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Explore the latest updates from ATAIX and the blockchain industry

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The Most Important Trends in the Blockchain Field

Despite the bumpy ride that this remarkable technology has endured in the past year, blockchain is still one of the most important and profound inventions of the modern era.

Many startups have failed but even more have succeeded in attempting to bring value to this industry. The most important sign that Bitcoin and its underlying technologies are still going strong and gaining momentum is the fact that big companies are pushing its innovation and overall value creation.

That being said, here are some of the most important trends that everyone should know about when it comes to blockchain today:

Real value vs hype

Practically any industry in the world that could bring innovation where there previously wasn’t, will naturally open huge possibilities for wealth creation, and can attract a lot of positive but also negative attention. For the blockchain industry, this has kind of gone over the edge. There has been an overwhelming number of scammers promising all sorts of get-rich-quick schemes that have fooled a lot of people. But despite that black hole of scams, the industry will see the light of day with the introduction of regulations that promise a lot less of these money grabbers. In any case, a little research and caution can go a long way.

The IOT - Blockchain story is just starting

The interoperability between the blockchain technology and IOT has doubled in 2018. This means that this trend is very far away from its peak and it’s just starting to show the endless possibilities that come from merging these two technologies. With expectations of over 26 billion connected devices in 2019, experts say that this year IOT will see an explosion of use cases and blockchain will push the numbers even further.

Breaking new ground in the financial industry

As it has become obvious by now that there is no stopping the revolution in the traditional finance industry induced by the Bitcoin and its underlying technologies. Many companies in the field have decided to stop resisting and start working on their own solutions that will improve the old inefficient and broken ways of doing business. ICE, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, has already put their plans in motion with Bakkt – a Bitcoin-based futures trading platform. This represents one of the first steps towards implementing blockchain in many spheres of the current financial system that is just starting to improve the way we go about our finances.

Ever-increasing investment opportunities

With the implementation of blockchain technology, the entry bar for larger investments like real estate, for example, is significantly lower and continues to decrease. This requires a bit more regulation in order to allow everyday traders to take part in, but as things are moving along in that direction, in time we will surely see the doors open for the masses. Digital “shares” will become a common thing in all traditional investment markets and with the help of smart contracts, all of the unnecessary costs and the middlemen like lawyers and brokers will be eliminated.

Companies with Blockchain in Mind - Where to Invest in 2019

Innovative projects utilizing blockchain is something we’ve already covered in depth, as well as the great possibilities that blockchain has opened for many existing companies from various industries. The use of smart contracts, improving supply chain management, quality assurance, voting processes, improving trust in transactions, accounting- the uses for blockchain seem endless. Now it seems, blockchain and its potential is starting to seep into the mainstream.

As it stands now, only smaller companies and startups have a firm grip on the use of the blockchain as a prominent part of their workflow. Many big companies have been doing research and testing the waters, but are not quite there with full implementation. The biggest problem that enterprise companies seem to have when it comes to blockchain is privacy. It’s just not enough for big companies to have pseudonymous blockchain as they have huge numbers of customers and customer data. If somehow an address used for private business from a company is made public, then all of that address transaction history will be publicly available forever. This creates a big problem for companies that have privacy regulations like GDPR and the California Privacy Act hanging right above their heads.

However the future isn’t all doom and gloom and despite certain concerns, some companies are attempting to build the necessary bridges between blockchain and their existing enterprise infrastructure. For investors interested in the blockchain technology who believe in its potential, this provides an interesting opportunity. Here’s a few companies who are looking into blockchain implementation:

IBM

Hyperledger Fabric is the name of the standard used by IBM that looks to provide a solution to the problems enterprises may have when it comes to confidential transactions. Hyperledger is hosted by The Linux Foundation and at the moment has the cooperation of hundreds of companies.

A statement from the company issued says:

“Data confidentiality mechanisms ensure that individuals or organizations are prevented from accessing data that they are not authorized to access, such as classified information of other organizations’ transactions. Anonymity requires that participants of transactions are concealed.”

IBM is actually one of the biggest companies out there that is an active proponent of blockchain use. They have created IBM Blockchain to implement blockchain use and are “transforming blockchain’s promise into bottom-line business results.”

Amazon

Together with the startup Kaleido, Amazon and its Web Services (AWS) have joined forces to offer businesses the power of distributed ledgers with the introduction of Hyperledger and Ethereum templates.

