Blockchain in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and other initiatives using technology

Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies have attracted increased attention in recent years, andthe solutions created on their basis already solve practical problems. The most interesting recent initiatives are in the traditional ForkLog review.

In Spain, they are working on a blockchain application to combat COVID-19

</p>

Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence May Becomeone of the arsenals in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. At least, Spanish researchers are hoping for this, developing an application for forecasting the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and managing quarantine measures.

The initiative is supported by the Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca, the University of Salamanca and the Research Institute of Artificial Intelligence.

The application will use blockchain tostoring and checking digital identifiers and permissions for individuals to perform certain tasks, such as traveling to work or visiting a supermarket during quarantine. Each person will be assigned a certificate recorded in the blockchain, and a private key to verify identity.

To predict future behavior of COVID-19It uses the Deep Intelligence AI platform, which summarizes information from news agencies and scientific journals with health data, and shares its analysis with officials and medical professionals. An application can provide specific instructions for individuals and companies on how to minimize the spread of the virus.

Application development is currently underway.at the stage of proof of concept. Researchers hope that their work will help to better understand the development of future pandemics and organize a more effective fight against them.

AirAsia Launches Air Freight Blockchain Network

Teleport, Logistics DivisionAirAsia, announced the launch of Freightchain, the world's first digital blockchain-based digital air freight chain. Now, the shipper or forwarder can instantly book and confirm any of 247 AirAsia aircraft to transport goods through the cargo chain without the need to use traditional sales channels or e-mail distribution.

Freightchain will help shippers and theirForwarders discover all available airline freight network connections for their supply chain needs. In addition, the platform facilitates real-time on-demand reservations through applications submitted and verified on the blockchain.

As noted in the message, air cargo hasof tremendous importance during this unprecedented period of the global fight against COVID-19, supporting the global supply chain of vital medical supplies and equipment.

SBI Holdings leverages R3 Corda forex trading solution

Japanese financial holding SBI Holdings launcheduse the infrastructure of the R3 consortium to facilitate Forex (FX) trading. In particular, the Corda distributed registry is used to exchange transaction histories between traders.

According to the company, this will reduce the risks associated withhuman factor and, accordingly, reduce costs. In addition, the technology guarantees the identity of transaction data between the parties and increases reliability, while real-time information transfer ensures uninterrupted data communication with the back office.

The R3 Corda solution will be applied by the SBI Securities and SBI Liquidity Market divisions. In the future, the company plans to expand its use to counterparties outside the group.

Ant Financial has launched a blockchain platform for small and medium-sized businesses

Fintech Chinese Technology Divisionthe giant Alibaba Group, Ant Financial announced the launch of an enterprise platform on the OpenChain blockchain. It will help small and medium-sized businesses implement applications on the blockchain.

The platform will support the ability to implement solutions on the blockchain in financing supply chains, tracking the origin of products, digital accounts and charitable donations.

OpenChain testing began in 2019, and sheWhiteMatrix, an enterprise blockchain application development service provider, is already using it. Representatives of the company noted that the OpenChain transaction speed is several times higher than that of public blockchains, for example, Ethereum, and the transaction price is ten times lower than in similar solutions.

Also this week we wrote:

• The Chinese government has set up a special committee tasked with developing national standards for blockchain technology and distributed ledger technology (DLT).
• On April 25, the State Information Center of the PRC will officially launch the Infrastructure Blockchain Platform (BSN), designed to simplify and reduce the cost of business deployment of DLT applications.
• The State Duma of the Russian Federation supported the extension of the experiment with remote voting on the basis of the blockchain in Moscow at elections of all levels, despite the previously identified problems of the system.