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  • Everything You Need to Know Before Investing in Bitcoins Code [Sponsored]

    Everything You Need to Know Before Investing in Bitcoins Code [Sponsored]

    We all need a helping hand from time to time. When it comes to cryptocurrency investments, many people need a helping hand. These assets are not your average volatile assets you would expect in the financial markets, they are extremely volatile. This certainly means that if you are the kind of investor who buys and holds assets for the long-term, you might be in for many painstaking moments. Generally, short-term traders find the cryptocurrency market quite an interesting place to be, since you can make so much in less than a day.

    This brings us to the concept of investors vs traders. An investor in the cryptocurrency market would generally purchase some crypto assets, hold them for some months or years, then sell them. A trader, on the other hand, can buy assets and sell them in a few hours when the price is right. Therefore, while the investor might loathe the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market, a trader, on the other hand, will love it.

    How Bots Work for Your Investment

    Before we look at how your cryptocurrency investment will benefit from the use of trading bots, it is important to look at how they work. There are different bots out there, and you will come across many more over time. However, there are three important steps that trading bots perform, and this is the foundation that most of the bots you come across use.

    Most trading bots work in a three-step process:

    • They generate signals
    • They determine and apportion risk
    • They execute decisions

    What happens in each stage will depend on the type of data available. For the best results, you have to ensure you use credible sources so that your trading bots can make decisions relevant to the market, and your investment plans.

    What happens at signal generation? It is at this stage that the bots first make the decisions that determine your predictions. They make use of the data available to make a buy or sell decision.

    After this, the risk allocation takes place. In risk allocation, the bots determine following the buy or sell decision, the number of crypto assets to purchase. This will also depend on your decision pattern. Should the bot invest all your capital or just part of it? Should the bot purchase all the assets at the same time, or perhaps create averages and buy-in proportionately? Of course, buying everything in one go doesn’t sound like a good idea. You might get into the market at the wrong time and lose everything. Then again, if you are a high-risk investor, this sounds like something you might be interested in.

    At this point, we have already figured out what your trading bots are about to do. They have determined whether to buy or sell based on specific instructions, they have also figured out how much assets you are willing to move, or capital you wish to invest. The only thing remaining is executing the transaction.

    Depending on how much you are about to buy or sell, it is always wise to execute such trades in stages. You do not wish to flood the entire market with money. Say you are about to buy $8,000 worth of cryptocurrency assets, buying this at once would be a mistake. You will certainly not get the best price. Think about it this way, what if there are other individuals like you out in the market, using the same trading bot, and are all about to make the same decision you are about to. This is why you will not get the best price. It is wise to meter down your investment in stages.

    The workings of such bots, however, require a deeper knowledge of artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms that are beyond the purview of our discourse.

    Why You Need This Service

    Do you really need to use trading bots for your investment? This is one of the first questions many investors ask themselves. Primarily, you are leaving everything about your cryptocurrency investment in the hands of some code. Here are four important factors you need to consider, which will help you make the right decision.

    • Transaction Processing Ability

    Bots are very fast. Even the not-so-good bots in the market can process gigabytes of data every second. Unless you know an investment manager who can perform transactions with similar or better speed, you really could benefit from using bots for trading.

    • Intuitive Trading

    Trading bots rely on statistics and data available to them. It is up to you to provide credible sources of data from which they can read and make decisions. They do not depend on heresy or emotion. More importantly, trading bots are not afraid to execute transactions because they are afraid of losing, neither are they driven by greed in the pursuit of a favorable position.

    • Precision in Operation

    The reaction time and thought process of an investment bot is faster than any human you will come across. They make split-second decisions based on factual information available in the system. They, therefore do not need time to rethink, regroup or consult. They make decisions based on what is going on in the market at any given time.

    • Real-Time Investment

    You need to sleep, you need to take a holiday and a break. You also need to have a social life, go out with friends and so on. Bots do not need that. While you are away, bots are always working as long as the cryptocurrency market is open, which is 24/7.

    Based on this information, we can now go back to the initial question of whether we need investment bots to handle our cryptocurrency trades. The choice is ultimately yours.

    One thing that we have seen over the years at CoinCheckup is that you must have a personal investment profile. You need to have clear goals of why you are interested in buying specific crypto assets over all the others in the market. Without investment goals, you will end up chasing prices all over the market, and this never ends well. 

  • Redefining Crypto Investment With Crypto Software [Sponsored]

    Redefining Crypto Investment With Crypto Software [Sponsored]

    If you have been keen on the investment business, you probably know about automated trading systems. For the sake of everyone else who might not be financial investment-savvy, this process is also known as system trading, automated trading, mechanical trading systems or algorithmic trading. 

    What are they about?

