Blockchain
Walmart Canada and DLT Labs™ launch world’s largest full production blockchain solution for industrial application
Walmart Canada and DLT Labs™ today announce the launch of Walmart Canada’s blockchain-based freight and payment network, the world’s largest full production blockchain solution for any industrial application. The new system uses distributed ledger technology to track deliveries, verify transactions, and automate payments and reconciliation among Walmart Canada and its carriers which deliver inventory to over 400 retail stores across Canada annually. All Walmart Canada’s third-party carriers are scheduled to be live by February 1, 2020. The solution is accessible using a web portal and an easy to use mobile application.
Walmart Canada partnered with DLT Labs™ to automate freight and payment data using DLT’s leading supply chain platform DL Asset Track™. The new blockchain-based freight and payment network manages, integrates and synchronizes all the supply chain and logistics data in real time, aggregating the data between Walmart Canada and its fleet of third-party trucks on a shared ledger. The solution also automates the myriad necessary calculations enabling real-time invoicing, payments and settlement. At the same time, it seamlessly integrates with each company’s legacy systems, so organizations can continue to follow their existing processes without retraining or a new investment in technology. This innovation arose from Walmart Canada’s continued focus on reducing costs to ensure the lowest everyday prices for Canadian consumers.
John Bayliss, senior vice-president, logistics and supply chain, Walmart Canada, says, “Walmart Canada is dedicated to efficiency across our business, including most importantly in our supply chain and logistics management. Our carrier partners move over 500,000 loads of inventory nationally, which creates an extraordinary volume of transaction data. This new dynamic and interactive blockchain technology platform is creating complete transparency between Walmart Canada and all of our carrier partners.” Bayliss adds, “Blockchain is enabling a material advance in our smart transportation network, with expedited payments, extensive cost savings and other benefits among our supply chain. Moreover, this degree of improved efficiency represents a powerful platform for us to continue to reduce our environmental footprint and continue our leadership in environmental sustainability.”
Loudon Owen, CEO of DLT Labs™, says, “Walmart is a global leader in innovation, with a relentless focus on improving people’s lives, and DLT Labs™ is delighted to partner with such an extraordinary organization to bring the world’s first and largest blockchain solution for industry into production. This proves the high value of blockchain and sets the stage to revolutionize supply chain management and logistics, due to its ability to enable secure information sharing, manage trust and reduce waste in multi-partner operational processes.” Owen adds, “Just as the Roman’s concept, ‘dictum meum pactum’ (meaning ‘my word is my bond’) was fundamental to building trade, this product creates a secure digital handshake using blockchain to renew trust and efficiency in global trade.”
Bison Transport was the carrier partner in the pilot of this new blockchain-based freight and payment network. According to Rod Hendrickson, VP Finance, Bison Transport, “Great partners find innovative ways to create business solutions that benefit both parties. The blockchain initiative we worked on with Walmart and DLT Labs is just that – a mutually beneficial solution that works well for Bison Transport and Walmart Canada. This project is a new paradigm that will greatly improve workflows, reduce paperwork, and make the business we do with Walmart more efficient.”
Walmart Canada’s distribution centres are hubs of activity, with more than 4,500 associates and drivers moving thousands of items daily from sites located in Calgary, Mississauga and Cornwall to stores from coast to coast across Canada. Walmart Canada operates 8.75 million square feet of distribution center and moves more than 853 million cases of merchandise annually. These goods are transported by a combination of 3rd party fleet as well as Walmart Canada’s own fleet of 180 tractors, 2,000 trailers and more than 350 drivers. Each third-party trailer tracks approximately 200 data points per shipment. Automating this data collection and management using blockchain results in a significant cost-saving.
Walmart Canada is committed to ongoing leadership in developing smart transportation networks, having already established more efficient techniques for loading, routing, driving, and energy efficient improvements with truck manufacturers. Interconnecting the data between Walmart Canada and its carrier partners provides a platform to materially improve operations, delivery coordination and routing efficiency, waste and cost reduction, and automated payment reconciliation and processing.
