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2021

Apr 14 2021

Venice, California based UNA Blockchain Introduces a DLT focused Ecosystem for the Automotive Industry

UNA Blockchain, a subsidiary of Hopium, the car manufacturer that develops “high-end” hydrogen sedans, is launching its new blockchain ecosystem.

Based in Venice, California, UNA Blockchain aims to position itself as a leader within the automotive sector, according to a release shared with Crowdfund Insider. The ethos of the business is “based on security, sustainability, transparency and ethics,” the announcement noted.

UNA intends to leverage partnerships with key players in the tech sector like IBM Hyperledger. The firm will also be backed by Hopium, its “genesis” partner that carried out an IPO in December 2020, resulting in its current valuation of more than $250 million.

As explained in the release,

“The [UNA] ecosystem will use IoT hardware to record unaltered data on a blockchain and a way of measuring emissions and assessing the impact of each vehicle on the environment. … UNA will actively participate in answering climate change issues while maintaining optimal data security.”

The release added that drivers will be able to create their own “digital passport” as well. By writing “individual” preferences to a blockchain or DLT-based platform, they’ll be able to seamlessly switch between vehicles without losing any settings or preferences by pulling the previously stored profile from the ledger.

As mentioned in the release, a test-drive will “instantly feel like home and driving a rental will no longer feel like a rental.” The announcement also mentioned that “not only does this remove pain points from the user, but also enables the company to study aggregate user preferences and learn about consumer [preferences and behavior] over time.”

The announcement added:

“UNA’s core value of transparency begins before the vehicle has been manufactured and shines a light on the supply chain leading up to the finished product. By tracing parts through the supply chain, UNA ensures partners and suppliers take environmentally-friendly … approaches to the manufacturing process, along with the added guarantee of high quality materials and workmanship. By keeping this detailed ledger, owners know exactly what went into their vehicle and have guarantees on each individual part in case of damages or failure.”

UNA’s ecosystem will offer improved security. As explained in the release, ownership of a vehicle may be recorded on a blockchain or DLT-based system. And access by “unauthorized” parties will “automatically be rejected,” the release noted while adding that user profiles may be managed via the blockchain.

This means that a family will have the option to assign several different users to the same vehicle. This concept of authorized users “extends to include both a ‘guest mode’ and a ‘child mode’ to grant access to specific individuals for set time periods,” the announcement noted.

As stated in the release, this “first chapter” of UNA’s history is part of a “greater vision to balance and decarbonize both the blockchain and the automotive industry.”

Launched in 2021, UNA is a US-based blockchain firm and subsidiary of Hopium, the hydrogen car manufacturer founded by racing driver Olivier Lombard.

UNA aims to embody the “next era” of automotive and claims that it is “poised” to take a leadership role within the automoble sector. With “an emphasis on security, ethics, transparency, and sustainability, UNA is leveraging ‘next-generation’ technologies to build a blockchain ecosystem capable of exceeding expectations,” the announcement noted.

Source

Written by bizbuildermike · Categorized: Crowdfunding · Tagged: 2020, 2021, automobile industry, Automotive, blockchain, Blockchain & Digital Assets, business, California, car, climate change, company, data, distributed ledger technology, dlt, driver, eco-friendly, Environment, environmentally-friendly, ethics, Family, hardware, hopium, ibm hyperledger, iot, ipo, Ledger, more, olivier lombard, partner, Partners, product, rental, security, sedans, Study, supply chain, sustainability, tech, una, una blockchain, United States, us, Valuation, venice

Apr 14 2021

You can already invest in hundreds of ETFs with exposure to Bitcoin

Numerous U.S.-traded exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are loading up on shares in the world’s top crypto firms.

According to ETF.com, hundreds of funds have invested in publicly-listed companies that are holding BTC on their balance sheets. As of this writing 88 ETFs hold MicroStrategy shares, while 144 ETFs hold Square, and 222 ETFs hold Tesla. Sixteen ETFs have direct exposure to Bitcoin mining stocks.

Almost 200 ETFs hold shares in BlackRock, which recently profited $360,457 after starting to “dabble a bit” in crypto.

Top-performing ETFs with crypto exposure

Nine funds are exposed to both crypto mining stocks and firms with BTC on their balance sheets. 

