Guidehouse Insights Report Shows Blockchain-Based EV Charging & Grid Integration Market Is Expected to Experience a 78% Compound Annual Growth…

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new report from Guidehouse Insights provides forecasts for blockchain-enabled charging hardware deployment, electricity demand from blockchain-based platforms, and revenue from electric vehicle (EV) charging and integration applications through 2029.

More and more traditional energy stakeholders are experimenting with blockchain technology. Whether in house or in partnership with an industry consortium or energy blockchain startup, EV charging and integration use cases have emerged as technologically sound and feasible within the regulatory and technical constraints of the energy system. According to a new Guidehouse Insights report, the combined market for blockchain-based EV charging and grid integration is expected to exceed $1 billion by 2029 at a 77.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

The potential for blockchain technology as a positive force in EV charging and integration, and in mobility and transportation overall, should not be underestimated, says Johnathon de Villier, research analyst with Guidehouse Insights. Beyond contributing efficiencies to the information management layer of EV charging and integration solutions, blockchain technology can enable owners of EVs to take advantage of new revenue streams in the form of peer-to-peer charging applications and grid services.

According to the report, EV charging and integration use cases for blockchain technology benefit from clear technological objectives and a straightforward development roadmap. This roadmap begins with one-way charging services and grows in complexity toward the full integration of EVs into the grid as distributed assets capable of responding to grid signals and providing auxiliary services such as frequency regulation and demand response.

The report, Market Data: Blockchain-Enabled EV Charging and Integration, provides forecasts for blockchain-enabled charging hardware deployment, electricity demand from blockchain-based platforms, and revenue from EV charging and integration applications between 2020 and 2029. Forecasts cover five global regions and three industry segments: home charging (including a separate subsegment for peer-to-peer charging), public charging, and fleet charging. It concludes with recommendations for actions that vendors and service providers can take to accelerate the development and deployment of blockchain-based EV solutions. An executive summary of the report is available for free download on the Guidehouse Insights website.

About Guidehouse Insights

Guidehouse Insights, the dedicated market intelligence arm of Guidehouse, provides research, data, and benchmarking services for todays rapidly changing and highly regulated industries. Our insights are built on in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The teams research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research, and demand assessment, paired with a deep examination of technology trends, to provide a comprehensive view of emerging resilient infrastructure systems. Additional information about Guidehouse Insights can be found at http://www.guidehouseinsights.com.

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public and commercial markets with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. We help clients address their toughest challenges with a focus on markets and clients facing transformational change, technology-driven innovation and significant regulatory pressure. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and technology/analytics services, we help clients create scalable, innovative solutions that prepare them for future growth and success. Headquartered in Washington DC, the company has more than 7,000 professionals in more than 50 locations. Guidehouse is led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit: http://www.guidehouse.com.

* The information contained in this press release concerning the report, Market Data: Blockchain-Enabled EV Charging and Integration, is a summary and reflects the current expectations of Guidehouse Insights based on market data and trend analysis. Market predictions and expectations are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release or the report. Please refer to the full report for a complete understanding of the assumptions underlying the reports conclusions and the methodologies used to create the report. Neither Guidehouse Insights nor Guidehouse undertakes any obligation to update any of the information contained in this press release or the report.

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Guidehouse Insights Report Shows Blockchain-Based EV Charging & Grid Integration Market Is Expected to Experience a 78% Compound Annual Growth...

Blockchain technology adoption is growing fast as a result of the pandemic – Crypto News Flash

During the past months, the traditional way of operating for companies and workers around the world has changed its regular modus operandi. Due to the recent pandemic that came to light in the world, COVID-19, companies have seen the need to digitize their processes. Some have even given their operations a business turn to be able to carry them out day by day digitally, implementing the home office so that workers can carry out their functions from home. And so, that businesses do not collapse and can avoid the need of closing the companies.

Several companies around the world are adopting blockchain technology as a preventive measure against the pandemic. Currently, there are companies that provide blockchain based services. For example, Traxalt, a blockchain company that is growing at a very fast pace in the market, provides a blockchain protocol that could fit with companies that generate massive scale payment, but without the need of physical contact that banks would require. IBM is also developing a blockchain protocol for optimizing and tracking supply chains in a safe way, as it is one of the industries that have been the most affected by COVID-19.

A company that will implement blockchain technology in their daily operations is PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), located in Spain. To facilitate the entrance of the employees to their offices, PwC will carry out a health passport which is blockchain-based. This health passport is basically a personal credential in the form of a QR code which will allow workers to show their state of health while COVID-19 alert is on.

This initiative is being implemented in conjunction with public administration companies and health centers. The COVID-19 test results that will be done to the employees by hospitals or medical labs, will be automatically recorded on a private blockchain platform, and these results will generate a QR code, which is the credential all employees will have to show every time they arrive to the office or whenever it is required.

One of the most important prevention measures of the pandemic is self-isolation and social distancing. Because of this powerful measure, companies have the need to implement solutions that can work together with this measure. A company that is embracing blockchain technology is World Sustainability Organization, specifically with its project Friend of the Sea. The solution to counterattack the effects of COVID-19 that Friends of the Sea implemented, involves video-recording and blockchain-based audits, instead of having a physical team developing the audit.

The demand for online courses has also exploded. Udemy, the popular online learning platform, has recently explained that the most requested courses are the ones related to Bitcoin and blockchain technology. This represents the interest that people have in learning about this technology, which they can implement in their businesses.

This virus is changing the traditional way businesses and companies operate. It is changing the way children learn. It is basically changing the MO by which the world works. It has revealed the weaknesses of daily operations and the way data is shared and managed. But it has also shown us that there are a lot of opportunities that are not being taken advantage of, such as the implementation of blockchain technology at the core of businesses. Blockchain provides endless solutions and advantages that can improve how things are done, and it is contributing to the battle that the pandemic has waged against the world.

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Blockchain technology adoption is growing fast as a result of the pandemic - Crypto News Flash

If Blockchain Is the Door to the Future of Finance, Liquidity Is the Key – Cointelegraph

In the cryptocurrency industry, liquidity is king. But how we measure and perceive liquidity varies greatly. Amid uncertain times and volatile market conditions, many traders are revising their trading strategies to consider every facet of their portfolio. This includes how they evaluate the liquidity of an asset or an exchange altogether. While it is evident that trading volume can be easily manipulated, weve nonetheless been conditioned to look to it as a way to measure liquidity and by extension the health of markets and exchanges.

At its core, liquidity can be divided into three categories: market liquidity, exchange liquidity and asset liquidity.

Traditionally, market liquidity is viewed as the swiftness in which an asset can be bought or sold without affecting the general price of the asset. But in crypto trading, its much more than that.

Just because theres a high volume of activity, it doesnt mean that trades are happening quickly or efficiently, or that theyre even happening at all for that matter. As weve seen in the first years of cryptocurrency trading, volumes can be generated by a handful of actors, which doesnt necessarily reflect a healthy market. Bear in mind, what matters isnt the noise of high volume, but the signal of an efficient, genuine market one where a trade can be made as quickly as possible and with as little friction as possible against the demand of genuine counterparties. More importantly, a highly liquid market one with many buyers and many sellers is an efficient and economical one where transaction costs are low and profits are maximized.

By contrast, an illiquid market typically has high transaction costs, a lack of interested buyers, and large spreads between the highest prices of buyers and lowest prices of sellers.

Then we have exchange liquidity for custodial and noncustodial services. In both cases, liquidity matters to traders because without it they can suffer high costs in slippage. Theyll be exposed to more risk by way of fewer trading options for an asset. And of course, its easier to manipulate price on illiquid markets as well. For noncustodial exchanges, at their current stage of development, it is the most serious challenge they face on the road to mainstream adoption.

Illiquid exchanges, both custodial and noncustodial, can be easily identified because during periods of high market activity they might be unable to fulfill large orders, as there arent enough people or capital to absorb major sell-offs.

Currently, the vast majority of liquidity is found in custodial exchanges referred to as CEXs while noncustodial, or decentralized exchanges referred to as DEXs suffer from severe illiquidity.

Centralized exchanges such as Bitfinex, Coinbase and Binance are vastly more liquid than decentralized exchanges, with Bitfinex used by professional traders, given its market-leading liquidity pool; Binance used by crypto enthusiasts to discover new assets and access more diverse trading opportunities; and Coinbase used as the on-ramp for newcomers looking to start learning about cryptocurrency.

DEXs have only seen a fraction of the liquidity of CEXs but have been mission focused on bridging the liquidity gap and increasing usability, decreasing fees and reducing price slippage.

For example, Kyber Network is an on-chain exchange that allows instantaneous trading and conversion of cryptocurrencies and tokens with reasonable liquidity. It does this by collecting liquidity from a wide range of reserves. Kyber Network uses an on-chain liquidity protocol, which benefits from the growth in decentralized finance.

More recently, the noncustodial technologies employed in DEXs have given rise to hybrid noncustodial exchanges. These services aim to combine the benefits of decentralization for example, eliminating third-party involvement and thus increasing security with the performance and liquidity of their centralized counterparts. While many noncustodial crypto services have launched in the past years, very few have been able to assemble significant liquidity. However, Eosfinex, a hybrid noncustodial exchange built on EOSIO technology, is aiming to solve for the illiquidity of noncustodial exchanges. A Bitfinex service, the platform is able to accomplish this with an innovative architecture that grants noncustodial access to Bitfinexs liquidity.

