What is Alastria's relationship with the public sector?

In Alastria 3.0, we focus on bringing the public sector closer to harnessing and valorizing this technology in its roadmap and starting to finance blockchain-based projects, and more specifically, projects promoted by our partners. We are working towards this goal, we have a constant dialogue with SGAD and SEDIA, we have signed the four clusters of the Community of Madrid and we strive to implement the projects that our partners are implementing by promoting public-private cooperation. Our main goal is for the Public Administration to lead these public projects with the full cooperation of Alastria, to create an industry that will allow us to export technology to the whole world.

Alastria's organization chart supports decentralization, just like Blockchain...

In the Board of Directors of Alastria we are 17 companies, big and small, with the common goal of promoting the blockchain industry in Spain. We work with a decentralized approach, through different sectors that abort the challenges of the partners in the markets where they are located, supported by transversal committees of personality, technology, legal. Of course, this also transfers to local ecosystems, Alastria is present in almost all autonomous communities, as we have seen that blockchain talent is distributed throughout Spain.

How familiar is the general population with Blockchain technology?

In the study on the use of blockchain that I mentioned to you, most of the experts we interviewed agreed that, at the level of citizens, there is a lack of knowledge about blockchain technology and this can be explained for several reasons: the first pedagogy was in companies, and the association of blockchain with the terms bitcoin and cryptocurrency there is also a lack of related knowledge, which makes it difficult for citizens to better understand the uses, potential and benefits of decentralized technologies. But the truth is that citizens don't need to understand how blockchain works, but rather use it for the value that blockchain-based applications offer. One of our partners commented the other day that blockchain should be like using a microwave oven; we all use it but we don't know what's behind it.

What applications are available on Alastria networks?

There are over 60 use cases developed by partners in the Alastria ecosystem, mainly in applications related to notarization and traceability, but we are increasingly seeing other use cases in tokenization and digital identity, especially with Europe's push for European digital identity. Here I want to highlight Spain, Alastria with momentum, its role in publishing the world's first standard for decentralized identities. We are pioneers in digital identity.

What are T, B and H networks?

Alastria is in principle a technology agnostic association and one of our main goals is to promote different networks in different technologies. Therefore, we facilitate the environment so that our partners can innovate and develop their networks; partners currently promote networks in Quantum technology, which is the T network, Hyperledger Besu technology, which is the B network and in Europe EBSI for the European blockchain network, and the technology being used in Hyperledger Fabric technology, which is the H-Plus network and in collaboration with Telefónica that develops

How do you help create new technological projects in Alastria?

As an ecosystem, Alastrian partners can find the right environment for their development. We connect companies, public administrations, suppliers and allies in different sectors and commissions around blockchain technology. In working groups they can share the challenges of their industries and join efforts to find solutions to these challenges. And through our Funding Desk, we help partners in their search for funding, both public and private, in addition to creating consortia that allow us to capitalize on our partners' developments.

Can you enumerate the benefits of using Blockchain?

Blockchain has an important contribution to record immutable information, trace the path of products and services, apply tokenization and identity solutions and, above all, improve and streamline processes.

How far will Blockchain go?

Spain has a unique opportunity to become a leader in this technology. We are seeing a very dynamic ecosystem of local blockchain companies with proposals from various sectors such as crypto, Fintech, NFT and digital assets, smart cities, energy, transport and logistics and healthcare, GovTech, among others. It is necessary to strengthen the favorable conditions for a wide and real adoption of blockchain technology, facilitating the centers of attraction of talent and technology-based companies that drive innovation. Moreover, this movement must be accompanied by an appropriate regulatory framework and the support of the public sector, both financially and at the level of adoption. Blockchain will change the world and we will be important actors in those changes.