The grocery sector is responsible for nearly half of all Distributed Ledger Technology-based (DLT) supply chain projects. UCL: grocery most active in DLT tracking Research conducted by the University College London centre for blockchain and retail blockchain consortium and published on Aug. 4 shows that the grocery industry has the highest number of DLT-based supply chain tracking projects. Per the report, nearly half of all the projects analyzed operate within the grocery sector, while about 15% respectively operate in the healthcare and fashion industries. Lastly, about 39% operate in other, unspecified areas. Among these, the researchers found many non-sector specific …

The IOTA Foundation has launched the Trinity wallet, as the organization announced in a press release on July 2. The announcement advertises the Trinity wallet as an improve to both ease-of-use and security for users conducting transactions in IOTA, with the purported goal of appealing to both new and advanced users. Reportedly, the wallet’s beta version has seen 160,000 downloads and transactions worth over $1.8 billion of IOTA. Cybersecurity firms SixGen andAccessec audited the application in advance of release. As a software wallet, Trinity is designed for compatibility with Ledger’s hardware wallets, as Ledger has worked alongside the IOTA Foundation …

Peer-to-peer cryptocurrency solutions project Liquality has launched its interface for cross-chain atomic swaps between bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and stablecoin dai (DAi) on the mainnet. The news was revealed in an official company blog post on June 24. Atomic swaps are a solution that enables the exchange of one cryptocurrency for another without the need for a trusted third party or centralized exchange infrastructure. Liquality is contributor-led, open-source project that focuses on developing trust-minimized and peer-to-peer crypto exchange solutions. Its launch of the Liquality Atomic Swap Interface alpha will now enable users to swap BTC, ETH and DAI directly between …

Automotive giant China Wanxiang Holding Co., Ltd has partnered with blockchain-based tech firm PlatOn to develop a “smart city” in Hangzhou, according to a report by CryptoNinjas on June 20. According to the report, the smart city—dubbed “Innova City”—will be built with tech using PlatON’s blockchain infrastructure, for purposes like interfacing with city resident ID cards as well as monitoring driving behavior. The report includes a statement from Chief Innovation Officer at Wanxiang, Vincent Wang, who goes into more detail on such applications, saying: “Imagine a smart transit system that tracks and rewards responsible driving behavior, or a renewable power …

Ledger Vault, the custody arm of hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger, will provide its services to Canadian cryptocurrency broker Voyager Digital, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on May 21. Per the release, Voyager Digital will integrate Ledger Vault’s multi-authorization cryptocurrency wallet management system into its trading platform with the aim to increase its overall cybersecurity. Voyager CEO Steve Ehrlich said that Ledger Vault ensures “security of our customer assets on the Voyager platform without compromising the speed and liquidity they’ve come to expect from Voyager. It's also a crucial step in our efforts to deliver crypto wallet transfers.” …

Dutch bank ABN AMRO announced that it is launching a blockchain inventory tracking platform dubbed Forcefield in a press release published on May 17. Per the announcement, the platform is an Internet of Things solution that allows the monitoring of physical trade inventories with sensors and near-field communication chips. Forcefield was developed over the past year as a stand-alone product and became an independent company following a successful proof-of-concept that was conducted with consulting firm Accenture. The bank claims that the system can lead to more secure physical handling processes and a reduction of costs in the management of commodities …

London-based global funds network Calastone announced that it switched its entire system for fund trade clearing services to its blockchain Distributed Market Infrastructure (DMI) in a press release published on May 20. Per the release, the migration of the company’s over 1,800 customers over 41 markets “represents the largest community of global financial services organisations connecting and transacting via distributed ledger technology.” In the announcement, the institution also forecasts that the resulting savings for the mutual funds market will amount to over £3.4 billion per year ($4.33 billion). The release reads: “Financial services organisations around the world — whichever size …

Luxury fashion brand Alyx intends to use Iota’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) for supply chain tracking, cryptocurrency news outlet The Block reports on May 15. Per the report, Iota’s system will be implemented in partnership with global manufacturing company Avery Dennison to allow Alyx’s customers to have full insight into their supply chain. By scanning QR codes with an app, it will reportedly be possible to track the course traveled by the item from its creation to the point of sale. The Block claims that data concerning the apparel’s production location, date and raw materials will be stored on Iota’s …

French crypto hardware firm Ledger will provide its technology to American payments startup Uphold to improve security, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on May 13. Formerly known as Bitreserve, Uphold will reportedly incorporate Ledger’s institutional custody platform Ledger Vault to boost its anti-hack protection by adding an additional layer of security. J. P. Thieriot, co-founder and CEO of Uphold, said that Ledger Vault integration was mainly driven by customer demand for thorough security measures. According to the press release, the integration of Ledger’s tech will enable a number of key benefits for Uphold, including a multi-authorization governance …

Over 50 banks participated in the simulation of letter of credit transactions on R3’s blockchain platform in 27 countries on six continents. The company announced the development in a press release published on May 8. Per the release, 96% of the participants said that the system — dubbed Voltron — will accelerate and reduce the cost of their letters of credits procedure. Furthermore, 86% of them reportedly believe the inefficiencies of the traditional system are becoming intolerable. The company claims that Voltron cuts the execution time of the procedure from 5-10 days to under 24 hours. R3 states that, as …

The United States state of Washington has passed a bill that recognizes and protects the legal status of electronic records pertaining to distributed ledgers like blockchains. The bill, substitute senate bill 5638, was signed into effect by Governor Jay Inslee on April 26. The original version of the bill had its first reading by the Washington state legislature on January 25, 2019. The bill has now passed with 96–1 and will go into effect in late July. The new law has a clause which prevents discriminating against electronic records which have in some way been part of a distributed ledger: …

French hardware wallet producer Ledger is set to provide its secure crypto infrastructure solution to regulated Canadian crypto exchange National Digital Asset Exchange (NDAX), according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on April 29. NDAX — which offers crypto asset trading services for both retail and institutional clients — will use Ledger’s institution-grade wallet management solution, dubbed Ledger Vault. Ledger Vault provides a multi-authorization governance infrastructure for crypto assets, and has been designed with enterprise and institutional custodian and asset managers’ needs in mind, according to the press release. The solution’s governance framework reportedly enables users’ private keys to …