Blockchain
Healthcare Payments Innovator MAPay Tackles Inefficiencies in Global Healthcare Transactions
Reading Time: 4 minutes
MAPay, LLC, a global healthcare technology firm, has deployed a transformational healthcare payment network with an expanding customer base, positive patenting positions, increasing revenues, and multiple industry stakeholder acceptance. The company utilizes distributed ledger technology to power smart contracts to transact secure medical solutions on the MAPay network. MAPay utilizes a hybrid architecture of both centralized and decentralized protocols for multi-party medical payments and HIPAA-compliant data exchange.
MAPay is poised to expand its payment network first built for the U.S., which spends $3.3 trillion annually on healthcare, with consumer out-of-pocket payments exceeding $515 billion, to capture the worldwide sectoral expenditure of $8.7 trillion. The company projects to have more than $11 billion in transactions processed through the network, with revenues of $471 million by 2021. The company derives revenues from both an enterprise B2B solution set, as well as its consumer-facing MEDspedia portal.
Based in New Jersey, MAPay is led by founder and CEO Michael Dershem; a.k.a. “Dersh,” a seasoned business entrepreneur who brings an extensive history in the healthcare industry that includes both executive-level roles and ownership of companies. While serving as founding CEO of Pharmasset, an Emory University start-up, he successfully raised more than $25 million in private equity funding and executed $30 million research and development agreements with Big Pharma. Pharmasset subsequently went public and was acquired by Gilead Sciences for $11 billion.
MAPay’s core business is its healthcare payments solution, which can reduce healthcare transaction costs by as much as 50 percent, while increasing transaction transparency, payment completion rates, and collecting proprietary data. MAPay has a unique patient-centric path to interoperability by way of its payment transaction engine and the trust it builds within its community.
“If healthcare providers and the legacy intermediaries who are running transactions were transparent, people would riot,” says Dershem. “There is a massive, expressed need in the market for increased interoperability via transparency within the medical encounter. That being said, MAPay offers unique, distinct, value propositions to all of the stakeholders in the healthcare industry. This is what’s leading to the momentum of our adoption.”
“An opportunity exists to eliminate a major portion of the claim processing and transaction costs associated with our own employees receiving care at our owned system network providers. Working with MAPay, we are hoping to create a payment network to streamline processing for our provider to our health system transactions, thereby reducing the historical network access and claims adjudication expense of operating the Plan by at least 20 percent while providing real-time transaction visibility,” says Michael Young, the CEO of Temple University Health System.
Moreover, the future promise of healthcare depends on the availability and sharing of patient data. Because of business and technology reasons, however, this data remains stuck in silos. Conventional approaches to aggregating healthcare information for impact in research and population health management have been plagued with the business, structural and regulatory conflicts of obtaining and using data. If this data could be accessed and used by a broader community, it could provide price transparency, anonymized data for research and cures, and limit societal medical costs related to fraud and abuse.
As Dershem stated in a recent interview with Becker’s Hospital Review, a pragmatic approach to how blockchain could affect the future of payment transactions in the healthcare industry, “…is to build hybrid architectures that use legacy database structures with introduction of distributed ledger technologies. This provides a platform where blockchain technologies can be tested and trusted.”
With the rise of new technology, MAPay’s mission is to place healthcare records on its permissionable multi-node blockchain for secure patient-driven use, as well as utilizing this information to impact population health management. For the first time, patients will be able to authenticate themselves into the healthcare ecosystem, not the other way around.
Despite the fact that interoperability between these has existed in the industry since the advent of the Commodore computer, until now, these records have been hard-siloed off into institutional and/or business structures that did not communicate with one another. In addition, patients are often granted little or zero access to their own medical records.
“This is no longer a technology issue but rather, a business and regulatory issue. Our doctrine on blockchain driven by the patient may be the answer to getting to the trends shaping the discussion of population health management, dynamic diagnosing as well as fraud and abuse,” says Dershem.
