Schlagwort: blockchain markets

ChangeNOW is the brand of CHN Group Limited, founded in 2017 with head office in Seychelles. It also has a branch in Amsterdam.

The platform supports almost 400 cryptocurrencies, coming to an impressive 70,000 trading pairs.

How does it work? 

ChangeNOW looks for the best exchange rates that exist on the market and tries to make them available to users. It provides a simple and seamless service. You select the currency you wish to convert and the one you want it converted to. There are no challenging interfaces or hidden fees.

You don’t have to open an account with ChangeNOW to purchase and exchange crypto. You also don’t have to undergo KYC checks.

Key features

ChangeNOW is a near-instant, non-custodial exchange where you hold your funds in your own wallet.

Multiple exchanges are not required because nearly any market pair is possible at ChangeNOW. There are also no exchange limits. You can purchase crypto via a bank card.

Main products and services

ChangeNOW’s main products and services include mobile swaps, the NOW Wallet, NOW Payments, NOW Tracker, and more. Below are the details.

The wallet lets users manage their digital assets without revealing personal data. It’s unique in that you can buy and swap crypto with fiat directly from it, it doesn’t require registration, and it provides you with full control of your private keys.

NFT functionality and 550+ assets

It features account nonce with ether transactions. This is the sending address’s transaction counter. The wallet features NFT functionality and supports more than 550 assets. You can stake BEP2 NOW tokens in the mobile app. Your annual return can reach 25%.

The app is available to users of iOS and Android. You can buy crypto and fiat on the go. A fixed or floating exchange rate will be charged. The platform will inform you if the network fees are more than 10% of the funds you will get. You can choose to cancel the swap.

You access the app with a pin code or face or touch ID. The device stores data securely. You can select the automatic lock of the screen during runtime. 24/7 support is available in the app.

NOW Payments

NOW Payments is the platform’s non-custodial payment processing service. You can integrate a button for crypto donations or payments into an e-commerce platform, a website, or a social media profile.

To use NOW Payments, you must sign up and download the integration tool. You make payments in crypto, which are sent to ChangeNOW’s accounts. NOW Payments charges low fees, starting at just 0.5%, and provides instant payouts.

NOW Tracker

With NOW Tracker, you can track your funds held both online and offline. It doesn’t collect personal data, just like all other ChangeNOW products.

You can check how much your crypto of choice is worth in 23 fiat currencies or another cryptocurrency. You can see portfolio distribution graphs via network and ticker. What’s more, the tool lets you monitor asset value over time, so you can decide whether to buy a given asset or not.

NOW Token

ChangeNOW’s native token, one of the first to be released on Binance Smart Chain, is available in both ERC20 and BEP2 formats. You can swap it for other cryptos, buy ChangeNOW products and services with it, and get cashback in it.

You can buy NOW Tokens at the best rate from ChangeNOW but also on Uniswap, IDEX, Binance DEX, and Swapzone.

NOW Loans

Finally, you can use NOW Loans to borrow funds in USDC or USDT with your crypto as collateral and trade with them. The loan terms range from a few hours to a few years. The platform doesn’t require monthly payments.

Pros 

·         No custody

·         Outstanding security

·         Supports a wide range of digital assets

·         Limitless and instant exchange

Cons

·         Not all fiat currencies are available

Why should you use ChangeNOW?

Reasons include low fees, high security, and instant, unlimited exchanges. Transaction fees range from 0.5% to 4%. They are determined by your choice of fixed or floating rate.

ChangeNOW has higher security than most centralized exchanges. Customers hold the funds in their wallets, which are monitored 24/7. Monthly private key updates and the use of a VPN and safe-listed IP addresses enhance security.

You can start trading with less than $2 worth of crypto. There is no upper limit. The majority of transactions are carried out in five minutes.

What makes ChangeNOW unique? 

ChangeNOW’s most notable feature is the lack of any restrictions on buying or selling cryptocurrencies. You don’t have to provide any personal data. 

