‘Gilligan’s Island’ Star Tina Louise on the Show’s 55th Anniversary – Closer Weekly

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WhileThe Brady Bunchis celebrating its 50th anniversary, that shows creator, Sherwood Schwartz, has another series thats beaten it:Gilligans Island. which is currently celebrating its 55th anniversary. Sadly, most of the original cast notably Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer and Russell Johnson are no longer with us, and the only surviving member, besides Dawn Wells, is Tina Louise, who plays Ginger Grant, aka The Movie Star. But Tina is not one to offer much in the way of reflection on the series.Until now.

On this 55th anniversary of Gilligans Island, Tina tellsCloser exclusively, I want to say how wonderful it is that our show is still on the air after all these years. I honestly feel like I have so many friends out there who just love what we did and what we shared and the joy we brought. Im so happy to have been part of something that was so special to American television.

When we first aired, she continues, our country was in turmoil. We were just past the Cuban Missile Crisis and the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The Vietnam War was escalating and I think people really needed an escape. Then we lost our beloved Martin Luther King and in a time of uncertainty, Gilligans Island represented this great escape. This sweet, silly show provided its fans with calm and joy in a frightening time and has continued to do so. Well done television transports people into a fantasy and no matter what turmoil exists in the world, Gilligans Island has provided that escape in an enduring way. Considering the state of everything these days, we should all be happy its still in reruns!

Tina, who was born in New York City, began acting at the age of two when she appeared in an ad for her fathers candy store. At the age of 17 she began studying acting, singing and dancing at the Neighborhood Playhouse in Manhattan. Modeling following which, in turn, led to acting. She made her debut on stage in 1952s Twos Company, which was followed by several other Broadway productions, including 1957sLil Abner. She began appearing in film with 1958sGods Little Acreand most recently appeared in 2017sTapestrywith numerous roles in between.

Television was a source of steady acting gigs as well, with Tina appearing in a combination of dramatic anthology shows like Studio OneandClimax!, and guest star appearances inCheckmate, Burkes LawandRoute 66. From 1964-67, of course, she played Ginger onGilligans Island, after which she guest starred on a variety of shows, starting with an episode of Bonanzain 1967 and continuing right throughL.A. Heatin 1999.

A truly amazing career, and one that has seen her fortunate enough to be part of an iconic television series with Gilligans Islandthat continues to touch one generation after another.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to our Classic TV & Film Podcast for interviews with your favorite stars!

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'Gilligan's Island' Star Tina Louise on the Show's 55th Anniversary - Closer Weekly

How Love Island winners spent 50,000 prize money – and the ones who regret splitting it – Irish Mirror

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You can't put a price on love - unless you're on Love Island and there's a 50,000 prize at stake.

Each year, one member of the winning couple gets to choose whether they keep the cash or share it - so far no-one has been merciless enough to pocket it.

They then head off into the sunset to splurge whilst gazing into each others' eyes - or not, as the case may be.

In fact, one former couple dislike each other so much that they even regret splitting the cash.

From houses and holidays to designer bags and a trainer obsession, here's how the winners spent their haul and the ones who wish they'd made a different decision...

Amber won the love of the nation after having her heart stamped all over by Michael Giffiths. So when rugby player Greg entered at the final hour and swept her off her feet, the jubilant public declared them the winners.

But alas, just weeks after splitting the winnings, Greg allegedly dumped Amber by text.

He stashed his cash away like a "boring old fart", explaining, "I just saved it. I actually kept it in an English bank account and waited for the conversion rate to improve before bringing it across [to Ireland]."

But for beautician Amber - who plans to spend hers on buying a salon - she insists she doesn't want it back.

"Nah, he can keep it," she told Fabulous magazine.

"I needed someone else to win and we won it together. I dont hate him, Im just disappointed in him really.

"All I wanted was a little bit of effort on his part to come to London or Newcastle to see me... then he texted me on the day I was supposed to fly to Ireland."

And like Greg, she's got wise plans for the windfall.

"I'll probably treat myself a little bit, but I'm going to invest and be careful with it," she told Closer.

"I'll definitely keep working with my auntie. We'll still have the salon, and I'll build from that - the goal would be opening a few more salons together.

"That was the idea before Love Island, so hopefully we'll see what we can do."

Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham coupled up right at the start and stayed together for the duration before being crowned champions.

The Essex exports wasted no time moving in together, getting the keys for a rental in London's posh Canary Wharf just three weeks after the show wrapped.

However, the cracks started to show soon after with the couple splitting and getting back together before Jack announced they'd ended it for good in April.

And while they split the 50k between them, Dani immediately squirreled hers away for her future.

"I put it into savings because I want to get a mortgage. That is what I did," she told Hello magazine.

"I'm not one of those to splash out and stuff, I mean things that I have got, like nice things I have got, I have had for years and years.

"I did just save most of it really, I mean a lot of it goes on your bills and stuff doesn't it."

These two were so adorable that they sailed to victory in summer 2017.

Unfortunately, despite scooping the 50,000 cash prize, they went their separate ways that Decemeber.

But not before they'd dropped some serious wedge, with Kem spending 'hundreds' on trainers and spoiling Amber, and Amber treating herself to a designer bag.

"I bought myself a Chanel bag. I thought to myself, 'Well I did win the show,' so I treated myself to a celebratory Chanel bag," she told The Sun. "Just one handbag isnt going to hurt is it?"

Kem has bought hundreds of trainers, trainers and trainers and trainers. I leave that to him," she continued.

He has spoilt me rotten too though. I feel so lucky.

Cara and Nathan were love's young dream when they hooked-up on series two of Love Island .

They were arguably the strongest couple in the villa (had a few wobbles - nothing major) and were destined to walk away with the 50,000 cash prize, which they did.

Cara even emerged from the show telling fans: "We will not let you down. We're going to get married and we're going to have babies."

And she wasn't joking. They welcomed son Freddie George in December 2017 and tied the knot at Preston Court Barn in Canterbury this July.

As for the cash, she planned to use her half to help her mum.

"I can't wait to get home and now I can buy my mum a house and give her the deposit for it," she said.

Nathan also revealed he'd be treating his dad to a 'golfing trip'.

Jessica and Max were crowned the first-ever winners of Love Island, sharing the 50k prize.

However, the writing was on the wall when Jessica told Mirror Celebs less than 24 hours later: We have a laugh together but we are not madly in love or anything like that.

So it was no surprise that two months later, the couple - who lived in different parts of the country - had split up, with Jess admitting: Some things are just not meant to be.

Max added: We gave it our best shot.

However, Jess seemed a little less amicable towards Max in a Facebook Live with Daily Star the following year, when she said: "You think you fancy someone but with Max, looking back at it now, it makes me cringe."

"I would never, ever go near him again," she added.

And she also admitted she wishes she had kept the whole 50,000 herself.

Dont fall in love and just take the fifty grand," she said.

Max went on to date Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby and fellow Love Island star Zara Holland. He also appeared in Ex on the Beach and is now romancing 2018 contestant, Laura Anderson .

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How Love Island winners spent 50,000 prize money - and the ones who regret splitting it - Irish Mirror

How Blockchain Is Changing The Game For Social Impact Initiatives – Forbes

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As a digital, peer-to-peer, decentralized, distributed ledger, blockchain has the potential to transform systems and enable solutions we never thought possible. As with any developing technology, there are challenges to address but initiatives within the social impact space are already demonstrating some of blockchains advantages over traditional solutions.

Reducing Risk And Fraud

The OECD reports that an estimated 20-25% of funds are lost to corruption globally at the government level. Even when it's unintentional, waste, inefficiency and misallocation of funds cost millions of dollars that could otherwise be used for good.

One advantage blockchain has is that its tamper-proof. Through a process known as consensus, each transaction is verified by multiple parties independently. Entries are immutable, meaning they cant be modified, and can only be updated by adding an addendum. With all entries publicly viewable, this offers unparalleled transparency into how donations are used. Not only does this build trust between an organization and donors, but it helps mitigate the waste and fraud that has historically been a part of charitable giving.

Transparency And Accountability

Blockchain-based philanthropy is also addressing social causes that havent been well served by traditional systems. Research shows that trust and confidence in charities has dropped. Donors want to see more accountability and assurance that their contributions are making a difference. Tracing funds from the point of donation is a major benefit blockchain can offer.

Alibaba, Chinas e-commerce conglomerate, developed a blockchain-based donation system called Charities on the Chain. It records donations from Alibabas users and lets charities, auditors, donors, media and other parties track information on how donations are being used.

Reducing Administrative Costs

Administrative costs have been a point of contention with charities; in some cases, overhead is higher than what is passed along to recipients. One administrative expense is the need for legal and financial intermediaries, which cost time and money. I work in smart contracting, which is a blockchain application intended to digitally facilitate or verify the negotiation or execution of a contract. In my experience, smart contracting can help charities reduce the need for these intermediaries.

Transcending Borders Faster And More Efficiently

With traditional banking channels, sending money internationally can be a complex, multistep process. Transactions on blockchain result in a 40 to 80% reduction in transaction costs and take seconds to process instead of two to three days. Instant cross-border transactions allow charitable organizations to make an impact quickly instead of being held up by red tape.

