NetworkNewsWire Editorial Coverage: Blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt many industries in the future by changing the way companies process business transactions. Originally developed to facilitate the exchange of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, blockchain will provide access to financial services for people all over the globe, especially those who don’t have access to traditional banking. Future Thinkers outlines several industries that are likely to benefit from blockchain technology for their business transactions (http://nnw.fm/MjaO8), including supply chain management, forecasting, the Internet of Things (IoT), insurance, ride sharing, cloud storage, voting, government services, energy management, online retail, real estate and healthcare. Businesses in these industries will adapt their processes to accommodate the number of people concluding transactions online, which is growing exponentially. Victory Square Technologies, Inc. (CSE:VST) (OTC:VSQTF) (FWB: 6F6) (VSQTF Profile) is one of the leading companies taking advantage of the growth potential of blockchain technology by investing in and incubating entrepreneurial ventures in this sector. Other companies investing in business opportunities in online payment and blockchain technologies include Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT), Longfin Corp. (NASDAQ: LFIN) and Hive Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (TSXV: HIVE.V).
Victory Square Technologies, Inc. (CSE:VST) (OTC:VSQTF) (FWB:6F6) incubates and invests in entrepreneurs to create partnerships and joint ventures in various fields, including blockchain technology, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, personalized health, gaming and film. The company’s business model enables these entrepreneurs to access its creative workspaces, education programs, distribution partners and global mentorship networks. It also offers operational support to help these emerging companies scale their operations internationally.
Though most people are now familiar with blockchain, Victory Square’s involvement in the technology started before it went “mainstream.” Over three years ago, the company invested in the BTL Group (BTL: CC) (OTC: BTLLF), using its business model to grow the company to a $215 million organization recognized as the first public blockchain technology company. BTL’s core product is called Interbit, a blockchain platform used by some of the world’s largest companies and institutions to explore new business opportunities using private blockchains. BTL has developed blockchain solutions for companies in the energy, finance and gaming sectors.
As it continues to gain traction and pace alongside broader market growth, Victory Square is enhancing its networking efforts and exposure within the blockchain realm. The company recently partnered with the North American Bitcoin Conference, a part of the World Blockchain Forum, which will allow the company to be among the presenters at a major conference in Miami on January 18-19. Organized by Keynote Events, the conference will be attended by more than 1,500 leading shareholders in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sectors and will cover a wide range of related topics such as blockchain, bitcoin and Ethereum, regulations in the field, initial coin offerings and more. The partnership will allow Victory Square the opportunity “to engage with some of the most promising startups and respected blockchain thought-leaders in the world,” according to CEO Shafin Diamond Tejani. A focal point for the company will be participation in the “Pitch Your ICO” sessions, where over 30 leading blockchain companies will present to some of the most notable investors in the industry.
On the topic of ICOs (initial coin offerings), Victory Square has its hand in the game with plans to purchase $500,000 of cryptocurrency tokens in Bluzelle Platform Pte. Ltd.’s token sale (http://nnw.fm/8lSb8) coming up later this month. Bluzelle is a leading decentralized database service recognized as a “technology pioneer” by the World Economic Forum. Backed by experience building enterprise-grade blockchain technology for reputable businesses such as KPMG, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), HSBC (NYSE: HSBC) and others, Bluzelle is poised to gain considerable traction at its ICO. As an early contributor to the ICO, Victory Square is privy to an additional 25 percent of bonus Bluzelle tokens.
Another recent endeavor is Victory Square’s interest in the game-changing role of blockchain technology in the creation of a global decentralized Internet via software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN). The company has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 20 percent stake in SD-WAN company Multapplied Networks Inc. (http://nnw.fm/Rq3a2) – an organization focused on supporting service providers to incorporate SD-WAN technology into their existing services to develop a decentralized Internet. Multapplied Networks is already serving a considerable portfolio of global partners across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
A promising industry with regard to blockchain implementation for secure transactions is the fast-growing sports betting industry – another sector Victory Square is already exploring. The global online gambling market is expected to reach $59.79 billion in 2020 from $37.91 billion in 2017, according to Statista. Of this, the esports segment is responsible for over $696 million in revenue for 2017, a figure expected to increase to $1.5 billion by 2020, according to a Newzoo report (http://nnw.fm/X1llW). While traditional payment services such as digital wallets and banks have been typically wary of supporting the online gambling sector, blockchain technology has the potential to significantly transform the industry by enabling easier payments, a more transparent betting process and overall more positive experiences for the users.
Recognizing the market opportunity within this burgeoning sector, Victory Square’s FansUnite Media Inc. subsidiary has already integrated blockchain technology into its development of a social sports betting platform that enables community members to collaborate, discuss and predict the winners of sporting events using free virtual currency. FansUnite recently introduced FAN tokens for gaming, purchased with cryptocurrency to enable consumers to place bets and earn more tokens by participating in the company’s Bounty program. FansUnite co-founder and CEO Darius Eghdami has expressed confidence that its dynamic and responsive betting platform will enable the company to develop into the gold standard for sports betting sites worldwide.
