Longview family rallies around 3-year-old with rare, fatal genetic condition – Longview News-Journal

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

The energetic 3-year-old boy toddled around the living room of his Longview home with a blanket over his head, announcing he was a ghost.

Finn Florczykowskis mother explained that he is excited for Halloween since he is now old enough to be aware of the holiday.

Over time, Finn will lose the ability to walk and also lose mobility in his arms and legs due to Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare and aggressive genetic disease that causes rapid muscular deterioration.

Hes energetic, sassy, and hes so smart, Finns mother, Paula, said, laughing. Hes everyones baby, so hes super spoiled.

Finn pulled blankets out of a cupboard, throwing them over his head to play ghost and attack his parents.

We want everyone to know his name, Paula said, picking him up.

Finn was born Sept. 13, 2017, and diagnosed with the disease when he was about 9 months old.

He had no symptoms, Paula said. He was in the NICU for high liver enzymes, which is not a sign. And he had some esophagus issues, which is also not a sign, but the pediatrician told us we should go and test him.

Paula was not worried about the test, she said.

I was in the Target parking lot when she called me, Paula said. It was devastating.

Everything changed that day on the drive back to their former home in Diana, she said.

Our perspective of how short and how terminal we all are, Paula said. Ive always said from day one, were all terminal well never know when were going to go.

Since Finns diagnosis, the familys life slowed down, especially during the pandemic.

Its been a blessing, I mean, weve grown closer as a family, Paula said, laughing. Weve just cherished every moment, and weve counted every hair on his head.

Finn has an older sister and brother, neither with the same condition.

This isnt like hes got a little cold or something, said his father, Dan Florczekowski.

DMD is incurable and irreversible. The disease typically affects boys and is similar to ALS in adults.

Finn is not showing any delays or developmental issues other than some calf swelling, Paula said.

You look out 10 years, its hard, its not easy to stomach, Dan said. They look great and then they end up losing mobility around 8 to 12 years old. Then between, usually around age 16 is when the deterioration really hits their lungs and hearts.

The disease eventually destroys the muscles that control the heart and lungs, which makes it fatal.

Thats the hard part to talk about, Dan said. Fifteen or 20 years ago, getting this was a death sentence. You were basically told by specialists to go home and love on your kid for 20 years, 18 to 24 years.

Dan added that through advancements in treatment and a comprehensive approach, the average lifespan for a child with DMD is extended by 10 years.

Hopefully, the next thing is gene therapy treatments, Dan said. They might go out even farther than that. We hope.

Finn sees a specialist in Massachusetts and is preparing for aggressive steroid treatment in an attempt to slow the disease.

They want us to do a gene therapy trial next September, Paula said. In order for him to qualify for that trial, he has to be on steroids for six months.

The plan is to go to Boston in February and begin the steroid treatments.

Were fighting time, Paula said.

Paula and Dan noticed that many people did not know about the disease or only knew a little about muscular dystrophy in general. The family wants to raise awareness of the condition and do what they can to raise funds for research into treatment and a cure.

From day one, when he was diagnosed, we very much knew we were going to start a nonprofit, Paula said.

They started Finns Friends as a nonprofit organization and started fundraising by selling bracelets and T-shirts.

The support from the community for his little organization has been overwhelming, Dan said. I got home last night and there was a $1,000 check in the mail. A donation.

The couple joined with and donates to Team Joseph, a nonprofit organization in Detroit that funds research to find a treatment or cure for DMD.

The first Finns Friends Golf Tournament is set Saturday at Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater. Part of the funds raised by the tournament will go to Team Joseph, which also provides a family assistance program.

We definitely, 100 percent, know that we have been super blessed with being able to go and see the best doctors and specialists, Paula said. Weve met families who cant even afford a mattress, you know, and so our heart has been helping basic needs children who have Duchenne and their families.

What will Finn be doing during the tournament?

Just telling everybody what to do, Paula said, smiling. Chasing everybody with his ghost costume.

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Longview family rallies around 3-year-old with rare, fatal genetic condition - Longview News-Journal

Tag: Gene Therapy – The Think Curiouser

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

The success of the approved gene therapies has led to an upward surge in the interest of biopharmaceutical developers in this field, resulting in a significant boost in clinical research initiatives and several high value acquisitions

Roots Analysis has announced the addition of Gene Therapy Market (3rd Edition), 2019-2030 report to its list of offerings.

Encouraging clinical results across various metabolic, hematological and ophthalmic disorders have inspired research groups across the world to focus their efforts on the development of novel gene editing therapies. In fact, the gene therapy pipeline has evolved significantly over the past few years, with three products being approved in 2019 alone; namely Beperminogene perplasmid (AnGes), ZOLGENSMA (AveXis) and ZYNTEGLO (bluebird bio). Further, there are multiple pipeline candidates in mid to late-stage (phase II and above) trials that are anticipated to enter the market over the next 5-10 years.

To order this 550+ page report, which features 190+ figures and 355+ tables, please visit this link

Key Market Insights

Around 470 gene therapies are currently under developmentNearly 45% of pipeline drugs are in the clinical phase, while rest are in the preclinical / discovery stage. Gene augmented therapies presently represent 66% of the total number of such interventions that are in the pipeline. It is worth mentioning that majority of such product candidates are being developed as in vivo gene therapies.

More than 30% of clinical stage pipeline therapies are being designed for treating oncological disordersConsidering the overall pipeline, over 20% of product candidates are being developed to treat various types of cancers, followed by those intended for the treatment of metabolic (15%) and ophthalmic disorders (12%). It is also worth highlighting that adenovirus vectors are presently the preferred vehicles used for the delivery of anticancer gene therapies.

Over 60% of gene therapy developers are based in North AmericaOf the 110 companies developing gene therapies in the abovementioned region, 64 are start-ups, 26 are mid-sized players, while 18 are large and very large companies. Further, within this region, most of the developers are based in the US, which has emerged as a key R&D hub for advanced therapeutic products.

More than 31,000 patents have been filed / published related to gene therapies, since 2016Of these, 17% of patent applications / patents were related to gene editing therapies, while the remaining were associated with gene therapies. Leading assignees, in terms of the size of intellectual property portfolio, include (industry players) Genentech, GSK, Sangamo Therapeutics, Bayer and Novartis, (non-industry players) University of California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard College, Stanford University and University of Pennsylvania.

USD 16.5 billion has been invested by both private and public investors, since 2014Around USD 3.3 billion was raised through venture capital financing, representing 20% of the total capital raised by industry players till June 2019. Further, there have been 28 IPOs, accounting for more than USD 2.2 billion in financing of gene therapy related initiatives. These companies have also raised significant capital in secondary offerings.

30+ mergers / acquisitions have been established between 2014 and 2019Examples of high value acquisitions reported in recent past include the acquisition of AveXis by Novartis (2018, USD 8,700 million) and Bioverativ by Sanofi (2018, USD 11,600 million).

North America and Europe are anticipated to capture over 85% of market share by 2030With a promising development pipeline and encouraging clinical results, the market is anticipated to witness an annualized growth rate of over 40% during the next decade. In addition to North America and Europe, the market in China / broader Asia Pacific region is also anticipated to grow at a relatively faster rate.

To request a sample copy / brochure of this report, please visit this link

Key Questions Answered

The USD 10 billion (by 2030) financial opportunity within the gene therapy market has been analyzed across the following segments:

The report features inputs from eminent industry stakeholders, according to whom gene therapies are likely to be the most promising treatment options for genetic disorders. The report includes detailed transcripts of discussions held with the following experts:

The research covers brief profiles, featuring an overview of the therapy, current development status and clinical results. Each profile includes information on therapeutic indication, targeted gene, route of administration, special designations, mechanism of action, dosage, patent portfolio, technology portfolio, clinical trials and recent developments (if available).

For additional details, please visit https://www.rootsanalysis.com/reports/view_document/gene-therapy-market-3rd-edition-2019-2030/268.html

or email [emailprotected]

Contact:Gaurav Chaudhary+1 (415) 800 3415+44 (122) 391 1091[emailprotected]

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Tag: Gene Therapy - The Think Curiouser

Child dies in US during gene therapy trial – The News International

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

PARIS, France: A five-year-old girl with a rare neurodegenerative disease died in the US while taking part in a gene therapy trial run by French biotechnology company Lysogene, the firm said on Thursday.

The little girl was suffering from Sanfilippo syndrome or mucopolysaccharidosis type III, a rare genetic disease that alters brain development after birth and leads to premature death. In a statement Lysogene, a company developing gene therapy for central nervous system diseases in children, said "the immediate cause of death is currently unknown" and that there was as yet "no evidence that the event is linked to the study drug administration".

It said it was "profoundly saddened by the passing of this child" and was collecting "additional information" about the circumstances. The share price of the company dropped 19 percent to 2.05 euros in morning trading in Paris.

The girl was one of 19 people being treated in the trial conducted at eight hospitals in Europe and the United States. She died at home several months after receiving the therapy, consisting of a single injection, at one of four treatment sites in the US, Lysogene told AFP. In its statement the company said it was following the remaining 18 patients closely and remained "committed to the LYS-SAF302 development program".