Related: Crypto Exchange Liquidity, Explained

The most liquid asset is, as of today, cash specifically the United States dollar. And any asset that is easily converted to cash is also considered highly liquid. Similarly, in crypto the most liquid asset is Tether (USDT), which accounted for nearly half of all crypto trading activity at the beginning of the year. Yet as weve learned, volume isnt a reliable measure of liquidity. What makes Tether so liquid is also its market capitalization and the fact that its value being pegged to the U.S. dollar has helped investors manage volatility.

Thats why when we try to identify an assets liquidity, we look at the variety of its trading pairs on exchanges, how many exchanges an asset is traded on, its price activity and its trading activity across different exchanges. If there arent well-established trading pairs for the asset, extra steps, such as hopping from one coin to the next or trading across exchanges, may be required to enter and exit positions in the asset, and this inevitably incurs additional costs. Also, during high sell-off periods, an assets liquidity and ability to move into other assets becomes critical to managing risk in a trading strategy.

For crypto assets, being listed on popular exchanges and giving people the opportunity to buy into them directly impacts the success of the projects behind the assets. If an asset isnt listed on enough exchanges, it means fewer people can buy, which impacts the ability to scale and diversify token holders which is an important hedge against pump and dump schemes that can give a project a black eye. As important, asset illiquidity means customers face steep costs to buy the token, which causes the project serious headwinds for adoption.

As investors seek refuge in volatile markets, trading volumes tend to mislead market participants with inflated numbers when in fact, they dont actually tell us a whole lot about the quality of an exchange, asset or the market in general.

Highly liquid assets and exchanges are at the forefront of innovation this year, enjoying a disproportionate advantage when it comes to awareness and adoption. These market leaders have understood early on that liquidity begets more liquidity and equally important that liquidity goes hand in hand with scalability. If blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies are the door to the future of finance, liquidity is the key.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Steven Quinn is a product manager at Eosfinex and Bitfinex. He focuses on the EOSIO ecosystem of blockchains and communities, blockchain technologies such as smart contracts and noncustodial wallets, and global trends toward decentralization and financial sovereignty.

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If Blockchain Is the Door to the Future of Finance, Liquidity Is the Key - Cointelegraph

Blockchain the key to connecting the world post-pandemic – Port Technology International

The COVID-19 has revealed the extent to which the global supply chain is disconnected, something that blockchain will be able fix, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Ports and supply chains around the world have seen their volumes crash as a result of the pandemic, in particular those in southeast Asia and the West Coast of the US, Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The WEF said the supply chain had been brought to its knees by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that economies and ecosystems had been dislocated as a result.

PTI Webinar: End-to-End Supply Chain: The Real Value of Port Digitization

What has become abundantly clear over the last three months is a general lack of connectivity and data exchange built into our global supply chains, the WEF said.

This is a phenomenon it described as staggering considering the prominence of fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that are currently available.

The fact we can track our Uber driver but not shipment placed three weeks ago from a department store less than 10 miles from our home is startling, humiliating and needs addressing, it said.

However, the WEF said blockchain could be the answer to the supply chains problem as the technology is already helping to track and trace medical supplies to areas most badly affected by the pandemic. This, the WEF said is improving the efficiency of movement permits to residents in a near-future of controlled social movement.

It went on to say that visibility, traceability, and interoperability of blockchain platforms to fortify, better connect and improve the resilience of supply chains will also be critical to getting the recovery underway in the world beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

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Blockchain the key to connecting the world post-pandemic - Port Technology International

Blockchain for Telcos: As Adoption Nears, The Telecom Sector Must Have Shared Visions Ready – ResearchAndMarkets.com – Business Wire

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Blockchain for Telcos - As adoption nears, the telecom sector must have shared visions ready" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering

The "Blockchain for Telcos" study presents the opportunities for CSPs to leverage on blockchain capabilities. The analysis is based on a global benchmark of CSP concrete public initiatives in blockchain. These have served to identify the potential internal and external applications for telcos and to show market trends.

Based on the development of blockchain-related PoCs, the report focuses on the major use cases that bring added value for CSPs in highlighting stakes and opportunities for each case. It includes an overview of the positioning of key stakeholders towards blockchain, covering both major CSPs and key technology providers. The report includes an Excel file including a tracker of use cases.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Overview of blockchain technology

2.1. Definitions

2.2. Key concepts

2.3. Value proposition

2.4. Offerings

3. Applications of blockchain in telco businesses

3.1. Potential areas for blockchain applications in CSP processes

3.2. Expected benefits from blockchain implementation

4. Applications of blockchain in telco businesses

4.1. Overview of CSP usage of blockchain

4.2. Overview of areas of blockchain adoption in CSP processes

4.3. Overview of CSP-preferred blockchain technology providers

4.4. Summary of CSP blockchain experiments

5. Focus on four use cases: CSPs stakes, opportunities, perspectives

5.1. Inter-carrier settlements and reconciliation

5.2. Identity management

5.3. Payment services

5.4. IoT device connectivity and security

6. Ecosystem

6.1. Telecom blockchain consortia

6.2. Player profile: Telefnica

6.3. Player profile: Deutsche Telekom

6.4. Player profile: Vodafone

6.5. Player profiles: Turkcell and Asia Pacific Telecom

6.6. Player profile: TBCASoft

6.7. Player profile: Clear Blockchain Technologies

7. Market trends

7.1. Drivers

7.2. Barriers

7.3. Perspectives

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sqkwul

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Blockchain for Telcos: As Adoption Nears, The Telecom Sector Must Have Shared Visions Ready - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

Applications of blockchain technology in food industry – New Food

How can blockchain technology help improve the food industry? New Food hears from two experts about this technologys potential within the sector.

We are living in a digital era and the technology of this digital world is changing rapidly. The interesting part of this digital revolution is that it directly or indirectly impacts each of us. Whether there is a change in the smartphone technology leading to a revolution in the flow of information, or an advancement in online security thus changing the way we do banking.

In many cases, a piece of technology or system starts with solving one problem, but the more that is understood, the further its potential can grow. For example, who would have thought that irradiation, initially designed for safe space food, would be used for food preservation or HACCP and become a basic requirement for the food industry?

Blockchain is regarded as the next disruption in the technology world and is being studied in several applications, business sectors and processes. This includes the secure handling and storing of administrative records and digital authentication to strengthen intellectual property rights and patent systems, as well as bring transparency throughout the supply chain, reduce food frauds and enhance food safety.

Blockchain has established its unparalleled authority in the financial sector and now the food industry is looking at where it can be applied. We should also keep in mind that this technology is at its nascent stage and it may take more research and time before it becomes parts and parcel of the food industry.

The objective of this article is to introduce blockchain technology in common language and share some examples from the world where its application in the food industry is under study.

In basic terms, a blockchain is a digital distributed ledger, maintained by a network of multiple computing machines. It stores data in the form of blocks that are cryptographically secured and immutable. The blockchain is the brainchild of a person or group of people known by the pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto. It was first reported in 2008 and since then, has become very popular among the IT fanatics.

Decentralised

Unlike the current internet system, there is no single server where entire information is stored. These data are saved as copies in different computers (called nodes in the blockchain world) and there is no central authority supervising anything. These computers are connected to the blockchain network. Due to this distributed copies of data (transaction), blockchain is also known as a distributed ledger.

Trustless

Trustless should not be confused with not trustworthy. Blockchain provides such a transparent environment that one need not to have a third-party to mediate or enhance trust between two parties involved in transaction.

Transparent

This should not be misinterpreted as violating privacy. The identity of parties involved in a transaction is hidden via complex cryptography and represented only by their public address (code). While the identity is secure, all the transactions that are carried out by public address are accessible. This level of transparency enhances trust in the system while securing privacy.

Immutability

Any data entered in blockchain cannot be modified/tampered with in the future. This immutability feature of blockchain has made it so popular that it is being explored in all the sectors where data integrity and data protection is of utmost importance.

Blockchain is a process of passing information from stage one to stage two in a process, which takes places in a fully automated and safe environment.

Figure 1: Pictorial depiction of flow of information in current server network and blockchain network

Within the food supply chain there are different participants involved in each step, from farmers, to processors, manufacturers, certifying agencies, government agencies, logistics, distributors, retailers and so on. Each of these participants shares critical information about the product that sits in their own local server. This information is not accessible to other participants and thus, there is an increased chance of food fraud in the system.

If a consumer wants to buy organic tomato ketchup, they rely on the label claim. The manufacturer of ketchup relies on the supplier of tomato puree or concentrate processor. The tomato processor relies on the claim/organic certification furnished by the farmer or farmer association. If any of the participants provide a false claim, both the consumers and other participants are cheated.

Blockchain provides a secure environment where each of the participants in the blockchain network has access to each data and these data, once entered and verified, cannot be modified. For example, a farmer that provides an organic food certificate, which is verified by an authorised agency, cannot have that certificate tampered with at later date.

Information or data provided by each participant referred to as a transaction forms a block. This block is verified by thousands, perhaps millions, of computers distributed around the blockchain network. The verified block is added to a chain, which is stored as multiple copies across the net. This creates a unique record with a unique history. Modifying a single record would mean modifying the entire chain and in millions of computers (nodes), which is practically impossible.

This unique property of blockchain is due to thecryptographic hash function. In simple terms, hashing means converting all input data (information) or any length to a fixed-length coded output. Interestingly, even if we make a small change in input, the changes that will be reflected in the hash will be huge. Figure 2 is an example of a hash created using the SHA-256 algorithm. You can see only changing P from capital letter to a small letter, changes the hash drastically. It should be also noted that irrespective of the size of input text/information, the length of the hash remains same.

