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Rolls-Royce owner selling luxury car for Bitcoin.

As Bitcoin continues to become far more commonplace in everyday life, more people are starting to sell lucrative items for virtual currency.

The housing market is slowly adopting Bitcoin as a payment method, a number of online platforms accept virtual currencies and you can even buy games on Steam.

It seems this also applies to collectors items, including luxury vehicles.

A Manchester car owner has listed his Gold Rolls-Royce Ghost for sale on Autotrader, but his asking price is not in pounds but in Bitcoin.

A brand new Rolls-Royce Ghost is valued at over £230 000 - but with just under 50,000 km on the clock, you could snap this up for the equivalent of £117,000 in Bitcoin.

According to the Daily Mail, the owner is happy to be paid in Bitcoin, which has been on a massive bull run culminating in a $12,000 high this week:

“Why not trade in Bitcoin? I treat it in exactly the same way as normal currency these days. It’s safe, convenient and incredibly valuable right now so, to me, it makes sense to trade my car this way. It’s the future.”

The 2010 Ghost Model also comes with a personalized number plate - for an added fee. Complete with a 6.6-liter engine, the Gold car is as luxurious as its price tag.

The most mind-boggling thing about this sale is that if you had bought £12,000 worth of Bitcoin at the beginning of 2017 and held onto it - you would be able to buy golden Rolls-Royce.

Expect more of this in the future

As the world gears up for launch of Bitcoin futures in the coming weeks, the demand for the virtual currency is bound to grow. Whether or not people decide to hold onto their Bitcoin or sell, there will be a flood of people looking to get into the market.

With more people wanting Bitcoin, we’re likely to see more ‘everyday’ transactions made with the virtual currency. Why not sell more items for Bitcoin as the value of the currency grows?

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/rolls-royce-for-sale-owner-wants-bitcoin

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Сombining Blockchain technology with card gaming and trading allows seamless peer-to-peer transactions for traders, players and developers thereby cutting the middleman completely out.

For those who are already in the milieu of digital card gaming and trading, the fact that it is a high-potential multi-billion dollar industry is not news. This is especially true for early adopters and enthusiasts who have been involved in this since Collectible Card Games (CCGs) first emerged back in the 1990s. It is news, however, that digital Trading Card Game (TCG) platforms are getting a radical overhaul manifested in the new blockchain-based Nova Token Platform.

CCGs: brief history and business model

The evolution of collectible card games in the past few decades goes roughly like this: Magic: The Gathering was invented by Richard Garfield in the early 1990s and was an instant smashing success. Shortly thereafter, towards the end of the same decade, CCGs went digital with a couple of games. Heatherstone was a game changer in the Digital Collectible Card Games (DCCG) realm, garnering a lot of popularity and success.

So it is safe to say that in the same way that technology has changed many other industries, CCGs have caught the tech wave. It is also safe to say, that while there have been remarkable advancements in the technology, the core business model has persisted with little to no change. That is to say; most industries operate within a centralized framework, where the middleman rakes in most of the benefits. In the DCCG industry, this has affected card collectors, card game players and developers alike, who are all too familiar with the downside of digital gaming in general and CCGs in specific.

Blockchain and Nova Token Platform

It is not an overstatement to say the Blockchain technology has spurred a revolution that spans many industries today. At first, most of the innovation was restricted to the financial industry. However, this is all changing for two main reasons. First, the transparency and trust created by the Blockchain are much sought-after features far beyond finance. Second, the Ethereum Blockchain ecosystem enables building of decentralized digital projects of all sorts.

There is quite a bit of momentum for digital card games and esports in general at the moment. Platforms for digital games will slowly but surely migrate to the Blockchain. This is where Nova Token Platform, a Blockchain-based Trading Card Game (TCG) platform, comes in. The Nova Token team members are highly skilled pioneers in this arena who are merging Blockchain technology with card trading, gaming and tournament holding. And one of the team's key advisors is none other than Richard Garfield himself.

Blockchain and the Card Exchange

The first application of Blockchain technology is the Ethereum-based Card Exchange, where cardholders are able to buy and sell cards securely and transparently. In addition to having a low fee, this framework eliminates third-party meddling and fraud. This means that traders can exchange cards directly and fairly. For now, there are traders can only put in buy/sell orders, but in the future, the exchange will support and auction/bid system.

