Blockchain platform MultiVAC has claimed it has reached a “breakthrough” in the blockchain scaling technology sharding, according to a press-release Nov. 5. According to the company’s release, MultiVAC reported achieving 30,784 transactions per second (TPS) using 64 shards. While the total amount of transactions for all shards used exceeded 30K at its peak, a single a shard was claimed to reach 533 TPS. MultiVAC also claimed in the release that their “all-dimensional sharding expansion solution” could potentially be used for large-scale commercial applications, as well as for crypto mining on low-performance computers. The term sharding in crypto is most often …

“Big Four” auditor Ernst and Young has launched the prototype of a system that enables secure and private transactions to take place on the Ethereum (ETH) public network, according to a press release Oct. 30. The system, dubbed EY Ops Chain Public Edition (PE), uses zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology, an alternative algorithm for authenticating distributed ledger entries, in which transacting parties provide proof of validity, but all other information remains encrypted, including their identities. The prototype is aimed at enterprises that wish to keep their transaction records private without having to resort to a permissioned, private network. Paul Brody, EY’s …

An American startup is building a blockchain agnostic protocol in a bid to provide small businesses with affordable access to new technology, and drive the mass adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Opporty, with experienced founders from the U.S., has also set up a “trusted and verified services marketplace” on the Ethereum blockchain, with features such as smart contracts, decentralized escrow, and lead generation. The company believes its platform helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to compete with large corporations, without requiring large investments in technology and marketing. Widespread coverage By now, Opporty has launched its platform’s localizations in China, the …

American software corporation Microsoft will integrate its Azure Blockchain technology into stock exchange Nasdaq Inc.’s Financial Framework (NFF), according to an Oct. 30 press release. Per the recent announcement, Microsoft will integrate its Azure blockchain service with NFF, a technology which provides software for trading infrastructure and operations outsourcing, and fulfills Nasdaq’s risk and surveillance technology offering. Within the collaboration, the parties will reportedly develop a “ledger agnostic blockchain capability” that will allow for operability across multiple ledgers. The new product will purportedly facilitate easier buyer and seller matching, management of delivery, and payment and settlement of transactions. Integrating Azure …

Japan-based financial services firm SBI Group and Danish cryptography services company Sepior ApS have partnered to jointly develop a proprietary wallet, according to an announcement published Oct. 13. The wallet is set to ensure secure transactions on SBI’s cryptocurrencies exchange platform, VCTRADE. The SBI Group was established in 1999 in Japan as an Internet-based financial services provider. Since then, the company has formed a financial conglomerate with a focus on new technologies, including fintech, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and others. In 2018, SBI reportedly invested over $533 million in the blockchain and AI sectors. Per the press …

Be honest: shopping with cryptocurrency isn’t always the easiest experience. Even if price volatility is on your side, spending funds can be nightmarish. Crypto is gaining in popularity but many merchants still don’t accept it – meaning you are stuck with those age-old, boring options of paying by card or cash. A “technology enabler” startup known as Cyclebit is aiming to simplify things by enabling stores to serve as “cryptocurrency gateways” – enticing crypto enthusiasts to come and spend their coins with them and inject some new funds into the economy. The idea has already started to gain traction – …

The World Payments Report 2018 published Oct. 16 has found that distributed ledger technology (DLT) is not currently capable of meeting financial market demands. The annual report was jointly compiled by consulting and technology services firm Capgemini and leading European bank BNP Paribas. To prepare the report, researchers conducted an assessment based on multiple criteria, including industry governance, market dynamics, demographics, and enabling infrastructure. The companies also interviewed executives and distributed an online survey to industry participants. In the report, the authors address challenges facing DLT adoption. Of all the participants in the poll, 85.9 percent reportedly cited lack of …

A recent study by the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a post-trade financial services firm, has found that distributed ledger technology (DLT) is scalable enough to support daily trade volumes of the U.S. equity market, according to a press release published Oct. 16. The blockchain scaling problem is growing along with the increasing popularity and public awareness of cryptocurrencies as there is a risk the technology will not be able to keep up with demand. The largest cryptos Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) use limited sized blocks to process transactions. The more transactions that are performed, the more data …

U.S.-based cryptocurrency payment processor BitPay has started accepting stablecoins, according to an announcement published Oct. 15. The company now allows its merchants to receive settlements in Gemini Dollars (GUSD) and Circle USD Coin (USDC). Founded in 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia, BitPay provides payment services with Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) with a customer base of 20,000 businesses globally. GUSD and USDC are Ethereum (ETH) blockchain-based stablecoins issued by regulated crypto exchanges Gemini and Circle. The value of each of these coins is tied to the value of the U.S. dollar at a 1:1 ratio, which purportedly reduces the risk …

Blockchain-based systems’ decentralized nature makes for their formidable resiliency to the outsiders’ attempts to infiltrate or take down such networks. Governments, law enforcement agencies and even military leadership around the world seem to be embracing a more blockchain-friendly way of thinking as they realize that the power of distributed ledger technology (DLT) could be harnessed to advance their goals in numerous ways. This generates increased demand for security-enhancing solutions, which pushes the private sector to come up with such products at an ever-increasing pace. The latest use case – Israel’s securities regulator introducing a blockchain-powered messaging system in order to …

Ripple’s real-time settlement platform xRapid is now commercially available, according to an announcement published October 1. xRapid is a platform designed to speed up international payments, while eliminating the need for a pre-funded nostro account. The product purportedly sources liquidity from digital currency XRP on exchanges globally, making cross-border transactions faster and cheaper compared to traditional methods. The pilot phase of xRapid was launched in May, with the participation of financial institutions and payment providers, such as MercuryFX and Cuallix. The participants in the pilot reported transaction savings of 40–70 percent, as well as an improvement in transaction speed — …

A blockchain system developed by Australia’s national science agency (CSIRO) and Sydney University claims to have set a benchmark of 30,000 transactions per second during a test on Amazon Cloud, according to CSIRO’s Tuesday, September 25 press release. The technology arm of CSIRO, Data61, and the Concurrent Systems Research Group at the University of Sydney created Red Belly Blockchain as a “graduate” from CSIRO’s Pre-accelerator program ON prime. CSIRO and the Concurrent Systems Research Group announced the first outcome of its experiment held on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure. Red Belly Blockchain was tested on 1,000 machines in 18 …