The global exchange and third-party broker is home to some of the largest trading volumes in the space, alongside a fee-structure that should suit most budgets.

In this guide, we review the ins and outs of KuCoin. This includes an in-depth look at the platform’s supported coins, fiat currency facilities, fees and commissions, safety, customer support, and trading arena.

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What is KuCoin?

Launched as recently as 2017, KuCoin is a cryptocurrency exchange that also offers third-party brokerage services. Although the platform has just three years of trading history, it is now one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the space.

One of the main reasons for this is that you will find over 200 coins with about 450 cryptocurrency pairs hosted at the exchange. Not only does this include major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, but heaps of crypto-cross pairs. Best of all, if you have an appetite to trade a less liquid ERC-20 token, chances are you will find it at KuCoin.

KuCoin was initially a cryptocurrency-only platform, meaning that you could not deposit funds with fiat currency. However, the platform has since formed a partnership with Simplex – a European payment provider that bridges the gap between cryptocurrencies and everyday money.

When it comes to cryptocurrency trading fees, KuCoin charges just 0.10%. This puts it on par with the likes of Binance. Similarly, KuCoin is also behind its own digital token – KuCoin Shares (KCS). By owning and storing KCS tokens, you will benefit from discounted trading fees, as well as an entitlement to a share of the trading commissions that KuCoin collects.

In terms of the numbers, KuCoin claims to have facilitated more than 650 million individual trades since its inception in 2017. This translates to more than $71 billion in accumulated trading volumes.

Finally – and as we cover in more detail further down, KuCoin is not regulated by a national licensing body. Although this means that you will be able to trade cryptocurrencies without supplying any ID, this won’t be the case if you wish to buy digital coins with a debit/credit card through Simplex.

What can you Trade at KuCoin?

KuCoin offers a vast range of financial instruments that goes above and beyond just crypto-to-crypto pairs. On the contrary, the platform also offers cryptocurrency indexes, margin trading, and even futures.

Let’s explore each asset class in more detail.

Crypto-to-Crypto Pairs

Each and every trading pair at KuCoin falls within the remit of crypto-to-crypto, not least because it does not offer any fiat-denominated instruments. Instead, you will need to trade your chosen cryptocurrency against the USDT if you want access to the crypto-to-USD space.

If you’re a seasoned cryptocurrency trader then you will know first hand that this is industry standard anyway, so you’ll have no issues with trading volumes or liquidity.

Outside of USDT, you can trade crypto-cross pairs. Examples of this include BTC/ETH, ETH/XRP, and BSC/BTC. Ultimately, listing each and every trading digital currency is beyond the remit of this review, albeit, rest assured that the platform hosts more than 450 pairs.

Crucially, KuCoin is often one of the very first exchanges that newly launched cryptocurrency token projects opt for. As such, support for less liquid digital tokens is something that the team at KuCoin actively look to facilitate.

For a full breakdown of each and every pair that KuCoin hosts, you can find this information here at CoinMarketCap.

KuCoin Indexes

On top of traditional crypto-cross pairs, KuCoin also offers a number of indexes. The concept here is that KuCoin will take the weighted average of a specific cryptocurrency across several leading exchanges.

This is with the view of offering a more accurate price of the coin in question, as it takes into account the variations that you often find between competing platforms.

KuCoin indexes are available across:

• Bitcoin
• Ethereum
• Ripple
• Litecoin

The cryptocurrency exchanges that KuCoin derives its pricing activity from are:

• Coinbase
• Bitstamp
• Kraken
• Gemini
• Bittrex
• Liquid

The price of each index is denominated in USD, but settled in the respective cryptocurrency.

KuCoin Futures

Launched in mid-2019, the KuCoin Mercantile Exchange allows you to trade Bitcoin futures. KuCoin itself notes that it is looking to challenge the likes of BitMEX in this particular area of the cryptocurrency derivative space. As a result, you will have access to Bitcoin futures alongside a substantial margin position of up to 100x.

In simple terms, this means that a $100 account balance would permit a maximum trade value of $10,000. When it comes to the underlying spot price, KuCoin once again takes the weighted average from various leading exchanges – such as Kraken, Coinbase Pro, and Bitstamp.

At the time of writing, KuCoin only supports BTC and ETH futures, although it hopes to add further digital currencies in the near future. When it comes to fees, expect to pay 0.060% as a market taker, and 0.020% as a maker. There are also settlement fees of 0.025%.

Trading Fees and Commissions

First and foremost, there are no fees associated with cryptocurrency deposits, and withdrawals are charged at the standard mining rate as per the coin you are looking to cash out.

When it comes to trading fees outside of the futures arena, you will pay 0.1%. This means that a $10,000 trade would cost you $10 in fees. As we briefly mentioned earlier, this sits in-line with fellow exchange counterpart Binance.

KuCoin Shares (KCS)

KuCoin Shares – or simply KCS, is a proprietary cryptocurrency token created by the exchange. By owning and holding KCS tokens you will be accustomed to a number of benefits.

This includes:

Discounted Trading Fees

One of the most notable benefits of holding KuCoin Shares is that you will get discounted trading fees. Crucially, while a standard fee of 0.1% is industry-leading, you stand the potential to reduce this by an additional 20%. What you need to do is to simply turn on the KCS Pay Fee button and enjoy the discount.

Dividends

On top of reducing your trading commissions, holding an allocation of KuCoin Shares affords you the opportunity to earn dividends. In a nutshell, KuCoin as a platform will distribute 50% of the trading commissions that it collects from members each and every day.

This is then distributed proportionately across all holders of KuCoin Shares. For example, let’s suppose that you hold 1% of the entire KCS supply. If the platform pays out $250,000 in commissions, you would receive $2,500. You need to hold at least 6 KCS to benefit from the dividends.

Price History and Buying KuCoin Shares

To say the value of KuCoin Shares has capitulated since its all-time highs of January 2018 would be an understatement. At a peak of over $20 each, you can now obtain the very same tokens for less than $1 in mid-2020.

Nevertheless, if you do want to get your hands on KuCoin Shares you can do this by exchanging them at the platform for an alternative cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Fiat Currency Facilities at KuCoin

As the end of 2018, KuCoin has since formed a partnership with European-based payment provider Simplex. The partnership ensures that users from over 100 countries can now deposit real-world funds with a debit or credit card.

This is ideal if you are looking to trade cryptocurrencies, futures at KuCoin but you do not have any digital currencies available to you. Instead, you can simply enter your debit/credit card details and get cash directly into the platform.

With that being said, it is important to note that the fees associated with this are not cheap. Although the occasional promotion is offered on deposit fees, this will cost you a whopping 2.5 – 3.5% (with a $10 minimum).

This means that a $1000 debit/credit card deposit would cost you $25 in fees. It is noticed that this is slightly cheaper than the likes of Coinbase, which charges 3.99% (with various minimums in place).

Also, KuCoin is developing an OTC Trading Desk, on which all users could buy and sell major coins like BTC, USDT, PAX without any fee. The OTC platform currently supports USD, CAD, CNY, IDR and VND.

Trading Platforms

KuCoin offers a proprietary trading platform that was built from the ground-up. There is no requirement to download or install any software to your desktop device, as the KuCoin trading arena can be accessed through your standard web browser. The platform is potentially suited to both newbie investors and seasoned traders.

The reason we say this is that while the platform is super-clean and easy to navigate through, there are heaps of advanced tools available at your disposal. In fact, you have the ability to fully customize your KuCoin trading screen however you see fit.

When it comes to trading volumes and the availability of liquidity, you should have no concerns at all when trading more popular pairs. You might, however, find that volumes are low on less liquid pairs – especially those involving ERC-20 tokens.

Mobile Trading

If you have a tendency to buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrencies on the move, then you might be interested in the KuCoin mobile trading app.

The application is available to download on iOS and Android devices. You will have access to most account features on the app, such as placing orders, checking the value of your portfolio, and depositing and withdrawing funds.

How Long do Withdrawals Take at KuCoin?

In the vast majority of cases, KuCoin will process your withdrawals within 30 minutes of receiving the request. The platform notes that this is automated, and that manual authorization is only required if the size of your deposit is larger than 100,000 times that of the handling fee (mining fee).

Once the funds leave KuCoin, they will be transferred to the cryptocurrency wallet address of your choosing. Make sure that the address is valid, as there is nothing that KuCoin can do if you make an error!

Earn Interest at KuCoin

An additional feature available at KuCoin is that of its lending program. In its most basic form, you stand the chance of earning interest on your digital currency holdings by loaning it out. The main concept is that the tokens will be used to help fund margin accounts.

For example, let’s suppose that a KuCoin trader decides to apply leverage of 10x on an order. For each day that the position is kept open overnight, the trader would need to pay interest. This is because they are trading with more than they have in their account and thus – this comes at a cost.

With that said, KuCoin has opened its doors to everyday investors by giving you the opportunity to fund margin positions. This is available on several coins – including USDT, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, EOS, and many more.

In terms of the specific interest rate, this will vary from coin to coin. As an example, by lending out Bitcoin for 28 days, you could be earning an annualized interest rate of 4.83%.

If this is something that you are interested in exploring, KuCoin offers a profit estimation calculator. You simply need to specify how much you are willing to lend out, on what digital currency, and for what length of time – and the calculator will advise you how much you can earn.

It is important to remember that although the rates of interest on offer are super-competitive, you must consider the risks associated with this. After all, KuCoin is not a regulated cryptocurrency exchange so you must factor this into your risk vs reward model.

Is KuCoin Safe?

As is the case with all cryptocurrency exchanges, it is crucial that you are able to ascertain whether or not KuCoin is safe. Not only does this include the platform’s regulatory standing, but its internal and external security practices, too.

Let’s break these metrics down in more detail.

Regulation

In a nutshell, KuCoin is not regulated by any national licensing bodies. This isn’t a major surprise in the cryptocurrency exchange arena, as lots of platforms choose to operate without a license. Whether or not you feel comfortable trading at an unregulated exchange depends on what side of the fence you sit on.

For example, if you are the type of trader that prefers to buy and sell cryptocurrency pairs in an anonymous nature, then there is every chance that a platform like KuCoin is suitable for your needs. At the other end of the spectrum, if you are the type of trader that demands a regulatory safeguard of some sort, then KuCoin might not suffice.

KYC

As noted above, KuCoin is not required to ask you for any personal information – nor will they demand sensitive identity documents. However, the one exception to this rule is if you plan to deposit funds with a debit or credit card through the Simplex integration.

In fact, in order to remain compliant with all relevant laws surrounding anti-money laundering, you will need to upload a copy of your government-issued ID (passport or driver’s license). This is just the nature of the game when using fiat currency at a crypto-exchange.

KuCoin Security Practices

In terms of internal security practices, KuCoin claims to run institutional-grade systems that ensures it keeps crime away from the platform. This is fully supported by a commitment to cold storage.

Although the exact percentage is not specified by KuCoin, it is claimed that the vast bulk of client funds are held offline. The remainder is kept in hot wallets to ensure the platform is able to meet its offering of near-instant and automated withdrawals.

To date, there have been no publications of KuCoin encountering a major hack of any sort, which is an excellent sign. With that said, you always need to ensure you understand the risks of a potential external hack, as your funds are being stored in wallets that you do not personally control.

Also, it is worth noting that in April 2020, KuCoin completed a strategic cooperation with Onchain Custodian, Singapore’s crypto asset custody platform. Onchain Custodian will offer custody service for the safekeeping of KuCoin crypto assets. The custodial funds will be backed by Lockton, the world’s largest private insurance brokerage company. This is believed to further enhance the exchange’s security level.

2FA

Best of all, KuCoin allows you to install two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account. This means that a unique code will be sent to your mobile device whenever you wish to perform key account functions. This includes logging into your account and making a withdrawal request.

KuCoin Customer Support

When it comes to customer service, the team at KuCoin provides an around the clock support team that operates 24 hours per day – 7 days per week. You can send the team an email, albeit, if you need instant one-on-one support you are best advised to use the live chat facility.

Sentiment on this is somewhat mixed in the public domain. With some users reporting connection times in the seconds, others have noted that waiting times are beyond acceptable. With that said, it all depends on how busy the team is at the time of the request. There is no telephone support service offered.

