The world's bigger maker of bitcoin-minig hardware wants to go public, but there are doubts over its profit

Organised as a weekly newsletter, it presents an overview of the current international blockchain debate. You may find below a selection of the best ideas from the most influential media.

The world's biggest maker of Bitcoin-mining hardware wants to go public, but there are doubts over its profits Bitmain Technologies, the Beijing-based company which makes machines used to mine Bitcoin, wants to go public. The company filed to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange at the end of September and aims to raise around $US500 million, the Financial Times reports. If Bitmain raises the full amount, it would give the company an indicative valuation of $US18 billion. That would represent a significant premium to September 2017, when Bitmain sold 5% of its equity for $US50 million in a Series A funding round, at an implied valuation of $US1 billion. And according to documents seen by the FT, there are some discrepancies in the profit figures released by Bitmain in connection with recent capital raisings. The IPO prospectus states that Bitmain's net profit in 2017 was $US701.4 million. But just a month earlier in August, the company released documents ahead of a pre-IPO funding round which said its 2017 profits were $US1.1 billion. And in June this year, Bitmain reportedly closed a $US400 million Series B funding round. Documents circulated in connection with that capital raising said 2017 profits were $US1.25 billion. Bitmain is the world's largest manufacturer of ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) chips used in the machines that mine Bitcoin. November 13, 2018 by Sam Jacobs   READ FULL ARTICLE https://www.businessinsider.com/bitmain-initial-public-offering-profits-2018-11?IR=T

When the Fork Forks: What You Need to Know as Bitcoin Cash Goes to War  Around 16:40 UTC tomorrow, November 15, 2018, the Bitcoin Cash network is set to undergo another hard fork upgrade. But contention about this upgrade has left the Bitcoin Cash ecosystem divided, which could once again lead to a split into multiple projects and coins. Here’s what you need to know to get up to speed. As a quick reminder, what is Bitcoin Cash again? Bitcoin Cash (sometimes referred to as “Bcash” or “BCH”) is a cryptocurrency that split off from the main Bitcoin blockchain in August 2017. Culminating from Bitcoin’s years-long scaling dispute, the spinoff project most notably increased its block size limit through a contentious hard fork upgrade, “forking off” to become its own coin — though some of its proponents see it as the “real Bitcoin.” While currently trading at a fraction of bitcoin’s value — around $480 at the time of writing — Bitcoin Cash is the fourth biggest cryptocurrency by market cap and has garnered support from big names in the cryptocurrency space like bitcoin.com CEO Roger Ver and Bitmain co-founder Jihan Wu. What is this dispute about? The Bitcoin Cash dispute is really between two competing factions, represented by their respective software implementations. In one corner stands Bitcoin ABC, the “original” Bitcoin Cash client that caused the split away from the Bitcoin blockchain a little over a year ago. Led by Amaury Séchet, and with close (though unofficial) ties to major mining hardware producer Bitmain, Bitcoin ABC has a policy of hard forking about once every six months to upgrade the protocol. This time, Bitcoin ABC will introduce several changes. The first and probably main one is called “Canonical Transaction Ordering” (CTOR). While transactions can currently be included in a block in almost any order, under CTOR, transactions must be included in a specific order. The Bitcoin ABC development team believes this offersa couple of technical benefits, in part related to (future) scaling improvements. A second change is a new piece of script (an “OP code”) called OP_CHECKDATASIG (DSV). This extends Bitcoin Cash’s features, most notably by enabling oracles (which allow for a class of smart contracts). Bitcoin ABC also introduced some smaller technical fixes, like a minimum size for transactions. November 14, 2018 by Aaron van Wirdum READ FULL ARTICLE https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/when-fork-forks-what-you-need-know-bitcoin-cash-goes-war

Floor Found? Bitcoin Price Bounces As Sell-Off Slows  Bitcoin has recovered some of its losses in the last couple of hours, adding some $300 to the price of one bitcoin and taking it to $4,700 after 36-hour sell-off that wiped billions from the cryptocurrency market. The bitcoin price sell-off began last week as fears around a so-called hard in the bitcoin cash network, itself a fork of bitcoin, gripped the market amid threats to the sector from bitcoin cash's two warring factions. The bitcoin market then went into meltdown yesterday as investors processed reports some exchanges were altering futures contracts amid the battle for control of the bitcoin cash network. Bitcoin yesterday crashed under $5,000 for the first time this year, down an eye-watering 25% in two days, fuelling fears the cryptocurrency market is heading for collapse. Bitcoin today briefly fell to $4,237, according to the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange, before climbing back to over $4,700 over the last couple of hours. Bitcoin's market capitalization has now fallen to $82 billion, down from more than $110 billion just two weeks ago. Other major coins, including Ripple's XRP and Ethereum's ether, the second and third-largest coins, both also rebounded somewhat from losses of around 15% over the last 24 hours. High profile bitcoin and cryptocurrency investors and traders have today come out in defense of the sector, appealing to panicked potential sellers not to bail out of the market, pointing to bitcoin's turbulent past and repeated recoveries. November 20, 2018 by Billy Bambrough READ FULL ARTICLE https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2018/11/20/floor-found-bitcoin-price-bounces-as-sell-off-slows

