The highly-anticipated launch of Polkadot’s (DOT) mainnet has seen many smaller crypto assets associated with the project explode recently. Both tokens of the distributed ledger technology (DLT)-powered robotics and Internet-of-Things (IoT) project Robonomics have been among those to surge alongside Polkadot, with the price of its utility token XRT increasing 10 times earlier this month. However, Robonomics’ “lifetime subscription token,” Robonomics Web Services (RWS), has also posted massive gains — becoming the first crypto token to trade for more than $100,000 when it tagged $116,000 in recent weeks. RWS’s extreme price owes to the token’s minute supply, with only 50 …

MasterCard's Singapore-based subsidiary filed a patent with the U.S. Patent Office detailing a payment system for using hardware devices that specifically mentions Iota's (MIOTA) Tangle technology. The patent claim, published on Aug. 20, proposes a pay-as-you-go system that uses a "transparent data storage system and aggregation." Users must provide their credentials to gain access to a particular hardware device — the patent cites copiers and 3D printers as examples — and billed strictly for what they used. The proposed data storage systems could be based on a Tangle or a generic blockchain. The patent makes no mentions of the Iota …

Professional services firm KPMG has published a report predicting that blockchain will be one of five emerging technology sectors to see increased investment from enterprises over the next 12 months. Titled Enterprise Reboot, the report was compiled by KPMG International and HFS Research. It draws on a survey of 900 executives from organisations on the Forbes’ Global 2000 list of the largest public companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. While it found investment in blockchain fell by 63% due to the pandemic, the report predicts that the sector, along with artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, 5G, and process …

The IOTA network is preparing to launch the first phase of Chrysalis, also known as IOTA 1.5, on its mainnet sometime next week. According to a tweet published by the IOTA Foundation, the upgrade will allow the network to process 1,000 transactions per second, and will institute 10-second confirmation times. In June, the foundation also released the latest version of its node software, Hornet. This paved the way for IOTA 1.5 following a community-driven stress test, which resulted in a stable network with more than 150 nodes. Testing showed that the upgraded network consumed 10 times less memory than IOTA’s …

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for everyone, but it has created many opportunities for us in the blockchain industry. In most industries, sales vectors are declining, as bankruptcies and layoffs rule the day. But companies in the crypto and blockchain space have been expanding, hiring and applying for new licenses. The pandemic has caused suffering in this industry, as in others, but the fundamentals of crypto are better than those of traditional financial markets. We will experience some reshuffling, but the crypto and blockchain industry will become stronger through this crisis. Newmarket participants are looking for derivative and …

Iota, a major blockchain project designed for the Internet of Things, or IOT, has entered the first phase in its roadmap for upgrading the network to IOTA 2.0. According to a June 30 blog post, users can now download the new Pollen release in the first fully decentralized IOTA test network. The release is the first phase in Iota’s IOTA 2.0 transition roadmap, released on June 29. In the roadmap, Iota Foundation laid out three phases to reach the so-called “Coordicide”, an event that will envision the permanent removal of Iota’s Coordinator. Coordinator has been a basic part of IOTA’s …

Tencent has been expanding its research into blockchain, with the firm registering a series of patents detailing distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based solutions for fund management, and advertising. Chinese media outlet Egsea reported the patents on June 18, noting that the filings also included blockchain-based consumer applications, hardware devices, and media storage systems. The recent filings come as blockchain sees increasing enterprise adoption in the areas of cloud, artificial intelligence and internet-of-things (IoT). Tencent continues amassing DLT patents The new filings will extend Tencent’s presumed dominance in the number of blockchain patents held. In April, media outlet China Banking News reported …

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 …

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings will allocate nearly $70 billion (500B yuan) over the next five years in fintech development, including blockchain, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI). Reuters reported on May 26 that the company, which is behind the WeChat messaging app, hopes to strengthen the development of fintech across the country, following the recent embrace of blockchain by the Chinese government. Tencent wants to expand to business services and will invest in 5G networks, Internet of Things (IoT) operating systems and large data centers, among others, Pandemic boosts blockchain interest in China The tech giant said that the …

Data privacy issues have been escalating in 2020 as personal data is increasingly being used to fight COVID-19. The Linux Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium, has today announced a new data privacy project featuring dozens of cross-industry giants like Mastercard and IBM. Called the ToIP Foundation, the new data trust coalition aims to provide a trusted exchange of data over the internet and establish a global standard to ensure digital trust. Blockchain consortium R3 outlines Corda’s potential for private transactions According to a May 5 announcement, the ToIP Foundation’s participants include a wide list of companies, governments and nonprofits across …

On April 16, Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, issued a draft order approving the usage of L-Band radio frequencies for 5G and IoT. Controversy Previously, three leaders of Congressional defense committees signed a letter urging president Trump to prevent the commission from issuing the approval. The controversy arises from the fact that the adjacent bands are used for the Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) which provide essential functionality for the modern military. Chairman Pai assured in his draft order that the approval will not jeopardise proper functioning of the GPS, while making: “...more efficient use …

Regulators should aim to influence public behavior rather than rule with an iron fist when it comes to emerging industries such as blockchain. Two Israel-based academics, Hada Jabotinsky and Nassim Cohen argued this point in a new paper and accompanying brief, published to the University of Oxford Law Department blog on Feb. 21. The paper proposes an approach that would result neither in an under-regulated free-for-all that leaves consumers vulnerable, nor in heavy-handed prohibitions that stifle technological progress. Complex new technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies, Internet of Things, and automated cars require ever higher levels of technological literacy. The paper …