Digital Currency Group (DCG) is getting into the enterprise blockchain game.Announced today at Consensus 2017, the investment conglomerate (and CoinDesk parent entity) is launching DCG Connect, a fourth subsidiary that will seek to help select corporate partners leverage the insights and technology of industry startups.Initial founding partners include Amazon Web Services, CME Group, Foxconn, IBM, Mastercard, New York Life, Prudential and Transamerica.As explained by DCG director of development Meltem Demirors, the offer will differ from DCG's portfolio strategy (to date, largely focused on public blockchain startups) by creating a "multi-vendor, brand-neutral" marketplace that will open blockchain protocols like bitcoin, ethereum and ripple alongside permissioned versions from Hyperledger Fabric, Chain, R3 and the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance.In this way, Demirors, a sometimes vocal critic of enterprise blockchains, said the project will also enable enterprise firms to hear a more skeptical or analytical view of enterprise-facing blockchain technologies.

"Our view is that whatever gets people more familiar, more comfortable with a more distributed, open ledger, experimenting with this technology, then so be it.It's our jobs to be critical and analytical and not get caught up in the magical thinking.""We're not committed just to working with one specific technology protocol," she added.bitcoin mining profit calculator poolDemirors went on to contrast this approach to other consortium efforts, which she characterized as having developed, mostly around vendor-specific blockchain technology implementations, framing startups as better suited to the launch live projects using any derivative of the technology.bitcoin the honey badger of money"There are use case specific points, there [are] Hyperledger, R3 and other projects, but there isn't really a neutral aggregation point.litecoin iphone wallet

In a way, DCG has already been filling that role, and we saw an opportunity to extend that to create something new," she said.For startups, Demirors said DCG Connect would be opt-in, meaning firms (both in the portfolio and external to it) that want to help shape business strategies of enterprise companies would voluntarily provide information on their products so that DCG can distill best practices and take on the burden of educating enterprises that are more green on the technology.bitcoin mining mac usb"DCG Connect will work with companies to build blueprints for how platforms, products and technologies can fit together to create enterprise-ready solutions for deployment," DCG said in its release.bitcoin to pkr chartIn turn, Demirors said startups will be able to more actively focus on building products, while being selectively paired with more serious enterprise firms.cia bitcoin conspiracy

"Startups were getting hit with this wave of blockchain tourism," she said, explaining what drove the creation of DCG Connect.In a sense, the project isn't dissimilar from efforts underway at major enterprise firms such as IBM, which have also moved to streamline services by more selectively working with corporates intent on launching live projects.For example, last week, IBM debuted its IBM Blockchain Founder Accelerator, which moved its strategy toward that goal.Going forward, Demirors said that DCG Connect will focus on projects that aim to help enterprises understand the industry, offering ecosystem maps, events and other networking opportunities, concluding: "We're highly leveraged in this industry and we have a profound interest in helping all digital asset companies grow and succeed."Startups participating include Alphapoint, BigchainDB, Blockcypher, Bloq, Chain, Gem, Filament, Netki, Skuchain and Tierion.Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in BigchainDB, Bloq, Chain, Gem, Filament, Netki and Tierion.

UNCONFIRMEDMasterCard Applied for EEA (self.ethtrader)submitted by Hello fellow HODLers.I saw a post on the daily discussion around MC being added, being a digital marketing guy (done some SEO) - it looks like members that apply are being shown on google - you can see everyone who has applied using the following - 1) go to google /member/" You can see everyone who has applied - you can even change the date range with advanced search.Looks like MasterCard have applied - /a/ji9C1 Strong interest in building their settlement and clearing service.Edit - some people can't open imgur link above - reposted to another site - https://ibb.co/h7WuL5 Edit 2 - Feel free to follow me on Twitter for ETH updates etc. @MotionError π Rendered by PID 12205 on app-223 at 2017-06-24 11:09:06.650096+00:00 running 3522178 country code: SG.Full Litecoin Integration on BitPanda Integrated Litecoin Wallet After we recently brought back Litecoin to BitPanda, the response was fantastic.

You are now able to have your own […] Eric Demuth 10 May 2017 Litecoin is back!+ Increased limits on BitPanda We are pleased to announce the re-addition of one of the most iconic cryptocurrencies in the field, Litecoin.[…] Eric Demuth 14 April 2017 BitPanda launches Dash trading In the light of Dash’s recent growth, both in development and on the price charts, we are pleased to announced that BitPanda will add Dash to its exclusive list of cryptocurrencies.BitPanda users will be able to buy Dash instantly and easily with any of our various payment options, which include Visa, Mastercard, Sofort, SEPA, […] Daniela 24 March 2017Rob Reeg, president for operations and technology at multinational payments giant Mastercard has revealed that while the company is invested in blockchain technology, he doesn’t care for Bitcoin.The global payments landscape is primarily dominated by Visa and MasterCard, in that order.In a time where a disruptive new innovation like Bitcoin has already scaled and survived beyond many observers’ expectations, it is perhaps prudent that the giants take notice.

Visa, for instance, summed up 2015 in noting that bitcoin and blockchain became “more real than ever before”, as the year that saw blockchain as an innovation that “the industry has to live with.” The payments leader has also notably sought talent for developing and researching virtual currencies, blockchain and other emerging payment technologies.Furthermore, the company is already pooling in engineers to develop blockchain technology, with one proof-of-concept already seeking participants among European banks.Meanwhile, Mastercard also has a track record in acknowledging bitcoin and blockchain technology, in its own way.A notable instance of telling insight on the way MasterCard views bitcoin came to the fore when the payments company responded to an official UK Government public call for information on digital currencies.“[W]e would argue that, when compared to Mastercard’s network, the claims pertaining to the speed and safety for digital currencies does not hold up,” MasterCard wrote in response.

The company also questioned the security of the bitcoin blockchain and argued that the current network of global transactions go through a regulated environment, instead of relying on a “block chain” process.Suffice to say, MasterCard doesn’t think much of Bitcoin, from its downbeat response to the UK government’s call to garner insights and opinions on digital currencies, last year.That dismissive outlook toward Bitcoin hasn’t changed and seemingly permeates among the top executive channels in the company.During an interview with Indian publication the Business Standard, Rob Reeg, MasterCard president for operations and technology, was asked about blockchain technology and Mastercard’s endeavors with the technology, if any.It is an interesting technology and we are working on it.I personally don’t care about Bitcoin, but I do care about blockchain technology.The dismissive take on bitcoin coincides with that of a prominent Wall Street executive, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who has previously stated that bitcoin wasn’t going anywhere, further labelling the cryptocurrency a waste of time on a separate occasion.

While unsolicited, Reeg’s flat denial of bitcoin was followed by the revelation that MasterCard was working on two blockchain pilot projects, one a combination of private and public (permissioned and permission-less) blockchain, the other a private blockchain.Perhaps revealing further insights into why a public blockchain, like bitcoin, wasn’t in the list of priorities for Mastercard, Reeg stated: For [a] company like us, while managing people’s money and information, [the] security aspect of blockchain is [a] little bit daunting.The idea behind blockchain is unregulated power, but that is never going to be a first choice when the security is [of] concern.The executive’s opinion about security and the suppposed safety net of regulation comes  during a time that sees financial services institutions fined billions for facilitating money-laundering, swindling money from everyday citizens and racially discriminating against minorities.These instances are a fraction of the banks and financial institutions that were caught, within the past 10 years.