Now that the Litecoin price is hovering at around $30

– as the Lightning Network, expected to make transactions faster on the network, is set to kick off in about two days – is it time for the digital currency, dubbed as the silver to Bitcoin’s gold, to aim for the $50 goal? As it stands, its market cap has crossed the $1 bln mark to join the three other major networks – Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple –

In the category.

"This is a huge plus for the currency which just got listed on top Korean cryptocurrency exchange, Bithumb. This comes in the wake of its addition on the Coinbase platform also last week."

If Litecoin succeeds with the SegWit activation and LN implementation – considering that Bitcoin has not been able to reach this far in terms of its scalability issue – it would definitely reflect in LTC price in the coming days. As such, wallet providers and other major users are expected to deploy SegWit-enabled apps.

"Litecoin’s Charlie Lee also confirms that Bitcoin Core developers have been working with his network on Confidential Transactions (CT) and Merkelized Abstract Syntax Trees (MAST)."

As it is expected to take the first mover advantage as one of the first to activate SegWit, all eyes would be on Litecoin and what it has to offer in terms of making transaction confirmation quicker. This will continue to be the case for as long as Litecoin serves as a relief to any transaction issues that are usually associated with Bitcoin. This will make it easier to send money from a point to another instantly and for less.

Upgrade important

The current issue of transaction delays on the Bitcoin network and rising transaction fees now seem stuck at the moment and some say it is no longer seen as an incentive to encourage new users to switch from fiat. Though not the first and only network to be working on activating SegWit, the upgrade is important for Litecoin because it is one of those networks with the oldest Blockchain beside Bitcoin. It also has an identical code to that of Bitcoin. However, despite the forward-looking consideration of how Litecoin is going to benefit users, we are yet to see it proven that people in the market really need what it has to offer. The debate on whether there is demand for its use continues.

Bitcoin is beginning to seem like a viable currency,

especially since reaching the $2,000 mark. Major setbacks, such as the loss of $480 mln due to Mt. Gox’s neglectful management of Bitcoins, have caused the cryptocurrency to plummet in the past. Slowly but surely, the first-ever Blockchain currency has climbed back.

Presently, Bitcoin is performing better than it ever has. Early in 2017, Bitcoin price hit historic highs, surpassing the value of gold. Nearly a decade after Bitcoin’s quiet release, dozens of copycat currencies have arisen. Utilizing Blockchain, a public database or ledger that records transactions involving encrypted keys, developers are vying to improve the original digital currency. A few, namely Ripple and Ethereum, have proved to be exceptional competitors. Indeed, the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance was formed by “Fortune 500 enterprises, startups, academics, and technology vendors” to establish standard practices for the use of the platform/currency hybrid

“at the speed of business.”

You may shy away from joining speculators on the ups and downs of the cryptocurrency markets. However, there are a few strong cases for investment.

Here are three reasons to consider investing in cryptocurrency:

Bitcoin is experiencing massive growth

By far the most popular digital currency is the progenitor of Blockchain technology. Bitcoin owns the lion’s share of the emerging market. Its trading volume is much larger than any other competing currency and its valuation is many times more than the second cryptocurrency of choice, Ethereum. Wider adoption and regular mainstream coverage have elevated Bitcoin from an intriguing security experiment to a possible real-world asset. Additionally, Bitcoin’s exponential growth may portend good things for Blockchain currency in general. After a few major cases of theft for both Bitcoin and Ethereum, trust in the currency seems to be rebounding. Some believe the cryptocurrency is a bubble about to burst, but contentious political and economic conditions could push the price up even further.

Ethereum is gaining traction

Ethereum is the silver to Bitcoin’s gold.

Although it currently sits at under $100 a unit, it’s the most viable alternative to the dominant cryptocurrency. In fact, the competing form of cash was crafted by one of Bitcoin’s co-founders.

Ethereum is both a platform that allows for the creation of decentralized applications and a currency. The currency, Ether, fuels the platform. Its incorporation of smart contracts, which allow for anonymous agreements on the Blockchain, spawned the DAO (decentralized autonomous organization). The currency is more flexible for developers and has attracted major tech players, such as Intel and Microsoft.

It may see friendly regulation

The anonymity and lack of oversight concomitant with decentralized currency create opportunities for abuse. Certain alternative cryptocurrencies (altcoins), ones that enforce private transactions and anonymous transfers, such as Zcash and Monero, have been used extensively by criminal organizations. Although altcoins like Monero have increased in value due to acceptance from darknet users, this illicit usage of cryptocurrency has dealt damage to overall adoption rates.