Proof-of-Stake

The proof-of-stake concept within Blockchain is based on the idea that the amount you own of a particular asset is directly proportional to the amount that you could own of that very asset. On the Nova Token Platform, that translates to the more Nova Tokens (NVT) you own, the more cards you could own. So if a player owns many NVTs, they will receive hundreds of copies of Legendary cards, which they are free to sell for 100 percent profit. Considering that scarcity is a crucial factor in keeping cards valuable, the proof-of-stake process makes NVT holders guardians of the cards and in turn the cards’ values.

Developers

Developers stand to gain a lot from Nova Token Platform. First, they are able to fundraise using NVT for their projects. Second, the platform allows integration their games. Third, they are able to tap into the established player base. Last and most important, developers can take in 90 percent of the revenue from NVT purchases against only 70 percent of the revenue on the iOS and Android app-stores.

Nova Blitz

The Nova Token Platform team has already produced a real-time trading card called Nova Blitz that is live on Steam and in beta on iOS and Android. Playing this game, players will have no wait times, quick games, simultaneous plays by opposing players and continuous interaction with them, smart packs and the opportunity to use strategy and bluffing. The platform supports tournaments that are based on a smart contract that handles entry fees and prizes.

Nova Token Platform ICO

The Nova Token Platform ICO will be launched on Dec. 11 of this year. The team is combining Blockchain technology with card gaming and trading, in doing so, allowing seamless peer-to-peer transactions for traders, players and developers thereby cutting the middleman completely out. With a fully viable product and consultation from some of the best names in the industry like the aforementioned Garfield and the creator of the Magic Pro Tour Skaff Elias, Nova Token Platform is well worth exploring. Make no mistake, the decentralized Nova Token Platform is the next evolutionary step in TCGs.

Zeina, Guest Author

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-based-platform-cuts-out-middleman-in-collectible-card-games

IOTA price has exploded after major agreement announced

The price for MIOTA, the cryptocurrency for the IOTA platform, has exploded over the past week, gaining massive value and surpassing Ripple to take the #4 spot among cryptocurrency market caps. The price explosion has come on the news of a major agreement being signed with Microsoft, Fujitsu, and others for business-to-business data sharing.

The price rally began around Dec. 2, with the price moving toward $1.50. However, the real explosion has come in the past 48 hours, as the price has steadily increased at exponential rates. At press time, MIOTA was trading at $4.64.

Beyond Blockchain?

IOTA is famous for its ‘Tangle’ system - a platform of interconnected nodes that both validate and create transactions. The system is designed to allow users to create transactions simply by validating, meaning that all transactions are secure, immutable and, most notably, free.

Because the system allows for zero transaction fees, it is ideal for the data industry, as micropayments for data among businesses cannot be suitably handled by legacy Blockchain technology systems. The interest in the technology will likely continue to grow as the need for scalable free transactions grows as well.

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/iota-price-explodes-after-agreement

Bitcoin still not legit enough to tempt Dennis Gartman

The Commodities King, Dennis Gartman, continues to say that he will not buy Bitcoin, in spite of recent news that the cryptocurrency has been approved for futures trading on a number of exchanges. Speaking on ‘Fast Money,’ Gartman reiterated his view that Bitcoin is in a ‘tulip mania’ stage and will inevitably pop.

Gartman’s own expertise in commodities dates back to the 1970s when he helped to manage several large companies’ futures divisions. He now produces an investor advice newsletter called ‘The Gartman Letter.’

The main concern, says Gartman, is the massive volatility that Bitcoin is often subject to. He maintains that margining something that moves with huge volatility is wildly difficult and dangerous. He told ‘Fast Money’:

"Bitcoin on a volatile day moves 15 and 20 percent. How can you margin something that can move 15 to 20 percent on a regular basis? It's the volatility that frightens me."

Some legitimacy or full legitimacy?

However, in a shockingly positive turn, Gartman did affirm that the inclusion of Bitcoin futures on the CBOE has given the cryptocurrency ‘some legitimacy,’ though not enough to tempt him into the market. He maintained that, until the cryptocurrency ceases to be a ‘place where drug dealers are making transactions,’ he’ll stay out.

However, many industry insiders disagree regarding the legitimacy of Bitcoin. In fact, the futures trading brings Bitcoin legitimacy as an asset class unto itself, albeit highly volatile. According to Shai Novik, vice chairman of Cryptal Holdings AG:

"The initiation of Bitcoin futures trading provides legitimacy to Bitcoin as an asset class. Bitcoin was not defined until now as an asset class in which investors can invest as part of their asset allocation strategy. Now, asset managers would be able to do so. It would still be a highly-volatile and unpredictable asset class, but so are other assets."