AWS statement goes as follows:

“Introducing Kaleido to AWS customers is going to help customers move faster and not worry about managing blockchain themselves. Kaleido offers a full-stack SaaS for creating, operating and scaling enterprise blockchain solutions.”

Polkadot

This company has been doing an awesome job of working on a solution that will enable different blockchains to communicate with each other. Their main goal is to use smart contracts to make a transaction of data and assets between chains a simple process. The so-called “parachains” will play a big role in Polkadot’s product. They will be used for gathering and processing information and then sending it off to a relay chain. In the end, the data will be passed along to “bridges” that will connect to a base-blockchain like Ethereum.

Lambda

This blockchain-based storage network has been developing two very interesting solutions that would hopefully suit the big enterprise companies. The first one is Provable Data Possession (PDP) and the other one is Proofs of Retrievability (POR). The idea behind this is to create an immutable and secure solution for storing, accounting for and exchanging large volumes of data between multiple parties. Access control will be implemented via multi-authority attribute-based encryption (MA-ABE).

Feb, 2019

The Most Interesting Ways to Mine Crypto in 2019

When the first Bitcoin was mined back in 2009, it silently marked the start of something big. At that time the mining process didn’t really mean anything in particular other than “simply” creating a virtual currency. It was a niche that was shrouded in mystery, much like its founder.

At first, this revolutionary technology was supported and mined only by the enthusiasts and developers of Bitcoin. In order for it to become what it is today, it took many years of building its network’s foundation of miners that now comprises of thousands of people and companies around the world contributing to the most famous online payment system of all time.

Seeing as there’s been many advances in the crypto mining industry in this last decade, we wanted to briefly go over a handful of some of the more interesting methods people use today.

Number 1: Doing the right way. Legally.

At the beginning, like we mentioned, mining cryptocurrencies was reserved for the enthusiasts, developers, and entrepreneurs with some small capital to invest into mining rigs. Soon after, it became incredibly competitive with companies buying all of the latest gear, stacking it up in mining farms all over the world where the electricity is cheaper. But nevertheless, the Bitcoin crash dawned upon the industry and endangered the ability to make at a profit. Despite this huge downturn event this still is the most secure way to mine some crypto: simply upgrading your machine or buying a separate mining machine and getting to work.

Number 2: Using excess power

In some places there is surplus electricity that is generated, more than is demanded. In Washington for example,  electrical power generated by the dams has been in overwhelmingly high numbers. More precisely, it is six times higher than what the whole population including the companies will ever need to use. This represents a great chance for miners as the local price for excess power in Washington has been dirt cheap which makes this region a worthwhile mining investment opportunity.

Number 3: Cryptojacking - Interesting but illegal (and completely unendorsed by us here at ATAIX).

This mining method has been very popular and pretty much on the rise from the moment it was created. What cryptojacking is practically doing is injecting a malicious code into an app, website or a computer in order to use the victim’s computer processing power to mine cryptocurrencies. Many people are using various web pages that offer them ready-to-mine code that they can just copy-paste into their own website or application so when someone is using their app or browsing their blog the processing power of the device is used to mine cryptocurrencies without the user knowing. Though certainly fascinating, this is nevertheless highly illegal.

Number 4: Using unregulated markets

Countries like Iran and North Korea that have been under sanctions imposed by most of the world are a pretty safe haven for miners. In Iran, they are using the high rates of the world traditional currency market between the US dollar and the Iranian Rial so they can still make more money at an extremely low crypto market value. An additional plus is the cheap electricity in the country so even if Bitcoin goes as low as 2000 dollars combined with the high fiat rates, they can still make a profit.

Feb, 2019

US Department of Health Gets Approval for Blockchain Use

Since the inception of blockchain, some people saw its potential beyond its traditional use as a payment system. With the astronomical rise of Bitcoin’s popularity, which has gone from the depths of the web to a household name, many more began looking into the technology it’s based on. As time goes by, the number of companies in many different industries that try to implement this unique technology in their day to day workflow constantly increases.

One of the most important industries, the healthcare industry, has been experimenting with blockchain implementation for some time, and has recently gotten the approval of the state to go ahead full steam. The US Department of Health and Human Services have received approval to start working on a system that will utilize blockchain and AI technologies.

This system will extract information from 100,000 contracts that are representing around 24.8 billion dollars of annual spending from five different contract systems in the Health Department. It will do an analysis on the expenses and terms of those contracts and eventually use all of that processed information as a guide for new purchases.

