TR 03.11
//HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCOIN - HAVE SOME FUTURES
It has been 9 years since Satoshi Nakamoto wrote the now legendary whitepaper: Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. It was the ‘first’ whitepaper, for the first blockchain.
Bitcoin received an important birthday present this week to celebrate, namely, CME group announced they should be offering bitcoin derivatives by the end of the year. Importantly, this opens up the road for ETFs - exchange traded funds - which mark a milestone towards mass adoption and is yet another sign it is becoming a mainstream financial asset like gold.
As it currently stands, the vast majority of the world still struggle with the complicated process of buying and storing bitcoin natively. Yet some of these Individuals still want exposure to this asset class, and ETFs give these individuals the possibility to gain access through purchasing shares in an entity that is traded on a ‘normal’ exchange, and which holds crypto-assets. For the bulls, this effectively opens the doors to a vastly greater pool of capital that whats to purchase the same limited supply of bitcoin.
Futures also allow traders to hedge their foreign exchange risk and could increase the adoption of bitcoin by merchants who want to accept bitcoin but shy away due to its volatile price swings.
It meant bitcoin closed up nearly 30%, week on week. Happy 9th Birthday!
// MUST READS
Bitcoin futures should be launched by the end of the year.
Ethereum - the next 4 years - by Vitalik Buterin @ Devcon3.
Blockchain: Road to utopia by BBVA.
Ethereum - an overview by Vitalik Buterin from Devcon3.
Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs’ CEO, is open to Bitcoin.
// DISASTER OF THE WEEK
With celebrities from Mayweather to Paris Hilton joining the ICO bandwagon, the SEC issued an investor alert and public statement specifically addressing the issue. In short, if the coins are considered securities, these endorsements are likely also in breach of US securities law.
// TRACTION
Visa approves Singapore’s residents to use Monaco’s cryptocurrency card.
Blockchain and Bitcoin are amongst the fastest growing online skills.
E-commerce giant Amazon registers 3 cryptocurrency web domains.
Bitcoin used as a mean to access international markets in Zimbabwe.
Sony seeks patent o create a blockchain, multi-factor authentication system.
British telecom has secured its patent for cybersecurity improvements to blockchain.
Blockchain-based payment systems developed by fintech firm R3 and the world's biggest banks.
// ROAD TO REGULATION
Iran is preparing a cryptocurrency infrastructure.
China might trade Bitcoin again soon.
Cryptocurrencies are declared illegal by Vietnam’s Central Bank.
Japan publishes a statement regarding ICOs.
Ukraine has created a draft tax exemption of cryptocurrency income.
// ICOS
Last week highlights:
Seratio raised £4.55m for a circular economy based on values.
Cryptopay raised €15.4m for various crypto banking services.
Aero raised $4.6m for aviation safety.
Etherparty raised $33.6m for a user-friendly smart contract compiler.
Upcoming:
Appcoins - November 6, 2017 - Protocol for the app economy.
Globitex GBX - November 8, 2017 - Institutional bitcoin exchange.
Indahash - November 8, 2017 - An influencer marketing platform.
Stayawhile - November 9, 2017 - A real estate ecosystem for furnished rentals.
Stubba - November 10, 2017 - A “commission-free” event ticketing platform.
// OTHER
How Blockchain is helping e-commerce businesses to protect their data. Bitcoin related-jobs are booming as fast as Bitcoin’s price growth.
// EVENTS
"Fintech World" Workshop Series Pros and Cons of "Blockchain ICO's" - Washington, U.S.A - November 6-7, 2017
Web Summit 2017 - Lisbon, PT - November 6-9, 2017
Blockchain for Social Good - Philadelphia - Philadelphia, U.S.A - November 7, 217
Developer Week - Austin, U.S.A - November 7-9, 2017
Blockchain for Business and IT Leaders - Boston, U.S.A - November 8-9, 2017
Milwaukee Blockchain Conference - Milwaukee, U.S.A - November 9, 2017
2017 Asia Digital Asset & Blockchain Congress - Shensen, CN - November 9-10, 2017
Latin American Blockchain Forum - Los Cabos, MX - November 9-10, 2017
The StartEngine ICO 2.0 Summit - Santa Monica, U.S.A - November 10, 2017
Blockchain Legal Investments - Monte Carlo, MC - November 10, 2017
Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Conference in Tokyo - Tokyo, JP - November 11, 2017