Blockchain
Shopic-Shufersal Smart Cart Partnership Wins 2023 RETA Award for Best AI at EuroShop
Düsseldorf, Germany–(Newsfile Corp. – February 28, 2023) – Shopic, the smart grocery cart provider, and Shufersal, Israel’s largest supermarket chain, have been announced as joint winners of the “Best AI & Robotics Application” category of the RETA awards. The announcement was made yesterday at the EuroShop conference, during a ceremony produced by the prestigious EHI Institute retail trade group and the Lebensmittel Zeitung food industry publication.
Credit: Shopic
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The RETA awards are allotted to retail companies that field excellent technology projects within five categories, including best customer experience, best instore solution, best enterprise solution, best connected retail solution, and best AI and robotics application. This is the second year in a row that Shopic has won an award from RETA; in 2022, the company was recognized in the “Best Instore Solution” category.
“We are delighted to be recognized for the second year running,” said Raz Golan, Shopic’s Co-founder and CEO. “It’s a testimony to the hard work of both our own teams and our partners at Shufersal, who have enthusiastically invested in Shopic’s smart cart solution to deliver the best possible shopping experience.”
Shopic’s solution employs artificial intelligence (AI) to power computer vision algorithms that identify every item as it is placed in the grocery cart, no matter what angle it’s at, removing the need for shoppers to self-scan. Unlike other smart cart solutions, which come built in to specialty carts, Shopic offers a clip-on device that shoppers can easily attach to any standard grocery cart. This way, retailers can continue to use their existing fleet, cutting time to deployment and reducing investment in expensive infrastructure.
The screen displays cart contents and a running price total in real time, informs the shopper about relevant promotions, and enables frictionless self-service checkout. In this manner, Shopic empowers grocers to improve customer experience, to differentiate themselves from competitors with minimal risk, and to develop a new revenue channel with their own retail media offering. Shopic also provides anonymized customer data to help retail companies spot new trends, understand customer preferences, and optimize layout and inventory.
The RETA award caps a year of significant achievements for Shopic. Shufersal recently announced that it would expand its deployment of Shopic smart carts to reach at least 2,000 units by March 2023. No other smart cart provider has reported commercial-scale deployments at a comparable scale, making this a meaningful milestone for the retail tech startup.
Beyond its flourishing partnership with Shufersal, Shopic carried out new pilot deployments in major supermarket chains in North and Latin America, doubled its workforce to 80 employees, and completed a Series B funding round that raised $35 million of venture capital investments.
About Shopic
Shopic provides smart cart and store digitalization solutions to the world’s leading grocers, bringing the advantages of online commerce to their physical stores. The company’s computer vision-based clip-on device turns any regular shopping cart into a smart cart. It delivers a smooth shopping experience, instant on-cart checkout, just-in-time personalized promotions, and analytical insights from the retail floor. Founded in 2015, Shopic is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. For more information, visit Shopic.co.
Media Contact:
Dan Edelstein
[email protected]
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/155433
In an era defined by rapid innovation and regulatory shifts, today’s blockchain briefing spotlights five pivotal developments: enterprise-grade data integration, municipal crypto pilots, state-level policy hearings, AI-powered token growth, and secure communications on a public ledger. Across these stories, three key trends emerge:
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Enterprise Adoption & Data Integration
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Government Experimentation & Oversight
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AI & Security Innovations in Crypto
Below, we dissect each story’s essence, unpack its broader implications, and offer opinion-driven insight for Web3 stakeholders.
1. Space and Time Joins Forces with Microsoft Fabric
Source: Chainwire / The Defiant
On May 20, 2025, Space and Time Labs (SXT)—a zero-knowledge data platform backed by Microsoft’s M12 Ventures—announced integration of its multichain index (Bitcoin, Sui, Ethereum) into Microsoft Fabric’s OneLake environment. This partnership delivers real-time, verifiable blockchain data directly within Azure, enabling developers and enterprises to build data-driven Web3 and AI applications without custom pipelines.
Opinion: Embedding verifiable on-chain data into mainstream analytics tools marks a watershed moment. As traditional enterprises crave decentralized insights, Fabric’s native access to SXT’s ZK-proven data could accelerate blockchain analytics, foster hybrid cloud-Web3 solutions, and reduce vendor lock-in. Expect more legacy tech giants to pursue similar alliances.
