Cloud Hosting

As 2024 beckons the bulls, investors and crypto watchers eagerly await the cycle. Monero, Fantom, and Bitcoin Spark are on investors radar for their potential to boom. The three will dominate the next bullish phase with their individual unique features and offerings.

Fantom (FTM) is a blockchain platform deploying fast and scalable solutions for dApps and smart contracts. It was designed to address some of the limitations and challenges faced by other blockchain networks, particularly scalability, speed, and cost-efficiency. Fantom rolls out Lachesis consensus mechanism, which allows for asynchronous processing of transactions, significantly increasing the network's throughput and scalability. Fantom also employs a delegated Proof-of-Stake (dPoS) consensus algorithm, where validators are elected to validate transactions and secure the network. Fantoms mission is to make blockchain technology more accessible and usable for developers and users by providing high-speed and low-cost transactions. It also supports smart contracts, enabling developers to build decentralized applications on its platform. Its native token, FTM, serves various purposes, including paying transaction fees, participating in network governance, and staking to secure the network and earn rewards.

BTCS is a blockchain project that aims to bring to the fore the tenets of true decentralization as envisioned by Satoshi. As a Bitcoin fork, BTCS addresses the challenges of speed, scalability, and decentralization. Bitcoin Spark revolutionizes how blockchains generate revenue, incentivize participants, and address limitations of traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Its unique Proof-of-Process (PoP) consensus algorithm, coupled with diverse income streams and accessibility, sets it apart in the crypto space. BTCS introduces PoP, which merges the best applications of PoW and PoS. While PoW relies on computational power to secure the network and validate transactions, PoS requires users to lock up a certain amount of cryptocurrency as collateral. PoP leverages processing power in an eco-friendly way, allowing participants to "rent" their computational resources for real work performed, making it more inclusive and energy-efficient. BTCS aims to diversify its income sources beyond traditional mining. In addition to mining rewards, it plans to incorporate advertising within the blockchain explorer and the BTCS application, creating marketing revenue streams. It also seeks to harness idle processing power in devices by renting to organizations or individuals. Unlike Bitcoin mining, which often requires substantial fiat investments and favors those with significant resources, BTCS follows the "Anyone Can Mine" ethos by lowering the entry barrier for miners, fostering greater decentralization and security within the network.

While Bitcoin primarily functions as a peer-to-peer digital currency, it lacks built-in functionality for smart contracts and additional use cases. BTCS plans to integrate a smart contract layer into its network, allowing for the development of various applications using diverse programming languages.

BTCS ICO is in phase five at $2.50, with a 9% bonus and an expected 436% ROI. The launch date is November 30, with a $10 pricing.

Monero mining involves validating transactions on the Monero network and creating new blocks, similar to Bitcoin mining. Miners use their computer's CPU or GPU to solve cryptographic equations and earn rewards in XMR coins. Monero mining can be done through three main methods: solo mining, pool mining, and P2Pool mining. Mining alone, directly interacting with the Monero blockchain, is not suitable for beginners due to high competition and low rewards unless you have a powerful mining rig. So, joining a group of Monero miners to combine hardware power and share rewards among pool members after paying fees is suitable for most miners. Alternatively, P2Pool Mining combines the benefits of solo and pool mining. Miners have control and receive frequent rewards similar to pool mining but without a centralized pool. Monero mining rewards incentivize miners even after the total supply of Monero is reached.

Further details on Bitcoin Spark and ICO here:

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored article. The views and opinions presented in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CoinCodex. The content of this article should not be considered as investment advice. Always do your own research before deciding to buy, sell or transfer any crypto assets.

Read the original post:

Monero, Fantom and Bitcoin Spark Poised to Boom When the Bull Returns Closer to 2024 - CoinCodex

The crypto market faces a perfect storm of bad news, driving prices lower. Bitcoin has now fallen below $26,000, with the threat of a major FTX liquidation likely to cause further volatility. But could this create buying opportunities for believers in decentralization?

Bitcoin's price continues to drift lower, now trading below $26,000 as of Monday afternoon in Asia. Ether and other major cryptocurrencies have all posted losses over the last 24 hours. This sell-off comes as further concerns mount over the potential liquidation of bankrupt exchange FTX's remaining $3.4 billion crypto reserves.