Child dies in US during gene therapy trial - The News International

Disruptive Technologies and Mature Regulatory Environment Vital for Cell Therapy Maturation – BioSpace

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

Immuno-oncology and CAR T cells energized the field of regenerative medicine, but for cell and gene to deliver on their promises, new, disruptive technologies and new modes of operation are needed. Specifically, that entails improving manufacturing to control variables and thus ensure product consistency, and maturing the regulatory environment to improve predictability.

Manufacturing cells is not like manufacturing small molecules, Brian Culley, CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics, told BioSpace. For cell therapy products to mature into real products that deliver on the promises of 10 years ago, they must be scalable which drives affordability and they must solve their purity issues.

On the clinical side, cell and gene therapies must find places where small molecules, antibodies or other traditional approaches may not be the best option.

For example, The era of transplant medicine is unfolding before us, Culley said. Because of the transplant component, cell therapy may enable changes the body never could do alone.

Lineage is addressing dry AMD and spinal cord injuries with two of its therapeutics.

Our approach is fundamentally different from traditional approaches. We replace the entire cell rather than modulate a pathway. There is a rational hypothesis where cell therapy can win, but first we need to fix the operational hurdles, Culley said.

To address the manufacturing challenges, Culley said, We work only with allogeneic approaches. For us, not being patient-specific is a huge advantage.

Not long ago, the industry was focused on 3D manufacturing in bioreactors.

Were beyond that, Culley said. For our dry AMD product, we can manufacture 5 billion retinal cells in a three liter bioreactor. The advantage is that the cells exist in a very homogenous space and are 99% pure.

As a result, they are more affordable and can be harvested with little manipulation.

Manual manipulation affects gene expression, he pointed out, so minimizing that, as well as the vast quantities of plastics typically required, results in a more controlled process and a more consistent product.

Additionally, Lineage introduced a thaw and inject formulation, so the cell therapy can be thawed in a water bath, loaded into a chamber and injected, all within a few minutes. Traditional dose administration requires washing, plating and reconstituting the cells the before they are administered to a patient.

Getting rid of the prior day dose prep is one example of the maturation of the field, which we are deploying today to help usher in a new branch of medicine, Culley said.

At Lineage, were tackling problems that largely were intractable. For dry AMD, theres nothing approved by the FDA. No one know why the retinal cells die off, so we manufacture brand new retinal cells (OpRegen) and implant them, Culley said. Were seeing very encouraging clinical signs, including the first-ever case of retinal restoration.

Retinal cells compose a thin layer in the back of the eye, Culley explained.

They start to die off in one spot, and that area grows outward. When we inject our manufactured cells where the old ones died, weve seen the damaged area shrink and the architecture in previously damage areas completely restored, Culley said. Weve treated 20 patients for dry AMD in, ostensibly, safety trials, but you cant help but notice efficacy when a patient reads five more lines on an eye chart. Its hard to imagine our intervention wasnt responsible for that, especially when humans cant regenerate retinal tissue.

The spinal injury program (OPC1) may represent an even greater breakthrough. As with dry AMD, there is no FDA-approved therapy.

We manufacture oligodendrocytes and transport them into the spinal cord, to help produce the myelin coating for axons, he told BioSpace. Because of the oligodendrocytes, the axons grow, become myelinated, and begin to function. Small molecule and antibody therapies havent been able to do that.

So far, 25 people have been treated in a Phase I/II trial. Culley reported cases in which a quadriplegic man, after OPC1 therapy, is now typing 30 to 40 words per minute, and another who now can throw a baseball. Its not unusual for patients who initially were completely paralyzed to now schedule their treatments around college classes, Culley said.

Humans can have varying degrees of recovery from spinal cord injury, but these are higher than we would expect, Culley said.

Other cell and gene companies are advancing solutions, too.

Many companies with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are trying to figure out how to get scalability, purity, and reproducibility to work for them. Its not a quick fix, he said.

One of the challenges is balancing the clinical and manufacturing aspects of development.

If you have a technology thats not yet commercially viable, but you have clinical evidence, its tempting to focus on the clinical side, Culley said.

Too many companies do that, and then find their candidate must be reworked for scale up. Therefore, consider scale up and manufacturing early.

Theres a need for balance at a more granular level, too. For example, he asked, How many release criteria do you need? Just because you know a cell expresses a certain surface marker, does that add to your process? Ive seen companies ruined by trying to be perfect, and others by rushing headlong, seeing evidence where evidence doesnt exist.

As Lineage matures its processes to support larger clinical trials, the greatest challenges have been time It takes 30 to 40 days to grow cells, Culley said and regulatory uncertainty. Often, there is no regulatory precedence so there are holes to be addressed. For example, cell and gene therapies sometimes have a delivery component such as a scaffold or delivery encapsulation technology that also must be considered. Real-time regulatory feedback isnt available, so you proceed, presuming that what youre doing will be acceptable to regulators.

The FDA recognizes that new, disruptive technologies and approaches are being used, and must be used, for cell and gene therapy to reach patients.

The FDA is responsive and is trying to push guidance out, Culley said, but it takes time.

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Disruptive Technologies and Mature Regulatory Environment Vital for Cell Therapy Maturation - BioSpace

Gene Therapy for Inherited Genetic Disorders Market Robust pace of Industry during 2018-2028 – The Think Curiouser

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

Global Gene Therapy for Inherited Genetic Disorders Market: Overview

Rapid advances in mammalian DNA sequencing technologies over the past several years have enabled the identification of the aberrant genes responsible for a vast spectrum of genetic disorders. Gene therapy as a novel approach inarguably holds profound potential in finding universal therapeutic alternatives to treating inherited genetic disorders. Gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders entails introducing a functional copy of the defective gene to make up for the missing function, and can be accomplished using in vivo or ex vivo gene transfer.

Gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders has generated groundswell of interest in the research fraternity in finding cure for or in treatment of Mendelian genetic error causing rare diseases. Particularly, gene therapy in recent years has held promising potential in the treatment of a range of recessive gene disorders most notably sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and other monogenic disorders. The axes of developments in the gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders market have been in the U.S., Europe, China, and Australia.

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Global Gene Therapy for Inherited Genetic Disorders Market: Notable Developments

Growing body of clinical studies done on mice models have unrivalled troves of preclinical data, which bodes well for the effectiveness of gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders. New approaches in the gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders market are being adopted to bring progress in this direction. In this regard, Salmeterol, a medicine approved for asthma, has shone a new light. The vasodilator to be used along with gene therapy has shown potential in increasing the effectiveness of the therapy for Glycogen storage disease type II (Pompe disease).

A team of investigator led by the researcher at Duke University Medical School discussed the preclinical data recently at 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. The preclinical data showed that the Asthma medicine reduces the accumulation of toxic glycogen accumulated in lysosome. The researchers concluded that it holds potential as an adjunctive therapy, and building on that may pave way for novel approaches on gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders.

Efforts to translate the findings of clinical research on gene therapy for inherited disorders to make the therapy a part of standard treatment has caught momentum in recent times. In this regard, vectors containing non-viral vectors have attracted the attention of scientists. A team of researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 2019 found that gold nanoparticles enable them to deliver gene-editing tools to blood stem cells in lab models. This might, they opined, pave way for more practicaland accessiblegene therapies for inherited disorders, notably for treating life-threatening blood disorders. Gene therapies were mediated by CRISPR. In the coming years they hope to collaborate with companies with commercial interest to develop the therapy for patient populations.

Some of the bigplayerseyeing promising stakes in the gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders market areSpark Therapeutics Inc., Orchard Therapeutics, Novartis AG, bluebird bio Inc., and BioMarin Pharmaceutical.

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Global Gene Therapy for Inherited Genetic Disorders Market: Key Drivers

Since 2000, scores of clinical trials involving patients with inherited genetic disorders have raised hopes of the medical fraternity of the potential of gene therapies. Thus far, more than 5000 clinical trials on gene therapy have been conducted, especially for hard-to-treat diseases. Diseases such as inherited blindness and leukemia have seen the efficacy and safety of gene therapies. Advances in bioengineering are expected to invigorate pre-clinical pipelines. In the not-so-distant future, success of more protocols will catalyze the prospects of the gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders market.

Further, advances have been made in viral and non-viral vectors with the purpose of making gene transfer more efficient, thereby boosting the gene therapy for inherited genetic disorders market. Particularly, new approaches emerged with the aim of making vectors more powerful.

Global Gene Therapy for Inherited Genetic Disorders Market: Regional Assessment

On the regional front, Asia Pacific bears considerable potential in the gene therapy for inherited disorders market. Of note, numerous strategic alliances have shifted their focus on the region, particularly China. The North America market has also been rising at a promising pace, driven by several gene-therapy tools and related drugs in the final stages of clinical trials. Favorable reimbursement models has also encouraged research into the gene therapy for inherited disorders.

Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @https://www.tmrresearch.com/gene-therapy-for-inherited-genetic-disorders-market

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TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

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Gene Therapy for Inherited Genetic Disorders Market Robust pace of Industry during 2018-2028 - The Think Curiouser

Ori looks to advance closed cell therapy tech – BioProcess Insider

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

Ori Biotech will use $30 million from a Series A financing round to finalize and test its closed and automated cell and gene therapy technology.

