Skip to main content
Donations in cryptos

UNICEF Embraces Bitcoin Enabling Donations in Cryptos

By News & more No Comments

Charity is a multi-billion-dollar business. On the other hand, great part of the world is struggling and that is no news. Charity foundations link the two together. Some of them do fantastic jobs in pooling fellow citizens out of poverty. Introducing cryptos and blockchain to charity work has a strong influence on how funds allocate. Unicef is embracing Bitcoin, allowing for donations in cryptos. This is great news. If there is a category that is truly endangered, it’s children worldwide.

The Project

Ms. Christina Lomazzo who is running the blockchain team at UNICEF has reportedly announced that they had developed a prototype allowing for the acceptance of Bitcoin and Ethereum donations. Reportedly, UNICEF will not be converting cryptocurrencies to fiats, which is a step further. Apparently, the largest charity in the world plans on not just HODling but spending cryptos as well. This also means that individuals and companies would be allowed to make donations in cryptos.

As we already know, blockchain fosters transparency. UNICEF is hoping that this feature could benefit their fundraising and influence the increase of the donor numbers. A big plus is the fact that every donation records on a public blockchain. Hence, no chance of funds being misused. Donations in cryptos will find the final beneficiary, as planned.

Donations in Numbers

UNICEF has purportedly generated over $6.7 billion last year. Cryptocurrencies should soon become part of that pool. As previously planned, the first donation came from Ethereum Foundation. Namely, the company donated 1 BTC and 10,000 ETH.

This project should bring together UNICEF USA, UNICEF Australia, UNICEF New Zealand, and UNICEF France.

There are many international organizations that are embracing cryptos today. Apparently, “the wave of adoption” is coming.

The UN’s Stand on Cryptos

UNICEF is not the only UN organization tackling the subject of Bitcoin. In 2018, the UN secretary -general, Mr. Antonio Guterres, accentuated the global importance of cryptos and blockchain in solving the poverty issues around the world.

The UN has a plan to make financial services accessible through blockchain by 2030. As a quick reminder, the UN has close to 20 specialized organizations and agencies working under its cap. Furthermore, there are another 20 organizations working in close relationship with the UN. All of them could become part of the crypto world sooner than we think.

Do you believe that Bitcoin can make significant changes in ending poverty?

Cardano blockchain

Cardano Blockchain and New Balance Sneakers

By News & more No Comments

US-based footwear manufacturer, New Balance, has announced the partnership with Cardano blockchain. The news was released on Sept. 28th, during the Cardano summit in Sofia, Bulgaria. Cardano blockchain and New Balance Sneakers are teaming up to revolutionize the supply chain.

The Goal of the Co-Operation

As per the statement by IOHK CEO Charles Hoskinson, the goal of this co-operation is to provide proof of authenticity for all New Balance items.  Furthermore, both parties have agreed that the potential of this project is large and that the ultimate aim would be to make this type of co-operation a massive habit.

In further clarification, IOHK’s Tim Harrison reportedly stated:

IOHK is collaborating with New Balance on an authentication pilot project. This is a consumer-level verification solution which will allow purchasers to confirm the authenticity of footwear on the distributed ledger.”

So far, no details about the very process of authentication have been released. Nevertheless, the blockchain enthusiasts have commented on the news. They speculated that the process would most probably include tagging each item with a cryptographic identifier. Such identifiers are unique, and each buyer would be able to verify them.

In cases like this one, where the manufacturer introduces blockchain to its supply chain, blockchain records each and every detail. Those details include steps in the production, as well as the origins of each component of a product stored on immutable ledger. This also entails noting the date of the production, location, the individual who handled each step of the process, and all other important information.

New Balance in Numbers

New Balance is a company based in Boston Massachusetts. It is one of the reputable brands when it comes to sports footwear. Reportedly, in the last five years the yearly revenue of this company has increased from $2.7 billion in 2013 to $4.1 billion.

The challenges that New Balance is facing include rising number of counterfeit goods. The manufacturers of these products have basically stolen the design and are producing footwear of lower quality under the brand resembling New Balance. Apparently, majority of the copy cats originate from China. Reportedly, New Balance has won a case in front of the Chinese court and received $1.5 billion for damages caused to new Balance by the company that sold the counterfeit goods under the name “New Boom”.

Blockchain in Supply Chain

Blockchain has truly revolutionized the supply chain. The amazing thing is that this is just one of its possible applications. As blockchain technology has entered many industries, the ways it is used across various fields is astonishing.

