ADOPTION LAUNCHING BLOCKCHAIN - around the world! INTERVIEWS FACEBOOK LIBRA - Blockchain Business Magazine
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C O R P O R AT E
ADOPTION
LAUNCHING BLOCKCHAIN
around the world!
INTERVIEWS
FACEBOOK LIBRA bitcoin trading guide
What IS IT & WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN?
travelling with
digital assets
ENTERTAINMENT THAT PAYS YOU
Top 10 Cryptocurrencies
JULY 1st 2019 Total market Cap $300,697,318,483
Name Market Cap
Bitcoin $208,968,978,046
Ethereum $30,224,986,216
XRP $16,786,729,615
Litecoin $7,185,787,177
Bitcoin Cash $7,098,851,153
EOS $5,195,350,138
Binance Coin $4,573,418,105
Tether $3,578,997,351
Bitcoin SV $3,358,696,616
TRON $2,107,284,328
CONTENTS
8 BITCOIN TRADING GUIDE
34 BITCOIN HALVING CHART 50 INDUSTRY - TECH AND ART
DISCLAIMER
52
Blockchain Business Magazine is not intended to be
10 36
TRADING PATTERNS
WHAT IS THE LIGHTINGING NETWORK? ENTERING & EXITING TRADES
used for financial, investment, tax or legal advice.
CORPORATE ADOPTION
You alone are solely responsible for determining if
an investment, asset, strategy, product or service
is appropriate or suitable for you based on your
54
investment objectives and personal financial
16 THE ENTERTAINMENT ECONOMY
40 INTERVIEW - MOON PAYMENTS
with KENNETH KRUGER
TRAVELLING ON BITCOIN situation. This includes information at:
www.BlockchainBusinessMagazine.com
20 AIRCOINS INTERVIEW
with BRIAN KITCHIN 42 APPS FOR DIGITAL ASSETS
58 INTERVIEW - ADBANK
with JON GILLHAM
Our magazine and website will always encourage you
to continue educating yourself so that you can be
empowered to make your own decisions regarding
finances, risk levels and asses the outcomes of
making profits or losses. Nothing in this magazine
22 WEALTH MANAGEMENT
BY CARLOS GABRERA 44 DEBIT CARDS FOR
CRYPTOCURRENCIES 60 NOTABLE STORIES & NEWS
should be considered as an offer to sell, a solicitation
of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any asset
by or any third party. Please consult an attorney or
tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax
26 INTERVIEW - LIGHTHOUSE LABS
with KHURRAM VIRANI 46 INTERVIEW - NETCENTS
with JENN LOWTHER 64 TOP 10 CRYPTO CHEAT SHEET
28
10 THOUGHTS ON
FACEBOOK LIBRA COIN
BY SAMSON WILLIAMS 48 THE POWER OF A PAPER WALLET
65 INVESTMENT WORKSHEET
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR NEWS
Letter from Editor
FACEBOOK
TWITTER CEO LIBRA
For most of us, we have always had delivery of the things we need for ourselves. SPEND BITCOIN PUSHES ADOPTION Facebook has released their de-
Food is brought to grocery stores, supplies are at the hardware store, and tails about the company called
banks have handed us the money we need, even if it was our money to begin
ANYWHERE Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has Libra Network. The official re-
with. Now we see many of these items delivered directly to us from wholesalers, been drawing out the plans for lease of Libra will be in 2020.
Moon Payments is a concierge Nodes have already been sold
cutting the middle man out. How will this effect our culture and structure of payment company based out of a separate cryptocurrency di-
vision of his payment process- for $10 Million each to 28 com-
businesses around us over time? New York City which uses it’s
ing company Square. This has panies who are supporting the
google chrome browser exten- global layout of the stable coin.
As children the sound of the ice cream truck coming down the street was a tion to allow Bitcoin to be spent been no spare of the moment
decision. Planning and hiring has Within hours of the news re-
tantalizing sound that in seconds can make a child’s taste buds start watering. on any website with e-com- lease, several world govern-
merce built in. The plugin is na- been ongoing for some time to
I recall jumping on my banana seat bike and racing towards the sound and ments posed questions as to
tive to any website and does not hire the best members for the di-
flavour of ice cream. We absolutely needed and wanted the ice cream truck rection of this new division to whether Facebook should have
to deliver a happy face popsicle with a gum-ball nose to us. It was nice to be need approval of the company to its hand in being a global bank.
direct BTC to be converted and the payment company. Dors-
oblivious about the effort of how this was delivered to us. ey himself is a Bitcoin funda- Mark Zuckerberg has been asked
paid for products. to speak again at congress for an
mentalist who purchases BTC
For the first time, the world is bypassing the ice cream truck delivery of money every week and has stated “Bit- inquiry to see how Libra will ap-
The freedom to spend BTC any- ply to world banking regulations.
in banks, financial institutions and governments in a groundbreaking fight where online is here! See our in- coin will become the worlds sin-
gle currency”. This is a common The inquiry will be sometime in
between utopian anarchist ideas sitting on the shoulders of decentralized terview in this magazine with
position from those deeply en- July where for the second time
blockchain technology. Finance companies are popping up all over the planet CEO Kenneth Kruger from Moon
trenched in their information we will see Zuckerburg under
from aggressive and passionate entrepreneurs who are offering services on page 36. the microscope
related to this new financial system that 90% of employees in finance don’t
fully understand.
What is happening now is that these new finance companies are acting as
concierge services for the financial businesses and corporations that are not
willing to take the “risk” of directly accept digital assets. This “risk” is directly
viewed as “opportunity” by the impressive entrepreneurs in our industry.
Part of this is decided by outdated insurance and risk policies, so finance
companies hands are tied before they even start to swim in the warm waters
of creating, issuing, storing and marketing digital assets or converting to the
use of distributed ledger technology.
Now we look to the future with optimism that we have never had before due
to the amount of people and corporations who accept or have adopted
everything that our industry works on. Can you hear that? It’s the ice cream
truck coming down the street, except it’s all of the small tech firms delivering Bitcoin just broke a record for the highest trading volume
exactly what we need far ahead of the world realizing what they want. in 24 hours being 46 Billion USD. It has even been listed as
the best investment opportunity of the year by Mainstream
Ross Macdonald - CEO, C.B.P.
