Bitcoin payments, who accepts them?
BTC Accepted here
A short infographic on industry acceptance of BTC
Cryptocurrencies skyrocked in 2017.
Everybody has heard for sure some friends speaking about it or read news about blockchain revolutionary potential.
The topics mostrly discussed are the highs and lows of crypto prices, the volatility of it, the mindblowing innovation and projects, the best places where buy cryptos or authority’s point of view on them.
But here’s one of the most interesting topics, that sometimes is left unexplored:
Who is actually accepting Bitcoin payments?
This is a very good question which can give a more thoroughful perspective on how companies look at the crypto-world; and that can help everyone understanding the potential spread of the blockchain philosophy.
In fact companies like Shopify, Subway, and Tesla have fully accepted Bitcoin payments, and you can pay for any of their products or services with them. However, even if a company doesn’t support Bitcoin, there are some creative ways to buy their best products with it. For example, Gyft.com will help you buy Nike shoes with Bitcoin, while Expedia has embraced this cryptocurrency altogether.
To better understand who accepts bitcoin payments, we are happy to share with you this amazing infographic provided by our friends of 16Best.net
Enjoy the reading
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Bitcoin explained to the next generation
Almost everybody in the world who has access to the internet has heard of Bitcoin, even small children. However, hearing about it and actually knowing what it is are two different things.
This is why our friends from mikesgearreviews.com realized and then shared with us an exceptional infographic.
Indeed, Cryptocurrency is a complicated matter which some adults can’t even comprehend, much less kids. But it’s also possible to teach some basic concepts to non-techie people too.
Here’s a new way to teach children about Bitcoin’s values and logics in a way that is easy for their inquisitive brains to understand.
Enjoy this analogies and remember to keep you mind fresh. Get in the shoes of a five year old now:
Credits:
Infographic from mikesgearreviews
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5 Gold Trading Lessons for Today’s Cryptocurrency Investors
For people who have traced the movements of Bitcoin since its inception, it’s hard to believe that it has only been around for less than a decade. As discussed here on HolyTransaction, the world’s first cryptocurrency has had a wild ride so far, from the downright bizarre (two pizzas for 10,000 BTC) to the extremely exciting. As of the start of the year, Bitcoin’s market cap was valued at $280 billion (€226 billion), with cryptocurrency like Ethereum following at impressive valuations of $90.4 billion (€73 billion).
These figures make investing in cryptocurrencies incredibly tempting, but also quite daunting. With such a young market, there aren’t a lot of set rules or trends that can help guide you on your investment journey. This is where looking at similar trading commodities like gold and other precious metals come in. After all, FXCM explains that gold trading is simultaneously one of the oldest and most exciting ways to invest in global markets, and this remains true whether in times of war and turmoil or peace and prosperity. With the right focus and lots of discipline, there’s plenty of wisdom to be uncovered from looking at the history of gold trading.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to dip your toes into the cryptocurrency pool or an experienced trader hoping to build your wisdom in Bitcoin investing, here are five golden lessons for today’s cryptocurrency investors.
Diversify, diversify, diversify!
This tip seems basic, but focusing on a single trading commodity remains one of the most common mistakes investors make. A conservative position in gold investing means a maximum of 10% gold in your portfolio, and this is something that you can keep in mind when investing in cryptocurrencies. This can not only protect you from unexpected Bitcoin price dips, but can also open up better growth opportunities with lower risks and good returns. From the over 1,300 different cryptocurrencies in existence, This is Money recommends looking into altcoins like Litecoin, Monero, and Dash this 2018.
Stay calm in the face of volatility.
Gold can easily swing by a hundred pips and reverse every few minutes, which means trading in gold requires a certain degree of thick skin and steel-like determination. These are also very handy when trading cryptocurrencies, which are infamous for their volatility. In crypto-speak, be ready to “HODL”, or hold on for dear life (your coins), even when everyone else is panicking.
Set a loss limit.
Be sure to set acceptable loss limits for your investments and avoid buying too much. Financial Times reports that even a trusty commodity like gold has its own set of risks, which means it’s healthy to set stops for each individual trade for a maximum allowable loss that you are comfortable with. Invest only what you can stand to lose, and keep evaluating your trading strategies to learn which cryptocurrencies are best suited for you.
Keep your eyes on the prize.
Whatever your feelings are about shiny yellow metals or blockchain-enabled digital currencies, Forbes claims that these are still commodities that can be sold when prices are high and bought when prices are low. Focus on market trends and see where the prices are heading, and use these to inform your decisions. Pay attention to cycles, growth patterns, and market potential to make decisions, instead of which cryptocurrencies everyone else is buying.
Security and safety is a must.
