CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 — The HTMLCoin Foundation has recently announced a partnership with BlockPay, a tech startup based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Within the terms of the agreement, BlockPay will utilize the AltHash Blockchain to bring an extra level of confidence and security to its fiat transactions solution, while developmental and maintenance support of all blockchain-related structures will be provided by the HTMLCoin Foundation’s tech teams.
“Our team has developed a unique formula that allows international financial transactions with standard currencies without an intermediary. At the moment, we are well on our way to making a platform that will allow both online and offline transactions for all types of users, both individuals and businesses. BlockPay is seen as one of the largest online payment systems for the next 25 years,” explains Nejc Paradiž, BlockPay’s CEO.
The HTMLCoin Foundation and BlockPay partnership’s final product, based on BlockPay’s current proprietary solution, will be a fiat currency transaction system that will utilize a smart contract at the core of its validation and persistence processes, to perform secure and efficient fund transfers. All fiat transactions will be replicated in the AltHash blockchain, which will provide not only permanent storage for all transactions but also the indisputable privacy of cryptography.
This ambitious project has just entered its development stage, with a planned time frame of approximately two months for the deployment of the blockchain layer.
For more news about this exciting project, you can follow HTMLCoin and BlockPay latest news through the links below:
1 hour time frame shows a horizontal movement since yesterday. RSI shows a horizontal movement averaging at 50, Stochastic RSI is way up to 75%, MACD 12,26 is at 0 and is about to cross moving up. There was an increase of 4.31% since the dramatic drop yesterday exacerbated by FUD.
1 day time Fame show a different picture. Relative strength Index of 63%, Stochastics cross at 30% showing an upward trend, and MACD is at high +225. Price ranges $5425 to $5430.00 at present time as this is written.
The most common argument people have about cryptocurrency is that it has no intrinsic value, unlike fiat currency. You will hear people say that real money is “paper”. Cryptocurrency is virtual and therefore does not exist. However, there is so much more wrong than right to these statements. The truth is money is only paper as a medium of exchange. The fact is that not all money can be backed by paper. Is it possible for everybody to have a valuation of their money in paper when they suddenly decide to withdraw their funds from the bank. It is impossible since not every bank has enough supply to dispense.
During the recent financial crises that affected parts of Europe, like Greece for example, banks controlled the money supply limiting their citizens to how much they can withdraw. This is an example of not having enough cash or paper money to dispense, but also of how little control individuals have of their own funds. In Venezuela the government just keeps printing money which leads to hyperinflation and therefore a devaluation of the local currency. Suddenly you see the price of basic commodities go up by 1,000% or more and having a million amounts to no value whatsoever.
Money’s real value is not in paper. Paper is cheap, but also not sustainable you can argue. Imagine how many trees need to be cut down to make enough paper money to back up everybody’s valuation in their bank accounts.It is a physical object which people have associated with their funds. However when it comes to storage there is simply not enough for banks to hold and distribute. That is why banks will collapse if suddenly everybody decides to withdraw their funds. Not only will they not have enough paper currency but they also cannot allow that since it will deplete their supply. Thus banks implement limit and restrictions on how much withdrawals can be made. During times of financial crisis, people are at a disadvantage. What if that money was needed to buy food and medicine, basic things for survival.
The truth is, most money is just electrons now. They are digitally stored as bits in a computer when accessed. It is just the value of someones balances that is recorded in a database. According to the Economic Times, 92% of the world’s money is now digital. We use our debit cards and credit cards to make payments. It is now even easier with Apple Pay, Android Pay and other electronic payment services. We are just adding or subtracting balances to our bank statements but there is no actual transfer of physical paper currency during transactions.
So what about cryptocurrency? It is not paper money either. It is also digitally recorded, but in a cryptographically secured immutable and transparent database called a blockchain. Today banks and other financial institutions have also gone digital, but they don’t have the main feature of cryptocurrency which is decentralization. This is what prevents banks from restricting how much money you can withdraw and how you want to use it. Banks can even freeze your account, which is part of their policy, and there is not much you can do about it.
An important lesson from cryptocurrency is the benefits of decentralization. Money should be personal and totally under ones own control. That is option of course, because there are still people who prefer to trust their finances to a third party. However if you want to be your own bank, then you have that option too when using cryptocurrency. No limits, no minimum balances and certainly no hidden fees or charges.
Most of what we do with money is now done electronically since it is digital. You can pay online as well, when it comes to car payments, mortgage, rent and even retail. Many are already using Alibaba and Amazon to purchase items online and they don’t use cash. They use their credit card as the form of payment which is all electronic. Cryptocurrency is the same but is much better and more up to date in handling electronic payment systems.
Cryptocurrency is direct P2P (Peer to Peer) meaning there is no middle man. A customer can pay directly to the merchant without clearing and settlements with other parties like banks and credit card companies. This allows instant transfer of value. This feature also makes cryptocurrency ideal for remittances from overseas foreign workers sending money back to their home countries. Banks do feel threatened since they are slow in adopting these technologies. It can actually benefit them too once they integrate it with their systems.
