HTC Announces a Limited Series of the Binance Edition Exodus 1 Smartphone

Tech companies and phone services providers have already zeroed in on adding blockchain and crypto features into its products, seeing that both are slowly, but surely changing the world and growing in popularity in the last few years. Customers all over the world are enticed by these devices and its innovative features, leading to lots of sales and profit to these multinational companies.

The latest brand to embrace the crypto revolution and add exchange services, in this case by, working hand in hand with Binance, is the Taiwan-based tech firm and smartphone manufacturer HTC. The enterprise announced to the world that it will launch a limited run of the Exodus 1, with features of one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

The phone will be called Binance Edition Exodus 1 and will, of course, offer support for the Binance public blockchain, known as the Binance Chain. The announcement also details that the device supports the Binance DEX of decentralized nature.

The First Blockchain Phone Integrated with the Binance Chain

The development was announced at a Binance Super Meetup in Singapore. Binance’s highest authority, the CEO Changpeng Zhao, and the CFO Wei Zhou were present in the event, as well as HTC executives.

The cutting-edge smartphone is, allegedly, the first blockchain phone in the planet to come with integrated Binance Chain blockchain services, making it a desirable asset in all markets, especially in the Asian region.

It is said that the Binance Edition Exodus 1 will come with a proprietary Zion Vault crypto wallet app with Binance DEX, which will let users trade crypto assets on the mentioned ecosystem from their devices respectively. Another pre-loaded service is the Binance app and also its associated wallet’s app, Trust Wallet.

The phone is not particularly cheap, but the price goes in concordance with the market conditions and other brands. It will cost $599, and it will be available for purchase on the HTC official web page in the upcoming days. Another crypto-friendly development related to the device is that customers will be able to pay for it in the form of cryptocurrencies.

A Shared Vision

According to Phil Chen, who is currently the decentralized chief officer at HTC, the firm shares the same vision of Binance when it comes to borderless finance. He also stated that the company he works for is thrilled to support Binance Chain and DEX. Additionally, he observed that he is hopeful that the strategic alliance between the two powerhouses in their respective fields will bring a “completely new paradigm of digital asset exchanges and corresponding interactions.”

On the other hand, Zhao, one of the world’s most famous crypto personalities, made it clear that the interconnection between the global smartphone marketplace and the blockchain sector is notable, and that smartphones will be extremely crucial to promote the massive adoption of cryptocurrencies. He also explained that crypto will diversify a smartphone’s offerings, converting it into a point-of-sale terminal and a payment machine, effectively eliminating the middleman.

By Andres Chavez

TRON’s Founder to Be Part of the Investment Group that Will Acquire Poloniex

Finally, the speculation and the whispers around the industry have been confirmed: Justin Sun, the revolutionary leader of the TRON project and blockchain, announced the token’s listing on the Poloniex cryptocurrency exchange.

Not only that but also, Sun made official that he is behind the investor group that will complete the acquisition of Poloniex from Circle, a famous fintech company. Originally, the founder of the TRON ecosystem had denied any involvement, but he did not have any choice but to confirm the news that everyone was expecting.

The development occurred at a Tron-Poloniex joint event that was streamed via Twitter at the start of the week. Sun confirmed that TRON was one of several investors in the influential and widely used crypto exchange, but that the latter is managed independently from his firm.

A Declining Giant

Poloniex is one of the world’s most famous crypto exchanges. It was born in 2014, and Circle purchased it for a reported $400 million at the beginning of 2018. Once upon a time, Poloniex hosted over 50% of exchange transactions, but it has been ceding market share for quite some time now and was at 1% of the market before the recent ownership change.

Meanwhile, TRON (TRX) is firmly entrenched in the top 20 of all cryptocurrencies according to Coinmarketcap. It is currently 11th in total market cap, and it will now be listed on the revamped Poloniex crypto exchange.

Poloniex also confirmed in the last few days that it was ready to list the decentralized crypto. Sun went to Twitter to tell it himself: “It’s official now,” he said to his followers, after days of speculation and rumors.

As for the available trading pairs, customers of the exchange are already able to start posting limit orders for TRX/Bitcoin (BTC), TRX/Tether (USDT) and TRX/USD Coin (USDC). According to reports, full trading will be possible “shortly after this date”; therefore, it should not belong.

“Poloniex is one of the biggest exchanges in our industry. I think the exchange is going to grow and that’s why we collaborate with it to have more initiatives,” were Sun words regarding his participation in the purchase of Poloniex. He did not provide additional details for the time being. He had stated that he was not buying “anything” just a few days ago.

An Airdrop Coming?

According to the crypto entrepreneur, an airdrop campaign of USDT and TRX20 for Poloniex users may be around the corner and could occur before the end of 2019.

Regarding the exchange’s approach to entice Chinese investors, Sun stated that they would be able to sign in through the pwang.com domain, and they will be redirected to Poloniex. The platform also takes Chinese government IDs for KYC (know your customer) proceedings.

Poloniex had been talking about splitting from Circle and form a new firm, called Polo Digital Assets. New ownership had the objective of testing the global market and drift away from the United States.