Last but not least, invest only on trusted trading platforms and certified services. Millions of people have been victimised by gold-related scams and fraudulent brokers over the years, and it’s important to carry the same level of vigilance when carrying out cryptocurrency wallet transactions. Keep your money and investments safe with your free digital wallet here at HolyTransaction.
Do you have any other tips for cryptocurrency trading? Let us know in the comments below!
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Send to Bitcoin SegWit bech32 addresses!
SegWit on HolyTransaction
We are very excited to announce that HolyTransaction has implemented support for Bitcoin bech32 address formats on its platform. You can now enter a bech32 address when sending bitcoin from HolyTransaction. When depositing, you can also transfer the bitcoins to HolyTransaction from a bech32 address. HolyTransaction is the first web wallet to implement the native SegWit address format.
Native SegWit address bech32
Bitcoin bech32 addresses start with “bc1”. Segwit bech32 format has some technical benefits over the already used SegWit address format, which includes decreased transaction fees and increased throughput. Moreover, the new address format is case-insensitive and consists only of lower cases so the chance of typing an error is lower.
SegWit
SegWit makes it possible to rearrange the information in a block. Consequently, the block can contain more information and it makes transaction processing more cost-effective. Therefore, the blockchain can process much more transactions per second. This is a big step for the entire cryptocurrency community.
We believe this improvement will be welcome by the community. Tell your friends!
Check your wallet and try it out.
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You can’t leash the DOGE
When ideas and community purpose matter more than the last fin-tech innovation.
Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency, a form of digital money that like bitcoin, enables peer-to-peer transactions across a decentralized network.
If you’ve spent any time on the internet during the last decade, you shall have heard of the Doge meme: the iconic Shibe, barking comic sans quote like, “so scare,” “much noble,” “wow.”
At the peak of the meme’s popularity near the tail end of 2013, Palmer, an Australian marketer for one of the world’s largest tech companies, made a joke combining two of the internet’s most talked-about topics: cryptocurrency and Doge.
It was a joke taking aim at the bizarre world of crypto and at the recent coin-naming hype.
“Investing in Dogecoin,” Palmer tweeted, “pretty sure it’s the next big thing.”
And the tweet got a lot of attention.
So the joke became a true play.
He bought the Dogecoin.com domain and uploaded a photoshopped Shibe on a coin. Adding a note on the site: If you want to make Dogecoin a reality, get in touch.
And this is just the tip. So, If you are interested in knowing the greatest detail of Dogecoin history, we bet you’ll like this article by Alex Moskov published at CoinCentral.com
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Bitcoin vs. Litecoin: What makes them different?
When it comes to cryptocurrencies, one name stands out from the rest: Bitcoin. Bitcoin is the gold standard upon which all the other cryptocurrencies, cumulatively known as altcoins, are evaluated. And that’s rightly so because Bitcoin is the most popular, the biggest in terms of market capitalization and so far, the one most likely to break into mainstream use. But among the contenders for the throne, one cryptocurrency that closely resembles Bitcoin and the earliest altcoin is Litecoin. It was created primarily to be a “lighter” version of Bitcoin. In fact, many people refer to it as ‘silver’ to Bitcoin’s ‘gold’.
Why is that the case? An attempt to answer brings us to the issue of Bitcoin vs. Litecoin, exactly what we are trying to explore here. Let’s point out the similarities as well as explain the differences between these two cryptocurrencies.
A brief history
Bitcoin was created by Satoshi Nakamoto who released the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008, before Bitcoin Core was launched on 3rd January 2009. On the other hand, Litecoin was created by Charles Lee and released on October 7th, 2011.
Price and Market capitalization
Whereas Bitcoin and Litecoin share a lot in terms of their blockchain protocols, the same cannot be said about their prices and market valuation. We could say both are dependent on the market trends and user flexibilities, but the variation isn’t even close. Today, bitcoin commands the largest market share, dominating by 42% of the total market capitalization to stand at $163 billion. BTC trades at $9636 against the USD and was at its all-time high of $19,535 on Dec 17, 2017. Bitcoin has a current circulating supply of 16,914,275 BTC against a maximum supply of 21 million coins.
Litecoin, on the other hand, is ranked 5th on coinmarketcap.com with a market cap of $10.4 billion. Its price today is $187, though it climbed to an all-time high of $366 on 19 December 2017 when its market cap was also just shy of $20 billion. Incidentally, Litecoin on that day had a daily volume of an incredible $2.3 billion. The circulating supply of LTC is currently 55, 592,093 LTC with a maximum supply of 84 million LTC.
When compared in terms of Market capitalization and price valuation, Bitcoin is 10x bigger or more than Litecoin. The same applies to popularity and use. While they both function as a store of value and can be used to make payments for goods and services, Bitcoin is accepted by far more companies and individuals than Litecoin.
