Blockchain Experiments in Trade Finance and IoT

Distributed ledgers offer advantages for capital markets by providing a single record of transactions maintained across multiple nodes, avoiding political battles over control. They could help reconcile complex transactions recorded across old, fragile software systems in bank back offices. A distributed ledger maintained between different financial players could more easily track a swap sold and resold between custodians than traditional systems. Potential use cases involve a lack of central authority, robust regulatory needs, and transactional processes followable as smart contracts. Examples include repo agreements, FX settlement, and trade reconciliations.

This document provides an overview of blockchain technologies and how IBM can help businesses apply blockchain. It defines key blockchain concepts like shared ledgers, smart contracts, consensus, and privacy. It also discusses example use cases for blockchain like supply chain management, financial transactions, and regulatory compliance. The document outlines IBM's engagement model for helping customers explore blockchain, build proofs of concept, and scale blockchain applications. It positions IBM as supporting the open source Hyperledger project and providing tools and services to make blockchain adoption easier for businesses.

Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System Satoshi Nakamoto satoshin@gmx.com www.bitcoin.org Abstract. A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution. Digital signatures provide part of the solution, but the main benefits are lost if a trusted third party is still required to prevent double-spending. We propose a solution to the double-spending problem using a peer-to-peer network. The network timestamps transactions by hashing them into an ongoing chain of hash-based proof-of-work, forming a record that cannot be changed without redoing the proof-of-work. The longest chain not only serves as proof of the sequence of events witnessed, but proof that it came from the largest pool of CPU power. As long as a majority of CPU power is controlled by nodes that are not cooperating to attack the network, they'll generate the longest chain and outpace attackers. The network itself requires minimal structure. Messages are broadcast on a best effort basis, and nodes can leave and rejoin the network at will, accepting the longest proof-of-work chain as proof of what happened while they were gone.

This document provides an agenda and overview of IBM Bluemix and Cloud Foundry. The agenda includes introductions to Platform as a Service (PaaS), Cloud Foundry, exploring the Bluemix console, and creating and updating an app. It then discusses the history and models of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and PaaS, the architecture and benefits of Cloud Foundry, and how to use the Bluemix console to create an app from the catalog and edit code locally.

Blockchain technologies can enable trusted transactions by providing a distributed digital ledger of transactions and asset transfers. The document discusses several use cases of blockchain including enabling global payments, improving supply chain visibility and traceability, facilitating trade finance and private equity administration, and addressing challenges in renewable energy flexibility and aircraft maintenance records. Blockchain allows for near real-time sharing of information across organizations on a secure immutable platform.

Organizations ranging from small start-ups to major global banks and government agencies are already investing in Blockchain technology, is your organization thinking about it? See our point of view on Blockchain, please reach out to me to discuss further (karnan.ariaratnam@ca.pwc.com)

Blockchain is a shared, replicated ledger technology that can open up business networks by reducing costs, improving efficiencies, and increasing accessibility. It addresses challenges across industries by providing a shared system of record for transactions. The Linux Foundation's Hyperledger project is developing open-source, shared ledger technology standards through collaboration. The blockchain landscape includes identity management, platforms, security, payments, smart contracts, consulting services, industry consortiums, and applications in sectors like finance, supply chain, and government.

High level introduction to Blockchain and IBM's offerings presented to the Capital Area Technology Association on 4/18/18.

Blockchain technology allows strangers on the internet to agree on transactions without a central authority through the use of distributed ledgers, consensus algorithms, and cryptography. The Hyperledger project is developing open source blockchain frameworks and tools for businesses to create applications on permissioned blockchains. An example application tracks pork products in a supply chain using smart contracts on Hyperledger Fabric to provide transparency into where products come from.