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.
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.
China’s Central Bank to Develop Blockchain-Based Trade Finance Platform for the Greater Bay Area
China’s Central Bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced its development plans for outlining a blockchain-based trade finance platform for the Greater Bay Area that links Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Macao. Governing entities in China, including the PBoC, China Banking Regulatory Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the Foreign Exchange Bureau came together to issue the official document for the proposal. The entities submitted their suggestions on financing the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, focusing on global trade and finance.
Blockchain Industry Will Be Valued at $21 Billion Globally by 2025, Research Suggests
A research study by Fortune Business Insight, a market reporting and consulting firm, suggests the global blockchain industry will be valued at a mammoth $21 billion in the next five years. The report explored the rise of financial technology and blockchain companies working towards financial inclusion and targeting developing countries and regions to leverage growth. Such regions, incidentally, have witnessed a growth in educated talent in the past decade, and are well-suited to interact with and understanding distributed ledger mechanisms.
China’s Central Bank Official Urges the Acceleration of Digitization of the Chinese Economy with Blockchain
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) Financial Technology Committee held its first meeting of the year this week, after months of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fan Yifei, the PBoC’s deputy governor echoed President Xi Jinping’s call for the acceleration of the country’s blockchain development adoption. The president pointed out that it is necessary to strengthen fundamental research of blockchain technology and enhance innovation, enabling China to take a leading position in the blockchain field. The bank’s deputy governor met with the central bank’s officials as well as the heads of their affiliated financial institutions. Fan emphasized the importance of blockchain and financial technology (FinTech) industries and wanted to ensure China’s adoption plan would be laid out and implemented by 2021 to be in line with the deadline they have set out.
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.