Category: Contributions

Open Blockchain Industry Association (OBCIA) has appointed FANTOM as Vice-Chairman of the board which include conglomerates like SK Telecom, Kakao, LG U+, Shinhan Bank and KEB Hana Bank.

OBCIA aims to find new engines of growth for the blockchain industry in Korea by promoting the application and utilization of blockchain technology. 

Other notable members of the OBCIA board include The Loop, MediBloc, Microsoft, IBM, Block O, Glosfer, and ETRI amongst many others.

In addition, OBCIA seeks to increase the utilization of blockchain technology and raise industrial competitiveness by establishing an open platform and forum to share information on blockchain research and development.

With goals to revitalise the blockchain industry, OBCIA will be an intermediary between companies and the government, proposing solutions and valuable opinions from the industry.

To add, OBCIA will serve as a business incubator, providing blockchain training events and the necessary support for organisations to thrive within the blockchain-sphere.

To date, OBCIA has received a high level of interest and participation from many companies, developers, researchers, students, and especially the government – interested in redesigning existing businesses and discovering new business opportunities through application and utilization of blockchain technology.

On the 12th of September 2018, OBCIA will be hosting the 2018 OBCIA Open Blockchain Seminar which will see more than 350 attendees from all sectors.

Amongst a panel of renowned speakers, CEO of FANTOM, Dr. Ahn will be speaking at the seminar which will run from 1:00PM to 6:00PM.

To learn more about how FANTOM is making it easier and faster as well as lowering costs for businesses and consumers to make everyday transactions, visit: https://fantom.foundation/

Additional Resources

Twitter: Fantom Foundation (@FantomFDN)

YouTube: Overview of FANTOM

GitHub: Fantom Foundation

Medium: FANTOM Foundation

Telegram: Contact @fantom_english

Developments in technology have long disrupted our everyday lives. Looking back to where the world is at now, it’s hard to believe how we ever managed without the technology we have access to right in the palm of our hands. The introduction of Blockchain is no exception. Though its accumulated some criticism, it’s also had a lot of backing from many companies and investors. Here’s a look into the past, present and future of blockchain and consequently, bitcoin:

Humble Beginnings

The creator of blockchain, Satoshi Nakamoto, was perhaps unaware of how much it would take off in the years to come. Satoshi (a pseudonym) wrote a paper titled ‘Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System’. This is where the ground-breaking discovery was first conceived. The potential impact of this incredible revelation is still unfolding. Form what we currently understand blockchain has the capabilities of disrupting industries, managing the supply chain and positively changing cybersecurity. Shortly after Satoshi Nakamoto published the paper, Bitcoin was introduced. Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency which operates independently of a central bank system. That’s just the beginning.

Blockchain allows you to transact freely, without the use of a middleman. It offers the opportunity to transfer value across the internet, with no need for third party interference. This will have a tremendous impact on banking and payments. The most important aspect of blockchain is that it’s a real-time transaction with reduced costs. Because of the nature of blockchain, these kind of transactions also carry with them less risk.

Where Does Blockchain Stand Now?

As it stands, bitcoin is a very instable currency, with its value peaking and falling by the day. However, new discoveries are being made about the way in blockchain can be utilised to reach its potential. Developers have understood that blockchain can do so much more than just transfer currency or documents.

Blockchain is used by bitcoin to monitor transactions and activity. The traceability of each transaction is what makes blockchain so important. It can record each communication chronologically and publicly. Even with these monumental developments, blockchain is still a long way from becoming the norm. The business model needs to be refined, outlining how this technology is going to help people save money and whether or not it can be proven.

Bitcoin is being used right now. Bizarrely, a bar in Japan invested in a bitcoin machine. This changes their currency into bitcoin. This can then be used right away at the bar. Though this niche Japanese restaurant is clearly an early adopter of bitcoin, it sets a precedent for what is possibly to come.

The financial services industry was disrupted by bitcoin even in its infancy. However, it’s not only the banking and financial sector blockchain has shaken up; industries such as healthcare, music and energy all stand to benefit from it. For example, in the music industry there is still a growing problem with royalties. Often, many artists don’t claim their royalties or there are disputes over who owns which part of the song. Blockchain could potentially eliminate this problem with complete traceability down to the person. You would effectively have a global database of who wrote the song, the producers and the songwriters and who stand to get the royalties from it. It could change the music industry as we know it.

