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Cryptocurrencies to keep an eye on in 2023

Crypto: plans and news for 2023

Let’s analyse the memorable trends and events of 2022 and discover the most interesting crypto projects for 2023. Here are the ones you cannot miss!

After the excitement of the all-time high we started with this year, cryptocurrencies have been through a lot during 2022. And so have we. From the tightening of monetary policies, to the failure of some crypto projects considered to be giants in the industry. In this situation, some virtual currencies have fared better than others. We are here to review and analyse the trends and events of 2022 and to discover the most interesting crypto projects for 2023.

The crypto market in 2022: what happened?  

Before analysing the new projects and innovations that the most capitalised cryptos have in store for 2023, let’s do a quick recap of what happened in the industry during this difficult year. 2022 in Crypto can be summed up in these two concepts: failures and adoption. We started the year still enthusiastic about the price spikes that had just been reached, but we soon entered a negative economic situation. Emerging markets, such as the cryptocurrency market, were affected by increasingly strict monetary policies. Many times this year, the performance of Bitcoin and Ethereum has followed macroeconomic events. The US stock market has lost over 15% in value, the bond markets 20% and the crypto market has fallen over 50% from its peak in November 2021.

In the first months of the year, cryptocurrencies were actually not particularly affected, or at least not until the collapse of the blockchain Terra. A new blow then came a few weeks ago with the bankruptcy of FTX. The failure of these two crypto projects has brought attention to the need to regulate the sector to protect users. A topic we will probably hear a lot about in 2023. 

Although these failures affected the market, it is important to note that neither was caused by problems with blockchain technology per se. On the contrary, in 2022 the technical development continued on its path and for cryptocurrencies the progress made is remarkable. 

Trends: mobile breakthrough and the quest for scalability

The cryptocurrency world this year seems to have finally realised the importance of the ‘mobile’ medium. Concretely, this shift has been reflected by the development of new crypto projects including dapps, wallets and play-to-earn games for mobile devices, and by the launch of actual smartphones to facilitate the use of services. As in the case of Saga, Solana’s mobile phone. The goal of these projects is to improve the user experience, embracing mobile is necessary to reach the goal of one billion people transacting cryptocurrency on a regular basis (currently estimated at 300 million) as soon as possible. For many, mobile dapps and crypto smartphones in a few years’ time will be far more prevalent than AR and VR devices for the Metaverse. In the wake of this trend, 2022 was also the year when NFTs arrived on social networks. 

As we will see in the following paragraphs, the main goal that the most capitalised crypto projects have set themselves for 2023 is to enhance their scalability. That is, to make networks faster and cheaper to operate.

Bitcoin 

Nakamoto’s coin starts its 2023 with a record! The Layer 2 project of the world’s longest-lived and most famous cryptocurrency, the Lightning Network, reached the capacity, i.e. the maximum exchangeable value, of 5,000 BTC in the last days of 2022. This value grows proportionally to the use of the Lightning Network, which is now at an all-time high mainly due to adoption and integrations for small payments. At the same time, with a virtuous circle, capacity increases the speed and quantity of transactions. Another new development for Bitcoin is the development of Taro. The creators of the Lightning Network themselves announced this new crypto project that will allow stablecoins to be developed on the BTC blockchain. 

Ethereum

The most important blockchain event of 2022? The Merge! That is, the transition of Ethereum from the Proof-of-Work to the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism. The complexity and scope of the consequences of this change make The Merge one of the biggest milestones in the history of blockchain. But what are the new projects and innovations of Vitalik Buterin’s crypto for 2023? The first item on the roadmap is the Shanghai update that will complete the transition to Proof-of-Stake by regulating staking activities for validators. The Ethereum Foundation has set itself two further goals: to be able to process up to 100,000 transactions per second and to reduce fees on its network. Both of these improvements can be achieved thanks to new features that will be implemented by a new update package, known as ‘Sharding’.

Polygon

The MATIC team in 2022 also focused on improving the scalability of the blockchain. The biggest innovation in this respect is the integration of zk rollups, a Layer-2 technology that allows transactions to be grouped off-chain and transferred all together on-chain. This decreases the time it takes to validate transactions and lightens the burden of data being transcribed on the blockchain. This year has been a busy one for Polygon, as well as achieving its goal of becoming carbon neutral (and offsetting all emissions since its founding), it has entered into numerous collaborations with iconic companies and brands outside the cryptocurrency market. New plans for MATIC, Polygon’s crypto, for 2023 will focus on further increasing the scalability of its network and progressive adoption.

Cardano 

For Cardano in September 2022 came the Vasil update, designed to enhance blockchain performance in terms of scalability and speed. The update changed the validation and transaction transmission system and also the programming language for Cardano’s smart contracts, Plutus. Vasil is one of the ADA team’s initiatives to attract dapp developers, especially DeFi developers. In short, thanks to this update, Charles Hoskinson’s blockchain is looking forward to a 2023 marked by the development of many new crypto projects on its network. 

Dogecoin 

The flirtation between Dogecoin and Elon Musk will presumably continue in 2023. Probably thanks to him, this cryptocurrency made it through 2022 without too much damage. The price of Dogecoin has kept pace with Musk’s statements and business decisions, and for every new development, we have found a pump. The growth of the meme coin was particularly pronounced in November, when Musk bought Twitter, making plans for the future of the social network. One of the crypto projects the tycoon might involve Dogecoin in? Twitter’s payment methods. 

