Decentralized identity startup Civic and blockchain security firm BitGo plan to launch a new wallet using BitGo’s multisig technology in Q4 2019. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on July 23, the two firms revealed that the forthcoming Civic Wallet will host hold both cryptocurrency and identity data on mobile devices. Control and security over funds and personal data In the press release, Vinny Lingham, co-founder and CEO of Civic said that “we’re building a new financial and identity ecosystem.” Lingham further expressed enthusiasm for lowering the barrier to entry into the blockchain sphere for consumers. Using BitGo’s multisig …

A consortium of major South Korean firms partnered to launch a blockchain-based mobile identification system in 2020, English-language local media Korea Times reports on July 14. Per the report, the participants are financial services firms KEB Hana Bank, Woori Bank, KOSCOM, mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT, LG UPlus and technology behemoth Samsung Electronics. The aim of the partnership is reportedly to develop a self-sovereign identity system that does not require any intermediaries, which would enable individuals and organizations to control their identity information in online transactions. The service aims to allow users to store personal information such as resident registration …

Japanese tech research firm Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a blockchain-based solution for evaluating user credentials, identity and trustworthiness in online transactions, according to an announcement by Fujitsu on July 4. As reported, the solution considers user ratings, stored on a blockchain, to assign every user a “trustworthiness score.” Users reportedly rate each other when a transaction occurs and the technology evaluates this data to make a guess about users’ relationships with one another. Other users can then see how high someone else’s trust score is before agreeing to a transaction, according to the announcement. Fujitsu claims that this solution has …

Only a limited number of healthcare firms in Europe are aware of the benefits of blockchain applications, according to a survey by American market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) released on June 6. As much as 44% of European healthcare organizations had never heard of distributed ledger technology (DLT), while only 12% of those are related to the tech in some sense, blockchain media outlet Ledger Insights reports, citing the IDC’ research titled “IDC Survey Spotlight.” Only 1% out of those 12% have a certain blockchain initiative in production, while 1% have multiple DLT projects, the report notes. Source: …

United States-based blockchain identity startup BanQu announced that it closed an extension of its series A funding round led by multinational drinks and brewing company Anheuser-Busch InBev’s investment arm. The development was announced in a post on June 6. Per the announcement, the undisclosed amount of funds have been raised by ZX Venture to allow BanQu to continue the development of its supply chain transparency and traceability, and continue its geographic expansion. Crunchbase estimates the annual revenue of the funding company — which owns the Budweiser, Corona, Leffe and Becks beer brands — to be $22.1 billion. The startup in …

Brazilian banks will be implementing a new standardized blockchain identity solution powered by the Hyperledger Fabric-platform, Cointelegraph Brazil reported on June 2. The identity solution — co-developed by IBM and the country’s central bank, CIP — is reportedly to be integrated into the Brazilian Payment System (SPB) — a system used by all banks and financial institutions in the country. The new blockchain platform has reportedly been designed to authenticate and verify digital identities for users’ bank accounts by using an individual’s mobile phone and SIM card information in combination with other smartphone-derived personal data. Cointelegraph Brazil reports that the …

Microsoft, one of the world's largest software makers by revenue, is currently on a blockchain streak. This time, Microsoft presented a vast blockchain-related plan: a decentralized identity (DID) network built atop of the bitcoin network, which can potentially empower users all over the internet to take control over their personal data and content. Earlier in May 2019, the United States tech giant announced its brand new Azure Blockchain Service along with Azure Blockchain Development Kit for the Ethereum blockchain. It also teamed up with Starbucks to present the first use case for its technology — tracking coffee production, from farm …

Five Canadian banks will be employing a blockchain-based user identification system developed by tech startup SecureKey Technologies, Bloomberg reports on May 1. Per the report, the Verified.Me digital identity system is now available to clients of the Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Desjardins Group. The service will soon be available to users of the services provided by the Bank of Montreal and National Bank of Canada as well, while Sun Life Financial will reportedly be the first North American insurer to use the system. Bloomberg quotes SecureKey CEO Greg …

Mainstream media corporation Thomson Reuters was awarded a patent for a blockchain-based identity management system, documents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released on April 2 reveal. The patent, originally filed on Dec. 22, 2015, describes a system providing identity services capable of receiving an identity from an identity provider system alongside validated identity data, and then storing it on a blockchain in an identity token. Moreover, the patent also describes variations of this procedure wherein the transaction uses a smart contract, the identity data is hashed, or the access to the system used is restricted and requests authorization …

San Francisco-based enterprise identity solution provider Okta has launched a $50 million investment fund and announced its first investment in Trusted Key, a blockchain-based digital identity firm. The news was revealed in an official Okta announcement shared with Cointelegraph on April 3. The new investment fund, dubbed “Okta Ventures,” will reportedly focus on firms that drive innovation for identity solutions via technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning. With a focus on early stage investment, Okta Ventures will reportedly offer financial backing as well as offering use of Okta software, SDK and API design partnerships and sharing expertise. …

Switzerland-based blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity firm WISeKey has acquired a 22 percent interest in American data infrastructure firm Tarmin through a multi-million USD transaction, exact amount unspecified. The news was revealed in an official announcement from WISeKey on April 3. WISeKey focuses on creating digital identity ecosystems that implement blockchain, AI and IoT technology for people and smart device, while Tarmin develops scalable data and software defined infrastructure for high-volume data management and secure storage. WISeKey’s agreement to acquire a 22 percent interest in the latter had been signed in the fall of last year. The investment …

In an apparent first, global online payments firm PayPal has made an investment in a blockchain startup — one that focuses on leveraging the technology to give users more control over their digital identities. The news was reported by Forbes on April 2. The investment comes as part of an extension to a Series A funding round in the startup — called Cambridge Blockchain — that first raised a total of $7 million in May 2018. While neither PayPal nor Cambridge Blockchain have disclosed the size of the payments giant’s investment, recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange …