Cryptopia now stuck on block 1538484. Reports of transactions missing despite lower block height.
I've read several articles about exchanges built on the nem blockchain, as well as exchanges focusing on creating a marketplace for nem mosiacs. Similar to IDEX, but for NEM, not ETH.
Here is one article about an aussie exchange.Alohaboy may have been referring to something along these lines when mentioning "exchange release."
Catapult has been in beta testing on the private mijin chain since 2017. In Feb 2018, extensive testing was done to confirm it is suitable for use.
Read here. The testing resulted in a very positive conclusion, with no errors or inconsistencies when processing 3k transactions per second, confirming it's suitability for commercial application.
Additional testing is currently being done to ensure maximum security. When testing has completed, it is set to be released to the public with open source licensing, and implemented on the public NEM blockchain.
I see lots of people complaining that the Catapult release has been pushed back several times, but I haven't seen anywhere where it was said that full implementation of catapult on the public chain was going to occur before 2018. I do however find information suggesting it's implementation in Q1 of 2018. Which would mean, by the end of March. However, the testing with mijin has been stated to continue to April. - Whether that means sometime in April, or before April. I don't know.
All in all, there is speculation about when exactly Catapult will be rolled out. With NEM foundation quiet on the subject, we can't confirm anything.
However, if you follow NEM on social media, you will see that tons of events are happening all the time. Combining that with the recent release of new wallet features (Which are outlined in catapult whitepaper), then realizing that all exchanges NEM wallets are "having issues"
One could argue that something is happening behind the scenes. Building awareness for NEM before a big announcement? Testing new wallets before mass adoption? Making sure the exchanges have functioning wallets with new code?
I had considered not sharing my observations, as I don't want to cause hype or fud. But, I guess you can have some of them... I have my bets placed already. I am not an insider. Just a NEM fanatic.
*edit to include this article*
https://cryptocrimson.com/nem-list-projects-built-nem-blockchain/