In January, Ori Biotech came out of stealth mode through a $9.4 million seed round, introducing the cell and gene therapy space to its technology platform, which aims to significantly reduce the cost of production of such therapies.

Nine months on and the firm has raised a further $30 million in a Series A financing round led by Northpond Ventures, a global science, medical, and technology-driven venture fund, with European venture fund Octopus Ventures.

Image: iStock/kgtoh

The money will be used to finalize the development of the platform, test the MVP [minimum viable product] with our early access customers, hire additional staff and bring the platform to market in 2022, a spokesperson from the firm told Bioprocess Insider.

The platform is based on a flexible and scalable bioreactor and fluid handling system, which could revolutionize the advanced therapy space, including reducing the cost of goods sold (COGS) for autologous therapies by as much as 60-80%, the firms CEO Jason Foster previously told this publication.

The firm teamed up with contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Minaris Regenerative Medicine, formerly known as Hitachi Chemical Advanced Therapeutics Solutions (HCATS), earlier this year.

The partnership is progressing well and they have been testing the first generation system in their processes and generating data comparing the Ori platform to existing first generation technologies, we were told.

Furthermore, Ori has teaming up with numerous end users to bring their technology platform to fruition.

We have announced partnerships with Achilles Therapeutics and several other unannounced partnerships with therapy developers are kicking off as we speak.

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Ori looks to advance closed cell therapy tech - BioProcess Insider

Histogen Appoints Moya Daniels as Executive Vice President and Head of Regulatory, Quality and Clinical Operations – BioSpace

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Histogen, Inc.(NASDAQ: HSTO), a clinical-stage therapeutics company focused on developing potential first-in-class restorative therapeutics that ignite the bodys natural process to repair and maintain healthy biological function, today announced the appointment of Moya Daniels as Executive Vice President and Head of Regulatory, Quality and Clinical Operations.

I am pleased to have Moya join the Histogen team at this important time as we continue to progress our pipeline candidates in the clinic, said Richard W. Pascoe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Histogen. Moya has over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and most notably has extensive expertise in the cell and gene therapy field. Moreover, Moya brings an impressive track-record to Histogen as an industry leader which will complement our existing senior management team.

Ms. Daniels most recently served as Senior Vice President of GMP Quality at SanBio, where she successfully led the CMC regulatory development and GMP Quality function in support of the planned Japan commercialization of their lead product candidate. Prior to SanBio, Ms. Daniels was the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Global Quality Assurance at Orchard Therapeutics, where she led the companys CMC regulatory and GXP quality strategy and was part of the team that led the in-licensing of GSKs rare disease gene therapy portfolio. Prior to joining Orchard, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at Fate Therapeutics, Inc, where she led the development of the global regulatory strategy and quality assurance function and was interim head of Clinical Operations. Moya led development of the global regulatory strategy, quality, and global clinical operations at Osiris Therapeutics, which led to the approval of Prochymal, the first approved allogeneic cell therapy indicated for the treatment of pediatric steroid refractory acute Graft Versus Host Disease in Canada and New Zealand. Ms. Daniels also held a senior leadership position at Macrocure as Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs and currently serves as a Scientific Advisory Board member for Indapta Therapeutics.

I am energized by Histogens leadership team and scientists and look forward to working with them to advance the companys technology through clinical development. Histogens proprietary manufacturing process that generate biological materials that stimulate a patients own stem cells to activate and regenerate tissue is truly unique, said Ms. Daniels. Histogens focus on developing potential first-in-class restorative therapeutics is perfectly aligned with my industry experience and scientific passion.

About HistogenHistogen Inc. is a clinical-stage therapeutics company focused on developing potential first-in-class restorative therapeutics that ignite the bodys natural process to repair and maintain healthy biological function. Histogens innovative technology platform utilizes cell conditioned media and extracellular matrix materials produced by hypoxia-induced multipotent cells. Histogens proprietary, reproducible manufacturing process provides targeted solutions across a broad range of therapeutic indications including hair growth, dermal rejuvenation, joint cartilage regeneration and spinal disk repair. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other Federal securities laws. For example, we are using forward-looking statements when we discuss our future operations and our ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials, obtain clinical trial data and achieve regulatory milestones and related timing; the nature, strategy and focus of our business; the sufficiency of our cash resources and ability to achieve value for our stockholders; and the development and commercial potential and potential benefits of any of our product candidates. We may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Because such statements deal with future events and are based on our current expectations, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties and actual results, performance or achievements of ours that could differ materially from those described in or implied by the statements in this press release, including: the uncertainties associated with the clinical development and regulatory approval of our product candidates, including potential delays in the commencement, enrollment and completion of clinical trials; the potential that earlier clinical trials and studies of Histogens product candidates may not be predictive of future results; risks related to business interruptions, including the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus, which could seriously harm our financial condition and increase its costs and expenses; the requirement for additional capital to continue to advance these product candidates, which may not be available on favorable terms or at all; and the ability to attract and retain key personnel. The foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including those risks discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as otherwise required by law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events, or circumstances or otherwise.

CONTACT:

Susan A. KnudsonExecutive Vice President & CFOHistogen Inc.ir@histogen.com

Luxury watch maker Breitling issues digital certificates on the Ethereum blockchain – TechCrunch

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

Breitling is partnering with Arianee to issue a new kind of certificates of authenticity for its luxury watches. Instead of relying on physical certificates, the watchmaker gives you a unique digital passport that certifies the origin of the watch.

Behind the scene, Arianee is using non-fungible tokens compliant with the Ethereums ERC-721 standard (remember CryptoKitties?). By using a blockchain-based solution, Breitling ensures that its digital passports remain future proof and cant be altered due to consensus mechanisms between nodes, nobody can connect to a centralized database, change some values or remove some data.

If you buy a Breitling watch, you get a guarantee card that you can scan. After downloading the Arianee wallet app on your phone, you can add your watch to your digital wallet. You can see the serial number and the activation date of the digital warranty.

As you may have guessed, those digital certificates can be helpful when youre trying to sell your watch. A feature lets you prove the authenticity of the watch. You can also transfer the certificate to another owner.

Breitling can also add information over time. For instance, you can imagine a timeline of repairs with timestamps so that you can keep track of the whole story. Soon, the brand could also offer insurance products through this new channel.

When it comes to privacy, the certificate isnt tied to your name, email address or other personal information. Your wallet address is the only unique identifier associated with you.

Arianee proves that non-fungible tokens can provide some interesting use cases in the luxury industry. Breitling also works with Dentsu Tracking to track its supply chain. With digital certificates, end customers also see the benefits of supply chain regulation.

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Luxury watch maker Breitling issues digital certificates on the Ethereum blockchain - TechCrunch

MF DOOM Announces Augmented Reality Blockchain Auction – PRNewswire

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Today, hip-hop anti-hero MF DOOM and Rhymesayers Entertainment announce an innovative partnership with Illust Space to deliver augmented reality masks just in time for Halloween.The enigmatic rapper is stepping into the realm of digital collectibles, teaming up with Illust Space to make a splash in the decentralized finance and art market with a collection of augmented reality masks minted on the blockchain.

MF DOOM's augmented reality masks will be accessible at an auction, set to go live in two separate "Drops", the first auction starts on October 23, 2020 and the second auction starts on October 28, 2020 on the Illust Space auction platform. There will be a total of 11 masks available for auction, with eight masks in two variants for drop 1, and three more masks in two new variants for drop 2. Collectors will be able to buy, sell, and trade as well as project the augmented reality masks into the "real world" through Illust Space's web application and participating partnerships. See below for more information on this cutting-edge collaboration.

"This collaboration with MF DOOM represents a tipping point for augmented reality, the NFT market, and the ubiquitous digital layer that is a battleground for big tech," says Rob McCarty, Co-Founder and CEO of Illust Space. "With Snap, Instagram, Niantic, Adobe, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Apple fighting for augmented reality platform dominance, the least we can do is ensure an equitable system for artists to create, sell, and track their work."

More about MF DOOM:One of hip-hop's most beloved anti-heroes, the ever-inventive MF DOOM (often referred to as simply DOOM) has received widespread praise for his sharp, candid rhymes, as well as his choppy, sample-heavy production style. Initially known as Zev Love X, a member of the short-lived but influential Golden Era rap group K.M.D, the MC/producer born Daniel Dumile re-emerged at the end of the '90s with a persona and logo patterned after the Marvel Comics super villain Dr. Doom. He reinforced his enigmatic persona by donning an elaborate iron mask during all of his public appearances, in addition to occasionally hiring stand-ins for his performances. MF DOOM's music has been described as, "the fine line between insanity and genius". Unconventional, abstract, unorthodox; these words merely scrape the surface of defining his approach musically, conceptually, even rhythmically. MF DOOM is the living personification of Hip-Hop as an act of rebellion.

About Illust Space:Illust Spaceis a platform agnostic gateway for artists, technologists, idealists, and pragmatists to populate the "immersive layer" with art and culture. Using its proprietary blockchain auction and minting platform "Hash the Mesh", Illust Space is offering augmented reality artists the opportunity to publish and track provenance of their 3D art across video games, apps, social media networks, galleries, metaverses, and amongst the emerging class of digital art collectors.

