Kategorie: Blog

Bitfinex Invitation Code: Binance als Alternative für IOTA

Bitfinex Mobile App Screenshot
Bitfinex ist nun eine geschlossene Platfform, Anmeldung nur noch mit Einladungscode

Seit einigen Wochen ist die Plattform Bitfinex besonders beliebt, da sich dort Ether in IOTA tauschen lässt. Auch die Konvertierung von Euro ist seit einiger Zeit direkt auf der Handelsplattformen möglich. Jedoch ist, auf Grund des Ansturms, Bitfinex seit gestern eine geschlossene Plattform („members only“). Die Registrierung bei Bitfinex ist nur noch mit einem Einladungscode möglich.

Bitfinex-Einladungscodes bald limitiert verfügbar

Sobald Bitfinex neue Kontingente an Einladungscodes freischaltet, werde ich diese nach dem Prinzip first-come-first-served per Email versenden. Sollten Sie Interesse an einem sogenannten Bitfinex Invitation Code haben, können Sie sich hier eintragen:

[contact-form-7 id=“1870″ title=“Bitfinex“]

Binance als Bitfinex-Alternative für IOTA-Handel

Sie möchten mit dem Handel von IOTA nicht auf Bitfinex warten?

Bitfinex ist nicht die einzige Plattform, die derzeit den Handel mit IOTA ermöglicht. Auch Binan​ce​ bietet IOTA an, die Website gibt es mittlerweile sogar mit deutscher Oberfläche. Dort steht als Handelspaar momentan BTC-IOTA zur Verfügung.

Sie müssen also zuerst Bitcoin kaufen und an Binance senden, wenn Sie auf Binance IOTA kaufen möchten. Falls Sie noch keine Bitcoins besitzen, können Sie welche bei Coinbase (Kreditkarte oder Überweisung) oder bei bitcoin.de (Marktplatz) kaufen.

IOTA attraktiv für Beimischung im Kryptoportfolio

Viele Anleger sehen IOTA zunehmend als interessante Beimischung zur Diversifizierung in einem Kryptoportfolio, wie jenes, das ich kürzlich vorgestellt habe. Einer Twitter-Umfrage zufolge, wird IOTA neben Ripple als zukunftsträchtige Komponente gewertet:

How to diversify a Long-term Crypto Portfolio

Last Friday it was my pleasure to give an Executive Talk at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. While the focus of my presentation was Digital Transformation, plenty of the questions raised by the audience were about the cryptocurrencies use case – and how to build a crypto portfolio. After I received some more emails from the participants asking for some guidance, I decided that is might be worth to publish this blog post.

The cryptocurrency market has returned over 1200% since the beginning of 2017. It is very hard to find this kind of return on investment (ROI) in the stock market or anywhere else. If you had made an investment of $500 in January, you would have made $6000 in less than a year! This guide is aiming to show you how to implement a cryptocurrency portfolio for a long-term investment.

In general, I recommend balancing your portfolio with up to five coins in the Top 10 market cap, making up 90-95% of your total cryptocurrency investment. And then add smaller coins (a.k.a. altcoins) – in projects you believe in – to fill up the remaining 5-10%. This mirrors the more technical analysis done by Timothy Chong on exploring a Markowtiz-style crypto optimization.

Bitcoin (30%)

Bitcoin (BTC) is the father of all blockchains, and is considered to be gold of cryptosphere. It is expected to grow step-by-step, without dramatic events. It is a safe long-term investment choice for many.

Price (as of time of writing): $16,708
Gain Over Past Year: 2,170%
Market Cap: $278 B (#1)
Circulating Supply: 16,734,237 BTC

Ethereum (30%)

Ethereum (ETH) is different to Bitcoin in that its sole purpose is not to be used as a medium of value exchange. Instead, Ethereum allows developers to build dApps using smart contracts. The tradeable currency of the Ethereum project is known as Ether.

Price (as of time of writing): $470
Gain Over Past Year: 5740%
Market Cap: $45 B (#2)
Circulating Supply: 96,272,074 ETH

Bitcoin Cash (10%)

Bitcoin Cash (BTC) is similar to Bitcoin in that it too is supposed to be a currency that is dedicated to serving as a medium for the purchase of various goods and services. The key difference between Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin is that the former has an 8MB block size, whereas Bitcoin has a 1MB block size. A bigger block size allows Bitcoin Cash to process transactions faster than Bitcoin, and at a lower fee.

Price (as of time of writing): $1385
Gain Over Past 4 Month: 502%
Market Cap: $24 B (#3)
Circulating Supply: 16,849,738 BCH

Litecoin (10%)

Litecoin (LTC) is often marketed as being the silver to Bitcoin’s gold status. Being a hard fork of Bitcoin, Litecoin shares many similarities to the original coin. Litecoin can also be used as a value exchange coin. However, Litecoin’s block generation time of 2.5 minutes, compared to Bitcoin’s 10 minutes, and a different hashing algorithm (Scrypt), are features designed to produce a more innovative cryptocurrency.

Price (as of time of writing): $170
Gain Over Past Year: 4690%
Market Cap: $10 B (#5)
Circulating Supply: 54,255,483 LTC

Monero (10%)

Monero (XMR) is similar to Bitcoin in that it allows value exchange. However, Monero differs from Bitcoin in that it is focused on providing greater privacy to those that utilize their blockchain, using their stealth address mechanism. Anonymity is likely to become more and more important in a world where Bitcoin addresses can be traced. As more regulation starts entering the cryptocurrency space, an increasing number of individuals will gravitate towards privacy-focused coins such as Monero that can mask their transactions.

Price (as of time of writing): $264
Gain Over Past Year: 3370%
Market Cap: $4 B (#9)
Circulating Supply: 15,449,232 XMR

Electroneum (5%)

Electroneum (ETN) is a brand new cryptocurrency launching on September 14th – and is one of the projects were I see tremendous potential. Electroneum is developed to be used in the mobile gaming and online gambling markets, its goal is to be the most user-friendly cryptocurrency with wallet management and coin mining all possible on a mobile app.

Price (as of time of writing): $0.12
Gain Over Past 1 Month: 30%
Market Cap: $257 M (#44)
Circulating Supply: n/a (launched recently)

Zclassic (5%)

Zclassic (ZCL) is a great initiative as it is the first major fork of Zcash. Zclassic improves Zcash by removing the „founders fee“, which means that 100% of the coins mined go to the miners instead of 20% going to the founders. Like Zcash, Zclassic features zk-SNARKs, a new form of zero-knowledge cryptography. The privacy guarantee of Zcash and Zclassic is derived from the fact that shielded transactions can be fully encrypted on the blockchain. Furthermore, an upcoming fork of Zclassic is currently under discussion, which could dramatically boost the price of Zclassic.

Price (as of time of writing): $1.67
Gain Over Past Year: 328%
Market Cap: $3 M (#435)
Circulating Supply: 1,809,800 ZCL

Other altcoins have high potential as well. WTC, VTC, and VEN are also good worth to be considered. What is your cryptocurrency investment strategy? I’m happy to discuss more ideas in the comments!

This blog post is an opinion and is for information purposes only.  It is not intended to be investment advice. I am an investor and I contribute to the Zclassic fork project, and it is to my benefit that the project succeeds.

[Update 12 Dec 2017] Frequently asked questions after blog post release:

Q: Isn’t it too late to start buying Bitcoins now?
A: No. I’m very confident that Bitcoin will hit the 100,000 EUR/BTC mark by the end of 2018.

Q: Where can I buy bitcoins, ether and other coins?
A: Coinbase is a US-based cryptocurrency exchange where you can buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. bitcoin.de is the first Germany-based exchange where you can buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Cash.

Q: Where can I buy alternative coins, such as Monero or Zclassic?
A: I prefer Cryptopia for most altcoin transactions (XMR, ETN, ZCL). If a coin is not available on this exchange, eg. IOTA, I’ll trade them on Binance.

Q: How can I store my cryptocurrencies in a secure way?
A: Either you can generate and print a paper wallet, or you can get a hardware wallet, such as the Ledger Nano S.

