• BMW accelerating blockchain use
    Technology

    BMW accelerating blockchain use after successful supply chain pilot

    The German carmaker is aiming to ensure raw materials and components are fully traceable in its ‘highly complex’ international supply chain

    Last year’s initial trial saw BMW Group successfully purchase front lights, and the company now wants to expand the project to a broader range of participants. Ten suppliers are going to take part over the coming year, the company said.

  • Trash panda buffet (via Wikimedia Commons).
    Technology

    Deloitte: Blockchain can help fresh food industry save the world

    Just 4% of the suppliers and retailers of meat and produce are using blockchain. But with the population skyrocketing and 40% of food wasted, that will have to change

    With the number of mouths to feed set to grow 50% by 2050, fresh food manufacturers and suppliers have to do a better job getting food to market before it spoils. More than 60% are planning to use blockchain to do that, according to a new study.

  • Dirty money is as big as the EU's budget, and former EU Justice Commissioner Věra_Jourová wants a bigger cut (via Wikipedia, CC-BY-SA-2.0).
    Regulation

    Citing customer privacy concerns three EU cryptocurrency firms close

    Bottle Pay, Chopcoin, and Simplecoin shut down in December rather than enforce new European Union anti-money laundering rules

    Citing customer privacy concerns brought on by strict new European Union anti-money laundering laws, three cryptocurrency companies announced plans to shut down in December. The first was bitcoin gaming platform Chopcoin, which announced in November that it would close on Dec. 16. The company cited “regulatory concerns [that would] force KYC on our users.” KYC stands for “know your customer” banking regulations used to fight money laundering and combat the financing of terrorism (CFT). The other two firms planning to close up shop this month, Simplecoin and Bottle Pay, also cited moral principles. They refused to go along with the European Union’s Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive regulations, which come into force on…

  • Somebody looking like they're coding something using some programming language (via Pixabay).
    Technology

    Blockchain development booming, says Deloitte

    Their Open Source Compass tool aims to make open source software trends easy to follow

    Blockchain was among the fastest growing technologies—expanding by 11.3% even this past winter—according consulting giant Deloitte’s new project that tracks open source software development.