This is not the first foray into the Blockchain technology for the foundation, as they have been researching it at least since 2015. Their Level One Project aims to integrate the poor people around the world into the larger economies by making digital finance more accessible around the globe.

The latest initiative is called Mojaloop, and, according to the official press release, this is what it intends to provide:

Interoperability of digital payments has been the toughest hurdle for the financial services industry to overcome. With Mojaloop, our technology partners have finally achieved a solution that can apply to any service, and we invite banks and the payments industry to explore and test this tool.
Kosta Peric, Deputy Director, Financial Services for the Poor, at the Gates Foundation

Mojaloop incorporates Ripple’s Interledger tech, but it’s far from the only financial technology partner involved in the project. The Gates Foundation has proven to be an effective unifying force in the past on a number of similar projects, which makes this attempt to bring inclusivity and interoperability into the world of digital finance an incredibly promising venture.

Stay updated on the latest cryptocurrency news by tuning into our podcast. Here, we discuss the hot topics of the day and look into the future to see what currencies will make the best investments and which ones you should avoid at all costs.

Ultra HD, 4K, 8K Time Lapse Stock Footage Showreel 2012 – Night Rush Around the World 3 from HDtimelapse.net on Vimeo.

Despite the almost libertarian premise and a noble goal of complete decentralization, realistically, blockchain technology will not be able to avoid at least some level of government regulation. And while some of them seek complete control over the technology, others embrace it. Here are the countries that do more than simply accept blockchain tech:

• Singapore
• Switzerland
• Russia
• Estonia
• Gibraltar

From government-backed cryptocurrency like ESTcoin, to Switzerland’s ‘Crypto Valley’, you can learn how those countries support blockchain technology for our special video report.

RIALTO.AI – a self-described “arbitrage, market making and prediction trading” platform – enables traders to directly profit from volatility.  As the profits come from arbitrage, the bigger the differences between varying exchanges, the bigger the profit.

The underlying algorithms deigned by the team of signal processing experts, economists and data scientists detect the most insignificant price fluctuations that trigger chain trades involving multiple cryptocurrencies. This effectively means that the market is monitored 24/7, maximizing potential gains.

Another bonus is a dedicated trading AI, created by the team. This self-learning bot is meant to track transactions and specific addresses to predict major shifts in the market. This alone could make the platform extremely attractive to cryptotraders.

Forks can be confusing, and, allegedly, there are quite a few of them coming in the nearest future. While not all of them (or none of them) might come to pass, you should be prepared to the possibility and know how to manage your assets effectively in case they do.

A fork is a result of an update to the specific coin’s programming. And it can either be intentional and unintentional. Both can potentially cause serious price fluctuations, and it is difficult to say which one can be more damaging. In both cases, two ledgers are created, and if an unintentional or accidental fork is a result of an unforeseen bug that is, ideally, promptly eliminated. The intentional hard fork is born out of the decision by the developer to update the programming (which results in discrepancies between the older and newer versions of the coin), and, in that case, users need to upgrade in order to continue to use the currency.

In short, forks introduce uncertainty, and that often leads to panic. They potentially devalue the currency and can downright destroy the smaller ones.

If the fork does come, the risks are very real, so be prepared to lose some of the value. If you prefer to keep your bitcoins, you should be ready for the future.

First of all, make sure you control your wallet without any intermediaries like various custodial services (Xapo or Coinbase, for example). Not all of them support forks, and if you wish to continue using them, make sure you know their stance on the issue. However, creating your own wallet is probably the best solution.

Do not rush in to invest into new coins immediately after the fork. It is better to wait for a confirmation from one of the major players to start buying and trading with them. The times after the fork are rife with scam opportunities.

Not all of the forks end up being real, but it is a lot safer to assume they are. Bitcoin Gold actually happened despite having been dismissed by large parts of the community initially. So, don’t panic every time the fork comes up in the news, but be in control of your assets and exercise caution in case they do.

I think the internet is going to be one of the major forces for reducing the role of government. The one thing that’s missing but that will soon be developed, is a reliable e-cash.
Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize Laureat

It is difficult to underestimate the importance of such research in the face of alarming volatility that seems to be inseparable from the cryptocurrency markets. It might provide the solutions to the issues the industry is currently facing and establish the baseline for cryptoasset evaluation in the future.

The current market is ultimately unsustainable and incredibly volatile, so any attempt at serious scientific analysis is very welcome. The industry insight is provided by Beryl Li – CapchainX CEO.

But what does the advent of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology mean for the future of marketing? Here is what we think the marketers should keep in mind.

A large part of the of the cryptocurrency’s appeal is a promise of anonymity. As privacy concerns grow among the consumers, it is not difficult to understand why a lot of them might turn to blockchain technology in an effort to reduce their digital imprint. This means one thing – the wealth of information we currently possess on users due to the platforms like Facebook willing to sell their data might be a thing of the past.

The information about the transactions has the potential to become completely anonymous, and that is a serious blow to marketers’ ability to study purchasing habits to determine customers’ preferences. The rise of new networks like Steem or SocialX means that there’s now an alternative to the established social behemoths, and while it might take a while for the general populace to catch on to this new world, dismissing it would be unwise.

This means two things:

• Marketers will need to figure out new ways to collect data about their customers and bolster their current strategies to stay afloat.
• In the decentralized future where blockchain technology has been widely adopted, marketers might need to go directly to consumers for the information they need.

Regardless of the impact of the cryptocurrencies on our current systems, we should be able to adapt to the future. It’s reasonable to assume that consumers will not wish to part with their data as easily as the platforms do now, not without a fair compensation. On the other hand – what could be a clearer indicator of interest in your brand than a consumer making a conscious decision to give up personal information?

Since the September crackdown on cryptocurrency trading, these platforms seem to be doing just fine, servicing the Asian markets and expanding their reach. Most of the serious investors have moved with the exchanges in order to circumvent the set of restrictions imposed by the Chinese government.

A few of the exchanges intend to launch peer-to-peer bitcoin trading and introduce trading bitcoin with fiat currencies. Over the counter trading or moving off-shore seems to be the way of the future, at least while the ban persists. And as Zeng Danhua puts it in a recent interview:

The regulators may have needed to shut the platforms to guard against financial risks, and there may be a bitcoin bubble, but its investment value persists.

 

So, regardless of the regulations, investors will continue to look for the way to trade cryptocurrency and related assets, which bodes well for the platforms that are willing to enable this.

Streets of New York from Harry Garcia on Vimeo.

Despite the recent downturn, some of the experts believe that bitcoin has not exhausted its growth potential. Notably, Mike Novogratz, known for his extremely successful hedge fund management strategies, stated the following in an interview with CNBC:

Bitcoin could be at $40,000 at the end of 2018.
 

This does not mean that you should dump everything you have into bitcoin. In fact, for smaller investors, this is more likely to cause problems than anything else. Ideally, one should invest no more the 3% into the cryptocurrency.

Uncertainty and volatility seem to be inseparable from the crypto-market at this point, but it is hard to deny that the recent growth has been staggering. Just to remind you, at the start of this year, the bitcoin went for no more than $1,000. And the most recent peak has seen the coin rise to the $20k mark.

As Novogratz’s statement implies: not everyone believes the recent downward trend is going to last. Bitcoin needs to stabilize and correct the price after the hike as the current model does not seem to be particularly sustainable. This should not necessarily mark the end of the value rise, however.

How realistic is this prediction? It is difficult to tell given that this optimism is hardly unanimous in the investment community, but one thing is certain – cryptocurrency in general, and Bitcoin in particular, should not be underestimated.