Travel startup Winding Tree has raised approximately $15 million in an initial coin offering (ICO) that was supported by many travel providers, including Lufthansa and some hotel chains. Winding Tree is seeking to build a new open data infrastructure for the online travel industry, which has been growing as people from newly wealthy countries join the ranks of those traveling for pleasure and business. Yet the booming global $1.2 trillion travel business, which has joined all others in moving online, remains stubbornly stuck in the area of mediated transactions. It’s rare (and difficult) for consumers to purchase hotel rooms and airline tickets directly from the providers of same with the…
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EXCLUSIVE: Circle set to acquire Poloniex
Mobile pay startup nears purchase of pioneering crypto exchange
Modern Consensus has learned that Circle, the venture-rich mobile pay startup that competes with Venmo and makes sending money almost effortless, is deep in discussions to acquire Poloniex, the American cryptocurrency exchange that made its name by listing scores of altcoins on a platform that resembles a professional trading station. At press time, Modern Consensus was unable to confirm the terms of the deal. According to one highly placed source with knowledge of the discussions, “Circle and Poloniex agreed to terms and Circle has already approached the regulators. The regulators came back with a list of KYC demands [Know Your Customer] and Circle has agreed to meet all the conditions.”…
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The valet at the Sofitel just asked me about Ripple
This is not the end but it is the end of the beginning
In the stock market, there are many signs of a market top. A bull market that endures eight “distribution days” (a loss of at least 0.2 percent by a major index) while volume is increasing is a classic technical indicator that a correction is inevitable. But there are anecdotal signs as well, and those apply to any market—stocks, real estate, Beanie Babies and without a doubt, cryptocurrency. When investment stories top the evening news, be worried. But it’s also those casual acquaintances that turn toward investment conversations. The always-broke uncle who is suddenly an expert on Zcash, the taxi driver who asks about Monero, the barber who touts the next…