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/dennis-gartman-still-wont-buy-bitcoin-scared

Bitcoin ain’t no dusty prospector, it is a Silver Surfer

There have been more than a few comparisons between Bitcoin and gold, along with many lines of thought, but regarding the current rush, renowned trader Mark Fisher sees this like the silver run of 40 years ago.

Silver spiked in demand through the 70s and 80s as it became an asset that the regular man on the street could be involved in. There was no Wall Street elitism and its price was reasonable, it was an exciting time for common investors.

This is what Fisher sees at the moment with Bitcoin. The red tape and the egalitarianism of high-level investing is absent, and it is spurring a new wave of adoption with individuals.

Moved dramatically

"The reason people are so attracted to Bitcoin is because people want something that's actually moved dramatically, that there's no Wall Street to it," said Fisher. "The thing that every cab driver is talking about all day long."

"Bitcoin was what silver was back in the late '70s and '80s — for sure," Fisher added. "No rhyme or reason."

Indeed, Bitcoin has made its mark for individuals as it flies in the face of the institutionalized money and investing systems. Its decentralized network is what attracts many, and its functionality away from red tape and arbitrary rules are what keep people in.

With silver, it was a similar situation as those investors in the 70s and 80s were finding an opportunity to invest in something that was far more in their hands than an asset like gold, at the time.

The run is only beginning

Through the waves of adoption, it has ebbed and flowed between individuals, and the ‘Wall Street’ types. The most recent run towards $10,000 and above was attributed to market growth and mass adoption, especially in Asia.

However, the next level of this adoption metric will be when expected Wall Street whales enter the water through the power of soon-to-be-released futures.

Fisher predicts the launch initially is "going to be the Wild West."

"It's going to be great volatility," he said. "And for someone like me, who cares what it is, as long as it moves, right?"

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-is-todays-silver-says-renowned-trader

Bitcoin is starting to make a lot of noise which could attract unwanted attention from regulators.

Since China, Russia, and a few others cracked down hard on Bitcoin, it has been relatively quiet on the regulations front as Bitcoin has continued to soar unbridled. However, the head scratching on how to regulate continues.

The next fear, for Former Fortress Hedge Fund Manager Michael Novogratz, is that Bitcoin’s continued rise and prominence in the mainstream media could reawaken the regulation beast.

However, Novogratz still feels that Bitcoin is difficult to regulate and it will be hard for governments to make an impact immediately.

“It’s hard to shut down…”

Novogratz, who has been outspoken on Bitcoin for some time now, claiming it could be a bubble, but one to profit from has his concerns now.

"I've got concerns that if price movements go higher, we're going to get more regulation," Novogratz said. “But I think it's hard to shut down. ... I don't think that's a probability."

"One of the big risks out there right now is that prices are moving so fast that regulators are going to get nervous," he added. "I could legitimately see Bitcoin go $13,000, $14,000, $20,000, $25,000 and see somebody balk."

Why is it rising to dangerous levels?

Bitcoin’s rise, while roundly celebrated by all involved, has also made many stop and wonder how or when this will all end. Will it pop, come crashing down, continue or get stamped out. It has become a scary upride.

With regulators failing to slow it the first time, there could be an even heavier blow coming that could perhaps cause some derailing. However, before that happens, it is important to understand what is making it hit such heights.

Novogratz adds:

"We're in a speculative frenzy. Period. Stop. How long can it go? Who knows," Novogratz said. "What's interesting about this is it's global."

Its an asset

Another reason that Bitcoin has hit such heights must also be attributed to it finding its identity. Many were scratching their heads as to what Bitcoin is - a currency or an asset - but recent changes have set it straight.

"Bitcoin is winning out as digital gold," Novogratz explained. "I don't think it's going to be a currency. … Nothing that volatile is going to be a currency."

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/regulators-could-start-stirring-again-if-bitcoin-continues-rising-mike-novogratz

A plot of pristine Caribbean land is for sale for £5.3 mln, but only for Bitcoin

Sitting with a price tag of £5.3 mln, 13-acres of a Caribbean island is up for sale, but it would mean you have to shell out just over 570 BTC as the sellers are adding to the Bitcoin adoption narrative stating they will only accept cryptocurrency for the property.

There are a number of expensive and luxury properties that have found their way onto the real estate market across the world with price tags only in Bitcoin. A luxury apartment in Notting Hill, a Miami mansion, but even a reasonable house in Grimsby, England, has garnered attention from Bitcoin buyers.