ChangeNOW is on the cheap end of instant exchanges, particularly for fiat-to-crypto purchases. Platforms like Switchere and Changelly require registration for all purchases above $100, but ChangeNOW doesn’t.

Our final say

ChangeNOW was rated 4.5 of 5 on TrustPilot by over 350 people at the time of writing. The Android app was rated 4.3 of 5. These are strong ratings and it is not difficult to see why. 

The user experience is seamless. The platform is fast and it boasts a responsive support team.

The post The ultimate 2022 ChangeNOW review appeared first on CoinJournal.

Binance has recovered and frozen crypto assets worth over $450,000 that were stolen from Tuesday’s front-end attack on decentralized crypto exchange Curve Finance.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said through a tweet that the exchange is now working with law enforcement agents to return the seized funds to the victims.

Binance froze/recovered $450k of the Curve stolen funds, representing 83%+ of the hack. We are working with LE to return the funds to the users. The hacker kept on sending the funds to Binance in different ways, thinking we can’t catch it. 😂#SAFU https://t.co/Ekea9moeAw

— CZ 🔶 Binance (@cz_binance) August 12, 2022

The news comes two days after another $212,000 worth of ETH was intercepted by the crypto exchange Fixed Float.

The assets seized by Binance represent 83% of the overall amount of crypto assets stolen in Curve Finance’s attack.

The Curve Finance front-end attack

Curve Finance was on August 9 exploited for about $573,000 worth of crypto assets after the attacker(s) spoofed the Domain Name Service in its frontend and redirected users to a phishing site that tricked them into approving a malicious smart contract.

The attacker(s) then converted the stolen assets to ether (ETH) and started sending the ETH to multiple addresses as they tried obfuscating the stolen funds.

But luckily for the victims, the attacker(s) did not do a thorough job in covering his/her tracks since as it stands all of the stolen funds have now been recovered.

The post Binance seizes over $450K worth of crypto assets stolen from Curve Finance appeared first on CoinJournal.

Bitcoin evangelist Jack Mallers’ Bitcoin payments app Strike has launched its eagerly awaited Visa card. The Card will allow users to make direct deposits, buy bitcoin, pay in bitcoin, use Apple Pay and Google Pay to spend funds, send and receive money, and earn rewards.

Strike is a Lightning Network-built payment app that allows users to make payments and earn rewards on spending.

The launched Visa Card duped Strike Card, will be availed to all those who register for the waitlist in the Strike app.

Strike in an announcement said:

“The Strike Card is here! A Visa card with real rewards for the real world. You can now take Strike anywhere and earn rewards on everyday spending. Join the waitlist in your Strike app for early access as we begin rolling out the card to everyone.”

Combining traditional and crypto payments experience

The Strike payment app combines traditional and crypto payment experiences with instant rewards for spending.

Strike Card users will not be charged any additional fees when using the card and will rather get instant rewards on every spending.

Additionally, Strike has proposed to send 1% of all the profits made by Strike Card to an open-source Bitcoin development that is likely to drive more bitcoin adoption across the globe.

Strike said:

“Funding Bitcoin with every swipe. Putting our money where our vision is.”

Strike will also offer additional rewards to those who refer friends and family for the Visa Card.

The post Jack Mallers’ Bitcoin payments app Strike launches its eagerly awaited Visa card appeared first on CoinJournal.

NOWPayments is a cryptocurrency payment gateway that lets users accept payments in more than 100 cryptocurrencies. It supports auto coin conversion, allowing merchants to accept their crypto of choice even if the customer makes payment in another one. 

The gateway supports fiat conversion and has a Mass Payout solution, a Twitch donation button, and customized solutions for casinos.

The platform gives access to a personal account manager, lets customers receive instant payouts to an e-wallet or bank account, offers 24/7 support, and is known for some of the lowest fees on the market.

