Tell us which crypto strategy you’d like to adopt, and we’ll tell you which crypto investor you are.

First-time investor? HODLer at heart? Crypto gem hunter? There are many categories, and you may belong to more than one of them.

Find out which statuses are most like you.

1/ The beginner crypto investor

Beginner is not necessarily a pejorative term – you have to start somewhere, after all. As you’d expect, the beginning crypto investor doesn’t really know where to start, but felt it was right to invest in crypto at some point.

If you find yourself in this beginner category, it’s a good idea to educate yourself on crypto-related topics and the surrounding news, not least to build your Wallet as well as possible.

2/ The Crypto Early investor

In a similar style to its predecessor, Crypto Early comes at an interesting time in the development of a crypto or technology.

Although he’s aware of the risks and potential stakes involved, this doesn’t mean he won’t take the risk of becoming involved in the project ecosystem.

3/ The crypto expert

The expert crypto investor stands out here because he’s more or less in tune with one ecosystem or another, such as NFT, DeFi or play-to-earn games.

Always on the lookout for the latest projects, he is the reference in the field. But beware: it can be difficult to keep up with him, as he’s always a thousand trains ahead.

4/ The “trader” profile

The crypto trader is a trader all in all who manages his assets in a similar way, even digitally. They know the market and its risks, and prefer to invest for the long term.

5/ The gem tracker

Once gold hunters, gem trackers search the top crypto lists for tomorrow’s nuggets. The idea being that there are so many crypto projects springing up every day, why not take advantage of a potential hype.

The crypto tracker will bet on the period during which the nugget found will increase in value. He will take care to resell everything before the price drops. Bonus to see if you’re a gem hunter: try to list more than 50 crypto projects.

6/ The famous crypto investor HODLer

The aim of a HODLer is to maximize the capital gain realized on the sale of his cryptos. However, he’s in no hurry to sell his assets immediately.

HODLers will tend to bet initially on stablecoins or bitcoins, the anchors of the good investor.

7/ A Whale

The Whale is an old hand in trading and investment. He has earned his reputation and wealth of crypto knowledge through his previous investments. Whatever the method, what counts is his sharp opinion on the matter.

8/ Satoshi’s fans aka the Bitcoin Maximalists

A final category concerns the natives of the first hour, those who followed and continue today to keep the myth alive regarding Satoshi.

Behind the one whose identity we don’t seem to know, we find Bitcoin, the mother crypto among all cryptos, and on which, the purists of the first hour support the movement of decentralization and blockchain technology.

The aim of this article is first and foremost to simplify the technical concepts associated with crypto-currencies, in order to make them accessible to everyone. These comments are solely those of the author. It is not intended as investment advice.

Investing in a sustainable crypto doesn’t necessarily require experience in the business, at least, it’s necessary to take a step back on several points.

Beyond the research aspect of determining which cryptos are promising in the coming months and years, there are a few key elements that will give you confidence in an emerging project.

The question is: what makes a crypto-currency sustainable?

To ensure the solidity and longevity of promising crypto, here are a few important elements.

1/ Sustainable crypto with solid technology

It is supported by robust, innovative technology. We add to this a secure architecture, scalability to meet growing demand and features that meet real user needs.

2/ Widespread use of durable crypto

Widespread use and, what’s more, widespread adoption. A sustainable crypto needs these elements to be viable over the long term. If it succeeds in creating an ecosystem where users, merchants and businesses accept it as a means of payment, this reinforces its value and sustainability.

3/ The power of community

To grow a crypto’s reputation, you need an active community. By “active”, we mean: a community engaged on a daily basis. As a leverage effect, the project does everything in its power to consolidate the ecosystem on which users rely, in particular by resolving potential problems. In fact, it’s this community that supports crypto during periods of Bear or Bull Market.

4/ Focus on security when developing a crypto

Security is paramount to sustainable crypto. Logically, too, since we need to think about the community of investors who have confidence in the project. Hence the need for robust security measures to protect funds from hacking or attacks.

5/ Maintaining transparency throughout the project process

This transparency is expected both in operations and in the surrounding environment. Key information, such as governance, protocol updates and transactions, must be publicly accessible. Feel free to consult the White Paper.

6/ Continuous innovation to adapt to the crypto market

A good crypto project is one that constantly innovates and updates crypto’s functionality and foundations.

The market undergoes regular changes, sometimes expected, sometimes unexpected. That’s why it’s so important to keep abreast of the latest technological advances, so that you can offer continuous improvements to remain competitive and relevant over the long term.

7/ Taking external regulations into account

While this is not the purview of crypto projects, you should always be aware of government regulations and policies. The latter can have a significant impact on a crypto’s lifespan.

Why should Galeon be considered a “good crypto” for the long term?

Galeon is a promising long-term crypto for all these reasons. Solid technology that adapts to maintain a secure architecture with a community that’s growing day by day.

The Galeon ecosystem is an environment based on a single objective: Good for Humanity. that makes sense. Health concerns us all, and improving hospital operations contributes to it. One example is the Buy back & burn concept, which diversifies the way hospitals are financed.

Finally, Galeon remains transparent about the direction of the project. AMAs are organized on a regular basis to keep users abreast of the latest functionalities and the progress of service rollouts in a given territory.

The purpose of this article is above all to simplify technical concepts related to crypto-currency, in order to make them accessible to everyone. These words engage only their author. It is not intended to advise the reader on his investments.

Inspired by the concept of crypto, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is a currency issued digitally by the central bank of a sovereign country.

In other words, CBDC is not destined to follow the phenomenon of decentralization unlike the concept of crypto, and what is more, it is regulated.

However, this new form of digital currency will use technologies such as blockchain in its mode of operation.

Having a fixed or variable value, depending on the currency to which it is attached, the CBDC, just like fiduciary money, can be used in transactions by individuals as well as institutions.