    These are systems where investors set some rules to define their entry and exit when trading within their investment portfolios. Once these rules are set, a computer executes their trades automatically. Interesting, huh? Here’s an even more interesting fact, more than 70% of shares that people buy or sell in the stock market in the US alone are executed through automated trading systems.

    So, since the cryptocurrency investment market is pretty much similar in principle to the traditional investment market, is it possible to use automated trading systems? 

    Of course, it is possible.

    Cryptocurrency might be the new kid on the block, but considering that this is supposed to be a viable alternative to traditional fiat currency, the crypto market must operate in many ways in a manner similar to the normal financial market. There are many benefits of owning cryptocurrency and the fact that you can trade like a normal stock market further makes this an interesting spectacle. Let’s explore trading in crypto using automated software and see what it’s all about.

    The Concept of Automated Trading

    Investors can make use of crypto software to enhance their trading experience. To do this, you will basically be using similar rules and techniques used in traditional money management not just to trade, but also to monitor what goes on in the market. In as much as you might be interested in specific cryptocurrency pairs, there is no harm in monitoring the others too. After all, this is a market where the value of tradeable options keeps fluctuating randomly, so by monitoring the rest of the trading pairs, you might identify a viable investment opportunity.

    For the most part, investors struggle to trade in person due to a lot of inconveniences. Perhaps you are held up at work, and miss out on an opportunity that might have earned you significant returns. You might also find yourself in a situation where you do not have access to the internet or electricity for some reason. Such issues are common, but they should not prevent you from benefitting from the crypto market. With a reliable automated crypto trading system, you should not have much to worry about.

    Besides, one of the biggest challenges that investors have is getting emotive with their trades. As a result, you can end up holding onto a crypto pair longer than you should have. You might also avoid investing in a given currency because you might not be interested in it, while it is a viable investment opportunity. Automated crypto trading takes away the risk of emotion in trading. Your trades are executed automatically as long as they meet specific conditions.

    What To Look for In Automated Cryptocurrency Trading

    With many people opening up to the prospect of investing in cryptocurrency, there are a few pointers that should guide you on choosing the appropriate automated cryptocurrency trader in the market. There is quite a number already, so armed with information, you can check out a few, compare them and choose one that suits your needs and your investment style.

    • Market Access

    One of the important features you need to look for is access to different exchanges. You need a trading program that gives you access to a variety of exchanges. When investing in cryptocurrency, or any other investment for that matter, you should not limit your options. The variety gives you a better shot at getting better deals. Other than exchanges, an ideal program should also give you access to live market stats, so that at any given point in time, you know how the market is performing.

    • Currency Support

    For investment purposes, you need access to as many cryptocurrencies as possible. There are several investment opportunities, not just with the major cryptocurrencies. You should also be able to trade in other currencies like Dash, Litecoin and Ripple other than Ethereum and Bitcoin.

    Other than access to many currency options, the trading software you use should guarantee you live market data from all or any of the exchanges you prefer.

    • Technical Indicators

    One of the other features you need in automated trading is the ability to trade cryptocurrencies according to specific investment rules, like statistical arbitrage or using technical indicators. This is no different from what you would expect in the normal financial markets.

    • Account Management

    Automated crypto trading programs should also have a feature that allows you to manage your accounts. By account management, this means you can download currency pairs, exchanges and accounts into the program. With this feature, you have intuitive control over your trading accounts.

    Apart from that, the program should also allow you the ability to trade different currency pairs on several exchanges. Without limitations on exchanges where you can trade, you should be able to benefit from different rates across the board.

    There are many people who are not conversant with the trading programs but would still wish to trade in cryptocurrency. For this reason, a good platform should have a simulation account. A simulation account allows you to practice trading before you can invest in the live market with your currency. This makes it easier for you to learn and perfect some of the strategies necessary for investment trading in cryptocurrency. 

    At CoinCheckup, we believe that there is so much room for growth for investors who are keen on expanding their portfolio with crypto assets. However, like any other investment, this calls for discipline on the part of the investor. You must conduct due diligence before you invest in any asset online. Automated trading platforms will make your work easier, but you have to put in the work, to find the right one. You also need to figure out the ideal parameters or conditions within which you can set the trading software to deliver impressive results.

  • Cryptocurrency in online poker: does it have a future? [In collaboration]

    Cryptocurrency in online poker: does it have a future? [In collaboration]

    Can cryptos take online poker to the next level?

    In December 2017, Bitcoin was worth an eye-watering $18,000. Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies were seemingly on an unstoppable curve, at least until last year, when market panic and regulatory moves by several nations prompted massive declines in the value of leading digital currencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is worth around $7,500, more than a 50% decline in December 2017. So why are people considering utilizing cryptos for online industries, including poker?

    There are a few clear reasons why cryptocurrencies have rapidly become an option for users of online poker rooms. First and foremost, crypto coins make it easy to move funds from personal accounts to online poker room accounts. The creation of cryptocurrency wallets has made it possible to instantly transfer the likes of Bitcoin without the fear of banking regulations or having to put your trust in third-party payment processors to complete the transaction.

    Online poker players will tell you that one of their biggest bug-bears about online poker rooms is the time it takes to receive their withdrawals. If you secure a big win in a multi-table poker tournament, it’s not as simple as getting your hands on it immediately with fiat currency. On the flip side, Bitcoin and other cryptos can be transferred from poker accounts to a cryptocurrency wallet instantly, with no need to wait for funds to clear in your bank account.

    The threat of crypto devaluation

    But does that outweigh the potential negatives of using cryptocurrency like Bitcoin in poker? The biggest issue regarding crypto use in online poker is the volatile value of Bitcoin and various other digital coins. If you’d won a multi-table tournament (MTT) back in December 2017 for one Bitcoin (BTC), you’d have been in line for an $18,000 windfall. If you win an MTT today, you’d only bag just under $7,500. Your online poker winnings could, in effect, diminish even further over time after cashing out.

    Seemingly the most prominent online poker brands still think it’s too much of a risk to take. You only have to check out the poker promotions offered by the oldest established online poker rooms to see that cash bonuses and tournament tickets are still the primary bonuses for customers, with no mention of Bitcoin or unique crypto tokens designed exclusively for specific poker rooms.

    Although cryptocurrencies themselves may still be struggling to infiltrate the online poker industry, integral cryptocurrency technology could yet be critical to the future of a trusted, secure online poker industry. Blockchain is the digital technology that the online poker industry is increasingly fascinated by for several reasons. In fact, the blockchain concept is the main facet of cryptocurrencies that online poker appears keen to adopt.

    Blockchain technology was developed as a fundamental infrastructure for Bitcoin, the world’s original cryptocurrency. The premise of blockchain in the first instance was to prevent ‘double spending’ of Bitcoins. If there was no way of tracking the spending of Bitcoins, then few people could see the longevity in crypto coins. Therefore, the spending and transfer of Bitcoins have since been monitored on a decentralized blockchain, with no third-party capable of tampering with the data.

    Blockchain’s potential with online poker RNGs

    It’s the decentralized nature of blockchain technology that seems to resonate so well with the online poker industry. That’s because there is still a stigma regarding the industry’s use of random number generators (RNGs). These computerized algorithms work to provide a 100% random outcome for every deal of every hand. Nevertheless, there are still skeptical online poker players that don’t trust the legitimacy of RNGs. 

    Blockchain technology could put the lack of trust in RNGs to an end. Were RNGs placed within a decentralized blockchain network, that could prove the integrity of every random card shuffle, which in turn would provide players with total transparency and accountability for their gameplay.

    Similarly to the blockchain, the concept of smart contracts is another piece of technology that is also being tipped to transform online poker payments. They were initially designed to be used for the cryptocurrency known as Ethereum. Smart contracts are decentralized computer protocols to digitally enforce predefined rules of a deal. This includes the transfer of personal funds without the need for third parties.

    Smart contracts would also provide ultimate transparency for the online poker industry, with customers having total clarity on the location of their funds at all times. Even if their funds were being held in escrow by a smart contract, the contract itself would be programmed to release the funds when the player was ready, giving them total control over their own bankroll.

    Cutting through the noise of dubious cryptocurrency poker rooms will be critical for long-standing poker brands looking to accept cryptos like Bitcoin as a form of payment in the long-term. There have been reports of inadequate security measures from some of the burgeoning crypto poker platforms. Some of whom have been offering hugely lucrative promotions that are said to have courted the attention of people keen to cheat the system through the use of bots.

    It doesn’t matter how positive blockchain technology can be for the online poker industry, poker fanatics remain beholden to poker room operators to manage their platforms with the utmost integrity. Avoiding the threat of bots and dark web collusion is the only way to truly cement online poker’s reputation well into the next decade.

  • How to Invest in Cryptocurrency with an Online Broker [Sponsored]

    How to Invest in Cryptocurrency with an Online Broker [Sponsored]

    A lot of people are increasingly excited about the prospect of investing in cryptocurrency. With access to information and brokerage firms available, there is so much potential in this market if you are willing to give it a try. There are many online brokers today whose platforms you can use to invest in cryptocurrency. You must first understand what it means to invest in crypto, and how to go about it.

     

    Before you invest in anything, it is always advisable to understand the core dynamics. First, what are cryptocurrencies? These are digital currencies with the following features:

    • Decentralization

    A decentralized currency means that you are trading in currencies that lack a central point of control. While fiat currencies have central banks in each country, cryptocurrencies do not. Instead, they are owned and controlled by the community of investors like yourself.

