Bitcoin, Blockchain Continue March Toward Mainstream With Government Partnerships

Blockchain@State Forum brought industry leaders in contact with US government agencies, fosters cooperation, understanding.

Digital currency and Blockchain technology continue to make inroads into mainstream use and acceptance. There is perhaps no better way to move Blockchain technology forward than to convince governments of its usefulness, and that’s exactly what one partnership is doing.

Blockchain firm ConsenSys partnered with the U.S. Department of State last month to plan the Blockchain@State Forum, a day long workshop that took place in Washington DC. Joseph Lubin, founder of ConsenSys and co-founder of Ethereum, expressed his pride with the partnership, stating:

“As one of the largest companies building Blockchain software, with our hub in Brooklyn, New York, we are honored to continue working closely as the US maintains its leadership as a home for the building of transformative technologies.”

The Blockchain@State initiative was organized earlier this year to keep up with global Blockchain developments and its applications among industries. The Blockchain@State Forum was the second event held by the Blockchain@State initiative. The first event took place in July of this year, bringing together several different agencies to explore and lay out a plan to utilize Blockchain technology.

This forum was designed to bring together the Dept. of State, USAID, other government agencies, and the private sector to explore the potential applications and policy implications of Blockchain technology. Some notable companies that attended were IBM, Microsoft, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

The main purpose of the event was to educate the State Department and their intergovernmental colleagues on current use cases of Blockchain technology, foster dialogue with the private sector partners involved, as well as inspire new partnerships.