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Nasdaq Blockchain: new investments in more startups

Nasdaq Blockchain – related venture initiatives include new investment in distributed ledger based startups.

Today Nasdaq Ventures announced it has decided to invest in startups and companies that work with blockchains and/or artificial intelligence, next-generation data analysis and machine learning.

Nasdaq Blockchain budget is $10m to be awarded to deserving startups that are focused on both seed-stage and late-stage placements.

This Nasdaq Blockchain effort is a natural extension of the firm’s work in the blockchain field.

Back in 2015, Nasdaq started a partnership with Chain, an enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure that enables organizations to build better financial services from the ground up.

This effort saw the two companies develop a distributed ledger market focused on pre-IPO offerings.

President and CEO of Nasdaq, Adena Friedman, explained in a statement:

“With the launch of our new venture investment program, we are reinforcing our focus on driving growth and innovation by evaluating, distributing, licensing and integrating disruptive technologies for the long-term benefit of our global clients.”

Nasdaq has been testing the blockchain even in other areas.

In fact, back in February 2016, Nasdaq announced its blockchain tests on e-voting prototypes with Estonia’s sole securities exchange.

Also, in January, Nasdaq published a report arguing that the distributed ledger is also useful beyond transaction settlement.

Read more about Nasdaq Blockchain – related projects by clicking here.

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Amelia Tomasicchio
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Nasdaq Blockchain to build a Solar Energy Market

energy_blockchain_projects
Today, during an event organized by Nasdaq, the well-known stock exchange announced its new service that allows solar power providers to sell certificates using its Linq blockchain.
This special solar panels are linked to the Internet connection through a technology created by Filament, a Nevada blockchain startup that built a system able to connect traditional devices to the internet.
Thanks to the Nasdaq private blockchain called Linq, it is possible to create certificates that can be purchased by anyone who wants to finance the solar energy.
Even if there were a couple of bugs, the resultant certificate appeared on the screen during the live video demonstration.
During an interview conducted by Coindesk, Alexander Zinder, director of the global software development at Nasdaq, cleared up how this new technology works.
“The solar panel is actually hard-wired into the IoT device through a converter which enables us to measure the wattage they’re putting out and producing into the grid.”
This innovative project was born thanks to a partnership between Nasdaq and IDEO’s CoLab.
“We think it’s a very compelling use case, but there’s a lot of opportunity, but it’s extremely early in our exploration”, continued Zinder.

Blockchain and energy: Usizo

This is not the first time we hear about a project related to energy and the blockchain.
A few months ago, in fact, we talked about Usizo, a crowdfunding company who is trying to improve energy payments between users and schools in the African country.
Usizo works thanks to a smart meter that accept digital currencies and through a crowdfunding platform where people can donate their bitcoin.
Donators can see the electricity needed by a school and can know how much he will contribute based on the BTC he donates.

Ethereum used for Car Charging

Also, a German power company, RWE, started a partnership with the Ethereum-based startup Slock.it, to develop proofs-of-concepts using the Ethereum blockchain.
RWE Carsten Stöcker commented:
 
“We would like to solve the problems and really push electric vehicle deployment forward by looking into establishing a seamless and affordable electrical charging infrastructure.”

How to pay energy with Ethereum

An American resident used the Ethereum blockchain to sell energy to his neighbors.
The two men did the transaction through the LO3, a startup that aims at changing the energy industry.
Lawrence Orsini, founder at LO3, explained that his startup wants to show how people can use the blockchain on a daily basis to facilitate their peer-to-peer exchange.

MULTICURRENCY WALLET

To store your Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies (such as Litecoin, Dogecoin Peercoin, Blackcoin and more) you need an online wallet.
Here you can open your for free on our HolyTransaction plaftorm.
Click on the link above to read all the info you need.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
energy blokchain box

Exploring the use of blockchain technology in the renewable energy sector and its potential to create a decentralized energy market

Blockchain Technology and its Impact on the Renewable Energy Sector

The renewable energy sector has been growing at a rapid pace, with a growing demand for clean and sustainable energy sources. However, the conventional energy market is centralized and controlled by a few large corporations, leading to a lack of transparency. Blockchain technology has the potential to transform the energy sector by creating a decentralized market, where consumers can generate, share, and trade energy directly with one another.

What is Blockchain Technology?

Blockchain is a decentralized, digital ledger that records transactions across a network of computers. It is the technology behind the popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, but its potential uses go far beyond just financial transactions. One of its key features is the ability to enable peer-to-peer transactions without the need for a central authority, making it a valuable tool for creating a decentralized energy market.