“MAPay has a proprietary technique to aggregate financial, clinical and contextual data through an individual patient-provisioned methodology. I’ve yet to see anything as transformational as what Dersh and his team have created. Physicians and other healthcare providers will have access to information never before available to drive more customized and effective interventions to treat patients leading to better population health and outcomes,” says Jenny A. Witthoff, VMD MS, a global health researcher and adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
MAPay has already gained plaudits and recognition for its novel payment technology. The firm is working in collaboration with leading organizations focused on interoperability; has been in discussions with several major US hospital systems for onboarding; and has been in conversations with multiple practice management systems. The company is poised to announce global partnerships with two top-tier technology services and consulting firms, as well as a full-scale international deployment on a countrywide basis of its platform. This will be the first of its kind for any fintech firm in the world.
“If we can reduce global healthcare transactions cost by even 10 percent, that would free up nearly $1 trillion dollars,” Dershem said at the recent HealthFurther conference in Nashville. That would go a long way to providing vaccines in developing geographic regions, access to care in urban health deserts, and orphan drug research. Not a bad day after all.”
SOURCE MAPay, LLC
Blockchain
Bitget Blockchain4Youth sostiene l’innovazione del Web3 e dell’IA all’hackathon “Build with AI” di Google Developer Group
Bitget, società Web3 e uno dei principali exchange di criptovalute, ha ottenuto un riscontro significativo in occasione del recente hackathon “Build with AI”, tenutosi dal 2 al 5 maggio 2025 presso la Constructor University. Spingendosi oltre la semplice sponsorizzazione, l’iniziativa Blockchain4Youth di Bitget ha coinvolto attivamente più di 130 studenti di talento.
L’evento, organizzato dai Google Developer Groups (GDG) on Campus, ha offerto a Bitget uno spazio dinamico per entrare in contatto diretto con gli innovatori tecnologici di nuova generazione. Nel corso di una presentazione dedicata, è stato introdotto il programma Blockchain4Youth Builder, che mostra l’impegno di Bitget nel formare giovani talenti all’interno dello spazio del Web3. Questa partecipazione evidenzia l’approccio lungimirante di Bitget nell’integrare la formazione in materia di blockchain con i settori emergenti come l’IA, riconoscendo il loro potenziale combinato.
Gli studenti hanno lavorato alla creazione di modelli basati sull’IA e di prodotti in fase iniziale utilizzando gli strumenti avanzati di Google, mentre la presenza di Bitget ha offerto una prospettiva unica su come la blockchain possa migliorare ed essere integrata nelle soluzioni di IA. Questa interazione con il mondo reale ha fornito preziose indicazioni agli studenti, colmando il gap tra conoscenze teoriche e applicazione pratica all’interno del panorama tecnologico in rapida evoluzione.
“La formazione rimane un principio fondamentale della nostra missione e, attraverso iniziative come Blockchain4Youth, intendiamo fornire alle nuove generazioni le competenze necessarie non solo per esplorare, ma anche per plasmare attivamente questo settore dinamico”, ha commentato Vugar Usi Zade, COO di Bitget. “Collaborare con comunità come il Google Developer Group offre una base preziosa per connettersi con talenti di spicco e aiutarli nel percorso di utilizzo della blockchain per creare soluzioni di impatto. Blockchain4Youth continuerà a espandere la sua portata, favorendo la crescita dei futuri leader del Web3 in grado di cogliere le numerose opportunità offerte da questa tecnologia”.
Il coinvolgimento mostrato all’hackathon “Build with AI” di GDG è un elemento chiave del più ampio programma Blockchain4Youth di Bitget, l’iniziativa aziendale dedicata alla Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa (RSI). Questo programma mira a favorire la prossima generazione di leader Web3 attraverso opportunità formative ed esperienze pratiche.
Tra le iniziative più recenti del programma Blockchain4Youth c’è il lancio del Graduate Program di Bitget, concepito per reclutare i migliori laureati nel settore blockchain e Web3. Inoltre, l’espansione del programma Bitget Builders continua a fornire agli individui più promettenti del Web3 un’esperienza diretta attraverso gli eventi offline, i programmi formativi e la crescita strategica della community.