So why are governments and banks, in general, increasingly interested in CBDCs?

Beyond the security, speed and transparency of transactions, there are other factors that lead these institutions to consider an CBDC program.

The rise of Bitcoin and decentralization, the response of central banks with CBDCs

In the late 2010s, Bitcoin and other crypto’s are booming. And with this, the very spirit of distribution and exchange of value is called into question, along with the decentralization movement.

This idea that it is no longer central banks or institutions that should control all transactions.

? Cryptocurrency: hype or fact?

In addition to the emergence of a crypto community, the DIEM episode will accelerate things. DIEM is the digital currency developed by Meta (Facebook), before 2020, which aims to enhance the user experience.

The problem is that institutions and central banks have in front of them one of the biggest DATA companies in the world, reaching over 3 billion users.

As a result, DIEM will face a number of hurdles as it moves toward release, some of which are related to regulations.

In the meantime, it was renamed LIBRA, and the problems followed: price stability, confidence from large investors and legitimacy.

Little by little, the project will lose its allies (PayPal or Ebay), and in November 2020, the prospects are reduced to end up being backed by the US dollar.

Thus, we have here, the example of a virtual currency, functioning as a crypto, but which would be managed and controlled by Meta. In fine, a beautiful project, which shows the premises of the CBDC, but which will lose its interest at this time.

However, forced to note that Bitcoin and crypto are more than established, and having already considered the issue of a digital and stable currency, states will launch several test programs.

And that solution is CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency).

Distinctions between CBDC and crypto: centralization, regulation and backing to an existing currency

The main distinction is in their ethics and their mode of operation.

CBDCs are issued by the state as a centralized form of digital currency, while crypto-currencies are decentralized digital currencies, meaning they are not issued by a central authority.

Yes, CBDCs can use blockchain technology, but their centralized form sets them apart.

Thus, central banks can control and regulate the creation, distribution and value of CBDCs, which is not the case for crypto.

And then CBDCs are generally going to be backed by an existing fiat currency and have a fixed or variable value relative to that currency, whereas crypto has a value determined by supply and demand in the crypto markets.

The different categories of CBDCs: use, mode of operation and technologies used

If we do not have the exact number of CBDCs that were created day by day, it is possible to classify them according to several categories.

• How they are used: for retail or wholesale transactions, or for interbank transactions. They can be issued as account currencies, which are held by commercial banks as a form of reserve money, or as payment currencies, which can be used directly by consumers and businesses.
• CBDCs can also be classified according to their mode of operation, such as distributed account system, centralized or decentralized systems. In addition, CBDCs can be based on different technologies such as blockchain, DLTs, open-source technologies and other similar technologies.

Today, although the classification is a bit fuzzy, it is important to remember that CBDCs are considered money because they are issued by central banks and used as a means of payment.

Example of CBDC

While there are no officially issued and used CBDCs in the world today, more than 60 central banks and institutions are trying to establish programs for the future:

• China’s Central Bank (CB) is working on an CBDC program called DCEP (Digital Currency Electronic Payment), which has already been tested in some cities across the country. ? On this point, issues of traceability and control of expenditures are raised .
• The Bahamas CB launched a pilot of its CBDC in 2020, called Sand Dollar, which is currently being tested.
• The Cayman Islands CB is working on a project called Project Sand Dollar, which should be launched soon.
• The Bank of France launched an experimental CBDC program in March 2020, which aims to explore the potential uses of this technology.
• The Bank of England has established a working group to explore the possibilities of creating an CBDC.
• The European Central Bank has also announced that it is studying the possibility of creating an CBDC for eurozone citizens. ♻️ See below on this last point.

Why CBDCs are increasingly developed by institutions: reasons and benefits

There are many reasons for this.

1/ Restore economic activity: by using innovative technologies to carry out transactions (blockchain, DLT…etc), CBDCs can be redistributed directly by central banks to individuals and companies in a faster, less expensive and more secure way.

2/ In times of economic crisis: central banks could thus help governments to provide targeted aid to certain areas or groups of people.

3/ Improve the traceability of transactions: these could be traced, with the possibility of updating in real time the results of an economic activity.

In summary: speed, efficiency of transactions, stability of economic activity, the possibility of acting better in a hurry, transparency of exchanges and cost reduction.

? Of course, these are the reasons, from an objective point of view.

Ecology, an angle to compete with private companies on the development of a green CBDC

Outside of regulatory cases, central banks and institutions are becoming aware of the challenges of the digitization of money and new technologies, with a strong trend towards decentralization.

Within the framework of the EU, the issue is being studied in the direction of the fight against global warming. Thus, the idea currently discussed would be to create an account named “CO2 account”, an account fed with euro-green, a CBDC that rewards the efforts of citizens.

The concept is still under consideration and would be as follows: as soon as emissions or efforts made to this effect are recorded, a Euro-Green will be issued. For example, if a citizen buys an electric bike or a bicycle.

One can imagine the complexity of implementing these measures on a national scale, and moreover, on a European scale. However, this could come to give CBDCan appeal, to possibly stand out from some crypto.

In a nutshell

• CBDCs are digital currencies issued by the central banks of a sovereign country and can use blockchain technology in their operation.
• Central banks can control and regulate the creation, distribution and value of CBDCs, which is not the case for crypto.
• CBDCs can be classified into several categories, including their use, mode of operation, and technology used.
• More than 60 central banks and institutions are currently working on CBDC programs, such as the DCEP in China, Sand Dollar in the Bahamas, and the Sand Dollar project in the Cayman Islands.
• Ecology is also an angle to compete with private companies, with the idea of creating an account called “CO2 account” that rewards the efforts of citizens in the fight against global warming.
• The advantages of CBDCs are speed, efficiency, transparency of transactions, stability of economic activity, the ability to act better in a hurry and cost reduction.

