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A multi-million dollar worth of transaction that could have cost senders over $5 million in commissions on legacy systems was made with $0.06 on Ethereum. The Ethereum block  6556384  went through 5080 confirmations and took over 19 hours to transfer more than $183,000,000 without having to go through expensive intermediaries. The scene is pretty typical to those who transfer value on the blockchain on a regular basis. But, simultaneously, it is a clear attestation for one of the blockchain’s most killer applications: remittance. More than $183,000,000 in $ETH transferred almost instantly for $0.06. Bullish on real use cases. https://t.co/HdLIsUcPId — Crypto Thoreau (@cvrbonbased) October 21, 2018 A legacy payment system like PayPal – after removing the remittance limit – should have transferred $183 million by charging a $5.3 million transaction fees in an average East-to-West payment corridor. Western Union, another global remittance service, should have sent t...

Insider sources have suggested that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) is eyeing takeovers in the blockchain and other tech sectors, according to a Bloomberg article published September 21. Bloomberg cites “people with knowledge of the matter” as saying that the exchange is considering a change in strategy due to stalling trading links with exchanges in China, citing worsening U.S. – China trade relations as a further cause for concern . The sources reportedly told Bloomberg that HKEX CEO Charles Li has met with “at least three investment banks” to discuss diversifying the exchange’s model, including a possible set of takeovers in the “data, analytics and blockchain sectors.” Due to the sensitivity of the matter, Bloomberg’s sources asked to remain anonymous. They reportedly suggest that Li has been looking to the venture capital arms of U.S.-based stalwart exchanges CME Group Inc. and Nasdaq Inc. “as possible models,” with Bloomberg noting that Nasdaq saw 19 percent of its ...

New York University (NYU) has reportedly become the “first” university in the U.S. to offer students a major in blockchain technology, CBS New York reported September 18. The program will reportedly be provided by the NYU Stern School of Business, which was also a pioneer in offering undergraduate courses in cryptocurrencies and blockchain. Professor Andrew Hinkes commented on the new program: “We hope to establish a groundwork so that the students can understand what’s really happening under the hood, so that they can understand both the legal and the business implications, and prepare them to go out and tackle this new market.” According to associate professor Kathleen Derose, the educational establishment is expecting large companies to partner within the training program, while “the startups in [fintech] will likely invent the new cool stuff.” Following the increasing number of students interested in the new offer, NYU reportedly doubled its course offerings this school ...

The U.S. Senate has held a hearing on the energy efficiency of blockchain and similar technologies, according to an announcement published August 21. The hearing on energy and natural resources, held by the U.S. Senate Committee in Washington, DC, focused on the application of blockchain and related technologies, as well as the cybersecurity possibilities of using such technologies in the energy industry. In particular, the committee considered the issue of the possible increase in electricity prices following the rising power demand in blockchain applications. The hearing also touched on the methods of evaluating whether blockchain can improve the cybersecurity of the computing systems used to supply energy. Among the speakers, Thomas A. Golden, program manager at Electric Power Research Institute (ERPI), reported that the institute’s research on blockchain and its capabilities led to several pilots that have demonstrated potential promise in the deployment of blockchain to...

Vague statements in Chinese mining giant Bitmain Technologies ’ investor deck ambiguously and potentially misleadingly list investors ahead of its rumored Initial Public Offering (IPO). In a Bitmain pre-IPO investor deck acquired by Cointelegraph, DST Global is listed as an investor, with claims that the investment is “recently completed.”  Henry Wu, a lawyer and legal expert at Chinese law firm L&Y Law Office, spoke with Cointelegraph, explaining that the document’s wording in the original Chinese is left vague. While it is possible to dispute the meaning, to the layperson or an uninitiated potential investor, the language would suggest Bitmain has acquired funds from DST Global. Earlier today, John Lindfors, a managing partner at DST Global, said in an email to Cointelegraph that he “can confirm that DST has never invested in Bitmain.” Wu said that if an investor used the information that DST Global invested in Bitmain to decide whether to contribute their own fund...