Input

Hash

Tomato Puree

fba8d76ce672034611034b47dfb44e2a051b3efefed5c98fa5bcd93d04052fb0

Tomato puree

2de11dbbe1a285a63334696df0f4be1e3d529710b60308646305c5a978eae3f3

Figure 2: Example showing how Hash changes drastically with slight change in input

In blockchain, each block (information/input) is linked to another block that contains data and a hash of the data inside the previous block. So, any change in data at any stage/block will change the hash drastically, therefore causing an avalanche effect disturbing the entire blockchain. You can correlate it with a genetic mutation. In point mutation, a single change in nucleotide pair can change entire genetic makeup. A slight change in information would change the entire blockchain and as these are saved as several copies in the network, it cannot be practically done.

To understand data input at different stages of the supply chain, blocks and hash and blockchain refer to a pictorial explanation in Figure 3. To depict the hash of the block, the colour of the block and its hash in the subsequent block is kept the same.

Figure 3: Pictorial depiction of information forming blocks are every stage of supply chain. The data from each block is converted to hash which becomes part of next block

Blockchain, when integrated with the latest technologies for data capturing, has huge potential in the food industry. Building on the respective strengths of blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT), we can revolutionise the food industry. IoT solutions link the physical and digital worlds, capturing data like temperature and humidity during transportation or storage of product. Blockchain provides a secure and an immutable platform where this data can be stored and accessed by every participant in the supply chain.

In its latest report, Key Vertical Opportunities, Trends & Challenges 2019-2030, Juniper Research shows that blockchain used with IoT sensors and trackers will have several advantages. These are:

According to the 2018policy paperbythe Food and Agriculture Organizationof theUnited Nations (FAO), blockchain could dramatically transform the food supply chain in India. As per the policy paper, blockchain technologies can help in building an immutable contract between the various players in supply chain, enabling further transparency in the system.

A smart contract can reduce the number of intermediaries in the supplychain network. These smart contracts can reduce transaction costs, improve margins and increase efficiency, and as a result, transfer a large chunk of profits to the farmer/producer.

There are several IT giants who have made different blockchain platforms or solutions to the food industry.A few examples include Food Trust and Watson platforms by IBM, Track and Trace, and Leonardo platforms by SAP, Track and Trace, and Internet of Things solutions by Oracle.

Below, we have compiled several examples from different food industries where blockchain has been or is planning to be used in pilot-scale to bring transparency in the supply chain network and gain consumer trust.

Blockchain is a promising technology with multidimensional benefits. If used along with the IoT, we can establish a transparent supply chain of food, reduce food fraud and build consumer trust.

There are already many companies who are experimenting with this new technology and these trials will further build the capabilities of the blockchain technology and make it economically viable also to be accepted by the majority of food processors in coming years. In order to bring this technology to the mainstream of the processed food world, food processors, supply chain participants, government authorities, and IT experts have to come together to build a comprehensive plan to implement Blockchain Technology.

About the authors

Sanjeev Kumar Sharma is a Food Scientist by profession and has about 14 years of experience in different food industries like Nestl, Heinz, and Mondelz. Currently, he is working in the R&D centre of Mondelz in India. He is an author of three books an active blogger and founder of http://www.foodtechpathshala.com.

Vinay Singh is a data science manager at BASF SE and has over 15 years of industry experience focusing on digital solutions. He is the author of several books and is also visiting research scholar at National Central University of Taiwan and guest lecturer at Furtwangen University, Germany

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent official positions of their respective companies.

Blockchain, Contaminants, Data management, Equipment, Food Fraud, Food Safety, Ingredients, Outbreaks & product recalls, Packaging & Labelling, Processing, Quality analysis & quality control (QA/QC), recalls, Research & development, Robotics & automation, Sensory technology, Supply chain, Technology & Innovation, Traceability

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Applications of blockchain technology in food industry - New Food

Groundbreaking Patent Issued to Ai-Blockchain for Cryptographic Digital Asset Ledger Solutions – GlobeNewswire

HOBOKEN, N.J., May 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent on private blockchains to Ai-Blockchain ("AiB"). Ai-Blockchain is a leading provider of custom artificial intelligence driven and blockchain solutions to clients such as financial exchanges, hospitals, media content providers and supply chain platforms for nearly a decade. Experts consider AiBs patented platform to be the most efficient, secure, and scalable blockchain technology.

U.S. Patent No. 10,579,974, entitled "SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR A DISTRIBUTED DIGITAL ASSET NETWORK WITH RAPID TRANSACTION SETTLEMENTS," was issued on March 3, 2020. The patent is directed to AiBs core technology which enables private blockchains to transact digital assets quickly between parties such as digital rights management for media companies, financial exchanges and customers, healthcare institutions and physicians, and supply chains and retailers. AiBs combination of leading software technology with foundational computing elements is so unique that the US Patent and Trademark Office has now recognized its innovative components.

Founders Stephen L. Reed and S. Drew Hingorani have created a game-changing approach to security and encryption, transactional speed and client service. For example, AiB developed a HIPAA-compliant data payment platform which can be used by health facilities and hospitals to compensate physicians. In some healthcare organizations, physicians are paid using relative value unit (RVU) based compensation agreements, which are complicated. In these situations, RVU-based formulas are the most critical part of a physician's compensation plan and it is a labor-intensive process which leads to an insurmountable loss of productivity thereby reducing the amount of time devoted to patient care. AiBs solution has solved this challenge. For more information on how to work with AiB, please visit http://aiblockchainalliance.org

This new proprietary blockchain smart contract is built upon the recently open-sourced high-performance Kafka blockchain technology, which is available on GitHub today via the following link: https://github.com/ai-coin/KafkaBlockchain. Anyone interested in a free architecture diagram tutorial to enhance their existing infrastructure enterprise technology should contact AiB immediately.

Stephen Reed, developer and AiBs Chief Scientist, says, "Our platform has significant application in the healthcare industry and financial institutions where all stakeholders demand continual improvement of security and efficiency. With this issued patent, Ai-Blockchain can deliver its source code across all industry standards in managing digital asset transfers between two parties or multiple parties. AiBs patented platform is the most efficient, secure and scalable blockchain technology in the world."

Confluent's Kai Waehner, Technology Evangelist, Enterprise Architect, and Global Field Engineer said, "I am really excited about AiB's Kafka add-on, "KafkaBlockchain" to build tamper-evidence into scalable streaming applications using Kafka and its whole ecosystem, including Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams and KSQL. This allows customers to build mission-critical and secure applications on top of battle-tested Kafka infrastructure; without the complexity and immaturity of other blockchain products."

The AiB platform operates seamlessly with Apache Kafka. KafkaBlockchain is a java library for tamper-evidence using Kafka. Messages can be encrypted and made tamper-evident at a rate exceeding 2 million messages per second per topic. AiBs smart contract blockchain product operates efficiently yet consumes a fraction of the energy required by competing blockchains. The architecture also features tamper-evident security, accountability, and transparency with the lowest costs and highest scalability.

Potential use cases include: developing digital identity structures for use with vulnerable populations; enhancing cyber-security to better protect the privacy of all personally identifiable information; securing personal data across financial services; healthcare, real estate, supply chains and other important industries that are migrating to cloud-based solutions.

Ai-Blockchains CEO, Drew Hingorani, states, "We truly appreciate the USPTO issuing our patent as we showcase our healthcare solutions enabling physicians to spend more time with patients and demonstrating our blockchain payment cloud platform for a variety of uses across multiple industries. We continue to develop and enhance our private and public blockchain technology and both the cloud and the on-premise solutions are available for companies to collaborate, deploy, evaluate, study and test. Stephen Reed is a respected technology professional with a strong track record of building and creating originative products while leading engineering teams for over four decades using all technologies. Working with him and the team has been educational and uplifting along with meeting interesting people worldwide.

Joe Bacon, best known for his years of service to Rolls-Royce in the UK, recently stated, "Having researched and conducted proof of concept studies for the industrialization of blockchain technology over several years, a few areas of concern consistently arose: transaction speed, energy consumption, security, data tenancy, and lifecycle costs. I am pleased to say having worked with Ai-Blockchain since 2016, they have addressed all of these issues with their patented technology stack, which utilizes the robust and secure Amazon AWS cloud services for scalability to meet all of the demands of global businesses. I would highly recommend engaging and working with AiB to explore how they can help your business succeed in transforming the way you work, whilst reducing through-life costs compared to Ethereum or other blockchains. I am sure they wont mind me saying that from a return on investment point of view they significantly outperform larger organizations. The AiB team applied sound architectural designs and provided technology product demonstrations that no other Blockchain or software company did in the same way. I will be pleased to see more people working with AiB in 2020."

About Ai-Blockchain:

AiB technology and blockchain solutions bring a new class of products to the world. Ai-Blockchain is a privately held technology company that developed a patented blockchain platform on the cloud. Private and public blockchains are proposed for multiple business uses. AiB consultants and employees work remotely to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. For information on how to join an AiB online video session, please email info@ai-blockchain.com or call +1.201.349.4996.

Media Contact:

Ai-Blockchain50 Harrison Street, Suite 212BHoboken, NJ 07030Email: info@ai-blockchain.com Phone: +1. 201.349.4996

Wire Service Contact: NetworkWire (NW) New York, New Yorkwww.NetworkWire.com212.418.1217 OfficeEditor@NetworkWire.com

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Groundbreaking Patent Issued to Ai-Blockchain for Cryptographic Digital Asset Ledger Solutions - GlobeNewswire

Exit Scam? Blockchain Project Loom Network Appears to be Dead, Developers Abandon it After $45 Million ICO – Crowdfund Insider

The Loom Network, a platform-as-as-service (PaaS) blockchain initiative, appears to have an extremely uncertain future.

Based on investigations and comments from social media users, theres no real proof of a live or active project being supported by the developers of the Loom Network.

