Play2Live Opens the Main Token Sale with Release of the MVP 2.0

Alexey Burdyko, CEO of Play2Live, opens the token sale event with a Q&A live stream on the updated P2L platform on February 21st, 17:00 UTC, answering product and sale related questions.

February 21st, Malta — Play2Live (P2L),the first full-blown blockchain-based streaming platform for gamers and esports fans, operating on BitShares 2.0, has released its MVP version 2.0 and opened the main token sale event which lasts until March 14th at 17:00 UTC.

The platform update includes a brand new design and a voting feature which allows to vote during show matches and tournaments using LUC Silver.

The platform has successfully completed the high-load testing, having already run the show matches and streams. It is ready to accept up to 200k viewers during The Play2Live CryptoMasters — the world’s first esport tournament in CS:GO with crypto prize pool. The tournament will be held on February 24-25, 2018 in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, where 8 international top teams will compete for the main prize $100,000 in LUC (Level Up Coin) tokens.

The tournament will be broadcasted by P2L worldwide in seven languages: English, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, and German.

Founded in 2017,Play2Live aims to merge blockchain technology with esports streaming services. Its mission is to create an ecosystem where every participant – the viewer, the streamer, and the esports tournament organizer – is part of a seamless system that favours interaction among viewers, and the diversity of monetization schemes. Essentially, everybody can be part of the peer-to-peer interaction, and everybody  –  even the viewer  –  is able to earn money. Play2live will have 15 sources of revenue, which is three times more compared to the streaming industry leaders.

Play2Live uses a token called Level Up Coin (LUC) which acts as a sole internal mean of payment within the system. It can be easily converted to other cryptocurrencies or to fiat money throughout a special gateway/API.

The token sale event begins on February 21st, 2018. Don’t miss the bonuses! For more information, visit thesite or follow Play2Live in various cryptocurrency-oriented media sources.

More about Play2Live

Website:https://play2live.io

MVP of the streaming platform:https://p2l.tv/

Bookbuilding platform:https://my.play2live.io

Whitepaper:https://goo.gl/ocmSTn

Onepager:https://goo.gl/8yMY4t

Twitter:https://twitter.com/play_2_live

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/play2live.io/

Telegram English:https://t.me/play2live

Telegram Russian: https://t.me/Play2Live_RusChat

Telegram Chinese: https://t.me/play2live_cn

Telegram Japanese: https://t.me/play2live_jp

Telegram Korean: https://t.me/play2live_ko

Bitcointalk ANN:http://ift.tt/2BwzuF8

Kakao group:https://open.kakao.com/o/gmdTRJF

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Bitcoin Regulation Is Not in the Cards Yet, Says White House Official

With recent developments on cryptocurrency trading regulations from countries such as South Korea, the cryptocurrency community is on edge for similar updates that might come from other markets.

One such region is the U.S., where cryptocurrency trading is gradually but noticeably gaining traction. Not only have relevant exchanges been obtaining momentum regarding growth, but other sectors within the country are also rife with talks of cryptocurrency based financial products, the last of which had been Bitcoin futures that are currently trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the CME Group.

Taking these facts into consideration, there had been speculation that the U.S. might take steps towards regulating Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies shortly, but those rumors have now been quashed by a high ranking White House official.

Bitcoin regulation is not happening anytime soon

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Rob Joyce, White House cybersecurity coordinator and special assistant to the president, mentioned that there is a need to thoroughly analyze and understand Bitcoin and its related cryptocurrencies before any regulations could be imposed upon them.

Elaborating on his statement, Joyce stated that the new financial instrument has its positive and negative uses, which need to be recognized before further steps could be taken.

“I think we’re still absolutely studying and understanding what the good ideas and bad ideas in that space are.” He mentioned, adding that he does not think that any regulations are going to be implemented shortly until these factors are clear.

However, while Joyce mentioned the use cases in both positive and negative connotations, he was quick to point out that the usage in the latter is more apparent due to the anonymity that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies offer to their users.

“We are worried. There are benefits to the bitcoin concept — digital cash, digital currencies,” he mentioned.

While referring to the risks that cryptocurrencies bring to the table as compared to a conventional currency that remains trackable, he said:

“But at the same time, if you look at the way bitcoin works after there is a criminal act that takes place, you can’t rewind the clock and take back that currency.”

Joyce’s concerns were on the same lines as those of regulatory authorities from the European Union (EU), which passed a set of regulations in December 2017 that mainly pertained to end anonymity from cryptocurrency transactions, citing that untraceable transactions help in facilitating criminal activities. Said regulations from the EU are set to go into effect by the end of this year, provided that their implementation goes smoothly in participating nations.

