Bitcoin Amsterdam: BTC shines in depths of crypto bear market

October 17, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Bitcoin

Prominent Bitcoin developers and market analysts highlight BTC’s relative performance to the broader cryptocurrency markets at Bitcoin Amsterdam.

The Bitcoin (BTC) value proposition continues to be a source of confidence for investors and proponents amid prevailing depressed market conditions in the broader cryptocurrency space.

This was a key takeaway from in-depth interviews with Bitcoin developers, advocates, analysts and influential figures during the Bitcoin Amsterdam 2023 conference.

Jameson Lopp, the CEO of Bitcoin custody firm Casa, provides food for thought with less than a year to go before Bitcoin’s next mining reward halving. In a conversation with Cointelegraph, the Bitcoin advocate and software engineer said BTC’s value proposition has been a stronghold through months of tough market conditions:

“During the bear market, so many people have lost money on all these other tokens. Once again, Bitcoin is shining as the safer asset.”

Dylan LeClair is another prominent voice in the Bitcoin space who continues to advocate the fundamentals of the asset amid an unprecedented economic landscape in the United States. The Bitcoin analyst tells Cointelegraph that the average investor continues to “passively plow” into a basket of government bonds and U.S. companies in the hopes of making money over the long term.

LeClair admits that while no analyst can guarantee returns on investments in any one asset or vehicle, there is an increasingly strong argument for the long-term potential of Bitcoin:

“Nothing is guaranteed, but its fundamentals suggest that in a very long time frame, you’re going to be securing a very good store of value. Like how people used to buy property or buy gold, whereas it has digital characteristics.”

The analyst adds that Bitcoin continues to be a means for citizens of countries facing hyperinflation to safeguard and control their wealth:

“The people using Bitcoin — the true adopters — have more conviction than ever, and it’s more widespread than ever. People in third-world countries are using Bitcoin not because it’s fashionable or hyped. It’s because they’re using it to save them from losing everything.”

*Cointelegraph journalist Joe Hall (right) hosts a panel featuring Rene Pickhardt and Jimmy Song during Bitcoin Amsterdam 2023. Source: Cointelegraph*

Meanwhile, Bitcoin developer and educator Jimmy Song tells Cointelegraph that altcoins have detracted from the transformational potential of Bitcoin by “muddying the waters between centralization and decentralization:”

“We’re seeing how a lot of people think that Sam Bankman-Fried is somehow the CEO of Bitcoin — it’s just dirtying Bitcoin’s good name.”

Song also suggests that various cryptocurrency projects have co-opted Bitcoin’s reputation for their own gain, which has left unsuspecting investors the ultimate losers:

“People get confused, they get screwed out of it, and then they swear off crypto forever or something like that, not having ever understood anything about it.”

Prince Filip Karađorđević of Serbia spoke to Cointelegraph just before hosting a one-on-one with President Miguel Albuquerque of Madeira. The autonomous Portuguese archipelago is set to launch a Bitcoin business hub as a means to drive the adoption of the cryptocurrency.

Karađorđević has become a Bitcoin advocate in recent years and now works for Jan3, a Bitcoin firm founded by Samson Mow looking to drive nation-state use of BTC. Conversations centered around the potential of Bitcoin highlighted how the digital asset has different value propositions for developed, developing and first-world economies.

“In developing countries, you’ll see much more adoption there — countries that really have double and triple-digit inflation, your Lebanon’s, Nigeria’s, Argentina’s.”

Meanwhile, developed nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland will see varying degrees of adoption dependent on regulation and education.

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden stressed the importance of Bitcoin in combatting tyranny and governmental overreach while providing individual sovereignty of wealth during a virtual address at the conference.

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5 peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms for borrowers and lenders

July 15, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Aave

Discover five platforms — Aave, Compound, MakerDAO, dYdX and Fulcrum — that are transforming lending and borrowing through decentralization.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, which links borrowers and investors directly, has become a well-liked substitute for traditional banking. P2P lending networks enable decentralized lending, in which people can borrow money from other people or institutions directly without the use of intermediaries, such as banks.

Both borrowers, who can receive loans with flexible terms, and investors, who can earn competitive returns on their investments, can profit from this lending arrangement. This article will look at five decentralized P2P lending services that let lenders and borrowers become involved in this expanding market.

Aave

Aave is a decentralized lending platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. By using digital assets like cryptocurrencies as collateral in smart contracts, it enables borrowers to receive loans. On the other hand, investors can lend borrowers their assets while still earning interest on their deposits.

Flash loans, which allow borrowers to obtain loans without providing collateral as long as the loan is repaid in the same transaction, are Aave’s distinguishing feature. This creates new opportunities for immediate liquidity and cutting-edge financial applications.

Compound

Compound is another decentralized lending platform operating on the Ethereum blockchain. It enables borrowers to place security and borrow items backed by the platform. Depending on the demand for particular assets, investors might lend their assets to borrowers and earn interest.

To ensure efficient capital allocation, Compound uses an algorithm that dynamically modifies interest rates based on the availability and demand of assets. By giving users the option to vote on suggestions for platform updates and parameter changes, the platform also lets users take part in governance.

MakerDAO

The Ethereum blockchain-based decentralized lending platform MakerDAO is well-known for its Dai (DAI) stablecoin. By using their digital assets as collateral, borrowers can create DAI stablecoins, which are tied to the value of the United States dollar. Lending money to borrowers allows investors to receive interest in the form of stability fees.

Tokenholders who engage in voting on important choices, such as collateral kinds, stability fees and system upgrades, are a part of MakerDAO’s decentralized governance architecture.

dYdX

The decentralized derivatives trading platform dYdX also provides borrowing and lending features. Borrowers can trade on the site and borrow additional assets using their digital assets as collateral. Investors can lend borrowers their assets while earning interest on their deposits.

Users have freedom and leverage when trading thanks to dYdX’s lending and borrowing options. The platform, which supports various assets and marketplaces, runs on the Ethereum blockchain.

Fulcrum

On the Ethereum blockchain, Fulcrum is a decentralized lending and margin trading platform powered by bZx. Investors can lend their assets and receive interest on their deposits, while borrowers can pledge their assets as security and obtain extra credit.

Users can effectively manage their holdings thanks to the seamless integration of Fulcrum’s lending and trading services. Through the use of its native token, which enables users to vote on protocol updates and parameters, the platform also uses decentralized governance.

investors