    • Peer-to-peer

    One of the challenges you experience when dealing with fiat currency is that transfer from your bank to another person’s bank in a different country can be tedious. It will take a few days, and it will also be costly. Once they receive the currency, they also have to incur costs of conversion into their local currency, which means that they will either end up with less money, or you have to send them more to cover the transaction costs.

    Peer-to-peer in the case of cryptocurrency means that you can easily transfer your coins to another person in a different part of the world almost instantaneously and without incurring the costs involved in transferring fiat currency. After all, there is no central government or middlemen involved to demand transaction costs.

    • Very fast transactions

    How many times have you been to a bank and told your transfer will complete in 2-5 business days? This is a problem you don’t get to experience with cryptocurrency. Most transfers will terminate in seconds or a few minutes depending on the cryptocurrency you are trading.

    • Affordable 

    One of the benefits of trading in cryptocurrency is that it lowers the cost of transactions drastically. It is possible to send currency in the value of millions of dollars to recipients in any part of the world, and it will only cost you a few cents. 

    If you think about these features, investing in cryptocurrency is a good idea. There are a number of online brokerage firms that can help you with this. You just need to be careful so you invest with the right one. At Coincheckup, we encourage investors to perform due diligence on the platform they want to invest in. You are making a financial decision that will impact your investment and your wealth, so it is only fair that you find an online broker that is worth your while.

    Factors To Consider When Investing in Cryptocurrency

    So what do you need to invest in cryptocurrency? The following section outlines all the important factors you need to consider:

    Sufficient Capital

    You need to have some money set aside for this investment. How much money depends on what you are comfortable with, and the cryptocurrency you are investing in. Generally, you can purchase cryptocurrencies for as little as $1. This is because there are so many currencies available in the market, and some of their values are so small a dollar could get you quite a number of currencies.

    Even when purchasing major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, you can still purchase fractions of the currency. For example, at the time of this writing, Bitcoin was trading at $7,290. However, you might not have that much money, but still interested in investing in Bitcoin. If, for example, you have some $50 lying around, you can purchase roughly 0.0069 Bitcoin.

    There are many places where you can check the prevailing market price of different cryptocurrencies so you can make an informed decision on which one you can invest in with the money you have. As a rule of thumb, always make sure that you are investing only the amount of money that you can comfortably lose. Like any other investment, there are risks associated with investing in cryptocurrency, so invest wisely.

    Storage Facility

    You must have a digital purse where you will store your currencies once you buy them. There are many digital wallets out there, designed with backup, send and receive features to make your work easier.

    For someone to send some crypto to your digital wallet, you must share the wallet address with them. This is like your account number. The backup feature in your digital wallet is to help you backup your public and private keys in a safe location offline. You can keep this in a flash disk or even write it down somewhere. Imagine a situation where a few years down the line, the cryptocurrency in your wallet is worth so much, but since you lost access to your keys, you cannot access your wealth. Remember that in the world of cryptocurrency, anything is possible. You might wake up a few weeks from now and find Bitcoins trading at $20,000, so it is important that you do your best to protect your investment.

    Find a Reliable Exchange

    An exchange is a platform where buyers and sellers trade digital currencies. This is no different from the exchanges you come across at the stock market. There are different types of exchanges you can use. These include merchant exchanges and trading exchanges.

    Even as you plan to invest in cryptocurrency, one thing that you should remember all the time is that this is an investment market that is highly unpredictable. Things change so fast, and you must be very fast and sharp to take advantage when things go your way. There is no definite way to determine whether the price of Bitcoin, for example, will rise of fall in the future. This is unlike the traditional investment markets where you can predict that floods in a certain area will cause the price of a given stock to fall. However, what we know for a fact is that changes in Bitcoin prices usually affect a lot of other cryptocurrencies.

  • How you can manage your cryptocurrency risk exposure [Sponsored]

    How you can manage your cryptocurrency risk exposure [Sponsored]

    In less than a decade, cryptocurrencies have exploded onto the scene and significantly changed the way we think about money and investments. Where in the past, Bitcoin was written off as being just a passing fad, it has quickly grown into something else entirely, faster than a horse in the Kentucky Derby. What was once the domain of dark web users and even criminals, has become one of the hottest investments of the 21st century.

    Loved and hated in equal measures, crypto-assets can be an extremely risky proposition due to its unregulated nature. However, the massive risks have paid off spectacularly for a few very lucky individuals. It is this fad that has provided investors with an incentive to snap up any and all kinds of cryptocurrencies wherever possible. 

    Despite having hit highs of $10,000 and above in 2019, it would appear that things are nowhere near as rosy at the time of writing with prices sliding continually downwards. 

    Experts have remarked that a combination of market pessimism caused by Mark Zuckerberg’s underwhelming congress performance and developments in Google’s quantum computing research have renewed fears that Bitcoin mining would be changed irrevocably.

