Mexico’s Blockchain Sector Up 90% / JPMorgan All In On Crypto / Alibaba To Digitize China’s Largest Port

June 11, 2020

This week in the landscape…Mexico has seen a 90% growth in the blockchain sector over the last two years despite COVID-19. Alibaba will be working to digitize China Merchants Port, the country’s biggest port operator with blockchain. Coinbase is looking for selling its blockchain analysis software to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The Chinese province of Yunnan has launched a blockchain-powered traceability platform for its Pu’er tea farms tracking $2.5bn in tea. Coca-Cola distributor offers bitcoin payment options for vending machines. Baseline integrates Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Google Spreadsheets using ethereum mainnet. Microsoft’s bitcoin-based decentralized identity (DID) tool, ION, is now live. While a South Korean city opens public services to blockchain-based ID applications, and blockchain gamers are earning $20M according to reports. Plus, we’ve got multiple Q2 2020 blockchain developer reports & analysis, DApps news galore, book recommendations, and so much more. Enjoy!

BONUS: I recently released the latest Q2 2020 edition of my DApp “Stack” Landscape Map (included below for download) that provides an overview of the industry highlighting over 400 global companies, ecosystem players, and working groups. If this is the first version you’ve seen of the landscape, consider it your guiding roadmap to further navigate the industry. Get it here in Hi-Res for free!

???? Mexico’s Blockchain Sector Grows 90% in 2 Years Despite COVID-19

According to data from the blockchain-focused law firm, Legal Paradox, Mexico’s blockchain and fintech sectors have almost doubled in size over just two years, according to data provided to Cointelegraph Espanol. According to the law firm, more than 640 entities are operating in Mexico’s financial technology sector, with 443 or 69.1% of firms based in Mexico City…read more

Related: ???? 40% of New Fintech Firms in Hong Kong Operate With Blockchain

???? Alibaba to digitize China’s biggest port operator with Blockchain

Chinese mega corporations Alibaba is one of the seven institutions that are going to be the very first to receive the Chinese state-backed cryptocurrency once launched. The company has also been developing a blockchain network that is designed to support small and medium-sized businesses under its fintech arm, Ant Financial. Alibaba has landed a deal with China Merchants Port, the nation’s biggest port operator, to allow the development and implementation of a blockchain-based platform that would have several use cases…read more

Related: ?? PUBG backer is establishing an alliance to improve Blockchain Development in China

?? Federal Reserve Endorses Ethereum-Backed Alternative To Libor

In a statement on 28th May, US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome H. Powell stated regarding the suitability of AMERIBOR as a replacement to LIBOR. AMERIBOR uses a permissioned version of Ethereum blockchain to capture the interbank lending rates. He also noted in his response that, “the Federal Reserve convened and supports the work of the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARRC) and views SOFR as a robust alternative that will help many market participants in the transition away from LIBOR…read more

?? JPMorgan — Bitcoin’s ‘Biggest Enemy’ — Suddenly Appears To Be Going All In On Crypto

JPMorgan’s turbulent relationship with bitcoin appears to be rapidly melting after the banking giant signed Coinbase and rival bitcoin and crypto exchange Gemini. JPMorgan approved the two bitcoin exchange accounts last month and is already processing transactions, potentially signaling the end of the crypto industry’s banking griefs…read more

?? Coinbase wants to sell blockchain analysis software to the IRS and DEA a year after its Neutrino acquisition

Coinbase is looking for selling its blockchain analysis software to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Both agencies are planning to get approval. Several public documents released in April and May, showed the intentions of both agencies to buy licenses for Coinbase Analytics. However, the figure is not definite for how much the U.S. government will pay for the licenses…read more

?? Blockchain Platform to Track $2.5B Worth of Tea Products

The Chinese province of Yunnan has launched a blockchain-powered traceability platform for its Pu’er tea farms. The platform will be used to conduct quality control, sales, and loan financing operations on 42,000 hectares of farmland across the province…read more

Related: ?? Coca-Cola Distributor Offers Bitcoin Payment Options for Aussie Vending Machines

?? Microsoft Releases Bitcoin-Based ID Tool as COVID-19 Tracing Draws Criticism

Microsoft’s Bitcoin-based decentralized identity tool, ION, went live with a beta version on mainnet Wednesday, as one of many efforts by members of the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) to fast-track tools anyone can use for COVID-19 crisis response programs. Microsoft and ConsenSys’s uPort project are both leading DIF members. Separately, Microsoft is also collaborating with the bitcoin startup Casa to create a user-friendly interface for managing multiple digital identities…read more

