Excerpt of cars.gif by Jennifer & Kevin McCoy (not monegraph signed)
On Friday May 2nd, around 7pm, Kevin McCoy completed transaction #1217706 on the Namecoin block chain. McCoy was taking part in Rhizome’s Seven on Seven, the fifth annual conference pairing up of artists and technologists at the New Museum. And that transaction through Namecoin, one of the countless spinoffs of Bitcoin, created an entry in a public ledger of exactly which bits are changing hands between two people.
But this transaction was different from the millions of other ledger entries tracked by Bitcoin and its variants. This time, the bits being traded weren’t just tracking a virtual currency. Instead, they were tied to an original digital artwork created by established artists, becoming the first to follow a new convention called “monegraph”.
Until blockchain technology became available various efforts have been made to assert forms of provenance and verification for digital art , but most relied on the artworks to remain within closed, proprietary technological silos; few were designed to verify a work while also allowing it to be widely displayed across the Internet. As a result, the only way for artists to really build a market around their digital works has been to convert them into physical forms.
Historically, there has been anxiety about the fate of digital artists for at least as long as there has been digital art. But as most everyone’s computers got connected over the last two decades, the most fundamental cause of concern has been the effortlessness with which any given work can be instantly, and perfectly, copied. In a realm where novelty, rarity and exclusivity underpin so much of the (real or perceived) value of a work, copy and paste goes from being an act of creation to an act of destruction.
Reblogging is essential to getting the word out for many digital artists, but potentially devastating to the value of the very work it is promoting. What’s been missing, then, are the instruments that physical artists have used to invent value around their work for centuries — provenance and verification.
Provenance for an artwork can be asserted in countless ways, from witnessing performance art firsthand to having a world-famous auction house bet its credibility on whether a work is an original or not. This function is critical not just in enabling an economic art market, but also in the study and understanding of individual artworks and their context within a movement or culture.
Verification, on the other hand, takes on a new urgency in the digital realm. In this context, verification means the validation that a work is unchanged from its original form, and that the work in question is the actual work being discussed as a creation. It has, of course, always been possible to forge a work (and this is one of the issues meant to be solved in physical art by checking provenance), but there’s a more philosophical debate about verification in the digital realm, where simply viewing an image in a web browser results in a copy being made on the viewer’s computer or phone.
Various efforts have been made to assert forms of provenance and verification for digital art over the past few decades, but most relied on the artworks to remain within closed, proprietary technological silos; few were designed to verify a work while also allowing it to be widely displayed across the Internet. As a result, the only way for artists to really build a market around their digital works has been to convert them into physical forms.
NFTs : A new co-op patron collection is about to hit the market
• June 20, 2024 at 5:00 AM
XDALE is launching its first batch of Art Patronage NFTs, inspired by founder Doug Crosdale. These NFTs aim to revolutionize Art Patronage projects with the support of the crypto community.
Key Points
Proof of Contribution (PoC) Concept: XDALE introduces utility NFTs based on the PoC concept, making masterpieces more accessible to collectors and supporting undiscovered artists.
Founder Statements: Doug Crosdale and Hamza Yaseen emphasize the decentralized and transparent nature of the platform, allowing contributors to support Art Patronage projects and keep contributions liquid.
NFT Utilities: XDALE NFTs provide rewards, access to private sales, and discounts on future mints. They are deployed on Binance to avoid high transaction fees.
Future Plans:
Implementing a staking smart contract.
Allowing users to convert XER to USDC via a swap DEX.
Unsold NFTs will be burned.
Rewards will be distributed to patrons.
Democratizing Art Patronage: XDALE aims to democratize access to Art Patronage projects using blockchain technology, benefiting both artists and collectors.
Financial Breakdown
An XsERIES (XER) token is initially valued at 1 penny (0.01 USDC). Here are the calculations reflecting the funding requirements:
Total Funding Requirement: 98,030,000 XER = $9,803,000
Example Scenario
Illustration:
Patrons contribute $9,803,000
Receives XER equity of 49% art ownership
XDALE spends $330,000 (i.e., on rent, on art acquisition, maintenance, and XER promotion)
Patron trades XER equity
Reasonableness
Strengths:
Innovative Concept: The introduction of Art Patronage NFTs utilizing the Proof of Contribution (PoC) concept is forward-thinking and aligns with current trends in digital ownership and blockchain technology.
Clear Financial Plan: The detailed breakdown of costs and funding requirements shows thorough planning and transparency.
Utility and Benefits: The proposal highlights various benefits for NFT holders, including rewards, access to private sales, and discounts on future mints.
Potential Challenges:
Market Adoption: The success of this proposal heavily relies on market acceptance and the willingness of patrons to invest in NFTs valued at one penny.
Execution Risks: It will be critical to ensure the timely development and deployment of the platform, stake a smart contract, and address other technical aspects.
Curatorial Integrity: It is essential to maintain the quality and integrity of the art and ensure the accuracy of the information provided to patrons.
The proposal is reasonable and well thought-out, with a solid foundation in technology and market trends. However, its success will depend on our effective execution and market adoption.
Example of Effective Execution
1. Successful NFT Launch and Funding
Comprehensive Marketing Campaign:
Social Media Outreach: Utilizing X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to create buzz around the NFT launch.
Influencer Partnerships: Collaborating with well-known figures in the art and crypto communities to amplify reach.
Content Creation: Publishing articles, videos, and webinars, while explaining the benefits of the project to educate potential patrons.
Community Engagement:
AMA Sessions: Hosting “Ask Me Anything” sessions with founders Doug Crosdale and Paolo Pastore to build trust.