As the associate deputy assistant secretary for acquisition, Jose Arrieta, stated:

“We believe there are significant savings and significant price negotiation power that will come with having full visibility into prices paid and terms and conditions.”

With this solution, the US government will cut short the months-long process of doing market research and then extrapolating the data for analysis. In this scenario, all of the purchasing data will be updated in real-time making it available right away so that it can be used for planning as well as negotiating.

As mentioned before, blockchain is not the only technology that is going to be used in this new solution, as robotic process automation and machine learning will have a role too. They will be used for data cleansing as soon as that data is extracted from the contract system. Natural language processing will be used in order to analyze the terms and conditions but also the pricing information of the contracts.

The initial results of this new process are expected to be delivered in the first couple of months of 2019. With all of the feedback info from the teams that are going to be using it, it will be gradually improved over time.

There are also other examples of blockchain use by the medical industry. The Massachusetts General Hospital, which is one of the top five hospitals, in the US are working together with a Korean blockchain startup called MediBloc in order to find better methods to store and share their patient’s data.

As the director of the Laboratory of Medical Imaging and Computation of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Synho Do, has said:

“In collaboration with Medibloc, we aim to explore potentials of blockchain technology to provide secure solutions for health information exchange, integrate healthcare AI applications into the day-to-day clinical workflow, and support data sharing and labeling platform for machine learning model development.”

Innovating and utilizing blockchain technology is happening simultaneously in all fields as we speak. It’s something we’ve monitored closely and are extremely excited about. Seeing blockchain be utilized not only in a professional field, but also a field that works to better the lives of everyone is a massive leap for the healthcare industry and also for blockchain technology.

Jan, 2019

How SMS and Crypto Can Become the Future of Exchange and Communication

We all remember the old days when everyone was getting their cell phones and SMS messaging became not only a trendy, but incredibly convenient, method of communication because you could instantly reach anybody, anywhere for a small fee, making voice calls a bit of an afterthought.

Sometime later the smartphone revolution started which marked a new chapter. Now paired with the internet, the smartphone started to increase its significance in people’s lives. Its messaging feature evolved passed many limits that were previously unimaginable, doing so without necessarily being connecting to the same cellular network as the whole planet was. Most importantly, smartphone messaging did so without incurring any of the fees that came with SMS messaging.

Applications like Facebook, Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram (among many others) emerged, and in time they were able to bring new features like group chats, image sharing, and longer message support for virtually no cost. Apple even converted its traditional SMS application to iMessage, which provided all the features these applications did between any two iPhones.

Seeing as things are constantly evolving, we can come up with many other uses for this SMS technology. Cryptocurrency transactions are increasingly becoming an everyday tool that are being implemented on a global scale. For example, Facebook, among other companies that pioneered the messaging technology, has an active dedicated cryptocurrency team. Some reports claim they are working on cryptocurrency that would enable users to send payments via their subsidiary company and messaging app WhatsApp.

Now there are also other companies like the Swiss based startup Zulu Republic that has developed their own service called Lite.im. Their service will use Facebook Messenger and Telegram and utilize their messaging abilities to send, receive, and manage cryptocurrencies. Additionally, they have a feature to use traditional SMS messages that will not only support their own native token ZTX but also some of the more popular cryptos out there like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. Using the RSA encryption algorithm, this company will make sure nobody from Facebook or any other cell service company will be able to have access to users’ passwords and private keys.

As the CEO of the startup Zach Cavanaugh stated:

“Litecoin, Bitcoin – it’s portable money that transcends borders. Crypto can’t be stolen if you follow best practices. You can’t get locked out of it. It can’t be censored or mismanaged by governments. If we had a widely accepted self-sovereign identity system it could simplify the process of applying for asylum, getting financial aid, accessing legal and health services.”

Solutions like this one that allow anyone with a basic smartphone without an internet connection to send cryptocurrencies with a simple SMS message can provide an alternative to those that might need it (in situations without WiFi or data or otherwise).

A very simple but ultimately effective use of this could be philanthropists or charitable organizations helping people by easily sending them aid without worrying about corruption or middlemen.

By combining new emerging technologies with old existing technologies, we are seeing a potential to do some incredible things. Borders that were previously untouched will now be broken and new technological precedents can be set.

Jan, 2019

Denmark Tax Authorities Win Battle of Crypto Taxation

As the world is heading towards a larger adoption of cryptocurrencies, governments are catching up and are trying to push on regulations. There has been an ongoing battle for some time now between crypto exchanges and Denmark’s authorities, who were trying to get an approval to start collecting private users’ information. The battle came to an end this month when tax collectors got permission to start gathering sensitive information such as names, addresses, associated wallet information, and trading history data belonging to three unnamed crypto exchanges spanning from 2016 till 2018.

