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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made some more interesting observations about the phenomenon that is cryptocurrency. Earlier this year, the Managing Director of IMF talked about how the introduction of cryptocurrency could very well be the catalyst for the complete overhaul of the world economy. Although we are yet quite far away from the abolition of government-issued fiat money, all the signs of a revolution within the financial space are there. Now the man behind IMF’s Strategy, Policy, and Review Department has written an article putting the emergency of digital currency into an evolutionary perspective.
Blockchain as a general-purpose technology
Martin Mühleisen from IMF writes that digital platforms, such as those underpinned by blockchain technology, are classified as a general-purpose technology. According to him, only three other kinds of technology in human history have the same capabilities, and these are the steam engine, the electricity generator, and the printing press. What makes general-purpose technology so important is that it continually transforms itself and affects all industry sectors — often creating completely new ones.
The only issue with these kind of transformative technologies is that human culture is often very slow to catch up. Mühleisen notes that it is not only important to adopt a new technology, but also for society to adapt to it. Without adapting to new technology, we cannot fully benefit from it. As an example, Mühleisen shows how James Watt invented a functional steam engine in 1774, but no actual steam locomotive ran until 1812. That is many years worth of wasted potential.
Cryptocurrency will change the financial industry
While Mühleisen notes the dangers associated with cryptocurrency, such as the ability for criminals to use them for money-laundering and drug trade, he also acknowledges the potential benefits of the blockchain technology. Among these are faster, cheaper, and more secure financial transactions. Mühleisen also mentions how government regulations are a bit behind the evolution of the technology, and are only now being put into motion. This is another example of adopting a new technology, but not necessarily adapting to it fast enough.
Mühleisen also mentions some of the new technologies on the horizon. Quantum computing will allow for calculations at a speed and on a scale that is unprecedented. As quantum computing becomes more mainstream, it will completely change industries relying on processing power. One of these industries will be cryptocurrency mining, and the blockchain space will undoubtedly see lots of changes as a result of the introduction of quantum computing.
Disruptions are on the horizon
While technological advancement is generally seen as a good thing for humanity in the long term, there are short term issues that need to be dealt with in the present. New technology like blockchain is very disruptive, and can create a lot of chaos and confusion. Mühleisen warns that jobs will disappear, and it is a good idea to start thinking about which new jobs will be created, and what qualifications will be needed. Therefore, he advises both public and private institutions alike to start considering which policies they will put in place to prepare for the digital revolution.
Payera Review
Whilst blockchain technology has a multitude of purposes (one only has to shoot a quick glance at the many diverse ICOs out there), the main one is still money and financial transactions. It is easy to understand why this is the case given the many intermediaries involved in financial transactions between companies. Every middleman adds to the financial costs associated with transactions, and cryptocurrencies are a great way to circumvent that problem. Payera is an an ICO that seeks to challenge the status quo by eliminating the need for any intermediaries, and thus reduce the costs associated with transactions.
What is Payera?
The team behind Payera brands the platform as the first cryptocurrency payment platform with a multifunction solution that is secure and easy to use. These multiple function come in three forms: Payera, Shopera, and Cardera. Payera itself is a payment platform, and comes complete with both buyer and seller protections. There will also be an in-built exchange that user can utilise, instead of having to use third party exchanges. The platform is also operate on a ratings system, which buyers and sellers can use to assess each other, similar to platforms like eBay. The assessment made by the buyer of the seller, however, has an important effect on the seller’s capabilities on the platform. If the seller has a good rating, they will be able to receive direct payments and have lower transactional fees associated with the sale. Both buyers and sellers will have a digital wallet assigned to them to use on the platform. This wallet will be protected either with a PIN code, a fingerprint, or face recognition, depending on the user’s smartphone capabilities. In addition to the platform being decentralised, Payera will not have access to any user accounts.
What is Shopera?
Shopera is the online store component of the Payera ecosystem. Here, retail and individual merchants alike can list their goods, whether it is new or used. Depending on how much an item costs, a merchant will pay between $0.05-$0.50. As with eBay, the Shopera platform is easy on the small fish: if you sell less than ten items every month, you do not pay the seller’s fee. Buyers can use the platform for free, regardless of how much they purchase.
What is Cardera?
Cardera is the cryptocurrency payment cards that will come with a Payera account. I can be used for online transactions, as well as in regular ATMs to withdraw funds. Payera will issue the Cardera payment card for a flat rate of $20.
