Businesses use ICOs to raise funds for blockchain based projects. The concept involves collecting money from contributors and issuing a new token in return.
While ICOs were quite successful, collecting over $20 billion in the last two years, there were also problems in the form of scams. In fact, about 80% of ICOs are said to be scams.
The overall regulatory context around the world is presented on two extremes – either ICOs are banned, and we can take China’s 2017 ICO ban as an example, or countries are working to come up with regulations for security offerings, as exemplified by France’s LOI PACTE. On the middle ground, there are the countries that haven’t taken a firm stance yet.
In consequence of this global context, entrepreneurs were forced to turn to a new way of collecting funds. There was a shift at the end of 2018 to Security Tokens Offerings, a more secure and regulated way to raise funds. Expected to be 2019’s primary choice by start-ups and investors, its adoption may be threatened. Now, Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs) is on the table.
What is an Initial Exchange Offering?
An Initial Exchange Offering, more commonly known as an IEO, is a method used to collect funds for blockchain-based projects.
It’s conducted on crypto exchanges and is administered by the exchange on behalf of the start-up that intends to raise funds.
Issuers have to pay a percentage of the number of tokens sold in addition to a listing fee to the exchange in return for the services.
The exchange agrees not only to sell the token during the IEO but also to list the token after the initial sale is over. The exchange may promote the IEO as it gets paid a percentage of the sales, i.e., the more sales made, the more commission will be paid to the exchange.
Buying tokens in an IEO is quite easy. Participants can make an account on the platform and make a purchase. There is no need to deal with smart contracts.
The Growth of IEOs
Due to the massive success of IEOs, more and more start-ups are now using this method to raise funds. Plus, a growing number of exchanges have started to offer IEO services.
The method is beneficial for everyone involved – exchanges get to earn more, and start-ups get to sale quickly without the hassle of laws and regulations.
Many credit Binance for the huge success of IEOs. The company launched its own IEO platform, Binance Launchpad, in 2017.
The company’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao, spoke about the service:
“It’s basically an exchange, an initial sales platform where we help projects to raise money[…] if you are just at the white paper stage, then that’s a lot harder for us to evaluate. We do evaluate very strictly.”
BitTorrent was the first big name to use the platform. The company raised $7.27 million in just 15 minutes, hitting the hard cap.
However, it didn’t take too long to break the record. The second IEO on the platform, Fetch.AI, hit the $6 million hard cap in only 22 seconds.
It was over in a about 10 seconds. The queue was totally packed within seconds. The processing is just draining the queue slowly. Congrats to @fetch_ai !
— CZ Binance (@cz_binance) February 25, 2019
This pushed other exchanges to also come up with their own IEO platforms. Some of the most popular names today include Bitmax Launchpad, OK Jumpstart, KuCoin Spotlight, Huobi Prime, and Bittrex IEO.
The Differences Between IEOs and ICOs
The table below explains all the major differences between the two options:
| IEO | ICO | |
| Fundraising Handled By | The Exchange | The Startup |
| Smart Contract Handled By | The Exchange | The Start-up |
| Automatic Listing | Yes – the exchange will list the token | No – the start-up must get in touch with the exchange for listing |
| AML/KYC Needed | No – not needed in most cases | Yes – required in most cases |
| Screening Required | Yes – the exchange will screen the start-up | No – anyone can start an ICO if it’s legal in the country |
| Marketing Budget | Low – the exchange often markets on behalf of the start-up | Yes – the start-up has to spend heavily on marketing and reaching an audience |
| Visibility | High – Anyone visiting the exchange platform will know about it | Low – depends mostly on advertising efforts |
| Fees | Yes – have to pay a listing fee and a percentage of sales to the exchange | No – there are no commissions involved, but there may be other expenses |
Benefits of IEOS
-
Easier for Start-ups
IEOs may look expensive on paper as start-ups have to pay a listing fee and commission, but it can be very helpful in the long-run.
Start-ups do not have to spend much on marketing as the exchange handles the job. Plus, IEOs get to benefit from the exchange’s customers base.
In addition to this, the start-up does not have to work on getting listed as it’s also a part of the deal.
-
Trust
Buyers or participants have more faith in IEOs as they are conducted on the exchange platform. Exchanges are known to perform heavy screening before selecting a start-up, reducing the risk of scams.
An excellent example of exchanges taking a stand is the RAID IEO. Bittrex cancelled the IEO a few hours before launch due to RAID’s failure to maintain a partnership with OP.GG.
Since the partnership was vital to the project, Bittrex decided to cancel the IEO to protect its customers.
-
Security
Customers feel secure regarding payments and their information as they know they are in safe hands. The exchange handles the entire process.
Plus, many of the buyers already have accounts with the exchange, which they may be able to use to take part in IEOs.
How Expensive Are IEOs?
