BardTech

The post Thailand is becoming a critical country for blockchain appeared first on BardTech . While United States regulators are still trying to figure out how to think about cryptocurrencies, Thailand’s government is already mapping out its own  central bank digital currency . This is just one of numerous examples how Thailand has emerged as one the most interesting cryptocurrency and blockchain countries in Southeast Asia in 2018. Since the start of the year, the Thai government has become increasingly outspoken and welcoming of cryptocurrency projects and exchanges. In just a few months, Thai regulators have made notable progress, from setting up cryptocurrency company licenses to permitting exchanges and ICOs. More importantly, the country has attracted foreign companies by providing clear and explicit guidelines for foreign blockchain companies to operate. It’s a pattern that we are seeing across Southeast Asia, and one that blockchain and cryptocurrency startup ...

The post Xage security automation tool could protect power grid from hackers appeared first on BardTech . Xage , the company that wants to help make infrastructure more secure using the blockchain, announced a new policy manager tool to help protect utilities and other critical infrastructure from hackers and automate regulatory compliance. Xage CEO Duncan Greatwood says the product is partly to fill in a need in the product portfolio, but also is designed to help customers comply with a new wave of regulations coming out of the Department of Homeland Security designed to protect the electricity grid from hacking, particularly from a hostile nation-state. Greatwood says the government previously was only worried about the core network assets, but over time, it has become clear that hackers have been looking to attack technology on the edge of the utilities network like substations and local control centers, even as granular as sensors and voltage controllers. The New York Times r...

The post World Bank launches first bond instrument built on a blockchain with the Australian Bank appeared first on BardTech . The World Bank has launched the first bond on a blockchain with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The A$110 million ($87 million) bond-i (blockchain operated new debt instrument) — so named, I’m assuming, because of Australia’s famed Bondi Beach (bankers have the funnies!) — is the first bond to be created, allocated, transferred and managed using distributed ledger technology. The investment is one small step for Australian finance and one giant leap for blockchains in the world (or not). Investors in the blockchain bond include CBA, First State Super, NSW Treasury Corporation, Northern Trust, QBE, SAFA and Treasury Corporation of Victoria. It’s a smorgasbord of Australian state financial institutions and makes a ton of sense, because the Australian fintech community is one that’s strong, and blockchain is something that these institutions are definit...

The post Binance launches an incubator program to develop early stage blockchain startups appeared first on BardTech . Who needs VCs? The largest companies in the crypto world are continuing to build the ecosystem through aggressive investments of their own, as I forecasted at the start of this year. Binance , the world’s largest exchange, is the latest example. The company is marching beyond  a gargantuan $1 billion fund  it unveiled earlier this year after it  announced an incubator program  that’s focused on nurturing early-stage blockchain startups. The  Binance Labs Incubation Program was teased back in June when the company announced its fund, but now the company has taken off the wraps and provided more details — the venture is very aggressive. The program will take on around 8-10 companies per batch for a 10-week period, Binance Labs CEO Ella Zhang told TechCrunch in an interview, adding that the target is to hold one program per quarter. That ...