Key features of Payera
The design of the Payera platform is very intuitive and easy to use, and comes complete with all the features you would expect from a cryptocurrency platform. As it makes used of Ethereum’s network, it is a completely decentralised platform that secures all use data. The transactions themselves are faster than current methods of transferring money, and the tokens can be used in external online stores partnering with Payera. As a buyer, Shopera is free to use, and as a seller, it is a lot cheaper than similar platforms.
Other Information:
– Payera TWITTER
– Payera TELEGRAM
– bitcointalk ANN
– bitcointalk BOUNTY
– bitcointalk Username: Ico Friends
BGX Review
In the world of cryptocurrency, it is, obviously, all about the money. In the world of mobile gaming, money is definitely a deciding factor as well. As a matter of fact, the industry reached a total revenue of $30 billion last year alone. The projections for this year are even bigger, and experts suggest that we will see a 15% growth from last year. It is not an easy industry to break into, however. If you are a developer, you will quickly discover that the companies behind the mobile platforms you are developing games for will charge you quite a lot to use their platforms. There is always a silver lining behind every cloud, however, and this predicament has opened the doors for the blockchain industry to make its entrance. BGX is an ICO that promises to bring something new to the table in terms of financial transactions within mobile gaming. Not only that: they have already proven themselves by impressing a string of industry partners. The fact that BGX has already been tried and tested sets it apart from the majority of ICOs, most of which are projects in the making. BGX brands themselves as the ‘fastest, low-cost, and most secure decentralized method of payment processing.’ The gaming industry will benefit greatly from this innovative approach to financial transactions, so whether you are a gamer or a game developer – read on!
What is BGX?
Using blockchain technology, the team behind BGX is developing a decentralized platform that has multiple functions. The main aim of the platform is to process payment made in mobile games. Another aim is to allow developers of mobile games an easy way into the world of cryptocurrency. Not only will the developers be able to make money off of their creations in the form of cryptocurrency tokens, they will also have access to a market of mobile game players and grow their audience. Considering that they only pay 10% commission, this is a pretty good deal – traditional app markets charge around 30% commission. The other part of the mobile gaming industry, the players, will also be able to benefit from BGX. Rather than having to contend with ads and sponsored content, they will be provided with a digital wallet and can earn money every time they watch an ad.
What are the key features of BGX?
The developers behind BGX are promising a myriad of functions when it comes to their platform. Among these will be a distribution system for mobile games made for iOS and Android devices. There will of course also be an independent processing mechanism, for cryptocurrency and fiat money alike. Players will have access to digital wallets where they can store their cryptocurrency. Developers will have a subsystem designed for token emission. Many of the common monetization models will also be supported by BGX. Finally, the transactions carried out will be supported by a powerful AI that uses sophisticated algorithms. This AI will not only be able to monitor the financial transactions, but also prevent fraudulent behaviour, create tournament games for players, monitor the overdraft functions, allow users to customise and cluster the mobile applications, help create a compliance model, monitor the applications to ensure that they are complying with the law, and finally control the exchange rate of the various cryptocurrencies being used. Talk about versatility!
What about the tokens?
Another way in which BGX sets itself apart from other ICOs is that is used not one, but two types of tokens. These are called BGX (naturally) and BGT. The BGX token is based on the Ethereum network and uses the ERC-20 standard.
bitcointalk Username: Ico Friends
NextPakk Review
NextPakk is the next generation of parcel delivery services. Too often, customers who order products online miss their deliveries, because the parcel delivery services are unable to deliver at a time that is convenient for the customer. Most people have a nine to five job, and are only able to receive deliveries during the evenings and weekends. The drivers, however, are also working nine to five, and so there is an obvious challenge to overcome. NextPakk creates an online marketplace where local businesses, drivers, and customers can connect to solve this issue. The businesses utilise their extra space to store the parcels, the drivers utilise their extra time and vehicles to deliver them, and the customers receive their parcel at a time that is convenient for them.
What is NextPakk?