DIRECT BENEFITS OF FREIGHT & PAYMENT SOLUTION
DEVELOPED BY WALMART CANADA AND DLT LABS™
- Data Capture & Integrity: A distributed repository increases trust and transparency by sharing information and automating workflows and calculations to minimize manual effort and increase accuracy.
- System Efficiency: Improved collective resource utilization, including quicker responses, improved tracking and tracing, and early problem detection.
- Faster Transaction Time: Real-time consolidation of all business rules and transactions to create a single invoice reduces wait times and speeds up payments.
- Eliminates Disputes: All participants can now effectively manage the complex shipment, invoice, payment and settlement process, while minimizing unproductive time spent on disputes and reconciliations.
- Reduces Costs: Increased efficiency reduces all parties’ enterprise technology and administration costs.
- Better Budgeting and Planning: Accurate, real-time data can now be used for enhanced analytics and predictive modelling.
These benefits are possible due to the inherent characteristics of blockchain technology which enables shared, immutable and highly auditable store of data on a secure, shared ledger. While the application of blockchain technology in industry has long been discussed, this is the first practical implementation at scale, and it clearly demonstrates blockchain’s significant benefits. Moreover, this platform is being used in a mission-critical area of Walmart Canada’s business, its supply chain, and has had to meet the highest levels of security and testing.
As transportation networks become increasingly interconnected, and products are embedded with computing devices that form the Internet of Things (IoT), an enormous amount of data is being generated that must be managed and integrated. This is particularly challenging inside and among multiple parties in large organizations where the information may be stored and used across different and fragmented operating systems. In a transportation network, for example, there are approximately 170 variable costs for each truck from data points such as global positioning system (GPS) data, contracts, shipment, and accounting information. While the benefits of interconnecting all parties are enormous, managing all the information that is generated can overwhelm legacy information technology systems. Blockchain-based solutions are the answer.
SOURCE DLT Labs Inc.
Blockchain
VanEck Prepares to Launch PurposeBuilt Fund to Invest in Real-World Applications on Avalanche
Blockchain innovation continues to accelerate, weaving together emerging technologies, sustainability goals, and new financial models. In today’s Blocks & Headlines briefing—May 20, 2025—we explore five groundbreaking stories: Cerebra Supernova’s AI-blockchain energy convergence, Chainlink/Kinexys/Ondo’s blockchain DVP trial, the launch of Blockchain Cloud Mining’s “Master” digital-gold platform, Sakhila Mirza steering Responsible Gold’s blockchain expansion, and Automobili Estrema’s NFT-powered “Dizzy Viper” art drop. Each development signals how Web3, DeFi, and NFTs are reshaping finance, supply chains, and creative industries. Below, we strip away hyperlinks, offer concise coverage, and provide op-ed insights on the broader implications for blockchain’s next chapter.
1. AI & Blockchain Convergence for Sustainable Energy Systems
Key News: Cerebra Supernova, a French startup, has unveiled a pilot platform that combines AI-driven grid optimization with a blockchain-enabled energy-credit marketplace. By using reinforcement-learning algorithms to forecast renewable output and smart contracts to automate peer-to-peer energy trades, the system aims to reduce curtailment and incentivize prosumers.
Details:
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Reinforcement Learning Grid Management: AI agents predict wind and solar generation with 98% accuracy, dynamically adjusting dispatchable assets (batteries, gas turbines) to maintain stability.
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Energy-Credit Tokens: Green-energy surplus is tokenized as “SolarLoop” ERC-20 tokens, tradable among households, businesses, and utilities with settlement on an Ethereum Layer-2 network.
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Sustainability Impact: Early trials on Corsican microgrids reported a 12% reduction in fossil-fuel use and a 20% increase in renewable utilization.