A proposito di Bitget
Fondata nel 2018, Bitget è una società Web3 tra i principali exchange di criptovalute al mondo. Con oltre 100 milioni di utenti in più di 150 Paesi e aree geografiche, l’exchange Bitget si impegna ad aiutare gli utenti a fare trading in modo più smart con la sua pionieristica funzione di copy trading e altre soluzioni di trading.
The post Bitget Blockchain4Youth sostiene l’innovazione del Web3 e dell’IA all’hackathon “Build with AI” di Google Developer Group appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
Blockchain
India’s Fintech Market to Reach $990 Billion by 2032 at 30.2% CAGR – Fintech Firms Eye Untapped Indian Digital Payments Market with Secure, Low-Cost Digital Financial Solutions
Blockchain
Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 9, 2025 | Robinhood, Solana, Tether, China, Women in Web3
Today’s blockchain landscape pulses with innovation, expansion and strategic jockeying. From established trading platforms laying the groundwork for international tokenized US asset markets to fresh efforts empowering women in Web3, the industry is evolving at frantic pace. Solana-based tokenization pathways, China’s state-driven blockchain masterplan and Tether’s push onto new Layer-1 rails further underscore diversification. In this daily op-ed, we unpack five major developments—examining what they mean for DeFi growth, NFT marketplaces, regulatory contours and the ongoing quest for greater inclusivity in crypto.
1. Robinhood’s European Blockchain Trading Ambitions
News Summary
Robinhood Markets Inc. is reportedly constructing its own blockchain infrastructure to facilitate trading of U.S. equities and other assets in European markets. Insiders suggest the project seeks to leverage distributed-ledger technology for settlement efficiency, near-real-time clearing and reduced reliance on legacy central counterparties. The move signals Robinhood’s ambition to transcend its domestic brokerage roots and capture European retail and institutional order flow.
Key Details
-
Infrastructure Build: A private, permissioned ledger governed by Robinhood and selected counterparties.
-
Asset Scope: U.S. equities, ETFs and potentially tokenized debt instruments.
-
Regulatory Interface: Engagements with the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to align on custody and market-making rules.
-
Timeline: Internal pilots slated for Q4 2025, with public rollout in mid-2026.
Analysis & Opinion
Robinhood’s pivot underscores a broader industry trend: exchanges and brokerages striving to “own the rails” rather than simply interface with existing clearinghouses. By internalizing settlement on a bespoke blockchain, Robinhood hopes to slash settlement times from T+2 to near-instant, a boon for liquidity providers and high-frequency traders. However, risks include the complexity of cross-border regulatory compliance and the operational challenge of maintaining robust on-chain and off-chain reconciliations.
From a DeFi convergence standpoint, Robinhood’s ledger could bridge traditional and decentralized finance, enabling tokenized margin lending and programmable corporate actions directly on-chain. Should Robinhood open permission to DeFi protocols, we may witness new hybrid liquidity pools that blend CEX order books with AMM liquidity. This would mark a milestone in mainstream DeFi adoption—and potentially pressure incumbents like Nasdaq to innovate their own on-chain settlement layers.
Source: Bloomberg
2. Women in Web3: Cultivating Greater Gender Diversity
News Summary
A recent deep-dive from Cointelegraph spotlights the persistent gender gap in blockchain and crypto. Despite Web3’s ethos of decentralization, women represent less than 20 percent of crypto investors and under 10 percent of core development teams. The article outlines initiatives—from targeted grants and incubation programs to mentorship networks—aimed at lowering barriers and attracting more female talent.
Key Details
-
Current Statistics: Women account for approximately 17 percent of crypto traders globally; in development, the share dips below 8 percent.
-
Notable Initiatives:
-
Women in Blockchain Fund: USD 50 million allocated for early-stage female founders.