Press. This year Bitcoin has outperformed US Crude Oil,
Blockchain Business Magazine
S&P 500, Bonds and Mutual Funds. Yet from technical
analysis, other digital assets such as Litecoin are looking at
Ross Macdonald record targets this year as well. Have you learned to chart
and project future values of digital assets? Have you looked
at legitimate services which can help you to learn about
making profits with Bitcoin, Litecoin and other industry
investments?
01 BUY BITCOIN 02 EDUCATION
Understanding the digital asset industry is
Bitcoin is the doorway to all other cryptocurrencies.
knowledge that will pay for itself 100 times over.
When you purchase Bitcoin, then you can trade it
Those who skip a regular intake of learning about
for other assets if you desire to. Many investors do
the industry are most likely to lose their investments
not trade their BTC, and keep it as is for a long term
from theft, trading or other means.
investment.
Commit to the idea that you will never be an expert
Simply buying BTC and managing it teaches you the
on the industry, which is why you must read the
essential steps to learn how it works, how to store it
news, follow social media accounts and be involved
securely, and how to spend it.
in the industry if you will manage your investments
properrly. Use a trading service such Python Signals.
B I T C O I N T R A D I N G G U I D E
How can you trade bitcoin? Should you trade bitcoin? There are a cash or any other digital assets. If you want to maximize profits
03 MAKE A PLAN 04 SECURITY
few different perspectives on the biggest cryprocurrency on the though, trading bitcoin and other assets is a fast track to making
Decide how much you will invest initially, or choose a If your Bitcoin isn’t stored securely then you may as
planet. more money, but with a large amount of added risk. It’s essential
schedule of investing. Some invest as little as $20 per well not own it. You would not leave your wallet in
to understand what you are investing in. Any quick, overnight,
week, $100 per month or more. A regular investmnet the street. With the same reasoning, you would not
Those who are Bitcoin maximalists view it as the ultimate fast track to making profits is either a scam or a lie. want to leave your bitcoin unsecured or in someone
strategy can take advantage of cost averaging which
cryptocurrency, and it is. They only buy, hold and spend bitcoin. elses care.
makes the times you purchase less important.
8 Currently Bitcoin functions better as an investment than a Use these steps to manage your own balanced portfolio of 9
currency, but many want to maximize profits by trading. cryptocurrencies. It’s always a safe stance to hold a larger Decide what percentage of your portfolio you will You should keep your BTC in a wallet where you
amount of bitcoin in a portfolio due to its ten year history. Use keep in BTC and other assets. Stick to this decision. own your own private keys and not on an online
Most cryptocurrencies will not survive in the long term. Decide the portfolio guide in this issue of our magazine to plan your Do not break from your plan unless there is a rock exchange. Never show your private keys to anyone
how you view Bitcoin by reading and learning as much as you can investments instead of playing a guessing game. solid reason to do so with hard information. Leave and do not store them online.
about the industry. Start with “The Bitcoin Standard” by Safedean emotion at the door to your decisions.
Ammous. The book will open your eyes to a long term view of Here are the basic steps to use our favorite digital asset to make
Bitcoin. This book has made many decide to simply purchase BTC some healthy profits.
and HODL for the long term without ever converting to local
05 USE TOOLS 06 PRACTICE & TRADE
The biggest tool you can have is being setup to Before trading BTC for any other digital assets such
receive reputable information in a timely manner. as Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, visit coinmarketcap.com
Without this, you will be chasing the wind. Also, and explore different cryptocurrencies and their
using buy and sell orders on exchanges will allow websites.
you to make smart purchases and exit trades before Join one or more digital exchanges such as Bittrex,
losses occur. Trading into stablecoins or fiat when a Binance, Kraken or others. Write down some
dip occurs will save your profit for future trades. paper trades that you would do and see how your
decisions pan out. Will you make profit or lose
www.tradingview.com your investments? Will you exit a loss or hold on to
www.coinmarketcap.com regain value? Buy the rumor, sell the news is a great
www.pythonsignals.com strategy to practice with.
corporations receive their payment in USD and It’s a short time of opportunity that we see for these
CORPORATE
don’t have a clue that the source was Bitcoin and intelligent companies bridging the payment gap in our
Moon Payments. CEO of Moon, Kenneth Kruger world between USD and BTC. What will happen in the
spoke with us recently and they understand next 12 months to the value of BTC and USD?
the need for this service, which is why they ap-
Adoption
proached their software from an anonymous Here’s your homework for the day; “Next Bitcoin Halving”.
third party perspective. (See the centerfold of this magazine) A clock is ticking
(See interview on page 54) down to June 2020 where before and after this date, the
value of BTC will skyrocket. Why? Careful you don’t fall
Anyone who works in the blockchain industry down the rabbit hole of information. It’s exciting to find
knows that the biggest problem with making out these answers and more while our economy chang-
sales with companies is that we all have to edu- es in what seems to be a very positive way.
cate our customers about how blockchain works
With diligent development behind closed doors, the worlds largest before we can sell a product to them, which in Between accepting Bitcoin and using distributed ledger
turn makes long sales cycles. This long sales cycle technology, why is it important that these companies
corporations are exploring blockchain technology. How are they doing has killed small companies with high overheads. are using Blockchain technology?
this with their own teams and also with other companies assisting them? It’s a long term game, and the smart companies
are working around these problems with the sim- Efficiency, security, transparency. When the industrial
plest solutions that are very well thought out. revolution created new machinery for our world, the
cottage industry died. Adapting to use blockchain tech-
Bakkt is another company that will be working nology where it makes sense and supporting existing or
Our world is finally catching up to the ideas be- Ten years later, the world is eyeing solutions to our
with Starbucks this year to accept Bitcoin around new products and services is how the Blockchain revo-
hind blockchain technology, and digital assets. Yet, currency problems. On top of that, large corpora-
the world in their coffee shops and online stores. lution will work that we are experiencing now. If you don’t
banks risk policies, CEO’s knowledge of blockchain tions look at working with blockchain tech for secure
A gentleman the other day said to me “You will understand the importance of this time period harness-
and inner workings of many corporations don’t data storage and new software to combine data.
