The National University of Colombia is joining the global blockchain consortium for science dubbed Bloxberg, Mauricio Tovar Gutiérrez, co-director of the research group at inTIColombia told Cointelegraph en Español on April 15. Bloxberg is a blockchain initiative formed by 12 research organizations from 10 countries and led by the Max Planck Society, with the National University of Colombia to be the only institution from Latin America. The parties reportedly aim to establish an infrastructure that “broadens the scientific landscape of regionally and nationally governed blockchain networks to become the first truly globally maintained decentralized network by scientists for science.” Tovar …

The lack of standard global terminology for crypto assets is a major impediment for the adoption of clear regulatory policies in the industry, according to a study by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) released on April 16. According to the report, a variety of major terms in the crypto industry is often used interchangeably and without a clear definition, which hampers global regulatory response. Conducted with support from the Nomura Research Institute (NRI), the research provides a detailed analysis of the regulatory landscape on crypto asset activities in 23 jurisdictions. The research data was collected mainly through desktop …

Dutch global banking and financial services corporation ING introduced its new cryptographic blockchain development called Bulletproofs, according to an announcement on Feb. 7 Bulletproofs represents an extended technology for ING’s previous blockchain privacy-focused developments such as zero-knowledge range proof (ZKRP) and zero-knowledge set membership (ZKSM). ING bank first launched ZKRP in November 2017, enabling market participants to maintain anonymity in a transaction while still confirming its accuracy. For instance, the tool allowed a mortgage applicant to prove their salary within a certain range without revealing the exact figure. As an improved version of ZKRP, ZKSM was released in October 2018, …

Last month, reports surfaced on crypto mining research conducted by tech conglomerate Cisco with the following headline: “College kids are using campus electricity to mine crypto.” Indeed, many students don’t have to worry about paying power bills, as per their university housing contracts, which tend to cover electricity expenses. That “free” power allows them to host cost-efficient mining rigs, where the only expense is the actual hardware. It almost seems too good to be true: Mining students receive a passive income, which can potentially cover the purchase of a few textbooks — or even pay for the whole semester and …

Tencent Financial Academy, a subsidiary of Chinese IT giant Tencent — signed a memorandum of cooperation with the University of Hong Kong on March 6 for joint research and development projects related to financial technology. Chinese media outlet QQ reported about the deal on March 7. The collaboration reportedly involves joint research and development of fintech projects between the financial technology and blockchain lab of the department of computer science at the University of Hong Kong in cooperation with Tencent. According to the article, the University of Hong Kong will also launch a fintech course in its bachelor program in …

The Ethereum Foundation has awarded a grant to researchers at Columbia and Yale universities for the compilation of a new smart contract programming language into the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). The development was announced in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 6. The beneficiary of the grant is a smart contract R&D project called DeepSea, spearheaded by Professor Ronghui Gu, an assistant professor of computer science at Columbia, in collaboration with researchers at Yale. Gu is also the co-founder of blockchain security firm CertiK, which is also one of the participants in the project that raised “several millions” …

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) is trialing a blockchain prototype for the automation of funds transfer instructions, business tech news site ZDNet reported on Feb. 24. Austrac — a government financial intelligence agency — is reportedly partnering with the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne to trial the use of blockchain and smart contract technology to help multiple actors automate their international fund transfer instructions (IFTIs) reporting to Austrac. Reporting entities include banks, remitters and casinos, according to ZDNet. Work on the blockchain proof-of-concept (PoC) for IFTI reporting automation began in December 2018, an unnamed spokesman told …

The University of Michigan’s $12 billion endowment plans to bolster its investment in a “cryptonetwork technology fund” (CNK Fund I) managed by American venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. The development was revealed in the agenda for the university’s Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 21. According to the document, the endowment had already committed $3 million to CNK Fund I in June 2018 and has now included it as an approved partnership for a follow-on investment, amount unspecified. The agenda states that the fund — created by the Menlo Park, CA-headquartered Andreessen Horowitz — “invest[s] in cryptonetwork technology companies across …

A major Chinese research university has launched a blockchain research scholarship with the support of Ripple, according to a press release published on Jan. 18. In collaboration with blockchain payments firm Ripple, the Institute for Fintech Research at Beijing’s Tsinghua University (THUIFR) has announced the Blockchain Technology Research Scholarship Program (BRSP). The program reportedly intends to bring together the best graduate students in China in 2019 to study global blockchain regulations and industry development. Participants in the new educational program will reportedly have access to advanced knowledge in the blockchain space, as well be able to take part in corporate …

The University of Bahrain will issue diplomas on the blockchain, English-language local media Trade Arabia reports on Jan. 13. According to the aforementioned article, the university employs the Blockcerts open standard in partnership with Learning Machine, a startup providing a system to issue verifiable official records using a blockchain-anchored format. As Cointelegraph reported in September last year, the government of Bahrain has stressed the importance of blockchain technology for the country’s economy while urging cybersecurity vigilance. Abdulhussain Mirza, Bahrain’s minister of electricity and water affairs, declared: “Blockchain’s ability to protect user’s data is a true mark of progress, especially due …

Multisectoral blockchain company Bitfury has partnered with the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics to create an accelerator for blockchain projects, Russian crypto news outlet Forklog reports Nov. 21. In addition to supporting the development of blockchain projects, the university will provide courses and additional education dedicated to “training specialists who are able to create innovative projects using digital technologies in a short time.” This will enable specialists to “bring [the projects] to market amid the new industrial revolution,” Dmitry Ufaev, the head of Bitfury Russia, told Forklog. According to Forklog, the project will be backed by Russia’s Ministry of Digital …

IBM and Columbia University have announced two blockchain accelerator programs that aim to help startups in the space innovate at scale, according to an IBM news release Nov. 19. Both programs form part of the Columbia-IBM Center for Blockchain and Data Transparency, a joint innovation center that was established by the tech giant and U.S. ivy league school this summer. According to the release, each program will support ten startups, offering them a network of business mentors, technical support, access to Columbia’s student talent and “research community,” design assistance, and IBM cloud technology resources. The stated aim is to help …