As per Joyce, however, before the U.S. could move forward with such steps, it would need to study cryptocurrencies some more to ensure that any regulatory steps are taken after careful consideration.

What does this mean?

While the statement does not say much, it does hint at the possibility of regulations – whenever they are implemented – to revolve around ending the anonymity which comes with using cryptocurrencies.

This would most certainly cause a problem for the proponents of the initial concept of cryptocurrencies, which was to break free of central banks’ regulations and authorization.

However, while following regulations very clearly goes against this concept, it would evolve cryptocurrencies into a financial asset with mainstream recognition.

It remains to be seen how the cryptocurrency community deals with the continuing talks on regulations, and whether choosing to go mainstream while complying with regulations seems more beneficial, or the option of staying under the radar while “fighting the power.”

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Bodog Billionaire Building $100 Million Bitcoin Cash Resort

Calvin Ayre, the mind behind one of the world’s most famous online gambling sites, Bodog, recently announced the development of a $100 million resort in Antigua and Barbuda – the sovereign state where he currently resides.

Starting construction later this year at the Valley Church Beach in Antigua, it was reported that the resort would be built using profits made from cryptocurrency investments.

Ayre is known as one of the strongest proponents of Bitcoin Cash – the Bitcoin fork that came into existence in August 2017 and has been controversial due to its claims of being better than Bitcoin and having a blockchain that is superior to other networks.

The claims made by Bitcoin Cash do not get to be met positively by Bitcoin supporters or from most of the other cryptocurrency enthusiasts, which in turn claim that Bitcoin Cash’s blockchain technicalities are not that impressive after all.

However, that controversy does not stop the likes of Ayre, who also announced that payments in Bitcoin Cash, as the resort’s choice cryptocurrency, will be encouraged through the resort and will not just be accepted online but at the resort’s point-of-sale terminals as well.

The announcement about the resort reads:

“Bitcoin Cash has been selected as the exclusive cryptocurrency of the Ayre Resorts because it is the only cryptocurrency that has low transaction fees and unrestrained scalability.” 

The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, spoke positively of the development and hoped that the resort would help increase tourism on the islands.

Browne stated:

“We expect the resort’s novel and exciting concept to broaden Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism product and bring a new category of tourists to our islands.”

Whereas, speaking about the venture, Ayres spoke along the same lines and stated that he hopes the resort will enhance tourism within the region.

He said:

“In my discussions with Government about the project we agreed that the new resort was very much in keeping with the government’s strategy for further upscale tourism development. This resort will attract a totally new market segment of tourism on the island – successful wellness seekers who also want to have fun.”

About Ayre and his association with bitcoin cash

A resident of Canada, Ayre started Bodog, his online gambling company, in 1994. It met with unprecedented success in the years that followed, and also delved into accepting bets from U.S. territories which landed both Ayre and Bodog into legal trouble.

However, after more than 5 years of evading the charges against himself, Ayre finally pleaded guilty through phone without ever facing the charges on U.S. soil, paying a $500,000 fine and also letting go of any claims against the collective amount of $66 million that was mostly acquired from online gamblers in U.S. and which was seized by the authorities during the investigation.

Ayre currently resides in Antigua and Barbuda, where he was given the honorary title of “His Excellency” and also serves as the Special Economic Envoy for the government.

Through his investments in Bitcoin, Ayre made a name for himself in the cryptocurrency industry by the profits that he made from it and then started propagating Bitcoin Cash once the fork was launched.

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eToro Adds NEO to Its List of Cryptocurrencies

In today’s day and age of fast-paced cryptocurrency trading, any update that makes life easier for the everyday user and trader is welcomed.

That is why, the recent announcement by eToro about adding NEO to its list of traded cryptocurrencies was met with positive response, where both market segments – users of the app and holders of the cryptocurrency – appreciated the move.

Often called the direct counterpart to Ethereum due to its facilities of providing smart contracts, enabling new tokens and offering decentralized apps, NEO has seen an unprecedented rise in the last year, establishing its status as a consistent name on the list of the top 10 cryptocurrencies regarding the market cap.

Therefore, it was not a huge surprise when NEO was considered for trading at eToro, the world’s largest social trading platform that currently holds more than 9 million users and facilitates direct peer-to-peer trading, avoiding the need for third parties wherever possible.

It was mentioned by eToro that NEO has a “limited daily investment amount” available on the platform, which means that only a set amount of NEO can be transacted through the platform each day. Once that amount is reached, NEO stops trading for the day and is available the next day when its limit replenishes.

This is done to test the demand for NEO and to check if it would need more resources by eToro shortly to be managed effectively, while also ensuring that the company’s service level for high demand cryptocurrencies does not get affected.