Beyond digital currency, accessing international, immutable forms of identification via blockchain can assist in the screening and verification of volunteers. Accessing verified work history records or other documentation instantly could reduce delays and vastly improve the efficiency of international emergency aid programs. For social good initiatives looking to transcend borders with blockchain, the first step is often determining the unique gaps and inefficiencies that exist. From there, organizations can assess the situation and better determine if blockchain is right for them.

Increasing Accessibility

Many of us take for granted our ability to open a bank account, obtain a credit card or get a mortgage. Meanwhile, approximately 2 billion unbanked or underbanked people. Blockchain technology offers an incredible opportunity for people without access to banks. Decentralized digital currencies not only allow fast, easy and low-cost transfers, but they also create a more open financial system.

In the Philippines, one of the top five countries to receive overseas remittances, coins.ph allows locals to convert cryptocurrency sent to them by relatives into their local currency. This reduces the costs and settlement times of remittance transfers. While just one example, the benefits of accessibility are truly global, given that inclusive financial systems reduce inequality and bolster economic growth.

New Ways To Give

While some charities and foundations accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency donations from donors directly, other sites facilitate the donation of cryptocurrencies to good causes through their platform.

Donations can include clauses stipulating that money is only transferred if certain conditions are met, and can be tied to fundraising goals or even performance. Alice, a social funding and impact management platform, makes each projects performance publicly available, allowing donors to find and contribute to social projects that are actually effective.

Whats Next?

While charities and nonprofits are beginning to see the untapped potential of blockchain technology-based solutions, there are still challenges to overcome.

One hurdle facing the blockchain space is regulatory pressure. Policymakers are still attempting to understand the long-term implications of this technology and it is still uncertain how they will choose to regulate it.Ease of use is also a challenge blockchain technology works differently than traditional systems, resulting in an inevitable learning curve for organizations wanting to explore its potential. More user-friendly projects and accessible information will help simplify the use of blockchain.

Security is another key concern. While blockchain is secure, smart contracts are not so finding ways to address the security challenges around this technology is crucial.

Although most use cases are still in their pilot or idea stage, existing use cases demonstrate blockchains potential to benefit social initiatives across the globe. It is clear that blockchain technology is here to stay, and the social impact space will need to experiment, adapt and evolve in order to leverage this technology.

It will be fascinating to watch this technology unfold and address old challenges with new solutions that were never thought possible.

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How Blockchain Is Changing The Game For Social Impact Initiatives - Forbes

Blockchain Technology Is Already Improving Lives At 22 Hospitals – Forbes

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The promise of blockchain technology couldnt be greater than in the healthcare sector. A prime example is the groundbreaking deployment of blockchain technology by Intermountain Healthcare, a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 22 hospitals. This medical group has more than 1,600 physicians and advanced practice clinicians at 180 clinics.

Intermountain is using blockchain-based technology coupled with artificial intelligence to identify waste in its massive healthcare system, creating better outcomes for patients, and significant savings all around.

According to Frank Ricotta, CEO of BurstIQ, the future of healthcare will be driven by data, and blockchain technology is the enabling foundational technology. He explains, Blockchain is a trust overlay over the Internet that allows parties to transfer representations of value, like health data, safely and securely. BurstIQs HIPAA compliant blockchain-based platform provides an efficient way for health care organizations to manage, store and analyze big data.

Ricotta explains that BurstIQ solved two fundamental challenges that had vexed the healthcare community: supporting large volumes of data and securing the underlying data. BurstIQs blockchain-based solution simultaneously enables both granular data ownership, data sovereignty, and privacy, as well as accessibility of data across a highly complex set of stakeholders: patients, health systems, insurers, government agencies, biopharma, digital health solution providers and medical researcher communities. And they do all of this securely and at scale.

But BurstIQ doesnt work in a vacuum. Its partner Empiric Health utilizes machine learning, artificial intelligence and Natural Language Processing to produce data that easily identifies differences in care provided to patients. The technology analyzes the many facets of surgery and connects them to their corresponding outcomes. Armed with accurate data about the effectiveness of the medical care provided, doctors make better decisions about which future treatments to prescribe, with the result being improved outcomes for patients.

When Intermountain combined Empirics analytic solution with BurstIQs blockchain-based platform in the surgical area, they drove down the cost out of surgery, saving the hospital system tens of millions of dollars over a two-year period. And this is just for starters. Empiricsanalytics-enabled technology is now being introduced to new areas in the Intermountain system and across the country.

We are encouraged by the progress our clients are making to reduce costs and improve patients outcomes. Every hospital can benefit from this technology. We look forward to working with innovators throughout the U.S. to make this a reality, said Justin Schaper, Empiric Chief Technology Officer.

According to Ricotta, the BurstIQ platform makes access to healthcare data easier, and provides the engine for the many systems that run atop of the platform possible. BurstIQ enforces the security domains. They interface with the healthcare providers legacy systems and offer an HL7 interface -- the international standard for the transfer of clinical and administrative data between software applications and healthcare providers -- for the healthcare providers electronic medical records systems (EMR), and patient accounting systems.

BurstIQ is not the only blockchain provider in the healthcare space, but it appears to be the only blockchain-based solution that has been public about commercially deploying its blockchain-enabled solution in the healthcare sector in the U.S. There are a few other blockchain-based healthcare solution providers, including Guardtime and Oasis Labs. Hyperledger has a health track. IBM is also in the sector building a blockchain-based healthcare ecosystem. Patientory is an app for the storage and secure transfer of healthcare information between patients and healthcare providers.

Guardtimes approach is different from that of BurstIQ. Rather than putting healthcare records on a blockchain, the Guardtime technology takes a hash (think about it as a thumb print) of medical records, and records the hash to the Guardtime blockchain. This is what they are doing in the country of Estonia where all of the medical records are digital. In fact, Guardtime hashes every medical record from every health care provider and facility in Estonia every second. Recording the hashes to a blockchain enables easy detection if medical data has been tampered with. Like BurstIQ, Guardtime is creating applications that aggregate and analyze data from disparate sources and enable parties to share medical data securely and only between those parties that have permissioned access.

Ain Aaviksoo, the Chief Medical Officer and General Manager for Guardtime in Estonia, explains that because the medical data is hashed, Estonians trust that medical data is not being misused. According to Aaviksoo, the innovation in the healthcare space starts from the same premise which is that there is a single version of truth about medical data, namely, how and when it was created and by whom. The hash function ensures that the single version of truth is captured at the time it is created. Aaviksoo further explains that you can prevent unauthorized use of medical information by creating rules that safeguard medical information. Aaviksoo suggests that the workflows can be managed by smart contracts, but they can also be solved with less complex technologies. According to Aaviksoo, what is most important is that you create trusted workflows.

We are still at the very early stages of blockchain deployment in the healthcare field. But it is heartening to see that large healthcare institutions are collaborating with blockchain innovators to deliver the triad of benefits: better outcomes, better engagement between doctors and patients and cost savings. We can only hope that these results are shared far and wide and that the medical systems in the U.S. take notice. They should start to explore how to leverage the groundbreaking work being done in Utah and Estonia for the benefit of doctors and patients.

Both Frank Ricotta and Ain Aaviksoo will be on hand to discuss their blockchain-enabled solutions at an upcoming blockchain-based conference for the healthcare sector. There are many reasons why blockchain-based solutions can get sidelined. But these two individuals have succeeded in making real progress. This is worth a spotlight!

When asked about how to get medical professionals interested in blockchain-based solutions, Ricotta stated, we try to hide all of the blockchain stuff. We make it less scary and focus on solving their problems.

Introducing Forbes Blockchain 50: Learn about the companies investing in the tech that will speed up business processes, increase transparency and potentially save billions of dollars.

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Blockchain Technology Is Already Improving Lives At 22 Hospitals - Forbes

Googles Quantum Computing Breakthrough Brings Blockchain Resistance Into the Spotlight Again – Forbes

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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Quantum computing has been on the tech radar for some time now, but it has also been lurking in the background of the blockchain ecosystem for very different reasons. The new advancement of computing allows for complex equations and problems to be solved exponentially quicker than is currently available.

However, it has always been predominantly a futuristic, almost science fiction-like pursuit; for blockchain that has been just fine as well because we have been warned that quantum computation could render existing encryption standards obsolete, threatening the security of every significant blockchain.

This week, news has emerged that Google has made a recent quantum computing breakthrough, achieving quantum supremacy. It is being reported that Google, using a quantum computer, managed to perform a calculation in just over three minutes that would take the world's most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years.

This could mean panic stations for blockchain as all that has been achieved thus far could be wiped out, and without the right provisions, all the promise and potential could be eliminated overnight.

However, the term quantum supremacy refers to the moment when a quantum computer outperforms the world's best classical computer in a specific test. This is just the first step, but it is a rather large step that means the spotlight is once again on blockchain to try and resist this kind of technology which can unravel its cryptographic algorithms in minutes.

Google's first steps

Google has described the recent achievement as a "milestone towards full-scale quantum computing." They have also said this milestone puts a marker in the ground on which they can start rapidly progressing towards full quantum computing - another concerning statement form blockchains.

Details are a little scarce on what Google has achieved, and how they have done it, but previous proposals essentially involve the quantum computer racing a classical computer simulating a random quantum circuit.

