CORONAVIRUS
Western Union Makes Offer to Acquire Cross-Border Payments Firm MoneyGram
Financial giant, Western Union is in discussions to acquire cross-border payments company MoneyGram according to an anonymous source close to the deal.
UAE Leverages Blockchain, Robotics and 3D Printing to Flatten Coronavirus Curve
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), through in5, a startup incubator for nurturing businesses and ideas, is deploying blockchain, robotics, and 3D printing technologies to instigate the wellbeing and safety of its citizens amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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.
Billionaires and Bitcoin: Stan Druckenmiller’s Alarming Warning on Stocks While Paul Tudor Jones Remains Bullish on Bitcoin
Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller said during a webcast held by The Economic Club of New York that the risk-reward calculation for equities is the worst he has ever seen in his career. The billionaire expressed his doubts about the US equities’ possibility of logging a V-shaped recovery. He added that government stimulus programs will not be enough for the economic recovery post-pandemic. Druckenmiller believes that cash liquidity required to pump assets that are considered risky will shrink shortly as the US Treasury will soon end the private economy which could overwhelm the Fed purchases through borrowing consistently.
Twitter’s Decentralized Workforce Can Work From Home Forever Following COVID Lockdown
Twitter employees have been given the autonomy to choose when they will return to work once the social media giant’s offices open following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
World Economic Forum Blockchain Lead Explains: To What Extent Can Blockchain Solve Supply Chain Issues?
Blockchain.News exclusively interviewed the World Economic Forum’s blockchain project lead, Nadia Hewett, to get to know more about the Forum’s current blockchain development in the supply chain, and the organization’s future roadmap. The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently published a new blockchain deployment toolkit aimed to help governments, major institutions, and companies of any size to be able to maximize the benefits of integrating blockchain technology in the supply chain sector. The Forum also highlighted the importance of blockchain for addressing the disruption of supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Infinito And Paxful Partner to Accelerate Cryptocurrency Adoption Across the World
Infinito has partnered with Paxful to support cryptocurrency adoption globally.
Digitization vs. Digitalization: FinFabrik CEO Explains Digitalization of Asset Investment in Private Markets
FinFabrik, a leading capital markets FinTech startup based in Hong Kong has recently launched a new Private Equity module on its proprietary DLT infrastructure that helps private markets institutions digitalize their operations. The platform named “CrossPool” rides on Corda Enterprise for transaction and contract management and Hyperledger Indy for identity management. With extensive experience in the financial industry and entrepreneurship, Alex Medana, the CEO of FinFabrik, talks about the core values of FinFabrik in the maturing DLT and FinTech industry and the firm’s digital assets issuance and investment platform CrossPool.
International Chamber of Commerce to Deploy Blockchain-Powered App for Tamper-Proof COVID-19 Compliance Status
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has inked a partnership with International SOS, the globe’s biggest medical and travel security services firm, to establish a new blockchain-enabled mobile app dubbed ICC AOKpass. It will be instrumental in providing trusted and immutable recognition of persons’ COVID-19 compliance status.
World Economic Forum Views Blockchain as the Vaccine for Future Interferences in the Seafood Sector
The World Economic Forum (WEF) touts blockchain technology as the vaccine and game-changer needed to ensure things run smoothly in the global seafood supply chain irrespective of future disruptions. This is based on the fact that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has laid the bare knuckles of the inefficiencies and challenges faced by the seafood industry.
IBM, KPMG, Walmart, Merck Reveal Results of FDA Blockchain Drug Tracing Pilot
IBM, KPMG, Walmart, and Merck’s blockchain pilot in drug-tracing has successfully exceeded the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) benchmarks. The pilot program aimed to encourage new technologies to be used in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Blockchain was used as a shared record movement of pharmaceutical drugs through the supply chain, which resulted in improved efficiency. Recalls were proven to be done in just seconds, rather than in days, as blockchain offers traceability.
US Congress Considers Using Blockchain for Remote Voting While the White House Urged to Stay Competitive with China
The US Congress is considering using blockchain technology to enable the Senate to conduct remote voting during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The report highlighted that the crisis emphasized the need to consider certain functions to proceed remotely when it may not be safe for members to gather in person. The report explored a combination of different technologies to be used, including blockchain and encrypted E2EE.
Bitcoin's Popularity Sees Surge in Marijuana and Video Game Transactions During Coronavirus Lockdown
The coronavirus-induced lockdown has influenced an increased use case of Bitcoin. Sales of video games and cannabis using Bitcoin have seen a significant rise during the lockdown. The pandemic has revealed consumers’ priorities, as online sales of general digital products saw a decline, while video gamers and marijuana users have increasingly turned to Bitcoin during the virus outbreak.
World Economic Forum Launches New Blockchain Toolkit for Supply Chains to Support the World Through Post-COVID Economic Recovery
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has just released its Blockchain Deployment Toolkit, aiming to enable companies of any size to be able to maximize the benefits of integrating blockchain technology in the supply chain sector. The toolkit allows companies to be able to get a better idea of how to handle deploying blockchain technology in regards to supply chain uses.