Blockchain in Action : Round-up of blockchain stories from Aug 2017

Last month, I had published a post here on FinExtra titled Blockchain in Action : Round-up of blockchain stories from July 2017 . A month down the lane, I was curious to look at recent developments in the blockchain ecosystem across the globe to look at blockchain solutions that have gone live.

In this post, I have curated a list of all the caselets on Blockchain in Action for the month of August 2017. What is interesting is that it covers all parts of the world and all industries and the numbers only seem to be increasing.

The World’s Largest Tourism Company Goes Big on Blockchain

The TUI Group, the world’s largest tourism company, is a firm believer in blockchain technology and is already moving some of its hotel technology to its own, in-house blockchain. With a reported revenue of nearly $20 billion in 2016, the travel giant is led by chief executive Friz Joussen who is a keen, enthusiastic proponent of blockchain technology. Joussen revealed details of BedSwap, an in-house private blockchain-powered project that sees TUI place its owned hotel inventory on a blockchain to assess demand and shift inventories between different points of sale in real-time.

Farmers Cooperative Uses Blockchain to Trace Meat Through Supply Chain

A group of Arkansas livestock farmers known as the Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative, supported by Heifer USA, is using blockchain technology to trace meat through the supply chain to provide consumers information about the source of their food. Shoppers and diners will be able to scan QR codes on Grass Roots products to see where the meat came from and how the animals were raised. The “digital history” of the meat will also include stories about the people — from farmer to butcher — who participated in creating the final product.

Blockchain-Enabled Electric Car Charging Comes to California

A residential electric-car charger spends most of its time just hanging around unused. That underutilization looked like an opportunity to Val Miftakhov, CEO of the smart charger startup eMotorWerks. On Tuesday, the company launched a beta test of a distributed, peer-to-peer charging marketplace in California that lets drivers pay each other for use of their home chargers. The peer-to-peer concept relies on blockchain, one of today's hottest trends in energy, to verify the transactions without a central regulator

AgriDigital Partners With CBH To Track Oats On The Blockchain

In Australia, a report has surfaced about a pilot program conducted by grain-exporting giant and co-operative CBH and blockchain startup AgriDigital, who together will test blockchain tech's capability to track oats.

Groupe Média TFO Launches The Development Of A Blockchain Prototype: A Solution To Credit The Rights Of Audiovisual Works’ Creators

With the support of the Canadian Media Fund, Groupe Média TFO’s innovative movement now turns to a new royalty model for audiovisual works. Groupe Média TFO invites interested players from the content production and distribution industries to participate in defining this Blockchain prototype. The exploratory initiative, the first of its kind in Canada, could potentially transform how digital cultural productions are managed.

Nasdaq Inks Blockchain Trading Deal With Swiss Stock Exchange

Nasdaq has signed a deal with the operator of Switzerland's primary stock exchange to integrate blockchain into its over-the-counter product services. According to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing from July 26, Nasdaq – which has been working with blockchain technology since as early as 2015 – struck the agreement with SIX Swiss Exchange, a subsidiary of SIX Group. Notably, the group has also been experimenting with blockchain through its SIX Securities business line.

Vault One Leverages Ethereum Blockchain Technology To Secure Data

On August 2, 2017, blockchain-based cybersecurity startup Vault One announced the global release of Vault One Solution, a method for securing sensitive data on a private Ethereum blockchain. Vault One tackles an issue surrounding Privileged Account Management (PAM) by integrating Ethereum alongside traditional security methods.

Dutch Foundation Wants to Disrupt Charities Using Blockchain Technology

The Opakeco Foundation has a vision: a world where humanitarian causes are fully transparent and held accountable. The Opakeco Foundation is building a platform for which you can buy “Karmo” tokens. Token holders will be able to exert control over the foundation and support charities without the need of technical skills. In time, Opakeco will – the organiser hope – become the quality label for measuring the transparency of charities and well-doers.

WePower Launches Blockchain-Powered Green Energy Platform and Token Sale

The Gibraltar-based green energy exchange platform WePower has announced it will accept registrations for the fundraiser as the company prepares for its official launch. The contributors will receive WePower tokens in return for their Ethereum contributions. Part of the green energy that will be produced and traded on the WePower platform will be assigned to Energy tokens and stored in a smart contract. Thus, the WPR token will be tokenized energy stored in a smart contract and accrued with the growth of WePower platform.

Sony wants to digitize education records using the blockchain

Sony said today that it has finished developing a digital system for storing and managing educational records on the blockchain. The Japanese firm is now looking to commercialize the product, in partnership with selected educational institutions, next year. The idea — which was first announced 18 months ago — is to make use of the blockchain as a centralized ledger for storing educational information, such as degrees, diplomas, tests and more, as a kind of ‘digital transcript.’ Sony said the system has been developed to prevent fraud, while providing access to third-parties for job interviews and assessment among other purposes

IT Giant Fujitsu Is Planning to Deploy Multiple Blockchain Business Models

IT giant Fujitsu has revealed new details on its plans to monetize its work on Hyperledger's Fabric blockchain. One of several companies credited with helping build the core of the enterprise-focused distributed ledger platform, Fujitsu is now embarking on what it described as a two-fold plan to commercialize its progress.

Australian Primary School Students Explore Bitcoin

Students at Wooranna Park Primary School in Victoria, Australia are experiencing bitcoin and cryptocurrency technology first hand. Wooranna Park Primary’s ‘School on the Blockchain’ program involves a number of initiatives designed to immerse students in blockchain technology, and has seen the school create a unique cryptocurrency called Wooranacoin.

Revain: Reinventing Reviews

Blockchain technology is changing the way we think about almost every industry, and new projects are continually founded to address the gaps in markets where the blockchain can help. Revain is a new project looking to bring more honesty and transparency to the PR and reviews industry via the blockchain.

Bitcoin In Space: Blockchain Satellite Receives First Transaction

Blockstream’s Blockchain Satellite has forwarded its first transaction, the company’s CEO Adam Back has confirmed on Twitter. Back was quoting BitcoinVPS creator Grubles, whose satellite node successfully received Blockchain transactions on a computer with networking disabled.

T-Mining Joins Forces With NxtPort To Track Shipping Containers Using Blockchain

On August 22, 2017, Antwerp-based blockchain startup T-Mining and data utility platform NxtPort have announced a partnership in an effort to bring safety and greater efficiency to seaports through the use of blockchain technology. In the initial phase, the companies will focus on the secured release of millions of containers that enter Flemish ports. According to the announcement, developers will have access to T-Mining’s blockchain technology through NxtPort’s data platform.

How Blockchain Is Reinventing Your News Feed

The biggest issue with news sources in the digital age is verifiability. How do consumers know what is true, and how do they trust what gatekeepers feed them? Startups like Snip has noticed this opportunity and develop solutions to decentralizing control through blockchain-based mechanisms. These solutions may be the cure for today’s news and social media ills. Blockchain-based delivery of news can empower consumers to verify and promote news, thus changing the way we digest news, whether on social media or mainstream media feeds.

Are there any other stories of blockchain in action that you have read or seen in Aug 2017? Leave a comment / link below.

 NOTE: Content in this post has been curated from the links referenced in the original article