Crypto Guides, Knowledge & Insights

Gemini Goes Big On DeFi And NFT With 7 New Listings

Gemini Exchange – the New York-based regulated cryptocurrency exchange, wallet, and custodian – has gone big on DeFi, gaming, NFT, and infrastructure tokens. The crypto exchange owned by the Winklevoss brothers is now offering trading and custody support for a total of 33 cryptos, with a further 10 cryptos available for custody.　　The Exchange said in a blog post:　　“As the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) revolution has come into bloom, over the past weeks we have seen an explosion of interest around digital art and NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and we are excited to continue supporting the development of the space.”　　DeFi Tokens Listed　　Bancor(BNT): Bancor is an on-chain liquidity protocol that enables automated, decentralized exchange (DEX) on Ethereum and across blockchains. Users can add liquidity to the automated market makers (AMM) pools in Bancor and earn trading fees, staking rewards, and voting rights in the Bancor DAO.　　1inch (1INCH): 1inch is an AMM and DEX aggregator that connects several DEXes into one platform and allows users to find the most efficient swapping routes cross-platform.　　Loopring (LRC): Loopring is an open protocol for building high-performance, order-book Ethereum-based DEXs. Their goal is to build highly scalable exchanges without compromising security.　　NFT Tokens Listed　　Enjin (ENJ): Enjin is a Singapore-based technology company

2021-03-23Deep Dive

Time magazine seeks CFO comfortable with Bitcoin and crypto

“The media industry is undergoing a rapid evolution,” says the job listing.　　A new job posting from Time magazine shows the 98-year-old publication is looking for a chief financial officer familiar with blockchain and cryptocurrencies.　　According to the job details listed on LinkedIn, Time is seeking a chief financial officer with more than seven years of experience in executive leadership positions and who has “comfort with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.” The position will be based in the magazines corporate offices in New York City.　　“The media industry is undergoing a rapid evolution,” says the listing. “TIME is seeking a Chief Financial Officer who can help guide its transformation.”　　The responsibilities of the chief financial officer include researching economic trends and complying with local and global financial requirements. The winning applicant will purportedly replace outgoing chief financial officer Christopher Gaydos, who has been with the magazine since 2018.　　Time magazine is not alone in using the popularity of the crypto space to seemingly entice new talent. Amsterdam-based education technology firm Growth Tribe has minted its job postings for a digital designer and user interface instructor and listed the nonfungible token on the Rarible marketplace. Though candidates may still bid on the token, applications are only accepted through

2021-03-23Deep Dive

The Top Universities Preparing Their Students In Blockchain Technology

The most well known application of the Blockchain is of course Cryptocurrency, however the technologies that make up the Blockchain are far-reaching, and have the potential to shape the business world in a radical way. A series of universities across the globe have begun to offer courses on blockchain technologies, designed to prepare their students for the demand that global business has for blockchain skills.　　As well as blockchain specific companies, global companies such as IBM, JP Morgan, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon are top recruiters of blockchain experts. LinkedIn cited blockchain as the most in-demand hard skill of 2020 followed by cloud computing and analytical reasoning.　　There are currently over 257 colleges and universities teaching blockchain and fintech courses, and the list is expanding. With that in mind, here are some of the most established international universities that are preparing their students to enter the world of blockchain.　　MIT　　The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the best universities in the world for a number of subjects in the fields of science and technology. The university offers courses in blockchain technology including: Business Innovation and Application, and Digital Transformation: From AI and IoT to Cloud, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity.　　Cornell University　　If you are a business

