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Blockchain Foundry $BCFN.ca Announces Blockchain Development Agreement with GDPR Compliance Solution Provider

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:21 AM on Monday, October 5th, 2020
  • Entered into a blockchain development agreement with a client in the General Data Protection Regulation compliance space
  • The initial phase of the Agreement is valued at approximately $50,000 and will last for approximately four weeks

TORONTO, Oct. 05, 2020 — Blockchain Foundry Inc. (“BCF” or the “Company”) (CSE:BCFN), a leading North American blockchain development firm, has entered into a blockchain development agreement (the “Agreement”) with a client (the “Client”) in the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) compliance space. The initial phase of the Agreement is valued at approximately $50,000 and will last for approximately four weeks.

GDPR is a regulation in EU law concerning data protection and privacy. The market for GDPR compliance services in Europe is estimated to be worth approximately US$1.2 billion by 2023 1 .

Pursuant to the Agreement, BCF will work with the Client to complete the MVP of its GDPR compliance solution. The Client expects to undertake more product development beyond the MVP phase and BCF will have the opportunity to establish itself as the preferred vendor for future development initiatives.

About Blockchain Foundry Inc.

Blockchain Foundry develops and commercializes blockchain-based business solutions and provides consulting services to corporate clients seeking to incorporate blockchain technology into their businesses.

Blockchain Foundry Contact Information:

Chris Marsh
President
[email protected]
(647) 330-4572

Forward-Looking Information

Certain portions of this press release contain “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, which is also referred to as “forward-looking statements”, which may not be based on historical fact. Wherever possible, words such as “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “targets,” “continues,” “estimates,” “scheduled,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “would” or might, and the negative of such expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved, have been used to identify forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future events, future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of the times at, or by which, such events, performance or results will be achieved, if achieved at all. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, as they reflect management’s current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by BCF are inherently subject to significant business, economic, regulatory, competitive, political and social uncertainties, and contingencies. Many factors could cause BCF’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca Commences Trading On #OTCQB Market Under Ticker Symbol $IDKFF; Adds Information To Website Regarding Sector Investments

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:19 AM on Monday, August 17th, 2020
IDK-square-for-blog
  • Announced that its common shares are now trading on the OTCQB Venture Market under the stock symbol “IDKFF”
  • OTCQB Venture is the premiere marketplace for early stage and developing U.S. and international companies.
  • Sheldon Inwentash, Chairman and CEO, stated, “The commencement of trading on the OTCQB is an important milestone because it provides the massive audience of American small cap investors an ability to easily invest in ThreeD Capital and participate in our growth…”

TORONTO, Aug. 17, 2020 — ThreeD Capital Inc. (“ThreeD” or the “Company”) (CSE:IDK / OTCQB:IDKFF), a Canadian based venture capital firm that invests in disruptive companies and promising junior resources companies, is pleased to announce that its common shares are now trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (“OTCQB Venture”) under the stock symbol “IDKFF”.

The OTCQB Venture is the premiere marketplace for early stage and developing U.S. and international companies. Participating companies must be current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. Investors can find real-time quote and market information at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/IDKFF/overview.

The Company believes that the OTCQB Venture Market can provide efficient market access to U.S. investors, helping Canadian companies with U.S. investors build shareholder value through greater access to enhanced liquidity and data distribution.  ThreeD’s common shares will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) under the symbol “IDK”.

Sheldon Inwentash, Chairman and CEO, stated, “The commencement of trading on the OTCQB is an important milestone because it provides the massive audience of American small cap investors an ability to easily invest in ThreeD Capital and participate in our growth.  We have received significant interest from American investors in the past who want the exposure ThreeD Capital can provide them to ground floor opportunities in both small cap stocks at early stages, or private disruptive technologies, making this listing valuable to our corporate objectives.” 

NEW THREED CAPITAL WEBSITE DISCLOSES ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING SECTOR INVESTMENTS

The Company also wishes to advise the launch of its updated website at https://threedcapital.com/ which, amongst other things, provides investors with additional insight into the Company’s holdings in both the technology and resources sector.

As of this date, ThreeD Capital now holds investments in 22 technology companies and 12 mining companies.

This press release is available on the Company’s Verified Investor Discussion Forum on AGORACOM for constructive discussion and engagement with shareholders https://agoracom.com/ir/threedcapital

About ThreeD Capital Inc.