-
Global Web3 Sisters Network: Mentorship platform pairing novices with veteran executives.
-
University Partnerships: Scholarships for women studying blockchain engineering and cryptography.
-
Analysis & Opinion
Web3’s promise of equal-opportunity innovation rings hollow if half the population remains sidelined. Heightened grant funding and mentorship can help, but systemic change requires cultural shifts within DAOs, core teams and investor circles. Projects and protocols must adopt policies—like blind code reviews, diversity hiring quotas and inclusive governance frameworks—to ensure sustainable participation.
Moreover, as the industry grapples with regulatory scrutiny, diverse leadership can foster better risk management and community trust. Women leaders have often been at the forefront of compliance, ethics and consumer protection—even in traditional finance—qualities sorely needed in crypto’s maturing phase. Token projects that embed gender-diverse advisory boards may see stronger reputational profiles and wider community buy-in.
Source: Cointelegraph
3. SOL Strategies: Tokenizing Shares on Solana
News Summary
SOL Strategies, a financial-services startup, is exploring a pathway to tokenize private and publicly traded shares on the Solana blockchain. Their recently filed whitepaper proposes a framework where equity is represented as SPL tokens, enabling fractional ownership, 24/7 trading and programmable dividend distributions.
Key Details
-
Token Standard: Extension of Solana Program Library (SPL) with “Equity Token” schema.
-
Custody Model: Licensed custodian holds underlying shares; token holders have legal claim via smart-contract link.
-
Compliance Layer: On-chain KYC/AML middleware to restrict token transfers to approved wallets.
-
Pilot Partners: Early engagements with two mid-cap European tech firms eyeing capital-raising via tokenization.
Analysis & Opinion
Tokenized equity stands to revolutionize capital markets by lowering minimum investment thresholds and unlocking global liquidity. On Solana, with its sub-second finality and low fees, fractional shares could trade seamlessly—outpacing Ethereum’s scalability challenges. Yet the critical hurdle lies in regulatory acceptance: will securities regulators view these tokens as bona fide equity or as unregistered securities?
SOL Strategies’ integrated custody approach could mollify regulators, replicating existing T+2 standards while enabling T+0 settlement on-chain. Should they secure regulatory sandbox approvals in the U.K. or Singapore, other blockchains—like Stellar and Polkadot—may race to develop similar tokenization toolkits. For DeFi protocols, tokenized equities could become collateral in lending pools, further intertwining traditional and decentralized finance.
Source: Newsfile Corp.
4. China’s Blockchain Playbook: Infrastructure, Influence & New Frontiers
News Summary
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published an extensive analysis of China’s state-driven blockchain strategy. Beyond its digital yuan rollout, Beijing is investing in cross-border infrastructure, influencing global standards bodies and forging Belt and Road blockchain corridors across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Key Details
-
Key Initiatives:
-
BSN 2.0: Blueprint for national and international consortium chains.
-
International Standards: Active lobbying in ISO/TC 307 for governance models favoring state-actors.
-
Tech Diplomacy: Blockchain MOUs with Pakistan, Indonesia and several African union members.
-
-
Strategic Goals: Extend digital yuan acceptance, export Chinese ledger tech, shape global governance.
Analysis & Opinion
China’s multi-pronged approach signals blockchain’s emergence as a theater of geopolitical competition. By undercutting SWIFT dependency and offering turnkey consortium-chain solutions, Beijing enhances its financial influence in Belt and Road countries. Western governments and multinationals must navigate this blockchain bifurcation—between open public rails and permissioned state-backed consortia.
For crypto projects, the CSIS report offers both caution and opportunity. While the digital yuan may corner state-aligned corridors, decentralized networks remain resilient by design. Projects focusing on interoperability—such as Polkadot bridges and Cosmos IBC—can link fragmented chains and preserve open value transfer. Investors should monitor on-chain metrics in emerging markets, as Chinese-backed consortium chains gain traction in cross-border trade finance.