never be able to pay for a coffee with Bitcoin”. I ing the new abilities that businesses have, then you may
allow for the risk or perception of risk to be taken laughed and opened the previous issue of our have to keep using that old phone book that you have
in accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies Currently, these companies look at digital assets
Magazine that featured a news piece about in the back of your closet to phone someone and ask
anywhere near as much as traditional (or dying) as “risk”. Entrepreneurs look at the same “risk” as a
Starbucks and Bakkt. He was astounded as many them what they think about technology.
currencies. major opportunity. They understand the situation
are how quickly our economy is changing. In a
much better. There are smaller companies that are
short time, these companies will understand that In previous years, there was no urgency to develop or
10 There is a large army of geniuses in the blockchain stepping up to help these corporations are referred
they have given away the golden goose to these understand blockchain. Now in 2019, companies are
11
industry who are creating solutions to bridge the to as “Concierge Payment Services”. They exchange
concierge payment service companies, but they racing to submit patents, drive past speculation to real
gap between large corporations and consumers Bitcoin for USD and electronically send the USD
can still switch to accepting digital assets on their products that are made, and take over as much as
who want to spend their digital payment to corporations while
own. possible with financial and market share. This was the
assets. Why would corpora- they hold the bitcoin for them-
same battle being fought in the 90s dot com boom. The
tions want to obtain digital as- selves. Likely, they trade and sell
sets? They don’t, but they are the bitcoin as many do for a
interested in moving towards
accepting them in the future.
profit. The concierge company
takes the risk of volatility and
Large corporations
This is the first step across the the corporations have techni-
bridge that is being made with cally accepted payment of Bit- look at digital
a rock-solid framework and a coin or other cryptocurrencies.
golden brick road that these assets as a “risk”.
corporations may not even So far, this has been an exper-
understand yet. iment that is working perfectly.
The risk that corporations do
How can the worlds largest
businesses put value in Bitcoin
not want to take is holding a
bucket full of Bitcoin and losing
Entrepreneurs look
and digital assets? The answer value when volatility causes a
to this is the same reason that change. When that “risk” is con- at digital assets as a
we put value in paper money sidered, we need to understand
and our banking systems. Our what any risk is. Warren Buffet major opportunity.
cash money system and digital banking working said; “Risk comes from not knowing what you are
with our cash only exists because we value it. In doing”. The companies taking the “risk” of processing
payments in Bitcoin are not taking much risk at all
They understand
countries like Venezuela, Argentina & Zimbabwe,
this value system collapsed from both the outside
world and inside their own country. Back in 2009, a
because they know exactly what they are doing.
the situation
small group of cypher-punks released Bitcoin. Sa- Companies like Moon Payments have created
toshi Nakamoto was the brain of the programming, browser extensions so that we can spend Bitcoin much better.
and to this day we wonder who he or she is. on Amazon.com, and any website in the world. The
businesses that take over their market share NOTABLE CORPORATIONS
BETTING ON BLOCKCHAIN
first typically will control the world in a sense.
Microsoft, Google, and Amazon all experienced
the dot.com boom.
Facebook came on to the world business
scene in 2004. Mark Zuckerberg was quickly Facebook - Launching its own cryptocurrency called Libra on existing platforms which may include
able to have his company take over the total Whatsapp, Facebook and other integrations on a global scale.
dominance of social media. Fifteen years later,
Facebook has been watching what bitcoin has
done, big data and the public adoption of this Google - Have been doing deep research about big data, cloud storage for DLT and creating their
MARK ZUCKERBURG Bill Gates own platform for data analytics called BigQuery which is serverless, scalable, cost-effective cloud
tech. The timing seems perfect for Facebook to
Microsoft - Technology Advisor
release their own cryptocurrency named “Libra”
Facebook - CEO
data warehouse with an in-memory Business Intelligence Engine and machine learning built in.
which will function on top of their existing owned Late to the game, but leading Microsoft is building a digital
companies such as Facebook and Whatsapp. sustainability, creating their identity platform called “Ion”
Amazon - Currently offering cloud integrations with multiple blockchain applications and has
own cryptocurrency Libra, it may bridging the gap between the
How has the banking industry and the govern- achieve global success. digital world and people.
partnered with Ethereum Startup ConsenSys.
ments of the world responded to a corpora-
tion like Facebook announcing the release of a JP Morgan - The creators of JPM Coin have created their own network which will replace older
global currency? They are concerned, they want wire transfer systems converting fiat currency in and out of their own cryptocurrency.
regulation and it’s likely to be one of the most in-
teresting stories this year when Mark Zuckerburg Intel - Creators of the Blockchain platform Sawtooth with Hyperledger Consortium, their focus is
is brought before congress (again) to inquire
about Libra.
how hardware can help the development of blockchain.
What can we expect in the short term with the Goldman Sachs - Has laid significant investments with blockchain projects Veem & Axoni.
use of Bit data and blockchain? We are already
seeing futuristic uses of our data that many sur- IBM - The creator of open source Hyperledger Fabric is driving innovation and support to many
prisingly accept. Are our phones listening to us blockchain developments. Including educational platforms that have rolled out.
and marketing products to us which are exactly
what we are looking for? Yes. We aren’t that far
from a “Minority Report” world where the stores RBC - Stating that they had little interest in cryptocurrencies, RBC have registered a patent for
we visit online and in-person already know what automating credit scores on blockchain.
we bought previously, what our name, age and
Sundar Pichai
demographic is along with our waistline mea- JEFF BEZOS Budweiser - The creator of Budweiser announced a blockchain platform under development aimed
surement and preference to just how we like our Google - CEO Amazon - CEO
to simplify freight logistics.
lattes made. Masses of data can be lever- Hosting data for Blockchain and
aged with googles project called Distributed Ledger tech with AI
Part of the developers who understand the BigQuery which will store and means Amazon can be the back- Alibaba - Started a food supply chain and is investing $14 Billion series A funding into Blockchain.
need for data privacy, see the major gap be- work with data on blockchain. bone for this revolution.
tween digital currency and digital identities. Microsoft - Was one of the first corporate companies to accept Bitcoin as a payment form. They
How can we effectively use bitcoin while the are now working on multiple blockchain projects on their Azure platform including a digital identity
user is not clearly identified? Currently, a pass- project called Microsoft ION.