ThreeD is a publicly-traded Canadian-based venture capital firm focused on opportunistic investments in companies in the Junior Resources, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain sectors.  ThreeD seeks to invest in early stage, promising companies and ICOs where it may be the lead investor and can additionally provide investees with advisory services, mentoring and access to the Company’s ecosystem.

  For further information:
  Gerry Feldman, CPA, CA
  Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary
  [email protected]
  Phone: 416-941-8900 ext 106

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which are inherently uncertain, are based on estimates and assumptions, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties (both general and specific) that contribute to the possibility that the future events or circumstances contemplated by the forward-looking statements will not occur. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements contained in this press release, and the assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are made, are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements included in this document, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause the Company’s actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

VIDEO: Bet on #Shroomz, #Esports, #AR, #Blockchain & #Gold with Warren Buffet of Canada – ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $IP.ca $GMBL

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 7:23 PM on Sunday, June 14th, 2020

ThreeD Capital Inc. (CSE:IDK) is a venture capital firm focused on opportunistic investments in companies in the Junior Resources, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain sectors.  ThreeD seeks to invest in early stage, promising companies and ICOs where it may be the lead investor and can additionally provide investees with advisory services, mentoring and access to the Company’s ecosystem.

#TODAQ Joins Meyer Shank #Racing for 2020 #IMSA Season – SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca #Toda $IP.ca $IPNFF $GMBL

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:19 AM on Saturday, June 13th, 2020

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

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First sponsorship of its kind utilizing the TODA Note (‘TDN’), a digital payment and loyalty asset

Pataskala, Ohio (12 June 2020) – Although the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season has been delayed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Meyer Shank Racing continues to work hard behind the scenes and is excited to welcome sovereignty tech pioneer TODAQ (‘TO-DA-Q’) onboard the No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing entry. 

With the IMSA season set to restart on July 4th at Daytona International Speedway, the Meyer Shank Racing team is ready to get back to sports car action. Misha Goikhberg and Alvaro Parente are set to get back behind the wheel of the No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 with an all new partner on board. 

TODAQ, the global fintech provider based out of Toronto, Seoul and Dubai, joins Meyer Shank Racing in a partnership that will be the first of its kind.  TODAQ is an efficient supplier of secure digital title, custody, and P2P transaction settlement solutions across the full lifecycle of high-value digital assets including commodities, currencies, auto, transport safety regulation, recycling and carbon.

Through its deeptech data and internet protocols named ‘TODA’ and ‘Adot’ – users of TODAQ’s solutions benefit from strong ownership of their own identity and assets, the ability to securely trade peer to peer, and absolute clarity on the ‘chain of title’ of everything they own.

“We’re really excited to have TODAQ come onboard for the 2020 IMSA season,” said co-owner Mike Shank. “Misha (Goikhberg) has worked hard to develop this partnership with TODAQ and MSR. It’s a truly innovative partnership deal that we’re excited to represent on track. It’s been five months since we raced at Daytona for the Rolex 24, so we’re eager to get back on track to restart the IMSA season.”

“We’re honored to support the Meyer Shank Racing team and this great championship series,” agreed Hassan Khan, CEO and co-founder of TODAQ. “From America to Asia, we’ve deliberately moved into the auto space from the commodities that form batteries and tires to supporting efficient and sustainable transport regulation at a national scale. For us, the Acura NSX, Misha (Goikhberg), Alvaro (Parente) and their support team is symbolic of all those elements coming together on the road.” 

The second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will head back to Daytona International Speedway for the WeatherTech 240 on July 4th.

Source: http://www.michaelshankracing.com/index.php/2020/06/12/todaq-joins-meyer-shank-racing-for-2020-imsa-season/

ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca Launches AGORACOM Platform For Online Marketing And Verified Discussion Forum For Clean Social Media Engagement

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:15 AM on Tuesday, June 9th, 2020
  • launched of a 12 month online marketing campaign through AGORACOM for the purposes of targeting new potential investors that would be specifically interested in the Company’s business model, as well as engaging current shareholders
  • The Company is paying $0 in cash for the program due to AGORACOM’s cashless and fully compliant shares for services program

TORONTO, June 09, 2020 – ThreeD Capital Inc. (CSE:IDK) (the “Company”), a Canadian-based venture capital firm focused on investments in promising, early stage companies and ICOs with disruptive capabilities, is pleased to announce the launch of a 12 month online marketing campaign through AGORACOM for the purposes of targeting new potential investors that would be specifically interested in the Company’s business model, as well as engaging current shareholders.  The Company is paying $0 in cash for the program due to AGORACOM’s cashless and fully compliant shares for services program.    

SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE THROUGH AGORACOM DIGITAL NETWORK

In 2019, AGORACOM surpassed 600 million page views, exceeded industry engagement metrics by over 400% and has served over 350 public companies.

The IDK HUB containing multiple landing pages, videos, photos and other helpful information updated in real-time over the next 12 months will be live on June 10th and can be found at https://agoracom.com/ir/threedcapital

The IDK HUB will receive significant exposure through continuous brand impression, content marketing, search engine marketing and social media engagement throughout the entire AGORACOM network.  AGORACOM is the only small cap marketing firm to hold a Twitter Verified badge, averaging 4.2 million Twitter impressions per month in 2019.

MODERATED DISCUSSION FOR MANAGEMENT AND SHAREHOLDERS

The Company has also launched a “CEO Verified” Discussion Forum on AGORACOM to serve as the Company’s primary social media platform to interact with both current and prospective shareholders in a fully moderated environment.

The IDK Forum is live and can be found at https://agoracom.com/ir/threedcapital/forums/discussion

Sheldon Inwentash, Chief Executive Officer stated, “The long-term nature of our investments now dictates this is an appropriate time to begin raising awareness about our portfolio and engaging our shareholders via the IDK Verified Forum.”

George Tsiolis, AGORACOM Founder stated “AGORACOM members and followers know that we have placed a heavy emphasis on our thesis that disruptive technologies will change the shape of the world this decade more than the last two decades combined.  ThreeD Capital, as an investor in multiple disruptive companies, is not only a perfect fit but also a perfect vehicle for investors that prefer to invest in a basket of disruptive companies that they otherwise would not be able to reach.  We are happy to take their story to the world and encourage shareholders to do the same by participating in the IDK HUB.”

SHARES FOR SERVICES

The Company intends to issue common shares in the capital of the Company to AGORA in exchange for the Services.  Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Company will be issuing a total fee of $60,000 (plus HST), to be paid as follows:

TERM:       May 27, 2020 – May 31, 2021

  • $12,000 + HST Shares For Services upon Commencement May 27, 2020 for initial set up of HUB, marketing materials and search engine programs.
  • $12,000 + HST Shares For Services at end of Third Month August 27, 2020
  • $12,000 + HST Shares For Services at end of Sixth Month November 27, 2020
  • $12,000 + HST Shares For Services at end of Ninth Month February 27, 2021
  • $12,000 + HST Shares For Services at end of Twelfth Month May 31, 2021

Per CSE Policy, the deemed price of the securities to be issued will be determined after the date services are provided to advertiser in each period and are to be calculated using the closing price on each date above.

About AGORACOM

AGORACOM is the pioneer of online marketing, broadcasting, conferences and investor relations services to North American small and mid-cap public companies, with more than 300 companies served. AGORACOM is the home of more than 7.7 million investors that visited 55.2 million times and read over 600 million pages of information over the last 10 years. The average visit of 8min 43sec is more than double that of global financial sites, which can be attributed to the implementation and enforcement of the strongest moderation rules in the industry.

About ThreeD Capital Inc.

ThreeD is a publicly-traded Canadian-based venture capital firm focused on opportunistic investments in companies in the Junior Resources, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain sectors.  ThreeD seeks to invest in early stage, promising companies and ICOs where it may be the lead investor and can additionally provide investees with advisory services, mentoring and access to the Company’s ecosystem.

For further information:
Gerry Feldman, CPA, CA
Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary
[email protected]
Phone: 416-941-8900 ext 106

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which are inherently uncertain, are based on estimates and assumptions, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties (both general and specific) that contribute to the possibility that the future events or circumstances contemplated by the forward-looking statements will not occur, including the effective date of trading of the post-Consolidation common shares. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements contained in this press release, and the assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are made, are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements included in this document, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause the Company’s actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Traditional Stock Market’s interest in #Cryptocurrency might expand the boundaries for the #Cryto Market SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:16 PM on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

Traditional Stock Market’s interest in Cryptocurrency might expand the boundaries for the Cryto Market

By: Zaryab Afser

  • It’s a well-known fact that in order to survive longer, one must be completely aware of the rules as well as the latest trends of the jungle.
  • And one can never deny the fact, in these world of investment, cryptocurrencies are here to stay, really longer than one can think of.


