Core Magazine February 2017

core Harnessing the benefits of technology for the good of humanity http://coremedia.info

ISSUE #18 FEBRUARY 2017

BLOCKCHAIN NEWS - INTERVIEWS - RADIO

interview with

PAGE INDEX Bitcoin Exchanges in China Stop Margin Trading

WeTrust Intro and Interview CryptoCompare: Monthly Update

Japan is Catching up with Bitcoin Buy and Sell Bitcoin at any 7Eleven Store in the Philippines

Blockchain News: GAME; DECENT; SIA SuperNET News

“Cryptocurrency Regulation in Russia”

Waves News

Core Radio

EOM Report

Interview

WHAT IS BITCOIN? You may have heard of Bitcoin on TV, or in a conversation with friends. Truth is, Bitcoin is more than just “funny money”, in fact it is now a force to be reckoned with. Dig a little further and you will find Bitcoin is actually an extremely fascinating concept.

Bitcoin is an internet digital currency. Unlike other digital currencies like PayPal, Bitcoin is decentralized.

Decentralization, in the context of Bitcoin, means every transaction made on the Bitcoin network can be viewed by anyone around the whole world.

Furthermore, all the information of Bitcoin transactions is downloaded onto every Bitcoin users computer making it impossible to shut down the Bitcoin network.

The Bitcoin protocol cannot be hacked and if backed up correctly can be even safer than storing your money in a bank.

Bitcoin can be used to buy things in the real world. Want a new TV? A cup of coffee to start the day? Try paying for it with Bitcoin.

“At its core, bitcoin is a smart currency, designed by very forward-thinking engineers. It eliminates the need for banks, gets rid of credit card fees, currency exchange fees, money transfer fees, and reduces the need for lawyers in transitions… all good things” - Peter Diamandis

NEWS BITCOIN EXCHANGES IN CHINA STOP MARGIN TRADING

yesterday. BTCC commented on the visit via their news page:

“During this visit, we followed up on prior discussions and shared details about our business model and operations with the group. We expect to continue with additional meetings later this week.

In the wake of the recent announcements made by the People’s Bank of China regarding the use of Bitcoin and Bitcoin exchanges, Huobi, OKCoin and BTCC are suspending margin trading.

An official announcement can be seen on the BTCC official website, which reads: “Starting from January 12th, 2017, BTCChina has suspended margin loan service. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service.”

The move can be seen as a direct consequence of theinspections carried out by the People’s Bank of China on domestic exchanges, which was announced on the 11th and started

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All operations at BTCC are normal and we continue to actively work with regulators to ensure that we remain compliant. In the meantime, we urge our customers to take a rational and cautious view to news articles which speculate on the visit and discussions.”

Although BTCC has already stopped margin trading, Huobi has only commented on the subject through WeChat, stating that Huobi may pause the new leverage services at any time.

Will volatility decrease?

Although unproven, many claim that these exchanges have been creating false value through margin and

NEWS

futures trading. This is done in order to create a false sense of popularity for the exchange, which may cause n some to consider the exchange more What’s next? s legitimate. Bobby Lee, CEO of BTCC Although the latest developments from d has even talked about this himself the People’s Bank of China have sent t and accused both OKCoin and Huobi the Bitcoin price on a wild rollercoaster s (BTCChina was, of course, left out ride and caused some confusion among of the list) of this practice: the community, they may build the "There is a lot of mining that goes foundation blocks for a more stable l on in China. However, I caution you: and widely spread Bitcoin that is not h do not read too much into the high so heavily dominated by China. n trading volumes. China has decent e high volumes but unfortunately two As a regulatory framework is built d of my competition exchanges - I never around Bitcoin, mainstream adoption h like saying this - but they are also becomes more viable within the d artificially inflating their volumes country both as a payment system and through the technique of wash as an investment asset. A reduction in trades.” the possibly artificial volume from the d CNY market can also be seen as y The effects on the halt can already positive, given that Bitcoin is meant to h be observed on BTCC, which cut be an apolitical currency and should margin trading a few hours ago. Since not be so affected by one country’s t then, trading volume from the policies. exchange has been reduced significantly, as can be seen below:

t g d

NEWS JAPAN IS CATCHING UP WITH BITCOIN

Bitcoin is becoming increasingly popular in Japan and trading volume in JPY is now surpassing that of the U.S. reaching its all-time high of 138 thousand bitcoins traded on the 11th of January.

Today, JPY volume is still above the U.S, at 69.7 thousand, second only to China.

Coincheck in collaboration withENet is extremely useful, especially for Bitcoin miners.

Japan’s emergence is extremely welcome for a truly decentralized Bitcoin that has so far been highly dominated by China and the United States. Bitcoin mining has also been largely concentrated in China, which can also be seen as concerning. If China were to make Bitcoin mining illegal, the network would be heavily affected.

Bitcoin in Japan Bitcoin is becoming increasingly popular in Japan, not only as an BitFlyer is currently the lead investment vehicle but also as a exchange in trading volume. payment system. A recent report Coincheck, which recently highlights a survey that estimated introduced a service that allowed the number of online and offline Japanese citizens to pay their retailers that are accepting Bitcoin electricity bills with Bitcoin , comes as a payment method has grown in third. The service launched by 4.6 times in the last year. According

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NEWS

to the survey conducted in statement by the SBI reads: y December, there are about 4,200 “The Consortium will promote shops in Japan that accept Bitcoin. discussion, from both technical and operational perspectives, on Bitcoin’s rising popularity in the activities required in domestic and country can be observed, not only foreign exchange services to utilize through trading volumes but also blockchain and other new in Google’s search trends that technologies, consolidate domestic y show a growing interest. These and foreign exchange services, and d reveal that “bitcoin” has reached build 24-hour and real-time y its two years and 10 months peak remittance infrastructure, and will d in 2017. try to finish PoC by next March to o move forward commercial base.” n Blockchain tech The Japanese Ministry of Economy, s Interest in Bitcoin’s underlying Trade and Industry has also taken e technology, the blockchain has notice of the technology,sending k been growing exponentially in the three blockchain startups abroad as country as can be seen below in part of a technology innovation the Google trend chart below: program that seeks to form a bridge of innovation between Silicon y Valley and Japan. n a In November, the first Japanese d Blockchain consortium was e created. Launched by financial n services group SBI, the joint effort n is comprised of 42 local and g regional banks. The official

NEWS

BUY AND SELL BITCOIN AT population within the country, whic ANY 7-ELEVEN STORE IN has a low level of financial inclusion The new service allows anyone to THE PHILIPPINES

convert Bitcoin into cash without the need for a bank account and it also allows the unbanked to interact wit e-commerce platforms and to use Bitcoin as an investment vehicle, allowing citizens to protect thei savings from inflation.

