Agoracom Blog Home

Posts Tagged ‘CSE’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

#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/

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Bitcoin, Blockchain stocks, Canadian Blockchain Stocks, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, ThreeD, ThreeD Capital | Comments Off on #Square #Crypto Division Finally Releases Details of First #Bitcoin Product SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

More precious than gold: Why the metal #palladium is soaring $NAM.ca $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:07 PM on Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc. The company owns one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in Sudbury, Canada. Updated NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate 2,867,000 PdEq Measured and Indicated Ounces, with an additional 1,059,000 PdEq Ounces Inferred. Learn More.

More precious than gold: Why the metal palladium is soaring

  • The price of the precious metal palladium has soared on the global commodities markets.
  • It has jumped by more than 25% in the last two weeks alone, and almost doubled in value over the last year.

At about $2,500 (£1,922) an ounce of palladium is more expensive than gold, and the pressures forcing its price up are unlikely to ease anytime soon.

But what is palladium, what is it used for, and why is its price rising?

What is palladium?

It is a shiny white metal in the same group as platinum, along with ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, and iridium.

The majority of the world’s palladium comes from Russia and South Africa. Most of it is extracted as a byproduct in the mining of other metals, usually platinum and nickel.

What is it used for?

Its key commercial use is as a critical component in catalytic converters – a part of a car’s exhaust system that controls emissions – found mainly in petrol and hybrid vehicles.

The vast majority of palladium, more than 80%, is used in these devices that turn toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide, into less harmful nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapour. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Catalytic converters are relatively easy to remove from vehicles

It is also used, to a far lesser extent, in electronics, dentistry, and jewellery.

The metal’s soaring value in recent years has seen a jump in the theft of catalytic converters around the world.

London’s Metropolitan police said the number of thefts in the first six months of 2019 were more than 70% higher than the whole of the previous year.

Why is its price rising?

In short, it is because demand for palladium outstrips supply, and it has done for some time.

The amount of the metal produced in 2019 is forecast to be below global demand for the eighth year in a row.

As a secondary product of platinum and nickel extraction, miners have less flexibility to increase palladium output in response to rising prices.

And that shortfall looks set to continue, with South Africa, which produces around 40% of the world’s supply, last week saying its output of platinum group metals, including palladium, fell by 13.5% in November compared to a year earlier.

Meanwhile, demand for palladium from car makers has increased sharply for a number of reasons.

Around the world governments, notably China, are tightening regulations as they attempt to tackle air pollution from petrol vehicles.

At the same time the diesel emissions scandal in Europe has also had an impact. Consumers there have been shifting away from diesel cars, which mostly use platinum in their catalytic converters, and are instead buying petrol-driven vehicles, which use palladium.

The US-China trade deal, which was signed earlier this month, has also boosted prices. Traders expect the agreement to help ease downward pressure on global economic growth and slow the decline in Chinese car sales.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51171391

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in All Recent Posts, New Age Metals | Comments Off on More precious than gold: Why the metal #palladium is soaring $NAM.ca $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN

Empower Clinics $CBDT.ca – Global #pot execs descend on #Davos for cannabis conference $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

SPONSOR:

Why Empower Clinics

  • A leading owner/operator of physician staffed health and pain management clinics.
  • Patient database of over 165,000 patients 
  • Platform generating $1.4M USD (9 months ending Sept. 30, 2019)
  • Proprietary technology platforms including Electronic Health Records portal and e-Commerce for CBD product distribution
  • Recently launched CBD extraction facility
  • First extraction system capacity = 6,000 Kg per year.
  • CBD based products are poised to be a $20B global industry by 2022
  • Medical cannabis is poised to be a $100B global industry by 2025

Global pot execs descend on Davos for cannabis conference

  • Cannabis executives will be touching down in Davos, Switzerland for the second year in a row as the industry looks to influence some of the participants of this year’s World Economic Forum.

Bloomberg News reports that one of the sponsors of the Davos “Cannabis House” aims at having a more formal and professional presence at the event than last year. Some of the topics that will be discussed include sustainability, climate change, social equity and impact investing. Speakers from Israel, Switzerland and Asia will also be present, ensuring that the two-day conference isn’t rife with commentary from executives in North America, which has so far been the epicentre of the legal cannabis space.

