Who is Matthew Najar and some of his thoughts? Governments in major economies are encouraging financial technology (fintech) innovation with regulatory and advisory initiatives designed to accelerate the availability of online payment solutions and other financial services for businesses. The initiatives generally aim to attract innovative fintech companies and help them operate in the regulated financial sector, while ensuring adequate financial protection for customers.

Matthew Najar believes without new FinTech initiatives, we will stall: “FinTech, blockchain certainly included, is critical for our generation to solve inherent financial system issues and progress forward”.

The U.K., traditionally a major financial-services centre, has actively encouraged new competition in banking, reducing barriers to entry such as banks’ capital requirements. As a result, several new digital banks are already offering Internet-based banking services, including online payment solutions, without establishing brick-and-mortar locations. Another ongoing U.K. initiative designed to enable competition and fintech innovation is the implementation of an open banking standard by 2018, including an open application programming interface (API) that enables development of new applications to access information in customers’ existing accounts at one or more banks. For example, customers might be able to manage all their bank accounts from a single app.

The initiatives are taking place against a backdrop of rapid fintech growth. There are thousands of fintech start-ups worldwide, and many have attracted substantial venture funding; a report from KPMG and CB Insights found that global fintech funding reached $19.1 billion in 2015. Several countries are planning or have already implemented licensing or regulatory changes that enable technology firms to offer broader banking services. In the U.S., the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which regulates national banks, said in December 2016 that it planned to make a special-purpose national bank charter available to fintechs. The charter would enable start-ups that currently offer other financial services, including B2B payments and other online payment solutions, to begin offering at least one of three regulated banking activities: receiving deposits, paying checks, or lending money.

Although online wallets have proven the most vulnerable and prone to hacking attacks, diligent security precautions need to be implemented and followed when using any wallet. Remember that no matter which wallet you use, losing your private keys will lead you to lose your money. Similarly, if your wallet gets hacked, or you send money to a scammer, there is no way to reclaim lost currency or reverse the transaction. You must take precautions and be very careful!

Though many experts agree that the OCC’s move could encourage innovation, some warned that implementing inadequate regulation might weaken consumer protection and even harm small businesses by allowing practices such as predatory lending. The EU has also begun an effort to encourage fintech innovation across Europe, establishing a Financial Technology Task Force in 2016.

How do they work? You really do not need to deal with a third party when it comes to cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency gives people a sense of security and confidence. Low cost. It is not necessary to disburse money to exchange cryptocurrencies. All you need to be able to carry out transactions is your cell phone and a basic knowledge of cryptocurrencies.

Once you’ve made your purchase, your new Bitcoin will be stored in your Coinbase wallet. You should then seek out the option to transfer these funds to the address of the Bitcoin wallet you have created that’s off the exchange. You will have to pay a small fee to do so, but that is part and parcel of Bitcoin transfers. Fortunately, the fees for such trades are far from their peak.

A lot of Altcoins end up losing value over a certain period of time, sometimes in an unusually short period of time. It is, therefore, paramount to understand that whenever you hold an altcoin for the long term, be careful not to hold on to them for too long. One of the best measures of coins that are perfect for long-term investments is the daily trading volumes. The higher the daily trading volume, the more suitable an asset is for long-term investments. If you’re thinking of going long term with cryptocurrencies, consider investing in some of the following coins: Ethereum (ETH), Factor (FCT), Monero (XRM), and Dash. These have decent trading volumes on various exchanges around the world.

If you’re beginning, you’re likely eager to trade. I get it, really. But don’t rush it. Take a little bit of time to develop a basic cryptocurrency trading strategy and to educate yourself. Do you know the basics of blockchain technology and Bitcoin? Do you know what circulating vs total supply means? Do you understand what inflation is? Do you know about exchanges, wallets, private keys, and public keys? If you can’t answer these basic questions, you’ll be in trouble quick enough. Take some time to prepare yourself, it’s essential.