By Andres Chavez

Crypto Whales Are Aware of New of Bitcoin’s Fall below USD 9,000

Once again the price of Bitcoin has experienced a price relapse. However, some people do not yet know what the reaction of crypto whales may be.

Despite having constantly shown respect to an area close to USD 9,050, Bitcoin’s price failed to remain bullish. Gradually, Bitcoin sellers take control of the scene and people begin to wonder about the impact of crypto whales on this event.

Highlights about Bitcoin

Recently there has been a new variation in Bitcoin’s price that is contrary to the trend of recent days. There is a sharp increase in the bearish volume, due to a break in the area near USD 9,050.

On other occasions, this regression was the predecessor of a more pronounced fall, leading the price of Bitcoin to reach a ​​value between USD 8,810 and USD 8,650.

Before that, a bullish trend in Bitcoin predominated against the constant decrease in price during the months of September and part of October.

However, the change into an upward trend quickly caused a situation of uncertainty that finally destroyed Bitcoin’s bullish panorama in the short term.

The movement is still in full development and could be extended a little more. However, it is difficult at this time to know how far it will go. Therefore, it is advised to wait to analyze 4-hour candlestick closures, to try to predict future movements.

At the time of writing this article, the price of Bitcoin is USD 8,758.75.

Crypto Whales and BTC

The role of crypto whales within the Bitcoin ecosystem remains an incendiary point of discussion. According to SFOX, a cryptocurrency trading platform, the effect of crypto whales in crypto markets is real.

In conventional trade, controls and balances improve the effect of large commercial positions in retail markets. However, Bitcoin’s relatively short history and random trading patterns present mixed evidence for analysts, who measure the impact of large whales on price movements.

In this regard, it could be said that the increasing number of factors influencing the prices of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, makes it difficult to identify a sole probable cause for the observed price variations.

Indeed crypto whales can influence Bitcoin’s price, especially if the amount that they trade is gigantic. At this time, as reported by Whale Alert, it seems that those whales that have been holding their cryptocoins for a while, without doing anything with them, have decided to sell.

If that sale suddenly occurred massively, Bitcoin’s price would simply plummet due to an injection of BTC into the market, which would increase the offer.

All those movements show that since the report of the drop of Bitcoin’s price, there have been constant sales of BTC in the market.

This is to ensure recovering the profits from the investments before it is too late. This is assumed by the fact that all transfers were made from unknown wallets to exchanges.

Conclusions

Novices in the cryptocurrency market, specifically Bitcoin market, should avoid these volatile movements. It is recommended observing very carefully to learn from these situations, since greater losses can be experienced due to ignorance.

It is also important to stay alert to changes caused by crypto whales and exert downward pressure on the price of Bitcoin.

By Willmen Blanco

Blockchain Will Not Die Due to Quantum Computers

The arrival of quantum computers has caused great concern because they may pose a threat to the survival of Blockchain. This technology needs to improve the areas of security, crypto agility and governance so that new discoveries do not outperform it.

Although many people consider that quantum computers represent a threat to Blockchain technology, they do not necessarily imply their end.

Since Google claimed to have developed the first truly functional quantum computer, rumors about a possible end of the blockchain became increasingly latent. Many people believe that quantum computers will eventually make Blockchain obsolete.

This situation occurs because the security of Blockchain depends on the difficulty in solving underlying mathematical problems. That is the reason why quantum computers, which are capable of performing calculations at the speed of light, may appear to be a major threat.

However, those people who say that the end of Blockchain has arrived are wrong. The mere fact of having claimed the achievement of quantum supremacy, as Google did, does not mean that it can have control over Blockchain. Some studies even reveal that the advances made by Google are rather modest.

Not only do the detractors of Google agree with this premise but also IBM. After a strange war of words, the latter said that its competitor was exaggerating the importance of its achievement regarding quantum computers.

Despite that, something of which the crypto community should be aware of is the progress of quantum computers. As technology advances, blockchains will have to maintain a pace of innovation so as not to be outperformed.

Areas That Blockchain Must Reinforce

Quantum computers might not only pose a threat to Blockchain regarding security issues. There are two other areas in which this technology needs to improve so that new discoveries do not overcome it.

The second capacity refers to crypto agility issues. This concept refers to the ability of developers to improve a blockchain. In this sense, it would be used so that quantum resistance characteristics can be implemented after the network is operational.

Due to the large number of projects being built on Blockchain, its ability to update its own components continuously will be crucial.

The third capacity has to do with the governance of the blockchain. Due to the uncertainty about when quantum computers will arrive on a global scale, Blockchain projects must establish procedures to determine when and how to implement “secure quantum” updates on their networks.

This might present the greatest challenge of all. The main problem is that achieving governance has been difficult up to the present time. It is essential that people in the crypto space should begin to think seriously about this to keep governance from being an obstacle to the improvement of technology.

The threat of quantum computers provide Blockchain developers with a great opportunity to prove their knowledge and experience to find solutions to the issues described above. This technology has allowed the creation of countless projects that have contributed to the cooperation among the different members of the network.

