Tech

Cryptocurrencies arrive in the classroom

Published

9 months ago

7 May, 2024

Cryptocurrencies arrive in the classroom

The year was 2021 and the United States was in the midst of cryptomania. Ads promoting the cryptocurrency Bitcoin featuring celebrities such as Megan Thee Stallone AND Tom Brady received a lot of attention from young fans.

Some ads touted cryptocurrency as a new type of currency gained a lot of buzz. While those ads were right about the hype, they were wrong about cryptocurrencies being new. Even when those adverts were made, Bitcoin – the first successful decentralized cryptocurrency – had been around for over a decade. Now, 2024 will mark 15 years since the launch of Bitcoin.

15 years is a drop in the bucket in historical terms, but literally a lifetime for teenagers.

Yanely Espinal, host of Marketplace”Financially inclined“, he’s been talking to teens about cryptocurrencies and says they have so many questions. He spoke with Marketplace’s Lily Jamali about how teachers are trying to figure out how to handle students curious about cryptocurrency.

The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Yanely Espinal: Teachers are coming out saying we need cryptocurrency assets, our students want to know more, they have a lot of questions about it. And in the state of Georgia, for the first time ever, there are some learning standards that teachers need to align instruction with, which actually includes cryptocurrency and historical examples of purchasing speculative investments. And so now that teachers realize they have to explain how it works to students, they’re looking for resources to help them understand it first.

Lily Jamali: You’re listening to the teachers, but you’re also talking to the students. You just finished a national tour in which you spoke to kids from 37 high schools across the country. What are some of the questions you hear from students about cryptocurrencies?

Spinal: I get a lot of questions about cryptocurrencies and investing in general from students. I think one of the most important things students want to know is: where can I invest my money to grow it? They recognize that inflation is high, they see the headlines in newspapers and social media, and they even see celebrities coming out on social media complaining about inflation. I think they are very aware.

Jamali: And you just tell them I’m not crypto? That cryptocurrencies are not the right place to grow your money?

Spinal: Well, I think we need to avoid two things. The first is that we must avoid evangelizing any particular financial topic or strategy. But we must also avoid the opposite, that is, trying to actively dissuade students from pursuing any type of financial behavior or activity. So, I think as educators, our job is to educate them, empower them, inform them and then say to them, so what do you think now that you’ve learned everything that we’ve talked about in this course? Now that you’ve studied, explored and analyzed it, what do you think? Do you think it’s a safe investment for you? Or a good place to put your and your family’s money?

Jamali: Over the past two years, many people have lost a lot of money investing in cryptocurrencies and we know that there has been predatory behavior against people from marginalized backgrounds for these types of investments.

Spinal: Right. And I think that’s the problem. At the moment, what we know about cryptocurrencies is what we often hear from the media and what happens online, and not really from an educational source. It is very difficult to find someone who has not invested in cryptocurrencies or who is actively against the idea of cryptocurrencies and is just neutral. Like an educator who says, “I have no part in the game, I just want you to understand what it is and how it works so you can decide whether you are ready to invest in cryptocurrencies or whether it is best to stay away.” Since you don’t have to invest in cryptocurrencies, you don’t have to participate, but what you do need to do is make informed choices with your money. So, you have to understand cryptography, you have to know how it works and why it was developed. Why are some people for it and why are some people against it and which side do you stand on.

Jamali: Do you think younger people, like high school students, have a different approach to cryptocurrencies than someone who is older and has made more investments over their lifetime within the traditional U.S. financial system?

Spinal: Oh yeah. 100%. I met students who told me they already had cryptocurrencies and had invested 50 or 100 dollars. I met a student who said he had invested almost $1,000. The thing is, they’ve seen so many celebrities talk about it and they’ve seen the hype around it. That hype machine creates FOMO. The fear of missing out has a very strong psychological influence and they wanted to be a part of it, especially when they see people they admire doing it.

Jamali: That’s what worries me, though. There is so much hype and there are so many questions about whether celebrities like Larry David or Tom Brady should have sent that message about cryptocurrencies. These are people that these kids look up to and were rewarded for doing so.

Spinal: Exactly. This is why it is important for us to encourage students to analyze what is happening and what the source of the information is. They say: “I saw Megan Thee Stallone teaching me what Bitcoin is in a Cash App commercial.” And I’m like, okay, take a break and let’s go back, right? It’s a Cash App commercial. We need to try to teach them to think this way. Because I have to say that this generation, among the students I worked with in high school, is part of a generation that does not see the lack of privacy online and the constant bombardment of advertising and marketing tactics used against us online, they do not see it as a invasion of privacy. They don’t see it as something manipulative or negative. They just see it as normal. Because from the time they remember using an iPad for the first time or playing on mom’s phone for the first time, this is always. It’s been the normal Internet they’ve experienced and known. So it’s up to us as adults to tell them, “You’re being manipulated by what you see online and taking it as fact instead of recognizing that it’s an advertising campaign.” We need to teach them how to recognize and decipher between information presented in a factual manner and from an unbiased source and information that is clearly promotional material.

