Singapore Blockchain Week’s first virtual conference just concluded yesterday (21 July 2020) and the word that seems to be on the tips of every panelist’s tongue is that of “interoperability”. Having had the privilege to speed run through the video conferences in the comfort of my PJs, I thought it would be good to see what the industry means by this as well as touch on other interesting points which came up in the discussions.

The one thing that the panelist agreed on is that the industry has matured significantly, especially as COVID became the unexpected catalyst to push the…

It is no secret that the supply chain has long been touted as one of the major industries ripe for major disruption with the introduction of blockchain technologies. This is due to the fact that individual products in the modern economy have multiple touch points throughout their supply chain involving various parties. Given this backdrop, it is easy to see why participants in the supply chain are drawn towards a technology which promises to introduce levels of trust previously unobtainable via the social sourcing of truth. The implications of this digitally validating shared ledger are many: eliminating intermediaries, streamlining business…

In the tech industry, there is always talk about the latest and greatest innovations that is driving society forward. While all this talk about the future is definitely exciting, what is usually missing from the conversation is the present. More specifically, how do we position ourselves for this future that we are envisioning given that for the large majority of us, we’ve already developed our own technology stack based upon what were best technologies of the past. Any consideration of new technologies will necessitate a decision between the costs of adopting the new technology against the benefits promised. …

Blockchain technologies have come a long way since its first successful iteration in the Bitcoin protocol. For those keeping track of the industry, so much has happened since then but enterprise use cases of the technology is still considered to be in its discovery phase. Among those use cases that have been successfully rolled out, there are two platforms that will pop up more often than not: Hyperledger Fabric and R3 Corda. Comparing the architecture of these two platforms from a business approach would shed some light into what exactly enterprises are looking for when it comes to adopting blockchain…

As I approach a year in tech, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on how being in a technical role has changed my perspective on what it means to become a blockchain professional. Having come from an urban planning and real estate background, I’m hoping that this piece can shed some light to make the journey easier for those who have developed a keen interest in blockchain technology but aren’t from the relevant technical backgrounds. Rather than being one of those “How to get into/ How I got into tech” step-by-step write-ups, I wanted to provide…

Binge watching Stranger Things over the weekend, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the thrills of biking through the American suburbs as a kid. Save for knocking on doors, the whole town was a playground where we could roam freely as everyone knew each other. Those were such fond memories except for the fact that I was born and raised in a Malaysian city where cycling meant braving not only the immense distances and not-so-friendly stray dogs but also getting lost in a sea of strangers with Google Maps still a few years away. …

How much individual freedom are you willing to give up for the benefit of the group? How about if with every rule that you didn’t like, you could create an exact duplicate of the community with that particular rule changed? Would we be left with the perfect society for everyone or the perfect cocoon for anyone?

Versions of this individual vs community debate even forms a foundational pillar in the theory of evolution with many organisms learning to work in groups to ensure their own survival which in turn strengthens their species. In fact, the large part of human history…

Facilities management (FM) for the uninitiated are one of those industries which you never pay heed to unless an issue pops up at your office. The FM industry essentially focuses on providing efficient and effective support services for tenants in a building (commercial real estate for the purposes of this article). Eyes dried out from the air-cond blowing in your face? Complain red-eyed to your FM provider; Office feels like a club? Inform your FM provider of the loose lighting (or not); Spiders running around the office? …