Source: BNN Bloomberg – http://links.mkt2011.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MzEwNTgyMzQS1&r=MjU5OTkyNTIyMjg1S0&j=MTYyNDIwMzk2MwS2&mt=1&rt=0

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Empower Clinics Inc. | Comments Off on Empower Clinics $CBDT.ca – Global #pot execs descend on #Davos for cannabis conference $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

#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

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.

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

Get Forbes’ top crypto and blockchain stories delivered to your inbox every week for the latest news on bitcoin, other major cryptocurrencies and enterprise blockchain adoption.

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

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Bitcoin, Blockchain stocks, Canadian Blockchain Stocks, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, ThreeD, ThreeD Capital | Comments Off on #Bitcoin 2020 Rally; Financial Advisors Opening Clients’ Doors To #Crypto SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Tartisan #Nickel $TN.ca – Global #EV sales to reach 54mn by 2030 $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:06 PM on Monday, January 20th, 2020

SPONSOR: Tartisan Nickel (TN:CSE)  Kenbridge Property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper. Tartisan also has interests in Peru, including a 20 percent equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property. Click her for more information

Tc logo in black

Global EV sales to reach 54mn by 2030

  • Global electic vehicle (EV) sales are expected to reach 54mn by 2030
  • Changing lithium-ion battery chemistry will transform battery metals demand in the coming years, delegates at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) in Wiesbaden, Germany, heard yesterday.

Worldwide, EVs will have a 40pc market share by 2030, with cumulative sales of up to 54.3mn, according to forecasts from P3 Automotive. By 2025, global EV sales are expected to have exceeded 30mn and make up 25pc of the market. And this year, they are expected to pass 10mn, making up just under 10pc of new car sales.

The growth is expected to come as limits for vehicles’ CO2 emissions are reduced.

In China, average vehicle emissions are expected to fall to 71g/km in 2030 from 119g/km this year. The number of EVs in China is expected to rise to 23mn from 5.8mn over the same period, making China the largest market globally. In the EU, CO2 emissions must fall to 59g/km in 2030, down from 95g/km this year, and number of EVs is expected to rise to 10.7mn by 2030, up from 2.1mn this year.

If carmakers do not hit these targets, they could face large government penalties, especially in the EU, where Groupe PSA expects fines exceed €240mn for each gram above the target.

Battery chemistry to shift by 2025

A shift in the chemistry of batteries towards higher lithium and nickel density and lower cobalt levels will also define battery metals demand in the coming years, according to Lux Research.

As buyers demand greater range and duration between charges, battery manufacturers will move towards higher nickel cathodes, which offer improved capacity. There will also be a move towards silicon anodes by 2025, before a switch to solid state lithium anodes by 2030.

Currently, most lithium-ion batteries contain cathodes that are made from lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide (NMC), with a ratio of either 5 parts nickel-3 parts manganese-2 parts cobalt, or a 6-2-2 ratio and a graphite anode.

To cut costs and maximise efficiency, battery manufacturers are looking to reduce the cobalt and manganese content, moving to an 8-1-1 ratio. This can be dangerous. Cobalt stabilises battery chemistry and reducing it can lead to explosions, but this year China will launch the first commercial car to contain an 8-1-1 battery. China is a testing ground for riskier forms of battery chemistry.

As cooling technology improves, the risk of electrical fires is reduced, and cell makers are expected to shift to this chemistry. By 2025, Lux says most manufacturers will use some form of 8-8-1 battery.

As a result, cobalt demand growth could be slower than expected after 2025, but nickel and especially nickel sulphate demand could grow sharply.

The use of silicon in anodes is also expected to increase. Silicon improves battery performance, but it expands and contracts, which can cause problems. Still, incremental gains mean the market could start to see widespread inclusion of silicon from 2023. Demand for extremely pure grades of silicon metal would increase, while demand growth for graphite would slow.

Demand for metals being used less in battery chemistry would still grow thanks to exponential growth expected in the EV market between now and 2030.

