Four Blockchain startups including Epiphyte, Ledger, Plutus.it and Yoti Ltd. have become the finalists at the Contactless Mobile Awards 2016 which will held on April 26 in London.
These startups have been nominated in the Next Generation Ecosystem category of the annual awards event, for efficiently using the blockchain technology and bitcoin to provide consumer products and services.
Since the launch of its series of bitcoin hardware wallets, Ledger has become one of the front runners of the bitcoin hardware industry. The company recently showcased a developer edition of the Ledger Blue, a programmable Bitcoin hardware wallet which enables developers to integrate external applications such as PGP, Ethereum and Bitcoin wallets.
Ledger was nominated for their latest product the Ledger Blue, which features a touch screen and USB/NFC communications that can be interfaced to any computer or smartphone. The CMA awards team stated that the company has sold over 10,000 units in more than 100 countries.“The Blue has direct application for Bitcoin/Blockchain projects. The predecessor of the Blue, the Ledger Nano, has been sold to 10,000 units in more than 100 countries and is considered by industry experts as the leading solution in the field,” said the team.
Epiphyte is an award winning startup that have previously secured the titles of Swift Fintech Startup of the year 2014 and Barclays New Banking Innovation Award 2014. The firm’s blockchain-based SaaS system that enables instant settlement of money and delivery versus payment for financial trades are already being used by the world’s leading financial institutions and banks.
Since 2014, Epiphyte has been featured on mainstream media outlets for their blockchain-based remittance payment solutions which reduce costs by over 85% and enable real-time transactions between banks and non banks. The company is also known for its security and privacy-focused applications and services that prevent fraudulent transactions using the transparent blockchain network.
Plutus.it is a payment application and gateway that enables users to pay bitcoin at any existing contactless payment terminals (NFC) terminals around the world. The Plutis.it mobile application has become increasingly popular amongst bitcoin users that have previously struggled to find locations to spend their bitcoins. Similar to the concept of a bitcoin debit card, Plutus.it allows anyone to pay at any NFC-enabled POS machines or terminals using bitcoin.
The CMA team is convinced that the Plutus app’s in-store purchases rebate can encourage more individuals in the bitcoin space to use the digital currency. “The Plutus app also awards you a rebate on the blockchain for in-store purchases. These are digital tokens called Plutons, they can be sent to friends or converted into a contactless balance which can instantly be used towards the next purchase (similar to the concept of cash back or air miles on a credit card),” explained the team.
Yoti Ltd.
Lastly, Yoti Ltd is a blockchain startup that allows companies and individuals to prove their identities through the Yoti mobile application. Users can simply create a Yoti identity by taking a selfie, adding a mobile number, scanning a photo ID and entering a 5 digit PIN. After the registration is complete, users can log in to websites simply by scanning their face through the application.