The road to mass adoption is dependent on its utility and regulation. The SEC in the US is trying to regulate for the most part, but the system is decentralized. There is no actual company that makes cryptocurrency, these are all projects that were meant to be distributed to a large group of users. Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Ethereum have no owners. They are under a core development community and foundation that support it, but the SEC cannot really go after them. There is a grey area which regulators still need to address.
So cryptocurrency is just like any other currency. It has value that is determined by the market for its demand. Bitcoin is a store of value commodity which is exchanged not with physical cash but thru electronic digital exchanges. There are no Bitcoin paper currency, it exists on the blockchain. There are many benefits for the finance industry to adopt cryptocurrency. When the time comes for the world to go paperless and cashless, when all payments will be electronic, the features of cryptocurrency are a model to follow. When the time comes that you can pay for a cup of coffee easily with cryptocurrency, we can really say that adoption is finally here.
Note: Things are evolving fast in fintech and the world of cryptocurrency. We may see more adoption come when big business allow for payments and when government’s recognize it as a medium of exchange for all or most transactions.
The first Hackathon with blockchain technology in Davao City! Form a team of 3-5 people!
WHAT IS BLOCKATHON?
Blockathon is a 24-hour hackathon for developing ideas into solutions using blockchain technology. In this entire weekend, you will brainstorm, build, program and test your own blockchain innovation project. Build a team now of programmer, marketer, business development and sales enthusiast, and designer, and bring your idea to life. You’ll have a two full-day of hustling, learning from mentors, networking and preparing to pitch your awesome idea!
HOW TO JOIN?
Create a team of 3-5. A good team has a good mix of expertise in programming, marketing or sales and design.
WHERE IS THE BLOCKATHON?
Blockathon will be at the Kadena Hub, Mabini St. corner Araullo St., Davao City
What is the minimum output expected over the weekend?
The hackathon will require each team to come up with at least a working prototype of their application/solution/idea. No need for full code. Each team is expected to show what their solution is about and how it works, and how they plan to market it.
What you should bring?
Computer Other gadgets like charging cables, flash drives, external monitors or other technology you may need for the weekend Extra clothes, toothbrush and other necessary toiletries.
Photochain revolutionizes the status quo of photography trading. It is a decentralized, peer-to-peer image platform on blockchain with fair conditions, attractive incentivation mechanisms, lowest fees in the market and full control over the content, price and license type for the photographer. On the IPFS Photochain database, each uploaded photo is linked to a photographer through a blockchain transaction. This link cannot be removed or manipulated in any way. Photochain is in the pole position and ready to disrupt the monopolized photography industry with a great, experienced and influential team and board of advisors.
They recently won 3rd place in the ICO Pitch Competition at the Blockchain Leadership. Thanks to our attractive demo MVP, the judges could see envision exactly what the final product will look like in addition to what we will achieve for photographers.
They are partnered with the highly rated Blockchain Zoo (top 3 blockchain consulting firm world wide).
Photochain is created around 4 key pillars.
P2P Marketplace They want buyers and sellers determine their own terms of sale, so we allow them to trade directly with one another. Using blockchain to remove the need for costly processing, we guarantee photographers to receive 95% of the earnings from their works.
Easy Onboarding A simple identity verification for all photographers. Unlike with traditional photostocks which require lots of prerequisites, a user can be actively selling work in minutes. The removal of prerequisites further allows the platform to be fully accessible and profitable to hobby, amateur and professional photographers alike.
Digital Copyright Chain Their decentralized database ensures each uploaded photo is hashed into the blockchain and permanently linked to its owner. This link cannot be changed removed or manipulated in any way. Any further uploaded image is also hashed and compared to the existing DCC for copyright fraud. Additionally due to the permanent link, any misuse of the image outside of paid licenses is easily detectable.
Crypto Economy They are helping to build a crypto economy, where we have more control over our data. A fairer economy where you are rewarded for your work. They believe photographers deserve fair compensation for their efforts and their creativity.
Disclaimer: We are not an employee nor a paid endorser of Photochain. We do not also advice readers to buy or invest on Photochain ICO. We create awareness on different industries where blockchain is being used or applied.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said that “cryptocurrency is his safe word” in a tweet that was posted on April 13.
Cryptocurrency is my safe word
Musk was responding to a user who jokingly asked if Musk was secretly bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The billionaire entrepreneur has spoken about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies extensively in the past, mostly on Twitter.
Musk has talked about cryptocurrencies several times in the past, even calling it “quite brilliant” and saying holders deserve a Nobel Prize for delayed gratification.
Musk has also joked in the past about Dogecoin being his favorite cryptocurrency. The Dogecoin Twitter handle polled followers on who they would like to see become the CEO of Dogecoin – and Musk trounced the competition. Musk obliged, changing his bio to read Dogecoin CEO and making a few tweets about the project.
