The CryptoNewsAudio Podcast

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Mark Elenowitz, Co-Founder of Upstream, a revolutionary exchange and trading app for digital securities and NFTs. MERJ Exchange (MERJ) operates Upstream as a fully regulated and licensed integrated securities exchange, clearing system and depository for digital and non-digital securities. MERJ is an affiliate of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), recognized by HM Revenue and Customs UK, a full member of the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) and a Qualifying Foreign Exchange for OTC Markets in the US. MERJ is also a member of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative.

To begin the interview, Elenowitz provided an introduction to Upstream and highlighted the transparency benefits it offers over more traditional exchanges.

Upstream is operated as part of MERJ Exchange, which is a fully regulated national securities exchange. “We’re the only exchange in the world that’s built using blockchain,” Elenowitz said. “We’re also an affiliate of the World Federation of Exchanges. This is a group that includes nearly every major stock exchange from around the world. We are combining the best available technology with the highest standards of traditional investor protections.”

“What makes us really exciting is that we’re powered by the blockchain. We’re an ethereum-based marketplace that allows investors to have an immutable and transparent experience where all transactions are out on the blockchain. Everyone has the opportunity to be able to see it, so there’s no gameplaying or manipulation, making it a much more level playing field for all participants.”

Elenowitz then provided some background on his journey to co-founding the company.

“My experience from the capital markets is what led to the creation of Upstream. As a U.S. investment banker, I helped create some of the methodology around Title IV of the JOBS Act. Our firm was able to create the methodology and the process to have Reg A+ trade on a National Securities Exchange,” he continued. “I worked with the New York Stock Exchange and created that path to make [Reg A] IPOs look, act, and feel like a traditional IPO and be able to trade on the NYSE and Nasdaq… That type of process – allowing individual investors to have access to equities and be able to then trade and have liquidity – is what inspired me to help create Upstream.

“I wanted to give issuers the opportunity to raise capital from investors around the world… and have a marketplace to facilitate secondary trading. One of the things about this type of asset is that investors now have the opportunity to buy them; but, in a crowdfunded situation, they really don’t have the opportunity to sell… We at Upstream now are able to facilitate that.”

Join IBN’s Jonathan Keim and Upstream’s Mark Elenowitz as they discuss the liquidity advantages Upstream offers global investors interested in trading across international markets.

To view disclaimers and the original announcement, visit:  https://ibn.fm/UpstreamPodcastAnnouncement

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Mark Elenowitz, Co-Founder of Upstream, a revolutionary exchange and trading app for digital securities and NFTs. MERJ Exchange (MERJ) operates Upstream as a fully regulated and licensed integrated securities exchange, clearing system and depository for digital and non-digital securities. MERJ is an affiliate of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), recognized by HM Revenue and Customs UK, a full member of the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) and a Qualifying Foreign Exchange for OTC Markets in the US. MERJ is also a member of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative.

To begin the interview, Elenowitz provided an introduction to Upstream and highlighted the transparency benefits it offers over more traditional exchanges.

Upstream is operated as part of MERJ Exchange, which is a fully regulated national securities exchange. “We’re the only exchange in the world that’s built using blockchain,” Elenowitz said. “We’re also an affiliate of the World Federation of Exchanges. This is a group that includes nearly every major stock exchange from around the world. We are combining the best available technology with the highest standards of traditional investor protections.”

“What makes us really exciting is that we’re powered by the blockchain. We’re an ethereum-based marketplace that allows investors to have an immutable and transparent experience where all transactions are out on the blockchain. Everyone has the opportunity to be able to see it, so there’s no gameplaying or manipulation, making it a much more level playing field for all participants.”

Elenowitz then provided some background on his journey to co-founding the company.