Bitcoin in the Philippines Coins.ph recently launched a service While the Philippines is still an that allows users to buy and sellemergent country in regard to Bitcoin at any 7-Eleven convenience Bitcoin, it is catching to the dominan store in the Philippines. The processcountries. In trading volume, the is extremely quick and intuitive andPhilippines comes in 12th today,with can be done by anyone as seen666.56 exchanged. It wasn’t always facebook videowas posted by Coin. so, however. The country saw an ph detailing the process. overwhelming increase in volume on the 9th, which reached its all-tim By removing financial institutionshigh on January 12. from the process of buying and selling Bitcoin, Coin.ph has not only created a simple way for those that can’t access financial services to exchange BTC, it has also pushed adoptionGeneral interest in the cryptocurrenc forward within the country. can also be observed on Google This new product is extremely usefulsearch trends. These reveal that for the unbanked and underbankedBitcoin reached it’s peak in popularit

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NEWS

chduring the 1st/7th of January. At the customer. n. time, Bitcoin was worth more than o1000 USD. These include peer-to-peer markets e like LocalBitcoins or Paxful, or even oThe growing interest in Bitcoinfully decentralized ones like hwithin the country has beenBitsquare. An app called Abra also epreviously met withnew regulations allows users to cash in their Bitcoins , being drafted by the government of for cash and vice versa through irthe Philippines. At the time, deputyregistered tellers. Spare employs a governor of the Philippines’ centralsimilar system that allows users to bank, Nestor Espenilla expressed hisexchange BTC for cash. The Spare concerns regarding money system is useful for both the user and nlaundering and consumer protection.for the merchant. o nt“We are studying putting virtualWhile there is still a long road ahead, ecurrency exchange operators under Bitcoin is getting closer to becoming a more formal regulatory a truly global currency, independent framework.” said Nestor Espenilla from any form of central authority. n Products like the one launched by n Bitcoin for the unbanked Coin.ph ensure a steady rate of meWhile Bitcoin was created as anadoption amidst those who need alternative to the current bankingBitcoin the most, the unbanked. system, we still rely heavily on these institutions to exchange our BTC for national currencies, given that bitcoin is not a globally accepted cycurrency (yet). However, there are currently many alternatives that can t bypass these institutions to deliver tyexchanging services directly to the

NEWS “CRYPTOCURRENCY REGULATION IN RUSSIA” TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY IN MOSCOW

understanding of Bitcoin, and build a regulatory framework we have gathered the necessary knowledge.”

However, the regulatory status o Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencie still remains a mystery to many in the country. These are often left to wonder how they should deal with cryptocurrencies when it comes to taxes, issuance, and other regulatory issues.

Despite the less-than friendly relationship Russia has had withTo deal with this issue and to spread Bitcoin over past years, the Bank ofawareness in regards to Russia has recently revealed thatcryptocurrency regulations, the there are no plans to ban Bitcoin orWaves Platform, Digital October to limit its use. Olga Skorobogatov,Center and Digital Finance Agency Bank of Russia Deputy Chairmanorganized the “Cryptocurrency has recently stated: Regulation in Russia” conference.

The event took place yesterday in “It became clear that it is not Moscow and counted with the straightforward to address participation of public figures in and Bitcoin with existing financial outside of the Blockchain sphere regulation.

Regulators and like Deloitte(Ksenia Osipova), State financial agencies agree to not Duma(Elena Sidorenko), Microsoft prohibit the use of Bitcoin. Russia(Kostya Goldstein), Instead, we want to gain a better

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NEWS

Sberbank(Dmitry Bulychkov),will continue to work with QIWI(Constantine Koltsov), cryptocurrency in the country".

Emercoin(Stan Polozov), NPC (Alma Obayeva).

Elena Sidorenko, Doctor of Law, Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal ofKsenia Osipova, Senior ConsultantProcedure and Criminalistics from esat the Law Group CIS Deloitte, Moscow State Institute of nrecalled the history of relationsInternational Relations under the obetween Russian regulators andMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the hcryptocurrencies and consideredRussian Federation also noted the othe message that was contained inneed to fill the legal vacuum around rlast year's letter to the Federal Tax virtual currencies. According to her, Service in detail. According to her, there is a recent trend towards this was the first attempt tochanging attitudes of officials in dinfluence regulators on the market.regards to cryptocurrency. Earlier in o government agencies mainly According to her, Now the Russian discussed issues related to the ban market may cryptocurrency, although this has r cryptocurrency y develop the three scenarios, fromnow changed. ythe most negative, which implies a on transactions with . ban n cryptocurrency to the most positive e- legislative secured permission to dmake payments and transfers via She stated ecryptocurrencies. e(translation): t "It is from 2017 forward that , there will finally be real discussion and analysis, and we

NEWS

She commented the position of the Russian authorities on th matter: "All hiding and waiting, looking at the experience" of other countries. The main barriers to the creation of legislation according to her, are the following questions: What is Bitcoin means of payment (not subject to VAT) or digital good (subject to VAT).

Managing Director at Waves, Sasha Ivanov states that regulation is necessary for cryptocurrencies as a complete ban of thi technology is unlikely to succeed due to their decentralized natur

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NEWS

and especially since they carry the potential for a large-scale improvement of business processes. Sasha said: "Technology is often ahead of legislation".

According to Sasha Ivanov, the general consensus of the speakers was that Russian regulators are close to some form of legal framework for cryptocurrency in the country. Most probable scenario is a separate law concerning the legal status of crypto, analogous NY bitlicense. He also noted the importance of events like this one, stating:

“Events like the Cryptocurrency Regulation in Russia are important for the growth of Blockchain technology and extremely useful for the community as they help spread awareness on the regulations imposed on cryptocurrencies, allowing users and companies to operate within the legal heboundaries of the country.�

n,The event featured, not only talks, but also an interactive round -table where questions from attendees were be answered in a t Q&A type format. The discussion was moderated by Artem Tolkachev, Director, Head of Legal for Tech Group in by Deloitte CIS. The topic featured at the round table was: "The intermediate nresults of the control and application prospects for iscryptocurrency blockchain technology in 2017".

re

INTERVIEW with

WETRUST

WeTrust: Blockchain-based such low interest on savings and charge high interest and collateral requirement Mutual Aid

on loans that most borrowers get turne away and begin to seek alternatives.

Microfinance banks, who are known t give loans without collateraloften come up short as the lending services ar provided to small businesses o individuals that have low-income and usually work within the gray economy These have higher default rates and may lack the ability to repay the loans. Mos Throughout the world, exclusion andloans given out to borrowers are no access to banking is an issue thatover paid back due to the poor business an two billion people face daily . Although marketing skills. there has been a series of efforts to bring financial services to the unbanked byRather than partaking in traditiona financial institutions and other not forfinancial means, those underbanked profit organizations, many are stillmost developing countries participat suffering and have not received any aid. in a system called reciprocal aid, wher participants are both the shareholder The banking institutions that provideand customers. These organizations pu these services often are inaccessible orcustomers first, rather than shareholder have done little to encourage the in the traditional banking case. Thes unbanked to embrace the bankingreciprocal aid organizations are create based on an existing social tie a commo system. background such as religion, ethnicity Those underbanked do not comprehendor educational affiliation. The list goe why they should join the banking systemon and on. These reciprocal aid because savings and credit rates thatorganization or thrift collector agencie they are offered are not competitive.(as they are called in Africa) can als Financial institutions such as banks offerbe known as rotating savings and cred

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WETRUST

e associations (ROSCA) in the United tsStates. However, there are some The WeTrust ROSCA Dapp is a credit edtransparency issues with ROSCAsand savings platform which allows users which are usually closed-off from theto lend and borrow from each other at rest of the world and only exist in certainself decisive interest rates with low tolocations. friction. WeTrust is built to create a competitive alternative asset class for reWeTrust is a collaborative platform savers, promote group savings in a way orpowered by blockchain. It was created to reach individual saving goal and create das an alternative to traditional financialan inexpensive path for the two billion y.and microfinance services which areunbanked to obtain and track savings y not sustainable for the unbanked.and credit. stWeTrust seeks to advance the otreciprocal form of lending and The WeTrust application is designed to ndinsurance by leveraging the power of serve multiple audiences but specifically blockchain technology. built for the unbanked or underbanked who need access to credit and other alWeTrust wants to make to make individuals who have access to financial inROSCAs more efficient and institutions but want alternative tetrustworthy through the launch ofsolutions to savings and credit. Contrary re“WeTrust ROSCAs �, an autonomous, to popular belief, the unbanked and rsfrictionless and decentralizedunderbanked population does not reside utapplication. The goal is also to amplifyexclusively in developing countries, but rsthe benefits of reciprocal aidalso in developed ones, where banking seorganizations namely: easy access toretailers can be at times inaccessible. edcredit and fair savings and lending rates. onOn the other hand, we want to reduce y,the management costs and the security esissues related with trusting a centralized dauthority. Furthermore, WeTrust esmakes ROSCAs globally accessible to soanyone (as it is connected to the ditinternet).