Jamali: It seems like some financial literacy is taught here, but also some media literacy. What has your experience been like teaching teachers about cryptocurrencies and providing them with the tools to teach them?

Spinal: It’s very funny because I teach a nine-hour certification course and the tenth hour is an exam that teachers have to pass to prove that they have actually mastered the content. And the first session of the course consists precisely in understanding the history of money. Teachers get so shocked because they say “aren’t we going to talk about Bitcoin and blockchain?” I say, no, no, no, no, before we even get into any of this, we need to all agree on a common definition of money. Because most people think that money is dollars, coins or credit cards. They think about the types of payments they have experienced, rather than thinking about the concept of money, which is really anything that can generally be accepted as a form of payment for goods or services or to repay debt or to pay taxes.

Once we start talking about these things, let’s go through a historical lens and I share with them Aristotle’s six principles of what is considered sound money. Whatever you use as money must be scarce. It must be durable, recognizable, divisible. It must be portable and fungible. So when teachers start learning these things, they say, “Wait what? Aristotle was talking about what makes something a good form of money around 350 BC? So when we start to think about money through this historical lens, we can understand why cryptocurrency might be criticized for not being a good form of money or why it might be perceived as a potentially good alternative to traditional forms of money. Because we look at it through the lens of the Aristotelian principles of sound money,

Jamali: I can tell you; I never learned these things in school and I’m so happy that that education is reaching people now. And on that note, 25 states now require students to take a personal finance course before they can graduate. Is cryptocurrency part of that curriculum?

Spinal: It really varies from state to state because in each state the legislation doesn’t necessarily tell you specifically what you have to teach. Most states will choose to create their own personal financial literacy teaching standards and then teachers will need to align their lessons and goals with those standards. I think we’re in an exploratory phase right now. For example, we expose students to these concepts that they themselves are curious about. It’s interesting when you have a class about money and then students come into that class thinking we’re going to talk about what they perceive as money, like they think cryptocurrency is money, and then you don’t even talk about it in class, then they feel like your instructions they are irrelevant. They say, “You won’t even tell us about cryptocurrencies, how’s this money lesson going?” So, I think it’s very important for educators to stay up to date with the instruction that they teach their students so that students can actually see that this is relevant to their real life.

Fuente

Tech

Hollywood.ai by FAME King Sheeraz Hasan Promulgates a Complete Ecosystem that Unites Web3, Cryptography, AI and Entertainment for Spectacular Global Tech Innovation

Published

6 months ago

1 August, 2024

BlockChainGuardian Staff

Hollywood.ai by FAME King Sheeraz Hasan Promulgates a Complete Ecosystem that Unites Web3, Cryptography, AI and Entertainment for Spectacular Global Tech Innovation

The one and only FAME King Sheeraz Hasan is launching Hollywood.ai, a revolutionary platform designed to integrate the cutting-edge realms of Web3, cryptocurrency, AI, finance and entertainment. This revolutionary initiative is set to create a seamless, interactive and intuitive ecosystem where the world’s leading technology luminaries can collaborate on innovations, ultimately redefining the future of digital interaction.

Hollywood.ai represents the convergence of the most complex technologies of all time. Fusing Web3 principles, cryptocurrency utilities, AI advances, and financial machinery, Sheeraz’s platform aims to become the nucleus for innovation and modernization. It provides a high-tech environment where technology and creativity collide harmoniously, paving the way for new paths in the digital economy.

A defining feature of Hollywood.ai is the integration of cryptocurrency into the AI ecosystem, transforming AI into a tokenized asset with full cryptographic utility. Sheeraz’s novel approach presents new avenues to leverage the myriad capabilities of AI in the financial realm, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for developers and users alike. Through the amalgamation of AI and cryptocurrency, Hollywood.ai is paving the way for an incredibly interconnected digital space unlike anything seen before.

The platform’s design emphasizes the undeniable symbiosis between various technology sectors. Under Sheeraz’s careful orchestration, Web3 technologies facilitate decentralized collaboration, while AI tools offer enhanced potential for data analytics, content creation, and audience engagement. Additionally, the inclusion of financial innovations ensures rapid mobility of both monetization and investments, providing a holistic environment that meets the ever-evolving demands of the technology and entertainment segments.

