Blockchain
DIA Leverages IBM Cloud and Confidential Computing to Help Secure its Decentralized Financial Information Platform
IBM (NYSE: IBM) and DIA announced today that DIA migrated its platform to IBM Cloud and is leveraging IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services to manage how financial data is sourced, stored, processed and published. IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services is a hybrid cloud offering designed to deliver sophisticated encryption capabilities to help secure highly sensitive data, which is especially important in the age of hybrid cloud. The migration of DIA’s platform to a cloud environment backed by IBM Cloud confidential computing capabilities is designed to protect data and applications from potential malicious inside and external attacks.
DIA is located in Crypto Valley in Zug, Switzerland and is an open-source financial information platform that incentivizes the sourcing and validation of data and provides the data via traditional APIs as well as oracles. Oracles are the third-party trust mechanisms that allow smart contracts to receive data from sources outside of the blockchain.
Data security is key for success of the fast-growing decentralized finance space
DeFi is an emerging area of digital finance that leverages blockchain-based smart contracts to execute and validate transactions, rather than relying on centralized financial institutions. As the industry grows, transparent data sources and oracles become critical to its reliability and success. Data sources that can be compromised and provide little transparency can lead malicious actors to manipulate attacks on DeFi platforms. To help mitigate this risk, DIA is leveraging the IBM Cloud – the industry’s most secure and open public cloud for business.
IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services help enable protection and privacy of data infrastructure
Using IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services, DIA can help provide technical assurance to its clients and users that their workloads are secured by protecting backend infrastructure against attacks on hardware, servers, applications and data layers. By taking advantage of ‘Keep Your Own Key’ (KYOK)1 and confidential computing capabilities delivered via hybrid cloud capabilities from IBM, DIA can protect data with complete authority for their data and workloads.
IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services provide confidential computing capabilities designed to enable data integrity and confidentiality for current and future workloads within hybrid cloud environments by employing isolation and encryption in security-rich enclaves to run cloud software.
This concept allows the platform’s users to retain sole access to their crypto keys – meaning not even IBM can access them – and helps mitigate the risk of malicious actors viewing or modifying the confidential data. Built on IBM LinuxONE, by using IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services, DIA has access to the highest level of security offered commercially by any cloud provider in the industry for cryptographic modules.2
“IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services, confidential computing capabilities and IBM LinuxONE enable us to help implement a high security standard in the oracle landscape,” says Samuel Brack Co-Founder and CTO at DIA. “Being able to assure that no third party can view or manipulate our off-chain computing operations effectively protects DIA and its users from potential malicious inside and outside attacks.”
“As reliance on data grows, especially in the era of hybrid cloud, the need for cutting-edge security to protect digital assets becomes even more critical,” said Hillery Hunter, IBM Fellow, VP & CTO, IBM Cloud. “On its mission to source and validate financial data, DIA’s move toward a confidential computing environment bolsters security for all existing participants within its ecosystem. Now, DIA can work with clients in highly regulated industries and address their higher demand for confidentiality as they access their open source financial information platform.”
DIA continues to explore opportunities to increase security, scalability and compliance of data delivery for both institutional and DeFi actors to help grow the ecosystem and to further increase trust in the still nascent DeFi industry.
Blockchain
Supply Chain Finance Market Forecast to Reach $9.4 Billion by 2029: Increasing Emphasis on Sustainable Sourcing
Global Supply Chain Finance Market
Blockchain
Web3 Startups Raise Nearly $1.9B in Q1 2024 Despite Overall Downtrend in Crypto VC Interest
Venture capital funding for cryptocurrency and blockchain projects has seen a notable resurgence in the first quarter of 2024, marking its first quarterly rise since 2021. Crunchbase data released today indicates that Web3 startups secured nearly $1.9 billion in funding across 346 deals during this period. This represents a substantial 58% increase from the previous quarter, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the ongoing downward trend in overall crypto VC interest.
The recent surge in funding can be attributed to investors adopting a more long-term perspective on Web3, as opposed to the hype-driven “tourist investors” predominant in recent years. Chris Metinko, the author of the report, notes that investors are shifting their focus to the AI sector, indicating a change in investment strategy. There is a growing interest in supporting the foundational infrastructure of the decentralized internet, rather than solely concentrating on crypto wallets and lending platforms, which attracted significant investments during the peak period of 2021 to 2022.