Decentralized Energy Market

A decentralized energy market would increase competition in the energy sector, as more players would be able to participate in the market. This would lead to a more efficient market, with lower costs for consumers. Additionally, a decentralized energy market would better integrate renewable energy sources as the distributed nature of renewable energy generation would align with a decentralized market. One of the key benefits is that it would allow for greater participation by individuals and communities in the energy sector, empowering communities to generate their own energy and sell the excess back to the grid. This would also increase energy security, as communities would not be dependent on a central authority for their energy needs.

Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading

One of the most significant potential uses of blockchain technology in the renewable energy sector is peer-to-peer energy trading. This would allow individuals and communities to trade energy directly with one another without the need for a central intermediary, increasing competition in the energy market and lowering costs for consumers. It would also allow for greater flexibility in the energy market, as energy could be traded in real-time, meeting the changing needs of the market. Blockchain technology would increase transparency in the energy market, as all transactions would be recorded on the blockchain, creating an auditable and immutable record, preventing fraud and increasing trust among market participants.

PowerLedger: A Decentralized Energy Trading Platform

PowerLedger is a blockchain platform that provides a solution for a decentralized energy market. It enables consumers to trade renewable energy directly with one another without the need for a central intermediary. The platform uses smart contracts to facilitate transactions and provides a transparent and secure record of all energy transactions. PowerLedger has already been implemented in a number of successful pilot projects and has been recognized for its potential to disrupt the traditional energy market.

Conclusion

The potential benefits of blockchain technology in the renewable energy sector are numerous. A decentralized energy market would increase competition, lower costs for consumers, and allow for greater participation by individuals and communities in the energy sector. Peer-to-peer energy trading, enabled by blockchain technology, would increase transparency, trust, and flexibility in the energy market. PowerLedger is a leading project in the decentralized energy market, using blockchain technology to trade excess renewable energy and create a transparent record of all energy trades. In conclusion, blockchain technology has the potential to create a more efficient, sustainable, and transparent energy market for the future.

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cryptodood
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European Parliament hosts a conference on Bitcoin

european parliament
The European Parliament will host a conference on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
The four days event aims at educating MEPs about new technologies related to finance and economy.
To do so, the event has been organized together with the European Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology Forum (EDCAB), a new Bruxelles platform related to Bitcoin and the Blockchain.
The conference will start next week and will see the partecipation of World Bank, IMF, OECD, Nasdaq, Blockchain.info, Bank for International Settlements, United Nations and Europol, among the others.
Syed Kamall, the event host, explained:
 
“I am pleased to be hosting the exhibition on blockchain and virtual currencies in the European Parliament. Legislators internationally are now looking at this area and how to protect the consumer while stimulating innovation.”
Unfortunately the conference will not be public, but it could represent a great opportunity and an important turn around for the cryptocurrencies ecosystem.
Also, this means that the most insightful companies and banks from all around the world are starting to understand the revolution that Bitcoin and the blockchain represents for our daily life.

About EDCAB

EDCAB aims at helping shape a sound regulatory and policy agenda for virtual currencies and distributed ledger technology in the European Union. We engage with EU policymakers, legislators and key stakeholders on live and upcoming issues, addressing both challenges and opportunities.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
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Overstock to place its public shares on t0 blockchain platform

During the 41st Annual International Futures Industry Conference, the American online retailer Overstock decided to issue its public shares on a proof-of-ownership blockchian called t0.
Announced in August, t0 is “built upon decentralized, cryptographically protected ledgers, which anybody can access and inspect. This ensures fairness to the entire market, without regard for size or geographic location”, explained the official website.

SEC approves Overstock’s issue on the blockchain

To do so, Overstock had to obtain a specific authorization from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who approved the issue of public shares via Internet in December.

 

sec approves overstock blockchain t0 public shares

In fact, Overstock will be the first company in the world to do a Blockchain public offering.

“This is yet another historic event: the creation of a security that will trade and settle entirely on a distributed ledger. I’ve said from the beginning that blockchain technology is going to change the world of finance forever, and we’re leading that charge”, commented t0 CEO Patrick M. Byrne (and Overstock CEO and founder) in the official press release.
This way, the company stock will be issued in two versions: one available on traditional trading systems (such as Nasdaq) and another one on t0.

 

But it is limited to…

Only the Overstock shareholders will be able to benefit from this offering, provided that they are in the records as of a date yet to be decided; also it will be limited to 1,000,000 shares of blockchain and traditional Series A preferred stock.