According to available information, the Loom Network is an Ethereum-based PaaS DLT solution that allows developers to run enterprise-grade or large-scale decentralized applications (dApps).

As noted (via Twitter) by Bruno Skvorc, manager of blockchain and crypto education site, Bitfalls, Loom is no longer has an active presence on major social media networks, which had previously included Telegram, Reddit, and a company blog.

Looms core team also seems to have abandoned the project. Skvoric remarked:

Id call it an exit scam if there was anything left to exit with.

The South Korean Loom Network project had conducted an initial coin offering (ICO) back in January 2018. The company notably sold its Loom token holdings right before the historic crash of the cryptocurrency market in 2018, after a bull run that saw Bitcoins (BTC) price briefly reach nearly $20,000.

Loom secured more than $45 million through its ICO, by selling its Ethereum-based tokens, ICODrops according to reports.

An admin message posted in Looms Telegram group claimed:

This channel is now closed. Loom Network has pivoted from blockchain games to enterprise, therefore weve decided to consolidate our public channels so our staff can focus on enterprise sales, support, and outreach.

Looms Reddit channel has also been silent, with members saying that updates for the project have not been announced for a long time.

A frustrated user noted around a month back that there was a lack of communication.

The user wrote:

This sub is basically dead. There have been no updates or anything here for a while really.

The user claims they stopped getting emails from Loom, which were reportedly sent to community members two times per month.

Notably, the developers of Loom have not published a Medium blog post since February 2020.

A blog post in February had confirmed that project CEO Matthew Campbell would be leaving.

Vadim Macagon, who has reportedly been involved with the Loom Network initiative for a long time, was supposed to be appointed as the new chief executive.

Loom Network developers had noted in the blog post (published earlier this year) that theyd be cancelling their bounty program, and there were also questions around the projects roadmap for 2020.

Stake Capital, a well-known Loom Network supporter and transaction validator, had noted via Twitter on March 31, 2020, that it would hand over control to Matic. Stake Capital had claimed that Loom was basically a dead project.

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Exit Scam? Blockchain Project Loom Network Appears to be Dead, Developers Abandon it After $45 Million ICO - Crowdfund Insider

Blockchain Technology: All we need to know – WhaTech

Blockchain has been the talk of town for quite some time now, it is one of the hottest and fastest growing technology in the IT industry today. If you have been following investing, banking or cryptocurrency in the course of the most recent ten years, you might be acquainted with the term Blockchain, the record keeping innovation behind the Bitcoin network.

Many experts believe that, Blockchain is the most significant innovation on the internet since the internet. This technology has already been the talk of the tech world. Even though it is an intricate technology, most people and association have started adopting blockchain considering numerous advantages it offers to the business today. Aside from the financial sector, it has increased a great deal of consideration in different ventures also.

Before moving further, let us first understand What is Blockchain Technology , its significance, its impact and decentralization.

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is defined as:

The Blockchain technology is a decentralized record that tracks exchanges that happens over a distributed system. This innovation permits members from over the system to affirm their exchange without the requirement for a central authority, this incorporates cash exchanges, casting vote, and trade settling and many more.

In the context when we talk about Block and chain, we are referring to the computerized data (the Block) that is stored in a public database (the chain).

How it works?

If someone demands for a transaction, this transaction is then communicated to a P2P arrange that comprises of PCs which are known as nodes.

The purpose of these nodes is to approve the transaction and the status of the client using algorithms. Now, this validated transaction can include either cryptocurrency, records, transactions or any sort of other data. This confirmed transaction is then joined with the other different transaction that make another block of data. Now, to the existing blockchain this block of data is added. This Blockchain cannot be changed and it is permanent.

Importance and Application

Indeed, when it comes to the latest technology, its certain that nobody wants to fall behind the competitors. Blockchain has been the talk of town, and most organizations are moving towards it to improve their plan of action, installment techniques and distributed storage and so forth.

The importance of Blockchain

Security

Information breach and data stealing is one of the major concerns while operating in the digital world. Through Blockchain technology, the data stored has robust security which makes it impossible for one to hack.

Inexpensive

Blockchain is less costly than most of the traditional financial model available in the market.

Less time for transaction

The burden of waiting for hours by an individual for sending, receiving money and confidential documents is eliminated as with blockchain the transaction only takes aa couple of minutes.

Transparent

There are very limited chances of any kind of discrepancy as everything is displayed on the network.

Increased Financial efficiency

Through decentralized blockchain one can make transaction from one individual to another without the involvement of a third party. So, unlike traditional banks this helps to save a lot of money.

Prevention of fraud

It is very easy to detect fraud as the Blockchain is open source ledgers, which facilitate in identification of forgery since record of every transaction is present.

Application of Blockchain

Banking Sector

The benefits from integrating Blockchain into the business operation is best used by the Banking sector more than any other industry. The shortcomings of operating only on the business hours is eliminated by Blockchain, regardless of the time or the day of week of the transaction it only takes as little as ten minutes for a customer to see their transaction processed.

Also, the exchange of funds between institutions is made secure and quick through Blockchain.

Healthcare

Healthcare service providers can use Blockchain to safely to store their patients clinical records. At the point when a clinical record is created and marked, it tends to be composed into the Blockchain, which furnishes patients with the confirmation and certainty that the record cant be changed.

These individual health record could be encoded and stored on the blockchain with a private key, so they are just accessed by specific people, in this way guaranteeing protection.

Property record

A lot of paperwork and records required for buying and selling of land, the process is costly as well as its time consuming with a chance of human error. Blockchain makes this process much simpler and easier.

There is no need for scanning documents and tracking of physical files in a recording office, the information regarding the property ownership is recorded and verified on the blockchain.

Smart contracts

A smart contract is a computer code that can be incorporated with the blockchain to facilitate, check or negotiate an agreement. Smart Contracts work under a set of condition that client agree to. At the point those conditions are met, the terms of the contract agreement are consequently carried out.

Voting

Casting a vote with Blockchain has the potential to eliminate fraud in election and lift voter turnout, as was tried in West Virginia, in Nov. 2018 midterm election. Each vote would be put away as a block in the blockchain, making them almost difficult to mess with. The blockchain convention would likewise keep up transparency in the constituent procedure, diminishing the work force expected to conduct an election and give the authorities results instantly.

Disadvantages

While there are many upsides to the blockchain, there are additionally critical difficulties to its reception. The barriers to the use of blockchain technology today are not just technical. The genuine difficulties are political and administrative, and the large number of hours required for custom programming plan and back-end programming to coordinate blockchain to current business systems. The other shortcomings include technology cost required for operation, central bank concerns regarding the validation of cryptocurrency etc.

Road ahead

With the utilization of technology, there is so much that we can achieve together. But it is also important to not overlook that people are the at the focal point, all things considered.

Proposed in 1991 as a research project, blockchain is serenely subsiding into its late twenties. Like most recent college grads at its age, blockchain has seen a considerable amount of open examination in the course of the most recent two decade, with organisation around the globe theorizing about what the technology is prepared to do and where its going in the years to come.

With the numerous functional applications for the innovation previously being executed and investigated, blockchain is at long last becoming well known at age twenty-seven, in no little part in view of bitcoin and digital currency. As a trendy expression on the tongue of each financial specialist in the country, blockchain stands to make business and government tasks progressively exact, proficient and secure.

Contact us to be on the forefront of innovations coming to disrupt whole of the universe and embrace the upcoming industry shift.

This article is written by Kalyani BSc Maths student from Delhi University.

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Blockchain Bites: Paul Tudor Jones, Open Options and Why Bitcoin Looks Strong Heading to the Halving – CoinDesk

Yesterday, it came to light that Paul Tudor Jones II, a titan investor, is considering bitcoin as a hedge against inflation.While it's unknown where he intends to make his allocation or how much he'll invest over what period of timethrough his flagship fund, we do know why. Bitcoin is what gold was in the 1970s, he thinks.

"I am not a millennial investing in cryptocurrency, which is very popular in that generation, but a baby boomer," he said in a letter to investors. "In a world that craves new safe assets, there may be a growing role for bitcoin."

Next week asConsensus: Distributedkicks off, Blockchain Bites will be your guide to the event. We'll publish twice daily, providing adetailed schedule of eventsas well as a daily recap. I hope you can join us for the completely free and virtual event.You can subscribe to this and all of CoinDesk'snewsletters here.

In other news, Bixin is launching a $66 million fund of funds, Massive Adoption organizer Jacob Kostecki is getting sued and Filecoin is delivering physical hard drives.Here's the story:

Top Shelf

Industry Head Looking to HedgePaul Tudor Jones II, a pioneer of the modern hedge fund industry, is ready to bet on bitcoins price as an inflation hedge. Jonesflagship $22 billion Tudor BVI Global Fund has been authorized to hold as much as a low single-digit percentage exposure percentage"of its assets in bitcoin futures, according to a note sent to investors this month. It is not clear whether the fund has begun buying futures, what kind (physically delivered or cash-settled), on which exchange it would do so or whether it plans to also trade the underlying commodity.

Bitcoin Halving Interest Doubles (Five Times Over)With fewer than four days left till bitcoin's halving, popular interest in the once-every-four-years event is reaching a fever pitch.Google Trends, a barometer for gauging interest in trending search topics, shows searches for "halving" or "bitcoin halving" at five times the peakin 2016, when the blockchain underwent its previous halving event. CoinDesks First Mover team takes a deeper dive, you cansign up for the newsletter here.