    With all of that in mind, the question has to be asked, what does the future of cryptocurrency look like? And how can investors manage their risk? Join us as we take a look at how you can protect your crypto portfolio.

    1. Diversifying your crypto portfolio

    It’s no secret that crypto-based assets are extremely volatile. In just a matter of moments, prices can fluctuate by as much as 150% with little or no warning. Such high levels of volatility mean that fortunes can be made or lost in just a blink of an eye.

    Hence, one of the simplest and most effective ways of managing your risk is by diversifying your investments. While Bitcoin is without a doubt the mainstay of many portfolios, it is by no means the only investment available to you. From Ethereum to Ripple, there are dozens of reputable coins on the market that you can choose to purchase.

    When planning out your crypto portfolio, it’s best to opt for a healthy mix of assets. Ideally, your portfolio should consist of a backbone of stablecoins and a sprinkling or riskier assets. Splitting up investments into different types of coins ensures that in the long-term, your portfolio will not be wiped out by a single catastrophic event. 

    While the returns may be slightly lower when compared to investing in riskier coins, your risk exposure is significantly reduced.

    1. Short selling assets

    Short selling is an investment strategy that can be used as a means of hedging your assets. For example, you take a short-selling position by borrowing a digital asset such as Bitcoin from any of the crypto exchanges. You then sell the Bitcoin at the current market price to a willing buyer and repurchase it at a lower price before having to return it to the exchange. 

    From here, you’ll be able to earn a profit on the difference in prices. Short selling is a complicated hedging maneuver used by investors when they expect the price of a said commodity to fall in the near future. This allows them to sell borrowed cryptocurrency at a higher price while repaying it a lower rate when the price falls.

    This strategy is not without its fair share of risk as theoretically speaking, the price of cryptocurrency can suddenly increase without any warning which forces you to take a loss. On the other hand, being able to correctly predict a sudden fall in prices not only hedges your risk but returns a healthy profit.

    1. Utilize derivatives

    Being a widely traded commodity, dozens of crypto exchanges offer derivatives which are a great way of managing one’s risk. If you didn’t know, derivatives are defined as financial instruments that derive (hence the name) their values from the price of an underlying asset.

    Common derivatives include contracts, options, futures and swaps. Take futures as an example, they are essentially an agreement between two parties to buy or sell a particular commodity at a fixed price at some point in the future.

    Derivatives are especially useful in the world of cryptocurrency trading. Due to the extreme volatility of cryptocurrencies, derivatives allow an investor to exercise some degree of control over the buy/sell price of their crypto assets thus reducing their risk exposure.

    Investing in cryptocurrencies is a risky proposition that can either make or break you. Always remember that it’s best to stay up to date with current affairs in order to avoid getting blindsided.

     

     

  • How to Find Reliable Crypto Trading Platforms [Sponsored]

    How to Find Reliable Crypto Trading Platforms [Sponsored]

    Since cryptocurrencies were introduced, the digital economy has experienced quite a dynamic shift. A lot of people are gradually learning about cryptocurrencies. With more people interested in the digital economy, there was a need for trading platforms where investors could exchange their cryptocurrencies for others. There are several platforms that have since sprung up, helping a lot of investors in the process.

     

    However, despite all the trading platforms coming up, it is important that you find one or a few that are reputable and reliable. At Coincheckup we believe that a good trading platform should make you feel confident about your investment. For many investors, making the right choice is not usually an easy task given all the trading platforms available. The developers behind these platforms are careful enough to make sure they design amazing user interfaces to ensure that you can get easy access to the platform. 

    Every investor has unique needs and requirements that must be met in any trading platform. One thing you will realize if you sample a few of the trading platforms is that all of them cannot meet all your needs at the same time. It is, therefore, important that you find one platform that meets your most important needs. To do that, you have to look at the features inherent to each platform and compare it with what you hope to get from a reliable investment platform.

    Features of Quality Investment Platforms

    With all the alternatives available for trading cryptocurrency, there is so much you need to look at before you settle on the best platform for your investment. Below are some of the most important features you should consider:

    • Safety and Security

    You must treat this as you would any other investment, especially in the traditional money market. All the precautions that you take when investing your money in the forex market or trading in shares at the stock exchange will also apply when looking for a reliable trading platform for cryptocurrency.

    The good thing with most of the exchanges today is that they shored up their security so you do not have much to worry about. A secure trading platform will have an SSL certificate. When you visit their platform, the website URL should have an HTTPS. For someone who is not tech-savvy, this is to protect your personal data from hackers. 

    There are many unscrupulous individuals online who prey on unsuspecting users and trading platforms that might not have the best security features so far. Other than the security measures that the trading platforms put in place, you should also be careful about your user information. You must make sure you only log into your accounts from trusted computers, and sign out of your account when you are done with the session.

