OnTheres More to IT, host Jason Claybrook and guests will explore some foundational questions about the technology thats driving us all forward.

Why do we build the stuff we build? Whats behind the scenes? Where are we falling short or putting revenue first?

The days of post-trade show drinks and conversation are far from over. In fact, they live right here onTheres More to IT.

Theres More to IT is back, and hosts Jason ClaybrookandSimon Lok continued exploring the foundational questions about the technology driving us forward.

This time, the hosts were once again joined byRob Bartley, Exploration and Product Support for Matador Resources Company for a discussion on a hot topic in the world of currency crypto.

The cryptocurrency industry has come a long way from the days of early Bitcoin mining, with companies and even governments around the globe accepting cryptocurrency in place of fiat currency. Though the implications of cryptocurrency, blockchain and more are exciting, there are also challenges and uncertainties surrounding its growth, from the sustainability of mining operations to the volatile nature of markets.

The landscape is often difficult to navigate, with actual mining operations creating new transactions on the blockchain, apps like Robinhood making it simpler than ever to invest in the currencies as pseudo stocks, shifting values, meme currencies and more.

For now, mining operations can be made from nearly anything, from the largest industrial installations to make-dos powered by solar panels and boat batteries storing energy to power graphics cards mining Ethereum.Listen to the entire episode to learn more about the hosts and Bartleys opinions on what lies ahead in cryptocurrency.

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Is Cryptocurrency and Its Tech Infrastructure Ready for a Revolution? - MarketScale

Cryptocurrency courses have become a big deal in a short amount of timemuch like cryptocurrencies themselves. As recently as three years ago, it still seemed disreputable for business schools to teach about Bitcoin or other electronic currencies that are secured through online databases. At the very beginning, there was a misconception that cryptos were funny money and a speculative tool, says Henry Kim, associate professor at the Schulich School of Business, York University, and director and co-founder of the schools blockchain.lab. Business schools didnt want to teach that because they thought it was faddish.

Andreas Park, an associate professor of finance at the University of Toronto, agrees. For the longest time there was great skepticism among my colleagues, says Park, who will soon be starting a course on decentralized finance and cryptocurrency in the Rotman School of Managements MBA program. Today, its more common to hear cryptocurrency described as something that is becoming an inescapable part of business education. Thats especially true of blockchain technology, the vast, decentralized databases that cryptocurrencies rely on to verify and process new transactions with a minimum of human involvement. Blockchain has become part of elective business education over the past five years, says Jean-Philippe Vergne, the former director of the Scotiabank Digital Banking Lab at Ivey Business School in London, Ont. Over the next five, it will likely become part of core business education, just like database management is integrated into core business undergrad and graduate modules in information systems management.

Katya Malinova is an associate professor at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, where she teaches a course called Introduction to FinTech (financial technology). She says the status of these technologies seemed to reach a turning point in 2017, when there was a boom in cryptocurrency investment, with investors throwing money at cryptocurrency tokens (the equivalent of shares in a more conventional company) and companies like Bitcoin and its younger competitor Ethereum. Not all of these investments were wise, but the idea of digitizing assets and putting them on the blockchain stuck, Malinova says. And that raises questions about whether traditional financial technologies can be replaced by new ones. Even though the many worthless tokens of 2017 are sometimes referred to as a cautionary tale, that outpouring of investment made cryptocurrency impossible to ignore. By the fall of 2018, it was fairly clear that FinTech and/or blockchain should be discussed in business schools, Malinova says.

Business schools that added the subject as early as possible, before the boom of 2017, may be benefiting from being ahead of the curve, just as it paid off to be an early investor in Bitcoin. Vergne definitely thinks thats true at Ivey, which began teaching about Bitcoin in 2013 and integrating it across programs in 2014; they were listed in a Forbes article on the relatively small number of important bitcoin, blockchain and cryptocurrencies courses. Vergne, now an associate professor at the UCL School of Management in London, England, co-designed the Bitcoin Crash Course when he was at Ivey, and says the schools head start in integrating cryptocurrencies into its programming paid off for some of its students: Several financial technology startups were founded in Toronto by Ivey alumni who took this kind of module, says Vergne, referring to companies such as Ledn, Lending Loop and Satstreet. They were the trailblazers and their trajectory has been spectacular, he says.

It would be easy to assume that students, especially younger ones, would be pushing for knowledge on cryptocurrency to be included in business curriculums, but its not always the case. When I started including it in my classes, most students hadnt even heard of Bitcoin, Park recalls. Vergne thinks students were initially reluctant to ask for courses on the subjectnot because they didnt know about it, but because they simply did not believe that a school like Ivey, which can appear quite conservative at first, would be open to the idea. But as soon as they were presented with an opportunity to engage, interest surged, and students kept asking for more.

