World’s top ecommerce firm, Amazon, filed a patent for a blockchain system that tracks goods as they move on the supply chain. Amazon’s patent — dated May 26 — describes a “distributed ledger certification” system. The document explains that the tracking solution would ensure that consumer goods that are sold on its ecommerce site are authentic. The abstract reads: “Features are disclosed for an interface for verifiable tracking of an item through a supply chain using a distributed electronic ledger.” In the detailed description section of the patent, its author explains that the system at large aims to improve “trust …

Equigy, a blockchain platform for managing batteries connected to the electric grid, is expanding its operations in the European Union. Ecologic technology news outlet, Green Tech Media, reported on May 29 that three major European Union’s electricity transmission system operators, or TSOs, joined Equigy’s platform. More precisely, TSO with operations in Germany and the Netherlands TenneT, Swiss TSO Swissgrid and Italian TSO Terna all joined the network. According to company data website Owler, TenneT has an estimated annual revenue of $1 billion, while Terna $2.3 billion. Furthermore, Energinet — a Danish TSO with an estimated annual revenue of $8.6 million …

LG Electronics has joined the governing council of Hedera Hashgraph, the enterprise-grade public distributed ledger platform. LG serves as the council’s fourteenth member, sitting alongside Boeing, Deutsche Telekom, Google, IBM, Tata Communications, and other leading organizations. Hedera Hashgraph CEO Mance Harmon told Cointelegraph that LG is the first home appliance manufacturer to join the Hedera Governing Council. Harmon noted that LG will specifically work with the other council members to identify ways that distributed ledger technology, or DLT, can benefit consumers and supply chain partners, saying: “LG has fantastic use cases and reach, and although we aren’t prepared to talk …

Over the last decade, we have witnessed the massive development of crypto. Formerly a geeky trend, crypto was once a questionable and not easily understandable invention that was used for pizza payments. Since those early days, cryptocurrencies have been transformed into a store and measure of value for many people. Those who were at the forefront of the industry profited greatly, and a new wave of millionaires was born, along with new social groups. Crypto anarchists and Bitcoin (BTC) advocates formed an army, and despite the sharp fall during the crypto winter of 2019, we’ve certainly since gained ground. After …

Global telecommunications giant Vodafone has partnered with blockchain startup Energy Web (EWT) to connect “billions'' of distributed energy generating assets via internet-of-things (IoT) and distributed ledger technology (DLT). Energy Web announced the partnership on May 26, revealing that the project will combine SIM-centric DLT with IoT connectivity provided by Vodafone Business to “create secure IDs for energy assets.” “This means that renewable and distributed assets like wind turbines, batteries, heat pumps, and solar panels can be integrated with energy grids safely and efficiently,” said Energy Web. Vodafone is a global leader in IoT with over 100 million connections worldwide. The …

The Swiss-based non-profit blockchain industry association, the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), believes that the crises resulting from the coronavirus pandemic have highlighted the benefits of distributed ledger technology (DLT). In email correspondence with Cointelegraph, a representative of the GBBC asserted that DLT can modernize and address the inefficiencies of the systems that underpin the organization of contemporary societies. Coronavirus highlights DLT use-cases “The current pandemic is highlighting many of the inefficiencies and shortcomings of existing systems,” the spokesperson said, emphasizing the failures of many governments in both “preparing and responding to crises.” “While many of these inefficiencies existed long …

China’s top digital bank, WeBank, has partnered with OpenNodes, a distributed ledger technology platform by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority. Through the new partnership, WeBank will provide the FISCO BCOS blockchain platform to Singaporean academics to innovate and build on. The initiative seeks to offer the blockchain platform as an “innovation playground“ to Singapore’s student communities to expedite development in the field of DLT. As a requirement of participation in the program, all innovations produced through the FISCO BCOS initiative are made available as open-source. The program hopes to stimulate research into blockchain applications for the supply chain and finance …

Japan-based Media Do Holdings will be investing $2.8 million toward distributed ledger technology for the distribution of its e-books. According to a Sunday article in the Nikkei newspaper, Media Do Holdings plans to invest 300 million yen — roughly $2.8 million United States dollars at the time of writing — into developing a distributed ledger for the company’s e-books for the next two years starting in late 2020. The company cited that being able to have a reliable transaction history via such a ledger for e-books makes it possible to sell used copies and to return royalties to both publishers …

Blockchain tracking platform, VeChain, announced that it co-developed a blockchain-based medical data management platform in partnership with digital healthcare solution firm I-Dante. The platform, dubbed “The E-NewHealthLife”, is set to see deployment at the Mediterranean Hospital of Cyprus — with the European island’s healthcare sector reportedly operating with numerous inefficiencies resulting from outdated technological infrastructure, VeChain announced on May 16. The Mediterranean Hospital of Cyprus has 300 employees and processed 38,000 outpatient visits during 2019. VeChain launches DLT medical platform in Cyprus The first phase of the platform’s rollout will see it used in the emergency department of the Cyprus …

Cambodia’s central bank will launch a distributed ledger technology (DLT) network to enable greater interoperability in the country’s payments sector and to take on the almighty greenback. Consumers will be able to make near instant payments via the platform, using a mobile app and QR codes. During Consensus: Distributed on May 11, the assistant governor and director-general of the National Bank of Cambodia, Serey Chea, revealed the primary goal of the DLT network was to undermine the popularity of the U.S. dollar. “Cambodia is probably the most dollarized economy in the world. The whole financial system or actually our whole …

The British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, a pioneer of blockchain-friendly regulations, will introduce a new regulatory principle for the DLT sector addressing market manipulation risks in the coming months. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Albert Isola, Gibraltar’s minister for digital and financial services, discussed his jurisdiction’s regulatory position regarding blockchain in detail and shared how the government applied many of the policies it developed in pioneering a robust legislative apparatus for gaming at a time when no other countries wanted to touch the industry. The minister also revealed that Gibraltar’s government is exploring applications for blockchain technology. Cointelegraph: What informed …

In an interview with Cointelegraph, Rupert Colchester, the head of blockchain at IBM Australia and New Zealand, discussed how distributed ledger technology is transforming supply chain systems worldwide. Colchester also provided insight into some of IBM’s current blockchain initiatives and the state of the industry in Australia, and he shared his excitement for the emerging era of digitization that DLT is driving. Cointelegraph: What is the state of blockchain adoption within Australia at present? Is Australia behind or ahead of the curve regarding DLT? Rupert Colchester: I think Australia's progress on DLT as a technology over the past two years …