The FOMC, the FOMOC… the FMOC… the FOMQUE? Don’t try to pronounce it that way, just say the F.O.M.C. or the Federal Open Market Committee.

This is the committee responsible for making decisions on short-term monetary policy in the United States (interest rates and asset purchases or sales).

In other words, a committee that has a significant influence on the future of the economy in the USA, but also for all the others that gravitate around it, in other words, the world economy.

It is composed of the members of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve (Central Bank of the United States, also known as the Fed) and five presidents of the regional Federal Reserve Banks.

They meet 8 times a year to analyze the state of the U.S. economy (January, March, April, June, July, September, November and December).

The FOMC considers the risks and opportunities, and determines the appropriate monetary policy to achieve the institutions’ employment and inflation objectives.

So what are the impacts of the FOMC decisions on the global economy and on crypto, and what’s the news? This is what we will see here.

PART 1 – The different operations conducted by the FOMC

As mentioned above, the FOMC makes important decisions about the economy.

For example, setting interest rates. Indeed, the FOMC can decide to raise, lower or hold rates to stimulate or slow the economy depending on its assessment of the economic situation.

The FOMC may also decide to buy or sell U.S. Treasury securities or other assets to influence interest rates and the supply of liquidity in the market.

With respect to monetary policy communication, the committee issues regular press releases to inform the public of its decisions, as well as its economic and financial outlook.

There is the determination of inflation and employment goals as well, where the FOMC takes actions to achieve these goals, such as interest rate adjustments.

Ultimately, the primary goal is to ensure the financial and economic stability of the United States, in order to move towards sustainable growth.

PART 2 – How do FOMC decisions affect your wallet?

Decisions made by the FOMC can have a significant impact on the economy of the rest of the world.

In particular, with regard to exchange rates. Since the FOMC makes interest rate decisions, this can directly influence the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies.

Imagine the impact this can have on exports, imports and investments in foreign countries.

The same is true for capital flows between the United States and other countries. For example, if the FOMC decides to keep interest rates low, it may encourage investors to seek higher yields in other countries, which may lead to an appreciation of foreign currencies and an influx of capital into those countries.

In terms of financial stability, countries that are closely tied to the United States financially are even more concerned.

As we know, countries with an expansionary monetary policy encourage their investors to take risks. If one of these countries goes through a bad patch, it can lead to repeated financial turbulence.

And what is more, the US has a key role in the global financial system.

Countries and companies around the world should therefore keep a close eye on the FOMC’s decisions and their potential impact on their economies.

PART 3 – Should the FOMC’s opinion be taken into account?

Overall, it is better to go along with the decisions made by the FOMC.

However, there are exceptions:

• Like the U.S. Congress, which can legislate to influence the monetary policy of the FED, which is directed by the FOMC. For example, it can pass laws to change the Federal Reserve’s mandate or to limit its monetary policy powers.
• Central banks in other countries may also adopt countercyclical monetary policies. For example, raising interest rates to control inflation, to try to bring about an appreciation of the country’s currency and an influx of foreign capital.
• Financial markets and investors may interpret the FOMC’s decisions differently, depending on their own interests or perceptions of the economy and financial markets.

PART 4 – The impact of the FOMC on the crypto market

Since the FOMC can determine whether or not to raiseinterest rates, this necessarily results in influencing the movement of capital and liquidity flows to and from the crypto market.

For example, low interest rates may encourage investors to seek higher returns in risky assets like crypto-currencies.

As we mentioned earlier, in a risk-taking policy, investors tend to want to commit themselves in a brutal way to this or that market. And the crypto one is no exception to the rule, creating then risks of market volatility.

Another element is that the FOMC’s decisions may also have an impact on institutional investors’ interest in the crypto market.

Monetary policies that encourage increased inflation may cause institutional investors to turn to assets like Bitcoin, which are considered alternative stores of value.

Record of President Powell’s* speech at the press conference dated May 3, 2023:

• Conditions in the banking sector have improved since early March, but the Fed remains vigilant and is working to strengthen bank supervision and regulation.
• Monetary policy is focused on the Fed’s two goals: promoting maximum employment and stable prices for the American people.
• Inflation remains high, but the Fed is determined to bring it back to its 2% target.
• Since the beginning of 2022, interest rates have increased by 5% in order to bring inflation back to its target. At this last meeting, the FOMC raised the interest rate by 0.25%.
• Economic growth remains moderate, while the labor market remains tight. The housing market is weak and business investment is slowing.

• The next meeting will be held on June 13 and 14.

*Jerome Hayden Powell is an American lawyer and banker. Most importantly, he has been the chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve (FED) since 2018

Prevention is better than cure. Surprisingly, when we look at this expression that our ancestors used to repeat to us, we find it in almost every possible language and culture (e.g. in German, “prevention is the mother of the china cabinet”; in Finnish, better to look than to regret”).

Paradoxically, due to lack of time or means, medicine in general is limited in its ability to anticipate on a large or smaller scale the detection of early stage diseases.

However, a major tool appears to be an indispensable element for the future of medicine, precisely to remedy the problems of anticipation.

And it is about medical Artificial Intelligence (medical AI).

Indeed, medical AI is an incredible tool to anticipate potential diseases and prevent further complications.

1/ Early detection of diseases: how can medical AI identify at-risk patients even before symptoms appear?

Some medical AI associated with the concept of machine learning can be used to identify people at risk (likely to develop certain diseases), even before symptoms appear.

It is with this type of early detection that the chances of cure and positive treatment results are increased.

A study on the use of AI was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco to identify people at risk of developing chronic kidney disease at an early stage.

In total, health data from more than 700,000 patients were analyzed for risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease.

