Seeking to create a united voice for the fast-moving blockchain industry, four prominent blockchain firms have joined together to create a new advocacy association, “Blockchain for Europe.”
The new association hosted a policy summit last week that brought together industry stakeholders alongside the four largest European Parliament groups. The topics of discussion were said to include issues such as governance, healthcare, transport, trade, identity, financial market infrastructure, and tokens/cryptocurrencies. The meeting was designed to “showcased the potential benefits both for policy-makers and blockchain originating companies when they engage directly and transparently.”
The association has been founded by the following firms;
- Emurgo/Cardano
- Fetch.AI
- NEM
- Ripple
The founders state that Blockchain for Europe is the first credible attempt to create a unified voice for the industry at the European level. The founders say the debate within Europe has been fragmented and inconsistent driven more by people outside the sector challenging sector participants.
The goal is to engender a better understanding of distributed ledger technology (DLT) within the European Union member states and the governmental entities that represent them. The association wants to assure that any regulation promotes innovation and does not undermine it.
According to the association, the founders “share a common vision of Europe becoming the global frontrunner in blockchain technology,” thus shaping the global blockchain industry.
Dan Morgan, Head of Regulatory Relations for Europe Ripple, said his company was delighted to be a founding member of Blockchain for Europe. “This is a critical time for policymakers in Europe as they seek to develop the right regulatory framework to capture the benefits of both digital assets and blockchain technology,” stated Morgan.
Kristof Van de Reck, President Europe and co-founder of NEM Foundation, added that there is a lack of unbiased information when it comes to the tech. By joining forces with industry stakeholders they aim to provide insight that is not tied to a single organization.
Toby Simpson, CTO and co-founder of Fetch.AI called the association an extraordinary opportunity to guide European policy that will positively impact the lives of so many people.
“Within the scope of EMURGO’s mission to drive the adoption of Cardano globally, we are very keen to work with the European institutions in crafting the rules and regulations which will enable blockchain technology to thrive globally, thereby expanding the impact of our third generation blockchain Cardano, all under the leadership of EU governance,” said Manmeet Singh, CIO of EMURGO.