International BSN to add Casper, NEAR, Findora · TechNode

The Blockchain Services Network announced plans to integrate three public blockchains into its international network, the BSN architect told TechNode on Monday.

Why it matters: The Chinese government-affiliated project pushes ahead with its ambition to connect all of the world’s blockchain ecosystems and provide blockchain infrastructure internationally.

Details: Once the three chains—Casper, NEAR, and Findora—are integrated into the BSN, developers will be able to access them through public city nodes and build decentralized applications (dapps).

  • The integration process usually takes a couple of weeks. However, Casper and Findora’s mainnets will be launched later in the quarter, so it is likely they won’t be available to BSN developers until then.
  • “Through the BSN, developers now can access nodes of 15 public chains through one gateway and play around at ultralow cost,” He Yifan, CEO of Red Date Technology, the firm building the BSN, said in a statement to TechNode.
  • The new protocols will not be available to Chinese developers. The BSN operates two separate networks, one domestic and one international, to ensure compliance in China.

Blockchain Services Network (BSN)
What: A platform for blockchain development, bringing together cloud services and different chain protocols on city nodes.
Why: To reduce the cost of blockchain application design and deployment while powering communication between chains. It will be made available around the world through local cloud providers, ultimately creating a global internet of blockchains.
Who: It is part of the government’s Global Blockchain Strategy unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2019, spearheaded by the China State Information Center, China Mobile, China Union Pay, and Red Date Technology.

Context: Casper and NEAR are Ethereum alternatives and layer-one proof-of-stake blockchains. Findora is a network for decentralized finance (DeFi) with an emphasis on privacy-preserving architecture.

  • Developments in the China version of the BSN are going in a different direction: Last week, Big Four consulting firm Ernst & Young announced it will integrate blockchain compliance and audit tools on the BSN.
  • Red Date is working on its two projects aimed at riding the wave of central bank digital currencies, TechNode previously reported.

Eliza is TechNode’s blockchain and fintech reporter. When she isn’t obsessing over the rise of distributed ledger technology in China, she helps with editing.