Stablecoin 

If we take a look at the ranking of cryptocurrencies by market cap, between Bitcoin, Ethereum and the others we have just reported on, we find a few stablecoins lined up. How did 2022 go for Tether and USDC and what plans do these dollar-pegged cryptos have in store for 2023? After Terra’s stablecoin depegging, which caused the collapse of the entire ecosystem, the reputation of these digital coins was tarnished. Tether and USDC have therefore spent these months working on transparency and maintaining user trust. Tether, which has since also expanded to Polkadot, assures in a statement on 9 November that ‘the tokens are 100% backed by our reserves’ and that ‘Tether holds a strong, conservative and liquid portfolio, which includes cash, equivalents and US Treasury securities’.

Circle, the company that manages USDC, also confirms the soundness of its reserves and this summer also launched a new stablecoin pegged to the euro. The efforts of the centralised stablecoins seem to be paying off as their market capitalisation continues to grow. New ones are also expected to arrive in early 2023, notably Aave and Curve, which are a lending protocol and a decentralised exchange, respectively. Will the two DeFi giants be able to continue with their plans to create stable cryptos by the end of 2023?

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Young Platform gets licence to operate in France from Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)

Young Platform gets licence to operate in France from Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)
  • Young Platform, the leading Italian crypto-exchange, is now fully authorized to operate in France after receiving registration as a digital asset service provider by the French Financial Markets Authority. 
  • This milestone recognizes the high quality and security standards that Young Platform upholds. 
  • The French crypto ecosystem is one of the most vibrant ecosystems in Europe: French people who own cryptocurrencies (8%) already outnumber those who own shares (6.7%).

Paris – January 4th, 2023  – Young Platform, the leading Italian crypto-exchange, announces it has been registered as a digital asset service provider (prestataire de services sur actifs numériques, or PSAN) under the number E2022-60 by the French Financial Markets Authority. The Autorité des Marchés Financier (AMF) is an independent authority that plays a key role in protecting investors and promoting transparency and stability in French financial markets. With the registration of Young Platform, the AMF confirms the soundness of a model that protects users.

The registration with the French Financial Markets Authority is another major milestone in Young Platform’s ambitious European expansion plan and comes just six months after a €16 million funding round led by Azimut to educate Europe on crypto. Young Platform gathers a growing community of more than one million members and can now kick off its next phase of growth by becoming a key actor in the french crypto ecosystem, one of the most vibrant ecosystems in Europe.

According to a study conducted by consulting firm KPMG on behalf of the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (Adan), nearly 8% of French people own cryptocurrencies, and 30% are considering buying them. This figure is interesting to put into perspective with the number of French people who own shares: about 6.7% of them, according to the AMF. Thus, to date and despite the youth of digital assets, more French people hold cryptos than own shares.

Young Platform aims to simplify access to the world of cryptocurrencies for its users by providing a set of digital products and services that meet different needs according to skill level, from beginner to expert. Young Platform targets a wide audience and promotes an intense educational activity on blockchain technology and virtual currencies through an app as well as dedicated editorial content.

“Beyond simple cryptocurrency conversion, Young Platform’s mission is to convert the complex technical concepts developed by a handful of talented developers into simple mechanics accessible to the greatest number of people. Indeed, we fully believe that the enabler of this market is not technological but educational. Our ecosystem of applications allows users to progress at their own pace to make informed investment decisions,” explains Ambroise Hélaine, Country Manager France at Young Platform. 

“Young Platform’s expansion into Europe is an important step for business growth and represents a new opportunity for anyone interested in the crypto market to access Young Platform’s innovative solutions. We are excited about this important milestone and look forward to expanding and offering our services to an even wider audience,” concludes Andrea Ferrero, CEO at Young Platform.

Providing a secure ecosystem for our users 

While doubt & fear stormed the crypto market since last year’s ATH (BTC reached 60K last December), the registration of Young Platform as a digital asset service provider is a badge of honor for the company and a testament to the high standards of Young Platform’s internal processes.

Regulated, transparent, onshore, and/or audited exchanges are seeing a dramatic increase in market share. This is essentially getting back the customers who fled to offshore exchanges for more assets/potentially unregistered securities offered to trade, more leverage and lower fees. Since October, the market share of regulated exchanges has increased by 30 percentage points. The obvious trade here is it will come back to regulated exchanges. 

Growth in dire conditions 

As with the stock market and financial markets, the correction that digital assets are undergoing is furthered by the failure of the major players that served as gateways to the crypto world. Unlike other crypto exchanges, which rely on a portion of their users’ assets to build the much-needed “liquidity pools” to protect the overall user experience, Young Platform adopted, from DAY 1, a philosophy based on user protection:

  • A clear separation of company funds from user funds
  • Strategic partnership with external providers of real-time crypto-asset liquidity

Young Platform based its first growth stage on this asset, quickly establishing itself as one of Italy’s fastest-growing startups despite tough market conditions on the crypto scene. 

Read the news on Tech.eu
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Young Platform wins Startup of the Year 2022 award

Startup of the Year 2022: Young Platform wins the award together with epiCura

Young Platform wins the ‘Startup of the Year 2022’ award from I3P, the Innovative Companies Incubator of the Politecnico di Torino

Here at Young Platform we ended the year on a high note with an award that we’re really proud of! In December, we received the ‘Startup of the Year 2022′ award during the 23rd edition of the ‘Festa delle Startup I3P’, the annual event of the Incubator of the Politecnico di Torino that celebrates innovative Italian start-ups. 

The Startup Party 

Every year at the ‘Festa delle Startup I3P’, the new companies selected to enter the Politecnico di Torino incubation programme are introduced and awards are presented to the start-ups that have distinguished themselves through their successful journey.