2021-03-23Deep Dive

Get Educated on the Student Coin(STC) Initial Coin Offering and Beyond

Student Coin (STC) is a revolutionary new cryptocurrency underpinning a full-scale blockchain platform that allows for the creation of various personal, private, and corporate tokens to serve the growing needs of digital businesses, among several other cutting-edge crypto-based solutions.　　STC is in the 81st phase of its ICO launchpad, which means time is running out on the coin that analysts say is “set to explode.” Heres everything you need to know to get educated on Student Coin.　　WHAT IS STUDENT COIN (STC)？　　Student Coins ICO is in launchpad phase 81, and the project is about to shake up the crypto market. The opportunity to get into an explosive action of innovation in the blockchain industry is almost gone.　　5 BTC+300 Free Spins for new players&15 BTC+35.000 Free Spins every month,only at mBitcasino.Play Now!　　According to the ICOs launchpad schedule, the last day to participate in the sale is on April 30, 2021. But as time ticks by, the STC token will shoot higher, so it is better to act fast.　　LEARN ALL ABOUT STUDENT COIN AND THE INCREDIBLE VALUE OF STC　　Student Coin (STC) works with the Student Coin wallet app that investors can register to use for free. Users can keep track of the price

2021-03-23Deep Dive

U.S. miner Blockcap plans to have 40,000 ASICs operational by Q4

Blockcap, one of the largest Bitcoin mining firms in North America, has added more than 12,000 additional Bitmain Antminer S19s to its inventory.　　The firm is now expecting to have deployed more than 40,000 Bitcoin miners by the fourth quarter, and projects an operational hashrate of roughly 3.5 exahashes per second, or EH/s — equal to roughly 2% of BTCs currently combined hashrate of 171.3 EH/s.　　Blockcap currently mines approximately six BTC each day.　　The firm was founded in December 2020 by veterans of major blockchain hosting company, Core Scientific, with Blockcap claiming to have combined the assets of five existing mining companies.　　After launching with roughly 13,000 Antminer S19s, and 500 upgraded S17s , Blockcap added another 10,000 S19s to its inventory in mid-February, before acquiring 8,400 new-generation miners from Canaan earlier this month. Blockcap estimates its mining hardware is valued at $270 million n the secondary markets.　　In an announcement, Darin Feinsten, Blockcaps executive chairman, emphasized the companys intention to bolster U.S.-based hashing power:　　“With this latest hardware acquisition, we are doubling down on our mission to become a world leader in the mining of bitcoin and other digital assets. We are moving at high speed to position the United States as a global

2021-03-23Deep Dive

Non-Fungible Tokens and the New Patronage Economy

The non-fungible tokens for art and culture that have been making waves in recent weeks are economic peculiarities. They offer ownership – cryptographic, certain, secure ownership – but none of the exclusive rights we usually associate with ownership. You can freely stare at my two miserable CryptoKitties as easily as I can explore Beeples $69 million “EVERYDAYS.”　　There‘s an obvious question here: What are people actually buying when they buy an NFT？ The slightly counterintuitive answer suggests that what we’re seeing with NFTs is the emergence of a new type of cultural economy built around one of the oldest forms of cultural production: patronage.　　Lets begin with the theory of property rights. Economists tend to talk about property rights as not a single thing but a bundle of distinct rights governed by law, contract and even custom.　　For example, you can own something without possessing it. You can possess something without having the right to transfer it. You can control something without having the right to exclude others from enjoying it.　　Property rights are highly divisible. I can write a contract to transfer my property to you but at the same time specify that I retain physical access or a revenue stream. Resale royalty

2021-03-23Deep Dive

3 reasons why Bitcoin traders keep a close eye on the futures funding rate

Futures contracts trading has grown immensely over the past year, and proof of this comes from the total rise in open interest. Open interest is the total number of outstanding contracts, and the figure has risen from $3.9 billion to the current $21.5 billion in six months, a 450% increase.　　Sometimes traders assume that a high or low funding rate and soaring open interest indicate a bullish market, but as Cointelegraph has explained before, this is not the case. This article will take a quick look at the funding rate and how traders interpret the metric when trading perpetual futures contracts.　　The funding rate can be a bull and bear indicator　　Perpetual contracts have an embedded rate usually charged every eight hours to ensure there are no exchange risk imbalances. Even though both buyers and sellers open interest is matched at all times, their leverage can vary.　　When longs are demanding more leverage, they will be the ones paying the fee. Therefore, this situation is interpreted as bullish. The opposite holds when shorts are using more leverage, thus causing a negative funding rate.　　Whenever traders use high levels of leverage, analysts point to the risks of cascading liquidations. Although this holds true, this situation can

