Major enterprise contract management service Icertis will collaborate with Microsoft to expand its blockchain-based contract solution, the company announced on June 11. By entering the collaboration, Microsoft will help Icertis to extend its Icertis Blockchain Framework, which is designed to enhance the transparency and efficiency of contractual frameworks using smart contracts technology. The Icertis Blockchain Framework offers a blockchain-powered solution to track contractual requirements and commitments, improving the quality of collaboration and accountability. The tool aims to solve various problems associated with contractual arrangements on the supply chain, including combating the use of child labor, conflict materials and tainted food …

This article has been updated to clarify that OKLink, OKEx, and Prime Trust are separate companies. Global settlement firm OKLink will launch its stablecoin today, June 3, an OK Group representative told Cointelegraph. Cryptocurrency exchange OKEx will operate as the exchange platform for OKLink — in conjunction with United States-based custodian Prime Trust — to launch the stablecoin, dubbed USDK. According to an OKEx spokesperson, OKLink will serve as the technology service provider for developing the USDK smart contract, with Prime Trust acting to provide Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer compliance, as well as other transaction technology services. On …

This article has been updated to attribute the quotations from a spokesperson from The Abyss, not Epic Games. Epic Games, the company that developed successful videogame Fortnite, has partnered with blockchain game distribution platform The Abyss, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on May 23. The press release notes that the partnership will allow developers on the platform access to the Unreal Developers Network. Epic’s Unreal Engine requires developers to make quarterly payments equivalent to 5% of their returns, once they earned over $3,000. The engine is often employed by so-called triple-A or blockbuster games, and is known …

Blockchain tech giant Bitfury partnered with major Kazakhstan-based financial hub to apply the technology across multiple industries, local government-backed newspaper The Astana Times reports on May 21. Headquartered in Nur-Sultan, the newly renamed capital of Kazakhstan, the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) will apply Bitfury’s blockchain expertise in creating projects and promoting new startups on a global scale. In turn, Bitfury plans to launch data centers in Kazakhstan to gain exposure and cooperate with the Nur-Sultan city administration, as well as support the development and promotion of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the region. The blockchain firm is also planning …

American global tech giant IBM signed a new agreement with Chinese PC maker Lenovo to apply blockchain in Lenovo’s customer service, according to a press release on April 25. IBM, а top global developer of blockchain patents after Alibaba, will apply blockchain technology in the customer service processes at Lenovo’s Data Center Group. Specifically, Lenovo will use blockchain tech to monitor supply chains of hardware and software used in its data centers. Blockchain tech will be one of a number of components that IBM will integrate into Lenovo’s customer systems, including Virtual Assistant for Technical Support, enhanced personalization tool Client …

R/GA Ventures, the investment arm of international marketing company R/GA, is opening a blockchain investment studio in Oregon, the company announced in a press release published on April 24. The studio, dubbed Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio (OEBVS), will be launched in partnership with several local companies participating in the blockchain industry. Namely, the release cites Moda, Umpqua Bank, Portland State University, Oregon Health & Science University, Business Oregon, ConsenSys and blockchain research firm Smith + Crown. Per the release, OEBVS aims to build a blockchain-based ecosystem and help the local businesses and institutions compete globally. The studio will reportedly …

This article has been updated to include Liverpool’s denial of the Tron partnership. Tron CEO Justin Sun said in a tweet on April 24 that the Tron Foundation, the firm behind the 11th biggest cryptocurrency Tron (TRON), will reportedly partner with British professional football club Liverpool. However, a Liverpool spokesperson reportedly told Decrypt Media that “Liverpool Football Club has confirmed that it does not have a partnership with Tron.” While Sun did not include any specific details about the nature of the upcoming partnership — which has since been denied — the tweet features a short video invitation from Liverpool …

Digital Asset, the firm that created the DAML smart contract programming language, has partnered with major cloud computing company VMware, according to an announcement on April 11. According to the press release, Digital Asset will integrate its Digital Asset Modelling Language (DAML) on VMware’s blockchain platform. The development will purportedly “allow for broader reach and support as a combined offering.” Senior Director of Blockchain at VMware Michael DiPetrillo said: “DAML has been proven to be one of the few smart contract languages capable of modeling truly complex workflows at scale.” VMware was first founded in 1998, and last year reported …

The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has partnered with risk management and compliance firm IdentityMind, Binance announced in a blog post on March 26. The companies have teamed up to address data security and compliance measures for Binance’s global operations by enabling IdentityMind’s tools for Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance. Samuel Lim, chief compliance officer at Binance, said that the ultimate mission of the partnership is to foster greater trust among financial institutions worldwide, while also to evolve security systems in accordance with regulatory policies in countries operated by Binance. Garrett Gafke, president and CEO of …

United States-based institutional cryptocurrency exchange Seed CX has partnered with Singapore-based fintech company Hydra X to offer its trading service in Asia. Seed CX announced the development in a press release published on March 21. Per the announcement, Seed CX will join the list of supported digital asset trading venues available on the Sigma trading platform offered by Hydra X, which is currently in public beta. The partnership will also reportedly allow institutional Sigma users to access Seed CX’s fiat-crypto gateway. Seed CX is a licensed digital asset exchange for both spot market and U.S. Commodities and Futures Trading Commission …

The agricultural division of pharmaceutical and life science giant Bayer AG, Bayer CropScience, is collaborating with ConsenSys-backed Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) startup BlockApps. BlockApps revealed the news to Cointelegraph on March 22. Germany-based Bayer CropScience has been working on a number of blockchain initiatives with BlockApps since early 2018, a BlockApps spokesperson told Cointelegraph. One of the largest pharmaceutical firms globally, Bayer acquired American agrochemical and agricultural corporation Monsanto in June 2018. A BlockApps representative said that more details can be expected during Blockchain for Food and Beverage Supply Chain conference that is set to take place on March 26–27 in San …

United States-based crowdfunding platform SeriesOne has partnered with security token protocol platform Polymath, according to a press release published on March 19. The new partnership intends to create a digital securities offering ecosystem via the SeriesOne platform. According to the press release, the partnership between SeriesOne and Polymath will let token issuers create and manage regulatory-compliant security tokens from the initial offering stage to trading on a secondary exchange. SeriesOne CEO Michael Mildenberger expressed confidence that Polymath’s security token protocol, ST-20, is set to improve the process of raising capital on the platform. Polymath’s ST-20 protocol is a token standard …