Using a machine learning algorithm (based on the concept of machine learning), the researchers developed a predictive tool that predicted the risk of developing chronic kidney disease in patients even before symptoms appeared.

Successfully tested in patients at high risk of chronic kidney disease, this gives great hope for the future: early detection of the disease and better management of patients.

2/ Personalization of treatment: medical AI improves the effectiveness of treatments according to each patient

As its name indicates, personalized medicine allows us to adapt the treatment(s) of a patient according to specific data that characterizes him/her. The goal is to improve the effectiveness of these treatments and reduce side effects.

This time, it was researchers at Stanford University who used machine learning to personalize radiation therapy treatments for head and neck cancer patients.

In this study, data from previous patients were used to identify the most effective treatment regimens based on factors such as age, gender, tumor location, and prior response to treatment.

With this algorithm, physicians can now recommend precise doses of radiation therapy for each individual patient as a unique individual.

Ultimately, an improvement in the effectiveness of the treatment was observed, with a reduction in side effects.

This type of approach, specific to personalized medicine, can be applied to other areas of treatment to improve patient outcomes and reduce treatment costs.

3/ Analysis of massive medical data to develop new personalized treatments thanks to medical AI

We were talking about machine learning earlier, but there are also other processes such as the digital twin.

A concrete example of the application of the first process in the medical field is undoubtedly the Blockchain Swarm Learning technology developed by Galeon.

Empowering researchers to analyze large amounts of medical data, and using blockchain to train medical AI, gives them the ability to identify trends and patterns to better understand diseases and develop new treatment methods.

With the consent of the individual, data can be collected from biological samples such as saliva, urine, blood(biomarkers), information on health status, lifestyle, or the environment in which the patient lives and their family history.

Starting with these massive data collections, researchers can analyze the data using AI tools to better understand diseases and develop more personalized and effective treatments for patients.

4/ Reducing health care costs with early detection of diseases

With more hindsight, it appears that early detection of disease using medical AI tends to reduce healthcare costs, particularly by reducing the need for expensive treatments or intensive care.

Indeed, when the disease is detected early, the chances of preventing it from spreading (depending on the case) are maximized.

Early treatments will generally be less expensive than those dedicated to treating the disease in the long term.

The cost of tests and other procedures that could be avoided after late detection of the disease must also be taken into account.

By identifying people at high risk of developing certain diseases, physicians can avoid ordering unnecessary tests and procedures for patients who are not at risk.

And then there’s still the time-saving argument . Early detection of disease using medical AI can lead to fewer hospitalizations and follow-up visits, which can reduce healthcare costs by saving time and resources.

Conclusion

Medical AI for:

• Prevention of diseases and early detection of people at risk.
• Personalize patient treatments and improve their effectiveness.
• Data analysis with machine learning to better understand diseases and develop new treatment methods
• Reduce health care costs by avoiding the need for expensive treatments or intensive care.
• Avoid unnecessary tests and procedures, saving time and resources.

Envisioning the future, for the new generations, means taking into account societal challenges that previous generations had already (potentially, one might say) identified.

The “top challenges of tomorrow” include an aging population, urbanization at its peak and the overexploitation of resources.

All of which does not go in the direction of reducing the social divide.

Strangely enough, it is the “older” generations that show the most reluctance towards new technologies, fearing that the era of the “man-machine” will disrupt the “normal order” of things in our societies(isn’t this somewhat paradoxical?) .

Today, however, a certain amount of research and work shows that we would have everything to gain by using, with the necessary hindsight, Artificial Intelligence (AI ) in order to reorganize our societies.

If only in terms of an analysis tool to determine the problems that surround us (environmental, health, institutions, demographic…etc).

And in the pursuit of these studies, to create and innovate for a sustainable management of our resources, goods and services.

This is evidenced by the development of this new form of urbanization with “smart cities”, cities designed and built using different types of AI.

AI for sustainable urbanization: smart cities

AI offers multiple ways to make cities smarter and more sustainable.

Defining a “smart city

A smart city uses available technologies to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, reduce its ecological footprint and improve its operational efficiency.

Data is collected by sensors and monitoring systems to provide real-time information on such things as: traffic, air quality, energy consumption, etc.

This data will then be used to optimize city management, improve mobility, reduce energy consumption and ultimately encourage citizen participation.

The benefits of AI in building sustainable smart cities

The ultimate goal of these smart cities is to create a more sustainable, more efficient and more pleasant urban environment for us, city dwellers.

Whether it is mobility, energy, security or waste management, the AI used in the cities of the future responds to the problems of the new generations:

• reduction of energy consumption,
• Reduced traffic congestion,
• improved public safety
• waste reduction.

Going further: will cities save the world? ?

The challenges of AI to make our cities “smart cities

You will have noticed it and you are probably wondering: AI is a perfect tool to optimize the organization of our companies, certainly, however, how to protect the handling of all these collected data?

Indeed, as mentioned above, sensors and other monitoring systems are programmed to capture and analyze the surrounding data.

What about the privacy of citizens? How can we ensure that these systems are trusted?

How to ensure a healthy collaboration between the different actors: governments, companies, universities, or even us, citizens.

The answer, as is often the case, is to find a happy medium.

Examples of smart cities

In fact, smart cities are developing a little more every day.

• Singapore: considered one of the most advanced smart cities in the world, with intelligent transportation systems, environmental monitoring sensors and efficient energy management.
• Barcelona: Barcelona is a smart city that uses technologies to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. The city has developed mobile applications to facilitate travel, citizen participation and waste management.
• Tokyo: improving mobility, safety and energy efficiency, Tokyo has also developed projects for waste management and environmental protection.
• Amsterdam: With an efficient energy management system, intelligent transportation systems and waste management projects, Amsterdam has also developed mobile applications to encourage citizen participation.
• Dubai: Like the cities mentioned above, Dubai uses technology to improve mobility, security and energy management. It has also developed projects for water management and renewable energy production.