When applied to supply chain, its main advantage is in fighting counterfeit goods and tracking the items and its components through various destinations and through the entire process of production and sales. Tracking the royalties is also a very important benefit. It helps to keep the records clean and accurate.

Today, blockchain is present in many industries, ranging from fashion to drug production and supply. As a quick reminder, one of the largest online giants nowadays, Alibaba, has joined the blockchain revolution. Reportedly, this company had filed for more than 90 blockchain patents so far. Walmart and Target have also introduced blockchain to their business processes, as well as Louis Vuitton, for example.

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized the benefits of blockchain and many pharmaceutical companies have switched to blockchain in order ensure easier tracking of the ingredients of drugs, inventory, better accuracy of data. This also enabled them to fight the black market. Just to make it clear how blockchain is important, allow us to remind you that the pharmaceutical industry worth has been estimated at $200 billion worldwide.

 

Do you ever doubt the quality of goods you buy?

Dash cryptocurrency

DASH Cryptocurrency, a Privacy King

By News & more No Comments

Dash cryptocurrency is not the coin people comment on frequently. However, it deserves a spot on our list of the most powerful cryptocurrencies. It has been present for a while and gained a firm circle of fans. Nowadays, everyone refers to DASH as private, secure and fast. Join us for a story about how this crypto received the nickname of Dash, a privacy king.

History

Dash cryptocurrency was invented back in 2014. The creator was Evan Duffield. What drove Duffield to invent this new cryptocurrency were rare downsides of Bitcoin and the way BTC was processed. Originally, DASH was referred to as XCoin and DarkCoin. Quickly, the name Dash caught its roots and remained till today.

Interesting thing happened upon the very launch of this currency. Namely, 1.9. million coins were mined. This amounted to app. 10% of the intended total supply. The creator, Evan Duffield, claimed this happened due to the bug which appeared when Litecoin code split into forks in order to create Dash. He decided to solve the problem and relaunch the coin. Therefore, Dash was created using the Bitcoin core code and some of the newly added features, enhancing privacy and quick transactions.

DASH Overview

Similarly to Bitcoin, Dash is an open-source. It functions on its own blockchain, has its own wallets and community.

Initial plan was to issue 18 million units of DASH. Nowadays, the price of a DASH is approximately $67.72 and the total market cap is above $613 million. When it comes to mining, it has been estimated that DASH is 4 times faster than Bitcoin.

Circulating supply is 9,064,783 DASH, while maximum supply is 18,900,000 DASH. Dash has a variable block reward which decreases at a 7.1 % rate each year.

Transaction fees when using DASH are close to zero. Moreover, it seems that Dash has the potential of being the true Internet currency.

Notable DASH Features

Dash has certain characteristics that make it quite interesting. This is probably the unique cryptocurrency that enables its users to send funds privately, while blending it in among other transactions. There is an additional, optional feature available for all users. That feature provides for coin mixing service.

The creator of this method was Gregory Maxwell. He looked at the Bitcoin transactions using public addresses and figured out that they may be prone to tracing. In order to secure the ultimate privacy, he thought of CoinJoin method. It combines several payments from various senders and makes one unique transaction. This method disables third party tracking of any transaction, because it is extremely difficult to match the exact sender with the proper recipient.

Additionally, Dash enables the users to send the funds instantly. And instantly means 1.5 seconds. InstantSend is a feature of a Dash protocol which enables Dash to outplay the existing payment platforms which are centralized, such as VISA, for example. Its top-notch performance is truly instant.

On the other hand, Dash is unique in one additional matter. It features MasterNodes, the servers that rule the entire process.  These are computers running a Dash wallet and making decisions, locking transactions with InstantSend, coordinating mixing of coins, voting on funding, etc.  Approximately 2 DASH is the fee that goes to MasterNode on weekly basis. Dash is the first cryptocurrency that implemented the MasterNode to its protocol.

Have you had any experience with Dash so far?

Bitcoin Cash wallet

HTC Smart Phone and Bitcoin Cash Wallet

By News & more No Comments

If you are using HTC smartphone, Bitcoin Cash will soon be within reach. The HTC company has reportedly teamed up with Bitcoin.com in a long-term partnership. Reportedly, the HTC Exodus 1 will come equipped with a built-in wallet support for Bitcoin Cash.

The BCH Wallet

The thing that makes this project so interesting is the incredible ease in using it. Namely, the users of HTC who have already bought the smartphone would just need to update the software. This would enable their phones to access the Bitcoin.com wallet. There is no need to download it from an App store.

