Tech giant IBM is developing a new blockchain product that will automate the reconciliation of casual labor contracts. Technology news site CIO reported on Feb. 3 that IBM considers the blockchain particularly well-suited to tackling the pain point for businesses of resolving discrepancies across thousands of casual work contracts. A casual work contract — sometimes known as a contingent work contract — is a non-permanent employment relationship, which typically offers contractees less job security, and often part-time or payment on a piece work basis. It is thus used for work done by consultants, freelancers, independent contractors and temporary contract workers, …

Hyperledger Fabric released version 2.0 of its enterprise distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, according to a Jan. 30 announcement. Several major features were added to the platform that improve how its different participants communicate with each other. Hyperledger Fabric is the IBM-backed part of the Hyperledger consortium, which features dozens of industry players. Fabric is a private or “permissioned” blockchain network that is used in industries such as finance and supply chains. It allows companies to control access to their networks and keep sensitive data private, while enabling some cross-industry cooperation through dedicated channels and verifiable smart contracts. Version 2.0 …

Tech giant IBM has been awarded a patent for the development of a “self-aware token” designed to record events of an offline transaction. A patent document filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office describes a system, which relates to financial data processing in an electronic currency platform, as well as to processing e-commerce tokens, which have involved offline transactions. To track and record events of offline transactions, the system incorporates a so-called “self-aware token.” Tracking and validating offline transactions The document further draws a link between the system and a platform for tracking and validating e-currency tokens IBM …

CHO, one of the largest olive oil producers in the southern Mediterranean, announced on Jan. 14 that it is using IBM’s blockchain technology to provide traceability for its Terra Delyssa extra virgin olive oil. The company is the latest major food provider to join IBM’S Food Trust Network. Utilizing blockchain allows CHO to track Terra Delyssa across eight quality assurance checkpoints, including the orchard where the olives were grown, the mill where olives were crushed, and the facilities where the oil was filtered, bottled and distributed. Vice president of IBM Blockchain Supply Chain Solutions Ramesh Gopinath told Cointelegraph that using …

Blockchain will be the most in-demand hard skill in 2020, according to a new study by the educational subsidiary of professional social network LinkedIn. A newcomer to LinkedIn’s annual list of top-demanded hard skills, blockchain now tops the list of the most-needed skills in 2020, according to a LinkedIn Learning blog post on Jan. 13. Blockchain to surpass cloud computing and AI in 2020 In 2019, blockchain-as-a-skill overtook major hard skills including cloud computing, analytical reasoning, artificial intelligence (AI), and user experience (UX) design, becoming the number one hard skill in demand among global employers in 2020, according to LinkedIn …

The IBM Sterling supply chain platform will now feature additional integrations developed by Salesforce, Publicis Sapient, IBM Services and others, a Jan. 13 press release reads. The additions will allow the blockchain and AI-based suite to quickly solve returns and cross-channel logistics challenges. IBM Services and Bluewolf are jointly developing a connector service to join IBM Sterling with Salesforce Commerce, Service and Marketing Clouds. The integration would help retailers to blend the offline and online shopping experience. The platform’s aim is to reduce shopping frictions through a better organization for retailers, primarily by optimizing front and back-office connectivity and product …

On Jan. 8 the Times of Oman reported that the Port of Salalah joined TradeLens, the blockchain-based supply chain platform launched in 2018 by shipping giant Maersk and IBM. An IBM spokesperson told Cointelegraph the addition of the Port of Salalah puts TradeLens at more than 90 ports and terminals, with over 150 participants in total on the platform. According to the Times, The Port of Salalah is Oman’s largest port, handling a record number of 4 million shipping containers per year. The port reportedly joins TradeLens as part of its digital initiative to enhance customer experience while ensuring a …

On Jan. 3 Spain-based CaixaBank added the blockchain-powered finance platform We.trade to its list of services. CaixaBank has now become one of the first banks in Europe to provide its customers access to blockchain technology. Launched in 2017, We.trade is a finance platform powered by IBM’s blockchain technology. It was developed by a consortium of 15 financial institutions from around Europe, like UBS and Societe Generale, and it works to provide businesses with a digital, trustless platform for verifying financial information. We.trade’s open API architecture lets it track and trace goods shipped by any of the 400 logistics companies throughout …

On Jan. 6 at The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, IBM and Farmer Connect – an organization committed to increasing transparency and sustainability in agriculture supply chains – demoed a blockchain-based app that allows consumers to learn about the coffee beans they purchase. Founder and president of Farmer Connect, David Behrends, told Cointelegraph that the “Thank My Farmer” mobile app provides consumers with an interactive map to show the journey of their coffee by scanning a QR-code: “After scanning a QR-code, consumers are taken straight to a product page that gives details about the coffee they are drinking. Below …

Cái Mép International Terminal (CMIT), located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, announced Dec. 19, that it had joined the TradeLens blockchain platform. CMIT is one of the largest terminals in the Cái Mép-Thị Vải deep-water gateway port complex, providing a direct link from Vietnam to European, North American and Asian markets. CMIT general director, Jan Bandstra said that the decision to join the blockchain-based program was driven by customer demand for instant shipping data. Having transparent, accessible cargo data is essential for the complexities of the global shipping industry, as CMIT deputy director Nguyen Xuan Ky illustrated: “A seafood …

CULedger, a blockchain consortium and credit union service organization, has successfully completed a pilot project together with three American credit unions. Fintech Futures reported on Dec. 16 that the pilot focused on implementing CULedger’s blockchain identity platform in the call centers at Unify Financial Credit Union, Desert Financial Credit Union, and TruWest Credit Union. All three credit unions chose to focus their trial on high-risk transactions conducted via phone, identifying these as “a high-friction channel that fraudsters find effective and least expensive to attack.” Secure identity for a potential 260M credit union members worldwide As Cointelegraph previously reported, CULedger uses …

British-Swiss commodity trading and mining company Glencore will use an IBM-developed blockchain solution to track cobalt. In a press release issued on Dec. 12, Glencore confirmed it had joined the Responsible Sourcing Blockchain Network (RSBN), a joint partnership between various major corporations leveraging the technology to improve supply chain transparency. Glencore: blockchain aids good practice RSBN is the brainchild of global sourcing audit and advisory RCS Global Group. It uses the IBM Blockchain platform and is powered by Hyperledger Fabric. “RSBN plays a key role in advancing the sustainable partnership between the producers of commodities that will enable the transition …