Fintech firm Revolut gets green light to expand to Japan and Singapore   British mobile bank Revolut has obtained licenses to operate in Japan and Singapore as it readies an expansion into Asia. The London-based financial technology firm said Thursday that it had acquired a remittance license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and full authorization from Japan's Financial Services Agency. Revolut offers users a prepaid debit card and a current account, as well as premium features like cryptocurrency trading and free unlimited foreign exchange. It said Thursday that it intends to launch its platform in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in the first quarter of 2019, and is looking to select Singapore to host its APAC headquarters. Revolut also has plans to eventually release its app in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. "We have confidence that Revolut will continue to be a driving force as we expand globally, developing a range of exciting new services for increasingly connected consumers in APAC," Revolut Chief Executive Nikolay Storonsky said in a statement Thursday. "It's a huge market and we're already seeing an incredible amount of people demanding our product." More than 50,000 people in the APAC region have signed up to a waiting list to create an account with Revolut, the firm said. Revolut added that it is working with Singapore's central bank to advise on legislation being tabled in the country's parliament and aimed at streamlining payments regulation under one single piece of legislation. It has also partnered with Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten, property insurer Sompo Japan Insurance and printing firm Toppan. November 29, 2018 by Ryan Browne   READ FULL ARTICLE https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/29/uk-fintech-firm-revolut-gets-license-to-expand-to-japan-and-singapore.html

Genesis hack: World’s biggest blockchain hackathon launched BENGALURU: IBC media, the creators of the International Blockchain Congress announced the launch of Genesis hack - the world’s biggest blockchain hackathon - at the 10K NASSCOM Start-up Warehouse in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Genesis Hack aims to promote and grow the number of blockchain developers in India. Over 65,000 developers are expected to compete against each other for a cash prize of over Rs 1 crore. Participants will be tested through three major tracks that involve building a blockchain protocol, dApps, and building security solutions for blockchain infrastructures. The event organisers believe that the present state of affairs in India is favouring the adoption of blockchain technology at industrial and government capacities. However, the lack of blockchain developers will set back the intended progress that needs to be made in order to make India block-chain-ready. “But to scale up, we need engineering talent to build and maintain blockchain infrastructures. An event like Genesis Hackathon can help promote the need for more blockchain developers,” Abhishek Pitti, CEO of Nucleus Vision who was present at the announcement to launch the hackathon. Presently, India has about six million engineers who are capable of delivering a solid throughput for the blockchain industry. “As a large-scale event that brings together developers from all over India, Genesis Hack will set the precedent to enable India to solve the biggest blockchain problems in the world with a well-equipped workforce,” said Rama Iyer, President of Elev-en01. November 22, 2018 by Akshatha M, READ FULL ARTICLE https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/genesis-hack-worlds-biggest-blockchain-hackathon-launched/articleshow/66749166.cms

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Starbit selects everything needed for a person to be informed and about blockchain technologies and various applications, making it easier, in a progressive manner, accessible to all, thus saving time and resources to anyone interested in this area. The goal is to offer various degrees of knowledge (first level is free as Club Member, or included in Blockchain Information Packages for customers) to those who are interested in playing an acting rule. Starbit also offers an opportunity to those who want to transform all this in a work from home opportunity.

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With WalkyFit offers everyone the advantage of the care of their wellness combined with the economic recognition of a plurality of third parties. An innovative model that makes more positive the care of your health ...

As always, Starbit is ahead ...

More than 1 in 4 adults are not getting enough exercise

And there's been no improvement since 2001. Image: REUTERS/Chris Wattie

More than a quarter of the world's adults - or 1.4 billion people - take too little exercise, putting them at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers, according to a World Health Organization-led study.

In 2016, around one in three women and one in four men worldwide were not reaching the recommended levels of physical activity to stay healthy – at least 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week.

There has been no improvement in global levels of physical activity since 2001, according to the study, which was conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) researchers and published on Tuesday in The Lancet Global Health journal.

The highest rates of lack of exercise in 2016 were in adults in Kuwait, American Samoa, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, where more than half of all adults were not active enough to protect their health.

By comparison, around 40 percent of adults in the United States, 36 percent in Britain and 14 percent in China did too little exercise to stay healthy.

"Unlike other major global health risks, levels of insufficient physical activity are not falling worldwide, on average, and over a quarter of all adults are not reaching the recommended levels of physical activity for good health," said Regina Guthold of the WHO, who co-led the research.

Image: The Lancet

The WHO says insufficient physical activity is one of the leading risk factors for premature death worldwide. It raises the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

By becoming more active, it says, people can easily achieve benefits such as improve muscular and cardio-respiratory fitness, better bone health, weight control and reduced risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression and various types of cancer.

The study found that levels of low physical activity were more than twice as great in high-income countries compared to poorer nations, and had increased by 5.0 percent in richer countries from 2001 to 2016.

In wealthier countries, the researchers said, a transition towards more sedentary jobs as well as sedentary forms of recreation and transport could explain higher levels of inactivity. In less well-off countries, people tend to be more active at work and for transport, they said.

