Our blockchain and cryptocurrency news today covers the fast rising use of blockchain for business uses and cryptocurrency news from around the world.
Blockchain building momentum
The global $77 billion apps market is ripe for disruption by blockchain according to a report in Cointelegraph. A Singapore government official says as many as 50 companies are working on blockchain projects in the small nation state. Personal loans are shifting away from multinational banks to peer-to-peer lending driven by blockchain technology.
Blockchain technology could soon disrupt the comfortable, profitable world of Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook. Real estate is also seeing disruption from new technologies, 
including blockchain. Swiss blockchain startup Winding Tree is working with Lufthansa to shake up air travel. Tokyo Electric Power Company is using blockchain to manage its power assets more efficiently and effectively.
Cryptocurrency Roundup
Businesspundit.com tracks the 30 key developments in the history of cryptocurrency. Japan’s largest digital exchange, Bitflyer, launched a bitcoin Visa prepaid credit card. A Swiss cryptocurrency consortium is calling for more government regulation and transparency for the industry.
The South Korean government banned ICOs and plans to strengthen regulation of cryptocurrency. Russia’s Central Bank plans to shut down internet access to cryptocurrency exchanges, calling them “pyramid schemes.” Former JP Morgan trader Daniel Masters thinks Bitcoin is due for a strong breakout beginning soon.
Cointelegraph reports rumors that the Chinese government is investing in cryptocurrency despite banning ICOs and trading last month. BitLemon opened Mexico’s first physical Bitcoin exchange office. AtoZForex.com picked its Top 10 cryptocurrency Investments for 2017 and there are several surprises.
Blockchain business use rising fast
Competition Stiff Among Companies Using Blockchain to Disrupt Apps Market
A staggeringly huge market, with Google and Apple taking a 30%+ cut of the profits, is ripe for disruption. According to TechCrunch, the apps market is expected to reach $6.3 trillion by 2021. By the end of this year, there will have been a total of 268 billion apps downloaded, with revenue exceeding $77 billion. Via cointelegraph.com
50 Startups: Central Bank Director Touts Singapore as Blockchain Hub – CoinDesk
A senior official for Singapore’s de facto central bank says that as many as 50 startups in Singapore are working with blockchain. During a speech yesterday, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon said that dozens of new companies are focused on the tech – an ecosystem that is further supported by local research institutions, venture capitalists and major tech firms, he explained. Via coindesk.com
Need Personal Loans? Blockchain Is Here
Companies that offer personal loans (even enterprise-level banking institutions) charge exorbitant fees, and often require you to ‘sign in blood’ for the loan. In fact, much of the consumer credit market is held by just a few major banking institutions. Personal loans may soon shift away from commercial institutions toward peer-to-peer solutions. Via cointelegraph.com
How Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google Could Be Toppled by Blockchain
Much as many of us love Apple, Alphabet (né Google), Facebook and Amazon, we’re increasingly hearing politicians, activists and even tech veterans like investor Roger McNamee say those companies have turned into menacing monopolies. Such fear and loathing means all those Samson-like companies should tremble, because some new fringe technology is about to come at them with barber shears. Via newsweek.com
How Blockchain Technology Made It to Real Estate Business
Every now and then, we get reports of another old-fashioned industry embracing Blockchain and its innovations. Even though this parade is mostly led by IT-related industries, such as finance, social media or eSports, their more traditional peers seem to gain pace. The real estate industry has been gradually adopting the Blockchain over the years, mostly under the radar. Via cointelegraph.com
Lufthansa Partners Swiss Blockchain Startup to Decentralize Travel
Switzerland-based blockchain startup Winding Tree has announced that it is now working closely with the Lufthansa Group to bring the travel industry into the blockchain age. The developers say that this will result in a large number of new blockchain-based apps for travellers, who will be able to book Lufthansa flights via the offer that best suits their preferences. The startup says that to reinforce its confidence in the new technology, Lufthansa is participating in the ICO pre-sale. Via financemagnates.com
No More Nuclear: Japan’s Biggest Utility Turns to Blockchain in Power Pivot
Perhaps best known for the nuclear meltdown of its Fukushima Daiichi power plant in 2011, the largest energy utility in Japan is now looking to blockchain in an effort to prevent another catastrophe. As such, his latest work – a signed memorandum of understanding between TEPCO and Grid+ – is aimed at exploring how blockchain could power peer-to-peer transactions for alternative energy sources. Via coindesk.com