[Update 14 Dec 2017] Join the poll to find a name for our upcoming Zclassic fork:

From Singapore Business to Scuba Diving: Exploring Tioman and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia

Panoramic view of Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Panoramic view of Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After a grueling week-long business trip in Singapore, I was ready for some much-needed rest and relaxation. And what better way to unwind than by exploring the underwater world of ABC Bay in Tioman, Malaysia?

I hopped on a bus from Singapore to Tioman Island and was immediately greeted by lush rainforest and crystal clear waters. The island was smaller than I expected, but it was packed with activities to keep me busy. Of course, scuba diving was the main attraction and ABC Bay did not disappoint. The colorful coral reefs and diverse marine life made for an unforgettable experience.

Apart from diving and snorkeling, Tioman Island also offers a range of activities for visitors. You can go trekking in the island’s lush rainforest, explore the cascading waterfalls, or simply relax on the pristine beaches. The island also has several historical sites, including the remains of a Dutch fort and a Chinese temple.

After a few days of diving, I was ready to move on to my next destination: Kuala Lumpur. The capital of Malaysia was a stark contrast to the laid-back island atmosphere of Tioman. I spent my days wandering the bustling streets, taking in the sights and sounds. The Petronas Towers were a definite highlight, as were the Batu Caves and Merdeka Square.

Watch as Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers come alive in this stunning 4K timelapse, capturing the city’s transition from a glowing afternoon to a dazzling night skyline. Watch the video on YouTube.

The Batu Caves are located inside a limestone hill and can be accessed by a long flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs is a temple complex with colorful statues and ornate architecture. The sun is shining brightly in the blue sky, casting a warm glow over the entire scene.

But what really stood out to me during my time in Kuala Lumpur was the food. Malaysian cuisine is a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences, and it did not disappoint. One of my favorite dishes was nasi lemak, a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and served with spicy sambal, fried anchovies, and peanuts. I also loved trying all the different types of satay, especially the chicken and beef varieties.

Overall, my trip to Tioman and Kuala Lumpur was the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. Whether you’re looking for world-class diving or delicious food, Malaysia has something for everyone. So why not add it to your travel bucket list?

Making the Most of a Business Trip to Singapore: Sightseeing Despite a Busy Schedule

Singapore: Panoramic view of Gardens by the Bay showing Supertrees and the Cloud Forest Dome covered in vegetation and a waterfall
Singapore: Panoramic view of Gardens by the Bay showing Supertrees and the Cloud Forest Dome covered in vegetation and a waterfall

As I was packing my bags for my business trip to Singapore, I was filled with excitement and anticipation. I had the honor to host the Data Night Out event! I knew that my days would be packed with meetings, leaving little time for sightseeing. But, being an avid traveler, I was determined to make the most of my time in Singapore, even if it meant squeezing in a few hours of exploration between work commitments.

Fortunately, I was able to make the most of my limited time in Singapore. I started my day by waking up early and taking a quick stroll around the Marina Bay area, which is famous for its stunning architecture and beautiful waterfront promenade. The iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel was my home base for the trip, and its rooftop infinity pool provided a much-needed respite from the stress of business meetings.

During the day, I made sure to take advantage of my lunch breaks and explore the local cuisine. Singapore is a foodie’s paradise, with a diverse range of culinary delights on offer. One of my favorite dishes was the famous Hainanese chicken rice, which can be found at hawker centers throughout the city.

Experience the best of Singapore, Tioman Island, and Kuala Lumpur in just 90 seconds with this dynamic travel montage! Watch the YouTube video for a quick dose of wanderlust.

In the evenings, I made sure to take in some of the local sights. I visited the Gardens by the Bay, which is home to a stunning array of flora and fauna, and also took a stroll through the colorful streets of Chinatown. The Singapore skyline is also not to be missed, especially at night when the city lights up.

