Industry Report: Lisk, The First ‘modular’ Currency?

Ether steps into the spotlight; Lisk, the first “modular” cryptocurrency is born; and Ireland serves up a side of Bitcoin. Want to see what you’ve missed in digital currency news? Take a look below:

Also read: Industry Report: Bitcoin is Still on Drugs, No Detox in Sight

ETHER

For a while, it appeared as though Bitcoin was on the losing team in the digital currency arena. Ether dished out a hard right to knock bitcoin to the mat for a few rounds through what has been labeled the largest crowdsale in history. Nearly $200 million USD was raised for Ethereum’s new DAO project, allegedly the “best” new way to allocate capital. In the meantime, bitcoin’s price temporarily fell by about $9, making some wonder if Ether was going to take over as the world’s leading virtual coin (if only for a little while). Bitcoin eventually rose back up with a full heart to take a few rounds in the digital fight, but none can deny that Ether has been, and will continue to be, a worthy opponent.

LISK

Lisk is being called the “first truly scalable cryptocurrency.” The world’s newest “money child” enjoyed its moment in the limelight after boasting a crowdsale that raised nearly $7 million USD. Sure, it’s got nothing on Ether, but a few million here and there should certainly help to get the word out.

Lisk aims to “enable developers from diverse backgrounds to build blockchain applications by supporting JavaScript compatibility.” It is the first public cryptocurrency to enforce the usage of sidechains and “provide an easy-to-use SKD for developers of the world’s most popular programming language.”

CEO and co-founder Max Kordek expressed his enthusiasm by saying:

“Lisk is utterly unique… There is no public cryptocurrency platform which allows developers to easily deploy their own blockchain and build a JavaScript blockchain app on it… This will give millions of developers the ability to create their own sidechains, particularly around consumer applications, including games, social networks and the Internet of Things, but the same core functionality can also be used to develop and scale business applications.”

DELOITTE

Ireland has dished out a few “lucky charms” over the years: the Irish breakfast, Guinness beer, and now… Bitcoin? Accounting firm Deloitte is creating a national bitcoin lab on Ireland’s financial turf. The project will allow for further blockchain study and create a total of 50 new jobs in the process. Talk about economic incentives!

The lab will infuse the talents of both developers and designers alike, who aim to create new blockchain applications that will target Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East among other regions. Managing partner Brendan Jennings states:

“We are proud that Ireland has been chosen as the location for this lab. Not only was the strength, expertise, and proven capability of the Deloitte Ireland blockchain team recognized, but the proximity to the headquarters of many global technology companies, our strong focus on innovation and R&D, and the support from governmental institutions, academia, and the local FinTech industry were all key factors in securing this investment.”

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Images courtesy of ethereum.org, lisk.io, worldloop.org.