Another aspect of business education that plays a role in increasing cryptocurrencys profile is something that is one of the most important functions of MBA programs: helping graduates find work. Business schools are very vocational, Kim says. We want to make sure we teach courses that are directly applicable for our students job opportunities or provide really good complementary learning for the jobs they take. MBA programs cant downplay something thats becoming a major source of employment: Clearly if theres $2 trillion worth of investments in it, theres probably some job opportunities there, Kim adds.

The content of programs doesnt only respond to the market; it also changes to fit research. I would say that in most cases, faculty expertise is behind the introduction of new courses, Malinova says. Don Cyr, professor of finance at Brock Universitys Goodman School of Business, says that around 2015 or 2016, there was an explosion in the number of research studies being done on cryptocurrencies. Business schools also take some cues from professional certification programs; once the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program included some of these topics, it became what Cyr calls a very strong indicator that they also belonged in MBA programs.

Even though cryptocurrency is a mostly new subject, most agree it still requires a traditional teaching approach. Students are often very interested in the potential for investing in cryptocurrencies, and may have dabbled in it, Cyr says, but they are often unaware of the broader implications of blockchain or digital ledger technology in general in the finance field. Asked if anything important has changed in the principles she teaches, Malinova says there is nothing fundamentally new in my opinion. Vergne says blockchain changes the practice of finance in depth, but not its fundamental laws. Park just says, No. Economics is economics.

(Illustration by Raymond Biesinger)

There are, however, some new things that have to be taken into account when teaching this topic. The typical way to teach about financial history is by describing how a new concept developed out of a pipeline of academic researchers and practitioners in the field of finance, Cyr says, adding that a key fact about cryptocurrency is that it developed outside that pipeline: We dont know the identity of the developer of Bitcoin, and to some extent its adoption was fuelled by dissatisfaction with central banks and their control of the money supply.

Business schools are also learning to focus not on individual currencies like Bitcoinwhich themselves may well turn out to be fadsbut the principles and technologies theyre attached to, which are impossible to put back into the bottle. Park says he often has to deal with the misconception that blockchain is the same thing as Bitcoin, and that the significant thing about blockchain is that it operates all value transfers on a single infrastructure, instead of splitting them up into payments, stocks, bonds and other assets weve gotten used to.

Park says a securities trade today requires the use of many platforms and systems: your brokers internal system, stock exchanges, clearing and settlement services, beneficiary ownership record keepers, custodian banks and the payments systemall separate and awkwardly linked, he says. A blockchain combines all of these things, which could potentially reduce the role of those familiar platforms and systems, and the jobs that go with them.

In addition, because blockchain organizes investment and payment in such a streamlined way, without all those intermediaries, Vergne thinks it has the potential to shake up organization theory and how its taught. It changes what we know about the role of managerial hierarchies and centralized coordination in the growth of business organizations, he says. This is where most of the exciting research is happening these days.

That means were only seeing the beginning of the types of courses and teaching approaches that crypto and blockchain will inspire. Kim points to the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, which has a complete masters program in blockchain. Closer to home, he notes, York University offers blockchain education through its School of Continuing Studies. Future classes will have the benefit of very informed, even experienced students, says Kim: Most high schools in Toronto have a blockchain/Ethereum club. Eventually, we will see these folks in the MBA programs.

As students come in more informed about the subject, faculty will need to figure out how to help them think about it in a transformative way; Malinova likes to point out that blockchain could help to reach the billions of people who have no access to financial services through no fault of their own, and she thinks there shouldnt be too much focus on the potential negatives. Yes, there are bad apples, scammers and the like, and they need to go, obviously, she says. But the important issue is how much good this new world can do. For what its worth, after taking my class, the students get it. Park says that in order to make sure theyre providing a long-lasting education, business schools need to be forward-looking, and inform students about the broad changes that blockchain technology can bring. If cryptocurrency ends up changing the world, it will be partly because of the students and researchers who were convinced that it could.

This article appears in print in the August 2021 issue of Macleans magazine with the headline, New kid on the blockchain. Subscribe to the monthly print magazine here.

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How business schools are dealing with the rise in cryptocurrency - Maclean's

The cryptocurrency market is attracting Indian investors even with no legality assurance.