Early Access Incentives: Offering limited-time bonuses or discounts to early adopters.
Sell-Out of NFTs:
High Demand: All 31,395,000 XER tokens are sold within the launch window, raising the targeted $313,950.
Diverse Patron Base: Attracting a global community of patrons ranging from art enthusiasts to crypto investors.
2. Efficient Use of Funds
Art Acquisition:
Purchase Completed: Successfully acquiring the artwork costing $65,000, adding a valuable asset to the portfolio.
Real Estate Artspace:
Lease Secured: Renting the art space for $96,000, strategically located to maximize exposure and accessibility.
Launch, Advisors, Maintenance, Marketing:
Resource Allocation: Effectively allocating funds towards launching the platform, consulting advisors, maintaining operations, and executing marketing strategies.
Cost Management: Staying within budget while ensuring high-quality services and outputs.
3. Platform Deployment and Technical Success
Polygon Integration:
Low Gas Fees: Deploying NFTs on the Polygon network, ensuring cost-effectiveness for both the platform and patrons.
Staking Smart Contract:
Development and Testing: Successfully coding, testing, and deploying the staking contract without security vulnerabilities.
User-Friendly Interface: Creating an intuitive interface for patrons to stake their XER tokens easily.
4. Patron Benefits and Engagement
NFT Utilities Delivered:
Rewards Distribution: Providing patrons with promised rewards, such as additional XER tokens or unique digital assets.
Access to Exclusive Events:
Private Sales: Hosting private art sales where patrons have early or exclusive access.
Events and Exhibitions: Organizing both virtual and physical events to showcase art and engage the community.
Discounts on Future Mints:
Loyalty Program: Offering tiered discounts based on patron involvement or the number of tokens held.
5. Community Building and Transparency
Open Communication:
Regular Updates: Providing frequent project updates via newsletters, social media, and the platform itself.
Transparency Reports: Sharing financial statements and progress reports to build trust.
Feedback Channels:
Responsive Support: Establishing support channels for patrons to ask questions and provide feedback.
Community Forums: Creating spaces for patrons and artists to interact, fostering a sense of community.
6. Successful Conversion and Liquidity
Swap DEX Functionality:
Smooth Conversion: Patrons can seamlessly convert XER to USDC, ensuring liquidity.
Market Stability: Maintaining token value through strategic management of supply and demand.
Burning Unsold NFTs:
Value Appreciation: Burning unsold NFTs as planned to reduce supply, potentially increasing the value of existing tokens.
7. Impact on Artists and the Art Community
Supporting Undiscovered Artists:
Artist Onboarding: Successfully recruiting emerging artists to participate in the platform.
Exposure and Sales:
Increased Visibility: Providing artists with greater exposure to global audiences.
Sales Growth: Artists experience increased sales and patronage through the platform.
Art Patronage Democratization:
Accessibility: Lowering barriers for both artists and patrons to engage in art patronage.
Cultural Enrichment: Contributing to the cultural landscape by promoting diverse artworks and artists.
8. Sustainable Growth and Future Planning
Expansion Strategies:
New Projects: Launching additional Art Patronage projects with similar or greater success.
Partnerships: Forming alliances with galleries, museums, and cultural institutions.
Platform Enhancements:
Feature Development: Continuously improving platform functionalities based on user feedback.
Technological Innovation: Staying ahead with the latest blockchain technologies and trends.
9. Risk Management and Compliance
Security Measures:
Protecting Assets: Implementing robust security protocols to safeguard digital assets and patron information.
Regulatory Compliance:
Legal Audits: Ensuring all operations comply with relevant laws and regulations in the jurisdictions of operation.
Transparency: Providing clear terms of service and privacy policies.
10. Positive ROI for Patrons
Value Appreciation:
Token Growth: XER tokens appreciate in value due to project success and demand.
Dividends and Rewards:
Regular Returns: Patrons receive ongoing benefits from staking and other reward mechanisms.
Patron Satisfaction:
Testimonials: Receiving positive feedback and testimonials from satisfied patrons.
Conclusion
By meticulously executing each component of the proposal, XDALE demonstrates effective execution leading to:
Successful Funding and Project Launch: Meeting or exceeding funding goals and effectively utilizing resources.
Enhanced Patron and Artist Experience: Providing valuable benefits and opportunities for patrons and artists alike.
Market Recognition and Trust: Building a reputable brand recognized for innovation and reliability in the art and crypto communities.
Sustainable Growth: Establishing a strong foundation for continued success and expansion into future projects.
This effective execution not only fulfills the initial goals but also sets the stage for XDALE to become a leader in democratizing art patronage through blockchain technology.
Crosdale, Inc. (d/b/a xDALE) are purveyors of intellectual property such as distributed apps a/k/a d-apps, e.g. (ERC721 NFTs and ERC20 STO Tokens and smart contracts). BitbrowZe is an xDALE platform that lets users seamlessly mint NFTs and links to a human-readable GUI (graphical user interface) such as a hosted webpage. Tokens represent the underlying assets that you hold for sale or lease. Declared agreements on your web page confirm sale or lease transactions. These agreements are not merely written as text, they are coded as immutable computer programs that are trustless Agreements since they require no third-party witness to be enforceable.
There are 3 categories of such xDALE Agreements :
(Category-1) A Subscription Agreement;
(Category-2) A Deed Agreement;
(Category-3) A Shareholder Agreement.
Furthermore, these assets can be defined only by your web page Administrator. As types, they can be physical products, and may need to be delivered as per the buyer’s shipping information; Or, they can be digital products, such as online documents, images, etc., and can be downloaded.