MF DOOM Socials:Twitter:@MFDOOMInstagram:@MFDOOMFacebook:@MFDOOMWebsite:https://gasdrawls.com/More info:https://rhymesayers.com/artists/mfdoom

SOURCE Illust Space

Augmented Reality Solutions for Cannabis, Music, and Retail

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MF DOOM Announces Augmented Reality Blockchain Auction - PRNewswire

JBS will use blockchain technology to enhance conservation of the Amazon – PR Newswire India

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

The blockchain platform will guarantee the security and confidentiality of the cattle producers' data;

The investment fund created by the company will promote the socioeconomic development and conservation of the Biome

SO PAULO, Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --With the aim of increasingly sustainable production, JBS is announcing the Together For the Amazon program, a set of initiatives that seeks to enhance conservation and development of the Amazon Biome, engaging the industry and proposing actions that go beyond its value chain. The program encompasses climate change, which was allocated priority within the JBS global sustainability targets presented in 2019.

The fundamental pillars of the Together for the Amazon program are: (i) development of the value chain; (ii) forest conservation and restoration; (iii) support for the communities; and (iv) scientific and technological development.

The first pillar consists of the JBS Green Platform, a ground-breaking initiative that will cross-check information of the Company's direct suppliers with livestock transportation data from preceding links in the supply chain. By using blockchain technology, the company will guarantee the confidentiality and security of the personal, commercial and sanitary information of the producers, as well as transparency in the analyses of the suppliers.

The Company will also launch engagement campaigns so that, by the end of 2025, its suppliers' suppliers are also on the JBS Green Platform. In addition, JBS will provide legal, environmental and animal husbandry advisory to assist producers with improvements in stewardship and the environmental regularization of their properties, while also expanding its educational actions in sustainability to its supply chain.

For over a decade, JBS has been monitoring 100% of its cattle supplying farms using strict sustainability criteria, including zero tolerance of deforestation, encroachment on protected areas like indigenous lands or environmental conservation units, hard labor, or the use of areas embargoed by Ibama. This daily analysis covers more than 50,000 properties in the Amazon region, an area greater than the size of Germany.

"We are publicly reiterating our commitment to the sustainability of the Amazon. We hope to scale up, not only in combatting deforestation, but also in fostering the bio-economy, sustainable agriculture and social development", says Gilberto Tomazoni, Global CEO of JBS.

JBS Fund for the AmazonThe other three pillars will be achieved through the JBS Fund For The Amazon, created to finance initiatives for expanding forest conservation, promoting sustainable development of the local communities, as well as scientific and technological development, with a contribution of R$ 250 million over the first five years. With the participation of other stakeholders, the target is to reach R$ 1 billion by 2030.

The Fund will be headed up by Joanita Maestri Karoleski, former CEO of Seara, with the support of a Board of Directors, a Fiscal Council, a Consultative Council and a Technical Committee. The latter two will assist in choosing the projects that will receive contributions, audited by KPMG. The entire process will be reported, and the results published on the program site.

CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE

SOURCE JBS

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JBS will use blockchain technology to enhance conservation of the Amazon - PR Newswire India

Blockchain Bites: Your Guide to Invest Ethereum Economy – CoinDesk – CoinDesk

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

At stake

Invest: ethereum economy, a full day of conversation, workshopping and networking around the future of money, goes live today at9 a.m. ET.

Starting off with a keynote speech from Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin, the virtual event will also see appearances from MakerDAO Co-Founder Rune Christensen, Gauntlet CEO Tarun Chitra and CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert, among many, many more.

The most in-depth conference to date dedicated to the Ethereum economy is a gated event. You canregister nowto gain access to the days panels as well as video-on-demand content released in the coming days.

First, a few words fromLeigh Cuen.

Value proposition?

The fully virtual CoinDeskinvest: ethereum economyis kicking off with a keynote from none other than Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, delivering a speech titled Eth 2.0 and the Road Ahead. This raises the question of whether people should invest in a project that failed to scale the first time around. The answer may be more complicated than a simple yes or no.

The fact is, Buterin and dozens of his co-founders created something real, a robust community that ships code, lobbies lawmakers, tests and uses products, broadcasts marketing materials and orchestrates live events.

Sure, Buterin and Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubinsubsidizethis community development through organizations like ConsenSys and the Ethereum Foundation. But there areplenty of peopletaking on such responsibilities for themselves, without any direct connection to the founders.

The real question is, can a volunteer community that reaches *beyond* the traditional tech industry make reliable software?

Many skilled and experienced technologists contributed to Buterins Eth 2.0 roadmap, but the communitys diversity is also a hindrance. These people have different goals and skill levels. Computer systems rely on simplicity, not complexity. Complex systems break easily. In order to work efficiently, Ethereums builders may need to prioritize and focus with more rigor than they did in the past.

The first version of Ethereum built a proof-of-concept using a new software toolbox, with all kinds of gadgets. Thatinitial modelwas uneconomical to use in times of high traffic, which isnt ideal for any mainstream platform.

Will people use the Eth 2.0 toolbox to build a sturdy, secure platform? Or will it remain a playground of unicorn-themed experiments with friends? Even for a trust-minimizing technology, Ethereums long-term value is reliant on trust in the communitys ability to focus and deliver. This event, Invest: Eth, is their pitch to the public on their competence to do so.

What not to miss

Heres a quick guide to the virtual panels you wont want to miss.

9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. ET.Keynote: Eth 2.0 and the Road AheadVitalik Buterin will discuss the future of the world computer, why the transition from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake consensus is necessary to fulfilling its mission and how the Ethereum community will get there.

10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m.A New Age: A Primer on Eth 2.0 Monetary Policy and Game TheoryDelphi Digitals Alex Gedevani will break down Eth 2.0s new monetary policy and incentive structure fundamental to understanding Ethereum as an investment opportunity.

1:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m.Can CeDeFi Eat the World? CZ Talks 1:1 With Leigh CuenBinance CEO Changpeng Zhao offers a vision for the centralized exchange he built to cannibalize itself. By promoting decentralization on all fronts and relying on the BNB token for value accrual, Binance Chain has quietly become among the most important chains in the ecosystem. As the DeFi economy ramps up and fierce competition from both centralized and decentralized counterparts continues to mount, can Binances CeDeFi ambitions prevail?

2:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m.Wall Street and Off-Chain ETHGrayscales Michael Sonnenshein, ErisXs Thomas Chippas and OKexs Lennix Lai will discuss the fundamental value proposition of ether and the litany of tokens and financial products Ethereum has wrought.

2:45 p.m. 3:00 p.m.Trade Secrets: The Triple Point Bull Case for ETHDavid Hoffman of Bankless argues that, with the migration to Eth 2.0 and the implementation of EIP-1559, ETH is poised to become the worlds first triple point asset one that creates value through being locked in DeFi, staked or consumed outright.

3:30 p.m. 3:45 p.m.Trade Secrets: Fast and Cheap Why Sam Bankman-Fried Chose to Build on SolanaSBF lays out the calculus behind the decision to move Serum from Ethereum to the Solana blockchain and what might happen to Ethereum if faster and cheaper alternatives catch on.

4:30 p.m. 5:00 pmStablecoins, Hyper-Collateralization and the DeFi EconomyThe rise of fiat- and algorithm-backed stablecoins has largely put cryptos volatility narrative to rest. Now, they have become the bridge into the DeFi economy as well as an engine of hyper-collateralization and money games. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire will discuss these programmatic tools with Aaves Stani Kulechov and dYdXs Antonio Juliano.

9:00 p.m.Keynote: Andre Cronje + Ian Lee (Ideo CoLab)DeFi luminary Andre Cronje and IDEO CoLab Managing Director Ian Lee will appear for a late night discussion.

The ledger

Camila Russo, the founder of The Defiant and the author of The Infinite Machine, writes about the internet of value being built on or using Ethereum. This section has been excerpted fromits original.

Decentralized web

The internet is at the cusp of entering a new phase, one where entrenched rulers are dethroned, more power is reclaimed by individuals and value moves as freely as cat GIFs.

To understand why we need a better internet in the first place, consider this question: Isnt it weird the internet isnt good at money? Think about it. The applications we use every day to search, to communicate, even to shop; the companies that dominate the web are very bad at dealing with money, even if theyre very good at making it. Theres a separate checkout process, where you repeatedly enter all your information. Cards issued in some countries dont work on local websites in other countries. Sometimes you wait for what feels like an eternity watching that tiny wheel turn, to have the transaction fail.

More complex transactions are almost unthinkable. Influencers and creators should be able to monetize their likes, retweets and views, with micropayments streamed from followers, without any platform taking a cut. Less-famous mortals should get paid if they opt in to view ads or consent to sharing their information. Transferring ownership of valuable assets, from art to real estate, shouldnt take several intermediaries and tons of paperwork.

Theres the internets TCP/IP protocol. There are apps built on top of it. And, separately, theres the financial system, which relies largely on infrastructure built before the internet was invented. SWIFT, IBAN, the rails handling most international money transfers, werent designed to handle actual money. Theyre messaging systems where transfers can take up to five days and cost around $50. National money transfers fare a bit better, but in the U.S. they still take at least one business day to settle (money rests on weekends, apparently).