WETRUST WeTrust

Rotating savings and credits associations (ROSCA), have been in existenc for thousands of years, playing the role of financial institutions from t grassroots. Usually, they are a group of individuals who come together agreement to meet for a defined period with the sole purpose of borrowi and lending together. This can be seen as a peer to peer form of bankin and lending as they are normally built along geographical areas and clan social networks and status or professional networks. ROSCA is present an thriving in developing countries of the world where the unbanked a located. Like most peer to peer systems, ROSCAs have worked well an continue to do in many countries.

WeTrust, which is a ROSCA on the blockchain network, is built to reduce the weaknesses of the traditional ROSCAs such as low liquidity, potenti fraud from the organizer, accounting records and high fees. It is also set automate what is proven to be an effective system for thousands of year

The WeTrust ecosystem is comprised of three essential parties such as th sponsors, forepersons and referral partners. The application token know as Trust Coin is used to motivate the parties so as to foster growth an integrity on the system. Any member of the network can perform any o these three roles.

The WeTrust ROSCA application can be downloaded by users, who wil then be prompted to create an account, the user is then given a uniqu deposit address. Periodic installment can be made directly into the platfo and the group will be notified if a member misses payment. The participa will be able to view fund movements, bid information and audit funds escrow.

Users will be able to deposit from their own wallet to the unique addre

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WETRUST

during each round and receive payment to the address of their choice. The token to use is determined by the foreperson and WeTrust will provide cerecommendation on where and how users can get the token of choice. the inWith the presence of ROSCAs on the blockchain, the unbanked can be certain that they can assess credit and achieve their saving and investmen ing goals with ease and speed, being connected to a peer-to-peer network o ng users that are trying to do the same and can share information and advices ns, making WeTrust a truly community-driven project. nd are ndTo learn more about WeTrust, check out their whitepaperhere! If you have any questions, comments, theories or suggestions, visit the official Slack channel.

ialINTERVIEW to rs.

WITH GEORGE LI AND PATRICK LONG FROM WETRUST (NEXT PAGE)

he wn nd of

ll ue orm ant in

George Li ess STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS

Patrick Long PRODUCT MANAGER

WETRUST INTERVIEW

1. What are the state of affairs in those services are not available o affordable.” terms of financial inclusion?

Financial inclusion is importan WeTrust’s vision is to leverage social because ability to access healthcare capital, trust networks, andeducation, better jobs, etc… is blockchain technology to create a dependant upon access to credit financial system that has alignedwhich facilitates good healthcare interests with all of it’s participants.education, etc…

2 Billion people in this world do notLack of financial inclusion often have a bank account and the existingprevents further quality of life financial system has manyimprovements, as a result. contradictions. One cannot get an affordable loan without having well-3. Who are the major players in financial inclusion/ paying job and good credit, whilethe legitimate insurance claims directlymicrofinance arena today? reduce an insurance firm’s profits.

The un-banked and un-insured areMany NGOs such as: Accion labs, Network, Gates most hurt from this lack of accessOmidyar Kiva, M-PESA, and misalignment of interests, andFoundation, are always in search of alternativeGrameen Bank are all major players in this financial inclusion/ financial solutions. microfinance area. That being said 2. What is financial inclusion and WeTrust is significantly different from these players because we are why is it important?

Financial inclusion is well defined bydecentralizing the entire process and wikipedia as “the delivery of financialaim to eliminate the middleman services at affordable costs tocompletely. These organizations sections of disadvantaged and low-although are non-profit, still charge income segments of society, in significant fees since they’re contrast to financial exclusion whereintegrated with the traditiona

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WETRUST INTERVIEW

rfinancial system which by its verytechnology? nature has lots of bureaucracy. nt The banking and insurance industries e,4. How big is this market and how are quite massive already! smany people could potentially be taffected?

6. How much are microfinance e, banks charging today?

Our initial product is a ROSCA n dApp, which addresses the needs ofMicrofinance can help, but eover 1 Billion people who currentlyoftentimes the end borrower has to participate in ROSCAs globally. pay extraordinarily high interest rates However, we believe a social capital on the loan. This is not always and trust network driven financialtransparent to the ‘lenders’ who system can also be very useful forbelieve they are participating in a people in developed countries thatcharitable cause. Numerous studies do have access to banks and have been conducted on this topic , insurance companies. A ROSCA can such as this one, and this one, which s be seen as a zero-sum insuranceshow that microfinance can create organization, with minimal expensesevere unintended consequences. sratio, whereas insurance companies /on average have ~30% of d,policyholder premiums go toward 7. What is community banking and t operating expenses, advertising,insurance? Give me some context. eand profits. There is a tremendousCommunity banking and insurance dopportunity to bring value bycan mean many things. In the ROSCA nimproving the efficiency in lendingcontext, it is This grassroots sand insurance. organization leverages personal e reputation and social ties -- and draws e5. Are there any other use cases upon 2,000 years of resilience and althat would benefit from this effectiveness in offering credit and

WETRUST INTERVIEW 7. What is community banking and 8. How will YOUR solution benefit insurance? Give me some context. the world?

Community banking and insuranceWeTrust’s vision is to leverage social can mean many things. In the ROSCAcapital, trust networks, an context, it is This grassrootsblockchain technology to create a organization leverages personalfinancial system that has aligned reputation and social ties -- and drawsinterests with all of it’s participants upon 2,000 years of resilience and2 Billion people in this world do no effectiveness in offering credit andhave a bank account and the existing insurance to communities around thefinancial system has many world. contradictions. One cannot get an affordable loan without having well Specifically, a ROSCA is a group of paying job and good credit, while individuals who agree to meet for alegitimate insurance claims directl defined period in order to save andreduce an insurance firm’s profits borrow together, a form of combinedThe un-banked and un-insured ar peer-to-peer banking and peer-to-most hurt from this lack of access peer lending. ROSCAs are commonly and misalignment of interests, an built along clan, geographical, social,are always in search of alternative or professional networks. Infinancial solutions. countries around the world, ROSCAs have a variety of different names We believe that today’s banks and such as: susus (Ghana/ Caribbean insurance companies play an Islands), tandas (Latin America), huiimportant role in society. However (China), chits (India), cundinas in contrast to other industries wher (Mexico), etc.. For more, find theundifferentiated products result in whitepaper at WeTrust.io for more low margins, they thrive because o details! their important role as a “truste third party”. Yet, our research shows

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WETRUST INTERVIEW

that there is an alternative to thiseither have to own a computer or dependency on a “trusted thirdmobile device. We believe this isn’t party”, one which can help reducean issue as mobile device penetration l the friction necessitated byis exponentially increasing year over ndcentralized intermediaries and resultyear with a 72% penetration rate by a in a world where everyone has 2020 (or, 5.6B people worldwide) daccess to fair, market-priced creditaccording to GSMA. Our initially markets will be focused on s.and insurance. individuals with strong social capital ot and trust networks (e.g. current g9. Why use the Blockchain? students & alumni, fraternities & y nWith blockchain, the communal sororities, etc.), but due to differences l-savings and lending circles (alsoin each other's financial situation, eknown as ROSCAs in the US) can there exists a opportunity for one lynow be used anywhere. It doesn’tmore fortunate to help another less s.matter whether you don’t like how fortunate. reexpensive existing financial service sare or if you have no access to them ndat all. Communal savings and elending circles could be a great opportunity for blockchain to rethink the way we think about dsavings, credit and insurance. n10. How will you onboard nonr,tech savvy users onto your replatform? n ofBecause of the very nature of our edproduct, our initial users will have s to be somewhat tech savvy and

Bitcoin is now eight years old.