    • 2-step Authentication

    Any serious organization that holds user accounts today will have 2-step authentication to protect user accounts. The benefit of 2-step authentication is that even if someone has access to your access credentials, they must go one step further and have your mobile phone too, because each time you sign in, you receive a message on your phone as an additional layer of protection.

    All of the major companies like Google and Dropbox are using 2-step authentication today, so it is more of an industry-standard in account security. Therefore, this is one of the features you must look for before you invest your cryptocurrency in any platform.

    • User Reviews

    User reviews tell a different tale from what the company might want you to believe. Remember that these companies are businesses and they try to market their services accordingly. The best way to know more about a trading platform is from the perspective of users who have invested with the company too.

    There is a lot of information you can deduce from the user reviews. First, you will know about the overall trading experience that each user had. This tells you whether your investment is safe here or not. How long do they take to process your funds? 

    Another important lesson you will realize from the reviews is whether the platform has been hacked before. Platforms that have suffered more than one hack are not worth your investment. However, there is a lot you can learn about the hacks too. How did the company respond to the hack? What did they do to prevent similar cases in the past? The fact is that the majority of the trading platforms have been targeted for attack in the past, some successful, and others unsuccessful. According to the GDPR regulations, organizations that have been victims of a hack are required to inform their users as soon as possible.

    • Coin Liquidity

    If there is one thing you need to look for in a reliable trading platform, it is the coin liquidity. You need a platform that handles a high volume of trades. This also means that they have high asset liquidity. A platform that has a high liquidity is a good place for your investment. This is because they have sufficient assets being traded on their platform.

    At the same time, look at the trading pairs that are available for investors. In this case, a lot of people focus on the major trading pairs, like ETH/LTC, BTC/USD, or BTC/ETH. This is okay, since these are the main trades that many investors perform. However, a good platform should go beyond the ordinary. Do they also support rare currencies? Make sure you confirm whether the trading platform handles the trading pairs that you are interested in.

    • Payments and Commissions

    How much commission are you paying the platform? This is one of the features that you should think about when looking at trading platforms. As a rule of thumb, try and look for low commissions. This way, you save more on each trade. However, it is also important that you understand the terms and conditions applicable to the fees and commissions.

    What payment options are available? This is an important consideration because you need payment options that are relevant to your region. Traditionally, many trading platforms support wire transfers, credit and debit cards. However, you can also benefit from those who include PayPal, Skrill and other digital payment options.

  • Using Advanced Technology for Crypto Investment [Sponsored]

    Using Advanced Technology for Crypto Investment [Sponsored]

    The past few years have involved a lot of discussion about cryptocurrency online. We have read stories of people who turned into overnight millionaires by owning a few cryptocurrencies here and there. It is not always bliss because we also know of those who have lost almost everything in the pursuit of the crypto wealth. This brings us to the important question, how can you invest in cryptocurrency?

    Back when the crypto conversations started, most people were talking about Bitcoin. However, things are different today. There are more cryptocurrencies in the market and many others are in the pipeline. With an increase in tradable assets, you have a lot to consider in terms of your investment.

    Just like the traditional money market, there are lots of opportunities you can invest in using cryptocurrencies. These are cryptographic tokens that are immutable and exchangeable and you can even convert them into fiat currency. 

    Reasons for Investing in Cryptocurrency

    Proponents of cryptocurrency believe that in the foreseeable future, cryptocurrencies will be effective substitutes for global currencies we are used to, like the Euro and Dollar. But, why should you invest in cryptocurrency?

    Cryptocurrency offers an opportunity for you to hedge your wealth against a slump in the traditional currencies. If you hold a lot of wealth in dollar currency, for example, it might be wise to invest in cryptocurrency such that in the event of a market downturn as we experienced in 2008, you do not suffer a significant hit.

    We live in a world that is advancing so fast with different groundbreaking technologies coming up all over the place. Cryptocurrency acts as a guide into the new world. The traditional money market might have been efficient for many years, but it has its unique challenges that are addressed by cryptocurrencies. One of the challenges with the traditional market is that it is full of middlemen. The problem with middlemen is that they always drive up the cost of transactions, and increase delays. These are some of the challenges that are addressed by cryptocurrency.

    Before you think of investing in cryptocurrency, you must take your time and understand what they are about. This is not just about the technology behind it, but also the process and procedures involved. When you learn more about cryptocurrency, you have a better chance of spotting promising investment instruments and buying into them at a good price.

    While this is a good idea, you also have to take precautions not to fall victim to the fear of missing out. This is one of the challenges that led many people to lose their money after investing in cryptocurrency. Don’t just buy into the hype because you like what you read online. Take your time, investigate, research and with relevant information, decide on the best cryptocurrency to invest your money. 