Coin supply and transaction speed
Bitcoin and Litecoin differ in terms of the maximum coin supply. While Bitcoin’s total supply is capped at 21 million coins, Litecoin will have a total of 84 million coins. Though they differ in this aspect, both coins are deflationary, and their coin trajectory may appear similar. Another similarity is that both coins are divisible into smaller parts that enable micro-payments for goods and services. The smallest Bitcoin part is called a “Satoshi”.
But the two coins do differ in relation to the amount of time it takes to generate a new block. Litecoin block generation is halved after every 840,000 blocks, which is four times more than bitcoin at 210,000 blocks. For Bitcoin, a new block is generated after approximately 10 minutes. However, Litecoin miners use about two and half minutes to generate a new block. This results in the variation of transaction speeds between the two coins.
Due to having a faster block time, Litecoin’s network is normally able to confirm transactions much faster than Bitcoin. For instance, it would take 10 minutes to confirm four transactions on the Litecoin network, whereas the same amount of time would be just enough to verify one block of transactions on the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin has been implementing changes to its protocol to scale better and increase transaction speed.
It is expected that Lightning Network will make Bitcoin faster. However, Litecoin will look to implement the same protocol as it often times, does with every Bitcoin update.
Mining algorithms
Mining is a very vital component of cryptocurrency, precisely those that use the proof of work mining consensus mechanism. What we said earlier about block generation essentially amounts to the concept of mining. Basically, mining refers to the addition of new blocks to the main chain on the network to form a “blockchain”. Cryptocurrencies utilize different cryptographic algorithms to secure transactions on the blockchain. Bitcoin uses the SHA-256 algorithm that allows for the use of ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) for mining.
This hardware equipment came to replace the GPU and FPGA miners. Bitcoin mining is a complex activity but can be summarized as the solving of computational math problems to verify and secure a new block to the blockchain. Bitcoin miners (nodes) get rewarded 12.5 Bitcoins for every new block. One criticism leveled at bitcoin mining is that the process consumes a lot of energy resulting in massive electricity bills.
Mining is also an important aspect of Litecoin. Scrypt is the mining algorithm used on the Litecoin network. The Scrypt algorithm is designed to be resistant to customized ASIC miners due to its memory-hard nature. This makes mining Litecoin a lot easier as you can do it using a CPU or GPU. however, there are concerns that Litecoin’s CPU/GPU mining days may be soon over as ASIC miners targeting the Scrypt algorithm have been developed by companies like Zeus and Flower Technology. While miners on the Bitcoin platform get rewarded 12.5 BTC for every new block, Litecoin miners get 25 LTC for every new block validly added to the blockchain. It should be noted that mining Litecoin is relatively cheaper than bitcoin, but Bitcoin could be more profitable for those with the right equipment.
Conclusion
Bitcoin and Litecoin share a lot in common when it comes to the functional aspect of being stores of value. However, Bitcoin beats Litecoin on numerous fronts, specifically on price valuation and market adoption. Naturally, bitcoin would be an attractive coin for investment, but if you are looking for an affordable crypto with the potential to grow then Litecoin could be it.
This Article was provided by our friend Ronni Martelli
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Why Telegram is so popular in the crypto community?
Bitcoin can rightly be called the “star” of the past year, since its price rise attracted the world attention to the cryptocurrency market, which becomes inexorably popular from day to day. Questions about how to become a member of the crypto community and earn from it provoked the creation of Telegram channels about cryptocurrencies, which provide users with all the information they are interested in the real-time mode.
And the lack of monetization of the application makes it attractive for both individual participants and large projects – so much attractive that many decentralized projects, digital publishers houses and even exchanges use the messenger and create the full-fledged platforms for communication and advertising. There are even whole groups of “whales” – the owners of large states in the cryptocurrency. Such public accounts can have up to 30 000 – 40 000 active users. The most famous have the talking name – Whale Club and Coin Farm. Here you can meet those who bought bitcoin only for $ 1, and sold for $ 9,000.
$ 5,000 per subscription
There are some channels, sending signals, related to the growth of exchange rates, to subscribers. At the same time, the monetization of such communities is quite successful. So, the price of joining a closed paid channel can reach $ 5,000. Many users are willing to pay such amounts, because they are sure: with one signal it is possible to multiply your asset by up to 10 times. You can be part of a speculative market, but it’s much more effective to create it yourself. This is the opinion of the pump groups subscribers, whose goal is to repeatedly increase the price of a particular currency by making a group exchange purchase by using the strategy of increasing. The final sale price is usually announced in advance and exceeds the purchase price by at least 2 times. For example, in the leading Russian-language pump channel Big Russian PUMP no less than + 200% increase is promised. Further, after the agreed sale, the rate may return to the original values. On such jumps in the token price it is easy to understand whether a coin was pumped or it’s a question of growth against the background of natural demand.