2. New York City Eyes Crypto for Taxes & Records
Source: DL News
Mayor Eric Adams revealed plans to form a Digital Assets Advisory Council to explore crypto-based payments for municipal services, including taxes, birth/death certificates, and land records. While specifics remain under wraps, Adams highlighted zero-knowledge proofs as a privacy-preserving tool for public documentation on distributed ledgers.
Opinion: New York’s initiative signals growing municipal appetite for blockchain beyond investments. By potentially accepting tax payments in crypto and securing vital records on-chain, NYC could pioneer use cases that blend transparency with privacy. However, pilot programs must rigorously address volatility, regulatory compliance, and digital inclusion to avoid disenfranchising underserved communities.
3. Wyoming Committee Explores Blockchain, AI & Right-to-Repair
Source: Wyoming Public Media
During its first interim meeting (May 14–15, Jackson Hole), Wyoming’s Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation reviewed the state’s proposed Wyoming Stable Token—tethered 1:1 to USD—and examined AI governance and right-to-repair legislation. The Stable Token Commission anticipates a July 4 alpha launch, while lawmakers debated CBDC distinctions, tokenized real-world assets, and consumer repair rights.
Opinion: Wyoming continues to cement its reputation as a blockchain haven. Explicit carve-outs distinguishing stablecoins from CBDCs, coupled with regulatory sandboxes for AI and repair laws, underscore a holistic approach to innovation. Other states should monitor Wyoming’s alpha testing outcomes to inform balanced policy frameworks that nurture Web3 while safeguarding consumer interests.
4. AI Tokens Surge in Crypto’s New Tango
Source: The Economic Times
Himanshi Lohchab reports that AI-centric utility tokens—built to autonomously execute services like compute renting (Render), predictive analytics (SingularityNET), and data marketplaces (Ocean Protocol)—have seen market caps soar from $2.7 billion to nearly $30 billion within a year. Key players include Near Protocol’s AI modules, ICP, The Graph, and emerging AI agents that generate revenue per usage. Institutional interest from Grayscale, BlackRock, and Fidelity further validates the trend.
Opinion: The AI-blockchain convergence is no fleeting fad. AI tokens promise programmable revenue streams and decentralized toolchains, but they also introduce autonomous risk vectors—buggy smart contracts, accountability gaps, and regulatory ambiguity. Security audits, standardized interoperability protocols, and clear legal frameworks will be crucial to sustain investor confidence.
5. BSV Association Selects Binarii Labs for Secure Communications
Source: CoinGeek (via PRNewswire)
The BSV Association has designated Binarii Labs to implement BinariiDSM, an encrypted file exchange and messaging suite that logs proofs of record on the BSV blockchain. This integration ensures immutable audit trails, data resilience, and end-to-end confidentiality for enterprises seeking verifiable trust without centralized intermediaries.
Opinion: As data privacy regulations tighten globally, blockchain-anchored communication platforms like BinariiDSM offer a compelling alternative to legacy VPNs and secure email. By immutably recording metadata on-chain, organizations can demonstrate compliance, simplify audits, and deter insider threats. Look for BSV’s secure-messaging model to inspire similar offerings on other smart-contract platforms.
Conclusion: Navigating a Dynamic Blockchain Frontier
Today’s stories reaffirm that blockchain is no longer an experimental niche—it’s permeating analytics, public services, legislative agendas, tokenomics, and secure communications. To thrive:
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Forge Strategic Alliances: Enterprises should partner with ZK and data-fabric innovators to embed blockchain insights into their analytics stacks.
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Pilot Pragmatically: Municipalities must balance visionary crypto use cases with compliance, volatility management, and equitable access.
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Craft Balanced Policy: States can emulate Wyoming’s sandbox approach—distinguishing stablecoins from CBDCs, while addressing AI and repair rights.
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Secure the Autonomous Agent Era: As AI tokens multiply, enforce rigorous security audits and interoperability standards.
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Leverage On-Chain Trust: Consider blockchain-anchored communications for immutable audit trails and enhanced data resilience.
By embracing these actions, organizations and policymakers can harness blockchain’s transformative power while mitigating emerging risks.
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