Training Courses
For details of Blockchain / Distributed Ledger Technology online training, take a look at the published courses provided by B9Lab:
B9LAB WEBSITE
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Industry Projects & Initiatives
Airlines
Russian magazine Kommersant has reported that the airline S7 began selling tickets using an Ethereum blockchain. The country’s largest private financial institution, Alfa-Bank, is supporting the move, which was made to simplify payments and decrease settlement times between airlines and agents — a process that usually takes two weeks.
The decision may have been made to get ahead of another Russian airline, Aeroflot, which recently released a request for proposals on how to incorporate cryptocurrencies into their own services.
https://futurism.com/an-airline-just-started-using-ethereum-blockchain-to-issue-tickets/
Automotive
Vehicle manufacturer Renault has announced that it has built a blockchain-based prototype for a digital car maintenance book in collaboration with tech titan Microsoft and VISEO, a consulting and digital services firm. With its open architecture, the new digital car maintenance book gathers all important information in one place accessible by the customer. Using blockchain technology, customers will be able to save all vehicle information to a streamlined, tamper-proof and secure digital car maintenance book.
http://www.econotimes.com/Renault-builds-blockchain-prototype-for-digital-car-maintenance-book-with-Microsoft-and-VISEO-823606
Banking
China-based CITIC Bank will launch a new system to settle credit that uses a Blockchain technology-based electronic transmission system. Also known as BCLC, the transmission network promises more efficient credit operations by transmitting messages within seconds. This is the first ever letter of credit system in the banking industry built with Blockchain technology.
BCLC optimizes the traditional banking system and improves services including opening letters of credit, pay orders and acceptance messages. It also enables buyers to connect with banks on the network to allow full transparency in banking transactions such as issuing, notifying, accepting and paying.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/chinese-banks-launch-first-blockchain-enabled-credit-applications
The South African Financial Blockchain Consortium’s experiment is called Springblock, and its members include ABSA, FirstRand, Standard Bank, Nedbank, and Capitec – as well as the alternative stock exchange ZAR X. The Financial Services Board and South African Reserve Bank are observer members. in addition to experimenting with blockchain technology, the consortium is looking at the digital assets it enables.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/banking/220238-why-south-african-banks-are-building-a-national-blockchain-together.html
Commodities Exchanges
The Blockchain undertaking between Belgium-based settlement provider Euroclear and US startup Paxos has come to a sudden end. The companies had partnered to provide a settlement service utilizing blockchain technology for the London gold market.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/euroclear-and-paxos-sever-blockchain-partnership
Crypto-Exchange
The NEM.io Foundation, creators of the peer-to-peer NEM blockchain platform providing payments, messaging, asset making and more, and Australia’s leading blockchain company, Blockchain Global announced it is set to power the world’s first dedicated cryptocurrency exchange platform for the NEM Foundation.
The exchange will be built exclusively for the NEM cryptocurrency (XEM), which has a market share of $A1.5 billion and is the sixth most valuable blockchain token in the world.
http://www.the-blockchain.com/2017/07/27/nem-io-foundation-create-xem-exchange/
Gambling
TrueFlip has introduced a successful online lottery powered by blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Even in quiet beta mode, it attracted dozens of thousands of players from around the world, who managed to win over 20 BTC in just a few months. It operates similarly to PowerBall, but, as opposed to all traditional lotteries, employs blockchain technology to provide an undeniable proof of utter fairness.
https://themerkle.com/trueflip-to-change-lotteries-with-blockchain-innovations/
Government
CHINA
As the number of projects opting for the ICO route of investment continues to rise, the Chinese blockchain industry associations have come up with a set of guidelines for such initiatives. According to reports, six different blockchain industry associations have jointly come up with the framework for ICOs, called Guiyang Blockchain ICO Consensus. The well-timed framework is expected to give rise to responsible, well-structured crowdsale campaigns that ensure the protection of everyone’s interest by reducing investor and stability risks.
However, the Guiyang Blockchain ICO Consensus framework is an advisory as the organizations involved lack regulatory powers. At the same time, the framework may come in handy for the People’s Bank of China — the country’s central bank and a governing body to introduce regulations based on it.
http://www.newsbtc.com/2017/07/30/chinese-blockchain-industry-issues-guidelines-for-ico-fundraising/
EU
The European Commission (EC) has opened a 500,000€ call for proposals to set-up a European expertise hub on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies to better understand the opportunities and challenges related to these technologies.”