How to get Started at KuCoin

Like the sound of KuCoin and think the platform is suitable for your long-term trading needs? If so, we are now going to show you what you need to do to get started with a trading account today.

Step 1: Open an Account

To get the ball rolling, head over to the KuCoin homepage and click on the ‘Sign Up’ button at the top of the screen. You will then be prompted to enter your email address and to choose a strong password.

You will need to verify your email address before linking up 2FA via your mobile phone. At this stage of the registration process, you will not be asked for any personal information.

Step 2: Deposit Funds

Once you have opened your KuCoin account you will then be promoted to deposit some funds. In this respect, you have two options. If you already possess a digital token, you can deposit this straight into KuCoin.

Simply head over to the deposit page and search for the respective coin. Then, click on the deposit tab to reveal your unique wallet address for that specific cryptocurrency.

Copy the address to your clipboard, head over to your private wallet, specify the number of coins you wish to deposit, and confirm the transaction.

Depending on the cryptocurrency you are depositing, it typically takes around 10-20 minutes for the funds to be credited into your KuCoin account.

Fiat Currency Deposit

If you do not have access to a digital currency, you will need to deposit funds with your debit or credit card. Hover over the ‘Buy Crypto’ button and then click on ‘Buy with Credit Card’.

Follow the step-by-step instructions that are presented to you on screen. Crucially, you will be asked to verify your identity before you are able to use your debit/credit card. The end-to-end process is taken care of by Simplex.

Step 3: Start Trading

As soon as your KuCoin account has been funded, you are ready to start trading. The specific trading arena that you need will depend on the type of financial instrument you are looking to access. This is because KuCoin separates its cryptocurrency exchange and future derivative platforms.

KuCoin Review: The Verdict?

In summary, it is clear to see why KuCoin is now one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges in the space. Not only does it give you access to over 450 cryptocurrency pairs, but you can also trade crypto-specific indexes and Bitcoin futures.

Moreover, standard trading fees amount to just 0.1%, which you can reduce by an additional 20% by paying fee with KuCoin Shares. We also like the fact that you can now deposit funds with a debit or credit card, albeit, you will need to bypass a KYC process first.

The main gripe that we have with KuCoin is that it is not a regulated entity. While this does mean that you can trade crypto-to-crypto pairs anonymously, your funds are never 100% safe.

On the flip side, reports about a KuCoin hack are yet to surface since its inception in 2017 – which is an excellent sign.

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The post KuCoin Review: Cryptocurrency Exchange With Margin, Futures & Earning Options appeared first on Blockonomi.

Wrong!

On the contrary – while the specific tax treatment of cryptocurrency trading will vary from jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction, a significant number of tax authorities now require you to include cryptocurrency capital gains within your tax return.

As such, it is absolutely fundamental that you get your cryptocurrency taxes in order – otherwise, you could be getting a rather demanding letter from your local tax authority. Ultimately, tax evasion is a serious crime regardless of where you are based, which is why it might be worth considering an automated cryptocurrency tax platform like BearTax.

The platform allows you to track all of your cryptocurrency trades in an autonomous manner, meaning the underlying software will provide a breakdown of your profits and losses – and crucially – how much you owe to the taxman.

Fancy finding out whether or not the crypto-centric software provider is right for you? If so, be sure to read our in-depth BearTax Review.

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What is BearTax?

In a nutshell, BearTax is an online platform that offers cryptocurrency portfolio tracking services – with the view of ascertaining your overall profits and losses.

In doing so, this makes it a seamless process when it comes to filing your annual tax returns. BearTax does this through an innovative API-based algorithm that links up with your chosen cryptocurrency exchanges. This includes the likes of Binance, Gemini, KuCoin, Coinbase – and many others.

The overarching selling point of BearTax is that it makes the impossible possible. By this, we mean it not only solves the woes of attempting to calculate your cryptocurrency capital gains in dollars and cents, but it also allows you to assess what taxes you are likely to owe.

Without utilizing a software platform to do this for you, endless hours of manual work would be required.

Rarely do exchanges give you a full breakdown of how much you’ve made or lost in fiat currency – which is what tax authorities like the IRS are interested in. These issues are further amplified if you’re a day trader, or an investor utilizing automated high-frequency software. As such, the only way around this is to perform a highly manual and cumbersome calculation process.

Once the financial year has concluded – and you’ve got all of your cryptocurrency profits and losses merged into a single portal – BearTax then allows you to download your tax documents automatically.

Alternatively – if you need to include your cryptocurrency gains with other areas of tax (such as property tax or income tax), the platform allows you to link your data with third-party software programs like TurboTax.

How Does BearTax Work?

The process of using BearTax for your cryptocurrency tax needs is super-easy. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to do.

Step 1: Create an Account

To get the ball rolling, you’ll need to head over to the BearTax homepage and create an account. This will require you to enter some personal information, as well as choose a username and password.

Step 2: Connect Cryptocurrency Exchanges

Once you’ve got your account set-up, you will be required to connect your cryptocurrency exchange accounts with BearTax. This is a fairly straightforward process, although the specifics can vary from exchange-to-exchange.

Moreover, you’ll have the option of allowing BearTax to track your trades automatically, or you can upload the required data as and when you choose to.

If opting for the former, you will need to link your cryptocurrency exchange API with BearTax. You’ll typically find this within your exchange account settings. Once you’ve found it, copy the long string of characters and then paste them into BearTax.

If opting for the manual process, or your chosen exchange does not support API integration, you will need to upload a CSV document into BearTax. You’ll get this by downloading it from your cryptocurrency exchange.

Step 3: Assess Your Profits and Losses

Whether you decide to do this on a regular basis – or only when tax time comes around, BearTax allows you to calculate your overall profits and losses for a pre-defined period.

It will then provide the required information for you to file your taxes with your respective authority.

What Exchanges is BearTax Compatible With?

In effect, BearTax is compatible with every cryptocurrency exchange in the market. However, the specific reporting method will depend on the exchange you are using. In terms of utilizing the API link-up or CVS upload, this is supported by more than 50 exchange platforms.

This includes all of the “big-boys”, such as Binance, Coinbase, Bittrex, Gemini, Poloniex, Bitstamp, and Kucoin. This also includes less liquid exchanges like Lykke, Coinspot, and IDEX.

If your chosen exchange(s) is not covered, BearTax offers a workaround. This centres on a generic CSV template that allows you to add in your trades manually. Once you do, BearTax will then perform the required calculations. However, this option is extremely time-consuming, so it’s best to stick with one of the 50+ exchanges supported by BearTax.

What Much Does BearTax Cost?

BearTax is a paid-for service, which consists of four different pricing plans. Before we provide a breakdown of what you get for your respective plan, it is important to note that you are not required to pay upfront.

Instead, once you have imported all of your transactions, you will get to choose a plan and make payment based on the extensiveness of your trades.

For example, if you only performed 15 trades throughout the financial year, then you would only need the basic plan – which costs just $1 per year.

Basic Plan – $1 Per Year

The basic plan – which costs a measly $1 per year, allows you to track and calculate up to 20 transactions – which you can do across an unlimited number of exchanges. In fact, all four of the plans offered by BearTax allow you to track an unlimited number of cryptocurrency exchanges, which is great.

Intermediate Plan – $30 Per Year

The intermediate plan increases your annual allowance to 200 transactions per year. Moreover, you’ll also have access to email support – which the basic plan doesn’t allow.

Expert Plan – $100 Per Year

At $100 per year, the expert plan permits up to 1,000 transactions per year. Moreover, support is offered via live chat in real-time, as opposed to having to wait for an email reply.

The expert plan also allows you to merge multiple accounts at the same exchange (for example if you have two accounts at BitMEX for the purpose of automated trading – which is perfectly fine).

Professional Plan – $200 Per Year

The most expensive package offered by BearTax is that of its $200 per year professional plan. You will have the capacity to track up to 10,000 transactions per year, and you’ll also get priority chat support on a 24/7 basis.

The professional plan also allows you to connect your files with your chosen accountant, as well as import custom files.

Which Countries Does BearTax Support?

At the time of writing, BearTax only supports tax returns being reported in the following jurisdictions:

• Australia
• Canada
• India
• United States

The team at BearTax is looking to add more countries in the near future – with Japan in the pipeline for 2020.

Important Features Offered by TaxBear

Here’s a breakdown of some of the main features offered by BearTax:

FIFO and LIFO Calculations

Regardless of the specific tax category, it is important that you keep your FIFO (First in First Out) and LIFO (Last in First Out) calculations consistent.

Failure to do so can lead to sanctions from your respective tax authority. As such, BearTax allows you to choose whether you want to opt for FIFO or LIFO, and then implement this on all future calculations.

Form 8949

If you’re based in the US and you’ve previously completed a tax return – then you’ll know the importance of Form 8949. For those unaware, this is the form used to report annual capital gains and losses. The good news is that BearTax allows you to download your Form 8949 with all of the required information.

This effectively removes hours of manual work that would have otherwise been required. Furthermore, BearTax then allows you to automatically forward the form onto your accountant.

Audits

Did you know that most tax authorities around the world have the legal remit to audit your accounts years after they have been submitted? The IRS, for example, quotes a post-submission audit period of three years, albeit, it can go even further if it feels it is justified.

BearTax allows you to provide a full breakdown of any information that your respective tax agency requires. For example, if a specific transaction is being queried, you can simply log in to your BearTax account and view it in seconds.

Export to Account Software

BearTax also allows you to export your cryptocurrency tax obligations to external software programs. This includes the likes of TurboTax and TaxAct.

This is likely to be highly beneficial if your tax return includes other areas of your financial life – such as income tax, property tax, or capital gains made in other asset classes like stocks.

Purchase and Sale Price

When the BearTax system undergoes the process of calculating your profits and losses, it looks at a number of key variables. This includes the amount that you paid for the coin at the time of the purchase, as well as the amount received when you sold it.

Moreover, the TaxBear calculation also looks at whether the transaction is a short-term trade (less than 12 months) or a long-term trade (12 months or more). This is something that can impact the amount you owe, so it’s notable that TaxBear has you covered.

Do I Need to Pay Taxes on Cryptocurrency Profits? If so, how Much?

First and foremost, it is important to note that you should always seek professional advice from a qualified tax specialist – especially when it comes to a complex battleground like cryptocurrencies. With that said, those of you based in the US will all-but certainly need to pay taxes on your cryptocurrency gains in the following circumstances:

• You sell cryptocurrencies that were acquired through mining
• You sell cryptocurrencies that purchased from a third-party
• You use cryptocurrencies to initiate a transaction, of which the cryptocurrencies were acquired through mining
• You use cryptocurrencies to initiate a transaction, of which the cryptocurrencies were purchased from a third-party

As you can see from the above guidelines provided by Investopedia – you might be required to pay taxes even when your cryptocurrencies were used to purchase goods and services. This makes it extremely difficult to know how much you owe.

Crucially, this isn’t something that BearTax can help with – not least because it focuses exclusively on cryptocurrency profits and losses made through trading.

In terms of the specific rates, this will depend on a number of variables. For example, if the transaction was based on a purchase and sale that both occurred within a 12-month period, you’ll need to revert to short-term capital gains taxes. On the contrary, if the cryptocurrency trade was held over a period of 12 months or more, it will fall within the long-term capital gains bracket.

BearTax Review: The Verdict?

In summary, BearTax allows you to remove the highly cumbersome task of calculating your cryptocurrency profits and losses. In doing so, you will then have the capacity to report your annual gains in a seamless process.

All you are required to do is link your cryptocurrency exchanges with BearTax via a simple API, or alternatively, upload your CSV file directly into the platform. Either way, you’ll get a full breakdown of how much you will need to pay, subsequently saving you hours of manual work.

Even if you were to sign up to the professional plan – which is only required if you find yourself opening and closing up to 10,000 trades annually, BearTax will only set you back $200 per year. This could be the difference between you getting your cryptocurrency tax returns submitted correctly – or instead, receiving a demanding letter from your local tax authority.