In further updates on NEO, eToro mentioned that the cryptocurrency would also be added to its Crypto CopyFund program that works on a contract for difference (CFD) mechanism, which helps its users to trade between available cryptocurrencies easily.

eToro looks forward to adding more cryptocurrencies

NEO is the second cryptocurrency to be added to eToro just this month, as the company had announced a few days ago that it has added Stellar to its platform.

Speaking about these developments, eToro’s co-founder and current CEO, Yoni Assia, mentioned that last year was evidence of how new cryptocurrencies are receiving positive reactions from new and old investors alike. Considering these developments, it was only prudent to start focusing on new cryptocurrencies to add to eToro and enhance its current offering. The eToro platform already has a current offering of a variety of coins that contains established names such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dash.

Assia mentioned:

“Already in 2018 we’ve seen attention shift away from mainstream cryptocurrencies and the market share of altcoins is increasing all the time. In our view, this trend is only set to continue.”

He further mentioned that new cryptocurrencies would keep getting added to eToro, and the company hopes that by maintaining a diverse portfolio, it will be able to keep its users up to date with the evolving market trends and products.

He stated:

“We are constantly seeking to identify and assess new concepts as they emerge and we are committed to bringing the best crypto assets onto our platform for our users to invest in.”

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Po.et Adds Washington Post Executive to Grow Further

Blockchain might have made its way to the global stage by serving as the backend technology for Bitcoin, but it has since evolved past its primary use case and has been adopted by various market segments to revolutionize the functions of multiple industries.

Po.et 

One of the most recent ventures to use blockchain in a non-conventional capacity is Po.et, a platform that focuses on establishing ownership and verifiability of created content.

By the usage of the distributed ledger technology (DLT), Po.et aims to ensure that it uses the transparency, security, and efficiency of blockchain to establish a revolutionary yet evident way of identifying the ownership of created content, as well as eradicating plagiarism and false claims over someone else’s intellectual property.

It will also provide licensing services to act as a liaison platform between publishers, creators and any pertinent parties that are integral to the progress on a case to case basis.

The concept has been received positively through the content and blockchain community since both of them believe that it has the potential to redefine the functions of how the content industry works in today’s day and age. There is a strong belief on how important it is for a creator to protect their intellectual property.

Adding a top-level Washington Post Exec

Building upon the viability of the concept, Po.et has now added credibility to its name by nabbing a top level exec from the Washington Post to have its foundation spearheaded by an experienced individual who could establish the brand’s authority and have it known in the publishing sector as a respectable entity.

Po.et recently announced that Jarrod Dicker, who previously served as the vice president for innovation and commercial strategy at Washington Post, will be joining the Po.et Foundation as its chief executive officer.

Besides serving at Washington Post, Dicker had previously worked at Times Inc. and Huffington Post, where he developed programs to help the companies’ ad-based and technological initiatives and helmed great success in return.

As Po.et’s CEO, Dicker is going to head the organization’s operations and will focus on strategy and product development to leverage from his previous, successful experience in those segments.

He will also manage “Frost” for the company, which is an API that was recently launched to facilitate publishers and other parties for adopting Po.et’s verification and content management services easily.

Through the API, Po.et aims to increase the adoption of its services so it can eventually become the primary content management, licensing and verification platform for the industry.

Announcing the move through his blog post, Dicker mentioned that Po.et’s offerings would work towards redefining the processes involved with content development and management, which will provide all stakeholders an experience that is full of freedom.

Dicker wrote:

“The path Po.et is taking toward digital artistic independence can free not only content creators but media companies, brands and marketers from servitude to particular platforms, publishers and revenue models.”

He mentioned:

“Blockchain technology and the Po.et platform sanction a new network effect to not be ‘owned’ by a single entity but maintained by the collective owners of the content itself.” 

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Switzerland Becomes First Ever Country to Roll out Specific Guidelines for ICOs

It was initially reported that Gibraltar could be the first ever country to introduce specific rules for initial coin offerings (ICOs); however, in one swift move, it very recently got surpassed by Switzerland.

Unlike Gibraltar, Switzerland did not just announce its plans but went ahead to roll out its actual guidelines on ICOs.

In an announcement made through its site, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) published guidelines which pertained to the fundraising mechanism that became one of the most famous phenomena of 2017.

The guidelines, which work in addition to FINMA’s Guidance 04/2017, provide details to ICO executors on how an ICO should be initiated, managed and concluded in order to ensure complete transparency and effective handling of funds, as well as the deliverance of products and services promised to stakeholders.

The guidelines are detailed and helpful

Some key points from the guidelines allude towards the thoroughness with which FINMA has studied the functions of ICOs.

