Initial Coin Offerings or Token Offerings (commonly known as “ICOs”) became an increasingly popular means of raising capital in 2017 and 2018, with icodata.io showing over $7.8 billion raised from ICOs in 2018 alone. The ICO market, however, has cooled considerably in 2019, with icodata.io showing only 98 ICO’s raising an aggregate of $0.36 billion as of the end of October 2019, and this decrease is likely a result of increased scrutiny from regulators, including, in particular, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). While the regulatory pendulum has swung in the direction of the SEC demanding more registered offerings… Read more
Tag: cryptocurrency
Bitcoins and Cryptocurrencies
How do I buy and sell Bitcoins? Bitcoin hit an all-time high price of $17,801.94 on December 15, 2017, with many analysts predicting even higher prices. Where does one acquire Bitcoin? Bitcoins transactions can be done in many familiar ways. There are brick and mortar ATM’s in several countries (coinatmradar.com) where one can deposit currency and purchase Bitcoin. Some also allow selling of Bitcoin, but many do not. There are several Bitcoin ATMs in New York City, and Tel Aviv also has a few. The Bitcoin ATM (aka The Bitcoin Embassy) located across the street from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange… Read more
What Are ICOs and How Do They Work?
Introduction As of April 2018, Initial Coin Offerings (“ICOs”) – an industry analysts believe can eventually become a multi-trillion dollar space – raised a staggering USD $5,014,952,132. With a total market capitalization of over $100 billion, the cryptocurrency market has attracted the attention of many, including traders looking for quick cash with few regulations. What are Initial Coin Offerings? ICOs are another form of cryptocurrency that businesses use in order to raise capital. Through ICO trading platforms, investors receive unique cryptocurrency “tokens” in exchange for their monetary investment in the business. It is a means of crowdfunding through the creation… Read more
Blockchain: Decentralized Ledgers Enabling Peer to Peer Payments without a Trusted Intermediary
With the introduction and increasing popularity of digital cryptocurrencies (whether Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies), we are seeing a rapid increase in the utilization of a non-centralized record-keeping protocol, known as blockchain. Blockchain technology offers a way for parties who do not know or trust each other to reach consensus on a common digital history. A common digital history is important because digital assets and transactions can easily be faked and/or duplicated. Blockchain technology provides a solution without using a trusted intermediary by operating an electronic decentralized, sometimes referred to as a distributed, public ledger to record transactions and assets in… Read more
Blockchain’s Art Expansion
Recently, we provided a brief introduction into the still-evolving world of blockchain technology and its uses in the modern age. For a quick recap, please read our previous blockchain article. By way of a high-level summary, blockchain operates as a decentralized database of transactions, shared across a vast network of computers. Blockchains are used, most commonly, to transfer cryptocurrencies between contracting parties and to manage records of these transactions. The unregulated nature of blockchain technology has led to rapid growth in the industry and revolutionized the way that daily transactions can be made. While blockchain was initially developed for and is… Read more