Stablecoins – the cryptocurrency pegged to reality – could save the market October 30, 2018 The last few years have seen the crypto market experience exponential growth, and at the time of writing, it was worth £152bn globally. However, predictions that cryptocurrencies will supplant conventional forms of money have so far proved to be unfounded, as their wild volatility makes them unsuitable for day-to-day use by consumers. But it isn’t [...]
Bitcoin price (BTC) nears $10,000 as market cap overtakes IBM, Disney and McDonald’s, but bubble warnings persist November 27, 2017 Bitcoin believers have been left eagerly awaiting the cryptocurrency’s biggest ever milestone as it hovers just shy of $10,000 and its total market value overtakes some of the world’s biggest businesses. It has surged to a fresh record high on Monday, however, hitting $9,732.76 after breaking the $9,000 mark on Sunday, inflating expectations that it [...]
The high five: your guide to the most valuable start-ups June 13, 2019 It was the year of America’s 200th birthday, of a scorching heat wave in the UK followed by a huge sterling crisis, and it was the year that the only unelected president in US history, Gerald Ford, went down at the polls to the former Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter. Less remarked at the time [...]
Air France–KLM looks at blockchain to cut costs for flyers October 4, 2018 Air France–KLM has announced a push into the blockchain-based technology to cut prices and offer personalised travel packages for customers. The Franco-Dutch airline company has partnered with Winding Tree, a blockchain specialist, to look at how new technology can help it cut out middlemen in its operations. The airline group will test Winding Tree’s technology, [...]
Bitcoin faces another split as scaling debate rages within the community September 20, 2017 Bitcoin may be in for another bump in the road after prices levelled out this week, hovering around the $4,000 level after a recent plunge below $3,000. The famously volatile cryptocurrency has shot up from less than $600 this time last year to an all-time high of more than $5,000 earlier this month, according to [...]
Blockchain, Brexit, and the Irish border – how technology can help to solve this delicate problem October 11, 2018 With less than six months to go until Brexit, one of the biggest sticking points in the negotiations between Britain and the European Union remains undoubtedly the issue of the Irish border. If the UK does decide to leave the EU’s single market and customs union, it will become necessary to control and monitor goods [...]
Carrefour jumps on blockchain bandwagon in effort to track food supplies October 8, 2018 Europe’s biggest retailer is to roll out blockchain technology to trace the supply of goods such as chickens and eggs. Carrefour is planning to gradually deploy a blockchain ledger across its fresh product lines over the next several years, in a bid to bolster the security of its global supply chains. The French retailer is employing IBM, [...]
US Federal Reserve official warns digital currencies like bitcoin could pose financial stability problems if it gains wider use November 30, 2017 A Federal Reserve official has said that digital currencies like bitcoin could pose a threat to financial stability if they pick up wider use. The notoriously volatile cryptocurrency had a rollercoaster ride yesterday, spiking to a fresh high topping $11,000 before slumping 20 per cent, and then picking up the pace again. And Randal Quarles, [...]
The ICO landscape October 23, 2018 Last week we looked at how to assess the concept behind an ICO, but this week I want to “zoom out” a little, and talk about the competitive landscape in which ICOs are operating. It changes almost hourly, let alone daily, and it’s full of complexity, ambiguity, and contradiction. Sounds fun, right? For those blockchain [...]
DEBATE: As we head towards a cashless society, is there any point to a commemorative Brexit coin? October 30, 2018 As we head towards a cashless society, is there any point to a commemorative Brexit coin? Callum Price, events manager at the Centre for Policy Studies, says YES. There is no doubt that we are heading towards an increasingly cashless society, but we are far away from the point at which we will no longer [...]