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The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) announced Monday that it has built an ethereum blockchain explorer. The organization  wrote in a news release that its Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) is now hosting the explorer on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) through services provided by Bitaccess, a blockchain startup. Using IPFS, it said, ensures web applications are both “unalterable and can be accessed far into the future,” regardless of whether the original host is online or not. The explorer allows users to search the ethereum blockchain for proactively published grants and contribution data, according to Bitaccess. The NRC continued: “These are early days, but NRC IRAP’s experiments with blockchain are expected to provide constructive insight into the potential for this technology and how it may be used for more open and transparent operations for public programs.” According to the post, NRC IRAP launched the Canadian government’s first l...

When Adrian Patten, co-founder of FX blockchain project Cobalt, pitches to banks these days, he chooses his words carefully. In a move that may do much to validate Gartner’s finding this week that blockchain hype cycle is entering the so-called “ trough of disillusionment ,” Patten admitted he rarely brings up the technology, choosing instead to focus on the cost savings Cobalt can bring without the benefit of some of the most popular buzzwords of the last few years. “We try not to mention blockchain or DLT too much in case it complicates matters,” he said. In Patten’s view, many financial firms have taken a “me too” approach with blockchain, exemplified by things like the herd of banks joining the R3 consortium. In addition, most are probably invested in too many proofs-of-concept, he said. “They tend to think, if everybody else is in it, they ought to be in it, just in case a board member asks them what they are doing in blockchain,” he continued. The result is that people hav...

From longer approval processes to the threat they might lose access to the European market, it’s safe to say U.K. blockchain startups are looking for contingency plans. A quick recap: in 2016, the U.K. held a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union (E.U.), with a majority of voters opting to leave the economic bloc. Since then, the government has been negotiating with E.U. officials on the terms of its exit – but recent hurdles have raised the specter of a “no-deal Brexit” that could lead to economic turbulence and uncertainty. It’s that uncertainty that has some blockchain startups sweating about their future prospects – at least in the months ahead as politicians attempt to hammer out an agreement. “Brexit is a hindrance to everything in the short term,” said Jamie McNaught, CEO and founder of Solidi Ltd, which is developing a blockchain-based payments platform that uses cryptocurrencies to facilitate money remittances. He told CoinDesk: “[It’s] because all finte...

Crypto Facilities, the U.K-based crypto futures exchange and CME Group partner, is adding a bitcoin cash product to its offerings. The firm announced Friday that it was launching the contract on its platform, which is regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority. Trading of the bitcoin cash future will begin at 4 p.m. British Standard Time (BST). The contract joins the company’s existing bitcoin , ethereum , XRP and litecoin futures contracts. Investors can take long or short positions on bitcoin cash, “allowing them to broaden investment opportunities and hedge risk more effectively,” according to the company. Crypto Facilities CEO Timo Schlaefer told CoinDesk that “bitcoin cash is a top-five cryptocurrency by market cap so it was a logical next step to add BCH to our BTC, ETH, XRP and LTC futures offering.” Schlaefer predicted that the offering would be popular with its customers, based on past interest in its other crypto futures, going on to say: “We have seen volume...

Y Combinator (YC) has just announced a new China division and its chief believes blockchain will bring long-term advantages to startups, according to a report The Silicon Valley-based seed investment firm, which has incubated notable startups including Reddit, Dropbox and crypto exchange Coinbase, officially announced its entry into the Chinese market in a blog post on Wednesday alongside news that Lu Qi – a former chief operating officer of Baidu – will be in charge of the new arm. In an interview with local media outlet 36Kr, Lu  commented  today that YC China’s main goal will be to focus on startup incubation, talent training and research and development, as well the creation of a non-profit research lab. Lu also discussed blockchain, saying he believes its core features of data encryption and digitization of trust mean it has long-term potential in business. He added that the technology is especially interesting for its provision of different types of ince...