The statement for this decision mentions that all foreigners who have used a Danish crypto exchange will have to provide their personal details to their respective country’s authorities. Karin Bergen, Skattestyrelsen (SKAT) Tax Agency of Denmark Director said: “With the permission of the Danish Tax Council, we will, for the first time, gain access to the trades made via the Danish Stock exchanges. This gives us completely new opportunities in relation to control in the area.”

Considering the fact that one of the main purposes of cryptocurrencies is to provide anonymity with there being no law that mandated to give out any kind of data in Denmark, it has been very easy for the users to hide information from the tax authorities. According to SKAT, this action will “ensure that citizens who have traded cryptocurrencies have paid the right tax.”

This is one of the rare cases where a country has made such a decision that, despite how negative it appears, will definitely help to legitimize the crypto landscape. It will also play a role in terms of changing the public’s view about Bitcoin and the technology behind it as a tool for criminals and all sorts of illicit activities. The cryptocurrency community in Denmark, as expected, took the news wrongly. They firmly defend the anonymous nature of the virtual coins and will most probably start to avoid their country exchanges.

The earlier decision by the Denmark tax authorities published on March 2014 stated that no profit on cryptocurrency trading will be accounted for tax is set in stone and it’s all safe water for traders. Relying on this statement, the crypto community was let down. Towards the end of 2018, all directions pointed to the opposite direction when the tax agency of Denmark performed an investigation on 2,700 Danes that were trading in secret on a Finnish crypto exchange.

Many countries around the globe are now rapidly looking for ways to implement measures that will allow them to tax crypto trading activities. This would further push the need for truly decentralized exchanges that would bring the ultimate freedom to everyone who wishes to participate in these new trading markets.

Jan, 2019

The Noah Coin and Blockchain Innovation

Users of ATAIX as well as casual followers of the program may have noticed that we recently listed Noah Coin on our exchange. Those who are familiar with the Noah Coin are likely just as excited as we are that we are working with such an ambitious project. The Noah Foundation is the non-profit of the future, utilizing modern technology to find modern solutions to issues in the modern world.

Our listing article on Noah Coin briefly went over the project, its operations, and its goals, but the Noah Foundation is a great testament to how blockchain can be used for things outside its own immediate industry. We’ve talked in depth about how blockchain has the potential to lead us into a new age of internet, but it can be utilized to address a multitude of real-world issues as well.

The Noah Foundation is doing just this, by supporting projects in developing countries, encouraging economic development through blockchain technology. The foundation operates between the Japan and the Philippines, currently working on several economic projects in the Philippines. There are two main projects in the works right now. The first is a “Noah City,” located in the Horizon Manilla. Horizon Manilla is a reclamation project that will be the Philippine’s biggest business district, and Noah City plans to have its own city within Horizon Manilla, which will use Noah Coin as currency. There is a similarly planned resort in Zamboanga del Norte, one of the most beautiful provinces in the Philippines. This resort will also use Noah Coin for every feature on the resort, from activities to meals. The foundation has already found professional experts to partner with to help realize both of these projects.

Both of these projects, and any future ones, will utilize Noah Coin as its main payment method, however the Noah Foundations is open to working with other cryptocurrencies in their projects. These projects are definitely ambitious, but the foundation is taking all necessary steps to help make them come to life. And with the growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies as valid tender throughout the world, it seems like blockchain-based economic enhancement is a valid course of action for any developing countries.

Innovative usage of blockchain in this manner is becoming increasingly common. We’re already seeing all sorts of projects based on blockchain technology spring up. All conventional forms of internet websites now have their safer, less centralized blockchain counterparts, and the Noah Foundation is quickly proving that blockchain can provide an alternative to real world issues as well.

Dec, 2018

An Overview of Our First 5 listed Coins

The first five coins we chose to list were chosen so intentionally since they are five reputable and trusted coins, each with their own unique aspects. Whether you're a newbie to the crypto trading game or a seasoned vet, we hope this quick overview of our first five listed coins will help you learn how you can use them on our platform!

Ethereum

Ethereum is the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Unlike Bitcoin, which is primarily a peer-to-peer digital currency, Ethereum is both a cryptocurrency and a blockchain platform for developers. The platform allows developers to build and deploy decentralized applications on top of the Ethereum blockchain. It’s native digital currency is Ether (ETH). It was launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin.

