Tag: blockchain

Atomic Action: Will 2018 Be the Year of the Cross-Blockchain Swap?

What if there were no exchanges to hack? As a new generation of crypto users begin to invest in the technology, developers are growing concerned about its infrastructure. They've seen this happen before – new users enter the space attracted by big gains, then suddenly, a catastrophic failure, usually at the very exchanges designed to hold and custody those funds. But out of adversity, inspiration is taking hold, with high-profile coders turning their focus to atomic swaps, a concept that claims to allow for the direct, peer-to-peer transfer of cryptocurrencies across different blockchains. In the place of the vulnerable exchanges we use today, the idea behind…

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RBC Report: Crypto and Blockchain Could Unlock $10 Trillion Market

A research analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) sees cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and decentralization as a potential $10 trillion ecosystem. In a new report released Wednesday, Mitch Steves, an equities analyst with RBC's Capital Markets subsidiary, laid out his bull case for why the future of transactional services will ultimately be decentralized. "While the cryptocurrency space has many risks, the opportunity appears vast with constant technology updates," he wrote. Though startups that enable cryptocurrency protocols to serve as decentralized alternatives to proprietary services or as a means of transmitting remittances have garnered the most interest throughout the ecosystem's formative years, Steves argues that the protocol…

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Jaguar-Backed Blockchain Startup Wants to Trade Tokens for Transport Data

A UK-based startup has announced an ethereum-powered platform aimed to reward users for sharing their transport data. DOVU, which reportedly already has notable investors on board, plans to create a secure environment for individuals and companies to share any data relating to mobility – such as location, distance traveled and weather conditions. According to TechCrunch, the startup has already received an undisclosed amount of funding from InMotion Ventures, an investment arm of automaker Jaguar Land Rover, and Creative England, a fund backed by the U.K. government for the support of creative industries. The data collected will be used to create more efficient services, such as combining "car data with insurance data to…

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Power to the User: Accenture & Microsoft Are Changing Identity with Ethereum

Centralized ways of proving identity may soon have an expiration date. A lofty claim, perhaps, but the idea is arguably bolstered by the launch this week of a functioning blockchain prototype this week built by Microsoft and Accenture. The technology could one day allow users to accumulate verified information about their identity in a profile they control. Instead of permanently handing over that information to a university, a healthcare provider or a potential employer, the owner of the identity could choose exactly who gets access to what data – and for how long. The global head of Accenture's capital markets blockchain practice, David Treat, explained in the first live demo…

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How Blockchain Tech Could Move Self-Driving Cars Into the Fast Lane

A future with autonomous vehicles is fast approaching – and with it, the idea that blockchain could connect automobiles and other Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices is getting its fair share of attention. Even though smart houses (where doors, thermostats and appliances are connected to the internet for added functionality) may have seemed more trendy a year ago, blockchain startups are becoming drawn to the potential of connected cars. "Timing is everything," said John Gerryts, co-founder and CEO at Oaken. "Now is the perfect time to begin building this stuff out."   Read more: https://www.coindesk.com/blockchain-move-self-driving-cars-fast-lane/  

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Is $40 the New Floor for Ethereum’s Ether Tokens?

Ether prices have been hovering above $40 per coin as of late, indicating significant support for that price, according to several analysts. Since 22nd March, ether, the cryptocurrency powering the decentralized application platform ethereum, has traded above this particular level. During this time, ether has risen past $50 more than once, reaching as much as $53.78 on 29th March, according to CoinMarketCap. So far this year, the cryptocurrency has increased in value fivefold – from roughly $10 to $50. Amid this continued strength, Joe Lee, founder and CEO of bitcoin derivatives platform Magnr, told CoinDesk that $40 appears to be a price ethereum users are happy with. Charles Hayter, founder and CEO of…

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Building ‘The Blockchain’: Developers Aren’t Giving Up on Big Ambitions

Even as bitcoin's block size debate rages on, enterprising developers are looking beyond the infighting to focus attention on what's ahead.Adem Efe Gencer is one such developer. A research assistant at Cornell University's center for blockchain and cryptocurrencies, he believes blockchain technologies will come to be used on a broad scale to track everything from land records to deeds, fine arts and even precious metals. But as Gencer explained, if we put each each and every asset on its own blockchain, we risk splitting the mining power that secures these transactions and their history. Putting everything on one blockchain, he countered, will lead to cluttering. So, how…

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