The Baking Sheet - Issue #143

March 24, 2023

This is the final week before we land in Mumbai -- Bakers, now is the time to update your node to Octez v16.1

Welcome to this week's issue of the The Baking Sheet, your weekly newsletter for all the latest and greatest in the world of Tezos.

Tezos has recently made some inroads into the automotive industry with the DMV of California using the Tezos Blockchain to the potential of having blockchain connected-cars, there is a mass amount of innovation in this space. Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the automotive industry by offering secure, transparent, and decentralized solutions for data management, vehicle identity tracking, and supply chain optimization. It can enable the creation of tamper-proof digital identities for vehicles, facilitate seamless peer-to-peer transactions for services like car-sharing, and foster trust among stakeholders by ensuring data privacy and compliance with regulations -- let's dive in for a closer look!

Eniblock: Tezos-powered Cars

A groundbreaking project, Passport for Connected Car (PCC), is set to transform the automotive industry by providing a secure and transparent platform for managing vehicle data while ensuring compliance with GDPR regulations. The PCC project, funded by the Tezos Foundation grants program, is a collaborative effort between IRT SystemX, Tezos Foundation, Eniblock, and a consortium of leading automotive actors.

Data Privacy and Sovereignty for Vehicle Owners

At the heart of PCC lies a revolutionary solution that places vehicle owners in control of their data. Utilizing blockchain technology, the platform ensures the privacy and sovereignty of vehicle owners, while simultaneously enabling efficient and equitable distribution of value. This is achieved through the use of blockchain tokens, which create new opportunities for predictive maintenance and pay-as-you-drive insurance.

Automotive Sector as a Contributor to the Digital Ecosystem

In addition to ensuring data privacy, PCC empowers the automotive sector to become a significant contributor to the digital ecosystem. This is facilitated by integrating a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) that governs data access and usage. The DAO ensures that all stakeholders, including manufacturers, insurers, and service providers, comply with agreed-upon rules and regulations, fostering trust and transparency within the ecosystem.

The Future of PCC and the Automotive Sector

After two years of dedicated work, the PCC project is poised to make a substantial impact on the automotive sector in the coming years. By providing a trusted and secure data exchange platform, PCC will revolutionize the way vehicle owners manage their data and unlock new service opportunities for the industry.

As the project moves forward, the PCC team looks forward to seeing the transformative effects of this innovative solution on the automotive sector, empowering vehicle owners and fostering a new era of trust and transparency.

California leads the way for Blockchain Apps

Coindesk, recently published an article this week on how California is leading the way for Blockchain adoption, once instance is the California DMV using Tezos. The California DMV is planning to revolutionize its vehicle title and transfer management system by tokenizing over 14 million automobiles registered in the state using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on a private version of the Tezos blockchain.

“Tokenization of vehicle titles could also enable fractionalized vehicle ownership, allow holders to pledge vehicle-title NFTs as collateral in the real world or within decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and increase liquidity on vehicle marketplaces,” analysts Alkesh Shah and Andrew Moss wrote.

According to a Bank of America research report, this project could significantly reduce the time it takes to issue and transfer vehicle titles, enhance security, and lower costs. Additional potential benefits include recording repairs within the NFT, using stablecoins for title transfers, and enabling other states to join the platform to achieve cross-state efficiencies. Other federal and state agencies, such as FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, are also exploring blockchain-based solutions.

This Week in the Tezos Ecosystem

AltMe and Altra.House Join Forces to Streamline Real-Estate Tokenization

AltMe, a self-sovereign identity wallet provider, and Altra.House, a pioneering real-estate tokenization platform, have announced a strategic partnership to revolutionize the real-estate tokenization process. This collaboration is set to deliver a secure, user-friendly, and frictionless experience for property investors, while maintaining decentralization, security, and privacy.

The partnership will allow AltMe wallet users to gain immediate and seamless access to Altra.House's platform. By integrating AltMe's decentralized identity wallet, users will enjoy a streamlined process for investing in tokenized real-estate assets.

In addition to providing a seamless experience, the two companies will collaborate to develop a MiFID-compliant layer on top of AltMe's decentralized identity solution. This innovative approach ensures regulatory compliance without compromising the core principles of decentralization.

Huge MIR, CMO of AltMe, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: "By combining the advantages of decentralized identity and tokenization, our partnership with Altra.House paves the way for a new era in real-estate investment." Similarly, Frédéric HUBIN, co-founder of Altra.House, emphasized their commitment to providing an unparalleled, compliant, and secure experience for investors in the real-estate market.

As AltMe and Altra.House embark on this strategic partnership, they are poised to revolutionize real-estate tokenization, making it more accessible, secure, and compliant for investors worldwide.

This Week in Tezos Development

Important: Octez v16.1 will be required for Mumbai

This version fixes an implementation bug in the new Mumbai baker binary that could lead to bakers occasionally failing to endorse blocks correctly, and could result in deterioration in network liveness.

Hence, we strongly recommend bakers to upgrade to v16.1. before the activation of Mumbai on block #3,268,609.

Notice that this new release ships the same PtMumbai2 protocol than Octez v16.0.

Full changelog and update instructions are available in the version 16 release page:

The Git tag for this version is v16.1 and the corresponding commit hash is 5977cc15a33c0fc98becd562185e3dc5e9003df7.

Big update alert! TzKT has just released a major new version with support for the Tezos Mumbai Protocol. The update includes Smart Optimistic Rollups support, new types of operations for rollups, non-voted bakers on voting periods, displaying the current chain status in the navigation bar, and the ability to export/import bookmarks. Give the new features a try and share your feedback!

Marigold introduces TzSafe, a highly secure multisig wallet solution for managing Tezos-related assets. Launched on the ghostnet, TzSafe aims to help users in the Tezos ecosystem easily and securely manage their assets. Marigold encourages users to try TzSafe and provide feedback for further improvements.

Serokell Updates | Serokell

Serokell is collaborating with Tezos Foundation to focus on the most popular and in-demand tools and libraries within the Tezos ecosystem. Some projects, part of the Morley framework, will be deprecated but maintained for the next two protocol activations before discontinuing active support. Serokell will concentrate on popular tools and libraries like Agora, Kiln, Tezos-packaging, and Tandoor to better serve the community's needs and assist those affected during the transition period.

Now Streaming

Tune into our next TezTalks Radio episode featuring Valerie Whitacre from Trilitech!

We are thrilled to welcome a very special guest: Valerie Whitacre, who is at the forefront of scaling the Tezos art ecosystem as part of her work at Trilitech (http://trili.tech/). Valerie will share her extensive knowledge and expertise in the field, and provide valuable insights into how Tezos is being used to create new and exciting opportunities for artists and creators.