Bloody Bitcoin Bay

The tropical hideaway on Union Island in St Vincent and the Grenadines currently is only a piece of land on a bay called Bloody Bay. However, the sale does come with plans for a villa, as well as a beach bar.

The area has seen some major development, and much like Bitcoin is a burgeoning opportunity.

The land for sale is within a few minutes of a small airport linking Union Island with St Vincent and the other Grenadine islands.

On the neighboring Canouan Island, more than £150 mln has been spent by the owners of the famous Sandy Lane resort in Barbados on developing the Pink Sands Club.

Real Estate hype

While there has been a boom in Bitcoin real estate, its reasoning may not be as simple as a form of adoption.

There is obviously a fresh new wave of interest and keenness from individuals who are looking to accumulate the skyrocketing asset which is being classed as digital gold. By receiving Bitcoin over regular fiat, investors suddenly have a huge influx of a currency that seems unstoppable on its upward trajectory.

However, the real asset is the hype that a Bitcoin price tag brings. Many of these sales that have been in the media recently would never make it outside of the realtors own books. Yet, the news of a Notting Hill apartment and a Miami Mansion have crossed oceans.

The £17 mln mansion in Notting Hill has seen unprecedented interest since it went on sale in October. Lev Loginov, co-founder of property firm London Wall, which is selling the property, said:

"Last week we had 15 viewings. It's coming from Asia. I don't think we've had anybody older than 30."

New millionaires

It also helps that those who invested in Bitcoin in the early days have been turned into instant millionaires in this year alone with its massive growth. Bitcoin worth a few hundred dollars only five years ago could now be worth just about enough to buy Bloody Bay.

To that end, by placing a Bitcoin price tag on it, a new market is opened, and it is a market that has never been targeted before.

Loginov adds that it is early miners who own large numbers of Bitcoins:

"It’s lots of young people who got involved in cryptocurrencies at an early stage. Most of them made money from mining cryptocurrencies, and basically, they're looking to acquire assets."

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/slice-of-caribbean-paradise-on-sale-only-with-bitcoin

Bitcoin is achieving even higher highs today as $13,000 appears for the first time.

The Bitcoin price is continuing on its unparalleled trajectory higher as Wednesday’s new all-time highs reach $13,200.

According to average exchange data from Coinmarketcap, Bitcoin was trading just under $13,000 at press time, having corrected after breaking the barrier for the first time.

A new record has become an almost daily occurrence for Bitcoin over the past week, with prices exploding 50 percent from $9,000 just days ago.

Cointelegraph reported yesterday as prices passed $12,000 that the imminent onset of regulated futures trading was a major driving factor for incoming investment.

As prices continue to grow, however, many are now beginning to ask when the historic bull run will slow - or reverse.

Tweeting his forecast Tuesday, Max Keiser, the commentator famous for his Bitcoin and Dash advocacy, said he imagined $15,000 would be the limit at which markets would take stock.

$15,000 will fall before Santa calls Rudolf. #Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/lQR4bNOrl3

— Max Keiser (@maxkeiser) December 5, 2017

Fellow major proponent John McAfee conversely left the future open-ended, saying that in any case, $14,000 will appear “by the end of January.”

Legendary trader predicts Bitcoin at $14,000 by the end if 2018. Will the old guard ever get a clue??
BTC will surpass that by the end of January. The world has split in half. Make sure you are in the half that embraces the new paradigm. pic.twitter.com/f1opiLnUHM

— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) December 6, 2017

McAfee has a vested interest in ensuring astronomic growth in Bitcoin continues as fast as possible, having doubled down on his pledge to eat his own penis on live TV if prices did not reach $1 mln by 2020.

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/13200-bitcoin-price-defies-all-expectations-again

Parity’s missing Ethereum funds could return as part of scheduled maintenance next year.

Embattled wallet Parity’s co-founders have said the Ethereum ‘missing’ since a codebase delete could return “within the next four to six months.”

In an interview with TechCrunch Editor At Large Mike Butcher, Gavin Wood and Jutta Steiner confirmed they hoped scheduled upgrades to the platform would enable the funds to be recovered.

Since a Parity developer “accidentally killed it” last month by cutting off access to ETH now worth $150 mln, confusion has reigned as to how and even if they will ever be spendable again.

“It’s more of a long-term savings account for us now,” Wood stated dryly after Steiner announced the new roadmap for recovery.

Going into more detail, Steiner said the vulnerability which led to the funds disappearing was known to developers. Due to the manner in which the discoverer told the team, however, the issue did not appear to look like a “security flaw.”

“It sounded like a nice-to-have upgrade,” she explained.

