UK Gov Gives First G-Cloud Blockchain PaaS Agreement To Credits

Blockchain platform provider Credits is now supplying its Blockchain-as-a-Service to the UK public sector, via the Government Digital Services’ Digital Marketplace.

Awarded by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), the place on the G-Cloud 8 framework agreement for Credits allows for the supply of its distributed ledger technology (DLT) throughout the UK public sector,

This means organisations across the UK, including central and local governments, the devolved administrations, health, education, emergency services, defence, and not-for-profits, can use the service.

The Credits Blockchain-as-a-Service will enable UK public sector bodies and their solution and managed service providers to build and deploy secure and interoperable DLT services. Credits is based at the Level39 Technology Accelerator in Canary Wharf.

Potential

“Credits is pleased to have been awarded a place on the G-Cloud 8 platform. We are excited by the huge potential of Distributed Ledger Technology for many different government and public sector applications, and are looking forward to working with UK public sector organisations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their services for UK taxpayers”, said Nick Williamson, CEO of Credits.

Credits’ G-Cloud Blockchain-as-a-Service runs on purportedly secure cloud infrastructure powered by partner UKCloud (formerly Skyscape Cloud Services). The G-Cloud agreement follows Credits’ 2015 success in supplying its blockchain framework to the Isle of Man Government, and the launch in April 2016 of Credits’ public blockchain PaaS.

In June, the Bank of England and professional services giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) partnered to help the central bank to produce its first distributed ledger proof of concept.

The Bank’s accelerator will work by selecting firms to take part in short proof of concept projects (POC), so they can see how new technology will actually work in practice.

As part of that, PwC’s blockchain team will help the Bank’s own technology specialists to produce their first distributed ledger proof of concept.

What does this mean in practice? Well the PwC project will examine the mechanics of a digital currency, including its challenges and opportunities. Participants will join a network in which an online currency can be minted, put into circulation, exchanged or withdrawn instantaneously.

“This is a significant piece of work and PwC are very excited to have been able to support the Bank in developing their first DLT Proof of Concept, which will enable the Bank to gain a better awareness of DL from both a technology and policy perspective,” said Nick Bouch, financial services data leader and partner at PwC.

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