The UAE continues its involvement in the field of digital currencies as a local company is set to launch the very first cryptocurrency exchange compliant with Shariah legislation. Moving Forward ADAB Solutions, a UAE-based company, is reportedly going to launch the very first cryptocurrency exchange compliant with Shariah law. The project is conveniently called the First Islamic Crypto Exchange (FICE). The cryptocurrency exchange will operate globally, and it intends to further the involvement of Muslims and users of Islamic finance in the cryptocurrency market. Supposedly, this will become the first digital asset exchange which will be carrying out the transactions in accordance with the regulations of Islamic finance. Timur Turzhan, founder and CEO at ADAB solutions, said: Ideas that correspond to the norms of the Shariah are based on the understandable material value, have a clear business strategy, and this allows us to confidently assert that halal projects are incom...

Despite the fact that the overall cryptocurrency market has declined with around 70 percent since January 2018, interest in blockchain-based technology grows stronger. Yet another major company, UPS, demonstrates its serious intentions for implementing DLT in its operations. UPS Boards the Blockchain Bandwagon The shipping giant UPS has filed an application for a patent with the US Patent & Trademark Office. The company seeks legal protection for a system which takes advantage of blockchain-based technology for storing different types of information within a distributed ledger network. The data includes details about the package’s destination, its actual movement, as well as transportation plans and others of the kind. The patent reads: An exemplary method comprises receiving and storing in a distributed ledger service offers for transporting a shipment unit; receiving and storing in a distributed ledger shipment unit data comprising an origin, a destination, and transpor...

Whilst Bitcoin has taken the spotlight when it comes to the application of blockchain technology, we are starting to see a surge of innovation as its potential impact on businesses becomes increasingly understood. Blockchain technology is now being tapped into by many businesses and governments around the world. One such industry with huge potential is recruitment.  Having worked in recruitment for nearly a decade, I saw increasing frustration and a steadily decreasing lack of trust in the processes involved to collect references. Outdated processes meant that references could easily be abused and misused. Over eight years, the number of references collected by recruiters decreased by a staggering two thirds. References used to be the gold standard of an employee’s skills and experience, yet according to a survey by CareerBuilder, 75 per cent of hiring managers have caught a lie in a resume. Instead, employers and recruiters make judgments based on workers’ CVs and ‘perso...

The BlockShow Americas 2018 conference kicked off Monday, Aug. 20 in Las Vegas. The first panel discussion involved a heated debate between proponents of two opposite views of how — and if — blockchain should be regulated and adopted by institutions around the globe. BlockShow is a series of fintech and crypto events, usually held in Singapore and Europe; the previous BlockShow took place in Berlin in the spring of this year. The opening panel, titled “Wall Street vs Crypto,” brought together a number of industry experts to discuss the future potential of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin ( BTC ), and the importance of regulatory involvement in the crypto sphere. Panelists debated the role of governments and financial institutions in paving the way for a “tsunami of innovation” enabled by blockchain. Moderated by TechCrunch ’s editor-at-large Mike Butcher, the panel was comprised of five experts from the finance and crypto industries, including leading IT analyst and Forbes c...

As the crypto market fell from 2018’s all-time highs, many short-sighted investors began to declare that “prices would never recuperate.” While this bearish sentiment is the byproduct of the unwarranted elation and irrational exuberance experienced in 2017’s bull run, many industry leaders have continually noted that crypto’s journey to worldwide acceptance won’t happen overnight. “Change Your Outlook. Bravery Will Return Massively” “Bitcoin is dead. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors…” According to 99Bitcoins’ extensive list of obituaries, the foremost digital asset has perished about 308 times by now. Although this list was evidently made in jest, the number of times that naysayers have declared Bitcoin dead goes to show that investors in this nascent asset class may not be on the same page. Phillip Nunn, a crypto-centric entrepreneur and the CEO of Wealth Chain Capital, recently issued a tweet to remind his followers that they should keep their heads high, even though prices ...

