Category: Blockchain

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Australia Blockchain Power Ledger

Solar Powered Beer – VB and Green Energy

Solar Exchange has been launched – a blockchain-powered program that will allow people who produce more energy from solar powers than they need to be paid for it in packs of Victoria Bitter.

Every $30 worth of extra power will get members of the Solar Exchange program a pack of VB delivered straight to their backyard, just in time for a good old barbie.

Only 500 Places For Now

According to Brian Phan – GM of Marketing at VB – there are only 500 spots available in the program for now. However, the Solar Exchange gig should be expanding in the near future.

Last year we put the Australian sun to work and started brewing VB with 100% offset solar energy. Now we’ve launched this Aussie-first program to thank those who have made the effort to go solar with some hard-earned VB. There are currently only 500 spots available. While we want to have more people exchanging solar credit for beer down the track, for now any beer lover who wants to participate should sign-up quickly […].

Brian Phan, General Manager of Marketing at Victoria Bitter

The Solar Exchange was created for VB by Power Ledger in cooperation with Diamond Energy. On the back end, VB will be receiving solar credits from Diamond Energy. They then plan to reinvest the funds back into the program, as a part of the company’s reportedly strong stance on environmental issues and renewable energy.

For now, the program is open to customers from SA, as well as Energex customers in VIC, NSW, and QLD. In order to participate, you must also be a residential householder.

Dr Jemma Green – Power Ledger’s co-founder and chairman – also commented on the program, mentioning the affinity many Aussies have for beer.

Power Ledger is delighted that our technology is being used to keep participants informed of their progress in the program. We are a global pioneer of peer-to-peer energy trading, and in a country that thrives on the beer economy, we are excited to be part of Australia’s first peer-to-beer energy exchange scheme.

Dr Jemma Green, Co-Founder and Chairman of Power Ledger

Cheers!

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Blockchain Payments Ripple

Ripple Buys 40% Of Leading APAC Payment Firm Tranglo

Ripple – already known for their (reportedly recently rocky) partnership with Moneygram – has announced that they will be buying a 40% stake in Tranglo, the leading payment solution in Southeast Asia.

Meeting Increased Demand

From this purchase, Ripple will be gaining a larger number of users to market their On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) XRP-based solution to. The purchase may also help Tranglo meet the needs of an ever-increasing market for quick money transfers.

 If Western Union, Moneygram and other companies whose business model relies on getting money around faster than banks have lost customers in Europe and elsewhere due to SEPA and companies like Revolut, this market does not show any signs of decreasing in the APAC region. In a highly-fragmented payment ecosystem without much international cooperation, banks have fallen far behind less traditional money transfer solutions.

Not only will Tranglo customers be able to use the ODL network in order to get their money faster – simultaneously increasing the XRP market cap – ODL users will also get access to Ripple’s Line of Credit service.

According to Ashhesh Birla – General Manager of RippleNet – Tranglo’s advanced customer service and well-developed payment infrastructure are what drew the firm’s attention.

Tranglo’s robust payments infrastructure coupled with their unparalleled customer service and quality makes them an ideal partner to support our expansion of On-Demand Liquidity starting with the Southeast Asia region. We are excited to continue and carry out our shared mission to transform cross-border transactions to be faster, cheaper and more secure with blockchain technology and digital assets.

Asheesh Birla, General Manager of RippleNet at Ripple

Coupled with the recent news that seems to indicate Ripple may be gaining the upper hand in their ongoing legal battle with the SEC, the future of Ripple appears to be looking brighter and brighter – and this may directly influence the future value of XRP tokens.

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Blockchain Cryptocurrencies DeFi

Cosmos Investors On Track To Implement Inter-Blockchain Systems

Blockchain technology has led to the rise of DeFi and better banking technology. However, since Ethereum implemented the features that allow this, more and more companies have created their own blockchains and restricted tokens created on it from being accessed by those using other technologies.

Now, Cosmos – the company behind the ATOM token – has voted to include this protocol, ending it’s isolation from those not in the Cosmos Hub.

The IBC protocol aims to decentralize DeFi once again, by allowing communication between blockchains without having to go through extra steps.

Overwhelming Support

The vote for enabling IBC passed with a clear majority in favour of implementation.

According to Zarko Milosevic – the chief scientist at blockchain consulting firm Informal Systems – the move will allow any 2 IBC-enabled blockchains to pass information back and forth permissionlessly. This would also allow DeFi firms who deal in token exchanges and the like to use products confined on an application-specific blockchain from a completely different blockchain.