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The post BearTax Review: Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Tax Software With Automated Calculations appeared first on Blockonomi.

With that said, seasoned traders will often make use of several exchanges to access specific markets and pairs, or take advantage of arbitrage opportunities. Moving from exchange to exchange can, however, be both cumbersome and time-consuming.

With that in mind, Bitsgap makes it possible for you to connect all your exchanges in one place. This comes with a plethora of plus-points – such as being able to execute arbitrage strategies with ease and deploy advanced bots to trade simultaneously across multiple platforms.

As such, Bitsgap has evolved to accommodate the many needs and expectations of cryptocurrency traders.

In this Bitsgap review, we explore everything there is to know about the cross-exchange services offered by the provider.

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Bitsgap at a Glance

Bitsgap is advertised as a new way to trade across multiple exchanges, by finding the best rates and effectively managing your portfolio. The platform allows you to bring all of these elements under one roof, providing access from a single account at the click of a button. It has carefully designed features that will enable you to:

• Quickly compare rates from heaps of digital currency markets
• Trade and instantly switch between different exchanges
• Keep track of your investments
• Basic and advanced order types
• Take advantage of the price difference between exchanges using arbitrage
• Test your strategies out via a demo account facility without risking any capital

Currently, Bitsgap is integrated with 30 exchanges, including Binance, Kraken, Bitfinex, and more. Traders have access to 10,000+ cryptocurrency trading pairs and several technical indicators available to formulate your strategies. The platform offers an optimised and intuitive interface for both beginners and seasoned traders.

What can you do With Bitsgap?

Below we unravel some of the main features available at Bitsgap.

Trading

The trading section of Bitsgap features a sleek interface that is fully functional. In order to make your trading experience as smooth as possible, Bitsgap offers the following abilities and features:

• TradingView charts
• Over 100 technical indicators
• Customizable chart types
• Trade visualization through charts

The trading area features an interactive chart screen, including your recent trades and open orders. You can also manage your balance on each of your linked exchanges, track any open positions and view your trade history.

The interface allows you to easily switch between different exchanges by clicking on the platform name above the chart screen.

Bitsgap has also set up different trading orders to give you more control over your cryptocurrency trading endeavours.

• Stop-Loss and Take-Profit Orders to limit your losses in the event your trade takes a turn for the worse.
• Shadow Order that allows you to trade off the exchange’s order book – with orders executed only when your set price is reached. The order will exist solely through the instructions sent via API but will be hidden from other traders.
• Stop Limit Orders are executed at a set price, upon which the order is considered as a limit order to buy or sell at the limit price.
• Market Orders lets you execute orders instantly at the best market price available.

In addition, Bitsgap also provides a set of analytical trading tools to research the performance of all popular trading pairs. You can integrate the option of setting a time frame, choosing a chart style and work alongside various indicators.

Cryptocurrency Trading Bot

The Bitsgap trading bot is a unique feature that lets you make the most of the highly volatile cryptocurrency marketplace. The bot ensures that your investments are distributed proportionately within your chosen range, so you can make small but frequent profits on every market move. Once the price hits the desired range, orders are executed, and new ones are placed.

The bot will ensure that based on current prices, your buy and sell orders are automatically adjusted to find the best opportunities. The most significant benefit here is that the bot carries out your trades instantaneously.

As such, you stand the chance of benefiting from even the smallest of price movements in the market –  while limiting your losses. Your investments are distributed based on the grid strategy, by dividing your price range into multiple levels or grids.

There are two bot strategies available on the Bitsgap platform. Firstly, the ‘Classic’ bot uses the same amount of the base currency equivalent in each grid. This means that at each level it buys and sells the same quantity of the base currency.

The ‘SBOT’ strategy buys and sells different amounts of the base currency at each grid level. However, it ensures an equal investment distribution as well.

In order to be able to use the trading bot service, you need to have a minimum amount of funds available. This amount is determined by:

• The minimum order size of the selected pair in the respective exchange
• The number of orders placed by the bot

Once you have connected your exchange API to the Bitsgap trading bot, you can choose the bot to work on the trading strategy of your preference. Bitsgap has already set up several pre-defined strategies proven through backtesting.

If you want to test out a new strategy or make sure that everything runs smoothly, the backtest feature can demonstrate how your bot would respond to market changes.

Since the trading bot can be used in combination with the other features, you will not be choosing between the platform’s two different options. Instead, it will increase your chances of profiting, while making the platform more appealing to users who place multiple trades on a daily basis.

Signals

Signals are how Bitsgap keeps you updated on significant market changes. These will notify you of the price anomalies. If there is any significant movement in the value of a cryptocurrency, you will be alerted. It will help you stay on top of all your trading pairs, and swiftly take action if the market goes in or against your favour.

Bitsgap has assembled data on the trends of different cryptocurrency trading pairs. If any coin starts to show an irregularity out of the ordinary pattern, it will be entered into the signal list. Furthermore, the platform also uses technical indicators to verify whether a rapid move could be considered a trading signal.

Bitsgap’s trading signals are highly useful to help traders set up the right stop-loss and take-profit orders to curb your risk. You can filter what constitutes a signal for you based on signal strength, raise percentage, exchange and the time.

Crypto Arbitrage

Trading across different exchanges might feel like a complicated task. However, it can be highly beneficial in benefiting from arbitrage opportunities.

For instance, let’s say you are buying a cryptocurrency on one exchange where the price is lower. You stand to gain an advantage by selling the same amount of the same cryptocurrency on another exchange where the price is higher.

This is known as crypto arbitrage. Usually, it is a set of cryptocurrency trading orders of the same pair that takes place at the same time, but on two different exchanges. While this may sound almost impossible to do manually, Bitsgap makes it look easy by combining the powers of its automated and AI-powered system.

At Bitsgap, the potential of arbitrage is calculated based on your account balance. You also get to choose between crypto to crypto and crypto to fiat arbitrage opportunities.

Taking into account the different fees and commissions charged by competing exchanges, Bitsgap will include this in its estimated profit percentage. This makes the process more efficient, allowing you to proceed with an arbitrage trade if the numbers stack up.

Bitsgap Portfolio

Another area where Bitsgap shines is in its extensive portfolio management feature. Each time you add the API key of an exchange, the trade portfolios become available at your disposal.

Your Bitsgap portfolio will:

• Automatically update all transactions
• Perform tracking based on your trading history
• Make it easier to access all your crypto assets
• Offer a real-time view of trades, performances and balances.

Above all, what is impressive is that you can extract these portfolios into your system. You can customize and filter the reports to view and reflect on your trades on particular exchanges.

Bitsgap Demo Account

It is important to stress the value of using a demo account when trading. As more new traders are venturing into the cryptocurrency trading scene, this particulate is getting more and more paramount.

The Bitsgap demo facility comes pre-loaded with simulated ‘paper money’ and will allow you to trade with zero financial risk.

Through the Bitsgap demo account, you can:

• Gain access to 5 leading crypto exchanges
• Practice trading with 5 BTC in virtual funds
• Experience trading in live market conditions
• Test out trading strategies
• Try out signals, trading bots and arbitrage.

How Bitsgap Ensures Security

When trusting any service with your money, you have to be extra cautious in ensuring that your capital is in safe hands. Or not, in the case of Bitsgap.

The platform stresses that you and only you have access to your funds. Bitsgap has detailed out how it addresses security concerns in different areas.

Account Access

All login attempts are secured, and in case of an attempt from an unknown device or location, you will instantly receive an email. The system will also authorize a temporary lockout from both your API and account if there are repeated failed login attempts.

Furthermore, you are also encouraged to use 2FA for your Bitsgap account and your associated email ID. This will provide an additional layer of security on your funds and personal data.

API Keys

Your funds are secured in the respective exchange and connected only through your fully-encrypted API keys. These APIs allow Bitsgap to execute trades and gather information on your behalf. Other than that, the API does not yield any personal data.

All forms of information that is passed through are encrypted and protected by a firewall. In simple terms, this means that Bitsgap cannot view or extract sensitive information held by the exchange in question.

You are the one to decide the settings of your API key. If you have enabled withdrawal options, your API key will not be accepted. Your exchange wallet will hold the funds, and you cannot perform any withdrawals or deposits through Bitsgap.

Employee Security

Employees are given access only to their area of expertise. No account information and sensitive data is transmitted outside the company network, or to any third parties.

System and Server

Bitsgap uses RSA 2048 encryption on all its services. Generally, the majority of banks and other financial establishments use 1024-bit encryption, whereas Bitsgap emphasizes that they offer double the protection.

Bitsgap Pricing

Thinking of using Bitsgap? If so, you’ll have several plans to choose from – both free and paid-for.

Free Plan at $0

The free plan is, in fact, a trial plan available for usage for 14 days. All standard features are included in this plan, along with a $1,000 monthly trading limit. We highly recommend that you take advantage of this free trial to understand how the platform works before you opt-in for a paid version.

Basic Plan at $19 a Month

The basic account comes with all standard features and allows you to engage in unlimited exchanges. However, there is a trading limit of $25,000.

You also get access to your cross-exchange portfolio, and can set up trading signals and extended order types. The demo trading option is also available together with two active automated trading bots.

Advanced Plan at $44 a Month

This account gives you all perks of the basic plan, with a $100,000 monthly trading limit. There is also a boost in the number of active trading bots from 2 to 5. In addition, you can also benefit from the Bitsgap arbitrage services.

Pro Plan at $110 a Month

The Pro Plan is most suited for traders who are looking for unlimited limits across unlimited exchanges. You can also set up 15 active bots to trade in live market conditions. Pro Plan owners will also receive priority support.

Note: Bistgap does not charge any fees for any trades. All of its services are included in the monthly subscription fee. Any fees on transactions are imposed by the respective exchange you are trading on.

How to Start Using Bitsgap

Your trading journey at Bitsgap begins with three simple steps.

• Create your user account
• Connect your exchange APIs.
• Start trading

The registration process can be completed by entering your email ID and setting your password. You will only be required to confirm your email ID to finish the setup.

Additionally, you can also connect your account to Google or Facebook and gain access through your login credentials accounts of the respective platform.

The APIs can be obtained from your exchange accounts. All trading operations on Bitsgap is processed through your unique API key. It is one of the safest and most reliable ways to use any platform, as it does not authorize anyone else to gain access to your funds or data.

Is Bitsgap Worth Using?

It is worth noticing that Bitsgap has come a long way since its launch. The platform’s number one priority is to ensure that its features are up-to-date with industry standards, if not one step ahead.

Its API feature was taken to bridge the technological gap between exchanges, as well as increase efficiency and security. Where it lacks is in its resource department.

Though there is a dedicated Knowledge Base, it still fails to provide a comprehensive overview of how to use the software. That said, if you genuinely want to try the platform, then the free trial should give you a better understanding of how its features work.

You will need to have accounts set up at each exchange separately, meaning you will need to deposit funds into each platform. Bitsgap is not licensed by any regulatory bodies, so do bear this in mind.

However, there are some areas where Bitsgap truly shines.

• Easy setup and integration with exchanges
• Fully-automated trading bots
• Secure trading with 2048-bit encryption
• Extensive portfolio management
• Receive trading insights
• Availability of pre-defined market strategies
• A long list of supported currencies and exchanges

Given that Bitsgap is aiming to make cryptocurrency trading more accessible, it would also be great to have a mobile app to access all services on the go.

Bitsgap: Verdict?

Cryptocurrency trading is now mainstream, meaning that there is a growing demand for technically-adept trading services. If you are looking for a combination of advanced trading tools, technical indicators and ease of use, Bitsgap is worth considering.

Overall, Bitsgap is a safe, secure and fully encrypted platform to trade with. The automated trading algorithm is clearly a standout benefit, which allows you to generate a steady flow of revenue with very little risk.

The platform also gives you several ways to control your trades through a variety of market orders and exit strategies.

Considering how far the platform has come, it is only fair to expect Bitsgap to introduce more resources in the future. All in all, you have very little to risk by trying the platform out via its 14-day free trial.

Visit Bitsgap

The post Bitsgap Review: Cryptocurrency Trading, Arbitrage, Signals & Trading Bots appeared first on Blockonomi.

