May 15, 2020

This week in the landscape…we hit the accelerator and shifted into overdrive as we zoomed past the recent Bitcoin halving event and onward we go! Reddit drops the mic beating both Facebook and Telegram to tokenizing its community points system, unveiling a beta test of two tokens based on the Ethereum network. Atari (yes, that Atari) announces partnerships for token adoption. The Libra Association adds three new members — Temasek, Slow Ventures, Paradigm. Speaking of Telegram, TON Labs, a startup that helped Telegram run the test network for the Telegram Open Network (TON), has announced the launch of its version of the blockchain. A recent staff memo has revealed that the U.S. Congress is considering blockchain as a means for the Senate to conduct remote voting. IBM, Merck, Walmart, and KPMG’s call their drug-tracing blockchain pilot a success in their final report to FDA. China’s Central Bank proposes a blockchain-based trade finance platform. Quantum computers could crack Bitcoin by 2022. The team at Delphi Digital provides us an in-depth report on The State of Bitcoin 2020. Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto startup school is back in session as videos are now live for all! Multicoin Capital shines a light on a toolkit for heretical Web 3.0 developers. We round out with insights from global investors on fundraising right now as a FinTech/Blockchain startup, previews of a common-sense approach to using public blockchains in the enterprise with Baseline Protocol, use-case breakdowns galore and a few more surprises. Have a great week! Enjoy!

BONUS: I recently released the latest Q1 2020 edition of my Blockchain Landscape Map (included below for download) that provides an overview of the industry highlighting over 900 global companies, venture funds, 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!

📖 Reddit’s Big Cryptocurrency Move Is An Exciting Test

While Facebook and Telegram have either delayed or canceled their cryptocurrency projects, Reddit is going full steam ahead.…read more

📖 Bitcoin in Space: Blockstream’s Satellite Network Now 25X Faster

Blockstream has launched an upgrade for its satellite network. The upgraded system will offer faster data rates, transmission protocol, more bandwidth, additional coverage areas, and the ability to sync a full Bitcoin node. The data rate is now 25 times faster, and users can sync an entire node without connecting to the web…read more

📖 US Congress Considers Blockchain-Based Voting Amid COVID-19

A staff memo is revealing that the United States Congress is considering blockchain technology as a means for the Senate to conduct remote voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. The report is stating that blockchain may be deployed alongside end-to-end encrypted applications to facilitate voting. The discussion came as the Senate prepares to reconvene this week…read more

🇨🇳 China Telecom: Blockchain Has Significant Use-Cases for 5G

According to the Chairman of China Telecom Blockchain and Digital Economy Joint Laboratory, Jiang Wei, Blockchain Technology has high-potential use cases to enhance 5G network services. He stated Blockchain in 5G would introduce social capital in the 5G landscape, which will help the industry crowdsource the 5G infrastructure. He also noted his belief that blockchain will help realize 5G resource sharing and usage tracking…read more

📖 Blockchain: The Vaccine Against Future Disruption In The Seafood Industry

COVID-19 has grounded fishing fleets, halted processing plants, and closed access to seafood markets. Blockchain technology can make supply chains more transparent, and efficient Seafood sectors are implementing blockchain technology. This transparency technology allows participants in the supply chain to see instantaneously and at a glance, where a product is in the supply chain, where it is headed, and additional information like under what conditions it was produced or stored in. Blockchain also can facilitate “smart contracts” that will execute contract deliverables — and payments — automatically…read more

📖 IBM, Merck Declare FDA-Backed Drug Tracing Blockchain a Success

IBM, Merck, Walmart, and KPMG’s call their drug-tracing blockchain pilot a success in their final report to FDA. The sponsor of the project, the partners called distributed ledger technology (DLT), a safety-enhancing answer to the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). The trial of this technology began in July 2019 and completed in December 2019. The report says that to establish trust between trading partners, this technology can address the foundational requirement of track and trace for DSCSA by using a blockchain-enabled solution…read more

📖 Sidestepping Telegram, Devs and Validators Launch Fork of TON Blockchain

TON Labs, a startup that helped Telegram run the test network for the Telegram Open Network (TON), has announced the launch of its version of the blockchain with the support of professional validators. To distinguish itself from the original TON project, this forked version is named Free TON, and its tokens are called TON crystals…read more

📖 VeChain and Mastercard Back Australia-China Supply Chain Consortium

VeChain and Mastercard are among the new backers backing the new APAC Provenance Council. The consortium will provide comprehensive solutions for authenticating and tracking food, wine, & produce using blockchain, with a particular focus on the $76 billion of exports from Australia to China…read more

More For Your Week:

📈 Atari Partnership Paves Way For Token Adoption

📈 China’s Central Bank Proposes a Blockchain-Based Trade-Finance Platform

📈 Quantum computers could crack Bitcoin by 2022 — Decrypt

📈 The State of Bitcoin 2020 by Delphi Digital

📖 Spotify-Like Subscription Model Proposed for Collateral Payments

📖 Crypto Startup School Back: Videos Now Live — Andreessen Horowitz

📖 Investments & Pivots during Pandemic: Fintech & Blockchain — LATOKEN

📖 Visa Applies For Digital Dollar Blockchain Patent

📖 Industry Group Led by Polychain, Coinbase Seeks to Get Ahead on Staking Regulations

📖 If Blockchain Is the Door to the Future of Finance, Liquidity Is the Key

DApps (Decentralized Apps) Watch

📖 Decentralized apps struggle to go mainstream amid coronavirus lockdown

Decentralized Web 3.0 apps, which promise to address concerns like data breach and user privacy, are yet to go mainstream. DApp developers argue that network effects, useability, and short-term concerns over the coronavirus are to blame. Not a single Web 3.0 decentralized app has gone genuinely mainstream during the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders from within the blockchain and crypto industry state issues that include lack of brand awareness, poor usability, and people being more interested in working around the coronavirus than battling privacy concerns…read more

📖 Lightning 2020: A Toolkit for Heretical Web3 Developers

Many Web 3.0 developers and investors gave up on top of Bitcoin years ago, considering its limited throughput, high latency, and conservative programmability made such development impossible. It further led to the birth of Ethereum, and a plethora of Web 3.0 platforms that developers are leveraging today. Multicoin Capital’s Lead Analyst Ryan Gentry states that the Lightning Labs⚡️(Network) is maturing into a new self-sovereign authentication and data network — with payments embedded as a first-class citizen…read more

📖 BuiltOnDAPP: DAPP Account — LiquidApps

📖 ChainSafe Building ChainBridge by Colin Schwarz

💸 NEAR, a blockchain project for running dapps, says it closed a $21.6M token sale led by Andreessen Horowitz

💸 China’s Nervos launches $5 million incubator to find killer dapp

🎟️ Upcoming Events

Join me and John Wolpert next week on May 21st as we break down a common-sense approach to using public blockchains in the enterprise along with Baseline Protocol.

🎙️ 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!

Author’s note: This article was originally posted on Medium