“My experience from the capital markets is what led to the creation of Upstream. As a U.S. investment banker, I helped create some of the methodology around Title IV of the JOBS Act. Our firm was able to create the methodology and the process to have Reg A+ trade on a National Securities Exchange,” he continued. “I worked with the New York Stock Exchange and created that path to make [Reg A] IPOs look, act, and feel like a traditional IPO and be able to trade on the NYSE and Nasdaq… That type of process – allowing individual investors to have access to equities and be able to then trade and have liquidity – is what inspired me to help create Upstream.

“I wanted to give issuers the opportunity to raise capital from investors around the world… and have a marketplace to facilitate secondary trading. One of the things about this type of asset is that investors now have the opportunity to buy them; but, in a crowdfunded situation, they really don’t have the opportunity to sell… We at Upstream now are able to facilitate that.”

Join IBN’s Jonathan Keim and Upstream’s Mark Elenowitz as they discuss the liquidity advantages Upstream offers global investors interested in trading across international markets.

To view disclaimers and the original announcement, visit:  https://ibn.fm/UpstreamPodcastAnnouncement

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest production features Jeff Lambert, Founder and CEO of TiiCKER, the world’s first intelligent software platform that engages, verifies and rewards retail shareholders.

To begin the interview, Lambert discussed TiiCKER and the role it plays for public companies looking to connect with retail investors.

“TiiCKER really came out of frustration. I’ve been doing investor relations for public companies for 25 years, and we could never… connect with individual investors. During that time, they’ve become a larger audience… It’s gone from 56 million Americans to 130 million Americans with their own brokerage accounts in the last five years,” Lambert said during the interview. “What we discovered is that if you create a platform to connect [companies with investors], companies really want to provide perks or shareholder rewards to their owners… That’s what TiiCKER does.”

“A year ago, there were six or seven public companies offering perks or rewards. Disney has a commemorative stock certificate; Carnival and Royal Caribbean give a discount on cruises. Perks have been around for a long time, but they were a very small percentage of public companies, because there was no way for them to verify [ownership],” he continued. “Now, there’s 40 public companies, thanks to TiiCKER, that offer some reward. Those could be a discount on wine from Willamette Valley Vineyards or a discount on food products from Real Good Foods… Ownership should have its privileges.”

Lambert then turned his attention to TiiCKER’s recent launch of Tii:MARK, the world’s first personal-brand NFT.

“The ‘Tii’ in TiiCKER has become, for us, a ubiquitous prefix… Instead of ‘NYSE’ or ‘NASDAQ’, we have used ‘Tii’ to put all public companies on an even playing field… As my member profile… I thought ‘what if we did ticker symbols’; that’d be a fun way to do it,” Lambert added. “It’s a unique brand that is a ticker symbol for you, one individual. We’re NFT-ing, on the ethereum blockchain, your own ticker symbol… You also get a digital animation. It’s connected to a store where you can buy one-of-one products that only you can have… and, ultimately, experiences and access to an event that we’re planning for next year… This is a way for you to get an NFT that is yours… and there is usability to it.”

Join IBN’s Jonathan Keim and Jeff Lambert, Founder and CEO of TiiCKER, as they discuss the long-term vision for Tii:MARK and plans for future drops.

To view the video edition, visit: https://ibn.fm/TiiCKERVideoInterview

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest production features Jeff Lambert, Founder and CEO of TiiCKER, the world’s first intelligent software platform that engages, verifies and rewards retail shareholders.

To begin the interview, Lambert discussed TiiCKER and the role it plays for public companies looking to connect with retail investors.

“TiiCKER really came out of frustration. I’ve been doing investor relations for public companies for 25 years, and we could never… connect with individual investors. During that time, they’ve become a larger audience… It’s gone from 56 million Americans to 130 million Americans with their own brokerage accounts in the last five years,” Lambert said during the interview. “What we discovered is that if you create a platform to connect [companies with investors], companies really want to provide perks or shareholder rewards to their owners… That’s what TiiCKER does.”