word, facial recognition or fingerprint enables lows new concepts such as “zero-knowledge proof” where
us to control our finances. Most large financial
transactions such as a mortgage or the pur-
you could prove you are of age to drink alcohol, but not American Express - Providing vendors power over membership rewards and has filed a patent for
release your name or address. The need to use technol-
chase of a vehicle, are still completed with pa- ogy to keep our information is essential. Currently, we are
blockchain based system to validate transactions.
perwork and occasionally even archaic systems seeing so many data breaches on personal and corpo-
in banks using fax machines. This broad chasm rate levels, the hackers of the world are having a heyday Comcast - Backed Boldstart Ventures which invests in enterprise blockchain startups.
between the digital world and the physical capturing information and leveraging it against its own-
world are being brought together with compa-
nies such as Microsoft and the ION project for
ers. Apple - Has filed a patent for blockchain applied to timestamp data.
digital identities. The question is, who wants to use Blockchain tech to se-
cure our identities and who wants to use the same tech
Walmart - Using an early prototype on hyperledger fabric with their pork supply chain, they have
Imagine a realtime management system to to exploit our data? The world is watching, and we will see expanded their tracking to other food supply chains and have partnered with VeChain.
authorize who you are, what information you how this plays out in the next 6-12 months as foundations
decide to release specifically and connect your are laid with the corporate adoption that we see.
profile to finance and shopping. Blockchain al-
BUY AND SELL PROPERTIES WITH BITCOIN OR DIGITAL ASSETS
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FOR LIVE BTC PRICING
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You’re sitting in a comfy seat, popcorn in hand, technology. Andrea Iervolino is conference, many in attendance actresses who already work
THE ENTERTAINMENT the house lights dim, the music rises up and the leading his team of developers were asking about changing with AMBI Group are gradually
ECONOMY
bass rumbles your seat. The warm feeling you with excellent content and the legislation in each country they featured on TaTaTu, we will
are familiar with is coming. You know that you business foundation that has resided in to force corporations soon see the distribution cross
are about to enter a land or setting that exists aimed to build up to 1 billion users. to pay and respect content over and embrace this new
in your mind, which can make you completely creators. This is an old fashioned business model.
lose your perspective of where you are and It’s fascinating to see how our way of making the world change.
completely disconnect you from reality while you world changes from the use It’s archaic, slow and unlikely to For all of the content that we
enter a new reality created for you. Now look at of rental video stores such as achieve results. The answer that have created over the years
the asterisk in this beautiful situation.* It says: Blockbuster Video to online came up again and again at the with the largest companies in
WRITTEN BY streaming with Netflix and now conference was to use blockchain the world in social media, our
ROSS MACDONALD “You will be paid for watching this movie or tv with this financial evolution, technology. It’s amazing because data has been sold to others
show with a digital asset.”. TaTaTu is the next step in where TaTaTu has already solved this without any of that financial
our entertainment and economy problem. So for film creators, revenue being given back
“Pardon me?” You think. “Why would someone be has changed to functioning. By musicians contributing to film to the public. This will soon
paid to be entertained?” Is this a focus group or releasing and pairing their own or tv, and those associated with be a dying way to operate a
a test of some sort? No. This is a new economy social media platform, TaTaTu production, they should and will business. Everything will change
that has been created within the entertainment will be rewarding customers for insist on the use of blockchain on the internet as digital assets
industry by Italian Film Producer Andrea Iervolino. creating and sharing content even technology for the management such as the TTU token have
further with the TTU token. There of their rights. TaTaTu is the leader been created with an instant
Andrea Iervolino is well respected and adored are so many layers of opportunity in this application. value and use in the modern
in the film industry. He is known for founding and enjoyment within this platform world.
AMBI Group with Lady Monika Bacardi. The films to experience and benefit from, it is Imagine a time soon when
produced by AMBI are built with artistic integrity, mind boggling. instead of film companies craving The TaTaTu E-commerce
passion and a quality held in no other portfolio to have their movie hosted with store has it’s first companies
in the industry, currently having distributed well The problems with large Netflix, the preference will be partnered for spending the TTU
16 over 200 titles since 2013. corporations such as Netflix is TaTaTu. Instead of wanting to token. The next step which has
that they often do not honor film “Netflix and chill”, the preference already been scheduled for
For years, social media platforms such as royalties to some involved in will be to “TaTaTu and chill”. As release is the partnership with
Facebook, Twitter & Instagram have taken production. For example, when I the platform grows and the retailers in stores across Europe
content built by users and used that to generate was recently at a digital content extensive group of A list actors and who will accent the TTU token.
revenues. For the first time, Andrea Iervolino
and TaTaTu, have turned the tables on the The goal of the e-commerce
entertainment industry all because of a modern TaTaTu wants to expand their store is to expand to hold
vision and application of blockchain technology. 125,000 products for users to
e-commerce store to include
A new business model has not only been 125,000 products and a social
invented, but has been implemented and has media platform to tie all aspects
been released on a global scale for anyone on
of viewing media, shopping and
the planet who wants to experience it. When
users sign up and use TaTaTu, they are paid by sharing to the TTU Token.
the second for watching video content, and they
can spend that in the online store which has it’s
first group of vendors who are expanding each
month. The financial model that allows this app
to exist and thrive is that advertising revenue is
paid to the users, and also pairs with the DRM
(Digital Rights Management Software) that the
creative content producers who submit their
films to TaTaTu, are also paid through. This would
be incredibly complicated without blockchain
spend their TTU. On top of this, a social media platform is planned
A PHONE
CALL
to tie it all together. If users can watch movies and shows,
earn TTU token then share it with the world, then this will be an
unprecedented new approach to media and shopping to be
WITH
ANDREA
studied. while current marketing and entertainment business
models will be turned into dinosaurs.
IERVOLINO
The next time the lights turn down and you anticipate being
lost in the enjoyment of a film, explore this wonderful new use
of blockchain technology and ensure that you are collecting
your own TTU tokens. It’s an exciting new way to experience our
entertainment and financial benefit.
This spring we had the pleasure of having phone call with film producer and entrepreneur Andrea
Iervolino from his home country of Italy. Andrea has ties to Canada and specifically Toronto from his
family which was a bit of a connection with our appreciation of his efforts in the blockchain industry.
Andrea explained that the main purpose of TaTaTu was to revolutionalize the entertainment industry.