While large funding rounds were relatively uncommon in Q1, several notable investments stood out. Exohood Labs, a company integrating AI, quantum computing, and blockchain, secured a remarkable $112 million seed round at a valuation of $1.4 billion. EigenLabs, an Ether token “restaking” platform, raised $100 million in a Series B round led by a16z crypto. Additionally, Freechat, a decentralized social network leveraging blockchain technology, secured $80 million in a Series A round. These investments, among others, contributed to the increase in valuations and the emergence of four new Web3 unicorns in Q1.
Despite the recent progress, the future trajectory of Web3 remains uncertain. Metinko suggests that the next few quarters will be pivotal in determining the industry’s direction. While investors anticipate a rebound in investment as the decentralized internet evolves, it may take another year for venture capital activity to stabilize after the exuberance of 2021. Factors such as the approval of U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds and the upcoming Bitcoin halving could also influence the market, given the rising prices of Bitcoin and Ether.
A noteworthy example of significant funding in the Web3 space is Monad Labs’ recent successful funding round, which secured $225 million led by Paradigm. Monad Labs is a layer-1 blockchain compatible with Ethereum, offering faster transaction processing. This funding round harkens back to the golden era of crypto funding in 2021-2022, when L1 solutions attracted substantial investments.
Earlier this year, Balance, a digital asset custodian based in Canada, announced that it had once again reached $2 billion in assets under custody (AUC) amidst the recent market recovery. Similarly, Korea Digital Asset (KODA), the largest institutional crypto custody service in South Korea, has experienced remarkable growth in crypto assets under its custody, expanding by nearly 248% in the second half of 2023.
Analysts at Bernstein Research project that crypto funds could reach an impressive $500 billion to $650 billion within the next five years, representing a significant leap from the current valuation of approximately $50 billion. This forecast underscores the growing optimism and potential for substantial growth within the crypto industry in the coming years.
Source: cryptonews.com
The post Web3 Startups Raise Nearly $1.9B in Q1 2024 Despite Overall Downtrend in Crypto VC Interest appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.
Blockchain
ASIC cracks down on blockchain mining firms
Three blockchain mining companies – NGS Crypto, NGS Digital, and NGS Group – along with their directors, Brett Mendham, Ryan Brown, and Mark Ten Caten, are facing legal action from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for allegedly operating without a license, in violation of Australia’s Corporations Act. ASIC initiated legal proceedings against these entities on April 9, citing concerns about their non-compliance with financial regulations and their solicitation of Australian investors.
According to ASIC, the NGS companies promoted blockchain mining packages with fixed-rate returns to Australian investors, encouraging the transfer of funds from regulated superannuation funds to self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) for conversion into cryptocurrency. Approximately 450 Australians invested a total of around USD 41 million in these packages, raising concerns about potential financial losses.
The legal action filed by ASIC alleges that the companies violated section 911A of the Corporations Act, which prohibits companies from providing financial services without a valid Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). ASIC is seeking interim and final court orders to prohibit the NGS companies from offering financial services in Australia without an AFSL.
ASIC Chair Joe Longo emphasized the importance of investors carefully considering the risks before investing in crypto-related products through their SMSFs. Longo stated that ASIC’s actions send a message to the crypto industry about the regulator’s commitment to ensuring compliance with regulations and protecting consumers.
In a separate development, the Federal Court appointed receivers for the digital currency assets associated with the NGS companies and their directors to safeguard these assets amid concerns about the risk of dissipation. Mendham was also issued a travel restriction order, preventing him from leaving Australia.
While a court date for the proceedings has not been set, ASIC’s investigation is ongoing, with the regulator continuing to gather evidence and build its case. It is worth noting that the investigated companies share a similar name with NGS Super, a legitimate Australian pensions provider, leading to potential confusion among investors. NGS Super clarified that it is not involved in selling cryptocurrency or related products and has taken legal action to protect its trademark and members’ interests.
Source: iclg.com
The post ASIC cracks down on blockchain mining firms appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.
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