Serious TensionsMicree Ketuan Zhan, the exiled co-founder of Bitmain, has moved to reinstate his position granted the right to recover his status as legal representative of Beijing Bitmain Technology by the Beijing Haidian District Justice Bureau. When Zhan went to the bureau to collect his new registration license, he was met by a cadre of Bitmain executives seeking to block his move.Tensions escalated into a physical brawl,as reported by Chinese daily Caixin and a video circulating on WeChat.

Filecoin Delivers... a PackageFilecoin is mailing out hard drives of climate data, world literature or the human genometo kick-start its file-storage network.In a program called Filecoin Discover, the Filecoin Foundation will deliver these tomes to future miners physically, on eight-terabyte hard drives, with instructions on how to link the devices to the Filecoin system to go live this year.

Fund of FundsBixin, one of the earliest bitcoin miner operators and wallet startups, isdedicating 6,600 bitcoin, worth $66 million, to a new fund of funds.The company will target global quantitative trading funds whose strategies are based on arbitrage, bitcoin futures contracts and trend analysis.

Domination DerivativeAnew derivative from Bitfinexallows investors to take a position on bitcoin's overall share of the cryptocurrency market. The BTCDOM contract would allow investors to place a perpetual swap (a future without expiry date) based on bitcoins dominant value versus the value of other cryptocurrencies.

Contours of FinanceHDBank has tapped blockchain network Contourto digitize and streamline trade finance. Contour uses R3s Corda blockchain tech for the issuance and settlement of trade contracts, a process still done with pen and paper by some firms.

Shifting Trade Finance?Tradeshift, the digital trade finance platform that uses blockchain to make payments instant and transparent, has proposed a scheme to the government of Denmark that mayfree billions of dollars from supply chains.The plan offers lines of credit backed up by the Danish government to big companies to pay their suppliers instantly, as supply chains around the world calcify during the COVID-19 crisis.

ATM BoostCoinstar, the coin counting kiosk maker hosting 3,500 Coinme bitcoin ATMs, is looking todouble its bitcoin-capable supermarket locations.Placed in grocery stores and other businesses allowed to remain open during the COVID-19 shutdowns, Coinme reports a 40% bump in transaction volume since February.

Mass' Adoption Class ActionThe organizer of the canceled Massive Adoption crypto conference,Jacob Kostecki, is being suedover allegations that ticket refunds are too slow. The putative class action lawsuit was filed by a would-be attendee alleging fraud, breach of contract, conversion and unjust enrichment. Storied crypto lawyer David Silver is handling the case pro bono, while Kostecki claims refunds will be paid out by July 31, after announcing delays.

'Massive Fraud'The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued a Miami resident and two Israeli nationals Thursday over two"massive fraudulent solicitation schemes,"one of which focused on cryptocurrency services.

Exemption LegislationA key lawmaker in the California Assembly has proposedexempting digital assetsthat are presumptively not an investment contract from the states definition of corporate securities. Exactly how to treat digital assets under securities law has been a resoundingly inconclusive, and sometimes contradictory, debate in the U.S.

Series ASwiss crypto broker Bitcoin Suisse is raising a $280 million. (The Block)

Keybase Kayfabe?Zoom, the popular-by-necessity video conferencing service, hasacquired crypto key directory Keybasein a bid to bring end-to-end encryption to its paying customers. The acquisition comes at a time when Zoom has been criticized for privacy and security issues, and is part of Zooms 90-day push to make the platform more secure.Meanwhile, manyBitcoiners and cryptographers(Decrypt) are not happy with the acquisition.

Next Stop AheadAnotherEth 2.0 testnet, Schlesi, is live,bringing the network one step closer to its Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Eth 2.0. Named after a rail line stop in Berlin, the testnet is the first multi-client testnet for Eth 2.0s beacon chain.

CoinDesk: COVID Response

#NYBWGivesCoinDesk has joined Gitcoin, The Giving Block and Ethereal Summit to support charities helping communities in difficult times. We're raising $100,000 and giving you a voice through the quadratic funding model. CoinDesk is matching $25,000 of funds raised.Learn how it worksand how to donate.

Market Intel

Open InterestOpen contracts onbitcoin options rose to record highs above $1 billionon Thursday as the cryptocurrencys price rose into five figures, surpassing the previous all-time high of $970 million registered on Feb. 14, according to crypto derivatives research firm Skew. The surge in open interest looks to have been caused by increased demand for put options, or bearish bets.

CoinDesk Monthly Review: April 2020

CoinDesk Research's monthly review of crypto markets overviews returns, volatility and correlations of bitcoin, ether and other crypto assets - all in a macro context. Plus, we track growth in stablecoins and look at what past halvings can tell us about the upcoming one. The report isfree to download.

CoinDesk Podcast Network

Could a new currency challenger the dollars supremacy in the international system? Airing May 8, episode 2 ofThe Breakdown: Money Reimaginedexamines a set of challengers -- from Libra to the Chinese DCEP -- seeking to reshape the global monetary order in their image.

The Breakdown: Money Reimaginedis a podcast crossovermicro series exploring thebattle for the future of money in the context of a post COVID-19 world. The four-part podcast features over a dozen voices including Consensus: Distributed speakers Niall Ferguson, Nic Carter and Michael Casey. New episodes air Fridays on theCoinDesk Podcast Network.Subscribe here.

Heading Into the HalvingOn this episode of The Breakdown, NLW looks atnine reasons why Bitcoin has never been strongergoing into the halving.

Who Won #CryptoTwitter?

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

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Blockchain Bites: Paul Tudor Jones, Open Options and Why Bitcoin Looks Strong Heading to the Halving - CoinDesk

IIIT-Hyderabad announces 3 new fellowships in AI and blockchain related areas – Express Computer

International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) has announced three new PhD and Post-Doctoral fellowships in the broad areas of AI and blockchain. A total of up to five Kohli PhD Fellowships for the academic year 2020-21 will be awarded to candidates with a prior track record in research that showcases their research aptitude, scholarly abilities, capacity to think through unstructured problems, and an interest to work in the broad areas of AI aligned with IIITHs Kohli Centre on Intelligent Systems (KCIS).

The institute has also announced the launch of Ripple-IIITH PhD and Post-Doctoral fellowships in the broad areas of blockchain. IIITH, a global partner of Ripples University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) set up a blockchain Center of Excellence (CoE) at IIITH last year and has been actively researching different aspects of blockchain such as security, next-gen blockchains, game-theoretic issues, ML over blockchains, e-governance over blockchain, etc.

Speaking on these new Fellowships, Prof P J Narayanan, Director, IIITH said, KCIS is one of the largest AI research groups in the country. We have also made significant progress with our blockchain CoE since its inception a year ago. Lots of opportunities are available work in these emerging areas for PhD and Post-Doc aspirants with the top-class faculty in the AI area and the Blockchain area. We look forward to attracting them.

If you have an interesting article / experience / case study to share, please get in touch with us at [emailprotected]

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IIIT-Hyderabad announces 3 new fellowships in AI and blockchain related areas - Express Computer

Blockchain Jobs Are the Highest Paying Tech Roles in the UK – Cointelegraph

Digital lender, Capital on Tap, released figures that reveal Blockchain-related jobs offer the highest-paying salaries among all disruptive technology businesses in the UK.

According to the UK-based firm, Blockchain has an average annual salary of GBP 75,000 (around $93041 USD). They also showed that the industry provides 544 permanent jobs throughout the country.

The study highlights that disruptive technology is becoming an emerging force that is adhering to all industries, from virtual reality to 3D printing.

The report highlights that the United States takes the crown with the highest number of businesses across all major disruptive technologies, followed by India and the UK with second and third place respectively.

According to Capital on Top, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, and advancements in online learning have also changed the way schools engage with their current student body. However, the Education sector is still placed in the eighth position among the segments in the UK.

A spokesperson at Capital on Top issued the following comments:

Disruptive technology significantly changes the way we operate in both our professional and personal lives. It removes old habits and systems and replaces them with something more superior in accuracy, efficiency and the experience it provides. Disruptive technologies also provide a great opportunity for businesses to create an entirely new way of doing something that has never been seen before thanks to this technology.

The study contrasts with the report published by Cointelegraph in March, which showed that blockchain salaries in China plummeted 37% in 2019.

However, the Canadian Digital Chamber of Commerce revealed in 2019 that wages in the blockchain industry are among the highest in the country.

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Blockchain Jobs Are the Highest Paying Tech Roles in the UK - Cointelegraph

IBM: five principles to build trust and value in blockchain – Supply Chain Digital – The Procurement & Supply Chain Platform

In the May edition of Supply Chain Digital, we examined blockchains influence on the supply chain and the opportunities that have come to the fore.

In this article, we examine IBMs report Blockchain as a force for good: Five principles to build trust and value, and take a closer look at their blockchain principles that work.

1. Open is better - blockchain networks should harvest diverse communities of open source contributors and organisations. This will allow for open innovation as well as strengthen the overall quality of code. Wherever possible, developers should avoid proprietary technologies in favour of open source frameworks with defined approaches for sharing contributions. If done correctly, this can accelerate innovation, decrease time to maturity and reduce cost.

2. Permissioned doesnt mean private - blockchains should be designed around the principle of permissioned and trusted access. Permissioned blockchains have an access control layer to allow certain actions to be performed only by certain identifiable participants. Most organisations require the necessity to know exactly what business theyre conducting business with as well as ensuring no illegal activity is being transacted over the network.

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3. Governance is a team sport - enterprise blockchains should embrace distributed and transparent governance to enable networks to serve the requirements of participants and prevent undue concentrations of influence. Enterprises should decide on a platform that automatically provides a democratic structure hardwired into the network, with built-in privacy and permissioning features. Rules governing who can join the blockchain network and how should be clearly described, in addition to guidelines on how participants can play key roles.