Attempts to update these systems SEPA in Europe, the Faster Payments initiatives in the U.S., VisaNet for card payments have resulted in a messy patchwork that doesnt solve the core problem. Fintechs try to improve the situation, but theyre building on the same old carcass.

At a time when we have global, cheap, fast communications, we should have an equally global, cheap, fast financial system.

An internet of valueThe internet is ruled by innovation-stifling monopolies that have stopped us having an internet-of-value. Organizations built on top of the current internet network have almost no other option than to become for-profit corporations, with code thats proprietary and closed to the public. But when the network itself is designed to transfer value, it enables different business models to emerge.

In this new frontier, users retain control of their funds and their personal information. They roam freely without bowing to any king. Value that is, money, assets, securities, property is as native to internet apps as cat videos. And its already happening.

This is not about crypto. Its not about the next bitcoin, or getting in on the next hot token that will pump.

This is about a shift in the very foundation of the web.

There is a money layer thats being added on top. A distributed network that transfers value without relying on banks, settlement and clearing agents. Money moves faster, cheaper and globally just like the rest of the internet does.

And this network isnt only good at transferring value. It can also process anything a computer can, allowing developers to build applications on top. The difference from the internet apps were used to is that in these applications value isnt an afterthought; its at the very core. The name of this new base layer for value is Ethereum.

Payments can be made seamlessly, and thats just the start. More complex financial services are now at the fingertips of anyone with access to the network. Users can trade tokens at a few taps, and because value can be programmed this can range from the networks native token ether, to synthetic representations of everything from gold to a Tesla stock. It can even tokenize San Franciscos poop index, where people can profit from the citys rising number of feces sightings.

Venezuelans can buy tokens linked to the value of the dollar. And not only that, they can deposit them in lending protocols and earn interest on those tokens. Speculators can borrow from those asset pools to trade. Others can have a computer program automatically execute a trading strategy, like a robo-adviser on steroids. Theres a no-loss lottery, streaming salaries almost by the second, tokenizing and trading limited-edition T-shirts, which are delivered in their physical versions, and can also be worn in virtual reality worlds.

For developers, financial applications are the low-hanging fruit to build on top of a value network, but its only the beginning.

DeFi on Ethereum has taken the crypto world by storm this summer and set the stage for the long anticipated ETH 2.0 transition, expected to begin in late 2020.

Lets face it: These protocols can be rather clunky and difficult to use, and thats a big turnoff for new entrants into the ecosystem. At #investeth Unlocked, youll leave with a high-level understanding of where the Ethereum and DeFi ecosystems are heading and how you can utilize these tools on their own.Before you register for invest: ethereum economy, heres a primer on the journey to Ethereum 2.0.

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Blockchain Bites: Your Guide to Invest Ethereum Economy - CoinDesk - CoinDesk

How will blockchain impact the global economy? – Help Net Security

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

An analysis by PwC shows blockchain technology has the potential to boost global gross domestic product (GDP) by $1.76 trillion over the next decade. That is the key finding of a report assessing how the technology is being currently used and exploring the impact blockchain could have on the global economy.

Through analysis of the top five uses of blockchain, ranked by their potential to generate economic value, the report gauges the technologys potential to create value across industry, from healthcare, government and public services, to manufacturing, finance, logistics and retail.

Blockchain technology has long been associated with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, but there is so much more that it has to offer, particularly in how public and private organizations secure, share and use data, comments Steve Davies, Global Leader, Blockchain and Partner, PwC UK.

As organizations grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many disruptive trends have been accelerated. The analysis shows the potential for blockchain to support organizations in how they rebuild and reconfigure their operations underpinned by improvements in trust, transparency and efficiency across organizations and society.

Blockchains success will depend on a supportive policy environment, a business ecosystem that is ready to exploit the new opportunities that technology opens, and a suitable industry mix.

Across all continents, Asia will likely see the most economic benefits from blockchain technology. In terms of individual countries, blockchain could have the highest potential net benefit in China ($440bn) and the USA ($407bn). Five other countries Germany, Japan, the UK, India, and France are also estimated to have net benefits over $50bn.

The benefits for each country differ however, with manufacturing focused economies such as China and Germany benefiting more from provenance and traceability, while the US would benefit most from its application in securitisation and payments as well as identity and credentials.

At a sector level, the biggest beneficiaries look set to be the public administration, education and healthcare sectors. These sectors are expected to benefit approximately $574bn by 2030, by capitalising on the efficiencies blockchain will bring to the world of identity and credentials.

Meanwhile, there will be broader benefits for business services, communications and media, while wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers and construction services, will benefit from using blockchain to engage consumers and meet demand for provenance and traceability.

The potential for blockchain to be considered as part of organizations future strategy is linked to a research with business leaders that showed 61% of CEOs said they were placing digital transformation of core business operations and processes among their top three priorities, as they rebuild from COVID-19.

One of the biggest mistakes organizations can make with implementing emerging technologies is to leave it in the realm of the enthusiast in the team. It needs C-Suite support to work, identify the strategic opportunity and value, and to facilitate the right level of collaboration within an industry, comments Davies.

Given the scale of economic disruption organizations are dealing with currently, establishing proof of concept uses which can be extended and scaled if successful, will enable businesses to identify the value, while building trust and transparency in the solution to deliver on blockchains potential.

The report warns that if blockchains economic impact potential is to be realized, its energy overhead must be managed. Growing business and government action on climate change, including commitments to Net Zero transformation, will mean that organizations need to consider new models for consolidating and sharing infrastructure resources to reduce reliance on traditional data centres and their overall technology related energy consumption.

Excerpt from:

How will blockchain impact the global economy? - Help Net Security

In 2019-2020, Congress Introduced 40 Crypto And Blockchain Bills – Forbes

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

The 116th U.S. Congress convened on January 3, 2019 and will conclude on January 3, 2021 - and while 2020 will represent for millions one of the most unprecedented years in history, Congress has still found time to introduce 40 bills on the subject of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Of the 40 bills introduced, 11 have passed the House of Representatives and two have become law. The two laws are part of much larger bills involving the appropriations process where one called for a briefing to Congress on how cryptocurrency affects economic sanctions and another called for a briefing on how the Department of Defense could potentially use blockchain technology.

For the nine bills that passed the House of Representatives but wait action by the U.S. Senate, three bills call for essentially the same action by the Department of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to explore blockchain and digital identity technologies to improve the data analysis process and distribution of information to other law enforcement bodies.

The United States Capitol Building at night in Washington DC

The Financial Technology Protection Act of 2019 (H.R. 56), was sponsored by Congressman Ted Budd (R-NC) and Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and passed the House of Representatives all the way back on January 4, 2019. The bill involved the creation of an, Independent FinTech Task Force to Combat Terrorism and Illicit Financing and also offered a reward for terrorists found using digital currencies. The bill was co-sponsored by then Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC), now the current White House Chief of Staff, as well as Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) and Congressman Warren Davidson (R-OH).

The Homeland Security Assessment of Terrorists' Use of Virtual Currencies Act sponsored by Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) was a bill that also passed the House of Representatives on January 29, 2019. Co-sponsored by Congressman Van Taylor (R-TX), Congressman Peter King (R-NY) and Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), the bill asks Homeland Security to conduct an assessment of terrorist use of virtual currencies.

The Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act or the FIND Trafficking Act was introduced in both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate by Representative Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Senator Catherine Cortez-Mastro (D-NV). The House version of the bill, H.R. 502, required a report by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) on virtual currency use in sex and drug trafficking. The bill also asked the GAO to examine how the unique characteristics of virtual currencies could be used to track and prosecute the illicit use of cryptocurrency.

Finally, the remaining three bills that made it out of the House of Representatives include the Blockchain Innovation Act (H.R. 8153), The Advancing Blockchain Act (H.R. 6938), and part of the Digital Taxonomy Act (H.R. 2154). The Blockchain Innovation Act and the part of the Digital Taxonomy Act that were sponsored by Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) were added into the Consumer Safety Technology Act (H.R. 8128) that passed the House of Representatives. On the same day, the American Competitiveness on More Productive Emerging Tech Economy (COMPETE) Act (H.R. 8132) passed the House of Representatives as well. Co-sponsored by Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) and Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL), the bill included the language from the Advancing Blockchain Act from Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY).

Of the 40 bills, the types of legislation are broken done into four categories. The breakdown by percentage includes the Use of Cryptocurrency by Terrorists, Money Launderers, Human and Sex Traffickers at 30%, Regulatory Clarity for Crypto and Blockchain Companies at 40%, the Use of Blockchain Technology In Government & Business at 22%, and the Digital Dollar legislation at 8%. For 30 out of 40 bills (70%) that would either impact cryptocurrency use by criminals or improve cryptocurrency and blockchain regulations, none have successfully become law over the last two years in the U.S.