The hub, called the European Blockchain Observatory and Forum, will be responsible for identifying existing blockchain initiatives, and monitor and analyze blockchain developments and trends as well as the potential implications in terms of risks and opportunity for Europe. It will also develop blockchain use cases of interest at EU level.
https://coinjournal.net/eu-commission-opens-500ke-call-blockchain-dlt-expertise-hub/
MALTA
The government of Malta is advancing its plans to allow the legal use of digital currencies such as Bitcoin at online casinos.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), which supervises both land-based and online casino operations in the country, has already commissioned a detailed technical study on how to effectively regulate the use of cryptocurrencies in gambling.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/malta-intends-to-legalize-use-of-cryptocurrencies-at-online-casinos
USA
Blockchain technology development firms and infrastructure providers along with Bitcoin mining firms are starting to be funded by federal agencies in the US such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to sources including Nextgov, various Blockchain companies including BlockCypher received Small Business Innovation Research grants from DHS to demonstrate the potential of Blockchain in record keeping, identity protection and the creation of immutable ledgers for data storage.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/us-federal-agencies-gradually-adopt-blockchain-tech
Identity Management
The World Identity Network (WIN) was launched on July 28 during the Blockchain Summit organized on Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island. The key objective of this global initiative is to catalyze progress towards universal ID and robust, secure, digital identification systems using 21st century technology solutions, such as the distributed ledger technology (DLT).
The initiative will be led by Mariana Dahan, former World Bank official and a prominent figure in the digital identity ecosystem. Dahan was the driving force behind the Identification for Development (ID4D) agenda – a global program she initiated that is now broadly embraced by the international donor community.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-identity-network-launched-on-sir-richard-bransons-necker-island-this-week-300496195.html
An idea has been proposed that in India, the Aadhaar system can publish all the changes against each user record to the blockchain. No need to reveal the data or the Aadhaar number — we can use the hash of both and record it in the blockchain. Now, whoever receives data from the CIDR can validate the hash of that data against the hash stored in the blockchain. If that matches — we know that there are no internal handling of the data. If not, someone has played with it. In this way, each individual can monitor changes happening against their Aadhaar record and immediately question the authorities. This will make Aadhaar more transparent, even though all the user records are maintained centrally.
https://medium.facilelogin.com/making-aadhaar-better-with-blockchain-ec3aef9852b0
Insurance
Last month, AIG announced a partnership with IBM and Standard Chartered Bank P.L.C. to test a “smart contract” insurance policy. The blockchain solution creates a new level of trust and transparency in the underwriting process, enabling AIG and Standard Chartered to deliver multinational insurance more efficiently. Coordinating management and placement of multiple insurance policies across multiple countries is highly complex. The pilot solution was built by IBM and is based on Hyperledger Fabric – a blockchain framework and one of the Hyperledger projects hosted by The Linux Foundation.
https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/52607.wss
Law
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has been taking a pioneering role on the global and regional stage. As a founding member of the Global Blockchain Council, a strategic initiative of the Government of Dubai, the Centre has been exploring opportunities to apply blockchain technology to financial services.
DIFC has partnered with Digitus, a leading crypto currency software provider, to become the first jurisdiction in the world to develop English common law digital wills which are easy to set up online, highly secure and enforceable across the world.
http://gulfnews.com/business/sectors/banking/difc-takes-a-big-leap-forward-in-fintech-initiatives-1.2066238
Logistics/Supply Chain
German chemical giant BASF has revealed it is investigating blockchain's potential in tracking supply chains. The company announced that it has been working with blockchain startup Quantoz and IoT startup Ahrma to trial a platform that uses blockchain technology to track the shipment of goods.
https://www.coindesk.com/german-chemical-company-pilots-supply-chain-blockchain/
Tallinn Port in Estonia has showcased a ‘globally unique’ EU-funded blockchain logistics platform that may supplant email to speed moving cargo between terminals. Finnish local government incubator Kouvola Innovation Oy is leading the three-year software pilot that aims to monitor real time loading, customs processing and pre-shipment of export containers.