It’s because of this fact that the senior market analyst at Etoro, Mati Greenspan “it’s finally happening that the institutions are finally realizing that cryptocurrencies are going to stay for yet too long and now they are actually looking for every possible way to seize the opportunities presented by crypto assets.” He also appreciates the recent JSE move and stated that this is actually the period where the adoption is gradually happening and the traditional stock exchanges are actually integrating with cryptocurrencies.

WHAT WAS THE MOVE BY JAMAICA STOCK EXCHANGE(JSE)?

3rd April witnessed a rare involvement of the traditional stock exchange when JSE came up with an announcement which stated that JSE will soon start a limited pilot to trade Bitcoin as well as Ethereum within the next few weeks.

Experts as well as traders, across the globe, firmly believe that this step will undoubtedly not only open the doors to cryptocurrency investment but also will end up expanding the boundaries for the crypto market. Moreover, the managing director of the JSE, Marlene, this initiative aims to create not only a safe but also efficient as well as a transparent regulatory framework for the trading of digital assets.

Since the world is witnessing a gradual shift towards the crypto market, JSE is not the only one to show interest in the cryptocurrency. The Nasdaq in the U.S. recently reported that it has listed BTC as well ETH indices, whereas XRP-based exchange-traded product has been listed by Switzerland’s main stock exchange, namely SIX.

Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2019/04/12/traditional-stock-markets-interest-in-cryptocurrency-might-expand-the-boundaries-for-the-cryto-market/

Nearly 80 #crypto projects supposedly backed by #gold SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 1:13 PM on Monday, January 27th, 2020

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

Nearly 80 crypto projects supposedly backed by gold

  • Cryptocurrency projects backed by gold continue to persist, with around 77 of them remaining active right now.
  • Numerous gold-backed coins were launched in the last few years, with the most recent one being Tether’s Tether Gold (XAUt) which saw launch last week.
  • With the popularity of gold on the rise, many speculate whether it might return as the future of money thanks to decentralized technologies.

By: Ali Raza

Everyone in the crypto community has heard Bitcoin’s alternative name of ‘digital gold.’ However, it is worth noting that there are nearly 80 other projects that are active right now, that are backed by actual physical gold.

More and more crypto projects continue to emerge with claims that their assets are backed by physical gold. According to recent data, there are around 77 active projects backed by gold right now, while around 30 others that claimed the same have failed.

Some examples of gold-backed projects that still around include Digixglobal’s DGX, Darico (DEC), the recently-announced Tether Gold (XAUt) Blockstock (BSO), GoldMint (MNTP), GramGold Coin (GGC), AurusGold (AWG), Cash Telex (CTLX), and many others.

Is gold the future of money?

Still, these projects only scratch the surface of the gold-backed altcoins in the crypto industry today, as many others were launched with the same idea in mind, some of which have even managed to fail already. As mentioned, around 30 such projects were launched over the years.

Despite this, many token developers are still not discouraged, and such coins continue to emerge, such as the coins launched by Coinshares, MKS, Blockchain.com, and Tether. Coinshares, headquartered in the UK, supposedly launched a coin backed by $20 million in gold.

Tether, the company behind the controversial stablecoin, USDT, also launched its own Tether Gold (XAUt) only last week, and it already got listed on Bitfinex on January 24th. According to the trading platform, XAUt owners enjoy the benefits of digital and physical assets alike.

The platform claims that this is a way for people to invest in gold without having to worry about issues like limited accessibility or storage costs.

However, some have already questioned projects like these, such as a known crypto supporter, John Paul Koning, who noted that these projects do not charge custody fees, but only redemption and trading fees. Koning wonders whether or not this is sustainable. Some have also questioned whether gold and not Bitcoin might be the future of money once more.

Attempts to pull it off were already made back in 1996 when they failed. Now, with decentralized technology that cryptocurrencies themselves utilize, gold might be getting another chance to take its old place as money in the e-gold form.

Source: https://invezz.com/news/cryptocurrency/nearly-80-crypto-projects-supposedly-backed-by-gold/

#Crypto Today: #Bitcoin breakout imminent SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:51 AM on Thursday, January 23rd, 2020

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin breakout imminent

By: Ken Chigbo

Markets 

  • BTC/USD is currently trading at $8,650 (+0.40%) in the afternoon in U.S. hours, the range continues to tighten, ahead of next explosive breakout.  
  • ETH/USD is currently trading at $168.25 (+0.30%), there is a lack of committed direction for now following the big pump last week.  