“A year ago, there were six or seven public companies offering perks or rewards. Disney has a commemorative stock certificate; Carnival and Royal Caribbean give a discount on cruises. Perks have been around for a long time, but they were a very small percentage of public companies, because there was no way for them to verify [ownership],” he continued. “Now, there’s 40 public companies, thanks to TiiCKER, that offer some reward. Those could be a discount on wine from Willamette Valley Vineyards or a discount on food products from Real Good Foods… Ownership should have its privileges.”

Lambert then turned his attention to TiiCKER’s recent launch of Tii:MARK, the world’s first personal-brand NFT.

“The ‘Tii’ in TiiCKER has become, for us, a ubiquitous prefix… Instead of ‘NYSE’ or ‘NASDAQ’, we have used ‘Tii’ to put all public companies on an even playing field… As my member profile… I thought ‘what if we did ticker symbols’; that’d be a fun way to do it,” Lambert added. “It’s a unique brand that is a ticker symbol for you, one individual. We’re NFT-ing, on the ethereum blockchain, your own ticker symbol… You also get a digital animation. It’s connected to a store where you can buy one-of-one products that only you can have… and, ultimately, experiences and access to an event that we’re planning for next year… This is a way for you to get an NFT that is yours… and there is usability to it.”

Join IBN’s Jonathan Keim and Jeff Lambert, Founder and CEO of TiiCKER, as they discuss the long-term vision for Tii:MARK and plans for future drops.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Shone Anstey, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of LQwD FinTech Corp. (TSX.V: LQWD) (OTCQB: LQWDF), a financial technology company focused on creating enterprise-grade infrastructure to drive bitcoin adoption.

To begin the interview, Anstey discussed his extensive background in tech and crypto leading up to his time with LQwD FinTech.

“I’ve been in tech for 25 years… I heard about crypto in 2011 and got involved in 2012, so I’ve been in the bitcoin area for quite some time,” he said. “In 2015, I co-founded a company called Blockchain Intelligence Group… We actually acquired a company called Netcoins.ca… It is now Canada’s first publicly traded crypto exchange that actually has a license from regulators as of a few weeks ago… I’m still there as a director and a large shareholder, but I’ve been involved in LQwD and the Lightning Network for the last two years. We’re working where I like to be – on stuff that’s cutting edge and about to become mainstream over the next few years. That’s the Lightning Network itself.”

Anstey then provided an overview of the Lightning Network and detailed how it could revolutionize bitcoin transactions and the entirety of the crypto space.

“The Lightning Network is a solution to scaling bitcoin,” he continued. “Bitcoin, which is the anchor cryptocurrency for the entire crypto market… is backed by millions of computers doing bitcoin mining, which helps secure the network and make it really safe with an immutable ledger. But it can only handle so many transactions with its current technology – about seven transactions a second. The Lightning Network steps in there and scales it to the next level.”

“The Lightning Network is a mesh-style network, very similar to how the internet functions. It’s made up of a series of nodes – computers and servers – and on those nodes you run open-source Lightning Network software,” he added. “That Lightning Network software creates payment channels to other companies running Lightning Network software… This whole mesh network happens around the world. There’re now 60,000 nodes and all kinds of payment channels that have been growing very, very quickly over the last number of years. This year alone it’s increased by about 182% since January… This whole interconnected mesh network… allows transactions to find a place very quickly with very low fees. It’s designed for massive volume… You’re seeing the uptick with countries like El Salvador taking on bitcoin as a national currency. The Lightning Network is one of the catalysts to make that happen.”

Join both Shone Anstey, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of LQwD FinTech Corp. (TSX.V: LQWD) (OTCQB: LQWDF), and Jonathan Keim, IBN’s Director of Communications, as they discuss the long-term applications and potential for crypto, the benefits of LQwD’s position as a publicly traded company and the company’s business model relating to bitcoin investing.

To hear the entire episode, please visit: https://www.CryptoCurrencyWire.com/CryptoNewsAudio

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Shone Anstey, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of LQwD FinTech Corp. (TSX.V: LQWD) (OTCQB: LQWDF), a financial technology company focused on creating enterprise-grade infrastructure to drive bitcoin adoption.

