This Week in Crypto: McDonald's, Medicine, MEW, and More
Weekly updates from the cryptosphere!
McCrypto?
If you don’t know what a Big Mac is, you definitely are living under a rock. The precious double patty burger was introduced by fast food giant McDonald’s 50 years ago, and ever since then, it has been a big hit to say the least. To celebrate the Big Mac’s 50th birthday, McDonald’s got innovative with their marketing strategy, deciding that crypto would be the icing on the cake for an already very popular burger. The fast food chain is releasing a limited edition MacCoin, which will be available at stores across the globe in early August, and can be redeemable throughout the remainder of 2018 for a free, oh so delicious, Big Mac. In order to get one of McDonald’s limited edition MacCoins, customers simply need to purchase a Big Mac. Their purchase will include their meal as well as a MacCoin which they can then use at another time to purchase a Big Mac in one of 14,000 participating locations.
Blockchain to be applied in Healthcare
Amongst the many industries that are researching blockchain applications, healthcare is heavily exploring the technology. Mount Sinai Hospital in New York has launched the Center for Biomedical Blockchain Research which will focus on researching how blockchain can be implemented in medicine. The research plans include looking into drug development, preventing counterfeit drug sales, clinical trials, and more transparency in the field overall.
World’s First Blockchain Court
The world’s first ‘Court of Blockchain’ is being brought about by the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts and Smart Dubai. DIFC and Smart Dubai partnered together in what they hope will be a series of projects to make the Dubai government completely on the blockchain by 2020. The goal of this partnership is to create a blockchain powered judiciary.
MEW Goes on iOS and Android
The popular wallet service, MyEtherWallet, or MEW, is offering its users MEWConnect, which will allow for cold storage on phones. Apps will be available on iOS and Android. This application will allow users to have access to their funds in a secure way without having to use their private keys at all. A secure connection is established by MEW between the user and the blockchain, allowing for the access. This application is just one prime example of all of the adaptations and innovations being made for smartphones coming from the crypto world.
Cristiano and Crypto
The crypto world is expanding its horizons and immersing into a number of industries, but one of the coolest? Definitely professional football. Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo just made a $100 million transfer from Spanish football team Real Madrid to the Italian powerhouse Juventus. The huge amount will potentially be paid in Bitcoin rather than a traditional fiat currency. Already making headlines for being one of the largest deals in football history, being paid in cryptocurrency would take this news to a whole other level.
Any exciting news stories we missed? Let us know in the comments.