Beyond the financial aspect, which certainly takes an important place in the debate on the quest for a more sustainable innovation, one of the most important parts of this work lies in changing mentalities.

What about companies?

The impact of AI on business innovation

On a smaller scale, the challenges remain the same.

Using AI can help companies innovate by improving efficiency, productivity and competitiveness. However, the data collection and analysis part, with all the privacy and consumer trust issues necessarily arise.

Again, there are examples of companies seeking to innovate in a sustainable way through AI:

• to help manage the carbon footprint of data centers by predicting energy consumption and optimizing energy efficiency.
• optimize the energy consumption of buildings.
• prevent water pollution by monitoring pollution levels and predicting contamination risks.
• Pursue sustainability in supply chains, monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and optimizing water and resource use.

Galeon: sustainable innovation in the service of medicine thanks to medical AI

On a daily basis, Galeon is constantly coming up with ideas to innovate in medical AI.

The idea is to improve both the health systems in general, the working conditions of health care workers, or research ….etc.

This is a major task, especially when it comes to protecting patient data.

To do this, Galeon has several strings to its bow:

• Use of the blockchain to validate the secure transfer of medical data.
• Using blockchain swarm learning (BSL), inspired by the concept of machine learning, to quickly and accurately analyze health data at scale.
• Development of a shield system(Hacker Defense Protection, HDP) to secure partner hospitals’ IT infrastructures against hacker attacks.
• Development of an AI model for billing caregivers’ acts to facilitate their work and improve the traceability of care.
• And more work underway on other AI projects to improve the working conditions of healthcare professionals and the quality of medical care.

In short, Galeon is not done with innovation!

Conclusion

• The different generations must take into account current and future societal challenges to contribute to sustainable innovation. ♻️
• New technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI ) can contribute to the reorganization of our societies and companies into smart cities through real-time calculation of informative data. ?
• Protecting the privacy of citizens is an important issue to address to ensure healthy collaboration between different stakeholders in sustainable innovation. ?

If you follow crypto news at all (or if you’re trying to put on a brave face in front of your colleagues or friends who are still talking about bitcoin), you’ve probably heard about the upcoming Bitcoin’s halving.

The closer we get to halving, the more one might think that a storm is brewing to lift the crypto world again in the coming months.

Let’s go over all the elements to understand this phenomenon a little better.

What is Bitcoin halving?

The term “halving” comes from the English language and literally means “halving” or “reduction by half”.

We’ll see below, but the use of this term in the cryptosphere refers to the halving of the reward that is given to bitcoin miners.

As a reminder, miners are responsible for validating the blocks, obtaining a reward in return, bitcoin.

4 more years to wait!

Halving occurs every 210,000 blocks mined, or about every four years. This has the effect of:

• to slow down the creation of new bitcoins,
• to progressively increase their rarity,
• and thus contribute to maintaining the value* of the

*Reminder: the number of bitcoins created is limited to 21 million units (depending on the protocol). Currently, about 18.7 million bitcoins have been mined and are in circulation, which means there are about 2.3 million left to be mined.

Now that the foundations are laid, let’s see what the news says.

Crypto prices rise with Bitcoin halving

By May 2020, it was the 3rd halving, resulting in a halving of the reward for Bitcoin miners (from 12.5 to 6.25 bitcoins per validated block).

With this? There is an increase in the value of the token and its rarity over time.

Also, since May 2020, the price of Bitcoin has risen dramatically, reaching its all-time high in April 2021 at nearly $65,000.

The halving phenomenon is therefore a major event and its repercussions are weighing on the crypto market and investors.

Bitcoin halving: One man’s happiness does not make another man happy

The gold miners

Let’s take the concrete case of gold miners who will gradually see themselves being rewarded less and less as gold resources diminish.

However, the extraction conditions are increasingly difficult and require more and more energy. And that doesn’t stop the price of gold from rising with scarcity.

Behind the scenes

The concept is the same for bitcoin.

Like all people born on February 29 who look forward to their birthday, bitcoin aficionados prepare for this event every 4 years. Like the grail, they are waiting:

• the halving of the reward given to miners (which focuses on validating blocks),
• To the decrease of bitcoins in circulation and the increase of its price

Conversely, minors find themselves in this complex position. While they receive fewer rewards, the demand for mining is increasingly demanding, competitive.

And the energy and resources required to validate a block are expensive.

Bitcoin halving and inflation: two realities impacting the crypto’s price

Upstream of this, a double reality emerges:

• On the one hand, halving the rewards given to miners -> – decreasing the number of new bitcoins entering the market with theincrease of the scarcity and the value of the price -> – risk of re-centralization of the networks.
• On the other hand, we have inflation: with the general and lasting increase in the prices of goods and services -> decrease in the value of money.

Yet the higher the inflation, the more it negatively impacts the economy and the value of assets, including crypto-currencies.

Conclusion

• Generally speaking, halving is generally welcomed by the crypto community, as it helps maintain the scarcity and value of Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies.
• By halving the reward to miners for validating blocks, halving limits the supply of new bitcoins entering the market, which can lead to an increase in their value.
• However, the impact on miners could have the opposite effect of re-centralizing exchanges as mining capacity and profitability will tend to decline.

Crypto has grown dramatically in recent years, both with individuals and businesses.

Unfortunately, cases of hacking, theft or fraud are constantly occurring.

Several notable events have highlighted the importance of cryptocurrency security:

In 2014, the exchange platform Mt. Gox suffered a massive hack resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in digital assets for the platform’s users.

In 2016, it was Bitfinex that suffered a similar attack, resulting in the loss of over $60 million in digital assets.

Recently, in the fall of 2022, we had the FTX case that brought back the famous phrase “Not your keys Not your coins”.