Source: https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2053192-global-ev-sales-to-reach-54mn-by-2030?backToResults=true

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Tartisan Nickel | Comments Off on Tartisan #Nickel $TN.ca – Global #EV sales to reach 54mn by 2030 $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

NORTHBUD $NBUD.ca – Legalization 2.0 Product Rollout in Canada #Marijuana $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:59 PM on Monday, January 20th, 2020

SPONSOR: NORTHBUD (NBUD:CSE) Sustainable low cost, high quality cannabinoid production and procurement focusing on both bio-pharmaceutical development and Cannabinoid Infused Products. Learn More.

Legalization 2.0 Product Rollout in Canada

  • The approval of these products is significant, both for consumers and for the cannabis industry in Canada
  • The infused products sector is large and very lucrative, and has already been hugely successful in parts of the US where cannabis is legal
  • It is also one with enormous growth potential. Some estimates suggest that the market will grow by a whopping $17 billion by 2022.

By Matt P

On October 17th, 2019, the Canadian government went ahead with the second phase of its cannabis program. Legalization 2.0 included the approval of edibles and infused products.  The move came exactly one year after the first wave of legalization which saw Canada make history, with recreational cannabis flower and oil hitting the legal market for the first time.

The approval of these products is significant, both for consumers and for the cannabis industry in Canada.  The infused products sector is large and very lucrative, and has already been hugely successful in parts of the US where cannabis is legal.  It is also one with enormous growth potential. Some estimates suggest that the market will grow by a whopping $17 billion by 2022.

While legalization occurred in October, Canadians still had not been able to purchase the new items. January 6th, 2020 marked the first day which vaporizers and cannabis-infused products were widely available to all Canadians.

Why Has It Taken So Long To Get Product Out?

Much of the delay has come from the restrictions imposed by the government.  All licensed producers looking to sell these new products are required to submit a 60 day notification directly to Health Canada. 

This means that the earliest date they would be available on shelves would be mid-December.  The timing was particularly important, since it fell right before the start of the holidays. Retailers and producers were looking to capitalize on making these hot new products readily available for holiday shoppers. 

Some retailers and consumers were lucky enough to get a limited supply before the holidays.  However, many had to wait until January 6th to finally get their hands on the new goodies.

Legalization 2.0 Product Rollout Across Canada

Whether or not you’ve had access to edibles before now depends largely on which part of Canada you’re living in. Consumers in British Columbia have had access to them since late December. Residents were able to purchase both through BC’s online store as well as through a number of private dispensaries. Edibles hit the shelves just in time for the holidays.  Saskatchewan was another province that saw edibles become available just before December 25th.

For other parts of the country, January 6th was the first time residents could pick up the new products.  In Ontario, Alberta and Quebec, the rollout for legalization 2.0 was delayed until January.  This was mainly due to the fact that all three provinces maintain their own distribution system, as opposed to allowing licensed producers to interact directly with retailers.

Image Courtesy of Alexander Stein

In Alberta, January 6th marked the first day that stores were able to place their orders with the AGLC, which acts as the cannabis wholesaler for the provinces retailers.  There are currently a limited number of products available, but that’s expected to change.  AGLC spokeswoman Heather Holman commented on the situation, saying that “right now in Alberta, AGLC has contracts with 43 federally licensed producers.  They manufacture a variety of products. About half of those licensed producers will be providing for what we’re calling cannabis 2.0 (which are) the new line of products like edibles, extracts and topicals. What we see this week and the coming weeks isn’t reflective of the bigger picture.”

In Ontario, online sales through the Ontario Cannabis Store began at 9:00am Thursday, January 16th. The store subsequently sold out of all product by 2:00pm on the same day.  The online retailer announced last week that they’d be carrying 59 new cannabis products.

Quebec and Legalization 2.0

The situation is significantly more complicated in the province of Quebec.  The province has the distinction of having the strictest cannabis laws in the country. The province also passed a law raising the age of consumption to 21 back in October.

Although they officially rolled out the new products this month, these strict laws extend to legalization 2.0.  In addition to heavy-handed age of consumption laws, the province has also passed a number of restrictions on these new products.  Infused products such as chocolates and baked goods have been banned.  So have vape pens and cartridges. Quebec officials enacted the bans based on fears that the products could appeal to minors.

For the time being, it seems that users in Quebec will have to make do with a much more limited selection than the rest of the country.