The event was an opportunity to discover innovative products and services ready to conquer the market, and to tell the story of start-ups that took their first steps from the Politecnico di Torino and have proven their value over time. During the ‘Festa’ on 21 December 2022, Young Platform received the ‘Startup of the Year 2022’ award, tied with epiCura, the first digital platform providing home care services. 

Young Platform’s 2022

There are years made for dreaming and planning, others for building, and some for reaping the fruits of one’s labour. In 2022, we at Young Platform expanded and gave our all, we became one of the top three cryptocurrency trading platforms in Italy, with a 36% market share and over a million active users on our products. We launched our YNG token, inaugurated the Clubs and concluded a 16 million euro funding round led by Azimut. Throughout all this, we stayed focused on our goal: facilitating access to the world of cryptocurrencies through simple and clear applications and through intensive educational activities on blockchain technology and its solutions. 

Thank you I3P!

In the course of our history there has always been a fundamental figure who never stopped believing in us. We could not have achieved these milestones without the support that I3P has guaranteed us since 2019, when we joined its incubation programme for fledgling start-ups. 

Last December, Giuseppe Scellato, the president of I3P, commented on our award as follows: ‘Young Platform, with its crypto exchange features, is operating in a sector that is constantly evolving and is thus able to address the new generation of investors.’ and referring also to epiCura: ‘we are proud to have supported these start-ups on their path to growth: our goal is to continue to be a point of reference for innovation in Italy, supporting and promoting ideas and projects with high technological potential that work on services with a direct impact on the lives of citizens’.

Even today, after three years: thank you I3P!

The Startup of the Year award put the fintech sector in the spotlight, once again at Young Platform we raise a glass with our community to going even further together. An unforgettable 2023 awaits us! 

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Everything about Aptos, the new Layer 1 blockchain for lightning transactions

Aptos: the new cryptocurrency and Layer 1 blockchain explained

Aptos is a brand new Layer 1 blockchain. What is it and how does it work?

This October, Aptos was launched. It is a new Layer 1 blockchain developed by former Meta employees. Only a few days after its debut in the crypto world, Aptos has already been making waves, both in a positive and negative sense. On the one hand, there are those who present Aptos and its APT crypto as the possible Solana Killer, due to the large amount of transactions per second it promises to be able to process. On the other hand, Aptos’s launch has been criticised due to several factors, such as the ‘premature’ listing on well-known crypto exchanges prior to the release of APT’s tokenomics. Find out what the Aptos project is, and what the main controversies surrounding the launch are!

The birth of of a brand new crypto: Aptos

Aptos is a Layer 1 blockchain founded by a group of former employees of Meta (formerly Facebook). The group of developers founded the Aptos Foundation in August 2022, which is responsible for defining the guidelines of the project. The new blockchain uses a Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm to validate transactions on its network. The new Aptos crypto is programmed in Move, a smart contract writing language developed by Facebook in 2019. Move was created to build Facebook’s native blockchain, Diem. However, the project was abandoned in January 2022.

Even before its launch, Aptos’s Layer 1 blockchain and its APT crypto have been the talk of the town. How come? A great amount of interest in the project was shown from major venture capital funds, who also decided to invest in the project. Aptos raised 350 million through three different funding rounds between March and September 2022. The funds came from some of the most important venture capitalists in the crypto market such as Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Jump Crypto, FTX Ventures and Binance Labs.

How does Aptos work? The new Layer 1 blockchain

The new Aptos Layer 1 blockchain underwent an intensive testing programme during the months leading up to its launch. Using a Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm, Aptos works thanks to 102 validators who are responsible for the security of the network. The project wants to distinguish itself by its ability to process more than 160,000 transactions per second, a number far greater than that of other Layer 1 blockchains. To date, the competitor to beat is Solana. On paper, this Layer 1 blockchain can process the largest number of transactions per second, reaching a maximum of 65,000. For this reason, Aptos was called a possible Solana Killer at its launch.

The Aptos Foundation wants to ensure a high amount of usability of the network for its users. One of the main weaknesses that Web3 is facing is complexity of use. Thanks in particular to the Move programming language, Aptos wants to improve this! Move has been designed to build more user-friendly smart contracts and DApps, which can also be used by those who are not familiar with the technologies involved.

In this first week since its launch, the Aptos network became very active. Especially so with regard to NFTs, which have recorded considerable volumes. For instance, the Aptos Monkeys collection, which was launched on the NFT marketplace Topaz, raised nearly 300,000 APTs (around $2.7 million) in the first 24 hours after its launch. The main wallet for storing and using APT tokens and NFTs on Aptos is a web extension called Petra, which has already exceeded 300,000 downloads on the chrome web store.

Aptos: an opaque beginning?

The launch of Aptos has undoubtedly broken the monotony of this bear market, generating much controversy but also some appreciation. Let’s proceed in order. The first criticism arose in the hours before the launch. Users who had participated in the Aptos testnet (an almost identical copy of the main blockchain being used for experimentation), received a very substantial airdrop. The rewards distributed via the airdrop were either 150 or 300 units of the new Aptos cryptocurrency, depending on the tasks the users performed on the testnet. The Aptos Foundation distributed 20.1 million crypto APTs, representing approximately 2% of the total supply. This amount of APT was, at the time of distribution, worth between 200 and 260 million dollars. It was divided among 110,235 crypto wallets.

