IBM Blockchain Global Leaders – Blockchain Sydney

Introduction

Blockchain Sydney and IBM presented by two of IBM’s Global Blockchain Leaders, Wednesday, February 26, 2020:

Gari Singh – CTO, IBM Blockchain Platform, IBM Cloud and Cognitive. As a Distinguished Engineer and CTO of IBM Blockchain, Gari Singh has provided the technical guidance and leadership that has made IBM a leader in the blockchain space. He is responsible for IBM’s core blockchain platform offerings.
Gari is also a core maintainer and contributor to Hyperledger Fabric, an open-source blockchain technology designed to meet the needs of businesses.
Gari has worked in various areas of IBM Software group including Emerging Technologies and as Product Manager for Data Power.

Heran Shah – IBM Worldwide Blockchain Platform Leader
Prior to joining the IBM Blockchain team, Heran was Global Executive for IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT). He joined IBM in 2004 to launch IBM’s High Volume Low latency messaging product WMQ LLM. WMQ LLM enables Stock Exchanges and Financial Traders in the transformation to real-time trading environment.
Heran Shah’s portfolio was expanded to include the entire WebSphere Messaging portfolio with an annual revenue target of $1.250B.

The meeting was Organized and Hosted by  Blockchain Sydney (Rob L, CoSeed, Tai Tran ) and

Bradley C Hughes , Co-Organizer, Blockchain Consultant and Strategic Adviser

Bradley’s reasons tor attending:

I’m here to help bring awareness of the benefits of blockchain technology to as many people as possible, on multiple levels, from technology benefits, through to positive commercial and social impacts.

I’ve spent the last three years full-time in blockchain startups, on strategic planning, governance, project management, marketing execution, creating, trading and auctioning digital assets, plus ICO investing and cryptocurrency trading. I’m currently a strategic adviser or blockchain technology adviser to three different projects.

Introduction

I’m a highly experienced digital assets specialist and project manager with a 25-year track record of delivering digital business development capability.

IBM Blockchain Global Leaders – Blockchain Sydney

5.45 Welcome by Blockchain Sydney’s Co-Organiser Bradley C Hughes and IBM’s Event Host Subbu Gandrala. Networking, pizza, and drinks.

6.15 First Speaker: Gari Singh – CTO, IBM Blockchain Platform, IBM Cloud and Cognitive. As a Distinguished Engineer and CTO of IBM Blockchain, Gari Singh has provided the technical guidance and leadership that has made IBM a leader in the blockchain space. He is responsible for IBM’s core blockchain platform offerings.

Gari is also a core maintainer and contributor to Hyperledger Fabric, an open-source blockchain technology designed to meet the needs of businesses.

Gari started the Presentation by advising that he is in charge of the whole Engineering Team,  the Support Team and the Lab Services. The IBM Blockchain had started in 2015 as Gamification for IBM Cloud, for which they considered Tokens,  and use of Etherium. However Etherium was not well suited to IBM Projects as it was difficult to change the Rules. Bitcoin was better, so  Etherium was replaced by IBM Open Blockchain, using the Linux Hyperledger Fabric as the IBM  Blockchain Platform.

This provided Scaleability, Transaction Endorsement (who can endorse, validate , signatures.)

Hyperledger Fabric also allows an organization to simultaneously participate in multiple, separate blockchain networks via channels (chains). The Hyperledger Network comprises a set of Nodes (the most common is Peer), connected by Channels. By joining multiple Channels, an organization can participate in a Network of Networks

Each Channel’s genesis block, the first block in the chain, contains the channel’s initial configuration

The  Hyperledger Network is governed using Policies which cover the organisations in the Consortium,  and using Configuration Transactions which are held in Configuration Blocks, with no other transactions. Ordering & Batching are separate.

Hyperledger Fabric has a ledger subsystem comprising two components: the World State and the Transaction Log. Each participant has a copy of the ledger to every Hyperledger Fabric network they belong to. The World State component describes the state of the ledger at a given point in time.

The X. 509 public key infrastructure (PKI) standard is used to verify that a public key belongs to the user, computer or service identity contained within the certificate.

