TECHNOLOGY
Blockchain technology is an ever-growing chain of blocks, where blocks are chained together by cryptographic guaranteed hashes. Within every block are the transaction items and other extra information. It is a combination of a few technologies - cryptography, distributed ledger technology (DLT), Consensus and more.
R3 CTO Explains—Permissionlessness: A Simple Concept With Profound Implications
Consider some of the unusual or unique things about the Bitcoin network. First, if you have an internet connection then you can transact using Bitcoin without needing the services or approval of anybody else to do so. Secondly, if you run a full node, there’s nobody upon whom you must rely to validate any information you receive; you can fully check it for yourself.
Unilever to Use Blockchain for Transparency and Traceability to Achieve Deforestation-Free Supply Chain by 2023
Unilever, the consumer goods company that owns brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, Vaseline, Knorr, and other well-known brands, has announced that it will be leveraging blockchain to tackle deforestation.
China Issues New ‘Bejing Action Plan’ to Accelerate the Inclusion of Blockchain in the Economy
The Chinese government issued a new “Beijing Action Plan” aiming to accelerate the inclusion of new emerging technologies in the country’s economy. China aims to leverage new technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, industrial internet, blockchain, big data, and others to promote the steady growth of Beijing’s economy post-pandemic.
Chinese Bank Issues the First Asset-Backed Commercial Paper in China on Blockchain
China Zheshang Bank, based in Zhejiang province has leveraged blockchain technology to issue the country’s first asset-backed commercial paper in the Chinese financial market. China Zheshang Bank successfully issued the “Lianxin 2020 Lianjie First Phase Asset-backed Commercial Paper,” which was worth 120 billion yuan ($16.93 billion). The asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) was issued as a part of the National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors’ (NAFMII) pilot project. ABCPs are short-term investments issued by financial institutions to support companies in their short-term goals.
China Plans to Incorporate Blockchain in Attempt for Hainan to Overtake Hong Kong on International Trade
The Chinese government is planning to make the province of Hainan into a free trade port, focusing on facilitating free trade, investment, and cross-border capital flows. The plan encourages government institutions to use blockchain and other emerging technologies to improve government functions. The government’s plan has mentioned blockchain technology consistently, as it could have the potential to be used in social governance, as well as protecting data systems including intellectual property rights.
China’s Tencent Will Invest 500 Billion Yuan in Blockchain and New Technology Infrastructure
Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings, the owner of China’s messaging platform WeChat has announced that the company will be investing 500 billion yuan ($70 billion) in the next five years in emerging technologies including blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and cybersecurity. Tencent is aiming to strengthen the development of FinTech in China, following the push of accelerating the development of blockchain as stated by the country’s President Xi Jinping.
Chinese E-Commerce Giant JD.com Launches Enterprise-Level Blockchain-Based Smart Contracts
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, also known as Jingdong, has successfully launched two enterprise-level applications, including blockchain-based smart contracts, and the protection of commercially confidential information. These two applications were launched on JD’s independently-developed proprietary blockchain, JD Chain. The JD Chain blockchain framework was made open sourced around a year ago, five months after the company launched the JD Blockchain Open Platform enabling companies to use JD’s platform using pre-built APIs. The blockchain protocol has been opened up to allow enterprises to built custom solutions.
Chinese Government to Consider Cross-Border East-Asian Stablecoin for Hong Kong Amid Implementing Controversial National Security Law
Chinese officials to consider a cross-border stablecoin in Hong Kong, to facilitate a cross-border payment network between three Asian countries, and four currencies China, Japan, and South Korea. The world’s second-largest economy is aiming to build Hong Kong into an international financial center in the digital economy era. At China’s annual “Two Sessions,” also known as the National People’s Congress, China’s most important annual political event in Beijing, officials set the decision to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong.
IBM Joins Trade Finance Blockchain Platform We.Trade As New Shareholder
IBM has announced a new collaboration with blockchain-based trade finance platform, we.trade to enhance network capabilities and accelerate the global growth of the platform. We.trade was designed to connect buyers, sellers, banks, insurers, and other organizations in a network, simplifying cross-border trading. Built on the latest version of the IBM Blockchain Platform, IBM has been the platform’s technology partner since the beginning. We.trade was also the first enterprise blockchain consortium to go live, back in early 2018.
Bank of France Becomes the First to Successfully Test Out the Digital Euro on Blockchain
The French Central Bank, Banque de France has recently successfully trialed a central bank digital currency (CBDC) – the digital euro, operating on a blockchain. The Bank of France experimented with the use of a central bank digital currency to test a sale of securities, which was carried out by Société Générale Forge. Banque de France launched a program of experiments to test out potential central bank digital currency (CBDC) aimed for interbank settlements. Potential participants have been invited to submit their applications to experiment with the use of a digital euro.
Japanese E-book Publisher Turns to Blockchain for Distributiion in the Pandemic Era
A Japanese book distributor is mulling an investment in a blockchain-based platform to distribute e-books, as partial lockdowns due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue in Japan.
Brazil Highlights Blockchain Technology as a Digital Strategy Goal
Last week, Brazil unveiled its Digital Government Strategy that highlighted the use of distributed ledger systems and blockchain technology to transform major parts of the economy, especially in a post-COVID-19 environment.
Feds Suspect US Unemployment Systems Attacked by Fraudsters, Leading to Losses in the Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
According to federal authorities in the US, a group of international cybercriminals has been reportedly attacking the US unemployment systems, funneling millions of dollars in payments that were intended to support the detrimental effects the coronavirus pandemic had on the economy. With the number of infections in the US growing at an appalling rate, so far 1.5 million American citizens have been infected, with over 90,000 related deaths. The unemployment crisis in the country has surpassed the rate since the Great Depression, as the official US unemployment rate is at its highest in recorded history, at an alarming 14.7 percent. The New York Times obtained a memo from the US Secret Service, indicating that the fraud scheme was coming from a “well-organized Nigerian fraud ring,” and could result in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in the American financial system.
Plantoids: The Advent of New Blockchain-Based Lifeforms
Plantoids. What are they? Where do they come from? This new art project uses blockchain as a new outlet of artistic expression.
Visa Applies for Blockchain-Based Digital Currency Patent to Potentially Remove Physical Currency
Visa has filed a patent application to create a blockchain-based digital currency on a centralized computer, according to a publication by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent was originally filed in November 2019, and was described as “Digital Fiat Currency.” The US dollar was mentioned as one of the fiat currencies to be used potentially, although the patent could also apply to other central bank digital currencies including the pound, yen, and the euro.