The Ethereum platform provides developers with the code and technical tools needed to build decentralized applications. On the platform, Smart Contracts are used to build and run Decentralized Applications (DApps).

One of the salient features of Ethereum is the Ethereum Virtual Machine, a Turing complete software that runs smart contracts. The EVM allows developers to easily and efficiently build DApps without having to create a new code from scratch. Using the ERC20 and the eRC721 standard, developers can also launch their own cryptocoins on the Ethereum blockchain. Since its launch, the platform has hosted hundreds of ICO projects. Some ERC20 standard projects have gone ahead to become high value tokens with practical use cases, like EOS.

Consensus mechanism

Like Bitcoin, Ethereum uses the puzzle-solving Proof of Work algorithm. Known as Ethash, this algorithm safeguards the network from centralized mining, essentially locking out expensive, specialized mining rigs from the mining process. Miners compete with each other to confirm and verify transactions. They are rewarded with 5 Ether every time they generate a block. Mining is important as it fights fraud in the Ethereum blockchain.  Although the Proof of Work consensus seems to work for Ethereum, it has its own flaws, including excessive use of electricity. Ethereum developers are keen on adopting other consensus mechanisms like Proof of Stake, to overcome the challenges of the current consensus mechanism.

How the wallet works

If you’ve mined some Ether, you’ll need a secure place to store them and that’s where a wallet comes in. Ether can be stored in a number of wallets, although the most popular one is MyEtherWallet. The wallet doesn’t store data or private keys on its servers but on your computer. It’s popular because of its enhanced security features and ease of use. Other wallet options for Ether include hardware wallets like Trezor and Ledger Nano S. One thing that is of great appeal about Ethereum wallets is that you can store as much ERC20 coins as you wish as these wallets support those. Whichever wallet you chose to store Ether, you’ll quickly notice that they work in a similar way. Despite their different features, their main mission is to secure your coins.

Deposit/withdraw process

When you login to the ATAIX website, head over to your wallets. Click on “Deposit” on the top-right corner of the screen. In the “Choose Currency” dropdown, select Ethereum. If you’re sending Ether from a wallet, open the wallet and paste the address as the destination address. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on the screen from your wallet. In case your Ether is locked up in an exchange, log in into the exchange, and paste the address as the withdrawal address. The transaction shouldn’t take long before it’s completed. The withdrawal process is similar, only that you’ll need to input your destination wallet address. Once you’ve withdrawn ether from ATAIX, you will be sent a confirmation email with a link on the email address that you used to register on the website. You will need to open this email and click on the link to confirm that the withdrawal process was indeed initiated by yourself. Once this is done, the ether will be sent to your destination wallet.

Bitcoin

As the oldest and first cryptocurrency to emerge, Bitcoin is the most popular blockchain project. It was introduced as an alternative to fiat currencies by an anonymous inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Since its launch in 2009, it has evolved to become the financial behemoth that it is today. At its peak in December 2017, a unit of Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at a historic price of $20,000. Because of its high value, Bitcoin is known more as a store of value than as a means of payment.

Bitcoin’s main goal was to decentralize the global financial sector. The underlying technology is the blockchain. Blockchain keeps a digital ledger of all transactions and is distributed to many computers, meaning that it cannot be altered by anyone and is not controlled by any central authority, like a central bank. Bitcoin’s white paper promises to deliver fast, low-cost, global payments that are safe and secure.

Consensus mechanism

Bitcoin uses a consensus mechanism known as Proof of Work algorithm. In its basic form, this mechanism enables users to verify and confirm all transactions on the blockchain to prevent double spending of coins.

The process of verifying and confirming transactions is commonly known as mining. Basically, miners solve hard mathematical puzzles to create blocks of transactions which they attach to the blockchain. They get rewarded with Bitcoins every time they generate a block. Usually, the reward is given to the miner who runs the longest chain in the blockchain.

How the wallet works

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are digital assets and are stored in digital wallets. To store Bitcoin, you’ll need to install a digital wallet that’s compatible with BTC. The default wallet for BTC is Bitcoin Core. Digital wallets come in different kinds but serve the same purpose. Some are physical devices, while others are paper, software, mobile or online wallets. The wallets keep your private key that enables you to use the BTC address of your coins in the Bitcoin blockchain. The private key essentially allows you to sign off your transactions, or, to spend your coins.