Opinion & Implications:
The fusion of AI and blockchain in energy grids marks a pivotal shift toward decentralized, citizen-driven utilities. Traditional power markets struggle with intermittent renewables; embedding autonomy via smart contracts democratizes access and aligns incentives for cleaner output. However, real-world rollouts must address interoperability (across protocols), token volatility, and regulatory clarity on digital asset classification. Cerebra Supernova’s initiative may well set the template for community microgrids worldwide, but scaling will require standardized APIs, robust cybersecurity measures, and policy frameworks to integrate tokenized energy credits into broader carbon-pricing schemes.
Source: SiliconANGLE
2. Chainlink, Kinexys & Ondo Test Blockchain DVP Settlement
Key News: Chainlink Labs, Kinexys, and Ondo Finance have jointly piloted a Distributed Delivery-Versus-Payment (DVP) settlement mechanism on a public blockchain, targeting institutional bond and ETF trades. By leveraging Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and Kinexys’ settlement-oracle mesh, the trial achieved atomic settlements: assets and payments exchanged simultaneously, irrevocably on-chain.
Details:
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Atomic DVP Workflow: Upon trade execution in an off-chain matching engine, settlement instructions trigger on-chain via CCIP messages; Kinexys oracles confirm balances, and Ondo’s tokenized cash-equivalent stablecoins (nUSD) finalize payment.
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Performance Metrics: End-to-end latency clocked at 3 seconds per transaction, with sub-$0.50 gas costs due to Rollup-level batching.
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Risk Reduction: Eliminates counterparty and settlement-fails risk inherent in T+2 markets, enabling real-time finality and freeing collateral faster.
Opinion & Implications:
Bridging traditional capital markets and public blockchains has long been the Holy Grail of institutional DeFi. This DVP pilot demonstrates that rigorous market-standard settlement can coexist with open-ledger transparency and composability. Yet, regulatory acceptance remains the linchpin—securities regulators must endorse on-chain finality as equivalent to legal settlement. Moreover, interoperability across permissioned and permissionless networks will determine whether tokenized securities truly scale. If such trials proliferate, expect incumbent custodians and clearinghouses to partner with decentralized-oracle providers, laying the groundwork for a 24/7 global settlement infrastructure.
Source: The Paypers
3. Blockchain Cloud Mining’s “Master” Digital-Gold Platform Launch
Key News: Blockchain Cloud Mining has released Master, a turnkey cloud-mining and staking portal enabling users to allocate fiat and crypto into diversified mining assets—Bitcoin, Ethereum PoS, and a curated basket of altcoins—via a single, web-based dashboard.
Details:
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Encrypted Wealth Strategy: Master abstracts miner procurement, hosting, and maintenance; users simply choose “Digital Gold,” “Ethereum Yield,” or “DeFi Basket” plans.
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Revenue Sharing: Monthly returns distributed as tokenized dividends (DCM-TOKEN), tradable on major DEXs.
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Security & Compliance: KYC/AML integrated Sign-in, cold-storage custody of mined coins, and quarterly third-party audits published on-chain.
Opinion & Implications:
As retail investors seek passive crypto exposure, cloud-mining platforms promise hands-off rewards but often lack transparency. Blockchain Cloud Mining’s audited model and tokenized dividend structure could elevate trust—but token economics must guard against dilution and rug-pull risks. Moreover, the environmental debate around proof-of-work mining persists; integrating renewable-energy credits or carbon offsets into mining-assets offerings could be a differentiator. As staking yields compress and DeFi bear cycles loom, platforms like Master will need to innovate risk-adjusted return products and perhaps incorporate algorithmic governance to align user incentives.
Source: GlobeNewswire
4. Responsible Gold Taps Sakhila Mirza to Lead Blockchain-Powered Expansion
Key News: Responsible Gold, the tokenized-asset platform enabling fractional, KYC-compliant gold ownership, has appointed fintech executive Sakhila Mirza as Chief Growth Officer. Her mandate: scale the “Trusted Gold” ecosystem and forge partnerships with bullion exchanges, central banks, and luxury-goods providers.