4. Common standards are common sense - enterprise blockchains should be centred around common standards with interoperability in mind. This will enable future-proof networks, prevent vendor lock-in and encourage a robust ecosystem of innovators. It is important that interoperability includes cloud platforms: vendors should meet participants where their data already is. With most blockchain networks currently sitting in silos, it is deemed acceptable that the technology is evolving to support a network of networks.

5. Privacy is paramount - participants on an enterprise blockchain must be able to control who can access data and under what circumstances. This is vital on a platform that distributes data widely across multiple nodes. Despite no single participant owning a blockchain network, the rights to the data that resides on it should always belong to the creator. Any APIs should extend the same permissioned access programmatically. Blockchain platforms should also abide by privacy regulations, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that in most cases, personal data should be kept off-chain.

For more information on procurement, supply chain and logistics topics - please take a look at the latest edition ofSupply Chain Digital magazine.

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IBM: five principles to build trust and value in blockchain - Supply Chain Digital - The Procurement & Supply Chain Platform

Qatar Central Bank Is Actively Working on Fintech Initiatives, and Exploring Blockchain Use Cases – Crowdfund Insider

Qatars central bank (QCB) has proposed a second strategic plan which involves establishing clear policies that aim to support venture capital funding and the development of SMEs, according to Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud al-Thani, the governor at QCB.

The Qatar Development Bank (QDB), a local bank that provides financial services, banking and loans for the development of major industries, has launched several innovative programs that offer financing to SMEs.

The QDB aims to improve credit access and will help SMEs in taking part in the countrys evolving economy, Sheikh Abdulla stated.

Commenting on the QCBs plans to adopt blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) and Fintech solutions, the governor said:

The QCB is actively working on developing strategies that will allow [industry] players to easily [take part in various] Fintech initiatives and products that are currently on the horizon. We are formulating the QCBs approach to Fintech by taking lessons from a number of major global initiatives in this regard.

He added:

Our approach involves a careful and sensitive review of the impact and risks that the deployment of emerging technologies would have on the financial sector itself, while accommodating the adoption of modern tools. In that sense, we are designing those functions and frameworks that will be able to properly identify, oversee, regulate and accept new entrants into the financial sector.

Sheikh Abdulla also pointed out that blockchain tech is now well-known, globally. He believes it can streamline payments, back-office operations, risk management, and improve record management and transaction reporting.

He revealed that the QCB is focused on exploring various DLT use cases, and the potential impact the technology could have on the countrys businesses.

He remarked:

QCB is exploring the use of blockchain within the existing regulations.

Link:

Qatar Central Bank Is Actively Working on Fintech Initiatives, and Exploring Blockchain Use Cases - Crowdfund Insider

EU utilities to severely reduce spending on blockchain solutions – Smart Energy

A new report released by the International Data Corporation (IDC) states that spending on blockchain solutions in Europe will decline due to COVID-19.

IDC has predicted that spending on blockchain solutions across all sectors within the block would grow by 28% between 2020 and 2023. Spending was anticipated to hit $1.4 billion in 2020.

There will be a slight slowdown in blockchain solutions, with spending down around 8% in 2020on previous expectations, according to IDC.

Related articles:How blockchain can help in the COVID-19 crisis and recoverySwitzerland pilots worlds first-of-its-kind local electricity market

Carla La Croce, IDC European blockchain co-practice, said: The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have had a negative impact on many industries, and we expect a significant slowdown in technology spending due to a pause in investments across companies and prioritisation of urgent expenses.

With depressed customer demand, disrupted supply chains, and widespread remote working, many companies are putting on hold innovative projects, including in blockchain, until there is more clarity about the future.

Business and IT services will be the most impactedtechnology segments in 2020 (down 16%), followed by software (down 12%), with blockchain platforms driving the slowdown. If hardware is expected to have the lowest decrease in 2020 (down 8%), external storage will see the biggest fall (down 17%). By industry, IDC has revised down spending for all vertical markets, with a more severe slowdown forpersonal and consumer services, manufacturing, resource industries,utilities, telecoms, and the whole financial sector. Overall CAGR for 1923 is expected to be down by more than 3 percentage points compared with pre-COVID-19 forecasts.

Enlit Europe will feature innovative companies accelerating decarbonisation at Europes largest gathering of companies driving and leading the energy transition. Are you going to be there? Click here to join us in Milan.

Radoslav Dragov, IDC European blockchain practice co-lead, adds: While the COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges to the blockchain industry, it can also unlock new opportunities by highlighting current problems across many industries.

Blockchain provides transparency and breaks down data silos while guaranteeing strong security and a single source of truth.

The report analyses blockchain adoption within nine regions, 32 countries, 19 industries, 27 use cases, and 6 technologies.

For more information about the report, clickhere.

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EU utilities to severely reduce spending on blockchain solutions - Smart Energy

Whales and American Buyers Drive Bitcoin Rally – CoinDesk

Bitcoin was up over 20% year to date Thursday morning.

Data suggests that the recent price rise is being driven by U.S. investors buying bitcoin on spot and derivatives exchanges. Meanwhile, there are now more "whales" swimming in this global sea than since mid-2019. And bitcoin custodial startups are reporting an uptick in users.

You're readingBlockchain Bites, the daily roundup of the most pivotal stories in blockchain and crypto news, and why they're significant. You can subscribe to this and all of CoinDesk'snewsletters here.

It's suspected much of this activity is driven by the impending halving event, which for some sober minds, is nothing more than an act of arithmetic. Here's the story:

Top Shelf

American BuyersData indicatesAmerican buyers are fueling bitcoins rally.On U.S. exchanges, spot premiums are showing stronger buy-side pressure relative to other markets. Further, exchanges licensed to offer bitcoin futures to American investors are rallying while their unlicensed competitors are not. Su Zhu, CEO of Three Arrows Capital, said American investors should give us a strong base given that U.S. tax policy means nobody sells spot for small profits.

Call Me Ishmael, Is That A Whale?The number of Bitcoin addresses holding more than 10,000 coins rose tothe highest level since mid-2019.These 111 so-called whales contribute to the bullish narrative surrounding the top crypto by marketcap. Some of these addresses may belong to high-net-worth individuals or groups, who are diversifying into bitcoin amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and ahead of the mining reward halving, said Wayne Chen, CEO of Interlapse Technologies.

Custody During COVIDBitcoin wallet startups are reporting anuptick in users and profitsamid the market disruption caused by COVID-19. An event like that [pandemic] makes people think about how they are storing their bitcoin,"Will Cole, Unchaineds chief product officer, said.

Parental HelpIntercontinental Exchange, theparent company to Bakkt, spent close to $300 millionhelping the bitcoin warehouse acquire loyalty rewards provider Bridge2 Solutions. Bakkt announced it would acquire Bridge2 in February, while simultaneously raising a $300 million Series B funding round with participation from Microsoft's M12, PayU, Boston Consulting Group, Goldfinch Partners, CMT Digital and Pantera Capital.

Mining MoneyArgo Blockchain, a bitcoin mining firm listed on the London Stock Exchange, reported an11-fold increase in revenuesfrom the year before. The company attributed its success to cutting off its consumer-facing arm and focusing on mining some 1,330 bitcoin last year.

Validating TopazTop-five mining pool OKEx Pool will trial Ethereum 2.0s new testnet. Collaborating with Prysmatic Labs, the mining pool dedicated to proof-of-work consensus models will become a validator for the experimental proof-of-stake Topaz testnet. (Decrypt)

Static EtherEthereans are hodling. Data firm Glassnodes has found more than 77% the outstanding ETH supply has not moved in six months. (The Block)

Open to OperateSan Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchangeOKCoin is now cleared to operate in Japan,a nation known for its tight licensing requirements. The exchange began the arduous process of applying for regulatory approval in 2017. CoinDesk's Nathan DiCamillo breaks down why they went through the ringer.

Blockchain for UBIA Zurich-based startup has built a proof-of-personhood protocol to disseminate universal basic income (UBI) to the unbanked. Encointer, backed by the Web3 Foundation, plans to distribute a cryptocurrency for use within a designated locality among willing participants. (Decrypt)

Is Bitcoin Boring?Despite the enthusiasm leading into Bitcoins third halving event, expected in less than two weeks, on a technical level nothing really changes. The BlocksMike Orcuttdigs into the cultural significance of this mundane happening, when Bitcoins code automatically splits its mining subsidy.

Class ActionA district court judge has granted preliminary approval to a$25 class-action claimmade against Tezos. Litigants are suing Tezos alleging its initial coin offering violated U.S. securities laws. (Paywalled)

On FireBlockchain startup Fireblocks reported $30 billion in digital asset transfers using its services. Launched less than a year ago, the company will also open new offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. (Forbes)

CoinDesk Live: Lockdown Edition

CoinDesk Live: Lockdown Editioncontinues its popular twice-weekly virtual chats via Zoom and Twitter, giving you a preview of whats to come atConsensus: Distributed,our first fully virtualand fully freebig-tent conference May 11-15.

Register to joinour sixth session Tuesday, May 5, with speakerAmy Davine Kim from the Chamber of Digital Commerceto discuss upcoming guidelines from the Financial Action Task Force, most notably the Travel Rule, hosted by Consensus organizer Aaron Stanley. Zoom participants can ask questions directly to our guests.

Market Intel

CoinDesk Podcasts

Two of CoinDesks most popular series, NLWs The Breakdown podcast and the Money Reimagined newsletter by Chief Content Officer Michael Casey, come together for a special podcast microseries in the run up to Consensus: Distributed,our first virtual big-tent event May 11-15.