For instance, FINMA explains that not all ICOs can be judged under the same perspective, as the tokens that are distributed through the ICOs are not the same. It elaborates by mentioning how “payment tokens” are cryptocurrencies but “utility tokens” provide access to the ICO’s intended platform, while “asset tokens” signify the representation of real-world physical assets or revenue streams.

Building upon this classification of tokens, FINMA elaborates that ICOs could be identified under these labels as well, such as “payment ICOs,” “utility ICOS,” and “asset ICOs.”

It then describes that due to these different types of tokens and ICOs, each ICO needs to be treated with an approach that is designed for it, but the overall guidelines provide enough information for any executor to ensure that they are meeting some of the most important requirements.

However, it does not turn a blind eye to the fact that there would be ICOs which have tokens performing more than one function. For instance, a “payment token” could also serve as an “asset token.”

In those instances, FINMA assures the executors that if they have any questions for these “hybrid” ICOs, then FINMA personnel can look into their case and elaborate the guidelines on a case to case basis.

The guidelines take a comprehensive approach towards anti-money laundering and securities regulations, highlighting their importance towards ICOs and how several ICOs could very well fall under different acts about these requirements, for which they will need to be studied effectively.

FINMA also mentioned that the guidelines are put in place for the protection of investors, and are very important to follow because, under the country’s current civil law, it is uncertain whether a blockchain contract or agreement – which ICOs go by – is legally binding.

However, that did not stop FINMA from commending the effectiveness of blockchain technology, with its CEO, Mark Branson mentioning that it has “innovative potential within and far beyond the financial markets.”

This will go a long way in helping other regulatory authorities

Since this is the first of its kind move by a major financial regulatory authority, it will help authorities from other jurisdictions in developing their own guidelines of this sort especially because these guidelines address specific issues identified in ICOs, and with the regulator, FINMA, offering its help to explain them further to those who are in need of it.

If this approach gets to be successful in Switzerland, then this most certainly can influence other countries’ methodologies towards ICOs as well.

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The Prime Minister of India Comments on Blockchain

While global views remain largely divided when it comes to cryptocurrencies, it seems that almost everyone agrees upon the effectiveness of blockchain technology and how it could help redefine the world as we know it.

Contributing to this pattern, the latest name to join the proponents of blockchain technology is of Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, who did not only identify the technology as a positive advancement but also encouraged its adoption in various sectors within the country.

Blockchain will have a profound impact on our way of life

While speaking at the World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT), Modi expressed his views on blockchain technology along with the Internet of Things.

He stated:

“Disruptive technologies such as Block-chain [sic] and the Internet of Things, will have a profound impact in the way we live and work. They will require rapid adaptation in our workplaces.”

Modi’s action of sharing these views during the WCIT was received positively by the IT industry, since blockchain has lately established its various use cases across multiple industries, and is currently being adopted by global organizations left, right, and center.

While the Indian government has not made any significant new announcements regarding using blockchain technology with this statement, rumors within the local industry suggest that it might do so shortly.

In any case, these positive comments at the WCIT hold great importance, as it is an event that holds participants from over 80 countries and includes sponsors from the likes of Google, IBM, and Cisco.

Blockchain is already being pursued through various initiatives

While Modi’s statement represented the government’s stance which may or may not translate into tangible efforts in the near future, the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), a private non-profit organization comprised of institutions from the IT industry, also one of the hosts of WCIT, had previously announced its own plans of working towards the establishment of blockchain technology usage within the country.

Last year, NASSCOM had announced the formation of a Service Interest Group (SIG) focusing on blockchain technology, which focuses on educating the general public about blockchain, and also works for the study and analysis for real-world use cases, especially in the Indian market.

In addition to the above, multiple institutions from the government of India have previously announced various initiatives that are aimed towards the advancement of blockchain technology, including its central bank’s efforts for developing a finance-based blockchain platform, which very recently was close to deployment to be used for multiple applications in the sector.

The comments and recent advancements hold great value for blockchain’s future

The IT community in India has long established itself as having one of the most prominent segments of the global IT movement, which is why the recent statement from the country’s prime minister holds great promise for the technology’s advancement.

While the future of cryptocurrency regulations remains unclear in the country, it would be safe to say that blockchain’s future is pretty clear: it will be thriving within India with various companies adapting it to fit the workings of the local market.

All in all, it will be very interesting to see the use cases developed from such initiatives, since India holds a diverse population from various walks of life when it comes to business solutions, and each of them could have significant suggestions for the usage of blockchain technology.

It would be exciting to witness how the involvement of India within the blockchain industry could revolutionize it further.

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