A Token will be minted after associating it with the underlying asset of your choosing. Your end users (such as your clients) will be required to make full payment on any transaction. Only then will the token be transferred to their linked wallet. The ‘For-Lease’ dApp Basically, this is a subscription d-App. A Lease is treated as an annual subscription purchase broken up into small monthly payables. The owner never relinquishes the title to the underlying asset.
Illustration: As an owner of a building, I can lease a unit in the building for 1 year. The Agreement is for the assessed value of 12 x $3,000 or $36,000. I commit to selling 1 token per month to a specific buyer for a guaranteed crypto equivalent of $3,000 each. That is recited in the Annual subscription Agreement. I can do the same for the annual subscription of anything; For instance, a publication subscription. Website https://Bitbrowze.com Phone 7185697764 Phone number is 917.748.6815
Industry IT Services and IT consulting
company size 11-50 employees
HeadquartersBeaverton, OR
Founded 2000
Specialties Blockchain consulting, Real Estate, and Fine Art
Select Language العربية (Arabic) Čeština (Czech) Dansk (Danish) Deutsch (German) English (English) Español (Spanish) Français (French) हिंदी (Hindi) Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) Italiano (Italian) 日本語 (Japanese) 한국어 (Korean) Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) Nederlands (Dutch) Norsk (Norwegian) Polski (Polish) Português (Portuguese) Română (Romanian) Русский (Russian) Svenska (Swedish) ภาษาไทย (Thai) Tagalog (Tagalog) Türkçe (Turkish) Українська (Ukrainian) 简体中文 (Chinese (Simplified)) 正體中文 (Chinese (Traditional))
xdale.net. AS A FOR-PROFIT OPERATION. Swap Art token vs ERC20 nft
At DALEx you can easily swap your paintings, mint your NFTs, and create unlimited memes.
call 917-748-6815 or message us securely via Threema.Ch or e-mail info@ Xdale.io
Art Arbitrage Program
Message to our Speculative Investors.
Affiliate Referral Network: Use your contacts to Build a downline of referrals and earn passive income.
I’m [ Douglas Crosdale ] of Dale Exchange.
I’m an [ artist ] [art patron].
If you appreciate the opportunities of the cryptocurrency industry I invite you to join me in a cooperative initiative to trade NFTs for cryptos.
Let me tell you how this is rewarding.
AS A FOR-PROFIT AFFILIATE
Fractional Funding Option (in certain jurisdictions only) 4
You collaborate in the crowdfunding of an original work of art and participate in fractionalized ownership just like share ownership of a corporation or shareholder in a co-op building.
#1 Firstly, you get the right to mint 1 your unique copy of the original which is 100% yours in the form of an NFT that can appreciate in market value. You can even transfer this right for consideration.
#2 Secondly, you become prestigiously recognized as a co-patron of the original. Your name is forever associated with the artwork.
#3 Thirdly, as a co-owner you are eligible for inclusion in our Affiliate Referral network to earn passive income.
#4 As a co-owner you’ll get lifetime access to Hypsoverse, our virtual reality platform (a value of $550/yr subscription ) to mint, display, and auction your unique nft.
You can view a PROTOTYPE video of the HYPSOVERSE platform for which you wear a VR headset and replace the Avatar with yourself immersing in the galleries. (The Planned Release, 12.2024).
How to test run the PROTOTYPE (Best viewed on a desktop PC. Avatar instructions: use keyboard arrows for navigation and E’ to enter through the main gallery door.)
Arbitrage Option (in certain jurisdictions only)2
#5 With the arbitrage option, you can use our DALEx exchange to swap your (ERC721) art NFT for XER our (ERC20 ) STO and then for Bitcoin or any Altcoin. XER is 25% backed by gold). In other words, the purchase price of your token is guaranteed by an equivalent amount of gold coin. This means you can never lose more than the per-ounce value of the gold pegged by our Oracle app when you first participated in the original non-profit option. We publicly display the underlying nft gold certificate backing the XER.
We think that over time, the value of the artwork will increase significantly more than the price of gold.
If XER’s market price exceeds the art NFT, your option allows you to swap one for the other and take possession of the gold certificate nft. This arbitrage position is unique to our XER token.
A good political campaign is the single most influential factor in determining which party or candidate wins an election. Political campaigning entails:
1. Reaching out to your voters.
2. Letting them know who you are.
3. Telling them what you stand for.
4. Educating them about why they should vote for you.
In today’s world, there are many methods campaigns use to attract your attention. The traditional way is through broadcast media like radio, TV, or simply newspapers. The more modern way, and the one that is gaining a lot of traction, is through social media, email, and online advertising.
However, campaigning works most effectively when there is a personal touch associated with it. After all, a voter might be more influenced to support a campaign through a volunteer than a poster outside a store, right? This is why door-to-door canvassing is so useful for getting heard as well as learning more about your voter. Unfortunately, for larger campaigns or ones that have a time restriction, it just isn’t possible to visit every voter for campaigning. Besides, without a large pool of volunteers, door-to-door canvassing is almost impossible.
This is where phone banking comes in. Political phone banking is a process in a political campaign to reach out to voters via phone calls to canvass or get out the vote. It is often carried out using a call center software, commercial phone banks, or voluntary phone banks (run by volunteers).
Through phone banking, you can reach thousands of voters in a quick and efficient manner. How long does calling a single voter take? Just 3 minutes, sometimes even less!
Just imagine- if you have four or five volunteers calling voters, you can reach a large number of voters in a very short amount of time. And if canvassing is combined with phone banking then the two can be extremely effective in improving voter turnout as well as increasing supporters. Talk about killing two birds with one stone! Read more about how you can club canvassing and phone banking.