    Like any other investment, there is no quick money-making scheme in cryptocurrency investment. If you approach it in this manner, there is a good chance you might lose your money. There are also many unscrupulous dealers who actively search for gullible traders and take advantage of them. If you look at the price of Bitcoin, for example, between December 2016 and 2017, the price rose from an average of $750 to $10,000. Stories like these got a lot of people interested and invested in Bitcoin, most of them without knowing what they were getting into. With more speculative investors buying into the currency, it was only a matter of time before the tables turned and a lot of people lost their money.

    This brings us to the importance of understanding cryptocurrency. When Bitcoin prices dropped, all the other currencies in the market suffered too. What we learn from this is that you have to identify the correlation between the major cryptocurrencies and any other cryptocurrency in the market, assuming you plan to invest in something other than the major ones.

    How To Invest Wisely

    The crypto market is highly volatile. Because of this reason, you can expect things to change more dramatically than they do in the traditional financial markets. One of the reasons for this is because cryptocurrency is not a normal investment instrument. Besides, when you look at the possibilities involved, many countries are still unsure about the prospect of cryptocurrency, so a lot of the central banks are cautious about it. You, therefore, need to invest only when you are certain you can convert your cryptocurrency into regular currency.

    You will notice on trading platforms that there are many other cryptocurrencies available. You do not have to be limited to Bitcoin, Ethereum or any other of the top currencies in the market. Such currencies are referred to as Altcoins. The closest explanation of an Altcoin in the regular investment market is penny stocks. Are they worthwhile investments? Well, think about the fact that the Bitcoin share in the market was around 90% in 2017, and fell down to around 50% in 2018. This is proof that there are new and exciting currencies in the market.

    Bitcoin might be the leader in the crypto market, but it has unique challenges that prompted the crypto community to consider other investments. Besides, it is never wise to put all your money in one basket, especially for an investment like cryptocurrency where the level of regulation is pretty much non-existent.

    Before you invest in any platform, you must take precautionary measures to safeguard your wealth. One of the first things you are advised at CoinCheckup to do is to read the whitepaper of the crypto project you are investing in. The whitepaper gives you a lot of information regarding the currency. You learn about the team behind it, their goals, vision, and what other cryptocurrencies it is leveraged against. The more information you can get from a whitepaper, the better an investment prospect it is. This is because these reports are authoritative and inform you more about the crypto project. Therefore, if you are about to invest in an ICO and you do not find a whitepaper, you need to reconsider your options.

  • Using Crypto for Affiliate Marketing [Sponsored]

    Using Crypto for Affiliate Marketing [Sponsored]

    It was not so long ago that the idea of blockchain was no more than a vague concept for many people. As more people got accustomed to it, interest in cryptocurrency grew, and with that, many cryptocurrencies sprung up. The proliferation of cryptocurrency was, for a long time assumed to be a preserve of a few people, especially those who had the technical know-how on matters concerning cryptocurrency. This is not the case anymore. As is expected of anything that hits the internet, many people have come to learn about cryptocurrency over the years, and with that, they also learned of its potential and so many ways they can invest in cryptocurrency.

    At this point in time, most people interested in cryptocurrency are aware of what it is, what a crypto exchange is and the impact that this technology has in the world today. Concerning its potential, there is so much you can learn about cryptocurrency to help you tap into the benefits of this technology.

    Controversial Technology

    While there is so much that we have learned about cryptocurrency over the years, one thing we cannot do is shy away from the controversy around it. Many are the debates that people have about cryptocurrency, and more importantly, whether it is just another bubble that will burst and they end up losing everything.

    In the past, we have seen the price of Bitcoin, for example, rise to unprecedented levels. This sparked a lot of chatter about how stable it was, among other things. Soon after, the price went on a free-fall and later regained its momentum again. For speculators, such upheavals would send investors into panic. However, there is no need to panic because this is normal and expected, even in the traditional financial markets. 

    What you need to do, as an investor in cryptocurrency is to, first of all, make sure you are informed. This is where many people go wrong. Without information, a vacuum exists, which can easily be filled with half-truths, hence sparking a lot of controversies even where none should exist.

    The Benefits of Affiliate Marketing

    Cryptocurrency is about more than money. It is also about unique ecosystems. Most people limit their imagination of crypto to the monetary value. However, there are many other options available. Take Algo Affiliates, for example. This is a platform where users can use crypto to support their marketing campaigns.

    As a marketing expert, you are aware of the immense potential that your business can enjoy with proper marketing. From advertising new products to informing customers of new changes in your business line, marketing your brand the right way will have significant benefits to the business.

    Through Algo Affiliates, you have an opportunity to engage and widen your network of affiliates and customers. Like any other affiliate marketing approach, merchants are attracted by commissions. You will find the tools, services, and systems available coming in handy for your business. Their unique affiliate system is creatively designed by experts in different fields to ensure that you have nothing short of a good experience with your business. 

