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Source - Investopedia

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are among the hottest modes of investment today, with investors pouring trillions of dollars into an ever-growing field of funds. Particularly in comparison with high-fee hedge funds (many of which have failed to live up to expectations on returns in recent years), low-fee ETFs provide a safer, more stable means of investing that has proven enticing for many investors. One of the wonderful things about ETFs is that they are infinitely broad in scope and focus; investors can use ETFs to participate (by proxy) in markets ranging from energy to marijuana. So why haven't cryptocurrency-based ETFs taken off so far?

Cryptocurrencies have been another of the hottest trends in the investment world in the past couple of years. Following the lead of breakout stars like bitcoin and ethereum, digital tokens have proliferated at an astonishing pace. Some of the most successful cryptocurrencies have seen outlandish gains. However, the industry is full of uncertainty and plagued by heavy volatility. For this reason, many investors would prefer to use a vehicle like an ETF to participate in the cryptocurrency space. In this way, they could take advantage of the excellent opportunities that tokens present without having to run the risk of actually owning them. Given that cryptocurrencies and digital token exchanges are still regularly the targets of thieves and scammers, it's understandable why investors might wish to take this extra precaution.

Below, we'll explore what cryptocurrency ETFs are, where they thrive, how they have developed in the U.S. and more. (See also: Are Bitcoin ETFs 'Nearly Certain'?)

By Victor Tangermann - Futurism

Venezuelans are faced with a terrible choice:

1. Continue making purchases using the country’s almost-worthless local currency, the bolivar.
2. Go to the black market and buy U.S. dollars.
3. Flee the country.

It got this way because the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, made some pretty terrible economic decisions. For one thing, he put all of Venezuela’s (economic) eggs in one notoriously bumpy basket: oil. The country’s always had a lot of it, but for a long time, it was just one of many resources the country exported, along with heavy industry products (steel, aluminum, cement) and agricultural products like rice and corn. By 2017, though, oil had taken over, accounting for 98 percent of the country’s export revenue. And when the price of oil took a nosedive in 2014 (from $115 to just $35 a barrel), the Venezuelan economy plummeted, too.

Basically all domestic businesses took a big hit — imported goods cost more, so local businesses were forced to charge higher prices, even for basic necessities. People could afford less, so they spent less money, which meant the government made less money in tax revenue. And instead of increasing interest rates or cutting back its own spending, the government took exactly the wrong tack: printing more money.

Source: by Mathew Dirjish - Sensors Online

On a quick first glance, I thought this news about fintech referred to technology trends in Finland. However, noting the lowercase ‘f’, I realized this was just another buzzword to learn. The term fintech, or financial technology, refers to computer programs and other technology used to support or enable banking and financial services. Allegedly, "fintech is one of the fastest-growing areas for venture capitalists", so ‘f’ me on that one, here are the four hottest trends in fintech as forecasted by the Data Driven Investor (DDI) team.

The financial technology sector has been experiencing a boom as the next generation of tech-savvy consumers of financial services are starting to choose banking apps over visiting branches, are investing in cryptocurrencies instead of buying stocks, and are applying for loans on peer-to-peer lending platforms instead of at their banks. Consumer demand-driven innovation in the fintech sector has led to a change in how individuals and businesses interact with financial services. This can be witnessed by the fintech sector’s hottest current trends, which include an increased push for more mobile-based services, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the implementation of biometric security, and a move towards more cloud computing.

1. GOING MOBILE