Tag: Ethereum

Ethereum vs Bitcoin in 2017

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn ICO, Initial Coin Offerings, TechLeave a comment

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One of the questions I often get asked is this: will Ethereum outperform Bitcoin in 2017? It is very interesting, because right now it appears that Bitcoin is still King of Crypto. But in my opinion that might all change by the end of this year, and if not, then we will surely see some dramatic changes in 2018. I’m not the only person who thinks this; most of the cryptocurrency analysts also share this view.

It is true that Bitcoin has the advantage of being a ‘first mover’ in the crypto market, and the coin that introduced blockchain technology to the market. It also made blockchain more widely accepted; for example, Goldman Sachs has just created a microsite dedicated to explaining the advantages of blockchain technology.

Bitcoin’s value has also seen a meteoric rise of over 500 percent in the last five years, which appears to make it unassailable, but the emergence of Etehereum, Litecoin and Ripple is challenging Bitcoin, because the others are gaining in popularity with both investors and the corporate entities. For me, Ethereum is particularly interesting and it’s the blockchain product with the most potential right now to outperform Bitcoin.

Some say that Ethereum got a helping hand when Vladimir Putin met the founder of Ethereum to create a Russian cryptocurrency. Even if that wasn;t the case, there are still many observers who believe it can perform better than Bitcoin this year. The key reason for this is its platform.

Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum is much more than just a cryptocurrency. It is THE platform for smart contracts and presently, Ethereum is leading innovations in the digital currency world. In fact, there are three reasons to be enthusiastic about Ethereum’s prospects:

  1. It aims to create decentralised software applications. Its system allows for simultaneous operations worldwide. This unique feature could lead to the creation of a new generation of decentralised businesses. This decentralised environment could ultimately challenge the status quo in finance, government, manufacturing, and much more.
  2. It is the platform for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). 2017 is the year in which the crowdsales that fundraise for startups really took off, and Ethereum is the technology behind them all.
  3. It has the potential to replace stock markets with peer-to-peer applications and it can develop a real sharing economy. In this respect it will outperform disruptive businesses like Uber.

In my opinion, because Ethereum is so much more than just a cryptocurrency this factor will enable it to outpace Bitcoin. It has the potential to revolutionise the way a multitude of businesses operate globally, so if you take the long view, Ethereum is the one to really watch.

 

Why I’m a Fintech entrepreneur

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn Digital Innovation, ICO, Initial Coin Offerings, TechLeave a comment

I’m a serial entrepreneur who believes in leveraging my many years at a senior level in IT into new opportunities as they arise. I have designed a VOIP system that led the vanguard in this field, developed a Global SIM solution on a travel platform and created a unique platform for online advertising using a ‘One Click Solution’. I’ve also worked on mobile/web apps based on proximity and geofencing.

With my extensive IT experience, it seemed logical to me, as well as exciting, to move into Fintech, particularly the development of new platforms based on the blockchain. This is the field that really inspires me, because I see so much potential in the whole world of the blockchain technology.

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What is Fintech?

Some people still aren’t sure what Fintech is when I talk about it. I define it as the segment of the technology startup scene that is disrupting sectors such as mobile payments, money transfers, loans, fundraising and even asset management. It’s a growing business: a recent report by Accenture found that “global investment in Fintech has skyrocketed from $930 million back in 2008 to over $12 billion by the beginning of 2015.” And, in terms of regions where Fintech has made the most gains, Europe is leading the way, according to Accenture.

As I said, my special area of interest is in the blockchain and how that can disrupt specific financial areas, such as money transfer, personal loans and fundraising for business startups.

Crowdsourcing and fundraising for startups

For example, Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs as they are usually called, have made it possible for new businesses and some well-established entrepreneurs as well to raise the funds to take a product to market within a matter of weeks, or minutes in some cases. These ICOs use a combination of crowdsourcing (or some call them crowdsales) and the blockchain technology to raise the money. In the past it typically took months of presentations to venture capitalists and banks before funds were available to take a business forward – now an ICO cuts through all that red tape and the investors in the ICO, which can be anyone, not just accredited investors, can make a return on their investment. You could say that ICOs bring power to the people and allow everyone an opportunity to get involved in investing.

Fintech offers efficiency and lower costs

Fintech also allows businesses to work in more efficient and less costly ways. The major banks are slowly, but surely realising that blockchain products like Ethereum and Ripple can enable them to work faster and smarter and reduce costs. Ripple, for example, has been designed to replace the bank Swift system for international transfers. Instead of it taking days to send money from one country to another, it can happen in minutes.

The Ethereum platform

Ethereum is also of particular interest to a wide range of businesses because its platform includes a ‘smart contract’. Unlike a ‘physical’ contract, the smart contract is programmed in a way that removes any chance of fraud or third-party interference. Its role will become even more prominent as new startups begin to demonstrate the agility of using the Ethereum platform in a traditional market.

What’s next?

Right now I’m working on a project that taps right into a market that has been in existence every since man created money as an exchange for goods. The blockchain is undoubtedly the next step for this particular market, and as an entrepreneur with the right background to understand the technology, I simply had to get into Fintech. I’ll be writing more about this entire field over the coming weeks, so stay tuned to discover more about it and my specific project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ICOs will be the future of fundraising

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn Digital Innovation, ICOLeave a comment

If you haven’t heard about Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs as everyone calls them, then you must have had a break from being on the Internet. They have been around for a few years, but in 2017 this form of raising funds for new startups has really blasted off and although there are questions about them, it seems to me that this is a tide that won’t be pushed back.