The Future of Blockchain

Blockchain has received a lot of good press, with many choosing to make significant investments in the platform. The blockchain revolution is set to gradually infiltrate the relevant industries. One of the major concerns when it comes to blockchain is its scalability. With more tokens, users, investors and exchanges taking place there is more room for error. With every single blockchain purchase, a block is added to blockchains ladder of transactions. Each block will increase the data as it carries the history of previous blocks with it. Therefore, as more networks and institutions opt into blockchain, there is the danger that it will not be able to withstand the information. Of course, no one knows whether it can because it’s not happened yet.

“Blockchain needs to adapt and evolve, including its response time” is the common thought in the mobile app development industry. Every peer-to-peer transaction requires verification, so naturally this can slow the system down – considering Bitcoin is verifying at a rate of one block every ten minutes. As the users increase, the more transactions that will be taking place. For now, bitcoin can handle around 60 transactions per second. For future development, it needs to focus on how it can turn that into 47,000 per second (what Visa can currently overturn).

Overall, the future of blockchain is exciting. It’s a safe, reliable, cost-effective and transparent way of connecting online. The rise is set to be gradual, with certain discrepancies needing to be ironed out before it can start to make a real impact.

Argyle Coin is making heads turn in the global crypto community by protecting the interest of investors like never before. This Blockchain-based platform for buying and selling fancy colored diamonds has purchased a surety bond. The Bond is designed to pay back original purchasers of Argyle Tokens (RGL) in case the Token fails to trade cryptocurrency from the company’s wallets because of any unforeseen issues.

August 30, 2018

Argyle Coin, a recently launched Blockchain-based platform for financing, trading, and paying for precious diamonds, continues to hog the limelight in the global crypto space. The Company has just announced the purchase of a surety bond that will be used to pay back the Argyle Token (RGL) purchasers if the transferability of the tokens remains unrealized. The Company also revealed their plans to become the world’s first cryptocurrency to correlate their Token $25,000,000 worth of fancy colored diamonds.

Argyle Coin looks to carve a niche in the crypto space by creating a new class of ICOs that will guarantee the performance of its Blockchain platform. In spite the popularity of cryptocurrencies, many ventures fail because they lack a viable Token that trades among other purchasers as well as other Tokens such as Blockchain. Backing the project with a financial instrument helps ensure all purchasers will receive a Token capable of transactions not just with other Token buyers, but also with other cryptocurrencies. Iif the Company’s Argyle Token (RGL) fails to perform as expected, the pro rata portion of the bond’s value will be paid back to the original investors.

$25 million payable from the guarantee will only benefit the investors purchasing RGL Tokens directly from Argyle Coin from pre-sale pledges or during the Pre-ICO or ICO stage. The bond may be exercised only by investors if the Blockchain is not operational on or after the 29th of February, 2019.

The guarantor of this bond is Southern Pacific Insurance Corporation, an organization that specializes in contract surety and fidelity bonds covering all forms of surety risks and performance related guarantees.

Argyle Coin recently launched a private pre-sale campaign that reached its goal successfully and closed with an overall investment figure of $4,620,000. Following the end of this private pre-sale, the Company started its pre-ICO on August 27 and that campaign will remain active for 60 days. With the support of its just purchased guarantee bond, Argyle Coin is expected to successfully fund its pre-ICO round and attract huge investments from a global pool of educated and experienced investors.

Argyle Coin was founded by the diamond industry veteran and international financier Jose Arman with the goal of building an efficient e-commerce platform powered by cryptocurrency for the diamond industry. The platform’s proprietary token RGL is ERC-20 compliant and utilizes a new Ethereum Code based Blockchain to develop Smart Contracts.

Key details related to the Company’s Token sale:

• Max Potential Supply: RGL 100.000.000
• Tokens for Sale: RGL 3.462.000
• Tokens For sale Pre-ICO: RGL 300,000
• Hard Cap Pre-ICO: $3.000.000
• Tokens For sale ICO: RGL 2,700,000
• Token Price$10
• Soft Cap ICO: $15.000.000
• Hard Cap ICO : $27.000.000
• Currencies Accepted : ETH, BTC, BCH
  and LITECOIN

To take part in Argyle Coin pre-ICO please visit https://www.argylecoin.io/

About Argyle Coin: Argyle Coin is the first cryptocurrency to offer the public an opportunity to buy and invest directly in the growing fancy colored diamond market from your own lap-top or Smart Phone. The Company is in the process of creating a new platform to buy and sell fancy colored diamonds through a secure, effective and fast system. It is an end-to-end solution with its own Token and internal system of verification, trading and tracking of fancy colored diamonds.

