Blockchain started in finance. It was once regarded as a representative of decentralized currency, a tool to prevent inflation, and carried people's thoughts on the original sin of the financial crisis.
However, this idea soon changed. The skyrocketing rise of digital currencies such as Bitcoin has driven the world into madness: some people firmly believe that grabbing these virtual currencies now is equivalent to grabbing the first pot of gold in the future, while some people just like to seek wealth through risks. As a result, financing methods such as ICO, which were originally developed only for blockchain technology research, have rapidly changed amid this madness.
Blockchain is almost dead in finance. Last year, the People's Bank of China determined that ICOs were illegal fund-raising activities and stopped all domestic digital currency RMB transactions. Blockchain has almost become a taboo word. Only then did people realize that blockchain cannot just be synonymous with currency speculation, but the research and development of the technology itself is the most critical.
Story 1
Blockchain investors born in the 1990s regain their rationality
Find projects with real investment value
Zhang Pengyu (pseudonym) was born in the 1990s and was once a veteran in the cryptocurrency industry. When more and more friends around him began to invest in the blockchain using angel investment ideas, he could no longer sit still. In 2017, a blockchain investment private equity fund was established and began to enter the primary market of blockchain project financing.
In 2013, the popularity of Bitcoin swept China. I didn’t read Satoshi Nakamoto’s paper on Bitcoin several times before I was embarrassed to go out and chat. It was this year that Zhang Pengyu began to pay attention to Bitcoin. "At that time, like many people, I felt that this thing was not reliable at all and I couldn't understand what others were saying." Zhang Pengyu said, but later, as his research on blockchain, the underlying technology of digital currency, continued to deepen, He feels that although blockchain technology itself is not as omnipotent as outsiders say, it is still a key to future technology.
Zhang Pengyu has caught up with the hottest time: capital is pouring in, blockchain projects are emerging one after another, and a capital feast is coming.
"Many funds don't look at the project at all, they just issue tokens on the blockchain, and invest without due diligence, without review, and without the steps that angel investments should have. Until now, many people are like this. Done ." Zhang Pengyu said. For investment in the primary market, personal relationships are very important, and projects recommended by reliable friends do not need to be reviewed at all. Direct investment can guarantee profits regardless of drought or flood.
"This method of making money is too fast and too easy. Who really cares about the nature of the project?" Zhang Pengyu said that in the past, angel investments may have taken several years or even more than ten years to see returns, but this is the fastest financing for blockchain projects. You will be able to see it in a week or two: As long as the tokens issued by the project are successfully listed on the exchange, you can withdraw them.
However, amidst such a torrent, Zhang Pengyu always has his own investment views. He firmly believes that investing in blockchain projects with real technical value is far more important than making money. Long-term holding and optimism are the key. "This can bring greater benefits in the future." Zhang Pengyu said that the financing scale of a project now generally reaches hundreds of millions, but not all projects are worth so much money. "Actually, it's not worthless, it's just that its valuation is far greater than its actual value."
The changes in the market were enough to make him more determined in his approach. The global ICO market has entered a bear market this year. Faced with more and more projects waiting for financing, capital investment has begun to shrink, and investors have gradually begun to seek their due rationality and look for projects with real investment value.
Beijing Morning News reporter Jiang Fan
Story 2
Baidu’s blockchain application attempts
'Leitz dog' actually fired
This year’s Spring Festival has just passed. As the person in charge of Baidu Financial Blockchain, Li Feng and his colleagues have been working overtime for several weeks. Just a few days ago, Baidu launched a blockchain game "Leitz Dog".
In the conception of Li Feng and his colleagues, this electronic pet-like game is an attempt to test Baidu’s blockchain technology capabilities.
It is understood that Baidu users can log in to their accounts to adopt a "Leitz dog". Each dog is unique, and its iterative breeding "pedigree" is searchable. Users can earn calculus points upon receipt. In the future, users can earn micro points for free by using Baidu’s internal products. Calculus can be used to buy and sell corresponding digital dogs in the dog market.