Despite the packed schedule, I was able to make the most of my time in Singapore and experience some of the best that the city has to offer. It was a reminder that even when traveling for business, there is always time for adventure. These are the top spots you should be able to squeeze into your Singapore business trip:

  1. Marina Bay Sands: The iconic hotel with its rooftop infinity pool is a symbol of Singapore’s modernity and luxury – you won’t regret staying in this hotel!
  2. Gardens by the Bay: A nature lover’s paradise, this park is home to an impressive collection of flora and fauna, including the towering Supertrees.
  3. Chinatown: A vibrant neighborhood filled with colorful architecture, traditional shops, and some of the city’s best street food.
  4. Sentosa Island: A popular resort island that offers a range of activities, from relaxing on the beach to thrill-seeking adventures.
  5. Merlion Park: The famous Merlion statue is a must-see landmark in Singapore and offers great views of Marina Bay.

If you find yourself in Singapore for business, don’t miss out on some of the city’s must-see sights, such as Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, and Chinatown. And of course, be sure to indulge in the local cuisine. You never know when you might stumble upon your new favorite dish.

In my upcoming blog post, I’ll take you on a journey through Tioman Island and Kuala Lumpur, and share some of the unforgettable experiences and hidden gems that I discovered along the way. From exploring the island’s hidden coves and waterfalls to sampling the local cuisine and diving with colorful fish and sharks, Tioman truly has something for everyone.

5 Takeaways from Tableau’s Hybrid Transactional/Analytical Processing

What makes Hyper so fast?
The Future of Enterprise Analytics: Hyper can handle both OLTP and OLAP simultaneously. In the future it will address NoSQL and graph workloads.

1. What is Hyper’s key benefit?

Hyper is a Hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) database system and replaces Tableau Data Extracts (TDE). The change will be mostly transparent for end users, other than everything being faster. Hyper significantly improves extract refresh times, query times and overall performance.

2. What is Hybrid transactional/analytical processing?

As defined by Gartner:

Hybrid transaction/analytical processing (HTAP) is an emerging application architecture that „breaks the wall“ between transaction processing and analytics. It enables more informed and „in business real time“ decision making.

The two areas of online transaction processing (OLTP) and online analytical processing (OLAP) present different challenges for database architectures. Currently, customers with high rates of mission-critical transactions have split their data into two separate systems, one database for OLTP and one so-called data warehouse for OLAP. While allowing for decent transaction rates, this separation has many disadvantages including data freshness issues due to the delay caused by only periodically initiating the Extract Transform Load (ETL) data staging and excessive resource consumption due to maintaining two separate information systems.

3. Does Hyper satisfy the ACID properties?

Hyper, initially developed at the Technical University of Munich and acquired by Tableau in 2016, can handle both OLTP and OLAP simultaneously. Hyper possesses the rare quality of being able to handle data updates and insertions at the same time as queries by using hardware-assisted replication mechanisms to maintain consistent snapshots of the transactional data. Hyper is an in-memory database that guarantees the ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) of OLTP transactions and executes OLAP query sessions (multiple queries) on the same, arbitrarily current and consistent snapshot.

4. What makes Hyper so fast?

The utilization of the processor-inherent support for virtual memory management (address translation, caching, copy on update) yields both at the same time: unprecedentedly high transaction rates as high as 100,000 per second and very fast OLAP query response times on a single system executing both workloads in parallel. This would support real-time streaming of data in future releases of Tableau. These performance increases come from the nature of the Hyper data structures, but also from smart use of contemporary hardware technology, and particularly nvRam memory. Additional cores provide a linear increment in performance.

5. What does this mean for Tableau?

With Hyper now powering the Tableau platform, your organization will see faster extract creation and better query performance for large data sets. Since Hyper is designed to handle exceptionally large data sets, you can choose to extract your data based on what you need, not data volume limitations. Hyper improves performance for common computationally-intensive queries, like count distinct, calculated fields, and text field manipulations. This performance boost will improve your entire Enterprise Analytics workflow.

Join our „The Future of Enterprise Analytics“ events and get a sneak peak at upcoming features and the Tableau Roadmap: 14th of November in Düsseldorf and 6th of December in Frankfurt.

[Update 20 Dec 2017] Hyper Kickoff Event: Join us for the Hyper Kickoff Event at the 18th of January 2018 in Tableau’s Frankfurt Office.