Thankfully, we may see tighter regulations. Ethereum famously experienced a massive theft of $53 mln in Ether due to an exploit in a smart contract. Theoretically, the Ethereum Blockchain is immutable. The community voted to override this “immutability” in order to return stolen funds. Further, in 2013, a representative for the Bitcoin Foundation told US regulators that they would be open to transparent rulemaking. According to MarketWatch, digital currency advocates are pushing for

more regulation.

With recent interests from Japan and Russia to legitimize Bitcoin, these rules and regulations could help further cryptocurrency as a legitimate finance asset.

Diversify

Blockchain technology has the capability to change everything. The currencies running on the distributed ledger model could revolutionize how we interact with all forms of liquidity. While it is unlikely that fiat currency will be subsumed or overtaken by the digital mint, it’s quite possible that these currencies will see greater integration with our current systems.

At the very least, cryptocurrency is seeing a meteoric rise in the short-term. What the future holds for digital currency is uncertain. Currently, there is a cautious sort of endorsement for Bitcoin and Ethereum. Some speculators are pouring their cash into speedier alternatives, such as Litecoin and Dash. Still, most remain hesitant about moving their assets into an unbacked,

unregulated currency.

Although the Bitcoin ETF was recently shot down by the SEC, there is still plenty of reason to diversify your portfolio with a small investment in decentralized digital currency. As time has worn on, cryptocurrency has steadily risen in price and has experienced wider adoption.

To be sure, there has also been a great deal of volatility concomitant with Bitcoin’s rise. Valuation specialists continue to have trouble pinpointing the exact value of the currency itself and sentiment can vary wildly. Still, market capitalizations continue to grow. If you are able to steel yourself against booms and busts, you may profit from cautious investment. Continue to do your due diligence. If you remain uncertain, consider consulting a financial analyst. Remember to monitor updates, vigilantly investigating changes in sentiment. As always, be prepared to lose any amount you put into a speculative investment. Dedicating yourself to mindful investing will undoubtedly lead to the best result – especially in a market as volatile as the cryptocurrency market.

Chuck Reynolds
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about – Bitcoin.

The first two-quarters of the year 2017

have seen the crypto industry experience a massive growth in awareness and adoption. From a perspective of economics, the high demand for Blockchain products, whether for preliminary investigations or systematic adoption has automatically generated an influx of capital which consequently reflects the value of the tokens of these Blockchains. The growing Blockchain partnerships offers an explanation for the significant increase in market capitalization of various cryptocurrencies and the consequent surge in Bitcoin price and several top altcoins.

Partnership is key to adoption

One of the major ways being observed for the enhancement and adoption of the Blockchain technology is through partnerships with existing conventional companies. Recently, Ripple experienced a significant surge in value and market capitalization. This is perceived to be as a result of the establishment of a collaborative project amongst banks in the Japanese Consortium for cross-border and domestic payments. Another example of partnerships that have significantly impacted on the market capitalization and overall value of the Blockchain technology is the implementation of a partnership-based strategy by Ethereum with the launch of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance earlier this year. A partnership which attracts large-scale conglomerates like JPMorgan.

Another emerging collaboration

With several more partnerships expected, PwC Greater China Chairman, Raymund Chao believes that such partnerships are essential for robust execution in the present day business environment.

Chao says:

“Embracing advanced technology for growth becomes the top priority for many business sectors. Innovative applications and solutions could improve the effectiveness of supply chain, brand reputation, and even customer experience.”

Chao’s comment comes in the event of yet another partnership within the Blockchain industry. A partnership that sees business solutions company, PwC make its first Blockchain investment by adopting BitSE’s VeChain, a Blockchain-based anti-counterfeit and supply chain company out of China, with the aim of accelerating Blockchain adoption in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

More partnerships to come

The impact of Blockchain adoption through partnerships by conventional entities has become very significant. As the industry grows and tending towards reasonable global adoption, more partnerships are expected. The direct consequence of such development is increased demand for the technology, which directly implies a surge in market capitalization and subsequent rise in the value of associated cryptocurrencies.

Chuck Reynolds
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about – Bitcoin.

Wonders shall never end in Cryptoland!

On Sunday Cointelegraph predicted that it is going to be hot at the top 10 on CoinMarketCap this week. Truly less than 24 hours, on the early mornings on Monday, Ethereum Classic flew so much to make an upward adjustment of 31.46 percent.

ETC conquers Dash

In the process, ETC knocked down Dash to take over as the sixth most valuable cryptocurrency in the world. Nothing surprises anyone anymore in this ecosystem when it comes to the growth of altcoin. Just when everyone thought the battle between Dash and Ethereum Classic is over and that Dash has conquered, the latter has called it a bluff. This brings ETC's market capitalization to almost $900 mln and a market price of $9.72. The gap between it and the pacesetter of decentralized community governance is over $170 mln and even two steps behind.