Details:
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Trusted Gold Tokens (TGT): ERC-721 tokens representing audited, insured physical gold bars stored in vaults across Switzerland and Singapore.
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Expansion Strategy: Under Mirza, the platform aims to integrate with central-bank digital currency (CBDC) pilots, enabling gold-backed CBDC overlays. Plans include white-label solutions for jewelry retailers to mint fractional gold tokens at point-of-sale.
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Governance & Audits: Monthly on-chain proof-of-reserve updates via Merkle-proof contracts; annual audits by Big Four firms.
Opinion & Implications:
Tokenizing real-world assets like gold has been heralded as blockchain’s killer app—but adoption hinges on regulatory trust, custodial transparency, and consumer education. Mirza’s track record in partnerships could bridge the gap between crypto-natives and traditional finance, positioning TGT as a credible store-of-value for both investors and commerce. CBDC integration is particularly visionary: by tethering digital fiat to gold reserves on-chain, central banks could assuage inflation concerns and experiment with programmable money. However, geopolitical tensions around reserve asset denial and cross-border gold transfers may challenge such initiatives—making governance frameworks and legal clarity paramount.
Source: Business Wire
5. Automobili Estrema & Fabian Oberhammer’s “Dizzy Viper” NFT Collaboration
Key News: Italian hypercar maker Automobili Estrema has partnered with digital artist Fabian Oberhammer to launch “Dizzy Viper”, a limited-edition NFT art series minted on the NEAR Protocol, celebrating the brand’s cutting-edge “Fulminea” electric supercar.
Details:
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Collector Drops: 333 dynamic NFTs featuring generative-art viper motifs synchronized to real-time telemetry data from a Fulminea test run.
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Utility Perks: NFT holders receive VIP track day invites, factory tours, and a fractional stake in a bespoke Fulminea prototype.
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Environmental Offset: Minting energy consumption offset via NEAR’s carbon-neutral consensus and direct funding of reforestation projects in Italy.
Opinion & Implications:
Luxury automotive brands entering the NFT arena exemplify Web3’s fusion with experiential marketing. By linking on-chain art to real-world perks and data streams, Automobili Estrema deepens fan engagement while tapping new revenue from digital collectibles. NEAR’s eco-friendly blockchain underscores the need for sustainability in NFT minting—a growing concern among high-net-worth audiences. The fractional ownership model hints at broader use cases: tokenized access to exclusive assets (cars, yachts, art) could spur secondary markets and novel governance rights. For blockchain enthusiasts, this collaboration showcases how tokenomics and experiential utility can elevate brand loyalty beyond traditional merchandising.
Source: PR Newswire
Conclusion & Key Takeaways
Today’s headlines reflect a blockchain ecosystem maturing across multiple dimensions:
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Sustainability & Decentralization: AI-blockchain energy grids and carbon-neutral NFT minting demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship.
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Institutional Integration: DVP settlement trials and tokenized gold underscore blockchain’s encroachment into capital markets and reserve assets.
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Democratized Access: Cloud-mining platforms and fractional gold tokens lower barriers to crypto and real-asset investing, while highlighting the need for transparency.
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Experiential Web3: Luxury brands and community microgrids leverage tokenized incentives to forge deeper user connections.
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Regulatory & Governance Frontiers: From Massachusetts-style AI commissions to CBDC-gold overlays, legal frameworks will shape the pace and direction of blockchain adoption.
As blockchain transcends niche use cases, cross-sector collaboration and robust governance will determine whether these innovations realize their transformative promise. Today’s stories are more than headlines—they’re signposts pointing to a decentralized, tokenized future where AI, finance, sustainability, and creativity converge on the distributed ledger.
The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 20, 2025 appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
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