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The CEO of global investment and finance group Franklin Templeton, Jenny Johnson, has told Yahoo Finance that blockchain will be “hugely disruptive” to finance, “eventually allowing everyday people to place small investments in otherwise inaccessible assets like major real estate projects”. Franklin Templeton manages more than $1.5 trillion in assets. Yahoo Finance quotes Johnson as […]

Former European Commissioner Phil Hogan has been appointed as executive advisor to the decentralised finance legal assurance firm Astra Protocol, according to an article in the Business Post. Astra Protocol is described as a new smart contract product platform from Dublin-based company The Proof of Trust and Assurance. The article quotes Hogan as saying “Decentralised […]

The Minister of State for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance, Sean Fleming TD, has announced a selection process to identify a panel of international advisors to the Ireland for Finance Industry Advisory Committee (IAC). Ireland for Finance is the Government strategy for the development of the international financial services sector in Ireland to 2025. […]

Industrial hemp company, The Hemp Blockchain Inc, has selected Algorand as its blockchain platform, to support a range of supply chain management and marketplace solutions purpose-built for the industrial hemp industry, according to an article on Business Wire. The Hemp Blockchain, says the article, seeks to “leapfrog” existing solutions in an agriculture sector with significant […]

Experts at the United Nations (UN) believe that cryptocurrencies and the technology that powers them – blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) – can play an important role in sustainable development, and improving stewardship of the environment. An article from UN news, says that while cryptocurrency mining has been labelled “one of the most fundamentally […]

According to an article in the Financial Times, there is an increasing number of banks issuing bonds on blockchains, simplifying processes and reducing costs. The article says that the bond market has been lagging behind other areas of financial markets in adopting new technologies. Now, reports FT, bankers are realising that putting new debt on […]

While cryptocurrencies still dominate the headlines, there are also interesting developments on the consumer front for blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT). One such development is the recent passing in the US legislature of the Consumer Safety Technology Act, by a healthy majority of 325-103. The Act requires the office of the Secretary of Commerce, […]

An article from Forbes explores how big banks are adapting to and investing in blockchain and DLT as part of the increasing digitisation of the world of finance. With particular focus on how currencies are being digitised, such as the proposed ‘BritCoin’ and the digital Yuan, Forbes Digital Council member, Chris Naprawa, TAAL president, the […]

The European Investment Bank, working with the European Commission, has produced a report on artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies, providing “a global overview of the state of play of both technologies”. The report says that Europe needs to address an investment gap of up to €10 billion which it argues is holding back development and […]

Formula 1 has secured a $100 million sponsorship deal with cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com. Reported to be a five year deal, it will see branding trackside from the British Grand Prix onward, as well is in the new spring qualifying format. Not a first for the sport, as the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team had […]

The Enterprise working group within Blockchain Ireland is actively looking to recruit new members to guide the group in delivering content and engagement for the enterprise membership. If you are involved with blockchain and distributed ledger technologies in an enterprise environment, check out the working groups page of BlockchainIreland.ie, where you can make contact with […]

A joint project is being undertaken by ESRI, Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit) at the University of Sussex, and Blockchain Ireland on blockchain skills development as part of a joint project on the demand and supply of blockchain skills. Below is a letter from the respective instututes, with a call to action for […]