NEM Foundation to Establish Australia and New Zealand Blockchain Hubs

NEM Foundation to Establish Blockchain Hubs in Australia and New Zealand

The NEM.io Foundation has announced the establishment of two blockchain hubs in Brisbane, Australia and Westport, New Zealand, respectively. Primarily, these two centers will serve as educational facilities for individuals interested in digital currencies and their underlying distributed ledger technology. To this end, the hubs will have representatives from NEM to run the education program. Besides learning activities, these institutions will support upcoming blockchain enterprises, as well as organize workshops, seminars and competitions.

NEM Foundation to launch @NEMofficial Foundation Hubs in Australia and New Zealand: https://t.co/oMkNRGUUWG | @RiverCityLabs @WestportNZ #blockchain pic.twitter.com/xUpKCXgygW

— TravelbyBit (@TravelbyBit) July 16, 2018

The Brisbane hub will be hosted by TravelByBit, a subsidiary of NEM whose objective is to use blockchain to transform the Australian tourism sector. As of now, the company has established connections among various tourism business in the country, enabling tourist to pay for goods and services using cryptocurrencies, which is more convenient than using fiat currencies. Caleb Yeoh, the CEO of TravelByBit, noted that the introduction of the blockchain hub is a significant step in the advocacy for the mass adoption of virtual currencies.

On the other hand, the Westport hub will be operated by the CelebralFix Group, a game developer that has active partnerships with the BBC, Disney and DreamWorks. Also, the group recently developed a gem known as MatchNEM, based on the NEM blockchain. Similar to the Brisbane hub, the Westport branch will also support regular education programs and activities. In addition, it will also have an incubator for blockchain startups. As per Benjamin Dellaca, the director of CelebralFix, the primary objective of the NEM Foundation is to create awareness and advocate for implementation of blockchain technology, which is why the hub was established.

Jason Lee, NEM’s director for expansion in Australia and New Zealand, reiterated the sentiments mentioned above. Moreover, NEM intends to attract nascent blockchain projects and software developers to explore the NEM Blockchain. Jason added that the company already runs a funding initiative that has aided in the inauguration of six firms in New Zealand and Australia, and that the introduction of the hubs will further increase the number of businesses supported by the NEM Foundation.

The Brisbane hub is scheduled to start operations on 10^th August 2018, while the Westport hub will open its doors to the public on the 25^th July 2018. Currently, the NEM Foundation operates in 47 countries across the world and has outlets in over 100 cities. Since venturing into Australasia in November last year, the foundation has been educating the masses on the basics of blockchain technology. Also, the organization has been encouraging startups to enrol in the NEM Global Community Fund to receive funding for their business ideas and support the NEM community. Presently, the fund has been allocated AUD$ 1000 million.