CommerceBlock is a public blockchain infrastructure company that is architecting a platform that allows anyone to build and use financial products and services historically reserved for commercial banking customers. The CommerceBlock network will be the first technology platform that provides a combination of trust minimal trade, decentralised contract execution, on-chain derivatives, and asset-backed token issuance to public blockchains. The advent of the Bitcoin protocol has enabled permission-less financial innovation. CommerceBlock’s product offerings provide a suite of tools that enables anyone to build and use services that construct contracts, manage trade flows, engage in multiparty dispute management, issue assets, and hedge currency risk. Developers and end users will be able to manage all stages of a business interaction and fulfil their contractual obligations by utilising the CommerceBlock platform. These services will be integrated into infrastructure we have already implemented. We have released the first open-source implementation of the pay-to-contract and homomorphic address protocol outlined by Timo Hanke and Ilja Gerhardt. The protocol has been designed in such a way that all business logic, customer funds, and trade details are managed on the client side meaning at no point does CommerceBlock have access to customer funds or private information.
ICON is a blockchain technology and network framework designed to allow independent blockchains to interact with each other. ICON is supported through a cryptocurrency token, called ICX. ICON is a South Korean-based company that developed a blockchain technology and accompanying cryptocurrency token called ICX. The company bills itself as an interconnected blockchain network, allowing participants in a decentralized system to “converge” at a central point. This is done by connecting a community to other communities through ICON Republic and Citizen Nodes. While blockchains are most commonly associated with cryptocurrencies, enthusiasts point out other areas where the technology can be applied. Any exchange of information can technically be added to a blockchain, though adding some types may not be cost-effective. Transactions involving securities, currencies, business contracts, deeds and loans, intellectual property, and personal identification could be “tokenized. ICON’s blockchain is more like the Plasma or Ontology blockchain in that its purpose is to act as an intermediary between other blockchains and networks. This interconnectability makes the ICON project worth keeping an eye on over the next decade. ICON sports its very own decentralized exchange. This DEX sets currency reserves for each blockchain community so that ICON communities can exchange value in real time through the ICON Republic. In this way, DEX complements C-Rep portals by establishing another gateway for ICON Communities to connect to the ICON Republic.