The blockchain has been growing ever since January 3, 2009 at 2:15PM EST, when the genesis block was created.

Dying more than 115 times, according to the obituary registry, Bitcoin was often surrounded by negativity in its earliest days (and even now).

However, the experiment progressed into what it is today, a highly functional and used decentralized payment system.

Bitcoin was the prime subject of debate in China’s “most cutting-edge and most influential financial talk show,” a highly popular national TV segment with millions of viewers. The topic of debated was “Bitcoin, fortune maker or Ponzi scheme?” featuring professor Larry Hsien Ping Lang, described as China’s most influential economist.

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The People's Bank of China has recently issued a new statement in regards to the inspections carried out on exchanges. The Bitcoin price has seen a slight drop following the news and as new Chinese exchange fees caused trading volumes to crash by over 90% in 24 hours. Since the inspections carried out, CNY volume has dropped 99% and is now second to USD.

A new documentary called ‘Banking on Bitcoin’ was released in select theaters and VOD on January 6. The documentary focuses on the 2008 financial crisis with many bitcoin advocates questioning early on why money was being controlled by central banks, the documentary highlights bitcoin as a ‘monetary revolution.’

CryptoCompare: New features and updates!

CryptoCompare, your favorite cryptocurrency swiss army knife, has started the year off just right! By adding a new section and redesigned coin page, the team hopes to make the website as easy as possible, while providing new useful information on another type of cryptocurrency related services: Gambling websites.

Starting with the design update, we have changed out coin page to give it a clean and functional look while still displaying all the advanced info a trader may need. We have moved the trading information up so that we can provide a bigger and more detailed price chart. We would love to know what you think of the new page, so drop us a line on one of the forums! Here's a look at the new design:

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On top of our redesigned coin page, we have also added a whole new section this month, "Spend". Although the section only feautres gambling websites, we hope to soon turn it into something more: a section where users will be able to get lists on the various place where they can spend their Bitcoins and altcoins!

Currently, our focus is turned towards gambling, which is a big part of Crypto and one of the most advanced infastructures we have. The new gambling section provides info on the websites, such as: Which coins are accepted, types of games, special features, affiliate and deposits, and much more! Our users help us keep the page useful by posting their reviews of the websites they have used. Join them and review your favorite gambling websites here.

BLOCKCHAIN NEWS

GAMECREDITS: NEW (GAME) was created. GameCredits PAYMENT GATEWAY FOR is a Proof of Work cryptocurrency THE GAMING INDUSTRY based on the popular Scryp

algorithm, the same used by Litecoin Its aim is to serve as a universal in game currency that can be used in multiple online games, allowing users to transfer coins between different games and to export said coins into the real world to be sold for fiat or other cryptos.

This system allows users to have Nowadays, gaming is a big part of higher deposit limits and a wide our lives. Games (in moderation) helpvariety of deposit methods our cognitive skills, motivation, andFurthermore, in game purchases ar they even helps us learn other safe from theft and fraud. GAME languages as kids.. However, no coins also protect your privacy matter how hard we play, allowing you to make anonymou something's always missing. transfers between games Our achievements cannot be Gamecredits' value proposition i "transported" into the real world orbased on the demand for universa other games. A new generation of in-game money. As more games games known as "freemium" gamesadopt this system, more people wi allow us to do the opposite, however.buy Gamecredits as a means to We can transfer our real-world acquire in-game items, characters money into the game to help us bonuses, etc... which means tha achieve goals, collect items, and soGamecredits users can also benef on, but the opposite is not possible. from an increased value on thei game holdings.

With this in mind, GameCredits

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BLOCKCHAIN NEWS

s 7th of December. This year, y Game developers also benefit sinceGamecredits has plans to be ptGamecredits provides a plug-and-integrated into thousands of games. n.play solution that simplifies the n-process of creating an in-game Most recently, GameCredits Inc. has nmonetary system. Since GAME canalso partnered with Datcroft Games gbe used in multiple games, playersLtd. to deliver blockchain based innhave an higher incentive to purchase game monetization to the mass dthese coins without fear of wastingmarket gaming industry. Datcroft has dmoney in something that will not beover 12 million registered users across used. As your gaming taste changes,their seven games, which are Gamecredits can move with you intolocalized into 15 languages. eyour new favorite game. They can eralso be sent as a gift to another playerAlthough GameCredits does not offer s.in another game. any breakthrough in terms of re technological advancements, it’s an E Furthermore, game developers alsoextremely useful system that is y,benefit from faster processing timescreating a popular use-case for usand higher deposit limits, fraud andcryptocurrencies by introducing the s.chargeback protection and cross- gaming community to the world of ispromotion in other games. They alsodigital coins. alget to skip overhead middleman fees s through Gamecredits decentralized illnature that relies on miners to oprocess transactions. s,Last year, the developersannounced atthat GameCredits would be used in fitthe popular MMORPG Fragoria irwhich has over eight million users.

The integration took place on the

BLOCKCHAIN NEWS Decent Platform: What’s Ahead?

Decent conducted a successful Last year, the Decent team unveiled their crowdfunding campaign, in which it idea for a decentralized content sharing gathered funds to further develop and network to the world, demonstrating a market the platform. During the basic prototype of the Decent Platform campaign, Decent also partnered wit and its basic features and characteristics.companies like Naughty America and The community got the first look at what received support from Google Ad Grant the future of decentralized content holds, program. The team ended the year with by following a step-by-step guide for new additions to the team, expanding sharing and purchasing online content its core staff of developers and opening with no middleman involved. new offices around the world.

So, what’s next for Decent? During the beginning of the year, the Decen

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BLOCKCHAIN NEWS

Network, which is the core focus of the stores, music marketplaces, Smart TVs, project, will be released. The launch is password managers, and so on. The long predicted for Q1-Q2 of the year and it term plan for DECENT is to manufacture will feature built-in DCT transactions. DECENT-Stream HW devices. Plug&Play According to a recent blog post, the USBHDMI devices will enable any team is close to moving to the testing SmartTV to be directly plugged into the phase.

DECENT Network, although these features may take a few years to come.

During Q3-Q4, Decent will work with developers and provide assistance withAs expected, 2017 is also a year in which the goal of creating multiple use cases the team hopes to further broaden its for the decent network, which is an reach and recognition by participating open-source project. One of these use and attending blockchain-themed events. cases will be developed by the team This year, Decent also wants to create themselves, the Decent News app. more bonds in and outside of the blockchain industry Decent News will be an intuitive app “2017 is going to be a year of that will allow users to publish and read breakthroughs, partnerships and news online with no central point of speeches – A year critical for our authority. This means that readers willcompany. We hope, you will be there have access to truly global and with us and support us as eagerly as you uncensored content, something that did last year.” d often lacks in traditional news outlets! e For more information check out the th“Each author can create his own profile Decent website, which has recently within the app, build his own “news gotten a new look! s feed” and start building his audience. h DECENT-News is just one of many g possible use-cases of the Network.” g Further down the line, Decent is planning to launch Decent on the App e Store, integrate Decent-core into nt existing ebook platforms, software app

BLOCKCHAIN NEWS SIA: DECENTRALIZED CLOUD STORAGE

platforms. It allows users to stor their files in a decentralized manne giving users the chance tomonetize their idle HDD spaceby becoming a host. While Sia provides a blockchain-based solution fo storage contracts and payments, th files are not directly stored on th blockchain, and are instead stored by peers called hosts. The only thin that is stored on the Sia blockchain Current cloud hosting platforms,is the information from the although efficient, all share the sametransactions and storage contract problem: that are formed between the uploade They are centralized. This exposesand the host, defining the terms o the uploaded files to all types of risk.their agreement.

