South Korea's blockchain path

BTC above $900; 2017 should be key for blockchain in South Korea; Dubai looks for blockchain solutions.  View this email in your browser December 23rd, 2016 "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." – Winston Churchill Got this from a friend? SUBSCRIBE HERE Ryan Uhr, CEO of Coinplug, explains why he expects 2017 to be an especially important year for blockchain in South Korea.   2016 has seen an impressive build-up in the region of blockchain projects. Commercial banks have been actively working on a range of use cases. Several are members of Hyperledger. The public sector has also showed significant support, from the government's collaboration in removing hurdles to innovation, to the central bank's involvement in blockchain research.   For 2017, Uhr expects hurdles the public support to intensify, which will continue to lower hurdles to blockchain implementation. Consortia will form and foster further investigation, proof-of-concepts will become products, and a ripple effect will push the innovation across sectors and boundaries.   (You can see more of our 2016 Year in Review series HERE.)   Read the full story Share Tweet Chain has had an interesting year, and has even bigger plans for 2017.   Ryan Smith, CTO of Chain, will give a talk at CONSTRUCT, our invite-only developer conference in San Francisco, USA on January 30-31. Come and join Ryan, other industry leaders and senior engineers, to catch up with recent innovation in the sector and to get ahead of upcoming updates.  😎 APPLY TO ATTEND 😎 Wait, there's more: What 2016 Taught Us About Smart Contracts *Year in Review*: Jeffrey Billingham, blockchain lead for Markit, believes that 2017 will be the year we start to see the real power of smart contracts. As our understanding of the potential and awareness of their limitations continue to deepen, we can apply lessons learned to real-world solutions. Read more, Dubai Appeals to Blockchain Startups for Immigration Solution A government-backed startup accelerator in Dubai is looking for blockchain pitches. One specific aim is to connect a project with the the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, which wants to apply the tech to immigration issues. Read more. Bitcoin Price Surge Continues The BTC price has continued its upward trend, passing $900 to hit a new three-year high. Read more.   On behalf of all of us at CoinDesk, we wish you a merry everything and a happy always! We won't be publishing a daily email on Monday, but we'll be back on Tuesday, excited about closing out what has been an eventful and surprising year.  Our weekly email will be out as usual on Sunday, with a special seasonal scoop. Don't miss it! (If you don't subscribe to the weekly, you really should, and can do so here.)   Go to CoinDesk BTC: $903.43 +4.1%  ETH: $7.26 -4.8% @10:00 EST - More price details This is the last day to take our survey and enter for a $100 Amazon gift certificate! 😁 Those of you who have already responded, we really thank you. We're looking forward to incorporating your comments and wishes in our product designs for 2017.  🎁 TAKE THE SURVEY  🎁 PRESS RELEASES   22, Dec - Press Release: Avanquest Software Launches AQ Rewards App Powered by Blockchain Technology 21, Dec - Press Release: The Bitcoin Store Launches 20, Dec - Press Release: Innovation Ignition Competition to Launch at Telehealth and Medicine Today March 2017 Conference Do you think this email is better with the longer, skimmable headlines? Or do you miss the short, witty (and sometimes enigmatic) teasers? Just hit "Reply" and let me know! If you like this email, how about sharing it with your friends by tweeting, posting or simply forwarding? We'd really appreciate it.  Share Tweet Copyright © 2016 CoinDesk, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you subscribed for updates on our website. Our mailing address is: CoinDesk 636 Avenue of the Americas New York City, NY 10011 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list