They urged governments to take note of these changes and put in place infrastructures that promote walking and cycling for transport and active sports and recreation.

 

The Mayor of Bogota and Walk 21 are delighted to invite you to join us in Bogota, Colombia, for the XIX International Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities.

STARBIT promote 

The Mayor of Bogota and Walk 21 are delighted to invite you to join us in Bogota, Colombia, for the XIX International Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities.

A thousand politicians, urban planners, civic leaders and academics are expected, and this is your opportunity to share your experience and to be part of the discussion and side events at Walk21 Bogota in October 2018.

Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is already internationally known for its commitment to safe and efficient mobility. Behind the headlines of coordinating one of the most successful public transport systems in the world and organising some of the most popular active travel events ever, Mayor Enrique Peñalosa’s personal vision is for a modern, compact interconnected city, that promotes active travel,invests in new and more accessible public spaces and, like all great cities, is both walkable and better for all.

It’s no surprise therefore that Bogota has been selected to host the Walk21 Conference in 2018 with a focus on the ultimate outcome that every community is seeking to attain greater happiness. This is the first time that this prestigious international conference will take place in South America, providing a unique opportunity for politicians, professionals and city lovers from all over the world to discuss and to learn about walking and walkability issues in a vibrant Latin American context.

Main themes

The Conference has four themes and invites you to contribute to the international and local debate in order to advance the implementation of best practices to make our cities more walkable and liveable places.

Theme 1: Sustainability / Eco-eficiency

Sustainable and liveable cities and public spaces, resilience, actions and results that boost broader sustainability, Vision Zero and healthy cities.

Theme 2: Equity

Accessibility and mobility, intermodality and public transportation,security, gender equality in the public spaces.

Theme 3: Competitiveness

Promotion of local economic development (commercial streets, local food spots in the public space), competitive public space generation.

Theme 4: Citizen Engagement

Liveable communities, participatory public policies, liveable town’s centres and neighbourhoods, communities’ organizations and good practices, citizen led projects that promote walkability, tactical urbanism and place-making.

https://www.walk21.com/conference

Background to The International Conference on Walking and Liveable Cities

Walk21 started in 2000 with a conference in London and the conference has been held every year since, in different cities around the world.

Typically every other year the event has been hosted in Europe but every year always draws on the best information and presenters worldwide, and delegates come from around the globe. 

The Walk21 conference series supports, encourages and inspires the Global Walking Network to:  

• Confirm the importance of walking politically and in policy
• Provide an international platform for an inclusive discussion
• Acknowledge current research, practice and promotion
• Identify the need for future research and networking.

International delegates attending a Walk21 conference do so to have the opportunity to hear from leading professionals about programmes, policies and projects that really work and explore those themes in action through walking tours and visits arranged in the host city.

Walkying helps wellness, not only from a physical point of view. Starbit is ahead

Walkying helps wellness, not only from a physical point of view.
Starbit is ahead

Healthy minds

A good walk can do wonders for your mental wellbeing.

But it's not just about the occasional one-off feel good factor. Being active has a whole range of benefits when it comes to mental wellbeing.

It improves self-perception and self-esteem, mood and sleep quality, and it reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue. Physically active people have up to a 30% reduced risk of becoming depressed, and staying active helps those who are depressed recover.

In older people, staying active can improve cognitive function, memory, attention and processing speed, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

"Walking has always been there for me, my confidence has grown immensely. I'm a totally different person now than I was ten years ago and I owe so much of that to walking."

Kath, walker with bipolar disorder

The physical improvements you gain by walking can help to improve your mental health too. If you feel fitter and feel in control of your weight, your body image and confidence can increase - so it's not just the physical benefits that you'll notice when you start walking.

Walk regularly. Invest in your long-term health now and you’ll see the difference that walking can make to your mind, your body and your social life. Walking in a group is a great way to get started and stay motivated, so find your local Walking for Health scheme.

Mental health benefits

• Reduced anxiety and happier moods. When you exercise, your brain chemistry changes through the release of endorphins (sometimes called ‘feel good’ hormones), which can calm anxiety and lift your mood.
• Reduced feelings of stress. You may experience reductions in feelings of stress and tension as your body is better able to control cortisol levels.
• Clearer thinking. Some people find that exercise helps to break up racing thoughts. As your body tires so does your mind, leaving you calmer and better able to think clearly.
• A greater sense of calm. Simply taking time out to exercise can give you space to think things over and help your mind feel calmer.
• Increased self-esteem. When you start to see your fitness levels increase and your body improve, it can give your self-esteem a big boost. The sense of achievement you get from learning new skills and achieving your goals can also help you feel better about yourself and lift your mood. Improved self-esteem also has a protective effect that increases life satisfaction and can make you more resilient to feeling stressed.
• Reduced risk of depression. If you're more active there’s good evidence to suggest that at most ages, for both men and women, there's a trend towards lower rates of depression. In fact one study has found that by increasing your activity levels from doing nothing to exercising at least three times a week, you can reduce your risk of depression by almost 20%.