Nasdaq moves towards bitcoin futures, unphased by crypto carnage
When you’re searching for volatility, market gore might mean you’re heading in the right direction. “Will digital assets survive?” New York Stock Exchange chairman Jeffrey Sprecher quoted at the Consensus Invest conference last Thursday. “The unequivocal answer is yes… We’re kind of agnostic to price.” He was followed up by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)-backed Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler, who reiterated the trading giant’s plan to release bitcoin futures contracts for more reliable price discovery. “The Bakkt futures contract will help Bitcoin traders establish a trusted price. Bitcoin now trades at different prices on different exchanges, many of which are unregulated,” she explained. Nasdaq is now reported to be making decisive moves […]
What are bitcoin forks and how do they work?
With the increased interest in bitcoin, it’s important to understand the technology behind this cryptocurrency and the factors that can influence its price. Discover everything you need to know about bitcoin forks, including the difference between soft and hard forks and what they mean for traders. Bitcoin forks explained The term ‘bitcoin fork’ can be used to describe two types of events. The first is a change to its underlying software – a ‘software fork’. The second is a divergence in the cryptocurrency’s blockchain – a ‘blockchain fork’. The reason each of these events is called a ‘fork’ is because they present two or more potential routes for bitcoin to […]
Satoshi vs. Bitcoin Jesus: Australian at centre of crypto name squabble
Australian Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of Bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, is poised to win a fight that will likely lead to the creation of another version of Bitcoin Cash, the original offshoot of the biggest cryptocurrency. A group headed by Wright is expected to take control tomorrow of the world’s fourth-largest cryptocurrency following a software upgrade. A rival faction that disagrees on how to best expand has been trying to persuade the community of computer operators running the network to adopt their version. About 70 per cent of the so-called miners that process the transactions that keep the network afloat are signalling they support the version backed […]
Coinjar founder tips ‘stablecoin’ as the next big thing in cryptocurrency
Asher Tan, one of the wunderkind founders of Melbourne-based bitcoin exchange CoinJar, is looking out the window of a relaxed, almost hipster, shared-workspace for tech start-ups in London. It’s in a somewhat unlikely location: the 39th floor of the tallest office tower in the strait-laced banking district, Canary Wharf. The view of London’s metropolitan sprawl is amazing. But since arriving in Britain eight months ago, Tan’s eye has mostly been focused on peering over a different horizon – trying to pick out what’s coming next in the volatile, unpredictable landscape of cryptocurrency. Leaving his co-founder Ryan Zhou in charge of the day-to-day running of CoinJar and its 400,000 customers, he […]
DIY super funds getting into Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies
More do-it-yourself super funds are investing in cryptocurrencies as interest in investing in digital currencies rises among investors generally. While no hard data will be available until later next year when the Tax Office releases figures for the first time on how much cryptocurrency is held by funds, industry players say there are more self-managed super funds (SMSFs) investing. Fred Schebesta, a co-founder of comparison site Finder as well as digital currency exchange HiveEx, notes a marked increase in enquiries from SMSFs looking to buy cryptocurrency. And Adrian Przelozny, the chief executive of Sydney-based digital currency exchange Independent Reserve, has about 6000 self-managed super funds on the platform, with half […]
Bitcoin: Ten Years On
A mysterious, anonymous entity known as “Satoshi Nakamoto” posted a white paper on October 31 2008 entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. It was the first time that the concept of Bitcoin entered the world. But outside of the cypherpunk mailing lists – those promoting the use of privacy-enhancing technology – this event was hardly noticed. Ten years on, who hasn’t at least heard of the cryptocurrency? On just nine pages, the white paper explained how the Bitcoin system would work. Many attempts at electronic cash had already been made going right back to computer scientist David Chaum’s “Digicash” developed in the 1980s. Using an intricate dance of cryptography, […]
How cryptocurrency is disrupting the global economy & the financial system
For the longest time now, cryptocurrency has been slowly rising and increasing its powers in the background. Though not a lot of people have been paying attention to it lately, it’s still going strong with no signs of stopping. Because of the technology behind it, cryptocurrency has the potential to be one of the biggest disruptors in the global business process. As for the financial sector, here are some of the ways cryptocurrency can change it. Fewer barriers to entry One of the best things about cryptocurrency is that just about everyone can get involved. There are little to no barriers to investing or trading cryptocurrency. And as more people […]
Why Bitcoin is here to stay
The real game changer of Bitcoin is the underlying network of highly secure computers that support it. These computers run a new form of database called “blockchain.” Blockchain technology enables money and data to move without having to rely on a trusted middleman. It’s truly revolutionary. Already more than $3 billion a day is transacted across the Bitcoin network without the need for a central clearing authority. That has never happened before and it makes Bitcoin a unique asset. Software developers across the world are building applications designed to piggyback off this network. Over the next few years we’ll begin to see a host of new applications emerge for Bitcoin and the network […]
