During the last couple of months, we’ve often talked about the potential of the blockchain network, and how it could change the financial system, alongside with numerous administrational processes.

Yet, we never mentioned the influence that the blockchain network could have on the food we eat, where and when we buy it, but also on how we consume it. In fact, there are numerous reports stating that Wal-Mart is experimenting with blockchain technology, and wishes to change the way it serves over 260 million people on a weekly basis.

So far, we thought that governments are mainly interested in regulating bitcoin use, yet it seems that this is not the case, as there are numerous legislative drafts meant to regulate the blockchain network.

With this in mind, certain reports indicate that not long ago, the state of Illinois decided to take its first step in a multi-agency plan meant to integrate the integration of blockchain network into government operations of all kind. However, to be able to do this, legislative framework outlining the uses has to be implemented.

During the last couple of months, bitcoin has managed to become a more viable investment option, with people from all around the world referring to it as digital gold, due to its increasing value and popularity.

Regardless of this, some investors are still wary about the idea of investing in the digital currency, due to the controversies surrounding it and its price volatility. Well, to kick things off, it is important to mention the fact that during the last five years, bitcoin's value has increased with around 25,000%, which means that if you would have bought the digital currency in the past, you may have been able to earn 250 times more than your initial investment today.

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While trading bitcoin at this moment in time is fairly easy, there are still a multitude of issues that traders have to deal with. However, the digital currency has managed to get more mainstream credibility considering the fact that the world’s largest futures exchange recently announced the launch of a pair of indexes, meant to track the price of the digital currency.

Based on this, these gauges, released by the CME Group Inc. could actually be used later on as building blocks for a variety of futures contracts, which would make it considerably easier for individuals and professional investors to engage in bitcoin trading. According to Daniel masters, the CIO at Global Advisors Lth, and who happens to manage around $25 million worth of assets in bitcoin, these indexes are ‘clear precursors to a listing of some kind (…) There is tremendous pent-up demand in the U.S. for bitcoin exposure that doesn’t require an investor to select one of the current bitcoin exchanges in order to invest.”

Blockchain technology has often been referred to as a great way of facilitating interbank payments, through private digital currencies. According to recent reports, it seems like the Monetary Authority of Singapore will become the newest central bank to launch its trial, blockchain-based system meant for carrying out interbank payments.

The project reportedly also involves a total of eight banks alongside with the city’s stock exchange, and its main purpose is to simplify the payment process with bitcoin, while also reducing transaction costs. Not only this, but this FinTech concept is likely to also include cross-border transactions, made possible by the participation of another central bank in the foreseeable future. According to the Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Ravi Menon, “Today, banks have to go through correspondent banks to intermediate these payments. It takes time and adds to cost (…) this project marks the first step in MAS’s exploration of ways to harness the potential of central bank-issued digital currency.”

During the last couple of days, a new digital currency, known by the name of Zcash, has caused quite a lot of frenzy on the cryptocurrency market. Zcash represents a decentralized and open-source digital currency mostly popular for the fact that it offers users privacy, alongside with a selective transparency of all transactions being carried out.

The main difference between Zcash and bitcoin is the fact that all Zcash transactions are published on the blockchain, yet the recipient, sender and amount of money being sent remain secret. To put things better into perspective, the digital currency is based on peer-reviewed cryptographic research, and has been built by a team of engineers specialized on security. With this in mind, Zcash uses a wide variety of cryptographic security techniques, also known as 0-knowledge proofs, which can help determine the validity of the transactions being carried out, without knowing all the afferent data on the payments being sent and received. With this 0-knowledge proving scheme, Zcash’s payment system and blockchain network can function with ease and hide the personal details of the people using it.

Not long ago, the Swiss rail operator has announced that their customers will now be able to purchase bitcoin via the ticket machines present in all stations. This was great news for the digital currency ecosystem, but it also looks like it started something in Switzerland.

With this in mind, around a week after the SBB announcement, the Swiss Federal Department of Finance, also known as the FDF has outlined its plan to go ahead and find ways of regulating the bitcoin network, and introducing actual legislation in 2017.

Surprisingly, until now, Switzerland hasn’t had an important role in the evolution of digital currencies. Yet, this is about to change, considering the fact that Switzerland’s National Rail Service, also known as the SBB, is planning to begin selling bitcoin at all of their stations starting from the 11th of November.

To put things better into perspective, SBB customers will be able to treat their Swiss francs in exchange for bitcoin, using a system implemented into the ticket machines. Unfortunately, users will not be able to purchase tickets using the digital currency. This may be blamed on volatility and restrictions still surrounding bitcoin, yet, it may change in the next couple of years.

The market has often been filled with reports discussing how the value of traditional currencies could have an impact on the price of bitcoin and other digital currencies. A recent event shows a stronger link in this regard, as while the bitcoin managed to hit its 3-months-high, the Chinese Yuan is weakening considerably.

To put things better into perspective, the Chinese Yuan is dealing with a six-year low, and Chinese investors are turning to other forms of alternative assets to move away from the weakening national currency.