The success of this blockchain application has encouraged Victory Square to incorporate this technology in its other subsidiaries and divisions. On December 11, 2017, Victory Square announced that its subsidiary, VS Blockchain Assembly Inc., has been developed to provide blockchain and cryptographic services to the other enterprises within its portfolio (http://nnw.fm/7lvQv). It will provide guidance on blockchain technology architecture and development, and facilitate banking, legal and commercialization services. Blockchain Assembly will also assist these companies to raise capital, either through private funding, public markets or token generation events.
Victory Square’s investment strategy also includes a range of endeavors that demonstrate its expertise outside blockchain technology. Victory Square Health Inc., which focuses on developing solutions in personalized health technologies. Victory Square Health has in turn invested in Personalized Biomarkers Inc. (PBI), a company that develops test kits to predict the response to therapies prior to prescription. PBI is initially focusing on diabetes, identifying five potential biomarkers and enabling the company to enter a $4 billion market opportunity. In partnership with Insight Diagnostics Inc., Victory Square Health is developing a personalized diagnostic solution for the prevention and management of Type II diabetes.
Victory Square has also been instrumental in the incubation of V2 Games, a studio for the development and publishing of high-quality mobile games. V2 Games is best known for its launch of PAC-MAN Bounce and Beast Brawlers, which has resulted in millions of downloads globally.
Victory Square CEO Tejani has stated his confidence that all these companies within its portfolio will have an influential role to play in the evolution and growth of the company to maximize returns for its investors.
A player new to blockchain but well-versed in payment innovations is Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE), a technology-driven company that specializes in mobile payments and value-added transactional services. It owns the global mobile payments and transactional processing provider, TOT Group, Inc., which was recognized by Inc. Magazine as the fastest growing company in the United States in 2012. Net Element also owns Aptito, a next generation cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) payments platform, as well as Restoactive, a digital add-on for POS legacy systems. The company’s stable also includes Digital Provider, a leading provider of SMS messaging and mobile billing solutions, and Payonline, a fully-integrated, processor agnostic ecommerce platform. On December 20, 2017, Net Element recently announced that it is launching a blockchain-focused business unit to develop a cryptocurrency-based ecosystem to enable merchants to connect with consumers (http://nnw.fm/0lB6b). This announcement resulted in its shares rocketing more than four-fold to a 16-month high.
Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ: RIOT) targets investments in blockchain technology by identifying unique projects in decentralized markets, with its primary focus on the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains. The company’s portfolio includes Verady, which provides cryptocurrency accounting and audit technology services through VeraNet. This application enables companies and individuals to account, audit and report on blockchain assets, while providing a bridge between cryptocurrencies and traditional financial accounting. Riot Blockchain also owns Coinsquare, a leading Canadian digital currency exchange, which provides a user-friendly, secure, cost-efficient and trustworthy way to purchase digital assets. Tesspay also falls within Riot Blockchain’s portfolio, and plans to develop a blockchain-based escrow service for wholesale telecom carriers. The company has also launched a Bitcoin mining operation.
A U.S.-based financial technology company, Longfin (NASDAQ: LFIN), provides finance and foreign exchange hedging solutions for importers, exporters and SMEs worldwide. The company uses blockchain technology to enable trade finance solutions globally for SMEs, manufacturers, processors, importers and exporters using cryptocurrencies. It also provides financing for companies and lower credit rated banks using insurance wrap. Longfin’s vision is to securitize and finance carry trade and asset backed solutions for companies, while aiming to connect with 70 forex and spot exchanges, and over 300 banks across the world. On December 18, 2017, Longfin stock rose almost five-fold on the news that it had bought Ziddu, a blockchain technology provider for micro lending, warehouse finance, trade finance, bullion trading and real-time derivative settlements.
Hive Blockchain Technologies (TSXV: HIVE.V) manages a cryptocurrency mining operation. The company focuses on building a bridge from the blockchain sector to traditional capital markets through its acquisition of Genesis Mining Ltd., the world’s largest Bitcoin mining company. Hive also has the option to acquire four additional data centers from Genesis in Iceland and Sweden. The company will leverage Genesis’ infrastructure design and software to identify and manage new cryptocurrencies as they become profitable to mine. Mining relies on energy efficiency to make it profitable and Iceland provides abundant and cheap electricity from renewable resources. Geographically, it also provides a fast, reliable internet connection and gateway between North America and Europe.
Blockchain technology has generated a large amount of interest and excitement in many industrial sectors for its potential to facilitate faster and more secure business transactions. These companies are some of the leading enterprises well-positioned to capitalize on the future development and adoption of this technology.
For more information on Victory Square, visit Victory Square Technologies, Inc. (CSE:VST) (OTC:VSQTF) (FWB:6F6).
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Originally published in networknewswire.com