Despite the lack of regulations, the cryptocurrency market is gaining immense popularity in India. Approximately, Indians have invested about INR 49,189 crore (US$6.6 billion) in cryptocurrencies till May 2021. This is a staggering spike considering the numbers reflecting US$923 million till April 2020. As per cryptocurrency adoption and blockchain data firm Chainalysis, India ranks 11 out of 154 countries.

As cryptocurrency is still a new concept that just picked momentum in 2019-2020, more potential investors are expected to enter the crypto market in time. India has the biggest youth population in the world and millennials and Gen Z is navigating themselves towards cryptocurrencies. This expected spike is good for cryptocurrency exchange companies that operate in India but as there is no verdict on crypto acceptance from the government, this can become problematic.

In April 2018, Indias central bank ordered banks from dealing with cryptocurrency, suddenly. In March 2020, the Supreme Court of India turned down the order and that started the cryptocurrency hype in the country. While the citizens considered this is a green flag, the government is still on the fence about decentralized digital money. Recently, a panel was announced to look into this matter and form proper cryptocurrency regulations. While the RBI stated that there wont be a complete ban on cryptocurrency, future policies can bring significant changes, especially with the talks of launching a government-backed digital coin or Govcoins.

The lack of regulation doesnt just affect the investors, it also affects firms that work with crypto coins and invite threats. As said by Nischal Shetty, co-founder of WazirX, The biggest regulatory risk is that bad players might come into the ecosystem. While we, at exchanges follow a regulatory code of conduct, which is self-imposed, we cannot prevent others who dont follow it.

Indias cryptocurrency ecosystem has raised concern about a number of factors like payment solutions, taxation, and the legality of it all. Apart from investments, there is no provision in India to use cryptocurrencies as a means of payment for goods and services. Countries like the USA have organizations that accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as payments and Africa have Bitcoin ATMs and mobile-cryptocurrency payments. The verdict on cryptocurrencies can be sorted if the RBI and the government put out a long-term plan for cryptocurrencies. India is one of the largest markets for businesses and with proper rules, they can make the most of the cryptocurrency features that promises privacy and security.

Recently, Germany opened the gates for cryptocurrency investments in the country and several other countries have shown their acceptance of this new technology. The global cryptocurrency ecosystem is growing rapidly with many projects and innovations happening, says Avinash Shekhar, co-CEO of ZebPay. These are investors, innovators, and businesses that offer job opportunities for many. Regulatory clarity around crypto can definitely help grow the crypto ecosystem in India.

The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021, could lead to a ban of all private cryptocurrencies in the country. This will also pave way for a legislative framework for the official digital currency. Market experts speculate that the delay in announcing regulations maybe be because the officials are wrapping up the work for the digital rupee, like how China launched the digital Yuan. While Indians continue to invest in cryptocurrency, till the regulations are finalized, its similar to walking on eggshells.

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Lack of Cryptocurrency Regulations Might Be a Red Flag for Indian Investors - Analytics Insight

Glauber Contessoto took a big risk on dogecoin, a meme-inspired cryptocurrency that began as a joke, earlier this year.

Between his savings and borrowed funds, Contessoto says that heinvested over $250,000 in dogecoinon February 5 when it was priced at about 4.5 cents. About two months later, on April 15, he says he became a dogecoin millionaire on paper.

Since, Contessoto has refused to sell, despite dogecoin's ups and downs. He plans to buy more of the digital coin and "hodl" for the long haul.

Contessoto believes in dogecoin so much that he now requests to be paid in it whenever he works with crypto brands on social media promotions.

Contessoto will earn a total of $25,000 for an upcoming partnership between his YouTube channel and blockchain project Acria Network, he tells CNBC Make It. When finalizing the deal, the company asked if he'd prefer to be paid in U.S. dollars or crypto.

"Of course, I said dogecoin," he says. "So, they literally paid me in dogecoin. They gave me half upfront, and the other half when I deliver the video."

To keep up with his growing "dogecoin millionaire" brand online, Contessoto also quit his day job at a music company in Los Angeles in June. "I had no idea how I was going to make money moving forward," he says.

He earns a little bit of money from selling merch on his website, but his main focus is developing his social media presence.

In one month, he has made $28,000 from social media ads and promotions, which was primarily paid out in dogecoin. "That's about six months salary at my old job," Contessoto says.

After covering all of his bills, including rent, food and other expenses, Contessoto plans to continue to invest as much as he can in dogecoin. Though experts warn against it, "[I'm] all invested in doge," Contessoto says. "Doge is my savings account."

As of around 12:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, his dogecoin holdings are worth around $931,689.

