World Mar 4, 2021
The video, by digital artist Beeple, was authenticated by blockchain, which serves as a digital signature to certify who owns it and that it is the original work.
NBA Feb 28, 2021
NBA fans and art afficionados flocking to new digital collectables
The NBA's new Top Shot platform uses blockchain technology, which powers cryptocurrency such as bitcoin, to sell fans exclusive video clips that can be traded online.
Business / Corporate Feb 25, 2020
Japanese asset manager SBI Holdings leads funding boost for Taiwanese crypto-security firm CoolBitX
Financial conglomerate SBI Holdings Inc. has led a group of investors participating in a Series B, $16.75 million funding round for CoolBitX, a Taiwanese blockchain security company offering services to help crypto-exchanges comply with more stringent international standards for the collection of user information. With ...
Business Nov 28, 2019
Cryptocurrency exchanges across China halt services amid crackdown
by Olga Kharif
China's latest crypto-crackdown is already claiming its first casualties. At least five local exchanges have halted operations or announced they will no longer serve domestic users this month, after regulators issued a series of warnings and notices as part of a cleanup of digital currency ...
Business Feb 19, 2019
Ethiopian coffee farmers are betting on blockchain to make trade fairer and boost business
On a bustling street near the shiny new international airport in Ethiopia's capital is a small coffee roastery with big dreams. Nearly 40 Ethiopians — a third of them women — sift, roast and package prized Arabica beans for export to Europe under the Moyee ...
National / Politics Sep 2, 2018
A new online voting system based on the My Number identification system and blockchain technology has been introduced in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Tsukuba, well known as a center for scientific research, is the first in the country to start using such a voting system, according ...
Business / Tech Jul 6, 2018
Tokyo blockchain conference looks to uses of technology beyond headline-grabbing cryptocurrencies
by Kantaro Komiya
The rise of cryptocurrencies has shone the spotlight on their underlying technology, which is known as the blockchain. A wide number of startups are now pitching services using the technology, which is often touted as the next major development since the internet. This trend was visible ...
Business / Corporate May 25, 2018
Bitcoin for otaku: Tokyo startup to launch cryptocurrency to serve communities
by Kazuaki Nagata
Cryptocurrencies may be making worldwide headlines as high volatility assets that have seen dazzling stretches of growth and stunning falls, but the CEO of Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc. believes they have a different kind of potential. Naomitsu Kodaka says cryptocurrencies can serve as cross-border digital ...
Business / Tech Apr 27, 2018
IBM ties up with Asahi Refining and others on blockchain tech to track jewels from mine to store
by Olga Kharif
IBM Corp., a group of four gold and diamond industry companies, and an independent laboratory are developing a blockchain network for tracing the provenance of finished pieces of jewelry from mine to store. The TrustChain Initiative, which will run on IBM's technology, includes precious-metals refiner ...
Business Mar 28, 2018
As regulators play catch-up, internet firms curbing crypto ads, fearing damage from scams
A growing number of internet companies are banning cryptocurrency advertising, fearing reputational damage if their users are duped or left penniless, even as regulators struggle to get to grips with the fast-emerging industry. Twitter on Tuesday began blocking crypto ads, becoming the latest internet giant ...
Art Mar 6, 2018
Time to welcome our robot overlords?
by John L. Tran
"Hello World — For the Post-Human Age" at Art Tower Mito looks at developments in art in the context of digital technology and artificial intelligence. It starts with a lightly comedic farce, in the form of Cecile B. Evans' 2016 multimedia installation "Sprung a ...
Business / Tech Jan 10, 2018
IBM breaks patent record with 25th straight year in top spot
IBM Corp. was once again awarded the highest number of U.S. patents in 2017, as the company pushes into blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies. IBM received 9,043 patents in 2017, breaking the record it set in 2016, the company said Tuesday. A lot of the ...