The real estate industry has seen significant growth since the recession. With market prices predicted to increase along with millennial demand in 2019, the industry is as welcoming as ever. Although the market is improving, it is still plagued by issues that make the investment process less convenient than it should be. Major drawbacks of the real estate industry Real estate investment has three major drawbacks: the presence of intermediaries, the lack of affordable funding options, and fraud. Agents take up to six percent of the total payment made on a real estate asset. This means that intermediary fees would …

Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX), along with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), have successfully tested the use of blockchain technology for tokenized assets settlement, according to a SGX release issued Sunday, Nov. 11. The report reveals the data on the trial that began in August, shortly after MAS and SGX had partnered with U.S. stock market Nasdaq, “big four” consulting company Deloitte, and Singaporean tech company Anquan. As per the release, the partners have developed a blockchain-driven solution for Delivery versus Payment (DvP) capabilities — a settlement procedure where the buyer's payment for securities is due at the time of …

A cybersecurity subsidiary of Japan’s Nomura Research Institute (NRI) unveiled a new blockchain security alert tool in a press release Nov. 8, also confirming a partnership with U.S. blockchain software company ConsenSys. With the tool, dubbed the “Blockchain Security Monitoring Service,” NRI SecureTechnologies (NRI ST) said it aimed to increase security in blockchain implementations, informing operators about “vulnerabilities.” The solution’s first outing will target smart contract weaknesses, the release says, while at the same time NRI ST will work with ConsenSys’ Diligence team on expanding its security offering. Last week, a group of researchers from two American universities found that …

Trading platform eToro has recently announced a blockchain-based social project to create a “non-speculative” cryptocurrency with the aim of paying social interest to those who “have less,” according to a press release obtained by Cointelegraph Wednesday, Nov. 7. The trading platform currently has over 10 million registered users and supports fourteen cryptocurrencies on its platform. The social project, dubbed GoodDollar, had been presented at Web Summit held this week in Lisbon, Portugal. According to the release, eToro has invested $1 million of its funds to the project and is seeking for more partners to join the initiative. As Cointelegraph frequently …

A startup is aiming to attract social networks, gaming companies and mobile payment providers through a “full-service platform” that eliminates the headaches associated with using blockchain technology to reach customers. Aerum says its offering is geared towards entrepreneurs and businesses that create DApps (decentralized apps) based on the Ethereum protocol. According to the company, its infrastructure tackles the high transaction costs, lack of scalability and long processing times which have made blockchain an impractical choice for many firms – hampering its progress to become a mainstream force in the global economy. Through its platform, Aerum claims it can offer transactions …

The Taiwan-based Bincentive project, an innovative crypto trader service provider in Asia, developed the idea of matching their clients with trading experts. On Bincentive’s platforms, clients are matched with trading experts and can follow an experts’ actions in crypto markets. Furthermore, clients have the option of having the expert initiate the same trades simultaneously. These experts receive a pre-deposited compensation that is paid when a trader hits the target and has positive gains. How does financial matchmaking work? Founded in July 2018, Bincentive is aimed at creating a smart mirror trading inter-exchange ecosystem, based on artificial intelligence (AI), big data, …

A new mobile “multi-blockchain” game, supporting a whole range of different cryptocurrencies, is ready to be launched in late November 2018. Estonian game-developer Ether Dale, created Glitch Goons, a player versus player (PvP) automatic fighting game where users can buy special items during their presale to customize and upgrade their characters. Features of the game Ether Dale describes Glitch Goons’ universe as a futuristic post-apocalyptic world where cybernetic animal-humanoids fight with each other. There is also an advanced character management system which allows players to modify and upgrade their fighters with special stats and abilities. Players can also take part …

A lack of diversity of Ethereum (ETH) smart contracts poses a threat to Ethereum blockchain ecosystem, according to research by a group of analysts from Northeastern University and the University of Maryland released on Oct. 31. The paper, entitled “Analyzing Ethereum’s Contract Topology,” claims that most Ethereum smart contracts are “direct- or near-copies of other contracts,” which represents a potential risk if a copied smart contract contains a vulnerable or a buggy code. Partially supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the study has analyzed Ethereum smart contracts’ bytecodes during its first 5 million blocks, which covers almost a three-year …

Azerbaijan is planning to use blockchain and smart contracts in the country’s legal system and housing sector, Central Asian-focused Trend News Agency reported Nov. 2. Speaking to the publication, chairman of the Azerbaijani Internet Forum Osman Gunduz noted that plans for smart contract introduction in these areas by the country’s justice ministry had “attracted attention” at a meeting held Oct. 30. “It was announced that in the future, the smart contracts will be introduced in the field of public utilities (water, gas and electricity supply),” he said, adding: “This refers to the switch-over of existing contracts of citizens for utility …

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) has partnered with blockchain firm Digital Asset to accelerate the post-trade process, financial news agency Finextra reports Oct. 31. HKEX had been working with Digital Asset to test a prototype system “in an effort to accelerate the post-trade process and reduce settlement risk.” According to Finextra, the system was tested by HKEX and the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, in a collaboration called “Stock Connect.” The Stock Connect project lets international and mainland Chinese investors trade in each other's markets via their home exchanges' platforms to improve the efficiency of northbound trades. …

The Ethereum (ETH) developer that co-authored the ERC-20 token standard has introduced a new model for Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), Czech business news outlet Kurzy reports Oct. 31. Speaking at Ethereum’s annual Devcon conference in Prague Oct. 30, Fabian Vogelsteller, also the main developer of decentralized application (DApp) browser Mist, proposed a new approach for running ICOs that he claims will better protect investors. Vogelsteller described the concept, dubbed a “reversible ICO” (RICO), as a fundraising model that allows investors to return their tokens – and be reimbursed – at any stage of the project, via a special-purpose smart contract. …

An American startup is building a blockchain agnostic protocol in a bid to provide small businesses with affordable access to new technology, and drive the mass adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Opporty, with experienced founders from the U.S., has also set up a “trusted and verified services marketplace” on the Ethereum blockchain, with features such as smart contracts, decentralized escrow, and lead generation. The company believes its platform helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to compete with large corporations, without requiring large investments in technology and marketing. Widespread coverage By now, Opporty has launched its platform’s localizations in China, the …