BitTorrent introduced a digital token that enables its users to receive faster downloads on the file-sharing platform, Venture Beat reported. The BitTorrent Foundation-issued cryptocurrency will let users earn rewards for sharing their computer power. At the same time, users can use the tokens toward speedier downloads on the company’s network. BitTorrent CEO Justin Sun, who is also the founder of TRON, said in an announcement, “In one giant leap, the BitTorrent client can introduce blockchain to hundreds of millions of users around the world and empower a new generation of content creators with the tools to distribute their content directly to others on the web.”
In other news, digital currency startup DX.Exchange is intending to roll out a trading platform that will let clients buy tokens that represent shares of Nasdaq-listed tech firms, Coindesk reported. In order to buy the tokens, clients will reportedly be able to use fiat currencies and certain digital currencies. According to the report, the customers will be buying tokens that represent a share of a company and not the company itself. DX.Exchange COO Amedeo Moscato told the outlet, that “the tokens are backed 1:1 to the real-world stocks.”
On another note, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) in Thailand created a system for voting that is based on the blockchain, Coindesk reported. The system could have applications ranging from elections at the community, provincial and nation levels to board of director votes in business. NECTEC Cybersecurity Laboratory Head Chalee Vorakulpipat said, according to reports, “The goal is to reduce fraud and maintain data integrity.”
And investors are still reportedly long on bitcoin: That is, DailyFX data indicates that close to eight in 10 individual investors are net invested in the cryptocurrency, Marketwatch reported. DailyFX Research Analyst Fan Xu wrote in a recent research post that “The number of traders net long is 0.4% lower than yesterday and 6.2% higher from last week, while the number of traders net short is 2.7% lower than yesterday and 6.4% lower from last week.” The price of bitcoin was $3,780.83 as of 6:38 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 3), according to Coindesk.