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The 10 most expensive internet domains in history

Internet domains: the 10 most expensive in history

Who is ready to shell out millions for a name on the Internet? Here are the most expensive domains ever and their owners

How is it possible that Internet domains, virtual properties that can be bought for as little as a few dozen dollars, come to cost millions and millions? Some are more valuable than others, and despite the fact that more than twenty years have passed since they were first traded, this market is still very active today. The rarest, and therefore most desirable, domains are those defined by unique, meaningful words. Those words that can describe a precise field or sector such as “cars”, “internet” or “sex” (as in the case of Sex.com, the domain that took everyone to court). The ranking of the most expensive domains in history is all made up of the TDL .com, the one with the most international scope.

1.    Cars.com – 872 million

The most expensive internet domain in history? Cars.com, which had a valuation of $872,000,000 in 2017. It is currently owned by the Chicago-based car company of the same name. Its value was estimated on the basis of balance sheet documents of parent company Gannet Co., Inc. 

2.    LasVegas.com – 90 million

This domain was purchased by Vegas.com, a travel, tourism and entertainment site linked to the city in Nevada. The agreement, which came in 2005, provided for a payment of $12,000,000 at the time of signing and monthly payments scheduled until 2040, when the domain will be officially transferred to Vegas.com (assuming it does not want to terminate the contract).

3.    CarInsurance.com – 49.7 million

CarInsurance.com hosts a car insurance website and since 2010 it has been owned by QuinStreet, a marketing and advertising company that is very active in domain, website and media buying and selling.

4.    Insurance.com – 35.6 million

Prior to CarInsurance.com, QuinStreet had already purchased Insure.com (for $16 million) and Insurance.com in 2009 to strengthen its online presence and identity in the field of insurance. The former was owned by a broker, while Insurance.com was bought for $35.6 million by an insurance agency.

5.    VacationRentals.com – 35 million

In fifth place in the ranking of the most expensive internet domains ever is VacationRentals.com. In 2013 it was bought for $35 million by Brian Sharples, CEO of HomeAway (now Vrbo, Vacation Rentals by Owner), a company that offers holiday rental accommodation. The purchase had a ‘defensive’ purpose at the time, Sharples explained: ‘the only reason we bought it was because Expedia couldn’t have that url’. Fun fact: marking territory did not help, Expedia acquired Vrbo in 2015.

6.    PrivateJet.com – 30.2 million

PrivateJet.com since 2012 has been owned by Nations, a platform that offers private aviation services such as buying and selling jets around the world. Nations purchased the domain from Don’t Look Media for $30.2 million.

7.    Voice.com – 30 million

You may not know that Micheal Saylor‘s MicroStrategy is also involved in trading valuable internet domains. On 30 May 2019, it sold the Voice.com domain to Block.one for $30 million to launch its blockchain-based social media platform called Voice. The word ‘voice’ in English is clear and recognisable, it immediately links to a project and the associated domain is worth so much.

8.    Internet.com – 18 million

Internet.com was bought in 2009 for $18 million by QuinStreet. However, it may have secretly climbed the ranking of the most expensive internet domains ever… In fact, an auction was organised in 2021 with a minimum auction base of 35 million. Unfortunately, there is no information on the outcome and the eventual new owner.

9.    360.com – 17 million

The owner of 360.com is Qihoo 360, a Chinese company specialising in security software. The domain, which previously belonged to Vodafone, was acquired to improve brand perception. Compared to ‘qihoo’, ‘360’ is a more immediate and easy-to-remember name due to the technical term ‘360 degree’.

10. NFTs.com – 15 million

This crypto-themed domain closes the top 10, NFTs.com was bought for $15 million on 3 August 2022. Although the buyer has remained anonymous, it is known to have links to Web3 projects such as the Digital Artist platform. It is one of the most expensive crypto word domains (Eth.com was sold for ‘only’ 2 million).

Crypto.com, Stake.com and Bitcoin.com also seem to fall into the category of the most expensive internet domains in history. In these cases, however, negotiations remained confidential.