The criticism in this case was that the airdrop was excessive and benefited the so-called ‘airdrop hunters’. They are users who complete tasks required by blockchain protocols using different wallets. Once they receive the airdrop, they instantly sell the crypto they have received.

The second wave of criticism concerns the choice of Aptos and some exchanges including Binance and FTX to make trading available before the tokenomics were officially released. This choice by the Aptos Foundation put potential investors in an uncomfortable position. On the one hand, they would not have wanted to miss the launch of Aptos, but on the other hand, they felt insecure given the lack of transparency shown by the project.

The tokenomics of APT, the crypto of Aptos

The tokenomics publication, which came only after listing on some of the best-known exchanges, provides for a total APT supply of one billion tokens. 510 million are held by venture capital companies, and 410 million are held by the Aptos Foundation. These 410 million tokens are locked as of today, and will be unlocked progressively over the next 10 years. The remaining part of Aptos’ supply, a total of 80 million APTs, have partly been distributed through airdrops and partly will be made available to projects that will be created on the blockchain.

If the delay in the publication of tokenomics generated controversy, the structure of tokenomics itself only increased it. The price of APT has suffered as a result. The main factor that created discontent is the amount of APT owned by venture capital companies and the Aptos Foundation. According to users, there are too many tokens held by institutional investors and the Aptos Foundation. This could generate strong sell pressure on the APT token in the future.

The influence on the price could be seen immediately after the launch. The starting price of the Aptos crypto was around $14. In the first hours after the launch, it marked a downward movement of more than 40%. In the days following the launch, the price of APT ‘stabilised’ at around $9.

PancakeSwap is the first DeFi DApp to land on Aptos

On Monday the 24th October 2022, PancakeSwap, the decentralised exchange (DEX) built on the Binance Smart Chain, announced that its platform will also be available on Aptos. The decision was made following a vote within PancakeSwap’s DAO. PancakeSwap’s ecosystem on Aptos will be similar to the one already present on the Binance Smart Chain.

Thus, Swaps will be enabled. These are a mechanism through which tokens built on the Aptos blockchain can be exchanged. Farms and Pools, where you can stack your tokens in exchange for rewards, will also be made available as well as the IFO section. The acronym stands for Initial Farm Offering, and it is a kind of ‘Initial Coin Offering’ (ICO). IFOs have the dual purpose of allowing to raise development funds for emerging projects, and incentivising users to hold crypto in the ecosystem. To participate in an IFO, it is necessary to lock your tokens in an LP (liquidity pool), which consists of 50% CAKE crypto and 50% APT.

The integration of PancakeSwap, which is the eighth DeFi ecosystem in terms of TVL, is certainly a good achievement. We will see if the new Aptos Layer 1 blockchain will continue to integrate new features at this pace, and if it will one day be able to compete with Solana in the challenge for creating the most scalable network.

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ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence that writes poetry and software

What is ChatGPT? Artificial intelligence for text and code writing

What is ChatGPT? Discover the artificial intelligence of the moment that can answer complex questions and that writes poetry and computer programmes

A few days ago, ChatGPT was released, a new application based on the GPT-3 deep learning model developed by Open AI, a San Francisco-based company founded by Elon Musk in 2015. ChatGPT is a chatbot, or artificial intelligence designed to process any text: from an article like this one to a string of html code. All thanks to the almost infinite pool of resources it gathers from the web and consults in milliseconds, as well as its ability to understand human language.

Since its release, it has been the talk of the internet, with posts by programmers and copywriters who fear being replaced by AI, users trying to figure out whether ChatGPT is in any way sentient, and those who post screenshots of the absurd requests they have made of OpenAI’s chatbot.

Opinions on ChatGPT are mixed. There are those who are enthusiastic because they see artificial intelligence as a tool that will simplify everyday work. And those, probably influenced by the countless science fiction films that deal with the issue, fear a dystopian denouement of the situation.

How does ChatGPT work?

OpenAI’s artificial intelligence is one of the most advanced AI for natural language processing. This chatbot is designed to be ‘linguistically generic’. This means that it is able to generate texts similar to what a human being could write using a very wide range of content. Just ask and ChatGPT will answer you.

It can write fantastic short stories, lyrics for songs, social media posts and poems in the style of the greatest poets. It doesn’t matter what language you formulate questions or requests in, as it can also instantly translate texts. To give you an idea of what it can do, we asked it to write a poem dedicated to Bitcoin in the style of Dante. This was the result:

“There, the value is not determined

By bankers or the laws of the market,

But from faith and trust

That users have in their system.

And so I came to Bitcoin, a new currency

that reigns over the world’s markets

with unparalleled power and strength.

O Bitcoin, you who are the future in search,

guide our steps towards the light

and give us the wisdom we need’.

ChatGPT is also capable of writing lines of code using popular programming languages, and is therefore also an interesting tool for developers.

Although it is a complex tool, using it is very simple. You just log on to the site and sign up. Once the registration is complete, you can indulge yourself by asking the AI complicated questions, such as “explain to me how a quantum computer works”. Or you can use this artificial intelligence to write Python code for a simple game.

Can artificial intelligence create smart contracts?

Artificial intelligence can also be used within Web3 in different ways. For instance, AIs are used to create NFT collections of generative art. Or, as in the case of ChatGPT, to write smart contracts or find any vulnerabilities in them. To check whether a smart contract has weaknesses, you simply have to go back to the code that makes it up and ask the chat if it has weaknesses. Finding the text of the code of a smart contract that manages a function of a dapp for example is very easy, since practically all Web3 applications are open source, i.e. can be consulted by anyone. 

