EOS-based blockchain platform Telos has announced a partnership with virtual card provider All_EBT to scale the firm’s service for food assistance programs. The partnership will see Telos’ blockchain used to facilitate payments between All_EBT’s stakeholders in food assistance and public welfare. All_EBT is backed by Draper Associates, EOS, and Facebook, and allows recipients of electronic benefit transfers — or EBT — to spend those benefits online. The firm's website currently prompts users to join a waitlist. The firm previously won hackathons organized by Facebook and Y Combinator, and received the EOSIO Hackathon’s social impact award in 2018. All_EBT also provides …

Blockchain software publisher, Block.one, announced on April 24 that the EOSIO Virtual Hackathon “Coding for Change” will officially launch on May 1, 2020. The primary purpose of the virtual hackathon, which will last until June 1, 2020, is to collect blockchain-based solutions that help solve new challenges in the post-pandemic world. The organizing company highlights that these types of initiatives are intended to serve as support for those communities that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The belief is that blockchain technology will play an essential role in providing these solutions. Blockchain solutions in a post-coronavirus era Speaking with …

ConsenSys Health announced on April 7 the launch of the “STOP COVID-19 Virtual Hackathon,” which will take place from April 13 to May 11, 2020. The initiative is sponsored by Gitcoin, Hyperledger, ConsenSys, One Million Developers and OpenMined. It aims to leverage blockchain and other technologies to facilitate data access for researchers and healthcare professionals seeking to curb the outbreak coronavirus and prevent future pandemics. The virtual hackathon also hopes to advance cohesion between life sciences and next-generation experts to develop solutions that strengthen public health without sacrificing user privacy. In the words of Brian Behlendorf, executive director at Hyperledger, …

Upcoming Ethereum (ETH) hardware hackathon ETHDenver is partnering with UNICEF on a blockchain bounty token system, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Jan. 31. The token aims to incentivize developers to create projects which promote social good, the press release notes. ETHDenver — set to take place February 15-17 in Denver, Colorado — has partnered with UNICEF Ventures, UNICEF France and ETH startup Bounties Network on the prototype for what it calls a “positive action token,” the firm stated in the press release. While the token is yet to have a name — indeed, its creators are appealing …

A blockchain network is preparing for the imminent hard fork to the second version of its core system on 28 Nov – with users set to benefit from flexible transaction fees and the ability to develop their own plugins with ease. ARK has been preparing Core V2 of its platform for some time, and has stressed that its community will not be affected by the hard fork as long as they update their desktop or mobile wallets to the latest version. Upon launch, exchanges and node operators will be required to update to the new core codebase. Forking out for …

If bitcoin is meant to be the perfect money for the internet, one important property seems to be lacking: instant transactions that are secure and trustless. But the winning team of the first ever Blocktrail-sponsored Amsterdam Bitcoin Hackathon may just have found a way to circumvent confirmations when transacting bitcoins. Sure, bitcoin-as-is provides a payments solution that is far superior to competitors in several ways. Transactions are often many times faster and more secure than wire transfers, credit cards or payment providers, eliminating the need for a trusted middle man. Even with bitcoin, however, secure and trustless payments are not …