Mark Jones, Author at The Block

Accenture develops ‘game-changing’ solution to blockchain interoperability

Management consulting and professional services firm Accenture has developed a ‘game-changing’ solution that allows communication between multiple blockchain platforms. According to the group, a prototype has shown it possible for various platforms, such as Bitcoin, Hyperledger Fabric, R3 Corda and Quorum, to be securely integrated with one another. That could solve long-held interoperability problems between a growing number of platforms, regarded as a “critical challenge” to...

24 October 2018 | Blockchain

HTC launches blockchain-based Exodus 1 phone for crypto buyers only

Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC has launched its (long-awaited?) blockchain-based smartphone, Exodus 1, today (October 23). However, at present, it’s only available to pre-order using cryptocurrency. According to CNBC, the handset can be ordered at a current price of 0.15 bitcoins or 4.78 ether tokens, or about $960 (£739), and is expected to ship in December. Security and privacy are core features of the new device; it features HTC’s own Zion cryptocurrency wallet, serving as a...

23 October 2018 | Cryptocurrency

China Cyberspace Administration tees up to make blockchain censor-ready

China’s Cyberspace Administration, the main agency enforcing its hard line on censorship, has laid out plans to regulate blockchain companies operating in the country. As reported by South China Morning Post (SCMP), under the proposed new rules users of blockchain services would be required to register their real name and national identification card numbers. Blockchain information service providers themselves would be required to censor content deemed a threat to national security, and...

22 October 2018 | Blockchain

US jobs in crypto and blockchain are booming amid long-term market confidence

Despite a bearish and ever-volatile market, cryptocurrency and blockchain jobs are in healthy supply, according to a report by Glassdoor Economic Research. In fact, the number of vacancies relating to the crypto sector has risen by 300 percent in the US since the same time in 2017, Glassdoor stating that continued growth in employment represents confidence among employers who are willing to make “long-term investments” in their teams. That increase amounts to 1775 blockchain-related...

19 October 2018 | Bitcoin

G4S now offers vault security for the ‘wild west’ crypto market

Guarding everything from cash transfers to prisons, it was a matter of time before international security giant G4S flexed its muscles in cryptocurrency. Yesterday (October 17) the security firm announced it now offers high-security offline digital currency storage - a result of demand from clients including an unnamed European cryptocurrency exchange itself. The company cited exchanges’ “unique requirements” to other financial markets and the cryptocurrency trading’s...

18 October 2018 | Cryptocurrency

Apple’s Steve Wozniak has co-founded a blockchain-powered VC firm

Apple’s Steve Wozniak has been announced co-founder of EQUI Global, a blockchain-powered venture capital firm focused on technology, confirming earlier murmurings of his involvement with a blockchain project. Founded by ‘billionaire’ businessman and investor Doug Barrowman alongside entrepreneur Baroness Michelle Mone OBE, EQUI Global plans to focus on non-institutional investments with ambitions to “disrupt” the venture capital industry. According to a press release, the...

16 October 2018 | Funding

Crypto regulations in UK could be two years off, says top law firm

For better or worse, wide-scale cryptocurrency and blockchain adoption, particularly buy-in from corporate investors, will come down to regulation. If words from leading law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) UK are to be believed, here in the UK we might be waiting some time. One of the firm’s legal directors, James Kaufmann said that it could take two years for cryptocurrency regulations to be introduced, with estimates based on a “best case scenario” where the House of Commons...

15 October 2018 | Cryptocurrency

India’s government could be working on its own cryptocurrency

The Indian government is rumoured to be exploring the creation of its own digital currency, despite having taken a hardline stance on cryptocurrency-related activity in recent months. As reported by Quartz India, senior government officials from the country’s finance ministry met at a private panel, and quotes obtained from the meeting suggest a cryptocurrency could be on the agenda. “We are evaluating the government-backed cryptocurrency and crypto-token,” said one of the panel...

12 October 2018 | Cryptocurrency

$1bn in crypto lost to hackers this year, exchanges facilitate $2.5bn in laundering

As part of a report that serves as a stark reminder of how the cryptocurrency market is still mired in criminal practices, in more ways than one, cybersecurity firm CipherTrace estimates that the theft of digital currencies through the hacking of exchanges and trading platforms in 2018 amounts to $927m. Just three-quarters of the way through the year, that figure represents a 250% increase on that of 2017. While here at The Block we’ve endeavored to keep track of the larger and more...

11 October 2018 | Cryptocurrency

Asian messaging app Kakao tests UX-focused dApp creator for ‘mass users’

One of Asia’s biggest messaging platforms, South Korean-based Kakao wants to speed up the mass adoption of distributed ledger technology (DLT) by focusing on user experience (UX) accessible to the average end user. A product of its blockchain subsidiary GroundX, the company has announced the testnet of Klaytn, a solution for the creation of decentralised applications (dApps) which will launch in mainnet in the first quarter of next year, pending initial trials. “Klaytn UX seeks to...