Contact:

Anthony Eusebio – [email protected]

Jubiter is proud to announce the launch of a free and secure cryptocurrency exchange.

Following extensive research, investors can now buy crypto with just a credit card, put their crypto to daily use with Jubiter’s native debit card, and enjoy an enhanced sense of security every step of the way.  

What can you do with a Jubiter wallet?

With a Jubiter account you can buy up to 500 (USD, EUR, GBP) worth of Bitcoin or Litecoin. We also got rid of the sluggish identity verification process, so anyone with a credit card can easily step into the world of crypto.

Our value-added services are fully aimed at optimizing each investor’s customer experience. We implemented the most advanced security measures and we keep 97% of all cryptocurrencies in cold storage by default, so you can rest assured that your digital assets are invulnerable to malicious attacks.

Our coming-soon native debit card will enable holders to put their crypto to real-world use, whether it’s daily transactions or ATM withdrawals.

We’re all about making crypto available to all, so we encourage users to invite friends to benefit from Jubiter’s unique services through the Jubiter referral program, and enjoy privileges like better commissions.

Jubiter is incorporated in Estonia and fully regulated by the Estonian financial authority. It is a fully-licensed cryptocurrency-to-fiat currency exchange service, as well as a virtual currency wallet service. It has an SB status in FinCen and its services are available to the U.S., the E.U., and to an additional 161 countries.

We understand that our most valuable asset is you, the user. To ease your entrance to the crypto sphere, we’ve set up an exceptional customer service that is available to you via toll-free phone numbers, live chat, email or social media. Our support team is available from Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM until midnight EST.

Website: https://www.jubiter.com/

Contact: Richard Brockhume, [email protected]

Argyle Coin, a blockchain based platform to buy and sell fancy colored diamonds, will protect its investors by two measures viz. a performance bond and $25,000,000 worth of fancy colored diamonds. It will also be the world’s first ever cryptocurrency designed specifically to execute smart contracts for efficient online trading of fancy colored diamonds.

August 25, 2018

Following the recent announcement of its blockchain and token (RGL), Argyle Coin has now emerged as the world’s first ever cryptocurrency that backs the investors fully with a bond as well as fancy colored diamonds worth a whopping$25,000,000. The objective of this platform is to create an efficient online marketplace for financing, trading, and paying for valuable diamonds, leveraging the power of blockchain technology.

Diamonds have always been extremely popular amongst the wealthiest of investors across the globe. However, the industry has suffered due to the lack of a global currency capable of facilitating these multi-million-dollar international transactions at the desired speed. Argyle Coin is all set to overcome this limitation of the industry with their blockchain powered online marketplace complemented with a proprietary wallet, coin exchange, and multilateral financing facility.

Argyle Coin also has the distinction of being the first ever cryptocurrency to be designed specifically for the purpose of facilitating smart contracts for superfast online trading of colored diamonds. In addition to normal sales and purchases, these smart contracts will also pave the way for fractional ownership of the most expensive fancy colored diamonds.  This will undoubtedly broaden the global diamond market with the inclusion of interested retail investors and collectors that are not able to afford an entire multi-million-dollar diamond.

Argyle Coin’s RGL token stands out from its competitors by backing the value of its tokens by something tangible, fancy colored diamonds worth millions of dollars. To be specific, $25 M purchased by the principals and 60% out ICO Funds in fancy colored diamonds will be held by Malca-Amit’s, a leader in vault administration. Storage and access to these diamonds will be audited by an independent auditor that will publish a biannual access report and a yearly insurance statement.

In the near future, Argyle Coin plans to create the company’s own Coin Exchange to ensure convenient and secure online access to RGL tokens for the clients. The users will also have their digital wallets to interface with other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. By building a comprehensive trading infrastructure, Argyle Coin is looking to deliver a robust, always-available, global trading market for fancy colored diamonds.

Based on the Ethereum network, Argyle Coin token (RGL) is ERC-20 certified, and utilizes a new blockchain based on Ethereum Code to develop smart contracts. In order to provide the initial inventory for smart contracts, Argyle Coin has recently joined hands with renowned fancy colored diamond dealers such as H. Siegel Fine Auctions, Rare Colored Diamonds, and several others.

Argyle Coin Corp is the brainchild of Jose Aman, an international financier with over twenty-five years of experience in the diamond industry. He was introduced to the crypto currency in 2013 by his now Chief Information Officer Anthony Eusebio. Argyle Coin was born out of Jose’s need to increase the e-commerce footprint of the diamond industry and vision to offer a stable cryptocurrency based on fancy colored diamonds.