 

 

 

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
bank of england6142011

Bank of England will create its own cryptocurrency

The Bank of England announced its decision to create its own digital currency.

The cryptocurrency will be called RSCoin and it will use the blockchain, the decentralized ledger where bitcoin transactions are written and executed.

More Centralized Control

RSCoin has been developed by researchers at the University College of London.

Of course, this new cryptocurrency will provide a more centralized control compared to bitcoin.“RSCoin introduces a degree of centralization into the two typically decentralized components of a blockchainbased ledger: the generation of the monetary supply and the constitution of the transaction ledger. In its simplest form, the RSCoin system assumes two structural entities: the central bank, a centralized entity that ultimately has complete control over the generation of the monetary supply, and a distributed set of mintettes that are responsible for the maintenance of the transaction ledger”, it is said in the RSCoin abstract.

How could this be positive?

Even if RSCoin is centralized and the opposite thing of Bitcoin, we could say that it is positive as it means that worldwide Central Banks are starting to give importance to cryptocurrencies.

However, RSCoin has its own benefits: for example no double spending, non-repudiable sealing, timed personal audits, universal audits and exposed inactivity.

Read the complete documentation

Univerisity College of London researches George Danezis and Sarah Meiklejohn published an abstract about RSCoin.

The full whitepaper is intitled “Centrally Banked Cryptocurrencies”.

The abstract begins from the bitcoin history, to explain everyone the impact of the digital currencies not only in the finance world:

Recently, major financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and Nasdaq have announced plans to develop blockchain technologies. The potential impacts of cryptocurrencies have now been acknowledged even by government institutions: the European Central Bank anticipates their “impact on monetary policy and price stability”.

People’s Bank of China and its own cryptocurrency

In January 2016, the People’s Bank of China commented about its plans to launch its own digital currency and create a new financial infrastructure for the country.

The project started in 2014, when researches began to study cryptocurrencies related to business operations.

People’s Bank of China commented:

“The issuance of digital currency can reduce the significant costs of issuing and circulating traditional currencies, improve the convenience and transparency of economic transactions, reduce money laundering, tax evasion and other criminal acts, enhance the central bank’s control of over the money supply and currency circulation, better support economic and social development and aid in extending financial services to under-served populations”.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
AussieBitcoin

How the blockchain can improve the Australian voting system

Flux Party is a new Australian political party that wants to renovate the voting system by using the blockchain.

In fact, they have proposed a new token-based political system based on the Bitcoin technology.
The Flux Party has more than 500 members and its objective is to have six senators on ballots during the next election that Australia will hold in September/October.

How it works

A special feature of this party is that its members are free of its own policies and they can vote for or against a legislation at the bidding of token holders.
“If they didn’t have to be senators, if they could just be software or robots they would be, because their only purpose is to do what the people want them to do”, commented the Flux Party co-founder Max Kaye.
So the bitcoin token could be used by the Flux members for voting but also for trading with other people.

Too old for the Internet era

Australian Flux party is clearly suggesting that the current democratic system is too old for the Internet age and for this reason they want to redistribute the political power by using Bitcoin.
Their own website states: “Our current system doesn’t work well enough; politics gets in the way of policy. Flux is an incremental upgrade to democracy designed to redistribute political power, maximise participation, remove bad policy, and empower voters.”
The Flux Party system will allow voters to be able to set their votes to experts on these issues.

A revolutionary but not so new idea

The idea of a blockchain-based voting system is very revolutionary and it is not developed only by the Fluxa Party.
In fact, Nasdaq and the Bitcoin Foundation have worked both on their own voting systems throught the blockchain technology.
About the author: Amelia Tomasicchio is a writer and a journalist of Bitcoin-related news and articles. She started writing about Bitcoin in 2014 and she graduated in Rome with an essay about movie industry related to Bitcoin.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio

Bitcoin’s Monthly Recap of June 2015

Welcome to HolyTransaction sixth monthly recap for the year 2015. This past month of June has has been eventful for Bitcoin due to events within the Bitcoin ecosystem and from the general economic world as well; during that time, the bitcoin price fell from a low of $223.51 to a high of $272.50, according to Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp.
Russia Reverses Stance on Bitcoin Ban, Open to P2P Transactions
According to Russian media Izvestia, the Russian government is expected to reverse its stance on Bitcoin in the coming months. Over the last year, different arms of the Russian government have come forward with different opinions on Bitcoin, with the Central Bank being notably open to the idea of cryptocurrencies. This news comes on the heels of a reversal on a website ban affecting several Russian Bitcoin sites. Around the world, an anti-Bitcoin stance is increasingly becoming more and more unpopular.
Decentralized Marketplace OpenBazaar Receives $1 Million USD Funding
The decentralized marketplace project, OpenBazaar, has raised $1 million USD in funding from names such as Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures. OpenBazaar has sometimes been called the spiritual successor to infamous marketplaces such as the Silk Road. Of course, that is not the purpose of the project; however, the applications of a secure and open marketplace software has obvious implications for the black market. The infusion of venture capital money into such a controversial area shows the promise of Bitcoin technology in the world of commerce.
Silk Road Investigator Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering
In the latest drama from the Silk Road drug market takedown, one of two federal agents working on the Silk Road case has plead guilty to money laundering, extortion, and other crimes. Carl Force infiltrated the Silk Road marketplace as the head of the Baltimore-based team that took down the infamous site; however, while leading the investigation, Force stole money from Silk Road and the now convicted Ross Ulbricht. Force even signed a movie deal with 20th Century Fox to detail his exploits. Another agent, Shaun Bridges, also plead guilty to similar crimes.
Nasdaq Private Market Works with Chain to use Bitcoin
In a continued show of interest in Bitcoin technology, the Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. has chosen Bitcoin startup Chain to test a new type of trading. Using Bitcoin technology, Nasdaq hopes to secure the trading of private company shares. The Nasdaq Private Market currently services pre-IPO trading of shares in private companies and blockchain technology will manifest here first. Nasdaq’s CEO Bob Greifeld explained: “As blockchain technology continues to redefine not only how the exchange sector operates, but the global financial economy as a whole, Nasdaq aims to be at the center of this watershed development.”
Greek Economic Crisis Raises Bitcoin Awareness
For the last month, the world has been eagerly watching Greece struggle with the European Union over its debt and a proposed deal to save the beleaguered country. In the meantime, banks, PayPal, and Western Union have all taken a much-felt hiatus from the country, leaving the Greek people to suffer financially. In this economic turmoil, many have started learning about Bitcoin. Bitcoin companies across Europe are reporting increased levels of usage and activity from the Greek area. In 2014, when Cyprus was having similar issues, interest in Bitcoin also experienced a noticeable jump.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Satoshi

Bitcoin’s Monthly Recap of March 2015

 

Welcome to HolyTransaction’s third monthly recap for the year 2015. This past month of March has been a real eye opener for the Bitcoin community; during that time, the bitcoin price fell from a high of $258.34 to a low of $244.24, according to Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp.

 

 

Third US Marshals Service Silk Road Bitcoin Auction Completed
https://www.coindesk.com/third-usms-bitcoin-auction-bidder-interest/

 

Compared with the previous two US Marshals Service auctions of Silk Road bitcoins, the number of participants was lower. However, at 14 bidders placing 34 bids during the auction, the participation is markedly higher than the second Silk Road Bitcoin auction which saw a low of 11 bidders. These USMS auctions have been ongoing since before Ross Ulbricht’s trial because of a deal struck in January of 2014 between the courts and Ulbricht and Ulbricht’s lawyer. At the time of the auction, the block of 50,000 BTC was worth roughly $13.4 million USD. The first auction was won by noted venture capitalist Tim Draper while the second auction was won by SecondMarket, the offerers of the new $GBTC Bitcoin investment fund. There remains one last auction of Ross Ulbricht’s bitcoins, seized during the Silk Road trial, for a block of 44,000 bitcoins. The final auction date has not been set.

 

Bitcoin Investment Trust Bitcoin “ETF” Shares Trading On OTC Market Before Winklevoss’s
https://www.nasdaq.com/article/the-first-bitcoin-etf-offers-easy-way-to-profit-from-virtual-currency-gbtc-cm450589#/ixzz3VcocZkx0

 

The Bitcoin Investment Trust, created by SecondMarket, has received approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to launch a Bitcoin fund and sell shares on the OTC market. Though Silbert has since moved on to the Digital Currency Group, his influence is still felt. Notably, the GBTC Bitcoin fund isn’t technically an ETF but it has launched ahead of the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust ETF, which was gunning to be the first but is still mired in the regulatory approval process. The current price of a GBTC share, however, is well, over the market price of bitcoin. For accredited investors, there is now a new safe way to bet on Bitcoin volatility.