To begin the interview, Anstey discussed his extensive background in tech and crypto leading up to his time with LQwD FinTech.

“I’ve been in tech for 25 years… I heard about crypto in 2011 and got involved in 2012, so I’ve been in the bitcoin area for quite some time,” he said. “In 2015, I co-founded a company called Blockchain Intelligence Group… We actually acquired a company called Netcoins.ca… It is now Canada’s first publicly traded crypto exchange that actually has a license from regulators as of a few weeks ago… I’m still there as a director and a large shareholder, but I’ve been involved in LQwD and the Lightning Network for the last two years. We’re working where I like to be – on stuff that’s cutting edge and about to become mainstream over the next few years. That’s the Lightning Network itself.”

Anstey then provided an overview of the Lightning Network and detailed how it could revolutionize bitcoin transactions and the entirety of the crypto space.

“The Lightning Network is a solution to scaling bitcoin,” he continued. “Bitcoin, which is the anchor cryptocurrency for the entire crypto market… is backed by millions of computers doing bitcoin mining, which helps secure the network and make it really safe with an immutable ledger. But it can only handle so many transactions with its current technology – about seven transactions a second. The Lightning Network steps in there and scales it to the next level.”

“The Lightning Network is a mesh-style network, very similar to how the internet functions. It’s made up of a series of nodes – computers and servers – and on those nodes you run open-source Lightning Network software,” he added. “That Lightning Network software creates payment channels to other companies running Lightning Network software… This whole mesh network happens around the world. There’re now 60,000 nodes and all kinds of payment channels that have been growing very, very quickly over the last number of years. This year alone it’s increased by about 182% since January… This whole interconnected mesh network… allows transactions to find a place very quickly with very low fees. It’s designed for massive volume… You’re seeing the uptick with countries like El Salvador taking on bitcoin as a national currency. The Lightning Network is one of the catalysts to make that happen.”

Join both Shone Anstey, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of LQwD FinTech Corp. (TSX.V: LQWD) (OTCQB: LQWDF), and Jonathan Keim, IBN’s Director of Communications, as they discuss the long-term applications and potential for crypto, the benefits of LQwD’s position as a publicly traded company and the company’s business model relating to bitcoin investing.

To hear the entire episode, please visit: https://www.CryptoCurrencyWire.com/CryptoNewsAudio

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital and former White House Communications Director under the Trump administration.

SkyBridge Capital is a global alternative investment firm specializing in hedge fund solutions and opportunistic investment vehicles. Scaramucci founded SkyBridge in 2005, following a stint at Goldman Sachs and the sale of an investment firm he cofounded.

He guided Skybridge into cryptocurrency investments following his experience in Washington D.C., and only after extensive research, as Scaramucci detailed during the interview.

“When I was unceremoniously fired from the White House, the first thing I did was register the URL SkybridgeBitcoin.com. The reason I did was, my experience in Washington led me to believe that the U.S. dollar would eventually be digitized,” he said. “We heard, even back then, four-plus years ago, that the Chinese currency, the renminbi, was going to be digitized. Bitcoin at that point was accelerating. The bubble had popped at $20,000, and it was heading back down to $3,000. I said we’re going to do extensive research on this, because I believe this is going to be a big part of our future.”

Still, Scaramucci said, some very specific criteria would have to be met before Skybridge would open a bitcoin fund to investors.

“I said in my notes from 2017 if three things happen to bitcoin then I would be an investor, and I would build a bitcoin product,” he said. “One, it must continue to scale. I arbitrarily picked the number 100 million users. I think we’re well over that now. Two was regulation. How would the government regulate bitcoin and other digital assets? I think the regulation has been more or less benign. The third thing, equally important, was storage. Were we going to be able to store hundreds of millions of dollars of bitcoin and not have to worry that our keys would be stolen, our passwords taken, or we would be hacked? So now we’re storing our bitcoin at Fidelity.”