Sheeraz’s Hollywood.ai is poised to become the premier hub for industry leaders, developers, and creators to support and empower the next generation of digital experiences. This initiative aspires to drive the emergence of new tools, applications, and services that set new standards for advanced engagement and interaction.

Known for making the impossible possible, Sheeraz envisions a future where global audiences actively participate in designing the next A-list stars from scratch. Hollywood.ai will allow users to watch their creations evolve from simple concepts to 3D talents that can act, sing and perform just like human actors.

The Hollywood.ai platform leverages AI technology to deliver personalized fan engagement, real-time sentiment analysis, and informed content creation. By combining cutting-edge AI capabilities with Sheeraz’s deep understanding of celebrity branding, Hollywood.ai gains immense control over public figures.

Undeniably, FAME’s number one strategist Sheeraz Hasan continues to cement his reputation as a pioneer in the fields of FAME and technology. The power and influence of this latest development brings him closer to total world domination.

Fuente

Tech

Online Broker Futu Offers Cryptocurrency Trading in Hong Kong, With Nvidia and Alibaba Stock as Rewards

Published

6 months ago

1 August, 2024

BlockChainGuardian Staff

Online Broker Futu Offers Cryptocurrency Trading in Hong Kong, With Nvidia and Alibaba Stock as Rewards

Futu Securities International, Hong Kong’s largest online broker, has launched retail cryptocurrency trading in the city, offering shares of Alibaba Holding Group AND Nvidia as a reward in an attempt to attract investors. Futu has begun allowing Hong Kong residents to trade Bitcoin and ether, the world’s two largest cryptocurrencies, directly on the brokerage platform using Hong Kong or U.S. dollars, the company announced Thursday.

The online retail broker said last month that it had received an upgrade to its securities license from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), allowing Futu to offer virtual asset trading services to both professional and retail clients in the city.

Futu’s move comes as Hong Kong seeks to boost its attractiveness as a business hub for virtual assets, with the city government launching a series of new cryptocurrency policy initiatives over the past two years, including a mandatory licensing regime for cryptocurrency exchanges.

In addition to offering cryptocurrency trading on its flagship brokerage app, Futu is also seeking a cryptocurrency trading license for its new PantherTrade platform. That platform is among 11 in Hong Kong that are currently “deemed licensed” for cryptocurrency trading, an arrangement that allows them to operate in the city while they await full approval from the SFC.

Hong Kong’s progress in becoming a crypto hub has encountered various challenges, including exit of the major global platforms and relatively low trading activity for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds offered on local stock exchanges.

Futu is now offering a series of incentives to potential investors, amid a cryptocurrency bull market that has seen the price of bitcoin rise 45 percent this year.

Hong Kong investors who open accounts in August and deposit HK$10,000 (US$1,280) over the next 60 days can receive HK$600 worth of bitcoin, a HK$400 supermarket voucher or a single Chinese stock. e-commerce giant Alibaba. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

By holding 80,000 U.S. dollars for the same period, users can get 1,000 Hong Kong dollars in bitcoin or a share of U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) chip maker Nvidia, whose shares have risen more than 140 percent this year.

A Futu representative said the brokerage firm will also waive cryptocurrency trading fees starting Thursday until further notice.

Futu is the first online brokerage in Hong Kong to allow retail investors to buy cryptocurrency directly on its platform. SFC rules require it to offer this service through a tie-up with a licensed cryptocurrency exchange. Futu is partnering with HashKey Exchange, one of only two licensed exchanges in Hong Kong, according to the representative.

Futu’s local rival Tiger Brokers also said in May that it had begun offering cryptocurrency trading services to professional investors on its platform following a license update. The SFC defines professional investors as those with more than HK$8 million in their investment portfolios or corporate entities with assets exceeding HK$40 million.

Fuente

Tech

Tech Crash: $2.6 Trillion Market Cap Vanishes as ‘Magnificent 7’ Prices Stumble

Published

6 months ago

1 August, 2024

BlockChainGuardian Staff

Tech Crash: $2.6 Trillion Market Cap Vanishes as ‘Magnificent 7’ Prices Stumble

A group of seven megacap tech stocks, often called the Magnificent 7, have lost more than $2.6 trillion in value over the past 20 days, or an average of $125 billion per day over the period. In total, these stocks have lost “three times the value of the entire Brazilian stock market.”

This according to the economic news agency Letter from Kobeissiwho noted on the microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Magnificent 7 batch “is worth as much as Nvidia’s entire current market cap in 20 days,” with Nvidia itself having lost $1 trillion from its high.

