Singapore has often been cited to be a leading hub for blockchain projects as a result of its thriving blockchain ecosysem and favourable regulatory environment. In this epsiode, Veronica Tan and Yi Ming Ng describe the state of blockchain adoption in Singapore from both public and private perspectives, including government involvement, the various stakeholders, and past and future challenges. They also talk about both government and industry responses to tackling these barriers, emphasizing the need for a multi-stakeholder approach.

At the Singapore Fintech Festival, IMDA and Tribe are announcing the launch of OpenNodes, a new content platform built to foster a hyperconnected blockchain ecosystem through collaboration and education. In October, they published the Singapore Blockchain Landscape Map, that provides an overview of various blockchain companies and initiatives that are pioneering the application of blockchain technology to various use cases in Singapore.

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Veronica is from the Technology & Infrastructure Group in IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority) Her work revolves around master planning and strategy development of frontier technologies such as blockchain, that are relevant for Singapore to realise its vision to be a leading digital economy in the world. Veronica was previously involved in IDA’s Smart Nation efforts, overseeing the development of Smart Nation infrastructure to enable data-driven decision making for Singapore.

Yi Ming is the Managing Partner of Tribe Accelerator, Singapore’s First Government Supported Blockchain Accelerator to facilitate the mass adoption of blockchain technology in startups. Yi Ming too serves as a partner at TRIVE, an early stage Southeast Asia (SEA) focused Venture Capital firm based in Singapore, which invests in technology startups from Seed to Series A rounds of funding in various domains. This includes Deep Technologies, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Marketplaces and FinTech.

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About Open Nodes
Open Nodes is an ecosystem platform that connects companies to blockchain solutions providers and serves educational content to enterprise leaders and policymakers. Learn more at https://opennodes.com/. Access the Singapore Ecosystem Report here.

About IMDA
The Info-communications and Media Development Authority (IMDA) develops and regulates the converging infocomm and media sectors in a holistic way, creating a dynamic and exciting sector filled with opportunities for growth, through an emphasis on talent, research, innovation and enterprise. As a statutory board in the Singapore government, it seeks to deepen regulatory capabilities for a converged infocomm media. Learn more at https://www.imda.gov.sg/

About Tribe Accelerator
Tribe Accelerator is the first Singapore government supported blockchain accelerator, championing to be a neutral platform in driving collaboration and growth of the blockchain ecosystem. The product development focused accelerator aims to provide promising startups a hyperconnected platform to develop innovative solutions together with our network of global corporations, government agencies and top blockchain companies. Tribe Accelerator is backed by some of the world's leading organisations including AXA, BMW Group Asia, Citibank, ConsenSys, Ethereum Foundation, EY, IBM, Intel, Nielsen, PwC, R3, Temasek, Ubisoft and others. Learn more at :https://tribeaccelerator.co/

Special Guests: Veronica Tan and Yi Ming Ng.

In episode 2, Ashlie speaks to Tom Menner, the director of solution architecture in APAC at R3. Tom gives an in-depth introduction of R3, Corda, and everything in between. He talks about several exciting solutions being built on Corda today across supply chain, digital asset, trade finance, and insurance, and discusses how Corda is powering some of the largest enterprise blockchain consortiums such (Voltron, Marco Polo, B3i, Monetago). Tom is fond of comparing blockchain to plumbing and he thinks that everyone needs to stop talking about blockchain.

Tom Menner is R3’s Solution Architect for the Asia Pacific region, based in Singapore. His focus is to translate clients’ functional and non-functional business and technical requirements into a solution designs. In addition to architecture work Tom is a frequent speaker at blockchain and industry conferences, and is a technical ambassador in Asia for blockchain and cryptocurrency technology meetups. Prior to joining R3 Tom had a lengthy career at IBM, most recently working on Hyperledger Fabric but also supporting e-commerce solutions in B2B integration, electronic payments, and digital marketing. Prior to that he was a Worldwide Middleware Architect for IBM, leading design efforts for global clients on middleware and data solutions and earning assignments in Japan and China. He had his start as a consultant for Transarc, a Pittsburgh-based transaction processing technology startup.

About R3
R3 is an enterprise blockchain software firm working with a global ecosystem of more than 300 participants across multiple industries from both the private and public sectors to develop on Corda, its open-source blockchain platform, and Corda Enterprise, a commercial version of Corda for enterprise usage.

R3’s global team of over 200 professionals in 13 countries is supported by over 2,000 technology, financial, and legal experts drawn from its vibrant ecosystem. The Corda platform is already being used in industries from financial services to healthcare, shipping, insurance and more. It records, manages and executes institutions’ financial agreements in perfect synchrony with their peers, creating a world of frictionless commerce. Learn more at www.r3.com and www.corda.net.

Special Guest: Tom Menner.