VCs target Australian blockchain and cryptocurrency firms with $44m in funds
Start-ups with designs on making it big in the fast-growing world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies will be targeted by two new funds focusing on the Australian market, with almost $44 million to spend. Apollo Capital, founded by venture capital fund Dominent Venture Partners’ Domenic Carosa and Holger Arians and Wall Street veteran Henrik Andersson, is attempting to raise a minimum of $30 million and will specialise in crypto asset investments, which it defines as digital currencies, blockchain-based assets and initial coin offerings. At the same time an $80 million global blockchain development fund, NEM.io Foundation, is expanding to Australia, with its global director of partnerships and strategic alliances, Jason Lee, […]
Bitcoin surges past $US9,000 to new record
Bitcoin surged past $US9,000 for the first time, just six days after topping $US8,000 and taking its year-to-date rise to more than 850 per cent. The price of the largest cryptocurrency by market value is soaring as it gains greater mainstream attention despite warnings of an asset bubble. Everyone from Wall Street executives to venture capitalists has been weighing in with their thoughts on the digital currency, with some more skeptical than others. Bitcoin climbed as high as a record $US9,518 before paring gains, according to composite pricing available on Bloomberg. In another move towards mainstream investing, CME Group Inc. has said it plans to start offering futures contracts for […]
Bitcoin speeds past $US8000 as its white-knuckle rollercoaster ride accelerates
Bitcoin’s relentless and volatile rally shows no sign of abating, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency defying growing bubble fears to hit yet another milestone. Bitcoin rose as much as 6.7 per cent to a record $US8224 ($10,898) as of 9.27am in New York. It’s been a tumultuous year for the virtual currency, with three separate slumps of more than 25 per cent all giving way to subsequent rallies. “The inflation in this thing is massive,” Luke Hickmore, a senior investment manager at Aberdeen Standard Investments in London, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “When will it collapse? Who knows. It will cause a lot of pain.” Even as many […]
Blockchain will change finance forever
Blockchain is the technology behind the phenomenon that is bitcoin – and it may end up changing how the finance industry operates forever. From payment processing that bypasses the banking system to cryptocurrencies launched by central banks, its impact could be significant. However, this technological disruption is unlikely to happen overnight, as regulators will want to keep tight reins on the global financial system – but what could we have in store? A blockchain enables any type of encrypted data – from electronic money to medical records – to be shared between members of a closed network. A blockchain enables any type of encrypted data – from electronic money to […]
On this trajectory it won’t be long before one Bitcoin is worth $1 million a pop
By Fred Schebesta, Co-Founder & CEO of finder.com.au Eight years ago, if I told you you’d be a millionaire today if you invested in Bitcoin, would you buy it? Back then, Bitcoin was one of the first cryptocurrencies to hit the market and had a price tag of $0.08 ($US0.06) per coin, as recorded in 2010. This month, it hit a record of $10,417 per coin. You would have only needed to buy 95 coins at a total cost of $7.68 to be worth $1 million today. Based on this trajectory, it won’t be long (perhaps a few years) before one Bitcoin will be worth $1 million a pop. It’s […]
Bitcoin’s rollercoaster ride: $50 billion wiped off before cryptocurrency bounces back
Bitcoin is proving that investing in digital currencies isn’t for the faint of heart. After plunging as much as 29 per cent from a record high following the cancellation of a technology upgrade on November 8, the largest cryptocurrency came roaring back in early trading Monday before fluctuating between gains and losses. “Crypto trading is not for the novice investor,” said John Spallanzani, chief macro strategist at GFI Securities in New York. While multiple reasons are being cited for the price volatility, one of the more viable is that some investors are switching to alternative coins. Bitcoin cash, an offshoot of bitcoin that includes many of the technical upgrades being […]
Novatti partners with Lightyear
Novatti Group has partnered with Lightyear.io to progress the integration of the Novatti platform into the Stellar network, aiming to build a global money transfer solution. Lightyear.io supports partner integrations for the Stellar network, an open-source blockchain network that provides interoperability between financial institutions and different payments, making cross currency and cross asset payments much faster, more efficient, and less costly. The Novatti platform is already capable of integrating with blockchain and Bitcoin technology to enable payments to and from Bitcoin account holders. Source: Novatti partners with Lightyear – The Australian
Bitcoin moves smoothly into ‘real’ cash
News that bitcoin ATMs are being installed in larger numbers around Australia shows the growing popularity of the online currency, at a time when we are using cash less and less. Bitcoin joins the thousands of currencies around the world that are generally known as ‘complementary’ to the official monetary system. But it is one of the most successful. A big draw for bitcoin users is that it is supposed to be reasonably anonymous. Once a person has signed up to the bitcoin system, the blockchain, they can set up any number of ‘addresses’ and use them for sales and purchases. Another reason for its popularity is that it cuts […]
