Monday, August 6, 2018

Tokens keep fallin' on my head

Smartdrops, a new alternative to airdrops, are gaining steam; Blythe Masters on Digital Asset's next chapter
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August 6, 2018
PICKING THEIR SPOTS: “Smartdrops,” a newly minted alternative to airdrops, seem to be gaining steam.

This concept has garnered attention after a July Medium post by Yeoman's Capital founder and long-time industry investor David Johnston, in which he encouraged blockchain startups to take a more targeted approach than dumping tokens to everybody with an ethereum address. 

These projects often have a hard time attracting the "bootstrappers" Johnston refers to, and their tokens frequently become objects of speculation more so than objects of utility. Smartdrops attempt to solve that problem. Full story

TIME TO SHINE: Digital Asset, the enterprise blockchain startup founded by Blythe Masters, a former executive at JPMorgan, is entering its next chapter.

In an interview with CoinDesk, Masters said her company's recently announced partnership with Google Cloud will unleash the potential for web-paced innovation in blockchain and establish use cases for a broader market than just financial services. Full Story

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: Bitcoin is not set for new highs in 2018, Tuur Demeester, an economist and investor, predicts in a commentary piece on CoinDesk.

Due to sluggish retail demand, hesitation from institutions and a relatively high market cap, he expects more sideways trading and downside potential in the bitcoin price.  Full Story


An investigation by CoinDesk Research has found methodological flaws in widely-cited bitcoin exchange data that appear to overstate the importance of the Japanese yen as a trading pair:
  • Trading data collected from July 26-30 suggests that the U.S. dollar, not the yen, is the dominant currency traded for bitcoin by a wide margin
  • If the dollar’s dominance of bitcoin trading continues, this data could potentially prompt U.S. regulators to take a more active role in shaping global cryptocurrency trading regulations
  • The pervasiveness of the flawed data speaks volumes about the nascent state of the industry’s data practices
Learn more research insights here. 
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The Oxford Blockchain Strategy programme is developed for business leaders, innovators, and future thinkers with an interest in blockchain. This programme gives you a fundamental understanding of blockchain, and its implications and effects on your business strategy. Visit the programme page to learn more.
 
RUDDERLESS: Bitcoin is trading in an indecisive manner after hitting 19-day lows below $6,900 on Sunday; technical charts show the price could pick up a bid on acceptance above $7,100. Full story  
BEST OF THE BEST

WALL STREET JOURNAL: An in-depth analysis by the newspaper discovered trading groups are manipulating the price of cryptocurrencies on some of the largest online exchanges, a practice that caused at least $825 million in losses over seven months for those who bet on the wrong side.

The review of trading data and online communications among traders between January and the end of July identified an astounding 175 “pump and dump” schemes, one of the oldest types of market fraud, involving 121 different digital coins.

THE REST

BLOOMBERG: Goldman Sachs is mulling over a plan to offer custody for crypto funds, the news wire reports, citing anonymous sources.  But the company said it has not reached a conclusion on the scope of its digital asset offering.

CNBC: Will McDonough, former top executive at a number of notable Wall Street firms including Avenue Capital and Goldman Sachs, is joining the growing group of Wall Street alumni on the blockchain tech frontier.

McDonough set up a startup called iCash, which focuses on smart contracts, and is raising money through an initial coin offering launched in mid-July.
 


We've launched our new podcast, Late Confirmation, which are the top stories in the blockchain world, delivered daily from the team at CoinDesk, sponsored by Oxford Fintech Programme. 

Listen to Latest Episode and Subscribe
 

WHO WON #CRYPTOTWITTER

 
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President Bill Clinton Keynotes Swell 2018

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August 6th, 2018

President Bill Clinton Keynotes Swell 2018

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NEWS

President Bill Clinton Keynotes Swell 2018

Learn more about the dynamic program for our upcoming Swell customer conference -- where the world's leaders in policy, payments and technology connect.

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NEWS

Ripple and Raising Malawi Launch Campaign to Sponsor Children in Need

From July 30 through August 31, we are matching all public donations in support of Raising Malawi. Partner with us to sponsor a child and provide them with necessary healthcare and education services.