Issues And Potential Hurdles

Much like the original rollout of legal cannabis flower in 2018, things haven’t gone as smoothly as both the government and cannabis industry would have liked.  Along with the delays in multiple provinces, there have also been other issues.

The Aphria Recall

In a case of terrible timing, cannabis giant Aphria was forced to recall its line of vape pens. The recall was due to leaky vape cartridges.  According to chief corporate affairs officer Tamara Macgregor, “out of an abundance of caution we asked provincial customers to return certain initially shipped ‘510 cartridges’ that did not meet our intended consumer experience.”

Like most of the licensed producers in Canada, Aprhia has no doubt had their eyes set on this second wave of legalization (particularly given what a disappointing year 2019 was).

Vaping Restrictions

One of the big issues plaguing the cannabis industry over the past year has been the backlash against vaping across the country.  Effective as of January 1st, Ontario has implemented an advertising ban on all vape products in convenience stores and gas stations.  The move was prompted from data indicating that more young people are vaping, and is designed to bring the current laws in line with provincial tobacco laws.

Image Courtesy of Lexphumirat

The move didn’t effect the cannabis industry directly. The Ontario cannabis Store and licensed retailers are responsible for the sale of cannabis vapes. However, the fact that provincial lawmakers are willing to target vaping more broadly is troubling.  Along with Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador have also banned cannabis vapes. Officials in British Columbia plan to raise taxes on these products specifically to 20%.

These moves have no doubt left the industry very concerned. Canada will continue to be a proving ground for legalization as Cannabis 2.0 rollout continues.

Source: https://www.puffpuffpost.com/legalization-2-0-rollout-canada-success-and-failure/

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in North Bud Farms Inc | Comments Off on NORTHBUD $NBUD.ca – Legalization 2.0 Product Rollout in Canada #Marijuana $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca

Budget 2020: Let’s grow both #Edtech and skill-tech SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:30 AM on Monday, January 20th, 2020
SPONSOR:  BetterU Education Corp. aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.

Budget 2020: Let’s grow both edtech and skill-tech

  • B-Schools, and the education industry in general, expect Budget 2020 to offer robust remedial solutions that are aligned with the vision of creating a thriving education ecosystem
  • We hope the government will roll out incentives to provide impetus to the activities and subsequently to the growth of edtech as well as of skill-tech enterprises

By Vibhava Srivastava

Budget 2020 India: In Union Budget 2019, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed the New Education Policy (NEP) that acknowledged the importance of promoting skill development through schools as well as higher education with an emphasis on technology, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, big data analytics. The draft NEP 2019 envisioned preparing students not only to seamlessly merge with the workforce of tomorrow, but also to be in sync with evolving needs of Industry 4.0.

However, the said draft has a number of missing dots. It neither addresses current challenges (structural unemployment, decreasing job security, rise of gig economy), nor it suggests any mechanism to overcome these challenges. The upcoming Union Budget is an opportunity for the government to right its past wrongs.

B-Schools, and the education industry in general, expect Budget 2020 to offer robust remedial solutions that are aligned with the vision of creating a thriving education ecosystem. We hope the government will roll out incentives to provide impetus to the activities and subsequently to the growth of edtech as well as of skill-tech enterprises. Such incentives along with funding provisions will create space for collaboration amongst the eminent B-Schools and industry. This will provide a boost to the industry’s sluggish growth.

The author is assistant professor, Marketing, MDI Gurgaon

Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/budget/budget-2020-lets-grow-both-edtech-and-skill-tech/1828323/

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in betterU Education Corp | Comments Off on Budget 2020: Let’s grow both #Edtech and skill-tech SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

The #Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:36 AM on Monday, January 20th, 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.

The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers

By: Bob Mason

  • A bullish start to the day saw Bitcoin rally to an early morning intraday high $9,169.5.
  • Bitcoin broke through the first major resistance level at $8,974.03 and second major resistance level at $9,056.47 before hitting reverse.

The reversal saw Bitcoin fall through the major support levels to a late morning intraday low $8,450.0.

Finding support in the 2nd half of the day, Bitcoin struck $8,750 levels late on before easing back.

Bitcoin broke back through the third major support level at $8,534.77 and the second major support level at $8,708.67 before easing back to sub-$8,700 levels.