Related: ?? Decentralized Identity Could Replace All Login Functions, Says LG

Related: ???? South Korean City Opens Public Services to Blockchain-Based ID App

?? Baseline Integrates Microsoft and Google Spreadsheets Using Ethereum Mainnet

Baseline Protocol has launched integrations for Google Sheets and Microsoft Dynamics 365. The new function allows for the maintenance of verifiably consistent records using a spreadsheet in conjunction with an enterprise resource planning solution. Baseline published a proof-of-concept on Monday, demonstrating the “baselining” of spreadsheet data to verify that multiple independent private databases hold the same records.…read more

Related: ?? The Baseline Protocol Explained — LimeChain

More For Your Week:

?? Medici Ventures Makes Move to Create Digital Death Certificates — Kingsley Alo

?? Saudi Arabia Central Bank Leads The Way With Blockchain-Powered Transfer

?? Blockchain Gamers Earned $20M in Their First Year

?? Web3 Brands and the Decentralized Renaissance

?? The ‘decentralized web’ isn’t selling. Here’s why

?? Bison Trails Adds Support for NEAR Blockchain Protocol

?? Blockchain media startup Civil shuts down

?? Investing in FinTech and Blockchain — LATOKEN

DApps (Decentralized Apps) Watch

?? Bitcoin Core 0.20.0 Released: What’s New

Bitcoin launched Bitcoin Core 0.20.0, the 20th release of Bitcoin’s original software client. The new version cleans up and hardens the Bitcoin Core codebase. Apart from this, it comes with several improvements such as hardware wallet integration into the GUI, a new configuration option called Asmap, which maps I.P. addresses by Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs)…read more

?? AVA Labs Integrates Chainlink’s Decentralized Oracles to Improve DeFi Dapps Development

Decentralized financial application platform AVA Labs has announced its blockchain partnership with ChainLink’s price and data oracles. The integration will allow developers to cut time on development and launch DeFi DApps directly. Chainlink’s multiple sources of data oracles will prevent a single point of failure (SPOF) attacks in price data retrieval.…read more

Related: ?? Algorand and Blockstack Are Building a Multi-Chain Smart Contract Language

?? Ethereum May Not Be Perfect, but Most DApps Still Like to Run With It

Ethereum is the number one choice among developers of decentralized applications for deploying their products and services. The “2020 Q1 Dapp Market Report,” published by Dapp.com, demonstrates the ongoing trend, as the statistics show that 635 DApps, or roughly half of all functioning DApps on the market, are based on the Ethereum network with 616,369 active users. The article is investigating why the majority of DApp developers still opt for the Ethereum blockchain…read more

Related:?? The evolution of utility on Ethereum — Wilson Withiam / Messari

?? What are dApps? Trends and challenges in Ethereum dApp — LimeChain

?? The State of Eth2, June 2020 — Danny Ryan

?? Save Time on DevOps and Scale With Infura: Lessons from Leading Ethereum Dapps — ConsenSys

?? Decentralized Web Developer Report 2020 — Evgeny Ponomarev

?? Blockchain Developer Report Q2 2020 — Theo Turner / Outlier Ventures

?? Why Ethereum is the best blockchain for gaming items — Adrien Montfort

?? Book Corner: 

We’re all reading a little bit more than usual these days, so I wanted to share some books I’m currently reading and recommend (in no particular order) on the off chance you’re looking for something new. Happy reading!

1. Collateral Markets and Financial Plumbing — Dr. Manmohan Singh, featuring Caitlin Long
2. Bitcoin & Black America —Isaiah Jackson
3. The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future — Jeff Booth
4. Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data — Rishad Tobaccowala
5. Blockchain for Self Sovereign Digital Identity — Debajani Mohanty

??? State of the Blockchain Industry Q1 2020:

Available now, download your hi-res copy of the Q1 2020 edition of the Blockchain Landscape Map. This is now the fifth edition of the landscape I’ve released and includes 747 companies (900+ total unique companies including broader key Ecosystem players) and more than $22 bn in funding raised across the landscape from 2010–2020 — over $18 bn invested since 2017! — Noticeable cycles emerging and full breakdown available.

A full 60 min video overview of the landscape is now available here and free for all. In the video, I breakdown the 2020 landscape, provide a summary of 2019, emerging trends for 2020, DeFi, Libra, CDBCs, Stablecoins, DApps, and more!

?? Download the NEW Blockchain for Infrastructure Landscape Q1 2020 edition for insights on DeFi, DApps, Infrastructure, Digital Currencies, and more!

Don’t want to wait until next week, Subscribe Now ?? for real-time industry insights around Blockchain, DApps, and more!