With crypto adoption slowing, regulations tightening, and economic headwinds strengthening, crypto investors face testing times. But for proponents of decentralization, the promise of an alternative financial system endures. Could today's low prices prove to be tomorrow's bargains?

This article will cover the latest market news, expert opinions, predictions, historical parallels, and insights on two key questions: Will regulation stifle crypto innovation? And is now the time to buy the dip?

Bitcoin fell 0.15% over the last 24 hours to $25,811, registering weekly losses of 0.56%. Ether dropped 0.78% to $1,611, down 1.63% for the week.

Prices reacted to reports that collapsed exchange FTX is likely to receive approval on September 13th to begin liquidating its remaining crypto holdings, estimated at $3.4 billion. This massive sell-off would likely further depress prices.

Overall crypto market capitalization slipped 0.54% to $1.03 trillion. Trading volumes however jumped 36.82% to $20.63 billion, indicating elevated activity during this period of volatility.

Adding to downside pressures, the G20 group of nations agreed to cooperate on imposing standardized global crypto regulations. While welcome in terms of consumer protection, this risks stifling innovation in decentralized finance.

"These restrictive regulations will decimate investment, leave consumers exposed, and force crypto innovation offshore," said John Smith, Founder of Libertaria Digital Assets Management.

However Charles Lee, Professor of Finance at Columbia University, argues that "prudent regulation establishes essential consumer safeguards without destroying technological progress."

I believe both viewpoints have merit. Sensible regulation can provide guardrails without sabotaging decentralization. But rules drawn too narrowly may only benefit incumbent players, not consumers. Policymakers should tread carefully.

This 'crypto winter' still has some way to run. The liquidation of FTX's reserves seems imminent, promising further downward volatility.

Bitcoin support at $24,995 is critical. A decisive break below that level signals a bearish trend reversal, opening the door to a 27% drop toward $21,915 based on technical analysis.

However, markets tend to overreact during crises. Once the FTX overhang clears, bargain hunting and short covering may stabilize prices. A measured regulatory approach could also reassure investors.

But a sustained recovery requires restored faith in crypto's fundamentals. That looks unlikely in the short-term given the current economic climate. Patience and a long-term outlook will serve investors best right now.

This is far from crypto's first 'winter'. The 2018 crash saw Bitcoin plunge over 80% from its peak. But it regained lost ground within 18 months.

The Dot Com bubble also burst dramatically in the early 2000s, as overvalued internet stocks collapsed. Yet online innovation ultimately transformed the world.

Crashes clear out speculators, allowing robust projects to focus on real utility. Once crypto can demonstrate tangible benefits for decentralized finance, business, and Web 3.0, broader adoption will return.

Bitcoin's core value proposition remains immune to market cycles: it offers a decentralized alternative to fiat currencies controlled by central banks and governments.

With more unpredictable monetary policymaking ahead as nations battle recession and debt, exposure to decentralized assets makes sense for portfolios. Bitcoin provides a deflationary counterweight to inflationary trends in the financial system.

Crypto also enables innovation without permission. Firms can build using public blockchains and tokenization, bypassing traditional gatekeepers. If regulated thoughtfully, crypto can flourish while protecting consumers. Heavy-handed regulation risks entrenching existing financial power structures.

Crypto relies on the principle of decentralization. But regulators naturally favor centralized oversight. There are no easy answers in balancing these opposing forces.

Clearly, crypto as an emerging asset class does require guardrails to prevent misselling, fraud, and abuse. But applying rigid traditional financial rules could undermine the permissionless innovation that makes crypto unique and exciting.

The answer may lie in crafting bespoke regulations that account for crypto's differences from legacy finance. Proportional oversight tailored specifically for digital assets, decentralized protocols, and Web3 activities could allow growth while delivering essential consumer protections.

Market timing is notoriously difficult - trying to catch the exact bottom is mostly luck. Few investors succeed regularly.

But dollar cost averaging does allow buying at lower average levels. For long-term believers in crypto, gradually accumulating positions during this downturn could pay off tremendously.

History shows that following crashes, prices can recover dramatically when conditions improve. While short-term direction remains unclear, today's depressed prices likely look like bargains in hindsight when the next bull market arrives.

Patience and a multi-year outlook are essential. But for those able to endure the volatility, buying these dips could create life-changing generational wealth over time.

Read more from the original source:

Crypto Winter Intensifies as Bitcoin Slumps Below $26K and FTX ... - BTC Peers

Pitango HealthTech which is Pitango VCs dedicated healthcare fund recently announced the first closing of its second dedicated healthcare fund Pitango HealthTech II. And Pitango HealthTech II, a $175 million fund, will be dedicated to investing in entrepreneurs utilizing data science, AI, medical devices, and novel biology at the forefront of healthcare transformation. The $9 trillion global healthcare market is undergoing dramatic shifts, and Israeli entrepreneurs are building companies that are spearheading this transition.

Pitango HealthTech II invests in healthcare innovation, including the decentralization of healthcare, personalized medicine, medical devices and diagnostics, and artificial intelligence, software, and data infrastructure.

Pitango HealthTech invests in companies from the seed stage to the commercial stage. And the funds investment strategy is focused on all segments of healthcare and life sciences. Previous investments include value-driving companies such as Protai, Laguna Health, Vertos, Visby, Clew, and Magenta. The first investments with the newest fund are QuantHealth.ai, an AI company focused on clinical trial simulations to accelerate and de-risk drug development, and Nevia Bio, a FemTech company developing an AI-based biomarker platform for early detection of womens health diseases.

Pitangos HealthTech team is made up of Ittai Harel (Managing Partner), Hila Karah (Managing Partner), Dr. Jonathan Glazer (Partner), Joel Schoppig (Senior Principal), and Dr. Seth Rudnick (Special Advisor). And Pitango HealthTech is committed to promoting diversity within the healthcare technology space, upholding ESG standards, and ensuring women founders in the domain receive the same access to investment opportunities. Since being founded in 1993, Pitango has invested in over 250 companies and seen more than 85 become publicly traded companies or acquired by strategic players.

KEY QUOTES:

Despite the global and local macroeconomic challenges, the healthcare sector continues to show resilience and growth. Recent events such as the pandemic, decentralization of healthcare, and value-based care, have resulted in unprecedented openness towards the adoption of new technologies. Were launching this new fund to continue to back entrepreneurs and invest in companies that are revolutionizing the healthcare industry. Pitango believes that the most promising healthcare innovations occur at the convergence of life science and medical technologies with data science and AI, coupled with innovative services. This revolution is at its early onset and is yet to accelerate.

Ittai Harel, Managing Partner at Pitango HealthTech

The current environment offers great investment opportunities for health tech investors. Our team has decades of experience working with global healthcare providers, payers, medical device and pharma companies. We garner this expertise to support our portfolio companies from inception to scale. Were seeing an incredible generation of companies being formed right now and are looking forward to working with the best of them.

Hila Karah, Managing Partner at Pitango HealthTech

Pitango has been a key player in the healthcare ecosystem in Israel since its inception. Over the last three decades, weve had the opportunity to invest in over 50 healthcare companies and see 15 of them exit successfully and many others on a strong growth trajectory. Its a track record were proud of and that gives us the confidence to double down with a second dedicated healthcare fund.

Rami Kalish, Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Pitango

Read more:

Pitango: First Closing Of $175 Million Second HealthTech Fund Completed - Pulse 2.0

Individuals and organizations typically choose between two major options: centralized storage and decentralized storage. Given that both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, studying the key differences between the two is important to make an informed decision about which storage solutions to rely on and the priorities of each.

Centralized storage means your data is stored in systems controlled by a single entity,With centralized storage, all user data is uploaded and stored on servers fully controlled by the storage service provider. The provider has complete decision power over the location of data centers, the choice of hardware and software, and the policies surrounding data management, processing, and security within their closed ecosystem.

Centralized storage is easy to use. The average user only needs a few technical skills. The provider handles the complex backend. Users just sign up, get the app, and upload files smoothly.

Centralized providers can build many features. These make storage easier and better. For example, they have real-time sharing, version history, recycle bins, etc. Users get a lot of great storage features.

Centralized providers control their servers fully. This lets them add strong security measures. These include firewalls, encryption, access logs, etc. They can also control who has access to accounts.

Centralized providers have large data centers. This lets them save on costs due to scale. They can offer more storage for less money. This helps average and small users.

Centralized networks that aim for fast speeds. They want low latency and high uptime. They have many backups to avoid data loss. This gives users reliable access at all times.

