Hedera Hashgraph presents e-Apostille PoC to Texas Secretary of State

Enterprise blockchain platform Hedera Hashgraph has presented a proof-of-concept, or PoC, to the Texas Secretary of State, showing the potential of blockchain technology to issue, secure and verify documents.

The PoC was a collaboration with content services provider, Hyland, and was spearheaded by trade association, the Texas Blockchain Council, who announced the venture on Jan. 11.

It centers around a system for issuing electronic Apostilles. An Apostille is a method for verifying that the seals and signatures on documents issued by public authorities are authentic.

An Apostilled document is recognized internationally as legally valid in the 118 countries who are parties to the Apostille Convention, which originally dates from 1961.

There is no indication that such a proof-of-concept had been requested, and although Cointelegraph reached out to the Texas Secretary of State’s office for comment, no response had been received by time of publication.

The Texas Blockchain Council was created in 2020, with an aim to develop the state into a blockchain friendly jurisdiction. They seek to both promote the technology’s use within local companies, and prompt the state as a location for existing blockchain businesses and investors.

Hedera Hashgraph has established a strong presence in the state, with CEO, Mance Harmon explaining:

“We're thrilled to show the Texas Secretary of State and Hyland how blockchain/public ledgers enable government agencies to cost-effectively deliver next-generation services to their constituents”

One Bitcoin (BTC) mining company in the region has been making a tidy profit selling electricity back to the grid on days when the outside temperature means that mining is not financially practical.