Malta set for ‘revolutionary’ national blockchain strategy

I wanted to share an interesting article on maltatoday, wherein, during a conference organised by the financial affairs parliamentary committee, Malta's prime minister revealed that cabinet has just approved the first draft of a national strategy to promote blockchain in Malta. The prime minister also called on the European Union (EU) to harness the potential of cryptocurrencies. The small island state currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, being responsible for driving forward the Council's work on EU legislation.

The article quotes the prime minister as saying, “this is not just about Bitcoin, and I also look forward to seeing blockchain technology implemented in the Lands Registry and the national health registries,” he said. “Malta can be a global trail-blazer in this regard.”

The executive chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority, Mr Joseph Cuschieri was also quoted to have said that he will later this year announce plans related to cryptocurrencies in the gaming context (Malta has a large number of remote gaming operators who have established themselves on the island and the Malta Gaming Authority has issued close to 600 licences). The article further quotes Mr Cuschieri, “blockchain technology will decentralise financial services just as the internet has decentralised the media and information,”.

The full article may be accessed through the following link:
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/business/technology/76459/malta_set_for_revolutionary_national_blockchain_strategy_#.WPo1xfl96pp