2021-03-23Deep Dive

Bitcoin’s Price Volatility Expectations Slip to Lowest in 3 Months

Bitcoin might be diminishing in a quality that‘s long been a sore spot for criticism: volatility. One critical gauge shows the cryptocurrency’s expected price swings are now at their lowest point in three months.　　The cryptocurrency‘s implied volatility, or expectations for price turbulence, declined to an annualized 75% early Monday, based on calculations using options premiums with a one-month horizon. That’s the lowest since Dec. 25, according to data provider Skew. They peaked above 145% in mid-January.　　“The declining trend suggests that markets are expecting sideways price action,” Denis Vinokourov, head of research at trading sentiment data provider Trade the Chain, told CoinDesk in a Telegram chat.　　Bitcoin is currently stuck in a narrowing price range, with both bulls and the bears unwilling to lead, as seen below.　　Bitcoins daily chart　　Source: TradingView　　Vinokourov expects a “pickup in downside protection flow,” given the lack of clear visible upside.　　In plain English, traders could buy put options amid signs of bull fatigue. A put option is a derivative contract that gives the purchaser the right but not the obligation to sell the underlying asset at a predetermined price on or before a specific date.　　At press time, one-, three-, and six-month put-call skews, which measure the cost of puts

2021-03-23Deep Dive

This is why digital artist Beeple thinks NFTs might be a bubble

In an interview for CNNs First Move, digital artist Mike “beeple” Winkelmann talked about “the craziness” he has experienced with the sale of his NFT for $69 million. Acknowledging that the process has been “overwhelming,” beeple the consequences of the marriage of art and technology.　　The digital artist has a career that spans 20 years. The work sold for millions as part of a “unique auction” at Christies and was created with images made over 13 years. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT), Beeple said, has become “a real way” to connect with an audience. Beeple said:　　To be quite honest, this is not something that I saw coming. It has just been overwhelming (…). Every part of me looks at this and says, “this is insane”. I always thoughted they will be some attention paid to it, I did not think it would be this quick or this much.　　The digital artist considers himself a political critic of sorts and showed disbelief about the NFT market during the interview. Beeple believes that digital techniques and media have the opposite effect of devaluing artworks:　　I dont think art is being devalued, I think in some cases a lot of value is being placed on the work. I

2021-03-23Deep Dive

Is Bitcoin The First Truly “Good” Cult?

I have written elsewhere about cults and the ways in which some cults offer group members genuine hope. This is not a deluded, Jim Jones type of hope; no, this is a hope based on reality.　　Based on reality, you say. Arent all cults, by their very definition, built on a foundation of deluded thoughts and nefarious ideologies？　　Well, firstly, it‘s important to clarify the following: when discussing cults, I’m talking about “benign” cults, like Apple and Tesla. Devoted members of such cults tend to be harmless individuals, most of whom pose no threat to society. Wait, though, isnt it a stretch to class Apple and Tesla customers as cult members？ Not exactly. After all, a cult is basically a system of veneration and devotion, often religious in nature, directed towards a particular figure or object.　　Have you ever watched the unveiling of a new iPhone？ How about a Tesla launch？ If not, think Mega Church preaching meets Burning Man. Then, theres the deification of Elon Musk. The worship of Steve Jobs. And to a far lesser extent, Tim Cook.　　Misplaced reverence　　From a mechanical perspective, the average Tesla leaves a lot to be desired. According to the latest Consumer Reports Vehicle Reliability Study, Teslas

2021-03-23Deep Dive

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