According to Gizmodo, it has been long known that Google has been testing a 72-qubit device called Bristlecone with which it hoped to achieve quantum supremacy and the initial report from the Financial Times says that the supremacy experiment was instead performed with a 53-qubit processor codenamed Sycamore.

However, it would be a little early to start abandoning all hope with Bitcoin, blockchain, and the emerging technology as it is a bit more complicated than that. More so, there is already technology and projects in place that has been trying to prepare for an age of quantum computing where blockchain is resistant.

Are blockchains ready to resist?

So, if quantum computing is making significant breakthroughs, is there any evidence of blockchain's being prepared for this new age, and a new threat? There has been news of blockchain builders putting out quantum-resistant chains, such as E-cash inventor David Chaum and his latest cryptocurrency, Praxxis.

David Chaum, Elixxir on Moneyconf Stage during day two of Web Summit 2018 (Photo by Eoin Noonan /Web Summit via Getty Images)

QAN is another project that says it is ready for the quantum computing age, has reacted quickly to the news of Google's breakthrough with Johann Polecsak, CTO of QAN, telling Bitcoin.com: "The notion of Google achieving a quantum breakthrough sounds very dramatic, but in reality, it's hard to gauge the significance at this time. How can we be sure that Google's quantum computer is more powerful than D-wave's, for example, which surpassed 1,000 qubits four years ago?"

I also reached out to Polecsak to find out more about the threat of quantum computing when, and if, it reaches its pinnacle.

"We should definitely be worried," he told me, "Many IT professionals and CTOs, including the earlier m, are neglecting and denying quantum computing threats with the simple reasoning that once it's seriously coming, we'll have to redesign almost everything from scratch, and that must surely be a long time ahead."

"The truth is that one can already rent quantum computers for experimenting with possible attack algorithms and testing theoretical approaches. The maths behind breaking currently used public key cryptography - EC and RSA - were proven, we just need more qubits."

"In cryptography, it's best to prepare for the worst, and one can observe in recent literature that past skeptics now instantiate their crypto protocols in a post-quantum setting - just it case. Users shouldn't worry now, but experts should prepare before it's too late."

QAN CTO Johann Polecsak speaking about the threat of quantum computing at a conference in Seoul, South Korea.

What it means to be quantum-resistant

Of course, the technological aspect of the race between quantum computing and blockchain quantum resistance is immense, and it is also quite nuanced. It is not as if quantum computing will, like a light switch, be available and all blockchains will suddenly be vulnerable - but it is still important to be prepared. As it stands, there probably is not enough preparation and planning in place, according to Polecsak.

"Blockchains won't be ready for such a breakthrough. Since transaction history is the backbone of blockchains, such an improvement in quantum computing could be catastrophic for the whole transaction history," added the CTO. "There is an extra layer of protection with Bitcoin's double hashing but assuming a quantum computer is capable of Shor on secp256k1 it's safe to assume it's also capable of Grover256. Also, we don't know bounds for SHA regarding quantum circuits."

"As for QAN blockchain platform, it is not a linear comparison or a race where we need to keep up side-by-side with increasing qubits. Being Quantum-safe does not mean that we are just increasing bits in currently used algorithms, but that we take a totally different approach which resists the known Quantum attacks by design."

Prepare to resist

As science-fictiony as it sounds, quantum computing is a threat that needs to be taken seriously in the world of blockchains. It may not be the kill switch that everyone imagines because of media hype, but it certainly something that should be on the radar for anyone involved in the ecosystem.

It is not only because of what has been accomplished in blockchain thus far but also because of what is being built and promised in the space. Blockchain is a major technology revolution on the horizon, and as it permeates deeper into enterprises and governments it would be catastrophic for all that has been done to be undone, and all that has been promised to be eliminated.

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Googles Quantum Computing Breakthrough Brings Blockchain Resistance Into the Spotlight Again - Forbes

Five things to know about blockchain and CRE – REjournals.com

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Blockchain technology is making headlinesand it isnt just hype. With the potential to digitize and accelerate the CRE investment process, blockchain is poised to transform CRE finance.

Blockchain and the related technology of the digital security token can deliver CRE transactions with speed, security, transparency and efficiencyand the ever-important securities regulatory compliance.

1. A blockchain can serve as a digital ledger

As its name suggests, a blockchain is a database of digital blocks of transaction data, each block timestamped and connected to the previous block via secure programming. Think of it as a digital ledger that records transactions, just as you might record transactions in an accounting ledger.

Rather than residing on a single server with a single owner, a blockchain is replicated across many computers to create a self-managed distributed ledger. Because its a digital ledger distributed across multiple self-managed server nodes, a blockchain enables every participant in a transaction to safely create and share the same data. This makes blockchain technology ideal for documenting transaction documents such as property deeds, mortgages and shareholder agreements in a way thats highly secure and impossible to alter or erase.

2. A blockchain reduces the cost of trust while accelerating the transaction process

From attorney fees to lost property income or sales proceeds, CRE investment disputes are costlyand so are the efforts required to mitigate the risk of future disputes. Consider your most recent commercial real estate financing or investment deal. How many emails, documents, people and signatures were involved to create and execute a legally binding contract? Probably more than you care to remember.

Using the distributed ledger of the blockchain drastically reduces the time and associated expenses required to ensure trust. Updates to the digital ledger are automatic and the ledger is programmed to be 100 percent secure and tamper-proof, empowering every participant in the transaction to securely create and share the same data. As a result, blockchain-based transactions reduce the reliance upon attorneys and other parties involved in creating trusted CRE finance and investment agreements.

Need to confirm the chain of title? Want to verify that Joe Moneybags should receive 75 percent of the sales proceeds for a property? Deeds of trust, equity agreements, loan terms, regulatory compliance documentation and other transaction data are all recorded in the blockchain ledger. Thus, a blockchain is ideal for documenting payments and financial records for CRE transactions.

3. A blockchain can support smart contract capabilities for automating transactions

While Bitcoin is probably the best-known cryptocurrency backed by blockchain technology, it is used primarily for peer-to-peer Bitcoin payments. Other cryptocurrencies and blockchainsnotably, Ether and the Ethereum platformhave broader functionalities, such as the ability to create and execute smart contracts.

A smart contract is a bundle of code programmed to execute important parts of a blockchain transaction. For example, a smart contract can express a transfer of ownership of an asset, execute an asset exchange in compliance with securities regulations, or ensure that payments are delivered in the right amounts to the right parties.

Ethereum is an open-source public blockchain platform that supports smart contracts. Using Ethereum, software developers are able to build and deploy decentralized applications to facilitate an infinite number of functions, such as the computation of complex financial transactions or even recording and processing highly confidential healthcare data.

4. Blockchain-enabled security tokens can make CRE as liquid as stocks and bonds

Creating smart contracts isnt the only advantage of using the blockchain in CRE transactions. A platform like Ethereum can be used to create digital security tokens that represent financial instruments, such as CRE equity or debt offerings backed by real estate assets. Tokens can be also programmed with smart contract capabilities to execute dividends from an equity investment, sales proceeds, loan payments or other payments.

That is, an investor could buy a security token as a means of acquiring a fractional share or complete ownership of an asset, or a lender could place capital through the mechanism of a security token. Then, the security tokens can be traded on a digital exchange just as stocks and bonds are traded on stock exchangesbringing new liquidity to the otherwise slow-moving, illiquid CRE marketplace. And, the underlying technology can create real-time auditable, trusted records of the transfer of ownership.

This new secondary marketplace for CRE-backed tokens empowers project developers, owners and investors to participate quickly and easily in the marketplace, minimizing the need for such intermediaries as lawyers and brokers and the associated phone calls, emails and paperwork. Lenders, in turn, gain access to a highly efficient, streamlined marketplace for placing capital. And, with smart contracts automating transaction processes, project owners and investors can avoid bank processing fees.

5. The power of the blockchain in CRE is not hypothetical

Blockchain in CRE is not a someday conceptthe technology is already proven and available. The combination of speed, transparency and liquidity has long been the Holy Grail of CRE and, today, its within reach. Its not when, its now.

About the author

Aaron Lohmann is co-founder and CEO of Earn.re, an online exchange platform that enables financing of commercial real estate via the blockchain. He has over 15 years of experience in executive management and has led the successful development of numerous companies and organizations.

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Five things to know about blockchain and CRE - REjournals.com

Building On Blockchain Without Code: Proxeus Goes Live – PRNewswire

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ZURICH, Sept. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Innovative blockchain workflow management software Proxeus has just published a version of its software ready to use on the Ethereum mainnet, enabling non-technical users to create and publish document-centered blockchain applications for the first time. Dubbed the "WordPress of blockchain", Proxeus has been developing its product since its successful Token Generation Event (TGE) in February 2018, and has now entered the rarified ranks of blockchain projects which survived the cryptowinter and released a viable product to the community.

Since the TGE, Proxeus has successfully developed applications to incorporate new businesses, issue course certificates, create donation receipts, certify assets, track shipments and make anti-doping processes more secure. In every case, Proxeus technology has proved both powerful and versatile producing solutions in record times, ranging from weeks to days.