Percentage breakdown of the types of cryptocurrency and blockchain bills in Congress

Thus, the only actions impacting the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry are from agencies or financial regulators themselves, whether it is the recently released Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework by the Department of Justice, enforcement actions from the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) or Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), or most notably the recent guidance in the form of interpretive letters released by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

The first bill introduced in the 116th Congress was extremely interesting when looking back at what has transpired over the last two years in terms of racial strife faced by our nation. On January 3, 2019, Congressman Bobby Rush (D-GA) introduced the RESCUE Act for Black and Community Banks that looked to spur growth for minority banks, Black banks, community banks, womens banks and low-income credit unions. The bill included a blockchain study to be carried out by the Comptroller General of the GAO to see, whether such technology could be used to increase investment by lower-income individuals in startups and other crowd-funded companies.

Rush also later introduced, as shown above, one of the bills (American COMPETE Act) that successfully passed the House of Representatives in dealing with how the U.S. will compete with China on emerging technologies such as blockchain. While there are typically the usual suspects in Congress that introduce the majority of legislation, which include Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN), Congressman Darren Soto (D-CA), Congressman Warren Davidson (R-NC), Congressman Ted Budd (R-NC), as well as Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL). Emmer, Soto, Schweikert, and Foster are Co-Chairs of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus and have also played a critical role in sending letters to get the attention of the administration on these technologies as well.

For example, Soto led the charge on a letter last year to the National Economic Council asking the White House to hold a forum on blockchain, and this year asked the U.S. Treasury Secretary to evaluate blockchain for speeding up the processing of Covid-19 stimulus checks and wrote President Trump on the criticality of this technology as well. Foster, along with Congressman French Hill (R-AZ), wrote a letter last year asking the Federal Reserve what types of efforts the central bank had started to take in terms of investigating a central bank digital currency (CBDC).

A full report of all 40 bills with corresponding research will be released toward the end of 2020 by the Value Technology Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit research think tank on blockchain and cryptocurrency in Washington D.C.

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In 2019-2020, Congress Introduced 40 Crypto And Blockchain Bills - Forbes

Here’s how blockchain could help crack down on abusive imagery – World Economic Forum

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

Last month, India was shaken to the core by an alleged gang rape of a fifteen-year-old girl, which the perpetrators reportedly filmed and shared online. Sadly, this type of crime and its documentation occur in every country. For survivors of sexual violence, knowing that images of their ordeal exist and circulate online can cause even more emotional damage. The images may also be used to blackmail and silence the victim.

Cloud storage platforms and social media networks, where photos and videos are stored every time they are posted or shared, typically do not tackle this issue, citing respecting user privacy. Developments in technology, however, can provide a solution that will enable cloud platforms to remove illegal imageries, limiting user privacy concerns.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent social and political unrest have created a profound sense of urgency for companies to actively work to tackle racial injustice and inequality. In response, the Forum's Platform for Shaping the Future of the New Economy and Society has established a high-level community of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers. The community will develop a vision, strategies and tools to proactively embed equity into the post-pandemic recovery and shape long-term inclusive change in our economies and societies.

As businesses emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, they have a unique opportunity to ensure that equity, inclusion and justice define the "new normal" and tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination related to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and all other forms of human diversity. It is increasingly clear that new workplace technologies and practices can be leveraged to significantly improve diversity, equity and inclusion outcomes.

The World Economic Forum has developed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Toolkit, to outline the practical opportunities that this new technology represents for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, while describing the challenges that come with it.

The toolkit explores how technology can help reduce bias from recruitment processes, diversify talent pools and benchmark diversity and inclusion across organisations. The toolkit also cites research that suggests well-managed diverse teams significantly outperform homogenous ones over time, across profitability, innovation, decision-making and employee engagement.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Toolkit is available here.

The majority of people who share and view abusive images do so on completely legal, popular social media platforms and through ordinary messaging services. Research from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children measured the growth rate of child sexual abuse imagery on the internet. The results are horrendous: a frightening increase from 3,000 reports of such images in 1998, to 1.0 million in 2014, and to 18.4 million in 2018. Social media networks provide both viewer participation and sufficient storage space, meaning that large files, e.g. videos, can be easily stored and shared. Hence the key to cutting the supply of such content is to remove it from the cloud.

A technological solutionTechnology exists, however, to assist cloud storage platforms to remove all illegal and abusive images from their databases, and prevent the addition of new ones. This solution combines both blockchain technology and a technology called PhotoDNA, which has been developed by Microsoft and Dartmouth College. PhotoDNA creates a unique digital fingerprint of a digital image or video. This digital fingerprint remains mostly the same even if the image is cropped, resized, changed with filters, or manipulated in some other way. Importantly, while it is easy to generate a fingerprint from an image, it is impossible to reverse-engineer the image from a fingerprint. There is therefore no risk of fingerprints being misused to covertly disseminate images. In the case of sexual exploitation images, this is of particular importance.

Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed database that allows multiple parties, who do not necessarily trust each other, to create a trusted source of truth they can share, update and work with. Unlike a centralized database, with blockchain no single party is in charge of or owns the database. Everybody owns it equally.

Some law enforcement agencies already have databases of child sexual exploitation imagery and their digital fingerprints, however they usually do not share them with anyone. What they could use however, is a way to coordinate their activities, be it locally or globally, in order to remove these images regardless of their jurisdiction. It is here that blockchain technology is a game changer. It can allow for a global coordinated database, accessible by all, and yet owned by none, in order to scan and remove images - regardless of where in the world they are posted. Using both technologies, the agencies could share the fingerprints they have already collected as part of a joint global effort. Each agency could then access this information, even if it doesnt have any fingerprints to share.

Being blockchain-based, the database is highly secure by nature. Specifically in our use case, there are no incentives for hackers to attack it, as the database will not hold any images, only fingerprints of images. As I explained above, the digital fingerprint by itself is meaningless since it cannot be used to recreate the image, nor does it link back to the original image. In this context, its only value is to offer a way of labelling or categorizing images without actually looking at or sharing them.

Cloud storage platforms would get read-only access to this blockchain database of digital fingerprints of illegal images. Generating an images digital fingerprint is fast and easy. So is the process of looking up a fingerprint within the database. Therefore, cloud platforms could generate a digital fingerprint of any image that is uploaded and check whether it exists in the database. In the same manner, this process would allow them to scan already existing stored data and look for illegal content that had already been uploaded. Local law enforcement agencies would be required to provide instructions on the next steps, once an image has been identified as illegal. The following chart sums up the screening procedure:

Orbs

Image: Detecting illegal images from a users point of view.

Importantly, the entire process will be completely transparent, since it will be recorded on the blockchain, enabling visibility of each new piece of information being added to the chain. Enforcement agencies will be able to see who added which fingerprints. Cloud platforms will know exactly which fingerprints they need to screen in which jurisdictions. Enforcement agencies will easily be able to check whether their restrictions are properly enforced by cloud platforms. This alone would be a major reason for using blockchain.

To be sure, no solution is perfect and this solution alone cannot eradicate exploitative imagery. Users would most likely be averse to having their content screened - or even tagged or removed. And once illegal content is discovered by a cloud platform, the onus could be on that platform to take the next step and coordinate actions with law enforcement, opening up a larger debate on freedom of speech and censorship.

Additionally, technology cannot stop highly determined perpetrators. These individuals will continue posting abusive images of children on the illegal corners of the internet, also known as the darknet. There will never be one single solution that will eliminate sexual images of children from the internet.

Still, while we can not eliminate the problem, we can make a significant dent in it. Perpetrators who are very technologically savvy will have to be tracked down and stopped in other ways. However for most of the online users who do not have the technological expertise to access the darknet, we can, and should easily and quickly remove these images. Importantly, since the blockchain is immutable, every transaction on it is documented forever. Meaning that if someone did try to upload illegal images, was rejected and then tried to delete those images from their own systems, the blockchain would still have a record that they attempted to upload illegal content. This, I imagine, could be a very useful tool for law enforcement.

As a Co-Founder of Orbs, the largest blockchain infrastructure company in Israel, it was important for me to use our technology for good and promote blockchain for social impact. Consequently, I founded the Hexa Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes the use of blockchain technology for social impact. At the Foundation we focus on educating governments on the potential added value and efficiencies of blockchain, and on executing blockchain projects that create social impact. We are currently in talks with governments and enforcement agencies to explore the opportunity of using blockchain as a solution that will help cloud platforms remove these images.

Change will not be simple. As in many solutions that require coordination, the hardest part here is aligning interests and politics of enforcement agencies globally. There is reason for optimism here: Since no one claims ownership over this database, and it is shared amongst all players, the incentive to participate will hopefully be greater than in other consortium efforts in which politics can sometimes hamper advancement. Still, in order to kickstart progress, at least one major agency would need to lead the way. Some of the agencies that we are in touch with are showing great interest and are hopefully willing to take the lead. Wide adoption, however, will take time. It will also take a mindset shift and new training to ensure that a wider set of policing agencies understand the role new technologies like blockchain could play in crime prevention

It is blockchain which allows for coordination between bodies in a way that was not previously possible, and thus creates an effective and efficient solution - and one that I hope can help the healing process of victims, globally.

Abusive images of children are in themselves a form of abuse. Every person who shares or views such images becomes complicit in the original abuse, and further damages the victim. There have been many reports of survivors haunted by the continued circulation of images recorded years ago. It can make it extremely difficult if not impossible for them to perceive their suffering and trauma as being in the past. Instead, their ordeal just continues. By succeeding to remove one part of the problem we actually can, today, make an impact for the better.