Yet another blockchain investment fund is set to launch in South Korea. Messaging giant Line furthers its foray into the field of cryptocurrencies and is dedicated to streamlining early-stage startup investments with a $10 million fund. Additionally, the company announced the successful listing of TRON to its cryptocurrency exchange. South Korea Sees Serious Investments in Blockchain Line, the Japanese messaging company harboring over 200 million users announced August 15, that is set to launch a $10 million investment fund through its Korea-based blockchain subsidiary Unblock Corporation. With this initiative, LINE will become one of the very first publicly traded companies to formalize investments in tokens through a dedicated corporate fund. The fund aims to “boost the development and adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.” Furthermore, the announcement also made it clear that the fund is “expected to expand in the future.” Just yesterday Bitcoinist reporte...

The Ex-COO of ‘Chinese Google’ Baidu and blockchain bull Qi Lu has joined Y Combinator (YC) to run the company’s new China-based division, according to a blog post August 14.   Y Combinator –– the major Silicon Valley-based entrepreneurial accelerator that funded such startups as Dropbox, Airbnb, Coinbase, Reddit, among others –– announced that is has officially entered the Chinese market, launching a new division of the company there. The company also announced that the new division will be launched and run by ex-Baidu exec Qi. In the announcement, YC president Sam Altman said he expected Qi to “build a long-term local organization that will combine the best of Silicon Valley and China and create a lot of innovation.” Altman added: “Qi embodies all of these values, and China has been an important missing piece of our puzzle — the entrepreneurial energy and talent there is an amazing force.” In an interview published today, August 15, in local media outlet 36Kr, Qi re...

South Korea is showing a greater interest towards the field of cryptocurrencies, budgeting upwards of one trillion won (around $880 million) for the fields of blockchain technology, AI, and the sharing economy.  South Korea Doubles Investment in Blockchain According to an official press release , South Korea will invest a total of 5 trillion won (around $4.4 billion) in its “Growth Through Innovation” plan. The strategy will fund a total of eight pilot projects, which plan to develop a “platform economy” comprised of a digital platform for big data analytics and transactions, as well as a hydrogen fuel cell supply chain. South Korea plans to invest a total of between 9 and 10 trillion won in the initiative, recognizing the nationwide impact that it would have on other industries. The official release also places an emphasis on blockchain-based technology as an important part of boosting the sharing economy: The government will focus on promoting big data and AI, ...

bloXroute Labs and a team of Northwestern University students believe Bitcoin’s biggest problem, scalability, can be solved without affecting its chief virtue — decentralization. Northwestern and bloXroute Labs Are Working to Solve Scalability Issue Critics have always identified the limited number of transactions that Bitcoin’s 0 0 network can process as its most significant problem. They point out that this is what has prevented Bitcoin from becoming the most effective form of payment in the world. Several techniques have been and are currently being implemented to address the issue of scalability and high transaction fees. Nevertheless, they are not good enough to compete today with Visa, for example. bloXroute Labs identifies the problem that affects Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies’ networks, as follows: Specifically, they employ a trustless P2P network model to propagate transactions and blocks, which does not scale as the volume of transactions increases, a fact rese...

The state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Ltd. is turning to blockchain technology to innovate its unwieldy electronic invoice system, according to an announcement republished on a government site August 13. The article, from official state newspaper People’s Daily , was posted yesterday by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence and outlines how blockchain will help innovate the supervision of invoices for tax purposes nationwide. As the article notes, statistics indicate 1.31 billion Chinese electronic invoices were in circulation in 2017. By 2022, the number is forecast to hit 54.55 billion, according to a projected average annual growth rate of over 100%. China Aerospace’s existing electronic invoice services are end-to-end, covering issuance, delivery, filing, inspection and reimbursement for the country’s taxpayers and authorities. It has already issued some 2.5 billion invoices to date, the article notes. Wh...