Anti-doping use case

The Proxeus framework was recently used to prototype the digitization of therapeutic use exemptions documents for the International Testing Agency (ITA), so that uploaded documents can't be forged. "Blockchain can be one of the answers," Benjamin Cohen, director general of the ITA recently said as the organization is exploring options ahead of the Summer 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which will lead to the issuance of 6,000 anti-doping tests. "We have to invest in technologies that will help us make the system fully secure."

Delivering real value

"Going to mainnet is a big milestone for Proxeus," said cofounder Antoine Verdon. "Users can take advantage of the wide-ranging functionalities offered by Proxeus to capture their specialized knowledge and make it available in the form of automated workflows - for free or for a fee set in XES".

Despite being one of the last successfully-funded utility projects of 2018, Proxeus is one of the first to offer a viable product to the community, an achievement that hasn't gone unnoticed in the blockchain community. "Proxeus is a great infrastructural piece for this new economy," recently commented Swiss blockchain advisor Bernd Lapp.

The Proxeus technology is free and uses Proxeus' native XES token. Proxeus comes with all components and documentation required to configure and launch the platform as well as to deploy a smart contract to the Ethereum mainnet. The technology can easily leverage other DLT platforms - Hyperledger and IOTA have for example been successfully integrated in past projects.

For developers

The Proxeus platform is available for download at http://www.proxeus.com

About Proxeus ( http://www.proxeus.com)

Proxeus is a customisable framework for the creation of document-centred blockchain applications.

Real-world use cases:Over the past two years, Proxeus has collaborated with external partners to demonstrate the versatility of the framework through the publication of several use cases including the digitization of legal processes, the certification of documents and assets (including anti-doping measures), and supply chain tracking. Read more at: http://www.proxeus.com

Notes to editors

Contact details: For more information or interview requests, please contact Ian Welle-Skitt, ian@therelevancehouse.com, tel: +41-793652945.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1000289/proxeus_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Proxeus

https://www.proxeus.com/

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Building On Blockchain Without Code: Proxeus Goes Live - PRNewswire

Putting blockchain technology to good use – ComputerWeekly.com

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By 2025, public blockchain will provide a core interoperable foundation for global decentralised identity management, according to Gartner research.

In the Gartner 2019 CIO Agenda survey, 60% of CIOs said they expected some level of adoption of blockchain technologies in the next three years

RV Raghu, a director of Isaca, the international professional association focused on IT governance, believes that since it offers a way to manage records without any central control, blockchain will find plenty of uses to support the always-connected nature of society.

One of the simplest things that can be done is to identify what data is to be recorded for each transaction, he says.

Raghu says that by using blockchain, all relevant details will be recorded for posterity, establishing an audit trail, which will withstand necessary scrutiny within the enterprise and from a regulatory perspective.

Add to this mix the fact that the data is encrypted and cannot be changed by any one entity, and an ironclad forensic trail can be established with the right configuration of the blockchain, he says.

The validation process ensures high integrity. Mike Yeomans a research analyst at the Information Security Forum (ISF), says: Validation depends on the distributed nature of the network, making a blockchain highly available and resilient. Provided just one node remains available, the blockchain continues to function and the ledger can be viewed by any stakeholder.

Such guarantees of integrity and high availability make blockchain well suited for supply chains. For instance, Maersk and IBM have partnered on a blockchain platform that records and tracks shipping manifests across global supply chains. Volvo also uses a blockchain to track and verify ethical sourcing of rare earth minerals used in vehicle production.

For Maersks globalised trade, fraud and complex information management are considerable challenges.

By using a single, centralised ledger that is deemed immutable and is available to all authorised stakeholders, such obstacles are significantly reduced. Five of the worlds six largest shipping companies (and many smaller suppliers) now participate in Maersks blockchain platform, says Yeomans.

The logistics company says its platform offers greater trust, transparency and collaboration across supply chains and helps promote global trade.

The single, shared platform at Maersk is designed to streamline the supply chain and removes the need for endless spreadsheets and programmes, easing logistical administration and saving money.

The distributed and consensus-driven approach to validating blocks protects against tampering or adding fraudulent transactions to the ledger, says Yeomans. Even if a node is compromised, attempts to falsify the digital ledger to conceal theft or cargo smuggling will be detected and prevented by the validation performed by other nodes, as they will reject fraudulent blocks.

For Yeomans, using a blockchain to verify supply chain ethics also uses the blockchains transaction ledger, which is widely available and considered to be of high integrity.

He says Volvos application of a blockchain makes use of the integrity and availability attributes that the technology offers to trace if products in its supply chain have been sourced from regions of conflict.

Falsification of documents is commonplace in conflict regions, so blockchain makes that process far harder, while the transparent nature of the ledger makes tracking the often lengthy journey of shipments much easier, says Yeomans. Again, this greatly reduces overheads associated with information exchange and streamlines the process of looking to identify if items are being stolen from or falsely added to the supply chain.

In the public sector, blockchain has the potential to enable the construction of the digital self the equivalent of a digital passport.

Richard Hunt, founder of Turnkey Consulting, believes that once an individual has been through the process to prove their identity, this proof can be reused in other situations where ID is required.

A digital identity would enable citizens to take back control of their data and their identity, choosing who to share this information with and, perhaps more importantly, who not to, he says. It would also allow individuals to both fully understand and capitalise on the value of their personal data.

Gartner distinguished vice-president David Furlonger says governments are looking at ways blockchain can be deployed to improve efficiency.

Efficiency-based initiatives are founded on the idea that decentralised, multiparty transactions can be streamlined using blockchain to solve transactions. Government interests are mostly driven by their need to decrease friction in disconnected processes, interactions or transactions between a variety of government organisations or involving the broader public/private ecosystems.

The US states of Vermont and Delaware, as well as Dubai, have shown some of the most visible and ambitious efforts on the use of blockchain for organising government records, says Furlonger.

Blockchain should be far harder to break, according to veteran cyber security expert, Eoin Keary.

Given blockchains distributed ledger, if someone tries to alter the data, the system analyses the entire chain, compares each block of data in the chain and excludes any that do not match up, which prevents unauthorised changes, he says.

This means it is possible to use blockchain to ensure the integrity of critical IT systems. Keary believes blockchain could be used to manage DNS records such that unauthorised changes could be performed only by the domain owner.

DNS records would be immutable and distributed, making it nearly impossible to attack, he says. The attacker would need to attack all nodes due to blockchains distributed ledger.

Another use in IT security relates to decentralised storage. Since data is not stored in a single place, but rather thousands of nodes, Keary believes this makes it very difficult for an intruder to harvest complete datasets.

For Ovum research director Maxine Holt, blockchains peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture and intrinsic security technologies including the encryption/hashing of data, redundant and immutable ledgers, robustness of data to compromised nodes, and use of hardware wallets and chip-level trusted execution environments bring the potential to increase internet of things (IoT) security.

These characteristics enable the development of networks of trusted devices whether in private or public blockchain deployments, she says.

In terms of IoT security, Keary says blockchain can be used in relation to threat and operational monitoring scenarios

Using blockchain, devices can work together and agree what normal looks like, and as a result, alert or lock devices which are behaving out of the boundaries of normality, he says. The beauty of blockchain is the fact that there is no central authority and thousands/millions of nodes collectively control and make decisions based on the blockchain integrity.

According to Keary, the concept of an immutable ledger can be applied to asset management or data integrity and configuration controls such that history of asset profiles or integrity hashes for software downloads can be stored in a blockchain.

The hashes for a given download or software installation can be compared to the hash stored in the blockchain to help ensure software is not compromised with malware, he adds.

Keary says identity and access management (IAM) is also a candidate for blockchain.

A blockchain-based IAM solution would render it impossible for hackers to enter a network/system and leave in an undetected manner, he says. The attacker can no longer hide their tracks or tamper with access logs to erase records or their unwarranted access due to blockchain immutability.

While it offers many benefits, the industry has realised there is still much to be done before blockchain technology becomes mainstream. Almost exactly a year ago, in London, Dean Demellweek, digital innovation strategist at BNP Paribas, said that following the huge hype surrounding blockchain, the technology faced a chasm to cross if early pilots were to be applied to real-life business challenges.

The Barclays and Wave pilot of 2016, and more recent pilots at HSBC and ING, have illustrated the possibility of using blockchain for faster, cheaper and more secure transactions.

However, Gareth Lodge, financial services analyst at Celent, believes blockchain is still not properly understood. It tends to get mixed up with a number of other things, most usually distributed ledger technology and cryptocurrencies, he says. As a result, some suppliers are being asked if their solution runs on blockchain. As one noted, Not sure why theyre asking as they didnt ask me last year if it was running on SQL.

