FTX debuts a product which delivers quarterly settlements based on Bitcoin’s hash rate, calculated using the average difficulty.
Bitcoin (BTC) holders now have a new tool to leverage the largest cryptocurrency’s growing ecosystem as two new futures markets go live.
In a blog post on May 15, derivatives platform FTX confirmed it had launched a futures product which tracks not Bitcoin’s price, but hash rate.
FTX takes on first Bitcoin hash rate futures
Simply dubbed “hashrate futures,” the contracts track the average difficulty of the Bitcoin network each day from the start to the end of each quarter.
The difficulty is used, not hash rate, because as FTX notes, measuring hash rate accurately is impossible.
“However, given that difficulty adjustments attempt to maintain 10m block times, over long periods of time the average hashrate will be proportional to the average difficulty,” the blog post explains.
So that means that, roughly speaking, difficulty futures should behave similarly to hashrate futures.
Hash rate refers to the computing power dedicated to the Bitcoin network at a given time. The more hashing power there is, the stronger and more secure the network.
The mining difficulty is an expression of how complex it is to solve equations, which validate Bitcoin transactions.
UMA has launched the ETHBTC token, a novel DeFi derivative product that allows holders to track the competition between Bitcoin and Ethereum.
In briefUMA has launched the first priceless synthetic token, ETHBTC, via Uniswap V2.ETHBTC tracks the price ratio between Ethereum and Bitcoin.The new token is experimental, but opens the door for even more DeFi derivative products.
Fi is unlocking never-before-seen ways to do derivatives.
The Universal Market Access (UMA) Project announced Wednesday the launch of the ETHBTC synthetic token on the Ethereum mainnet, initially available via Uniswap V2. This “Ethereum-Bitcoin” token is the first real-world test of UMA’s “priceless” synthetic token smart-contract design and marks the beginning of a new era of derivative products made possible by blockchain technology
The ETHBTC token tracks the price ratio between Ethereum and Bitcoin. If ETH rises faster (or falls slower) than BTC, the token value will increase, and vice versa if Bitcoin leads. The tokens are considered “priceless” because they don’t rely on data from oracles to price swaps, relying instead on a community-driven dispute mechanism.
ETHBTC tokens can be exchanged with DAI on Uniswap V2 and initially cost about 0.02 DAI per token. Anyone can create and sell ETHBTC tokens using UMA’s open source command line tool by depositing DAI as collateral. Tokens expire August 1 and can be redeemed depending on the final ETH to BTC price ratio.
In the announcement, UMA co-founder Hart Lamber explained ETHBTC was chosen as the first mainnet priceless synthetic token because it’s related to DeFi while highlighting the friendly competition between the two leading cryptocurrencies. ETHBTC also offers exposure to large-scale success or adoption of one crypto over the other without actually holding either one, a novel product in the DeFi landscape.
NFTs... Are you paying attention to what's going on?
Garbage Pail Kids launching today!
The Topps Company is the most prestigious producer of trading cards and collectibles in the world. Since 1938, Topps trading cards have become synonymous with Major League Baseball, Star Wars, WWE, Garbage Pail Kids. As well as other major sports leagues and iconic entertainment properties.
And for the first time ever collectors can buy, sell, and trade Topps digital trading cards on the blockchain. Starting with the pop culture phenomenon Garbage Pail Kids.
Be the first to purchase GPK packs on WAX by registering now. The sale goes live on Tuesday 12th May 2020.
Win an Ultra-Rare Golden Card!
For a limited time, buyers of GPK Card Packs on WAX will automatically be entered to win an Ultra-Rare Golden Card! Only 100 of these cards will ever be minted. Golden Cards come in 41 characters, each with an “A” name and a “B” name.
Garbage Pail Kids history
Garbage Pail Kids is a series of sticker trading cards produced by the Topps Company. Originally released in 1985 and designed to parody the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, which were popular at the time.
Each sticker card features a Garbage Pail Kid character having some comical abnormality, deformity, and/or suffering a terrible fate. With a humorous wordplay character name such as Adam Bomb or Blasted Billy.
Many of the card backs feature puzzle pieces that form giant murals. While other flip-side subjects vary greatly among the various series. From humorous licenses and awards to comic strips and, in more recent releases, humorous Facebook profiles.
Blockchain advantage
The use of blockchain technology will allow users to:
Trade collectibles instantly, with anyone, anywhere in the world
Trade with ease from a smartphone or computer – for free!
Trade with confidence that every collectible is certified authentic, unique, and can never be altered
View a collectible’s full ownership records and trading history
All 80,000 users of German neobank Bitwala can now purchase, hold and earn interest on Bitcoin (BTC) in their bank accounts thanks to a new partnership with cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius Network.
According to Defiprime, Bitwala is the first classic fiat bank to offer interest for holding Bitcoin in an account, with three other decentralized finance apps offering similar products. While the DeFi products have higher rates, up to 8.6% per annum, Bitwala is more regulated and offers fiat and cryptocurrency services in 32 European countries under license from leading German bank SolarisBank AG.
Users can buy as little as 30 euro worth of Bitcoin and hold it in a free Bitcoin Interest Account, receiving interest payouts weekly. The Bitcoin in the accounts is lent out through the Celsius Network to “trusted partners.” Funds can be converted back to euros immediately.
Earning interest with Bitcoin
In a statement, Bitwala CEO Ben Jones referred to the Bitcoin halving as a reminder that “state money [fiat] cannot be inflated eternally”:
“At this time, more and more people trust in Bitcoin. Bitwala is the everyday bridge to it. We are now partnering with Celsius Network, the world’s leading provider of crypto loans, so that our customers can leverage Bitcoin holdings wherever they are.”