Search for information about ICOs and I guarantee that the next time you go on Facebook or read a newspaper or magazine online, you’ll see endless adverts for a whole host of new ICOs. Why are they so popular? The short answer is that an ICO enables a company to raise money fast and without having to pay fees to middlemen.

It isn’t just new businesses that are using ICOs; it is well-established companies, and whilst China may have drawn even more attention to them by banning them, the rest of the world is continuing to support the platform. And, with institutional investors starting to invest in them, this is a strong indicator that this new approach to crowdfunding has a strong future.

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How does an ICO work?

How does an ICO work? It is a crowdsale mechanism built on the blockchain open-source technology; the same blockchain that supports Bitcoin and Ethereum as well as other cryptocurrencies. ICO investors buy ‘tokens’ that they pay for with a crypto or fiat currency. The tokens are like shares and investors hope that the values and prices will rise as the project achieves success.

Another way to look at an ICO token sale is this: the token can represent some sort of value or be of value itself, or an ICO might attribute equity to a token. Quite frequently, the token issued in an ICO gives a person access to the features of a particular project. For example, tokens are used to pay for goods and services from the company offering the ICO instead of having cash or Bitcoin. You could say that these tokens are similar to a store’s loyalty points. So, there are a number of ways that an can ICO operate, and this is another part of their appeal for both the businesses starting an ICO and investors.

More confidence in the blockchain

A number of startups, some with a well-known name behind them like that of Paris Hilton, have raised millions in minutes, showing that the public’s appetite for this form of investment is very strong. This is largely because Bitcoin and Ethereum have had excellent results during the last year and more people have confidence in cryptocurrencies. It is also due to the fact that there is greater understanding of the blockchain and why a decentralised platform works for the benefit of the average person who is often cut out of the investment world by bigger corporate entities. And, there is trust in the blockchain as people become more aware of its security mechanisms.

ICOs in 2017

Currently, an average of about 20 ICOs hit the market every month. According to Autonomous NEXT, more than $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency was raised through ICOs in the first half of 2017, which is well above $300 million made in the previous years.

The advantages of ICOs

There will probably be much discussion in the coming months about ways in which ICOs might change in the future, but they will certainly be a part of it thanks to their inherent advantages, such as: they provide efficient and low cost funding to startups and are accessible to any participant in any geographical location. They also provide an opportunity for investment in a new and disruptive technology and for financial gains based on the future potential of blockchain. We are witnessing another new step in the revolutionary power of the crowd and ICOs are one of its most powerful tools for change.

 

 

Initial Coin Offerings – the hot new trend

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn Digital Innovation, Initial Coin Offerings, InnovationLeave a comment

Everybody is talking about Initial Coin Offerings or ICOs. Whether it is the expert analysts or the mainstream newspapers, there is a buzz around issuing new digital coins. And no wonder – startups around the world are raising hundreds of millions of dollars through ICOs.

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Richard Kastelstein, a partner at Cryptoassets Design group, which helps companies launch ICOs, told Business Insider in July 2017 that half a billion dollars had been raised since the start of the year. It’s a sensational sum of money, given that ICOs didn’t even exist five years ago.

Raising millions in minutes

And, get this, Gnosis, a prediction market for digital currency Ethereum raised $12 million in 10 minutes in April this year. Brave, a new web browser started by the founder of Mozilla, raised $35 million in 30 seconds by selling ‘Basic Attention Tokens’.

April 2017 is being cited as the month that ICOs really caught fire and financial experts believe they will get bigger and bigger. So, how do you set up an ICO?

Setting up an ICO

It’s quite simple really. To raise money through an ICO, a company issues a new digital currency that can either be spent within its ecosystem, a bit like Disneyland dollars, or used to power part of the business, like the fuel you put in your car. And as one ICO expert pointed out: “With tokens/digital coins you can get thousands of engaged supporters who are extremely motivated to see your company succeed.”

Foe example, Jan Isakovic, CEO of ICO platform Cofound.it has a token that is used on its platform by all the startups applying to join the platform. He raised $14.8 million in June this year through an ICO and this is funding the construction of a platform to connect ICO-funded companies with experts who can help grow their business.

Better than venture capital

Isakovic prefers ICOs because of poor experiences with the more traditional ways of raising funds, such as venture capital. As he says, this method is slow and startups don’t always get the support they need, but with an ICO, the funding comes in fast and all the people who put their money into it are engaged and energised to make it work.

Setting up an ICO is relatively simple, and most companies use the Ethereum blockchain network that allows people to write ‘smart contracts.’ Isakovic explains: “A smart contract is effectively a piece of software, a piece of code. In our smart contract, it says we are selling 125 million tokens, our cap is at 56,000 Ether or something. The ICO lasts until the cap is reached or until four weeks is done. Calculate the contribution and then send tokens. It’s two or three pages of programme and Ethereum does everything else.”

ICO exchanges

And there is another advantage: unlike buying shares in an early stage company, investors in ICOs can trade the coins almost immediately on a number of exchanges, rather than waiting for a company to list on a stock market. This attracts investors looking to make money, and this is pushing up valuations.

When you look at kript.io, a decentralised mobile app and social network for investing and trading in ICOs, you realise the phenomenal array of investment opportunities that are available, the simplicity of the concept and its security, because the Ethereum platform used for ICOs has proved itself to be bomb proof.

A booming market

The market capitalisation for cryptocurrencies has been steadily growing since the beginning of 2017; in fact it has multiplied by 1.5 times. Without doubt blockchain technology is going to be the future of the financial market and ICOs are going to play a massive role in fund raising. ICOs really are the trend to watch.