KeepKey Integrates with ShapeShift for Instant Cryptocurrency Exchange

The KP Chair Mid-Term Report 2016 states: "With a view to combatting potential fraudulent activity and to enhance security measures, blockchain technology has been proposed by the KP Chair 2016. The KP Chair engaged with blockchain technology providers to adapt this technology to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme… The KP Chair's office is committed to the examination of its benefits and is working on a potential pilot project that would use blockchain technology to monitor KP statistics." Officials indicated November would bring further details on the initiative's progress.

Everledger, a technology firm headquartered in London, has engineered a comparable system designed for the same purpose—thwarting fraudulent claims in the diamond sector. The company's approach merges a proprietary blockchain infrastructure built on the Eris framework alongside the Bitcoin network, producing a tamper-proof repository of gemstone records and associated transaction data. The startup earned recognition by winning the BBVA Open Talent 2015 Europe award, after which it expanded into additional sectors including fine art and responsible supply chain finance, earning inclusion on the 2016 Fintech50 list.

According to founder and Chief Executive Leanne Kemp, Everledger's platform creates "an immutable digital footprint of an item" for markets where origin verification carries particular weight. Once entered into the blockchain ledger, documentation becomes unalterable and permanent, establishing an auditable history accessible to all relevant parties in a supply network seeking to validate provenance. The firm reports having registered over 980,000 diamonds through its certification system.

The Kimberley Process itself represents a coalition spanning governments, industry stakeholders, and advocacy groups designed to prevent conflict diamonds—stones mined in war zones and sold to finance armed insurgencies—from reaching consumers. Participating nations exceed eighty countries and encompass every significant player in rough diamond production, distribution, and consumption. The UAE currently holds the organization's chairmanship.