ICO's & Cryptocurrency
Why cryptocurrency?
Everyone has heard of Bitcoin but did you know there are countless cryptocurrencies on the market each with their own features, strengths and weaknesses. We have in-depth knowledge of a wide range of cryptocurrencies which can give you a massive head start and get a potentially valuable addition to your investment portfolio. At present there are in excess of five thousand ICO's and should this continue at this rate it is likely that existing fiat money will soon fade making headways for the arrival of new digital assets knows as ''Cryptocurrencies''. Many cryptocurrencies have been built and improved through the foundations laid by Bitcoin and Ethereum.
What is Blockchain?
At it's most basic level, blockchain is literally just a chain of blocks, but not in the traditional sense of those words. When we say the words "block" and "chain" in this context, we are actually talking about digital information (the "block") stored in a public database (the "chain"). Acting as a digital ledger, it allows the sending and receiving of payments within seconds.
It acts independently without central authorities eliminating any questions due to the cryptocurrency being generated through a chain of blocks in series hence the name given as ''Blockchain''. Currently the University of Oxford and The London School of Economics schedule classes for this particular subject due to the worldwide impact it is having on financial instutions.
What Is an ICO?
Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are when new cryptocurrencies are offered to investors. Like a stock floats on the stock exchange, Initial coin offerings will do the equivalent on digital asset exchanges. By getting your foot on the ladder early you can hope to make huge gains when your chosen investment matures and becomes a much sought after asset. Like with most things , the price responds accordingly to the supply and demand of the tokens available. Positioning, strong market capitalisation and healthy day to day trading volumes are key things to consider when making an acquisition. Fully qualified and experienced brokers will gladly guide you forward.
Smart Contracts
A smart contract is a computer protocol intended to digitally facilitate, verify, or enforce the negotiation or performance of a contract. Smart contracts allow the performance of credible transactions without third parties. These transactions are trackable and irreversible. Proponents of smart contracts claim that many kinds of contractual clauses may be made partially or fully self-executing, self-enforcing, or both. The aim of smart contracts is to provide security that is superior to traditional contract law and to reduce other transaction costs associated with contracting. Various cryptocurrencies have implemented types of smart contracts.
Alternative Coins (ALTCOINS)
Ethereum (ETH)
- Projected ROI
- 5,893%
- All time high
- £1,097.77
- In circulation
- 109,623,778 ETH
- Total supply
- 109,623,778 ETH
The second largest cryptocurrency and the largest Altcoin in the world that is used as a platform for users to build decentralised applications (DAPPS).
Many other cryptocurrencies have been built off the back of the Ethereum network. Examples include Basic Attention Token, Augur and IOST have been implemented through the Ethereum network.
XRP Ripple (XRP)
- Projected ROI
- 3,909%
- All time high
- £2.94
- In circulation
- 43,685,558,183 XRP
- Total supply
- 99,991,098,384 XRP
An independent digital asset that is the most efficient settlement option for banks and other financial institutions. Ultra fast and smooth platform allows for transactions to be settled within seconds (approximately 4 seconds). This is also a great advantage when sending cross border payments.
Destination tags are also required when sending payments making XRP a unique and ultra slick digital asset class. Many financial analysts including top investment bankers have predicted XRP Ripple to move to the number one position in the year of 2020.
Digital Cash (DASH)
- Projected ROI
- > 9,000%
- All time high
- £1,257.94
- In circulation
- 9,301,987 DASH
- Total supply
- 18,900,000 DASH
Dash also known as ”Digital Cash” is a fork (extension) of Bitcoin. It’s main unique feature is that it gives the user total privacy and is completely decentralised.
There is no intervention from any third parties when receiving and sending payments. Many large companies have expressed interest in DASH and is one of the favourites among existing crypto users.
Cardano (ADA)
- Projected ROI
- 372%
- All time high
- £1.02
- In circulation
- 25,927,070,538 ADA
- Total supply
- 31,112,483,745 ADA
Founded and directed by Mr Charles Hoskinson. Having been one of the co-founders of Ethereum, Cardano offers a full cryptocurrency ecosystem separated through different computational layers that includes a treasury system.
Although currently ranked in the top 10 it aims, and is working tirelessly, to become the number one digital currency in the crypto space. Coded in the Haskell programming language it allows the running of smart contracts amongst other various hi tech implementations.
Tron (TRX)
- Projected ROI
- 763%
- All time high
- £0.23
- In circulation
- 66,682,072,191 TRX
- Total supply
- 99,281,283,754 TRX
The Tron protocol represents the architecture of an operating system based on blockchain for users to be able to create smart contracts and DAPPS.