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Putting blockchain technology to good use - ComputerWeekly.com

Blockchain simplified: How it eliminates the middleman – Big Think

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Building better foodMicroorganisms are at the heart of the upcoming disruption, as they were when humanity began domesticating plants and animals 10,000 years ago by manipulating the evolution of microorganisms via the breeding of their macro-organisms. Within about a thousand years, we were controlling microorganisms through fermentation, producing bread, cheese, alcohol, and preserving our fruits and vegetables. And so things have basically stood for thousands of years, harvesting the nutrients on which we depend through the time- and cost-intensive breeding, extracting, and consuming of the macro-organisms in which microorganisms reside.It's the microorganisms, though, that we're really after they're the specific source of the nutrients we seek, and today, we have tools for directly accessing them, unplugged from their macro-organisms. We can build nutrients ourselves, programming complex molecules using precision fermentation (PF).In the biological sense, food is simply packages of nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Of these, proteins the large molecules that are needed by all cells to function properly are the most important. They are, quite literally, the building blocks of life. RethinkX report

(RethinkX report)

Protein functions

(RethinkX report)

Image source: P Stock/Shutterstock

Image source: RethinkX report

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Blockchain simplified: How it eliminates the middleman - Big Think

ternity Partners with Uruguay Can to Track Cannabis Production on the Blockchain – GlobeNewswire

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MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Sept. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via Blockchain Wire) --ternity, the next-generation, open-source blockchain for building decentralized applications, today announced that it is creating a supply chain management platform for the cannabis trade alongside Uruguay Can, one of South Americas leading cannabis production companies.

ternitys implementation allows the registration and tracking of cannabis strains from the seed to the final product, combining the technology of IOT (Internet of Things) and blockchain to enable the possibility to create decentralized applications.

ternity Americas CEO Pablo Coirolo explained that blockchain technology can provide security and confidence about the quality of medical and recreational cannabis.

We want to be the first to offer a business-level solution in partnership with leading technology providers and cannabis producers, processors and distributors, said Pablo Coirolo, CEO of ternity Americas. ternity technology is ideal for tracking the entire cannabis production process, from seed to full plant growth, throughout the entire supply chain, which ensures consumer safety while complying with regulations.

In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to completely legalize the production and sale of marijuana. With a population of only 3.4 million nestled between two neighboring giants, Brazil and Argentina (with populations of 208 and 43 million respectively), Uruguay has been an innovator in both recreational and medical marijuana throughout the region.

The first phase of the implementation between Uruguay Can and ternity will begin in October and is expected to be completed in January 2020, with full implementation planned for the middle of next year. For Uruguay Can CEO Eduardo Blasina, this partnership with ternity is a significant milestone for the industry.

"We are proud to be the first company in Uruguay that can guarantee the quality of our products in a transparent and verifiable way," said Blasina.

The ability to trace the source and the way cannabis is produced is beneficial for both the cannabis and pharmaceutical industry as well as its consumers and end users, who should feel more secure about the product that they are consuming, added Pablo Coirolo. "This mechanism is ideal for improving the cannabis production process throughout the supply chain, certifying consumer safety while regulations are adhered to.

For more information about ternity, visit: https: //ternity.com/.

About ternityternity is an open-source public blockchain protocol that allows a platform for next-generation decentralized applications and high scalability. Its main components are written in the Erlang functional programming language, and its smart contracts are also functional. Unlike other blockchain platforms, the ternity protocol incorporates several essential technological features. ternity also presents SDK in Javascript, GO, Phyton, Java, as well as a middleware and a development suite that optimizes the development of smart contracts.http://www.ternity.com

About Uruguay CanUruguay Can is a Uruguayan company based in Montevideo that combines experience in recreational, medicinal and hemp cannabis developments in already established projects with a consolidated agronomic team in the first country in the world to legalize production, with the objective of exporting to all the world an increasingly broad portfolio of products. http://uruguaycan.com/

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Contact Information:Media Contact: Transform Group, aeternity@transformgroup.comCompany Contact: Pablo Coirolo, CEO Americas, pablo@aeternity.com

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ternity Partners with Uruguay Can to Track Cannabis Production on the Blockchain - GlobeNewswire

5 Enterprise Blockchain Stories of the Week – Forbes

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Things are moving very quickly in the enterprise blockchain space. Recently, several of the largest banks announced their participation in key blockchain initiatives. A massive $20 million bond was issued on the public Ethereum network and one of the biggest blockchain companies, ConsenSys, launched a special initiative that aims to bring Decentralized Finance (DeFi) closer to enterprises. In addition, excitement has peaked in bitcoin land because, in mere days, the first physically delivered bitcoin contracts will launch on a federally regulated exchange.

JPMorgans Interbank Information Network (IIN) was joined by Deutsche Bank and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation

JPMorgans IIN, built on Quorum (a private version of Ethereum) was launched with the goal of eliminating information inefficiencies, thereby providing a real-time flow of information. As of now, 344 banks have signedLetter of Intent (LOIs), creating what is probably the largest blockchain-based banking consortia. Last week, Deutsche Bank, the 17th largest in the world and the fourth largest in Europe by total assets, joined the network to tap into the information pool. Additionally, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), the second-largest bank in Southeast Asia, joined the IIN blockchain consortia. Both news items are significant because of the sheer size of the banks involved and also because of the ensuing growth of the IIN blockchain. In the enterprise blockchain space, IIN is probably the most significant effort in terms of shaping the industry with its outcome.

Interbank Information Network

Santander launched the first end-to-end bond on a public blockchain network

Banco Santander, the largest Spanish bank, has issued a $20 million blockchain-based bond with a quarterly coupon of 1.98%. This is noteworthy primarily because of the banks use of the public Ethereum network, on which the investor wallet, the issuer wallet, and the issuer smart contracts reside. (Not many large banks are even considering the use of a public blockchain network.) The effort involved tokenized cash that was exchanged for bond tokens worth $20 million via an atomic delivery-versus-payment (DvP) transaction.

Bond issuance flow

ConsenSys launched Codefi, aimed at businesses

ConsenSys, the largest Ethereum-focused development shop, just launched a new mesh that focuses on bringing Decentralized Finance (DeFi) to larger companies and businesses. DeFi-type products and services are currently used mainly by enthusiasts and cryptocurrency-focused traders. ConsenSys wants to change this and expand the scope of instruments and markets existing only in the decentralized space. The current DeFi offering creates certain inefficiencies (like overcollateralization) and introduces the systematic risk of using an unproven smart contracts. For example, nobody on the Ethereum trading market has a clear view of the overall risk exposure in terms of money and technical liabilities. Codefi wants to change this by providing a framework for assessing the complex risk in permissionless lending (which is one the aims of this new project).

Bakkt is ready to launch its bitcoin futures

Bakkt, in partnership with ICE Futures US and ICE Clear US, will launch physically delivered bitcoin futures contracts along with custody approved by the New York State Department of Financial Services. In dealing with digital assets, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which owns and operates the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is getting into uncharted waters. This comes just two weeks after the announcement that Bakkt Warehouse, the safe gatekeeper for bitcoin, is accepting deposits and withdrawals. On Sunday 9/22, we will see how the market reacts to this launch, though the bitcoin sentiment is highly optimistic. The belief is that the move with further bitcoin adoption among institutional players like endowment funds and brokerage firms. It might also help make the case for bitcoin ETF once we have a stable and reliable physically delivered bitcoin futures market.

Wells Fargo launched an internal settlement service using R3 Corda

It has become very popular for banks to look into stablecoins as a potential settlement mechanism. Already, several public efforts, like JPMorgans JPMC and Utility Settlement Coin, serve similar functions. Now Wells Fargo has joined the ranks of blockchain-enabled institutions. The company is aiming to settle internal transactions much faster and more cheaply than it would if it went with the SWIFT network. Internally, dollar transactions will be pegged to a stablecoin so as to facilitate these transactions. This is a strong justification for R3s Corda network protocol, which has received a lot of traction lately. Corda is not technically a blockchain per se, but instead uses a transaction-based proprietary distributed ledger technology (DLT).

All these events are momentous for the enterprise blockchain space, as the influx of large enterprises is hastening the pace of blockchain adoption. While they are investing people and money into this adoption, these enterprises are also building much-needed services like custody, risk management, and infrastructure to properly run and operate blockchain networks.

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5 Enterprise Blockchain Stories of the Week - Forbes

The Smartest Way to Buy Blockchain Stocks – Zacks.com

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The general public finally came to know cryptocurrency during its latest boom cycle in December 2017. Bitcoin prices had surged from under $2,000 in July 2017 to nearly $20,000. The world was introduced to the crypto millionaire, the millennial nerd who rolled the dice on Bitcoin early and now roamed the streets in a Lamborghini. Everybody wanted in on the action, but when the bubble burst, the carnage lined the streets.

You don't have to have a gamblers risk tolerance or be a cryptocurrency expert to profit from the boom in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and others. You don't even have to believe in the long-term sustainability of any of these coins. You just have to recognize the game and figure out a way to profit from the underlying technology. That underlying technology, which powers every cryptocurrency on Earth, is the blockchain.

If you've been paying attention to the headlines, you'll see that central banks and major retail banks alike have changed their tune about cryptocurrencies. Initially, they scoffed and called them irrelevant. But recently, the discussion has shifted and now they are acknowledging the threat cryptocurrencies cause to their businesses. What they're really saying is that blockchain is revolutionizing the way we account for data.

Just look at the recent activity on Capitol Hill. Facebooks proposed Libra coin is making a big splash. A few months ago, Facebook focusing on a crypto coin would have been a non-event. Nowadays, its not a pie-in-the-sky idea, its a major financial event and could pose a significant threat to traditional payments businesses.

What is the Blockchain?

In the digital world, a block is a digital list of records, acting as a ledger that can contain information of any kind. When these blocks are linked together, they are secured by cryptography to form the blockchain. This blockchain is an unforgeable record of all the transactions that is replicated on every computer on the network. If information in a new block can't be verified by all the other blocks in the chain, it is discarded. In the case of the top cryptocurrencies, a currency's network consists of millions and millions of computers all over the world. This makes it unhackable, as a hacker would need to hack all that computing power simultaneously, a seemingly impossible task.