Some campaigns use traditional phone lines to call voters. Each volunteer has to manually dial a number, wait for the caller to pick up, and then talk to them. They have to record information about the call on paper and the manager is then stuck with a pile of survey information that needs to be manually entered into the CRM. Boring and tedious much? You bet! When you have thousands of voters to reach out to, the traditional phone banking method gets monotonous and is inefficient, and expensive in terms of time and money.
Advanced phone banking tools are software-based. Here, volunteers can simply log into the system through their computers and make calls through a browser if need be. The system handles assigning voters to agents, displaying accurate information about the voter, and storing all the feedback from the call.
So how does it help save time? Simply put: by calling the number for you and skipping bad numbers, answering machines, and busy numbers.
Each call made by a volunteer now takes 50% lesser time than the traditional method.
How to set up a phone bank
Phone banking is extremely easy to set up if you have a phone banking tool like CallHub. However, there are a few things you need planned for your campaign, such as:
List of voters to be called
The script that volunteers need to follow when talking to voters
Recruit a list of volunteers who can phone bank for you
Phone banking can be super boring at times with the repetitive tasks involved. But it can be a lot of fun when done in a group, for which a party or a get together of sorts can improve moods. Also, most volunteers aren’t used to calling and talking to strangers. They need to be motivated and in a group setting, volunteers working towards the same goal can encourage each other to do better. It also gives them a chance to bond and feel closer to the campaign. By throwing a party where all attendees can mix, mingle, interact and call voters, the quality of the calls is better and the number of calls made is higher too.
Different kinds of Phone banking
There are two types of phone banking that can be used, automated and manual. Let’s understand how the two of them work, shall we?
1. Automated
An automated dialer dials through a contact list and when a call is answered connects it to a live agent. This type of system is called a virtual outbound call center.
Relax, it’s not as complicated as it sounds! Just click here to understand it and see how simple it actually is.
So the next question is…how do agents connect to this software offered by CallHub? Well, there are two ways for this to happen:
Using a browser
The agent merely requires a computer and a headset and he/she is good to go. As simple as that! The agent would have to use the CallHub browser interface to read through the given script and answer surveys.
The advantages of using a browser are that it is affordable, only a single device is required, and well, it’s hands-free!
Using a phone
Here the agent uses a phone to connect to the campaign. Using another device, say a computer, the CallHub application is opened on the browser to read the script, answer surveys, etc.
There are two modes that can be used: Either the agent dials into the campaign, or the agent receives a call to be connected. How are the modes chosen? They are based on the phone plans in your country and the respective pricing.
The advantage of using a phone is that it is more convenient for older volunteers, and you do not require a high-speed internet connection to make your calls. On the flip side, it is a tad more expensive and requires more than one device.
In automated phone banking, there are three types of dialers that users can employ according to their needs:
1.Predictive Dialer
A predictive dialer is extremely useful if you want to reach out to as many people as possible. This is necessary in the case of large campaigns such as voter identification, etc. The dialer calls a contact list and only connects those calls which are answered to the agents.
This helps save a massive amount of time as dial tones, unanswered calls, answering machines, etc get weeded out. So agents are focused only on talking to supporters instead of listening to an unending dial tone or a robotic answering machine.
2.Power Dialer
The power dialer dials the numbers automatically while the caller focuses on the live call at hand. It is a less rushed form of calling where the agent has time to fill up the survey, enter notes, and then begin the next call.
You can also set a dial rate which helps speed up the campaign while giving volunteers adequate time to fill up survey questions.
3.Preview Dialer
The preview dialer is a flexible type of dialer where an agent requires time to research the contact. The conversations are generally of a more in-depth manner and could be follow-ups to previous conversations.
The manager still has control over the people being called and gets a detailed recording of each call.
2. Manual
Also known as collective calling, manual callinghas the same interface as the automated dialer. So what’s the difference? Well, the calls, in this case, are not made by CallHub; the agent would have to manually dial in the number on a phone, then use CallHub to go through the script and answer survey questions.
So why use collective calling over dialing a number yourself, or with a group of volunteers?
This might work if all the agents are in the same place, but if everyone is spread geographically, coordinating with each other will be a major hassle.
What collective calling does is make the calling process seamless and dynamic: based on the number of active agents at a particular time, contacts are assigned to them.
This ensures that all contacts get called and no one is missed out. Besides, using CallHub’s software it is possible to remove agents who aren’t doing too well.
So what should you use – an automated or manual dialer?
You can use Automated Calling if
You are a political campaign looking to reach voters
You are restricted by TCPA regulations but still would like to optimize your campaign
Most of your contacts are mobile numbers (not landline numbers); you’d prefer dialing them rather than calling using an automated dialer…again due to TCPA regulations
What’s next?
We know that with a range of software solutions available today, choosing the one which will work for you can get a little confusing. Take our quiz Which Autodialer Works Best For Your Campaign? to find out which autodialer will work best for your campaign.
Sheela is a marketer with a love for all things digital and creative. She has helped build products, market them, and sell them too. When not at the desk, Sheela keeps busy recording music with her band, staring at desserts, and chasing her cats.
Memes have become a popular form of communication on the internet because they are easily shareable and relatable to a wide audience. They often convey humor, emotions, or cultural references in a simple and digestible format. Memes also can spread quickly and virally, making them a powerful tool for conveying messages or ideas.