Musk has appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, the popular podcast that has also seen the likes of Jack Dorsey of Twitter (who also has positive words to say about bitcoin), though he had nothing to say about bitcoin or cryptocurrencies then.
Most people are more or less familiar with Bitcoin and what it can do, but when it comes to the lesser-known Ethereum, it’s not uncommon to hear a pin drop in the room.
All about Ethereum
Ethereum is a public, peer-to-peer network or blockchain with its own cryptocurrency called Ether. It was created in 2014 by Vitalik Buterin, with the purpose of being a platform on which smart contracts can be built and run. Simply put, Ethereum is intended to be a world computer.
Where Bitcoin stores a list of balances and transactions on its blockchain, the Ethereum blockchain is designed to store different types of data.
This data can be accessed and used by computer programs running on the
Ethereum blockchain. These programs are called decentralised apps, or dApps. Another significant difference between Bitcoin and Ethereum is that the supply of Bitcoin is capped at 21 million to ever be produced, while Ethereum is not capped to any specific quantity.
Developers around the world can build and run decentralised applications on the Ethereum blockchain.
The purpose of these is to improve the finance, personal information storage, governance, and other industries by using the transparent nature of blockchain.
Unlike the pseudonymous creator(s) of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, we know quite a lot about the man behind Ethereum. Vitalik Buterin was a developer working on Bitcoin around the time Ethereum was first mentioned in a whitepaper in 2013. He believed Bitcoin should have been made to be more customisable and should go a step further than simply being a store of wealth.
Ethereum pioneered the ICO(initial coin offering), selling initial investors about 60 million Ether tokens while the project was still in development. Since then, Ethereum has grown substantially with multiple other projects having been developed and launched on the platform (with varying degrees of success).
More than just ‘money’
If we’re talking about what unique benefits Ethereum holds, we need to consider smart contracts. Ethereum aims to make everyday life more efficient and cost-effective by automating daily processes and removing the middlemen from the systems we use. These systems range from legal to financial, medical, and more.
So, why does this matter to you?
Let’s take a look at a practical example. Consider that someone has their personal documents: identity documents, a last will and testament, and a title deed for their house stored on the Ethereum blockchain. When they pass away, their death certificate will also be uploaded to the blockchain.
The processes that need to take place after a person’s death are highly admin intensive and take a significant amount of time due to the number of different parties involved in the process (i.e. legal professionals, the government, tax authorities, etc.). But, because all of these documents are stored on the Ethereum blockchain, the last will and testament can automatically be put into action.
Whichever next of kin the deceased chose to bequeath their house to will receive the transfer automatically, with no involvement from a legal professional (and no extra costs, either). Imagine the amount of time and resources saved due to the automation of this common and extremely stressful occurrence in life.
Smart cases for smart contracts
There are a whole host of other ingenious conceptual use cases for Ethereum. For instance:
Manage your digital identity
Identity theft and the unlawful use of personal data are some of the most rampant and concerning issues in the technology age. Through smart contract-based identity management programs, it’s possible to store and link your personal documents (identity documents, passports, etc.) so that the required details are made available to the trusted party when needed.
In this way, your information cannot be forged or copied and is always stored on the Ethereum blockchain for a specific purpose
— Wouldn’t that be nifty?
Healthcare
There are a number of blockchain startups leveraging the Ethereum blockchain to make accessing medical details and prescriptions easier and safer than ever. This allows for a single point of truth to exist on a public, decentralised network allowing doctors to access your accurate medical records with ease and making it harder for fraudsters to use your information nefariously.
Thinking back to the 2017 ransomware attack that affected around 16 hospitals in the UK and it helps us truly understand how a decentralised network could have prevented the entire ordeal
— Doesn’t that just make so much sense?
Third-party privacy
You know how when you spoke about the latest Adidas shoes to your friend last night and woke up to a flurry of Adidas shoe adverts on your social media platforms this morning? Although it may seem a scarily intuitive marketing ploy, it’s also the unethical harvesting of your personal data (and personal conversations). And if that doesn’t bother you, it might bother you slightly more to know how much money big corporations are making of off your personal information without you even knowing about it, let alone having your consent.
Ethereum’s blockchain technology could drastically decrease the possibility of data collection by logging every time a search engine or third-party application uses your data. These logs would be kept public on the blockchain, meaning it would be a lot more transparent (and riskier) for these multi-billion dollar companies to essentially steal your data.
— Only then would we able to truly choose who to share our data with.
To infinity and beyond
It’s still early days and we haven’t yet witnessed any practical use of Ethereum in the mainstream. Again, there are a whole host of other ingenious conceptual use cases for Ethereum. But no matter who you are, at least one of these possibilities should matter to you (unless you’re a cat or something). It’s encouraging to see the number of talented people working in this space, and we’re very interested to see how the Ethereum blockchain develops, and for when and how it becomes more prevalent.
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