The National Science Foundation has awarded SimplyVitalHealth Inc. a grant to further develop its blockchain protocol, Nexus, which seeks to "decrease healthcare costs by enabling data access through blockchain." According to a press release, Nexus is compatible with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
In supply chain news, KT, a South Korean telecommunications company, is working with the Korea Muslim Federation and B-square Lab to develop a blockchain-based platform that authenticates halal food. KT intends to transform a largely paper-based process by issuing blockchain-based certificates and utilizing unique QR codes to track products. In another development that would transform the chocolate supply chain, Dutch NGO FairChain Foundation is working with the United Nations to insert a code inside wrappers for The Other Bar chocolate. Consumers scan the code to donate a blockchain-based token to the farmer who produced the cocoa and to receive discounts on future chocolate bar purchases. Reports state that many cocoa farmers currently do not earn a living wage, despite chocolate production being a €92 billion industry.
An Asian news outlet reported this week that the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative, a consortium of international automobile manufacturers, will soon begin testing a blockchain-based system that assigns digital IDs to automobiles, enabling the collection of data throughout the lifetime of a vehicle. According to reports, among other features the system would enable automatic payment of parking fees and highway tolls.
This week, the largest theater operator on Broadway announced a pilot with startup True Tickets. Starting next year, the pilot will leverage the True Tickets' blockchain-based mobile ticketing platform to reduce fraud in the secondary market for theater tickets. In other news, a multinational professional services firm launched a blockchain-enabled solution for governments that tracks and improves processes for financial management of public funds. The City of Toronto has already piloted the platform to test how it can improve reconciliations and interdivisional fund transfers by increasing transparency and efficiency.
Finally, yesterday, Canadian multinational media conglomerate and smart contract startup OpenLaw announced a proof-of-concept to test how the Canadian firm's flagship document automation product, Contract Express, can integrate with OpenLaw and the Ethereum blockchain. According to reports, Contract Express can be used to input the initial data for the agreements, and then OpenLaw can hash certain data points on the Ethereum blockchain. As a result, users could configure smart contracts to preprogram how certain tokens should be sent among parties.
For more information, please refer to the following links:
- Thomson Reuters Links With OpenLaw For 'Smart Contract Express' Project
- SimplyVital Health, Inc. Awarded Competitive Grant from the National Science Foundation for its HIPAA Compatible Blockchain Protocol
- KT to apply blockchain for halal food authentication
- CHOCOLATE BLOCKCHAIN PROGRAMME SUPPORTS COCOA FARMERS
- It's not 'Bitcoin the Musical,' but blockchain technology is coming to Broadway
- Blockchain turns cars into payment vehicle for drivers: Honda, BMW and others help develop automobile ID system set for US trials next month
- EY launches public finance management blockchain solution to improve efficiency and transparency in governments
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