Glauber Contessoto's dogecoin holdings on Robinhood as of around 12:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, July 6.

Dogecoin is trading at around 23 cents as of 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, according to CoinMarketCap. But, "if it drops below 20 cents next week, I'll buy the dip again," Contessoto says. After hitting a record high on May 8 of around 73 cents, the digital coin fell to around 47 cents on May 9, and Contessoto invested another $17,500, he previously said.

However, financial experts are highly skeptical of dogecoin, as well as other cryptocurrencies. Their extreme volatility is one reason why experts warn that it's a risky, speculative investment.

And somewarn to be especially cautious when investing in dogecoin in particular, since itlacks the scarcity and technological developmentthat bitcoin has, for example. Investorscould get burned, and in turn, should only invest what they can afford to lose.

"You risk losing nearly all the money you put in," James Ledbetter, editor of fintech newsletter FIN andCNBC contributor, previously told CNBC Make It. "It has no intrinsic value and it could just as easily come crashing down in price as continue to go up."

Still, Contessoto's outlook on dogecoin remains extremely bullish. Depending on what happens in the coming months, he believes the price could rise. He's hopeful it will hit $1 by the end of the year.

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This 33-year-old 'dogecoin millionaire' is now being paid in the meme-inspired cryptocurrencyand continues to buy the dips - CNBC

MONTREAL, July 6, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Wealthica, the leading Financial Data Platform for Canadians, and the only aggregator specializing in Canadian investment accounts, launches enhanced cryptocurrency support.

Wealthica, the leading Financial Data Platform for Canadians, launches enhanced cryptocurrency support. (CNW Group/Wealthica Financial Technology Inc.)

Wealthica is proud to announce that users can now connect with all popular Canadian cryptocurrency exchanges including Wealthsimple Crypto, Newton, NDAX, Shakepay and Coinsquare to track the value of their cryptocurrency assets within their financial portfolio.

Now, investors can view their crypto and financial portfolios all in the same place.

Furthermore, in addition to the support for Canadian-based cryptocurrency exchanges, which is built in-house by the Wealthica team, Wealthica partnered with Zabo for added support of an additional set of 65 cryptocurrency wallets, exchanges, protocols and accounts across the globe that users can sync through a secure API connection. Some of the most popular supported institutions include Coinbase, Binance, Gemini, Ledger, Trezor, Kraken and more.

"Today, with the neobanks, online brokerages and new crypto exchanges, it's not uncommon for people to link more than 5 accounts on their financial dashboard", said Simon Boulet, CEO of Wealthica. "Adding support for a wide range of cryptocurrency exchanges further supports Wealthica's mission to enable investors to consolidate and see all of their financial accounts securely in one place." he added.

"We're thrilled to partner with Wealthica, the leading Canadian financial data platform to power cryptocurrency account aggregation, giving Canadians powerful tools to see their complete financial picture," said Alex Treece, Co-founder at Zabo.

Wealthica users can now track their Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Altcoin investments along with their home, employee stock options, stock portfolio, retirement savings and alternative investments. In addition to their traditional investment accounts.

The new cryptocurrency feature is available for free within the Wealthica web and mobile apps where users can connect with their favorite crypto exchange.

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"Wealthica continues to innovate and deliver on its promise to empower Canadian investors with free tools to manage their whole financial life." said Billy Kawasaki, Head of Product Operations at Wealthica. "Canadian crypto exchange support is built in-house by the Wealthica team which enables reliable syncing with the institutions and support for some Canadian crypto exchanges that is not possible on other platforms (unless powered by the Wealthica aggregation technology)." he added.

With the addition of the 65+ cryptocurrency institutions, Wealthica now supports over 200 institutions, making it the largest financial aggregator in Canada.

Track your cryptocurrency with Wealthica today!

ABOUT WEALTHICAWealthica Financial Technology Inc. is a Montreal-based, privately-owned firm specializing in empowering investors with a complete view of their financial data. Wealthica is the largest financial aggregator in Canada with more than 50 000 users aggregating more than $14 billion dollars worth of Canadian investors' assets. Wealthica supports more than 200 Canadian financial institutions. Its platform allows investors to see all their investments on a single dashboard and includes many features to make it easy to follow investments.

For more information, please visit wealthica.com.

Related Links

https://wealthica.com/ https://wealthica.com/developers/

SOURCE Wealthica Financial Technology Inc.

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Now Tracking Cryptocurrency -- Investors Link over $14 Billion in Account Value on Wealthica Financial Dashboard - Yahoo Finance