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About PlanetWatch s.a.s. Planetwatch s.a.s ., is a high-tech startup based in France, less than a mile away from CERN . By leveraging synergically the Algorand blockchain , advanced data acquisition software developed at CERN and high-performance yet affordable air quality sensors developed by a major research institute, Planetwatch decentralizes, incentivizes and gamifies air quality monitoring. Planetwatch is going to deploy dense, low-cost air quality monitoring networks delivering real-time data and building the first global immutable ledger for historical air quality data. Algorand puts air quality test results on a blockchain. The DeFi-focused blockchain firm is teaming up with PlanetWatch to create an immutable record of global air quality test results Decentralized finance-focused blockchain firm Algorand has teamed up with French start-up PlanetWatch to put global air quality test results on a blockchain. A company spun off from the French physi...

The Nasdaq Stock Exchange is considering launching bitcoin futures . This was announced by the CEO of the exchange Aden Friedman in Davos. CEO Adena Friedman said to Bloomberg that Nasdaq is still considering a variant of launching the Bitcoin futures product. During the interview at Bloomberg given to Erik Schatzker on the World Economic Forum in Davos, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman was discussing her LinkedIn post concerning” market economy”. She was also touching the cryptocurrency sphere , saying that Bitcoin future s are a viable option and that they have an unnamed partner helping to set everything up. Two Main Reasons Nasdaq Will Consider Regarding Bitcoin Futures After observing the market conditions, Nasdaq wants to bring up a viable solution that will be different from the competitors. This is a wise move, which is what good business gurus (like Guy Kawasaki, Richard Branson or Barry Feldman) typically advise to do. If you’re going to conquer some marke...

Armenia can become a very powerful ecosystem or a hub for blockchain technology , Henry Arslanyan, the first Asian teacher of the FinTech course at the University of Hong Kong , told reporters today in Yerevan. Henry Arslanyan said there is a great interest now in blockchain technology. In his words, these technologies and the crypto technology market can be very useful to many young people, startups and technology companies in Armenia not only in terms of Armenia, but also in terms of entering the world market. He said although blockchain is a new technology, there are startups in Armenia that work in this area, and an increase in the number of such companies is very important. “The blockchain in Armenia is still at an early stage and the ecosystem is very small, but at the world level, many leaders and experts are Armenians who specialize in this industry, and this potential can be used as well,” Arslanyan said. According to him, the capabilities of t...

The United Kingdom’s Lancashire Cricket Club will trade tickets for all national and international fixtures at Emirates Old Trafford in 2020 by a blockchain-based platform. The management of the English cricket club Lancashire Cricket Club announced plans to use the blockchain-based system developed by the TIXnGO startup to sell tickets. According to the club’s management, blockchain will simplify the process of buying and reselling tickets , making it completely transparent. In addition, each ticket will be unique and impossible to fake. The development of the platform lasted about 18 months, and last year the system was successfully tested. The platform has been collectively developed with Lancashire’s ticketing service provider, SecuTis, and was favorably examined during the 2019 season. Excluding fraudulent tickets. By using the platform, the club aims to decrease fake tickets and trail ticket distribution amongst its supporters. Lancashire’s head o...

Five lawmakers in Hawaii, a state in the US, have proposed a bill that could enable banks to hold and manage digital assets in their custody. The bill, Senate Bill (S.B.) 2594 was introduced last week and has passed its first reading. Once approved, the legislation would make it legal for Hawaiian banks to hold digital assets such as “ virtual currencies, digital securities, open blockchain tokens and digital consumer assets” on behalf of their customers. Part of the SB2594 put forward to the authorization of law courts to hear claims concerning digital assets. Hence, if passed, would equally enable Hawaiian courts to handle digital asset-related cases. The development is coming at a good time as it could turn things around for crypto-related businesses in the state , given that, Hawaii has been among the regions with stringent requirements for crypto firms. For instance, Coinbase, one of the leading crypto exchanges had to stop its operations in the state, d...

This week, the crypto market saw a major development after the world’s largest stablecoin provider, Tether Ltd announced the launch of its highly-anticipated Tether Gold (XAU₮) token. Tether currently dominates the stablecoin market with a market cap of over $4.6 billion. Now, the firm seeks to transform the gold-backed token arena in much the same way. News first broke via a post from Tether’s management team. In the post, the firm spoke on Tether’s proven track record for product innovation in the sector. Also, developers discussed the new XAU₮ token and its functionality. Specifically, the post clarified that XAU₮ represents ownership of one troy fine ounce of physical gold on a specific gold bar. Tether Gold (XAU₮) As part of the Tether Gold strategy, executives decided it was better to maintain direct control over the physical gold storage. As such, the gold represented by XAU₮ resides in a high-security vault in the country of Switzerland. The post explains ...