Yes, you got that right! ChatGPT is also able to read and write in programming languages for the development of blockchain applications, such as Solidity, the programming language in which Ethereum is programmed, or Rust, that of Solana. If you don’t believe this, you can try it yourself, for instance by asking it to write a smart contract that generates an NFT.

The debate: does artificial intelligence belong to the people?

The potential of this technology has sparked a series of debates within Crypto Twitter. There has been discussion about the ability of artificial intelligence to detect vulnerabilities within codes, an ability that some users see as a threat. Once the weaknesses have been identified, thanks to ChatGPT, some malicious parties could attack the smart contracts of decentralised applications (dapp) and thus take possession of users’ money.

However, there are also those who have opposing views on the subject, such as the developers of Open AI. Their view on the issue is that artificial intelligence is not a threat. It will help benefit Web3 developers by enabling them to programme more secure smart contracts more quickly.

Finally, there are those who believe that such powerful and complex tools should not be handed over to the hands of individuals or companies, but should instead be directed by DAOs (decentralised autonomous organisations). This idea was given by one of the co-founders of Polygon, known on twitter by the handle sandeep.

DAOs exploit smart contracts for collective decision-making through voting where participants can cast their votes using the protocol’s cryptos. Entrusting artificial intelligence to DAOs could ensure a high degree of decentralisation, transparency and innovation while avoiding handing these powerful tools over to the hands of individuals or companies that might act to the detriment of the common good.

As is often the case when it comes to cutting-edge technology, there remain many more questions than answers. One certainty, however, is that ChatGPT is already an excellent tool that improves and speeds up the work of a large number of professionals. Moreover, being an artificial intelligence, it is also able to improve itself on a daily basis thanks to the feedback and questions posed to it by users. In short, it is potentially an unlimited resource of knowledge. And you, do you think that with AIs you can conquer the world? Or, will they conquer the world without us realising?

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A crypto donation for Save the Children

Save the Children: how to donate through Young Platform

You can now donate to Save the Children through Young Platform. Here’s how to do it

The smallest unit of BTC is called a satoshi and it corresponds to one hundred millionth of a Bitcoin. It is a very tiny figure. To give you the idea, let’s write it down with all the zeros: 0.00000001. It is said that small things can change a life: smiling at strangers, eating pizza with friends, children. Maybe even a satoshi.

You can now use your crypto to send donations to Save the Children Italia Onlus via the Young Platform app.

This Christmas, save their future

This collaboration comes at a special time of year. On the occasion of Christmas, Save the Children Italia Onlus launched a campaign to collect donations for children in conflict zones, such as Syria or Yemen. We are happy to announce that Young Platform has been chosen as its official partner to make it easier for those wishing to make crypto donations.

Worldwide, 1 out of 6 children live in a war zone. With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, another 7.5 million children have been added to the tally. The funds raised through this initiative will be used to recover food supplies (a family needs 41€ for a fortnight), personal hygiene kits or school supplies (a package to educate eleven children is worth 275€). We at Young Platform are renewing the path taken in the field of charity, specifically those dedicated to children.

Why donate through crypto?

We know that cryptocurrencies are not physical coins, but they can still do a lot. Lately, their reputation has not been great. Chances are, you’ve heard on the news that crypto is a dangerous game. One played by kids who fiddle with their PCs and then scam thousands of people. Even if someone is using blockchain technology for these questionable purposes, there are also virtuous examples of how cryptos can be useful and have an impact on people’s lives.

When Ukraine was invaded in late February, for the first time in history, a nation publicly called for crypto donations when its banking system was beginning to collapse. Millions and millions of coins and tokens, including NFTs, arrived from all over the world to help people cornered by war. Cryptocurrency donations are borderless, they can be made anywhere and they go everywhere. Even to those without a bank account. Also in the case of Save the Children, crypto donations made with Young Platform will make an important project come true.

How do donations work?

You can make crypto donations to Save the Children Italy with a simple withdrawal. Here are all the steps you need to take.

Before you start, open this link to the NGO’s website and choose the crypto you want to donate from all those available. The wallet address will appear in the form of an alphanumeric code and as a QR code. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ethereum PoW, Cardano, Polygon, USDT, USDC and Tezos are available.

  1. Open the Young Platform app in the Wallet section;
  2. From the central button ⇆, select ‘Withdraw – send funds in euro and crypto’;
  3. Choose a cryptocurrency, select the amount and click ‘Continue’;
  4. Paste the Save the Children wallet address you copied from the link provided or scan the QR code. We advise you not to type in the address manually to avoid mistakes and remember to only select the address of the crypto you want to donate! To donate Bitcoin you need a Bitcoin address, for Ether you need an Ethereum address and so on.
  5. Confirm the withdrawal via the e-mail you will receive at your address.

If you want to view the status of your transaction on the blockchain, you can paste the TxID in the search bar of a blockchain explorer like Blockchair. The beauty of charity and crypto is that you can independently verify and track all your donations to Save the Children.

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‘This Christmas, save their future’ with Save the Children and Young Platform

Young Platform and Save the Children Italy: 'This Christmas, save their future'

A partnership between Young Platform and Save the Children kicks off to facilitate crypto donations and help children in Italy and around the world

  • The organisation chose the Italian exchange community leader’s platform to open a wallet;
  • Users can send Bitcoin, Ether or other cryptos to support Save the Children projects;
  • The collaboration will be ongoing and will continue after the Christmas campaign.

