Japanese tech giant SoftBank is developing a blockchain-powered cross-carrier mobile payments service, the company reported in an official press release published September 12. SoftBank’s new proof-of-concept (PoC) development was announced in partnership with telecoms-focused blockchain firm TBCASoft and Synchronoss Technologies, provider of cloud, messaging, digital, and Internet of Things (IoT) services and platforms. The upcoming mobile payment service will be based on the Rich Communication Services (RCS) global messaging standard and TBCASoft’s cross-carrier blockchain platform. The service will will enable users to conduct peer-to-peer money transfers globally, as well as to carry out internal purchases directly from their device via …

The People's Bank of China (PBoC) has officially launched the testing phase of a blockchain trade finance platform, local news outlet Shanghai Securities News reported September 4. The Shenzhen Central Sub-branch of the People's Bank of China, the central bank of the People’s Republic of China, has entered the trial phase of the so-called “Bay Area Trade Finance Blockchain Platform” earlier than scheduled. The platform is aimed at conducting trade and financing activities, such as accounts receivable and trade financing. At the same time, the platform provides a regulatory system for trade finance to enable real-time monitoring of various financial …

IBM, CSIRO’s Data61 and law firm Herbert Smith Freehills have partnered on a new Australian consortium to build a cross-industry blockchain-based smart contracts platform for enterprises, according to a press release published August 29. Data61 is a digital innovation center that forms part of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) – an Australian government corporate entity that undertakes scientific research to advance diverse local industries. The initiative has been dubbed The Australian National Blockchain (ANB), and will pool the tech, scientific and legal expertise of the three partners to create a nationwide, legally-compliant blockchain infrastructure for the digital …

LG CNS, a subsidiary of South Korean multinational conglomerate LG Corporation, has announced a plan to strengthen its enterprise offerings in seven key areas including blockchain, according to an official press release published August 22. LG CNS is planning to release new “strategic” brands for each of the seven platforms of newly developed technologies — blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), smart city, smart factory, robot service, and smart energy — in order to promote the “fourth industrial revolution” with its enterprise portfolio. The released brandings, with similar designs but different names, are part of LG CNS’s aim …

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is reportedly considering ways to accelerate blockchain adoption, local news agency Xinhua reports Aug. 9. According to the report, the MIIT has proposed a number of measures to speed up the promotion of blockchain applications in the country in a move to provide a “healthy and orderly development of the industry.” The ministry stated that the blockchain tech ecosystem is currently in its initial stage. The MIIT intends to provide a gradual extension of blockchain applications from the financial sector to other industries, such as electronic deposit services, supply chain management, …

The commercial, state-run Bank of China, not to be confused with the People’s Bank of China, announced its plans to invest further in fintech innovation, according to local news outlet The Paper August 9. Citing comments at a press conference on the banking industry, The Paper reports that the Bank of China’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Liu Qiuwan, has revealed plans to increase the company’s investments in research and development technologies such as blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and fintech. Investment in the technologies will reportedly be more than 1 percent of the bank’s operating annual income, which in …

The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), the world’s fourth-largest bank by assets, has issued its first loan on blockchain, local news outlet Financial News reported July 31. State-owned ABC, which counts itself among China’s “Big Four” lenders, revealed it had issued a loan worth around $300,000 backed by a piece of agricultural land in the Guizhou province. According to Financial News, the bank will “buil[d] blocks with local people, pilot land and resources bureaus, and agriculture and animal husbandry bureaus,” through the blockchain system, adding that the loan aimed to “support the local tea industry.” The blockchain project received participation …

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has announced the completion of a successful trade using its new blockchain platform, according to its July 30 press release. In a collaborative effort involving five domestic and international “supply chain leaders,” the bank used blockchain to track a shipment of 17 tons of almonds from Melbourne to Hamburg, Germany. Distributed ledger technology (DLT), Internet of Things (IoT), and smart contracts underpin the platform, which seeks to enhance multiple aspects of the supply chain process. The press release notes that the platform digitizes “three key areas of global trade – operations, documentation and finance …

A Chinese scientific research institute and value-added Internet service provider Tencent Holdings have jointly released a July 24 report emphasizing the impact of blockchain on the transformation of traditional financial services. The Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a scientific research institute under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and China’s Tencent Holdings’ report includes eight core conclusions of blockchain implementation in the financial sector. According to the report, blockchain technology will further enhance the transparency of financial transactions, strengthen the flexibility of system operation, and automate processes, thus affecting the record keeping, accounting and payment settlement methods …

China’s Xiongan New Area government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ConsenSys to bring blockchain technology to the “smart city,” the South China Morning Post reported July 23. ConsenSys, a blockchain software technology company focusing on Ethereum (ETH) development, has confirmed they will advise the Xiongan government on blockchain and software solutions in order to establish it as a “next generation smart city [and] leading blockchain innovation hub,”according to the (MoU) signed in Beijing. In April 2017, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced plans to build Xiongan as a special economic zone spanning three counties. The South China Morning …

Barclays has filed two patent applications relating to the transfer of digital currency and blockchain data storage, both published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) July 19. The first patent describes a system for transferring digital currency from payer to recipient that would securely authenticate the identities of both, as well as validating and recording transactions using public-key cryptography and a digital currency ledger. Beyond currency transfer, the patent goes on to describe a wide range of use cases for securely and privately processing data in a trustless manner using a blockchain system. One illustration outlines how claims …

China will lead an international research group on the standardization of the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technology, local news outlet Science and Technology Daily reports July 18. The joint technical committee of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have adopted the proposal for the creation of this international research group after a month of a discussion by committee members. Science and Technology Daily, the official newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, writes that the creation of this group means China has won “discourse power” in technology integration: “It …