Source:Letter from Kobeissi on the X

The group, which includes Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta and Tesla, has undergone a significant correction: in the last 20 days Nvidia has lost 23% of its value, or about $800 billion, while Tesla has fallen 19%, losing $164 billion.

Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta all posted losses of between 9% and 15%, losing between $257 billion and $554 billion in market capitalization, wiping out a total of $200 billion more “than every single German stock market tock combined.”

Tech titans, which have outperformed the broader S&P 500 index since the market bottom of 2022, are now facing a reckoning as investors grow increasingly wary about the sustainability of their meteoric rise, with Nvidia taking the lead soaring 110% since the beginning of the year and over 2,300% in the last five years.

Earnings reports from these companies, starting with Microsoft and culminating with Nvidia in late August, will be closely watched for signs of weakness. Their performance could set the tone for broader market sentiment, with implications for everything from cryptocurrency to other high-risk assets.

Their poor performance comes after a leading macroeconomist, Henrik Zeberg, reiterated his forecast of an impending recession that will be preceded by a final wave in key sectors of the market, but which can potentially be the worst the market has seen since 1929the worst bear market in Wall Street history.

In particular, the Hindenburg Omen, a technical indicator designed to identify potential stock market crashes, began flashing just a month after its previous signal, raising concerns about a possible impending stock market downturn.

The indicator compares the percentage of stocks hitting new 52-week highs and lows to a specific threshold. When the number of stocks hitting both extremes exceeds a certain level, the indicator is said to be triggered, suggesting a greater risk of a crash.

Featured Image via Disinfect.

Fuente

Tech

Trump Fights for Cryptocurrency Vote at Bitcoin Conference

Published

6 months ago

1 August, 2024

BlockChainGuardian Staff

A large conference hall filled with enthusiastic attendees, Bitcoin logos prominently displayed, and a podium with an American flag

To the Bitcoin Conference 2024 In Nashville, Tennessee, former President Donald Trump delivered a keynote speech.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, used the platform to appeal to the tech community and solicit donations for the campaign. During the conference, He said:

I promise the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ anti-crypto crusade will be over… If we don’t embrace cryptocurrency and Bitcoin technology, China will, other countries will. They will dominate, and we can’t let China dominate. They are making too much progress as it is.

Trump’s speech focused heavily on cryptocurrency policy, positioning it as a partisan issue. He said that if reelected, he would fire SEC Chairman Gary Gensler on his first day in office, a statement that drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. This statement marked a stark contrast to Gensler’s tenure, which has been characterized by rigorous oversight of the cryptocurrency industry.

The former president outlined several pro-crypto initiatives he would undertake if elected. These include transforming the United States into a global cryptocurrency hub, keeping all government-held Bitcoin as a “national Bitcoin reserve,” establishing a presidential advisory council on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and developing power plants to support cryptocurrency mining, emphasizing the use of fossil fuels.

Trump’s current embrace of cryptocurrencies represents a reversal from his stance in 2021, when described Bitcoin as a “scam against the dollar.” He also noted that his campaign has received $25 million in donations since accepting cryptocurrency payments two months ago.

The event featured other political figures, including Republican Senators Tim Scott and Tommy Tuberville, as well as Democratic Representatives Wiley Nickel and Ro Khanna. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also spoke at the conference.

Trump’s appearance at Bitcoin 2024 reflects growing support for his campaign from some tech leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

While Trump has described the current administration as “anti-crypto,” Democratic Congressman Wiley Nickel said Vice President Kamala Harris is taking a “forward-thinking approach to digital assets and blockchain technology.”

This event underscores the growing political importance of cryptocurrency policy in the upcoming presidential election.

Kamala Harris and Democrats Respond on Cryptocurrencies

In a strategic move to repair strained relations, Vice President Kamala Harris’ team has initiated a dialogue with major cryptocurrency industry players. This outreach aims to restore the Democratic Party’s stance on digital assets and promote a more collaborative approach.

THE Financial Times reports that Harris’s advisors have reached out to representatives from industry leaders like Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple Labs. This move comes as the cryptocurrency community increasingly supports Republican candidate Donald Trump, reflecting growing dissatisfaction with the current administration’s cryptocurrency policies.

THE disclosure follows a letter from Democratic lawmakers and 2024 candidates urging the party to reevaluate its approach to digital assets. Harris’s team stresses that this effort is less about securing campaign contributions and more about engaging in constructive dialogue to develop sensible regulations.

The move is part of a broader strategy to reshape the Democratic Party’s image among business leaders, countering perceptions of an anti-business stance. Harris’ campaign aims to project a “pro-business, responsible business” message.

Fuente