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Ripple Taps Clinton for Swell Keynote

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will headline Ripple's Swell conference later this year, both giving a keynote address and participating in a question-and-answer session.

Read More
 

Ripple is at Blockchain and Digital Asset Symposium in Boston, MA this week.

Join Waves in Moscow on 16 August

Dear Waves community,

Waves Summer Roadshow arrives in Moscow on 16 August.

How will blockchain transform our everyday lives? Will we even know that we're using it?
 
Join us in Moscow this August 16 to explore these questions as part of our summer roadshow. Our CEO, Sasha Ivanov, will be on hand to lead the audience through the future of the tech, and Waves' role within it.

Secure your place at 'Blockchain for the people' today.

Best regards, Waves Team

 
 






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Over 175 'Pump and Dump' Schemes Identified and Reviewed, A Warning for Traders

August 6, 2018 Read in Browser
Blockchain Brew
quote-left-filled.pngQUOTE OF THE DAY quote-right-filled.png
“Bitcoin is a technological tour de force.”
- Bill Gates

Happy Monday! The referrals are coming in strong! Big thank you to the subscribers who are helping make our community stronger. Have a great start to the week everyone!

Cheers,
Blockchain Brew Team

MARKET
COIN PRICE 24H

BTC $6,962.500287 -0.91%

ETH $406.294735 -0.29%

XRP $0.423292 -1.54%

BCH $689.311199 -1.02%

EOS $6.977001 -0.45%

*Information as of 9:30 AM EST


ANALYSIS

Over 175 'Pump and Dump' Schemes Identified and Reviewed, A Warning for Traders

PUMP AND DUMPS

  • As the markets continue to be unregulated (for now), the wild west atmosphere of the crypto world is no more apparent than analyzing and reviewing crypto pump and dump schemes
  • This type of scheme occurs when traders pump the price of a coin artificially by taking advantage of low selling pressure, only to dump on other traders that buy into the apparent price rally
  • After reviewing trading data from January to July, the Wall Street Journal concluded that over 175 pump and dump schemes have been identified, involving at least 121 different coins

CRYPTO PUMP GROUPS

  • To coordinate this activity, "crypto pump groups" have been created on popular messaging apps like Telegram and Discord
  • With over 74,000 followers the largest Telegram pump group is Big Pump Signal
  • Since inception in December 2017, the group has carried out over 26 pump and dump schemes that have created an estimated $222 million in trading activity

The Wall Street Journal analyzed one of Big Pump Signal's schemes and this was the result just 4 minutes after the announcement:

d53be45b-c916-4fe1-be5e-3c6525fa791a.png

The two most successful pumps by Big Pump Signal raised the price of coins by over 70% in a short period of time only to dump the price lower than the initial value:

5aa4028c-2c71-4afd-b761-c3c7ff2eee49.png

WARNING ALL TRADERS

  • Sure joining a pump and dump group sounds great in theory, however, majority of traders lose money since the Wall Street Journal found that over 50% of all pump and dump schemes end up with lower coin values than when the pumps were initiated
  • To illustrate, Taylor Caudle, a trader involved in a Big Pump Signal scheme, lost over $5,000 in 30 seconds and subsequently voiced his concerns on the telegram only to be met with "lol sucks 2 be u"
  • In addition to losing money rapidly, this type of activity is also completely illegal in regulated markets and it's the type of activity that sent Wolf of Wall Street's Jordan Belfort to jail for 22 months

NEWS

Argo Mining Raises $32.5 Million in First Crypto-Related IPO on London Stock Exchange

ARGO

  • Argo Blockchain is a cryptocurrency mining platform service that was founded last year, but officially went live on June 11 of this year
  • Currently, Argo offers Bitcoin Gold, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, and ZCash mining but is planning on adding additional altcoins to its service
  • Argo has initiated its operations in Canada and China, but also plans on expanding into more countries

‘NETFLIX OF CRYPTO MINING’

  • Argo has been dubbed the ‘Netflix of cryptocurrency mining’ because of its subscription service model and emphasis on simple usability

Founder Jonathan Bixby explained the company’s goal:

“We have launched this service to take the pain and heartache out of participating in the biggest new technology breakthrough since the launch of the internet.”

