Category Archives: Uncategorized

xxx There is an argument to be made as to how blockchain-based solutions should not have patents attached to them From R3 Consortium Files Patent Application For Concord Platform – The Merkle Just as well it’s not a blockchain then.

xxx One of the underrated achievements of the modern world has been to develop ways to extend the circle of trust by depersonalising it. From Tim Harford — Article — The meaning of trust in the age of Airbnb xxx

snippet Starting this summer, the government will test a system in which foreign tourists will be able to verify their identities and buy things at stores using only their fingerprints. The government hopes to increase the number of foreign tourists by using the system to prevent crime and relieve users from the necessity of carryingContinue reading “Fingerprints to be tested as ‘currency’ – The Japan News”

xxx “When property rights are transferred to very poor people, preserving legal tenure will likely entail onerous expenses in the form of attorney and public notary fees, and courts costs. In addition, these charges are higher in relative terms in very unequal societies where the gap between the poor and the relatively well-off is wider.”Continue reading “How useful is it to formalize land titles? – Marginal REVOLUTION”

xxx According to research from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and KPMG, the social costs of this heavy reliance on cash and cheques is around 0.5% of GDP, or S$2 billion a year. From Singapore makes cashless payments push xxx

xxx Kenyans are borrowing between 25 and 30 million daily through the mobile-based KCB-Mpesa credit line, Safaricom and Kenya Commercial Bank have said. The two firms, which jointly operate the savings and micro-credit platform, said the total loans advanced so far since the launch of the service in March 2015 was Sh10.3 billion. Total savingsContinue reading “KCB-MPesa loans hit over Sh25 million daily | The Star, Kenya”

xxx Just because someone tells you something with a lot of confidence and detail and emotion, it doesn’t mean it actually happened. From What Experts Wish You Knew about False Memories – Scientific American Blog Network xxx

xxx It was almost inevitable that taking away two key adjustment mechanisms, the interest and exchange rates, without putting anything else in their place, would make macro adjustment difficult. From A split euro is the solution for Europe’s single currency – FT.com xxx xxx It is important that there can be a smooth transition outContinue reading “A split euro is the solution for Europe’s single currency – FT.com”

xxx Announced today, a group of international bitcoin companies have signed a letter of intent to form a federation that would find them supporting and contributing to the development of a smart contracts platform that would utilize the bitcoin blockchain. Unveiled today, the RSK Federation is built around the RSK smart contract network created byContinue reading “Bitcoin Smart Contract ‘Federation’ to Launch With 25 Startups – CoinDesk”

xxx Commissioner Chris Giancarlo of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said he doesn’t personally have a view on the open or closed evolution of blockchain. As a regulating body, the CFTC would seek to be a participant on the blockchain with a node that would allow it to see all transactions whether they’re closed orContinue reading “Banks’ Privacy Concerns Shaping Blockchain Vendors’ Strategies | American Banker”