Deposit/Withdrawal Process

When you login to the ATAIX website, head over to your wallets. Click on “Deposit” on the top-right corner of the screen. In the “Choose Currency” dropdown, select Bitcoin. If you’re sending BTC from a wallet, open the wallet and paste the address as the destination address. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on the screen from your wallet. In case your BTC is locked up in an exchange, login in to the exchange, and paste the address as the withdrawal address. The transaction should take about an hour to confirm on the blockchain. Once it is confirm, the funds will appear on your ATAIX wallet. The withdrawal process is similar, only that you’ll need to input your destination wallet address. Once you’ve withdrawn BTC from ATAIX, you will be sent a confirmation email with a link on the email address that you used to register on the website. You will need to open this email and click on the link to confirm that the withdrawal process was indeed initiated by yourself. Once this is done, the BTC will be sent to your destination wallet.

Stellar

Stellar is a cryptocurrency that allows anyone to make cross-border payments using any pair of currencies.  The platform forked from Ripple and kick started its blockchain journey with a $3 million loan from Stripe. Stellar’s native cryptocurrency token is Stellar Lumens (XLM). The cryptocurrency is known for fast transaction speeds of between two to five seconds. It uses distributed ledgers to connect banks, people, and payment systems. Launched in 2014 by Jed McCaleb and Joyce Kim, the project is backed by Stellar.org, a nonprofit.

The Stellar cryptocurrency is based on an open source, distributed ledger system that’s maintained by the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP). The consensus mechanism allows for flexible trust, decentralized control and enhanced security. The SCP is built around a unique Federated Byzantine Agreement model that allows it to support over a billion accounts and 1000 transactions per second. Stellar’s consensus model differs from other Byzantine models because it allows for open network participation to drive the growth of the network. One thing about Stellar Lumens is that they are not mined like Bitcoins. Instead, all Lumens were pre-mined in a genesis block, and a total of 100 billion XLM exist.

How the wallet works

Stellar Lumens are stored in digital wallets that are compatible with the Stellar blockchain. A wide range of wallets, including desktop, mobile, hardware and web-based wallets support Stellar Lumens. Unlike most other wallets that are free to use, Stellar wallets need every user to have at least 20 Lumens before they can be allowed to create a wallet. They say this safeguards the platform from spammers. You cannot use fiat currencies to buy Stellar Lumens so you’ll need to first buy BTC or ETH and exchange it later with XLM at an exchange. There are many services that allow you to directly buy BTC or ETH using Fiat currencies, Coinbase is a prime example of those.

Deposit/Withdrawal Process

When you login to the ATAIX website, head over to your wallets. Click on “Deposit” on the top-right corner of the screen. In the “Choose Currency” dropdown, select XLM (Stellar). If you’re sending XLM from a wallet, open the wallet and paste the address as the destination address. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on the screen from your wallet. In case your XLM is locked up in an exchange, login in to the exchange, and paste the address as the withdrawal address. The next step is inputting the destination tag. XLM has a little nuance in that for this cryptocurrency, rather than having a wallet for each user registered on ATAIX, we have one wallet for our entire user-base. The destination tag serves to differentiate transactions done by each user and that the XLM held in the shared wallet is properly assigned to its rightful owners. Hence, the next step in the deposit process is to copy the destination tag from ATAIX and paste it in your wallet, in the Destination Tag section. Once this is done, you can hit send from your wallet and the XLM should appear in your ATAIX account in absolutely no time.

Withdrawing XLM to your own XLM wallet from ATAIX is very similar, except you don’t have to worry about Destination Tags. You can leave that field empty, or put any random number. You’ll get your XLM anyways, as long as the withdrawal address is entered correctly.

Cardano

Like Ethereum, Cardano is a smart contract-based blockchain platform. Based on peer-reviewed research and scientific philosophy, the platform allows developers to build secure decentralized applications. Looking at the enhanced security and privacy features that Cardano brings to the table, it’s easy to see that the platform was built with the end-user in mind.  The Cardano blockchain runs the ADA cryptocurrency. Cardano’s vision is to take banking systems to the developing world, where majority of people lack a basic bank account. This explains why its developers are keen on building a project that adheres to global financial regulations as they seek to reach the unbanked in all corners of the world. The Cardano project was created by Charles Hoskinson and Jeremy Wood in 2015.