Identity: Every component has the X509 issued by the organisation’s Certification Authority. The user role determines the level of access.

The IBM Hyperledger Smart Contract is the code (chaincode} that applications interact with to read and update data on the blockchain ledger. A smart contract can turn business logic into an executable program that is agreed to and verified by all members of a blockchain network. This is done before Ordering. The signatures are obtained, then passed to Ordering (ORG(s)), who broadcast to Peers.

This may apply to multiple Networks, e.g. IBM Hyperledger, Walmart

A new initiative, still in progress, is the adoption of Identity Mixer, which has cryptographic protocols that protect the privacy of users when signing, authenticating, and during the transfer of certified attributes. Identity Mixer has a trust model and security guarantees similar to what is ensured by standard X.509 certificates but with underlying cryptographic algorithms that efficiently provide advanced privacy features such as “unlinkability” and minimal attribute disclosure

The Fabric Identity Mixer technology is built from a blind signature scheme that supports multiple messages and efficient zero-knowledge proofs of possession of a signature.

The Hyperledger Fabric Client software development kit (SDK) provides a way to use a library of APIs to support developing smart contracts and enable the integration between Client applications and the network.

Programming Smart Contracts: Lifecycle of an Object

A smart contract defines the transaction logic that controls the lifecycle of a business object contained in the world state.

World state stores the latest state of any object while the blockchain stores all the history of the object from its creation to its current state.

In Fabric, a smart contract is packaged into the chaincode and then the chaincode is deployed to a blockchain network..

Multiple smart contracts can be defined within the same chaincode.

There can be a chaincode for a Vehicle and it can have multiple smart contracts such as Car Contract, Bike Contract, and Truck Contract. Lifecycle of an Object can include Create Car, Query Car, Scrap Car.

Example: Decentralised applications (Dapps) for Asset Transfer.

Fabric offers the ability to create private data collections, which allow a defined subset of organizations on a channel the ability to endorse, commit, or query private data without having to create a separate channel. The actual private data is sent peer-to-peer via gossip protocol to only the organization(s) authorized to see it. A hash of that data, which is endorsed, ordered, and written to the ledgers of every peer on the channel,  serves as evidence of the transaction and is used for state validation and can be used for audit purposes. Endorsement policies define which organizations must sign a transaction to declare the transaction valid. Endorsement policies can be on Collections level or Individual Key level. The Bid-Ask prices remain private.

Q&A:

• Channels don’t know about each other. Fabric policies represent how members come to agreement on accepting or rejecting changes to the network, a channel, or a smart contract. Policies are agreed to by the consortium members when a network is originally configured, but they can also be modified as the network evolves. For example, they describe the criteria for adding or removing members from a channel, change how blocks are formed, or specify the number of organizations required to endorse a smart contract.
• Tradelines – 98 CTOs – mainly shippers, e.g. Dept of Home Affairs Compliance, Cargo Security. Where do people want to run the Node? In the early days it was all in IBM Cloud, now can run from anywhere.
• Use cases – Payments – Projects. IBM will never offer cryptocurrency
• Use cases for Ordering – run for others – IBM offer this

7.15 Break:  IBM’s Event Host Subbu Gandrala. Networking, pizza, and drinks.

7.45 Heran Shah, Executive Global Sales – IBM Blockchain

Life Digitised with Blockchain – Life Chain

AID:Tech – Using Blockchain technology, AID:Tech revolutionises how governments, corporates and NGOs deliver digital entitlements across the world.

Decentralised ID – IBM & Growth Tech (small Company) – Decentralized identity puts that power and responsibility back in the hands of the individual, giving them the ability to control and protection their own personal information. This concept is made possible by the decentralized nature of blockchain and the trust created by consensus algorithms.

International Social Security Association (ISSA) promotes excellence in social security administration through professional guidelines, expert knowledge, services and support to enable its members to develop dynamic social security systems and policy throughout the world.

2019 Year in Review – Use Cases

RSBN IBM Ethical Mineral Sourcing Blockchain – The Responsible Sourcing Blockchain Network (RSBN), an international consortium built on Hyperledger Fabric, to protect against exploitative mining practices – Cobalt – No child labour

Brazil – Network of Networks – Vale, CIP, TecBan – (Used by Banks to avoid fraud, Renting machine for ATMs, Tinder for money) moved to Blockchain.

