Day: October 4, 2018

BlackBerry Introduces Blockchain-Backed Platform Focused on Healthcare Services

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As part of its pivot into security and computing, software company and former smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry has released a blockchain-powered platform. The new product  focuses on the healthcare field, according to a press release published Oct. 4. Per the announcement, BlackBerry has partnered with technology firm ONEBIO to develop a blockchain-backed “ultra-secure” ecosystem. The system is designed for the storage and sharing of medical data, where information can be entered by patients, laboratories, and Internet of Things (IoT) biometric devices. Once entered, data will further be anonymized and shared with…

EU Financial Regulator Budgets Over 1 Mln Euro for FinTech and Crypto Supervision

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The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has budgeted over 1 million euro for monitoring fintech and crypto assets, according to a document published Oct. 4. Founded in 2011 in Paris, the ESMA has an objective to develop a uniform rulebook for European Union (E.U.) financial markets, as well as provide market supervision. The authority has established Technical Committees in various industrial fields, including information technology (IT), and also works in the field of securities legislation and regulation. In its 2019 Annual Work Program, the ESMA cites a 1.1 million…

Circle Launches Collections | Three New Additions to the Investment App

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Circle launches Collections, a new addition to Circle’s crypto investment app. Circle Launches Collections A few months ago, Circle debuted ‘Buy the Market.’ It was a way for its customers to buy the listed assets it had on its platform in just one tap. Circle’s feature was so successful that over 30 percent of the users were using it after its debut. This morning, the company is building upon its theme and has launched three additional collections: Platforms, Payments, and Privacy. Each of these new collections divides the crypto assets into…

Time Magazine Puts Blockchain Startup in ’50 Genius Companies’ List

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Bitland, one of the first startups to use blockchain technology to create a land registry, has been named to Time Magazine’s “50 Most Genius Companies” list. Time asked its global network of correspondents to nominate businesses that are inventing the future, then evaluated candidates on originality, influence, success, and ambition. The companies are listed in alphabetical order. Bitland, under the leadership of Ghana resident Narigamba Mwinsuubo, uses blockchain technology to create immutable public records of land ownership. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has estimated that 90% of the land in Ghana is…

Seoul Mayor Announces Five-Year Plan for Promoting Blockchain Industry

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The mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon has introduced a five-year plan for developing the blockchain industry in the city, Korean news agency Yonhap News reports Thursday, October 4. The project entitled “Blockchain City of Seoul” contains a number of measures for promoting and developing blockchain-related initiatives and education in the city from 2018–2022, Park revealed in a speech in the city Zug, Switzerland on Thursday. By 2022, the city plans to set up a public-private fund of 100 billion won ($88.2 million) in order to invest in blockchain startups in…

Banks are Enthusiastic Towards Crypto, on the Sidelines to Invest

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According to Rebecca Harding, a financial journalist and the acclaimed author of “The Weaponization of Trade: the Great Unbalancing of policy and economics,” major financial institutions are waiting to invest in the crypto market. Harding, who operates as the CEO of Coriolis Technologies, a trade technology company that provides services to major banks and corporations in the traditional finance sector, said in an interview with Forbes contributor Billy Bambrough that the vast majority of banks are healthily skeptical and curious about crypto. She explained that banks have started to acknowledge…

54% of Institutional Players Think Bitcoin Price Has Already ‘Bottomed’

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Institutions appear to be more bullish on Bitcoin (BTC) than the members of the crypto community on Twitter, according to a recent survey by Fundstrat Global Advisors. Tom Lee, managing partner and head of research for the company, has revealed this in an interview with CNBC Oct. 4. Based on the results of a private survey of 25 institutions, as well as 9,500 responses to a public Twitter poll conducted September 30, Tom Lee concluded that Wall Street is calling a bottom in Bitcoin. As much as 54 percent of…

Alibaba Seeks Patent for Blockchain that Allows ‘Administrator Intervention’

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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has applied to patent a blockchain system that allows a third-party administrator to execute “special transactions” such as halting a smart contract or freezing an account linked to illegal activity. According to documents made public on Thursday by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), the Hangzhou-based firm submitted the application through Alibaba Group Holding Limited, a holding company located in Grand Cayman, in March. Writing in the filing, the patent authors state that while blockchain technology has many attractive features — openness, unchangeability, and decentralization,…

Public Sale of Venezuela’s State Crypto Petro to Commence on November 5

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With the Petro now officially launched, the public sale of the state-backed cryptocurrency will begin early next month. In a televised address on October 1 during Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro announced that the public sale of the Petro will kick off on November 5. Though he did not list names, Maduro also indicated that the state-backed cryptocurrency is currently available on six international exchanges. Additionally, the state-backed cryptocurrency can be acquired using other established digital assets as well as popular fiat currencies. “If you have bitcoins you can buy Petros,…

Spanish City of Valencia to Create ‘Smart Port’ Using Blockchain, Big Data

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One of Spain’s busiest ports based in the city of Valencia has announced the creation of a “smart port” which will use blockchain and big data technologies. The news was revealed in a release published Wednesday, Oct. 3, on the port’s official website. Jose Garcia De La Guia, who is responsible for implementing new technologies in the Port Authority of Valencia, explains that they see blockchain as a good option for improving logistics not only in Valencia, but in many international ports: “Starting from Valencia, we offer to use blockchain…