IPO

  • Argo issued 156 million shares in its initial public offering, which accounts for 53% of the company
  • The shares were sold for 16 pence which gives the company a market capitalization of $61.2 million

Bixby commented on his company's IPO saying:

"Argo's admission to the London main market is a major step in the company's development and will put us in a strong position to execute our long-term growth strategy. We are delighted with the strong response from investors which will enable us to grow our business in multiple jurisdictions."


NEWS

Venture Capitalist Says That a Bitcoin ETF is Only a Matter of Time

CRYPTO ETFs

  • Cryptocurrency exchange traded funds have been in the news recently as the Securities and Exchange Commission has been reviewing some notable applications
  • No company has been able to receive approval from the SEC to set up a cryptocurrency ETF
  • Investors are anticipating that approval for an ETF will be massive for cryptocurrency investing because it will allow new money to enter the market

VC'S TAKE

  • Fatfish Internet Group CEO, Kin-Wai Lau, appeared on CNBC recently to talk about cryptocurrency and said that he sees the market entering into a "second wave rally" driven by institutional investors
  • Lau believes that it is not a matter of if the SEC will approve an ETF, rather only a matter of when

The direct quote from the CEO reads:

“I think it’s a matter of time before we see the SEC approve an ETF. It’s just a matter of which organisation will be able to come out with comprehensive tools in terms of monitoring, surveillance, and ability to liquidity. there is a range of tools that need to be equipped, but it’s also readiness of the market. We’re not far away, maybe a couple of months away from the market accepting an ETF product. I think that’s what the SEC will be looking at.”

PRICE IMPACT

  • Lau believes that the creation of crypto ETFs or other financial instruments will have a very favorable impact on the price of cryptos

He believes that adoption is driving cryptos price:

“Adoption is what is driving the demand on ground. It’s being used widely in many countries and a lot of jurisdictions are starting to regulate it and approach it with a cautious but optimistic approach. That’s generally a couple of factors that will affect regulatory interest. It is geared up for a rally toward year end.”


EXCHANGE

Germany's Second Largest Stock Exchange Announces "End-to-End" Cryptocurrency Infrastructure

BÖRSE STUTTGART

  • Börse Stuttgart is the second largest stock exchange in Germany and the tenth largest in Europe, having a trading volume of 81 billion euro in 2017
  • While Börse Stuttgart is the second largest exchange in Germany by volume, it is the leading exchange for retail investors
  • In December 2018, Börse Stuttgart acquired Sowa Labs which now acts as a fintech subsidiary for the exchange

BISON APP

  • Earlier this year, Sowa Labs announced the development of a prototype cryptocurrency trading application dubbed Bison
  • The app is set to release to the masses this fall and will allow investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency without any fees
  • At launch, Bison will support Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Litecoin, but does plan on adding additional currencies in the future
  • Bison will also boast features such as an artificial intelligence curated news feed and a tool that will monitor social media to analyze the sentiment of the market
  • Sowa Labs hopes to make cryptocurrency trading as simple as possible for investors and has developed a simplified user ID verification process

'END-TO-END' INFRASTRUCTURE

  • In addition to its Bison App, Börse Stuttgart recently announced that it will create an 'end-to-end' cryptocurrency trading infrastructure
  • One piece of this infrastructure will be a platform for companies to use to raise funds via an initial coin offerings
  • Also, the company is building a trading venue, creating an exchange where the platform's ICO's can be traded along with other cryptocurrencies
  • The final piece to the infrastructure is custody services for major investors
  • This infrastructure is expected to launch this fall alongside the BISON app

MORE BREWING
  • Jamie Dimon Says JPMorgan Will Use Blockchain ‘for a Whole Lot of Things’
  • ‘No Coffee for Bitcoin,’ Starbucks Clarifies as Media Misrepresent Its New Crypto Venture
  • Bitcoin Investor Relief As Korean Crypto Exchange Cleared -- But Bears Remain

COIN OF THE DAY
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Asch (XAS)
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