These events have highlighted the risks that users may encounter when storing their crypto on third-party platforms.

In addition, there are also cases of individual wallets being stolen due to the vulnerability of their own devices or their own lack of security.

In 2020, one cryptocurrency user lost more than $400,000 due to malware installed on their computer.

So crypto security is an issue. The security risks are real and can have significant financial consequences.

It is important to understand that crypto wallet are not designed to store assets, as these are stored on the corresponding crypto blockchain.

In this article, we will explore all the security measures you can take to secure your crypto and reduce the risks.

Securing your crypto wallet by wallet type

1/ Crypto custodial wallet VS non-custodial wallet

Wallet custodial

Here, a third party (also called custodian) is responsible for storing the digital assets on behalf of the user.

Custodians are typically regulated entities that provide crypto custody services to institutional or individual clients.

The best known today are the centralized exchanges (Binance, Kraken, Coinbase …)

They are often used to store large amounts of crypto, as they offer increased security over individual wallets.

They can provide physical and logical security for digital assets, as well as insurance against loss or theft.

Logical security is provided by advanced security protocols, such as two-step verification and identity management to protect accounts from hacker attacks or operator error.

When a user wants to access their funds stored in a custodial portfolio, they typically have to go through a rigorous verification process, such as identity verification and authorization validation.

Users may also be subject to withdrawal limits to protect against financial loss.

Security issues related to the crypto custodial wallet

Custodian risks: users must trust the custodian to store their digital assets securely. If the custodian suffers a security breach or negligence, users’ digital assets can be compromised.

Third-party risks: Custodians may also work with third parties to provide services (hosting, archiving), such as private key management and system maintenance. If these third parties are compromised, it can also put the security of digital assets at risk.

User Error Risks: Users can make mistakes, such as losing passwords or disclosing credentials, that can jeopardize the security of their digital assets.

Risks from hacker attacks: hackers may attempt to hack into the security systems of custodial wallets to gain access to stored digital assets.

Risks related to fraudulent activity: custodians may be targeted by fraudsters attempting to gain unauthorized access to digital assets stored in custodial portfolios.

Non-custodial wallet

Here, the user has full control over their digital assets. There is no third party involved, which means that the user is responsible for the security of their funds.

They are popular for those looking to maximize their anonymity and privacy, as they do not need to provide personal information to create a wallet.

They are often based on decentralized blockchain technologies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.

These wallets are available as mobile applications, desktop software or hardware wallets.

When a user creates a non-custodial wallet, they generate a unique private key that gives them full control over their digital assets.

? The private key is a security code that must be kept safe, as it is used to interact with the funds stored in the wallet.

It is important to remember that if you lose your private key or if it is compromised, you lose your crypto forever.

Users should be aware of the risks associated with fraudulent transactions, such as phishing attacks and fake websites that attempt to trick users into divulging their private key or personal information.

What is a key?

The “keys” of a crypto wallet are digital codes used to access stored digital assets.

Think of it as a kind of password or PIN code.

Two types of keys exist: private keys and public keys.

Private keys are secret digital codes that give users exclusive access to their digital assets.

Public keys are digital codes that identify the user’s wallet and allow access to it, but do not allow interaction with the digital assets.

Why use a key? To sign transactions and prove ownership of stored digital assets.

They are very important, as they are used to release funds stored in the portfolio.

If a user loses their private key, they can no longer access the funds stored in the wallet and they are considered lost

It is important to keep your private key safe to avoid the risk of hacking or theft.

The concept of seed phrase

Also known as a “recovery phrase,” the seed phrase is a randomly generated set of words, usually 12, 18 or 24, that can be used to recover a lost or damaged private key from a cryptocurrency wallet.

The seed phrase is also called the “recovery mnemonic” or “backup phrase”.

When a user creates a new crypto wallet, the wallet generates a private key and a seed phrase.

If a user loses their private key or their device is damaged, they can recover their digital assets by entering the seed phrase into a new wallet.

Different types of crypto wallets

Using the right type of crypto wallet plays a crucial role in the security of a user’s digital assets. To optimize security, it is important to understand the different types of portfolios available and choose the one that best suits your needs.

The paper waller

A paper wallet is a way to store your digital assets on a physical medium, usually in the form of a sheet of paper containing the information needed to access your funds.

Unlike online wallets or wallets on a device, it is an “offline” way to store your private keys.

How to create it? Users generate a pair of private and public keys, which they print on a physical medium such as paper.

Users can then transfer their digital assets to their paper wallet using the public address of their wallet.

Although paper crypto wallets are considered extremely secure because they are “offline”, they can be lost or damaged and are not as convenient as online digital wallets.

The digital portfolio

A digital wallet stores the private key locally on the device, encrypted by the chosen password.

They are often convenient and easy to use, but can be vulnerable to security risks related to private key management.

The best known are MetaMask and TrustWallet, their main advantage is the ease in interactions between crypto-currencies and your wallet.

The online wallet

The online crypto wallet allows to interact with the database of the service provider (Binance, Kraken …). Its main advantage is the ease of use, but it is still subject to hacking from the gatekeeper’s platform. Private keys are in the possession of the custodian only.

The use of this type of wallet nevertheless implies an identity verification (KYC: Know Your Customer) and consequently an end to anonymity.

The physical wallet.

Also called the “hardware wallet”, this wallet is an electronic device dedicated to the storage of private keys.

Hardware wallets are considered very secure because, the private keys are stored offline on the device and can only be accessed by the physical user of the device.

They are often equipped with advanced security features, such as password protection and firmware integrity checking. They are more expensive than other types of portfolios.

The best known physical wallets are Ledger and Trezor, the main advantage is the security, since it will require manual and physical validation actions during transactions.