He wants to see users rewarded in a fair manner for watching or contributing content to the platform.
Users who contribute content can be paid through the Digital Rights Management software which
runs on the TaTaTu blockchain. Some of these features will be added in the second phase of the app.
Part of his focus as well was to help those who write, produce, direct, act and distribute movies can
be paid fairly. Automatic management of royalties based on contracts is the future of the payments to
people working in the film and tv industry, in realtime, with no delays, paperwork or politics.
As the use of TaTaTu expands from its initial five countries to global usage, the viewing of movies
becomes borderless. Andrea mentioned that, we who are used to everyday Hollywood may not realize
the films being made around the world that do not make it to the North American market.
Between TaTaTu and AMBI group who Andrea owns along with his business partner Monika Bacardi,
the distribution and creativity that is about to be implemented seems that it will grow exponentially,
and we wish him the best in growing these companies for his and our benefit.1. How did Aircoins start as a company and explainer video showing users step by step how to setup
what was the envisioned use of your app? a crypto wallet as well as demonstrate how to withdraw
Aircoins was established in 2017 by our founder tokens to that wallet. Our goal is to help everyone in the
and CEO Emal Safi and CTO Sing Tu. We are a privately world earn a little bit of cryptocurrency and have fun along
owned corporation. We did not have an ICO or any type the way. Not just cryptocurrency either. We’re starting to
of crowd funding. We are a group of gamers, software introduce retail incentives as well. These retail incentives
developers and cryptocurrency enthusiasts working hard will help drive foot traffic to physical locations. For exam-
to build out our larger than life vision of Aircoins. Merg- ple, if a retailer wanted to advertise with us, we can create
ing cryptocurrency with augmented reality (AR), mobile a 3D model of a 15% off coupon, buy one get one free
gaming and digital advertising, players are incentivized or save the tax. Whatever the retail incentive may be, we
by collecting rewards and digital assets through a proof can drop those incentives on specific geolocation coordi-
of effort algorithm. nates and physically draw users to that place of business
2. How have you seen adoption grow in order to collect and redeem their incentive. Aircoins CEO - Emal Safi
Interview with 4. How does augmented reality benefit users with
specifically because of Aircoins? such an immersive experience?
We’ve witnessed it first hand as our commu- and what it is we are trying to achieve. However, I wouldn’t attribute
Before answering that, i’ll briefly explain what our growth over the last year to the general public understanding
Chief Marketing Officer nity has grown considerably over the past year since
releasing our app. There’s no easier way for someone to
augmented reality is for the readers who may not know. uses cases. Which in a sense is even better for Aircoins. The fact
Augmented reality (AR) is a view of the real, physical that we’re growing at such a quick pace is amazing and I think that
get involved and earn cryptocurrency than by download-
Brian Kitchin ing Aircoins. It’s a fun and interactive way to learn about
various cryptocurrency projects in the space. We have a
world in which users find elements enhanced by com-
puter-generated input. Other popular applications that
when the public really starts to understand use cases and token
utility that we will be way ahead of the curve.
very enthusiastic community that genuinely enjoys find-
utilize AR technology for example would be PokemonGo 7. Are there any new marketing opportunities for companies in
ing & collecting coins on our platform. What’s even more
and Snapchat. You know those filters you see people the blockchain industry who want to work with Aircoin’s?
use on Snapchat that allows them to have bunny ears Absolutely! We’re always looking for new projects and
encouraging is the amazing photos and testimonials we
and puppy faces? That’s augmented reality. Augmented partners to network with. Not just in the blockchain industry either.
receive from users all around the world. Our commu-
reality experiences mix your physical environment with We want to work with everyone! If you’re a small business or a
nity is very active on social media, notably Twitter and
the virtual environment; your senses remain engaged with large retailer and you’d like to drive foot traffic to your location, let’s
Telegram. Hundreds of photo’s get shared every week
your physical world while providing additional sensory work together. If you’re a cryptocurrency project and would like to
from almost every corner of the globe. It’s truly wonderful
information, providing for prolonged usage. Simply put, it’s gain exposure through our app, let’s work together. If you’re an
to see how many people’s lives we’ve touched and to
a way more interactive and memorable experience. Like augmented reality developer, blockchain developer or mobile app
hear of so many great stories and interactions that our
blockchain, AR is also in it’s infancy and the technology developer and you’re looking to be part of an exciting project, let’s
users have experienced from playing Aircoins. Users
and applications are advancing rapidly. As AR tech con- work together.
have shared incredible stories of weight loss, discovering
new places outdoors, spending more time together as
tinues to develop and grow, so will our users immersive 8. How have you seen the public’s viewpoint about bitcoin
and interactive experience within the Aircoins app. evolve and change in the past few years?
20 families and being more active. That’s the best type of
adoption that we can hope for.
5. How do users of Aircoins become empowered with That’s a loaded question. Even for myself, i’ve only been
their knowledge of the coins that they collect in involved in the cryptocurrency space since September of 2017 and
3. What is different about your companies approach
augmented reality? I have witnessed so much change. For one, I don’t think main-
to adoption when we consider how technical
Each of our partners coins, once collected, gets stream media has helped the industry what so ever. Often times it’s
Blockchain technology is?
added to that users wallet. When a user views their wallet, portrayed in a negative light and full of inaccuracies and misrep-
Simplicity. We try to keep things simple, inter-
they are able to click on any of the individual coins that resentations. When I first got involved, mainstream media was
active and fun for our users. The blockchain industry
they’ve collected and read a brief overview of that project calling Bitcoin a “bubble” and some even calling it a “scam”. People
as a whole is so vast and expansive and it’s still only
as well as visit that projects website if they choose to do are scared of new technology and what they don’t understand. I
in it’s early infancy. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed
more research. think now the general public is starting to realize that Bitcoin and
or confused about how to get started and where to turn
6. As the general public understands use cases of blockchain technology isn’t going anywhere. It’s here to stay.“Long
too for reliable information. There’s so much to learn
cryptocurrencies, have you seen an increase of users Bitcoin, Short the Bankers.”- Pomp
even just to understand the basics. We try to keep
with Aircoins? 9. What is the next step for your company to continue to build
things as simple as possible. As we start to develop and
implement more features we try to educate our com-
Yes and no. I think cryptocurrency is still very the companies in our industry?
much in it’s infancy and the vast majority of people still We’re just going to keep plugging away on development
munity and audience with video tutorials and detailed
don’t even really know what Bitcoin or Blockchain tech- and our goal of reaching mass adoption. More partnerships, more
explanations. One of our latest developments was the
nology really is.Those who do understand the use cases incentives, more gamification features. We have a new and exciting
ability to withdraw AIRx (Aircoins’ native token) from the
of cryptocurrency certainly see the value in our project user interface underway. Retail incentives will start rolling out soon
app. Along with that update we also released a detailed
as well. We’re also currently testing 3D customizable avatars which
users will be able to purchase and view in Augmented Reality.