1inch Exchange is a non-custodial DEX aggregator that rolls these advantages into a single platform.

In this review, we take a close look at the ins and outs of what 1inch Exchange offers.

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What is 1inch Exchange?

While 2020 left the larger share of the financial sector in disarray, the decentralized finance (Defi) market has had a propitious year. Traders from across the globe ventured into this alternative financial industry – in hopes of benefiting from ever-increasing market volatility.

Not only have we seen an increase in fund inflow, but a range of new and exciting trading innovations have since entered the space. One such example is that of DEX aggregators.

At the forefront of this is 1inch Exchange. The platform sources liquidity from various exchanges and uses smart contract technology to enable the optimization of trades.

The platform was established in 2019 by two Russian developers – Sergej Kunz and Anton Bukov. 1inch Exchange integrates seamlessly with many popular DEX’s such as the Balancer, Kyber Network, Uniswap, Oasis, Mooniswap, and more.

In other words, you will find it easy to swap any kind of ERC-20 token at the click of a button. At the moment, the exchange currently supports over 250+ digital currencies.

The aim of 1inch Exchange is simple and straightforward – to offer the best rates for its users by discovering the most efficient swapping routes from leading DEX providers.

To ensure this, the platform displays the price and liquidity available on each exchange so that you can make an informed decision after comparing what is on the table.

This eliminates the need for you to check multiple exchanges simultaneously to verify whether you are getting the best rate. All in all, 1inch Exchange makes the process much easier and time-efficient.

How Does 1inch Exchange Work?

1inch Exchange uses its API technology to locate the best possible routes for a token swap, subsequently dividing a trade across several exchanges.

As a result – the rate you have at your disposal is often much better than what you will get by sticking with a single cryptocurrency exchange.

In effect, 1inch Exchange intends to address the drawbacks of the wider DEX marketplace. That is to say, expensive transaction cancellations and high slippage that results from thin order books.

How to Start Using 1inch Exchange

The most notable feature of 1inch Exchange is that you do not have to create an account to begin trading. Instead, you link your ETH wallet, and can begin swaping currencies straight away.

1inch Exchange offers integration with numerous cryptocurrency wallets that will store your digital coins. This means that 1inch Exchange does not have access to your token.

In other words – you are in complete control over your crypto-assets. This is crucial from a safety perspective.

How to Swap on 1inch Exchange

Here is a step-by-step walkthrough on how you can start swapping coins on 1inch Exchange:

Step 1: Connect your ETH Wallet

You have the option to connect your ETH wallet right from the homepage.

1inch Exchange currently supports the following cryptocurrency wallets:

• Web3
• WalletConnect
• WalletLink
• Ledger
• Portis
• MEW
• Torus
• Fortmatic
• Authereum
• Bitski

Once you have accepted the terms and conditions, you can simply scan the QR code to connect the platform with your wallet.

Step 2: Select the Token

With your wallet linked, you can choose which digital tokens you want to exchange. 1inch Exchange will show you a comparison chart with exchange rates from different DEX’s.

You will also be able to compare individual rates to the best rate available.  To give you a clearer picture, 1inch Exchange also includes a few centralized exchanges and their respective rates.

Note: If you are not able to find your required token from the menu, it is because the asset has not been whitelisted yet. In this case, you can apply for the coin to be whitelisted or add it as a custom token by entering the respective address.

Step 3: Swap Tokens

When you are ready, you can proceed by clicking ‘Swap Now.’

1inch Exchange will once again present you with all the required details so that you can verify and confirm the transaction.

You can approve the corresponding transaction in your wallet, and the trade will be executed on the blockchain.

And that’s it! – You have just placed your first trade on 1inch Exchange at the best rates possible.

Note: 1inch Exchange also allows you to enter your swap position at a price favorable to you via a limit order. You simply have to place the limit order at your target entry price and it will be filled by whichever DEX meets that price. The only thing to remember is that the limit order feature only works with ER20 standard tokens.

As 1inch Exchange is non-custodial, it will constantly need to interact with your cryptocurrency wallets. If you’re looking for a handy shortcut, you can simply enable the ‘infinity unlock‘ gesture.

Once selected, all trading activities will be executed without interacting with the app – essentially reducing your gas fees.

1inch Exchange Features

As a DEX aggregator, 1inch Exchange seems to be performing well – delivering on all its promises. That said, the platform has much more in stock for cryptocurrency traders.

Take a look at what 1inch Exchange offers other than its core aggregator service.

1inch Exchange Token

The 1inch Exchange token is one of the latest endeavors of the platform. It can serve as both a utility token and a governance token.

The token runs on the Ethereum blockchain and will be distributed across wallets that have previously interacted with the 1inch Exchange platform – under certain conditions.

At the moment, there is a total supply of 1.5 million 1inch Exchange tokens. As of 26th December 2020, 6% of the total supply is in circulation. The next 30% will be distributed within the next four years, and the remainder at various intervals.

As a trader, you are eligible for a 1inch Exchange token if you meet one of the three conditions set by the platform.

• You should have executed at least one trade before 15th September 2020
• You should have completed at least four trades in total
• These trades should be worth a total of at least $20.

If you fulfill the above requirements, you can redeem the token directly from your cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the 1inch Exchange platform.

Any tokens available for you to claim will be displayed under ‘your 1INCH breakdown’ from the wallet.

1inch Exchange CHI Gas Token

When sending and receiving Ethereum, ‘gas’ is the fee charged by ETH blockchain platforms. In simple words, you can compare gas to a transaction fee.

Gas is calculated based on the computational effort it takes to execute a trade on the DEX. The more complex the operation, the more gas it will require. As such, it is impracticable to predict specifically what gas fee you will pay.

The CHI Gas Token, otherwise known as “CHI,” is an ERC20 token that will help you reduce this transaction fee on 1inch Exchange.

The value of CHI is pegged to the gas price set by the ETH network. Meaning – when the ETH gas price declines, as will the value of CHI (and vice versa).

But, there is one key difference that will help you save money when using CHI. When you are buying CHI, you get to save 1% in fees compared to GST2 (ETH GasToken).

And, if you are selling (burning) CHI, you can save 10% in comparison to GST2.

You can mint or buy CHI Gas Token directly on the 1inch Exchange platform. Once you have the token available in your wallet, you can activate it to reduce the gas cost of future transactions.

1inch Exchange Mooniswap

Mooniswap is 1inch Exchange’s answer to the popular Automated Market Maker (AMM)- Uniswap.

These are smart contracts that are responsible for the liquidity pool of ERC20 tokens. In simple terms, this can effectively prevent slippage, allowing you more control over how you enter cryptocurrency trades.

1inch Exchange Fees

1inch Exchange, as an exchange platform, does not charge you any fees or commission to use its services. However, as we mentioned, you are liable to pay for the gas cost of your transactions.

That said, if you activate CHI Gas Tokens, it is likely that your gas fee will be considerably reduced.

Note: 1inch Exchange is a DEX aggregator, so your trading fees will largely depend on which DEX you use to fill your order. It is best to refer to the fee structure of these individual platforms before executing your trades.

According to 1inch Exchange, their main aim is to ensure the best swap rates for its users. As such, adding any additional charges on top of the DEX fee will not serve that goal.

1inch Exchange Deposit and Withdrawal fees

Apart from trading fees, 1inch Exchange also relieves its customers from paying any deposit or withdrawal fee.

This means that you only have to concern yourself with the charges that come with your wallet and the respective DEX platform(s).

Moreover, we should note that 1inch Exchange has no relationship with fiat currency. As such, novice crypto-investors with limited crypto-assets will find the platform somewhat restrictive.

In other words, you will first have to acquire cryptocurrency and deposit the coins in one of the platform’s integrated wallets. Only then can you take advantage of the swap rates offered by 1inch Exchange.

1inch Exchange Security

As for most DeFi solutions – safety is the primary concern for all traders.

At the risk of repetition, 1inch Exchange is a non-custodial DEX aggregator so it does not have access to your cryptocurrencies. This means that your assets are not held on the platform – unlike other centralized exchanges where you have to deposit funds for trading.

In addition, you will be pleased to hear that 1inch Exchange so far has a reputation of not suffering from security threats or hacks. As you are not providing any personal information, you need not worry about data breaches.

1inch Exchange Customer Support

The exchange platform has made sure that you can reach the customer support team through multiple channels. If in need of support, you can try one of the following:

• Email support
• 1inch Exchange Help Center
• Live Chat
• 1inch Exchange support group
• Telegram group

Furthermore, the platform is also active on social media channels such as Twitter and YouTube.

1inch Exchange Exchange Pros & Cons

To help your decision-making process, we have created a list of pros and cons based on our user experience.

Pros

• 1inch Exchange maintains a good track record of no security breaches or hacking incidents.
• The interface of the platform is clear and easy to navigate.
• There are no additional fees involved in using the service – you only have to pay the network fee.
• As a DEX aggregator, 1inch Exchange ensures high liquidity on your cryptocurrency trades while limiting the exchanges to a single transaction.
• The CHI Gas Tokens are beneficial if you want to reduce your transaction costs further.
• The novel AMM Mooniswap allows you to avoid slippage and subsequently take control of your entry price.

Cons

• The platform is not accessible for traders who do not own cryptocurrencies.
• Though there are numerous tutorials, beginner traders might still find the platform somewhat challenging.
• While being a non-custodial platform, some traders might find the lack of fiat deposit methods discouraging.
• The “Infinity Unlock” might turn out to be a potential point of attack in the future. Unlocking each transaction separately could be both time-consuming and expensive – but it is more secure in comparison.

Why Should You Choose 1inch Exchange?

Overall, we find that the innovative tools and features offered by 1inch Exchange certainly outweigh the drawbacks. The platform has done an excellent job in tackling some of the pressing issues that are currently downgrading the growth of the Defi ecosystem.

For one, it makes way for more liquidity, as this is something that the DEX space has suffered from in recent times. This lack of liquidity is largely a result of a fragmented DEX arena.

As such, large-volume trades suffer from significant slippage – resulting in high costs for trade execution.

1inch Exchange solves this by splitting the orders across multiple exchanges – yet keeping the trade to one transaction.

But above all, it gives you an easy solution to compare the rates offered across different decentralized exchanges. You can review the price and liquidity on each platform, along with the respective gas fee.

For a seasoned trader, this can save a significant amount of time wasted by assessing multiple exchanges and their order books.

1inch Exchange Exchange: The Verdict?

As we have discussed in this review, liquidity continues to be a significant concern on decentralized exchanges. 1inch Exchange has done an excellent job in solving this issue.

Additional endeavors, such as the CHI Gas Token and the Mooniswap tool, are also notable.

That said, the platform is more suited for traders with a bit of experience in the DEX scene.

Ultimately, if the platform adapts itself to investors across all levels, THEN 1inch Exchange could emerge as one of the leading trading platforms for the rapidly evolving DEX ecosystem.

Visit 1inch Exchange

The post 1inch Exchange Review: A Leading DEX Aggregator appeared first on Blockonomi.

For those unaware, Udemy is an online course platform that matches learners and educators. Whether you’re looking to build and sell a course or take a course as a student, the platform is well worth considering.

In our in-depth Udemy review, we cover everything you need to know about the online academy. This includes key metrics from the perspective of both course providers and students, subsequently allowing you to make an informed decision prior to signing up.

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What is Udemy?

Launched in 2009, Udemy is an online platform that matches course providers with students. More specifically, courses at the platform can be created by anyone. As such, whether you’re a seasoned accountant, WordPress developer, or a mathematician – you can market your skills to a global audience.

To highlight just how popular Udemy has become since its inception a mere 11 years ago, the platform has since attracted over 50 million students. This translates into over 150,000 courses, and more than 295 million course enrollments. In terms of those behind the courses, Udemy claims that it has hosted more than 57,000 instructors.

It is important to note that Udemy is not reserved just for those speaking English as a first language. On the contrary, the platform now hosts courses in more than 65 different languages. All in all, these figures demonstrate that Udemy is the go-to platform for online learning.

Udemy Courses – Are you a Course Creator or Student?