Hybrid portfolio

In concrete terms, it is a physical wallet associated with a digital wallet (or “hybrid wallet” in English).

This solution combines the advantages of physical and digital wallets. They allow users to securely store their private keys on a dedicated electronic device (physical wallet), while offering the convenience of a digital wallet for everyday transactions.

Discover our article on our FAQ to link your physical wallet to a digital wallet (Metamask).

Keep your keys to protect your crypto wallet ?

Here are five common options for saving a recovery phrase

Local backup

Users can store their recovery phrase locally on their device, preferably encrypted. This option may be vulnerable to malware attacks.

Online backup

Users can store their recovery phrase in an online password database such as Bitwarden, Dashlane. This option offers increased convenience and accessibility, but can be vulnerable to online security risks.

Paper

Users can write their recovery phrase on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe place (personal safe/banks, notaries, trusted third party). This option may offer increased security, but may be vulnerable to loss or physical damage (fire, flood …) as well as theft.

Physical Support

Users can store their recovery phrase on dedicated physical media, such as a Cryptosteel, Cryptotag or Billfodl. This option provides added security against physical damage, but does not prevent the risk of loss or theft.

Secure USB key

Users can store their recovery phrase on a secure USB flash drive, such as the Corsair or Apricorn flash drives, or secure a standard flash drive with utilities (Bitlocker …). This option offers increased security against theft by setting a password to access the contents, but does not avoid the risk of loss.

Galeon’s opinion ✅

Hardware crypto-currency wallets are generally considered the most secure.

Private keys are stored offline on the device, making them less vulnerable to being hacked by the device in use.

Hardware portfolios are equipped with advanced security features, such as password protection and firmware integrity checking, making them difficult to compromise. Also, they are convenient for everyday transactions, as they can be connected to a computer or smartphone to allow for secure crypto-currency transfers.

Do your own research before investing in a cryptocurrency or blockchain project. Look for information about the team members, their experience and work history. Be wary of investment offers that seem too good to be true. Promises of high returns in a short period of time are often a sign of a scam.

Never share the recovery phrase with others. The recovery phrase is the key to your digital assets and should be protected as such.

Before storing the recovery phrase, test it to make sure it works properly. If the recovery phrase is incorrect or incomplete, you may lose access to your digital assets.

Regularly check the integrity of the media used. If you use multiple storage media, make sure the backups are consistent and up-to-date.

Use multiple storage locations: For added security, store the recovery phrase on multiple identical storage media. The support can be entrusted to a third party in addition to a support at your home for example.

By following these security practices, you can avoid losing your recovery phrase and keep your digital assets safe. It’s important to take the time to consider which storage method is best for your situation and take steps to protect your recovery phrase accordingly.

This article provides an understanding of the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in general and the learning methods with which it is developed.

First of all, let’s remember the very concept of Artificial Intelligence, a technology programmed in such a way as to be able to carry out actions in an autonomous way. All inspired by the learning methods of us, human beings.

Many of us still see it as a concept that is far too abstract or idealized compared to the real benefits it could bring us.

Yet in a number of fields, such as medicine or ecology, AI can change everything.

But rather than trying to convince by citing impactful AI projects, or crypto AI projects that make sense, let’s look at the subject from another angle.

Let’s try to understand how AI machines work, globally, and on which learning method they are based. Let’s also try to take a look at the different branches of AI, like machine learning or robotics.

As you can see, AI is a very specific technology, which can be divided into sub-categories according to its application and learning methods.

Understand the different categories of Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and super AI

First of all, we distinguish a type of AI according to its ability to think like a human being or not.

From there, we distinguish 3 categories: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), and super AI.

Artificial Narrow Intelligence(ANI)

It is used to perform simple tasks. Works according to algorithms programmed by humans. Here we perform a predefined task. No autonomous thinking for this type of machine.

Example: Apple’s Siri voice assistance, Google Assistant or Amazon with Alexa. These use AI for voice commands and provide users with appropriate responses. There are still examples in fraud detection or machine translation.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

In this context, AI has the ability to think and make decisions like a human. With the precision that for the moment, there is not yet a strong AI.

Hypothetical example: an AI capable of solving problems that humans cannot solve such as scientific or mathematical reasoning.

A debate exists about the very possibility of its existence with 2 distinct schools. ?

The super AI (ASI or Artificial Super Intelligence)

We are here in a science fiction scenario, the super AI refers to the fact that an AI surpasses the intelligence of human beings with all the theories that this entails.

Learning methods at the heart of AI machines

A. Machine Learning: exploring essential learning methods

Machine learning is the part of AI that allows machines to interpret, process and analyze data to solve real-world problems.

In short, a lot of data is given to a machine to digest so that it can then analyze it all.

Machine learning has different learning methods programmed according to: supervised learning, unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning.

1/ The supervised machine learning method based on labeled examples

Here, computers must perform specific tasks from examples that have been labeled (training data).

Example: on image recognition.

The idea being that the machine can determine if the image it is shown, belongs to the same category as those it has been shown in previous examples. ?

If we take the example of cat images, we will first show thousands of images labeled as “cat” to this computer. The latter then analyzes these images and learns to identify the characteristics that distinguish them from other animals.

Once the computer has learned to recognize cat images from these examples, it will be given new images, images never seen before. Then we’ll ask it whether or not it’s a cat image. ?

The computer then uses what it has learned from the examples to make a prediction.

2/ Unsupervised learning by comparison

Unsupervised learning is opposed to supervised learning, as the machine will not use labeled examples to perform its analysis.

He will proceed by comparison, according to the characteristics of the various elements.

Example: image segmentation. The goal is to be able to group similar images according to their similarities, without having a pre-established answer.

Very useful in recommending products on the internet for example or on apps.

3/ Reinforcement learning method, the experience

This form of learning corresponds to the one that we finally find in human beings. Thus, we rely on experiences and interactions with the environment.

