Global Blockchain News Bulletin - May Roundup

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges the use of Blockchain and AI for agriculture

India is one of the largest producers of agricultural commodities in the world, with nearly 18% of the nation’s GDP attributable to the agricultural sector. The Indian agricultural sector suffers a huge blow every year due to distorted supply chain processes and outdated equipment. With the support of the Prime Minister, fourth industrial revolution technologies such as Blockchain and AI will promise a brighter future for Indian farmers. – Inc42

• Indian-Based Blockchain Startup raises US$ 1 Million from Accel Partners

The hype around blockchain is certainly not going to die anytime soon as the demand for the almost incorruptible platform seems to be soaring. Among the numerous blockchain startups that are on the rise, Streamsource is one such company that helps lenders use customer data without compromising its security. Entrepreneur India

• Indian IT giant Wipro is helping Thai companies implement Blockchain

Project Inthanon launched by the Bank of Thailand aims to provide a system that will allow banks to form an interbank network that will facilitate payment settlements using the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Phase 2 of the project will involve New York-based blockchain software company R3, eight commercial banks in Thailand and Bengaluru-based IT firm Wipro. – Business Standard

• Airtel awards a multi-million-dollar contract to US technology giant IBM to deploy blockchain

India global telecommunications service company Bharti Airtel will deploy the world’s first ‘Multi-Cloud Telecom Blockchain network’. The multi-million dollar contract has been awarded to international tech giant IBM to set up a “Shared Ledger Technology (SLT)” based pan-India business network for Airtel to safeguard its 284 million subscribers from unscrupulous and pesky calls and messages. ETTelecom.com

• Telangana on course to become the blockchain capital of India

Telangana has set the bar high for other Indian states when it comes to blockchain leadership. The Government of Telangana has announced a new draft policy that will spell out regulatory and policy support to blockchain startups in Hyderabad. The blockchain draft policy will include a 25% subsidy on lease rentals up to ₹ 5 Lakhs for blockchain startups. Other Indian states that are actively promoting blockchain technology are Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. – Inc42.

• Blockchain technology for Indian Farmers

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Eleven01 and KHETHINEXT have entered into a three-way partnership to provide a transparent marketplace to smallholder farmers in India. The initiative will aim to assist farmers in accessing agricultural-based market intelligence to boost the productivity and income of smallholder farmers in India. – Down To Earth

• World’s Largest Ocean carriers to join TradeLens

TradeLens – An open digital shipping platform that will enable global traders to access shipping data for the supply chain ecosystem. The blockchain-based digital shipping platform which was jointly developed by IBM and Maersk will now on-board two major marine cargo carriers, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and CMA-CGM on the platform along with other carriers. According to IBM, the combined partnership will account for nearly half of the world’s ocean container cargo data. – Coindesk

• Singapore: Educational certificates to now be validated on the blockchain

Students from educational institutes in Singapore can now upload their certificates in digital form on the blockchain. The Singapore Govt. led initiative ‘OpenCerts’ plans to eradicate the use of paper certificates and make the process more flexible for employers to validate the qualifications of potential job candidates via the blockchain. – Tech in Asia

• R3’s Corda blockchain platform to support cross border payments for credit unions

Following the recent collaboration with Wipro, the Bank of Thailand and eight other commercial banks in Thailand for Project Inthanon, R3 has expanded its partnership with Denver-based credit union, CULedger to provide a blockchain platform that will fortify cross border payments for credit unions. The synergy will aim to protect the credit unions from the risks of fraud and cybersecurity. – IBS Intelligence

• New Zealand Blockchain Group to Request Government Blockchain Strategy

While countries around the world are developing their own blockchain adoption strategy, New Zealand is also in the race for blockchain democratization. New Zealand-based blockchain industry group BlockchainNZ will request a national strategy for blockchain from the New Zealand government. Blockchain NZ’s experts will work together to give a presentation to the New Zealand Parliament to highlight the financial and economic benefits of blockchain. – Cointelegraph

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