The others would simply be able to buy the HTC device with a Bitcoin Cash Wallet already installed. Alternatively, in case you are using any other phone the BCH wallet is able for download. The Bitcoin.com wallet is one of the most frequently use. It supports both BCT and BTC and enables you to switch between them with easily.

What Is Bitcoin Cash? 

Bitcoin (BTC) has already taken the world by storm. So, the question is where does BCH fit in. We all know that Bitcoin is a digital currency powered by a decentralized peer-to-peer network. It records all transactions on a public ledger, which we call blockchain. Bitcoin (BTC) has a limited supply of 21 million units, making it able to resist inflation. Above all, Bitcoin provides for fast, low-cost transactions.

On the other hand, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) appeared as a fork-product of Bitcoin. Reportedly, being an open source, BTC allowed for too many users to contribute causing the limited size of 1MB blocks in the blockchain to become full. In 2017, the developers of Bitcoin-ABC initiated a fork of the Bitcoin blockchain and increased the block size to 8MB. And so, the Bitcoin Cash came into existence. In the meantime, the block size of BCH has been upgraded to 32MB.

Where does HTC fit in?

Analysts and media have been commenting on HTC ’s low performance on the market. Allegedly, HTC held only 1% market share in 2018. Until they introduced cryptos. The situation seems to be changing steadily. Namely, HTC obviously decided to engage in the crypto world, which made them significant again.

HTC devices are now crypto-friendly. They include in-wallet ERC-20 token swaps on the Exodus 1 phone, for example. They announced Exodus 1S to contain Bitcoin (BTC) full node capabilities. Furthermore, HTC partnered with some of the blockchain developing companies, as this is the basis or every crypto-related business.

HTC is Not the Only One

Apart from Samsung which leads in this respect, there are several other smartphone companies that entered this race. For instance, LG is reportedly working on the development of a blockchain smartphone.

Would you use this type of a phone?

The classiest and the most expensive among cars

The Classiest and the Most Expensive Among Cars

By Lifestyle No Comments

Bugatti  vehicles are synonym for luxury and speed. Most importantly, these cars are an excellent investment for those with enough resources, as the Bugatti value increases in time. Collectors are highly interested especially in the EB110 and Veyron models. They are the classiest and the most expensive among cars. Not counting the old-timers, that is. So, here they are: the best of the Bugatti world.

The Most Expensive, Rare Model

As previously mentioned, the price of a Bugatti increases in time. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the oldest models would be the most expensive ones. This is not far from the truth.

Actually, the most expensive model is the 57 SC Atlantic. Only four pieces were manufactured between 1936 and 1928. Three of these have reached the price of app. 100 million. It has been speculated that the fourth one, if ever found, would reach significantly higher price. Not bad for the 80-year-old car.

Veyron 16.4 Model Overview

The ultimate sports car, Veyron 16.4 (produced in 2005) features a carbon monocoque, four-wheel drive and four turbochargers. It has 16 cylinders that generate more than 1,000 hp. The maximum speed is set at 400km/h. Acceleration from 0 to 100km/h happens in 2.5 seconds. Veyron achieves the speed of 200km/h in 7.3 seconds. Bugatti manufactured 450 of these jewels among cars by 2015.

The Price

The price is a trifle. It was originally set at EUR 1.6 million. Nowadays, the least expensive model is available for EUR 1.3 million. Remember that this is the minimum price that clients should pay to get the unique feeling of driving a Bugatti. Many models sell for significantly higher prices.

EB110 Model Overview

The EB110 is a Bugatti sports model which was developed in the 1990ies. In short, it prides itself with  V12 engine, four turbochargers and maximum speed of 351 km/h. Its main feature that caught everyone’s eye is the fact that it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in up to 3.3 seconds, reaching the maximum speed of 351 km/h. Let us remind you that this is a sports car that went to series production. Namely, there are only 128 pieces out there.

The Price

The Price of Bugatti is constantly on the rise. If we take a look at Bugatti EB110 GT and its original price of EUR 280,000 from 2011, we will see that it increased more than 8 times. Reportedly, there was an auction at the Sotheby’s in February this year. The highest bidder paid approximately EUR 2.03 million for a 1994 EB110 Super Sport model. Sounds a lot, doesn’t it? The chances of a regular person earning that much are close to none. Nevertheless, there are always alternative ways. And playing progressive slots at our bet safe casino could be the choice.

Do you think these cars are for driving or collector’s investment only?