Here are some links that discuss the reasons behind the popularity of memes:
“The Evolution of Memes” – This article from Wired explores the history and evolution of memes, as well as why they have become such a prominent form of online communication: https://www.wired.com/2017/05/the-evolution-of-memes/
“Why Memes Are So Powerful” – This video from Vox explains the cultural significance of memes and why they have become a dominant form of communication in the digital age: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VPl3eN5V1k
Overall, memes have become a popular form of communication because they are easily accessible, relatable, and shareable, making them an effective way to convey messages and ideas in a fun and engaging manner.
If you appreciate fine art I’d like you to join me in a cooperative initiative to sponsor emerging artists.
Let me tell you how this is rewarding.
EITHER AS A NON-PROFIT AFFILIATE or AS A FOR-PROFIT AFFILIATE
#1 Firstly, in either case, you become part owner of the original once the artwork is acquired. It’s like the fractionalized ownership of shares in a co-op building.
#2 Secondly, you become recognized as a co-patron. Your name is forever associated with the artwork.
#3 Thirdly, as a co-patron you are eligible for inclusion in our Affiliate Referral network to earn passive income. You get the right to mint 1 your unique copy of the original which is 100% yours in the form of an NFT that can appreciate on the market. You can even transfer this right for consideration.
#4 As a co-patron you’ll get lifetime access to Hypsoverse, our virtual reality platform (a value of $550/yr subscription waived for you ). There you can browse or even host your metaverse gallery.
You can view a PROTOTYPE video of the HYPSOVERSE MUSEUM of ART where you wear a headset and replace the Avatar with yourself immersing in the galleries. (The Planned Release, 12.2024).
You can test run the PROTOTYPE (Best viewed on a desktop PC. Avatar instructions: use keyboard arrows for navigation and E’ to enter through the main gallery door.)
#6 Finally, there are tax advantages to the non-profit affiliate. You are free to consult with our team of legal experts.
May I or one of our representatives schedule you for a Zoom call or even a personal visit? Thank you.
DALEx.bitbrowze.com Decentralized exchange is an alternative environment that cuts out a middleman thus generating what is often thought of as a “trustless” environment. These types of exchanges function as peer-to-peer exchanges. Assets are never held by an escrow service, and transactions are done entirely based on smart contracts and atomic swaps.
The crucial difference between centralized and decentralized exchanges is whether or not a third party is present. Decentralized exchanges are less widespread and popular compared with centralized exchanges, at least in the U.S. (due to regulatory issues). Nonetheless, it’s possible that they will give centralized exchanges a run for their money in the future.
What Are Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchanges? By NATHAN REIFF Updated July 30, 2023 Reviewed by ERIKA RASURE erika Reviewed by Erika Rasure Full Bio Erika Rasure is globally-recognized as a leading consumer economics subject matter expert, researcher, and educator. She is a financial therapist and transformational coach, with a special interest in helping women learn how to invest.
Learn about our Financial Review Board Fact checked by ARIEL COURAGE What Are Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchanges? Centralized cryptocurrency exchanges are online platforms used to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. They are the most common means investors use to buy and sell cryptocurrency holdings. For most digital currency investors, the centralized cryptocurrency exchange is one of the most important vehicles for transacting.
Some investors may find the concept of a “centralized” exchange somewhat misleading, as digital currencies are often billed as “decentralized.” Here’s what it means for an exchange of this type to be “centralized” and why these exchanges are so crucial for the success of the cryptocurrency industry as a whole.
Sorry, the video player failed to load.(Error Code: 101102) Click Play to Learn About Cryptocurrency Exchanges Understanding Centralized Crypto Exchanges In the term “centralized cryptocurrency exchange,” the idea of centralization refers to using an intermediary or third party to help conduct transactions. Buyers and sellers alike trust this entity to handle their assets. This is common in a bank setup, where a customer trusts the bank to hold their money.
The reason for this setup is that banks offer security and monitoring that an individual cannot accomplish on their own. In the case of a centralized cryptocurrency exchange, the same principle applies. Transactors trust not only that the exchange will safely complete their transactions for them but also that it will use the network of users in the exchange to find trading partners.
In the case of cryptocurrencies, which are often stored in digital wallets, an individual can lose hundreds or thousands of dollars in digital currency holdings simply by forgetting the key to a wallet. An exchange will not allow this to happen, as it attempts to safeguard the holdings for the individual investor.
Key Elements of Centralized Crypto Exchanges New centralized cryptocurrency exchanges are emerging all the time. However, not all of them are successful—it’s not uncommon for them to fold. The success or failure of an exchange is dependent upon a large number of factors. However, one of the key components to success is trading volume.
Generally speaking, the higher the levels of trading volume, the lower the volatility and market manipulation likely to occur on that exchange. Volatility is a crucial consideration. Because of the time it takes for transactions to be completed, the price of a given token or coin can change between the time the transaction is initiated and the time it is finished. The higher the trade volume and the faster the transaction can be processed, the less likely this fluctuation will be a problem.
Another crucial element of a successful centralized exchange is security. While no exchange is completely immune to malicious activity like hacks, some are safer than others. The way an exchange reacts to an event such as a hack is by no means a given. Some exchanges have worked hard to refund customer losses, while others have been less successful in that regard. Still others have shuttered as a result of these types of attacks.
For investors looking to enter the cryptocurrency space, a centralized exchange is still the most common means of doing so. When selecting an exchange, it’s important to keep in mind the host of factors that will impact user experience, including which pairs are traded, how high the trading volume is, and the security measures exchanges have adopted to protect their customers.
Centralized vs. Decentralized Exchanges Centralized exchanges can be used to conduct trades from fiat to cryptocurrency (or vice versa). They can also be used to conduct trades between two different cryptocurrencies. While this may seem to cover all of the potential transaction types, there is still a market for another type of cryptocurrency exchange as well.