While the overall cost changes from exchange to exchange, most charge a listing fee of 20 BTCs. Plus, the commission can be as high as 10%.
The Future of IEOs
IEOs are great for business, but they still leave investors in a precarious position. There might be a lower risk of scams, but there is no guarantee of success.
For example, EXMO, which launched an IEO in the first quarter of 2019, defines its vetting process as:
You cannot deny the fact that IEOs look very similar to ICOs, but they do offer more security and trust. Alongside STOs, it seems as if start-ups and investors aren’t limited in options to raise funds. It’s best to not rely solely on third-parties and to do your own research to check the potential of a project.
This is a beautiful picture with very good lighting
Aw, this was a very nice post. In concept I would like to put in writing like this additionally ? taking time and precise effort to make a very good article? but what can I say? I procrastinate alot and under no circumstances appear to get one thing done.
I am so happy to read this. This is the kind of manual that needs to be given and not the random misinformation that is at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this greatest doc.
Bookmarked. Kindly also seek“오피스북” advice from my site We could have a hyperlink alternate arrangement among us
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about appliance repair.Regards
One other issue is that if you are in a problem where you would not have a cosigner then you may really need to try to wear out all of your school funding options. You could find many grants and other scholarships that will ensure that you get finances to help with college expenses. Thanks a lot for the post.
Hello there, I discovered your website by the use of Google while searching for a related subject, your site got here up, it seems great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Paul ‘X-22’ Magriel, former chess prodigy and legendary backgammon player, passed away in his sleep at the age of 71. Erik Seidel confirmed Magriel’s passing on Twitter today. Magriel got his 15 minutes of modern fame on an early episode of the World Poker Tour with his infamous verbal tick “Quack quack!” Magriel had also become a nemesis of Phil Hellmuth over the years especially after Magriel busted Hellmuth at the 2005 WSOP. No, three pair is not a poker hand. Poker hands consist of 5 cards, not 6. Full House CombinationsFun fact, there are 156 different kinds of full houses in a standard 52-card deck. There are also 3,744 different full house card combinations. There are 10 possible poker hands. The most valuable hand is a Royal Flush, a Straight Flush made of the highest value cards in the game.
https://www.bookmark-maker.win/wizard-slots-withdrawal
These are just a few examples of the best slots Slotomania Casino has to offer. With a wide variety of themes and gameplay styles, Slotomania Casino is an ideal destination for those looking to play casino games online, particularly for fans of slot machines. Slotomania social gaming online casino was created and developed by Playtika, which was the first company to introduce free to play casino games to social networks. Now there are hundreds of different social gaming apps and sites to choose from, but Slotomania is still ranked as one of the best. Slotomania isn’t a real money gambling site, and instead it uses coins as the way in which you fund your wagering. However, there’s always the chance that you might want to make an in-app purchase during your time with Slotomania. Thankfully this is pretty easy to do and you can do it by using anything from iTunes and Google Play or even Facebook as your payment platform. If you are looking for a social casino that no only provides you with tons of payment methods but also a far better range of social casino games, this is the operator you should direct your attention towards instead:
Throughout the awesome design of things you actually secure a B+ with regard to effort. Exactly where you actually misplaced everybody ended up being in the details. As it is said, the devil is in the details… And it couldn’t be more true in this article. Having said that, allow me say to you what exactly did give good results. Your authoring can be quite convincing which is most likely why I am making the effort in order to opine. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Second, while I can see the jumps in logic you come up with, I am not certain of exactly how you seem to connect your ideas that produce the actual conclusion. For the moment I shall yield to your issue however hope in the foreseeable future you link your facts better.
Originally formed in 1926, Coral began life as a bookmaking outfit under the watch of Joe Coral. After building the brand and creating a network of betting shops across the UK, Coral expanded its gaming options to include bingo with the formation of Gala Bingo in 1991. When transferring over to the partypoker network, Coral poker made a lucrative change in the way they reward their players. Instead of their old VIP program, they now offer players a program in line with its sister brands at partypoker giving up to 40% cashback depending on your weekly activity. Coral are giving you even more chances to finish in the money with our new group of tournaments, Daily Legends! Программа лояльности Coral Poker Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral Poker Run & Car Show
http://www.hanmarulaw.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=24770
There are many great free spin bonus codes to choose from, and some of the best free spins no deposit bonus codes can let you start playing slots with no money down and no risk. But while all the casinos covered on this page provide a decent selection of free spin promos, the BUSR Casino outshines them all. These may be in the general terms and conditions of a Bally Casino promo, but they can also be in the small print. Instead of assuming there are none, even if you’re signing up at sweepstake casinos, it’s wiser to check and make sure you know what to do. Some offers specify which casino games qualify for the playthrough and wagering requirements. Even other actions, like opting for an early cashout, can also get you disqualified. You never know, so it’s best to double-check.