Expressing optimism about the future of Argyle Coin, Jose said, “I see a future with Argyle Coin flourishing as an e-commerce token used online and in the real world not only for diamonds, but for every possible scenario where tracking, escrow, investments, buy and sell will be done efficiently.”

To find out more about Argyle Coin, please visit https://www.argylecoin.io/

About Argyle Coin: Argyle Coin is the first cryptocurrency to offer the public an opportunity to be directly buying and investing in the growing fancy colored diamond market. The company is in the process of creating a new platform to buy and sell fancy colored diamonds through a secure, effective and fast system. It is an end-to-end solution with its own token and systems of verification, trading and tracking of diamonds.

Contact:

Anthony Eusebio – [email protected]

We have recently seen an explosion of investors in emerging markets pushing the next idea or solution to reap a profit. Within these industries, we see many companies who eventually fall away due to the dominating power of key players.

Making a profit in saturated markets like these, requires a high risk appetite with proper knowledge and understanding of the different market segments. On top of that, the more attractive the market is, the harder it is to profitably break into.

Most investors these days prefer to enter industries where the existing players’ profits are consistently higher than those of enterprises in other industries. Entrants know they’ll have to take on powerful incumbents, but because of the large profit margins, they’re drawn to those markets like bees to a honey pot.

It is certainly tough for new ventures to make money in profitable markets. If it weren’t, many others would have already entered those industries, competition would be perfectly fierce, and everyone’s profits would tumble.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the most profitable industries had almost five times as many entrants as did the average industry. However, most of those companies found that the going was tough.

In a study they conducted, they have found that fresh entrants in the most attractive markets earned returns that were 30% lower than those earned by newcomers in other industries.

One question remains to be answered, “Can we find a niche to contribute in and create value?” An entrant will be in a better position to see reward returns if it can answer yes to the following questions:

1. In this market, do customers care about a large number of features?
2. Do customers vary significantly in their preferences? If they do, the entrant will be able to exploit the fact that there are several clusters of customers with similar tastes, but large differences between the clusters.
3. Are there distinctive groups of customers who are not well served by current offerings?

Now, put aside attractive markets like cloud computing and cashless payments – let’s analyse the niche industry of cosplay and Cosplay Token against those questions.

The cosplay industry is currently facing a number of issues primarily, the lack of monetisation and little to no value recognition of cosplayers. The solution: Cosplay Token and the Cure WorldCosplay platform will provide monetisation as well as increase of exposure and connections which will definitely benefit the community.

Currently, the cosplay industry is comprised of cosplayers, fans, costume makers, and make-up artists to name a few, all which vary significantly in their preferences and needs. Cosplayers would be looking to replicate a specific character by wearing costumes and fashion accessories whereas, fans who adore their favourite cosplayers are looking to tip and support them.

There isn’t a solution to the problems that the community has been facing for a long time…until now. Be the pioneers to tap into this 45 billion dollar industry. Join the Cosplay Token Crowdsale for a one-time only bonus.

To find out more about Cosplay Token, visit https://cot.curecos.com/token-sale/ and sign up to the whitelist. Join the community at https://t.me/cosplaytoken and reach out to them at [email protected]

Discover how GOeureka’s blockchain hotel booking platform is unlocking new value for hotels and consumers globally

Singapore, 17 August 2018 – The hospitality sector is the second largest contributor to the global travel industry and it is currently dominated by online travel agents. OTA’s generate around 70% of online hotel bookings and this has impacted hotel’s direct bookings, profit margins and loyalty programs.

GOeureka wants to change the scenario by putting hotels and customers first. Using blockchain technology, GO plans to benefit hotels and customers by introducing commission-free bookings, accepting payment through cryptocurrencies that are devoid of merchant fees, and transforming traditional brand loyalty programs.

“GOeureka aims to create a new symbiosis where hotels maintain control over their brand while unlocking unprecedented value for consumers on its platform,” said Manraj Rai, the CEO of GOeureka. “GOeureka’s vision for the future of the travel industry is a supportive online ecosystem where all businesses are allowed the opportunity to thrive and benefit from providing the best goods or services to travelers.”

As a technology partner to hotels, GOeureka intends to provide a seamless web and app experience to users without the high commission structures imposed by current OTAs.

“We provide an affordable and efficient platform for hotels and consumers to directly engage and transact with each other, removing the inequitable commissions to OTAs that ultimately decrease hotels’ margins and increase consumer prices,” said Rai.These unprecedented benefits are then passed on to customers.

