Orange, Atos, Suez and even Docaposte, the digital subsidiary of La Poste, have decided to come together to form the Alliance Blockchain France, alongside other companies, but also academics and public institutions.
With the democratization of cryptocurrencies and the rise of Web3, blockchain is currently on the rise. On this flourishing market, a growing number of players are positioning themselves to structure the sector. This is particularly the case of Orange, Atos, Suez or even Docaposte, the digital subsidiary of La Poste, which have decided to come together to form the Alliance Blockchain France alongside other companies, but also academics and public institutions. In total, about twenty players have chosen to take part in this initiative.
This consortium aims to deploy a common blockchain infrastructure, “which will gradually open up to all French industrialists and administrations wishing to benefit from the advantages of the blockchain”, says the organization. The latter will be led by Antoine Maisonneuve, head of the blockchain program at Orange Business Services, who will be assisted by Olivier Senot, director of innovation at Docaposte, in his capacity as vice-president of the Alliance Blockchain France.
By joining forces in the same organization, Orange, Atos and others are following in the footsteps of other national networks deployed in Europe, such as Alastria in Spain or ID Union in Germany, which brings together Bosch, T-Mobile, Siemens, ING or Deutsche Bank. “France will therefore be able, like its European peers, to soon have a blockchain network supported by major industrialists, academics, start-ups and SMEs, making it possible to democratize this technology down to the smallest players”notes Orange Business Services.
doing blockchain “an essential technology for the digital transformation of French companies and administrations”
Beyond the democratization of the blockchain, this structure aims to “create a shared space for sharing and experimentation” and to “allow access to open and trusted blockchain networks to any public or private entity”. On the strength of this approach, the Alliance Blockchain France intends to have the blockchain recognized “as an essential technology for the digital transformation of French businesses and administrations”in particular by identifying relevant use cases and helping to educate young people and government authorities around this technology.
In recent weeks, several structures have emerged in the French blockchain ecosystem. Indeed, the start-up studio eFounders has launched 3Founders, an entity dedicated to Web3, while the Cathay Innovation fund and the start-up Ledger have decided to join forces to set up a 100 million dollar investment fund. euros. Supported by Bpifrance, it aims to invest in young Web3 shoots, as well as those working on cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain or even NFTs. Earlier this year, around fifty French digital players (artists, consultants, entrepreneurs, investors, etc.), including the unicorns Sorare and Ledger once again, gave birth to the NFT Factory, in reference to the certificates of authenticity that make it possible to appropriate a digital object.