Australia’s coastal city of Fremantle has kicked off a trial that will allow some residents to trade solar power on a blockchain-based platform provided by renewable energy-focused crypto startup Power Ledger. According to the Minister for Finance, Energy and Aboriginal Affairs in the government of Western Australia, Ben Wyatt, around 40 households in Fremantle will participate […]

Mastercard has filed a patent for a method of anonymizing transactions on a blockchain, according to an application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Dec. 9. The filing outlines that “the use of one or more intermediary addresses to obscure the source and destination of funds in a blockchain transaction” can be used in order to “increase anonymity of […]

The ongoing controversy surrounding Malaysia’s proposed political cryptocurrency, Harapan Coin, is far from letting up. On Nov. 26, the country’s finance minister, Lim Guan Eng, weighed in on the issue by reiterating that any entity looking to issue a cryptocurrency should first refer to Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Securities Commission: “Don’t do it without Bank Negara’s guidelines […]

Star Wars is a compelling story about a little kid called Anakin Skywalker. Branded ‘the Chosen One’, Anakin is the saga’s messiah who holds great promise to bring balance to the force and ensure peace throughout the galaxy. (SPOILER ALERT) Except he doesn’t quite live up to the hype. In the end, Anakin’s individual complexity, lack […]

Global retail giant Auchan is expanding TE-FOOD’s blockchain solution to improve the transparencyof products’ history, U.S.-based news agency Cision PRWeb reports today, Dec. 4. The French retail group, which is reportedly the 13th largest food retailer globally with operations in 17 countries, has extended TE-FOOD’s FoodChain solution to five more countries. FoodChain is the international traceability information ledger by TE-FOOD, first applied by Auchan in its Vietnam branch. After a 18-month […]

    Ohio funds will pour over $300 million into blockchain startups through 2021, Northeast Ohio daily news outlet Cleveland.com reported Dec. 3, quoting executives. Speaking at the ongoing Blockland Solutions conference, nonprofit JumpStart CEO Ray Leach announced that a total of seven funds were primed to invest $100 million in “early-stage startups that focus on using blockchain technology […]

American car manufacturing giant General Motors (GM) has filed a blockchain patent for a solution to manage data from autonomous vehicles. The patent application was published by the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Nov. 29. GM’s application, first filed May 25, 2017, outlines a system for using blockchain to provide “secure” and “robust” data distribution and interoperable exchange between multiple automated […]

Saudi Arabian developmental institution the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) has partnered with a Tunisian startup to develop interbank blockchain tools, a press release confirmed Nov. 29. IsDB, which will conduct the project through its private sector subsidiary, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of Private Sector (ICD), wants to improve Islamic financial institutions’ liquidity management and increase overall efficiency. The institution […]

Huawei Cloud, the cloud services arm of Huawei Global, has announced the launch of its Blockchain Service (BCS), according to an official press release. The BCS was launched for commercial use in China earlier this year, and it is now available to a global audience on Huawei Cloud’s international website. The service allows global entrepreneurs and developers […]

The Japanese arm of computer giant Microsoft has partnered with nascent blockchain startup LayerX to “accelerate” uptake of the technology, Cointelegraph Japan reported Nov. 30. LayerX, which formed in August as a joint venture from news curation app Gunosy and advisory service AnyPay, oversees blockchain integration for enterprise, including areas such as smart contracts and general consulting. Using Microsoft’s Azure Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) solution, the companies will seek […]