Continued . . .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10X Bigger than the Internet

Zacks targets big gains from the innovative businesses behind blockchain the emerging "Internet of Money." As this technology grows an estimated +8,500% by 2024, shareholders in these companies could make life-changing gains without speculating on volatile cryptocurrencies.

According to government sources, blockchain technology is 10 times more valuable than the internet. And just like the early days of internet stocks, the profit potential is tremendous. Were accepting a limited number of new investors to see our top picks to tap this phenomenon, but the door closes Sunday, September 29.

See our blockchain stocks now >>

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I already know I've lost some people, but please stay with me. At this point the question within this topic is typically: What does blockchain have to do with currency? Everything. But to understand we have to separate our thought of cryptos from traditional fiat currency. While fiat currency is used to buy cryptocurrency, once bought, cryptos stand on their own. In addition, the smart contract (more on this later) aspect allows cryptos to be much more than an exchange of cash, they are an exchange of value. In a sense, these currencies are the "Internet of Value".

To simplify, the blockchain is a public registry of assets and transactions that tells us who owns what. These transactions are often referred to as smart contracts, as they are recording a contract between two people, whether it be a transfer of currency, or a good or service.

You can see how this new innovation could be disruptive to traditional businesses out there. Rather than lament this potential disruption, you are in the unique position to profit from it. How you ask? By investing in the various areas of the market where the blockchain is making noise. There are several different angles here.

The "Picks and Axes": During the gold rush, the ones who really got rich were the ones selling the picks and axes. That is, the companies which provided the tools for the speculators to go out and try to find their fortunes. In the cryptocurrency world, this refers to the companies which make the chips and hardware used for mining operations.

Consulting: There will be a wave of companies looking for ways to incorporate blockchain technology into their existing businesses. Already, large consulting companies are beginning to offer services helping companies to integrate the new tech.

Cloud Infrastructure: No other industry has been as dependent on the cloud for its development as blockchain has. The need to distribute a ledger across the world, with no centralized ownership or authority overseeing transactions plays into the strengths of the cloud. Companies which offer cloud-based hosting may suffer, while those which help facilitate this decentralized network will benefit greatly.

Payment Processing: Among the most disruptive industries for blockchain is payment processing. Rather than your traditional financial intermediary, blockchain technology allows for a distributed, open, public ledger where transactions are confirmed by other nodes in the chain for a fee that's much smaller than your typical fees coming from more traditional processors.

Lending: We are just at the tip of the iceberg here on lending. Blockchain tech is perfect for lending, allowing lenders to spread their risk across thousands of loans in an instant, no matter the size of the lender.

Trading Floors: The legitimization of bitcoin continues as futures contracts have started trading on two large exchanges in the US.

Miners: The miners are the most important part of any blockchain and likely the most misunderstood. Miners confirm transactions from node to node by solving the cryptographic problem and are then rewarded in units of the cryptocurrency. Already we are seeing companies which "mine" cryptocurrency publicly traded. These companies mine the currency then immediately sell them on the open market and pass through the gains to shareholders. Think of them as you would a pipeline company in the energy sector. These companies are small now but could become much larger in time.

Investors/BDC: Some publicly traded companies are acting as incubators for other budding cryptocurrencies. We talk bitcoin a lot but there are over 1,300 other cryptocurrencies in the world. These investors and business development companies invest in promising crypto companies before they hit the mainstream.

ETFs: Already there are ETFs which buy stocks with blockchain exposure, however, soon there will be officially regulated ETFs for bitcoin and Ethereum. These ETFs will move dollar for dollar with an index, not trade at huge premiums to the underlying cryptocurrency like the ones available on the market today.

There are many more companies on the way but how will you know how to separate the pretenders from the contenders? Which of these emerging companies will be built on solid technology and which will be gimmicks? Just like the Dot Com Bubble brought with it several names which added ".com" to their names to get in on the action, companies are adding "Blockchain" to their names, some in a very unscrupulous fashion.

Bottom Line

There are several ways to play the cryptocurrency boom without exposing yourself to the same downside volatility. By spreading your investment across several aspects of the blockchain, diversification can help smooth your returns. Add in the proven strength of the Zacks Rank and our proprietary system of investing in companies with increasing earnings estimates and you have a potent one-two punch.

The Time to Start Is Now

At Zacks, we've been watching the blockchain phenomenon very closely. This space is projected to skyrocket from $706 million in 2017 to $60 billion by 2024.

Many investors have already gotten very rich. But in my view, blockchain's most profitable days are still ahead of us.

To get in to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you may want to look into our portfolio, Zacks Blockchain Innovators.

Right now, we're holding a selection stocks to ride the blockchain boom from different angles - from supplying chips and hardware to fintech firms and consulting services. We're aiming for big gains from solid companies.

Check out Blockchain Innovators today and you can be among the first to see my Special Report, The Great Disruption: Blockchain in 2019 & Beyond. In this report, you'll gain a better understanding of what blockchain is, how it's transforming so many industries (with specific examples) and how the revolution is likely to impact you as an investor.

I suggest that you look into it right away. Entry to this service will be closed Sunday, September 29.

See our Blockchain Innovators stocks now >>

Wishing you great financial success,

David BartosiakStock Strategist

Dave is Zacks' resident technical and momentum expert. A successful early crypto investor, he selects stocks and delivers exclusive commentary for Blockchain Innovators.

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Vodafone litters London with blockchain tokens in new augmented reality game – The Next Web

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Vodafone is running anaugmented reality (AR) game across London as part of a promotional Apple giveaway, and its powered by blockchain technology.

The game, called Find Unlimited, requires players find and interact with Vatoms, unique,non-fungible tokens (NFTs) generated by and stored in a blockchain operated by startup BLOCKv.

Over a two-hour period every day this week, 36 Vatoms will appear in Central London, spread across six high-footfall locations.

Participants can collect the tokens by zapping them with their phones camera, later redeeming them for special prizes (like an iPhone 11).

Anyone can participate in the game, but marketing materials confirm Vodafone customers receive clues to the whereabouts of the tokens in advance.

NFTs were once a really big deal. Back in 2017, the Ethereum app CryptoKitties became so popular it crippled the entire blockchain, which uncomfortably revealed its scalability issues to the world.

It also led to a flourishing (but short-lived) blockchain collectible market, with individual CryptoKitties regularly sold for well over $50,000 each.

But considering the blockchain that generates Vatoms is described as a semi-decentralized network overlay in its whitepaper, its likely Vodafone isnt exactly concerned with decentralization (or the associated censorship resistance).

Still, its refreshing to see blockchain utilized for something other than tracking the provenance of fruit, vegetables, and chickens regardless of how watered down the tech.

[H/T Campaign]

Published September 25, 2019 17:24 UTC

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Vodafone litters London with blockchain tokens in new augmented reality game - The Next Web

Blockchain Mortgages Could Help The Impending Recession – Forbes

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Lately theres been a lot of discussion about a potential new financial recession being at our doors. All the signs are already present, from the stock market being shaky and the US economy being sluggish, the European banks on a downtrend, the China and US trade war continuing to linger and the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates for the first time since the last financial crisis, then doing it again two-months later to the Repo markets interest rate spike.

Just a few weeks ago, the US Department of the Treasury announced the Housing Reform Plan in which they want to place the government-sponsored Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back into private hands. Fannie and Freddie, the two largest mortgage guarantee businesses and government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), were taken over during the 2008 housing crisis and have been government run ever since. All these events add up negatively as the impending recession is getting closer.

Today, there are many parallels that can be drawn between our current economic environment and the previous financial crisis, but there is also a significant differentiator. In the midst of the previous crisis a new technology had just surfaced and given rise to a wave of new financial markets and economic rules. Lets face it, we live in a bitcoin and blockchain world now.

What could be done differently back then if wed had blockchain and distributed ledger technology in place?

We live in such a social media driven society that sentiment can be twisted seemingly overnight. Even Google recognized the spike in searches for the term recession in August.

Google Trends

So, can we trust software over humans when dealing with opaque and inefficient mortgage origination systems?

What would be the benefits of tokenized real estate and the issuance of digital mortgages or mortgage backed securities on a blockchain?

During the last few years, we have seen a significant change in the mortgage space. We have seen the rise of non-bank mortgage lenders in a field largely dominated by traditional banks. Those non-bank lenders are usually more flexible, offer better fees, and rely heavily on new smart and advanced technologies.

Bank vs Nonbank lenders

So, what are the current issues in the mortgage space? To start with, it is a heavily manual and paper intensive process which can take between 45 and 60 days. The average mortgage application is around 500 pages and can go up to 2000 pages. On top of that there are so many intermediaries (brokers, appraisers, attorneys, underwriters, agents and agencies) involved in the process and each of them adds 1-2% of the total property value as a cost to the real estate transaction.

In an environment like that a new blockchain and smart contracts process can thrive. For example, we can have the closing process almost entirely automated by smart contracts with minimal involvement from attorneys. We already have platforms like OpenLawand Clause that present legally enforceable smart contracts and can automate similar processes.

