Last week, a major U.S. international shipping conglomerate announced plans to collaborate with Inxeption, an e-commerce technology company, to build a platform integration called Inxeption Zippy that will utilize blockchain-based technology to "create a seamless, end-to-end experience where merchants can view their entire supply chain from product listing to delivery." A press release describes the platform as a tool that can help B2B merchants drive online sales by providing them with technology that protects sensitive information and manages the selling and shipping processes. In other corporate news, according to recent reports, the bio-agricultural division of a major global pharmaceutical company is partnering with enterprise blockchain solutions firm BlockApps to develop several pilot projects that "increase ... applications of blockchain, both in our operations and in our industry."

According to a recent report, a major French luxury goods company is preparing to launch a blockchain solution that will provide proof of the authenticity of luxury goods and trace the origins of materials used in their manufacture. In an effort to tackle counterfeiting in the UK spirits market, a premium Scotch whisky brand has partnered with blockchain tech company arc-net to release a range of whiskies that "capture the full distilling and manufacturing process, allowing customers to track their whisky from source to store; ensuring authenticity and traceability." Also this week, details were revealed about plans by the world's largest market for metal derivatives to back an industry initiative to build a blockchain-based system to track the trade of physical metals such as copper, zinc and aluminum.

In the digital advertising field, Brave, the privacy-focused internet browser that pays people with cryptocurrency for watching ads, announced last week that it is partnering with TAP network to give its 5.8 million monthly users a new way to trade its Basic Attention Token (BAT) for rewards from 250,000 brands. Tradedoubler, a Swedish digital marketing company, recently launched a blockchain-based digital ad network that seeks to enable automated and transparent interactions between advertisers and publishers looking to host ads.

At an event last week, a U.S. Customs representative commented on the immense safety benefits that could potentially stem from the creation of a blockchain solution that employed facial comparison and biometric data to track individuals who are seeking admission into the United States. In other government-related news, a blockchain accelerator backed by the Singapore government announced partnerships with three major global corporations in the fields of auto manufacturing, technology and market research.

A major U.S. technology firm recently released a report on the state of blockchain for enterprise. The report contains a wide variety of interesting statistics related to the growth of the blockchain industry, including a projection that the industry will be valued at $9.7 billion by 2021. Another recently released report, Blockchain in the United States: Forecast to 2025, analyzes market opportunities and risks inherent in blockchain technology in more than 75 areas across 11 industries. According to the report, blockchain spend in the United States increased by 110.1 percent during 2018 to reach $1,651.2 million. The report projects that between 2019 and 2025, blockchain will record a CAGR of 44.5 percent, increasing from $3,127.3 million in 2019 to reach $41,112.6 million by 2025.

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