Japan ruling party lawmakers to float idea of issuing digital currency. TOKYO (Reuters) — A group of ruling party lawmakers are working on a proposal for Japan to issue its own digital currency , one of the members said, in a sign of alarm Tokyo is feeling about Facebook’s Libra and China’s drive to create a digital yuan. The digital currency could be a joint initiative between the government and private companies that would put Japan in tune with global changes in financial technology, Norihiro Nakayama, parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters. The group, led by party heavyweight and former economy minister Akira Amari, plans to submit its proposal to the government as early as next month, Nakayama said. While Japan is unlikely to issue digital currencies any time soon due to technical and legal hurdles, the move comes in the wake of a decision by the Bank of Japan to join six other central banks to share expertise on doing so in the future....

The Iranian government has reportedly issued more than 1,000 licenses for cryptocurrency mining since it began regulating the industry. A number of large mining farms have set up in the country, but high electricity tariffs have kept many small investors away. 1,000+ Licenses Granted to Miners An official with Iran’s ICT Guild Organization, Amir Hossein Saeedi Naeini, has revealed the state of the country’s cryptocurrency mining industry, the Financial Tribune reported Friday. In an interview with Ibena publication, he said that cryptocurrency mining i s a new industry but many people have been attracted to it in Iran. Noting that miners need to obtain a license, he shared: The Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has issued more than 1,000 licenses for cryptocurrency mining in the country. The official further elaborated, “Our studies show that the crypto mining industry has the potential to add $8.5 billion to the economy,” the news outlet detailed. Major Chall...

Bitcoin’s growing acceptance all over the world, primarily in the tourism industry , has been pushing the airline industry to accept payments in bitcoin . Below is a list of airlines that are allowing clients to pay in virtual currencies: Destinia.com Source: destinia.com The Spanish travel agency, Destinia.com , is one of the new players which has recently started accepting bitcoins for payment. The company has made an addition of the new payment option through BitPay, which is one of the well-known cryptocurrency-related payment processors. Currently, Destinia.com offers a wide catalog range with over 190,000 hotels available to the customers. CheapAir.com In 2013, CheapAir.com was one of the first online travel agencies to accept bitcoin payments. They have now gone a step further and made the announcement that it will be also accepting Litecoin, BCH, and Dash as payment options. This will enable travelers to make payment using these cryptocurrencies w...

Supply chain Supply chains are a complex industry. There can be hundreds of stages in global supply chains — cargo ships, trains, warehouses, etc. And a distributed digital registry can be incredibly valuable here. The blockchain has practical applications in ensuring transparency, contracts, tracking and payments throughout the supply chain. For example, each participant in the supply chain may have access to the details of the previous block and other relevant information. Big players like Walmart are already using blockchain in their supply chain and are reaping the rewards. Intellectual property Theft of original creations and / or ideas is common throughout the world. People constantly use intellectual property for personal and commercial purposes, and the creators are in no hurry to seek legal protection. Why? They will need to provide evidence, such as a patent, trademark, or copyright to a publicly accessible creation, which will take time and mone...

Covantis blockchain initiative , launched by global agricultural companies like Cargill , has chosen ConsenSys as its main partner. According to a press release , as part of the partnership, ConsenSys will develop a platform based on the Ethereum blockchain to digitize post-trade document workflows, as well as to ensure efficiency and cost savings when working with international supply chains in agricultural activities. The Covantis initiative was formed in October 2018, when the four largest global agricultural holdings joined together to digitize their trading operations using blockchain and Artificial Intelligence technologies. It is expected that the Covantis platform will be launched this year and ConsenSys will help accelerate the launch of the system . According to a press release, the initial goal of the platform will be to accelerate the processing, as well as the sale and supply of grain and vegetable oil. “ConsenSys presented preliminary project...

Healthcare Blockchain can save lives. It may be said loudly, but it really has that potential. Firstly, the use of blockchain in medical supply chains can prevent the sale of fake drugs . All legal pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies can be registered on a common blockchain with access to their databases. Thanks to the transparency and immutability of the blockchain, fraud can be detected if the numbers do not match. Blockchain can also save lives in hospitals. If you create a global blockchain with medical data for all patients that will be available to legitimate doctors, this will save lives in emergency cases. Moreover, based on the patient’s history, you can choose the perfect medicine for him. In addition, health insurance companies can also prevent fraudulent claims. Education Online education and distance learning is already a reality, and blockchain can help take the next step. Thanks to the blockchain, all the data on the education of each...