After months of intense attention on blockchain technology and the Ethereum blockchain, we pull together statistics from across the network to provide a snapshot of Ethereum today, its past, and its roadmap ahead.

New Zealand fintech businesses are working toward an inclusive society despite some experts saying the gap between the have and have nots is getting wider, FintechNZ general manager James Brown says.

Platforms are ecosystems that deliver seamless and meaningful experiences for the digital generation. The economic and social activities facilitated by platforms offer the ultimate in convenience, and connect participants in two-sided markets. Take Apple for example: app developers on one side and app users on the other, both working together to generate value.

Initial Coin Offering earned the reputation as a legitimate way of fundraising. In this guide, I will explain the essentials on how to pick the right ICO investments. Read on to find the guidelines.

Dec 19, 2017  -  Bitcoin: Flipping the Coin  - You must be familiar with the above quote if you’ve watched the Christian Bale movie The Big Short. Does that mean the Bitcoin is a bubble waiting to burst? Maybe. The truth is no one knows just yet. It’s difficult to assess whether something is a bubble by simply reading the news or following the market. So, let’s begin by understanding what is a Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a decentralized, digital cryptocurrency. Confused? Let’s take an example. Let’s say that you are ordering headphones from Amazon via a seller and you want…

Dec  13, 2017  -  Earlier this year, we committed to placing 55 billion XRP in a cryptographically-secured escrow account to create certainty of XRP supply at any given time. As promised, today we completed the lockup.  By securing the lion’s share of XRP in escrow, people can now mathematically verify the maximum supply that can enter the market. While Ripple has proved to be a responsible steward of XRP supply for almost five years – and has clearly demonstrated a tremendous track record of investing in and supporting the XRP ecosystem – this lockup eliminates any concern that Ripple could…

Nov 23, 2017  -  Air New Zealand is exploring the use of blockchain-based systems within its business, reinforcing its global reputation for innovation and embracing new and emerging technology.  Blockchain is being used globally to build encrypted, shared platforms, providing a secure and efficient way to track the exchange of goods or information. Air New Zealand is looking at a number of potential use cases for the distributed ledger technology including cargo and baggage tracking, retail, distribution and loyalty programme opportunities. Air New Zealand Chief Digital Officer Avi Golan says applications of blockchain are developing rapidly, and the airline is…

17 Nov 2017  - American Express business customers will be able to then to make “instant, trackable, cross-border payments” to Santander UK accounts.  American financial services giant American Express has announced that it has teamed with Ripple and Santander UK to develop a blockchain-based solution for instant business-to-business cross-border payments between the US and the UK. In a statement published today, the US revealed that Ripple’s blockchain technology had been integrated into its FX International Payments (FXIP) platform, meaning that payments made by business customers of the service will now be routed through Ripple’s enterprise blockchain network, known as RippleNet. …

14 Nov 2017  -  According to Forbes, more than $2.3 billion has been raised in token sales, aka “ICO’s” so far in 2017. As an entrepreneur who has raised more than $300 million of venture capital equity financing in my career, and whose company is holding an ICO in just a few days, I have mixed thoughts about the current ICO bubble. Like many, I’ve been enthralled by the technical elegance and enormous potential of blockchain technologies. And, one cannot help but be fascinated by the amount of capital flowing into cryptocurrencies and ICO’s. Like many, I’ve also been repulsed…

4 Nov _ As blockchain and IoT converge, the push to commercialize applications leveraging both technologies grows. The latest industry to embrace this confluence is the transportation and logistics industry. In late August, the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance (BITA) launched with 150 or so member organizations — including transportation management companies, brokers, carriers, shippers and technology vendors. BITA’s stated goal is to create standards and educate industry stakeholders about the promise of blockchain. And at last week’s Connected Fleets USA event in Atlanta, BITA co-founder Craig Fuller, CEO for TransRisk, stressed that the combination of IoT and blockchain in logistics…

The Sunday Times Business Section Cover Story today headline "Banks brace for DISRUPTION".  The accompanying article, wrtten by Rob Stock,  takes a look at the advent of "open banking", technology. This is technology  that could spell the end of the massive profits the banking giants have been raking in,he writes.  Embraced in Europe, with a former ASB banker leading the way,  here in New Zealand the banks appear to have responded with a deafening silence.     Open banking is the term used for interface systems like Revolut, which offer payments, money management and banking services, without being a bank.  Well worth…