Decentralized exchanges are an alternative; they cut out the intermediary, generating what is often thought of as a “trustless” environment. These types of exchanges function as peer-to-peer exchanges. Assets are never held by an escrow service, and transactions are done entirely based on smart contracts and atomic swaps.
The crucial difference between centralized and decentralized exchanges is whether or not a third party is present. Decentralized exchanges are less widespread and popular compared with centralized exchanges, at least in the U.S. (due to regulatory issues). Nonetheless, it’s possible that they will give centralized exchanges a run for their money in the future.
Fiat/Cryptocurrency Pairs It’s common for a centralized exchange to offer cryptocurrency/cryptocurrency pairing. This allows customers to trade, for instance, bitcoin for ether tokens. Fewer exchanges offer fiat currency/cryptocurrency pairs, which would allow crypto trades for regular currency exchanges.
Some of the largest centralized cryptocurrency exchanges in the world offer these fiat/cryptocurrency pairs; however, most are not regulated. Part of the reason for this is likely that they serve as a direct access point to the global cryptocurrency market and don’t have an established presence in the U.S.
Since many investors in the space are relatively new to investing in digital currencies, they may be more likely to turn to these types of exchanges. Some of these exchanges include Coinbase, Robinhood, Kraken, and Gemini.
Is Coinbase a Centralized Crypto Exchange? Yes. Coinbase is a centralized cryptocurrency exchange that operates in the U.S. and globally.
A Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchanges Safe? Cryptocurrency exchanges are often targeted by sophisticated hackers. Some exchanges have taken measures to prevent or deter theft attempts, while others may not have been as diligent.
What Is the Most Secure Centralized Crypto Exchange? It depends on what you believe secure means. Some exchanges provide insurance against theft and network security techniques, while others add deep cold storage methods that take your keys offline until you need them. Still others use a combination of technologies to try and secure your crypto. This means that you should do your homework and learn all your options before choosing an exchange.
The Bottom Line Centralized cryptocurrency exchanges are online trading platforms that facilitate cryptocurrency exchanges between customers who prefer a familiar trading environment. These platforms are often used to store cryptocurrency and expose traders and investors to assets that are otherwise difficult for many people to access. The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed on Investopedia are for informational purposes online. Read our warranty and liability disclaimer for more info. As of the date this article was written, the author owns bitcoin and XRP.
John Goff, one of America’s savviest commercial real estate investors, has a vision of using blockchain tech to store real estate titles.
John Goff, one of America’s savviest commercial real estate investors, says he “wasn’t smart enough” to have seen the Great Recession coming in 2007. But the billionaire had an inkling. At the time he was chairman of the board of Fort Worth-based Crescent Real Estate, one of the nation’s biggest REITs, with a portfolio of 54 office buildings. “Every asset we had was getting an offer,” Goff recalls. But when he surveyed the landscape, “I didn’t understand the pricing, found nothing to buy,” he says. So in August 2007 he did the only thing that made sense: He sold.
Morgan Stanley paid $6.5 billion for Crescent at the peak of the real estate market. For Goff, who made about $220 million on his shares, the timing couldn’t have been better. He stood unscathed, watching agape as the portfolio his team had built crumbled in value. By the end of 2009 Morgan Stanley had written off its equity in the investment and handed Crescent over to Barclays, which had loaned $3.5 billion on the deal. Figuring no one knew the properties better than Goff, Barclays teamed with him to manage the portfolio and try to get its money back. Which over the next few years he did, and then some, by gradually liquidating more than $2 billion of office towers into a strengthening market. Favorite assets, like the high-end Canyon Ranch health resort, Goff bought himself. Last year, when they officially ended their joint venture, Barclays even handed the Crescent name back to Goff.
Billionaire John Goff at his McKinney and Olive tower in Dallas.TIM PANNELL
So now, a decade after he dodged a bullet by selling his company, Goff is back in control of it again, with a concentrated portfolio of premium properties that he says he likes well enough to hold onto through any economic downturn. Not that he thinks that’s coming—at least not yet. “I’m bullish on the economy,” he says. “The tax cuts are big, and we’re so behind on GDP growth coming out of the Obama years.” Rising interest rates are largely baked in to real estate prices, he says. Low unemployment is great for occupancy rates. As is America’s predictable population growth of 2 million people per year. An even more important trend: wealth creation. According to Paris-based consultancy Capgemini, the number of high-net-worth Americans ($1 million of investable assets) has been growing at a 7.8% clip since 2010. With the rich getting richer, Goff is sure of growing demand for top-drawer properties.
Take Goff’s new office building McKinney & Olive, a 530,000-square-foot, 20-story glass trapezoid designed by starchitect Cesar Pelli in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas. “I think it’s a sexy building,” Goff says. He’s particularly fond of how the top of it juts out over its namesake intersection, meaning the top floors have more premium square footage than those below. Great for the building’s economics, says a grinning Goff, who remains boyish at 63. Commercial tenants willing to pay the highest rents anywhere in the city (about $60 per square foot) can rub shoulders in the onsite yoga studio with hotshots from McKinsey & Co. and ad giant Saatchi & Saatchi. There’s also a chic Starbucks Reserve Bar and an acre of public green space. To pick out the marble for the soaring lobby, Goff took his wife, Cami, to the best quarries in Carrera, Italy. Building McKinney & Olive cost about $225 million, most of it from J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Goff started out in the industry on the ground floor. As a kid in Lake Jackson, Texas, “I was a regular down at the dump,” he says. “I loved taking stuff apart, breaking it into components,” which ended up strewn around the house. He built a submarine out of a hot water heater. “It drove my mother crazy.” By age 13 John started working as a handyman at a family friend’s apartment complex. It wasn’t long before he was managing the place, down to collecting rent. That was enough for him to catch the real estate bug. After studying accounting at the University of Texas, Goff became a CPA, working at KPMG for real estate clients, first in Houston, then in Fort Worth.