The Breakdown: Money Reimaginedbuilds on themes Casey explores in his newsletter to tell the story of key arenas in the battle for the future of money from the incumbent dollar to China's aspirational DCEP to the insurgent bitcoin in the context of a post-COVID-19 world.

The four-part podcast features over a dozen voices including Consensus: Distributed speakers Caitlin Long, Matthew Graham and Kevin Kelly. New episodes air Fridays starting May 1 on theCoinDesk Podcast Network.Subscribe here.

Danielle Dimartino Booth's Inside PerspectiveAn adviser to the U.S. Federal Reserve through the Great Financial Crisis to 2015 examinesthe largest monetary policy experiment in human historyon the latest episode of The Breakdown.

Who Won #CryptoTwitter?

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

Original post:

Whales and American Buyers Drive Bitcoin Rally - CoinDesk

BitPay’s New Asia Partnership to Expand Use of Blockchain in International Payments – GlobalAtlanta

BitPay has launched apartnership with the worlds largest digital asset exchange that the Atlanta-based blockchainpayments pioneer believes could help normalize the use of cryptocurrency in mainstream cross-border transactions.

BitPay will process payments for Binance, a Singapore-based exchange which counts 15 million users globally and through which nearly $3 billion in value is traded every year.

Specifically, BitPay will add support for its merchant customers to transact in Binances stablecoin, BUSD, a blockchain-based currency pegged to the U.S. dollar and approved by the state of New Yorks financial regulator. BUSD is also now supported in BitPays consumer-facing mobile wallet, which has 2 million users globally.

Stablecoins, such as Facebooksproposed digital currency, Libra, or a new digital currency introduced by China, are tied to the value of a fiat currency, bolstering trust by eliminating wide swings in value. Just in the past three days, for instance, the value of Bitcoin rose 20 percentamid a pandemic-wracked global economy.

And it can fall just as easily,Sean Rolland, head of product for BitPay, told Global Atlanta.

BitPays tools let companies sending and receiving payments across borders use blockchain rails to circumvent traditional bank wire transfers, which are relatively expensive and can take days to reach the recipient.

While BitPay processes crypto payments for huge companies like AT&T and Microsoft and online retailers like NewEgg, it also can support importers sourcing from overseas or multinationals sending intra-company payments to their international offices.

Were really building the tools for these international businesses to more easily, compliantly and securely interact with the blockchain and cryptocurrency, Mr. Rolland said.

The transactions are free to the party sending the payment and a 1 percent transaction fee for the receiving merchant. BitPay is processing more than a billion dollars in payments per year.

So far, BitPays services are popular on trading corridors where the global payment infrastructure is underdeveloped, expensive or slow. Its relatively affordable for now to send money from the U.S. to Europe, for instance.

But routings like Mexico to South Korea or Cambodia to Brazil present different challenges,Mr. Rolland said. When companies realize blockchain will help them avoid dealing with cumbersome, expensive intermediary banks, they are enticed to sign on.

Theyre like, Waitwhat? I can get paid the same day as when they send the money for a fraction of the cost? Mr. Rolland said. The speed is really a big part of it too.

BitPay CEO Stephen Pair said in a news release that the Binance collaboration will be a game-changer because it combines flexibility of paying on the blockchain with the stability of the U.S. dollar.

The partnership with Binance is about more than supporting another stablecoin; it is about making cross-border payments simple and easy for both businesses by leveraging the global influence of Binance Exchange, said Mr. Pair. BitPay also supports three other USD-pegged stablecoins.

In the interview, Mr. Rolland conceded that transacting in cryptocurrency can seem scary to the uninitiated. Prized by some for its anonymity, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are sometimes associated with shady online activity or speculative currency investment.

But Mr. Rolland pointed to the blue-chip companies that use BitPays services, noting that smaller ones can also benefit from the blockchain technology with the right tools and partner.

Its an education process. Instead of just reading the headlines, dig a little deeper. At BitPay we do over a billion dollars a year in payments, and I promise not one of them is involve in a dark market, he said.

CZ Changpeng Zhao, founder and CEO of Binance, pointed to BitPays longstanding reputation as

We believe a growing number of merchants and businesses will start adopting crypto, and we are glad to provide the payment solution together with BitPay, making the process simpler and easier.

To help get U.S. consumers get familiar with cryptocurrency, BitPay has adownloadable wallet appon iOS or Android, and it even offers a Visa debit card.

BitPay has raised $70 million since its founding in 2011, including from investors in Asia. Its partnership with Binance came after it as a result of a newfound focus on business development in Singapore late last year.

The deal could open doors for Atlantas fintech community, which has taken delegations to Singapores Money 20/20 Asia conference in years past.

Its unclear whether a group is still planning to attend this year after the pandemic pushed the conference back until August.

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BitPay's New Asia Partnership to Expand Use of Blockchain in International Payments - GlobalAtlanta

IBM launches blockchain network to bolster medical supply chain during COVID-19 – Healthcare IT News

IBM this week launched Rapid Supplier Connect, a blockchain-based network it says can help healthcare organizations, whether hospitals or government agencies, address equipment shortages during the pandemic by helping them find alternative suppliers.

WHY IT MATTERSNorthwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in the state hardest hit by COVID-19, and the Worldwide Supply Chain Federation are two organizations that have joined the network so far, according to IBM.

The goal of the initiative is to help members navigate the challenges and confusion of the pandemicby connecting them to a broader range of suppliers those who exist outside of their traditional supply chain, who have reoriented their processes to producemuch-needed masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment, according to IBM.

A more efficient supplier-onboarding process, with validation checks and inventory information made available in near-real time, is meant to help streamline the process. Suppliers on the network have portable online identity, access to user feedback, and the ability to post and manage inventory availability.

IBM is using the blockchain-based Trust Your Supplier identity platform, from Chainyard, for qualification and identification, in conjunction with its existing Sterling Supply Chain Suite and Inventory Visibility services.

While Rapid Supplier Connect complements existing supply chain networks, buyers also have the option to use the services of CDAX, a third-party paymaster, for a fee.

As part of the initiative, IBM is working with several other organizations to ensure integrity:

IBM says in most instances it takes just 30 minutes to join the network, and its operational support center can help with onboarding. Big Blue will make the tool available at no cost through August to qualified buyers and suppliers in the U.S. and Canada.

THE LARGER TRENDThe coronavirus crisis has presented huge challenges and disruptions to healthcare and other supply chains, in many cases posing big safety risks to frontline care workers who lack sufficient PPE.

Many large and small businesses from outside traditional healthcare procurement processes have stepped in to produce masks, gowns and other essential supplies. But to buy them at scale, healthcare organizations hospitals, state procurement divisions, pharmacies and others need help identifying, vetting and gaining insights into their production capabilities.

With rapid Supplier Connect, IBM aims to offer that help.

Of all the many potential healthcare use cases where blockchain can help with security, integrity, visibility and efficiency, supply chain has long been among the most promising.

This week, Healthcare IT News published a guest post from a nurse and health policy master's degree candidate, who proposed a blockchain-based supply network to help address these critical PPE shortages.

ON THE RECORD"Northwell Health has had adequate supplies to protect patients and our staff during the increase in New York COVID-19 patient cases," said Phyllis McCready, vice president and chief procurement officer at Northwell Health. "It is through creating our own GPOs and supply chain, and joining forces with non-traditional suppliers that we have maintained an adequate stockpile of PPE and other equipment and supplies, so we are pleased to join IBM Rapid Supplier Connect."

Twitter:@MikeMiliardHITNEmail the writer:mike.miliard@himssmedia.comHealthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media

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IBM launches blockchain network to bolster medical supply chain during COVID-19 - Healthcare IT News

SkyGrid Leverages the Functionality of Blockchain and AI to Provide Secure and Safe Airspace Management for Drones – Commercial UAV News

Commercial UAV has spoken about the potential of blockchain to add multiple levels of security and safety to drone operations by adding an indelible database record. Yet, this technology is still relatively new to the drone industry, and there have been few instances where it has been exploited to its full potential.

SkyGrid, a Boeing, SparkCognition Company, is one of those companies who is utilizing blockchain and AI to deliver a next generation airspace management system to their clients. We spoke with Zehra Akbar, senior director of strategy and operations at SkyGrid, to learn more about the company and find out how their system is leveraging this technology, what that means for airspace safety and security, how it might leveraged during the current pandemic, and more.

What are some of the primary markets SkyGrid is looking to serve?

SkyGrid provides an end-to-end solution for businesses to deploy, manage, and scale their drone operations. Our customers range from large logistics companies to first responders. We enable organizations in every industry to optimize their operations and reduce overhead costs.

Were also enabling aviation authorities and ANSPs across the globe to safely integrate drones in controlled airspace. Authorities can use SkyGrid to define national airspace standards, automate flight authorizations, and monitor traffic in real-time.

SkyGrid is a Boeing and SparkCognition Company, can you talk about how these two companies play a role in SkyGrid?

As a Boeing, SparkCognition company, we have access to more than 100 years of aviation expertise. This enables us to leverage Boeing partnerships with customers, industry leaders, and regulatory agencies and remain one step ahead of their needs. At the same time, were able to engrain our airspace management system with SparkCognitions latest AI advancements. The companys award-winning machine learning technology is critical to ensure safe, secure, and efficient drone operations.

Can you provide a high-level overview of the capabilities of SkyGrid? What features differentiates SkyGrid from other UTM systems out there and how can these features make flight safer, more secure, cheaper, and/or more efficient?

SkyGrids Aerial OS provides airspace awareness, flight operations, and fleet management in one integrated solution, enabling safe, secure, and efficient drone operations.