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Here's how blockchain could help crack down on abusive imagery - World Economic Forum

AP Election 2020 Results Will be Recorded on a Blockchain – CoinDesk – CoinDesk

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

The Associated Presss (AP) 2020 election results will be recorded on a blockchain database, a first for the nearly 200-year-old news agency.

Announced Thursday, the collaboration between the not-for-profit wire service and the Everipedia tech startup will see more than 7,000 state and national election race calls recorded on a blockchain, with a publicly accessible user interface displaying the results. Everipedias database runs on top of EOS, the 14th-largest blockchain network by market cap, according to Nomics, though the race calls themselves will be recorded on the Ethereum blockchain.

Chainlink was chosen as the intermediary between the AP data and Everipedia, according to a press release.

Everipedia will publish the final results declared by AP after sufficient votes are counted, said Dwayne Desaulniers, the news organizations director of enterprise, environmental, social and governance and data licensing.

For us this is different and very interesting, he said. Were watching very closely to see how our work can be applied to this media. Everipedia has been good to work with, a solid partnership. We do the race calls, they do the technical stuff.

The AP will call the presidential, Senate, House of Representatives, state and local elections, in a process that could take anywhere from a few hours to days depending on how results are reported by election officials, Desaulniers told CoinDesk in a phone call.

Well watch the data and whenever we see enough data thats complete, that factors in all the mail-in [ballots] and all of the votes. Whenever our race callers then decide to declare a winner theyll do so, he said. Most of them will be on election night Were ready to make really great race calls whenever the data and rules tell us that were good.

Everipedia, a sort of decentralized alternative to Wikipedia with its own token, will be recording the results for posterity, said Sam Kazemian, the projects president and co-founder. It launched its mainnet on top of the EOS blockchain in 2018.

While this is the first time APs election results will be recorded on a blockchain, the company has worked with other blockchain initiatives in the past. AP tried to license articles with now-defunct blockchain startup Civil in 2018.

Election day

Roughly 4,000 AP employees will be deployed across the U.S. on Election Day, working from polling centers, city halls and clerks offices around the country. As precincts begin reporting numbers, these employees will start recording the vote results in an internal system, updating as new numbers roll in.

The proprietary system will compare the results with similar data from two, four and six years ago in an effort to prevent any major errors from creeping through, Desaulniers said.

This data will, in turn, go to race callers, individuals who are familiar with the politics of the region they are in. (Desaulniers is a race caller for the U.S. state of New Hampshire.) These individuals compare current data with historic data and internal models that AP builds to declare if and when certain races are won.

Its very intense, he said. I think its the biggest journalistic enterprise that were aware of.

Everipedia takes over the process at this point. Once a race is called, that information is entered into another internal AP system. Everipedia will pull the final declaration from an API and record it on its own ledger, permanently storing what AP sees as the final result.

So when we declare a governor has won, Everipedia will get that data immediately from our systems and theyll be able to publish that, he explained.

What Everipedia will not record are the vote totals; while most races will be called on Nov. 3, not every race will be. Those that are too close to call or which may end up going to a recount will not be called, Desaulniers said.

On top of the normal races that are tight and require time to call, 2020 has a massive number of voters who are using mail-in ballots so they can avoid large crowds during the coronavirus pandemic, which might make it difficult for precincts to report voting numbers quickly.

As of Oct. 14, 13.2 million absentee ballots have been returned with a further 68.6 million yet to be returned, according to the New York Times.

This is sort of an extraordinary year, Desaulniers said. Theres no one system, one set of rules. Some states will only begin counting the early votes on election night, and therefore in some counties, in some races, it will extend into Wednesday and possibly later.

For AP and Everipedia, this means the running list of races called will be continuously updated past Election Day itself.

Trusted systems

In Kazemians view, working with AP is a matter of trust.

The organization is a non-governmental, unbiased arbiter with close to two centuries worth of history, and has earned its reputation, he said.

Its a different approach from projects that hope to solve the problem of figuring out which sources to trust by creating a system wherein token holders vote on what the truth is for a given story.

This is one of those times where Im super pro-blockchain but, like, it might probably be better to actually trust the centralized organization thats professionally done this for over 100 years right. This is a good example of that, he said.

This lets Everipedia focus on making the data easily accessible on-chain and publicly readable, he said. In this collaboration, Everipedia will handle all aspects of storing the data on its EOS-based network.

The 2020 election is a sort of proving ground. Kazemian envisions other efforts with different news and media organizations.

Storing APs race calls on its network can be beneficial for prediction markets or futures-defined products that are focused on the election, he said.

These markets might be looking for a specific result at a specific time, but it is likely that the projected winner of the election might change depending on how mail-in ballots are counted and when the full results roll in, Kazemian said.

It allows people to build prediction markets that resolve around what a verified organization says or reports or allows people to vote or reward or create smart contracts, autonomous systems around whatever information is being put on-chain, he said.

In a statement, Chainlink head of business development Daniel Kochis noted that the process would result in a verifiable, tamper-proof record for tracking the election.

Kazemian noted the uncertainty around this years election timing, where President Donald Trump might appear to be in the lead as in-person votes are counted, but Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden may be declared the winner after the mail-in ballots and early votes are counted, as one scenario.

CORRECTION (Oct. 16, 2020, 06:30 UTC): Everipedia does not have its own native blockchain as this article originally suggested; the data is being recorded on the public Ethereum ledger.

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AP Election 2020 Results Will be Recorded on a Blockchain - CoinDesk - CoinDesk

Germany looks to blockchain to help decentralize their energy economy – Cointelegraph

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

The Deutsche Energie-Agentur, also known as DENA the main governmental group responsible for energy innovation in Germany is looking to move its energy ecosystem to a decentralized database.

When infrastructure cant go down - when the lights need to stay on - the systems you use need to be resilient, and decentralized technologies deliver that, Parity Technologies head of public affairs, Peter Mauric, told Cointelegraph. Parity Technologies stands as one of the companies involved in DENAs project. Mauric added:

The concept of microgrids smaller, decentralized energy grids to improve resiliency energy generation, storage and distribution have been a focus for the energy industry for years, so we should not be surprised that similar decentralized approaches are being explored across the entire energy market.

Working with over 20 other crypto and blockchain entities, Energy Web will build a distributed energy resource database for Germany at the request of DENA, an Oct. 13 blog post from Energy Web detailed, adding:

The project will enable energy assets in Germany, such as thermostats, solar PV systems, batteries, and electric vehicle charging stations to undertake automatic registration with a decentralized ledger of identities, allowing their utilisation by the German grid for a range of services such as virtual power plants and frequency regulation.

Germanys energy innovation wing, combined with Energy Web and numerous blockchain and crypto companies, essentially want to digitize the countrys energy system by storing necessary components on a decentralized database.

One of DENAs brass, Philipp Richard, explained in the post that the endeavor faces remaining hurdles in terms of setting the project into motion, although blockchain-based digital identities (which are currently undergoing testing) look favorable.

Built for the next generation of energy ecosystems, Energy Webs open-source blockchain-based decentralized operating system, called EW-DOS, holds as a key component of the new decentralized databases test model.

The project, however, plans to utilize multiple blockchains, and include technology from KILT Protocol and Parity Substrate which come from BOTLabs and Parity Technologies respectively, the post said.

As a core blockchain infrastructure development company, we are excited to be working closely alongside Energy Web and our partners to implement this solution for DENA using Substrate, the blockchain-building framework we built for Polkadot, Mauric said. Polkadot has gained significant prevalence in the crypto space in recent weeks, seeing the price of its DOT asset rise dramatically.

The new project follows the inception of the Future Energy Lab, which is a broad, recently-announced move from DENA. This project is aimed toward developing a trio of initiatives a blockchain machine identity ledger (BMIL), a CO2 emissions visualization, and a smart contract register, the post said.

UPDATE Oct. 13, 20:06 UTC: This article has been updated with added information and quotes from Parity Technologies.

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Germany looks to blockchain to help decentralize their energy economy - Cointelegraph

A Map for the New World of Blockchain – JD Supra

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

A collaborative project led by the Global Blockchain Business Council represents an unprecedented effort to analyze the technical and regulatory blockchain landscape.

On October 14, 2020, the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) and the World Economic Forum released the 2020 Global Standards Mapping Initiative (GSMI), the first comprehensive effort to assess and map global blockchain standards. The GSMI synthesizes key blockchain data and trends, and provides action-oriented guidance for public- and private-sector stakeholders. Latham & Watkins provided legal and regulatory review for the project.

The GSMI comprises two component reports (Technical Overview and Legal & Regulatory Overview) and an interactive world map of blockchain and digital asset legislation, regulation, and guidance. The survey encompasses data aggregated from 185 jurisdictions, 379 industry groups, and more than 30 technical standard-setting entities. The blockchain and digital asset landscape is mapped across three distinct areas: (i) technical standards; (ii) legislation and guidance by sovereign and international bodies; and (iii) industry best practices and standards.