Another area that could be explored is the 45 million Americans without credit score. Currently, this is an untapped market for the banks and one way that can be resolved by establishing a Digital Credit Score, this evolves around developing new methodologies to calculate a score based on the digital footprint and social signals of the individual. Having blockchain as the underlying record keeping technology will present an immutable and trustworthy record proof. The rise of the digital identity platforms that run on a blockchain will help with validating applicants identities on the blockchain immediately.

The nature of distributed ledger technology (DLT) allows for replicated copies of the on-chain data, according to the set privacy conditions and as much as the data regulations and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) rules allow it. Then, all the participating parties on that blockchain mortgage network could significantly reduce their shared mortgage origination risk and loan fraud.

I strongly believe in the tokenization of real-world assets. Until now, we see a myriad of financial assets like fiat currencies, shares, bonds and stocks being turned into their respective digital copies on a blockchain ledger. We already see live examples of digital securities in the financial services sector but the big opportunity is to tokenize real estate. To put this into perspective here is the real estate tokenization opportunity visualized.

Real Estate Global Market

When we have our real estate tokenized on a blockchain, the origination of digital mortgages will become the natural choice due to the greater visibility and increased liquidity of those assets.

Once we have tokenized real estate and digital mortgages that are originated on a blockchain, the issuance of mortgage backed securities on the same ledger will be seamless. One way of doing this is for the lender to issue a security token to de-risk and possibly make money. The other option is for borrowers to issue a token in order to raise capital for initially buying the asset.

The digital transformation caused by blockchain and DLT will have its impact on the mortgage industry, but it might take some time. We already see steps in that direction as startups are currently issuing $85 million in loan originations per month, but it will take years until the important participants like banks are fully onboard. One thing we know for sure, the sophistication that blockchain technology and smart contracts bring will lead to huge operational cost savings and the opening of new untapped markets.

Forbes Special Offer: Be among the first to get important crypto and blockchain news and information with Forbes Crypto Confidential. It's free, sign up now.

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Blockchain Mortgages Could Help The Impending Recession - Forbes

Verizon and Wells Fargo Are Getting on the Blockchain – Market Realist

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If 2017 was the year Bitcoin (BTC-USD) entered into bubble territory and 2018 was the year the bubble burst, 2019 will go down in blockchain history as the Year of Adoption. Verizon (VZ) and Wells Fargo (WFC) are joining the ranks of big-name companies integrating blockchain technology into their business models.

Ive already reported on JPMorgan (JPM) preparing to roll out its JPM Coin and Walmart (WMT) securing a patent for a digital currency. And dont forget the highly publicized Libra Coin, which Facebook (FB) plans to launch in the second half of 2020.

Speaking of Libra, Visa (V), MasterCard (MA), PayPal (PYPL) are investing in that project. So you can add those famous financial names to the growing list of mega-cap companies joining the blockchain movement. With all this blockchain news in the background, its no surprise that Verizon (VZ) and Wells Fargo (WFC) are getting on the blockchain. It was only a matter of time.

If you happen to have a couple of spare hours, feel free to peruse Verizons patent. It would allow the telecommunications giant to create virtual SIM cards on the blockchain. The patent is quite long, and it mentions the word blockchain at least a dozen times. It also specifically mentions the creation of a blockchain including a vSIM certificate for the network services.

vSIM is a way of saying virtual SIM, and its basically the beginning of the end for SIM cards as we know them. If youre accustomed to inserting physical SIM cards into your phone, get ready for the future. Soon, vSIM certificates will replace your metal-and-plastic SIM cards. The embedded information will be stored on a distributed consensus network.

This new network means the SIM card information will soon be stored on the blockchain. And I believe thats a quantum leap forward in terms of data security. Think about it. Would you rather have your information stored on a physical SIM card, which is susceptible to theft? Or would you prefer an immutable, distributed ledgerwhere all blocks of data are time-stamped, undamaged, and unaltered?

Meanwhile, banking giant Wells Fargo is following in the footsteps of JPMorgan, Facebook, and Walmart. The bank is issuing its own stablecoin. Stablecoin status means the digital currency will be backed by something stable and external, such as US dollars.

And if any firm has plenty of cash to back up a stablecoin, its Wells Fargo. The bank is planning to call its digital asset Wells Fargo Digital Cash. This dollar-backed stablecoin is emblematic of big banks swift, steady, and inevitable move onto the blockchain.

Plus, given the high costs and inconvenience of moving money internationally, I think Wells Fargos bet on the blockchain revolution is sensible and forward-looking. Lisa Frazier, head of Wells Fargos Innovation Group, seems to concur. She sees a growing demand to further reduce friction regarding traditional borders. Frazier also observes that todays technology puts us in a strong position to do that.

Indeed, the advent of blockchain technology will make the vision of seamless, real-time, cross-border transactions not only a reality but also entirely commonplace. Wells Fargo Digital Cash will, at first, only work for internal payments across the firms global network of banks. But I suspect Wells Fargo is testing the waters for bigger, broader-scale adoption that could include retail clients in the near future.

The implications of all these corporations recent forays into blockchain technology run deep and wide. And Bitcoin investors should certainly take note as institutional adoption gains fast traction. At this rate, its hard to imagine any large bank staying off the blockchain for much longer. And its even harder to imagine that the Bitcoin price wont revisit all-time highs in the near future.

Thats speculation, of course. But Im looking forward to a world where more transactions are securely stored on the blockchain. And bitcoin at $10,000 would be a hazy, distant memory of a fleeting yet fascinating point on the technology timeline.

As of this writing, David Moadel does not hold a position in any of the securities mentioned above.

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Verizon and Wells Fargo Are Getting on the Blockchain - Market Realist

Telefnica Making Provisions Not To Miss The Blockchain Boat – Forbes

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(Photo by Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

New technological waves have often been great starting places for companies to burst onto the scene and make a significant impact, but equally so, these changes in the way things are done also allow for already established players to reinvigorate themselves.

Microsoft, as an example, started in an Albuquerque garage with Bill Gates looking to drive personal computing into a new age. Gates and his software company reached the pinnacle in 2000 with a market cap of over $600 billion, but what goes up inevitably comes down.

Having cornered the market at the time, the new technology wave to emerge was mobile which allowed Apple - a Microsoft competitor of the early days, a chance to re-enter the space and take over the baton of dominance.

And so the cycles continue, Google, also a startup, has overtaken the internet market, Amazon leads the way with E-Commerce, Facebook was the original social media doyen, but today we sit on the precipice of what is being called the fourth industrial revolution which will be focused around Blockchain, AI, IoT, and Big Data.

Already, companies are trying to position themselves to be leaders in this space; none more so than IBM, which has produced many enterprise blockchain solutions which have been snapped up. However, others are looking to be ready to jump on whatever the next big thing is.

One of these companies is the Spanish multinational telecommunications companyTelefnica. Their push to keep an eye on the next it has seen them createWayra, a startup accelerator.

Not going to miss out again

Telefnicas startup accelerator, Wayra, with offices set up in London, is overseen byGary Stewart, the Managing Director of Wayra UK, who admitted toThe Daily Chainthat there was a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) going on after they were stung by the global messaging giant, Whatsapp.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 04: (L-R) Wayra Barcelona Director Julian Vinue and Wayra Spanish Director Gary Stewart attends a visit of Prince Felipe of Spain at the 'Telefonica Tower' I+D Headquarters on December 4, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain.

Wayra was founded by Telefnicas current CEO [Jos Mara lvarez-Pallete Lpez], and the idea was that it was clear that companies, like Whatsapp, which Telefnica had not taken very seriously, saw the company losing millions of dollars to a business that they didnt even know existed! The same thing with Skype, entire business lines being wiped out by startups using technology in a way large corporates had not seen, Stewart told The Daily Chain.

The idea was, you could buy the companies later on, but then that was going to be really expensive. How many people have $22 billion to buy Whatsapp? Stewart mused. Or you can work with them at a lot earlier stage.

Stewart admits that their tactic is now to have these startups working in their accelerator in order to not only drive innovation in a number of different sectors but to also allow Telefnica to keep a finger on the pulse of what the next big thing will be, and perhaps even help create the next Microsoft, Amazon, Google.

Telefnica, but not just us, know the general idea is that people still dont know what It is going to be whatever it is. But that we need to be better positioned than in the past, added the accelerators managing director.

More than just Blockchain

Blockchain certainly seems to be the buzzword around the enterprise space at the moment. Its potential is widely known and acknowledged, but its application has not yet been seen in a way that can be called a benchmark for future development.

Stewart adds that Telefnica is looking at more than just Blockchain, however, but he sees the emerging technology as still early on in its development and that there needs to be work put in before its value is truly appreciated.

In differentiating between AI and the Blockchain, AI seems to be more than a technology, it seems to be very specific verticals and applications already healthcare being one that the UK government is seen as important, explained Stewart.

I think Blockchain is still early in its developmental path, but what Telefnica wants to understand is It is not likely that we are going to be the ones to come up with whatever It is, but lets make sure that we are paying attention to what the startups are saying it could be.

A lot of times what happens is the startups will come, and we will say to them: How can this be relevant to Telephonica? Part of it is screening, but also part of it is to get ideas.