    Two of the most important things most marketers aspire to achieve are high retention levels and conversion rates. While most of the work involved to achieve these will depend on your input, Algo Affiliates has the necessary infrastructure to help you achieve your goals. You are leveraging some of the best technology in the market to push your business to the next level.

    Another feature that affiliates need is the assurance that they will get all-round support. Algo Affiliates has a 24/7 support system to ensure that users get all the help they need. Support comes in handy in many cases, especially around payments. While payments are made promptly in most cases, there are isolated cases where issues might arise, hence a slight delay. In the face of such inconveniences, it is important to have the assurance that someone is working round the clock to sort out the issues for you.

    When you get into affiliate marketing, you want to know what is on the table. What makes this a better offer than anything else available elsewhere? Partners are at the heart of the affiliate marketing business, so the company also makes certain that they can do what they can to support them. You can look forward to the cost-per-acquisition offer. This is an arrangement where users who refer merchants earn from their effort. Therefore, what you need to do is to ensure you get as many merchants to the network as you can since the payment is proportional to the referrals. There are other benefits alongside such payments, including hybrid deals and revenue share where applicable.

    At CoinCheckup, one of the features we appreciate about the brilliant minds in the crypto industry is innovation. Developers, businesses and many other stakeholders go out of their way to ensure they deliver products and services that challenge the traditional way of doing business. 

    On matters of innovation, Algo Affiliates tries to rejuvenate your marketing approaches through innovative ways. The fact that there are a number of well-known brands in the industry working hand-in-hand with this team is a confidence boost for many investors. Getting brands like TradoLogic and AirSoft on board is proof that you too, can make use of the marketing services offered by this company.

    Your business should not lag behind. It is so much easier to connect with and engage customers from different parts of the world and increase your market coverage through an elaborate affiliate network. Members who join your affiliate network can also look forward to the financial benefit of referring new merchants, which increases the likelihood of your marketing efforts bearing fruit.

    Like we mentioned earlier, one of the most important things you need before venturing into the world of cryptocurrency is information. The more you know about cryptocurrency and affiliate marketing, the easier it will be for you to capitalize on its potential and use that to your advantage, helping you achieve your business objectives in the process.

  • How Online Gambling Is Adopting Blockchain Technology

    How Online Gambling Is Adopting Blockchain Technology

    The development of Bitcoin was to decentralize finance from a central authority. Derailing orthodox finance systems from the tracks of global banks meant payments could be cheaper as no verification was needed by third parties – and the use of blockchain meant those payments were safer and faster. Ultimately, the birth of Bitcoin allowed cheaper, safer and swifter peer-to-peer payments around the world. So, who would have thought the technology behind it would expand into so many other industries?

    Photo credits: Martin Maier

    Blockchains have already been adopted in industries outside of finance. Car manufacturers are using them to track the history of a vehicle, preventing odometer fraud and attempted criminal sales. Likewise, the music industry is starting to rely on blockchains to prevent copyright issues and hand out royalty payments fairly. Now it’s time for the gambling industry to cash in on blockchains.

    Current Issues in the Gambling Industry

    Online casinos use promotions and bonuses to attract players in a saturated market. Royal Vegas Casino is a great example by offering a wealth of offers to new and existing players. Yet, players also want other things from the online casino they choose. They want cheap deposits, fast withdrawals and they want their details to be secure in an age where internet hacking is rife. These are three areas where online casinos need to provide answers – and the blockchain can help them do that.

    Blockchain Adoption to the Rescue?

    Naturally, not all casinos are including the blockchain to help them answer current issues, but if they did, they could implement smoother processes and increase player satisfaction.

    1.     Cheaper

    Some players may use deposit methods that cost. For example, using a credit card or a foreign bank to make a deposit. These costs arise due to handling fees, which can be avoided with crypto deposits. This doesn’t necessarily mean players will gamble with crypto but casinos could accept crypto and then give players the fiat currency equivalent.

    1.     Safer

    When making a deposit with crypto, the player will not need to enter or store their bank details on the casino site. What this means is the security of the player is enhanced. With no personal or sensitive details entered, the chances of hackers accessing that information and creating fraud are removed.

    1.     Faster

    Nobody wants to celebrate a big win by waiting days to receive their money. Casinos offering to payout players in crypto can also speed up the withdrawal process and enhance the gaming experience. Crypto payments are often much faster than waiting for banks to process a payout.

    Niche Blockchain Advances in Gaming

    As well as the benefits of blockchains in the gambling industry focusing on payment structure, withdrawals, and security, blockchain-based casino games are also coming to light. Bitcoin casinos are popping up with games like Bitcoin Dice becoming big hits. There is certainly a place among gaming for blockchain – so expect more developments in the near future.