Entrepreneurs think blockchain is the future of cloud computing and HPC
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Everything changes, whether we call it disruption or something else, but as the world becomes increasingly distributed, as the plumbing of the internet continues to change, we can now see a way to disintermediate the giant cloud providers, build global supercomputers and move to the...
Goldman Sachs wants to put FX trades on the blockchain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Using a blockchain will allow Goldman to settle FX trades in real time, without the need for expensive intermediaries and without compromising compliance, integrity or security. Trading currencies is costly and slow for traders at major financial institutions – transactions need to go through...
Banks are using mind reading technology to interview graduates
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Every business is becoming a technology business and nowhere is that truer than in the financial services industry, now as banks try to compete with start ups and established technology companies for tech talent they could find themselves getting into warm water… Want to...
Facebook gets an EU E-Money license, parks its bus on the banks lawns
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We live in a world full of unprecedented change and opportunity but many business leaders are guided by a historic view of business and industry evolution not a millennial view, the rules of business have changed, this is the time for re-invention not “just” innovation...
Futurist keynote, London: The Future of Asset Management, Euromoney Asset Management 2.0 Summit
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The world of asset management is changing faster than ever before so it’s imperative that in these times, when there are more demographic, regulatory and technological than ever before senior leaders stay informed and ahead of the curve. Firstly, thank you to Alyona for...
Walmart improves public safety by putting pork on the blockchain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Global supply chains are complex and can be easy for criminals to exploit by putting pork onto the blockchain Walmart are able to ensure and query the integrity of their supply chains, identify problems and pull tainted batches off of the shelves faster. Walmart...
Sweden wants to become the worlds first cashless society
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF With the use of cash diminishing around the world Governments are beginning to prepare themselves for a cashless future. The use of cash in Sweden has dived by 40% since 2009 when the central bank decided to rescind the country’s highest denomination banknote and now, faced...
The internet pioneer behind Apache pushes blockchain to fuel the next big internet revolution
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Everyone agrees that blockchain is a disruptive technology, and a technology that could help revolutionise not just one industry but all of them but in order for it to really change the world it first needs to be embedded into the “plumbing” of the internet,...
New blockchain DNS system would put an end to DDoS attacks
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Blockchain can help organisations and governments improve the resilience of their operations without compromising security On Friday, October 21st the internet – specifically the US west coast and parts of Europe, fell victim to the worlds largest DDoS attack. At the time reports said that nearly half the...
UN backs ID2020 blockchain consortium to give 2 billion people an identity
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The UN is backing a blockchain consortium to help them give a voice, and recognition, to over 2 billion people. According to the United Nations there are over 2 billion people who have no way of proving who they are. And while at first glance...
New GE connected dishwasher could disrupt two industries
GE’s connected dishwashers have become self sufficient and it marks the beginning of the disruption of two industries Disruption is sometimes subtle. Sometimes you miss it and then, at some point you wonder what happened to your sales. Then you kick your innovation teams into overdrive and then you realise it’s...
Pentagon mulls putting the whole US military onto blockchain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Blockchains immutability could be the key to keeping the US military’s assets and nuclear arsenals secure. The number of organisations and sectors that have been rolling out and experimenting with blockchain over the past year has been steadily increasing as it begins to look...
Futurist keynote, London: The Future of Blockchain, Marketforce Blockchain Summit
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Blockchain is turning into a force of nature that’s changing the world and as the hype around the technology reaches fever pitch everyone wants in. It’s always a great privilege to be invited to take part in Marketforce’s wonderful events and the Blockchain Summit...
Dubai announces plans to put the entire Emirate onto the blockchain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Dubai wants to become less dependent on oil and the emirate is rapidly becoming one of the most progressive nations in the world. Earlier this week, at an event hosted by the Dubai Future Foundation and the Smart Dubai Office, the Crown Prince of Dubai announced...
Nasdaq-GE blockchain paves the way for Virtual Power Plants and distributed energy grids
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Nasdaq imagines a day when you can bypass the local power company and buy power from whoever you like – even your neighbours. Imagine a day when the national rail company buys its power from collectives of neighbourhood consortiums who have an excess from...
From line to plate, Tuna gets its own blockchain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Tuna becomes the world’s first fish to get its own blockchain to track it’s provenance from net to plate. Most people have heard of bitcoin but fewer people are familiar with blockchain, the revolutionary technology that underpins it. And now this technology, which ostensibly began life in the...
Wanxiang announces plans to use Blockchain to underpin it’s $30 Billion Smarter Cities program
WHYTHIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Blockchains momentum keeps rolling on with another company announcing another major push. Another company jumped on the blockchain bandwagon in a big way, with Wanxiang’s $30 billion smart city project. The Chinese electric car maker announced the mega-project at last weeks Global Blockchain Summit. Wanxiang said...
Amazons drones will recharge themselves using street lamposts
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Amazons new patent could change the look of your community forever. It looks like Amazon is finally answering a fundamental question about its long awaited delivery drones – where will they land? And a possible answer, according to a recent patent filing that they put...
BHP turns to blockchain to improve its supply chain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Blockchain is finding a home in the enterprise and now BHP want to use it to improve their supply chain. At this weeks Global Blockchain Summit BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining firm, revealed that it is going to begin using the Ethereum blockchain and IPFS running on Microsoft Azure...
Accenture debuts editable blockchain prototype
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF One of Blockchains key attributes is that it serves as an Immutable Record, now Accenture wants to change that. Accenture is courting controversy among the blockchain community by patenting a technique that will allow it to edit information held on the blockchain in an attempt...