XRP/USD is currently trading at $0.2360 (+1.30%), price action remains very much narrow. The range to the upside of $0.2500 to the downside $0.2300. 

Among the 100 most important cryptocurrencies, the best of the day are GNT $0.043133 (+28.95%), KMD $0.712816 (+15.49%) and SXP $1.72 (+11.27%) and The day’s losers are BCN $0.000272 (-12.50%), CENNZ $0.55991 (-11.49%) and BCD $0.588775 (-4.30%). 

Chart of the day: BCH/USD weekly chart (price action moving within a bullish pennant pattern) 

Market 

Vitalik Buterin believes that Ethereum Classic can be merged into Ethereum 2.0 in the same way as a new shard-like ETH’s current Proof of Work (PoW) chain will be integrated. 

Blockchain payments processor BitPay has added support for XRP, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. XRP has been integrated on BitPay’s platform via Ripple’s open developer platform, Xpring.  

Regulation 

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has created a Blockchain Expert Policy Advisory Board (BEPAB) to make it easier for governments and other stakeholders to tap the benefits of distributed ledger technology (DLT). BEPAB is made up of several heavy hitters in the blockchain space, including IBM, R3, and ConsenSys. 

Industry  

British telecom giant Vodafone has become the latest member to leave the Libra Association. 

The original consortium of 28 members supporting Facebook’s ambitious digital currency project has only left with 20 participants. 

Huobi Group has announced the launch of Huobi Brokerage, a digital asset brokerage platform, during the annual Davos forum. As the global blockchain company’s first brokerage solution, Huobi Brokerage will provide digital asset trading products and services to institutional clients and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). 

Binance has announced the launch of its Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Merchant Program. The P2P program will allow merchants to provide fiat currency payment solutions to people around the world and earn revenue, according to a blog post. 

The Blockchain Association has filed an amicus curiae brief in response to litigation against Telegram initiated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

The Blockchain Association, a collective of advocates involved with the blockchain industry, filed an amicus curiae brief with the court of the Southern District of New York on Jan. 21. 

According to a former executive from the Bank of Japan, who made a statement on Wednesday, major central banks started to set up study groups into crypto shortly after Facebook’s threat was made clear. 

Quote of the day 

The biggest barrier to Bitcoin adoption is the lack of understanding about what money is and how it works.

Jimmy Song

Source: https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/crypto-today-bitcoin-breakout-imminent-202001221927

#Square #Crypto Division Finally Releases Details of First #Bitcoin Product SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:21 AM on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

Square’s Crypto Division Finally Releases Details of First Bitcoin Product

By Nick Chong

  • Last year, Jack Dorsey — the chief executive of both Square and Twitter — began to openly shill Bitcoin in a number of public channels.
  • Naturally, his love for Bitcoin extended into his companies, with Square announcing a new division called Square Crypto in 2019.

For instance, on the Joe Rogan Podcast, he revealed that he thinks the cryptocurrency will become a native currency of the Internet, and during an official earnings call for his fintech company Square, he took some time to tout his love for Bitcoin.

Naturally, his love for Bitcoin extended into his companies, with Square announcing a new division called Square Crypto in 2019.

Dorsey’s premise was that someone told him the most important thing he could do for Bitcoin is to “make the broader crypto ecosystem better,” hence the creation of this new division to do “what’s best for the crypto community and individual economic empowerment.”

#BitcoinTwitter and #CryptoTwitter! Square is hiring 3-4 crypto engineers and 1 designer to work full-time on open source contributions to the bitcoin/crypto ecosystem. Work from anywhere, report directly to me, and we can even pay you in bitcoin! Introducing @SqCrypto. Why?

— jack  (@jack) March 20, 2019

Throughout the entire hiring process of this new division, the team photos, memes published on Square Crypto’s Twitter page, and even the grant-giving process, it wasn’t exactly clear what this team was working on.

The team leader, a former senior employee at Google, did mention products meant to improve the usability of Bitcoin as a day-to-day form of money but was slow to elucidate any ventures it was eyeing.

But today, we got our answer.

Square Crypto Unveils First Product, a Bitcoin Lightning Network Developer Kit

According to a Square Crypto blog post published Tuesday, the company has launched something called the Lightning Development Kit (LDK).

This is kind of like a traditional software development kit (SDK) but focused on the Lightning Network, a second-layer scaling solution that effectively migrates some transactions off the main chain to allow for lightning-fast, effectively free, and cross-chain transfers.