https://www.porttechnology.org/news/tallinn_port_demos_blockchain_based_logistics
Real Estate
Propy, a peer-to-peer real estate exchange platform built on Blockchain technology, announced the launch of its token sale. Propy is the first ever global property store with decentralized title registry. Propy automates real estate purchases with smart contracts, eliminating time, paperwork and costs for buyers and sellers in the global real estate marketplace.
http://www.the-blockchain.com/2017/07/24/propy-worlds-first-global-property-store-decentralized-title-registry-launches-token-sale/
LAToken is a platform that tokenizes assets and makes them tradable. It enables anyone to unlock the value of illiquid assets, including real estate, bank loans, and works of art. An investor needs LATokens to buy asset tokens created on the platform and pay fees for the creation of asset token and transactions. The platform is based on an existing home equity marketplace, founded by the CEO of LAToken, that has facilitated 12,000 mortgage offers and more than 1,000 deals for 7 banks and 25 investors in the past year.
https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/latoken-implements-blockchain-sell-fractions-assets-real-estate-art-objects/
Ticketing
Blockchain startups like London's Aventus and Dublin's TicketChain believe a blockchain-based solution can significantly limit the black market run by ticket scalpers and fraudsters.
By creating unique digital code that can be both private and transparently tracked, the idea is that ticket markets could be less opaque.
https://www.coindesk.com/blockchain-startups-take-ticket-touting-will-gain-traction/
Regulators
INDIA
Government officials in Karnataka State, India have scheduled a seminar to tackle issues over the use of Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in the state. The move may eventually result in the enactment of new laws for the digital currency market. The government of Karnataka is already advancing efforts to establish a new legal framework for digital currencies or virtual currencies. The move is due to such factors as the increasing market size of cryptocurrencies, the rising cases of fraud and the expanding investor base of digital currencies.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/indias-karnataka-state-plans-to-regulate-blockchain-in-public-sector
SINGAPORE
With two Singapore ‘proptech’ companies – FundPlaces and Reidao – turning to blockchain platforms to create property-backed tokens that can be acquired by investors, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued a caveat emptor (“Buyer, beware”), saying that such platforms may be used for criminal activity, reported The Business Times.
http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/property-management-news/2017/7/157246/mas-warns-against-property-related-blockchain-platforms
USA
CFTC
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has given permission to a private company to exchange and clear any number of cryptocurrency derivatives.
After three years of work, New York-based startup LedgerX was granted a rare derivatives clearing organization (DCO) license allowing it to clear and custody financial instruments backed by bitcoin, ether and any number of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies.
https://www.coindesk.com/start-hedging-ledgerx-begin-trading-cryptocurrency-derivatives/
DELAWARE
The state of Delaware has passed amendments to state law that make explicit the right to trade stocks on a blockchain, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Crammed in at the last minute before the state House went into recess, the measures were part of a broader series of amendments that legally recognized any number of records being stored on a blockchain.
https://www.coindesk.com/delaware-house-passes-historic-blockchain-regulation/
SEC
A major announcement for those with an interest in ICO’s, the us Securities and Exchange Commission has made public an investigation it conducted on digital coins sold by "The DAO" — an online leaderless group that used a cryptocurrency called Ethereum. In its report, the SEC concluded that the coins offered by DAO were securities — publicly tradable debt like bonds. And the agency said U.S. securities laws may apply to the tokens.
“Foundational principles of the securities laws apply to virtual organizations or capital raising entities making use of distributed ledger technology,” the SEC wrote.
The agency said DAO users were investing money in the coin offerings with the expectation of making profits.
The SEC held that because DAO tokens were securities, the group needed to register with the agency as an exchange.
The SEC decided not to punish DAO, given the novelty of the situation, but warned that any future attempt to sell a security, regardless of the medium or payment, needed to be registered.
“These requirements apply to those who offer and sell securities in the United States, regardless whether the issuing entity is a traditional company or a decentralized autonomous organization, regardless whether those securities are purchased using U.S. dollars or virtual currencies, and regardless whether they are distributed in certificated form or through distributed ledger Technology,” the SEC wrote.