In the same way, the computer explores decision making or commands, it receives either a reward or a penalty depending on its choices.

The goal being of course, that the computer advances by collecting the most rewards and thus, improve its future choices.

B/ Deep Learning: learning that dives into neural networks

Deep learning is a subcategory of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to process more complex data and deeper models.

In short, deep learning is a more advanced and powerful machine learning technique, capable of analyzing more complex data using deeper and more sophisticated neural networks.

It is the image of a child in the process of learning who first learns the shapes. And who, little by little, uses what he sees and understands to make constructions from these forms (to see what works or not).

Thus, with deep learning, a virtual neural network is developed on large data to obtain information and create new solutions.

As these virtual neural networks explore more layers, the data becomes increasingly complex to analyze.

C/ Learning from natural language processing

AI learning will be based on the scientific method of learning from natural human language to create machines capable of communicating, and ultimately developing businesses

D/ Other branches of AI: robotics, expert systems, fuzzy logic

Without going into detail, these other learning methods include

• Robotics which is the application of AI on robots;
• Expert systems that take over the expertise of a human being in order to develop a specific thinking capacity;
• The fuzzy logic technique, a way for computers to understand things that are not just “true” or “false”, but can be a bit of both. It helps machines make decisions closer to those we humans might make in somewhat complicated situations (e.g. medicine).

In short.

1. There are two main types of AI: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Narrow AI is designed to perform specific tasks, while General AI can think and make decisions like a human (doesn’t exist yet). The “super” AI is a 3rd hypothesis of type of AI, a bit science-fiction, which exceeds human intelligence.
2. There are several branches of AI including machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, robotics, expert systems and fuzzy logic.
3. There are three learning methods in machine learning: supervised learning, unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning.

While we were just getting out of the torrent chatGPT torrent that flooded absolutely all our social networks, it’s Google’s turn to bring out its joker card.

Indeed, Google introduces itself with Google Bard (“Bard” for friends).

A tool to exploit the advanced capabilities of what is called generative AI, Artificial Intelligence generating content.

No need to go back to the conference given on this occasion on February 8, 2023 (“Google Live from Paris”) and the few setbacks that were noted, but let’s rather try to understand the added value of Bard.

In addition to its mode of operation, we will also study its position in relation to other projectsof Artificial Intelligence, especially in the field of medical AI.

1/ Google Bard, the generative AI revolution according to Google

Before we give you a taste of what Google Bard will be like, let’s first go back to the concept of generative AI.

A. Generative AI, artificial intelligence at your service

If you’ve ever dreamed of being able to conjure up just about anything you wanted with a magic wand, well, generative AI is pretty much all of that (to some extent, of course). ?

Like an artist, a generative AI creates new things, all by itself. In this case, it generates content.

Generative AI is therefore a kind of computer program that uses rules and examples found from a database to create new content, such as images, music, text or even voice.

Using these rules and examples, generative AI can create things that no one has ever seen before, like a new song or a new picture.

Imagine that you give instructions to a robot to draw a cat, but you don’t give it an example to copy.

Instead, the robot uses rules to draw a unique cat, as if it were creating a new cat from scratch.

Generative AI works the same way, except that it follows rules in order to create new things.

B. How does Google Bard’s generative AI work?

Bard is a computer program based on search engine technology.

1/ Bard, a smaller version of the LaMDA

Google Bard is an adapted version of another technology called LaMDA (for Language Model for Dialogue Applications).

This is a combination of conversational neural language models trained on over 1.56 trillion words (million billion)*.

*1.56 trillion words can also be expressed in “petabytes”. Knowing that a byte is a computer storage unit containing a single character, such as a letter or a number. A petabyte is equal to one trillion bytes, which is equivalent to 1.56 trillion words.

To understand this last concept, just imagine a teacher teaching a computer how to receive all the information given by a human.

A sort of decoder capable of understanding both the words expressed and the questions asked in order to answer as naturally as possible.

Bard is trained from the “Infiniset” database.

The latter is nothing less than the backbone of Google Bard, composed of a multitude of data coming for example from dialog boxes or public forums, web texts, C4 data (graphic technique allowing to understand the functioning and the architecture of software)… etc.

2/ The added value of GoogleBard?

At this point, it’s not really clear whether or not Google Bard competes with other generative AIs like chatGPT.

The project representatives argue that this AI will allow for much more up-to-date information to be indexed, analyzed and reformulated in even more precise ways.

What is certain is the ability that Google Bard offers as a tool for understanding natural language with great accuracy.

In this sense, Google Bard innovates in the field of speech synthesis, not requiring repetition or rephrasing from the user.

3/ Google Bard, AI accessible to the public

It is important to note the difference between Google’s generative AI and OpenAI’s, which aim to answer questions based on data that may or may not have been initially validated, from an AI specifically designed to solve technical problems.

We are thinking in particular of all the emerging projects that develop AI for prediction models, for example, in the insurance, finance or meteorology sectors.

Google Bard is there to answer questions based on supervised learning.

In the medical field, for example, it would be ridiculous to simply rely on Google Bard to get answers or make diagnoses.

While medical AI, as developed by Galeon for example, will enable new problems to be raised from a set of highly structured and specific data.

Thus, in the long run, this technique called blockchain swarm learning will help advance medical research.

Conclusion

• Google Bard is a new generative AI developed by Google based on search engine technology (a scaled down version of LaMDA).

• This technology can understand and respond to natural language more accurately and efficiently.

• The Infiniset database is the backbone of Google Bard.

• It is important to differentiate generative AI from other AI that aim to solve technical problems, such as the medical AI developed by Galeon.

• Google Bard is an innovative tool for answering questions in a more natural and fluent way, opening new perspectives in the field of speech synthesis and natural language processing.