However, centralized storage also comes with some limitations, which are as follows:

Decentralized storage works differently than centralized storage. The data is split into encrypted pieces. These small pieces are spread out across many computers on a peer-to-peer network. Many different users run these computers. All the computers together make a huge and tough storage pool. Data is not kept in one central place. It is split and scattered among many decentralized computer nodes. This makes the storage decentralized. The nodes cooperate as peers to hold the data.

Prominent examples of decentralized storage networks include blockchain-based protocols like Filecoin, Sia, and Storj, and technologies like Open Stack Swift, Dat, and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS).

In decentralized storage networks, when a user wishes to upload data:

1. The data is encrypted, split into fragments, and distributed randomly among nodes on the network.

2. Nodes accepting data fragments are financially incentivized to provide storage capacity and maintain uptime.

3. Manifests of data fragment locations are recorded in a ledger to retain indexing and enable retrieval.

4. When the original data needs to be accessed again, fragments are re-assembled by retrieving them from the distributed node locations.

Decentralized storage offers several advantages:

However, decentralized storage also has some key limitations:

Decentralized storage is often slower than centralized networks. Breaking up and duplicating data causes more latency. Consensus mechanisms also slow things down. Speed is worse compared to centralized.

The average user may find decentralized storage more complex. It requires more technical skills to use and manage. Onboarding is trickier than centralized options.

Decentralized storage has fewer features right now. The technology is still relatively new. Centralized services have had more time to build advanced features.

Nodes in decentralized networks need incentives to provide storage. Token rewards or payments incentivize nodes. However, these models are complex to design.

Data is duplicated across nodes for redundancy. But this lowers the storage density per node. Dense storage is less costly.

There is regulatory uncertainty around decentralized networks. Taxation, reporting, and compliance needs are unclear. More regulatory clarity is needed.

Some of the key differences between centralized and decentralized storages solution are:

Centralized storage concentrates control and oversight in a single storage provider. Decentralized storage spreads control across a multi-party peer-to-peer network.

Centralized storage has a single point of failure. Decentralized storage offers higher resistance to outages and data loss.

Centralized storage requires users to trust the storage provider. Decentralized storage removes this need for trust in any single entity.

Centralized storage has more refined and user-friendly features. Decentralized storage features are more basic currently.

Centralized storage offers lower latency, higher speeds, and more bandwidth. Decentralized storage has slower performance currently.

Both offer encryption capabilities. However, decentralization further secures data via distribution across nodes.

There is no best data storage solution for everything. The best choice depends on your needs and priorities. For individuals, centralized is simpler and has more features. However, for large companies, decentralization provides more security.

Centralized is better if speed matters most. But decentralization is when censorship risks are high. A hybrid approach can balance the trade-offs. As decentralized technology matures, it can complement or disrupt centralized storage. Centralized will likely retain advantages in usability and cost. The optimal data storage solution depends on the specific use case and data needs.

In conclusion, by understanding the core differences between centralized and decentralized data storage models, individuals and organizations can make informed choices aligned with their priorities and use case requirements. The data storage landscape will likely evolve toward greater decentralization, though centralized servers will continue to power daily workflows.

See more here:

Centralized vs. Decentralized Storage Solutions: A Comparative ... - The Coin Republic

The Kingdom of Eswatini has made major strides in the HIV response with the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Eswatini, being the first African country to achieve and surpass the 95-95-95 global HIV treatment targets in 2020, has 94% of adults (15 years and older) living with HIV aware of their status, 97% of those who are aware of their status are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 96% of those on ART have achieved viral suppression. The number of new HIV infections shows a steady decline over the years from 14,000 in 2010, to 4,800 in 2020 and is projected to further decline to 4,300 in 2023. HIV-related deaths have also been on the decline from a peak of about 10,000 deaths in 2005 to 2,600 in 2021 and 2,370 in 2022 (2021 UNAIDs report). The Mother-to-child transmission of HIV has also dropped from 6.3% in 2017 to 1.2% in 2022.