In 1987 Goff got his big break when billionaire investor Richard Rainwater hired him to bring some order to his disparate holdings. In the 1970s Rainwater had made a name— and a lot of money—for himself helping Fort Worth’s Sid Bass and his three brothers turn a small fortune left by their oil tycoon uncle Sid Richardson into a big one, primarily by building up controlling stakes in undervalued oddballs like National Alfalfa. At one point they owned 10% of Texaco, 5% of Marathon Oil and a $3 billion controlling stake in Walt Disney.
By the late 1980s Rainwater had gone out on his own, with an office in Fort Worth that became known as a deal shop, where the phones were always ringing. Rainwater’s operation was staffed by a cadre of young go-getters who later developed into tycoons in their own right, including Sears boss Eddie Lampert, TPG private equity honcho David Bonderman and energy infrastructure guru Ken Hersh. George W. Bush was Rainwater’s partner in the Texas Rangers baseball team. “Dad didn’t invest with anyone he didn’t think was the Michael Jordan of their arena,” says his son Todd Rainwater (Richard died in 2015).
Rainwater, Inc., was a ticket to nirvana. Goff emptied out his 401(k) of $14,100 after penalties in order to put his money to work with Rainwater. (“Scared the heck out of me,” he says.) In an early deal Goff brought Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach over to see Rainwater. Staubach had started a commercial real estate brokerage and needed some liquidity. They gave him $1 million cash for 20% of the equity. (Which turned into more than $70 million when Staubach sold to Jones Lang Lasalle for $650 million in 2008.)
In 1994 Rainwater and Goff made their first big real estate deal, for the Crescent, a 1.3 million-square-foot neoclassical complex by architect Philip Johnson that oil heiress Caroline Rose Hunt had spent $500 million building in an unloved corner of Dallas. Finished in 1986, the Crescent was in danger of defaulting on $250 million in debt. Backed with a $100 million letter of credit from Rainwater, Goff crisscrossed the country and negotiated with banks to buy up all the building’s distressed paper for just $172 million.
A decade after he dodged a bullet by selling his company, Goff is back in control of it again, with a portfolio of properties he says he’ll hold onto through any economic downturn.
It was a sweet debut deal, and the duo ended up naming their real estate company after it, taking it public in a $650 million IPO in 1994. They raised even more in follow-on offerings and deployed the capital to ultimately acquire 40 million square feet of properties, including One Buckhead Plaza in Atlanta, the Alhambra in Coral Gables, Florida, and the Exchange Building in downtown Seattle. Resort investments included the Ventana Inn & Spa and the Sonoma Mission Inn. In Dallas, next to the Crescent, they built a Ritz-Carlton, designed by starchitect Robert A.M. Stern. And they paid out big dividends, including an estimated $100 million to Goff.
There were some missteps along the way like buying the real estate under a chain of old folks’ homes that 60 Minutes later exposed for patient neglect. But for the most part Goff has succeeded by hewing to a strategy that he first avowed to Forbes in 2002: “I want to be where capital isn’t flowing.” It was this eclectic portfolio that Morgan Stanley bought for $6.5 billion at the peak of the market. When Lehman Bros. collapsed a year later, Goff found himself on the sidelines with $200 million of Morgan Stanley’s money.
Goff outside the McKinney and Olive tower in Dallas.TIM PANNELL
Grateful for dry powder, Goff again waded into the distressed debt markets and was buying when Morgan finally defaulted and handed Crescent over to Barclays. “I tried to buy 100%, but we couldn’t agree to terms,” he says. So instead he forged a joint venture with Barclays to manage the assets and get its $2.7 billion back. In 2011 they sold a collection of Texas office buildings (including the original Crescent complex in Dallas) to J.P. Morgan Asset Management for $1.9 billion and in 2013 sold another complex to Cousins Properties for $1.1 billion. Goff bought the Dallas Ritz-Carlton and Canyon Ranch for his own account. By last year Barclays had been returned its billions in loans, plus interest, plus dividends, plus some equity in a handful of buildings they now co-own with Goff.
The cherry on top: Goff got his company back and started the process of building all over again. He launched a new fund called the GP Invitation Fund to bring in money from friends to invest in new deals. It has so far acquired six hotels, including the Hotel Crescent Court and Spa in Dallas for $75 million, the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver for $125 million and a Westin in Atlanta for $85 million. They’re also building a 700-room hotel complex in Nashville. Crescent now has $2.8 billion under management. Roger Staubach says he’s an investor in the fund. So is Dary Stone, former CEO of Cousins Properties, who lauds Goff for his discipline in staying picky while being pitched on every real estate deal in America: “His biggest challenge is in saying no.”
Outside of the Crescent umbrella, Goff holds what he considers to be his single most important investment. Canyon Ranch, which bills itself as a wellness resort, has two locations, one in Lenox, Massachusetts, a touristy bit of New England, and the original in quintessential dude ranch country outside Tuscon, Arizona. The place dates to 1979, founded by Mel Zuckerman, an asthmatic, overweight CPA from New Jersey who visited an Arizona “fat farm” with his wife, Enid. In a spiritual awakening the couple became health nuts, and they decided to stay in Arizona to build their own operation. Canyon Ranch was a progenitor among “wellness” resorts, offering programs for everything from aquatics, Pilates and horses to a $2,950 course of polysomnography—all night sleep monitoring.