To date, we haven’t done too much marketing, everything’s been
100% organic through social media and by word of mouth. In the
coming months as we start to roll out more and more developments
Our goal is to help we’re really going to be focusing our efforts on marketing in order to
everyone in the world drive more downloads and reach our goal of mass adoption.
10. Where can customers download the Aircoins App?
earn a little bit of Aircoins is available in the app store for both Android &
iOS devices. Don’t wait! Download the free Aircoins app today and
cryptocurrency and start earning cryptocurrency instantly!
have fun along the way.H
would be Amazon where a single stock is equal to roughly 1800 USD making the
ow is blockchain and crypto entry difficult for the youth such as university students or developing nations
changing the world of traditional wealth with lower salary ranges. Thanks to Cryptoassets, fractional investments allow
management right now? Specifically the an entry level as low as “1 satoshi” which is the equivalent of 0.00000001 USD.
approach and structure of how money is
managed, not what kinds of investments/ Borderless / Global Access: Investors no longer need all the hassle when
ICOs are available. investing in shares/stocks based in foreign markets. Tokens are borderless no
matter which country the legal entity is based.
Believe it or not, whether we like it or not, E.g.: Ethereum was founded as a Swiss company and just like other ICO’s, people
Blockchain and CryptoAssets (coins and across 130+ countries get equal access (currently 113 countries).
WEALTH tokens) are completely reshaping every
single aspect of the modern financial
world thanks to the beginning of the token
Transferability: Secondary markets are more efficient thanks to the
disintermediation of the middle man (banks; broker/dealers etc…) and now
MANAGEMENT economy. Here below are the reasons for
this new era.
replaced by technology (code and algorithms) to execute an instant and
frictionless peer to peer trading. This system also allows individuals to control
their wealth thanks to dedicated wallets and private keys.
Financial Inclusion / Accessibility:
WITH Wealth status: It is now possible for the “every
day” investor to get access to projects from
BLOC KCHAIN
their earliest stages. It’s not just like a penny
stock but rather promising projects that
usually are exclusive to 1) Venture capital/
Private equity firms or UHNWIs.
E.g.: The Facebook pre-IPO
investments exclusively allowed VC firms,
22 UHNWI and asset managers to get 100X
(valued at roughly 1 USD per share pre-IPO)
while the Ethereum ICO inclusively allowed
anyone to participate and earn up to
279,843% in terms of ROI with all-time high
of $1,377.72 for all the believers in the future
of smart contracts* (*a triple entry book-
keeping ledger removing the need of third
parties).
E.g.: Most investments require
individuals to be classified as intelligent,
qualified, accredited or sophisticated
investors requiring a minimum average
BY CARLOS GABRERA capital of 100K to 250K USD depending on 24/7: it is now possible to operate transactions around the clock every day
the jurisdiction. Entry level/ initial capital: of the week, not only during business days or hours within that country. On
Luckily enough, wealth status is not the only average there are 252 trading days a year. The cryptocurrencies market never
Swiss Borg factor for financial inclusion but also on the
initial capital necessary to invest. Fractional
closes its doors.
Director of Business Development investing has allowed people to enter the Lowering the Barriers to entry: Far beyond Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies,
blockchain technology has the potential to transform the operational
for North Americas market with a fraction of a stock to allow
anyone of any age or budget to participate architecture of financial services. A simple smart contract smart could be used
and gain both experience and literacy. E.g.: to optimise the process of creation and administration of an investment fund.
An extreme example would be a single In the Off-Chain world, all of these operations are centralised, involve multiple
share at Berkshire Hathaway currently intermediaries and manual interventions. As a result, the mutual fund system is
around 300 K USD. A more fair example complex and present hazard of operational errors and data corruption.containing all the necessary info
for every user, less problem with Swiss Borg plans
“Blockchain can make the AML checks as all transactions on
the blockchain are recorded.
to have invest-
onboarding experience seamless Thanks to tokenization, a typical
activity for the private sector
ment portfolios
with digital identities. This is the next mostly investment banks or
hedge funds today will become
open to the public and therefore customized for
level for our cultures efficiency.” individuals. Ommoluptur maximus, ut
Gendant, eiur ad expe cum,
An insurance company selling users based on que omnis mo magnis di
cadead
the risk that a famous football
A New era of financial product: a technological advancements, the
player may break his leg during
the world cup. their chosen risk Otatur? Os inulparcime
pore, venturibus ea dolen-
dellene oditaesequia
single token (i.e cryptocurrency) total market cap is still worth a
could be used to track the
ownership of someone over
fraction of one single FAANG stock
so growth potential is immense
As of today, a financial advisor
reputation is strongly connected
profile.
something. This process is known especially with the arrival of security with the reputation of the firm he
as “tokenization”. There is no tokens. E.g.: The Cryptoassets is currently operating for. Clients
limitation to this process but market in its entirety (roughly 250 trust big banks to provide them
imagination. Therefore new types billion USD) is less than 1/3 of a with solid investment advice.
of investment opportunities will single tech company like Apple or Blockchain paves the way for
arise: Picture owning a fraction Alphabet (750 to 820 billion USD). others but it is case for an immediate application of
immutable data and therefore
of your favorite football player The combination of financial a decentralized currency such as bitcoin or Ethereum
cross-platform reputation,
through tokenization? that can potentially help entrepreneurs rebuild that
individual track records and this the solution. Doing that will definitely help however,
https://medium. countries economy.