They can be accessed, tampered with and lost. Furthermore, theseWhen clients want to store a file platforms usually rely on a they can do so by creating a storage subscription model which meanscontract with the host. Both the clien users often don’t get what they pay and storage provider must accept the for. As usual, blockchain is here to terms before the contract is mad help. There are a number of projectsvalid. Hosts can choose to rejec that are working on decentralizedunfavorable terms or unwanted files cloud storage solutions. One of themFile contracts also specify a duration is Sia. challenge frequency, and payou parameters. Hosts must comply wit Sia is a decentralized cloud storagethese parameters in order to receiv platform created to provide a the full reward for hosting. Thes competitive alternative to bothcontracts allow both the client an traditional and P2P cloud hosting

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BLOCKCHAIN NEWS

rethe host to have a certain degree offrequency specifies how often a er,flexibility. Hosts can announcestorage proof must be submitted, and themselves as minimally reliable,creates discrete challenge windows a offering a low price and a agreeing during which a host must submit a to minimal penalties for losing files;storage proofs. Submitting a valid oror they can advertise themselves asproof during the challenge window hehighly reliable, offering a higher triggers an automatic payment to the heprice and agreeing to harsher host. If no proof or an invalid proof dpenalties for losing files. is submitted, the payment will instead ng be destroyed. The contract will be n deemed invalid if the number of e maximum proofs that can be missed ts is exceeded. er of If the contract is still valid at the end of the contract duration, it successfully terminates and any e,These parameters include the rewardremaining coins are sent to the valid efor a valid proof, the reward for an proof address. Conversely, if the ntinvalid or missing proof, and thecontract funds are exhausted before emaximum number of proofs that canthe duration elapses, or if the debe missed. Proofs ensure clients thatmaximum number of missed proofs ctthe host is still storing the file andis exceeded, the contract s.are provided in the form of a segmentunsuccessfully terminates and any n,of the original file and a list of hashesremaining coins are destroyed. t from the file’s Merkle tree. These thproofs are made public and can be veverified on the blockchain. e dIn every contract, the challenge

BLOCKCHAIN NEWS

Since the storage proofs contain nocomplete a storage contract, and mechanism to enforce constant uptimealthough there are certain and there are also no provisions thatvulnerabilities in this system, user require hosts to transfer files back tohave no direct benefit to exploit them clients upon request, clients can chooserendering this a highly functional p2p to split up files into pieces which arecloud storage platform. then encrypted and stored across many hosts, allowing the client to attain highIt is also worth mentioning tha file availability even if the average although the platform relies on no network reliability is low. Files can be central authority to process recovered even if all the parts are nottransactions or contracts,Nebulous available, protecting clients againstIncorporated, the for-profit company offline hosts and ensuring that storagethat created Sia, charges a 3.9% fee providers must compete to provide thethat is allocated to Siafunds holders best quality of service when returningSiafunds are held by Nebulous (88%) files to the user. Since clients canand by the early crowd-fund backers request a file at any time, hosts have aof Sia (22%). This system is employed direct incentive to maximize uptime inas an alternative to premine as a sourc order to collect as many rewards as of income. possible. Contracts do not require hosts to transfer files back to their client whenAlthough Sia is currently based on a requested. Instead, an out-of-bandalternative blockchain with its own ecosystem must be created to rewardnative asset, SiaCoin, there are plans hosts for uploading. to introduce support for atwo-way peg with Bitcoin. Learn more about Sia. Hosts can also announce themselves to the network, allowing clients to create a database of potential hosts and form contracts with only those they trust.

We’re left with a system in which neither clients or hosts are required to trust each other or a third party to

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d n rs m, p

at o s

y e s. ) s d ce

n n s

SUPERNET NEWS

SUPERNET NEWS SUPERNET DEVELOPMENT UPDATE 10/01/2017

ICO Plaform, it will be automatically swapped for KMD and will no longer be available to withdraw as BTCD. Participants in the swap campaign wi automatically take part in the snapsho for REVS asset, a revenue sharing asset that will receive the revenues that were previously promised to BTCD investors The exact BTCD snapshot block will be announced later, but it will be taken during January 15th.

The development of the features tha After a successful ICO, the Komodo make Komodo a unique blockchain team is now getting ready to start theplatform is complete and the team i distribution of KMD coins to investorscurrently working on finishing the GU and bounty hunters. While thewallet to allow anonymous transactions

distribution process should be pretty straight forward, the development team“The Komodo has reached a point of is now waiting for the final pieces tofeature complete and in the validation come into place. The second stage ofstage. With the dPoW, assetchains, PAX the ICO, the BitcoinDark swap was and DEX features it is quite a list to delayed to ensure that it would be as complete, but I am optimistic it will b intuitive as possible. The swap isachieved before the end of elections.” currently taking place. Users can nowSaid Jl777, lead developer exchange their BTCD for KMD and they will have one year to do so, starting fromThe delayed Proof of Work protocol is the 8th of January. Users can participatefinished and working, and elections fo by clicking “Swap” in the upper left of the notary node selection are currentl underway. Every member of the the ICO dashboard.

Komodo Platform should take a momen Once BitcoinDark is sent to the Komodoto consider thecandidates and vote for

35

SUPERNET NEWS SUPERNET NEWS

ythe ones they believe to best fit the r position of notary node, which is a“The app is currently in internal testing, . crucial role in the Komodo ecosystem.and we are looking to publish it before illClick here to view the candidates by KMD distribution. No hard release date otregion and here to see a world map of yet.” t the candidates. By having separate eelections in each region, Komodo has The schedule: s.ensured that the system remains e decentralised with nodes spread out1.ICO Site BTCD deposit enabled nthroughout the world.

08/01/2017

Assetschains are also fully functional.2.Subsidy field gets locked for candidates atThese will allow users to send/receive/13/01 3pm UTC n exchange fiat currencies through the sblockchain with the same privacy and3.BTCD Snapshot 15/01 UIsecurity features that Komodo has. s.These currencies will be easily4.Elections begin 15/01 3pm UTC exchanged through a future GUI release f called PAX (Pegged Asset Exchange). 5.Elections finish 29/01 3pm UTC n XThe development team has been6.KMD distribution 31/01 3pm UTC oworking on an easy cross-platform beinstaller made with electron, calledTo stay updated on the latest ”Iguana, which contains two separatedevelopments from the Komodo GUI projects: The Iguana multi walletPlatform signup for thenewsletter. You and the EasyDEX exchange. While thecan also join the Slack to engage the s multi wallet isn’t fully finished,SuperNET community. orEasyDEX currently supports T ly(transparent) transactions.

Z e (Anonymous) transactions are currently ntbeing worked on and will most likely be finished before Iguana is released.

SUPERNET NEWS SUPERNET TUESDAY UPDATE 17/01/2017

can also be sent from an exchange. The BTCD snapshot happened on block number 1486000, on the 15th of January. This snapshot assures tha BTCD holders receive their revenue share as promised. If you swapped before the BTCD snapshot date, you will also receive the REVS asse automatically.

