Are there decentralized file sharing use cases already in operation? Two examples where IPFS has been used are with Wikipedia and the Android version of the Opera browser. The Turkish government previously attempted to ban Wikipedia, citing it as a national security threat. Hacktivists uploaded a version of Turkish Wikipedia and posted it using IPFS as a way of circumventing the ban. IPFS has also been integrated into the Android version of the Opera web browser as part of its bid to introduce Web 3.0 capabilities. BTFS is integrated into decentralized video streaming network DLive, enabling fast and censorship-resistant livestreaming. …

Richard Holden, an economics professor at the University of New South Wales Business School, says using distributed ledger technology could allay Republican concerns over mail-in voter fraud — but would likely benefit the Democratic Party. Holden spoke at the Unitize conference on July 9 on The Law and Economics of Blockchain. The university professor said distributed ledger technology (DLT) has the potential to increase voter turnout and have a “meaningful effect” on the outcome of U.S. elections — but there are still issues around the overall integrity of the process. Screen capture from Unitize The UNSW professor cited Republican lawsuits …

Johann Schneider-Ammann, who served as the President of Switzerland in 2016, recently joined the board of Crypto Valley Venture Capital, or CV VC. CV VC is a venture capital firm that invests in crypto firms near Zug, Switzerland, the “crypto valley” of the namesake firm. Corresponding with Cointelegraph, Schneider-Ammann credited CV VC with creating “its own ecosystem,” but saw blockchain as a major factor in Switzerland’s future: “I am fascinated by the potential of this new technology and I am convinced that this gives us in Switzerland a unique opportunity to become a leader in the technology of the future.” …

Close your eyes and imagine the future. You walk into a shoe store. You buy a pair of expensive shoes with your favorite cryptocurrency. You did not have to pay the entire cost of the shoes because you had some digital store credit that you had earned by blogging about the business. Now, you own a physical pair of shoes, but the store has also given you a digital token representing your shoes. It is your lucky day. The digital shoes you just received are ultra-rare. They have platinum laces and are diamond-studded. You just hit a digital lottery! You …

In modern business, there are no areas left where blockchain enthusiasts will not try to use the technology. Distributed ledger technology is used in logistics, manufacturing, games and in facial recognition services. And although many projects cannot offer anything qualitatively new except for the principle of using blockchain, some projects manage to prove their practical benefits. Despite the illusion that marketing/advertising and blockchain tech are completely unconnected, some startups manage to use some of the advantages of blockchain technology in solving marketing problems. Babs Rangaiah, who leads global marketing solutions for the Interactive Experience unit of IBM, said: “Blockchain is …

Blockchain firm QuarkChain has announced a partnership with the ecological department of Northeastern Chinese province Shanxi. QuarkChain and the Shanxi province will jointly develop an environmental governance platform on blockchain (EGPB). This platform will be used by the local administration for construction resource management and trading. QuarkChain stated that, while limited construction materials are mostly located in a specific area, they are widely distributed to many places, creating the need for a management system that can better supervise the development and use of those resources. EGPB will be used for tracking resources along their supply chain. The network’s node operators …

Afghanistan’s healthcare ministry and several local pharmaceutical companies will use Fantom’s blockchain to combat counterfeit drugs. According to Fantom on July 6, its Opera blockchain will be used to track 80,000 units of four different pharmaceutical products in Afghanistan. After this initial pilot, the system will be scaled up to cover more products later this year. 50,000 units of hand sanitizer, 10,000 joint creams, 10,000 Kofol tablets and 10,000 Dioacare foot creams will be tracked during the pilot. The system is meant to address Afghanistan’s problem with counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Fantom stated that local law enforcement seized 100 tons of counterfeit, …

Digital technologies are entering every aspect of our life at a steady pace. However, according to predictions from Huawei in collaboration with Oxford Economics, the digital economy is expected to comprise 24.3% of the world’s gross domestic product by 2025, giving it an astronomical valuation of around $23 trillion. Among the few innovative technologies leading this revolution is blockchain. Even though blockchain came to be the core technology for Bitcoin (BTC), today it stands independent, impacting several industries, from gaming companies and enterprises to the manufacturing sector. The fact that data, once it is in the database, cannot be changed …

Public Mint launched its ‘fiat-native’ public blockchain on July 1 following two years of development. The platform comprises a blockchain for the tokenization of fiat currencies that are held in the accounts of insured and regulated fiat custodians — essentially comprising a stablecoin backed by a network of banks. Public Mint claims to have already partnered with a network of more than 200 banks to hold the funds backing its fiat token network. Their site does not provide further details on banking partners, although Hyperledger and IBM Digital Asset Labs are named in the announcement as supporters. Companies that use …

The municipal government of Beijing has unveiled a 20-point plan to accelerate the development and deployment of distributed ledger technologies (DLT) and turn Beijing into both a global and national hub for blockchain tech. According to an announcement published on July 1, the plan seeks to “promote theoretical innovation, technological breakthroughs, [...] talent cultivation,” and “create new economic growth.” The government will provide continued financial support for the plan throughout its course. Beijing wants to host DLT unicorns The Beijing Blockchain Innovation Development Action Plan 2020–2022 outlines the city’s intent to solidify itself as a global leader in both private …

The fintech industry has been changing rapidly. Digital assets, distributed ledger technology and central bank digital currencies are gaining momentum. Multi-trillion-dollar United States Federal Reserve System money creation has increased demand for digital assets, particularly Bitcoin (BTC). Banks, brokers, commercial lenders, investment advisors, private investment funds, family offices, mutual funds, fintech entrepreneurs, lawmakers and private citizens should take note of several developments in this space. Old wine, new bottles The use of ledgers to track events and transactions is of ancient origin. DLT and blockchain technology combine venerable record-keeping techniques with new technologies — like storing old wine in new …

Sveriges Riksbank, Sweden's central bank, took a 98-page deep dive into central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, referencing the country's own such asset — the e-krona. "The second issue of Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review in 2020 has a special theme, namely central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and the e-krona," Riksbank's June 18, 2020 report said in an initial note to readers. Sweden's interest is not new In December 2019, Sweden unveiled intentions for a pilot program around its e-krona, in collaboration with Fortune Global 500 company Accenture. The new report from the country's central bank referred to its 2018 Economic …