As this review is aimed at both course creators and students, it’s best that we initially split the two perspectives so you can ascertain whether or not the platform is right for you.

Udemy Students – The Basics

At one end of the Udemy spectrum, you might be here reading this review because you are looking to develop some new skills. Crucially, Udemy is as good as it gets in the online space for learning subjects you are interested in, as the platform hosts over 150,000+ courses.

While listing each and every topic is beyond the remit of this review, rest assured that in all likelihood, you’ll find a course creator that offers what you are looking for.

To get the ball rolling, you simply need to search for the course you are interested in taking. For example, let’s say that you want to learn about blockchain technology. By searching for ‘blockchain’, you will be presented with well over 1,000 individual courses.

This includes everything from an entry-level course on the basics of blockchain technology, how to trade cryptocurrencies, and a fully-fledged program on learning Solidity. Once you find a course that you are interested in taking, you simply need to add it to your basket and make a payment.

Then, you can take as long as you wish to go through each module, as Udemy courses remain active for a lifetime.

Choosing a Course

With so many individual courses at Udemy – many of which aim to teach the same thing, you might be wondering how the platform separates the wheat from the chaff?

After all, with more than 150,000 individual courses hosted at the site, Udemy does not have the resources to pre-vet each and every offering. The good news is that Udemy is not required to rate courses itself, as this role is reserved for past and existing students.

In fact, the rating system operates much in the same way as an eBay seller, insofar that those buying goods and services have the chance to give feedback on the item. As such, unless a course has just been launched at the platform, you should have a good amount of feedback to draw from.

For example, let’s stick with our search for ‘blockchain’, which we then narrowed down to ‘Solidity’. In doing so, we are presented with 29 different courses. As such, the logical thing to do is sort the results by the course’s rating.

This leads us to a course named ‘Ethereum and Solidity: The Complete Developer’s Guide’ by Stephen Gride. In total, the course ranks an impressive 4.5/5 across just under 10,000 individual reviews. What we can also see is that the course lasts for 24 hours in total, across 250 lectures.

Exploring a Course Before Payment

Once you have clicked on a course that you like the look of, you then get the chance to explore what the program consists of. At the forefront of this is a breakdown of [A] what you will learn and [B] what modules you will need to go through to complete the course.

What we really like is that you get to preview some of the individual modules in video format. In doing so, this gives you a full birds-eye view of whether or not the course is right for you. Ultimately, we all learn in different ways, so it’s always nice to see and hear how the content creators strive to get their information across.

How Much do Udemy Courses Cost

On the one hand, courses at Udemy can range from $0, right up to $100 or more. However, in the vast majority of cases, we find that courses sit within the $10-$30 range.

Regardless of what course you are taking, it is somewhat uncanny just how many programs are discounted by 85% or more. We would assume that Udemy does this to show that the courses are worth much more than they are selling for. With that said, value derives from the ratings and feedback that past or current students leave.

Nevertheless, it must be noted that at an average range of $10-$30, a lot of courses at Udemy offer tremendous value. As per the Solidity course that we briefly discussed earlier, you are paying $15 for more than 250 lectures, across 24 hours of high-level content.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

An additional protection that you have when buying a course at Udemy is the platform’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Irrespective of the reason, Udemy will give you a full refund if you feel that the course did not meet your expectations. This remains constant across each and every course at the site.

Post-Course Credit and Recognition

On the one hand, it is entirely feasible to learn a skill or subject area significantly faster than you would at a traditional academic institution.

For example, while a traditional Bachelor’s degree in accounting would take you 3 or 4 years, it’s possible to learn the same amount of information in at least half the time. This is because you can condense as much material as you can handle. In other words, while University students typically get 3-4 months worth of leave per academic year, you could be utilizing this time by studying additional courses at Udemy.

On the other hand, it is important to note that your Udemy courses will not be recognized in the same light as a university-based degree. While this might not necessarily hinder your chances of monetizing your new found skill, it’s important to bear in mind.

So now that we have covered the basics of what Udemy offers to those looking to learn a new skill, in the next section of our review we are going to focus on content creators.

Udemy Course Creators – The Basics

In a nutshell, if you have a skill that you think other people would pay to learn – then Udemy is right for you. For example, let’s say that you have been building WordPress websites for a number of years. While you don’t have any qualifications per-say, you feel that you know the platform like the back of your hand. As such, Udemy gives you the opportunity to build a course and sell it on their website.

In the vast majority of cases, Udemy courses consist of videos that are accompanied by extracurricular activities. For example, the course might ask you to complete a task before moving on to the next module. Each module typically lasts between 5-15 minutes – depending on the complexity of the topic.

Most modules will ask you to take a quiz of some sort to ensure you understand the material. As we discuss in more detail later, one of the main advantages of building a course through Udemy is that the design process is tailored to beginners.

This means that you are not required to have any skills or knowledge in building courses, as Udemy guides you through the entire process in a simple step-by-step manner. As such, you get to focus on the skill you are actually looking to market.

Building Your Course

As noted in the section above, Udemy wants its course creators to focus on what they know best – the skill they are looking to teach. As a result, the platform makes it a seamless process when building your course from scratch.

Your first port of call should be to load up the step-by-step video series that Udemy offers. This breaks down the entire end-to-end process of what it takes to build a course.

Somewhat ironically, you will also find courses at Udemy on how to build a course on Udemy. The platform itself offers its own version for free, while other content creators have launched their own paid-for alternatives. Either way, you have all of the information you need at Udemy to get started with a course straightaway.

What we also like is that Udemy gives you assistance on the technicals. This includes everything from getting your camera and lighting right, to downloading and installing screencasting software.

Udemy also gives you the option of getting your course reviewed by one of its team. This won’t cost you anything, and it ensures that any potential short-fallings are picked up on before hitting the market.

How Much can you Make?

So that brings us to the golden question – how much can you make selling courses at Udemy? Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all answer to this question, as there are a number of variables to take into account.

Getting Your Pricing Right

First and foremost, Udemy does give you the freedom to set your own prices. The platform recommends a rate of between $10-$30 for each hour of course content.

For example, if your course is 10 hours long, you are advised to charge between $100 and $300. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that you will get anywhere near this amount – especially if there are heaps of other established courses teaching the same thing.

As such, you do need to be very precise with what you decide to charge. For example, let’s say that you have created a course on how to build your own blockchain. Your first task should be to see what similar top-ranking courses are selling at. After all, if there are courses with thousands of 5-star ratings selling at $15, you likely won’t land a single student if you pitch in at $60.

On the contrary, you’ll be launching a branch new course with no feedback or ratings, so to be in with a chance of standing out from the crowd, you might be best to offer your course at a lower rate.

Building up Your Feedback

Much like you would as an e-book seller on Amazon, offering your Udemy course at a cost-effective price is likely to attract students. Once they have had the opportunity to enjoy your course, it is then hoped that they will leave you positive feedback, alongside a 5-star rating.

As you get more and more satisfied students, you should begin to notice your course go up the rankings. For example, while you might have initially started on page 10 of the search results on your blockchain course, you might now be sitting on page 2.

As such, this will allow you to increase the price of your course – and subsequently put it more in-line with your main competitors. Crucially, if you are confident that your course offers excellent value to those buying it, the rest should take care of itself.

The Volume Game

We often come across online courses in the public domain selling for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. However, most sellers at Udemy sit within the all-important $10-$30 range. With that said, if your online course starts to fly off the shelf, you can make some serious cash.

To illustrate just how successful some course creators are at Udemy, let’s go back to our previous example – Ethereum and Solidity: The Complete Developer’s Guide.

As noted earlier, the course costs $15, and it has just under 10,000 positive reviews. However, upon closer inspection, the course has actually been purchased by just over 43,000 students. Doing the math – that amounts to total sales of $645,000.

It is also important to note that the course creator – Stephen Grider, has 26 Udemy courses listed at the site. In total, Grider has enrolled more than 556,000 students. This works out at millions of dollars in revenue, which is huge.

However, there is a major consideration that you need to make before you start counting your future revenues – Udemy commissions.

How Much Does Udemy Take?

Udemy is an online platform that is in the business of making money. As such, you as a content creator will need to engage in a profit-share agreement with the platform. In Layman’s terms, this means that for every course you sell at the platform, Udemy will take a commission.

This is no different to YouTube taking a cut of your advertising revenue, even though it was you that did all of the hard work. As such, this is just the name of the game.

Nevertheless, the profit-sharing model at Udemy is somewhat confusing at first glance, as it depends on how the student found the course.

• Organic: If the student finds your course naturally – such as finding it through the search function, then there is a 50/50 split with Udemy. However, if the sale is made via the iOS or Android app, Apple and Google both charge a 30% fee on gross revenues
• Instructor Promotion: If you were able to bring a new student to the Udemy platform yourself, and they proceed to purchase your course, then you get to keep 97% of the revenue. However, the student will need to enter a specific coupon or referral link to qualify. This is a win-win situation, as although Udemy gets less revenue, they have effectively acquired a new customer that might end up purchasing other courses.
• Paid User Acquisition Channel Sales: Udemy partners with a number of third-party affiliates in the online space that will promote the platform. If the new customer ends up purchasing your course through one of these affiliates, then you will only get to keep 25% of the revenue.

As you can see from the above, there is quite the disparity in how much of your revenues you get to keep. Sitting anywhere between 25% and 97%, it really depends on how your students come across your course.

Is the revenue model fair?

Potentially, especially when you consider that you do not need to pay any fees to create or launch the course, so the only risk you are taking is your time. Crucially, when you do launch a course, you gain access to a platform that is home to more than 50 million members.

Udemy Public Reviews and Ratings

Taking into the account the numbers that Udemy publishes on its website, it’s clear to see that the platform is hugely popular with both content creators and students alike. With that said, it’s always a good exercise to see what reviews and ratings are like in the public domain.

Over at TrustPilot, it is somewhat surprising that the platform has a 3/5 ‘Average’ rating. This is only across 495 individual reviews though, which is very low when you consider the 50 million+ members that Udemy claims to have.

Things are also a bit non-descript over at the Consumers Affairs website, with Udemy currently on a 2/5 rating. However, this is based across just 92 individual reviews, so this does need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

The good news is that the Udemy reviews are a lot more valid at Google Play, with more than 212,000 individual ratings. This yields a very impressive score of 4.4/5. Things also look good for Udemy on the Apple Store, with a 4.6/5 rating across 17,000 individual reviews.

Best Blockchain Courses at Udemy

So now that you know the ins and outs of how Udemy works, we are now going to discuss our some of the top blockchain courses that are currently available at the platform.

1. Blockchain and Bitcoin Fundamentals by George Levy

If you’re looking to learn the key elements of blockchain technology, a great starting point would be to consider the Blockchain and Bitcoin Fundamentals course by George Levy. Priced at just $16, the course is an absolute steal.

The main premise of the course is split into three key segments. Firstly, you’ll obtain a strong understanding of what blockchain technology actually is. Next, you’ll then explore key vocabulary and concepts in the context of Bitcoin and the underlying blockchain protocol. Thirdly, you’ll then dive deeper into the fundamentals of Bitcoin.

The course consists of 3 hours of on-demand videos, alongside a small number of downloadable resources. The course has been extremely well-received by Udemy students, with more than 58,000 individual enrollments. Over 17,000 reviews, the course holds a strong rating of 4.5/5.

2. The Complete Cryptocurrency Investment Course by Mohsen Hassan

If you’re more interested in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology from an investment perspective, it might be worth exploring the merits of the Complete Cryptocurrency Investment course by Mohsen Hassan. As the name suggests, you will be guided through the end-to-end process of becoming an effective cryptocurrency trader.

This starts at the very offset with advice on how to buy cryptocurrencies via an exchange or broker, and then moving swiftly on to fundamental research. After that, you’ll learn how to safely secure your investments, perform technical analysis, and create a risk-averse cryptocurrency portfolio.

Although the course was recently launched, it has already been undertaken by 2,846 students. Over 434 reviews, the course is rated at 4.7/5. Crucially, you can get your hands on it for just $16. This includes 12 hours of on-demand videos, which you can access across your mobile, desktop device, or smart TV.

