European Commission works on blockchain-based financial transparency gateway
The European Commission (EC) has recently revealed that it is currently working on a gateway based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) or blockchain for sharing the data on listed companies, CoinDesk reports. In his response on behalf of the Commission to a question from MEP Antanas Guoga, EC Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said, “the Commission is currently working on developing a DLT-based European Financial Transparency Gateway (connecting and making available data listed companies must report to national databases) and a European Blockchain Observatory/Forum.”
Russian standards agency Rosstandart announces technical committee to develop blockchain standards
The Russian Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart), a government agency that serves as a national standardization body of the Russian Federation, has announced the formation of a technical committee that will focus on the standardization of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs). The formation of the technical committee was initiated by "National Information Systems".
Thailand’s railway and postal services to use IoT and blockchain technology – Report
Two of Thailand’s state-owned agencies are going to apply cutting edge technologies to improve their logistics services. Thailand Post director Thitipong Nandhabiwat recently said the company is considering to implement blockchain technology by the end of this year or early next year. The technology would be used for high-value parcels such as luxury items.
World Federation of Exchanges to set up blockchain working group
The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the global trade association for the operators of regulated financial exchanges, last month announced its plans to set up a working group specifically focused on distributed ledger technology (DLT) and FinTech. This was revealed by the WFE in its response to the UK Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Discussion Paper on Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT).
Ukraine Government brings blockchain technology to real estate with Propy partnership
Propy, a California-based blockchain startup, is partnering with the government of Ukraine to allow online real estate purchases by foreign investors using blockchain technology. Ukraine’s housing prices are down nearly 70 percent below their 2008 peak. However, with the economy showing signs of recovery, real estate investments are appealing to foreign buyers, and the Ukrainian government is seeking ways to facilitate transactions to boost economic outlooks in the nation. With this partnership, Propy will enable Ukrainian properties to be sold entirely online.
Events/Conferences:
Dash cryptocurrency to host first global conference in London in September
Research Studies and Reports:
International Swaps and Derivatives Association releases whitepaper on legal perspective of blockchain technology
Investments/Acquisitions:
Blockchain professional social network Indorse receives additional support from Coinsilium
Cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift acquires hardware wallet maker KeepKey
Breadwallet bitcoin wallet raises $7M in new funding, establishes headquarters in Switzerland
Consortium News, Partnerships and More:
Japanese IT firm NTT Data announces new blockchain consortium
Credit union initiative CULedger announces new blockchain-focused business entity
Blockchain Ad Network AdEx partners with NEO smart contracts system
Ethereum Enterprise Alliance launches Legal Working Group with 10 law firms
Bahrain-based Bank ABC joins R3 blockchain consortium
Digital Currency and Blockchain Initiatives:
Microsoft announces ‘Coco Framework’ to advance enterprise blockchain adoption
Blockchain food ecosystem Ambrosus selected as official partner of UN SFS Programme, announces quality-focused P2P marketplace
Swiss private bank Falcon to add Ether, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash to crypto-asset management services
Singapore maritime companies PSA and PIL collaborate with IBM on blockchain technology
Accenture brings blockchain and AI to Canadian clients, launches Liquid Studio in Toronto
Investment management firm VanEck seeks to launch bitcoin ETF
Bitfury, Insilico Medicine collaborate to develop blockchain and AI solutions for healthcare data management
Blockchain firm Tezos announces $50M VC fund
Ambrosus, Trek Therapeutics partner to develop blockchain solution for pharmaceutical manufacturing
Blockstream launches satellite to broadcast real-time bitcoin data
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