We’ve got the team. We’ve got the mission. We’ve got hit or miss tweets. And now it’s time to talk about what we’re building: Introducing the Lightning Development Kit, or LDK.  https://t.co/o73cJy7Cur

— Square Crypto (@sqcrypto) January 21, 2020

The LDK, the post indicates, will allow wallet developers to create “custom” integrations of the Network in an “easy, safe, and configurable way” through an API, demo apps, and other technical tools.

As to what exactly the LDK can be used for, at least from a top-down perspective, Square Crypto gave three examples:

1) Adding Lightning capabilities to existing bitcoin wallets — no need to create a separate wallet just for Lightning. 2) Supporting multi-device, multi-application access to a single wallet. 3) Allowing wallets to make UX/security/privacy tradeoffs such as external transaction signing and customizing their state backup to a cloud service.

Essentially, it should make the integration of the Lightning Network into existing or up-and-coming cryptocurrency software much easier than it is, and should, therefore, increase the adoption of the scaling solution with ample time.

It’s kind of like a shoehorn, but with the shoe being Bitcoin software and the foot being the Lightning Network…

Very Good Timing

The release of the LDK comes at a very good time, with the Lightning Network once again entering the minds of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiasts.

Per previous reports from Blockonomi, Bitcoin proponent Hodlonaut has started what is known as the Lightning Network Trust Chain for the second time.

Last time, this challenge, which sees individuals use the Lightning Network and large BTC transactions to create a link between Twitter accounts, gained much steam. Dorsey and LinkedIn and Microsoft board member Reid Hoffman participated in the Chain, amongst other prominent members of the community.

And as a result, the Lightning Network saw a flurry of growth, with the capacity of the Network nearly doubling in value during the time the chain was being formed.

With the arrival of the second Trust Chain and Square Crypto’s new Lightning Network kit, this Bitcoin scaling solution could see a micro-renaissance, so to say.

Source: https://blockonomi.com/squares-crypto-first-bitcoin-product/

#Bitcoin 2020 Rally; Financial Advisors Opening Clients’ Doors To #Crypto SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:45 AM on Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

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Bitcoin’s 2020 Rally; Financial Advisors Opening Clients’ Doors To Crypto

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CRYPTO MARKETS

  • Bitcoin reached its highest level in more than two months this week, climbing to $8,848 on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the price had risen to $8,897.
  • The digital asset has been following a broad, upward trend all week, pushing higher after reaching a 2020 low of $6,852 on January 3.

Some market observers have cited hopes the cryptocurrency will enjoy greater adoption in 2020 when explaining these gains. Others have pointed to anticipation surrounding the upcoming halving, scheduled to take place in May, as another factor in bitcoin’s recent push higher.

Plus, why is bitcoin driving altcoins higher? The short answer: beta. Read more here

FINANCIAL ADVISORS CONSIDER CRYPTO

According to a new survey of more than 400 financial advisors conducted by cryptocurrency investment firms Bitwise and ETF Trends, 13% of advisors are now allocating crypto for their clients. That’s more than double the 6% of advisors that were allocating crypto in 2019. 

The number one factor driving that uptick? Crypto returns. Of the financial advisors polled, 54% cited that as the reason to allocate more investment dollars to digital currency. 

According to Bitwise managing director and head of research Matt Hougan, financial advisors are opening their clients’ doors to crypto by either acting in an advisory role—showing clients how to purchase crypto in a secure and safe environment—investing in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, which trades over-the-counter, or purchasing shares in private funds that provide access to cryptocurrency.

GRAYSCALE’S RECORD YEAR

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency asset manager Grayscale revealed inflows of $600 million in 2019, more than 2013 through 2018 combined, after its best quarter on record. $147 million of last year’s investments came from new clients—24% of the total.

“If the persistent question is ‘where are the institutional investors in crypto?’ the answer is that they’re here and showing up in a meaningful size,” Michael Sonnenshein, managing director at Grayscale, said on the sidelines of the Crypto Finance Conference in Switzerland.

“With 71% of assets raised in Grayscale products during 2019 coming from institutions, we now have empirical data that this is part of a longer term trend—one that we have no reason to believe won’t be sustained into 2020.”

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cryptoconfidential/2020/01/21/bitcoins-2020-rally-financial-advisors-opening-clients-doors-to-crypto/#456e1283321e