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bne Tech
June 28, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 21
Russia’s TON blockchain in testing phase
Vladimir Kozlov in Moscow
Telegram Open Network (TON), one of the most highly anticipated projects in the blockchain world, is gaining momentum and is now in beta testing mode.
In late May, Telegram messaging service, the company behind the project, released a test client for TON, according to an email to investors, cited by several news outlets.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov raised $1.7bn last March with one of the most successful ICO (Initial Coin Offerings) of all time and has used part of the
proceeds to develop TON, which is intended to create a universal blockchain infrastructure based on its speed operation and its inclusion of “smart con- tracts” – pieces of code that can be tasked to carry out functions such as make payments or send reports.
On May 25, a user of the computer code repository GitHub reportedly uploaded a version of the cli- ent, TON Blockchain Network Lite Client, which,
if configured properly, could be connected to the TON blockchain's test net.
Read the full story here
Russian retailer X5 adds pet store Beethoven to its online platform
Retailer Perekrestok’s online platform will start selling the products of Russia’s largest pet store chain Bethowen, Vedomosti daily reported on June 21 citing representatives of both companies.
Part of the X5 Retail Group, this is the second recent announcement from Perekrestok that it will be expanding its online retail scope
and assortment. Last week X5 and Santens Service Group said they would set up an online pharmaceutical marketplace on the basis of Perekrestok.ru.
More than 900 items sold by Bethowen will be added to the retailer's online platform, mostly
focused on pet food, and that will be expanded to 2,000 items by the end of July and then 3,000
by the end of 2019.
There is a large upside potential for X5 online retail, say analysts, as in 2018 Perekrestok-online posted sales of RUB1.8bn, or only 0.5% of X5 revenues, but that should triple to 1.5% in 2019.
X5 also continued to expand its online
delivery capabilities, teaming up with Courier Service Express (KSE) to deliver online orders to X5 stores Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, and Karusel, as well as door-to-door grocery deliveries.
Read the full story here