As a share of its overall portfolio, the Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF (BLOK) has the greatest exposure to crypto. Seven of BLOK’s top 10 allocations are in leading crypto firms, including Galaxy Digital, Marathon Digital, Voyager Digital, Hut 8 Mining, Hive Blockchain, Riot Blockchain, and Argo Blockchain. These stocks represent one-third of BLOK’s capital.

The fund describes its investments as targeting “transformational data sharing technologies.”

BLOK is among the top-performing ETFs of 2021 so far, gaining 71.7% since the start of the year. So far in 2021 it’s recorded the eighth-highest returns among all ETFs — and it ranks second if you exclude leveraged and inverse products. Among ETFs, BLOK is the single-largest hodler of both MicroStrategy and Marathon’s stock.

The Nasdaq NexGen Economy ETF (BLCN) is the only other crypto-exposed ETF that ranks among the top 100 ETFs by YTD performance when excluding inverse and leveraged funds, coming in at 82nd with a YTD gain of 23.15%.

BLCN currently holds $5.63 million worth of Marathon stock, $5.4m in Microstrategy, and $5.24 million in Square.

Largest holders by total value of assets

When measured by total value of assets, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) is the ETF with the heaviest allocations to crypto-exposed firms. The VTI currently represents $2.77 billion worth of Tesla, $478 million of Square, $29.4 million of Microstrategy, and $11.38 million of Riot Blockchain. VTI also owns $516 million worth of Blackwater. 

The iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) is the second-largest fund by overall exposure to crypto, holding $450 million worth of Tesla, $4.4 million of Microstrategy, $3.86 million of Marathon, and $3.12 million in Riot.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is yet to issue a verdict on seven applications for Bitcoin ETFs, including Fidelity Investments, Skybridge Capital, WisdomTree, Morgan Stanley and NYDIG, VanEck, and Valkyrie Digital Assets.

The Purpose Bitcoin ETF began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange in mid-February, and has accumulated roughly $1 billion worth of BTC since inception. Canada’s Ninepoint Partners and CI have also announced plans to convert their Bitcoin funds into ETFs.

You can already invest in hundreds of ETFs with exposure to Bitcoin

Source

Written by bizbuildermike · Categorized: cryptocurrency · Tagged: 2021, bitcoin, Bitcoin ET, bitcoin etf, Bitcoin mining stocks, BlackRock, blockchain, btc, crypto, crypto mining, data, digital, digital assets, economy, ETF, ETFs, exchange, exchange traded funds, fund, Hive Blockchain, Hut 8, Investments, market, Microstrategy, mining, MORGAN STANLEY, NASDAQ, other, portfolio, Products, returns, Riot Blockchain, S&P, securities, Securities and Exchange Commission, shares, Skybridge Capital, square, stock, Stocks, tesla, Toronto, trading, u.s., VanEck

Apr 13 2021

Android Trojans Infect APKPure and Huawei App Stores

Android TrojanAndroid Trojan

Two new active and aggressive Android Trojan variants have been discovered in the wild, impacting users taking advantage of two alternatives, non-Google Play app stores (“third-party” app stores). The discoveries are examples of how malware can spread through other sources outside of Google Play, and highlight the importance of sideloading detection, on-device malware detection, and app risk analysis to secure Android endpoints. With over 300 known third-party app stores hosting millions of applications, these alternatives are increasing in popularity with mobile endpoint users looking to circumvent regional restrictions and paywalls, access older or removed apps, as well as use unverified apps on their devices. Taking advantage of the side-loading capabilities, or unverified installations, these third-party app stores can pose big risks to mobile endpoints and the data they store.

The first and most prominent is a new mobile variant of the Android Triada malware discovered infecting the popular alternative Android app store APKPure app (3.17.18APKPure). Discovered by Doctor Web, this aggressive Android Trojan is capable of acting as the user on the device, including adding or deleting applications or even modifying local data. In this case, the infected APKPure app store was installing malicious applications that display ads on both the lock screen and in new browser tabs as well as collecting device information and sending it back to an unknown source.

APKPure, established in 2014 as an alternative repository of Google Play apps including older versions and no-longer-available titles, is one of the more popular third-party Android app stores available to users. While APKPure has responded to the malware discovery with a new version of their alternative app store (3.17.19), this aggressive infection and attack on Android users is not uncommon for users of third-party app stores due to the lack of security controls, code verification, and trusted security partners. Unfortunately, this is not the only malware seen in APKPure or other third-party app store applications.