Scaramucci said he stands by the bitcoin price prediction he made earlier this year.

“I said a month or two back when bitcoin was at, call it the low 40s, that it would reach $100,000 by the end of the year. It shot up to $64,000, so I said, ‘It looks like it’s getting there more quickly than I expected.’ I’m going to maintain that prediction, $100,000, because I’m looking at the exponential growth of wallets, and bitcoin users and bitcoin owners. It makes me think there’s nowhere for the price to go, long-term, other than up because of the supply and demand imbalance.”

Join InvestorBrandNetwork’s Jonathan Keim and Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, as they discuss why Skybridge chooses not to hedge its bitcoin position, Scaramucci’s reaction to Elon Musk’s recent tweets regarding bitcoin and why he prefers to invest in bitcoin over other cryptocurrencies. 

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital and former White House Communications Director under the Trump administration.

SkyBridge Capital is a global alternative investment firm specializing in hedge fund solutions and opportunistic investment vehicles. Scaramucci founded SkyBridge in 2005, following a stint at Goldman Sachs and the sale of an investment firm he cofounded.

He guided Skybridge into cryptocurrency investments following his experience in Washington D.C., and only after extensive research, as Scaramucci detailed during the interview.

“When I was unceremoniously fired from the White House, the first thing I did was register the URL SkybridgeBitcoin.com. The reason I did was, my experience in Washington led me to believe that the U.S. dollar would eventually be digitized,” he said. “We heard, even back then, four-plus years ago, that the Chinese currency, the renminbi, was going to be digitized. Bitcoin at that point was accelerating. The bubble had popped at $20,000, and it was heading back down to $3,000. I said we’re going to do extensive research on this, because I believe this is going to be a big part of our future.”

Still, Scaramucci said, some very specific criteria would have to be met before Skybridge would open a bitcoin fund to investors.

“I said in my notes from 2017 if three things happen to bitcoin then I would be an investor, and I would build a bitcoin product,” he said. “One, it must continue to scale. I arbitrarily picked the number 100 million users. I think we’re well over that now. Two was regulation. How would the government regulate bitcoin and other digital assets? I think the regulation has been more or less benign. The third thing, equally important, was storage. Were we going to be able to store hundreds of millions of dollars of bitcoin and not have to worry that our keys would be stolen, our passwords taken, or we would be hacked? So now we’re storing our bitcoin at Fidelity.”

Scaramucci said he stands by the bitcoin price prediction he made earlier this year.

“I said a month or two back when bitcoin was at, call it the low 40s, that it would reach $100,000 by the end of the year. It shot up to $64,000, so I said, ‘It looks like it’s getting there more quickly than I expected.’ I’m going to maintain that prediction, $100,000, because I’m looking at the exponential growth of wallets, and bitcoin users and bitcoin owners. It makes me think there’s nowhere for the price to go, long-term, other than up because of the supply and demand imbalance.”

Join InvestorBrandNetwork’s Jonathan Keim and Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, as they discuss why Skybridge chooses not to hedge its bitcoin position, Scaramucci’s reaction to Elon Musk’s recent tweets regarding bitcoin and why he prefers to invest in bitcoin over other cryptocurrencies. 

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Peter McCormack, host of What Bitcoin Did, the #1 bitcoin podcast.

The What Bitcoin Did podcast is a twice-weekly podcast focused on cryptocurrency. Episodes feature exclusive interviews with experts in the world of bitcoin development, privacy, investment and adoption. Since its launch in November 2017, What Bitcoin Did has produced nearly 200 episodes featuring a broad array of guests who serve as a testament to the diversity of knowledge and opinions that exists across the broader bitcoin community. McCormack also hosts Defiance, a podcast focused on investigative journalism.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Peter McCormack, host of What Bitcoin Did, the #1 bitcoin podcast.