transparency will take centre- it will take at least 6 months to a 1 year to apply
com/@ stage. As a result, we expect such measure and liquidity in Canada is still a
nevenka_58628/ In the United States, J.P. Morgan unveiled its own crypto
to see the dominance of open problem, solutions need to be found that address
tokenization-for- token the JPM coin which will in some ways distort
source architectures going this problem quickly in the long run. Part of Bitcoin’s
football-players- Bitcoins original promise of being decentralized
forward. security features in its proof of work is that it requires
d7698567d027 and being that J.P. Morgan is such a multi national
six combinations to verify each transaction. One
bank. The JPM coin can potentially lead to conflicts
On a wealth management long term solution for Bitcoin’s adoption process
Transparency: All the of interest if the bank wants to further expand the
side you can emphasize on is to use SATS valuations in at least one standard
critical information token offering to clients and to non J.P. Morgan’s
cost reduction, automation as metal such as gold which is the ultimate wealth
of an investment clients. In the medium term all the innovation taking
well personalization with the preservation tool instead of fiat and in that way
or trade is recorded on an inclusion creating accessibility from place by having such a big player in the blockchain
integration of a biometric ID change the public’s perception towards crypto.
immutable ledger available to multiple angles mentioned above ecosystem will be extremely positive however, short
or verification system where Currently the public views crypto as unstable as we
the world allowing blockchain to + transparency = More trustworthy term its effect might be negative as it fails to comply
you could easily passport your build its growing platform as a true alternative to fiat
become what we call a “trustless” and fair financial markets for all. with the basic precepts in the blockchain world. Time
risk profile and have a portfolio and a long term player in finance.
protocol. In the traditional world of will tell if banks will be able to support a technology
tailored made for you (One of the
investing in mutual funds, trusts, How will blockchain and crypto that can potentially weaken their economic power
goals at SB in a couple years). In Latin America, specifically Argentina and Venezuela
there are many hidden fees such change the way people’s wealth in a significant manner and actually realize that
https://www.finextra.com/ the usage of crypto has been phenomena. Basically
as commissions, rebalancing, tax is managed in the future? (i.e. Blockchain’s effect cannot be reversed and adopting
newsarticle/31465/banks-tap- the intent is the avoidance of weak currencies and
fees, etc.. and even performance where will blockchain take wealth it is the way to go.
ethereum wealth preservation in Argentina’s case and in
isn’t clearly presented to investors. management in 5-15 years) https://www.six-group.com/en/ Venezuela case it is mere survival which makes it an
site/digital-exchange.html absolute must for blockchain studies. As Venezuela
On top of all these key areas, the Blockchain can make the Some have suggested that has suffered from a weak currency due to capital
Token economy as a whole is onboarding experience much abandoning the fiat standard is flight and oil’s reliance for at least 35 years. In some
highly undervalued: Despite the more seamless with a digital ID years the devaluation was more pronounced thanfrom 12pm to 9pm on most days, so there’s no shortage data is stored on the blockchain instead of a traditional,
on assistance to help unblock students from whatever centralized database. Students learn about Non-Fungible
challenge they are facing. Tokens (NFTs) to uniquely identify each property, and learn
5 How is the current market for placing or assisting in about the various challenges and solutions to work with
finding employment for your students? these unique tokens.
Canada in general is very hungry for software 9. What do you think the next 12 months has in store for
talent, so we’ve had some great outcomes to report over the blockchain industry?
AN INTERVIEW WITH the last five years (link). While we cannot and do not We’re seeing quite a bit of demand from specific
guarantee employment after the program, our graduates industries here in Canada that are in need of experienced
KHURRAM VIRANI - CO-FOUNDER / CHEIF EDUCATION OFFICER have been largely successful. A lot of credit also goes to our Blockchain talent. These are Real Estate, Supply Chain and
Career Services team who works directly with employers Natural Resources. Companies working with blockchain
to quarterback students into interviews. This is definitely tech have started sending their developers to our program,
1. How has your development as a company grown over focused training on a topic like this is important to
a supply-demand balancing act, and that requires keeping and more recently requested that we deliver a customized
the years? developers for their growth, and to companies looking to
your eye on the pulse at all times. Within each city, our program for only their team.
We started Lighthouse Labs in Vancouver just utilize blockchain powered solutions.
Career Services team is constantly talking with employers With all that said, I do see a big concern for the industry
over five years ago. It was a startup and we ran a small 3. Your company says “developers learn better as a
about their needs and we factor this information into right now and in the coming year, and that a is huge lack of
cohort of six students with myself as the only instructor. community”. Tell us more about this great concept.
making growth decisions in each of those cities. technical talent.
The community in Vancouver, and later in Toronto quickly Software development is a very collaborative
6. How has the community and corporations been involved 10. How does lighthouse labs view students seeking
saw the impact and outcomes of what we were doing, process, and the industry is moving further into this
in contributing to the curriculum for lighthouse labs? employment positions vs contract positions with the
and so the growth came naturally and swiftly. Today we direction. Employers want to employ developers who
I spoke earlier about the community (developers entrepreneurial mindset?
have six locations across Canada, with classes running can communicate and work well with others; developers
and companies) being involved in mentoring, but they are I personally like to encourage anyone interested
in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Victoria. who are tapped into the community perform way better
immensely involved in curriculum creation as well. Our in being technically capable, regardless of their
Ottawa will be running classes soon as well. on the job. The idea of mentorship is deeply rooted in
Blockchain program is a great example of this. Given the entrepreneurial mindset, to first work as an employee (or
2. How important was it to add blockchain to your the world of software and companies who prioritize this
specialized nature of this course, where the landscape contractor) for at least a short while before pursuing more
education platform? tend to have a more attractive work culture. We’re firm
is constantly shifting, we need to leverage specialists risky ventures. Learning on the job is critical and I’m of
A major focus of ours is to help developers believers in the importance of community integration, and
who are actively developing with Blockchain. Our entire the belief that schools don’t build CTOs and founders, but
26 grow by providing industry relevant training. To that have incorporated it into our teaching model. Instead of
blockchain curriculum was built in collaboration between experience does. That said, we do have students taking
end, creating a blockhain program was a no-brainer hiring teachers to instruct full time, we involve numerous
our Education team and multiple developers. We bring our our web bootcamp and blockchain programs without the
for us. Blockchain development is a big paradigm shift active developers with a strong interest in teaching to
experience in education and pedagogy and the community intention of becoming “makers”. They see themselves in
from traditional software development. It has its own work with us on a part time basis. We call them mentors,
brings the tech expertise. management roles where this level of technical insight can
philosophies, frameworks, and approaches due to and have well over 100 (and growing) active roster across
7. How do you view private vs public blockchains in the really make the difference between success and failure.
the technical abilities and limitations. In talking with Canada. Instead of traditional school where students
long term viability Our Career Services team isn’t super rigid and has years of
developers we reaffirmed the belief that deliberate, are encouraged to enter their professional community
The focus of our blockchain program is definitely experience working with individuals and goals of all types.