3. Blockchain A-Z: Learn How To Build Your First Blockchain by Hadelin de Ponteves and Kirill Eremenko

If you’re looking for a serious career move into the world of blockchain technology, have a look at the Blockchain A-Z: Learn How To Build Your First Blockchain course. Created by Hadelin de Ponteves and Kirill Eremenko, the program gives you the full low-down on how to build your very own blockchain protocol.

You’ll learn a bunch of theory behind cryptocurrency transactions, smart contracts, and the wider blockchain ecosystem. You’ll then learn about creating a new cryptocurrency, and deploying smart contracts. In order to be suitable for the course, it’s best that you have basic knowledge of Python.

This is because you will need to understand the language to complete the practical side of the course. Once again, you’ll pay a fee of just $16 for the program, which gives you lifetime access. This consists of 14.5 hours of on-demand video, 11 articles, and 3 downloadable resources.

4. Blockchain for Business 2020: The New Industrial Revolution by 365 Careers

An additional mention goes out to the Blockchain for Business 2020: The New Industrial Revolution course by 365 Careers. As the name suggests, this particular course is aimed at real-world businesses, and how they can benefit by embracing the blockchain phenomenon.

The course starts with an overview of what the blockchain is and how the fundamentals work. After that, you’ll get an inner understanding of key concepts surrounding mining, decentralization, smart contracts, and cryptography.

Once you have undertaken the technicals, the course then swiftly moves on to the business side of blockchain technology. This includes some examples of potential blockchain applications that could take your business to the next level.

Udemy Review: The Verdict

In summary, it’s clear to see how Udemy has attracted a membership base that now exceeds 50 million users. This translates into more 295 million individual course enrollments, which is nothing short of uncanny when you consider the platform was only launched in 2009.

From the perspective of content creators, you have the chance to market your skills, knowledge, and real-world experiences via the Udemy platform. In doing so, although you will need to engage in a revenue-sharing model, you are effectively gaining access to a multi-million student base where your potential earnings are limitless.

At the other end of the spectrum, students have access to over 150,000 courses at the click of a button. These courses cover virtually every subject area imaginable, so there’s sure to be something to suit your requirements. Not only are most courses reasonably priced, but you’ll benefit from an eBay-style rating system. This ensures that you pick courses that have been pre-vetted by prior students.

Visit Udemy

The post Udemy Review: Online Learning Platform for Students & Teachers appeared first on Blockonomi.

And then, there are those who try to find opportunities even in the risks of a plummeting market. Their secret is considered to be  their understanding of the marketplace or the so-called ‘gut feeling’. On the contrary, seasoned traders rely on a set of strategies that have empowered their decisions and improve the chances of profitability.

As more and more people are considering the trading market for passive income, there is an increasing demand for tools available in the trading niche.

If you don’t have the required time to build your trading knowledge – it might be worth considering an automated trading bot. This technology  can help you strategize better and thus – give you the best chance possible of making consistent gains.

In this article, we are looking at CLEO.one – one of the most promising trading bot platforms that can simplify the complex aspects of trading in an autonomous manner and lets you try out different strategies quickly, providing statistics and insights.

Visit CLEO.one

What is CLEO.one?

In simple terms, Cleo.one is a financial technology provider that supplies powerful tools to tackle the trading market. The product is the brainchild of experience trader Kevin Grulich and Martin Kessner.  The duo concluded that tools available in the market were inadequate for the newbie investor.

A while ago, it was nearly impossible to create a bot that analyzed more than just price movements. You needed to do significant research to develop automated strategies that can be used in multiple scenarios.

With the strength of expertise in data architecture, algorithmic trading, machine learning, and capital market – CLEO.one serves as a user-friendly platform that has dramatically simplified trading strategies.

In other words, it gives you the ability to develop and test crypto bots. Furthermore, the tool provides you with insights that can help you not only make consistent wins – but help you attain financial freedom.

The most impressive part is that the platform appeals to both novices and seasoned traders. It is easy and straightforward to set up strategies, and most importantly, is suitable for trading crypto, forex, and stocks.

What can you do with CLEO.one?

The platform offers you a wealth of data to analyze and formulate your trading game plan.

Here is an overview of what you can do with CLEO.one:

• Create strategies for crypto, forex, or equities
• Work out strategies based on price action, BTC dominance, indicators, and more
• Perform back-tests for your strategy.
• Automate strategies on exchanges that support crypto trading bots
• Perform manual trades with solid risk management.
• Access paper trading facilities
• Reduce trading risks with simultaneous trailing stop-loss and take-profit orders
• Use free and profitable pre-tested strategies

Unlike other providers in the space – which simply provide trading signals and thus – often leave you confused about the next course of action, CLEO.one provides all details you need to set up your own trading bot.

How to Create a new Strategy With CLEO.one

A major selling point of CLEO.one is how organized its interface is for users to be able to create a strategy with ease. The interface is quite intuitive and easy to navigate too, with usability at its forefront.

Even if you have never used a trading bot before, you can create one efficiently on this platform. All data available is from top financial institutions, scrutinized by experts to ensure accuracy.

Users can choose between equity, forex, and crypto to create their strategies. Here you can set up pre-defined conditions, trading pairs, and at what point the position should be executed.

There are hundreds of parameters and trading pairs to choose from as well. CLEO.one gives you total control with considerable flexibility to arrive at your own strategies.

To give you a glimpse of your options:

• Technical indicators, candlestick patterns, price action, crypto fundamentals, and more.
• Numerous ways to set position amounts such as static numbers, up by, down by, crossing up, crossing down, and more.
• You can adjust asset and money management by setting take-profit or stop-loss orders based on market price, percentage of market price, percentage of current balance, or static amount.

You can do all these not only for a single asset but for as many assets instruments you like. At the moment, there are over 40 forex pairs, hundreds of crypto trading pairs, and over 80,000 US equities offered on the site.

Instead of having to code or program your way into a trading bot, all you need to do is input your ideas. You can then proceed to the back-test stage, and your strategies are converted to trading bots.

If and when you are happy with how your formula has been performing, you can automate these strategies as crypto trading bots  as well. If not, there is also the manual trading option available.

Note: As you will be saving your strategies on the platform, there is a necessity to verify that no one else has access to your ideas. CLEO.one ensures that your strategy is entirely your intellectual property, and their legal obligations prevent them from sharing this or using it elsewhere.

Free Strategies

Apart from the ability to create your own strategies, CLEO.one also gives you free access to tested strategies. There are six strategies in total that work for equities, forex, and cryptocurrencies.

These have been designed based on fundamentals and popular indicators. You can also base your personal strategy on one of the free methods by editing them until it fits your trading goals. Once done, you can run them as fully-fledged trading bots.

Support for Cryptocurrency Trading Exchanges

Currently, CLEO.one offers exchange support only for cryptocurrency trading.

There are five exchanges supported, which are:

• Binance
• US
• Butfinex
• HitBTC
• Coinbase Pro

The support for all these exchanges is constantly improving, and you can expect seamless integration in the future.

CLEO.one Pricing

The platform features a pricing model that can match your personal needs and budget. You can choose to pay monthly or annually, giving you a considerable discount on the overall charges.

Free Account with Binance

At the time of writing, CLEO.one has an exclusive package when you sign up with Binance.

If you have already created a Binance account;

• after 21st July 2020, and
• without a referral code,

you have the opportunity to avail the Cleo.one service for free.

Users of CLEO.one can sign up for free with Binance and take advantage of the trading platform by combining your trading bots’ features.

You can connect your Binance account with CLEO.one through your API. Once the verification is complete, you can choose either to execute automatic trades or switch to manual trading.

This free plan also allows you to perform 10 real-time live trading strategies and unlimited qualified manual trading. You also get to create strategies with a maximum of 3 assets per rule.

Along with the other core functionalities, you also get access to historical data – covering 5 years of forex and 15 years of equities.

Starter

• 69 euros per month on the monthly plan
• 49 euros per month on the yearly plan

If you do not want to opt for a Binance account, then this is the first tier of subscription at CLEO.one. Apart from that, all features of this plan remain the same.

You get 100 backtests and 3 assets to work with. The notable difference is that you get to set 10 rules per strategy in place of 3. The plan comes with 10 real-time paper trading strategies.

Trader

• 199 euros per month on the monthly plan
• 149 euros per month on the yearly plan

With the Trader plan, you can execute 50 real-time live trades and 500 backtests for your strategies. The biggest perk here is that you get to assign unlimited rules per strategy – though there is a limit of 10 assets per rule.

You also get access to all available historical data of crypto, forex, and equities. There is also the option to test out paper-trading with up to 50 strategies.

Trader Pro

• 349 euros per month on the monthly plan
• 249 euros per month on the yearly plan

The most expensive plan gets you 100 real-time trading strategies and 1,000 backtests. You can use 30 assets per rule to create strategies with unlimited rules.

All aforementioned features of the Trader plan also apply here, along with connectivity to unlimited exchanges. You will also be able to engage in paper trading with 100 strategies.

How Safe is CLEO.one?

The platform emphasizes that it is not selling strategies. Instead, it gives traders all the necessary tools to invest in their skills with access to unparalleled data and flexibility. The technology itself is focused on helping you achieve long-term profitability.

With that in mind, you are not required to transfer any funds to the platform at any time other than for subscriptions. Your integration with exchanges is handled through an API, and so your funds will remain with the respective platform.

Crucially, the CLEO.one bot has restricted access that does not extend to your funds. The trading bot can execute a trade on your behalf, but cannot deposit or withdraw money or other assets.

As an extra precaution, CLEO.one also has state-of-the-art encryption in place to protect your personal data.

Documentation and Support

Though CLEO.com has been active for several years, the platform is still polishing up some of its newest features. This includes forex and equity bots. Its tools are supported by extensive documentation and tutorials that come with demos on how to use its different functionalities.

Though they do not cover every nook and cranny, these guidances offer everything required for you to start using the tools.

Aside from this, a contact form is also available for you to get in touch with the customer support team. The live chat interface can also redirect you to tech support or help you find resources within the site.

CLEO.one – Where it Scores

CLEO.one is unlike any other platform you will have come across. Although there are other systems that enable strategies and usage of bots, they typically require you to have coding knowledge. Furthermore, they are not always beginner-friendly.

In that regard, the ability to create strategies merely by typing your rules is the highlight of CLEO.one. It offers unrivalled flexibility and allows you to test them straight away without risking your funds.

There is also a myriad of parameters to base your strategies on, and defining these rules is straightforward. If you have any trouble getting started, the free strategy is a bonus to build your plans on. For those who do not want to look over every trade manually, automation is also a great feature.

Altogether, from what we have seen, CLEO.one has tremendous potential that can help you establish your trading career with confidence. Some of the most-awaited features, such as leveraged trading, are still in beta mode. As the platform is working on them, it leaves plenty of scope for features that can raise the performance level of the tool.

CLEO.one – The Verdict?

CLEO.one is a unique trading application with ever-growing features. The platform delivers all tools you need to create endless, profitable strategies. If you have ever been discouraged by the confusing signals and hard-to-navigate interface of other automated platforms, CLEO.one is very refreshing.

The tool has beautifully presented features that show comprehensive results. You can look at statistics and analytics with actionable insight. And most importantly, CLEO.one can help you take the guesswork out of trading by testing what strategies work for you.

The software is building on its current features to include marketplaces, futures trading, and more. It is not far-fetched to predict that, in the very near future, CLEO.one will evolve into a full-fledged trading tool apt for investors of all levels.

Visit CLEO.one

The post CLEO.one Review: Crypto Trading Bot Platform for Automated Strategies appeared first on Blockonomi.

Considering this rising popularity, there are numerous solutions emerging that allow you to grow your digital currency holdings.

If you have cryptocurrencies sitting idle in your wallet, it might be the right time to consider other monetary possibilities. Instead of merely holding on to them, you can capitalize on your digital coins by obtaining financing.

Nexo is one such fintech solution that allows you to build on your digital assets holdings by giving you instant access to cryptocurrency-based loans.

In this review, we explore the ins and outs of what Nexo is and how you can make the most of its services via the NEXO token.

