Companies Offer Intriguing Investment Opportunitie
Post# of 1134
CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: In just two months’ time, rising superstar bitcoin has almost doubled its trading record. This leading cryptocurrency, which has continued to shatter its own records again and again this year, broke the $5,000 ceiling in September and is now closing in on $10,000 just under two months later. Bitcoin is definitely a hot ticket among investors right now, but not all investors want to put money into this cryptocurrency directly. Various enterprising companies emerging within the marketplace are providing promising ancillary investment options for those seeking to cash in on bitcoin’s rising star without investing directly in it. Such companies include SinglePoint, Inc. (SING) (SING Profile), Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC), Bitcoin Services, Inc. (BTSC), HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (TSX.V: HIVE) and Riot Blockchain, Inc. (RIOT).
On Nov. 15, holding company SinglePoint (SING) soft-launched its much-anticipated proprietary bitcoin exchange (app.singleseed.com), which is aimed at solving payment problems related to high-risk transactions — specifically those plaguing another red-hot industry: cannabis.
In the United States, SinglePoint has become a first mover with its proprietary bitcoin payments solution, which is making it possible for marijuana vendors and users to conduct transactions using debit and credit cards via the vehicle of bitcoin. Due to continued federal restrictions, the majority of cannabis merchants operating in the U.S. have had to conduct their transactions in cash only, which poses many problems and inconveniences. SinglePoint’s innovative solution, however, is changing all that.
Designed to serve cannabis businesses but also having an application that goes beyond them, SinglePoint’s solution is fully KYC-AML compliant and can be used by any business. For marijuana vendors specifically, it can be utilized within any of the states where marijuana currently has a legal status. It is designed as a payment service that enables instant bitcoin-powered purchases using credit and debit cards. Through a user-friendly signup form and ID verification, customers can set up accounts online prior to visiting a cannabis merchant, or they can sign up in just seconds at the point of sale.
In addition to making card-based transactions possible for “unbankable” cannabis vendors, SinglePoint’s solution enables dispensaries to digitally track their inventories and upload inventory-related data, including photos and product descriptions. Once a customer purchases a product, it is automatically deducted from a dispensary’s inventory listings.
Beyond changing the game for U.S. cannabis businesses, this pioneering payment exchange can, and likely will, go even further, enabling businesses of all types — in both high-risk and low-risk markets — to conduct instant card-based transactions that are powered by bitcoin.
Through an aggressive, acquisition-based growth strategy, SinglePoint continues finding great success. Its price per share rose from $0.01 in early January 2017 to more than $0.07 in November. The highly anticipated launch of the company’s bitcoin payments solution serves as yet another indicator of SinglePoint’s sustained growth.
An updated investor kit (http://cnw.fm/34cVP) details SinglePoint’s products, leadership team and investor highlights and provides key insights into the company’s goals.
Another entity that enables individuals to invest in bitcoin without actually having to buy, store or safeguard the cryptocurrency is Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC), a U.S.-based, open-ended grantor trust that is sponsored by Grayscale Investments. Invested exclusively in bitcoin, GBTC has stood out as the first publicly quoted bitcoin investment vehicle, allowing U.S.-based investors to gain exposure to bitcoin’s price gains through a traditional investment vehicle without the need to purchase, store or protect bitcoin. GBTC was named among OTC Market Group’s “OTCQX Best 50” for 2017, and its price per share has skyrocketed in the past year, soaring from $103.30 on Nov. 28, 2016, to $1,297.98 as of Nov. 27, 2017.
Another player offering bitcoin-related ancillary services is Bitcoin Services, Inc. (BTSC). Like SinglePoint, BTSC began 2017 with a price per share of just $0.01 but has since climbed to $0.35 as of Nov. 27. Among its offerings, BTSC provides bitcoin escrow services and also develops and commercializes blockchain software. BTSC is additionally engaged in mining cryptocurrency. During 2017, BTSC formed a new subsidiary, Crypto Capital Corp., with the intention of developing a crypto wallet that allows users to securely store multiple digital currencies in one wallet.
Listed on Canada’s TSX.V exchange, HIVE Blockchain Technologies (HIVE) is another crypto-related player that stands out, having made its mark as the first publicly listed blockchain infrastructure company to create a bridge between blockchain/cryptocurrencies and traditional capital markets. Growth-oriented HIVE is engaged in a strategic partnership with Genesis Mining Ltd., with the aim of building the next generation of blockchain infrastructure. The company owns cutting-edge GPU-based digital currency mining facilities in Iceland that produce mined digital currency around the clock, and HIVE further has an option to acquire at least three more data centers in Iceland and/or Sweden from Genesis Mining. HIVE has the ability to accelerate the blockchain sector’s development through traditional capital markets while simultaneously creating long-term value for shareholders. HIVE boasts low working capital requirements, allowing the strategic sale of coins for maximum profit; and the company’s robust balance sheet also offers the flexibility to pursue additional blockchain opportunities.
A builder and supporter of blockchain technologies that has garnered huge investor attention in recent weeks is Riot Blockchain, Inc. (RIOT), which formerly operated as Bioptix, Inc. In October, Bioptix announced it was rebranding and entering the digital currency space, with a focus on purchasing cryptocurrency and blockchain businesses. In the days before this announcement had even been officially made, the penny stock almost doubled in value. While RIOT still operates its Bioptix business segment, the company’s new focus is on becoming a premier blockchain authority and supporter and on providing investment exposure to the bitcoin and blockchain ecosystems.
Despite naysayers who make gloomy predictions of a bitcoin bubble, the cryptocurrency continues its incredible climb and a single bitcoin is now seven times more valuable than an ounce of gold. For those seeking alternative routes to bitcoin investment, the named companies may provide intriguing opportunities.
For more information on SinglePoint please visit: Singlepoint, Inc. (SING) or www.SinglePoint.com
Please see full disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer