Poland is at the forefront of blockchain adoption and is poised to become a global player in the coming years. This is the view of Marcin Rzetecki (Managing Director of the Polish Blockchain Association), who was speaking at the recent London Blockchain Conference.
Rzetecki said that his primary goal as Managing Director of the Polish Blockchain Association is to educate, show and engage governments and enterprises the power of the BSV blockchain. He pointed to the highly successful Technology of Tomorrow Conference in Warsaw which saw representatives from various industries and businesses gather to discuss the potential of Blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
‘We showed the community and people in attendance how they can use the BSV blockchain together with IoT devices,’ Rzetecki said. ‘Not all blockchains on the market can process thousands of transactions a second. BSV is the most scalable option on the market right now.’
The importance of blockchain education
Rzetecki said that it can be incredibly challenging to engage governments, startups and enterprises on the potential of blockchain technology, but that this can be combated by properly educating people on how the technology can be used and implemented. He pointed to the BAIOT project, which allows students at six primary schools to trade plastic caps (for recycling purposes) in return for NFT tokens, which are stored in web3 wallets.
The caps are placed into a container, which is tracked by an IoT device and an attached mobile application, which shows how many tokens each school has. After three weeks, the tokens are exchanged for trees – directly benefiting the environment. Notably, this entire system is built on the BSV blockchain, which acts as a database and as the ‘connective tissue’ for all of these technologies.
The project is a collaboration between various entities, including the administration of Minsk Mazowiecki, the Architects Foundation, the Polish Blockchain Association, and the BAIOT startup.
Rzetecki noted that the BAIOT project shows how blockchain can be implemented, how IoT devices can be used alongside blockchain technology, and the different ways that fungible and non-fungible tokens can be used.
‘If you start talking about blockchain as a very complex technology, you can’t win (when talking to) governments and enterprises,’ Rzetecki said.
A significant advantage of the BAIOT project is that it introduces blockchain to students at a young age, meaning they can engage with blockchain technology without any preconceived notions of complexity. In turn, these students can teach their parents and elders about the potential of blockchain technology and how it can be implemented in daily life, said Rzetecki.
Looking forward for blockchain, IoT, AI and Smart Cities
While the BAIOT project is a good example of how the BSV blockchain can be implemented in daily life, it is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the full potential of the technology, said Rzetecki. This includes further IoT integration, adopting artificial intelligence and building entire smart cities, he said.
‘In Poland, we have this open data programme where the data from all these IoT devices are (made available) for free. This is what we are trying to put on the blockchain, as we then have a timestamped ledger with immutable data – and you can trust that data from all of these IoT devices. So you can build a new business model based not only on open data, but also blockchain technology.’
Rzetecki said that he is very bullish about the future of blockchain in Poland, pointing to the wealth of talented developers and managers in the region. This means the country is set to become a leader in Europe, driving further investment.