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/344410-feds-eye-crackdown-on-digital-coin-investments
Platform News
Ethereum
Using a so-called decompiler dubbed Porosity, Ethereum developers and smart contract users can translate contracts from Ethereum Virtual Machine bytecode – a machine language imprinted on the Ethereum blockchain – into a more human readable code that can be double-checked for errors. Matt Suiche, founder of cybersecurity firm Comae Technologies, unveiled the Porosity decompiler at the DEF CON 25 hackathon.
https://siliconangle.com/blog/2017/07/28/ethereum-smart-contracts-gets-smarter-decompiler-see-say/
Microsoft
Microsoft recently announced it’s Enterprise Smart Contracts, which decompose the “Public Smart Contract” approach, reflecting on both “contract” and technology evolution to provide a model for delivering on the promise of blockchain in the enterprise. A critical first step was to introduce separation of concerns in implementation, which modularizes data, logic, contract participants and external dependencies. What Enterprise Smart Contracts deliver are a set of components that can be combined to create contract templates that when executed, provide the privacy, scale, performance and management capabilities expected in the enterprise.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/blog/introducing-enterprise-smart-contracts/
New protocols/designs
Zepplin Solutions has just announced they are working on zeppelinOS – an open-source, distributed platform of tools and services on top of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) to develop and manage smart contract applications securely.
http://www.the-blockchain.com/2017/07/27/zeppelin-solutions-introduces-zeppelinos-operating-system-smart-contract-applications/
TodaCorp and Algorand have announced that they will enter into a joint venture known as Toda-Algorand Corp. in order to deliver a decentralized transaction platform combining the ledger-less ease and scalability of cash payment systems with a flexible ledger-based technology. The platform will also enhance and incorporate the features of existing financial payment systems. The Toda-Algorand joint venture is capable of providing a digital representation for almost anything of value, including energy units which can subsequently enable a secure exchange inside and outside of the grid.
http://allcoinsnews.com/2017/07/29/highly-scalable-blockchain-from-todacorp-inc-and-algorand-llc-jv/
The Toda-Algorand platform is designed to have a throughput of over three million confirmed transactions per second (TPS) and can serve over four billion users securely. It will combine the decentralized ledger blockchain authored by Turing Award winner Silvio Micali with secure decentralized on-chain ledgerless TODA protocol co-authored by Toufi Saliba to deliver an integrated, high-performance packaged solution. (The Toda Protocol is in the process of pursuing ITU-T standards TODA-T for on-device global communication deployments beneath the OS on the same level as TCP/IP.)
https://www.cryptoninjas.net/2017/07/28/todacorp-algorand-partner-blockchain-scalable-3-million-tps/
ICO Top score
While everyone is still grappling with the recent judgement from the US SEC, the frenzy of ICO’s continues at pace (As long as it doesn’t involve US firms, US investors, advertising in the US…..). Anyway, for a change this week, I thought it worth sharing a piece of $110m news which isn’t, strictly speaking an ICO, it’s the fine levied by the US Government:
The US government has unsealed an indictment against BTC-e and one of its alleged operators, levying a $110 million fine for violations allegedly committed by the long-running bitcoin exchange.
In the 21-count indictment released earlier this evening, the Department of Justice alleged that BTC-e and Alexander Vinnik, the Russian national who was arrested earlier today in Greece and later linked to the long-running exchange, committed a laundry list of crimes throughout the exchange's six-year history.
https://www.coindesk.com/110-million-btc-e-fined-us-vows-crackdown-unregulated-exchanges/
Useful resources
Community
There are a number of forums, chats, groups etc. that you may find of interest:
Team Crypto - To discuss cryptocurrencies, exchanges, wallets, prices, etc:
https://t.me/TeamCrypto_Official
Team Mining – Interested in mining rigs, pools, techniques?
https://t.me/teammining
Team ICO - All about Initial Coin Offerings:
https://t.me/TeamICO_Official
ICO Meetup London – We’re planning to host physical events and webinars
https://www.meetup.com/ICO-Meetup-London/
Training
For details of Blockchain / Distributed Ledger Technology online training, take a look at the published courses provided by B9Lab: https://academy.b9lab.com/?afmc=25
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