Turin, the 21st of December 2022 – Bringing immediate support to where it is most needed, taking advantage of the security and speed of blockchain, helping families and children who, even during Christmas, will have to face hunger and the cold of winter. These are the objectives of the partnership that Young Platform has entered into with Save the Children Italia. This charity is an international organisation that has been fighting for over 100 years to save the lives of girls and boys in order to guarantee them a future. The partnership will enable anyone to use cryptos and donate to the organisation, which is present in over 120 countries worldwide.

Save the Children was the first international organisation ever to accept a Bitcoin donation in 2013. The goal was to raise funds and take action in response to the dramatic aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan that struck south-east Asia, devastating the Philippines. Now, Save the Children Italy has chosen Young Platform to open a wallet, by virtue of the scrupulous regulatory compliance of the Italian exchange community leader (over one million members  in terms of tax issues, anti-money laundering procedures as well as KYC.

To donate, all you need to do is hold a crypto wallet, even on other exchanges. Connect to the appropriate webpage (donaora.savethechildren.it/crypto/), scan the QR Code or copy the address of the Save the Children wallet indicated to send the desired amount of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ethereum Pow, Tether, Cardano ADA, Polygon, Tezos or USDC. The donation will be converted into fiat currency, to protect the amount from possible crypto market fluctuations. It will then be used to provide protection and immediate aid in areas affected by humanitarian emergencies.

Worldwide, some 774 million children – one third of the world’s child population – experience the dual impact of poverty and climate risk.. Every year globally, 1 million children under the age of five die from malnutrition. Moreover, children living in conflict zones are more than twice as likely to suffer from malnutrition as children living in countries at peace.

Vulnerable children often lack everything, from drinking water to food and psychological support to regain their lost serenity. This is also why the collaboration between Young Platform and Save the Children will continue after the current Christmas campaign, for all crypto collections.

Young Platform reconfirms its commitment to social issues, following its past collaborations with Dynamo Camp, the Italian Red Cross and Helperbit, in similar campaigns. On the other hand, Save the Children is increasingly looking to the Web3 community, having launched the #CryptoArt4Children project last spring to donate the proceeds from the sale of NFT works created by crypto-artists to support children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

“Blockchain is unfortunately still a technology that is often misunderstood on many levels. However, leaders and vanguards throughout the world, such as Save the Children among other organisations, have immediately understood its potential for the best purposes,” explains Andrea Ferrero, CEO of Young Platform. With this partnership we are happy to be able to do our part by providing the means and technological support to anyone who wants to use cryptocurrencies to make a donation and help children in areas facing humanitarian crises due to conflict, extreme weather events or an economic crisis For this reason, we at Young Platform do not want to limit ourselves to an occasional initiative. We will stay ‘in the field’ together with Save the Children, hoping that this will be the beginning of a long collaboration between our two organisations. .

“Save the Children has always been an organisation open to change, looking for new ways to respond to the needs of children,” – says Lorenzo Catapano, head of Innovation, Digital Technology & Data at Save the Children Italia – “We think that at the stage Web3 is at today, understanding and experiencing it is the best way to be part of it.  We decided to do this together with Young Platform, an Italian business extremely attentive to young people and to the positive impact of new technologies. On the occasion of Christmas we want to invite the Young community to be at the side of children, to build a better future for them.”

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Discover the Bonus Wallet: Friends and Welcome Bonuses change

Promo Wallet: Friends and Welcome Bonuses change

On Young Platform, there is a new type of Wallet dedicated to bonuses and all future promotions

As of today, all bonuses on Young Platform will become cashback bonuses in the new Bonus Wallet. You may already know that if you invite a friend to Young Platform, you both receive a Friend Bonus. Those who sign up for the exchange with a referral code from a sponsor or promotional campaign receive a Welcome Bonus.

You now can receive these and all future bonuses directly in your Bonus Wallet. They will come in the form of cashback, to be used to pay for fees on the exchange.

You will be able to see the Bonus Wallet within the Wallet section, but only after you have received a Bonus, or to manage Bonuses that are still pending from the previous system. But for now, let’s see how the promotions work. There are two currently available: the Friends Bonus and Welcome Bonus.

1.   Obtain and redeem your Bonus

If you are a newcomer to Young Platform, and have signed up via an invitation or referral code, you will find the wizard to activate your account and receive your bonus highlighted on the Home page. Once your identity has been verified and you have made a deposit of at least €50, you will find the button to redeem your bonus in the “Invite your friends” section (available from the Home page).

On the other hand, if you already use the app and want to invite someone to receive a bonus, go to the “Invite your friends” section in the Home page to share your code and view the status of your invitations. Once you have both completed the necessary actions indicated, you will see the button to redeem the bonus in the invitation section.

Important news: Unlike the previous mode, it is no longer necessary to make a purchase to receive a bonus.

2.   Discover the Bonus Wallet

After redeeming the bonus, continue through the wizard to read the Bonus Wallet introduction stories, which will explain how it works.

The Bonus Wallet will then open for the first time. After the first bonus redemption, you can always find it again in the Wallet section.

There, you can view all bonuses that you have redeemed and can use to receive cashback.

Important news: bonuses will no longer be credited to your Spot Wallet, but to your Bonus Wallet.

3.   Receive cashback

How does cashback work? In the case of these 2 bonuses, it only applies to trading fees paid for Euro-Crypto trades (so it does not apply to Crypto-Crypto trades).

This means that after you have completed a purchase with Euros or a sale in exchange for Euros, and paid the fee, the fee amount will be deducted from your Bonus Wallet and credited to your spot Euro Wallet.