Where is Lambo?
Which messenger still can boast of having the games-bots? Of course, there is no sense to expect a wow effect from them, but they can help to spent some time while transit.
Well, finally, no hype is done without memes, especially when it comes to millions of dollars. If you know the crypto market for a long time, then, for sure, you are familiar with the phrase “When moon?”, which means waiting for the coin to grow. We have collected the top 5 phrases and memes, which any self-respecting crypto trader should know:
1st place – To the moon
The growth of each single coin on crypto market is accompanied with the image of a rocket flying to the moon. Originally for bitcoin, the “cosmic” growth was a figure of $ 1000, then it reached 2000, and now, to fly to the moon, it must overcome the barrier of $ 50,000. In general, for altcoins this distance is much less.
2nd place – When lambo?
Along with cosmic symbolism, the sign of the crypto trader’ success is Lamborghini, or, as it was fixed in the community, “lambo”. Why is this car, and not Ferrari or Tesla, is unknown. But you can always count how many coins you need to buy this sport car. For example, according to https://crypto-to-lambo.com/, the bitcoin owner will need only 36 coins.
3 place – Just HODL
Being just some typos, the word hodl (instead of hold – hold), actively spread in the cryptocurrency community’ circles. However, later, it acquired its own meaning: «HODL», Hold on for dear life
4th place – Mr Trader
Judging by the diversity of this set of stickers, the popular Mr. Trader went through all the charms of crypto market.
5th place – Cryptolamb
When it comes to the falling market, no one wants to be known as a “cryptolamb”. This slang characterizes an inexperienced trader who buys the currency at the last stages of growth, often during the pump, without discouraging initial costs.
And, at last, we will be honest, Telegram gives only those mailings on which the user is subscribed. There is no place to spam. The only weighty drawback is the number of channels in the phone of the cryptocurrency community member, which quickly grows to a very significant one, making it difficult to use the messenger for its intended purpose and turning it into a clogged news line.
This Article was provided by our friend Christopher Owen
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Ten Years Of The World With Bitcoin Living in a crazy-crazy crypto world.
Bitcoin rose from unknown to mainstream recognition largely thanks the incredulous surge in value it saw in 2017. But then the price went down, sparking yet another heated discussion about the volatile unpredictability of the bitcoin.
Nowadays, discussions are all at their all time hype, but worth just as long as the participants know what they are talking about; and the audience has at least some grasp of the matter. But it rarely happens, as the vast majority of experts are as clueless about the intricacies of the crypto markets as is the general audience.
The infographic below, provided by our friends at BitcoinPlay, will not make us all marketing gurus but will give you a much better understanding about the driving forces behind the world’s first cryptocurrency, how it came to be, who embraced it first and how countries are handling it.
Here’s a selection of our favourite ones:
- On May 22 2010 two Pizzas cost 10k bitcoins.
- In 2013 FBI made $48 million by selling on auction one seized 144,000 Bitcoins.
- 100$ invested in July 2010 is now 18.8 million.
- Since april 2017 Bitcoin is legal payment method in Japan.
- Blockchain ledger technology when used by top10 investment bank could save $8-$12 billions.
- Chinese Mining Pool control approximately 81% of the Bitcoin network’s collective hashrate.
- Overstock, Dell, Expedia, Dish and Microsoft accept Bitcoin payments.
- University of Nicosia, Cyprus was the first University to accept tuition to be paid in Bitcoin.
- Bitcoin is vat free in Switzerland.
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Batching Bitcoin and Litecoin transactions
HolyTransaction implemented SegWit on Bitcoin and Litecoin back in November 2017; and now we are glad to announce another upgrade to help the BTC network, as well the LTC network, reduce its transaction fee costs.
We implemented batching of transactions to help reduce fees for the entire network in order to strengthen the ecosystem.
Batches now allow grouping similar transactions and processing them together, as one transaction in one single moment. Thanks to this process, HolyTransaction is able to help conserve precious blockspace on the Bitcoin network.
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SegWit transactions are here
When checking your Bitcoin address from your balance page, you may have noticed that the address currently displayed differs from one you have seen listed in the past.
Thanks to the latest improvements in Bitcoin Core, we are happy to announce that HolyTransaction implemented the SegWit technology to improve the Bitcoin network capacity and reduce the network fees.
All new addresses generated for Bitcoin and Litecoin by the HolyTransaction wallet will be SegWit addresses.
We believe this change will be welcome by the community and will also help HolyTransaction reach new users. Check your wallet and try it out.
What’s SegWit?
SegWit makes it possible to rearrange the information in a block. Consequently, the block can contain more information and it makes transaction processing more cost-effective. Receiving payments on these SegWit addresses does not differ from typical addresses in any way. As of now, around 10% of all Bitcoin transactions pass in SegWit.
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