The election for the Komodo notary nodes began on the 15th of January as well. Users can now vote on their preferred candidate through the Komodo election website. The election will last until the 29th of January. Th most recent newslettercontains a lot of useful election-related links, includin a step by step guideabout how to vote.

This last week was an eventful one for the SuperNET team. Much is happening in the world of the Komodo Platform, not to mention the entire cryptocurrency scene.

Komodo has recently announced some important dates regarding the 28 candidates are distribution, swap process, and node Currently, election. Development is also going campaigning and trying to get thei nodes elected for the open notary nod as expected. positions. All of them have been active on SuperNET Slack and the bitcointalk Distribution, Swap, Election As previously announced, theKomodo thread. Some have even made BitcoinDark (BTCD) swap has startedgreat contributions to get visibility. Fo on the 8th of January. All BTCD holdersexample check out the 4 meters long can and are advised to participate in theFAQ the team rnr and kolo did, the distribution campaign. The swap willyoutube interviewsfrom Juan S. Galt, last 365 days, which means the last dateor the great komodometrics website to swap is January 8, 2018.T he BTCD artik123 did. More projects are coming

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SUPERNET NEWS

efrom the candidates, as PTYtrader isdo private transactions too.Read the k planning to put together a locallatest Iguana development update . f “Komodo 4 Kids” project.

There was also a very informative Slack at discussion that was published on the e If you’re still on the fence on whetherKomodo thread. dor not you should vote in this election, u then check out thisSteemit articleabout The plan is to integrate these two GUI etwhy you, as a token holder, should projects together, but for now, they are vote in this election. somewhat separate things.

y GUI Development update s Development is also going as predicted. r In the last update, we talked about the eGUI wallet updates for Komodo. The nsteam is working hard to provide a fully hefunctional multi-wallet (Iguana) and a decentralized exchange (EasyDEX) for ngthe community. The decentralizedQuestions asked and answered . exchange won’t be available in the first during the week release, but it`s in the pipeline e nonetheless.

Why do you think SuperNET price ir went so low? 62nd place by market deThe Iguana desktop app is the easycap surrounded by no name projects. einstaller built with Electron. It still hasIt doesn't seem right to me at all. kfew bugs and no anonymous features, e so it has not been published publicly. orRead the latest Iguana development update. eFrom the desktop app you can launch , both the multiwallet and EasyDEX. Inside EasyDEX you can access full g native Komodo wallet where you can

SUPERNET NEWS CONTINUATION: SUPERNET like forever? I think this needs TUESDAY UPDATE some transparency.

17/01/2017

The Komodo team or SuperNET A lot of the recent developments are doesn't have any nodes running in a bit unclear even to the SuperNET the election. There are however 3 investors.

SuperNET is thetest notary nodes that will be ratifie organization developing Iguana andand part of the final 64 nodes. Two Komodo. The SuperNET asset shouldof these nodes are run by jl777 and be viewed as a share of the SuperNETone by Kolo. There will be free spot organization. We have capital and for us to do this as SH & AR regions investments; we have for-profit have less than 16 nodes. projects and a large platform & framework (known as Iguana and Komodo). SuperNET asset holders will be receiving dividends when we make a profit from the revenue, just like in any other business.

We are working on a new supernet. org website that will become the hub of everything we are doing. The newThere are some who are part of site will explain what we do, andKomodo team and running in the what our projects are. election, though. How much BTCD they have or how much BTC they From that interview came up to invested during the ICO is their my mind how many from Komodo private business, and there's no way team has enough votes to keep to know how much voting power them self running as notary nodes they have. They have acquired their

39

SUPERNET NEWS SUPERNET NEWS

voting power with the same meansrnr & kolo as everyone else (by investing).

Candidates on a map TThere are some payments due to our nteam members (i.e. salary &List of candidates by region 3bounties), and some of those will edbe paid in KMD after it is distributed.Development History: From a Testnet o In other words, none of the 10% to Mainnet dsupply reserved will be used in Stuff is happening on our Slack svoting. s The schedule Overview of the candidates, their node locations, and subsidy 1.Elections began 15/01 Komodo metrics 2.Elections finish 29/01 3 pm UTC Latest Komodo Newsletter 3.KMD distribution 31/01 3 pm UTC To stay updated on the latest Links developments from the Komodo Platform signup for the newsletter. fSuperNET Development Update You can also join the Slack to engage the SuperNET community. e10/01/2017 D Why Vote on the Komodo Election? y rDetailed info about the elections and yits rules r rElection graphics made by the team

SUPERNET NEWS SUPERNET TUESDAY UPDATE 24/01/2017

Another week went by and the SuperNet team is now getting ready for th distribution process which will take place exactly one week from now, on th 31st of January. Users will be able to claim their KMD tokens from the ICO platform into their Komodo wallet, which will be accessible through the Iguan desktop app, that is available for download on Github.

GUI Update

As mentioned previously, the SuperNET team has been working tirelessly provide a fully functional wallet and decentralized exchange to the communit The vision for these projects is to be as intuitive and straightforward to use possible while providing highly advanced functions.

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SUPERNET NEWS

The plan is to release a standalone executable that will contain all of the feature and tools. However, at the moment, the Iguana Multiwallet and the EasyDEX exchange will work as separate tools. If you’re still uncertain on how these tools will work, check out the explanation the team published.

Anyone can download and test the Iguana Desktop app before the distribution takes place. The beta software is easy to install and is available for Linux, OSX, and Windows. Click here to see the latest update from EasyDEX developer Satinder Grewal.

Assetchains

One of the most exciting features in Komodo is its assetchains. These will allow multiple assets to be protected by the Komodo privacy and security features while providing alternative blockchain assets like fiat currencies or commodities. Thank to this features, users will be able to exchange cryptocurrencies and their loca money in a fully decentralized way via our exchange.

In light of recent developments on the NXT blockchain, the SuperNET team has hedecided to import its assets from the Nxt Asset Exchange into their independen heblockchain using the Komodo assetchain technology.

O naThe export process will be intuitive as it resembles the one used by SuperBTC on NXT. Investors will be able to send their asset from NXT blockchain into the Iguana wallet by using SuperNET's MultiGateway technology.

These assets have already been issued but are yet to be distributed Read - more

to ty. as

Atomic Swaps & Basilisk mode

SUPERNET NEWS

has also been working on providing atomic swaps for this mode Although

there are nine combinations o atomic swap modes (Basilisk to Ful Mode, Basilisk to Basilisk, etc.), the most complicated is the Basilisk-to basilisk swap. However, lead Atomic Swaps & Basilisk mode developer jl777 has recently conducted a successful atomic swap To achieve a purely decentralized under this scenario, where both exchange for cryptocurrencies (and parties were using the Basilisk mode not proxy tokens), Iguana relies on the Atomic Swap process to ensureThe EasyDEX exchange will not be that trades go off smoothly and withavailable in the first release, as th priority has been to get the Komodo’ no third party involved. native wallet work first. The easy There are three different modes ofexchange GUI will come next. how a coin can be run: full mode, basilisk mode, and native mode.To stay updated on the latest Basilisk is the lightest version indevelopments from the Komodo which a coin can be added to the Platform signup for thenewsletter.

EasyDEX exchange, as it does not You can also jointhe Slack to engage require the user to download thethe SuperNET community. blockchain.

As so, to ensure that everyone has access to the same features, the team

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g e.

