The financial system as we know it has existed for centuries now. Major changes have occurred since, and the market has become open to more traders than ever before. This all started with the first exchange in the world, which opened in Amsterdam in the year 1653. This exchange started the trade of shares in the VOC, the Dutch East-Indies Company. Noblemen and traders were able to purchase shares here and receive dividends upon their holdings.
How the Internet Opened Markets
Fast forward 400 years later, and the system still looks similar. When you look at Wall Street back in the seventies, you see screaming men trying to place orders on a busy floor. During this time, trading on the stock exchange was not available to all. You needed to have sufficient funds and the transaction fees could be significant for a small retail investor.
With technology advancing, the Internet emerged and allowed for many more people to trade. Brokers became digital and you could create an account within hours instead of days. Transaction fees also became low, allowing retail investors to increase their presence.
Satoshi and the Rise of Cryptocurrencies
The Internet has transformed the stock market but also gave rise to a completely different store of value. In 2009, it was Satoshi Nakamoto (a pseudonym) who put the first version of Bitcoin into production. This peer-to-peer technology was the first system that did not require any intermediary to perform transactions. The transactions were simply validated by the participants in the network using a consensus mechanism. This concerned a difficult computing problem that needed to be solved, which required a lot of computing power. This is the reason why the consensus mechanism is called Proof of Work: the validators of transactions are rewarded with bitcoin when they have put in the work of solving the computing problem.
With Bitcoin, a whole new set of financial assets has been developed. Ranging from Ethereum to Litecoin and the coin named after a dog (Dogecoin), many new products cater to the needs of investors.
All the information you need on your smartphone
The broad set of financial assets available make it helpful for a piece of technology to help you navigate the realm. Now you can simply do so by tracking all your holdings using a stock tracker or crypto tracker. This intelligent piece of software has access to real-time data from stock exchanges around the globe.
Traditional and crypto assets combined
A good example of a hybrid tracker application is Delta. They are bringing the world of traditional financial assets and cryptocurrencies together into a single platform. This allows you to have a complete overview of all your holdings, in real-time. This is enriched with relevant news to your holdings, analysis of your transactions as well as notifications (e.g., when prices are heavily fluctuating). This allows you to stay on top of your game without the need to continue checking your holdings through a portal. Financial compagnions like Delta usher in a new era of financial inclusion and visibility through real-time insights.
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” he is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
