Week Ending February 10, 2017

Three things to know

The government of Georgia is using Blockchain to validate and secure land titles. Blockchain land titling will be operational in 2017 and among the goals is making land titling possible from mobile phones.  Notary services will also be made via Blockchain.  Georgia is the first country to develop Blockchain for property validation, but it is not alone.  Among the others entities planning to such systems is Cook County IL.  The Cook County project is the largest U.S. Blockchain land titling effort, at this point. Will success in Cook County be the tipping point for Blockchain in property titling? The First Government to Secure Land Titles on The Bitcoin Blockchain Expands Project

Arizona is acting to make smart contracts legal.  State representative Jeff Weninger proposed HB 2417 that will make Blockchain smart contracts as legal as any other transaction.  This is a significant step in furthering the legal foundation and recognition of smart contracts, which will help Blockchain to proliferate. Arizona Bill Would Make Blockchain Smart Contracts ‘Legal’

Synechron published the results of a survey they conducted in conjunction with TABB Group, in which 200 global financial services executives provided thoughts on Blockchain.  Interestingly, some 94% of interviewees believe company boards now support Blockchain, and 87% believe there is budget to implement Blockchain projects.  And though more than 2/3 of the companies are involved in a Blockchain project, 70% of interviewees don’t feel the current internal staff has the skillsets and/or qualifications to develop and implement Blockchain projects. 94% of Financial Services Executives Believe Boards Have Bought into Blockchain, Synechron …  

Weekly Blockchain

Financial Services

Twenty Thirty aims to use Blockchain to disrupt the banking system by 2030

SCOR embraces new technology with Blockchain tests

Blockchain Initiative B3i gains truly international scope

VCs share their perspectives on the Blockchain investment space

Blockchain Pioneer Medici Ventures Invests in Factom, Inc.

Equibit blockchain ICO sells $250K on first day  

Healthcare

Health care blockchain startup wraps $2M round

First US Government-Backed Blockchain Hackathon to Focus on Healthcare

Dubai Tests Blockchain for Securing Electronic Health Records

IBM Collaborates with FDA on Blockchain Health Data

Drugs, Code and ICOs: Monero’s Long Road to the Blockchain Mainstream

Decoding the Hype  

Energy

The blockchain’s emerging role in sustainability

Global

The UN Needs Blockchain To Achieve Its Goals

Blockchain as a Geopolitical Tool

EU watchdog says too soon for new blockchain rules

London Blockchain Week Showcases the Good Side of Blockchain

UK Giant Seeks Patent for Invention Mitigating Blockchain Attacks

Deloitte and Irish Funds explore blockchain for regs

France’s Central Bank to Launch a Blockchain Innovation Lab

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa breaks new ground in France with blockchain

Blockchain: Investment (R)Evolution for Developing Markets

Ghanaian blockchain company looks to verify land ownership

Alex Fork: Using Blockchain and Banking to Empower Africa’s Poor with Economic Opportunities

Dubai government, companies team up with IBM on blockchain project

Digital Garage, Blockstream partner to develop blockchain platform for Japanese financial market

Blockchain Technology Will Expand Access to Gold Trading in Asia

Blockchain Project Chronobank Joins Fintech Australia  

Government

Hawaiian legislators propose establishing digital currency and blockchain working group

An Arizona Lawmaker is Trying to Ban Blockchain Gun Tracking

Lawmakers introduce the Blockchain Caucus

Uses and Applications

Top Investors Raise $2 mln for Blockchain-Based Digital Identity Solution

Blockchain startup raises $2.5 million to trace food supply

Blockchain Gaming: Beyond the Void Preview

Blockchain Technology Increasingly Seen as Important Tool in Green Supply Chain, Social …

Microsoft and Blockchain Startup Tierion Partner on Digital Identity Initiative

Fintech experts to focus on ICO craze at The Blockchain Event

Ouroboros – A New Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Blockchain Protocol

WISeKey to launch IoT Blockchain Center of Excellence in New York

Blockchain-based digital tokens: the new brand logo?

Thought Leadership

Blockchain: The Invisible Technology That’s Changing the World

Blockchain Beyond the Hype

Blockchain has the power to transform information into value

Blockchain: Everything You Need to Know

Blockchain tech to see commercial adoption by 2020: Study

Blockchain and self-sovereign ID: We can build a better world with software

Blockchain is becoming more than a buzzword, and now there’s tangible proof

Blockchain will change everything, but only if we can find the right talent

Blockchain Will Completely Revolutionize How We Run the World

Blockchain Inadvertently Fueling Cloud Adoption

Business of Blockchain

Massive Business Opportunities hidden in the NXT Blockchain.

Not Just Nerds: Blockchain Solutions Are Already for Everyone

What Is the Blockchain and What Can It Do? Interview with Caitlin Long

Dwight Sproull – Blockchain Banking Can Transform Women’s Lives in Emerging Economies

After Internet, it’s Blockchain Internet 2.0

WORLDVIEW: Time for you to discover Blockchain. It will change our world. For better.

The Relationship Between Blockchain And Fintech

Editing the Uneditable Blockchain: Why distributed ledger technology must adapt to an imperfect …

Hidden in Plain Sight: Transacting Privately on a Blockchain