“At its core, IBC is a method of securely exchanging data between two independent (sovereign) blockchains. This means that any two blockchains that support IBC can send communication back and forth in a permissionless manner. Previously, ATOM was relegated to the Cosmos Hub with regard to its utility as a governance token. It is now transferable and interoperable with all blockchains that support IBC.”

Like with any technology, the adoption of a new protocol may have a domino effect. For every Cosmos that decides to adopt IBC and open up for more DeFi business, there are probably 2 more companies waiting in the wings to see if it catches on. Hopefully, this trend will catch on – and DeFi banking will gain on traditional banking systems in leaps and bounds.

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Blockchain Crypto News Institutions Travel

Blockchain-based COVID-19 Passports are Now Available in New York

The Excelsior Pass, a digital COVID-19 application, is now official in New York. It uses blockchain technology to protect and validate data from users, allowing them to travel, attend sports events, art performances, and more.

The pass is a voluntary application that uses IBM’s Digital Health platform. This app will help organisations to validate user’s health credentials by scanning the person to verify proof of vaccination or negative PCR test results.

The NY Governor Andrew Cuomo announced its launch on March 26, and the app is now officially available for Android and iOS.

Blockchain-based COVID-19 passports

Although the passport is voluntary and helps to verify health credential, it will not keep records of users data. All the information is stored on the blockchain, and only users can access their personal information.

“Secure technologies, like blockchain and encryption, are woven throughout Excelsior Pass to help protect the data, making it verifiable and trusted. No private health data is stored or tracked within the apps.”

Statement from the official announcement

The Excelsior Pass was first announced on March 4 as a pilot program that could help re-open travelling and commerce all over the United States. If the passport turns out successful, other countries considering issuing COVID-19 passports could follow suit by implementing Blockchain technology.

Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox to fight the virus while allowing more sectors of the economy to reopen safely and keeping personal information secure.”

Andrew Cuomo, Governor of NY
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Binance Blockchain Crypto News EOS

EOS Loses Most Used Dapp to Binance Smart Chain (BSC)

EOS’s largest project, Effect Network, has disclosed plans to relocate its entire network to Binance Smart Chain (BSC).

Who is Effect Network?

Effect Network (EFX) a Dutch-based project, also known as Effect.ai, has recently rebranded with their move to BSC. They are well known for the use of decentralized technology to build a framework that allows “anyone to build products and services and for anyone to gain access to fair paying work from anywhere”, thereby directly connecting businesses and the workforce. The network currently boasts of a workforce of more than 10,000 members globally, from 97 different countries.

Effect Network is currently the most used decentralized application (dApp) on the EOS mainnet. The network boasts of completing more than 7 million paid tasks since its inception. Some of its use cases involve big organisations like The United Nations (UN), Akon and Linus Tech Tips.

Why the Move From EOS?

The major issue that stood out for Effect Network was a concern about the future and viability of the EOS blockchain. Effect Network cites “unfulfilled promises to address the many issues that plague the EOS mainnet”. Another reason to move on seems to be the recent decision of the founder and CTO of EOS parent company Block.one, Dan Larimer, to leave the project “to pursue new personal projects”.

Binance Smart Chain Getting Lots of Attention

The network has partnered with top industry players like Chiliz, Chainlink, Gravity Network, ANKR Network, etc. Most of the partners are moving to BSC due to its comparatively lower transaction fees.

Chris Dawe spoke highly of the move to BSC. He also added that the platform’s culture of hard work, dedication, and vision is exceptional.

Look at what the Binance organization has accomplished in only the last three years. It is a testament of dedication, hard work but above all its laser-focused vision. The amount of products and services our clients and workforce can tap into with the Binance ecosystem are amazing and will help accelerate the growth of the Effect Network like never before.

Chris Dawe, CEO of Effect Network

Chris Dawe also stated that Binance offers lots of support through Binance Labs and Binance_X initiatives.

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Australia Blockchain

Australia’s SMX to Trace Cottons Produced in Israel Using Blockchain

Australia's SMX to Trace Cottons Produced in Israel Using Blockchain

Israeli Cotton Board (ICB) has partnered with an Australian blockchain authentication platform, Security Matters (SMX), to trial the traceability of both organic and conventional cotton produced in the country. According to the report by Ecotextile, the collaboration comes as part of ICB’s broader plan to ensure sustainability and genuineness of cotton grown in Israel. 

Israel to Trace Cotton on Blockchain

As part of the pilot program, the Australian blockchain company will trace organic and conventional cotton production from the cultivation and field stage. SMX will also use blockchain to authenticate the origin of the cotton produced and provide full transparency in the byproducts’ value chain and life cycle for recycling. 

If successfully completed, SMX’s blockchain platform will be adopted by all the cotton growers in the country, per the report. 

For cotton growers in Israel, sustainability is not a fad but a way of life. […] We believe in harnessing advanced technologies like SMX to protect and benefit our growers and enable our customers to obtain digital blockchain certification and be able to tangibly verify that the cotton purchased from ICB is 100% BCI certified and the conventional and organic cotton grown in Israeli is genuine.

Yizhar Landau, ICB’s chief executive 

Supply chain management is one of the major areas where blockchain technologies can play a significant role. The traceability and authentication of products essentially help to boost consumer confidence.

This project is not the first of its kind in Australia. Earlier this year, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) partnered with Everledger to develop a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) aimed at mapping on the blockchain any wool produced in the country. Noteworthily, Australia is the world’s leading wool producer, accounting for about 90 percent of the wool used worldwide.

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Australia Blockchain DeFi

Unido Partner With Moonstake To Cement Their Leading Staking Position

Unido – an Australian Polkadot-powered crypto custody service and enterprise platform has joined forces with Moonstake, whose goal is to become the largest staking platform in Asia.

Staking and Hedge Funds

Unido will gain access to the staking vaults owned by Moonstake, which will allow their clients to gain extra yields through their DeFi vaults. At the moment, Moonstake supports staking for cryptocurrencies such as Cosmos, IRISnet, Ontology, Harmony, Tezos, Cardano, Qtum, Polkadot, Quras and Centrality.

In return, Moonstake clients will have access to a wider range of custody solutions, brought to them by Unido’s network.

Unido’s leadership comes from a strong corporate background – with leading members having a history in Macquarie Bank, Wipro and Goldman Sachs.

Michael Swan – the CCO of Unido – commented on the partnership, stating that the move will be mutually beneficial.

“Unido is committed to delivering a diverse marketplace of DeFi options within the Unido EP dashboard. I’m very excited to include Moonstake staking pools in our dashboard, given their strong market position and compelling yield performance to date. We look forward to providing enterprise-grade custody solutions to encourage further enterprise and hedge fund delegations to Moonstake’s platform.”

In return, Lawrence Lin – the CEO of Moonstake – thanked Unido for the trust shown by the adoption of Moonstake’s SDK API connection, and went on to say that this is only the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.

“Moonstake appreciates the trust Unido has in our staking solution to utilize our SDK API connection, and we look forward to collaborating further with them to spread awareness and accelerate the adoption of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies globally.”

Doubts have been cast over the ability of DeFi to truly replace traditional banking solutions – but hopefully, Unido will be one of the companies to dispel those doubts.

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Blockchain Cardano Crypto News

Cardano Blockchain Plans To Provide Africa With Decentralised Identity and Financial Systems

It looks like Cardano will be used as the decentralized financial platform as announced by Charles Hoskinson – CEO of IOG at the Blockchain Africa Summit.

The introduction of Cardano to Africa, initially through Ethiopia, Hoskinson has predicted that the “miracle of Africa” will make the emergence of China as a world power look small in comparison, as millions of people are onboarded onto Cardano.

Cardano, The Blockchain That Can Run an Entire Country

IOG (Input Output Global) is building a decentralized finance system on Cardano (ADA) that aims to unite the world’s economies. IOG CEO Charles Hoskinson revealed the formation of a partnership with Ethiopia two years after Cardano protocol was constructed. And after building many local relationships, training staff, and overcoming obstacles, the platform is at a turning point on the continent where millions of users will join the Cardano ecosystem though public and private partnerships.

In the next 5 years, our staff in Africa will grow from dozens to hundreds, if not thousands. Instead of having one headquarters, we will probably have 4 or 5 across the continent.

IOG CEO Charles Hoskinson

Cardano has had a strong presence in Africa for years, and Hoskinson who wants to take the lead in DeFi (Decentralize Finance) wants to apply these use cases in Africa. These countries have a more relaxed regulatory environment and according to him is rife with opportunity. The idea is to make the wealth of Africa liquid, allowing individuals to play a much larger role as well as share in the riches of the economy.

The first countries to make national elections online will likely be African nations. The first to have an end-to-end digital identity and economy, there is a lot of potential for them to be African nations.

IOG CEO Charles Hoskinson

Decentralised Identities

Hoskinson also revealed that the Prism team, working on a Decentralised Identities (DID) solution will be expanded enabling them to bid on and seal flagship contracts allowing Cardano to do business with various private and public entities.