SUPERNET NEWS The results are as follows: EU: 16 nodes NA: 16 nodes AR: 13 nodes SH: 14 nodes

of ll e There is a total of 59 notary nodes o-SuperNET Tuesday Update elected! (+3 development notary d 31/01/2017 nodes) = 62 Notary Nodes y The names of the newly elected pAnother week as gone by and notary nodes can be found here. hKomodo is now ready for the most e.important update yet, the release ofKMD distribution & launch the GUI wallet, which has been The Komodo distribution process has eheavily tested by the community.started ahead of schedule. If you heThe distribution of the KMD coinshaven’t requested a payout, don’t ’sis currently ongoing and the firstworry as this is not mandatory yet. ybatch started before schedule.

Users can keep their funds on the ICO platform until Komodo starts Elections are over, we now know trading on an exchange. t our notary nodes! oThe Komodo notary nodes electionsFor those that wish to store their funds are now over, and the winners have in the wallet, they can request a been announced! We want to take payout on the ICO platform, which this opportunity to thank everyonewill transfer the funds to the address who participated and the memberspreviously created on this same that voted. The interest from theplatform. Make sure you have the Komodo community is outstanding!correct seed (12 words) before you request a payout. If you lose your

SUPERNET NEWS

funds to the address previously created on this same platform. Mak sure you have the correct seed (12 words) before you request a payout.

If you lose your seed, Komodo can`t recover your wallet.

Furthermore, this process can be done without the need to actual download and install the wallet. Once you want to use your funds, yo can download the wallet and log in using your seed and your KMD wi be waiting for you.

Iguana app available for download The Iguana app, while still in its beta stage, has been recently release and can be downloadedhere. You can now log in with your seed and access your KMD coins! You can also create a new account and buy some, once they hit exchanges.

The team has also put together a comprehensive guide for both Linu and Windows to ensure everyone can easily access and use Iguana! You can find the guides below: Linux guide Windows guide

New website Along with the Iguana app, the team also published the new supernet. org website. The website will become the central hub for everything th team is doing. For now, the content is limited, but the team will kee adding new content regularly.

To stay updated on the latest developments from the Komodo Platform signup for the newsletter. You can also join the Slack to engage the SuperNET community.

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WAVES WEEKLY 25

refactored and optimised , which will result in reduced blockchain size and prepare the Waves platform for different implementations coming in the nea future.

Real World Crypto 2017 This week we have a series of updates based on the developing Waves technology.

With this is mind, an updated scalabilit Leonid Reyzin gave the presentation roadmap for Waves will be released in ‘Improving Authenticated Dynamicdue course. Aside from the above Dictionaries’ atReal World Crypto 2017, improvements of reducing proof size in which he discusses ways to streamlineand speeding up verification, it wil the large and growing key value store allow miners to process only the asset associated with blockchain transactions.they want to, but validate all of them.

Using authenticated data structures allows the continued use of lower- Readers may also be interested in th powered devices to maintain the recent Real World Crypto 2017 network, and enables greater efficiency presentation by Evan Jeffrey from than current approaches.

Google Quantum A.I., in which he suggests that it may be as much as 10-15 These methods will be integrated intoyears before scalable, fault-tolerant QC the Waves protocol. You can read the is working properly. paper at https://eprint.iacr. org/2016/994.pdf and find the code at News and Dev Summary https://github.com/input-output-hk/scrypto/ The Waves Community Token (WCT) tree/master/src/main/scala/scorex/crypto/ will be launched next week, after the authds. In the meantime, storage is being first snapshot of WAVES balances ends

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WAVES WEEKLY 25

on 15 January. This is a Waves CAT 5.ChronoBank and the Tokes Platform d that will be distributed over the coursecontinue to hold their ICOs. t of the year, with the intention of 6.WWCR is back this week – stay tuned ar rewarding long-term holders of for episode #14!

WAVES, encouraging people to keep funds off exchanges, fostering Waves Nodes and Lite Client Reminders community engagement in the wider If you would like to run a full node, Waves ecosystem, and creating a please download the latest mainnet framework for providing community- release at https://github.com/ based KYC/screening of new assets. wavesplatform/Waves/releases/. Anyone One of the first benefits of holding WCT can run a node, but you will need at least will be the distribution of the Byteball10,000 WAVES to generate blocks. You windfall gained from registering somecan read the installation guide here. tyof the Waves ICO funds. 35 BTC will n be sent to WCT holders in the form of For regular users the Lite client can be e a WavesBTC token, which will be downloaded from https:// e redeemable for BTC through gateway wavesplatform.com. Do not download ll to be implemented in due course. This the client from other sources for security tswill also enable users to understandreasons. (Please be aware that there have how BTC and different cryptocurrency been issues with fake github repositories, gateways will function in the Waves as well as fake Twitter accounts and heecosystem. You can find out more about Slack identities.) Alternatively, the WCT on the Waves blog. standalone Chrome app will m Additionally: automatically update as new versions are e released.

1.The Waves mobile app is currently in C testing.

2.Check out the new Waves block explorer and leave feedback!

3.Download the latesttestnet update for DEX and help with testing. e 4.Win 1,000 WAVES or a Waves t-shirt s and laptop sticker (English translation).

WAVES WEEKLY 26

Moscow with a number of major bank and other institutions.

Waves will have a presence at Blockchain Expo, a convention of more than 1,500 people active in th cryptocurrency world at London’s The recent interview with Lootz on Olympia, to be held on 23-24 January.

Core Media Radiogives a large amount Sasha and members of the team wil of up-to-date information about attend to network with some of the Waves’ tech, developments and biggest names and projects in the timelines. blockchain and payments processing world. This will be part of the large Conferences and Meet-ups London Blockchain Week, in which As the Waves platform nears a state Sasha will be participating in pane of readiness for mass-user adoptiondiscussions and other activities. and mainstream business applications,DEX and Gateways we are broadly switching the focus from tech to business development. Waves’ decentralised exchange (DEX) Although development will of course is functional and being tested. Buy continue, the key elements of the sell orders can be created and placed platform are now almost complete, in the OrderBook via the API on which allows us to concentrate more testnet. The backend is essentially on business relationships. ready now, with only a few minor known bugs to be fixed to improve We are also gaining attention through the API. As ever, community members conferences and other events. The are invited to help with testing and coming week will see anotherMoscow bounties are available for successfu blockchain developers meet-up, bug hunters. The priority now is to hosted on 20 January at the Digital create a user-friendly frontend fo October Center, where Waves has its integration into the lite client. offices. Later in the month, there will be a ‘State of Bitcoin’ conference in Alongside this, the first gateways are

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WAVES WEEKLY 26

s being created. The bitcoin gateway will be first (via Coinomat), with WCT Distribution t current estimates being launch at the The first tranche of Waves Community end of the month or beginning of Tokens (WCT) was distributed to eFebruary. After this will be a Euro WAVES holders on Monday. You can s gateway through a payments partner. find out more about WCT here.Please . These will allow users to swap BTC remember for future (monthly) lland Euros for secure tokens that are distributions that only WAVES held e 100% backed by their respective off-exchange are eligible. Ownership e currencies, which can then be traded of WCT will be the basis for the coming g on Waves DEX. USD come by further BTC distribution from the Byteball er down the line. Once we have windfall. These bitcoin tokens will be established the proof of concept and withdrawable as BTC through the eltested it thoroughly, responsibility forcoming bitcoin gateway. fiat gateways can be outsourced to larger financial organisations.

Waves Challenge Our Waves challenge is still running. ) Additionally, work is continuing on We have a first prize of 1,000 WAVES, y/LPoS, Waves’ leased proof-of-stake plus Waves t-shirts and stickers for d algorithm. As well as being able to runners-up. Read this post for more n lease WAVES, it will ultimately be details. y possible to lease CATs too. In the r future, Waves will implement smart e contracts.

