The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food plans to apply blockchain technology to develop the forestry industry, local news outlet EuropaPress reported September 21. The operating group, entitled ChainWood, aims to improve the traceability and efficiency of the wood supply in Spain by implementing blockchain technology in industry logistics. ChainWood is a group of eight partners from different Spanish regions, including Galicia, the Community of Madrid, Andalusia, Castilla y León, and Asturias. The operating group was created with funding by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, the Directorate General for Development Rural and Forest Policy, and the General …

The autonomous community of Aragon in northeastern Spain will be the first in the country to apply blockchain technology in its public administration, local news agency Europa Press reports Monday, September 17. Aragon is one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, which were created with the goal of guaranteeing a qualified amount of autonomy for different nationalities and regions in the country. Fernando Gimeno, the counsellor of Finance and Public administration in the Aragonese government, has signed a contract with Alastria — a blockchain ecosystem of more than 274 entities, including companies and institutions which create blockchain-based tools in line with …

Cryptocurrencies are "perfect", but are often used for bad purposes, executive chairman of multinational Spanish banking group Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) Francisco Gonzalez Rodriguez stated in an interview with CNBC Friday, September 14. Gonzalez has claimed that the world is going through "an incredible digital revolution" which will eventually lead to a new world order. However, the BBVA executive has also stressed that there are "ripple effects" that must be understood. He further explained the risks of digital technologies: "Cryptocurrencies are perfect, but are used for bad purposes today, so [one has to be] careful. Blockchain and distributed ledger …

Spanish left-wing political coalition Unidos Podemos has called on the state to explore and implement the benefits of blockchain technology, local news agency Europa Press reported August 12. Podemos, formed from left wing parties Podemos, United Left, Equo and others has suggested that the Spanish government establish a subcommittee responsible for studying the potential of blockchain technology as well cryptocurrency regulation. Alberto Montero, the deputy of the political alliance, has reportedly registered the request in the lower house, along with a project plan. The blockchain-focused body would bring together public administrations, state authorities and public officials, as well as industry …

The Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) and the Madrid School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSIT-UPM) announced July 26 a research partnership into implementing blockchain for copyright management in the digital era. The two institutions have reportedly signed a one-year agreement to carry out collaborative research into building a digital processing platform for copyright management that would use blockchain alongside BigData, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). SGAE president José Miguel Fernández Sastrón outlined the partnership: "The main lines of research will focus on disruptive technologies that address the challenges posed by the volume, diversity and dynamics of change in …

The Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) has revealed a plan for blockchain tech implementation in its public administrative activity, according to the official press release July 24. The Generalitat de Catalunya, an official governmental institution of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, will promote blockchain technology “with the aim of improving digital services to the public and promoting the potential of this technology between the Administration, companies and the citizen[s].” According to the press release, Catalonia’s Department of Digital Policies must develop a plan for incorporating blockchain tech in all areas of the public administration’s activities by the end …

Major U.S. cryptocurrency wallet and exchange Coinbase has entered the crypto gift card market, allowing customers in certain countries to exchange coins for brand e-certificates, according to their July 25 blog post. In the post, Coinbase confirmed the new option was made possible through a partnership with UK-based startup WeGift, and will effectively allow cryptocurrency holders to pay for goods and services through brands such as Nike, Tesco, Uber, Google Play, Ticketmaster, and Zalando: “Starting today, Coinbase customers in the EU and Australia are able to instantly spend their cryptocurrency balances on e-gift cards, making us the first trading platform …

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) has signed a new blockchain-based loan with civil engineering firm ACS Group, according to the BBVA’s official statement July 19. BBVA, a multinational Spanish banking group, signed an agreement with ACS to provide a long-term bilateral corporate loan of €100 million ($117 million). The new blockchain-powered loan contract will reportedly boost the efficiency in financial processes of the company, allowing for better transparency and traceability of contractual process. Settling the loan on a blockchain allows both parties to independently monitor the stages of a contract, as well as the conditions. The pilot also includes digitization …

133 deputies from the Spanish ruling party, Partido Popular, have proposed a bill to use blockchain in the public administration of Spain, CriptoNoticias reports Saturday, June 30. The bill was introduced to the Spanish Congress on June 22 and published on the official website of the legislative branch on June 26. It hasn’t been reviewed by other deputies yet. The Congress website has not provided any further information on the bill’s details so far. As Cointelegraph reported in February, Partido Popular considered to give tax breaks to companies that use Blockchain technology. The relevant legislation was set to be finished …

Eight major European financial entities have announced they will work together on a blockchain tech project for recording the issuance of financial warrants, Spanish news outlet el Economista reports today, June 25. Spanish securities regulator the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), along with major stock market operator BME, and banks Santander, BBVA, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank, Commerzbank and Société Générale have “successfully” completed a Proof-of-Concept, which they call Fast Track Listing. The system was created to register the issuance of warrants in under 48 hours, a process that usually takes more than a week, according to their statement also released today. …

Major Spanish banking group BBVA and Spanish energy company Repsol have signed an agreement to develop blockchain-based solutions for corporate banking, according to an announcement published June 20. The product by BBVA and Repsol was developed using multiple different blockchain technologies, namely Hyperledger and the Ethereum test network. Nuria Ávalos, the head of Blockchain and Digital Experimentation at Repsol, commented on the collaboration: “Repsol wants to actively take part in collaborative environments. Blockchain is a disruptive technology that is here to stay and the agreement with BBVA advances our strategy of driving digitization in all areas of our activity.” The …

Carlos Torres, CEO of Spanish bank BBVA, said blockchain technology is “not mature” and faces major challenges, el Economista reported June 18. Torres expressed his concerns about blockchain’s current limitations at an event organized by the Spanish Association for Economic Journalism which focused on the prospects of the technology. According to Torres, the main challenges for blockchain are the “volatility of underlying currencies” and possible compatibility issues with tax authorities and financial regulators. Despite its contemporary challenges, Torres said that the advantages of blockchain technology are so important to their business, that “when it is mature and regulators are ready,” …