



Introductions

A very good introduction article with great info graphics and two videos about blockchain technology, smart contracts, and why they are called “the next big thing”.





Business and Economy

Regulators want to make sure blockchain technology based applications are regulated on a global scale, and still they don’t want to restrict innovation: Regulators call for careful approach to blockchain technology solutions.

How the new altcoin C-Bit offers no real value despite its criticism of Bitcoin.

A report by US bank Citi declares blockchain to still be bleeding edge and not mature enough for robust implementations.

UK and Australia signed an agreement that eases the entry of innovative blockchain based fintech businesses in each others markets.

Obama Declares Bitcoin A National Currency.

There was a discussion last week about the topic, if bitcoin could have saved Lehman Brothers. Read this opposing view as well.





Research and Society

Refugee registration using blockchain could improve the administration process and reduce bureaucracy: Can The Blockchain Make Refugee Lives Easier?

These are the 10 new companies on the Hyperledger Project.

Fedcoin could offer a way for the Fed to move away from paper currency ... and there could be a real test of it in 2017.

Being decentralized the bitcoin ledger uses a lot of power around the world. It could soon use more energy than Denmark. Which is a problem that needs to be addressed, of course.

For scalability reasons a 4 MB block size is recommended for bitcoin.





Use Cases

Ethereum, Integration, Security: Blockchain Technology Predictions For 2016

I still can’t believe this: UN will use blockchain to regulate how much food a person is allowed buy.

The EDRC was released: the first eco-friendly decentralized crypto currency.

Stratum wants to build a Software-as-a-service platform for bitcoin developers.





Security

Maria Korolov discusses how the transparency in blockchain ledgers may be used for security implementations in "Is the blockchain good for security?".