By Willmen Blanco

Critical Bitcoin Journalism that Educates and Allows Making Better Decisions

Crypto ecosystem companies often do not tolerate any type of questioning. A vast number of them are adapted to press releases and sponsored articles.

The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature Gabriel García Márquez described in October 1996 the evolution of journalism, its failures and the strengths that he had observed for years in this profession, which he loved without half measures.

Márquez considered that research is not a specialty of the job but that all types of journalism must be inherently research-oriented. The author of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” summarized that journalists should focus on knowing the facts thoroughly, verifying truths and unmasking lies.

A reporter is supposed to corroborate information, contrast facts, analyze data, and show results or evidence. Their job is to investigate sources of information whether related to politics, economy, events or new technologies, as in the case of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Journalism can be considered a lifestyle as it is dedicated to the news and its consequences 24 hours a day. In this sense, it resembles Bitcoin, since it is a cryptocurrency with global repercussions, which always generates both positive and negative reactions among governments, regulators, companies, and even banks.

Covering the news on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies represents a challenge because technology changes rapidly. Both companies and software developers announce their progress on different social media every day. Many produce press releases or pay for sponsored articles to announce their innovations.

This routine has led over the years to habituation to the dissemination of information without any type of questioning from third parties. Preparing a press release, writing a sponsored article, managing social networks or being in charge of a company’s public relations may be marketing, but not journalism.

Criticism of the Media

Startups are generally suspicious of being questioned, especially by the media, whose mission is to verify facts. Some companies in this ecosystem, and in different industries, assume that by advertising in a medium they are not vulnerable to questioning.

As a matter of fact, the main reason for the media to exist is to ensure meeting the common interests of society, as in the world of cryptocurrencies, and not to become mass disseminators of any information that companies want to have published to their advantage.

Dozens of marketing agencies have been created worldwide that promote content related to cryptocurrencies. There are also companies that hire agency services to market their products in the media.

Some others prepare their own press releases and send them massively, via e-mail, requesting their dissemination as a form of free advertising, which floods the mailboxes of publishers; media contact channels, and even those of journalists.

Disturbing Journalism

These elements might indicate that the crypto ecosystem is still not ready for true journalism. By nature, this profession can be disturbing, especially for those who are acting incorrectly or are involved in corruption or scams.

In many countries, the press is expected to ensure meeting the interests of a community. The goal is for authorities to be accountable for their actions and decision making. In the case of cryptocurrency companies, interest is highlighted in favor of transparency.

Authentic journalism will probably increase in this ecosystem, but there are still many lessons to learn. The idea is to bet on a type of journalism closer to readers, which allows them to make their own decisions and educate themselves about Bitcoin, the platforms accompanying it and, above all, receive useful information.

By Willmen Blanco

Issuing Digital Coins by Central Banks is supported by the European Union

The document published by the European Union is a draft that will seek to establish a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in the continent

The European Union (EU) believes that issuing digital currencies by financial institutions in European countries could be of great benefit for the region. In this way, a document written directly by the Presidency of the agency expresses that it is convenient for the central banks of each country to develop their digital currencies as a local and regional financial mechanism.

In addition to this, the agency proposes the creation of a regulatory framework that turns around the use and issuance of these assets to support their development and livelihood, as well as to inspect private companies that create cryptographic projects of different kinds.

The document was published on November 6th through the official website of the Council of the European Union. This document indicates that the European Central Bank (ECB) and other Central Banks should manage, together with the competent legal bodies, a drastic change in digital payment systems to adapt them to the new times.

An example of financial transformation is cited, using digital currencies anchored to other assets and stablecoins; thus, showing the wide possibilities and diversification of markets.

The draft, expressed in this document, emerges in response to the launch of Libra, the cryptocurrency announced by the social media giant, Facebook, in the middle of this year.

This document or initial draft for the legal framework that would regulate the issuance and use of cryptocurrencies by the Central Banks of the EU member countries, would, in the first instance, be subject to discussions for approval by deputies of the multinational body. Besides, it could present various changes and amendments before its implementation on the continent.

The text enthusiastically exposes the agency’s support for this new financial initiative. “We welcome that central banks, in cooperation with other relevant authorities, continue to assess the costs and benefits of central bank digital currencies as well as engage with European payment actors regarding the role of the private sector in meeting expectations for efficient, fast and inexpensive cross-border payments”.

It does not seem to be a coincidence that these types of initiatives to crypto issues arise from the EU, as this body was born as a support to the Central Banks of the region to avoid future problems with the parallel development of these technologies by private entities.

Despite this, there is a governmental interest on the part of some nations. An example of this emerged recently when the Association of German Banks said it intended to issue a Digital Euro to facilitate payments and transactions. However, they said they need the support of institutional entities to conduct it.

This initiative is expected to bring benefits to the crypto industry, although limits would certainly be set on companies that develop digital assets. However, the initiative suggests a possible birth of stablecoins issued by the central banks of European countries.

By María Rodríguez