after graduation, our students enter the
more on the public blockchain side of things, using Solidity
software community when they start their
and Ethereum as the platform of choice for learning and
program with us. By the time they graduate
building smart contracts. That said, we do touch on private
our program, they know many other senior
blockchains, because as I always say, “one size fits no one”.
software developers in the space. This
As we teach our blockchain students, a big part of being a
“Community-Driven Education”, as we call
blockchain developer is knowing the pros and cons of each
it, is one of our core tenants.
system and helping companies decide which solution is
4. Your courses have a mentor ship
right for them.
program built in with the course. How
8. Does Lighthouse labs refer to digital assets in the
does this work and how important is this
blockchain course or mostly the blockchain technology?
for students?
Digital assets is a very big topic in our blockchain
Mentorship is a BIG part of our full-time
program. In fact, a major learning project that students
bootcamp program. Mentors are software
build, called CryptoBnB is an AirBnB insipired solution,
developers who give us anywhere from 3
using Ethereum based smart contracts written with Solidity
to 20+ hours a week of their time, helping
(and using JavaScript tooling for automated testing and
students solve problems. This is done in
deployment). Much like on other BnB websites, property
person and on demand, in a “labs” like
owners can create listings while renters can browse and
setting. Students have access to mentors
make bookings. The major difference of course is that thebook is looking to address 2.7 6. Ethereum is doomed. Not
Facebook LIBRA COIN billion unbanked. How many
of those unbanked are prac-
ticing Muslims? Is Libra Coin
just ethereum but 99% of
other cryptocurrencies are
doomed. Facebook has the
Shariah-compliant? I dunno. market size and ecosystem
Goes back to that thing about to really drive adoption on
Ten Observations About interest and how that is the Libra Blockchain and
handled with the coin. I’m no other projects that will ulti-
The New World Bank for a Digital Age expert or in any way author- mately be built off of it. From
ized to speak on the matter an end to end perspective
of financial instruments and the cryptocurrency market
Shariah compliance. Based on just got tighter. However, the
my very limited knowledge of blockchain market just grew
In June, Facebook released its is Libra Coin a hedge fund? Well, it’s only shariah compliance my gut at an exponential rate. Glob-
By Samson much-anticipated whitepaper for its been a couple of hours and I need more tells me, no, no it is not shariah ally there has always been
time to think about that. I could be com- compliant. Will this matter? room for a dozen or so cryp-
Williams cryptocurrency Libra Coin. What fol-
lows is my first impressions of what this pletely wrong, so feel free to chime in Let’s see what the markets tocurrencies. With the eco-
means and why Facebook’s move is with your opinion. have to say. system that Facebook has
Principle
so interesting. I will admit I was betting built for the Libra Coin expect
Consultant at
on Amazon releasing a token before 2. Libra is a fund...just not a hedge fund. 5. What is money? Here is a that number to drop to less
Axes and Eggs
anyone else. Alas, they did not and For instance, if you removed Facebook simple fact that the folks at than six. What protocols will
instead Amazon has gone full on into from the document, it would read along Facebook just get all wrong. survive the Libra / Move? Stay
the money transfer business in a tiny the lines of .... this fund is issuing IOUs with Money isn’t value but a tuned. I’m placing my bets
market called India. That though is a the promise to redeem the IOUs in fiat. record of debt that can be on customer service.
story for another time. Here are some Those IOUs are backed by currency and trusted. Having an
28 of my initial thoughts regarding Face- sovereign debt. Backed up and to the asset-backed currency entire- 7. Move Programming Lan-
book’s Libra Coin: point that there is a crisis in the market ly misses the point of money. guage. Facebook just intro-
and the underlying asset drops in value. Money is the ledger/record of duced its own proprietary,
1. Hedge Fund? Upon my initial reading In which case it’s backed by thoughts who owes what to whom. Not open source, coding lan-
of the Libra Coin white paper, I had a and prayers. So maybe the Libra coin isn’t this piece of paper is worth $10 guage. I suspect that every
distinct feeling that the Libra Reserve a fund. Maybe it’s something simpler that because it’s backed by $10 of human on the planet who
was just a hedge fund. I felt this way we’ve all seen before. What’s that? An cheese/gold. Humans have knows how to code in MOVE
because of the language of how the initial coin offering. Let me tell you about never trusted the assets that works for or has 3-5 year
reserve works and the assets it would this asset-backed ICO. underlay currencies (before
manage on behalf of the Libra Coin. you get your underwear in a
Too, because the nodes of the network 3. Derivative defined. If the value of the bunch, what assets support
had to contribute $10M to be a valida- coin will be linked to a basket of curren- the USD, Euro, Peso, etc? Tada!
tor or part of the network. To me that cies, isn’t that the textbook definition of a Moving along). What humans
sounded like 70 entities and counting derivative? trust is there and the com-
that each invested $10M into a fund. munity’s belief and faith in the
What does this fund do? Hedges risk 4. Shariah-compliant? Spending time currency. Bitcoin isn’t worth x
associated with currency exchange? as I do in Dubai, Riyadh and through- because of scarcity. Bitcoin
No, but yes, maybe? More important- out MENA (the Middle East North Africa) is worth x because the com-
ly, who gets the interest/profit of the I had to ask myself if the Libra Coin was munity believes it is. And that’s
hedging? Note - it’s not the users. So Shariah-compliant. I understand Face- the crazy thing about money.
It’s not about intrinsic value.
It’s about faith in the ledger/
“Is Facebook a Bank? Could it record, not the assets. That
said, the move by Facebook
become a global bank will help spur the conversation
around what is money.
for emerging markets?”You can also read
