for a low friction transactional layer. We chose Stellar as our initial consensus layer for its level-headedness, its blazingly fast transaction rate, and its extremely low fees. From all the mature distributed ledger platforms currently active in the market, Stellar was the obvious decision for us.

3. Would a delivery system on the blockchain pose a security risk? for example 3rd parties being able to snoop on the location of high valued goods in transit?

The PAKET protocol features only specific data related only to the payment on the ledger. The only information available on the ledger is the smart contracts that govern the payment and the collateral. All other information, such as addresses, content etc, remains in layers 2 and 3 and are not public.

4. Will Paket work on a bidding system where anyone who is verified can bid to deliver a package? E.g a local firm may want 10 x boxes moving from a to b and place the quote on the blockchain.

Exactly! Since PAKET is a purely decentralized entity, we do not govern pricing or any other delivery terms, nor charge any fee. All prices are agreed between the participating parties – sender and courier. The protocol was designed in a way that allows all couriers to offer price and compete for deliveries. The basic delivery terms include price, deadline, and collateral. Bidding and competitive pricing are embedded in the concept as they create the most efficient solution for each specific delivery.

5. How does Paket plan to build a network of delivery drivers, what would make them come from other firms? What are the benefits?

A key element of the protocol is that it charges nothing. NO commission, NO hidden fees, NO middleman. Every company works hard to get demand, but by joining this free network it immediately becomes a part of a global network, with global opportunities. We provide a protocol where all existing, new, opportunistic individuals and companies can access demand – packages that need deliveries and engage directly with the package sender. The protocol only provides more data and convenience, it is not a competition between delivery firms.

Think of some local delivery company in Barcelona, with 5 motorcycles, that deliver local items in the city. They spend resources to make themselves known in Barcelona. But once they join the network, the entire network is exposed to them. Now I can send a package to Barcelona, knowing that they can handle it. They get global demand, which costs them nothing.

6. Does the team behind Paket have any transport experience or in a similar sector?

Currently, our core team is comprised of blockchain enthusiasts, community, biz dev and technical experts. Our advisory team includes a former Maersk executive (largest freight company in the world) and we are maintaining close connections to additional logistic professionals. It is important to understand that we have no ambition to become a logistics/transport company per se, we are a distributed ledger protocol company.

7. Why type of savings can be potentially made by using Paket over UPS for example?

UPS, like all other large delivery companies, are doing a great job on the international leg but suffer significantly on the “last mile”. It’s easier to carry many packages in a plane between airports than to use a track to dispense all of the packages in a large city.

PAKET is not here to replace UPS, it is here to break the package route into separate legs and allow the most efficient player take only his most efficient leg. If UPS is the cheapest freight operator and the quickest solution to deliver a package between New York Newark and Ataturk airport in Turkey, it should still be used for this part of the journey. But once the package lands in the crowded streets of Istanbul, it should be placed at the hands of a local courier that can make the last mile journey most efficiently. This way UPS can provide the best price quote, as it is no longer required to make door to door deliveries using trucks and fight local traffic. If the package avoids lending in a huge warehouse/ logistics center for sorting, then the delivery time is shortened and additional charges are no longer required.

8. When will the platform be live?

The platform is available on test network and we welcome all to access our GitHub account and our developers’ page to follow all the development that was already made. Our MVP will be available in the coming weeks, and we currently plan to go live with a basic service before year-end.

9. Will front end customers pay with the BUL tokens or will this only be FIAT ?

We want to create the most seamless user experience, but remember that we create only one application, completely open source, and we hope (and incentivize) that others create additional applications. Any developer can take our application and add a payment system to his local solution. He can even charge a conversion fee if he wants to earn from it. We give complete freedom, and the protocol charges nothing.

10. How many customers/ users do you expect the platform to attract in the next 12 months?

We expect our early adopters in the next 12 months to be crypto enthusiasts, those who believe decentralization is the best solution for the delivery of goods (well those who believe that decentralization is the best solution for many other market inefficiencies actually). We will also add delivery and courier companies to answer any demand the network creates until the network is strong enough to be completely independent.

PAKET Video:

SHIPNEXT Interview: The only working Blockchain solution for Shipping

shipnext logoWe had the pleasure of chatting with Alexander Varvarenko, CEO and Founder of SHIPNEXT, in an exclusive CoinSpectator.com interview, to find out more about one of the most promising blockchain companies in the freight industry.

Not heard of SHIPNEXT? The firm is digitalising the shipping industry with some amazing technology that aims to revolutionise how we deal with cargo.

Let’s begin:

1. Which organisation was the first to use the SHIPNEXT technology? How are they benefiting so far from using the platform?

SHIPNEXT is a product built using linear programming. natural language processing, machine learning and big data analysis. Anyone who sends a Freight request of a Ship’s position to SHIPNEXT gets an instant reply with one or more matches. The first company to use our technology was VARAMAR.

VARAMAR receives close to 10.000 emails each day, and prior using SHIPNEXT most of the clients remained without reply. In most of the cases for routes and segments where VARAMAR is not strong or not present. As a result of switching to SHIPNEXT, almost all the clients who sent their cargo/freight requests receive an instant reply with a solution.