However, a Beijing Morning Post reporter noticed that many illegal products regard "Leitz Dogs" as tokens that can be speculated. Soon someone was selling a certain treasure at a high price: a rare zero-generation "Leitz dog" could be sold for tens of thousands of dollars.
"It is just an attempt to apply blockchain technology in the field of application. It does not have any currency transaction function. In the future, it will not generate exchange business with legal currency or any virtual currency through any channels." According to Li Feng, Baidu Finance later targeted "Leitz Dog" Malicious hype, launched many new features. Once a user is found to be involved in reselling points, his or her account will be blocked.
At the same time, Baidu Financial Blockchain Laboratory issued a statement stating that it will release "", "mining machine", "" and "mining machine" in the name of "" or Baidu Financial Blockchain Laboratory. "Sharing" and other behaviors are suspected of infringing Baidu's legitimate rights and interests, and Baidu Finance will reserve the right to pursue legal liability for such behaviors.
It is understood that as early as 2015, Baidu began to explore the application of blockchain in the financial field and formed a team. There are already practical applications. Baidu’s attempts at blockchain applications have also extended from initial financial applications to various non-financial industries.
In addition to the "Leitz Dog" attempt, the first ABS project supported by blockchain technology was launched last year, and Baidu's blockchain open platform "BaaS" was also built at the same time. Data shows that half a year after its launch, Baidu's "BaaS" blockchain platform has supported real-life problems with assets of more than 50 billion yuan, and has been successfully applied to credit, asset securitization, asset exchange and other businesses.
In addition, in the non-financial field, in addition to the "Leitz Dog" attempt, this year Baidu also launched a totem service platform for photo storage and copyright protection. Li Feng revealed that Baidu will combine blockchain technology with Baidu Cloud in the next step to build infrastructure for enterprise users and lower the threshold of blockchain technology.
Beijing Morning News reporter Jiang Fan
Story 3
Changhong, Lenovo, and Foxconn are all here
How to break the magic trend of blockchain mobile phones?
Many people don’t understand what blockchain is. Blockchain-branded mobile phones have taken advantage of the trend, and their selling points focus on mining and security. The latest news shows that Foxconn is also eager to give it a try. Can the current confusing and absurd plot of blockchain mobile phones be changed?
On April 26, the “candy blockchain phone” S11BK jointly created by Ethereum and Ethereum was launched. Users can earn points every day by logging in and sharing network resources, thereby achieving the purpose of monetization. This phone focuses on the mobile “mining” function. It is said that this model is for users to outsource computing tasks to the cloud through the App, and then let the cloud complete mining. For example, in the "Mole Game", you can purchase moles of different levels with points, and they will mine on behalf of their owners, thereby redeeming them for physical items and making money through mining. This phone is priced at 3,999 yuan.
In fact, a total of three phones with blockchain have been launched in the past few months. In early April, Changhong’s blockchain mobile phone Changhong R8 Kirin was launched, with the first batch limited to 10,000 units. It is said that it is built-in and can be equipped with smart terminals, lowering the threshold of mining technology and investment. The phone is priced at 2,999 yuan.
In addition, Lenovo also launched the S5, a mobile phone billed as a "blockchain phone", priced at only 999 yuan. It is said that its blockchain technology is embodied in the encrypted secure payment space "Z Space", and seven layers of protection make payments safer.
Although these three blockchain mobile phones have attracted attention, they do not seem to have caused much turbulence in the market, and even attracted ridicule of "hot spots".
In fact, currently, the major mobile phone giants have not made any moves on blockchain mobile phones. The latest rumors suggest that a Foxconn subsidiary will produce blockchain phones. A Foxconn subsidiary will reportedly be responsible for producing blockchain smartphones for the Israeli smartphone maker, with the main selling point being security. The phone is expected to be priced at Japanese yen (approximately RMB 6,258).
From an institutional perspective, the potential of blockchain has been generally recognized, and the market focus has shifted from "what is blockchain" and "why blockchain is used" to "how to use blockchain". As for the value of blockchain to mobile phones, we still need to wait for the big guys in the technology industry to open their minds.
Beijing Morning News reporter Jiao Likun
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标签： #Blockchain #Baidu Mobile #Finance #Li Feng
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