The strong leadership at both the political and Ministry of Health (MoH) level coupled with World Health Organization Eswatini's (WHO) presence, has resulted in a well-coordinated response that also complements the support from partners evidence-based, patient-centered care at scale. In Eswatini, WHO recommendations are the primary documents that inform the implementation of health programs, including revision of National strategic plans and treatment guidelines to suit the Eswatini epidemic status. Over the years, Eswatini has been an early adopter of the WHO HIV treatment recommendations including, policy briefs, guidelines, and tools. This character trait is what has made the kingdom achieve the 95-95-95 treatment targets ahead of time leading to a decline in HIV new infections and HIV-related deaths.

WHO provided technical leadership and assistance to the Ministry of Health in policy dialogues, development, implementation, and review of the National HIV investment case, strategic plans, and guidelines. These documents created an enabling environment for the MOH and stakeholders including civil society groups to have a shared vision, harmonizing the national response implementation and resource mobilization efforts from Government and Donors.

Among the key milestones that WHO supported in the Eswatini HIV response is the establishment of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) program in 2003 to improve access to treatment and care services. The launch of the 3 by 5 initiative by WHO and UNAIDS was also conducted in the same year. The WHO policy guidance was key in mobilizing resources for the procurement of antiretrovirals (ARVs) and in guiding the clinical delivery of ART services in Eswatini. As a member of the HIV Treatment Technical working group, WHO has been readily available to the MOH and partners to provide technical guidance on treatment optimization initiatives. This led to the National HIV treatment guidelines changing as per WHO recommendations to more tolerable fixed-dose combinations that are given once a day with fewer side effects. As per WHO recommendations, the country phased out the use of stavudine d4T and introduced the fixed-dose combination with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate plus lamivudine (TDF/3TC) and Efavirenz (EFV). In 2016, Eswatini adopted the WHO treat-all policy. The policy was successfully implemented at scale translating the knowledge gained from the operational studies that were implemented in the country prior to WHO recommendations. These included the MaxART Early Access to ART for All (EAAA) study that was implemented by the MOH with support from partners and WHO. As more patients were being initiated, Eswatini scaled up differentiated ART services and provided different models of ART service delivery including fast track, community refills, and multi-month scripting. Currently, stable clients in Eswatini can receive up to 6 months supply of ART refills and clinical appointments.

As per WHO recommendations, task shifting of HIV testing services from nurses to lay counselors, adherence support to peer-peer, and introduction of Nurse-led ART initiation was introduced in Eswatini. This allowed for the rapid decentralization of ART initiation and follow-up care and improved treatment coverage. WHO also provided technical assistance to allow for the decentralization of laboratory services including Point-of-Care CD4 testing, DNA PCR testing, and viral load testing. In 2016, WHO technically led the assessment of the viral load testing capacity and provided recommendations for scale up which were adopted by MoH. One key recommendation from the assessment was to build the capacity of the National Laboratory including human resources, the supply chain system, and decentralization of viral load testing from the national referral laboratory to regional laboratories. The country adopted and implemented these recommendations with support from PEPFAR and Global Fund leading to wider access to viral load monitoring and adherence support. As of today, all four regions of Eswatini have laboratories that can conduct viral load testing. The decentralized testing improved viral load testing coverage and turnaround time for results to support clinical management.

In 2016, as part of local evidence generation to inform National Policy, PEPFAR and WHO supported the MOH to plan and conduct a HIV drug resistance survey as guided by the WHO global protocol. WHO provided technical assistance in the local adaptation of the HIV drug resistance (HIV DR) protocol, and in the analysis of the results. The survey findings were disseminated in 2018 and showed that in Eswatini, the HIV pre-treatment resistance among new ART initiators was 10.3% to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI). WHO recommends that countries with NNRTI resistance over 10% should urgently consider changing their first-line backbone to Dolutegravir. Following the survey results, WHO provided technical assistance to drive the change of the policy towards the introduction of the more potent and more tolerable Dolutegravir-based regimen in Eswatini. This policy is what really moved the country to the viral suppression rates observed today (of greater 95 % ) leading to the reduction in HIV deaths and new infections

As a country, Eswatini through MOH and health partners, will continue to push for policies and adopt evidence-based recommendations provided by WHO that will further complement the achievements that have been made thus far. The country plans to achieve 95-95-95 in all population groups and sustain the gains by building a resilient health system that is patient-centered.

Here is the original post:

Eswatini achieves the 95-95-95 HIV treatment target - a decade ... - WHO | Regional Office for Africa