The What Bitcoin Did podcast is a twice-weekly podcast focused on cryptocurrency. Episodes feature exclusive interviews with experts in the world of bitcoin development, privacy, investment and adoption. Since its launch in November 2017, What Bitcoin Did has produced nearly 200 episodes featuring a broad array of guests who serve as a testament to the diversity of knowledge and opinions that exists across the broader bitcoin community. McCormack also hosts Defiance, a podcast focused on investigative journalism.

LOS ANGELES, December 23, 2020 (via InvestorWire) InvestorBrandNetwork (“IBN”), a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting public companies to the investment community, is pleased to announce the release of the latest CryptoCurrencyWire Audio Production as part of its sustained effort to provide specialized content distribution via widespread syndication channels.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Andy Flury, founder and CEO of AlgoTrader.

Flury is a former Swiss Air Force pilot. He led projects at the Swiss intelligence Agency and various major banks. In 2010, Flury became partner and Head of Algorithmic Trading at Linard Capital AG, a Switzerland-based quantitative hedge fund. In 2014, Andy started AlgoTrader, a comprehensive algorithmic trading platform that enables buy side and sell side trading firms to rapidly develop, simulate, backtest and deploy automated quantitative trading strategies. Initially designed for global equities, futures, forex and options, AlgoTrader has fully supported automated trading of cryptocurrencies since 2017.

LOS ANGELES, December 23, 2020 (via InvestorWire) InvestorBrandNetwork (“IBN”), a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting public companies to the investment community, is pleased to announce the release of the latest CryptoCurrencyWire Audio Production as part of its sustained effort to provide specialized content distribution via widespread syndication channels.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Andy Flury, founder and CEO of AlgoTrader.

Flury is a former Swiss Air Force pilot. He led projects at the Swiss intelligence Agency and various major banks. In 2010, Flury became partner and Head of Algorithmic Trading at Linard Capital AG, a Switzerland-based quantitative hedge fund. In 2014, Andy started AlgoTrader, a comprehensive algorithmic trading platform that enables buy side and sell side trading firms to rapidly develop, simulate, backtest and deploy automated quantitative trading strategies. Initially designed for global equities, futures, forex and options, AlgoTrader has fully supported automated trading of cryptocurrencies since 2017.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features John Truman Wolfe, number one best-selling and international award-winning author of The Coming Financial Crisis: A Look Behind the Wizard's Curtain and The 99 Strongest Banks in America. Wolfe is also the editor and publisher of Strategic Financial Intelligence, a monthly newsletter dealing with investing, politics and the economy.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features John Truman Wolfe, number one best-selling and international award-winning author of The Coming Financial Crisis: A Look Behind the Wizard's Curtain and The 99 Strongest Banks in America. Wolfe is also the editor and publisher of Strategic Financial Intelligence, a monthly newsletter dealing with investing, politics and the economy.

Blockchain and cannabis stocks enjoyed an impressive market run in 2017 and industry analysts expect the trend to continue in 2018. As these industries continue to grow, innovators are finding ways to integrate this growth and address areas of need in different verticals. Case in point, India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE American: IGC), the developer of a patent-pending cannabis-based combination therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, recognizes the need for accurate labeling of cannabidiol products online. In response, the company is developing blockchain technology-based solutions for the cannabis industry. With this endeavor, the company is participating in the rampant growth and application of blockchain benefits, alongside Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: KODK), BTL Group Ltd (OTC: BTLLF), Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) and China Information Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNIT).

CurveBlock, a real estate development company that uses blockchain and security tokens to share profits with investors, today announces it is the first security token company in the UK to be accepted into a commercial bank accelerator program.

The company’s acceptance into UK NatWest Bank’s Accelerator programme reflects the paradigm shift in today’s banking industry and the financial shifts taking place in this digital age.

As cryptocurrency seeks a route to mainstream adoption, ATMs may pave the way just as they have with other non-cash forms of payment in the past.