Regulatory findings across the 185 jurisdictions surveyed are organized into the following 10 themes:

Key Regulatory Takeaways

Among the many insights to be found across the reports and interactive world map, some key insights related to regulation and standard-setting include:

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A Map for the New World of Blockchain - JD Supra

Standards report assesses the current state of blockchain – SmartCitiesWorld

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

Report also provides action-oriented guidance for public and private sectors

The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), an industry advocacy association, have partnered to assess the current state of blockchain technology.

According to the organisations, the outcome the Global Standards Mapping Initiative (GSMI) report is the most comprehensive endeavour so far to assess the current state of blockchain.

Based on input from over 30 technical standard-setting entities, 185 jurisdictions and nearly 400 industry groups, the report seeks to provide a summary of the current blockchain landscape by charting existing technical standardisation efforts, identifying gaps, and providing the industry with action-oriented guidance.

There has been a strong demand signal for a catalogue of standards-related activity that could serve as a cornerstone for facilitating responsible deployment and interoperability, Sheila Warren, head of blockchain at the WEF.

We were excited to collaborate with the Global Blockchain Business Council and members of our Blockchain Council to create this open resource that can be used by the ecosystem, policy-makers, and beyond, to inform their approaches to the technology and standards moving forward.

Key insights highlighted in the report include the technologys fragmentation both worldwide and within jurisdictions, overlaps, gaps, as well as conflicts in standard-setting and where these activities may be premature.

As blockchain continues to evolve and scale, clarity on its technical, regulatory and governance models will be paramount in shaping the trajectory and potential of the technology

The GSMI finds a lack of dynamic guidance for new uses of the technology, the need for proactive strategies from organisations, and outlines the important role regulators will play in shaping the future of the technology.

It notes: As blockchain continues to evolve and scale, clarity on its technical, regulatory and governance models will be paramount in shaping the trajectory and potential of the technology.

The report also provides action-oriented guidance for public and private sector stakeholders and includes an interactive world map of blockchain legislation and guidance.

GSMI partners and collaborators are a diverse group of stakeholders across industries, governments and academia who represent a range of perspectives and ideologies. Their coming together to lay the foundation towards greater harmonisation and clarity surrounding standard-setting exemplifies the unique ethos of the blockchain community rooted in collective progress and collaboration, added Sandra Ro, chief executive officer of GBBC.

GBBC is proud to have incubated this initiative alongside the World Economic Forum and looks forward to continued collaboration as the GSMI evolves and develops beyond this initial release. We invite new partners to join us as we build upon this initial body of work, GSMI version 1.0.

The initiative is led by WEF and GBBC with core collaborators: Accenture; Digital Currency Initiative; MIT Media Lab; ESG Intelligence; Global Digital Finance (GDF); Hyperledger, the Linux Foundation; ING; the Milken Institute; SIX Digital Exchange (SDX); and other global entities.

SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (OTC:SMKG) Announces Completion of OriginatorX Ethereum Blockchain Issuing and Publishing Tokens Platform for Equity,…

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

New York, NY, Oct. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire-- SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (OTC:SMKG)announced today that its Managed Partnership division completed the staging environment of the OriginatorX platform host for Ethereum (ERC20) Blockchain for ICOs, Crypto and Alternative derivatives offerings with the ability of Underwriting and Smart-Contracts auctions, sales and auditing management.

Market Overview

The Digital Asset Management Market (henceforth, referred to as the market studied) was valued at USD 2541.8 Million in 2019, and it is expected to reach USD 7756.1 Million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 21.23%, during the period of 2020-2025. Artificial Intelligence, including facial recognition, has been introduced to the world of DAM. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/digital-asset-management-dam-market

SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc (OTC:SMKG),a leader in Fintech & Payment solutions, offers up a unique Cloud & Mobility suite of applications for SMEs & Larger Enterprises to empower their Digital Transformation processes with a unique Digital portfolio of proprietary Applications. In addition, the companys focus on Managed Partnerships is an exciting growth funnel of business which expands the Intellectual Property bandwidth of the company, creating additional value for stakeholders and shareholders.

CEO Massimo Barone stated,We are excited about the Managed Partnership with OriginatorX and the timing is right for the Digital Currency market and the huge demand from decentralized offices, which are all market events that are going to be part of a major move toward Digital Issuance for both Private and Public markets. We have a world class technology portfolio of proprietary Intellectual Property and with the utilities like OriginatorX to expand the Issuance and Publishing of Equity and Assets gives us the Financial solution to lead global markets.

We welcome partnerships with Cloud & Mobility based companies looking to offer a Digital Strategy combined with their Cloud services:partnerships@smartcardmarketingsystems.com

About OriginatorX PPT link

http://www.originatorx.com/assets/OriginatorX%202020%20PPT%20%20SITE.pdf

About us

SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc (OTC:SMKG)is an industry leader in specialized industry cloud and mobility applications to the global PayTech and FinTech markets. SMKG is an entrepreneurial boutique technology company, providing business intelligence and digital transformation strategies with a proprietary portfolio of applications and wireframes for banking, enterprises, retail e-wallets, digital-Id, e-kyc, digital workforce, events management, education, tele-medicine and ride-booking industries. For more info visitwww.smartcardmarketingsystems.comor visit our business applications marketplace atwww.Emphasispay.com.

We seek a safe harbor.

CONTACT: Massimo Barone CEO

mbarone@smartcardmarketingsystems.com

SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. OTC:SMKG Ph: 1-844-843-7296

news@smartcardmarketingsystems.com

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SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (OTC:SMKG) Announces Completion of OriginatorX Ethereum Blockchain Issuing and Publishing Tokens Platform for Equity,...

Ripple: XRP and blockchain adoption will explode in the next months – Crypto News Flash

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Danzig

Ripple has published its third annual report on Blockchain in Payments with positive results for the blockchain industry, the XRP digital asset, and cryptocurrencies. The report is based on a survey conducted from August to September of this year. The 854 respondents are involved in the provision of payment services and were spread over 22 countries.

In addition, Ripple revealed that the companies surveyed range in size in terms of revenue from $500,000 to more than $10 billion. In that regard, Ripple makes a comparison with the 2019 results and states that the blockchain industry is in its final phase of adoption. In the current context, with the global economy affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the report states:

Business interest in digital assets, when paired with blockchain technology for payments, has grown sharply as early adopters look to increase the speed in payment settlements.

In that sense, the report indicates that 79% of participants have shown growth by entering unexplored markets and improving their services and products. Of all sectors, the most crucial was innovation in payment technology, according to 44% of participants. The companies surveyed say that their customers expect them to continue to innovate in payment technologies.

In terms of adoption, the report found that 34% of participants are in the production of some solution with blockchain technology. Therefore, this sector has made a leap between early adopters to early majority. 24% of the participants expect to complete production and move on to a pilot test and a proof-of-concept within the next two years, as shown below.

Source: https://ripple.com/lp/blockchain-in-payments-report/

In emerging markets, 37% of participants are in production to implement blockchain technology. Asia and the Pacific (APAC) is the leading region in these terms with 41%, followed by Latin America (LATAM) by multiplying its participation in blockchain production by 6. Then, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) with 24% of production and a possible increase to 29%, as shown in the graph below.

Source: https://ripple.com/lp/blockchain-in-payments-report/

Another key point revealed by the Ripple report is the diversification in use cases by companies using blockchain technology. 98% of participants using a blockchain have deployed technology for supply chain management (62%), commerce, and finance (51%). So its not surprising that 99% of participants said their company could use a digital asset such as XRP to process payments or as a medium of exchange. In contrast to the 2018 results, this figure has grown by 94%.

Among the strengths that participants said blockchain technology has, the speed to make cross-border transactions received 40% of the responses. In this aspect, the digital asset XRP and its instantaneous transfers with Ripples On-Demand Liquidity solution offer the most important benefit for respondant companies. Along with cost (32%) and reliability (27%), as shown below.

Source: https://ripple.com/lp/blockchain-in-payments-report/

Among the obstacles to blockchain adoption, participants mentioned a lack of regulatory clarity, the amount of investment required to implement the technology, and security. However, the results show that digital assets such as XRP are increasingly becoming an important part of the development of the blockchain industry. The report concludes:

Emerging markets are leading the charge, recognizing that responsible usage of blockchain and digital assets can unleash tremendous potential for their economy. Without a doubt, both will drive greater financial inclusion and economic growth not unlike the Internets impact. Mature markets stand to benefit as well

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Ripple: XRP and blockchain adoption will explode in the next months - Crypto News Flash

Futurist Transhuman News Blog

Author Archives: Danzig

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Tag: Gene Therapy – The Think Curiouser

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In 2019-2020, Congress Introduced 40 Crypto And Blockchain Bills – Forbes

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AP Election 2020 Results Will be Recorded on a Blockchain – CoinDesk – CoinDesk

Germany looks to blockchain to help decentralize their energy economy – Cointelegraph

A Map for the New World of Blockchain – JD Supra

Standards report assesses the current state of blockchain – SmartCitiesWorld

SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (OTC:SMKG) Announces Completion of OriginatorX Ethereum Blockchain Issuing and Publishing Tokens Platform for Equity,…

Ripple: XRP and blockchain adoption will explode in the next months – Crypto News Flash