The near-term bearish trend, formed at late June’s swing hi $13,764.0, remained firmly intact, in spite of the gain for the week.

For the bulls, Bitcoin would need to break out from $11,000 levels to form a near-term bullish trend.

The Rest of the Pack

Across the rest of the top 10 cryptos, it was a mixed day for the majors.

Bitcoin Cash SV bucked the trend, rallying by 12.14%.

It was particularly bearish for the rest of the pack, with Tron’s TRX (-5.93%) and EOS (-4.82%), Litecoin (-4.48%), and Ethereum (-4.19%) leading the way down.

Binance Coin (-2.31%), Monero’s XMR (-2.91%), Ripple’s XRP (-2.98%), also struggled on the day.

Bitcoin Cash ACB and Stellar’s Lumen saw modest losses of 0.56% and 1.87% respectively.

While it was another mixed bag on Sunday, it was a bullish week for the crypto majors.

Bitcoin Cash SV led the way, rallying by 70.17%, with Bitcoin Cash ABC and Stellar’s Lumen up by 24.77% and by 22.77% respectively.

Whilst the rest of the majors saw more modest gains, it was double-digit gains across the board.

Through the current week, the crypto total market cap rallied from a Monday low $215.38 to a Sunday week high $250.2bn. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $238.72bn.

Bitcoin’s dominance held onto 66% levels following the bearish Sunday. Trading volumes continued to ease back from $177bn levels hit in the early part of the week. At the time of writing, 24-hr volumes stood at $123.19bn.

This Morning

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was up by just 0.03% to $8,701.4. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin rise from an early morning low $8,698.6 to a high $8,720.0.

Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Elsewhere, it was yet another mixed start to the day for the crypto top 10.

Bitcoin Cash ABC (+0.80%), Monero’s XMR (+0.18%), and Tron’s TRX (+0.55%) joined Bitcoin in the green.

It was a bearish start for the rest, with Bitcoin Cash SV falling by 1.76% to lead the way down.

For the Bitcoin Day Ahead

Bitcoin would need to move through to $8,780 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $9,095.47.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break back through to $9,000 levels.

Barring a broad-based extended crypto rally on the day, the first major resistance would likely limit any upside.

In the event of another breakout, Bitcoin could visit $9,200 levels before any pullback. We would expect Bitcoin to come up short of the second major resistance level at $9,492.23 on the day.

Failure to move through to $8,780 levels could see Bitcoin hit reverse.

A fall back through Sunday’s low $8,450.0 would bring the first major support level at $8,375.97 into play.

Barring another crypto meltdown, however, Bitcoin should steer clear of the second major support level at $8,053.23.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/crypto-daily-movers-shakers-20-003527989.html

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Bitcoin, Canadian Blockchain Stocks, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, ThreeD, ThreeD Capital | Comments Off on The #Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

How #Edtech became personalised in the 2010s SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:15 PM on Sunday, January 19th, 2020
SPONSOR:  BetterU Education Corp. aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.

How Edtech became personalised in the 2010s

  • The internet is being used to reach this diverse population in the remotest corners, and advanced tech is being used to create new learning experiences
  • If we look at the new technology accessible to teachers and students today, then we would agree that the accepted way to teach and learn has changed

By Zishaan Hayath

The integration of technology started with improving classroom experiences and reached adaptive learning platforms that students can personalise, says Toppr’s Zishaan Hayath

We are in an era where unprecedented ideas are unfolding in education, driven by technology. Digitising learning content has been imperative, keeping in mind affordability, accessibility and inclusiveness of the large trainable youth population. The internet is being used to reach this diverse population in the remotest corners, and advanced tech is being used to create new learning experiences. If we look at the new technology accessible to teachers and students today, then we would agree that the accepted way to teach and learn has changed. It is undeniable that education has evolved so much, and technology has opened up the world a lot for both students and teachers. In this article, we explore the journey of edtech through this decade that saw it evolve from smart classes to personalised learning apps on smartphones.

