Connect with us

Technology

The MiCA Crypto Alliance Launches with Hedera, Ripple and Aptos Foundation as founding members

Published

on

Leading blockchain innovators Hedera, Ripple, and Aptos Foundation are joining forces with the technical support from DSF to advance crypto-adoption and regulatory adherence.The alliance will launch standardised templates for sustainability disclosures to help crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and regulated entities comply with the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.Members of the alliance will benefit from access to exclusive resources and support from industry leaders that will simplify compliance with the new regulatory standards.

LONDON, Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The DLT Science Foundation (DSF) is proud to support the launch of the MiCA Crypto Alliance, with Hedera, Ripple and Aptos Foundation, as founding members. This groundbreaking association brings together some of the most influential players in the blockchain space, and is aimed at streamlining and enhancing compliance with the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, with a view to fostering a sustainable and compliant crypto ecosystem.

The Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation will be fully applicable by the end of this year and has been established by the European Union to provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for the crypto market, ensuring transparency, consumer protection, and market integrity. The cryptocurrency industry is in a state of rapid evolution, as global regulatory bodies recognise the urgent need for a solid framework that addresses the need for transparency, investor protection and cyber security. The MiCA regulation is being introduced at a critical time, providing much-needed clarity for the European market and fostering a more secure and dependable environment for cryptocurrency assets.

In addition to introducing well-publicised governance and transparency obligations, MiCA also introduces stringent sustainability-focused disclosure requirements that mandate Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs), which include centralised exchanges and other regulated entities to share information about the climate impact of their operations, at the same time as promoting uniformity and standardisation. The regulation requires that this climate impact assessment be shared via publicly accessible white papers and website descriptions. However, the absence of an official template or guideline document for these communications risks leaving CASPs, which are subject to the disclosure requirements, potentially facing non-compliance through no fault of their own. The MiCA Crypto Alliance, with the DLT Science Foundation (DSF) as its technical partner, is a member-governed initiative that aims to solve this problem by coordinating compliance efforts among leading blockchain projects, blockchain foundations, and CASPs. By standardising white paper content and sustainability indicators, the MiCA Crypto Alliance seeks to ensure consistency and comparability, ultimately reducing the complexities associated with regulatory compliance.

With over a third of crypto hedge funds expecting increased legal and compliance costs in the near future1, largely due to market volatility and evolving regulatory environments, the MiCA Crypto Alliance encourages blockchain innovators and exchanges to participate in this new initiative aimed at fostering a more standardised and compliant industry that will help reduce these costs, increase transparency and promote uniformity. Members will gain access to shared resources, such as advanced compliance tools, expert advice, and networking opportunities with prominent figures in the industry.

Commenting on the launch of the Alliance, Dr. Paolo Tasca, Founder & Chairman of the DSF, said: “In bringing regulatory clarity to the blockchain sector, MiCA represents a significant step towards mass adoption of digital assets and decentralised technologies. The sustainability disclosure requirements contained within the regulation are designed to drive climate accountability from projects operating within this space and encourage the responsible development of these powerful technologies. In enabling the launch of the MiCA Crypto Alliance, we are committed to setting the standards for compliance with the regulation and providing projects with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive in this new landscape.”

Members of the MiCA Crypto Alliance, including Hedera, Ripple, and Aptos Foundation, will have access to exclusive sustainability indicators and AI-powered white paper generation tools developed and provided by DSF. These resources are designed to help members meet MiCA requirements efficiently and effectively, promoting a high standard of compliance and sustainability within the industry.

Hedera, thanks to its unique consensus algorithm, will contribute its expertise in sustainability metrics, while Ripple’s strong commitment to transparency will help ensure regulatory compliance across the network. Finally, Aptos Foundation brings its experience in furthering blockchain-based security and scalability, further strengthening the alliance’s efforts.

Nilmini Rubin, Chief Policy Officer at Hedera, commented: “Becoming a founding member of the MiCA Crypto Alliance is a strategic move that allows us to collaborate with industry leaders, leveraging our combined expertise to achieve shared objectives. By partnering with other esteemed members, we aim to enhance transparency and establish a cohesive regulatory framework. Our goal is to develop a more efficient, transparent, and well-regulated environment that benefits consumers and the entire industry.”