The second discovery, also by Doctor Web, is of 10 decoy Android applications available in the Huawei AppGallery infected with a new variant of the Joker/Bread Android Trojan. A decoy application is submitted to app stores with modified code, either to circumvent features or paywalls, but are often found to be ripe with vulnerabilities and mobile malware. In this case, 10 decoy applications from three different developers were loaded with code enabling the attackers to act as the end-user, signing them up for expensive premium mobile services without any real interaction. This form of command-and-control (C2) is a common attack vector on traditional endpoints, and with the rise of mobile endpoint usage, it is no surprise to see it in the wild here.

The Huawei AppGallery is the official app store for Huawei devices and boasts over 45,000 applications and over 390 million global users, but lacks the advanced security controls found in Google Play. While Huawei has taken steps to remove the infected decoy applications from its app store, any customer that has downloaded any of the infected applications will need to take manual steps to remove and secure their device. The infected applications will remain on the device despite Huawei’s actions.

Steps to Protection

Zimperium customers were already protected against both the Android Triada Trojan and Joker/Bread Trojan through the on-device z9 Mobile Threat Defense engine, which identifies if any app is malicious, including zero-day malware.

Zimperium is able to identify devices that have an increased level of risk to malware by identifying which devices allow for app installation from unofficial app stores and unknown sources, as well as any other side-loaded application. Regardless of how the malware was installed, Zimperium’s z9 mobile threat defense engine detects known and unknown malware, keeping mobile users and their data secure.

To ensure your environment is protected from these two variants and attack vectors, we recommend a quick risk assessment. Inside zConsole, admins can review which apps are side-loaded onto the device that could be increasing the attack surface and leaving data and users at risk. After this, admins can identify and address which devices allow for installation from “unknown sources” i.e. third-party app stores.

Not a Zimperium customer? Contact us today for a free mobile risk assessment.

Impacted Applications

APKPure App Store Version 3.17.18APKPure

Decoy applications from Huawei App Gallery

  • StoreSuper Keyboard
  • Happy Color
  • Fun Color
  • New 2021 Keyboard
  • Camera MX – Photo Video Camera
  • BeautyPlus Camera
  • Color Rolling Icon
  • Funny Meme Emoji
  • Happy Tapping
  • All-in-One Messenger

About Zimperium

Zimperium, the global leader in mobile security, offers the only real-time, on-device, machine learning-based protection against Android, iOS and Chromebooks threats. Powered by z9, Zimperium provides protection against device, network, phishing, and malicious app attacks. For more information or to schedule a demo, contact us today.

Previous Zimperium Mobile Security Blog PostPrevious Zimperium Mobile Security Blog Post Gartner 2021 Market Guide for Mobile Threat Defense

Android Trojans Infect APKPure and Huawei App Stores

Source

Written by bizbuildermike · Categorized: Mobile Security · Tagged: 2021, ads, alternative, analysis, android, App Store, Apps, blog, Chromebooks, data, discovery, Environment, Global, Google, html, huawei, infection, information, iOS, malware, market, Mobile, Mobile Endpoint, Mobile Malware, Mobile Security, mobile services, Mobile Threat Defense, more, other, Phishing, photo, risk, risk assessment, security, us, verification, video, vulnerabilities, ZIMPERIUM

Apr 12 2021

CoinList ‘Rally’: 40K investors rush to buy RLY despite price pump

Social token platform Rally has completed its first “liquid token sale” on crypto asset issuance platform CoinList, with 40,000 investors snapping up RLY tokens for $0.60 each between April 1 and April 4.

The sale saw tokens distributed to investors at a set price despite RLY trading on exchanges since October, 2020. Token pricing was determined by a 20-day trailing average from March 11, 2021 to March 30, 2021 minus a 30% markdown to compensate for the RLY being locked up for 12-month a linear release.

However, investors had the opportunity to purchase RLY for less than half the price offered by CoinList on the open markets just five weeks ago.

The sale was approved through community governance in mid-March, with the 40 million RLY sodl having previously been allocated to Rally’s Community Treasury. The ballot saw 100% of the 7,400 participating token holders vote in favor of the sale. Nearly 30% of RLY are now held by Rally’s team and investors.