 

T-Mobile Accepts Bitcoin in Poland and Even Offers 20% Bonus
https://bitcoinist.com/t-mobile-poland-discount-bitcoin-purchases/

 

T-Mobile in Poland has started to embrace Bitcoin like no other large telecom service provider before. Polish users of the T-Mobile cell network can now top off their accounts using bitcoin, which is accepted online, and receive a 20% bonus: Talk about incentive! In Poland, T-Mobile is one of the largest mobile phone operators with well over 15 million customers in the European country. The bonus and bitcoin acceptance comes from a partnership with Warsaw-based payments company, InPay. T-Mobile is currently testing out a 3 month trial. The Polish Bitcoin community is strong, as evidenced by this deal. Internationally, there have been Bitcoin for mobile minute credits and/or code conversion websites for years; however, the acceptance of Bitcoin by a major provider in a major country is a major milestone.

 

Dark Net Marketplace Evolution Admins Disappear with $12 million USD in Bitcoin
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/18/bitcoin-deep-web-evolution-exit-scam-12-million-dollars

 

Following the arrest of Ross Ulbricht in October of 2013, Evolution was one of many underground marketplaces to spring up on the infamous darknet. In fact, another underground marketplace called Sheep Marketplace also saw its owner disappear with user funds. Users and law enforcement alike have started to look for the thieves that have perpetrated the latest “Bitcoin exit scam.” The Bitcoin price fell on the news of the marketplace disappearing and hasn’t recovered since.

 

 

In the standard budget proceedings this year, Chancellor George Osborne released the government’s research on digital currency to date. The United Kingdom has taken an admirable approach to regulating but not stifling Bitcoin and digital currency innovation within the historical world financial capital of London. Future legislation from the UK will include measures to protect and support digital currencies and their related business development. Many Bitcoin companies in the UK stepped up to teach the government about digital currency when the “call for information” was released months ago.

 

Two Federal Agents Arrested, Charged With Stealing Bitcoins and Blackmailing During Silk Road Investigation
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/03/30/federal-agents-charged-with-stealing-bitcoin-from-silk-road-case/70672058/

 

Two former federal agents, Carl Force of the DEA and Shaun Bridges of the Secret Service, have been charged with counts of money laundering, wire fraud, theft, and conflict of interest. Agent Force is charged with blackmailing nearly a million dollars worth of bitcoin from Ross Ulbricht, who was recently convicted of running the Silk Road underground marketplace that only used bitcoins. Force also worked at Bitcoin exchange CoinMKT as their supposed anti-money laundering and compliance officer. The evidence and charges against agents directly involved in the takedown of Silk Road did not appear in Ulbricht’s trial because they were sealed at the time. Bridges, on the other hand, allegedly stole nearly $800,000 worth of bitcoins from the government after the bitcoins were seized from Silk Road servers. These newest revelations have undoubtedly shaken things up for those following the Silk Road Bitcoin story with interest.

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Satoshi

Analysts: Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF to pass SEC approval

As the Winklevoss twin’s highly-anticipated, not to mention first of its kind bitcoin exchange traded fund, inches its way towards becoming a reality, ETF analysts are weighing on the likeliness of the fund securing the SEC’s approval. 
Chief Investment Officer of ETF.com, Dave Nadig, tells International Business Times
“I don’t see very much in the way of impediments to it at this point, “everything I see in the Bitcoin filing is by the book so it would be a surprise if they officially deny it. If they pocket veto it and kind of ignore it for a while… that’s a possibility.”
The Winklevoss twins, who have claimed to own as many as 1% of all bitcoins in circulation, recently revealed in their fourth filing since the ETF’s initial proposal that the fund will trade on the NASDAQ under the ‘COIN’ symbol.
The twins’ bitcoin ETF seeks to appeal to investors who want to get in on the digital currency under regulated conditions, which further opens the door to large institutional investors who cannot yet hold bitcoin directly on brokerage statements. Furthermore, the fund hopes to mitigate the risk often associated with storing the digital currency while providing a template for tax reporting. 
ETFtrends web editor, Todd Shriber explains: 
“If the Bitcoin ETF is classified as a commodity ETF, the rate of tax they’ll be paying will much higher than if they bought a currency ETF.”
ETFtrends.com editor and president of Global Trends Investments, Tom Lydon says that given the twins’ openness about the status of the ETF, which can only go so far due to SEC laws and procedures, the likeness of it securing approval is highly likely: 
“I would feel strongly it’s going to happen it may not be as soon as people would hope, I wouldn’t imagine they would continue talking about it and making progress if in fact it would not come to fruition.”
Lydon tells IBT that the largest impediment in terms of acquiring investors will lie in the education of those interested parties. However, thankfully, he adds, “they’re pretty good at explaining what Bitcoin is.”

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Satoshi