The Cardano team minted 45 Billion ADA when the project kicked off. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethreum which use the Proof of Work protocol to add new coins into the ecosystem, Cardano uses a unique consensus algorithm known as Ouroboros, a Proof-of-Stake mechanism. Their consensus model revolves around nodes which have to confirm transactions to generate new blocks. In a proof of stake protocol, coin holders set aside coins which they “stake” to be allowed to confirm transactions. Cardano miners earn ADA for their work in the blockchain.

How the wallet works

Daedalus is the official and the only wallet for ADA coins. It’s an open source multi-currency digital wallet that was created by the Cardano team. Available for both MacOs and Windows operating systems, this wallet allows users to freely exchange between different currencies that the wallet supports. With the Daedulus wallet, you won’t need to worry about the security of your ADA coins. The Cardano team is also expanding the wallet to support Bitcoin and Ethereum Classic.

Storing your coins in this wallet is easy and straightforward. You only need to download and install it in your PC. Mobile users will have to wait longer as there’s currently no mobile wallet for ADA. One of the key benefits of the Daedulus wallet is that you get access to tons of applications that have been built by the Daedulus community. Like with most altcoins, there’s no way to directly buy ADA using fiat currencies. You’ll need to first buy BTC or ETH and exchange them for ADA.

Deposit/Withdrawal Process

When you login to the ATAIX website, head over to your wallets. Click on “Deposit” on the top-right corner of the screen. In the “Choose Currency” dropdown, select ADA (Cardano). If you’re sending ADA from a wallet, open the wallet and paste the address as the destination address. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on the screen from your wallet. In case your ADA is locked up in an exchange, login in to the exchange, and paste the address as the withdrawal address. The transaction shouldn’t take long before it’s completed. The withdrawal process is similar, only that you’ll need to input your destination wallet address. Once you’ve withdrawn ADA from ATAIX, you will be sent a confirmation email with a link on the email address that you used to register on the website. You will need to open this email and click on the link to confirm that the withdrawal process was indeed initiated by yourself. Once this is done, the ether will be sent to your destination wallet.

Ripple

Ripple presents itself as both a cryptocurrency and a platform. The Ripple platform is an open source software that allows for fast and low cost transactions. Ripple runs a network of financial institutions like banks and payment service providers that use the Ripple network to offer frictionless payment solutions. XRP is Ripple’s native cryptocurrency. Ripple was first released in 2012 by Jed McCaleb.

Most cryptocurrencies tend to use the two most popular consensus algorithms; Proof of Work or Proof of Stake. But ripple uses none of these. Instead, it uses its own unique algorithm known as Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm. It’s a technically different protocol compared to that of Bitcoin or Ethereum. Essentially, there’s no mining involved as all the 100 billion XRP coins were mined at the launch of the project.  Ripple validates transactions and recommends to its users a list of trusted nodes that can validate their transactions.

How the wallet works

From software, hardware to paper, mobile and web-based wallets; you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to storing your XRP coins. There are many wallets out there that support XRP. Unlike Bitcoin wallets which are free to use, XRP wallets aren’t. Ripple requires all users to have a minimum of 20XRP to book their wallet. It’s a security feature that they say prevents spam. The XRP wallet functions about the same way as any other cryptocurrency wallet. They secure your private key, allowing you to use the public key, or address of your coins on the Ripple blockchain.

Deposit/withdrawal process

When you login to the ATAIX website, head over to your wallets. Click on “Deposit” on the top-right corner of the screen. In the “Choose Currency” dropdown, select XRP (Ripple). If you’re sending XRP from a wallet, open the wallet and paste the address as the destination address. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on the screen from your wallet. In case your XRP is locked up in an exchange, login in to the exchange, and paste the address as the withdrawal address. The next step is inputting the destination tag. XRP has a little nuance in that for this cryptocurrency, rather than having a wallet for each user registered on ATAIX, we have one wallet for our entire user-base. The destination tag serves to differentiate transactions done by each user and that the XRP held in the shared wallet is properly assigned to its rightful owners. Hence, the next step in the deposit process is to copy the destination tag from ATAIX and paste it in your wallet, in the Destination Tag section. Once this is done, you can hit send from your wallet and the ripple should appear in your ATAIX account in absolutely no time.

Withdrawing XRP to your own XRP wallet from ATAIX is very similar, except you don’t have to worry about Destination Tags. You can leave that field empty, or put any random number. You’ll get your XRP anyways, as long as the withdrawal address is entered correctly

Nov, 2018

How Anonymous is Cryptocurrency?