Founded by the young entrepreneur, Mr Justin Sun, Tron (TRX) offers high scalability and can process more than 2,500.00 transactions per second. Recently Tron acquired BitTorrent for $145 million USD and Steemit for $100 million USD. Tron has massive potential and has soared in value in the previous bull run.
ZCash (ZEC)
- Projected ROI
- > 5,000%
- All time high
- £4,571.38
- In circulation
- 8,894,969 ZEC
- Total supply
21,000,000 ZEC
Launched in 2016 by Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn and based on the Zerocoin protocol, ZCash (ZEC) is a decentralized and open-source privacy-focused cryptocurrency that enables selective transparency of transactions. Zcash transactions can either be transparent or shielded through a zero-knowledge proof called zk-SNARKs.
This allows the network to maintain a secure ledger of balances without disclosing the parties or amounts involved. Instead of publishing spend-authority and transaction values, the transaction metadata is encrypted and zk-SNARKs are used to prove that nobody is being dishonest. Also has an impressive all time high record of $5,941.00 USD.
Horizen (ZEN)
- Projected ROI
- 1,891%
- All time high
- £51.54
- In circulation
- 8,390,683 ZEN
- Total supply
- 21,000,000 ZEN
Users can transact and communicate securely through Sphere by Horizen. Horizens native cryptocurrency, Zen, uses advanced cryptography for optional privacy. It is also designed to make transparent and scalable blockchain applications.
One of its advisers is the famous Charles Hoskinson who is leading the Cardano project forward. Horizen has a great outlook solving many issues and has successfully increased its position within the worldwide rankings.
Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
- Projected ROI
- 3,664%
- All time high
- £413.19
- In circulation
- 17,513,924 BTG
- Total supply
- 21,000,000 BTG
Considered to be one of the arms of Bitcoin with newly added and upgraded features. This stands as a highly sought after altcoin with massive potential.
Due to the high market capitalisation of Bitcoin, Anderson Capital Management pick this to be a very valuable coin in the future alongside the second arm known as ‘Bitcoin Diamond’. Past performance and all time highs reflect very positive future results for Bitcoin Gold in 2020.
Also now available:
- Litecoin
- Stellar
- EOS
- Ethereum Classic
- Chainlink
- Kyber Network
- Bitcoin Diamond
- Monero
- Digitex Futures
- IOST
- Ontology
- Synthetix Network Token
- Nano
- Maidsafecoin
- GX Chain
- 0x
- Stratis
- Litecoin Cash
- Holo
- GAS
- Lisk
- Pundi X
- NEO
- Dogecoin
- BitTorrent
- Reddcoin
- Steem
- Cortex
- Metal
- Electra
- Electroneum
- Salt
- Digibyte
- Verge
- Nexo
- X-Cash
- District 0x
- VeChain
- Basic Attention Token
- Digix DAO
- Golem
- NEM
- Huobi Token
- Tezos
- Augur
- Bytecoin
- Dentacoin
- Moeda Loyalty Points
- Experience Points
- U Network
- Smartshare
- Smartcash
- Nucleus vision
Decentralisation
Cryptocurrencies use decentralised control as opposed to centralised fiat currency and central banking systems. The decentralised control of each cryptocurrency works through distributed ledger technology, typically a blockchain, that serves as a public financial transaction database. A great advantage for holders is that there is no central bank equivelant or intermediary between the sender and the receiver of payments.
Digital Wallet
A cryptocurrency wallet is a secure digital wallet used to store, send, and receive digital currencies like Bitcoin, XRP and Ethereum. Most coins have an official wallet or a few officially recommended third-party wallets. In order to use any cryptocurrency, you will need to use a crypto currency wallet. Electrum, Gatehub, JAXX Liberty and Exodus are just a few recommended ones that are safe and secure. Always remember to record your back up phrase and private keys.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Recent interest in applying artificial intelligence is to improve the security of high volume transactions resulting from blockchain technology, has been successful in alleviating much of the apprehension. By removing the human dependency of the network and utilising self-learning technology, AI has been playing a significant role in making sure malicious actors don’t get the upper hand on the blockchain. A classic example is a fully self executing smart contract that uses AI to generate the details and specifics of the contract. Google's voice assistance, smartphone facial and fingerprint recognition are just a few more examples of artificial intelligence.
ERC-20 Tokens
ERC-20 tokens are tokens designed and used solely on the Ethereum platform. They follow a list of standards so that they can be shared, exchanged for other tokens, or transferred to a crypto-wallet.