“GOeureka is introducing a patent-pending Re-Booking function for customers to obtain the best value for rooms. When the hotel rate drops, the Re-Booking feature will automatically detect and re-book an existing booking at the lower rate” Rai added.

GOeureka also proposes an interoperable loyalty program that will benefit hotels and customers by promoting the hotel’s own loyalty rewards program with the option to convert hotel loyalty points into GO Credits that can be used on the GOeureka platform.

“For consumers who subscribe to multiple loyalty programs, GOeureka’s solution for an interoperable loyalty program could facilitate instant redemptions and exchange for multiple loyalty point currencies on a single platform,” Rai said. “Blockchain acts as an immutable and secure ledger of all transactions related to the issuance of GO credits, creating a transparent, auditable supply of loyalty points without the need for intermediaries.”

GOeureka will launch the first Alpha Version of their hotel booking platform on the 10^th of September.

“We are running live test bookings across the platform over the next couple of weeks and will have a functioning MVP of the booking platform ready by the 10^th of September” said Rai.

GOeureka Presale Is Live, ICO Coming Soon

Out of the 1 billion GOeureka tokens that exist, 60% will be sold via a series of presales and public ICO offerings. All unsold tokens will roll over into the following round. However, if all of the 600 m tokens are sold out in any round, the ICO will conclude and the subsequent rounds will be discontinued. Any unsold tokens will be burnt at the end of the ICO.

GOeureka is also giving all token buyers the opportunity to win these amazing prizes:

First Prize: The winner will be rewarded with free nights every year for the rest of their life.

Second Prize: $10,000 in GO credits

Third Prize: $5,000 in GO credits

Consolation Prize for 500 lucky winners: One-night free stay

To be eligibility criteria for the Great GOeureka ICO Bonanza is to purchase GOeureka tokens during the ICO rounds and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Telegram.

More information about GOeureka, their ICO and lucky can be found here.

About GOeureka

GOeureka is a travel tech company utilising blockchain technology to build a hotel booking platform. Our mission is to decentralise the hotel booking sector and deliver greater transparency by allowing hotels to directly connect with their customers. As a technology partner to hotels, GO aims to provide a dynamic digital experience to users and eradicate the high commission structures imposed by online travel agents. By reducing the financial commitments of hotels to third-party booking platforms, GO’s vision is to enable hotels to focus more resources on providing better intrinsic value and services to travellers around the globe.

Media contact:

Tej Bhuller – [email protected]

Most people who are familiar with cryptocurrency are well acquainted with using brokerages and exchanges to buy and sell their cryptos. Exchanging your coins back to fiat often takes time, with bank transfers from reputable brokerages like Coinmama or Coinbase taking up to 7 business days at a time. But what if you want an easy, instant, and accessible method for the spending of bitcoins? Well, prepaid bitcoin cards might be your answer.

Bitcoin prepaid cards allow users to make purchases for goods and services at regular vendors who accept regular debit or credit cards such as VISA, MasterCard, or AMEX. This overcomes the issue of not being able to spend your cryptocurrency at shops who don’t currently accept non-fiat currencies. But how does this work? Effectively, the bitcoins stored on a prepaid card are exchanged into standard fiat currency (e.g. USD, EUR, GBP) either at the point of loading (the moment bitcoins are stored or loaded onto the card), or at the point of sale (right when a payment transaction is being made), depending on the card provider.

Now, you can finally spend your bitcoins during your next grocery haul, shopping spree, or holiday abroad! However, before you look into getting such a card, I’d encourage you to take a look at CryptoSuper.market’s article on prepaid bitcoin cards, which provides a simple, informative, yet thorough breakdown of how to use these cards, their advantages, disadvantages, and a comparison of the top prepaid bitcoin card providers within the UK. Also, if you’re a UK-based user and you’re wondering about how the VISA shutdown of WaveCrest holdings earlier this year affects card providers, don’t worry, they know what’s up.

Another thing to be thinking about as someone who might be looking into a prepaid bitcoin card is whether or not you simply stick with a virtual card. If you’re only interested in making online purchases with your bitcoins, a virtual card will do the trick, whereas a physical card allows you the added functionality of being able to spend your bitcoins at your local store, just like a normal credit or debit card would.

The only type of payment you wouldn’t be able to make is a rolling one, such as telecom month-to-month contracts. If you’re frowning at this, you might want to have a look at the option of grabbing a crypto debit card, which would allow for the creation of such payments. Happy shopping!