Every mainstream s blockchain platform needs some form dof smart contracts, but Ethereum has ul taught us that caution is necessary. o Likely Waves will use some form of r non-Turing-complete scripting.

You can find out more about our first scaling strategy and coming tech e updates in this post.

WAVES WEEKLY 27

The address is 1 America Square London, EC3N 2LS. Back at the Digital October Center in Moscow on 26th, there will be a conference about the regulator situation for cryptocurrency in Russi to date. Last week, Sasha gave two presentations at the Moscow Blockchain developers’ meetup abou proof-of-stake.

London and Meetups This week, members of the Moscow Waves team are visiting London for Tidex the Blockchain Week and Blockchain A new exchange is launching! Tidex, Expo on 23-24 January at London’s which is currently in beta, will wor Olympia. Sasha took part in the panelclosely with the Waves platform. As discussion entitled ‘What is an ICO?’well as trading WAVES itself and other yesterday(exact time 1:49:40). This popular cryptocurrencies such as BTC series of events is a great opportunityLTC, ETH and DOGE, it will be a home to meet with other entrepreneurs andfor CATs launched on the Waves businesses in the blockchain andblockchain. Waves tech will be integrated on the backend in time broader fintech space. providing the security and advantage It’s also the perfect excuse to getof a decentralised exchange where together with some of the Waves appropriate, and allowing Tidex to community who are based in andpioneer best practices. around London. Check the #LondonTo find out more, join the #tidex Slack channel on Slack for up-to-date details,channel. The bounty programme wi but as things stand we’re aiming tostart on Monday, with testers receivin meet on Tuesday 24th at 7pm in the rewards for replicable bugs.

Revolution barjust a few minutes walk from the Expo center at the Olympia.WCT and DEX The first tranche of the Waves

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WAVES WEEKLY 27

e,Community Asset, WCT, was Where tokens are traded on a successfully distributed on lastcentralised exchange, this should not nMonday. 20% of the total supply (2 be a problem. In the long-term, the a million of 10 million assets) was sentissue will be addressed through a yto Waves investors, based on a decentralised reputation system, which iasnapshot of the previous 15 days. will allow the community collectively Exchanges did not qualify, and neitherto filter assets deemed fraudulent. This w did WAVES that have not yet been will be an important protection for utwithdrawn from the ICO area, which those trading on DEX. Until then, and meant that holders received a larger as a matter of course, you should always share pro-rata. check the asset id against the id There is already a lively OTC marketpublished by the issuer. for WCT, though reliable price For example, WCT’s id is kdiscovery will only take place once itDHgwrRvVyqJsepd32YbBqUeDH4GJs is traded on Waves’ forthcoming DEX. 1N984X8QoekjgH8J and Incent’s r WCT holders will receive regular is C,rewards, starting with a distributionFlbGXzrpqkvucZqsHDcNxePTkh2Chme of wBTC from Byteball.

Ei4GdBfDRRJVof. You can find out more about DEX e development and timeline, and BTC/Waves Challenge e,fiat gateways, in theprevious Weekly. Our Waves challenge is still running. es We have a first prize of 1,000 WAVES, e Fake Assets plus Waves t-shirts and stickers for oNow that we have a number of CATs runners-up. Read this post for more launched on the Waves blockchain, details. k with many more to come, we are Front-end Developer Wanted! illinevitably encountering the problemWaves Platform is looking for a new ngof fake assets. Although every tokenfront-end developer to speed up id is unique, duplicate asset names aredevelopment of the lite client, including possible. This was an intentionalthe Waves DEX. You can find out more decision made to prevent asset- details and a list of requirements here. s squatting.

WAVES WEEKLY 27 ~

Front-end Developer Wanted!

Waves Platform is looking for a new front-end developer to speed up development of the lite client, including the Waves DEX. You canfind out more details and a list of requirements here.

Waves Nodes and Lite Client Reminders If you would like to run a full node, please download the latest mainne releases v0.3.6 athttps://github.com/wavesplatform/Waves/releases. Anyone can run a node, but you will need at least 10,000 WAVES to generate blocks.

You can read the installation guide here.

For regular users the Lite client can be downloaded from https://wavesplatform. com (Please be aware that there have been issues with fake github repositorie as well as fake Twitter accounts and Slack identities.) Alternatively, the standalone Chrome app will automatically update as new versions are release

Press and Articles A Closer Look at App-tokens A Note about "Marketing" Waves Community Token (Waves blog) The Value of the Blockchain: The Medium is the Message How to Mine Waves?

Multimedia Improving Authenticated Dynamic Dictionaries (Real World Crypto 2017 video) How Not Knowing Waves...(Interview)

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WAVES WEEKLY 28

According to Sasha Ivanov, the general consensus of the speakers was that Russian regulators are close to some form of legal framework for cryptocurrency in the country. Most probable scenario is a separate law concerning the legal status of crypto, p analogous NY bitlicense. He also noted the importance of events like this one, A transcript of the recent Core Radio stating: interview is now available. This contains “Events like the Cryptocurrency a large amount of up-to-date information etabout a range of Waves-related news, Regulation in Russia are important for the growth of Blockchain including scaling, smart contracts andtechnology and extremely useful for . business development. the community as they help spread Presentations and Conferences awareness on the regulations imposed Last week, Waves team and community on cryptocurrencies, allowing users es,members met in London for the and companies to operate within the eBlockchain Week and Expo – a great legal boundaries of the country.” chance to meet each other, as well as to ed. network with journalists and otherTidex – Beta and Bounties cryptocurrency organisations. SashaThis is good news for Tidex, a new took part in a panel discussion aboutWaves-integrated exchange that is Crowdfunding Law (watch here), along currently in beta – the changing with several other industry experts. regulatory position for bitcoin and An additional presentation in Moscowcryptocurrencies in Russia means that explored crowdfunding in the context ofit has become possible to operate an Cryptocurrency Regulation in Russia exchange openly. Tidex will trade (watch here, with subtitles). You can WAVES, major Waves assets, and 17 read an account of this conference here , several other popular cryptocurrencies. including further information on theIn due course there are plans to add evolving regulatory picture. fiat options. Waves’ DEX will potentially be integrated on the

WAVES WEEKLY 28 the backend in the future, providing the security and advantages of a decentralised exchange where appropriate, and allowing Tidex to pioneer best practices.

the token id before trading.

Waves Nodes and Lite Client Reminders If you would like to run a full node, please download the latest releases Although Tidex is working closely with at https://github.com/wavesplatform/ the Waves developers, they are a Waves/releases/. Anyone can run a separate team and entity, based in node, but you will need at least 10,000 Russia and Ukraine. The Waves team WAVES to generate blocks. You can recognizes the value of this and fully read the installation guide here. supports and endorses Tidex. The For regular users the Lite client can Tidex team will be releasing more be downloaded from https:// information in due course. wavesplatform.com.

Do not download the client from other There are bounties for bugs found with sources for security reasons . the exchange. Security bugs will earn (Please be aware that there have been 1,000 WAVES or more, depending on issues with fake github repositories severity. We are particularly interested as well as fake Twitter accounts and in fixing bugs with theAPI. To find Slack identities.) Alternatively, the out more, join the #tidex Slack standalone Chrome app will channel. automatically update as new versions are released.

Further News and Information ·We are looking for a new front-end Waves Weekly Crypto Round-up developer.

In episode #16, we get Brian’s take ·The Waves challenge is still running – on the bitcoin markets and hear from win 1,000 WAVES! Satinder Grewal, a well-known ·The next distribution ofWCT will developer for SuperNET and occur on 16 February. Only WAVES Komodo. held in a local wallet are eligible. ·Be aware of fake assets: always check

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