A couple of weeks ago Cointelegraph spoke to Carlo Vicari of Ethereum Classic about its current impressive growth and he was really optimist of the future. He revealed how the Ethereum Classic community is bulging with newcomers. Looks like ETC is gunning for the top to get off his senior brother, Ethereum out of the way, even though it looks unfeasible at the interim. But then again, altcoin growth is like we are in wonderland.

Ethereum takes back number two

Moreso in a classic move Ethereum has regained the number two position from Ripple deepening the gap between them to more than $3 bln. It was with such great improvement of over 36 percentage point of growth. Its market price is now an admirable $174.81. As Cointelegraph predicted, the battle between the two is not yet over, and this was informed by how the two are all well-patronised utility. Whether Ripple can make another come back to the number two spot is just another interesting trend to be on the look out for in this space.

Bytecoin is biting

Yet still, the most intriguing development is Bytecoin that was firmly rooted on the tenth rank rising all of a sudden to the seventh position overnight. It made a casualty of Dash and Stellar Lumens and is now behind Ethereum Classic. On Sunday Cointelegraph asked whether Bytecoin has come to the elite echelons to stay or just one of those flash in a pan you see with altcoin. It appears they are proving it is not a fluke at all. The adjustment is unbelievably impressive! A 61.76 percent gain to knock out two strong cryptos tells you they mean business. Anyway, it doesn't look well for Monero at this stage. It's now sitting at number 10 with Dogecoin barking to push it away. For a few months now Cointelegraph has been referring to it as ‘gradually declining' Monero.

Chuck Reynolds
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about – Bitcoin.

“Now Is Not the Right Time to Regulate Bitcoin”

The American Institute For Economic Research (AIER) senior research fellow Max Gulker argued in a recent column entitled “Now Is Not the Right Time to Regulate Bitcoin” that it is not a practical approach towards technological innovation to overregulate Bitcoin and digital currencies at the moment. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, Ethereum Classic and NEM are all at its early stage in development. Bitcoin is yet to deal with its scaling issues that have substantially increased transaction fees for users. Bitcoin fee estimation service providers including the 21 Inc Bitcoin Fees are recommending users a $2 fee or a 420 satoshis per byte fee to have transactions verified and confirmed by miners relatively fast.

Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies and Blockchain networks are also dealing with their own scaling issues and developing infrastructures for their growing user base and clientele. Ethereum and Ripple, in particular, are in partnership with some of the world’s largest financial institutions and conglomerates to utilize smart contracts to settle transactions in an autonomous, transparent and secure manner. Hence, at this critical juncture, it would be significantly impractical for governments to step in and overregulate the cryptocurrency sector. Minimal and efficient regulatory frameworks have helped the global cryptocurrency market to mature. For instance, Japan’s legalization of Bitcoin led to an explosive growth in demand for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Ripple and NEM.

Regulatory frameworks damaging to startups

However, Gulker explained that regulatory frameworks such as New York’s BitLicense can be damaging to startups both financially and in the technical sense. As regulatory frameworks like the NY BitLicense require startups to pay a large licensing fee and keep tight records of their users, they create difficult ecosystems for both small and large-scale startups. Even startups that have millions of users and that have secured millions of early-stage funding such as Shapeshift have suspended services in New York due to impractical regulations. Emphasizing the damage over-regulation from governments can inflict on startups and the global cryptocurrency industry,

Gulker wrote:

”Cryptocurrencies are still in a very early period of innovation and adoption. It would be a shame for a disproportionate amount of that innovative effort to go toward satisfying regulators’ demands rather than users’ wants and needs. The true risk lies in over-regulating cryptocurrencies now.”

Ultimately, Gulker noted that governments should take a wait-and-see approach instead and implement the practical yet minimal regulation on the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency industry. When the technology, market and industry start to evolve, governments can step in to regulate the market for general consumers and investors. “Those who believe in the benevolent power of such regulation should remember the inevitable rent-seeking behavior to which it leads, where businesses lobby government for favorable regulation. So it might be best for regulators to take a wait-and-see approach,” added Gulker.

One of the most widely utilized trading platforms

Bitcoin exchanges in South Africa including Luno, one of the most widely utilized trading platforms in the country, stated that Bitcoin earnings are taxable in South Africa. When trading, the exchange suggested users consult registered tax professionals to ensure that they are compliant with South African regulations.

Should the tax on Bitcoin be eliminated?