Let’s take a practical example, for a user who is not a member of any club:

  1. You redeemed a €5 Invite a Friend Bonus
  2. You make a BTC purchase of €100
  3. You pay a €2,50 fee
  4. Your receive €2.50 cashback in your wallet, which is deducted from your Bonus Wallet
  5. You have €2.50 left in your Invite a Friend Bonus Wallet Bonus

You can use this remaining bonus for cashback on other fees.

If you have only € 0.50 total bonus remaining and pay €1 of fees, you will receive a cashback of only €0.50.

The new bonus regulation

Not only will the form of the bonus change, but the same goes for the rules for redeeming and receiving them.

Here are the main points of the new Rules for the Welcome Bonus and the Friend referral Bonus:

  • If you already have invitations sent before today that have not yet been completed or unredeemed bonuses, they will be converted to this new cashback mode from today.
  • As mentioned above, it is no longer necessary for the users involved to make a minimum purchase in order to obtain the bonus, but a deposit of 50€ will suffice.
  • Bonuses expiration:
    • They must be redeemed within 90 days from the date of the new user’s signup using the invitation or referral code.
    • They must be used within 6 months of redemption.
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Sam Bankman-Fried arrested, what happens now?

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrested: what happens now?

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested last night in the Bahamas. What happened? What will be the next developments?

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested on the morning of the 13th of December (at 5:00 a.m. GMT) in the Bahamas, at his residence in Nassau. Local police forces detained him one day before his testimony before Congress that was scheduled for Wednesday the 14th December 2022. It is now likely to be canceled. But why was SBF arrested today specifically, after weeks of being left free?

There are two main hypotheses. For some, the arrest comes with the fear that Bankman-Fried might move to a country where the US could not extradite him. Others speculate a connection with new allegations made by Do Kwon that were picked up by the media. They concern a possible involvement in the collapse of the Terra (LUNA) ecosystem.

According to the New York Times, there are five charges for the founder of FTX: wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and money laundering. What will be the next developments? Will Sam Bankman-Fried’s collaborators Caroline Ellison and Sam Trabucco also be arrested soon? Are SBF and Alameda Research really responsible for the collapse of the Terra-LUNA ecosystem?

What will happen now to Sam Bankman-Fried and his co-workers?

After being ‘at large’ for quite a long time (it has been about a month since the FTX exchange declared bankruptcy on the 11th November 2022), as of yesterday morning, Sam Bankman-Fried is being held in custody in a Bahamian prison. The FTX founder’s arrest came at the request of the US government, which plans to extradite him to a US federal prison.

Commenting on the incident, the Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said: ‘The Bahamas and the United States have a common interest in holding accountable all individuals associated with the FTX failure who may have betrayed the public trust and broken the law.

In these first hours after the arrest, uncertainty reigns. It is not yet clear how many years in prison SBF faces, just as it is not yet known whether he will testify before the US Congress tomorrow as scheduled, although this seems unlikely.

Another question on the minds of many concerns the future of Sam Bankman-Fried’s associates, Caroline Ellison and Sam Trabucco. For the two, respectively CEO and co-CEO of investment fund and market maker Alameda Research, the same fate is probably in store. In the meantime, statements by the FTX founder are circulating again. A few days ago in an interview, he said was sure that he could not be arrested. On that same occasion, he had revealed his commitment to working on a new project with the aim of returning the money lost to his users.

Was it SBF and Alameda that brought down Terra (LUNA)?

What does Terra (LUNA) have to do with the SBF affair? In recent days, there has been talk about the possible responsibility of Alameda Research in the failure of the ecosystem. Alameda was the trading company founded by Sam Bankman-Fried, that has strong ties to FTX for reasons linked to fund management. A large amount of these funds were allocated to FTT, the token of the FTX exchange.

According to these allegations, Ellison and Trabucco’s hedge fund allegedly attacked Do Kwon‘s blockchain in order to destroy its competitor: Three Arrow Capital (3AC). They were heavily exposed to the blockchain’s two main assets: the LUNA crypto and the UST stablecoin.

The accusation, which originated from former Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon and Three Arrow Capital co-founder Su Zhu, has not been ignored by US prosecutors. They have launched an investigation that will result in a market manipulation charge against Bankman-Fried and Alameda Research. Should evidence be found of Do Kwon’s and Sun Zhu’s allegations, the charge of market manipulation could be added to SBF. This would aggravate the legal situation of the FTX founder in no small measure.

There is currently no conclusive evidence to support these allegations. The investigation by the US government will shed light on the facts as it takes course. In short, as of today, there are very few certain answers. Many questions about the future and past of the former FTX CEO remain.

The opinion of crypto Twitter

Meanwhile, on crypto Twitter, all hell has broken loose. Thousands of users are rejoicing and making sarcastic comments about the FTX founder’s arrest. Some wonder how many years in prison he will have to serve, and how he will pay for a good lawyer.

In particular, the crypto Twitter users are summoning the extraordinary lawyer Saul Goodman, star of the series ‘Better Call Saul’. He is the only one, according to them, capable of saving the defendant.

Nothing is sparing SBF in the world of crypto Twitter. A series of tweets have also surfaced that bring up his alleged relations with the US Democratic Party.

Bankman-Fried had secretly given donations to Joe Biden’s party during the election campaign of late 2020 and early 2021. These tweets underline the strange timing of this arrest. Perhaps his statement under oath to Congress could have been quite uncomfortable.