Lauren Weymouth, Director, University Partnerships at Ripple, said: “Ripple is delighted to become a founding member of the MiCA Crypto Alliance. This is a unique opportunity to promote collaboration between the academic community and leaders in the digital assets space, supporting sustainability best practices and regulatory compliance. This underlines Ripple’s long-standing position as an advocate for industry regulation that protects consumers and provides clarity to enterprise, which is essential for the sustainable development of the crypto sector.”

“Aptos Foundation is honoured to be a founding member of the MiCA Crypto Alliance. In addition to delivering exceptional data and boosting interoperability across ecosystems, we believe that coordinated efforts in standardising disclosure obligations are crucial for the long-term success and credibility of Web3” added Bashar Lazaar, Head of Grants & Ecosystem at Aptos Foundation.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Roman Beck, member of the Steering Committee, MiCA Alliance and Head of the European Blockchain Center said: “At a time when transparency, compliance, and security are becoming increasingly important in the rapidly evolving blockchain and crypto landscape, the MiCA Crypto Alliance offers a unique opportunity to fill an existing gap to help organisations meet these regulatory requirements. The collaboration between some prominent names in the industry will not only foster trust among regulators and market participants but also pave the way for a more sustainable and scalable future for the industry.”

From today, the MiCA Crypto Alliance welcomes new applicants to join this alliance and partner with other members in their collective ambition to enhance transparency and foster a sustainable development of the crypto industry.

For more information on how to become a member, please visit www.micacryptoalliance.com or contact us at mica@dltscience.org.

About the DLT Science Foundation

The DLT Science Foundation (DSF) is a global leader in P2PFISY. DSF’s initiatives aim to build trust and discover truth within the blockchain industry, supporting the development of transparent and sustainable solutions.

About Hedera 

Governed by a council of the world’s leading institutions, Hedera is a high-performance, secure, and sustainable public, permissioned DLT network. It enables seamless tokenization of real-world and digital assets with unmatched performance, security, and compliance. From regulated security tokens to NFTs, Hedera empowers the efficient creation of diverse asset types by providing enterprises and developers with robust open-source tools to unlock illiquid assets and drive the evolution of financial markets.

For more information, visit www.hedera.com, or follow us on Twitter at @Hedera Admin, Telegram at t.me/hederahashgraph, or Discord at www.hedera.com/discord. The Hedera whitepaper can be found at www.hedera.com/papers.

About Ripple

Ripple is the leading provider of digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions—delivering simple, compliant, reliable software that unlocks efficiencies, reduces friction, and enhances innovation in global finance. Ripple’s solutions leverage the XRP Ledger and its native digital asset, XRP, which was purpose-built to enable fast, low-cost, highly scalable transactions across developer and financial use cases. With a proven track record working with regulators and policymakers around the world, Ripple’s payments, custody and stablecoin solutions are pioneering the digital asset economy—building credibility and trust in enterprise blockchain. Together with customers, partners and the developer community, we are transforming the way the world creates, stores, manages and moves value.

About Aptos Foundation

Aptos Foundation is dedicated to supporting the development of the Aptos protocol, decentralised network and ecosystem and driving engagement with the Aptos ecosystem. By unlocking a blockchain with seamless usability, Aptos Foundation aims to bring the benefits of decentralisation to the masses.

PwC Global Crypto Hedge Fund Report, July 2023

Click on the names for more information on: Hedera, Ripple, and Aptos

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-mica-crypto-alliance-launches-with-hedera-ripple-and-aptos-foundation-as-founding-members-302251659.html

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

As ADA Anniversary Approaches, University of Phoenix Survey Highlights AI’s Potential to Advance Accessibility in Work and Learning

Published

on

By

Survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix finds among those already using AI in the workplace, 60% say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines.

PHOENIX, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As artificial intelligence becomes part of how people work, learn and solve problems, a new University of Phoenix survey conducted by The Harris Poll finds that recent working learners see meaningful opportunities for AI to support accessibility. The survey was designed to understand the impact of AI in the workplace and learning environments on accessibility, defined as ensuring digital content, tools and resources, including AI tools and output, are usable by people with different abilities through inclusive design, use of assistive technology or conformance with accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The findings are being released ahead of the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26.

