On July 4, 2018, the Parliament of Malta approved a regulatory framework for blockchain technology, making Malta one of the most ‘blockchain-friendly’ countries in the world. Cointelegraph talked to Simon Schembri, a partner at Ganado Advocates — one of the leading Maltese law firms that was involved in drafting the legislation — about what it means for […]

Credit card giant American Express has filed a patent application for blockchain-based proof-of-payment technology. American Express isn’t an institution unfamiliar with blockchain. Throughout the past few months, we’ve seen the financial services company support the blockchain very publicly. Just recently, the company deployed Hyperledger’s blockchain technology to upgrade its Membership Rewards program, becoming the first major U.S. […]

A newly-published patent application seeks to use blockchain technology to establish and maintain a chain-of-ownership for artwork. The patent application, which was published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) on Thursday, lists the framework’s inventor as Howard H. Sheerin, a patent attorney in Scottsdale, AZ. According to Sheerin’s LinkedIn page, he now works in […]

Blockchain will contribute almost $1 billion to the telecoms sector alone within the next five years, MarketWatch reports Wednesday, July 11. a new research forecasts this week. According to a global market research store Research and Markets, blockchain technology in telecoms will explode from a $46.6 million industry in 2018 to one worth $993.8 million in 2023. The 132-page report singles […]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has settled with two Nevada men over charges that they illegally profited from sales of stock in a claimed blockchain company, according to an SEC release. The SEC originally alleged on July 2 that attorney T.J. Jesky and his law firm’s business affairs manager Mark DeStefano had allegedly made about $1.4 […]

By Laura Desmond Education models built on blockchain technology have the momentous challenge of programming their blockchains for powerful performance and efficient productivity to overcome. Given the blockchain’s inherent scalability problem (which results in agonizingly slow communication), decentralized education models have adopted different types of distributed networks to decongest their platforms. In this way, they […]

Investment banking firm Benson Oak revealed it would pump “around $100 mln” into Israel-based startups with an “emphasis” on blockchain, local Israeli news outlet the Jerusalem Post reported today, July 9. The Czech-headquartered giant’s subsidiary Benson Oak Ventures will focus specifically on the Israeli market. Having already raised $25 mln, a further $75 mln is expected, with the company expressing […]

It may come as a shock to some, but scientific pronouncements aren’t nearly as trustworthy as they seem. Consider the tale of saturated fat. Until about the middle of the 20th century, the Western world was largely unconcerned about the effects of saturated fat on health. Fatty fish, butter, and eggs were seen as components […]

The FedEx Institute of Technology has announced its partnership with pharmacy services company Good Shepherd Pharmacy to develop new blockchain-based infrastructure to help cancer patients get medications, news outlet Commercial Appeal reported July 6. The FedEx Institute of Technology is an organization that serves as a promoter of interdisciplinary research in emerging technologies that operates in tandem with the research […]

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has initiated studies of blockchain technology with a view to subsequently embrace the technology and integrate it into the bank’s business processes, local news outlet NewsDay reported July 5. Speaking at the Alpha Media Holdings’ Banks and Banking breakfast meeting in Harare yesterday, RBZ governor John Mangudya reportedly said that the bank is looking to […]