NextPakk is a blockchain startup company based in Minneapolis, USA. The vision of the company is to integrate blockchain technology and last-mile logistics with the modern supply chain. From the point where a product is created to the point where it is delivered to the address of the buyer, it goes through a long supply chain. The last-mile logistics is where it tends to go wrong, as many deliveries are made to customers during the day when they are at work. This results in a lot of failed deliveries, and ultimately requires the buyer to pick up the delivery themselves at a delivery office. According to research carried out by NextPakk, over one billion failed deliver attempts of this kind happens every year. Needless to say, this results in a lot of wasted time, work hours, and fuel, on the part of the delivery company, and a bad customer experience for the buyer. NextPakk aims to remedy this problem with their delivery system. Instead of having their purchases delivered with a regular company, who might not be able to accommodate night-time deliveries, buyers can have their purchases shipped to NextPakk. NextPakk will then store the client’s parcel in a secure warehouse, which will have 24 hour surveillance. Once delivered to their warehouse, the buyer can then request the parcel to be delivered to them at a time that is convenient for them. Since NextPakk works from 6pm-midnight seven days a week, this offers customers with a nine to five work schedule very good flexibility. As soon as the parcel has been safely received by NextPakk, the customer will be notified. From here, they simply enter their address, phone number, and the date and time for the desired delivery. Customers can choose to pay for a single delivery, or they can sign up for a subscription service in case they receive a lot of deliveries on a regular basis. All the drivers working for NextPakk are background-checked. NextPakk’s guarantee is that the parcel will be delivered successfully the first time, thus taking the hassle out of receiving parcels.
How does NextPakk work?
NextPakk has designed a scalable sharing economy by combining blockchain technology with sharing prosperity. As opposed to most other ICOs, NextPakk does not use the Ethereum network. The Pakka blockchain is instead built on the Stellar fork, which is meant to make the system more scalable and provide a higher output. The Pakka token itself will be the native currency with which buyers pay for their delivery services, and drivers get paid. The drivers themselves can utilise their personal vehicles and spare time to deliver parcels to the buyers. Local businesses can also utilise their extra space to store the parcels and get paid in Pakka tokens. All drivers are background-checked and all parcels are tracked online. As an extra layer of security, NextPakk will also have an escrow system implemented in order to cover for any unexpected damages to the parcels.
What are the key features of NextPakk?
By utilising local businesses and warehouses as their delivery points, NextPakk will have many more places than the average post office or delivery service. This means that deliveries can be carried out much faster, as the parcels will be stores local to the buyer. Because of this close proximity, the distance the driver has to travel to deliver the parcel will also be reduced, thus cutting costs for time and fuel. The delivery points will typically be less than five miles from the address the parcels are to be delivered to. In addition to cutting the distance, the system will also allow for minimising traffic jams. Finally, both the package delivery points and the drivers will be monetarily incentivised to let the buyers control the time of delivery so that there are no failed attempts or chance for the parcel to be stolen because it it left unattended.
What are the benefit of Nextpakk’s ecosystem?
The checks and balances of the NextPakk ecosystem is perhaps the best part of this ICO. The retailers sending the parcels will see an increase in profits, as the number of returned, failed, or stolen deliveries go down. The local businesses who utilise their extra space to store parcels will benefit from an extra income stream. The drivers will also earn an extra income by using their extra time and their own vehicles. Finally, the customers will have a much better experience, as they are in control of the delivery and do not risk their parcel being stolen or returned to the retailer.
What is the Roadmap for NextPakk?
According to NextPakk’s website, the roadmap for their project is as follows:
- Q1 2016 Seed planted for NextPakk
- Q3 2016 V1 of NextPakk as a physical solution
- Q1 2017 Collected feedback from users on V1 and revisited the solution
- Q2 2017 V2 of NextPakk solution based on shared ecosystem MVP Conducted over 700 customer interviews
- Q3 2017 Ran a pilot program involving 10+ apartment complexes
- Q4 2017 Started work on building the platform based on blockchain
- Q1 2018 Web app launch
- Q2 2018 Private Tokensale
- Q3 2018 ICO and token distribution
- Q4 2018 Market reach in 3 US major cities
- Q2 2019 Pakka Dapps launch UK/AU/DE markets
- Q4 2019 Expansion into 10 US major cities R&D using AI in Logistics
- Q4 2020 Expansion into sub-Saharan countries
- Q4 2021 Continued worldwide integration with the globas supply chain
How will the Pakka tokens be distributed?
The total supply of Pakka tokens will be 1,000,000,000. Of this supply, 8% will be sold during a private pre-sale, 12% will be sold during the pre-ICO, and a further 30% will be sold during the actual ICO. The team behind NextPakk will have 10% of the tokens made available to them, and their advisors will have 8% to look forward to. 8% of the tokens will be reserved for user rewards and airdrop, and 3% will be earmarked for bounty. The drivers delivering the parcels will have 8% of the tokens in store as rewards for going the extra mile (so to speak), and the local businesses functioning as the package delivery points will have 5% of the tokens assigned to them as rewards. Finally, there will be another 8% of the tokens kept as a company reserve.
Other Information:
– NextPakk TWITTER
– NextPakk TELEGRAM
– bitcointalk USERNAME: Ico Friends