Most countries that have fully adopted and regulated Bitcoin such as Japan have eliminated the tax on Bitcoin trading. On April 1, Japan officially declared Bitcoin’s exemption from consumption tax and eliminated the possibility of double taxation on trading. Recently, the Australian government also exempted Bitcoin trading from goods and services tax (GST). “The Government has released a consultation paper on changing the GST treatment of digital currencies. This change will ensure that consumers are no longer ‘double taxed’ when using digital currencies to buy goods and services already subject to GST,” read the 2016 – 17 Budget Report of the Australian government.

In South Africa, however, Bitcoin trading is subjected to general principles of South African tax law. The South African Revenue Service stated that transactions or speculation in Bitcoin are subject to tax and should be taxed accordingly. The government institution further emphasized that it is the responsibility of both citizens and residents of South Africa to report relevant details to the South African Revenue Service. Former BitX Product Design Director and Blockchain investor Simon Dingle also stated that Bitcoin trading in South Africa could trigger a capital gains event and encouraged traders and investors to consult tax professionals before trading on South African exchanges.

“It may trigger a capital gains event, or could qualify as income for active traders. All assets are treated equally in terms of tax,” said Dingle. More to that, income received in Bitcoin and other digital currencies are taxed as conventional income tax. It is still unknown whether double taxation applies and, as a result, if users are subject to both income tax and capital gains tax. Additionally, Luno Head of Growth Werner van Rooyen stated that various factors could impact taxation on Bitcoin transactions and trading depending on the situation of users.

Rooyen stated:

”There are various factors that could impact taxes an individual owes to the tax authorities, The short answer is that all income is taxable in South Africa and it is the responsibility of individuals to remain tax compliant.”

Regulations and taxation policies

The Australian Treasury changed its regulations and taxation policies on Bitcoin after seeing a sharp decline in interest in Bitcoin and other digital currencies in the country. Exchanges that used to operate in the country have left Australia to other Bitcoin-friendly regions such as Singapore and Hong Kong. For that reason, the Australian Treasury removed the double taxation of Bitcoin.

As its report read:

“For digital currency, the current treatment under the GST means that consumers are ‘double taxed’ when using digital currency to purchase anything already subject to GST. The Government recognises that this treatment may be preventing the use of digital currencies and hindering their further development.”

Aggressive taxation policies on Bitcoin could also result in a delayed andlimited growth for the South African exchange market and Bitcoin industry. The South African government must consider the effect of double taxation and clarify the taxation policies that apply to Bitcoin and digital currencies.

South Korea is becoming a Bitcoin and Ethereum powerhouse

in terms of trading volumes, liquidity and activity. Over the past few months, South Korea’s three largest digital currency exchanges Bithumb, Korbit and Coinone have added support for Ethereum traders by integrating Ether. In a relatively short period of time, South Korea has become the largest Ethereum exchange market with a $335 mln daily trading volume and 38 percent market share. In fact, the ETH/KRW pair processes more trades than the ETH/BTC pair, which used to account for over 50 percent of all Ethereum trading.

The largest Bitcoin exchange markets in the world

South Korea has also become one of the largest Bitcoin exchange markets in the world. Although South Korea is currently the fourth largest Bitcoin exchange market behind the US, China and Japan, a month ago, its trading volume and market share was larger than China and Japan and secured its spot as the second-largest Bitcoin exchange market for awhile. South Korean investors within the cryptocurrency market are very easily moved and influenced by the media. Ethereum’s recent Enterprise Ethereum Alliance deals with large conglomerates such as Toyota and JPMorgan have further validated the value of Ethereum to more local investors and have shifted the trend from Bitcoin to Ethereum.

Eyes set on altcoin

More importantly, because Bitcoin has become a conservative asset amongst other cryptocurrencies, investors in South Korea have started to look into altcoins such as Ethereum and Ripple that are supported by local exchanges. Most South Korean exchanges are funded by multi-billion dollar corporations within the country. Korbit, South Korea’s second-largest exchange, is invested by SK Telecom, the largest telecommunications company in the country. Therefore, when exchanges add support for cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Ripple, immediately, investors dive into altcoins. Particularly, investors that believe they missed Bitcoin’s rally invest in altcoins for large short and mid-term gains.

The demand toward Bitcoin has increased to the point where there always exists a huge arbitrage opportunity for overseas traders. Bitcoin is being traded in South Korea with a premium price of $2,800. That is a 21 percent premium over the global average price and other major markets such as the US. While it is still possible to purchase Bitcoin outside of South Korea with other options such as credit cards to avoid premium rates, it is difficult to trade large amounts of Bitcoin without being flagged by anti-money laundering systems. If the current growth rate of the South Korean Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange markets can be sustained over the next few months, South Korea could become a powerhouse for both the Bitcoin and Ethereum markets.