For us right now, especially in startups, we dont know what It is and we know we are not likely to be the ones who create It, but we want to be close to people who might be creating It especially if they can tell how It can be relevant to us!

An arms race emerging

Telefnica may even already be a little late to the party as there are certainly other billion-dollar enterprises that have been running with the blockchain baton for some time now. Some other technology companies have taken one path - private Blockchain and enterprise solutions being an option - while others are looking towards startups with big investments; such asGoogle and Chainlink.

It now appears as if the arms race is potentially between those backing the innovation of the startups to find that killer app for Blockchain, and those who have forged ahead with enterprise solutions at this early stage. Who will come out victorious is impossible to call, but that is part of the development of this dynamic and disruptive technology.

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Telefnica Making Provisions Not To Miss The Blockchain Boat - Forbes

Overstock seeks blockchain stock registration with SEC – CoinGeek

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Online retail group Overstock has filed for a stock registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with its blockchain-powered digital preferred stock, in a move which the firm hopes will result in the approval of the regulator.

According to reports, the firm has filed form S-3 with the SEC, in line with previous reports that Overstock was preparing to liberalize its proposed digital shares issue on the blockchain.

The firms newly installed CEO, Jonathan Johnson, said the company was taking initial steps towards obtaining regulatory approval for the registration: This filing represents an initial step in the companys registration of the OSTKO dividend, and the company is engaged in active discussions with regulatory authorities to obtain approval of the registration.

The Series A-1 preferred digital stock is to be awarded to common shareholders in a ratio of 1 unit for every 10 shares, which will allow holders to transfer their shareholdings on the blockchain.

According to Johnson, the model will help introduce a number of investors to blockchain tech for the first time, in the context of enhancing the investor experience.

This dividend will be a great introduction for many to how blockchain technology can enhance the investor experience.

In order to receive the new tokens, investors will be required to set up an account with Dinosaur Financial Group in order to trade on the PRO Securities trading system, a platform developed by Overstocks blockchain arm, tZero.

It comes at a time of a fundamental shift in Overstocks business towards blockchain, following disappointing results in its core retail business in recent months. Long regarded as a pioneer of blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, the approval of the regulator would give Overstocks stock the all-important seal of approval, essential in attracting serious investors to the instrument.

The SEC will now consider the application in due course before deciding whether or not to give the green light to the proposals.

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Overstock seeks blockchain stock registration with SEC - CoinGeek

Israeli Startup Creates Offline Wallet With Access to the Blockchain – CoinDesk

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Israeli startup GK8 unveiled a cold-storage crypto wallet with on-network transfer capabilities, the company said.

GK8s technology removes many of the dangers internet-accessible crypto wallets face hacks, attacks, unexplained losses while preserving their more convenient features, such as sending and receiving digital assets.

In an interview, GK8s co-founder Lior Lamesh told CoinDesk that a unidirectional connection links its wallet directly to the blockchain, where it transfers assets as conventional wallets do. GK8s one-way signaling does not itself operate on the internet.

GK8 says its techniques bypass core assumptions related to cryptocurrency transfers and eliminate attack vectors to any asset transfer.

Several cryptography experts are among GK8 board members, including Prof. Eran Tromer, one of security token Zcashs founding scientists.

In a video,Tromer said:GK8s cold wallet solution improves on the state-of-the-art by having essentially unidirectional communication from the wallet to the outside and never accepting raw information from the outside back into the cold wallet.

This minimizes the attack surface and prevents attacks, he said.

GK8 secured five patents for its innovations, according to the announcement. A patent abstract associated with Lamesh described the technology as follows:

The digital wallet device is electronically disconnected from other digital devices and comprising: a cryptocurrency integrated circuit (IC) that is isolated from any computer interface and a unidirectional communication hardware for sending said transaction to a communication device for broadcasting said transaction via a network.

The founders are veterans of Israeli cybersecurity, according to Lamesh. Both served as cybersecurity experts to the prime minister before founding GK8 in 2018.

Lamesh said that he and co-founder Shahar Shamai began working on GK8s cold wallet after finding security vulnerabilities in state-of-the-art wallets. They were both bothered by the risks of storing assets online.

We tried to think: how can we make a fully operational cold wallet with no internet connection at all. And we ended up doing exactly that, Lamesh said.

He said that GK8 seeks to become the cold wallet of choice for institutional investors.

GK8s project raised $4 million in seed funding from a series of Israeli investment firms, including from the government-run Israel Innovation Authority.

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Israeli Startup Creates Offline Wallet With Access to the Blockchain - CoinDesk

German telecom giant hires blockchain professor hopefully, its a good thing – The Next Web

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Its not just NASA thats hiring for blockchain professionals. Deutsche Telekom, the German telecom company headquartered in Bonn, has created a specialized blockchain professorship in collaboration with a Berlin-based university.

The professorship for software engineering with a specialization in blockchain is stationed at CODE University of Applied Sciences. Academic Dr. Peter Ruppel, best known for his work into distributed systems, has taken up the role and commenced teaching yesterday, the first day of the new academic year.

Dr. Ruppels aim is to further explore distributed ledger tech, and lets hope he doesnt go easy. The initiative between Deutsche Telekom and the university will purportedly aid in the execution of the telecom giants blockchain initiatives.

Its not the first time a university has gotten into teaching about the decentralized tech or cryptocurrencies.

In fact, a report from cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, released late last year, found that 42 percent of the worlds top universities offer at least one blockchain-oriented course.

With tech companies like Facebook, and old-school corporates like IBM, EY, and Deloitte hiring for blockchain-focused roles, there is plenty of opportunity if you have the skills. There is also a blockchain skills gap emerging and many firms arent able to fill positions with appropriately skilled individuals.

Having specialist academics explore the decentralized tech in collaboration with universities sounds like a good thing. Hopefully, it will help bring a new critical eye for how blockchain technology is implemented and lead to a less hyped and more rational approach.

Come say hi to the Hard Fork team at our blockchain event. On October 15-17 in Amsterdam, hear from top experts as they discuss the industrys future.

Published September 24, 2019 08:01 UTC

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German telecom giant hires blockchain professor hopefully, its a good thing - The Next Web

John McAfee: Bitcoin Custody to Become the Standard – CryptoPotato

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Since Bitcoin came into being, we have had a global decentralized digital cash system that can bypass the entire banking system. But like cash, it comes with its own set of risks.

If you lose the keys to your coins, you lose the coins. Seasoned Bitcoin investors know this, but it scares new users who would rather leave their money with third parties that act as custodians, keeping their assets safe for them.

Some people use hardware wallets, but their keys can get lost as well. Seed phrases can be forgotten. We are human and thus prone to error.

Most people, even at this stage, are not tech literate. A lot of people arent aware of the differences between hot and cold wallets, or the best ways to keep their Bitcoin safe.

People cannot handle all this technology. And isnt this the reason why banks came into being? People could lose their money to theft, so some people came up with a custodian to keep their money safe.

Bitcoin provides an open-source alternative to hard money that cant be controlled by big banks and governments. But it is not designed to be so simple that the average person can create wallets, do transactions, and keep their funds safe.

This has given rise to crypto custodians.

A crypto custodian holds your cryptocurrencies and keeps them safe. Given the naivety of the general public, crypto custodial services are on the rise.

According to BNY Mellon, crypto-centric custody solutions are very popular. Experts believe that such custodians bridge the gap between the digital currency industry and institutional investment.

A number of banks have rolled out custody platforms. For example, theres a Digital Asset Vault by Swiss bank Vontobel. Similar services are offered by Coinbase, Fidelity, State Street, and many others. This caught the attention of legendary entrepreneur and popular cryptocurrency commentator John McAfee.

In the comments, he added that crypto custody will help more users join the crypto world. McAfees tweet explains that custody is a major issue that stops fund managers from placing capital in cryptocurrencies.

Crypto custody will change the crypto space for institutional investors. Since custody has typically been managed by exchanges, it entails some security risks. These risks might not be very big for individual users but are considerable for large institutional investors.

Until a large and reliable custodian emerges, crypto custody will continue to be a big issue, and big institutional investors might find it difficult to invest in large amounts of crypto.

Crypto wallets and exchanges have conventionally relied on private keys to protect users holdings. Such keys can be difficult to remember and can be stolen.

Crypto custody reduces the chances of losing your assets forever as it is designed to prevent wallet thefts and lost keys.

Also, custodial services are designed to comply with regulations. According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, investors who have customer assets over $150,000 need to place them with a custodian.

Crypto custodial providers are sprouting up all over the digital sphere in 2019, with Coinbase being the leading provider. Such platforms serve as storage and security units and are mainly geared towards institutional investors. Some other names in this sector are BitGo and Xapo.

Many of us will be skeptical when we hear the word counterparty. Why involve third parties? Why should they know about our holdings? However, for large investors, custodians can be a blessing.

Custodians will no doubt be a target for hackers, and they will need to take strict security measures as they must protect many peoples assets. Solutions will be elusive with the lack of global regulation on the subject.The traditional financial world doesnt have much experience in the area of crypto custody.

Nevertheless, Northern Trust Corporation has announced that its working on it, and Bank of America has filed a patent.Even as large financial organizations foray into this field, a leader has yet to emerge.

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John McAfee: Bitcoin Custody to Become the Standard - CryptoPotato