ATMs encouraged the adoption of electronic payments through a gradual move away from cash. Cryptocurrency ATMs may offer a similar route for cryptocurrency into the mainstream. Focus on overcoming challenges to adoption, including technological practicality.

Previously only usable on the internet, cryptocurrencies are becoming a mainstream option through the proliferation of specialist ATMs such as those provided by Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP). These establish a crypto equivalent to the ATMs of companies such as Diebold Nixdorf Incorporated (NYSE: DBD), the provider of a third of the world’s ATMs. Cryptocurrency is also appearing in other electronic payment systems, such as the point-of-sale solutions of Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP), which is looking to add blockchain payments to its technology. Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ), whose technology turns phones and computers into point-of-sale systems, is also looking at adding bitcoin to its services. Meanwhile, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) continues to expand upon its established electronic payment system, showing how smooth integration with everyday life can lead to swift adoption of new technology.

According to a new paper from researchers at Imperial College London that suggests digital currencies are now primed for mass adoption, Bitcoin (Crypto: BTC) and other cryptocurrencies will become mainstream forms of payment within the next decade for goods and services on the strength of their increasing suitability for the role.

• Outsiders and even insiders struggle to maintain accurate understanding of rapidly evolving space
• Ratings agencies, indexes and industry analyst sites cropping up to address information verifiability deficits
• “Spendability” and usability emerging as acid tests for cryptos, ICOs and blockchain tech

Key factors driving the mainstream adoption of digital currencies, such as the ability to act as a store of value or function as a technologically superior medium of exchange amid the rapid rise of contactless and mobile payments, have already cemented crypto as a permanent fixture of the payments landscape. However, it is difficult for even well-versed investors to understand and evaluate the legitimacy of individual cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs) and blockchain technology companies. This challenge has led to the emergence of ICO rating agencies and market analysis sites such as Cointelligence. Some of the key players helping to make sense of this increasingly complex space include payment solution developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), Worldpay, Inc. Class A (NYSE: WP) and Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ), as well as online credit marketplace developer LendingClub Corp. (NYSE: LC) and investor-focused fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR).

Blockchain technology has the potential to transform the way the global economy works.

• Blockchain is the basis of the first global currencies.
• It can be used to remove barriers to international trade.
• By keeping all records on a single platform, it speeds up financial transactions.
• Ten years after their creation, blockchain currencies can be used on high streets through ATMs and apps.

One of the companies making blockchain payment accessible is Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), whose ATM and point-of-sale systems are user friendly and offer distinct advantages over their competitors. Lending facilitator LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), which has already helped millions find the financing they need, is looking at ways to incorporate blockchain into its systems. Point-of-sale specialist Worldpay Inc. Class A (NYSE: WP) is also experimenting with the addition of blockchain to its integrated payment systems. Mobile payment company Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is testing the integration of premier blockchain currency bitcoin into its technology. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) has followed a successful pilot with the acquisition of a patent for proxy voting and repurchase agreements based on blockchain technology.

Emergent fintech such as distributed ledger-based blockchain technology and the cryptocurrencies built thereupon are rapidly transforming the face of the financial industry, reshaping how money is used at an essential level. An explosion of fintech companies marks the dawn of this new era, quickly turning the financial institutions that historically have played middlemen into dinosaurs as an increasing number of businesses and individuals turn to peer-to-peer (P2P) and peer-to-business (P2B) transaction options. This is a hot market for disruptive fintech developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTC: VRCP), with its cryptocurrency transaction confirmation application programming interface (API) Bit4Sure, real-time cryptography-based algorithmic cryptocurrency transaction validation engine NetoBit and crypto point-of-sale (POS) offerings such as NetoBit Pay that use the NetoBit application. For payment tech giants such as Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) and Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP), or P2P lending innovators such as LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), the iron is now ready to strike and blockchain powerhouses, such as Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), will add considerable force to the hammer blows as the industry forges a new future for money.