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YNG Token: October 2022 – January 2023 Report

Token Young (YNG): updates and news Q1 2024

Here’s the second report on YNG since its market launch. Find out about its distribution and upcoming news on Young Platform

On 1 June 2022, the YNG token was released on the market and thus began to vary in price according to supply and demand. At the same time, Young Platform Clubs were born, which can be accessed precisely by blocking a certain amount of tokens. The first report came after four months, so at the beginning of February we collected data from the second four months of the token’s life. See the results below.

Club Membership

At the moment, 1214 people participate in the clubs, divided into: 

  • 903 for the Bronze Club;
  • 174 for the Silver Club;
  • 92 for the Gold Club;
  • 45 for the Platinum Club.

Compared to the last report, the growth is +19.1%. Consider that the greater the number of tokens locked in Clubs, the lower the sales pressure and thus the tendency of the price to drop. Club participation is therefore one of the parameters to consider in order to understand the demand for YNG.

Distribution of the YNG token

The number of tokens in circulation as of October was 18.43M. The availability in circulation as of today (February 2023) is about 20.5 million, which means that there was a net increase of 1.7M tokens, or 11.4%. 

These tokens were distributed via the Young Platform Step app in different ways: 

  • 41,144.8 through the completion of Quizzes by 56,748 users;
  • 1,554,524.31 through rewards for 153,054 users;
  • 498,101.85 through the use of the ‘Up&Down’ function by 143,892 users.

The market for the YNG token and its exchange rate with the euro is regulated by an algorithm, thanks to two liquidity pools. Initially, these pools contained:

  • 1M Euro;
  • 4M YNG.

Considering the sales and purchases of tokens handled in recent months, at the end of January 2023 the pools contained:

  • 682.8k Euro;
  • 6.11M YNG.

Regarding the YNG-EUR pair, these were the movements that led to the change in liquidity in the pools:

yng token

Future Objectives

Finally, for transparency, here’s an update on the objectives listed in the last report. 

  • Airdrops&Vouchers: The first distribution of vouchers planned for Club subscribers was successfully concluded. Specifically, the promotional campaign in cooperation with Unstoppable Domains was completed in November, thanks to which we distributed free credits to all club members to purchase their own Web3 domain. The next event is planned for this quarter and will once again feature a Web3 domain project.
  • CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko: during the last quarter of 2022, we made some changes to the integration with our liquidity providers and market makers, with the aim of streamlining order entry in the order book. This resulted in changes to the structure of some API calls requested by the two aggregators. We have resubmitted the requested information and are awaiting updates. 
  • Earning Wallet: during the last quarter of 2022, we had to discontinue the service due to the crisis affecting FTX and its customers. Being the main benefit of the Clubs, we prioritised the development of the new version.
    We are evaluating, in addition to providers of services based on Lending and Borrowing, also solutions based on self-hosting of nodes and liquid staking of tokens. This functionality is planned to be developed between the end of Q1 2023 and the second quarter of the year.
  • Debit Card: due to the prioritisation of the development of the new version of the Earning Wallet, the deadline for issuing debit cards was postponed by one quarter. 
  • Third-party exchange listing: Between the end of Q1 and Q2 2023, we will reopen all negotiation tables to list the token on third-party exchanges. To accomplish this, it remains crucial to have supporting volumes on the YNG-EUR pair.
  • Buyback: In the last report we anticipated that we would present buyback operations. Unfortunately, the market was hit by the FTX crisis and the company decided to prioritise the management and protection of all those who had an active Earning Wallet, taking time away from structuring the projects in this report, including the buybacks. At the beginning of the year, we took over the planning and are finalising the rationale and plan for the buybacks. In order to make individual buybacks as rational as possible, we are planning operations that are directly linked to the metrics of the YNG-EUR pair currently on the platform (e.g. tokens bought by users, tokens sold and tokens from Steps). This is to achieve campaigns that incentivise the organic growth of the pair’s volume and avoid inefficient repurchase plans for the market price. 
  • The remaining objectives presented in the last report were mainly dedicated to our community, and to improving services and the experience for Club members. 
    • Monthly market reports: since 2023, all club members have received a monthly report summarising the most influential events that occurred in the previous month and analysing the market highlights, this benefit will be developed based on their feedback;
    • Merchandising: In December, we sent all Platinum and Gold Club members a package containing Young Platform merchandising. 
    • Promo Wallet: Young Platform’s promo wallet was successfully released, which will allow users to receive promotions to use on the platform, including discounts on deposits and withdrawals for Club subscribers. 
    • Club section of Discord: We are structuring the server in such a way that Club subscribers can join a reserved channel for Q&As with the team.

