Major global fiber producer Lenzing will implement blockchain tech to bring more transparency to its fiber supply chain, the firm announced on May 17. Headquartered in Lenzing, Austria, the fiber manufacturer partnered with Hong Kong-based blockchain firm TextileGenesis to incorporate the technology in its fiber business TENCEL. According to the press release, Lenzing expects to launch its supply chain traceability platform in 2020, while in the near future, the company will test the technology along with all the involved chain participants. Lenzing decided to deploy distributed ledger technology (DLT) following client requests for more information about the ingredients and suppliers …

Austria is Europe’s leader in terms of applying modern day technology to better the all-around welfare of its citizens. Making cities “smart” and digital is a key part of transforming public goods and services in order to reach that goal. Vienna is especially keen on innovation, trying to find new solutions by way of digitization. Easy access and clear-cut benefits are key aspects to finding broad acceptance among Vienna citizens, making them willingly partake and help to better the transformation process. To further the breakthrough of digital technologies and make them the backbone of society, Vienna called into existence the …

The global exchange website Currency.com has announced that it will be offering a tokenized form of Belarussian government bonds, according to a press release on May 7. According to the press release, users can now use fiat money or cryptocurrencies bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) to invest in and trade Belarussian government bonds. Belarussian-based company Currency Com Bel LLC is reportedly the first organization to tokenize government bonds. As is the case with other cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, investors will be able to purchase fractional amounts of the new token. Initially, these tokens are being offered on the exchange at …

Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has announced it will pilot R3’s Marco Polo blockchain network for trade finance, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on May 8. As previously reported, Marco Polo — which is powered by R3’s Corda enterprise blockchain platform — counts major international banks such as BNP Paribas, ING and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation as members. Other prominent bank members include Standard Chartered Bank and NatWest, according to today’s press release. RBI has reportedly been eyeing expansion in the Central and Eastern Europe market, after reporting a consolidated profit of 1.27 billion euros (around $142 …

The Ministry of Finance in Austria is considering establishing a regulatory sandbox for the fintech industry, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports on April 26. The country’s Finance Minister Hartwig Loeger said that the FinTech Advisory Council — which was formed by the Ministry of Finance last year — will aid in the development of relevant rules to steer the “young financial market around digitized financial services,” including initial coin offerings (ICOs) and digital currencies to facilitate their growth. State Secretary Hubert Fuchs said: “For some companies in the fintech industry, it is particularly difficult to keep track of all regulatory requirements …

Viennese crypto and fintech firm Bitpanda has received a payment service provider license from Austria’s financial regulator. The development was reported by Cointelegraph auf Deutsch on April 4. The license has reportedly been issued to Bitpanda Payments GmbH by the Austrian financial market authority (FMA) in accordance with the European Union’s Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2). In force since January 2018, PDS2 introduced revised rules for payments service providers — whether traditional banks or fintech firms — across the European Economic Area (EEA) and the EU. Bitpanda, which operates a retail crypto brokerage platform, has said in a press release …

Austria’s largest energy provider, Wien Energie, has developed a blockchain-driven fridge in partnership with tech giant Bosch, Cointelegraph’s correspondent reported from the ANON Blockchain Summit Austria. Wien Energie presented the new model during the crypto conference in Vienna on April 3. The official release claims that the decentralized technology is used in the construction of a refrigerator for the first time. The main goal behind the project is to increase consumer interest in the sustainable consumption of energy. A blockchain solution in this case allows one to choose the source of the energy, be that a solar panel or a …

Austrian Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, Margarete Schramboeck said that “we do not need regulation for blockchain,” Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports on April 2. Schramboeck — who previously served as CEO of major Austrian fixed and mobile network operator A1 Telekom Austria — delivered her comments during the ANON Blockchain Summit discussion panel dedicated to “The role of government in the age of blockchain". Speaking about the development of appropriate regulations towards blockchain, the Minister said that "Europe has a strong tendency to overregulate. [...] And then we are surprised that there are no European companies in the top …

Wien Energie, the largest energy provider in Austria, has announced a charger for electric cars based on distributed ledger technology (DLT), Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports on March 29. Per an official press release, Wien Energie in partnership with blockchain tech firm Riddle & Code are testing an electric vehicle charging station with “integrated secure machine identity” in Vienna. The new machines purportedly aim to provide immutable data interfaces that connect various aspects of the power supply chain, including smart meters, producers and consumers. In its initial stages, the station will purportedly allow real-time settlement of charging transactions. Once the system …

Iran is reportedly negotiating with eight countries to carry out financial transactions in cryptocurrency, local daily newspaper Tehran Times reports on Monday, Jan. 28. According to the article, Iran has already entered negotiations with Switzerland, South Africa, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Germany and Bosnia, and the countries have reportedly visited Iran to discuss the matter. It was not immediately clear whether the news concerns the national cryptocurrency that Iran is allegedly set to launch vin the near future. However, the article notes that the talks on crypto transactions were held order to circumvent the ongoing United States sanctions …

The Austrian capital, Vienna, is currently developing a blockchain-based token as a part of an incentive program, digital innovation news outlet Trending Topics writes on Monday, Jan. 28. The coin, reportedly dubbed the Vienna token and first announced in December 2018, will be developed together with the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Shermin Voshmgir, the head of the Vienna-based Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics, noted that the token could be granted in return for providing feedback about the city, in an application designed to pay for parking within the city, or for rewarding citizens for riding their bikes. The tokens …

The number of new crypto ATMs around the world continues to grow despite the recent crypto market collapse, according to data. Crypto teller locator Coin ATM Radar presented the data in a report published Monday, Dec. 10. Coin ATM Radar’s information shows that in November, different ATM manufacturers opened 209 tellers around the world, and 68 of the previously installed ones closed. The net growth of 141 ATMs is approximately the same as in October, when the total amount reached 150. The United States remains the dominant country with 70 new machines installed; at year’s end, there are currently 2,243 …