Blockchain technology makes headway in Belgium
With a signing in Brussels on Tuesday announcing that 22 countries of the European Commission will establish a European Blockchain Partnership, Belgium looks set to integrate more use of the technology.
With the European Commission having also recently launched the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum in February – with plans to invest around € 350 million in projects that support the use of blockchain – the uses for the technology is becoming more apparent for the participating states. In a statement for the event, a spokesperson for the committee welcomed the signatures, saying“In the future, all public services will use blockchain technology. Blockchain is a great opportunity for Europe and Member States to rethink their information systems, to promote user trust and the protection of personal data, to help create new business opportunities and to establish new areas of leadership, benefiting citizens, public services and companies.”
This news of this signing comes days after the announcement of Japanese IT Giant Fujitsu’s plans to build a Blockchain Innovation Center in Belgium. Yves de Beauregard, head of Fujitsu Benelux said “This is just the beginning, as we intend to explore the wider potential use of blockchain in a variety of commercial areas.” The company’s press release stated that Brussels was chosen due to its « geographical, political, technological and linguistic advantages for international organizations that are considering applications of blockchain technology. »
This was not the first time Belgium has flirted with the tech, as Japanese Blockchain and cryptocurrency firm Tech Bureau once offered its private Blockchain to Belgian company Digipolis, to provide a more efficient administrative framework for cities.
With many big companies in Belgium like Carrefour and Delhaize expressing their desire for system integration with Blockchain, this new ecosystem of awareness and active spending on the technology by Belgium could promote more companies to adopt the system. Current estimates are that Over 55% of businesses plan to use Blockchain technology by 2020.
