Currency

Jul
26

Does this bitcoin rebound have longevity?

Bitcoin has been rallying sharply over the past two weeks, gaining around 40% from the USD$6000 mark. However, with the creation of lower highs throughout 2018, there is a risk that we will see another turn lower in the near future. Bitcoin has been on the rise over the past fortnight, with the price pushing through trendline resistance to reach the 61.8% retracement. That rally through the trendline certainly signals a slowdown in the decline of the cryptocurrency, yet the question over whether this marks the bottom remains to be answered. The downtrend that has been in place throughout 2018 remains, despite this trendline break, yet it is clear that […]

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Jul
23

What crash? Institutional investors have been buying up bitcoin all year

Every price drop is accompanied by a new wave of interest from the big money. Anyone who’s been following cryptocurrency is probably well aware of the pronounced slump that hit the markets as the December-January bubble burst, and the exuberance faded. This was perhaps an entirely expected outcome. By some estimates, maybe half of everyone who’s touched cryptocurrency to date jumped in during the December-January highs and was badly burned by the inevitable readjustment. So, most people didn’t have a very pleasant start to their crypto journey, and then those who didn’t get out were forced to buckle up for a six month bleed. Institutional investors have remained entirely unphased […]

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Jul
23

Explainer: What is Ripple?

Not just a poor man’s Bitcoin, the currency exchange network Ripple is the dark horse of fintech. Ripple is far more than simply a “poor man’s Bitcoin”. Despite the host of cryptocurrency copycats on the market right now, Ripple isn’t simply copying the status quo. This currency exchange and remittance network actually has a lot more complexity to it than first meets the eye. To help you wrap your head around Ripple, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to fintech’s most exciting cryptocurrency. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the enigmatic currency exchange service. What is Ripple? Ripple, the successor to Ripplepay, was released in 2012 as […]

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Jul
23

Price prediction trend for Bitcoin in 2018, 2020 and 2025

If you ever tried to understand the workings of the cryptocurrency domain, you would surely understand that these currencies are highly volatile with chances of going way up or down in prices. However, there have been many successful predictions when it comes to the rise in Bitcoin trend. The current growth pattern for Bitcoin has been known to be steady between March as well as May in 2018. The prediction of price for Bitcoin is determined with elements such as supply-demand patterns, human psychology, and price charts. Let’s understand the turn Bitcoin is supposed to take for the years 2018, 2020, as well as 2025. Utility for Bitcoin Bitcoin is […]

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Jul
19

Mastercard tries to make paying with virtual coins easier

Mastercard has landed a US patent for a payment system that would make it easier for people to quickly and securely settle transactions with cryptocurrencies. First reported by Coindesk, Mastercard said its proposed method would mean the payee assumed less risk in a cryptocurrency transaction, which could result in a higher acceptance of virtual coins by merchants. “It often takes a significant amount of time, around ten minutes, for a blockchain-based transaction to be processed, due to the computer processing time and resources required to verify and update the blockchain,” Mastercard said. “Conversely, traditional fiat payment transactions that are processed using payment networks often have processing times that are measured […]

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Credit cards on the decline as Visa says we have passed ‘peak plastic’

Australia has reached “peak plastic” and credit card transactions will now start to decline, as people increasingly adopt mobile and wearable payment technologies, according to the new country manager of Visa. In his first interview since becoming the head of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific at Visa in January, former local head of Citibank’s consumer banking operations Julian Potter told The Australian Financial Review the tipping point for change in consumer payments preferences would come when things like Myki or Opal cards could be stored on your phone in a digital wallet. “I use my phone and it just took a few goes and then the habit set […]

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Jul
09

Should The Reserve Bank of Australia Issue a Digital Currency?

During a recent Australian Business Economists forum, the Head of Payments Policy Department for the Reserve Bank of Australia, Tony Richards, had a lot to share on cryptocurrencies and distributed ledger technology in the Reserve Bank’s perspective. Of particular interest was whether the bank might consider issuing a digital version of the Australian Dollar. According to Richards, Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies were largely impressive and admirable, but flaws in their design coupled with limited usage within Australia made them unnecessary and hence there was no need for the bank to issue a new digital version of the Australian Dollar. The Bank’s Approach To Cryptocurrencies Australia can boast of having […]

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Jul
09

Australia’s plans to embrace cryptocurrencies through progressive laws

When cryptocurrencies were designed, the idea of the government or its financial institutions meddling into the affairs of the digital currency were not envisioned. Indeed, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin were designed to give users the freedom to transact without central regulation. It was probably not anticipated that these currencies would gain so much interest around the world. But since that has happened, the regulatory authorities have found it hard to stay away from the cryptos. Recent news has indicated that governments around the world are keen on easing the tension between the traditional perception institutions have had on cryptocurrencies. Some of the issues that are at the fore currently are how […]

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