I remember the first week of March 2020 well. It was a week filled with awkward elbow bump greetings followed by inspiring conversations and good times with some of my favorite people at the aptly named Corona Ranch. It was Hyperledger Global Forum.
In the hallway chats that ensued after my keynote, Blockchain – What’s next?, there was a common sentiment that the technology was rapidly accelerating, and sense of confidence that we could apply these technologies to prepare the world for potential disruption.
Those conversations were prescient, but who would have ever predicted just how long, broad and deep this global disruption would be?
We didn’t fully imagine what was about to transpire, and yet, with the help of collaboration and technology, we continued moving forward.
In the year since we last saw each other, we’ve made immense progress in inventing new forms of money, re-platforming financial services infrastructure, rearchitecting supply chains into resilient and secure supply networks, and pursuing self-managed digital identity.
This confirms what I know to be true: Hyperledger is at the center of the blockchain ecosystem and you all are leading the way in building real technologies and production systems the world can use to rapidly transform how business is done for massive positive impact.
The Hyperledger community has a long-standing vision for sharing infrastructure to solve real problems. If only they had already been deployed at scale when the pandemic hit. Now, the tech acceleration of the past year proves the world is ready to embrace the possibilities of the technologies we’ve been evangelizing to position most effectively for what comes next.
Hyperledger Global Forum 2021 may look a little different than years past, but the immersive virtual experience will give us the chance to engage with even more people from our global community. We’ve all weathered this massive disruption together – never have I felt more excited to reconnect with you all, build on our existing momentum to solve global problems and roadmap the technical milestones we’ll collectively sprint towards in the year ahead.
Pouring over this year’s lineup of sessions, I’m seeing the following themes come to the fore:
Here is a preview of some of the talks related to the above themes that I am particularly looking forward to attending:
(Coinnovation) How to Create Thriving Ecosystems on Thursday, June 10, at 20:20-20:50 CEST, Accenture’s Melanie Cutlan will discuss different consortium methodologies and how to forge multiparty systems so your ecosystem can thrive long term.
(Interoperability) Hyperledger Cactus Project Updates on Thursday, June 10, at 19:10-19:40 CEST, Accenture’s Peter Somogyvari and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.’s Shingo Fujimoto will introduce the Hyperledger project that is solving for interoperability by bridging blockchain infrastructures and constructing distributed management services.
(Privacy) Digital ID: Understanding Perceptions and Expectations on Wednesday, June 9, at 20:20-20:50 CEST, Accenture’s Christine Leong and Alissa Worley will showcase insights from new research on what it will take to drive acceptance and demand for digital identity capabilities.
(Planet) Oceans Plastics Recycling Solution using Hybrid Blockchain on Wednesday, June 9, at 09:40-10:10 CEST, Wipro Technologies’ Hitarshi Buch will demonstrate a blockchain sustainability initiative to incentivize plastic recycling ratings and change the trajectory of the estimated 86 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans.
(Finance) Digital Currency Interoperability with Messages on Thursday, June 10, at 09:40-10:10 CEST, dlt.nyc’s Vipin Bharathan will discuss digital currencies, including central bank digital currency (CBDC) and challenges with interoperability between these systems.
(Supply Chain) Rebuilding Supply Chains into Responsible Supply Networks on Thursday, June 10, at 18:40-19:10 CEST, Accenture’s Tom Fahey & Tal Viskin will explore how sustainability and conscientious consumption have become even more ingrained as top initiatives during the COVID-19 lockdown, and the blockchain-enabled supply network initiatives underway that are meeting those new demands.
(Healthcare) Trading Partner Authentication and Drug Verification in the US Pharmaceutical Supply Chain on Tuesday, June 8, at 20:50-21:20 CEST, LedgerDomain’s Ben Taylor will share the results of a peer-reviewed study that tested ATP authentication and enhanced verification using Hyperledger Fabric to ensure non-counterfeit, safe and effective pharmaceutical drugs.
I hope to see you at these sessions and networking events at Hyperledger Global Forum (June 8-10). With so much great content to choose from, you can use the search function to browse scheduled sessions by the topics that most interest you. If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so here.
As I said after last year’s Hyperledger Global Forum, for me, Hyperledger is a family. It’s a place where I can access friends, experts and colleagues. It’s a place where I can have in-depth conversations, access incredible content, platforms, and share and hear new ideas. If you’re in the blockchain space, attending Hyperledger Global Forum is absolutely essential.
You can visit with me and others from my talented team in the virtual Accenture booth, located in the Expo area. Bring your questions and we can connect live during the event. You can also learn more about Accenture’s work in this important space at Accenture.com/blockchain.