As the only airspace management system built on AI and blockchain technologies, SkyGrid is solving the industrys biggest challenges integrating unmanned aircraft into complex, rapidly changing airspace. The use of AI allows us to continuously monitor, predict, and adapt flights to changing regulatory dynamics, aircraft performance, and location data. At the same time, blockchain technology allows us to mandate airspace compliance and provide a verified data source that regulators can rely on to accurately monitor and audit unmanned flights.

What challenges within the drone industry led you to developing some of these advanced features like AI-enabled features, blockchain, cybersecurity, and so on?

As the volume of unmanned traffic increases, we need to augment the capabilities of air traffic controllers and operators and ensure theyre equipped to safely manage and operate unmanned aircraft.

Traditionally, the burden has fallen on operators to manually evaluate the airspace, plan their flight paths, and avoid any risks in-flight. But its difficult to plan, execute, and adapt flights in such a complex airspace. At any moment, a new flight restriction could be issued, weather conditions could shift, a drones propeller could malfunction, or another aircraft could conflict with a drones route. A wide variety of factors can shift rapidly, requiring flight paths to be modified and shared with authorities in near real time.

Technology advancements in AI and blockchain are making it possible for us to eliminate the manual workflows and provide features such as automatic route planning, intelligent deconfliction, predictive maintenance, and immutable audit trails.

When talking about UTM for advanced operations like drone delivery, BVLOS, flights over people, and so on, the requirements for safety and security can become quite complex. What are some ways that SkyGrid is working through solving those challenges?

Planning, executing, and adapting flights is especially difficult for advanced operations such as drone delivery. Its important to ensure commercial operators are equipped to execute safe flights at scale and avoid hazardous conditions.

Equipped with AI and blockchain, SkyGrids system is minimizing the burden on commercial operators. Our AI algorithms can analyze crucial data, such as airspace traffic, weather forecasts, ground risks, and vehicle performance, to select the right drones for each mission, execute optimal flight paths, and autonomously adapt flights as conditions change. SkyGrids pre-flight and in-flight deconfliction capabilities are also powered by AI to detect and avoid other aircraft and objects.

At the same time, were using blockchain technology to help eliminate the potential for human error in the airspace. Augmented with smart contracts, blockchain is the key to ensure unmanned flights comply with the airspace rules and regulations. Our blockchain-backed system can mandate the defined airspace rules set by local and national authorities, such a flying below 400 feet and avoiding a set radius around airports.

Enterprises can also set additional safety parameters based on different types of missions, payloads, vehicles, and environment conditions. For example, company-wide parameters might include a rule to operate drones with at least 20 percent battery life under 25 mph winds. The blockchain rules are encoded in our system to automatically plan, execute, and adjust flights based on the specified airspace parameters. This helps ensure compliance before flight authorization and during flight as conditions change.

There are many ways AI can be leveraged and defined; can you explain a little bit about how AI functions in SkyGrids system and how it adds value to SkyGrids system when compared to other non-AI options out there?

We believe AI is critical to autonomously plan, execute, and adapt flight in our complex, dynamic airspace. Its also the key to ensure drones operate safely and securely.

For example, our predictive AI technology can help ensure drones are safe to fly by analyzing sensor data across a fleet and flagging suboptimal operations. An AI-based approach can more accurately monitor performance to forecast vehicle health and identify impending failures before they occur. If a potential issue is identified, such as a degrading battery, our AI technology can automatically generate a maintenance request and assign the request to a technician upon landing at a facility.

AI-powered cybersecurity, deployed directly on drones in our system, is also critical to protect against malicious activity, such as malware, ransomware, and viruses. In the emerging UAV environment, new security threats will often take the form of previously unseen, zero-day attacks. Traditional anti-malware software, dependent on signatures of known threats, wont be adequate to detect this unknown malware. Instead of relying on an existing threat database, an AI-based approach can learn the DNA of what a malicious file might look like to detect malicious activity and prevent it from executing on a drone.

With all of the concerns out there in the U.S. about data security and drone safety, can you talk about what led you to use blockchain to secure data versus other databases?

Real-time awareness of all unmanned flights is critical to ensure the safety and equity of our airspace. In the wake of an incident, historical flight logs are also critical, but authorities need assurances the data hasnt been tampered by the drone operator or a third party. This will require us to ensure the security and integrity of data exchanged between drone operators, authorities, and service suppliers.

An airspace system built on blockchain technology makes it easy for commercial operators to share accurate flight plans in real time and maintain high standards of auditability. Our blockchain-backed system assigns a unique ID to every drone and maintains a real-time record of each drones status, flight details (e.g., altitude, location, operator), and maintenance history. Each flight log is linked to the previous log with cryptography so they cant be altered retroactively.

The decentralized nature of a blockchain system also provides more security than traditional, centralized storage since theres not one database a bad actor can compromise. This approach enables authorities to analyze flight data and determine a sequence of events with certainty. It also gives organizations a secure, accurate record of their flights to evaluate performance and optimize operations.

Is your Autonomous AI-Driven Cybersecurity capable of protecting drones from spoofing and other types of GNSS tampering?

The use of blockchain technology to register and identify drone within the SkyGrid system combined with our use AI-powered cybersecurity allows us to protect drones from all kinds of attacks, including spoofing and GNSS tampering.

Weve heard a lot about the ways that drones can help during this crisis, but a significant roadblock to fully implementing many of these capabilities, like drone delivery, remote asset management, and large-scale disinfecting missions, is regulation. Do you think systems like SkyGrid can help get us on that path to regulations quicker? If so, in what ways?

Now and in the months ahead, drone technology can help deliver critical medical supplies, disinfect outdoor surfaces, and ensure compliance with local COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. In the United States, these missions often require a Part 107 waiver from the FAA. The FAA wants to ensure drone operators are equipped to minimize risks in the airspace and manage unforeseen circumstances. However, thats difficult without the right technology in place.

Built on advanced technologies like AI and blockchain, SkyGrids airspace management system can help provide the assurances regulators need. Our intelligent system makes it easy for operators to navigate the complex airspace, comply with the airspace rules, and optimize their drone fleet. Were committed to powering drone operations that can help support businesses, authorities, and first responders during this difficult time.

What are some key takeaways you would want someone interested in your platform to understand about SkyGrid?

Ultimately, we believe the future of autonomous aviation requires a more comprehensive system to ensure the safety and security of our airspace. This requires next-gen technologies like AI and blockchain that traditional UTM platforms arent equipped with today. These advanced technologies can help automate the safest routes, adapt flights as conditions change, and protect against malicious activity. They can also mandate airspace compliance and enable immutable audit trails. At SkyGrid, AI and blockchain technologies are core to our platform, enabling us to solve the industrys biggest challenge integrating drones in the global airspace.

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SkyGrid Leverages the Functionality of Blockchain and AI to Provide Secure and Safe Airspace Management for Drones - Commercial UAV News

Co-inventor of Blockchain on Why He Is Not Satoshi Nakamoto – Cointelegraph

Blockchain co-inventor, Scott Stornetta talks about the origins of the name Satoshi Nakamoto and why he isnt him.

The original Bitcoin (BTC) whitepaper references eight works. One of them is a general book on probability, the rest are foundational to the cryptocurrency space. Three of those works were co-authored by Stornetta. In a 1991 paper, How to time-stamp a digital document, Stornetta and his longtime partner Stuart Haber proposed a decentralized scheme that would allow to certify when a file was created or changed:

We propose computationally practical procedures for digital time-stamping of such documents so that it is infeasible for a user either to back-date or to forward-date his document.

For blockchain history buffs the paper references work by the future Turing award recipient and Algorand (ALGO) founder Silvio Micali.

Many of the principles proposed in this and subsequent papers were later used by Satoshi Nakamoto. However, long before Bitcoin, Huber and Stornetta started their own blockchain network that is considered to be the first of its kind and is still running till this day.

As a recent convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Stornetta went as a missionary to Japan, which allowed him to become fluent in Japanese and later afforded him a job as a patent translator.

Discussing possible interpretations of the name Satoshi Nakamoto, Stornetta said:

You can buy an entire dictionary that is just about a Japanese name. And so Satoshi could have 20 different kanji that back it up. But I am just naturally inclined to think that satoru is a Japanese word to know, to be wise.

On the other hand, the last name Nakamoto is a very common Japanese name, just like Smith or Johnson. However, if one was to break it down into kanjis, then one possible interpretation would be:

Naka, just obviously means the center of, moto is the origin of.

Similar interpretations gave rise to a conspirological idea that Bitcoin was created by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Although his work and Japanese fluency make Stornetta a perfect Satoshi candidate, he has always unequivocally denied it. Furthermore, he put forward an ideological argument as to why he is not Satoshi:

And so a good deal of our focus went into the ability to perpetually renew the integrity of the record over time so that the records will last for decades if not centuries, and we'll survive quantum resistant computing and all of those things. And that's something that Satoshi gave no attention to whatsoever.

Although he says that he does not know the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, he ruled out Craig Wright:

I do not think it's Craig Wright, let's put it that way.

Stornetta believes that we should try to understand Satoshis vision for Bitcoin in order to understand how to move forward. Also, he is of the opinion that Bitcoin is rather art, than science:

I am of the camp that believes that what was done with Bitcoin was surely a work of genius. But it's more like a work of art, a work of engineering art that opens the door to a number of possibilities but is in no sense the final or best solution that can be built.

Although Stornetta may not be Satoshi Nakamoto, his work was foundational to Bitcoin and the entire cryptocurrency field.

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Co-inventor of Blockchain on Why He Is Not Satoshi Nakamoto - Cointelegraph