What I can say is that we are at the final stages of a large government contract that would have multimillion users being onboarded onto the platform for real-world blockchain implementation.

IOG CEO Charles Hoskinson

Since this project is so large in scope a few things have gone wrong and unforeseen setbacks have moved due dates of projects up by a month or two. Also, the difficulty of doing business in Africa is one of the more difficult hurdles to overcome since there are some extra barriers in Africa that one wouldn’t normally encounter in first world countries.

Boom In The Ecosystem

But the two projects in Ethiopia and Tanzania are just the beginning. As O’Connor also revealed, IOG has three other “focus countries”: South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. For South Africa, he said, it is an “interesting project” involving insurance. All projects are expected to reach several million people, so IOG will attract 100 million users in the first stage.

That should be just the beginning. After these five focus countries, we got plans for another 15 countries which we will be working on after we delivered on these first five.

John O’Connor, Director of African Operations at IOG

And after a recent statement by Hoskinson that 100 companies are in the process of moving over the Cardano from Ethereum the future of the ecosystem looks bright. But it seems ADA stakeholders are still waiting for the birds to land.

This news follows recent news that ADA was listed on Coinbase.

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Blockchain NFTs Scams

Guggenheim Museum Looking For NFT-Read Intern

The Guggenheim art museum is one of the world’s top repositories of art — and according to new MBA internship opportunities, they may be looking to add some NFTs to their collection. 

Looking To Get In On The Action

Applicants to the internship in question will have to work on the “evaluation of non-fungible token (NFT) based art, a nascent, fast-growing, highly scalable area of the art world.”

They will have to define how blockchain may change the way a museum defines its collection strategy — and more precisely, in what ways should the Guggenheim become a digital experience, alongside more traditional art forms such as paintings.

Just yesterday, a piece of virtual real estate created by artist Christa KIM as an NFT was sold for $500,000. Not to mention the Beeple NFT that sold for over $6 million worth of ETH. 

 Now, the Guggenheim seems to be looking to get in on the action and snap up a few of these NFTs themselves. 

NFTs have soared in popularity within the past month or so —  and generated quite a bit of controversy in the process. While many say that the so-called NFT gold rush is purely a result of the ever-changing nature of art. Others say that they are a fad that will soon pass. 

NFT scams have also started popping up —  for instance, artist Derek Laufman has had his art stolen and made into NFTs without his permission.

 “I was basically kind of annoyed that somebody had, quote, unquote, verified me as on that platform. I dealt with having my art stolen for years. And I’m sort of numb to that. But when somebody is claiming to be you … that kind of, you know, pisses me off.”

But whether NFT should stand for Non-Fungible Token or New-Fangled Token, the past has shown that widespread adoption of crypto assets by well-established companies has only made their value increase – and names like Guggenheim, Sotheby and Christie’s tend to carry weight in the art world.

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Blockchain Crypto Art NFTs

Creator of $500k NFT Mars House Believes Augmented Reality Is Just Around The Corner

NFTs are all the rage now. And although most NFT artworks are simply a rather non-immersive picture or video, the Mars House isn’t. This piece of virtual real estate is “comprised entirely of light”, and “the visual effects of her crypto-home are meant to omit a Zen, healing atmosphere”. It’s also accompanied by a musical score provided by The Smashing Pumpkins – so it’s also yet another musical NFT project.

Digital Real Estate

The Mars House – which recently sold for $500k – was created by artist Krista Kim, a contemporary artist and the creator of the art movement known as Techism. True to the tenets of her vision in which the real world and cyberspace are slowly fusing together, the Mars House can be ported into  a metaverse (virtual world) of the buyers’ choice.

Kim doesn’t see this as a one-off experience though – in fact, she predicts that in the not-so-distant future, we may be living in Augmented Reality.

“Right now, a lot of the [NFT] art that’s currently available on platforms, it’s a very limited parameter of how you can present the art. It’s presented, basically, as a digital file, a beautiful drawing or video on your screen, but my intention was to look beyond that. For me, I actually foresee that we will be living in an augmented reality lifestyle within a very short period.”

Kim commented that her artwork is the beginning of the next generation of NFT art – and that in the future we should expect to see digital customization to people the same way we currently see tattoos.

In fact, this digital customization has already started, with fashion accessories that you can customize by coding them – and coupled with events such as Crypto Fashion Week, the design choices of people both in reality and in virtual environments may be closer than ever to fusing together.