
Official Newsletter of the European Union Blockchain Observatory & Forum
We are pleased to present you with our monthly update on the activities of the European Union Blockchain Observatory & Forum.

We did it!
The inaugural edition of Convergence was a great success
As you know, one of the main projects at the Observatory over the past few months has been helping to prepare for Convergence - Global Blockchain Congress, which took place in Malaga, Spain, between November 11 and 13.
A joint effort of the European Commission, the Observatory, INATBA and Alastria, the event was meant to be the first in what will become a yearly meeting between the global blockchain community, regulators, corporates, activists and the public at large. Putting it together was also – as all such conferences are – a Herculean task.
The good news is that, with close to 1,400 attendees representing over 50 countries, some 230 speakers and over 80 keynotes, panels, fireside chats, roundtables and meetings, Convergence certainly achieved its ambitions.
You will find a short overview with links to videos and other information here. Convergence will be back next year and promises to be just as topical, just as broad and, we are confident, just as good. If you are interested in keeping up to date on the 2020 version, you can sign up for the mailing list.
#EUBlockchain publications

We are happy to announce the release of our latest thematic report "Blockchain in trade finance and supply chain". Globalisation has made supply chains much more costly and complex, but also amplified the risks they entail. In our report we look at how blockchain could improve the situation. There are many hurdles, but all in all we think the future is bright for blockchain technology in supply chain contexts. Read the report to find out why. As always you can download all our papers from the Reports section of the website.
We have also just released our latest academic paper, entitled Blockchains and Education. Prepared by our academic partner the Knowledge Media Institute of the Open University, the report provides a succinct, detailed overview of the use of blockchain and distributed ledger technology for education globally, with conclusions and recommendations tailored for a European context.
With Malaga behind us, we have been catching up on our workshop reporting:
- We published the full workshop report of the Healthcare workshop. For a shorter overview, you can check out the blog post we published in October.
- We also published the full report of the Financial Services workshop, as well as a short summary on the blog.
#EUBlockchain events

We continue with our ongoing event series. Upcoming dates include:
- Social Impact (January 30, Barcelona)
- Research and Priorities* (February 18, Brussels)
- Energy and Environment* (March 3, Brussels)
#EUBlockchain Online Community

Our online forum remains active. Here are some of the issues that caught the attention of our community during the month:
- South Africa plans new rules to stop crypto from being used to evade currency controls
- Like China’s Crypto was not enough, now a BRICS Crypto is on its way
- Which Governments Are Using Blockchain Right Now?
- Regulating the crypto world - new developments from France
- Latest IFC publication on Blockchain
If you want to monitor the conversation or have your say, you are invited to join our online community.
We look forward to seeing you there! Inputs from this community of 1,500+ members play a major role in shaping the workshops and publications of the EU Blockchain Observatory & Forum.
Thank you!
As always, we would like to thank everyone who has been active in contributing to the Observatory. None of this would be possible without the participation of all of you in our community.
With best regards,
The EU Blockchain Observatory & Forum
Details
- Publication date
- 4 December 2019