Week ending October 7, 2016

Three things to know

This week brought many interesting and relevant blockchain insights. So many, that narrowing the week to three things was challenging.  The fact is, there are many things to know this week, so keep on scrolling through the stories. 

The focus this week is on government and regulation.  Announcements from around the globe and right here in Chicago demonstrate that governments are among the leaders in utilizing blockchain.  The last piece focuses on the blockchain capabilities of providing regulatory compliance at lowered costs and increased effectiveness.

Beginning in Dubai, an announcement was made that by 2020 all government documents will be on blockchain. This effort is part of Dubai’s plan to be a “global leader in blockchain tech”. Among the goals of the plan are increasing efficiencies in a number of areas, including banking, healthcare, and real estate. They also expect significant private sector opportunities to result as well.  The development is expected to enable easier cross-border travel for visitors with pre-approved identification and pre-authenticated digital wallets.

From Dubai to right here in Chicago, blockchain development by government continues. This week, the Cook County Recorder’s Office announced it will begin transferring property titles and other public records to blockchain. This is relevant because the Cook County office is the second largest of its kind in the nation.  The office identified three primary benefits: cybersecurity, paperless land transfers, and lower costs. The results will be delivered in March 2017.

Now we turn from government use of blockchain to an insightful view of how blockchains will be used by companies to meet government regulations.  The article begins with the views of Peter Randall, CEO of SETL, which he offered at Sibos. Among the views of Mr. Randall is the belief that blockchains should have KYC and AML* as “native capabilities”.  This view was corroborated by the director of policy at the Financial Conduct Authority, a U.K. regulator.  An additional view was offered by David Rutter, CEO of R3. He states that he expects regulatory transactions to occur in the cloud, which regulators could access and confirm compliance through smart contracts.

Once again, we have another full week of blockchain developments. While these all demonstrate the growing interest and use of blockchain, non-financial sectors are also exploring blockchain.  Among them, healthcare, industrial, and…wait for it…adult entertainment. 

Dubai Wants All Government Documents on Blockchain by 2020

Chicago’s Cook County to Test Bitcoin Blockchain-Based Public Records

Blockchains Can Support Regulation at Reduced Costs

*Full disclosure, Red Chalk Group is actively developing blockchain KYC/AML use cases and technical architecture for multiple segments of financial services.

Weekly Blockchain

Financial Services

Incent Blockchain Platform Launches ‘Decentralized’ Exchange-Backed Crowdfund ICO

JP Morgan Joins Ethereum in Developing Private Blockchain ‘Quorum’

IBM: In 2017, Blockchain Will be Used by 15% of Big Banks

Blockchain in insurance: Guiding the hammer toward the real nails

JP Morgan developing private blockchain Quorum

Patent disputes threaten big banks’ blockchain bet
JP Morgan Has a New Twist on Blockchain

Blockchain Makes the Payments Globe Smaller and Cheaper

Beyond bitcoin: Big banks test out blockchain technology

Will The Blockchain Revolutionize Faster Payments?
Why JP Morgan Chase Is Building a Blockchain on Ethereum

Julius Baer CEO: Blockchain will be a game changer

Global

Paxos (ItBit) and Euroclear to Deploy Blockchain Network for Gold Markets

Chinese Open-Source Blockchain Startup Antshares raises $4.5 Million

Blockchain is Behind a Massive $30B Smart City Project in China

China: IBM and China UnionPay partner on blockchain loyalty

Sydney Stock Exchange Public Blockchain Sees Successful Prototype

European Parliament Document Suggests Future of Democracy Linked to Blockchain-Enabled E …

Government

What Would Trump Do for the Blockchain Industry?

Federal Reserve Governor to Address Blockchain in New Speech

Russian Central Bank Tests Transactions on Ethereum Blockchain Prototype ‘Masterchain’ 

Uses and Applications

Blockchain Network Synereo Partners Silicon Valley’s NFX Guild to Accelerate dApp Dev Teams

Adult Film Industry Goes Blockchain, Now Alicia Machado Sex Tapes Won’t Be Altered

Adult entertainment site ‘Naughty America’ exploring blockchain for digital rights management

Blockchain: Opportunities for health care

[Tech30] KrypC helps enterprises build custom blockchain solutions with zero coding effort

Velocity announces blockchain smart contract on price feeds

IBM’s IoT blockchain service gets ready to set sail

Why Broadridge is Investing Millions in BlockchainVoting

Security experts Guardtime in Intrinsic-ID IoT blockchain alliance

IBM Invests $200 Million in Blockchain-Powered IoT Office

Tim Draper Leads $4.2 Million Series A for Blockchain Startup Factom

Digital Catapult makes a play into gaming with blockchain

No R3: Overstock Plots Blockchain Consortium For ‘Everyone Else’
United Nations Lab Testing Blockchain for Remittances

GE and Ericsson launch KSI Blockchain based Cloud Assurance for the Industrial Internet

Thought Leadership

Hyperledger Launches Blockchain Working Group for Healthcare

Blockchain Disruption

Richard Branson: Blockchain could create ‘economic revolution’ in emerging markets
How the blockchain will disrupt energy markets

Bitscan and Waves partner to build blockchain based merchant-defined loyalty network

Blockchain’s pivotal moment

Lessons from one year on the (block)chain gang!

Where Is Current Research on BlockchainTechnology?

Bill Gross Says Bitcoin, Blockchain May Counter Central Banks

EU Parliament Asks “What If?” for Bitcoin Blockchain-Based Elections

Six lessons financial services can learn from Bitcoin, Blockchain’s original use case

IBM sees startups as the key to Blockchain’s success

Digital Snowflake: How Semantic Blockchain Can Defend Creators Rights

Web of Trust: ConsenSys Talks Ethereum Future, Presents uPort Blockchain Project