What Does a 'Layer 2 Blockchain' Mean?

Since Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008, blockchains have continued to gain popularity.

People have applied blockchain technology to other areas, besides payments, thanks to its decentralised and secure nature.

Scalability is what Ethereum founder, Vitalik Buterin, calls a component of the "blockchain trilemma."

Buterin's thesis explains that no blockchain network can equally provide decentralisation, security, and scalability. They must sacrifice certain elements to achieve near-optimal functionality.

Bitcoin and Ethereum trade off scalability for security and decentralisation for scalability. That explains why a major blockchain network like Bitcoin can process around 7 transactions per second. For context, Visa's payments system can process up to 24,000 transactions per second.

If blockchain technology must attract more users, it must solve the scalability problem. Several solutions have appeared in recent years, including the now-popular “layer 2” protocols.

Click HERE to find out what layer 2 blockchain means, how it works, and why it’s important for blockchain adoption.

A Visual Guide to Profile Picture NFTs

How do you represent yourself on social media? For most people it’s a selfie, a photo with their friends, or a picture of their pet—but what about a digitally-created character?

Profile picture NFTs are pieces of digital artwork that people use to express themselves online. Each item is a depiction of a character’s face, and has a unique mix of attributes that gives it a sense of collectability.

Like other NFTs, they’re secured on a blockchain and can be bought and sold for cryptocurrency. And while there’s nothing to stop you from screenshotting an NFT and using it for your own profile, the market for these items continues to grow.

To learn more, check out this infographic HERE. It explains how three well-known profile picture NFT collections were created.

Decentralized Finance - What it is and what it means

"If you're not into cryptocurrency, then the mere mention of Bitcoin or Ethereum probably makes you want to roll your eyes. However, it's possible you won't be able to ignore the changes that will arise in the world of non-traditional banking for long.

That's because DeFi is currently on a path to disrupt most financial transactions in a major way. But, what is DeFi exactly? Well first, it’s short for “Decentralized Finance”.". So writes Robert Farrington in Forbes magazine.

Find out all about Decentralized Finance; what it is and what it means. Read the full article in Forbes HERE

Blockchain Unmasked

By Stanley Epstein

"For many of us, as we advance further and further into this new digital world, we are assailed by a plethora of new technologies, new terms, new ways of thinking and new ways of processing transactions.

One of these technologies is the blockchain.

Few people really understand what the blockchain is, but banks, financial institutions, IT organizations, consultants and even the general public are all abuzz about blockchain technology and how it is going to revolutionize finance."

To read the rest of this article please visit ILLUMEO's Blog >> HERE

New On-line Training Course - Understanding the Blockchain

Few people understand what the blockchain really is, but banks, financial institutions, Information Technology (IT) organizations, consultants and even the general public are all abuzz about blockchain technology and how it is going to revolutionize finance.

Bitcoin. Blockchain. Cryptocurrencies. ICO's. 

These are terminologies that everyone’s talking about, but what do these words really mean?

Find out in this brand new on-line course that will provide you with clear definitions and a explanations for the blockchain; the theory, the technology, the process, the use-cases and much more.

Additionally we are also going to give you a great 10% course discount. Just use Coupon Code CITADEL10 when you register.


Sign up for this course TODAY! 

Check out our other great on-line courses HERE