Anonymity and decentralization are the imperative concepts which cryptocurrency is based on. Shockingly, it isn’t as anonymous as people thought it would be. Data leakage by web merchants is common nowadays. The deals signed with their clients are exposed to the public, which involves the risk of linking individual keys. Government intelligence agencies have come to the rescue by using AI to trace such activities taking place in the dark web.

It’s now confirmed that cryptocurrency is no longer private as there are forensic tools which authorities use to track the entire transaction leading to the formation of blocks. These tools are used to uncover all traded, sent and received addresses that can be linked to people interested in tracing certain individual details. A UK-based think-tank startup called Elliptic that deals with preventing and detecting criminal activity in cryptocurrencies discovered large-scale illegal operations where Bitcoin and Ethereum were involved.

It is possible for cryptocurrency to remain anonymous and untraceable as it was in the past. However, Sarah Meiklejohn together with her colleagues at the University of California has discovered a technique called clustering which is used to monitor and record all the activities occurring on a blockchain. The clustering process assists in scrutinizing operations which makes it possible to track Bitcoin transaction. The clustering formulates a pattern that can easily be recognized by any person who isn’t necessarily a programmer or computer scientist. Crypto is great for providing privacy and security, but it is always encouraged to keep transactions with cryptocurrencies legal and safe. It is also imperative to keep records of crypto exchanging and trading for taxes.

So, is cryptocurrency as private as they claim to be? No. But is it private enough? Yes. With the help of AI and clustering, steps are being taken in order to resolve the issues encountered. Cryptocurrency transactions are remarkably more secure than that of fiat.    

Nov, 2018

A Quick Rundown of Some of the Most Popular Cryptos Out There

With more and more cryptocurrencies coming into existence, our options of cryptocurrency investments are also multiplying. Since each cryptocurrency has its specific distinctiveness, it’s hard to decide which one to invest in. Each can be applied in different areas to serve for different purposes. Obviously this can be a bit overwhelming and confusing for beginners, so we decided to highlight some of the most popular cryptocurrencies and their appealing peculiarities.

1.   Bitcoin (BTC): Launched in 2009, Bitcoin is the father of all cryptocurrencies. As the most popular one on blockchain, it is a time tested, secure, and profitable crypto coin.

2.   Ether (ETH): Ether is the native cryptocurrency of Ethereum, a platform which facilitates P2P contracts and applications. These P2P contracts are called smart contracts that have the ability to revolutionize how people and businesses interact.

3.   Ripple (XRP): Released in 2012, its purpose wasn’t to compete with Bitcoin, but to complement it. Ripple was created for large financial institutions and quick transactions that include different currencies.

4.   Bitcoin Cash (BCH): When blockchain and the Bitcoin cryptocurrency split into two as a result of a hard fork in 2017, Bitcoin generated a “spin-off” cryptocurrency which was named Bitcoin Cash. It has a larger block size which allows faster transaction times.

5.   Litecoin (LTC): Launched in 2011, Litecoin is similar to Bitcoin in its technical aspect. Litecoin can produce up to 84 million coins, whereas Bitcoin’s maximum is 21 million. Transaction time is 2.5 minutes when using Litecoin, while Bitcoin’s is a little over 10 minutes.

6.   Cardano (ADA): Released in 2017, Cardano’s distinctive feature lies in its transaction. This cryptocurrency allows you to add extra info and details to each transaction you make. Although it sounds similar to other cryptos, Cardano keeps the transaction and information in separate layers. You decide to fill the details whenever you find it necessary.

7.   Neo (NEO): A decentralized, open-source cryptocurrency and blockchain platform launched in China in 2014. Neo focuses on smart economy and offers digital identity, smart contracts, DApps and GAS.

8.   Dash (DASH). This cryptocurrency is also forked from the Bitcoin protocol. Created in 2014, Dash is a lot more decentralized than other coins and its privacy features are solid. Dash has a unified and detailed roadmap on exactly how to be able to offer cheap and instant transactions at a rate of 4,000 or more per second.

The best cryptocurrency for investments depends on what your needs are. Before taking any risky steps, you need to conduct thorough research on the available coins and see which one fits your requirements best. Some want to trade regularly and quickly, while others need more stability for long term investments. These are only 8 of the 1,658 cryptocurrencies out there, so manage your time effectively before managing your crypto-investments.

Remember that we are continuously adding cryptos to our exchange list so stay tuned to see which one of these (or any other coins) we might add next.

If you're ready to trade or just wanna try it out, join ATAIX today to start doing so immediately. 

Oct, 2018