For the most part Goff has succeeded by hewing to a strategy that he first avowed to Forbes in 2002: “I want to be where capital isn’t flowing.”
Richard Rainwater fell in love with the place on his first visit in the 1990s. He and Goff immediately befriended Zuckerman, and Crescent began financing Canyon Ranch’s improvement and expansion. By 2007, when they sold to Morgan Stanley, Crescent had 49% of the resort company. Goff bought that whole stake for his own account at the same time he and Barclays took the portfolio back from Morgan Stanley in 2009. In 2014 Goff acquired another 20% stake after buying up a convertible bond issue. Last year Goff completed a deal with Zuckerman to buy his remaining shares.
“John is the right person, because over the years he used Canyon Ranch not just to take a vacation but to help find change and meaning,” Zuckerman says. “He understands it for its purpose. He gets us.”
The new owner does have some changes in mind. Last year Goff moved Canyon Ranch headquarters to his own offices in Fort Worth. And he gave the nod for its spas to start offering botox treatments for the first time (Zuckerman wasn’t a fan). Goff plans to leverage the Canyon Ranch brand in a franchise-model expansion. Already there are Canyon Ranch-branded spas on board 22 cruise ships, including Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, and in Vegas a 160,000-square-foot mega-spa at Sheldon Adelson’s Venetian hotel. Goff envisions dozens more locations: “Someday Canyon Ranch will be bigger than Crescent ever was.”
The trophy room at the Greystone Castle Sporting Club, a hunting lodge in Mingus, Texas, co-owned by John Goff.TIM PANNELL
Goff is also busy training the next generation. In a light-filled space looking out on Fort Worth’s carefully gentrified Sundance Square district, Goff’s office is right next to that of his 34-year-old son Travis. An avid video gamer, Travis forged a deal last year to join Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to acquire a controlling stake in esports team Complexity Gaming, which is now headquartered alongside the Cowboys. “Their autograph lines are longer than for pro athletes,” the elder Goff marvels.
He keeps up with the digital stuff. Down the hall two twentysomething traders mine the digital currency Ethereum from their workstations. Last fall they persuaded Goff to seed them $5 million to launch a crypto-blockchain investment fund. Even after recent months of white-knuckle volatility, Goff says he’s up on his bet, and he has a vision of using blockchain tech to store real estate titles. It’s a lark, he says with a grin. “I’m willing to lose it all tomorrow.”
xDALE is a Smart Contract Real Estate Marketing Organization. It can be seen as the “Un-Broker”.
The Real Estate Services industry is rife with red tape and other inefficiencies. It is an environment based on paranoia. The proprietors are paranoid about wire transfer fraud, excessive fees. The lawyers are resentful of the high compensation paid to brokers and the brokers resent the fastidious lawyers who kill more deals than bad credit. Furthermore, the listing agents resent having to co-broke a listing and often withhold access to potential customers. This does a disservice to the Landlord. There is a lot of leg work involved which requires pre-qualification of the customer. Finally, the customer often hides the truth of his personal background for fear of application denial. In many cases he must pay creative deposit fees, move-in fees, and application fees.
All these elements come after the rigorous search for available listing and many proprietors want to do it themselves and do not subscribe to a MLS. Therefore, a confusing multitude of alternative websites now pop-up to host listings. The solution to these inefficiencies are self-managing smart contracts. The following are some XDALE-Benefits to the players in a real estate transaction.
SALESPERSONS
A decentralized peer to peer network
Less paperwork
Faster closings
Conflicts are eliminated between staff and proprietors
Expanded territory beyond local market
No need to sell, simply supervise property tours
Option to be paid a flat salary a draw against future earnings
Listing exclusives are guaranteed via publicized NFT images
Agent has personal ecommerce web page
Compensation is transparently delivered via deFi wallet
BROKERS
Eliminated expense of Errors and Omissions Insurance
Low commission payout; higher profit margin per transaction
Lowered transaction expenses due to deFi
ERC20 token allows for rewards program to customers
LANDLORDS
Flat-fee option
Crowd-funding in some jurisdictions
Property tokenized to Title Search Database
International investment potential
Wire fraud vulnerability eliminated
CUSTOMERS
Smart contract arbitrator supervises your rights versus the Proprietor
Bureaucracy elimination lends speed and savings
Your sensitive data is kept offline in cold storage then erased as scheduled
If you wanted to rent your apartment to someone, you’d need to pay a middleman such as Craigslist or a newspaper to advertise, and then again you’d need to pay someone to confirm that the person paid rent and followed through.
A decentralized solution can help cut your costs. All you do is pay via cryptocurrency and encode your contract on a smart contract. Everyone sees, and you accomplish automatic fulfillment. Brokers, real estate agents, hard money lenders, and anyone associated with the property game can profit.
Smart contracts are revolutionary in terms of transforming the current real estate practices.
Smart contracts are replacing traditional contracts as the sole agreement between the seller and buyer. It automatically executes the requirements as soon as specific conditions of the contract are met.
Smart contracts guarantee trust through a single version of the truth by establishing trust. All the parties including the bank, the agent, and the mortgage lender can sign an agreement via smart contracts. Because transactions are kept on a blockchain, this shared ledger enables the parties involved to look over the process at any moment and from anywhere.
A smart contract is a self-executing digital agreement that enables two or more parties to exchange money, property, shares, or anything of value in a transparent, conflict-free way while avoiding the need for a third party.