In addition to these token-related objectives, here is a brief overview of features under consideration and development for the first half of 2023: 

  • Moneybox: We are working on improving the current Moneybox, not only in terms of available cryptos, but also in terms of applicable automations.
  • Monthly club membership payment: currently, a club membership lasts for a minimum of 90 days during which YNG tokens remain locked. In order to manage membership more flexibly and to support tokenomics of the token, monthly payment of membership will also be activated as an option, again with YNG. During the first half of 2023, the first tests in this direction will be started.
  • Price movements alerts: In order to improve the monitoring of price movements of crypto holdings, we think it is essential to be able to be alerted as soon as a crypto reaches a certain price. For this reason, as anticipated months ago, we are finally structuring the functionality that will allow you to be alerted as soon as a held crypto reaches a price point. 
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Invite your friends and get up to €100 bonus

Invite a friend to Young Platform and get a bonus of up to 100 euros

A bonus of up to €100 for you – citizen of the Future. Invite your friends stuck in the past to Young Platform! 

Are your friends out of time and have no idea what cryptocurrencies are? You’re living in the year 3000 but there’s still hope for them! Starting today for two weeks, for every friend you invite to Young Platform, you’ll receive a €20 bonus (up to a maximum of 5 friends). Find out how the promotion works!

Don’t keep it a secret: crypto is the Future, invite your friends

You know the ‘Invite a Friend’ promotion? From today 24 January until 6 February (00:00) it gets a never-before-seen boost. During these two weeks, the bonuses you receive by inviting friends to Young Platform are multiplied to a maximum of €100 overall. And the number of people you can invite increase from 3 to 5! In addition, whoever receives your invitation will in turn get a €20 bonus.

Bonuses are ‘credits’ that you can use to get cashback on trading fees when you buy or sell cryptocurrency. For example, if you have to pay a €3 fee, they will be deducted directly from your bonuses. You can find all your bonuses in the Promo Wallet section in the app or in the desktop version (Note: the section only appears after the first bonus claim. To find out how the Promo Wallet works read here). 

Bonuses have an expiry date (like the technology your friends insist on using) and are not valid forever: they must be redeemed within 30 days of being credited to the Promo Wallet and used within 30 days of redemption. 

Anyway, spread the word! In the ‘Invite a Friend’ section in the Home page you will find the code that you can copy and send to whomever you wish. In this section you can also check how many bonuses you have left to redeem. You can forward your code to an infinite number of people, but only the first 5 people to complete the process will receive the bonus. 

This number also counts bonuses redeemed in the past, the maximum number of friends you can invite is 5 in total including those. If, for example, you have already received a bonus for inviting 2 people, you can receive a maximum of 3 more in this pumped promotion. 

All the steps to obtain the bonus 

If you have received an invitation and want to get your €20 bonus, follow these steps: 

  1. Download the app by entering the code received;
  2. Carry out the Identity Verification procedure;
  3. Complete your first deposit of at least €50;
  4. Discover your bonus in the Promo Wallet and redeem it. 

Read the full regulation!

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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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Discover your Wrapped 2022 on Step!

Discover your Wrapped 2022 on Step!

Open the app to discover your achievements of the past year on Young Platform Step and your player profile

It hasn’t exactly been a banner year for cryptocurrencies, but you’ve done your best. Step by step you’ve reached the end of the year and it’s time to reap the benefits of your efforts. What kind of player are you?

How to watch the Wrapped?

Simply open Young Platform Step and you will see it highlighted in the Home section.

The Wrapped takes your app usage statistics and sums up the results, so you will only see it if you have used Step this past year.

In particular, you can only see the Wrapped if you signed up before 31 October 2022 and have earned more than 5 YNG.

Also, if you have never used a specific feature, or have used it very little, a section of the Wrapped may not appear to you. You can always make it a New Year’s resolution!

Share your results on social media and inspire your friends to challenge you on Step for Wrapped 2023!

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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.