This interview has been edited and condensed. Hyperledger, an open source project hosted by the Linux Foundation, was created in 2016 to support the development of blockchain-based, enterprise-grade distributed ledger frameworks and tools. All the members of Hyperledger — including such major actors as Intel, Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Alibaba Cloud, Citigroup, Deutsche Telekom and many others — find their interest in blockchain technology and discuss it with Marta Piekarska, who is in charge of the project’s ecosystem. We met Marta at the Anon Blockchain Summit in Vienna and talked about computer science, conservative vs. progressive sectors of economy, …

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) is trialing a blockchain prototype for the automation of funds transfer instructions, business tech news site ZDNet reported on Feb. 24. Austrac — a government financial intelligence agency — is reportedly partnering with the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne to trial the use of blockchain and smart contract technology to help multiple actors automate their international fund transfer instructions (IFTIs) reporting to Austrac. Reporting entities include banks, remitters and casinos, according to ZDNet. Work on the blockchain proof-of-concept (PoC) for IFTI reporting automation began in December 2018, an unnamed spokesman told …

Daiwa Securities Group, Japan’s second largest securities brokerage, has announced the completion of a blockchain proof-of-concept (PoC) in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 19. The PoC implemented blockchain in the trade matching of post-trade processing. The blockchain pilot project, dubbed “JPX Proof-of-Concept Testing for Utilization of Blockchain / DLT in Capital Market Infrastructure,” involved 26 companies, including financial institutions, system providers and institutional investors. The reported goal of the pilot — which just completed the second of two phases — was to increase the efficiency of blockchain tech in the post-trade process. According to the results of …

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has delayed further work on a successful blockchain project in the wake of Brexit, according to a written parliamentary statement published Feb. 7. The question about the distributed ledger project for customs needs was raised in the Q&A section on the United Kingdom Parliament’s website. On Jan. 30, Member of Parliament (MP) Eddie Hughes asked whether the government plans to use blockchain for customs systems after the U.K. leaves Europe. He also requested an update on a previously announced trial of the technology. In response, the financial secretary to the U.K. Treasury, MP Mel …

26 French companies and five major banks have completed a Know Your Customer (KYC) test based on blockchain, according to a press release by the entrant firm RCI Bank and Services released Dec. 3. RCI Bank and Services, a French automotive financing and insurance firm unveiled details of a customer knowledge-focused blockchain solution trialed in partnership with blockchain consortium R3. According to the press release, the Proof-of-Concept (PoC) test has been conducted in cooperation with the Association Française des Trésoriers d'Entreprise (AFTE), a local network of treasury and finance professionals. As revealed by a participant of the test, RCI Bank …

Ethereum-based payment platform OmiseGo and blockchain protocol Mass Vehicle Ledger (MVL) have partnered to research blockchain technology, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Nov. 14. MVL is the protocol behind popular Singapore ride hailing app TADA. MVL and OmiseGo will develop a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) to ascertain whether the decentralized OMG Network is suitable for MVL’s data record-keeping system. During the PoC, MVL will record data collected from TADA on the OmiseGo platform. Moreover, the two companies have announced further technical and research cooperation on possible blockchain applications in TADA’s services. On Nov. 7, MVL received a taxi provider …

Japanese tech giant SoftBank is developing a blockchain-powered cross-carrier mobile payments service, the company reported in an official press release published September 12. SoftBank’s new proof-of-concept (PoC) development was announced in partnership with telecoms-focused blockchain firm TBCASoft and Synchronoss Technologies, provider of cloud, messaging, digital, and Internet of Things (IoT) services and platforms. The upcoming mobile payment service will be based on the Rich Communication Services (RCS) global messaging standard and TBCASoft’s cross-carrier blockchain platform. The service will will enable users to conduct peer-to-peer money transfers globally, as well as to carry out internal purchases directly from their device via …