Four companies—Ripple, EMURGO (Cardano), NEM Foundation, and Fetch.AI—have become the founding members of a new association called “Blockchain for Europe” that aims to create a unified voice for the distributed ledger technology (DLT) industry for its discussions with Europe’s policymakers.

According to a blog post by the NEM Foundation, the goals of the Brussels-based organization are “to foster the understanding within EU- and member state institutions on the true nature and potential of distributed ledger (DLT) and blockchain technology, and to ensure that upcoming regulation promotes and boosts innovation in Europe.” The members “share a common vision of Europe becoming the global frontrunner in blockchain technology.”

The association hosted its first event—the Blockchain for Europe Summit—on 27 November 2018, appropriately enough, at the European Parliament. This event “brought together stakeholders from around the world, discussing issues such as governance, healthcare, transport, trade, identity, financial market infrastructure and tokens/cryptocurrencies,” and the debate “showcased the potential benefits both for policymakers and blockchain originating companies when they engage directly and transparently.”

Dan Morgan, Ripple’s Head of Regulatory Relations for Europe, said:

“Ripple is 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.”

Kristof Van de Reck, Regional Head (Europe) at NEM Foundation, stated:

“We are delighted to be one of the founding members of Blockchain for Europe. There is a lack of unbiased information especially when it comes to the open and decentralised application of the technology. By joining forces with different stakeholders that have blockchain at the core of their business, we aim to provide insights which are not tailored to the agenda of specific organisations or stakeholders.”

 

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