Breitling authenticity certificates, AB InBev pilot project, and other blockchain initiatives

Blockchain technology remains one of the hottest trends among financial, governmental and commercial organisations worldwide. Information about new projects and initiatives in this field arrives daily. ForkLog offers a round-up of the most interesting recent initiatives.

Luxury watchmaker moves authenticity certificates to the Ethereum blockchain

The Swiss maker of luxury watches Breitling offered its customers digital certificates of authenticity.

The company is collaborating with the Arianee project, which uses the Ethereum blockchain. All new watches will receive a unique digital certificate — it contains the product’s serial number and the date of warranty activation.

The certificate is stored in an encrypted digital wallet. Breitling noted that the certificate is not tied to the owner’s name, email address or other personal data.

Verizon to improve transparency of corporate news and press releases with blockchain

Verizon’s ‘Full Transparency’ launches blockchain verification for news releases. Learn more about how @Verizon is leveraging public blockchain, designed to raise the bar for corporate accountability. https://t.co/Qw1JHWoDwX pic.twitter.com/kEegEYVzE9

— Verizon News (@VerizonNews) October 30, 2020

The Full Transparency programme uses the immutability of the blockchain to bolster trust in its messages. All news will be trackable on the distributed ledger and protected by cryptography.

Verizon noted that, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, nearly 60% of consumers worldwide believe the media they use is afflicted with misinformation. Accordingly, boosting trust in its communications is considered an important element of its business plan.

The Full Transparency implementation involves the blockchain projects Huge, MadNetwork and the AdLedger consortium. In the initial phase, partners will run a proof of concept.

“Blockchain has long been associated with cryptocurrency, but this is only the beginning of what it can do,” said Adam Helfgott, head of MadNetwork.

Anheuser-Busch InBev to launch pilot blockchain project in Europe to track beer supply chains

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the world’s largest beer producer, is testing in Europe a programme that uses blockchain to provide consumers with full information on a product’s supply chain. FoodBev Media reports.

AB InBev said it already works directly with around 20,000 producers in 13 countries — about 60% of its agricultural base.

The new pilot programme for Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona, Klinskoye, Siberian Crown and others is designed for the remaining 40% of farmers and enterprises linked to the company, most of whom are located in Europe.

The project will begin next year in France with Leffe-branded products. Consumers will be able, by scanning the QR code on the beer packaging, to track the product’s journey from barley cultivation to harvest.

The company believes that data collected on the blockchain will not only provide consumers with a full view of the supply chain but also aid agricultural development, for instance by increasing farmers’ yields and reducing their environmental footprint.

“Bringing together beer supply chain participants — from farmers, malting cooperatives, breweries, warehouses and carriers — on a single secure decentralised platform, we can improve traceability and collect data that will help us continue to ecologically grow the best ingredients for our beer,” said an AB InBev spokesperson.

Agribusiness giants implement pilot DLT project in Brazil

Several of the world’s largest agribusiness and trading companies have formed a joint venture, Covantis, to exchange information on a single platform using blockchain, Cointelegraph reports.

Tests were conducted in Brazil.

Participants include US-based Bunge and Cargill, French Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), Dutch Glencore Agriculture and the Chinese state-owned Cofco International.

The founders of Covantis move around 550 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds annually; in Brazil alone they conclude about 500,000 grain purchase contracts each year.

The partnership aims to standardise data, facilitate communication among participants and improve port logistics.

The Covantis founders carried out the pilot project from July to August this year at the Port of Santos with the participation of 11 companies.

According to Covantis CEO Peti Sechanov, grain deals involve dozens of intermediaries, and errors arising from information exchange by traditional methods lead to vessel delays in ports and higher costs.

Blockchain helps organise the flow of information, prevent fraud and ensure security, the project participants noted.

Further trials of the blockchain platform are planned in Argentina and the United States.

Central Bank of Azerbaijan launches BankID on IBM blockchain

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan has implemented IBM-developed digital identification system BankID based on the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain. ForkLog has been told by representatives of the company.

The system will allow individuals and legal entities to remotely open bank accounts and order bank cards. In the future they will have the ability to obtain loans and credit cards.

The use of blockchain technology is intended to improve data accuracy and minimise the risks of fraud.

It is envisaged that BankID will, in the future, be connected to other government agencies and authorised service providers across various sectors of the economy.

ForkLog also reported:

• Researchers have identified the main trends in the blockchain industry.
• Authorities in Kyrgyzstan discussed implementing blockchain in the voting system.
• The blockchain social network Commun shut down due to a lack of users.
• The French energy company joined the Tezos ecosystem.
• Research: blockchain will increase global GDP by $1.7 trillion by 2030.
• Sverdlovsk Oblast ordered a blockchain voting system for 7.2 million rubles.
• Block.one launched a package of services for enterprises to implement EOS-based blockchain solutions.

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