Publica to Use Ethereum Blockchain for New Publishing E-commerce Platform
Publica will work with Ethereum, standards bodies, and other authorities to extend the blockchain into publishing. The Ethereum blockchain plays three roles on the platform, supporting READ, RIGHTS, and PBL tokens. When a book is funded, whether by crowd pre-sales or institutions or by any other means, Publica will write the terms in smart contracts called Book ICO’s. READ tokens are one of the two keys in a public-key / private-key decryption system for reading a book’s digital editions. Via themerkle.com
Cryptocurrency markets and mainstream news
30 Major Developments in the History of Cryptocurrency
The first Bitcoin transaction, made between the cryptocurrency’s elusive creator Satoshi Nakamoto and cybersecurity veteran Hal Finney, came in January 2009. And this pivotal moment was the start of something big: in 2017, in fact, the number of Bitcoin transactions over a single day regularly exceeded 250,000. Moreover, the same year also saw the value of a single unit of the digital currency shoot to above $4,000, making one Bitcoin worth nearly three times as much as an ounce of gold. Via businesspundit.com
Japan’s Largest Bitcoin Exchange Bitflyer Launches Bitcoin Visa Prepaid Card
Japan’s largest bitcoin exchange by volume, Bitflyer, has launched its own reloadable Visa prepaid card. Customers can fund them using bitcoin through Bitflyer or other bitcoin wallets. The exchange is also giving away gifts to 1,000 customers during the launch period. Via news.bitcoin.com
Swiss Bitcoin Startups Call For Regulation and Transparency
According to Oliver Bussmann, the president of Crypto Valley, a Bitcoin trade group based in the Swiss city of Zug, the demand for Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market from casual traders and large-scale investors is increasing at an exponential rate, and in order to facilitate such rapid pace of growth, Bussmann stated that the Swiss government must introduce a practical regulatory framework for businesses, investors, and users. Via bitconnect.co
South Korea’s ICO Ban: A Reaction to “Serious Concerns” Over Cryptocurrency Investment Practices
After a meeting to discuss virtual currency control, the vice-chairman of financial affairs, Kim Yong-bum, made this comment as part of an official statement: “We expressed a serious concern that the recent inflow of funds into the non-productive speculative direction is showing up. The FSC will examine the customer information leakages caused by hacking, strengthen penalties for similar behavior to prevent money laundering, and open a joint inspections system with several other government entities to examine the current conditions of digital currency traders and exchanges. Via bitcoinmagazine.com
Breaking: Russia Rejects Cryptocurrency as Authorities Block Access to Exchanges
Russia’s central bank is leading efforts to shut Internet access to cryptocurrency exchange websites. “It’s obvious that when a pyramid (scheme) grows, interest in this pyramid hots up with the high rate of return,” first deputy of the central bank, Sergey Shvetsov, said during an international finance forum in Moscow. Echoing previous comments, Shvetsov added that the pyramid description is a result of “eyeing Bitcoin’s price dynamics over the past two years.” Via cointelegraph.com
No Fraud: Ex-JPMorgan Trader Masters Thinks Bitcoin Breakout Just Beginning
Of the many people to make the jump from Wall Street to cryptocurrency, few if any were as successful in their careers as Daniel Masters. Masters opened his first hedge fund in 1999, but in the mid-2010s – as commodities and other traditional asset prices became less volatile and in turn less profitable – he discovered and ultimately became engrossed in the rollercoaster world of cryptocurrency. In a new interview, Masters told CoinDesk he was also captivated by the promise of borderless, frictionless, digital money. Via coindesk.com
Signs Appear Suggesting Chinese Government May Have Entered Cryptocurrency Market
After Chinese government’s ban of ICOs last month, there are continuous rumors saying that Chinese government is preparing to enter the cryptocurrency market. However, no official announcement has been made to verify the rumor. Before Oct. 10 Beijing time, there was no substantial evidence backing up these rumors. Several hints show that Chinese Government might have entered the cryptocurrency market Via cointelegraph.com
First Physical Bitcoin Exchange Opens in Mexico
The exchange, called BitLemon SA business, but referred to by the company and its users as Bitlem, is the first physical Bitcoin Exchange in Mexico and marks a key transition (in terms of adoption) for the country at a time when – arguably – it’s very much-needed. Via bitconnect.co
Top 10 Cryptocurrency Investment Picks 2017
Is it still worth to invest in cryptocurrency market or stay away from it? There is a huge scope for investment in terms of returns in cryptomarket as it’s just the start. Here, I have selected the Top 10 Cryptocurrency Investment Picks 2017 which are least known, some of them are under a dollar but have huge potential to rise in future. Via atozforex.com
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