News of the sale appeared to drive bullish momentum for RLY, which has gained nearly 250% since trading for less than $0.29 on March 12. RLY consistently traded between $0.25 and $0.35 from mid-January until mid-May. As of this writing, RLY last changed hands for $1.

RLY/USD: CoinGecko

Half of the tokens will become tradable on Oct. 4, after which the remaining RLY will unlock gradually on a monthly basis. In a blog post on April 12, Coinlist revealed the offering generated $22 million. Investments were limited to $1,000 per person, with nearly two-thirds of the offering’s 115,000 registrants missing out on participating.

Rally is a blockchain-based social network that allows content creators to launch social tokens.

The social token sector — non-fungible tokens issued by content creators, brands, and communities — has been on the rise in 2021, with RLY and WHALE representing 83% of the social token market cap pack with $240 million combined.

CoinList \’Rally\’: 40K investors rush to buy RLY despite price pump

Source

Written by bizbuildermike · Categorized: cryptocurrency · Tagged: 2020, 2021, brands, Coinlist, Community, crypto, crypto asset, Exchanges, Governance, Investments, Liquid token sale, market, markets, non-fungible tokens, october, Pump, Rally, social, Social tokens, social-network, token, token sale, tokens, trading

Apr 10 2021

ZA Tech Global, the Technology Initiative Backed by Softbank Vision Fund I, Launches Asia Fintech Center

ZA Tech Global Limited, the technology venture established by ZA International and supported by Softbank’s Vision Fund 1, revealed on Friday (April 9, 2021) that it’s launching its Asia Fintech Center (AFC) in Singapore. The new center will focus on financial services innovation projects and it will also assist industry participants in the region so they can develop new products that will accelerate their digital transformation strategies.

The AFC launch is reportedly a global first for ZA Tech, as the business increases its focus on supporting the vision of providing a unified tech platform that aims to support the future of financial services and offer access to underserved consumers.

The Singapore-headquartered Center will aim to address specific use-cases in insurance and the financial services sector with assistance from industry partners. It will initially work on various insurance use-cases by co-developing innovative projects with ASEAN region-based insurance service providers. It will also work with local academic institutions or universities to develop appropriate Fintech-related expertise and talent.

Bill Song, CEO of ZA Tech, stated:

“We partner with industry players to strive to boldly redefine financial services, and the AFC is an important pillar of making that happen. As we have entered 2021, the year the internet economy continues to rapidly reshape consumer expectations across Asia, digital transformation is becoming as crucial as ever for financial services firms. AFC will bring together technology, talent and partner network to build innovative propositions that fit closely with the evolving customer expectations across both online and O2O and to help financial services prepare for the next chapter of the digital revolution.”

George Kesselman, Head of Commercial for ZA Tech, remarked:

“I am incredibly proud of the work that the team is doing with our partners in the region. AFC will allow us to bring collaboration to the next level by launching new innovative use-cases and enable rapid product-market fit testing and iteration. Southeast Asia is the major epicentre of financial services transformation. We strongly believe that Singapore, as the hub of innovation and talent in the region with its innovation friendly environment and forward oriented regulator Monetary Authority of Singapore, provides the perfect location to launch and scale fintech innovation across Southeast Asia.”

ZA Tech is the tech platform for ZA International that focuses on expanding its global operations by teaming up with major internet firms and financial services companies based in Southeast Asia, Japan and Europe. ZA Tech offers technical solutions and professional services as well.

ZA Tech aims to digitally transform the insurance sector by working with several different customer technology platforms. It’s focused on creating innovative insurance solutions while offering the digital core system to insurers as the infrastructure for their distribution.

Source

Written by bizbuildermike · Categorized: Crowdfunding · Tagged: 2021, AIM, asean, Asia, bill song, business, ceo, commercial, digital, digital technology, digital transformation, economy, Environment, Europe, financial services, fintech, fund, Future, george kasselman, Global, Infrastructure, innovation, Institutions, insurance, insurance technology, insurtech, international, Internet, japan, linkedin, monetary authority of singapore, platforms, Products, Singapore, softbank, softbank vision 1 fund, Southeast Asia, supported, tech, Technology, us, vision fund, work, za tech

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