The survey, conducted among 1,019 U.S. employed adults who completed a professionally presented training or school course in the past 12 months (“recent working learners”), found that, among workers already using AI in the workplace, 3 in 5 (60%) say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines, including nearly 1 in 5 (19%) who report significant improvement. 

While the findings point to optimism about AI’s accessibility potential, they also reveal an opportunity for clearer organizational guidance: 45% of respondents say accessibility is absent from, unclear in, or they are uncertain whether it is covered by their workplace AI policies.

“The reality is that accessibility benefits everyone,” shares Kelly Hermann, Vice President of Accessibility and Student Affairs at University of Phoenix. “If accessibility is built in from the beginning, organizations are more likely to create AI-enabled environments that are universally usable. Clearer content, better summaries, accurate captions, and multiple formats can help workers and learners with disabilities, but they also help busy adults, multilingual learners, mobile users, and anyone trying to absorb information quickly.”

Key findings from the survey include:

Workers see AI’s accessibility potential: 89% of recent working learners identify workflows that could benefit from AI and accessibility tools, especially creating accessible documents, presentations, websites or learning materials (38%), presenting information in different formats such as plain language, audio, summaries or translations (33%), and training employees or learners on accessibility practices (30%).AI may help build accessibility awareness: Among those already using AI in the workplace, 60% say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines.Accessibility is not always clear in workplace AI policies: 45% of recent working learners say accessibility is absent from, unclear in, or they are uncertain whether it is covered by their workplace AI policies.AI tools may not yet fully support different access needs: Among those who use workplace AI tools, only about a quarter of survey respondents (27%) say AI tools available through their workplace or professional learning environment support people with disabilities very well.Human oversight remains important: 36% of recent working learners say human review for important decisions or high-impact work should be part of responsible AI use at work or school.Workers also recognize how AI and accessibility can have an impact on their own career journey: 90% of recent working learners identify AI and accessibility skills that would be valuable in their current or desired career field, including 45% who see value in understanding when AI-generated content needs human review.

Why accessibility is essential to responsible AI adoption

As AI tools are used to draft documents, summarize information, generate captions and transcripts, create image descriptions, support learning and assist with workplace tasks, accessibility becomes central to responsible use. Poorly implemented AI can also create or amplify barriers, including inaccessible content, inaccurate summaries, biased outputs and tools that do not work effectively with assistive technologies.

“Responsible AI is not only about productivity,” Hermann said. “It is about whether the technology works for the people who need to use it. AI can help create more accessible materials and more flexible ways to engage with information, but it still requires clear policies, practical training and human judgment to make sure the outputs are accurate, applicable and usable.”

What the findings mean for employers and educators

The survey suggests that organizations have an opportunity to align AI adoption with supportive design, accessibility practices and workforce training. Employers and educators can take immediate steps by:

Naming accessibility directly in AI policies and guidance.Choosing AI tools with accessibility and assistive technology compatibility in mind.Training workers and learners to create, check and improve accessible AI-generated content.Making support pathways clear for people who experience barriers using AI tools.Keeping human review in place for important decisions, high-impact work and accessibility-sensitive outputs.

The survey also found workers want practical AI training. The most helpful resources identified by recent working learners include real-world examples from their field or industry (36%), hands-on practice using realistic workplace scenarios (34%) and step-by-step demonstrations of common tasks (33%).

Accessibility insights from University of Phoenix

Hermann shared the survey findings ahead of the ADA anniversary in recent media interviews. Hermann oversees the University’s accessibility initiative, including evaluation and remediation of curricular resources, the Center for Access, Resources, Engagement and Support Services (CARES), and the Office of Collaborative Learning and Educational Engagement. Her work focuses on fostering accessible and welcoming educational environments for students, faculty and staff.

Hermann’s office at University of Phoenix also convenes accessibility conversations through initiatives such as Access Amplified™, a free, annual virtual event focused on advancing digital accessibility in web development. The event brings together engineers, developers, designers, content authors and digital strategists for practical strategies and human-centered conversations that address the gap between coding practices and how users with assistive technology experience the web.