In light of recent events, the plot of the movie that Apple plans to produce is also thickening. Now that he has been arrested, will Sam Bankman-Fried be convicted? Is the founder of FTX really involved in the collapse of Terra (LUNA)? And what will happen to Caroline Ellison and Sam Trabucco?

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What is FOMO? Social media and crypto anxiety

What does FOMO really mean? Here are some examples

“Fear Of Missing Out” is one of the most common forms of anxiety of our time. But what does it really mean? Here are some examples from the crypto world

The word FOMO stands for ‘Fear Of Missing Out’. FOMO is the feeling of anxiety that you may experience when you fear that you have missed out on something important. It could be an event, an opportunity or a conversation. With the arrival of social networks, this fear has become more widespead although it has always characterised human behaviour. In other words, FOMO is the constant feeling of being excluded from experiences that everyone else but us is experiencing. The term has also become very popular in the context of trading and cryptocurrencies. In this context, it could involve a fear of missing out on an upward price movement or a potential profit opportunity more generally. In this article, you will find out what FOMO is, its origins and what the term means in the world of crypto! 

What is FOMO? Meaning and origins

The term FOMO was created in 2004 by Patrick J. McGinnis, a Harvard Business School scholar, as part of his research on the social behaviour of first-year university students. From 2010 onwards, psychologists have taken up the concept of FOMO to describe a condition found in individuals who are constant users of social networks. These people, who spend a lot of time observing the lives of others, find themselves obsessively comparing their own experiences with those of others. By constantly comparing themselves, they feel like something is lacking, that they are mistaken or lagging behind in certain aspects of life. Psychologists have described this psychological condition as a constant apprehension that others might have experiences from which the person experiencing FOMO was personally excluded.

Is FOMO just social media anxiety?

The ways in which FOMO manifests itself can be different and vary mainly depending on the intensity of the sensation. You may experience it once in a while during a conversation or more continuously, which may turn this feeling into a real pathology. Suffering from this fear on a continuous basis can cause a worsening of mood, feelings of social inferiority, loneliness and anger.

As we stated before, FOMO became particularly popular after the emergence of social networks. This gave birth to a new culture based on influencers but also everyday friends, who share their dream life online. This can lead people to compare themselves and feel inadequate. Måneskin‘s bass player Victoria De Angelis also spoke about this recently. In an interview with Radio Deejay, she said that she suffers from FOMO, and that she can’t stop going out for fear of missing out on an experience. In fact, the fear of being cut off turns into a schedule full of commitments and hectic days spent chasing experiences. Often without feeling truly satisfied anyway!

You may have just come home from a hard day and you can’t wait to settle down on the couch, but you see all your friends on Instagram getting ready for a concert. If FOMO arrives, your only thought is ‘I can’t stay at home while the most important concert of the year is just a few steps away from me’. You get ready and go out. When the concert is over, the feeling comes back: ‘maybe I could follow my friends to that club and have a drink instead of going to sleep’. In the mildest cases, people in this situation just crawl into bed with some discomfort. For others, the thoughts become obsessive and limiting.

FOMO in the crypto world

In the crypto world and in trading, the meaning of FOMO remains the same. However it applies to missed profit opportunities rather than experiences. People get convinced that they have forever missed the chance to buy the next crypto that will explode. Everyone but themselves is guaranteed stratospheric gains. The venture into the crypto world of a person suffering from crypto FOMO is conditioned by thoughts like “why did I sell at that price?”, “I should have bought more” or “I absolutely cannot miss out this token’s presale”. This psychological condition usually affects those who have recently got interested in the market and who therefore do not have enough experience to know and control their anxiety. These users often buy and sell impulsively for fear of losing a potential profit opportunity.

Those who get caught up in FOMO when approaching the crypto world are engaging in outright fear, and emotions can hinder the pursuit of a rational strategy. Behavioural finance explains how rash actions, triggered by emotional aspects, can negatively affect the achievement of your goals.

Examples of FOMO with cryptocurrencies

To better explain what FOMO is in the context of crypto, we can use some practical examples. The term is for instance particularly appropriate in the case of new crypto launches. These launches always come together with presales that allow those who participate in them to financially support a crypto project before the official launch by purchasing the native cryptocurrencies. One feature of presales is that they have limited access. Only the quickest users to purchase can actually participate in the launch. This aspect generates crypto FOMO in those who want to participate and fear being excluded.

Dogecoin’s bullish movements linked to Elon Musk‘s tweets can also explain crypto FOMO. Every time Musk posts a DOGE-themed tweet, the price of the crypto goes up thanks to so-called FOMO buyers. These people decide to buy DOGE in fear of missing out on the price rise.

The JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)

The opposite psychological phenomenon is JOMO ‘Joy of Missing Out’. JOMO can be defined as the pleasure of enjoying your interests and passions without worrying about the fact that other individuals are pursuing more satisfying activities.

Instead of despairing over untapped crypto opportunities, those who live in the name of crypto JOMO simply disregard them. In fact, the term JOMO is usually used by no-coiners, those who do not hold crypto. While those in the throes of FOMO feel the need to spend hours and hours in front of charts looking for the next opportunity, the JOMO team doesn’t even bother to give it any thought.

Now that you know what FOMO means and how it differs from JOMO, you might ask yourself: which of the two is the best attitude for experiencing the world of crypto? Probably neither, both FOMO and JOMO are extremes. On the one hand we have a tendency to get too emotionally involved, on the other hand we have a tendency to avoid situations completely. Knowing the latest trends and cryptos on the upside, in short ‘being on your toes’ about all the industry news is certainly not a bad thing. So is learning to be more detached like JOMO fans.