2. The shipping industry still uses mainly paper for issuing proof of ownership; how is your solution different?

Shipping Industry is very traditional, and, historically, a “word” is considered a “bond”. The news on a breach of verbal agreement travels fast leading to bad reputation. With time any electronic message, be it an sms or an email with recapitulation of agreed terms and conditions gained force. Express bills of lading, electronic copies of Charter parties (contracts) or bills of lading are not uncommon neither.

SHIPNEXT created a solution which helps speed up the process of issuing an electronic version of a correctly filled in Charterer Party to literally a second. The open source bill of lading solution which SHIPNEXT created can be freely used by anyone to print secure, correctly and transparently made Bills of Lading.

3. Why do you think the industry needs blockchain technology? Isn’t the old saying “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” true?

The transport industry may not be broken, but it is highly inefficient. Corruption, theft of cargo and freight, delays in transit and penalties arising as a result – these and more haunt the industry and lead add to the cost of the transported goods.

Blockchain is a technology that allows bring relative transparency, safety and efficiency. Its responsiveness to real-time data can avoid unnecessary losses – things which human being are sometimes simply not capable of being able to react to.

4. What inspired you to launch SHIPNEXT? Do you have a background in the shipping industry?

Before joining a Maritime University, I developed my own games and software. Ever since I always challenged traditional approach and technology in a conservative transport industry. With over 17 years experience in Shipping, let alone heavy and oversized cargo transportation, which I was mainly involved in, I understood that no matter what the cargo looks like, many processes remain the same.

That also involves a lot of routine and repetitive work, cross-checks, calculations, information search, and email exchange. Ass work flow grows, possibility for human error and inefficient decision-making increases.

Moreover, at a certain moment I saw most of my commercial managers remain their whole day behind their computer screen trying to catch up with the incoming email flow. With thousands incoming emails a day, some of them may remain unattended or missed.

I decided to digitalized the process of processing all the incoming emails, making routine calculations and cross-checks, calculations based on 80+ different data bases and, eventually, help professional managers make better commercial judgement, negotiations and, eventually, digitalized the documentation flow.

5. Have you approached any large organizations to tease them into using SHIPNEXT? If so what are their initial impressions

We have approached a number of large companies. Some of them have also started using SHIPNEXT, others are in the testing phase.

Some of the larger groups have already announced the launch of their in-house reverse auctioning platforms. Most of the companies initiated digitalization of their internal work-flow. All this is a good sign and a perfect opportunity for SHIPNEXT. However, with shipping being one of the most conservative sectors of ths transport industry, the process of digitalization will take a few years, until it, at least, catches up with other industries.

6. Are you focusing just on the shipping industry or with future plans to export to transport or even regional/ local deliveries ?

SHIPNEXT is looking for partners to help deliver a solution for wet bulk (tanker) shipping, and well a container liner shipping companies, to complete the work on SHIPNEXT’s container-related solution.

Other modes of transport will be included in the ecosystem with the help of other partners and solution providers only. Such cooperation is also a way to create a network of solutions, thus taking a step further towards a decentralized ecosystem.

7. How will a regular consumer benefit from SHIPNEXT?

SHIPNEXT helps save hundreds and thousands of work hours, build a reliable network of service providers, eliminate human error, receive up to date and real-time information to improve decision making.

8. How much volume in terms of weight has passed through the platform since lunching?

At any given moment SHIPNEXT contains thousands of cargoes (freight requests) as well as up to 18.000 ship’s positions. Anyone sending a Ship position or a Freight request by email to SHIPNEXT (at [email protected]) receives an instant feedback containing the most efficient match.

9. Do you see any regulatory issues proceeding with the platform in the future?

SHIPNEXT is a patented solution, and digitalized as well as automates the day to day processes taking place in Shipping. Each Shipper is able to use his own Contract forms or integrate SHIPNEXT algorithms into his internal work flows.

SHIPNEXT users make their own choice of using SHIPNEXT or not.

10. What is the SHIPNEXT token used for and how is it useful ?

SHIPNEXT has 2 tokens.

Ship Coin (SHPC) is a security token, giving its holders a stake in the company results and equity.

Ship Token (SHPT) on the other hand is a utility token – a tool given to banks and crypto-banks for issue and further use within SHIPNEXT as means of payment under Shipping Smart-contracts.

SHIPNEXT offers an escrow-like process of freight payment. This brings the necessary reliability and safety of transactions, as well as reassurance of contract execution. Freight is reserved on an escrow, is paid in parts upon gradual execution of cargo carriage, and ensures payments for bunker, canal transit, port dues, handling costs, etc.

11. Will any external organizations such as the authorities / or even the public have live or historic access to the blockchain?

Certainly the access of authorities to a supply chain related blockchain ecosystem is inevitable. Customs authorities alone are an integral part of the import and export control, and, on the other hand, a source of information which can be also used in Smart Contracts.

To influence the data, however, and participate in such blockchain based supply chain, authorities much themselves transform and adapt their documentation processing.

Healthy interactions with authorities in a decentralized ecosystem will help ensure safety and reliability of its work, simplify documentation handling and reduce costs.