AMIS – Proof of Auto Insurance – Mexico. Only one in three vehicles were insured in the country, according to Mexican insurance industry association AMIS, which now has an  IBM Hyperledger Fabric blockchain. This allows insurers to share information anonymously and fluidly. This data then operates as a historical record that all users can tap into and trust.

Mediaocean & AAIS  – Mediaocean automates every aspect of the advertising workflow – from planning, buying and selling, to analyzing and optimizing, to invoicing and payments.

The Australasian Association for Information Systems (AAIS) is a Chapter of the Association for Information Systems (AIS) serving Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

New Business Models – 4 Categories – Provenance ( ColdChain – perishable goods); ID; Fraud: Reconciliation/Dispute Management (one of the biggest)

Use Case: Fisherman with smart phone – time, date, location, temperature – Supply ownership tracked on Blockchain – One of the best Use Cases worldwide – 3000 Maximo Customers – used  by SAP Asset Manager

Hyperledger Fabric CIP – Device ID – Brazilian banking and financial infrastructure facilitator CIP, together with IBM, has launched  new blockchain ID platform, Device ID, based on the Hyperledger Fabric technology. the solution will be used in nine banks within the country, as well as it will be used in the Brazilian Payment System (SPB), a domestic clearing system that is used in the country.

Marsh – Proof of insurance – Insurers, Brokers – Clients can easily search, view, issue, and re-issue their certificates of insurance on-demand 24 hours a day.

Universities – Diplomas on Blockchain – Universities  are using blockchain technology to fight fake diplomas, a type of fraud that has been on the rise globally in recent years.

Wine  – Lack of transparency throughout the wine and spirits industries supply chains leaves them vulnerable to counterfeiting, impacting consumer confidence and restricting brand equity. Today, a bottle must pass strict geographical certification procedures to establish authenticity.

Smart Dubai – Vehicle Life Cycle Management System

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is working on a project to create a vehicle lifecycle management system using blockchain technology. The project aims to provide car manufacturers, dealers, regulators, insurance companies, buyers, sellers and garages with a transparent record about the vehicle’s history from the manufacturer to the scrap yard.

Tennet – Energy Storage – Stabilise the Power Grid – Carbon Trading  –

TenneT is a transmission system operator in the Netherlands and in a large part of Germany. … Controlled and owned by the Dutch government, it is responsible for overseeing the operation of the 380 and 220 kV high-voltage grid throughout the Netherlands and its interconnections with neighbouring countries –

TenneT, together with IBM,  has embarked on a ?rst-of-a-kind implementation of blockchain technology in the Energy & Utilities (E&U) industry in Europe.

This is one of the biggest Use Cases.

Syniverse has joined forces with IBM to create a solution that uses blockchain to instantly validate new wholesale billing and charging processes.

we.trade – reduce friction and ease the trade finance process  –  Supply Chain  Financing, Equipment Financing, Dealer Financing

The we.trade platform is a digital one stop shop for trade. The platform,  built on the IBM Blockchain Platform using Hyperledger Fabric,  offers banks’ customers access to a simple user-interface, leveraging innovative Smart Contract and opening up potential new trading opportunities. 55% of we.trade transactions are automated payments. we.trade is a joint venture between a number of  major banks (expected ti be around 50)

Vinturas – Provenance and Insight – Digital Services to OEMs, Fleet Owners and Dealers

Vinturas is a digital platform for tracking logistics for the delivery of used and newly manufactured cars. The Vinturas consortium consists of Groupe CAT, Axess Logistics, Koopman. IBM is the technology partner, and the platform is based on Hyperledger Fabric. The consortium is now involved in over 25% of all supply chain vehicle movements in Europe.

Hyperledger Fabric Cross Industry Use Cases: business-to-consumer (B2C) – Banking – Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)  Networks, Public Sector, Fraud – B2B, Anyone can join

Hyperledger Fabric Track Assets – Mouseline instant mashed potatoes