Visit Nexo

Nexo Overview

Launched in 2018 by Credissimo, Nexo is one of the world’s first crypto credit providers. It has already processed over $5 billion in crypto loans for over 1 million users in 200+ jurisdictions.

What makes Nexo different from other lending platforms is that you don’t have to go through any credit scrutiny or mention the purpose of the loan in order to obtain approval.

On Nexo, by collateralizing your current crypto holdings, your loan will be instantly approved, and the money will be deposited directly to your bank account. You can borrow as little as $10 and up to $2 million, depending on your collateral amount.

Nexo also allows you to earn daily compounding interest on your crypto or even fiat currency. You can earn up to 10% interest annually and withdraw your capital at any time at zero fees.

To further expand the utility of your crypto-assets, Nexo has also introduced a Nexo Card that you can use to spend your digital coins without having to sell them.

Nexo Token

One of the most popular endeavors of Nexo is its native ERC20 utility token. The NEXO token is deemed the world’s first compliant and asset-backed digital currency that also gives you access to dividends.

The main attraction of NEXO is that it allows token holders to receive discounts on the platform and also gives you the ability to more interest on fiat and cryptocurrency deposits.

Here is a quick look at the benefits of holding a quantity of NEXO tokens:

• 30% of NEXO’s profit is sent out as dividends to NEXO token holders. As of now, over $9.5 million has already been distributed over the past three years.
• Saving your NEXO tokens can get you a 50% discount on the interest you pay on crypto loans,
• NEXO tokens also allow you to receive a higher rate of interest of up to 25% on your idle digital assets.
• Additionally, you can also make up to three crypto withdrawals per month.

How to Buy NEXO

If you believe in the prospect of NEXO, there are three ways for you to get your hands on NEXO tokens:

• By buying the token from a cryptocurrency exchange. The coin is currently listed on several popular platforms, including Huobi Global. HitBTC, UPEX, and more.
• By reaching out to the Nexo OTC desk. This is primarily for large purchases exceeding $100,000.
• By using a Changelly credit card to obtain NEXO tokens as rewards. However, take note that Changelly charges high fees on such transactions. If you are signing up for Changelly only for NEXO tokens, it is recommended that you consider buying directly from a supported exchange.

NEXO Token Dividends

NEXO dividends are rolled out to all holders, no matter the number of tokens you hold or how long you have been holding them. However, you need to meet two conditions – you should have completed the KYC verification process and you should hold your tokens in the NEXO wallet.

NEXO employs an advanced distribution methodology to reward long-term investors for their confidence in the company. In addition, this approach will also decrease market volatility during the ex-dividend period.

Based on this strategy, NEXO is able to provide dividend profit-sharing in two different ways:

• Base Dividend: is paid to all eligible token holders in proportion to your NEXO holdings.
• Loyalty Dividend: is paid out for each NEXO token you have held in your wallet from one dividend date to another. This is calculated as 1/3rd of the total dividend amount distributed.

The dividends are calculated in US dollars and will be added to your Nexo wallet in NEXO tokens.

According to NEXO, such a methodology ensures that there is fairness in the dividend distribution. Moreover, it also helps to prevent market and price manipulation, as seen with other dividend-yielding instruments.

Nexo Loyalty Program

One of the main perks of holding NEXO tokens is that you get to take part in the NEXO loyalty program.

The program is split into four tiers – based on how many NEXO tokens you hold.

The requirements for each tier is as follows:

• Base – Zero NEXO tokens are needed
• Silver – A minimum of 1% of your portfolio balance should consist of NEXO tokens
• Gold – A minimum of 5% of your portfolio balance should consist of NEXO tokens
• Platinum – A minimum of 10% of your portfolio balance should consist of NEXO tokens

The higher tier you fall in, the better the loyalty benefits. This includes reduced borrowing rates, increased yields on your crypto deposits, and an increased number of free crypto withdrawals.

For instance, if you are on the Platinum tier, you can get a lowered interest rate of 5.9% on your crypto loans. On the other hand, when it comes to deposits, you can earn up to 10% in interest and an extra 2% in NEXO tokens.

The loyalty program is aimed to help you build on your digital asset holdings in the long run.

NEXO Fees

The only fees you are liable to pay on NEXO are withdrawal fees. As we mentioned earlier, you get up to three free withdrawals a month. When this limit has been reached, a gas fee will automatically be charged.

NEXO Security

Nexo is compliant in all 200+ jurisdictions in which it operates. The security of clients’ funds continues to be a priority for Nexo. Currently, the company has partnered with Ledger Vault for the safety of wallet funds and has an insurance portfolio worth over $3 billion.

Furthermore, its partnership with BitGo ensures that you are protected in case of any third-party hacks, loss, or theft of your private keys.

The company also subjects itself to regular internal and external audits, and maintains high-level IT security policies for data protection and encryption. Overall, the system appears to be sound in terms of safety.

NEXO – The Verdict?

As an instant crypto lending pioneer, Nexo continues to offer the best rates in the market for both depositors and creditors. Today, it holds the position of the largest lender in the crypto industry.

However, what makes this project even more appealing is the NEXO token. Its unique tokenomics means that you can earn double-digit dividends. As such, its usability in the NEXO ecosystem puts forth an enticing offer to consider holding this digital currency.

In this review, we explore the ins and outs of what Nexo is and how you can make the most of its services via the NEXO token.

Visit Nexo

The post Nexo Guide: A Full Suite of Crypto-Focused Retail Banking Services appeared first on Blockonomi.

Jeluria’s team has utilized its expertise on the design and implementation of blockchain-based business solutions and decentralized applications. They work on projects right from network setup, conceptualization, development, and maintenance.

This article explores the ins and outs of Jelurida and what the platform offers.

Nxt Blockchain

Nxt is considered the first blockchain to be built entirely based on a proof-of-stake consensus protocol.

When launched in 2013, it was one of the first projects that proved that blockchain technology has uses beyond the simple transfer of value. In other words, Nxt helped explore the different capabilities of blockchain technology.

Fast forward seven years and the blockchain has managed to attract a vast community, paving the way for several new blockchain projects and features, including fully decentralized asset exchange, voting, shuffling, and more.

How to Use Nxt for Your Project

Nxt was developed with several applications and features already built-in.

Here is an overview of what you can do with the blockchain.

• Issue a token on the DEX, trade it or offer dividends to the holders.
• Set up decentralized marketplaces with options to list goods, add pictures, and receive reviews.
• Conduct crowdfunding campaigns using monetary system currencies.
• Work with decentralized polls based on voting models.
• Send encrypted messages or plain text between different accounts.
• Upload data to the cloud and tag keywords to make it searchable.
• Make transaction executions conditional, adding the need for whitelisting accounts through voting or by using passwords.
• Phasing and account control using simple and flexible multi-signature account functionality.

You can use these features with browser-based wallets or use them as building blocks with API calls.

Ardor Blockchain

This multichain blockchain platform is built on a unique parent-child chain architecture. The parent Ardor chain is responsible for safekeeping the entire network, whereas the interoperable child chain is loaded with rich functionalities.

Along with hybrid user permissioning capabilities, this design adds to its wider flexibility – opening the door for various uses of blockchain technology.

Furthermore, Ardor was developed with scalability in mind, ensuring that it can address the existing industry issues such as single-token dependency, blockchain bloat, as well as the need for easily customizable blockchain solutions.

From Nxt to Ardor

As innovative as Nxt was, it still had some issues that could benefit from improvement. For instance, the entire blockchain system and its development were dependent on the native token NXT. It was inevitable to process payments and transfer assets over the blockchain.

In addition, NXT also had issues with Blockchain bloat, limiting its future expansion and scalability. Moreover, customization was an issue, as many organizations need to adjust the blockchain to use their own transactional token and other functionalities.

Ardor was developed to address these drawbacks of Nxt, to bring greater flexibility to the uses of blockchain.

How to use Ardor for Your Project

Ardor is a single-parent chain that has multiple child chains. This allows organizations to add their own child chain to the Ardor ecosystem as needed.

Here is a list of the benefits that Ardor offers.

• Launch a custom blockchain without concerning yourself with network security or maintenance.
• Each child chain can have its own native token and have features optimized for its specific use.
• As each of the child chains are interoperable and backed by the parent Ardor chain, you can create a diverse ecosystem with different projects that work seamlessly with each other.
• Although Ardor is a public blockchain, you can still make the individual child chains permissioned.
• As with Nxt, Ardor also allows for pruning and retrieving data. Furthermore, each child chain transition is also designed to be prunable and does not have to be stored permanently for every new node.

Ignis

Ignis is the primary child chain of Ardor and is an integral part of the platform. The chain comes fully featured and permissionless to carry out all transaction types and features that come with Ardor.

This is the exclusive chain used to create stateless and lightweight contract development.

Ignis also supports some of the advanced privacy mechanisms, such as coin shuffling and encrypted messages that can be shared with third parties.

How to Use Ignis for Your Project

Anyone from individual developers to businesses can benefit from the Ignis child chain and token to develop both permissionless and permissioned dApps.

Below are some additional features that Ignis offers:

• Asset exchange allows you to issue a token on the Ignis child chain, which will then be accessible on other child chains. These assets can be traded, used for voting, or used to pay dividends in the chain token.
• Limit the accessibility of the apps they design based on account and asset control.
• Set up decentralized marketplaces on Ignis and other child chains.
• Support monetary system currencies to conduct crowdfunding, issue gaming tokens, and more.
• Create polls with multiple questions and count them based on voting models.

Apart from this, the majority of features found with Nxt are also included in Ignis.

How to Access Jelurida Blockchains

Being an open-source platform, Jelurida has made all of its blockchains publicly available on its website.

Both Ardor and Nxt product and experimental versions are available for Android, Android full node, macOS, and Unix.

If the inbuilt set of features and applications are not sufficient for your business needs, you can use the framework to develop your own custom blockchain under the Jelurida Public License.

Ardor Use Cases

Here are some use cases Ardor offers.

Triffic

Ardor is the base for the development of Triffic, a mobile app that uses augmented reality and gamification to enable its users to collect GPS tokens based on mobility.

The blockchain has been used to create a gaming economy, reward systems, secret sharing, and generation.

CycleValue

This blockchain-based solution is used to reward cyclists for regular cycling using ‘cycle tokens.’

Thanks to Ardor, the team was able to develop a transparent and low-threshold reward model built on the Ignis child chain.

The solution takes advantage of the distributed infrastructure and decentralized consensus algorithms.

ArdorRocks

ArdorRocks is a social network that is entirely based on the Ardor blockchain technology. The project is still in development by Corrado Andriani and aims to give rewards to content creators on social media.

The native token – Rocks, will be used as the asset in order to facilitate the reward system.

Gallery Defender

This is a research project that explores the application of blockchain in game-based learning solutions. It will test the knowledge gained by players and securely records their achievements on the blockchain.

Other Services

As we mentioned, there are aspects on the blockchain that can be customized for your individual projects.

However, it might not always be feasible for individual teams. Jelurida also offers its services in order to ensure that you receive all the support you need in using its products.

The services are provided in:

• Ardor child chain creation: New child chain creation is managed by Jelurida through a contractual agreement between the operator and the platform. This will ensure that the new child chains are based on a use case and that it will contribute to the viability of the Ardor platform.
• Private Blockchain Implementation: Jelurida offers a blockchain creation kit for free under the Jelurida Public License. This is a developer toolkit, and if you need extensive customization, the team is always available with support.
• Technical Consulting: The team is also available to assist you with different aspects of project maintenance, development, and deployment.

Wrapping Up

Jelurida endeavors to prove that there is plenty to get excited about with blockchain technology above and beyond just cryptocurrencies.

The use cases of Ardor are excellent examples of how easy it is to build applications with different utilities based on blockchain protocols.

It goes without saying that the platform and its projects have countless applications in our daily lives.

The post Jelurida: The Company Behind the NXT & Ardor Blockchains appeared first on Blockonomi.

For freelancers, it is the easiest way to get paid for their work from any part of the world. And hence, it is no surprise to learn that the industry currently dominates the global peer-to-peer money transfer scene – with an estimated market volume of $597 billion expected in 2021.

