Government must leave encryption alone, or it will endanger blockchain
If we could give Malcolm Turnbull one piece of economic advice right now – one piece of advice about how to protect the economy against a challenging and uncertain future – it would be this: don’t mess with encryption. Earlier this month the government announced that it was going to “impose an obligation” on device manufacturers and service providers to provide law enforcement authorities access to encrypted information on the presentation of a warrant. At the moment it’s unclear what exactly this means. Attorney-General George Brandis and Malcolm Turnbull have repeatedly denied they want a legislated “backdoor” into encrypted devices, but the loose way they’ve used that language suggests some sort […]
Blockchain upgrade helps avert split in Bitcoin
A software revamp will help address transaction limitations in the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has managed to avoid being split into two separate currencies after its community reached an agreement to significantly upgrade the capabilities of its underlying blockchain network. A compromise was reached between the developers behind Bitcoin and the mining community, which had become divided over how to improve the technology, with some fearing that the currency could be split into two different blockchain networks. Miners of the cryptocurrency issued overwhelming support for a software upgrade known as the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) 91 last Friday, which is the first in a series of steps attempting to address the processing […]
Search for 2017 Fintech 100 innovators kicks off
Nominations are now open for the 2017 KPMG & H2 Ventures Fintech 100, the annual list designed to recognize leading fintech innovators. Visit www.fintechinnovators.com by Thursday, 31 August 2017 and nominate your company, or any fintech you think should be considered for the Fintech 100. The Fintech100, available at www.fintechinnovators.com, is compiled by fintech investment firm, H2 Ventures in collaboration with KPMG’s Global Fintech practice. The annual Fintech 100 includes both the leading 50 established fintechs, and the most intriguing 50 “emerging stars.” How to nominate and the judging process: Nominations for the Fintech 100 can be made at www.fintechinnovators.com website by Thursday, 31 August 2017. […]
International payments the winning application for blockchain
Start-ups and banking institutions around the world are investing heavily in blockchain and on paper it seems like the perfect solution to fixing banking systems, which often times lag behind current technology trends and in some cases were created before the internet. But, it’s never as simple as it seems. As a refresher, a blockchain are a decentralised, secure, digital ledgers that can be used to record many different types of information. First developed as the architecture behind the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin, it allows for real-time transfers and a dramatic reduction in transfer fees. Theoretically, blockchain should be the perfect solution to the cumbersome process of international payments in particular. […]
Australia joins the tech train with AI and Blockchain
Australia is currently seeing the first manifestations and ramifications of two of the business world’s key technologies: blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). Both could fundamentally change how financial and professional operations are conducted in Australia. Currently, blockchain technologies are being explored through research and start-ups looking to implement the purely digital ledger. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian government’s federal agency for scientific investigation, released a report last month exploring how blockchain could support the country, along with the risks it presents. In addition, in June, Melbourne hosted the Annual blockchain summit, while the newly formed Blockchain Association of Australia finished its first meeting on July […]
Aussie blockchain association launches
An association which aims to grow and support the local blockchain community has been launched, and hosts its first event this week. The Blockchain Association of Australia – registered as a not for profit incorporated association last month – meets for the first time at RMIT in Melbourne tonight. The association is led by Chami Akmeemana, director of blockchain software firm ConsenSys, with a board including Michael Hendricks from ME Bank and Paul Xuereb of AustralianSuper. Akmeemana was behind a regtech hackathon in Melbourne earlier this year. “The primary objective is to uplift the blockchain ecosystem and community and to address the critical skills gap in Australia with respect to […]
‘Secret millions’ of a cryptocurrency trader
An unknown cryptocurrency trader turned $55 million of paper wealth into $283 million in just over a month. The only clue about this person or persons, beyond a virtual wallet with the identification code 0x00A651D43B6e209F5Ada45A35F92EFC0De3A5184, surfaced on a June 11 Instagram posting, in Indonesian, in which he or she (or they) (or somebody posing as them) boasted about the 413 percent profit accumulated earlier this year from ether, the digital money of the Ethereum blockchain. “I get many private messages asking how much ether I have,” the post read, alongside photos that purported to be the hardware powering a mining operation but looked lifted from another website. “One of the […]
Banks trial blockchain solution to speed up guarantee process
ANZ and Westpac have teamed up with IBM and Westfield shopping centre owner Scentre Group to bring the bank guarantee process up to speed using blockchain technology. The trial, powered by IBM’s Hyperledger Fabric platform, replaces the paper-based bank guarantee process used for commercial property leasing with a digital ledger that becomes the central source of information for all parties. Distributed ledger technology underpins blockchain, with ANZ’s general manager of digital banking, Nigel Dobson, saying the trial showcases how the technology can be used to develop business solutions. “Whether it’s crypto currencies or other public applications of blockchain, so far they have not been business grade,” Mr Dobson said. “This […]
