![blocportpromo.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcyv1382JC1AJzh8geF9wQ3ANA2DvVK8UBiPeaHA6KKDB/blocportpromo.JPG)

I am super excited to talk about the upcoming Blockport ICO. Blockport is a decentralized exchange, but with a very important twist. Decentralized exchanges are still coming into their own and really getting off the ground, but it's exactly what the crypto world needs at this crucial time when we have a hint at going mainstream. The important thing that differentiates Blockport from the rest? The fact that you never lose control of your coins or have to give up your private keys.

![blockport.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZhuWnMoZqAv76hBct2PaqSY6cCpte1sarLrx7WpBgWvw/blockport.JPG)

Blockport will allow you to keep your coins in your wallet, never give up your private key, plus all trades are performed through atomic swaps!! That to me is huge all by itself. But they plan to go a step further than that by allowing you to connect with different exchanges through their platform. I think the reason this is so important is that I, and many others, have experienced the fear of potentially losing their coins when they get hung up in a centralized exchanges. In fact, just this past week it took over 4 days to get my ETH deposit back from one of the smaller exchanges. That is not a fun feeling! Especially when you realize there are hundreds of other users going through the same thing and everyone is in panic mode because there is no communication from the exchange itself. 

![blockportkeys.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPDz4Gd5XV78oncXPWkqLbEHbAtZQvi3mRA4WZk6iXcTV/blockportkeys.JPG)

I think Blockport will alleviate those fears. But no only that, it will allow new traders to learn from experienced traders in a new social model. Traders will be able to follow and even mimick portfolios of other traders. This model also allows the experienced traders to benefit by earning Blockport tokens (BPT). This social aspect really sets Blockport apart from other decentralized exchanges. 

Exchange tokens are big right now, depending on their benefits to holders. But I really think the best ones to hold are from the decentralized exchanges because decentralization is really the whole point of crypto. People don't want the hassle and cost of sending tokens from one exchange to another to buy the latest gem, but more than that it's a little painful each time you think about entrusting your hard earned capital to be kept safe by someone behind the curtain.

The other thing I found interesting about Blockport is there partnerships. Particularly, the Ark.io partnership and the fact that Arks CFO, Lars Rensing, is on board as an advisor. 

![blockportpartners.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNxheUFaVo69JEdxUx535jsKB5RtF65DLRUfK7YuWR71p/blockportpartners.JPG) 

As for the ICO, the start date for the public token sale is January 24th, 2018. They already had a presale which sold out in approximately 3 minutes. The presale was fair, though, because they actually put a maximum on purchase. The intention here was that no one entity would hold a majority and everyone could partake. Here is the breakdown for the tokens and the amount proposed to be sold in the ICO per their whitepaper:
![token.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmby4Mk4WYCX4GHSWvgrFcLtk5jEwTmRQwTwcP56uZGwQB/token.JPG)

Their Blockport 1.0 Beta will be launched in March and the full release with Exchange of Exchanges and Social Trading are slated for Q2 2018. So, it appears that things will be in full swing rather quickly after the token sale. If you have more questions then check them out at https://blockport.io/. 


Thanks for reading!!


P.S. If you are interested in joining the Blockport Bounty Program and spreading the word (which is awesome, since there are no guessing games as to what you are doing or earning, it's all right in the webpage!), I invite you to sign up here http://queue.vip/IQCgNQY