About the survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix from June 22–29, 2026, among 1,019 employed adults ages 18 and older who have taken a professionally presented training or a school course in the past 12 months, referred to as “recent working learners.” Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, employment, marital status, household size, household income and smoking status to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

Review the complete survey at phoenix.edu/aiaccessibility.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is Built for Real Life. 50 Years Strong. The University innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world through flexible online learning, relevant courses, academic AI pillars, and skills-mapped curriculum for associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Active students and alumni have access to Career Services for Life® resources including career guidance and tools. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-ada-anniversary-approaches-university-of-phoenix-survey-highlights-ais-potential-to-advance-accessibility-in-work-and-learning-302834448.html

SOURCE University of Phoenix

Continue Reading

Technology

Mastech Digital to Announce Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results; Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference

Published

on

By

PITTSBURGH, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mastech Digital, Inc. (NYSE American: MHH) (“Mastech Digital”), a leading provider of Digital Transformation IT Services, today announced the date for the release of its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026, and its participation in an upcoming investor conference.

Second Quarter 2026 Earnings:

Mastech Digital will report its financial results for the second quarter 2026 before the market opens on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Management will host a live conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on that day to discuss the Company’s financial performance and operating results.  The conference call will be hosted by Nirav Patel, President and CEO, and Kannan Sugantharaman, Chief Financial and Operations Officer.

Those wishing to participate via webcast should access the call through Mastech Digital’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.mastechdigital.com. Those wishing to participate via telephone may dial in at 1-800-715-9871 (USA) or 1-646-307-1963 (International) with the passcode 7506988. The replay will be available via webcast through Mastech Digital’s Investor Relations website.

Upcoming Investor Conference:

Mr. Sugantharaman will host a fireside chat at the Sidoti Micro-Cap Investor Conference on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

Mastech Digital management is scheduled to host virtual one-on-one and small group meetings with investors during the conference on August 19-20, 2026. Investors interested in arranging a meeting should contact their Sidoti representative or reach out to the Mastech Digital investor relations team at investors@mastechdigital.com.

About Mastech Digital, Inc.

Mastech Digital (NYSE American: MHH) is a leading provider of Digital Transformation IT Services. The Company offers Data Management, Analytics & AI Solutions, and IT Staffing Services with a digital-first approach. A minority-owned enterprise, Mastech Digital is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, with offices across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and India. Visit us at www.mastechdigital.com.

Investor Relations Contact:
investors@mastechdigital.com 

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mastech-digital-to-announce-second-quarter-2026-financial-results-participate-in-upcoming-investor-conference-302834421.html

SOURCE Mastech Digital, Inc.

Continue Reading

Technology

SOLAI Limited Announces Extraordinary General Meeting

Published

on

By

AKRON, Ohio, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SOLAI Limited (NYSE: SLAI) (“SOLAI” or the “Company”) (previously known as “BIT Mining Limited”), a technology-driven personal AI and digital infrastructure provider, today announced that it will hold its extraordinary general meeting of shareholders at 428 South Seiberling Street, Akron, Ohio, US on August 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., New York time.

Holders of record of ordinary shares and preference shares of the Company at the close of business on July 20, 2026, New York time (the “Record Date”) are entitled to receive notice of, and to attend and vote at, the extraordinary general meeting or any adjournment thereof. Holders of the Company’s American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) who wish to exercise their voting rights for the underlying ordinary shares must act through the depositary of the Company’s ADS program, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas.

The notice of the extraordinary general meeting, which sets forth the resolutions to be submitted to shareholder approval at the extraordinary general meeting is available on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at https://ir.solai.com

About SOLAI Limited

SOLAI Limited (previously known as “BIT Mining Limited”) (NYSE: SLAI) (previously traded under “BTCM”) is a technology-driven personal AI and digital infrastructure provider. Building upon its historical legacy in digital asset mining and blockchain network operations, the Company is leveraging extensive experience in large-scale hardware deployment, data center operations, and high-performance computing to build the foundational infrastructure for personal AI computing and digital asset ecosystems globally.

For more information:

SOLAI Limited
ir@solai.com
ir.solai.com
www.solai.com 

Christensen Advisory
Jason Ng
Tel: +852-2117-0861
Email: solai@christensencomms.com 

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/solai-limited-announces-extraordinary-general-meeting-302834034.html

SOURCE SOLAI Limited

Continue Reading

Trending