Blockchain startup Zamna raised $5 million to automate airport security checks using blockchain and biometrics technology, tech news outlet Silicon Republic reports on Oct. 28. The startup plans to use the funding to deploy its Advance Passenger Information platform. Zamna also said that International Airlines Group (IAG), Emirates Airlines and United Arab Emirates’ General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs are now among its clients. According to company data website Crunchbase, the seed round was reportedly led by venture capital firms LocalGlobe and Oxford Capital partners alongside IAG, one of the world’s largest airline groups. Up to 90% fewer document …

Bunkertrace, a blockchain and DNA-based fuel tracking solution, is using DNA markers to trace bunker fuel oil throughout the supply chain. On Oct. 21, in an article by the American Journal of Transportation, Bunkertrace announced its commercial launch after a successful trial in the Netherlands where the company added DNA markers to bunker fuel oil. The new solution combines synthetic DNA markers and blockchain technology to trace the fuel and make it possible to track any changes made to it. The company then records each transaction in a blockchain-based system to manage risk for marine fuels by creating a transparent …

Five major automakers — BMW, General Motors, Ford, Renault and Honda — will start testing a blockchain car identification and payment system next month in the United States. Automakers envision self-paying cars, digital IDs Nikkei Asian Review reported on Oct. 14 that the partnership aims to test the vehicle ID system developed under the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative. As part of the project, cars are assigned digital IDs linked to ownership, service history and a wallet allowing the vehicle to automatically pay fees without specialized hardware. The alliance reportedly envisions the system being applied to connected electric vehicles so tolls, …

Indian automobile manufacturer Tata Motors wants to integrate blockchain solutions into its internal processes as part of a newly launched program for startups. As Business Insider India reported on Sept. 18, Tata Motors has rolled out a program for startups dubbed “Tata Motors AutoMobility Collaboration Network 2.0,” through which it intends to develop a range of industry-related products, including artificial intelligence and blockchain-enabled solutions. The firm wants to apply blockchain-based solutions in various aspects of the automotive industry, including parking marketplace, demand prediction algorithm and real-time monitoring of fuel quality. Commenting on the initiative, Shailesh Chandra, president of electric mobility …

Automotive supplier Continental has unveiled an application called Earn As You Drive, which uses blockchain technology to monetize car user information. Parking space data for digital currency Forbes reported the news on Aug. 29. Per the report, Continental has partnered with tech firm Hewlett Packard Enterprise and open source network provider Crossbar.io to create Earn As You Drive. This application reportedly lets drivers opt in to earn digital currency for sharing information about street parking availability through vehicle sensors. The data is shared with a manufacturer, who in turn sends it to a third party parking service. The new app …

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) company Iota has partnered with auto manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover for a proof-of-concept (PoC) demonstration for tracing car energy with DLT. Tracking energy source and usage Iota announced the news in an official blog post on Aug. 30. Per the announcement, Iota is partnering with Jaguar Land Rover and French energy R&D center Engie Lab Crigen for the demonstration. The demonstration aims to show the public both the source and use of a Jaguar I-Pace’s energy at the Trondheim Powerhouse, the building whose inauguration forms the background for the proof-of-concept. Russell Vickers, the manager of Jaguar …

Blockchain solutions company PlatOn has created a platform for storing data and calculating the price of used business cars at Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service (BMBS). Calculating and monitoring car price PlatOn shared the news with Cointelegraph on Aug. 29. According to the announcement, PlatON’s blockchain-based Vehicle Residual Value Management Platform can store both static and dynamic data, which will be used to automatically calculate the residual value of registered vehicles over time. Additionally, the Vehicle Residual Value Management Platform will reportedly be open to the used car market, including entities beyond just BMBS. These other parties include 4s car dealerships …

Thailand’s Customs Department intends to use IBM’s Tradelens blockchain solution to track shipping in Thai ports. According to an announcement published on Aug. 28 on the Thai Customs Department’s official website, the country plans to use Tradelens, a blockchain logistics system. Local news outlet Bangkok Post reported the next day that the platform is expected to streamline operations by managing shipment tracking and information sharing. Thailand’s push for innovation The Tradelens platform is the joint project of transport giant AP Moller-Maersk and IBM. The decision to adopt it in the country is reportedly part of a broader Thailand 4.0 modernization …

Frankfurt bank and financial services firm Commerzbank tested blockchain-based machine to machine payments with trucks produced by the firm behind the Mercedes-Benz auto brand, Daimler. Automated, human-free, payments According to a Commerzbank press release published on Aug. 8, the bank tested the exchange and settlement of payments between an electronic charging point and a Daimler truck system without any human intervention. To allow the transaction, the bank reportedly tokenized euros on the blockchain used in the pilot and provided the funds to the automaker to process the payments. Towards a more efficient supply chain The aim of the system is …

Automaker Volvo Cars, owned by Chinese automotive group Geely, has produced electric cars with cobalt mapped on a blockchain, Reuters reports on Aug. 2. Blockchain used to combat child labor Per the report, Volvo also joined a project to monitor cobalt from Democratic Republic of Congo overseen by responsible-sourcing group RCS Global. Information technology outlet ITNews suggests that the aim of the initiative is to prove that their electric vehicles do not rely on conflict minerals or child labor. Automaker Ford, technology giant IBM, South Korean cathode maker LG Chem and Chinese cobalt supplier Huayou Cobalt also participate in the …

Canada’s transcontinental railway, Canadian Pacific (CP), has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). CP announced its new membership in an official press release on July 31. According to the announcement, CP is looking to support improvements in supply chain technology through blockchain technology. BiTA says that by joining the group, CP is helping them to drive global supply chain interoperability. BiTA president Patrick Duffy also commented on the potential benefits of blockchain in the transportation sector, saying that the new tech “has the potential to smooth the transactions that occur between shippers and carriers, but it requires the active …

S7 Airlines, a member of major global aviation alliance Oneworld, processed over $1 million through its blockchain payment system for the month of July. S7 processed nearly $4 million in payments on its blockchain platform since January 2019 According to an official press release on July 30, S7 has seen significant growth in transactions on its blockchain-powered sales network developed in partnership with Russia's largest private bank, Alfa-Bank. Nikolai Mukhanov, executive director at S7 Techlab, said that the platform has seen not only a significant increase in number of payments, which reportedly grew tenfold since January, but also in number …