Considering this demand, competition is fierce among global remittance providers. CoinZoom has since entered the space with its latest product – ZoomMe.

This innovative international remittance and payment transfer platform allows you to send money on a 100% commission-free basis.

Read on to find out more about CoinZoom and its ZoomMe transfer service.

CoinZoom and ZoomMe

CoinZoom is a cryptocurrency trading platform that focuses on providing customer-focused tools and trading technology.

In addition to the trading aspect of the platform, the team at CoinZoom has also been working to provide solutions that promote usage of cryptocurrency in day to day lives.

The platform has partnered with several popular payment firms such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay with this goal.

Moreover, the platform offers a  CoinZoom Visa debit card that allows you to instantly convert crypto to fiat and use your digital assets to pay for international goods and services.

The latest addition to this array of products is ‘ZoomMe’ – a global payment system that allows you to send and receive cash and cryptocurrencies instantaneously.

In many ways, ZoomMe can be compared to the likes of PayPal and Venmo. Only, they have made it better by including the option of transferring cryptocurrency with unparalleled ease.

And, most importantly, ZoomMe sets itself apart by not charging you any commissions or hidden fees to process these payments.

How ZoomMe Offers Zero-Commission Transactions

As a cryptocurrency trading platform, ZoomMe uses blockchain technology to provide commission-free transactions. Instead of paying fees, what you need is an allocation of ZOOM – the official digital currency of CoinZoom.

The more Zoom you hold, the more money you can send without paying any fees.

Zoom Token

Zoom token is a decentralized digital currency built on top of the Ethereum blockchain. Within the CoinZoom ecosystem, Zoom is used to get you discounts in trading fees, listing fees, and Visa card rewards.

Moreover, the amount of Zoom you hold will also determine how much money you can send using ZoomMe on a daily basis. There are five different tires of CoinZoom accounts based on Zoom holdings:

Select

• Required ZOOM holdings – 1,000
• ZoomMe limit per day – $500

Preferred

• Required ZOOM holdings – 3,000
• ZoomMe limit per day – $1,000

Gold

• Required ZOOM holdings – 12,000
• ZoomMe limit per day – $2,500

Platinum

• Required ZOOM holdings – 50,000
• ZoomMe limit per day – $5,000

Black

• Required ZOOM holdings – 100,000
• ZoomMe limit per day – $50,000

You can purchase ZOOM directly through CoinZoom. Alternatively, you can also collect ZOOM through referral programs.

CoinZoom Card

At this point, it is worth noting that you stand to benefit the most by combining CoinZoom cards and ZoomMe.

Although you do not need a CoinZoom card to process any ZoomMe payments, if you hold a number of ZOOM tokens in your portfolio – it would be best to take advantage of the perks of the Visa card as well.

The aforementioned tier system also applies to the CoinZoom card – where the quantity of ZOOM in your possession will determine the spending limit and the trading discounts you receive.

The top two tiers, such as Platinum and Black cards, can also get you higher cashback offerings of up to 5 percent – an agreeable feature if you frequently use crypto for your online transactions.

Currently, physical cards are available only in the US. If you reside outside of the US, your access is limited to a virtual card.

How to Send Money Using ZoomMe

ZoomMe can be used internationally to send and receive both fiat and cryptocurrencies. However, at the moment, the platform supports only USD as fiat currency.

Here is a step-by-step walkthrough of the process.

• Click on your ‘Portfolio’ to see the list of fiat and cryptocurrencies in your CoinZoom wallet.
• Select the fiat/crypto you want to send
• Add the wallet address of your recipient in order to whitelist them.
• Once your beneficiary is added to your whitelist, you can find them listed in the drop-down menu – ‘Wallet Address.’
• Select the specific wallet address you want to send money to
• Enter the amount you want to send.
• Click submit

Keep in mind that once you tap on the ‘submit’ button, the transaction is finalized. ZoomMe does not ask you to confirm this step again or verify the amount you entered.

As such, it is crucial that you double-check the wallet address and send the amount before you press on submit. If a mistake occurs, you will have to resolve it with the recipient.

You can also click on the barcode icon on your dashboard as a shortcut to go to the ZoomMe sending interface.

How to Receive Money Using ZoomMe

• Go to your portfolio and select the fiat/cryptocurrency you want to receive.
• Your ZoomMe handle will appear on the top left corner of your screen.
• You can copy it to your clipboard to send it through message or share your QR code with the sender.

You can also access your transaction history of your credited and debited payments on ZoomMe.

Behind ZoomMe

If you are considering this fee-free payment system, it is paramount that you know a bit more about CoinZoom.

The trading platform is one of the few regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in the US and is an approved MSB in all states. If compliance is a key priority that you are looking for, then CoinZoom certainly stands out.

The platform can give you access to nearly 25 cryptocurrencies and their respective trading pairs.

There are additional features that pave the way for a smooth and efficient trading experience.

For example, the CoinZoom AI is a dedicated pattern recognition system that alerts traders of support and resistance levels and other technical trends. There are also over 100 built-in technical indicators at your disposal.

In addition, CoinZoom offers the following trading tools that might be of interest to you:

• Trading on the go with real-time access from multiple devices
• Algorithmic trading to create a customized strategy for automated trading.
• Live order flow alerts with regular updates on every market movement and trend
• Real-time profit and loss information.
• Depth of Market indicator tells you the number of digital coins that you can buy without leading to a price fluctuation.

As you can see, ZoomMe is only one part of CoinZoom’s functionalities. The platform primarily focuses on cryptocurrency trading – while ZoomMe and the Visa card are ways for CoinZoom to promote the circulation and use of digital coins.

The platform caters to both beginners as well as expert traders, along with institutional customers with their diverse requirements.

The Verdict

ZoomMe is perhaps one of the few global remittance platforms that charge absolutely no fees for transactions. However, the main limitation is that in terms of fiat currencies, only USD transfers are possible at the moment.

With that said, USD is the reserve currency of the world and is often the go-to medium when sending funds to the emerging and third-world regions.

As such, ZoomMe finally paves the way to transfer funds to friends and family back home without having the money eaten away at by expensive fees, commissions, and unfavourable exchange rates.

The post CoinZoom: ZoomMe Remittance Feature for P2P Fiat & Crypto Transfers appeared first on Blockonomi.

With thousands of cryptocurrencies available today, it can be a full-time job to watch the markets and adjust your portfolio accordingly. In fact, even for the most seasoned of traders, it can be a challenging and exhaustive task to keep up with ever-changing market shifts.

Robo advisors can solve this to an extent. However, this still requires significant input from your side to set the necessary parameters.

Rocket Vault Finance intends to offer a more feasible solution with its product.

Its automated ‘Smart Vault’ can find you the best cryptocurrency trading opportunities at the click of a button. Moreover, this innovative tool can manage your assets in a way that maximizes potential gains and keeps risk to a minimum.

In other words, Rocket Vault Finance can help you utilize cryptocurrencies as a source of passive income – even without expertise in the field.

What can Rocket Vault Finance Do?

Rocket Vault Finance has built an innovative Smart Vault tool that is based on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. All you need to do is deposit money into the vault, and the system will do the rest for you with Zero Human Intervention.

The tool will analyze vast amounts of historical data to identify the best performing pools, eliminate risky pools, find the best entry point and arrive at the optimum position.

In simple terms, these Smart Vaults have the potential to replace an experienced fund manager and achieve value investing with crypto. Although the product was launched just over a year ago,  Rocket Vault Finance has managed to yield an APY of 100%.

How Does Smart Vault Work?

Rocket Vault’s unique approach focuses on developing a system that makes it possible to trade in ways beyond human abilities. Currently, RVF gives you access to over 700 stablecoins to build a diversified portfolio.

Here is how Smart Vaults achieve this.

Using Real-Time Data

Smart Vault comes equipped with a real-time data fetching engine that interacts with global cryptocurrency exchanges through endpoint APIs. The platform is hosted in Hyperscale, and as such the Smart Vault can access market data almost instantaneously.

This makes it possible to execute trades as soon as an opportunity arises, using algorithmic tools that find the fastest connection between the exchanges and trading protocols.

Predicting Market Movements with AI/ML

Smart Vault’s important underlying concept is the advanced AI/ML trading system that relies 100% on market data. As noted, RVF currently supports over 700 stablecoins on the platform.

The process is carried out in the following steps:

• The AI engine scours through vast volumes of data and analyses it using data modeling and statistical analysis.
• The ML will then apply pattern recognition and predictive analysis to effectively predict the best times to enter the market and which assets to trade.
• Smart Vault leverages LSTM-based neural networks to spot volume anomalies and time-series patterns.
• The system also categorizes potential tokens that can be moved into a monitoring list.

Asset Rebalancing

Rocket Vault Finance employs an asset balancing feature that manages user funds via pools. It consists of a Treasury and a Monitoring Engine.

Here is a quick look at both these technologies:

Treasury Management Engine

The Treasury serves as a reserve to ensure that any withdrawal requests can be processed at any given moment. It has been equipped with the following functionalities:

• To identify how much to invest in each token based on available volume.
• Keep tabs on the reserved amount to be kept in the Treasury to process withdrawals
• Find out the percentage of profits to secure in different cryptocurrencies.
• Communicating the data to the blockchain-based Smart Contract in order to distribute the rewards.

Monitoring Engine

As the name applies, this plays the role of monitoring the existing orders and dynamic decision-making processes to adjust trades based on market conditions. In effect, a monitoring engine can do the following:

• Tracks every buy and sell order executed.
• Traces the executed orders to calculate the optimum sell order price.
• Readjust orders corresponding to the token’s performance.

RVF Data Sets

In order to develop a fool-proof system, RVF has built a training model that includes two phases, and consequently – two different data sets.

• Training data set was sourced from partnerships with multiple cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance and Bitfinex, using APIs.
• Testing model is the set of data that is being used to cross-check whether the system comes up with the correct output or not.

Scalable System

As is evident, RVF has designed a well-thought-out system to make trading easier. It has also made efforts to ensure that its structure is scalable and works for both retail as well as institutional traders.

Unlike other trading platforms in this space, RVF does not offer a watered-down version of its product to retail investors. Instead, the same level of expertise is applied to all traders, regardless of the size of their investment.

In addition, RVF has also implemented a cap on permissible investment funds during its private beta program. The platform slowly increased the cap on deposit limits to ensure that its strategies adapt based on the inflow of funds.

RVF Token

Following the lead of other crypto-related platforms, RVF has also launched its native ERC-20 utility token.

The coin has a limited capacity of 100,000 and can no longer be minted. It is designed to lock up tokens in a bid to drive up the price of the digital asset.

Investors also have to fulfill a few conditions to access the RVF token – such as making a minimum contribution to two ETH coins to participate. If, for example, you hold 50 RVF tokens, you will be eligible to get a full refund of your initial investment over time.

Holding an RVF token also gives you access to reduced fees on the platform. These discounts will depend on the subscription model you have chosen.

RVF Subscription Models

At the moment, RVF offers two different plans – one for retail clients and another for institutions.

The Retail Subscription Model is free – meaning there is no management or yearly commission.

Other notable points include:

• No KYC until you hit $10,000 in tradable funds
• Rewards are compounded automatically
• If the RVF token balance is not maintained, 5% of profits will be deducted
• A small percentage of profit is deducted towards fees

The Paid Institutional model includes:

• 2% management fee
• 5% of profits as a fee per year
• Rewards are locked for a minimum one-year duration and distributed quarterly henceforth
• Pay in RVF tokens and save 0.5% on fees
• Close the account any time

The Verdict

The team behind RVF has managed to find a gap in the cryptocurrency trading scene – and has subsequently crafted a unique product to target it.

The 100% APY achieved thus far is undoubtedly notable – but it is important to remember that the project cannot always guarantee the same results indefinitely

That said, the platform is still relatively new and could benefit from more transparency, especially when it comes to fees and commissions.

Regardless, the Smart Vault technology has promising potential and can be a useful tool for both beginners and experienced traders. Much like any other investment product, ensure that you do your homework and consider the risks before taking the plunge.

The post What is a Smart Vault? Taking a Look at Rocket Vault Finance appeared first on Blockonomi.