While Wood remained unfazed, Steiner was less settled as Parity looks to cap a year which saw two major disasters.

Previously, a hack saw sympathetic community ‘white hat’ hackers rally to drain user wallets to protect them from further theft. The operation secured ETH at the time worth $85 mln.

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/alls-well-that-ends-well-parity-hopes-to-unlock-killed-ethereum

Sweden’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETN) is bigger than around 80 percent of US exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

According to Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF Analyst for Bloomberg, Sweden’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETN) is bigger than around 80 percent of US exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Dude: Sweden's bitcoin ETN is now bigger and trades more than about 80% of US ETFs. It hit $700m in aum today while trading $220m this week (insane #s for Sweden).. #BTC pic.twitter.com/dErGC3xtfx

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) November 30, 2017

Why is the popularity of Swedish Bitcoin ETN rising?

XBT Provider, the Bitcoin ETN listed on Nordic Nasdaq, a major Swedish stock exchange, is currently one of the three methods of investing in Bitcoin through a strictly regulated market, apart from Grayscale Investment’s Bitcoin Investment Fund (GBTC) and LedgerX’s US Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-approved Bitcoin derivatives, options and futures exchange.

Earlier this year, billionaire investor and the owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban revealed at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in Los Angeles that he officially invested in Bitcoin through XBT Provider in Sweden.

“It is interesting because there are a lot of assets which their value is just based on supply and demand. Most stocks, there is no intrinsic value because you have no true ownership rights and no voting rights. You just have the ability to buy and sell those stocks. Bitcoin is the same thing. Its value is based on supply demand. I have bought some through an ETN based on a Swedish exchange,” said Cuban.

In September, immediately after JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon offered baseless condemnation on Bitcoin, it was revealed that JPMorgan Securities traded Bitcoin on behalf of its clients through custodian accounts on the Nordic Nasdaq, using the XBT Provider Bitcoin ETN.

High profile investors such as Cuban and large-scale investment firms are restricted to invest through strictly regulated stock markets and investment platforms. Hence, while it is possible for Cuban and other major investors to purchase Bitcoin with personal savings on Bitcoin brokers and exchanges, with a large portfolio, it is difficult to invest directly in Bitcoin.

Expect volumes of regulated Bitcoin investment tools to rise

Several leading Bitcoin brokerages including the $1.6 bln company Coinbase introduced platforms targeted at institutional and retail investors. Coinbase Custody for instance, enables investors to allocate at least $10 mln into Bitcoin. As Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong wrote:

“Coinbase Custody is only available to institutional investors with a minimum of $10 mln in deposits. Retail customers can utilize Coinbase.com as a custody solution.”

Armstrong added that Coinbase already stores billions of dollars worth of digital assets on behalf of the firm’s clients and retail traders.

“We already store billions of dollars worth of digital assets on behalf of our customers. We serve thousands of institutions via our GDAX product, the leading digital currency exchange in the US,” said Armstrong, adding that around $10 bln in institutional money is awaiting to be invested in Bitcoin. “By some estimates, there is $10 bln of institutional money waiting on the sidelines to invest in digital currency today.”

Upon the launch of Bitcoin futures exchanges by CBOE and CME, two of the largest options exchanges in the global finance market, the volume of regulated Bitcoin investment instruments such as ETNs on Nordic Nasdaq and GBTC will spike, as demand from the traditional finance market surges over time.

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/swedish-bitcoin-exchange-traded-fund-bigger-than-80-of-us-etfs

Revolut allowing Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ether transactions.

Revolut, a European app that allows users to complete transactions in as many as 25 world currencies has announced that it will allow users to complete transactions in cryptocurrencies starting this week. This comes from an announcement made at the Disrupt Berlin conference.

With over one mln users, the app promises to bring crypto even more into the mainstream. The application is built to allow users to make purchases without having to pay foreign transaction or currency conversion fees.

With cryptocurrencies, users will have access to their own wallets, and purchases that deplete fiat accounts will automatically be filled from crypto accounts. The app will offer Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ether support.

Crypto a distraction?

The move into cryptocurrencies may dilute the main business focus, according to analysts. However, company CEO Nikolay Storonsky believes crypto is going fully mainstream, and a simple and fast way to gain exposure to the market will be met with consumer usage.

Currently, other platforms have also begun to offer more mainstream ways to invest and participate in the cryptocurrency realm. Notably, the launch of a number of futures offerings as early as Dec. 10 this year has many investors thinking that crypto’s adoption future is bright.

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/revolut-app-to-add-cryptocurrencies