Source: CSIS
5. Tether Expands Stablecoin Reach to 196 Million Users via Kaia
News Summary
Tether has launched USDT on the Kaia blockchain, bringing its flagship stablecoin to Kaia’s user base of approximately 196 million. Kaia, a burgeoning Layer-1 optimized for high-throughput mobile applications, opens new corridors for USDT in gaming, remittances and micro-trading in emerging markets.
Key Details
-
Technical Integration: USDT issued as a native Kaia token, supported by Tether’s reserve-backing audit framework.
-
User Impact: Near-zero fees for micro-transactions; sub-second confirmation times even on mobile networks.
-
Partnership Scope: Integration with Kaia’s wallet SDK and gaming marketplace; joint launch of an educational DApp for fiat-on-ramp literacy.
Analysis & Opinion
By deploying on Kaia, Tether diversifies its blockchain footprint beyond Ethereum, Tron and Solana, underscoring a multi-chain thesis for stablecoin ubiquity. Emerging-market users—often plagued by volatile local currencies—stand to benefit immensely from a mobile-first, low-cost remittance rail. Moreover, Kaia’s developer incentives may spawn DeFi lending dApps collateralized by USDT, fueling localized credit markets.
Yet healthy competition among blockchains for stablecoin volume could concentrate risk: reserve transparency, network stability and regulatory compliance will differentiate winners. Tether’s public attestations and reserve audits are critical, but as US regulators intensify scrutiny on stablecoin giants, projects deploying on smaller chains may face fresh legal complexities around money-transmission licensing.
Source: Bitcoin.com
Conclusion & Key Takeaways
-
Institutional On-ramp Acceleration: Robinhood’s European chain signals major brokerages view blockchain as core infrastructure—not mere gadget.
-
Inclusivity Imperative: Women’s underrepresentation remains a blindspot; targeted grants and cultural reforms are needed for equal Web3 participation.
-
Tokenization Tide: Solana’s high-speed rails may host the next wave of equity tokens, bridging capital markets and DeFi.
-
Geopolitical Battlegrounds: China’s consortium chains and digital-yuan corridors illustrate how blockchain is reshaping global influence.
-
Stablecoin Multichain Strategy: Tether’s Kaia integration reflects the logic of diversifying rails to reach underserved, mobile-first users.
As blockchain advances, the interplay between technological innovation, regulatory frameworks and social inclusion will define whether the next chapter of crypto fulfills its vision of open, equitable finance—or replicates old hierarchies in digital garb. Today’s headlines underscore that the path forward lies in cross-chain interoperability, proactive policy-shaping, and a relentless focus on broadening the community that stewards and benefits from these transformative networks.
The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 9, 2025 | Robinhood, Solana, Tether, China, Women in Web3 appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
-
Blockchain Press Releases3 days agoHTX Premieres USD1 Stablecoin Globally, Partnering with World Liberty Financial to Forge a New Era of Decentralized Economy
-
Blockchain Press Releases7 days agoBybit and St. Paul American Scholars School Furthers Partnership Commitment in Bybit’s HQ Visit
-
Blockchain6 days agoUnitedStaking.com Launches Advanced Crypto Staking Platform with Global Reach and Real-World Impact
-
Blockchain2 days ago
Colb Asset SA Raises $7.3 Million in Oversubscribed Round to Bring Pre-IPO Giants to Blockchain
-
Blockchain Press Releases3 days agoJuCoin made a global impact at TOKEN2049 Dubai, advancing its ecosystem with the “Peak Experience” vision and JuChain’s robust tech.
-
Blockchain2 days agoBlocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 7, 2025 | Coinbase, Riot Games, Curve DAO, Litecoin, AR.IO
-
Blockchain Press Releases2 days agoGRVT Launches Biggest Ever Trading Competition for Retail Traders, Offering Up to 175,000 USDT in Prizes
-
Blockchain Press Releases2 days agoCango Inc. Maintains Strong Mining Efficiency and Expands Bitcoin Holdings Amidst April Production Shift