Among the tools available to merchants are API, widgets, invoices, and plugins for WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Opencart, ZenCart, Magento 2, etc. Last but not least, NOWPayments doesn’t take custody of users’ funds.

How it works

NOWPayments lets online marketplaces accept payments in crypto quickly and easily. It works like this: the marketplace sets the price, lists a Bitcoin address, and receives payments without go-betweens. All payments made are visualized in one table.

Each Bitcoin payment is linked to the specific customer and their purchase. Order and payment IDs streamline cash flow.

The merchant can see the sum of money sent and if it corresponds to the original price because each payment is attached to a specific item in the store. They can track the payment under Status and get updates on their payments here.

Users of NOW can use a tool to get instant payment notifications if they integrate the API to create a native-looking payment gateway. They’re notified when a transaction has been completed.

The inbuilt crypto swap tool exchanges customers’ coins before the system reflects the payment in the merchant’s account.

Finally, the dashboard lists the number of payments the merchant has received on a specific day, in a given month, and over the course of its existence.

Key features

NOWPayments is most notable for its capacity to make accepting crypto payments online effortless and easy. You can integrate it into WooCommerce or other content management systems already being used on your website.

The platform employs a helpful support team, who accompany customers at every step of the setup process.

The crypto exchange feature makes it easy to manage a large number of different cryptos. Users can not only accept more than 100 different cryptos but also convert each one to a single, preferred digital or fiat currency automatically.

Pros

·         Easy integration into existing operations and sites

·         Responsive customer support

·         Easy to exchange crypto assets

·         Straightforward to accept crypto payments online

·         Does not take custody of user funds

·         Plugins available for a number of CMS platforms

Cons

·         No mobile app

·         No support for point-of-sale (PoS) systems

·         Sandbox documentation could be improved

Reasons to register with NOWPayments

The company behind NOWPayments is ChangeNOW, which has been active in the cryptocurrency space for many years and has never had a security issue. NOWPayments has inherited this strong track record. ChangeNOW has even helped people recover funds lost in incidents with crypto exchanges.

Users’ funds with NOWPayments are safe because the user is always in control of them. The only real risk is when assets are being exchanged. The user controls the private keys to their crypto assets and needs to be comfortable with the respective responsibility.

What makes NOWPayments unique? 

NOWPayments is unique in the problems it solves with fiat exchange, crypto swapping, user funds control, etc. Let’s look at how it does this.

More customers want to be able to pay in crypto, but some businesses accept fiat only. By providing a crypto-to-fiat option, NOWPayments helps them get more customers. NOWPayments’ range of buttons and plugins and the intuitive API can benefit any organization that wants to begin accepting cryptocurrencies.

Many businesses that already accept crypto will only take payment in the leading ones, like Bitcoin or Ethereum. It can be a problem if the customer wants to pay in another crypto.

The cryptocurrency payment gateway helps businesses overcome this issue by providing automatic conversion. The customer can pay in their crypto of choice, but the seller will get the coin or token they initially required.

Last but not least, NOWPayments stands out with its round-the-clock support. Each customer is assigned a personal account manager. The payment platform provides full assistance regardless of the issue and integration support.

Final thoughts

NOWPayments enables a simple but effective practice: the vendor sets the price, lists a Bitcoin address, and receives direct payments. As a non-custodial service, it might not be a good option for users who are uncomfortable with the responsibility of holding their funds.

The post What to know before signing up with NOWPayments appeared first on CoinJournal.

The Komodo Platform provides full-scale, end-to-end blockchain solutions for developers of different industries and levels. It offers customized, configurable blockchain solutions that are easy to deploy.

The blockchain emerged as a ZCash blockchain fork, which was a Bitcoin fork. The Komodo ecosystem integrates zk-snark technology (zero knowledge) based on Zcash. It adds a relatively rare consensus algorithm known as delayed proof of work (dPoW).

Komodo’s goal is to build a complete ecosystem consisting of various partnerships.