EDTECH SOLUTIONS WERE DESIGNED AROUND IMPROVING THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE AND HELPING TEACHERS

Integration of technology in the learning and education system is evidently the greatest change in education in the past decade. The earliest technology innovations for schools were created around providing software and hardware to make the classroom experience better. More emphasis was put on the use of rich multimedia content as a teaching tool inside classrooms. We saw more and more teachers making use of overhead projectors and videos during their lessons. This was then considered to be a revolutionary in-classroom technology, leveraging a large repository of digital content across virtually all subjects from kindergarten to Class 12. This new technology helped schools with better educational resource planning and helped teachers with better lecture delivery. Performance management and tracking systems enabled teachers to measure the progress of students systematically. Such classrooms were called “smart classes”. Progress in technology, however, has led to much more.

INTERNET SHIFTED FOCUS FROM CLASSROOMS TO VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS WITH DIGITISED CONTENT.

Smart class solutions faced challenges like high set-up cost, hardware maintenance and non-payments by institutions. As a result, edtech companies started moving to asset-light models. Digitisation of learning material and availability on platforms, including YouTube, followed the wave of smart classes. Internet penetration made everything easier and faster, enabling students to access digital study material that was informational and interactive and could be accessed anytime, anywhere. The gap in the ability to access high quality learning material was shrinking. This boom in digitisation of content helped scale the concept of pre-recorded online classes in India. The availability of fast internet connections and easy access allowed students to be more informed and open to new avenues. ‘In jobs, expertise from experience is no longer critical’ Students were able to take on-demand classes without having to attend any physical classes. For students, this improved affordability, while reduced travel time allowed them to study at their own pace and time.

EDTECH STARTED GROWING EXPONENTIALLY WITH LEARNING APPS

As students started accessing learning material over the internet, it gave rise to a new opportunity. Newly introduced learning apps started providing content at one place, which was otherwise scattered. The content was now organised and designed around a teacher’s pedagogy. Online courses developed by proficient tutors gave students the experience of real-time learning while sitting in the comfort of their homes. Edtech saw growth in many disciplines, including primary and supplementary education, test preparation, reskilling and online certifications, and language learning. Global institutions started running online certification courses powered by edtech that helped in course delivery, examinations and assessments. Indian entrepreneurs made an impressive effort in following and customising the global trend of digitisation of the education system. Increasing awareness and higher disposable income boosted the edtech market and it attracted significant investments from Indian and global investors.

PERSONALISED LEARNING MARKED THE NEW AGE OF EDTECH

The second half of the last decade saw the use of advanced technology. Cutting edge tech, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), gave rise to education platforms that addressed the basic problem of the education system of India—the one-size-fits-all-approach. With a typical classroom having a teacher-to-student ratio of 1:50, the quality is often compromised and that’s where technology is useful. Adaptive learning platforms using AI and ML create personalised learning paths helping students study in the way they best understand, thus enabling them to learn as per their needs. Gamification in learning has helped engage students in a meaningful way, making them genuinely interested in their subject matter. Why companies will have to fill digital skill gaps soon: Wipro’s Saurabh Govil Cloud-based learning is fast emerging as the medium to make personalised and high quality learning available to all students. Live classes with teachers can be conducted on such platforms, along with pre-recorded video classes, where the students can access the material on their own time. Students can now reach out for academic help 24×7. This is quickly changing the possibilities of delivery mediums when it comes to affordable access to high-quality learning.

CUSTOMER ACQUISITION AND RETENTION WOULD BE KEY CHALLENGES TO FURTHER GROWTH

Availability and access to the internet are important for all of these technologies to become relevant to end-users, i.e. students and teachers. The number of people accessing the internet has grown manifold over the last decade. However, for a society like India where the culture of coaching classes is deep-rooted, it is challenging to drive the adoption of edtech platforms as an alternative. Students, parents and teachers need to be better informed of the benefits of edtech. Startups are trying various business models, including free, freemium and premium subscriptions to drive usage and trial. However, there is a lot of ground to be covered. As this decade ends, we recognise that the Indian education system has evolved fast, along with global trends. Technology has also enabled streamlining of the learning experience, improved accessibility and offered new resources to students. And there is only more to come. With one of the largest populations in the world, stronger implementation of AI and ML will help bring truly adaptive and personalised platforms addressing the real learning needs of students and professionals. Edtech is all set to give more accessible, high-quality and personalised learning and prepare the leaders of tomorrow.

