The recruitment into the first technological sandbox starts in Poland

From today every company interested in developing blockchain based services can apply to participate in the first in Poland technological sandbox to test their ideas in a safe and efficient production environment. The new technological platform is launching thanks to the cooperation of: The National Clearing House - KIR, IBM, National Cloud Operator, PKO Bank Polski, KNF and Fintech Poland Foundation. KIR’s Digitization Development Foundation Cyberium performs the function of coordinator and social partner of the joint initiative. The blockchain sandbox participants can find the terms and conditions to apply  and be accepted as well as more information about the project and partners at www.sandboxblockchain.pl.

The blockchain sandbox project is aimed at companies, including startups, that want to develop blockchain based products or services but do not have a suitable test environment. The project will enable the reduction of technical and operational costs at the stage of development phase of new solutions and will allow tto conduct tests verifying their quality and efficiency, as well as facilitate access to consultations on legal regulations.

This pioneering campaign will increase innovativeness of the local market by minimizing the barriers to entry for avant-garde companies already able to build their offer based on blockchain technology. The sandbox will enable companies from various sectors to test their own solutions based on the Hyperledger Fabric (HLF) framework, a Linux Foundation project, and qualified to participate in the project will use it for free.

The sandbox blockchain technology meets strict requirements, including the possibility of user verification and addresses the requirements of data territoriality, and so is attractive to international companies. The sandbox environment allows services to be designed in a standard way, acceptable for customers of different industries, including strongly regulated sectors of the economy. The launch of the blockchain sandbox is a joint initiative of institutions and companies who have been working for years to develop the Polish technological sector.

– Blockchain has an enormous potential – and the banks are using it already commercially to provide a solution in the area of so-called “durable medium.” The launch of the blockchain sandbox is an important step in creating a standard that will speed up innovation in our market. Our goal is to help, using technologies that are so universal, they allow the development of an innovative solutions that can be readily implemented in practically ever industry – says Piotr Alicki, President of the Board of KIR.

As a hub of shared services of the Polish financial sector providing a test environment, KIR performs the function of the project leader. IBM is the technological partner responsible for Hyperledger Fabric technology, along with the National Cloud Operator, which enables access to its own datacenter.

By conducting a call for startups PKO Bank Polski will assess an ideas and support project participants with business consulting, while UKNF and Fintech Poland foundation will help with support on regulations and the legal environmental matters. As a societal partner, KIR’s Digitization Development Foundation Cyberium  will serve as coordinator for each project.

– Such a wide range of partners, with diverse and very strong competencies, enables efficient project implementation and its further development. Thanks to this, within our blockchain platform, participants will be able not only to test their solutions in a user friendly and secure environment, but also receive invaluable support from practitioners from every key area – says Jarosław Szymczuk, General Manager, IBM Poland and Baltics.

Experts estimate that the global market for blockchain solutions value will be  $39.7 billion by the end of 2025. This technology can be seen primarily through the prism of its predicted potential, but there are also a number of barriers to its full development: both at the level of awareness and the required resources - including the necessary computing power or a secure environment for testing. The blockchain sandbox will be the first technological platform in Poland designed to allow the prototyping of solutions in a user- friendly environment, while maintaining all parameters of quality and safety, as it seeks to address these barriers.

– It is only a matter of time before we can develop the next useful and commonly practiced blockchain based solutions. As a leader of the Polish financial sector, we’ve been involving in building a “durable medium” service based on this technology and have already saved nearly 20 million PLN in two years. By looking for further practical usage, we are launching a sandbox where young companies cooperating with PKO Bank Polski will be able to use free of charge cloud resources and get business support. I strongly believe that new technologies are the basis of modern business – says Adam Marciniak, Vice-President of the Management Board of PKO Bank Polski (TBC, name and function may be changed).