How it works

Komodo has a blockchain with autonomous infrastructure, achieved by means of parallel chains. These chains create a separate Komodo blockchain copy. The dPoW consensus mechanism secures new parallel chains.

Developers on Komodo don’t build on the blockchain itself. Rather, they create their own autonomous blockchains. It’s neither a sidechain nor a fork. The Komodo platform doesn’t serve as a legacy platform to the new blockchain.

Each development project on Komodo is an independent blockchain that is linked to the network. This way, Komodo can never limit any future development.

The core of the network is BarterDEX, Komodo’s decentralized exchange. The DEX is the intersection between all the blockchains. It’s powered by atomic swaps, unlike other DEXs, which use proxy tokens.

Key features

Komodo’s most important features are related to security, privacy, scalability, adaptability, and interoperability.

Security 

Komodo’s security stands out through the use of the dPoW consensus mechanism and the Zcash zk-snark protocols for anonymity. The mechanism offers Bitcoin-level security to all projects and blockchains associated with Komodo. The dPoW consensus mechanism creates a backup of blockchain data.

Privacy

The zero-knowledge proof technology used by the Zcash blockchain allows full anonymity of each transaction on the blockchain. Many users appreciate anonymous transactions as they don’t have to share information about the sender, recipient, and amount of the transaction.

At the same time, the transaction is transparent, and miners can verify its validity. Data appears just like it would for a standard Bitcoin transaction.

Another important advantage of anonymous transactions is preserving fungibility, a basic currency requirement.

Adaptability

As one of the best-known open-source projects, Komodo is well-recognized for its features and innovations. Komodo-based projects are equipped with the ability to create custom solutions depending on the different situations and needs.

Scalability

Komodo lets each project have a dedicated blockchain and infrastructure, unlike other enterprise solutions. Komodo network projects can scale at any time, and blockchains can be added to improve performance as needed.

Interoperability

Komodo’s so-called blockchain federation technology enables frictionless interoperability with federation blockchains. Atomic swaps can be used to link to non-federation blockchains.

Extensive development activity

Komodo has been very active in pushing code to its base repository. It has tens of repositories, all of which are quite dynamic. The ecosystem ranked 12th on Coincodecap in terms of overall coding activity.

Pros

·         Scores well on scalability, adaptability, and interoperability

·         Extensive development activity

·         High security and reliable privacy

Cons

·         The coin is still under development

·         Some issues with ledger synchronization

Why should you sign up with Komodo?

One reason is that security is top-notch. At the time of writing, Komodo was preparing for an external security review. They will be creating an architecture diagram and an SRS document, updating and refactoring dependencies, and doing an internal security code review so auditors can access the code.

Recently, Komodo optimized the blockchain node call amounts and added an infrastructure enhancement microservice. They are in the process of integrating QuickNode blockchain nodes into their interfaces. They created a microservice layer to be able to complete the integration.

Komodo offers convenience to its users by providing the option to collect fiat price information in the API database. This way, traders can calculate fiat prices retroactively, if needed.

Another advantage is the Komodo cryptocurrency (KMD) itself, which can be used to mediate transactions with tokens that don’t have a direct pair on BarterDEX and to enable instant zero-confirmation exchanges on Komodo DEX. 

The Komodo coin pays for Komodo’s security protocol service, is used for dICO crowdfunding on the platform, and powers UTXO-based smart contracts. If you have 10 KMD or more, you can earn 5% rewards as an active user.

What makes it stand out? 

Komodo’s dPoW consensus algorithm increases network security by using Bitcoin’s hash power. Bitcoin has the highest hash power of all blockchain networks, rendering it practically impervious to hijacking.

The bottom line

Komodo has a vast and extensive library and a reliable, solid team and community. They publish updates in real-time and provide transparent yearly and quarterly reviews. They are an excellent choice of a blockchain solution for experienced developers.

The post An objective review of Komodo Platform appeared first on CoinJournal.