Source: http://www.forbesindia.com/article/vision-2020/how-edtech-became-personalised-in-the-2010s/57109/1

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in betterU Education Corp | Comments Off on How #Edtech became personalised in the 2010s SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Bitcoin Price Tests $9,000 As Altcoins Flourish: Friday #Crypto Market Watch SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:00 PM on Sunday, January 19th, 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.

Bitcoin Price Tests $9,000 As Altcoins Flourish: Friday Crypto Market Watch

  • 2020 has so far been particularly positive for Bitcoin and the rest of the cryptocurrency market. Starting the year at around $7,100, BTC currently trades at almost $9,000, charting notable increases throughout the entire week. 

Author: George Georgiev

2020 has so far been particularly positive for Bitcoin and the rest of the cryptocurrency market. Starting the year at around $7,100, BTC currently trades at almost $9,000, charting notable increases throughout the entire week. 

In the past 24 hours alone, Bitcoin gained another 3% to its value, increasing from around $8,650 to about $9,000 from where it retraced a bit and it currently trades at $8,900. 

BTC/USD. Source: TradingView

Bitcoin’s total market capitalization has increased to $162 billion. However, its dominance has sized down to 66.1%, meaning that altcoins have managed to recover and to claim new grounds. 

Indeed, looking at how other cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin performed, it’s rather clear that they are flourishing. All of the projects from the top 20 are in the green, charting serious gains throughout the entire week. The past 24 hours are no exception. 

Bitcoin SV is once again one of the best-performing altcoins, increasing by 10% throughout the past 24 hours. Others who marked serious gains include Binance Coin (9.14%), EOS, (8.84%), Bitcoin Cash (7.8%), and so forth. 

Total Market Capitalization: $245B | Bitcoin Market Capitalization: 162B | BTC Dominance: 66.1%

Major Crypto Headlines

$3.2 Million ETH Stolen From UPbit Is Already Laundered: Report Claims. Following the hack of UPbit which took place in November 2019, it now becomes clear that $3.2 million from the stolen cryptocurrency has already been laundered. The report also claims that this happened by using small transactions in a lot of different exchanges. 

YouTube Crypto Purge Is Back: Popular YouTuber Davinci Reports He’d Been Blocked From Streaming. Despite issuing a formal apology and saying that the cryptocurrency purge has been a mistake, it appears that YouTube is taking a charge at content creators once again. Popular cryptocurrency YouTuber Davinci has said that his channel has been flagged and that he has been blocked from streaming. 

Craig Wright’s Defamation Case Against Hodlnaut Reportedly Dismissed By UK’s High Court. Self-proclaimed Satoshi Nakamoto, Craig Wright, has reportedly seen his defamation case against popular Twitter user Hodlnaut dismissed. The merit for the order is the is lack of jurisdiction but the case will supposedly continue in Norway.  

Significant Daily Gainers and Losers

Ethereum Classic (31.45%)

Ethereum Classic (ETC) is undoubtedly the most significant daily gainer throughout the past 24 hours, at the time of this writing. Up 31.45% so far, ETC stands at a price of $10 and a total market capitalization of about $1.1 billion. More interestingly, ETC saw a surge in its 24-hour trading volume which is now more than $3.2 billion. 

MonaCoin (24.72%)

MonaCoin is another altcoin that managed to impress in today’s trading session. It’s up about 24 percent in the past day alone, bringing its price to $1.22 at the time of this writing. MonaCoin now sits on a market cap of about $80 million and is the 61st largest cryptocurrency. In terms of 24-hour trading volume, MonaCoin stands at about $21 million. 

Swipe (-11.83%)

Unfortunately, not all altcoins managed to increase with the rest of the market. Swipe is down about 11.8% and its price reduced to $1.30. The cryptocurrency stands on a total market cap of about $79 million and saw a trading volume of $14 million in the past 24 hours.

Source: https://cryptopotato.com/bitcoin-price-tests-9000-as-altcoins-flourish-friday-crypto-market-watch/

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Bitcoin, Blockchain stocks, Canadian Blockchain Stocks, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, ThreeD, ThreeD Capital | Comments Off on Bitcoin Price Tests $9,000 As Altcoins Flourish: Friday #Crypto Market Watch SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »