Beefed up
Blockchain innovation was front and centre at Beef Australia 2021. A new blockchain-backed form of product labelling enables farm to plate traceability of beef products. The solution, called KPMG Origins – Trusted Beef Traceability, is the result of collaboration between Argyle Foods Group, Meat & Livestock Australia and KPMG.
International buyers of Australian premium beef are asking for verification about the quality origins of the products they are receiving. The user-friendly lets customers view key information around the breeding property, conditions on the farm, meat processing practices, and IoT (Internet of Things) temperature tracking – all by scanning a label.
Malaysian delivery app Bungkusit banks on blockchain
Malaysia’s fourth-largest delivery app, Bungkusit, has adopted blockchain technology to resolve disputes, boost customer transparency and increase the platform’s security.
The app wants to deliver high-value items such as important documents or luxury goods on behalf of their merchants. To do this, they are utilising a simple blockchain solution that took no more than a month to implement.
The solution generates a QR code upon delivery of an item, the customer scans it to acknowledge they have received it and the transaction is then recorded on the blockchain. The QR code holds information such as order details, a photo of the items, and collection and drop-off locations. The solution has added benefits of securing merchant credibility, avoiding disputes, and enabling contactless delivery which is ideal while COVID-19 is still an issue.
The crypto community remembers Hal Finney’s contributions to blockchain
Hal Finney was a computer scientist and a bitcoin pioneer. This past Tuesday would have been Finney’s 65th birthday but he sadly passed away from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in 2014.
Finney was one of the first people to respond to bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto on the cypherpunks mailing list. In a post he wrote on bitcointalk.org, Finney downplayed his role in the development of bitcoin and described the skepticism Nakamoto received upon announcing the cryptocurrency for the first time:
“I’ve noticed that cryptographic graybeards (I was in my mid 50’s) tend to get cynical. I was more idealistic; I have always loved crypto, the mystery and the paradox of it”.
Hal Finney
Finney was the first person (other than Satoshi) to mine bitcoins and was the first to receive a bitcoin transaction when Nakamoto sent him ten coins as a test – worth $738,534 AUD today. The two kept in contact over email, with Finney reporting bugs and giving feedback to Nakamoto.
While it has been more than decade since Finney received the first bitcoin transaction, his impact on the advancement of crypto is still felt today.