Central bank-issued digital currencies may stifle innovation over long run, says Federal Reserve Governor

Central bank-issued digital currencies (CBDCs) could stifle innovation, in the long run, Federal Reserve board Governor Jerome H. Powell said. Powell focused on the application of public policy objectives in three specific areas where technological innovation is driving change: creating a real-time retail payments system, using distributed ledger technology (DLT) to develop new clearing and settlement services, and the issuance of digital currencies by central banks.

R3 blockchain consortium adds ATB Financial to member portfolio

Alberta-based financial services firm ATB Financial announced that it has joined the blockchain consortium. ATB Financial will work on designing and applying blockchain and shared-ledger inspired technologies to the global financial markets. It will be collaborating with the consortium members in order to develop ground-breaking commercial applications that will leverage the potentials of blockchain technology, for the financial services industry.

MAS successfully completes blockchain PoC for domestic inter-bank payments

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced that it has successfully completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) project using blockchain technology in order to carry out domestic inter-bank payments. The financial regulatory authority carried out the project in partnership with R3 blockchain consortium.

Russian PM asks ministries to explore blockchain use in public sector

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has given instructions to two ministries to explore the application of blockchain technology in public sector. Medvedev discussed blockchain and said that he has asked the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Economic Development to look into the use of this technology in the public domain.

Blockchain project Hyperledger Fabric advances from incubation to active phase

The Hyperledger Project, a collaborative cross-industry effort created to advance blockchain technology, announced that its project Hyperledger Fabric has acquired the status from Incubation to Active that was approved by the Technical Steering Committee (TSC).

South Korean province successfully completes blockchain-based voting for local community project

Blockchain startup Blocko Inc. announced that Gyeonggi-do, a populous province of South Korea, has adopted a blockchain-based voting system that is developed by Blocko, in a vote for local community projects that are proposed by residents. The successful completion of blockchain-based voting involved about nine thousand residents who took votes on and off-line and involved smart contracts technology developed by Blocko.

Indian state to establish blockchain academy to drive research and innovation

Indian state Kerala will be second after Bengaluru, to establish its own ‘Blockchain Academy’ in order to lead the research and innovation as well as to impart technical consultancy in a cutting-edge technology. Kerala state based Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (IIITM) will collaborate with the international learning and business development platform, Blockchain Education Network (BEN), to set up the blockchain academy.

Digital asset exchange Bitfinex adds support for Dash

Dash, the third most valuable cryptocurrency by market cap, has been added to the leading digital asset exchange, Bitfinex. The platform addition allows traders to make online buys and sells between the third most valuable cryptocurrency, USD and bitcoin (DASH/BTC & DASH/USD).

Waves blockchain platform launches mobile app and BTC gateway

Decentralized platform Waves has unveiled the launch of its mobile app and bitcoin gateway in a move to power secure and efficient digital asset trading. The application provides developers with the opportunity to create their own wallets that are customized for specific tokens. On the other hand, the BTC gateway employs secure servers and a two-of- three multi-signature approaches. Along with the mobile application, the BTC gateway combines seamlessly to offer fast, low-cost, and trustless bitcoin trading for the first time.

Digital Currency/Blockchain research studies:

Standards Australia rolls out blockchain standardization roadmap

Important deals, partnerships, and more:

IBM, Maersk partner to use blockchain for cross-border supply chain

Bitcoin debit card provider Wirex raises $3M in Series A funding

Dianrong, FnConn launch blockchain platform ‘Chained Finance’

Bitcoin startup Align Commerce raises $24M in Series B funding, rebrands as ‘Veem’

Bitcoin exchange Bitsquare to rebrand as ‘bisq’

Bitstamp, CACEIS collaborate to offer secure corporate bitcoin investments